Baldur's Gate Noob Questions

[Fenris]

I only played the vanilla-version, because a modded bg 1 seems better to me then the Enhanced Edition, so all my answers applay to BG 1 vanilla (I hope, some mods are huge changes for the gameplay).

1. For some quests/side-quests you need gems or jewelry, but I can think of only one minor side-quest where the appropriate item isn't available in the quest and you have to use one from a random drop.

2. There are certain timed spawn-points for new mobs and random attacks while traveling on the worldmap.

3. see point 1.

Spoiler

It's an Angel-Skin Ring

4. no time limit.

5. It's not neccessary, but the prices for good equiqment are very high... as long as you haven't installed difficulty raising mods like "Swordcoast Stratagems" you can savely ignore the junk.

6. The maps are rather empty, but there is some handplaced loot to find, that you might want to have.

7. Weapons break - if they are made of iron, IIRC when you roll a 20 at your attack; Staffs, Clubs and bows don't break, and magical weapons don't break either.

8. I can't remember; i.e. some ghosts might be only available at night.

9. The Spells get replenished when you rest - you have to memorize divine and arcane spells.

10. There are a few books to find, that can permanently raise a stat. Also there a magical Items that can increase the stats and the memorized spells.

11. can't remember about wildmages; they weren't around in BG 1 and in BG 2 they where to unreliable for me.

12. Fatigue occurs when you don't rest. A low constitution score and high encumbrance accelerates this IIRC.

13. Magical Tomes can increase your Stats - I remember one Tome for each Stat, except for wisdom, for wich there are 3. It's better ro roll insanely high stats before starting the game (or use an editor if you started already)

14. Yes, thats low level A&D - in the P&P-rule-set you loose on Constituion-Point if you are raised from the dead, check out if that is implemented - if it is, better reload when someone dies. Keep your mages out of sight from the enemy until they start slinging fireballs (well, or magic missles or sleep spells)

15. I used doubleclick on the stack, there were other options.

 

[Deleted User]

As DArtagnan said, mages are really weak at the beginning and are more burden than help in combat. Just make sure you equip them with a sling (which isn't a weak weapon early on).
Also you could use some help from spell guides, e.g. here and here. The latter one has a description and a rating for each spell, which for me have always been very useful. The first one gives a better overview.

I didn't think to equip them with slings, thanks!

Yeah, that's one of my "problems" as well.
Best way to play BG and BG 2 imho is too play with a good or evil party (considering the alignment) first and some time later play again with the other alignment. This way you can enjoy most of the companions and have homogeneous parties. (Especially in BG2 it may happen that you have to chose between 2 companions because they won't accept the other one in the same party).

I'm going for an all Good party right now. It seems odd to have an evil character or 2 in the mix when I'm not evil myself .

To the point that if you play as a mage in BG 1, the difficulty curve of the game will be inverted. The game will start hard, but as long as you have not done something stupid along the way, will become easier and easier as you level up. BG2 semi-fixes this, as some of the enemies in that game can't be harmed with magic.

I like the game starting harder in this way. Even though I'm not a mage, the game is definitely challenging at the beginning for me.

I only played the vanilla-version, because a modded bg 1 seems better to me then the Enhanced Edition, so all my answers applay to BG 1 vanilla (I hope, some mods are huge changes for the gameplay).

1. For some quests/side-quests you need gems or jewelry, but I can think of only one minor side-quest where the appropriate item isn't available in the quest and you have to use one from a random drop.

2. There are certain timed spawn-points for new mobs and random attacks while traveling on the worldmap.

3. see point 1.

Spoiler

It's an Angel-Skin Ring

4. no time limit.

5. It's not neccessary, but the prices for good equiqment are very high… as long as you haven't installed difficulty raising mods like "Swordcoast Stratagems" you can savely ignore the junk.

6. The maps are rather empty, but there is some handplaced loot to find, that you might want to have.

7. Weapons break - if they are made of iron, IIRC when you roll a 20 at your attack; Staffs, Clubs and bows don't break, and magical weapons don't break either.

8. I can't remember; i.e. some ghosts might be only available at night.

9. The Spells get replenished when you rest - you have to memorize divine and arcane spells.

10. There are a few books to find, that can permanently raise a stat. Also there a magical Items that can increase the stats and the memorized spells.

