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Baldur's Gate seriesRandom questions of noobery (BG1)(9 posts)(9 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 07, 2015
So I recently started playing the original Baldur's Gate (only a few hours in, just started chapter 2). It's the first D&D title I'm playing, although I kinda knew my D&D before this (played some tabletop 3.5, so apart from armor class and other minor changes, I'm doing fine in that department). I'm also familiar with Bioware's old school, since I played KOTOR and Jade Empire at the time. Anyway, some aspects of this game make me wonder if I'm playing "properly", and some others I just haven't managed to figure out yet, so I thought I'd ask the wise people around here. Oh, and I shouldn't even have to mention it, but better safe than sorry: please avoid providing any info that could constitute a spoiler, no matter how tiny.

- Can you ever talk to enemies as an alternative to combat, or should I just not bother and run them through on sight? My main character is a paladin, so I thought it would be nice to give those pathetic bandits the chance to surrender peacefully and repent their sins...

- What's the deal with running away? At times I've been stuck on a battle that had become too hot for me to handle because the game wouldn't allow me to traverse. Some other time I was able to escape an indoors battle by just going outside and have the bad guy patiently wait for me to come in again.

- How do enemies spawn/respawn? If I clean up an area, should I be confident that I won't find any more anemies for a while, or will they ambush me when I expect it the least?

- What influences whether you get info on a rumor or not? Is it the price of the drink you have? The amount of drinks? Your charisma? Sheer luck? All of them? Do your chances reset when you leave, or will a certain bartender remember how many times you've been around?

- Pretty much the same question regarding donations to the church. Must I donate a certain quantity in one sitting for my rep to rise, or can I do it bit by bit? Is the donation cumulative between the different temples?

- Is there a use for gems, other than selling them for profit? Also, does non-magical jewellery serve any purpose?

- Will I ever find a place to leave the items that I don't want to get rid of but don't need to carry around (I'm thinking books)?

- What is considered stealing (or otherwise breaking in or annoying NPCs)? This is a video game after all, so I've still got the instinctive urge to pick up anything that's not nailed to the floor. I haven't tried to open any locked containers (I assume that would be stealing and, again, I'm a paladin), but I've helped myself to pretty much anything found in unlocked containers regardless of them being inside someone's house. And I've had some NPCs freaking out about me coming in and loitering about their homes. So the question is: am I doing something "wrong" in regards to in-game morality? Am I going to be punished for entering every unlocked house and opening every unlocked chest? Should I, on the contrary, open every lock and help myself to all the loot I can find as long as I don't actively pickpocket?

- Kagain seems to regenerate his health at a surprisingly fast pace (seems to be the only one regenerating without actually resting). Is there a reason for that? If there is, I just don't see it.
Posted January 07, 2015
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Chandoraa: - Can you ever talk to enemies as an alternative to combat, or should I just not bother and run them through on sight? My main character is a paladin, so I thought it would be nice to give those pathetic bandits the chance to surrender peacefully and repent their sins...
Not if they are already hostile.

- What's the deal with running away? At times I've been stuck on a battle that had become too hot for me to handle because the game wouldn't allow me to traverse. Some other time I was able to escape an indoors battle by just going outside and have the bad guy patiently wait for me to come in again.
It's a simple case that some areas cannot be transitioned during battle. Many (most?) can, but some cannot.

- How do enemies spawn/respawn? If I clean up an area, should I be confident that I won't find any more anemies for a while, or will they ambush me when I expect it the least?
The depends entirely on the location. Some will never respawn, some will constantly respawn. Why would it be any other way?

- What influences whether you get info on a rumor or not? Is it the price of the drink you have? The amount of drinks? Your charisma? Sheer luck? All of them? Do your chances reset when you leave, or will a certain bartender remember how many times you've been around?
The 'kind' of drink. Each drink has a percentage score for rumours. It's up to you to find out which drink the bartender is pushing. :)

- Pretty much the same question regarding donations to the church. Must I donate a certain quantity in one sitting for my rep to rise, or can I do it bit by bit? Is the donation cumulative between the different temples?
The reputation donation is based on a table. If you really need to know, look it up.

