Talents of Faerûn
A Gibberlings Three Mod
Author: DavidW
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Version beta 15
Languages: English
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Talents of Faerûn (ToF) is a collection of about 85 mini-mods for the Enhanced Edition versions of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, and Icewind Dale, partially inspired by existing mods and tabletop Dungeons and Dragons resources. It contains many optional tweaks to various parts of gameplay, focusing on expanding and rebalancing player character abilities. Features include 150-odd new high-level abilities, a new 'feat' system where lower-level characters gain abilities every few levels, revisions to existing kits, new classes, new kits for multi-class characters, new types of magical specialization, a dozen or so new spells, many spell tweaks, 20-odd new gods for clerics to worship, a subrace system, a revised system of cleric/druid spells, and tweaks to the rules for ability scores and proficiencies.
Talents of Faerûn is currently in 'beta', meaning that I think it ought to be recreationally playable but almost certainly contains significant bugs that my own testing has not discovered. Use at own risk.
Talents of Faerûn (ToF) is a collection of mini-mods for the Enhanced Edition versions of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, and Icewind Dale. It contains many optional tweaks to various parts of gameplay, focusing on expanding and rebalancing player character abilities. There are about 85 components in all; highlights include:
- A subrace system modeled on Icewind Dale II
- A sphere system for cleric and druid spells, loosely based on pen-and-paper Advanced Dungeons and Dragons but heavily modified to reflect the needs of a computer game, along with about 20 new gods for clerics to worship
- A new character class, the Favored Soul, which spontaneously casts cleric spells (i.e., a clerical-magic version of the Sorcerer or Shaman), along with about 25 kits for that class (one per god)
- Implementation of the pen-and-paper rule that mage specialists must memorize at least one spell from their school at each level, along with the option to automatically add one correct-school spell to their spell book at each level
- A new style of magic, elementalism, and four new mage kits who specialize in each of the four elements, along with significant revisions for elementals themselves
- A new system for sorcerers—bloodlines—which grants a sorcerer additional known spells at the cost of making some spell schools inaccessible
- The option for druids to multi-class as mages, rangers, or thieves
- About 75 multi-classed kits, along with the option to dual-class from a single-classed to a multi-classed kit
- A new proficiency system, very loosely based on 3rd edition D&D, where characters can use all weapons and begin proficient in a group of weapons dependent on their class, and where non-fighters can gain some level of weapon training
- A new high-level ability system for Baldur's Gate II, including about 150 new abilities (some borrowed from classic mods, some original)
- A new 'low-level ability' system, where characters gain a new ability every 3 levels; this is loosely based on Icewind Dale II's feat system.
- A rebalancing of many of the original-game kits to work better in Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale
- A number of rule chances to ability scores, inspired by 3rd edition D&D
- A dozen or so new spells, along with a range of tweaks to existing spells
A hidden, common theme in ToF is that most of its changes rely to some extent on the ability to edit the user interface—something that the Enhanced Editions have made possible but which has been exploited to only a limited extent so far. (One major reason I wrote ToF was to build systematic ways to exploit this powerful new modding technique.)
Many components of ToF overlap with other mods, though the implementations are usually different. As always, you should read the documentation carefully and decide what is best for your game.
Games
Talents of Faerûn is
designed to work with any of the following install options:
- Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (version 2.6), with or without the Siege of Dragonspear expansion
- Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition (version 2.6)
- Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition (version 2.6)
It is probably largely compatible with the Enhanced Edition Trilogy (EET) combination of BGEE, BG2EE, and SoD (based on v2.6 of BGEE/BG2EE/SoD), but has had only limited testing on them. (What testing I have done assumes that the EET_End component of EET is installed before ToF, contra the official EET install instructions.) It may also work on versions 2.0-2.5 of the Enhanced Edition games, but they are not officially supported. It does not work on versions 1.3 and earlier.
ToF does not work with any non-Enhanced Edition game, and never will (it relies on new features of the Enhanced Editions).
Mods
ToF tries to be as compatibility-friendly as possible; however, it changes game files in quite sweeping ways that may conflict with other mods. I have limited testing information so far; my expectations are as follows.
- ToF really needs to be installed as late as possible in the install order. It should go before Sword Coast Stratagems and can probably cope with going before Tweaks Anthology; otherwise, install it last. If you have another mod that insists on being installed last because it makes large-scale changes to the game, that other mod is fairly likely to be incompatible with ToF.
- ToF absolutely cannot be installed before any UI mod; doing so will almost certainly break your game. It might be able to cope with being installed after a UI mod, but I haven't tested this.
- ToF will be incompatible with any other mod that makes the sort of changes to the game system that ToF does. For instance, it will be incompatible with other mods that introduce a sphere system (like Divine Remix), that add subraces (like Tipun's subrace mod), or that require specialists to learn spells from their school. Because of the way mods like these work, ToF will probably be incompatible with them even if you don't use the specific bit of ToF that overlaps with them. (I hope to be able to reduce the incompatibilities here in the medium term by sharing the code base that ToF uses.)
- There are various ways in which ToF may cause compatibility problems with mods that alter the proficiency system. In some cases this can happen even if you don't install proficiency-changing ToF components.
- ToF is probably compatible with mods that use OlvynChuru's ClassSpellTool (such as OlvynChuru's Spell Pack), provided it is installed after them. (It is definitely not compatible with them if installed before them.)
- The good news is that ToF ought to be compatible with most 'simple' (i.e., not systematically-rule-changing) kit, spell, item, quest, and NPC mods.
- ToF should be compatible with my 'Sword Coast Stratagems' (SCS) mod, provided ToF is installed before SCS. SCS will detect ToF and respond to some of its components (it will use the new priest kits, new spells, and new HLAs, for instance).
Manual editing
Be extremely careful using manual editors, like Near Infinity or EEKeeper, to modify the game or your saved games after ToF is installed. ToF externalizes quite a lot of information to the UI instead of the usual game files, stores information in odd places (e.g. the proficiency system) and then gets the UI to hide that from you. Changes you make with an editor may not do what you expect and have some chance of breaking your game. At the very least, make sure you back up your changes.
You should start a new game after installing Talents of Faerûn. Many of its components will cause serious bugs if you try to use them in an existing game.
First time installing a mod? Check out G3's comprehensive tutorial: A New Player's Guide to Installing and Playing Mods.
Enhanced Editions Note
The Enhanced Editions are actively supported games. Please note that every patch update will wipe your current mod setup! If in the middle of a modded game you might want to delay the patch update (if possible) as even after reinstalling the mods, you might not be able to continue with your old savegames. Alternatively, copy the whole game's folder into a new one that can be modded and will stay untouched by game patches. It is important that you install the mod to the language version you are playing the game in. Otherwise, the dialogues of the mod will not show but give error messages.
Windows
Talents of Faerûn is distributed as a self-extracting archive and includes a WeiDU installer. To install,
simply double-click the archive and follow the instructions on screen.
Alternatively, the files can be extracted into your game directory using 7zip or WinRAR.
When properly extracted, your game directory will contain setup-dw_talents.exe and
the folder dw_talents. To install, double-click setup-dw_talents.exe and follow
the instructions on screen.
You can run setup-dw_talents.exe in your game folder to reinstall, uninstall or
otherwise change components.
macOS
Talents of Faerûn for macOS is distributed as a compressed tarball and includes a WeiDU installer.
First, extract the files from the tarball into your game directory. When properly extracted, your
game directory will contain setup-dw_talents, setup-dw_talents.command, and the folder dw_talents. To install,
double-click setup-dw_talents.command and follow the instructions on screen.
You can run setup-dw_talents.command in your game folder to reinstall, uninstall or
otherwise change components.
Linux
Talents of Faerûn for Linux is distributed as a compressed tarball and does not include a WeiDU installer.
Extract the contents of the mod to the folder of the game you wish to modify.
Download the latest version of WeiDU for Linux from WeiDU.org and copy WeiDU and WeInstall to /usr/bin.
Following that, open a terminal, cd to your game installation directory, run tolower and answer Y to
both queries. You can avoid running the second option (linux.ini) if you've already ran it once in
the same directory. To save time, the archive is already tolowered, so there's no need to run the
first option (lowercasing file names) either if you've extracted only this mod since the last time
you lowercased file names. If you're unsure, running tolower and choosing both options is the safe
bet.
To install, run WeInstall dw_talents in your game folder. Then run wine BGMain.exe and start playing.
Batch mode installation option
ToF, like any multi-component mod, normally asks about a component, installs it, then asks about the next component. Since some of ToF's components can take a while to install, this can be tedious. ToF ships with an experimental 'batch mode': if you select this (by installing the 'batch mode' component, which should be the first component offered to you) then ToF will ask about all components first but will not install them. After you have chosen your components, you will be offered a new component, 'finish batch mode installation', which will then install all of them. After you've done this, a file (dw_talents.bat) will be created in the weidu_external/batch subfolder in your main game folder; clicking on it will uninstall and reinstall all your chosen options. (An optional alternative is to create the dw_talents.bat folder but not install anything.) Batch mode is currently only available for Windows installs (basically because I don't know how batch files work in OSX or Linux and don't have a testing environment for them).
Note for Complete Uninstallation
In addition to the methods above for removing individual components, you can completely uninstall
the mod using setup-dw_talents --uninstall at the command line to remove all components without
wading through prompts.
Unless otherwise noted, all components are for all (Enhanced Edition) forms of the game. Components that affect Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (BGEE) also affect Siege of Dragonspear.
A number of the components are inspired by various tabletop roleplaying resources; see the acknowledgements for details.
Spell System Revisions and New Spells
Install Arcane Spells from Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Not available for IWDEE
This component includes almost all the arcane spells in Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition that are not already included in Baldur's Gate. (I think Contact Outer Plane is the only exception on Enhanced Edition games). For the most part, if a spell is present already in BG2 then the IWD version is not used. Scrolls of the new spells are scattered throughout the game; they should be about as common as equivalent-level spells in the main system.
The system is slightly tweaked to resolve some thematic inconsistencies with the existing system:
- The IWD version of Mordenkainen's Sword summons a weapon which the caster can use at range, rather than summoning swords that act as independent monsters. Since both versions of the spell are quite fun, I have included the IWD version, renamed as Mordenkainen's Force Blade.