11. can't remember about wildmages; they weren't around in BG 1 and in BG 2 they where to unreliable for me.

12. Fatigue occurs when you don't rest. A low constitution score and high encumbrance accelerates this IIRC.

13. Magical Tomes can increase your Stats - I remember one Tome for each Stat, except for wisdom, for wich there are 3. It's better ro roll insanely high stats before starting the game (or use an editor if you started already)

14. Yes, thats low level A&D - in the P&P-rule-set you loose on Constituion-Point if you are raised from the dead, check out if that is implemented - if it is, better reload when someone dies. Keep your mages out of sight from the enemy until they start slinging fireballs (well, or magic missles or sleep spells)

15. I used doubleclick on the stack, there were other options.

Thanks for the answers! Appreciate it .

 

[Deleted User]

Question 16 - What does Charisma do? Should I give the tome that increases that stat to the main character or the person in my party with the most Charisma already?

 

[Dark Savant]

Charisma is the least important ability overall. Having high charisma will get you better prices in shops, and characters will respond to you better in conversation. If you are playing the game for the first time, you should have a decent Charisma of at least 14 or so. Bards should consider maximizing Charisma, but unlike later editions of D&D, it does not affect the spell selection for bards or sorcerers. Charisma 16 or above reduces shop prices, up to a maximum of a 25% discount at 20 charisma.

 

[Deleted User]

Charisma is the least important ability overall. Having high charisma will get you better prices in shops, and characters will respond to you better in conversation. If you are playing the game for the first time, you should have a decent Charisma of at least 14 or so. Bards should consider maximizing Charisma, but unlike later editions of D&D, it does not affect the spell selection for bards or sorcerers. Charisma 16 or above reduces shop prices, up to a maximum of a 25% discount at 20 charisma.

Thanks. My Charisma is 14 but I gave the book to Imoen because she had higher charisma. I figured I could use her to sell and get prices from the stores, but I'm not sure if this works or not.

Further Impressions From Noober

After spending about 20 hours with the game in the past few days thus far, it's safe to say that my enjoyment of the game is leaning more towards the LOVE side of the spectrum rather than the HATE side .

I think the tedium and slow stuff was simply user error, and now that I have actually learned a bit about the game systems being used, it definitely helps.

I'm finding myself drawn in by this world. It's sort of like playing a storybook. At times it also feels like a tactical and party-based Diablo, which is quite a feat.

I'm starting to see the tactics shine through and I'm really enjoying RTwP combat. I think I prefer this style of combat over turn-based, even.

I think the game has a bunch of charm, especially in the way it handles voiced dialog. There is a certain quality that I can't quite put my finger on that is added to the world when you hear the character's voices. It just adds to the immersion factor in a positive way.

Also starting to really enjoy the maps. The exploration is really God-level here, as there seems to be things to find on every map. The only downside of having all these unique maps is that it's very easy (for me) to get lost and forget which of the maps I've explored already. (Is there a mod I can install that would keep track of the maps I've explored?)

The journal still leaves something to be desired but eh, what can ya do? I was hoping that the Enhanced Edition would have enhanced things in this regard. Even a little note of where you met the NPC quest-giver would have been nice, as it's a bit tricky to track down certain people when you forget where you met them. (Any mod for this as well?)

Other than that, it's all mostly positive for me. I'm enjoying the loot system (I like games that utilize Identify spells/scrolls), I'm enjoying the characters, the stories, the quests and the sense of exploration and discovery. I feel like I'm growing in power with the few levels I've put on my characters thus far and that is a great feeling . There also seems to be plenty of challenge in the game to tackle when I'm even stronger and I like that quite a bit.

Oh, and the Enhanced Edition allows zooming in. Very, very cool. I enjoy playing it a bit more zoomed in than the default view.

I think this game has aged well. It might be a little too slow for the kiddies nowadays, but I think for anyone who's willing to get invested in it, it will provide a thorough RPG experience, even today.

Just wish I could keep everyone I meet!

 

[Deleted User]

The loot in this game is divine! I love finding unidentified items, getting them identified and having them be some item of legend. I love how unique items have their own lore and history, and the lore in general in the game is fantastic.

I've played D&D games in the past but nothing that had this sort of lore exposition in them. This really is my first "true" D&D experience. Wonderful stuff!