- Is there a use for gems, other than selling them for profit? Also, does non-magical jewellery serve any purpose?
Certain gems may be part of a quest, but most are just income sources. Same with non-magical.

- Will I ever find a place to leave the items that I don't want to get rid of but don't need to carry around (I'm thinking books)?
You can safely store things in any container, even barrels outside, but do NOT leave them outside of containers, else they will disappear.

- What is considered stealing (or otherwise breaking in or annoying NPCs)?
If it's outside, it's not stealing. Inside it depends on the container and circumstance. If you can open it without anybody 'seeing' you, it is still stealing, but you will not alert the guards. Not all containers attract this attention, though, only those that have a trigger on them that fires when you OPEN the container, NOT when you pick the lock.

- Kagain seems to regenerate his health at a surprisingly fast pace (seems to be the only one regenerating without actually resting). Is there a reason for that? If there is, I just don't see it.
He has illegal constitution.
Posted January 07, 2015
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Chandoraa: So I recently started playing the original Baldur's Gate (only a few hours in, just started chapter 2). It's the first D&D title I'm playing, although I kinda knew my D&D before this (played some tabletop 3.5, so apart from armor class and other minor changes, I'm doing fine in that department). I'm also familiar with Bioware's old school, since I played KOTOR and Jade Empire at the time. Anyway, some aspects of this game make me wonder if I'm playing "properly", and some others I just haven't managed to figure out yet, so I thought I'd ask the wise people around here. Oh, and I shouldn't even have to mention it, but better safe than sorry: please avoid providing any info that could constitute a spoiler, no matter how tiny.

- Can you ever talk to enemies as an alternative to combat, or should I just not bother and run them through on sight? My main character is a paladin, so I thought it would be nice to give those pathetic bandits the chance to surrender peacefully and repent their sins...

- What's the deal with running away? At times I've been stuck on a battle that had become too hot for me to handle because the game wouldn't allow me to traverse. Some other time I was able to escape an indoors battle by just going outside and have the bad guy patiently wait for me to come in again.

- How do enemies spawn/respawn? If I clean up an area, should I be confident that I won't find any more anemies for a while, or will they ambush me when I expect it the least?

- What influences whether you get info on a rumor or not? Is it the price of the drink you have? The amount of drinks? Your charisma? Sheer luck? All of them? Do your chances reset when you leave, or will a certain bartender remember how many times you've been around?

- Pretty much the same question regarding donations to the church. Must I donate a certain quantity in one sitting for my rep to rise, or can I do it bit by bit? Is the donation cumulative between the different temples?

- Is there a use for gems, other than selling them for profit? Also, does non-magical jewellery serve any purpose?

- Will I ever find a place to leave the items that I don't want to get rid of but don't need to carry around (I'm thinking books)?

- What is considered stealing (or otherwise breaking in or annoying NPCs)? This is a video game after all, so I've still got the instinctive urge to pick up anything that's not nailed to the floor. I haven't tried to open any locked containers (I assume that would be stealing and, again, I'm a paladin), but I've helped myself to pretty much anything found in unlocked containers regardless of them being inside someone's house. And I've had some NPCs freaking out about me coming in and loitering about their homes. So the question is: am I doing something "wrong" in regards to in-game morality? Am I going to be punished for entering every unlocked house and opening every unlocked chest? Should I, on the contrary, open every lock and help myself to all the loot I can find as long as I don't actively pickpocket?

- Kagain seems to regenerate his health at a surprisingly fast pace (seems to be the only one regenerating without actually resting). Is there a reason for that? If there is, I just don't see it.
Hickory will likely provide far more detail and corrections (he really knows these games), but here goes (spoiler free):

* I've never had an opportunity to talk my way out of combat with random mobs (gibberlings, xvarti, etc.). There are some enemies that will talk to you, and some can be talked out of fighting, but as far as I know there's little opportunity to actually talk or intimidate your way out of a major combat.