- The IWD elemental animations look very different (bulkier, more humanoid) than the BG2 ones. To avoid visual awkwardness, I have used the existing BG2 water elemental animation instead of the IWD one.
- The fifth-level IWD 'conjure water elemental' spell has been renamed 'conjure lesser water elemental' and a sixth-level 'conjure water elemental' spell has been added; the magical-battle aspect of elemental summoning has been removed.
- The collection of creatures summoned by Monster Summoning has been systematically rebalanced, focusing on humanoid creatures; this is to avoid thematic overlap with spells like Spider Spawn and Carrion Summons.
- The BG2 Emotion: Hopelessness spell has been overwritten by the IWD one, to ensure consistency with the other Emotion spells added by IWD.
- In IWD, summoning spells have green icons; in BG2, they have red icons. I recolor all BG2 summoning spells to green.
A full list of arcane spells added, and documentation for each, can be found here.
SCS's 'Smarter Mages' AI will detect and use the IWD spells if they are installed.
Install Divine Spells from Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Not available for IWDEE
This component includes pretty much all the divine spells in Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition that are not already included in Baldur's Gate. For the most part, if a spell is present already in BG2 then the IWD version is not used. Party-joinable spellcasters gain access to the new spells (provided you started a new game).
The system is slightly tweaked to resolve some thematic inconsistencies with the existing system:
- IWD's third-level 'Prayer' spell is about as powerful as BG's second-level 'Chant' spell, while the IWD version of 'Chant' halves the caster's movement and blocks their spellcasting. I split the difference, installing the IWD versions of both spells but removing the disable-spellcasting effect.
- BG's sixth-level 'Physical Mirror' spell reflects all missiles and lasts nine rounds. IWD's sixth-level 'Entropy Shield' spell deflects all missiles, gives immunity to many spells, boosts damage resistance and armor class, and lasts one round per level. There's just no real reason to learn Physical Mirror in place of Entropy Shield. (Theoretically the reflection power is nice, but any half-way intelligent enemy will just notice it.) The simplest solution is to change the level of one of the spells; in my judgement Physical Mirror is underpowered for sixth level and Entropy Shield is about right, so I lower Physical Mirror to 5th level.
- IWD restricts its Cause Wounds spells to evil casters (and its Cure Wounds spells to good casters), but the BG versions aren't so restricted. I remove the restrictions. (There is an ini option to override this; see here.) In addition, BG Cause Wounds require a melee hit, whereas IWD Cause Wounds are just range=touch; I standardize to the IWD version.
- In IWD, summoning spells have green icons; in BG2, they have red icons. I recolor all BG2 summoning spells to green.
A full list of divine spells added, and documentation for each, can be found here.
SCS's 'Smarter Priests' AI will detect and use the IWD spells if they are installed.
Install Bard Songs from Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Not available for IWDEE
In Icewind Dale, bards have six different songs to choose from (gaining access to the first at 1st level and to another at each odd level up to level 13). This component makes these songs available to (non-kitted) bards in the various Baldur's Gate games.
Use Baldur's Gate-Style Insects in Icewind Dale
Only available for IWDEE
This component replaces the Insect Plague and Creeping Doom spells from Icewind Dale (which summon fairly weak monsters) with the Baldur's Gate version (where the swarm does damage and disrupts spellcasting).
Make the Baldur's Gate Version of Mordenkainen's Sword (as well as the Icewind Dale version) Available in Icewind Dale
Only available for IWDEE
The IWD version of Mordenkainen's Sword summons a weapon which the caster can use at range, while the BG2 version summons swords that act as independent monsters. Since both versions of the spell are quite fun, this component makes the BG2 version available in Icewind Dale (and renames the IWD version to 'Mordenkainen's Force Blade').
Install All Spell Tweaks
This component installs the whole package of Stratagems of Mystra spell tweaks. (If you don't select it you will be given the chance to select tweaks by category.)
Full documentation for spell tweaks can be found here (broken down by mod component) or here (broken down by spell modified).
For more fine-grained control of which tweaks you install (beyond what the component system allows) see under
customization.
Core Stratagems Spell-System Changes (assumed by Sword Coast Stratagems mod)
These tweaks alter a range of spells, mostly but not entirely focused around a spellcaster's defenses and abilities to remove other creatures' defenses. What unites them is that all are assumed by the enemy AI in Sword Coast Stratagems, and enemy spellcasters may act quite strangely from time to time if this is not installed. These components will be automatically installed if you install any of SCS's AI or Tactical Challenge components if it is not installed here. (details)
Baldur's Gate-Inspired Tweaks to Icewind Dale Spells
Tweaks in this section alter Icewind Dale spells to more closely match how they work in Baldur's Gate/Baldur's Gate II. In most cases this slightly increases the power of the spell .(details)
Changes to Restoration
Tweaks in this section alter the Restoration and Lesser Restoration spells. (details)
Changes to Shapeshift Spells
Tweaks in this section alter shapeshift spells, making them more flexible and somewhat more powerful. (details)
Icewind Dale-inspired Tweaks to Baldur's Gate/Baldur's Gate II Spells
Tweaks in this section alter Baldur's Gate/Baldur's Gate II spells to more closely match how they work in Icewind Dale. In most cases this slightly increases the power of the spell. (details)
Rebalancings of Slightly-Too-Powerful Spells
Tweaks in this section rebalance various slightly too-powerful spells. The enemy AI in Sword Coast Stratagems will sometimes behave a little oddly if this component is not installed. (details)
Spell School Changes
Tweaks in this section alter the schools of certain mage spells. (details)
Spells Increased in Power
Tweaks in this section somewhat increase the power of various spells which (in my subjective judgement) were a little under-powered compared to similar spells at the same level. (details)
Add Nine New Arcane Spells
This component adds nine new arcane (sorcerer/wizard/bard) spells to the game, mostly focused on elemental effects. A full list can be found here. SCS's 'Smarter Mages' component will use most of these spells if they are installed.
Add Six New Divine Spells
This component adds six new arcane (cleric/druid) spells to the game, mostly borrowed from the Divine Remix mod. A full list can be found here. SCS's 'Smarter Priests' component will use some (to be honest, not many) of these spells if they are installed.
Revised Elementals
Requires either IWDEE or a mod (SCS, SoM, ToF, or IWDification) that introduces the IWD spells into BGEE or BG2EE.
This component revises the stats and abilities of the various elementals (earth/air/fire/water) that appear in the game or can be summoned, as well as the elemental-summoning spells themselves. The goal is to make elementals more interesting and varied, and to make elemental summoning a more interesting tactical option. Overall, elementals are significantly more powerful with this component installed. The detailed changes are as follows:
- The general statistics of elementals are systematized, and slightly improved at higher levels, as follows:
- 8-HD elementals get Strength 18/00, Constitution 16, AC 2.
- 12-HD elementals get Strength 20, Constitution 17, AC 0.
- 16-HD elementals get Strength 21, Constitution 18, AC -2.
- More powerful elementals get Strength 22, Constitution 20, AC -4.
- Elementals get damage resistance depending on their type: air elementals get immunity to electricity and 75% resistance to missile damage, earth elementals get 50% resistance to slashing/piercing/missile damage and 25% vulnerability to crushing damage, fire elementals get 125% resistance to fire damage and 50% vulnerability to cold damage, water elementals get 75% resistance to crushing damage.
- Elementals get type-specific melee abilities:
- Air elementals are surrounded by a whirlwind effect which inflicts slashing damage dependent on their HD (2d8/rd at 8HD, 3d8/rd at 12HD, 4d8/rd at 16+HD) with additional damage to mist creatures, disperses clouds, and gives a 50% spell failure chance. Their attacks deal slashing and electrical damage: 2d10+1d6 electrical
at 8HD, 3d10 +2d6 electrical at 12-16HD, 4d10 +3d6 electrical for more powerful elementals.
- Earth elementals' attacks inflict crushing damage: 3d8 at 8HD, 4d8 at 12HD, 5d8 at 16HD and above. Their attacks knock their opponents away unless they make a save vs. paralysis (at +2 for 8-HD elementals, at -2 for 16-HD elementals or more powerful elementals).
- Fire elementals' attacks inflict a mixture of crushing and fire damage (2d8 + 2d6 fire at 8HD, 3d8 + 3d6 fire at 12-16HD, 4d8 + 4d6 fire at 16+ HD). Their attacks set victims on fire if they fail a save vs. breath weapon (at +2 for 8-HD elementals, at -2 for 16-HD elementals or more powerful elementals), inflicting the fire damage again each round (an additional saving throw may be attempted each round to extinguish the fire).
- Water elementals are surrounded by a quenching aura that extinguishes fire shields and similar spells. Their attacks inflict crushing damage (3d6 at 8HD, 4d6 at 12-16HD, 5d6 for more powerful elementals) and can partially drown their victims if they fail a save vs. spells (at +2 for 8-HD elementals, at -2 for 16-HD elementals or more powerful elementals). Drowning creatures are slowed, -4 to hit, -4 AC, -4 saves, can't spellcast, and take 1d3 magic damage per second; a new saving throw can be attempted at the end of each round.
- More powerful elementals (16+ HD) receive innate powers usable once per 10 rounds: Whirlwind for air elementals, Spike Stones for earth elementals, Shroud of Flame for fire elementals, Smashing Wave for water elementals.
- Priest elemental-summoning spells are tweaked to differentiate 6th- and 7th-level spells, and to allow summoning of all four elemental types:
- The 6th level priest spell 'Conjure Fire Elemental' now has a 60% chance of calling a 12-HD elemental, a 35% chance of calling a 16-HD elemental, and a 5% chance of calling a 24-HD elemental.
- The 7th level priest spell 'Conjure Earth Elemental' now has a 70% chance of calling a 16-HD elemental and a 30% chance of calling a 24-HD elemental.
- A 6th-level priest spell 'Conjure Water Elemental' is introduced, with a 60% chance of calling a 12-HD elemental, a 35% chance of calling a 16-HD elemental, and a 5% chance of calling a 24-HD elemental.
