Gromnir

smith & tinker? ... am too lazy to moby the named personages at smith & tinker, so can anybody tell us why it is a good/bad thing that these folks got mechwarrior and crimson skies? getting shadowrun? is a bit like being the coverboy for madden football. HA! Good Fun!

am thinking that drew (the me lead writer) watches far too much anime for his own good... 'cause while Gromnir is enjoying story and characters, there is far too many of those huh/wtf moments for us to be comfortable with. take bits and pieces from every other familiar sci-fi setting not bother us much, but if Gromnir has to work to rationalize various plot lines, then something is wrong. ... and keep in mind that Gromnir is pretty darn relaxed 'bout such plot stuff. kreia wanting to kill the force as explanation for her whole grand plan? had no problem with that. me, on the other hand, asks for us to ignore the clamoring protest o' our brain for hours at a time and simply enjoy the pretty pictures, character interactions and gameplay... and as the gameplay is a little too twitchy for our tastes... is still fun 'nuff to keep us involved, but too much huh/wtf. oh, and the stoopid me planet exploration crap should be a good reminder for all o' you clowns who claims to have enjoyed bg1 exploration... 'cause is same sorta nonsense. heck, me actually is slightly less annoying in this respect 'cause at least some 'o those tangential map side quests is more than fedex time wasters. HA! Good Fun!

2 weeks after Gromnir stopped playing nwn2, the patch finally gets released. ... is a good thing that the game were relative stable (though we had more than just a handful o' ctds, most were related to transitioning on world map with spell effects or active familiars... so were a problem with an easy 'nuff work 'round,) 'cause am not recalling a pc game for which it were taking so long to patch. hell, even toee got patched quicker and atari and troika were slappy fighting at the time which were making any sorta a patch seems less than guaranteed. maybe after Gromnir gives ME a try we will manage

just 'cause you didn't have (or didn't notice) problems, don't mean they weren't in game. various bonuses not stack right (though if you not know rules you probably not notice.) more than some spell durations is wrong. is more than a few game killing bugs experienced by more than a few people. warlock gets imbue item ability, but can't take item creation feats. favored soul dcs seems to be chr based 'stead of wisdom. warpriests can't gain divine casting levels? characters getting access to too many epic spells... or not 'nuff. ctds. etc. chances is you suffered many data entry kinda bugs and simply didn't realize. wrong babs and wrong saves and wrong dcs? you not know rules and you probably not even realize. HA! Good Fun!

... is obsidian gonna patch this freaking game 'fore Christmas? for chrissakes, how long we gotta wait for some basic fixes? oh, and while we know that it gots 0 chance o' ever becoming reality ('least not til josh gets a chance to work on bg3,) given that obsidian is taking a months kinda approach to fixing motb, maybe they could add fixed domain spell lists and functionality for clerics. is embarrassing that iwd2 did a far better job with 3e domains than does motb. josh mentioned that this were something that might (unlikely) be addressed in a patch, and as wait for patch has become a task fit for Job, am figuring that maybe obsidian throws in a bone to make seem likes more than simple bug fixing. opportunity to improve rather than simply fix. HA! Good Fun!

which motb jnpcs would Conan accept? ... only difference 'tween red wizard and the other jnpcs is that Conan might try to get sexed up with the bald chick previous to killing her. HA! Good Fun!

skillz is extra important in Gromnir d&d campaigns... not too many players voluntarily play low int fighters or clerics in our game sessions. all you got is concentration or climb? too bad, 'cause Gromnir warned you 'least a half dozen times that such a route were gonna lead to frustration. bards is buffers and skillz monkeys that if built right can also be very effective in a combat support role. personally, the concept o' the bard offends Gromnir sensibilities. the "minstrels" we has known is typically hygienically challenged dreamers who stink o' failure and mj, so we got 0 urge to rp such a character save as some sorta comedic bit o' buffonery. nevertheless, the d&d bard is often the most useful member of gaming sessions in which Gomnir is dm... which is kinda ironic given our overt loathing for the bard. HA! Good Fun!