 

[Deleted User]

Okay, have a few more questions.

I wish I knew what half the stats and stuff mean. I guess it's not integral to really playing the game (not knowing what they do hasn't stopped me so far ), I'd just like to have a better understanding.

So, here goes...

18 - If a weapon does 1d8 (what does 1d8 mean, anyway?. Is that like saying it will do 1 minimum to 8 maximum?) What does it mean if a weapon does 1d8 +2?

19 - Is armor class better the lower it is?

20 - THAC0 seems to decrease as I become more proficient and have different modifiers (strength, dexterity, etc.), so I take it that THAC0 is better the lower it is? What does it actually mean?

21 - What does number of attacks 5/2 or 3/2 mean exactly?

22 - When I try to equip certain rings, I get a message saying I cannot equip it because of other magical equipment I have on that character. What is the deal with this? Are characters limited to one magical item per person?

23 - What does Lore mean (I have a Lore rating of 4)

I'm sure I'm forgetting some but please let me know if these can be answered. Thanks!

 

[The Wanderer]

Okay, have a few more questions.

I wish I knew what half the stats and stuff mean. I guess it's not integral to really playing the game (not knowing what they do hasn't stopped me so far ), I'd just like to have a better understanding.

So, here goes…

18 - If a weapon does 1d8 (what does 1d8 mean, anyway?. Is that like saying it will do 1 minimum to 8 maximum?) What does it mean if a weapon does 1d8 +2?


19 - Is armor class better the lower it is?

20 - THAC0 seems to decrease as I become more proficient and have different modifiers (strength, dexterity, etc.), so I take it that THAC0 is better the lower it is? What does it actually mean?

21 - What does number of attacks 5/2 or 3/2 mean exactly?

22 - When I try to equip certain rings, I get a message saying I cannot equip it because of other magical equipment I have on that character. What is the deal with this? Are characters limited to one magical item per person?

23 - What does Lore mean (I have a Lore rating of 4)

I'm sure I'm forgetting some but please let me know if these can be answered. Thanks!

18 : Means that you can inflict a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 8 on an 8 sided die.
You remember that D&D is all about die rolling right?
A plus 2 weapons means that it is magical and thus adds 2 to minimum damage and maximum.
Some creatures can only be hit by magical weapons and some require a +2 modifier to be hit for example.

Questions 19 and 20 are related : Yes. The lower your armor class the harder it is for anyone to be hit.
To hit armor class 0 is THAC0.
The higher the level of a fiend, the lower the thaco.

21 : 3/2 means that you have 3 attacks per round every 2 rounds.

22: you cannot equip magical attires that already have the same magical protection bonus of one you are already wearing.
If you are wearing a +1 cloak, you cannot equip a +1 ring.

23 : I forget what lore means. maybe its your ability to be able to identify magical objects.

Hope this clears up a few things.

 

[purpleblob]

23: Lore -> if I'm correct, I think it identifies items without using spell.

 

[Deleted User]

18 : Means that you can inflict a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 8 on an 8 sided die.
You remember that D&D is all about die rolling right?
A plus 2 weapons means that it is magical and thus adds 2 to minimum damage and maximum.
Some creatures can only be hit by magical weapons and some require a +2 modifier to be hit for example.

Questions 19 and 20 are related : Yes. The lower your armor class the harder it is for anyone to be hit.
To hit armor class 0 is THAC0.
The higher the level of a fiend, the lower the thaco.

21 : 3/2 means that you have 3 attacks per round every 2 rounds.

22: you cannot equip magical attires that already have the same magical protection bonus of one you are already wearing.
If you are wearing a +1 cloak, you cannot equip a +1 ring.

23 : I forget what lore means. maybe its your ability to be able to identify magical objects.

Hope this clears up a few things.

It leads to a follow-up question, if you don't mind.

21 - So what constitutes a round if the game is played in real-time?

23: Lore -> if I'm correct, I think it identifies items without using spell.

Hmm, okay. So if I give the unidentified item to someone with high lore, there's a chance the item will be automatically identified?

Thanks for the responses! I think I'm starting to get the hang of things.

 

[The Wanderer]

It leads to a follow-up question, if you don't mind.

21 - So what constitutes a round if the game is played in real-time?

Hmm, okay. So if I give the unidentified item to someone with high lore, there's a chance the item will be automatically identified?