- A 7th-level priest spell 'Conjure Air Elemental' is introduced, with a 70% chance of calling a 16-HD elemental and a 30% chance of calling a 24-HD elemental.
- The quest spell 'Elemental Summoning' has been renamed 'Elemental Swarm' and now summons four 16-HD elementals, one from each elemental plane.
Add New Races and Subraces
This component adds Icewind Dale II-style subraces for dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings. Subraces are selected when you generate a character: if you select a race with subraces, you will be offered a menu to select from. There are three dwarven subraces (shield dwarves, gold dwarves, gray dwarves), five elven subraces (moon elves, sun elves, wild elves, wood elves, drow), two gnomish subraces (rock gnomes, deep gnomes), and three halfling subraces (lightfoot, strongheart, ghostwise). The component also adds a new category of races, 'planetouched' (meaning creatures whose ancestry is partly other-planar) which contains six further races: aasimar, tieflings, air genasi, earth genasi, fire genasi, and water genasi. (Planetouched creatures count as human for the purposes of multi-classing and class choices.) And it slightly improves the basic abilities granted to humans and half-orcs.
The powers and weaknesses of these races and subraces are based on a mixture of D&D 2nd and 3rd edition. They're 'balanced' in the sense that I don't think any race you choose will imbalance the wider game. I haven't made that much effort to strictly balance them one against another: a deep gnome, for instance, is probably just better than a rock gnome. A full list of races, subraces, and their powers can be found here.
Ideally, a component like this would also alter in-game dialog options and responses, so that NPCs react to your race/subrace—especially for 'exotic' races like tieflings or gray dwarves. I haven't (yet) done this, though.
On BG/BG2, you can't play as a drow,because it would break the plot of BG2 chapter 5. If you want to ignore the story-based problems with drow, you can reactivate them using dw_talents.ini; there's no mechanical problem with them.
For technical reasons (which I admit I don't fully understand) this component does not work properly if you play Icewind Dale and start a new game in Heart of Winter. (It functions fine if you start in the main Icewind Dale campaign, or in any of the BG and BG2 start setups.) Starting in Heart of Winter is disabled.
Modders might want to read this document, which discusses how to detect a subrace or apply it to an NPC.
Eliminate Class/Race Restrictions and Most Class/Ability Score Restrictions
This component makes all classes available to PCs of any race, allows PC mages of any race to specialize in any school of magic, and allows both humans and non-humans to dual-class and multi-class (though 'exotic' races, like Tieflings and Vampires, still cannot dual-class). It reduces all ability score requirements to 10, and eliminates the high ability score requirements for dual-classing. In-game text descriptions during character creation are altered to allow for these changes.
Kit race restrictions are lifted when they coincide with their parent class's race restrictions, but not otherwise. In an otherwise-unmodded game, the only kit not available to all races in this fashion is the Dwarven Defender.
There are no animations available for non-human monks, so I repurpose the priest animation for them. As a consequence, non-human monks won't have the flashy unarmed-combat animation that human monks do.
If this component is installed, multi-class gnome mages will no longer be illusionists. If you want to create gnome illusionists, use the 'Allow Multi-Class Mages to Specialize' component.
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component.
Revised Class Alignment Rules
This component alters the alignment restrictions for several classes, broadly in accord with 3rd edition D&D (and with Icewind Dale II). All changes are included in the in-game documentation. The specific changes are:
- Druids (including multi-class druids) are now only required to have a partially neutral alignment: they can be neutral good, neutral evil, lawful neutral, or chaotic neutral as well as true neutral. Jaheira and Faldorn (if applicable) have their alignment changed (respectively) to neutral good and neutral evil, to reflect their in-game behavior. (You can disable this using the ini if you want.)
- Rangers (and cleric-rangers) are now permitted to be of any alignment. Rangers no longer fall if their reputation gets too low, and (in BG2) a few lines of dialog that refer to the risk of a PC ranger Falling are removed.
- Thieves (except for assassins) may now be of any alignment.
- Assassins may no longer be good-aligned.
Make Barbarian Into a Class
This component changes Barbarians to function as a proper character class, instead of a fighter kit (as was the case before the Enhanced Editions). Barbarians can multiclass and dual-class with Cleric, Druid, and Thief, with the same restrictions as for Fighters. (Multiclass and dual-class Barbarian/Mage is not allowed for conceptual and balance reasons; Barbarian/Fighter and Barbarian/Ranger are not allowed for technical reasons.)
Make the Wizard Slayer kit Available to Barbarians
Requires the 'Make Barbarian Into a Class' component.
This component makes the fighter 'Wizard Slayer' kit available as a barbarian kit. (It remains available to fighters).
Revised Paladins and Blackguards
This component makes various revisions to Paladins and Blackguards:
- The paladin can use Detect Evil at will. (Already present on IWDEE.)
- The paladin is immune to all diseases and can cure disease once per day, by touch. (Already present on IWDEE.)
- At third level, the paladin becomes immune to fear. (Already present on IWDEE.)
- The paladin is able to cast cleric spells from 6th level rather than 9th level. (Already present on IWDEE)
- The paladin may use Protection from Evil once per day only, it affects only the paladin, and has a duration of 4 hours (24 turns). (Already present on IWDEE).
- The paladin receives the Smite Evil ability, which affects the paladin's attacks: they receive a Charisma-dependent bonus to melee attacks against evil creatures until their next successful attack, and that attack then does 1d6 magic damage, +1d6 per two levels above first level. Cavaliers' Smite Evil is especially effective against dragons and fiends; Undead Hunters' Smite Evil is especially effective against undead. Blackguards instead gain Smite Good. A second use of Smite Evil (or Smite Good) is granted every 6 levels, starting at level 7. (On IWDEE, this replaces the normal Smite Evil ability.)
- Paladins gain extra uses of Lay on Hands: an additional use is gained every 4 levels, starting at level 5. Blackguards instead gain extra uses of Absorb Health, on the same pattern.
Icewind Dale-Style Paladins and Blackguards
Not available for IWDEE
This component gives paladins in Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II the modified (and mostly enhanced) powers they receive in Icewind Dale:
- The paladin can use Detect Evil at will.
- The paladin is immune to all diseases and can cure disease once per day, by touch.
- At third level, the paladin becomes immune to fear.
- Once per day, the paladin can use Smite Evil to call down a beam of holy light onto a single evil target, for 1d6 damage + 1d6 per three levels. Blackguards instead receive Smite Good.
- The paladin may use Protection from Evil once per day only, it affects only the paladin, and has a duration of 4 hours (24 turns).
- The paladin is able to cast cleric spells from 6th level rather than 9th level.
This component is included in 'Revised Paladins and Blackguards' and will be skipped if that component is installed.
Revised Smite Evil
Requires either Icewind Dale, or the 'Icewind Dale-Style Paladins' component.
This component revises the paladin's Smite Evil power to more closely resemble the 3rd edition D&D power which inspires it. Instead of directly striking a foe, the power affects the paladin's attacks: they receive a Charisma-dependent bonus to melee attacks against evil creatures until their next successful attack, and that attack then does 1d6 magic damage, +1d6 per two levels above first level. Cavaliers' Smite Evil is especially effective against dragons and fiends; Undead Hunters' Smite Evil is especially effective against undead. Blackguards instead gain Smite Good.
This component is included in 'Revised Paladins and Blackguards' and will be skipped if that component is installed.
Higher-Level Paladins Get Additional Uses of Lay on Hands and Smite Evil
This component grants paladins additional uses of their Lay on Hands and (if you're using it) Smite Evil powers as they gain level. An additional use of Lay on Hands is gained at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter; an additional use of Smite Evil is gained at 7th level and every 8 levels thereafter. Blackguards instead gain extra uses of Smite Good and Absorb Health.
(Partly this tracks the way these powers work in 3rd edition D&D; partly it's my subjective assessment that other classes and kits tend to give out extra uses of similarly-powerful abilities.)
This component is included in 'Revised Paladins and Blackguards' and will be skipped if that component is installed.
Rangers use Icewind Dale-style spell memorisation
Not available for IWDEE
This component changes ranger spell progression to match Icewind Dale. This means that rangers begin gaining spells at 6th level rather than 9th level.
Thieves Gain the Evasion Ability (on a successful save for half damage against abilities that require you to dodge, take no damage)
Not available for IWDEE
With this component installed, thieves (single and multi-classed) gain the Evasion ability at 7th level. This allows the thief, on making a successful saving throw for half damage from a spell or effect, to entirely avoid the effect.
Evasion applies to spells or effects which require the character to dodge or jump clear, like Fireball and Lightning Bolt. It does not apply to spells like Holy Smite (which require willpower to resist) or Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting (which requires fortitude and resilience to resist). A full list of affected spells can be found here.
Several other components of Talents of Faerûn install the content of this component automatically.
Modified Thief Evasion
Only available for IWDEE
This component slightly revises the thief's Evasion talent. Instead of making a separate saving throw to see if they can evade the attack, the thief now uses the same saving throw they made against the attack itself; also, the list of affected spells and items is slightly modified, so that Evasion applies only to spells and effects that require the character to dodge or jump clear, like Fireball and Lightning Bolt. It does not apply to spells like Holy Smite (which require willpower to resist) or Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting (which requires fortitude and resilience to resist). A full list of affected spells can be found here.
This component is actually identical to the previous component; they are listed under different names for different versions of the game to avoid confusion and cumbersome names.
Rebalanced Thief and Bounty Hunter Traps at Low Levels
The snares that thieves (and bounty hunters) can set are balanced for Baldur's Gate II and are a bit overpowered at low levels, as well as remaining unchanged until level 11. This component introduces slightly weaker 1st-level snares, with the original versions granted at level 6.
Specifically:
- a 1st-level rogue's snare does 1d8+5 damage (previously 2d8+5)
- a 6th-level rogue's snare does 2d8+5 damage (previously 3d8+5) and slows the target for 5 rounds if they fail an unmodified save vs. spell (previously it was a save vs. spell at -4)
Revised favored enemy for rangers: new enemy groups, and rangers reselect their favored enemy at 4th level and every third level thereafter
This component rearranges ranger racial enemy groups to make them somewhat more useful (for instance, the 'dragonkin' category includes dragons, wyverns, and basilisks) and renames them 'favored enemy', partly because they no longer correspond to single races. The component also allows rangers to change their favored enemy from time to time. (Minsc isn't stuck with gnolls forever, for instance.) You first get the chance at level 4, and then every 3 subsequent levels. The change is handled through the UI: you'll just be offered the chance to reselect your favored enemy when you level up.