* Running away is a viable strategy early in the game as nearly everyone is fragile with low HP and high AC. Stick to mostly fighting gibberlings, xvarti and hobgoblins for the moment, except for the occasional story bout. Try not to antagonize the guards as the Flaming Fist can be devastating in groups. Depending on the party makeup, one or two guards can be dealt with relatively easily, but with a reputation hit that can make things difficult for your party.

* Enemies will respawn in most areas of the wilderness outside Baldur's Gate. Mostly smaller enemies.

* I don't know on rumors. I haven't really asked for any in my playthrough (I'm into Chapter Five in the Enhanced Edition). I'll let someone more knowledgeable answer this one. =)

* Same with donations. I haven't donated much as I tend to play "goody two shoes" characters. But, I have read somewhere that groups of 100 gp seems to work okay, but I don't know if it needs to be in one sitting or if it's cumulative.

* Gems/jewelry - if there's a use outside of general treasure, I haven't found it. Sell it for cash! =)

* Kagain's shop works as a good storage site. The one walkthrough I've looked at (only after I finish an area - I don't want spoilers either, heh) suggests dropping off unwanted NPCs there as well. For items, just use one of the empty shelves. Once you get further into the game, there may be other locations you can use as storage also.

* I could be wrong, but just entering a location won't trigger a call to the guards. Also, some items in containers can be safely looted without drawing the owner's ire. However, repeated talking to a "freaked out" NPC can result in a call for the guards where you'll be arrested. If you resist arrest, you will suffer a reputation loss which, if I remember correctly, can cause a Paladin to fall. So, you may want to play it safe and have Imoen or Monteran go in solo to do the sneaky-sneaky. Just remember reputation is party-wide, so if they get caught it affects everyone.

* Not certain, but it could be because he's a Dwarf? I admit, I'm using the canon party and lost Kagain in an area where I was picking up my last party member. So he wasn't with me long enough for me to notice. I don't think it was any of his equipment though as I don't recall him having any magical items on his corpse...

And the usual advice: save often, use multiple save slots (I have a save at the beginning, a save at the start of each chapter, an autosave, a quick save and a main save, heh), don't accept candy from drow, etc.

Hope this helps. =)

Flynn
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Hickory: *snip*
Funny. I posted before you, but since I was editing when you posted, my post is now below yours. =)

Flynn
Post edited January 07, 2015 by FlynnArrowstarr
Posted January 07, 2015
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Chandoraa: - Can you ever talk to enemies as an alternative to combat, or should I just not bother and run them through on sight? My main character is a paladin, so I thought it would be nice to give those pathetic bandits the chance to surrender peacefully and repent their sins...
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Hickory: Not if they are already hostile.
There are some cases where an enemy who is already hostile will offer surrender one he's below a certain number of HP. But that's only for some "named" characters, random unnamed bandits/monsters will never do it.
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Chandoraa: - Pretty much the same question regarding donations to the church. Must I donate a certain quantity in one sitting for my rep to rise, or can I do it bit by bit? Is the donation cumulative between the different temples?
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Hickory: The reputation donation is based on a table. If you really need to know, look it up.
Yes. Bascially, the lower your repuation the less you've to pay to raise it by 1. But if you're playing "good" (not stealing - at least not getting caught, not murdering innocents, not letting evil characters join the party, helping people in trouble, ...) you'll easily get the max reputation (20) without any donation to temples. You need to donate to temple only if you made a mistake, lost some reputation, and want it back to avoid your paladins/rangers from falling or the good-aligned NPC to leave the party.
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Chandoraa: - What is considered stealing (or otherwise breaking in or annoying NPCs)?
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Hickory: If it's outside, it's not stealing. Inside it depends on the container and circumstance. If you can open it without anybody 'seeing' you, it is still stealing, but you will not alert the guards. Not all containers attract this attention, though, only those that have a trigger on them that fires when you OPEN the container, NOT when you pick the lock.
Indeed. As an additional remark : there is no delayed penalty. If you did something wrong (and got caught), the guards will be summoned right there in a few seconds. So if you wait a bit and nothing bad happens, you're safe.
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Chandoraa: - Kagain seems to regenerate his health at a surprisingly fast pace (seems to be the only one regenerating without actually resting). Is there a reason for that? If there is, I just don't see it.
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Hickory: He has illegal constitution.
In AD&D2 everyone with constitution score of 20+ will slowly regenerate. It doesn't matter if it's natural constitution (you can get 19 at creation if you're a dwarf, and there is a Manual that will give you +1) or if it's due to spells, magical items, potions, ... Although I don't think there is actually any way to get 20 constitution in BG1 through spells/potions. The only way I know for the main character is dwarf, start at 19, and use the constitution Manual. But some NPCs (like Kagain) have a Constitution of 20 at start.
Posted January 07, 2015
That was quick. Thanks everybody ^_^. So, to sum up (new questions arising from your answers come in bold for your convenience):

