How do stats affect creatures?

[wolpak]

If you zero out all stat bonuses, for strength, dexterity and constitution, how does it affect creatures? It's strange that it would have any effect as monsters (not joinable npcs) are static.

 

If I zero out stats, will I need to compensate by giving +thac0, +dam, +AC and +hp as necessary?

[Jarno Mikkola]

If I zero out stats, will I need to compensate by giving +thac0, +dam, +AC and +hp as necessary?

Meaning ? If you set any stat(Strength, Dexterity and Constitution, Wisdom, Intelegence, Charisma) to a zero aka = 0, you kill the character. Set them to 9 and you will zero out the stat related bonuses and negative values, as that's what you actually want.

[subtledoctor]

It might depend on whAt you mean by "zero out." Zero could be problematic, as it might lead to death.

 

Standard practice seems to be, set a creature's stats to 9 and then set the functional fields (thac0, HP, AC, etc.) to whatever you want them to be.

[lynx]

He is correct though, some internal stats are only available to player classes. But hp, tohit and ac are not among them.

[wolpak]

I meant the bonuses in the 2da files. If strength gives no bonus, will that mean some creatures will hit less hard? Same for Dex, you can have 18 dex, it just doesn't give you and bonus.

[Ardanis]

Stat bonuses affect everybody equally, regardless of their status as a party member. So, if you nullify all these bonuses, then yes, you'll end up with some monsters much weaker than originally. Same goes for proficiency bonuses.

[wolpak]

So, I would have to replace the bonuses with actual values, ie- if you had x strength, give x damage bonus. That's fine, just wanted to make sure as to not gimp enemies.

[subtledoctor]

This could be done fairly simply, I think.

 

COPY regexp all .cre files

READ the offset for Str

PATCH_IF Str is 15 THEN

WRITE Str to 10

ADD_CRE_EFFECT thac0 bonus

ADD_CRE_EFFECT damage bonus

PATCH_IF Str is 16 THEN

WRITE Str to 10

...

[Etc.]

BUT_ONLY

 

Just need to except NPCs from the changes.

 

EDIT - this is not to say that @wolpak needs any tutelage from me! But I hate when I'm googling a subject to learn more, and come upon a thread discussing the subject, and then seeing "solved, thanks!" with no details or explanation.

[wolpak]

Wolpak needs tutelage from all. Especially with weidu. Really, no need to reduce str as if I zero out the 2da, there shouldn't be a difference, right?

[Jarno Mikkola]

Wolpak needs tutelage from all. Especially with weidu. Really, no need to reduce str as if I zero out the 2da, there shouldn't be a difference, right?

What exactly are you tying to archive ?

Yes, if you set all the strmod.2da and strmoddex.2da to a default zero'es in their To_HIT and DAMAGE columns, then you will have the mosters at +0 damage & +0 thac0, but you also effect the player characters.

[subtledoctor]

Wolpak needs tutelage from all. Especially with weidu. Really, no need to reduce str as if I zero out the 2da, there shouldn't be a difference, right?

No need to reduce Str, no, but if you zero out bonuses in STRMOD.2da etc., you will still need to do the ADD_CRE_EFFECT lines to get them back to their vanilla behavior/performance (where they were getting bonuses from those stats).

 

Alternatively you can use SET_BG2_PROFICIENCY to set up creatures according to your new prof-based system... but I have no idea whether the scripting will work equally for a creature that is set to have, say, 2 pips in Avoidance in the .cre file, versus a player who adds pips in the level-up screens.

 

@Jarno I presume this question is related to wolpak's project described here:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/42503/mod-reprock-redone-proficiency-class-and-kits-wip#latest

[wolpak]

I won't need to worry about the proficiencies as I will move them all to the 3 I have left, slashing, piercing and blunt. Of course, they give no weapon bonus, so I will have to manually add that back as well, though the aprs will still work.

[subtledoctor]

No, I meant, if you are zeroing out stat bonuses, I assume you are replacing them with some proficiency-based bonuses. Like, AC bonus from the Avoidance proficiency instead of AC bonuses from DEX.

 

If that's the case (*if*... that was an assumption), then you could give .CREs proficiency in Avoidance to make up for their lost DEX bonus. But it's probably easier to zero out all proficiencies, use ADD_CRE_EFFECT for the lost bonuses, and then set the three wespon proficiencies to whatever you want.

 

Btw as far as setting weapon profs in your 3 new exclusive ones, see my new NPC_EE mod for very simple code for that. Basically just

 

COPY .cre

LPF DELETE_EFFECT match_opcode=233 END

COPY .cre

SET_BG2_PROFICIENCY 90 2

[Gwendolyne]

 

Alternatively you can use SET_BG2_PROFICIENCY to set up creatures according to your new prof-based system... but I have no idea whether the scripting will work equally for a creature that is set to have, say, 2 pips in Avoidance in the .cre file, versus a player who adds pips in the level-up screens.

 

Here is a piece of a WeidU process I am writing to create random creatures :

.....

DEFINE_ACTION_MACRO GW_DEFINITION_PROFICIENCIES BEGIN

    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(79) "PROFICIENCYBASTARDSWORD"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(80) "PROFICIENCYLONGSWORD"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(81) "PROFICIENCYSHORTSWORD"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(82) "PROFICIENCYAXE"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(83) "PROFICIENCYTWOHANDEDSWORD"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(84) "PROFICIENCYKATANA"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(85) "PROFICIENCYSCIMITARWAKISASHININJATO"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(86) "PROFICIENCYDAGGER"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(87) "PROFICIENCYWARHAMMER"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(88) "EXTRAPROFICIENCY1"    // = CLUB
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(89) "PROFICIENCYSPEAR"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(90) "PROFICIENCYHALBERD"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(91) "PROFICIENCYFLAILMORNINGSTAR"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(92) "PROFICIENCYMACE"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(93) "PROFICIENCYQUARTERSTAFF"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(94) "PROFICIENCYCROSSBOW"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(95) "PROFICIENCYLONGBOW"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(96) "PROFICIENCYSHORTBOW"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(97) "PROFICIENCYDART"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(98) "PROFICIENCYSLING"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(99) "PROFICIENCY2HANDED"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(100) "PROFICIENCYSWORDANDSHIELD"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(101) "PROFICIENCYSINGLEWEAPON"
    OUTER_SPRINT $proficiency(102) "PROFICIENCY2WEAPON"

END

.....

LAM ~GW_DEFINITION_PROFICIENCIES~

.....

FOR (i = 79; i < 103; i = i+1) BEGIN
    value = EVAL "%nvdonnees_%i%%"
    SET_BG2_PROFICIENCY $proficiency("%i%") value
END

.....

IF any %nvdonnees_%i%% is set to 0, then the proficiency value is also set to 0 and you don't find its effect #233 (Stat: Proficiency) counterpart in the cre file.

 

In fact, it seems SET_BG2_PROFICIENCY only overwrites the proficiency value, you can't add or substract it.

[wolpak]

Thanks for the input. Basically, ill likely just make the creatures have the same stats as they do now. So, whatever bonus they would have gotten from Dex, I'll just reduce their base AC by that. I'll likely add in some damage resistance for flavor (and fairness). There is no reason to script the bonuses for creatures as they are all static. The bonus will be equivalent. Plus, I can't image how tough it would be to actually do that.