Revised Druid Shapeshifting
This component significantly revises the druid's (and the Avenger's) shapeshift ability, somewhat inspired by Icewind Dale. Druids now gain one use of a general Shapeshift ability at third level, and then another use every three levels after that. The available forms vary by level, and are selected at the time the spell is cast:
- At 3rd level, the only form available is Wolf.
- At 5th level, Black Bear is added.
- At 7th level, the Wolf form is upgraded to a Dire Wolf, and Boring Beetle is added.
- At 9th level, the Black Bear form is upgraded to a Cave Bear (or to a Polar Bear in IWD:EE).
- At 12th level, Lesser Elementals (of all four elements) are added.
- At 15th level, the Lesser Elemental forms are upgraded to Elementals.
(In Icewind Dale, druids got access to Winter Wolves; I removed this as it seemed to go against the idea that druid forms should be natural, nonintelligent animals.) Full documentation for druids' shapeshift forms is
here.
Avengers gain forms every 2nd level rather than every 3rd, and have access to new forms:
- At 4th level, Hunting Spider is added.
- At 6th level, Baby Wyvern is added.
- At 7th level, the Wolf form is upgraded to a Winter Wolf instead of a Dire Wolf.
- At 8th level, the Hunting Spider form is upgraded to a Sword Spider.
- At 10th level, the Baby Wyvern form is upgraded to a Wyvern.
(The underlying idea is that Avengers have access to monstrous 'animals' as well as natural ones. From that perspective the Fire Salamander, an intelligent extraplanar creature, is out of place.) Avengers' additional forms are fully documented
here.
Druids Use Cleric XP and Spell Tables
The XP tables for druids in IWD, BG and BG2 are based (to varying degree) on 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons, and hence inherit some oddities that don't really make sense in a CRPG (and frankly were kind of questionable in D&D too). Even though druids and clerics have the same spell-advancement rate and are otherwise fairly comparable in power, their XP requirements are quite out of sync: druids initially require more XP than clerics, then require much less, and then (in BG2) need a staggering 750,000 XP to get from level 13 to level 14 and an astonishing 1,500,000 XP to get from level 14 to level 15. The spell table in BG2 in turn compensates by giving druids massively more spells as soon as they hit level 15. (Icewind Dale smooths out the XP table to something saner after level 14 and doesn't include the big increase in spells.)
This component cuts through all this and just gives druids the same XP and spell progression as clerics. (This is determined dynamically, so any changes other mods have made to cleric tables will be mirrored.)
Revised Speciality Priests of Lathander/Helm/Talos/Tempus/Tyr
This component revises the five speciality priests (i.e., cleric kits) in the unmodded game. The revisions are partly to make the kits more balanced at low levels (they are balanced for Baldur's Gate II and some of their powers are excessive for the early stages of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale). Partly, they just (I hope!) make the kits a bit more interesting and varied.
The new kits gain a somewhat modified and expanded list of unique powers, and gain them at various levels rather than having them automatically. They also have slightly customized spell lists—e.g., priests of Talos have access to air spells as well as a few other spells associated with lightning or destruction.
Full documentation for the modified kits can be found here.
In addition, the component makes some small script and dialog changes in Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II to recognize the protagonist's faith in appropriate situations (e.g., in the temple of your god).
This component makes use of the ToF revised sphere system, which is documented here.
Modified Cleric Stronghold Quest for Priests of any God except Lathander/Helm/Talos
Only available for BG2EE, EET
The cleric stronghold quests in Baldur's Gate II very strongly presume that your character worships one of Lathander, Helm and Talos. This shows up in small ways (various dialog cues assume it) and larger ways (you have a series of quests that require you to advise worshipers, and you are judged according to how well your advice fits the way of 'your' god). It fits badly to priests of other gods, like Tyr and Tempus in the unmodded (Enhanced Edition) game, and any added by third-party mods.
This component modifies the cleric stronghold quest for priests outside the 'core three' priesthoods. The new quest is a bit shorter, has somewhat more appropriate dialog, and omits the conversations with the worshipers. The final event of the stronghold quest (the battle between the temples) triggers automatically after sufficient time has passed (4 in-game weeks by default, though it is accelerated later in the game). The component also adds some god-specific lines for priests of Tyr, Tempus, and the faiths introduced by the 'New Choices of God/Goddess for Speciality Priests' component from Talents of Faerûn. Because the quest is shorter, it does not count as a stronghold for the purposes of determining whether you can get another stronghold.
Allow Monks to Use Staffs
The Infinity Engine games don't allow monks to use staffs, despite the staff being an iconic monk weapon; this is for technical reasons, not as a design choice. This component works around those technical reasons and allows staff-wielding monks.
As an unavoidable side-effect, human monks will slightly change the color of their clothing when they equip a staff. If you are using non-human monks from the 'Allow All Class/Race Combinations' component, they will not be affected in this way.
(What's actually going on is that the 'wielding two-handed weapons' animation of the human monk is repurposed by the core game for unarmed combat, so that if you let a monk use a staff, it isn't synchronized with the character's actual movements and seems to float in the air. But the human monk animation is otherwise just a slight recoloring of the human fighter. I program all the two-handed weapons in the game to change a monk's animation to the fighter animation when equipped. Non-human monks are using the priest animation anyway so the issue doesn't arise.)
Adjust Opposition Schools for Speciality Mages
Icewind Dale and the Baldur's Gate games use different sets of opposition schools (schools that specialist wizards can't learn) from one another, and neither is exactly what is used in the AD&D game on which both are based. This component lets you choose which system to use: the Baldur's Gate system (least restrictive), the Icewind Dale system, AD&D, or a custom version very closely based on AD&D that's slightly less harsh for illusionists. In-game documentation will be updated to reflect your choice.
|
Opposed Schools |
Speciality |
Baldur's Gate |
Icewind Dale |
AD&D |
ToF Custom |
Abjurer |
Alteration |
Alteration, Illusion |
Alteration, Illusion |
Alteration, Illusion |
Conjurer |
Divination |
Invocation |
Divination, Invocation |
Divination, Invocation |
Diviner |
Conjuration |
Conjuration |
Conjuration |
Conjuration |
Enchanter |
Invocation |
Invocation |
Invocation, Necromancy |
Invocation, Necromancy |
Illusionist |
Necromancy |
Abjuration, Necromancy |
Abjuration, Invocation, Necromancy |
Invocation, Necromancy |
Invoker |
Enchantment |
Conjuration, Divination |
Conjuration, Enchantment |
Conjuration, Enchantment |
Necromancer |
Illusion |
Enchantment, Illusion |
Enchantment, Illusion |
Enchantment, Illusion |
Transmuter |
Abjuration |
Abjuration, Necromancy |
Abjuration, Necromancy |
Abjuration, Necromancy |
Require Speciality Mages to Memorize at Least One Spell per Level from their Speciality School
In the unmodded game, the main benefit for being a specialist is that you get one extra spell per level, but that spell can be anything you like—so specialists are defined more by the schools they can't use than by their supposed speciality. This component (which follows pen-and-paper Dungeons and Dragons) requires the additional spell to be from the speciality school. If you are selecting your last spell at a given level and have not yet memorized a spell from your speciality school, all spells not from that school will be grayed out and unselectable. (The only exception is if there are no spells from that school at that level.) In-game documentation is updated and your speciality kit description includes a complete list of spells from your chosen school.
This component also makes a few minor changes to existing schools, to standardize differences that apply between IWD and BG/BG2:
- Lower Resistance is Abjuration/Alteration. (It's Alteration in IWD, Abjuration in BG/BG2.)
- Fire Shield: Red, Fire Shield: Blue, Death Fog and Melf's Minute Meteors are all Alteration/Invocation, matching IWD. (In BG/BG2, they're all plain Alteration.)
- Tenser's Transformation and Otiluke's Resilient Sphere are both Alteration/Invocation, again matching IWD. (In BG/BG2, they're both plain Invocation.)
If you use this component together with 'Include Arcane Spells from Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition', 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells ', 'Move Power Words to the School of Enchantment', and 'Move Symbols to the School of Enchantment', you should find that there are sufficiently many more-or-less useful spells at every level for each speciality to have reasonable options, with the exception of Diviners.
Speciality Mages Automatically Get One Speciality Spell at Each Level (where possible)
This component does not need 'Require Speciality Mages to Memorize at Least One Spell per Level from their Speciality School' to be installed, but it is designed with it in mind: by making sure that specialists always know at least one spell of each level, it prevents the serious weakness (and annoyance) that occurs when a mage has just failed to find any spells of their speciality at the appropriate level.
Allow Multi-Classed and Dual-Classed Mages to Become Specialists and Wild Mages
This component permits cleric/mage, fighter/mage, mage/thief, fighter/mage/cleric and fighter/mage/thief characters to be wild mages or specialist mages, instead of generalists. In-game documentation is adjusted to recognize this change.
Existing racial restrictions on specialities are enforced: unless you have installed 'Eliminate Class/Race Restrictions and Most Class/Ability Score Restrictions' then elves can only be diviners, enchanters, and wild mages; half-elves can be conjurers, diviners, enchanters, transmuters, and wild mages; and gnomes are automatically illusionists.
The component also permits unkitted characters who dual-class into mages to become specialists or wild mages. Again, existing racial restrictions are enforced; so are ability-score requirements (again, unless you have deactivated them via 'Eliminate Class/Race Restrictions and Most Class/Ability Score Restrictions').
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component.