- No point in trying to talk with hostiles. Noted. So far I think I seldom managed to spot an enemy before they spotted me. I'm assuming, since you'll always spot them at the edge of your field of vision, that the only way to launch a "pre-emptive strike" on an unaware enemy is to scout ahead with a stealthed thief until you're sure what's behind them, right? I'm playing "turn-based" (with auto-pause for every possible event), btw.

- I might or might not be able to run away. I guess my best bet would be to avoid the need to, just in case :-P.

- Enemies either respawn or don't, as in pretty much every RPG around. I guess the map exploration mechanic, with the "fog of war" and whatnot, led me to believe the respawn mechanics might be different this time.

- Getting rumours is a gamble, which might or might not be worth it depending on how much gold you can afford to burn.

- There's actually a table in the manual clearly stating how much gold you need to donate for rep to go up depending on current level. I was just wondering if I could do it bit by bit, but it seems I won't ever really need to bother if I'm going to do a "good" playthrough. So I guess the reputation level is this game's (only) counterpart to the "light side/dark side" meter from KOTOR or the "open palm/closed fist" one from JE, right?

- I should start selling off the gems I've been hoarding so far. No wonder I was struggling financially in the first chapter.

- Kagain's shop is a good place to call "home", and I can store stuff there. Actually, I "stored" Montaron and his crazy necromancer friend whatshisface there XD. Which brings up two more questions: I've seen that any characters you let go will stay where you leave them, but will they still stay there if they decide to quit the party, or will they instead either go back to their original standing spot or be gone for good? Also, when a character (other than the main one) dies, they stay "only mostly dead" until you raise them via a spell. The manual mentioned that bodies will disappear after a day, iirc, so I guess that's the time you got to get to the nearest temple (provided you can't cast Raise Dead yourself) or have them become "deader than disco". Am I right?

- So stealing of any kind is only penalized if you get caught? Of course, no one will call the guards if they don't even know you stole something, but there is no loss of rep or a chance to shift in alignment or anything, as in "the gods know what you did"? My point is, most (modern) games encourage you to open every chest and get every item, and go out of their way to let you know when doing so is to be considered wrong. Of course, as a paladin I wouldn't go around rummaging through people's stuff, but if there's no penalty for it, then the game is basically telling me it would be stupid not to (in real life, even if not caught, there would be a penalty, be it remorse, anxiety and so on).

- So it was the high constitution. I had considered that, but couldn't be sure. "Illegal constitution" made me chuckle. Also the manual mentions "weird" ratings concerning 18, such as 18/01-50, 18/51-75 and so on. I assume 18 is some kind of a "bottleneck" for AD&D, and it's harder to go from 18 to 19 than it is to go from 12 to 13, is that so? As far as I recall, 18 was just 18 in D&D 3.5.
Post edited January 07, 2015 by Chandoraa
Posted January 07, 2015
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Chandoraa: - There's actually a table in the manual clearly stating how much gold you need to donate for rep to go up depending on current level. I was just wondering if I could do it bit by bit, but it seems I won't ever really need to bother if I'm going to do a "good" playthrough. So I guess the reputation level is this game's (only) counterpart to the "light side/dark side" meter from KOTOR or the "open palm/closed fist" one from JE, right?
Didn't play either of those two games, but more or less yes. The difference is probably that "reputation" mostly tracks "public" events, ie, stealing and not getting caught doesn't create any reputation lost, it's more how your party is perceived. Affects are :