"I know it is probably not fair to compare NWN2 with the Temple of Elemental Evil and Infinity Engine, where the maps are 2D but I feel I am experiencing the demerit of 3D engine rather than enjoying it at the current state of implementation (BTW, oddly, I liked the 3 dimensionally visualized giant frogs, gelatin cubes and magic missile effects in ToEE, for example)." *chuckle* the funny thing is that now that Gromnir has played so much nwn2 and motb, every time we tries to play bg2 or ps:t (would rather have tiny glass shards rubbed into our eyeball than try to play toee again,) we find ourself trying to zoom in and out with the wheel mouse. the fixed overhead perspective, while functional, is far more limiting and limited than nwn2 strat view. you happen to get a battle in a doorway in bg2 or toee (a frequent occurrence as Gromnir typically used doorways as extra immovable and unassailable defenders,) or there just happens to be a large wall or structure in way, and you pretty much gotta simply endure seeing half of battle. yeah, in nwn2 we sometimes get a bad pov and we gotta adjust, but with ie and toee there were some situations in which you need to realize the limitations o' the 2d pov if you is gonna be able to enjoy the game. fixed 2d left Gromnir with far more situations in which we had less than an optimal view o' the battlefield... 'least compared to nwn2 and it's expansion. oh, and we gots another annoying bug. built ourself a favored soul/rogue/storm lord. the favored soul spell casting primary attribute (from Gromnir pov) is wisdom as wisdom determines dc o' spells cast. however, fs charisma determines max spell level the character can cast as well as bonus spells. gave our fs a 14 charisma and planned to use stat boosting items to get us to 19 by time we reaches point where we could cast 9th level spells... character level 22 or so. one small problem with our plan: reloads wipe out known spells 'bove level 4. as long as Gromnir not have to exit game, everything is fine. our +6 nymph cloak allows Gromnir to use level 9 spells, but if ever we gotta reload game, all spells 'bove level 4 is blacked out til we rest... and this game purposefully makes rest more o' a challenge in some specific areas. not a big problem... is simply more sand in our shoe. HA! Good Fun!

am beginning to get the picture that the camera problem is pretty much a character-mode issue... and as Gromnir never uses character mode we gots 0 frame o' reference. d&d is, at its core, a squad-based tactical combat game... looks down at graph paper or dry-erase maps and move your pawns 'bout from your godlike pov. *shrug* HA! Good Fun!

austin is a fantastic town. has the advantage of being a very big college town w/o being a genuine big city. ut is one o' the biggest universities in the nation, and it is actually a pretty darn good university too... and like all good universities ut is a magnet for big brains and big talent and nifty cultural opportunities. throws in great music and great food and only real drawback is fact that you gotta deal with texas weather and texans. austin? Gromnir can deal with austin... and as cost of living is so much less than in cali... we would still have to take a big pay cut. *shrug* major obstacle is gonna remain Gromnir's lack o' talent. HA! Good Fun!

... dunno. there is almost no times where/when Gromnir can't simply rotate camera slightly to gets a good view. area transitions? ok, take 2 seconds to pull back and rotate left or right with camera. THAT is the big camera stink? okie dokie. HA! Good Fun!

am not much of a writer ourself, but all those secondary skills is what Gromnir would find daunting... coupled with a big pay cut and a move to kanada. HA! Good Fun!

could somebody explain what is the camera issue? some folks really is torqued by nwn2 camera, and Gromnir has never really "got" this criticism as the strategic view is pretty much where we live... zoom in and out sometimes. *shrug* btw, anybody heard anything 'bout the patch? HA! Good fun!