Bloodlines for Sorcerers
This component (inspired by Pathfinder's treatment of sorcerers) gives each sorcerer an arcane bloodline, tied to the source of their magic. The 'arcane' bloodline is the default, and functions just like sorcerers in the unmodded game. Other bloodlines (the list is: Celestial, Deepearth, Efreeti, Fiendish, Gravetouched, Rimefrost, Stormborn) gain an additional known spell at every level, thematically connected to their bloodline (some of these spells are from the cleric list) and in exchange are denied access to one school or elemental type of magic. The details of the sorcerous bloodlines can be found here.
Dragon Disciples can be Disciples of Any Chromatic Dragon (Red/Blue/Green/Black/White)
In the unmodded game, all Dragon Disciples are specifically disciples of red dragons. This component allows sorcerers to be disciples of any chromatic dragon type: red, blue, green, black, white. The character's elemental resistance and breath weapon damage will be tied to their dragon type: red=fire, blue=electricity, green=poison, black=acid, white=cold.
Rebalanced and Revised Kits
Nearly all the kits in the unmodded game come from the original Baldur's Gate II, and many of them are not really well balanced for the other games—many kits gain powerful abilities too early, since the BG2 kits were only designed to be used from 7th level onward; some kits provide static benefits for long periods in the early game (e.g. the Jester's song, which is fixed from 1st level to 14th level); some abilities are specifically based around Shadows of Amn content (such as the cavalier's resistance to fire and acid, the two elemental damage types used by dragons in Shadows of Amn). In addition, a few kits (in my judgement) are a little too weak or strong.
This component modifies the following kits (main changes are listed):
- Assassin: sneak attack increases at 1/3 levels; on IWD, Poison Weapon is changed to function as the (better-balanced) BGEE/BG2EE version
- Barbarian: Damage Resistance starts at level 7; Rage power scales with level (immunities are gained gradually until level 14, not all at once, and match berserker immunities)
- Berserker: Rage power scales with level (extra hit points are level-dependent; immunities are gained gradually until level 14, not all at once, and include immunity to hold but not to paralyze)
- Blade: Defensive Spin gained at level 3; Offensive Spin gained at level 5.
- Cavalier: resistances changed to all elemental types; begins at 10% and increases by 5% every 5 levels; immunity to poison/charm gained gradually; may evade dragon breath weapons entirely on a successful save at level 12
- Dragon Disciple: gains immunity to hold at level 7 and immunity to charm at level 13.
- Inquisitor: True Sight replaced by Detect Invisibility until level 9; immunity to hold/charm gained gradually (and does not include paralyze); dispel magic not gained until 3rd level.
- Jester: bard song gradually improves with level
- Shapeshifter: weaker werewolf form until 7th level; stronger form at 19th level; old werewolf forms are replaced by new ones once gained
- Skald: bard song gradually improves with level
- Totemic Druid: spirit animals continue to increase in power with level up to 16th level.
- Undead Hunter: bonuses to hit and immunities gained gradually until 9th level, not all at once
- Wizard Slayer: magic resistance changed to 20% + 1%/level
Cleric kits are unmodified by this component because the 'Revised Speciality Priests of Lathander/Helm/Talos/Tempus/Tyr' handles them. The Bounty Hunter kit is affected by the 'Rebalanced Thief and Bounty Hunter Traps at Low Levels' component. The Avenger kit is affected by the 'Revised Druid Shapeshifting' component. The Kensai, Dwarven Defender, Swashbuckler, Shadowdancer, and Totemic Druid kits, and all Ranger kits, are not affected. Barbarians are affected whether or not the 'Make Barbarian into a Class' component is installed.
Full documentation for any kits altered by Talents of Faerûn (except cleric speciality priests) may be found here.
New Wizard Specializations: Elemental Specialists
This component adds a new style for specialist wizards: elemental magic. Elementalists shun the traditional division of magic into schools, and instead embrace the power of spells focused on a single element: earth, air, fire, or water.
As with conventional specialists, elementalists receive one extra spell per level, which must be from their preferred element (assuming there are any elemental spells of that level). They are barred from learning spells from the element opposed to their own: air opposes earth, fire opposes water. There is at least one spell of each element at each level (some come from the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' component), and elementalists automatically add one spell of their element to their spellbook for each level of spells they can cast (so that they will always be able to memorize at least one elemental spell of each level). A full list of spells for each element may be found here.
Elementalists gain a +25% chance of learning a spell of their preferred element and a +15% chance of learning spells from the two elements not opposed to their own. They also gain 10% resistance to, and +20% damage when using, one particular damage type: electricity for air elementalists, acid for earth elementalists, fire for fire elementalists, cold for water elementalists.
Elementalists have no racial or ability-score restrictions beyond those which apply to mages. If you have installed 'Allow Multi-Classed Mages to Become Specialists and Wild Mages' then multi-classed mages can also become elementalists.
By default, this component requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed) and the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' component of ToF. This is because without these extra spells, there aren't really enough elemental spells to make the specialities fun. If you want to bypass this for any reason you can do so via the ini.
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component and (for technical reasons) the 'No Intelligence-Based Spell Restrictions' component.
New Wizard Specialization: Force Mage
This component adds another new style for specialist wizards: force magic. Force mages specialize in spells that directly produce or manipulate pure magical energy to launch telekinetic attacks, strike with magic missiles or magical blades, hold foes immobile or stunned, or protect the caster with force fields. The cost is that they are untrained with magic that summons impure—that is, elemental—energies.
As with conventional specialists, force mages receive one extra spell per level, which must be from the list of Force spells. They are barred from learning spells associated with any of the four elements: air (including electricity), earth (including acid), fire, and water (including cold and ice). A full list of spells for each element, and a list of force spells, may be found here.
Force mages gain a +25% chance of learning a force spell. They also gain 10% resistance to magical damage, and +20% damage when using effects or spells that inflict magical damage.
Force mages have no racial or ability-score restrictions beyond those which apply to mages. If you have installed 'Allow Multi-Classed Mages to Become Specialists and Wild Mages' then multi-classed mages can also become force mages.
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component and (for technical reasons) the 'No Intelligence-Based Spell Restrictions' component.
New Wizard Kits: Militant Wizards
Militant Wizards train for physical as well as magical combat. They can become proficient, or specialized, in any weapon, and have some ability to cast spells while wearing armor: they can cast spells in leather, studded leather, and hide armor from 1st level; from 7th level they can also cast spells in chainmail or scale mail; from 15th level they can also cast spells in splint mail or plate mail (but not in full plate).
All militant wizards specialize in one or other school of magic, although not all schools are suited to the class: militant wizards can be abjurers, conjurers, invokers, or necromancers. Because of their physical training, they are less versatile than other specialists, being barred from three schools of magic rather than one or two.
Speciality |
Opposed Schools |
Abjurer |
Alteration, Divination, Illusion |
Conjurer |
Alteration, Divination, Invocation |
Invoker |
Conjuration, Enchantment, Illusion |
Necromancer |
Alteration, Enchantment, Illusion |
Militant wizards may not multi-class. They have the same ability score restrictions (if any) as standard specialists. Any class capable of becoming a mage may become a militant wizard of any speciality school.
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component and (for technical reasons) the 'No Intelligence-Based Spell Restrictions' component.
New Sorcerer Kit: Bloodrager
Bloodragers are sorcerers whose innate magical power is tied to a deep reservoir of buried rage. While most spellcasters require some level of calm and discipline to use their magic to best effect, bloodragers can enter a state of savage fury while still drawing on their powerful magic abilities.
Bloodragers receive the berserker's rage ability, and are somewhat better trained in weapons and armor than normal sorcerers (they can use any melee weapon; they can become specialized in any weapon; they can use light armor; they receive +1 to hit per 3 levels, partly compensating for sorcerers' poor attack rolls; they have 1d6 hit points per level). However, they are sharply restricted in their choice of spells: they can only learn spells from the schools of abjuration, alteration, invocation, and necromancy.
New Choices of God/Goddess for Speciality Priests
This component introduces 23 additional gods and goddesses for a cleric to worship (in addition to the five in the baseline game: Helm, Lathander, Talos, Tempus and Tyr). Clerics of these powers receive appropriate special abilities and also choose spells from slightly altered spell lists, using the Talents of Faerûn sphere system..
This component borrows some ideas, some icons and other files, and some dialog from the Divine Remix mod. I'm grateful to CamDawg, co-author of that mod, for permission to do so.
On any install, the following 20 additional gods and goddesses are added:
- Auril, the Frostmaiden
- Azuth, the Lord of Spells
- Baervan Wildwanderer, the Forest Gnome (gnomes, elves and half-elves only)
- Clangeddin, the Father of Battle (dwarves only)
- Corellon Larethian, Creator of the Elves (elves only)
- Gruumsh One-Eye, god of the orcs (half-orcs only)
- Ilmater, the Painbearer
- Kossuth, the Lord of Flames
- Lolth, the Queen of the Spiders (female elves and half-elves only)
- Malar, the Beastlord
- Mask, the Lord of Shadows
- Moradin, the Dwarffather (dwarves only)
- Mystra, the Mother of All Magic
- Oghma, the Lord of Knowledge
- Selûne, the Moonmaiden
- Shar, the Lady of Loss
- Sune, Lady Firehair
- Talona, the Lady of Poison
- Tymora, the Lady of Luck
- Umberlee, evil goddess of the sea
On an IWD install, these three evil gods are also included:
- Bane, the Black Lord
- Bhaal, the Lord of Murder
- Myrkul, the Lord of the Dead
At the time of the Baldur's Gate saga, all three are dead; on a BG or BG2 install, you instead get these three gods:
- Cyric, the Black Sun
- Velsharoon, the Archmage of Necromancy
- Iyachtu Xvim, the Godson
(Priests of Cyric, game-mechanically, are pretty much equivalent to priests of Bhaal; priests of Velsharoon are pretty much equivalent to priests of Myrkul; priests of Iyachtu Xvim are pretty much equivalent to priests of Bane.)
Unless otherwise noted, all gods and goddesses introduced may be worshiped by clerics of any race.
By default, priests of Auril, Myrkul and Talona are not available as player characters in Icewind Dale, and priestesses of Lolth and Umberlee are not available as player characters in Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II. In both cases, this is for plot reasons: having a priest of that deity in your party would mess with the plot in significant ways. These gods are installed in any case and are usable by enemy NPCs (if you install Sword Coast Stratagems). You can enable these choices for player characters via the ini if you want, though in-game dialog will not really respond appropriately.