1. Some NPC will react differently according to your reputations.

2. Good companions will leave the party if your reputation is too low, evil ones if it's too high.

3. High reputation will get you a slight discount in most shops.

4. During the game, you'll get "dreams" and special powers unlocked by those dreams, the text of the dreams and the powers you get will depend of your reputation.
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Chandoraa: - I should start selling off the gems I've been hoarding so far. No wonder I was struggling financially in the first chapter.
Yes, only keep those that were explicitly mentioned in a quest, or that seem quest related (like, if it has the name of a person in the title).
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Chandoraa: - Kagain's shop is a good place to call "home", and I can store stuff there. Actually, I "stored" Montaron and his crazy necromancer friend whatshisface there XD. Which brings up two more questions: I've seen that any characters you let go will stay where you leave them, but will they still stay there if they decide to quit the party, or will they instead either go back to their original standing spot or be gone for good?
If they leave the party because their quest timed out (for those with a quest on timer) they are gone forever. If they leave the party due to reputation, I think you can get them back once your reputation is "fixed".
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Chandoraa: Also, when a character (other than the main one) dies, they stay "only mostly dead" until you raise them via a spell. The manual mentioned that bodies will disappear after a day, iirc, so I guess that's the time you got to get to the nearest temple (provided you can't cast Raise Dead yourself) or have them become "deader than disco". Am I right?
I usually just reload when a character dies, so not sure if there is a timer to raise the dead or not. Be careful that some attacks will completely kill characters, even beyond resurrection. Others will turn them to stone, which is undoable with a "stone to flesh" scroll.
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Chandoraa: - So stealing of any kind is only penalized if you get caught? Of course, no one will call the guards if they don't even know you stole something, but there is no loss of rep or a chance to shift in alignment or anything, as in "the gods know what you did"? My point is, most (modern) games encourage you to open every chest and get every item, and go out of their way to let you know when doing so is to be considered wrong. Of course, as a paladin I wouldn't go around rummaging through people's stuff, but if there's no penalty for it, then the game is basically telling me it would be stupid not to (in real life, even if not caught, there would be a penalty, be it remorse, anxiety and so on).
There is no in-game penalty for it. But you can very well chose to "roleplay" and not do it. You'll have some money issues in the first few chapters, but later on you'll have much more money you'll be able to spend anyway, so no real push to steal everything.
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Chandoraa: - So it was the high constitution. I had considered that, but couldn't be sure. "Illegal constitution" made me chuckle. Also the manual mentions "weird" ratings concerning 18, such as 18/01-50, 18/51-75 and so on. I assume 18 is some kind of a "bottleneck" for AD&D, and it's harder to go from 18 to 19 than it is to go from 12 to 13, is that so? As far as I recall, 18 was just 18 in D&D 3.5.
That's only for the "strength" attribute (not the 5 others) and only for fighters (non-fighters just get plain 18). It's an AD&D2 weirdness. 18 is a bottleneck in AD&D in the sense that no human will ever have above 18 without using magical means, so >18 is considered "supernatural", and can have some special effects (regeneration for constitution, very high bonus to damage for strength, immunity to some spells for wisdom and intelligence, ...). But the 18/01-50 thingie is specific to strength for warriors.
Posted January 07, 2015
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Chandoraa: So far I think I seldom managed to spot an enemy before they spotted me. I'm assuming, since you'll always spot them at the edge of your field of vision, that the only way to launch a "pre-emptive strike" on an unaware enemy is to scout ahead with a stealthed thief until you're sure what's behind them, right?
That is correct. You can use stealth or invisibility. Stealth is harder but you may use it any time. Darkness is your thief's friend. Got to love backstab.

So I guess the reputation level is this game's (only) counterpart to the "light side/dark side" meter from KOTOR or the "open palm/closed fist" one from JE, right?
That is correct. It has an effect on party members, who will let you know if they're unhappy, and will actually leave you for good if it falls above or below (18 and 3) a threshold.