from books we would probably end up with either 1-2 levels rogue x levels of fighter or 100% fighter d&d barbarian not seem to be Conan. barbarian rage ain't so much a Conan thing... is simply the skills aspect that seems more barby than fighter. lack o' civilized culture? yeah. wild animal? is not how Gromnir read. savage and brutal, but not really wild. take 14 int and able learner and go to town with whatever skills you wish. Conan were pretty damn smart. HA! Good Fun!

dove combat stats in Gromnir's party late in chap 3 with typical buffs: attack bonus 53/48/43/38/33/28 damage 1-8 +7 (crit 17-20 x2) +1d12 slash +1d12 (magic) v. outsiders +9 physical +3 magical +1 slashing +2 magic +1d6 divine v. evil +9 divine damage ac 53 not bad, eh? HA! Good Fun!

"My 15wiz/14spirit shaman..." no wonder you had problem with ancient vamp sr. caster level o' 15 or 14 (even with the spell penetration feats) ain't gonna often be able to touch critters with sr o' 30+... and there is too many vamps in those vault battles to assay resistance 'em all. HA! Good Fun!

okku is the tank. you want a tank, then okku is your guy. however, please keep in mind that an appropriately buffed and outfitted cleric is gonna be equal or better than any tank obsidian could come up with. dove already gots big wisdom, so throw a couple extra points into charisma... and take divine shield. there is a nymph cloak +6 available early in game so you can probably get dove's chr modifier up to +8 or +9 w/o much effort. she already gots extra turning, so spam away with divine shield and divine might before every battle. +8 or +9 to damage and ac is nothing to sneeze at. spell buffing is key for the cleric combatant. extend and persistent metaspell feats become almost necessary for a tank. cast persist divine favor and prayer. cast extend divine power and battletide. cast extend recitation 'fore big battles. most of the stat boosting spells is a waste 'cause you can find belts and cloaks and other items that boost better than bull's strength or eagle's splendor anyways... and stat boosts don't stack. heck, divine power alone gives dove same bab as a fighter of same level. also, while dove carries a puny little mace when you meet her, she can use any martial weapon. for some odd reason it seems that the best weapons in game are either 2 hand weapons or they is exotic weapons. you is probably gonna want to have dove use a shield, so best route is probably to craft something for dove. Gromnir avoids crafting 'cause it seems like overkill, but if dove is gonna be your tank, then you should think 'bout customizing her a super weapon. use your friends. gann can cast tortoise shell, and or barksin 'pon dove... and make sure somebody can stoneskin her. red wizard can cast haste (potentially persistent haste,) and a few other buffing spells. umd is another way to turn dove into a tank. her umd will never be good 'nuff for using scrolls, but to use wands and any items in game requires that dove probably have 'bout ten ranks in umd. for dove you only get 3 skill points per level, so if you already gained a bunch o' levels with dove and spent points elsewhere, this may not be an option. regardless, keep in mind that spells like displacement, mirror image and ghostly visage, spells that normally can only be cast by a caster on self, is wonderful wand fodder. dove can be a tank, but as the spirit meter makes resting options more limited, you is gonna have to be careful with dove's spamming of spell casting... you may have to pretty much put her in puppet mode so that she does what you want her to do. so am assuming that you insist on both gann and safiya in party? gann has some neato abilities, but he is largely superfluous if you got dove and safiya in party. dove can heal and buff, and between dove and red wizard you gots some serious damage potential from offensive spells. *shrug* dove is a serious melee weapon, if you is willing to micromanage. HA! Good Fun!

"Oh and also the part where I never complained about it." is tough to genuine complain 'bout your own foolishness. HA! Good Fun!

