Phoynix: I made my own mod to fix what I felt was wrong with the game.
Gadgeteer/Faeries
I can send if anyones interested.
I actually have patch notes(it helps me keep track of what I'm changing and why)
Gadgeteers are great end game, but they blow for 95% of the actual game and have to be pulled through by other chars.
This comes down to six main problems
1.Ammo weight requiring Strength or other party members to carry extra ammo in the party pool and more often then not BOTH.
2.Lack of gadets that are worth using early game, resulting in a lack luster engineering increase speed and alot of lightning rod spam perlonging pointless battles.
3.Lack of decent equipment early game.
4.Modern Weapons skill unlike Bows does not provide # of attacks increase per point.
5.Gadgeteer gets the lowest hitpoint per level and lowest + to # of attacks per level of any non pure caster in game.
6.Omnigun status effects are great, except they are resisted by monster resistances. If a monster has 100% fire resist its unlikely 10% blind chance
will work as just one example. The Gadgeteer is the most effected class in game by game difficulty slider changes.
Until Omnigun Mk12(level 26), trippleshot crossbow has a higher chance of causing kills/status effects and does more damage with lightning bolts then the Omnigun due to the 2 extra attacks.
The Bard is pretty good all game and can be focused into a ranged bow damage dealer+music, so I decided to use the item upgrades bards get through the game as a base for balacing
a few new items. If a new gadget/item gives the Gadgeteer the same power as the Bard its made limited charges to keep the bard superior.
Ranger will still out damage a Gadgeteer, Eagle eye bow+Str bonus =+90% damage, boost strength to 120 with superman and its 110%.
Sure the Gadgeteer can go bows and do the same with a Strong Bow sold by Ferro, but that negates the main thing with the Gadgeteer the Omnigun, you should just go Bard who gets better overall
Instruments and faster too and has more health or Ranger who has higher kill % and spells.(including resistances improved by spell schools)
Core Changes
Omni gun weight reduced from 4 to 3 and weight increments of .3 pounds instead of .5 per upgrade.
Omni gun given a +20% damage base bonus 30% at mk6 and 40% at mk12.
Omni gun now also functions as a gadet and can be used to cast mind blast(consider it sniping the enemy in the head).
Bullet Stones reduced to .1 from .5 weight(stack of 100 weighed 50 pounds)
Spike Stones reduced to .3 from .5 weight(stack of 100 weighed 50 pounds)
Impaling Stone reduced to .3 from .5 weight(stack of 100 weighed 50 pounds)
Musket Balls reduced in weight from .2 to .1
Heavy throwing Items reduced in weight to ~.1-.2
All projectiles can now be stacked to 200, helps inventory sorting.
Ammo piles found for bullet stones/musketballs/feather darts/throwing daggers/Shurikens been increased to match arrows/quarrels(Shuriken only half as much)
Also effects how many you start with, a newly created gadgeteer will start with 100 bullet stones instead of 25. Ninja will have 50 Shurikens.
Arrows/Quarrels removed from Antone/Anna/Crocks inventory to stop flooding and make buying more powerful ammo easier. Heli sells arrows/quarrels/bullet stones if you still want some for
skill training.
Throwing weapon stock levels across all traders increased.
Tramain can now be traded with and sells small amount of items related to Gadgeteers/Tech including musket balls.
New items
Shock Sword
Same stats as a Nuncucka but a sword, can be made when you get to Arnika Electrodes+short sword. Requires Eng skill to use but all races/classes can use.
Higardi Monocular
Helmet +7ac +10 senses works as gadget casts magic screen 4 charges.
Sold by Tramain and is the power equivlent of the Bards Oberon's Greaves.
AutoDoc
Gadget casts Heal 5 charges
Sold by Tramain
Assault Boots
Shoes 7ac +10 Engineering +5 all resistances.
Sold by Crock and is the power equivlent of Caliban's Cuirass for the Bard.
Modification of old items.
Electrodes can be used by themselves to cast cure lesser condition.
Electroshock therapy!
Magic Mirror is now Magic Mirror Shield
+3Ac +25 resist all useable by all races but requires 45eng.Unlimited Eye for an eye charges.
Duct Tape
Now casts freeze all instead of Paralyse making it actually useful to cast, costs more and only provides 5 charges not 10.
Lightning Rod
Now casts Missile Shield.
Hows it work?
The lightning rod stores up static electricity and can release it at incoming projectiles destroying them or knocking them off course.
Boomarang Shuriken
Gadgeteer Can now make them, Magic Polish + Shuriken 40 Eng
Found Boomarang Shuriken in wilderness is now called ShadowFang
5-10 damage 5% to poison level 5, 2% kill.
DeathStars are still superior.
Not exactly to do with the Gadgeteer but a problem in wizardry 8 is that its always better to go two handed or dual wielding over using a shield. Physical damage is alone not very dangerous
its all the disabling and spell effects. Quicker you kill things the less damage/spells they do to you, to make shields worthwhile all shields give +all resistances.
Light Shields +10.
Medium Shields +15.
Heavy Shields +20.
Faeries can now use all light shields but no medium/heavy.
If a Dracon can use a shield to block the punch of a 30 foot high stone elemental then its already absurd so a 3 foot high Faerie aint exactly anymore "unrealistic" doing the same thing.
Faeries can now use low level cloaks, it made no sense that they couldnt from balance perspective a racial +2ac bonus thats negated after the first 10 mins of play when a non Faerie gets a +2AC Cloak.
Meanwhile the Faerie still has its weapon/armor/carry capacity reductions still in place, so now they can use cloaks.
Faerie Bard can now use Ariel's slippers.
Faerie Cap is now sold by Bella.