Thanks for the responses! I think I'm starting to get the hang of things.

IIRC, a round is about 6 seconds of unenturrupted time.

About lore, see p. 92 for the answer.
P. 70 of the manual linked below says a round is indeed 6 seconds.

 

[The Wanderer]

I just found out something that you might find fun to read.

In case you didn't have it, your line of questionning makes me think not, here's a link to the game manual in .pdf version.

Enjoy!!!

 

[Fnord]

Hmm, okay. So if I give the unidentified item to someone with high lore, there's a chance the item will be automatically identified?

Yep. If you have a bard in your party, you'll hardly ever have to use some form of identification spell. But lore is in general rather pointless, it's not hard to identify things the old fashioned way.

 

[Morrandir]

18 - Here's your ultimate dice roll nerd tool: AnyDice.com
If just one dice is rolled, it's pretty simple, but when you have multiple dice you can display nice distribution graphs, and of course see mean and deviation. So if you want to know if 2d4+2 has a better damage output than 1d8+2, there you go.

20 - THAC0

 

[Dark Savant]

As you are not very familiar with ad&d basics I recommend you to read and regularly use this fantastic ad&d second edition guide for beginners. Simple, no spoilers and very handy for basically all pre NWN era d&d games.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/75251-baldurs-gate/faqs/8566

If ever in need for 3rd edition guide (IWD2, NWN…) you can find it here. Written by same author.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/188666-neverwinter-nights/faqs/56338

edit - fixed links

 

[Morrandir]

They don't allow direkt links.

 

[Deleted User]

IIRC, a round is about 6 seconds of unenturrupted time.

About lore, see p. 92 for the answer.
P. 70 of the manual linked below says a round is indeed 6 seconds.

Thanks! That would be cool if the game had some sort of "round counter" that could be displayed...

I just found out something that you might find fun to read.

In case you didn't have it, your line of questionning makes me think not, here's a link to the game manual in .pdf version.

Enjoy!!!

Thanks for the link!

Yep. If you have a bard in your party, you'll hardly ever have to use some form of identification spell. But lore is in general rather pointless, it's not hard to identify things the old fashioned way.

Nice tip about the bard, didn't know that.

Identifying stuff the old fashioned way is fine for me.

18 - Here's your ultimate dice roll nerd tool: AnyDice.com
If just one dice is rolled, it's pretty simple, but when you have multiple dice you can display nice distribution graphs, and of course see mean and deviation. So if you want to know if 2d4+2 has a better damage output than 1d8+2, there you go.

20 - THAC0

Thanks! The THAC0 thing is pretty clear now.

Does 2d4 mean 2 4-sided die are rolled to calculate the damage? And would a +2 to that mean 2 is added to the min and max of each die, or just the total sum of the die?

As you are not very familiar with ad&d basics I recommend you to read and regularly use this fantastic ad&d second edition guide for beginners. Simple, no spoilers and very handy for basically all pre NWN era d&d games.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/75251-baldurs-gate/faqs/8566

If ever in need for 3rd edition guide (IWD2, NWN…) you can find it here. Written by same author.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/188666-neverwinter-nights/faqs/56338

edit - fixed links

Thanks for this, should come in handy.

 

[The Wanderer]

''Does 2d4 mean 2 4-sided die are rolled to calculate the damage? And would a +2 to that mean 2 is added to the min and max of each die, or just the total sum of the die?''

2 is added to the total sum of the die.

Read the manual.
Your life depends on it.

 

[Fnord]

Does 2d4 mean 2 4-sided die are rolled to calculate the damage? And would a +2 to that mean 2 is added to the min and max of each die, or just the total sum of the die?

2D4 means that you roll 2 4 sided-dice.
2D4+2 means that you roll 2 4-sided dice and then add 2 to the sum.

 

[Morrandir]

Does 2d4 mean 2 4-sided die are rolled to calculate the damage?

Yes.

And would a +2 to that mean 2 is added to the min and max of each die, or just the total sum of the die?

To generalize Fnord's explanation:

xDy+z means: roll x y sided dice, add up the pips and add z

It's indeed important to distinguish between 2d4 and 1d8 despite both having a range of 1-8: 2d4 has an average damage of 5 while 1d8 has an average damage of 4.5.