if your vamps is resistant to sunbursts, then chances is they will be resistant to heals. overcome spell resistance is a dc based on caster level. obvious thing to do is come back when you is higher level, or after you gets your casters the spell penetration feats. igms has advantage that at least a couple of the multiple missiles will probably get through high resistance. glyphs o' warding does not seem to be subject o spell resistance. if you use some cannon fodder summons and a few glyphs o' warding you can do some serious damage to just 'bout anything in game. dunno. Gromnir played as a rogue/cleric. always have mass death ward cast in the vault areas, and if we thoughts battle were near we would cast divine power, battle tide, and use divine might... then Gromnir and okku would wade into battle and reduce all foes to little bits o' hamburger. had pretty high ac, but could aways have gann cast tortoise shell and foundation o' stone on us... made us pretty much unhittable and un knockable. rarely had to cast spells at the undead monks. however, w/o a couple o' tanks, those monks might be difficult... specially if your casters ain't built to overcome sr. *chuckle* is metagaming in a big way, but you can set up Multiple glyphs previous to a battle. a half dozen o' those things do serious damage... all divine damege an no sr to overcome... which ain't the way the is 'posed to work, but as obsidian not seem like they is ever gonna patch, you can take advantage of their blunder. either use summons to attract the undead, or you can always use pmd route. with auto-resurrect it not matter if you gets blasted for 580 hps o' divine damage, as long as one of your party mates survives. ps pmd = polish mine detector... use person to set off bomb/trap. not a very pc term. HA! Good Fun!

Come up with obvious solutions? Probably not. If I had a silverbullet that eliminated game balance issues and still kept players happy, who says you gotta keep all players happy? you can never make all players happy. you asked vol and then Gromnir what other options did obsidian have available, no? "How?" simple. make no sleepy areas. same end result. sure, you end up with cheesed off players, but so what? balance always cheeses off players. the thing is, you spend virtually 0 resources to implement such a "feature" as 'posed to the broken spirit meter. same end result and probably less game frustration for most players and at what kinda man hour cost to developers? oh, and for the high and mighty role-players: how did you replenish spirit meter after skein? is quite a number o' options. only one option does Gromnir preclude: no soul devouring. soul devour o' coven would indeed replenish, but such is clearly a foul and evil act... so no soul devour. ... all options Gromnir conceive involve mindless abasement to spirit meter mechanic. go to place where you know undead is confined (those offering urns in dead god's vault are functionally the same as power up gems in some crappy console game.) go to area of world map where you know spirits respawn and devour a few following a "battle" with an inevitable conclusion? is evil, and is different from undead offering urns how? gameplay ends up same even if awards is slight different. fight some meaningless and tangential battle to gets your power up boost? great gameplay... works exactly as developers envisioned. *snort* maybe you use world map to do a quest, coupled with suppress? step 1) suppress 2) use world map to travel to wells of lurre 3)complete dream lover quest 4) use suppress again. 5) return to town and suppress once more. oh wait, that is taking advantage of crazy travel disparity vs. resting depletion. spirit bar depletes slower from 2 days travel than for resting 8 hours... and more than a day worth o' travel means you get refresh o' suppress. sadly this again is taking advantage o' the system. now, if Gromnir simply avoids the above options and goes ahead with thaymount, we can then be secure in knowledge that we is not working the system... 'course as our spirit meter is in the 40's range post first play through of skein, and travel to thay is instantaneous, so no replenishment o' suppress or eternal rest occurs. leaves us in a precarious situation. am suspecting that this is exactly what the legion o' genuine role-players did... to maintain the integrity o' the spirit meter mechanic. HA! unlikely. what a waste o' energy. can use any number of the above broken or mindless methods, or we can simply say "screw this," and rest and suppress a half dozen times in the span o' 30 seconds o' real time. is no less broken or stoopid, but has advantage of being less annoying and much faster. HA! Good Fun! ps spider did open self up big time with that bit 'bout not having bothered to read the feat descriptions... fact that he chose some mod that would knowingly prevent him from being able to read info in a game he had never played before just tickles our funny bone. pretty much absolves the developers o' any sin as you really did ask for a handicapped game experience.