I've seen that any characters you let go will stay where you leave them, but will they still stay there if they decide to quit the party, or will they instead either go back to their original standing spot or be gone for good?
No. Characters (or partnerships) will stay where they are IF their aforementioned reputation threshold is inside a comfort zone. If it is not, they will leave for good.

Also, when a character (other than the main one) dies, they stay "only mostly dead" until you raise them via a spell. The manual mentioned that bodies will disappear after a day, iirc, so I guess that's the time you got to get to the nearest temple (provided you can't cast Raise Dead yourself) or have them become "deader than disco". Am I right?
No. Party members that die will remain in your party until raised. Only non-party bodies will disappear. Note that when a party member dies in battle, if their health fall below a threshold (I think it's -10) they suffer what is termed massive damage, and are obliterated from your party for good; there is no raising them... they are gone.

Of course, no one will call the guards if they don't even know you stole something, but there is no loss of rep or a chance to shift in alignment or anything, as in "the gods know what you did"?
Correct. To suffer a loss of reputation you have to actually be caught by the guards. If you are clever enough, you will send your thief in alone, and with a bottle of invisibility potions for those 'must have' items.

Also the manual mentions "weird" ratings concerning 18, such as 18/01-50, 18/51-75 and so on. I assume 18 is some kind of a "bottleneck" for AD&D, and it's harder to go from 18 to 19 than it is to go from 12 to 13, is that so? As far as I recall, 18 was just 18 in D&D 3.5.
Those are entirely warrior stats. No other class can attain them. They affect THAC0, melee damage, carry weight and lock/door bashing potential. It is called exceptional strength. The table goes:
18/01-50....+1 THAC0....+3 damage....carry 220lbs....25 bash chance
18/51-75....+2 THAC0....+3 damage....carry 250lbs....30 bash chance
18/76-90....+2 THAC0....+4 damage....carry 280lbs....35 bash chance
18/91-99....+2 THAC0....+5 damage....carry 320lbs....40 bash chance
18/00.........+3 THAC0....+6 damage....carry 400lbs....45 bash chance

18/00 is shorthand for 18/100
Posted January 07, 2015
So:

- I'll make it a habit to try and put Imoen's "subtle" skills to better use when the spotted enemy seems ripe for a backstab.

- No real "morality meter" unless you impose a custom one on yourself. You don't need to be good, just seem good in others' eyes (provided you want to, that is).

- Party members won't quit for good unless you manage to piss them off enough (in which case, good riddance, one might say). Also, I've been told some characters might dump you on the spot if you do something directly against their interests, but I guess that's plot-related and I don't wanna know until it happens.

- Party members won't die for good unless they're "overkilled", so no rush to raise them, you can just happily drag their corpse along until it's convenient for you to call them back among the living. So will they die for good if you have them leave the party while they're dead (can you even do that)?

- As already mentioned, stealing is no foul unless you get caught (which doesn't mean it's not awkward if you're trying to play a good character).

- The weird "18 and three sevenths" ratings are only for fighters, they're an AD&D oddity and I shouldn't really bother about them.

Thanks again for enlightening me. I'll be sure to bump this if something else pops up.
Posted January 07, 2015
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Chandoraa: - I'll make it a habit to try and put Imoen's "subtle" skills to better use when the spotted enemy seems ripe for a backstab.
Imoen is the perfect scout. My advice is to not waste points in lockpick -- locks can be bashed, or opened with spells, and she can take potions (perception, thievery etc.) to boost lock picking -- but maximise her Stealth. But, and it's a big BUT, she does NOT make a good back stabber, so don't try. Back stabbing relies on STR to ensure a hit, and with her 9 STR she just doesn't cut it in melee. If you must use her for this, make sure she takes a potion of strength before she goes into stealth, and that she has a potion of invisibility in case of the need for a quick escape.

So will they die for good if you have them leave the party while they're dead (can you even do that)?
Yes you can do that. If you dismiss a dead member, you are essentially interring them with no hope for resurrection.
Post edited January 07, 2015 by Hickory
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