On a BG or BG2 install, Viconia becomes a cleric of Shar. (This can be disabled or modified by editing dw_talents/3p/original_game.ini, or you can change his class/kit using the 'Improved NPC Customization and Management' component.)
This component requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane and divine spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed from Sword Coast Stratagems, IWDification, or Talents of Faerûn) and the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' and 'Add Six New Divine Spells' components of ToF.
Full documentation for the Talents of Faerûn cleric speciality priests may be found here.
New Class: Favored Soul
Favored souls are spellcasters with an innate connection to a particular god or goddess. They are similar to clerics, but their power flows directly from their patron, without any need to study the litanies of a church. In game terms, they cast spells spontaneously, like a sorcerer or shaman, but choose their spells from the cleric list (with some modifications according to their faith). They lack the ability to turn undead, but gain additional known spells based on the god or goddess they serve.
Favored souls must select a god/goddess to serve at character creation, chosen from almost all of those included in Talents of Faerûn as well as the 'core five' in the unmodded game. For the purposes of dialog options, strongholds, and the like, they are treated as clerics of their chosen deity. ('Under the hood', favored souls are formally a set of kits for shamans, but hopefully this should not be visible in-game.)
This component requires the 'Revised speciality priests of Lathander/Helm/Talos/Tempus/Tyr' and 'New Choices of God/Goddess for Speciality Priests' components to be installed. It also requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane and divine spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed) and the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' and 'Add Six New Divine Spells' components of ToF.
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component, and makes use of the ToF revised sphere system, which is documented here.
New Kits for Blackguards
Requires the 'Revised Paladins and Blackguards' component to be installed.
This component introduces two new kits for Blackguards:
- Disciple of Asmodeus
- Thrall of Orcus
Druids May Multi-Class as Mages, Rangers, and Thieves
This component introduces three new multi-class options: druid/mage, druid/ranger, and druid/thief. All three are legal 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons classes, but were omitted from Baldur's Gate. These work as you would expect: all three are restricted to druid weapon choices, druid/mages cannot cast spells in armor, and druid/thieves cannot use thief skills in armor heavier than studded leather. All three classes are correctly treated as druid multi-classes in in-game conversations (for instance, in Baldur's Gate II they all will be offered the druid stronghold, as well as the stronghold corresponding to their other class). The component also adjusts cleric/rangers so as to use the cleric spell list (in the unmodded game they used the druid list).
These classes are available to the same races as (respectively) the cleric/mage, cleric/ranger, and cleric/thief. So in an otherwise unmodded game, only half-elves can be druid/mages and druid/rangers, and only gnomes can be druid/thieves. If you install the 'Eliminate Class/Race Restrictions and Most Class/Ability Score Restrictions' component, all races can select these classes.
Druid/mages cannot specialize in a school of magic, even if you have 'Allow Multi-Classed and Dual-Classed Mages to Become Specialists and Wild Mages' installed. They can, however, become elementalists if 'New Wizard Specializations: Elemental Specialists' and 'Allow Multi-Classed and Dual-Classed Mages to Become Specialists and Wild Mages' are both installed. Druid/Elementalists cannot use priest spells associated with their opposing element, and (if you are using Icewind Dale and/or 'Revised Druid Shapeshifting') cannot shapeshift into an elemental of the opposed type.
Druid/mages and druid/thieves must conform to the alignment restrictions of druids (i.e., they must be neutral, or must be at least partly neutral if you have installed an appropriate component). Druid/rangers must be at least partly neutral.
There are a couple of technical limitations to note:
- Multi-class druids use the spell and XP progression tables of clerics (even if you have not installed the 'Druids Use Cleric XP and Spell Tables' component.)
- Druid/Rangers will be asked to select one too many mage spells to memorize at character creation. (The extra spells will be grayed out and uncastable; you can delete them from your memorized spells in-game.)
('Under the hood', these limitations reflect the fact that technically these are all kits of the respective cleric multi-classes—but hopefully this should be pretty much invisible in game!)
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component, and makes use of the ToF revised sphere system, which is documented here.
Multi-Classed/Dual-Classed Kits
These components introduce new kits for multi-classed characters, or for characters who dual-class. Each is (approximately) a combination of two single-classed kits, or of an unkitted class and a single-classed kit. There are about 70 of these kits (the exact number depends on other installation choices, and on whether you are playing IWD, BG, or BG2) and at least one is available for almost all multi-class combinations (currently fighter/mage/thief is the only exception).
Multi-classed characters can select these kits at character creation; unless otherwise noted, they are available to all races. Dual-classed characters must dual-class into these kits provided that their initial class and kit must match one or other part of the multi-classed kit. For instance, a wizard slayer or a priest of Helm can dual-class into a Magehunter of Helm (wizard slayer/priest of Helm), while an unkitted fighter or a priest of Lathander can dual-class into a Templar of Lathander (fighter/priest of Lathander). Dual-classing characters have to respect the alignment, ability and racial requirements of the kit.
Full documentation of all multi-classed kits introduced by Talents of Faerûn can be found here.
This component automatically installs the contents of the 'Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu' component. Druid and cleric multi-class components also make use of the ToF revised sphere system, which is documented here.
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Fighter/Clerics and Barbarian/Clerics
This component introduces 15 new kits for fighter/clerics and barbarian/clerics:
- Axe of Clangeddin (fighter/priest of Clangeddin; dwarves only)
- Battlerager of Clangeddin (berserker/priest of Clangeddin; dwarves only)
- Berserker-Priest of Tempus (berserker/priest of Tempus)
- Champion of Tyr (fighter/priest of Tyr)
- Dark Knight of Bane (fighter/priest of Bane; IWD only)
- Fury of Talos (barbarian/priest of Talos)
- Guardian of Helm (fighter/priest of Helm)
- Hammer of Moradin (fighter/priest of Moradin)
- Knight of Iyachtu Xvim (fighter/priest of Iyachtu Xvim; BG/BG2 only)
- Magehunter of Helm (wizard slayer/priest of Helm)
- Raging Flame of Kossuth (berserker/priest of Kossuth)
- Shaman of Tempus (barbarian/priest of Tempus)
- Sword of Selûne (kensai/priest of Selûne)
- Templar of Lathander (fighter/priest of Lathander)
- Wrathful Spear of Gruumsh (barbarian/priest of Gruumsh; half-orcs only)
On a BG install, Yeslick becomes an Axe of Clangeddin. (This can be disabled or modified by editing dw_talents/3p/original_game.ini, or you can change his class/kit using the 'Improved NPC Customization and Management' component.)
The Dark Knight of Bane and the Knight of Iyachtu Xvim are mechanically identical. This component requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane and divine spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed) and the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' and 'Add Six New Divine Spells' components of ToF.
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Fighter/Druids
This component introduces one new kit each for barbarian/druids and fighter/druids: the Totemic Shaman (barbarian/totemic druid) and the Raging Shifter (berserker/shapeshifter).
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Fighter/Mages
This component introduces up to six new kits for fighter/mages. The component always includes these kits:
- Abjurant Defender (abjurer/dwarven defender; dwarves only)
- Berserker/Invoker
- Berserker/Wild Mage
- Kensai/Enchanter
- Kensai/Illusionist
If you have installed the 'New Wizard Specialization: Force Mage' component, the component also includes the Kensai/Force Mage kit.
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Fighter/Thieves
This component introduces three new kits for fighter/thieves:
- Fighter/Assassin
- Magetracker (Wizard Slayer/Bounty Hunter)
- Silent Sword (Kensai/Thief)
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Cleric/Mages
This component introduces up to 27 new kits for cleric/mages. The component always includes these kits:
- Abjurer of Ilmater
- Abjurer of Mystra
- Conjurer of Azuth
- Conjurer of Bane (IWD only)
- Conjurer of Iyachtu Xvim (BG/BG2 only)
- Diviner of Oghma
- Diviner of Selûne
- Enchanter of Sune
- Enchanter of Cyric (BG/BG2 only)
- Illusionist of Azuth
- Illusionist of Baervan (elves/half-elves/gnomes only)
- Illusionist of Shar
- Invoker of Lathander
- Invoker of Mystra
- Invoker of Talos
- Necromancer of Velsharoon (BG/BG2 only)
- Necromancer of Talona (BG/BG2 only)
- Transmuter of Mystra
- Transmuter of Selûne
- Wild Mage of Mystra
If you have installed the 'New Wizard Specializations: Elemental Specialists' component, the following are also available:
- Air Elementalist of Baervan (elves/half-elves/gnomes only)
- Air Elementalist of Talos
- Earth Elementalist of Moradin (dwarves only)
- Fire Elementalist of Kossuth
- Fire Elementalist of Sune
- Water Elementalist of Auril (BG/BG2 only)
- Water Elementalist of Umberlee (IWD only)
If you have installed the 'New Wizard Specialization: Force Mage' component, the Force Mage of Mystra is also available.
The conjurer of Bane and the conjurer of Iyachtu Xvim are game-mechanically identical. Multi-class clerics of Auril and Talona are disabled by default on IWD (as is a hidden 'necromancer of Myrkul'), and multi-class clerics of Umberlee are disabled by default on BG/BG2, because having a cleric of these gods in your party causes problems with the plot. If you want to ignore this and play one anyway, you can reactivate them via the ini.
This component requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane and divine spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed) and the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' and 'Add Six New Divine Spells' components of ToF.
On BG2 installs, Aerie becomes an air elementalist of Baervan. (This can be disabled or modified by editing dw_talents/3p/original_game.ini, or you can change his class/kit using the 'Improved NPC Customization and Management' component.)
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Cleric/Rangers and Druid/Rangers
This component introduces up to seven new kits for cleric/rangers. The component always includes these kits:
- Forester of Baervan (Archer/Priest of Baervan; gnomes/elves/half-elves only)
- Hunter of Selûne (Ranger/Priest of Selûne)
- Nightstalker of Malar (Stalker/Priest of Malar)
- Scout of Corellon (Stalker/Priest of Corellon; elves/half-elves only)
If you have installed the 'Druids May Multi-Class as Mages, Rangers, and Thieves' component, this component also adds one new kit for druid/rangers, the Night Wolf (stalker/shapeshifter). Druids and rangers cannot dual-class as druid/rangers and so cannot dual-class into a druid/ranger kit.