"I hate to be the one to say this, but Gromnir you do know that if you just play the game..." coming from the guy who didn't read the spirit meter feat descriptions we find this amusing. heck, given your self imposed ignorance you didn't have much choice but to simply "play the game," whatever the heck that means. and yeah, Gromnir could bury head in the sand and simply try to avoid rest as long as possible, pretend that the spirit meter were discouraging us from resting, but that would not change the fact that the mechanic is busted. if only way for spirit meter to work is if Gromnir pretends to be foolish or to not bother to read in-game dialogs or descriptions, then the mechanic is still gonna be busted. and again, as Gromnir has pointed out before, the obvious flaws in the system not change the gameplay at all... only real change were to save us some actual game time dealing with an otherwise annoying little feature. HA! Good Fun!

"Assuming it was to prevent players from sleeping and rebuffing I was just curious as to how to handle that much better." am sure you can answer your own question. if goal is to prevent excessive resting in certain areas, what simple and direct method(s) would you use to preclude such resting? ... no doubt you can come up with an obvious solution, eh? the developers knew that simply preventing rest would bother some players... so they gots clever and made into a kewl mechanic. turn weakness into a strength? good idea... if not for poor execution. net gain from implementing spirit meter rather than limiting rest directly... and was it worth the development time to implement? *shrug* HA! Good Fun!

How? the mechanic is busted. wanna reduce craving to min levels? find one of the many spots with friendly or neutral spirits... and rest repeatedly. the point of the mechanic is to discourage rest, but if you wanna get craving minimized resting a half dozen times w/o doing any other actual gameplay is probably your quickest route. the first couple times you rest your spirit meter will drop, 'cause crave is too high, but eventually you end up with a net gain to spirit meter following rest. rinse and repeat... rinse and repeat. is mindless and stoopid and illogical. other method for quick fill of spirit bar is to purposefully rest in dangerous places where undead respawn. use eternal rest a couple times and you is at 100. game encourages Gromnir to take advantage o' resting respawns? huh? stoopid. spirit meter took Gromnir out of the game world... most obvious and bestest ways to deal with spirit bar felt like loopholes and cheats. is bad design when obvious way to deal with a game mechanic is not furthering gameplay. mindless drudgery. oh, and the amount of alignment points granted for use of spirit related feats were often perplexing. 2 points lawful for suppress? is FAR too extreme an award/penalty compared to other alignment point adjustments offered in game. weren't painful to Gromnir as alignment had no bearing on our character class choices, but am understanding why some druid or barbarian players were angered... particularly as there were no way for those players to know ahead o' time that their character concept might become much more difficult to maintain throughout motb. oh, and the spirit meter also made ai of party spell casters that much more irksome. Gromnir knows how to be frugal with spell casting... but party members do not. yeah, some insanity such as red wizard casting greater magic weapon on an ENEMY is old news to Gromnir, but when in skein the bird girl unleashes a storm o' vengeance on a handful of spirit rats? forces us to babysit all spell caster npcs in those few limited rest areas. for Gromnir, the only gameplay value o' the spirit meter were to make us less likely to rest in 2(possibly 3) areas of game. what a terrible waste of developer resources... spirit meter were far too complex (and easily circumvented) mechanic to achieve such a limited end. 'course for the evil players the spirit meter does offer a much different set of hurdles and benefits, and as such there is some added replay value... but Gromnir gots no urge to explore such opportunities, nevertheless we does concede that the motb spirit meter does afford additional gameplay avenues. HA! Good Fun!

not matter that it is a recipe and that you meet level requirements. there is a TOTAL number o' essences that a level 21 mage can add to a weapon/armour/item. try add level 21 vorpal and +6 and maybe you can't do both 'cause too many total essences go onto weapon for a levle 21 caster to manage. again, Gromnir not know max total number o' essences a level 21 mage can add... should check if you wanna go the enchant route. HA! Good Fun!

anybody know the pre-order and current sales numbers for motb? seem like the pivotal issue regarding the possibility o' another nwn2 expansion is to be knowing how well atari is doing with the current expansion. am hopeful that the lack o' a patch is not some harbinger o' nwn2 death... HA! Good Fun!