This component requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane and divine spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed) and the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' and 'Add Six New Divine Spells' components of ToF.
This component also grants cleric/rangers the ability to use shortbows and longbows.
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Cleric/Thieves and Druid/Thieves
This component introduces seven new kits for cleric/thieves:
- Assassin of Bhaal (IWD only)
- Dread Death of Cyric (BG/BG2 only)
- Hunter of Malar
- Plague-Rat of Talona (BG/BG2 only)
- Rake of Sune
- Scoundrel of Tymora
- Shadow of Mask
If you have installed the 'Druids May Multi-Class as Mages, Rangers, and Thieves' component, this component also adds one new kit for druid/thieves, the Silent Avenger (avenger/assassin). Druids and rangers cannot dual-class as druid/rangers and so cannot dual-class into a druid/ranger kit.
The assassin of Bhaal is game-mechanically nearly identical to the assassin of Cyric. The assassin of Talona is disabled by default on Icewind Dale installs because having a priest of Talona in your party would break the story. If you want to ignore this and play one anyway, you can re-enable the kit via the ini.
On a BG install, Tiax becomes an assassin of Cyric. (This can be disabled or modified by editing dw_talents/3p/original_game.ini, or you can change his class/kit using the 'Improved NPC Customization and Management' component.)
This component requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane and divine spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed) and the 'Add Nine New Arcane Spells' and 'Add Six New Divine Spells' components of ToF.
New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Mage/Thieves
This component introduces three new kits for mage/thieves:
- Enchanter/Swashbuckler
- Illusionist/Assassin
- Invoker/Assassin
New Multi-Class Kits for Fighter/Mage/Clerics
This component introduces three new kits for fighter/mage/clerics:
- Adventurer of Tymora (Fighter/Enchanter/Priest of Tymora)
- Guardian of Corellon (Kensai/Mage/Priest of Corellon; elves/half-elves only)
- Polymath of Mystra (Fighter/Invoker/Priest of Mystra)
This component requires you to be using the Icewind Dale arcane and divine spells (either because you are playing IWD:EE, or because you have them installed) and the 'add new arcane (wizard) spells' and 'add new divine (priest) spells' components of ToF.
Revised and New High-Level and Lower-Level Abilities
Characters Choose Minor New Abilities Every Three Levels
This component is based on the 'feats' system in Icewind Dale II (and in 3rd edition D&D). At 2nd level, and every three levels thereafter, a character chooses a special ability from a list. For instance: a character might gain a bonus to some saving throws or damage rolls, an extra use of a special ability, the ability to brew potions or scribe scrolls, or a new spell slot. The abilities are intended to be modest rather than dramatic, though I welcome feedback. The full list of special abilities can be seen here.
Abilities are selected during the leveling process using a similar interface to the one used for High-Level Abilities in Baldur's Gate II. If you are playing Baldur's Gate II, the ability system merges into the High-Level Ability system when you become eligible for High-Level Abilities; normal abilities remain available as alternatives to High-Level Abilities as you continue to level.
Multi-classed characters gain abilities only for one class (the one that normally levels most quickly). Dual-classed characters only gain abilities for their highest level.
Engine limitations mean that abililities cannot be selected at character creation, even if you start at higher than 1st level (e.g. at the start of Shadows of Amn). To handle this, your character will begin at 1st level and then can be levelled up at the start of the game. There is a slight awkwardness here for bards and mages, who should be able to select spells from their spellbook at character creation but don't at level-up. This will be handled fine in BG2EE if you start in Shadows of Amn. If you plan to create a new character in Heart of Winter, Throne of Bhaal, Siege of Dragonspear, the EET version of Shadows of Amn, or the Black Pits 2, you will need to tell ToF this before you install it, by setting the appropriate ini value in dw_talents.ini. (Look in the default_start block; options are iwd, how, soa, tob, bg, sod, bp, bp2.) Failing to do so will grant you too few wizard spells on character creation. Engine limitations also mean that multi-classed mages will be given slightly too many spells at character creation.
Joinable NPCs will also lack abilities if they join at level greater than 1. If you want to give them abilities I recommend using the 'NPC Customization and Management' component to set all joinable NPCs to level 1.
Revised High-Level Ability system
Only available for BG2EE, EET
This component substantially revises and expands the High-Level Abilities (HLAs) granted to characters every level after reaching 3 million XP. The existing set of 46 HLAs is expanded to (depending on how you count them) 187 HLAs, of which:
- 41 are retained from the unmodded game (although several are modified)
- 46 are adapted from the classic Refinements mod by T.G.Maestro, Littiz and the bigg, and used under the bigg's generous blanket permission for modders to adapt and use Refinements' contents
- 8 are adapted from the classic Rogue Rebalancing mod by aVENGER and used under that mod's Creative Commons 3.0 license
- 92 are original to Talents of Faerûn (though in many cases inspired by other sources)
Full documentation for the revised HLA system can be found
here.
Improved NPC Customization and Management
Not available for IWDEE
This component makes it much easier to customize NPCs and to make sure they keep up with your main character even if you swap them in and out of the group. When it is installed, NPCs (including mod-added NPCs) join your party at level zero. If you want, you can activate a special 'customize' power on their innate abilities to change their class and kit to whatever you like. After that, you can level the character to first level and choose their proficiencies, skills and the like. The character will continue leveling until they reach about the same level as your character. (The 'customize' power is unavailable once you increase above level zero.)
If you kick the NPC out of the party and subsequently re-recruit them, they will again start leveling until they reach about your character's level. (To be more precise: everyone in the party gets 90% of the XP that the highest-XP character gets.)
(This component is identical to the equivalent component in Sword Coast Stratagems (or rather: it's a more advanced version of that component, since I haven't updated SCS to the new version yet); it is included here because if you are using the Feat system, you may wish to start your characters at first level so that they gain feats properly.)
Engine limitations lead to some slight awkwardness with this component. Firstly, mages and bards have their spellbooks selected from a fixed list (you don't get to choose yourself). Secondly, a few NPCs in the game have illegal statistics (for instance, Coran has three proficiencies in bows); these will be lost if you use this component. Thirdly, wild mages will have to save and reload in order to get their special spells (Chaos Shield and the like).
The component should be able to allow for other mods that let humans multi-class, non-humans dual-class, and multi-class characters select kits. However, it is incompatible with any mod (notably the component of Tweaks Anthology) that removes the ability to dual-class from humans—basically because the component doesn't know what to do with the existing dual-classed humans in the game, like Imoen.
This component makes very extensive use of features of the Enhanced Edition game engine, and so is not (and never will be) available for original BG/BG2.
Important note: Dual-classed NPCs begin at level zero in their original class; you level them until they can't level any more, then dual-class them, then level them again.
Revised Ability Scores
This component revises the effects of your character's ability scores to make their bonuses a bit more uniform and intelligible, and to make some of them more useful. The modifications are based on 3rd edition D&D; you can choose between a 'custom' version (recommended) and a strict 3rd edition version.
The effects of your ability scores are now as follows:
- Strength: Still affects melee and thrown weapon attack and damage rolls, your chance of breaking a door or gate, and your carrying capacity. Exceptional strength is removed.
- Dexterity: Now affects saving throws vs. Wands and Breath Weapons. Still affects armor class, attack rolls with thrown and missile weapons, and initiative.
- Constitution: Now affects saving throws vs. Poison and Paralysis. Still affects hit points (the variable fighter/non-fighter effect has been removed).
- Intelligence: Now affects maximum number of memorizable spells for wizards. Still affects chance of learning arcane spells from scrolls.
- Wisdom: Now affects number of spell slots for shamans, saving throws vs. Spell, and Monk AC. Still affects maximum number of memorizable spells for priests.
- Charisma: Affects maximum number of memorizable spells for bards and number of spell slots for sorcerers and favored souls, the effective level of a cleric or paladin turning the undead (at half the normal modifier), and (still) also the price you are charged in stores. Paladins receive an additional bonus to their saving throws based on Charisma.
Bonuses and penalties to attack rolls, hit points, armor class, and saving throws now use a common set of modifiers. (The change to a cleric or paladin's level for turning undead is half this modifier.) For ability scores between 1-18, that system is the same in both versions:
Ability score value |
Bonus/Penalty |
1 |
-5 |
2-3 |
-4 |
4-5 |
-3 |
6-7 |
-2 |
8-9 |
-1 |
10-11 |
0 |
12-13 |
+1 |
14-15 |
+2 |
16-17 |
+3 |
18 |
+4 |
For ability scores of 19+, the two systems diverge: the custom system increases more quickly than the 3rd edition system. (This reflects the fact that ability score bonuses above 18 are harder to come by in AD &D—and in the IE games—than in 3rd edition D&D.)
Ability score value |
Bonus (custom system) |
Bonus (3e system) |
19 |
+5 |
+4 |
20 |
+6 |
+5 |
21 |
+7 |
+5 |
22 |
+8 |
+6 |
23 |
+9 |
+6 |
24 |
+10 |
+7 |
25 |
+11 |
+7 |
The table for spellcasters' bonus spells also depends on the version of this component you choose, with the custom version scaling more quickly for ability scores of 15+:
Ability score value |
Bonus spells (custom system) |
Bonus spells (3e system) |
11 or less |
none |
12-13 |
+1 first-level spell |
14 |
+1 spell at levels 1-2 |
15 |
+1 spell at levels 1-3 |
+1 spell at levels 1-2 |
16 |
+1 spell at levels 1-4 |
+1 spell at levels 1-3 |
17 |
+2 spells at level 1, +1 spell at levels 2-4 |
+1 spell at levels 1-3 |
18 |
+2 spells at level 1-2, +1 spell at levels 3-4 |
+1 spell at levels 1-4 |
19 |
+2 spells at level 1-3, +1 spell at level 4 |
+1 spell at levels 1-4 |
20 |
+2 spells at level 1-3, +1 spell at levels 4-5 |
+2 spells at level 1, +1 spell at levels 2-5 |
21+ |
+2 spells at level 1-4, +2 spells at levels 5-6 |
+2 spells at level 1, +1 spell at levels 2-6 |
The component also changes a few other rules, to fit better with this revised system:
- Base saving throws are slightly weakened, to compensate for the bonuses gained by high ability scores. (This only applies to party members.)
- Base known spells are slightly reduced for wizards and bards, to compensate for the bonus they are likely to get from high INT.
- Gnomes, halflings and dwarves now receive a flat saving throw bonus (+2 in each case) instead of a Constitution-dependent bonus.
- If you are using the low-level abilities component, a new ability, Force of Personality, is available; this allows a character to use their Charisma bonus in place of their Wisdom bonus for saves vs. spells.
For technical reasons, wizards and bards will not be able to learn any bonus spells during character creation, and sorcerers, shamans and favored souls will not receive their bonus spells until the first time they rest. Creatures (including joinable NPCs) have their Strength, Dexterity and Constitution modifiers altered so that the effect of the new ability score is as close as possible to the effect of the old ability score under the old system. (Note that the saving throw changes of this component apply only to party members.)
Point-Buy System for Choosing Ability Scores
This component replaces the default random-roll-based system for choosing ability scores with a point-buy system: you have a fixed number of points (75,80,85,90,or a randomly determined number depending on which version of the component you install) and your ability scores all start with values of 10 (or the minimum allowed, whichever is higher), modified by your class, kit and race choices. (Exception: if you are eligible for exceptional strength, your Strength begins at 18, so you can see immediately what your (randomly rolled) exceptional Strength is.)
(Really, the default system is also point-based; it's just that the total number of points is random and you start with your points all randomly allocated. The 'randomly determined number' version of the mod is equivalent to the standard system, just with the convenience of having your ability scores all preset to 10.)
3rd-Edition-Style THAC0s (somewhat faster progression for clerics/thieves/mages)
This component, inspired by D&D 3rd edition, changes the formula for THAC0 to something a bit more generous, especially for non-fighters.
Old formula:
- Warriors: THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1); minimum 0
- Priests: THAC0 starts at 20 and decreases by 2 every 3 levels thereafter - so roughly, THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1) x2/3; minimum 6
- Rogues: THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1)/2; minimum 10
- Mages: THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1)/3; minimum 13
New formula:
- Warriors: THAC0 = 20 - level; minimum 0
- Priests/Rogues: THAC0 = 20 - level x 3/4; minimum 2
- Mages: THAC0 = 20 - level/2; minimum 5
Revised Shields
This component revises and slightly increases the efficacy of shields. Bucklers are unchanged (+1 to AC, no benefit vs. piercing or missile attacks); small shields grant +2 AC (with no benefit vs. missile attacks); medium shields grant +2 AC; large shields grant +3 AC, with an additional +1 AC vs missile attacks, but prevent spellcasting and impose a -1 penalty on attack rolls.
This component is independent of the 'Revised Ability Scores' and '3rd-Edition-Style THAC0s' components, but is balanced with them in mind.
Remove Intelligence-Based Restrictions on Number and Level of Learnable Spells
This component removes restrictions on the maximum level of spells a mage (or bard) character can learn, and the maximum number of spells they can learn at each level. The UI is edited to remove any reference to these restrictions.
In addition, the 'erase' button is removed from the spellbook, since the intended reason to erase spells is to make room for new ones and there is no longer a capacity limit.
Cleric/Rangers can Become Proficient with Bows
This component grants Cleric/Rangers the ability to put up to two points into proficiency in shortbows and longbows. (It is obsolete if you install the 'Revised Weapon Proficiency System', and is automatically installed if you use the 'New Multi-Class/Dual-Class for Cleric/Rangers and Druid/Rangers' component.)
Wider Access to Grand Mastery
This component permits warriors other than single-class fighters to achieve Grand Mastery (five slots) in their usable weapons. There are three versions: allow multi-classed fighters to achieve grand mastery; allow paladins and single-classed rangers to achieve grand mastery; allow all warriors, single and multi-classed, to achieve grand mastery.
Dual-Class Kitted Characters Must Obey the Weapon-Proficiency Restrictions of Their Kit
In the unmodded game, characters with a kit who dual-class are no longer bound by any restrictions their kit places on their weapon proficiencies (though they are bound by any item-usability requirements). This component enforces kit-based proficiency restrictions even on dual-classed characters.
Dual-Class Characters Gain Weapon Proficiencies as for Their Current Class
In the unmodded game, a character who dual-classes and then regains their original class can add weapon proficiencies according to the rules for their old class (so that a fighter who dual-classes as a mage can continue to improve their training with the sword). This component prohibits this: proficiencies continue to obey the rules of your current class.
Revised Weapon Proficiency System
This component significantly revises the system for weapon proficiency and weapon use (somewhat inspired by 3rd edition D&D). The core changes are:
- All weapons are usable by all characters. (Exception: monks can't use two-handed weapons, unless you installed the component that permits them to.)
- Characters begin with a number of weapon proficiencies: roughly, they begin proficient in any weapon that they could use previously. So fighters begin proficient in all weapons; clerics begin proficient in blunt weapons, and so forth. (Fighter multi-classes are somewhat restricted compared to single-class fighters.) In addition, most classes can use crossbows and daggers.
- Dwarves and elves also gain proficiency with certain weapons: axes and hammers for dwarves; bows and longswords for elves.
- If you are using the cleric kits introduced by Talents of Faerûn, clerics receive a bonus weapon proficiency point in the favored weapon of their deity.
- All characters can at least become Specialized (two slots) with all weapons, and can put two points into any fighting style (other than weapon/shield, for characters who can't use shields), and three points into two-weapon fighting. Characters who could already become Specialized improve their maximum achievable level by one slot.
- Characters receive fewer proficiency points at first level: single-classed fighters receive two, multi-classed fighters, rangers, and paladins receive one, and all other classes receive none.
- A few other kits are modified to allow for these changes: for instance, blades and swashbucklers receive proficiency in two-weapon fighting style for free at first level, and swashbucklers receive a bonus proficiency slot.
The various changes are fairly thoroughly documented in-game.
Revised Weapon Styles
This component mildly revises the various weapon styles, in general slightly improving them. (The changes are all documented in-game.) The specific changes are as follows:
- Single Weapon style:
- 1 point: +1 bonus to hit, +2 bonus to melee AC, +1 bonus to missile AC, critical hits on 19-20.
- 2 point: +2 bonus to hit, +4 bonus to melee AC, +2 bonus to missile AC, critical hits on 18-20.
- Two-Handed style:
- 1 point: +2 damage, +2 speed bonus, critical hits on 19-20.
- 2 points: +5 damage, +4 speed bonus, critical hits on 19-20.
- Two-Weapon style:
- 1 point: -2 penalty to hit for on-hand, -6 for offhand; +1 bonus to melee AC.
- 2 points: no penalty to hit for on-hand, -4 for offhand; +2 bonus to melee AC.
- 3 points: no penalty to hit for on-hand, -2 for offhand; +3 bonus to melee AC.
- Weapon/Shield style:
- 1 point: +1 bonus to melee AC, +2 bonus to missile AC.
- 2 points: +2 bonus to melee AC, +4 bonus to missile AC.
This component is independent of the 'Revised Shields', 'Revised Ability Scores' and '3rd-Edition-Style THAC0s' components, but is balanced with them in mind.
Tidy Up Class-Selection Menu
This component makes a number of (cosmetic) tweaks to the class-selection menu in character generation:
- Classes are presented in alphabetical order (as defined by the language in which you are playing the game).
- Blackguard is now presented as a class in its own right, not as a paladin kit.
- Multi-class choices, and choice of mage specialization, are presented as submenus rather than mixed into the main class/kit lists.
These changes are largely intended to make the class-selection screen less messy when a larger number of classes or kits are available. Many other components install this component automatically; you will only be offered it as an install choice if you have not already installed its contents via another component.
Thieves Assign Skill Points in Multiples of Five
This component edits the user interface so that thief skill points are spent in multiples of five. This is purely a convenience tweak: there is no real reason to spend skill points in smaller increments and it can be tedious to have to do so.
The file "dw_talents.ini", found in the dw_talents directory, allows fine-tuning of install options not available via the main installer. To do this, just edit the file in Notepad or another text editor. Each line consists of a configuration option, then '=', then a number (or in one case a string). The only thing you should edit is the number (or string). These changes need to be made before you install the mod. None of these changes are officially supported and they may have unintended consequences. Hopefully the names make most self-explanatory.
- The Icewind Dale spells are a joint project between myself and Pete Camagna ("CamDawg").
- The new divine spells (with the exception of Fiendish Warding, which is just a cosmetic rename of Shield of the Archons) are borrowed from the Divine Remix mod at Gibberlings Three; thanks again to CamDawg for permission.
- Many of the new thief and bard High-Level Abilities are adapted from the 'Rogue Rebalancing' mod by Avenger_RR, and are used under that mod's Creative Commons license; thanks to Avenger_RR for his generosity in allowing others to reuse his work.
- Many more High-Level abilities are adapted from the 'Refinements' mod by T.G.Maestro, Littiz and the bigg; thanks to the bigg for generously giving the community permission to adapt and reuse material from Refinements.
- The new arcane spells are inspired by the following sources:
- Combust: from Dreams of the Red Wizards (TSR, 1988), by Steve Perrin, and the Spell Compendium (Wizards of the Coast, 2005), by Matthew Sernett, Jeff Grubb, and Mike McArtor.
- Ice Knife: from Oriental Adventures (TSR, 1985), by Gary Gygax, David Cook, and Francois Marcela-Froideval, and the Spell Compendium, ibid.
- Stonefist and Stormbolts: from Pathfinder Advanced Players' Guide (Paizo, 2010), by Jason Bulmahn and others.
- Turn Pebble to Boulder: from the Tome of Magic (TSR, 1991), by David Cook, Nigel Findlay, Anthony Herring, Christopher Kubasik, Carl Sargent, and Rick Swan.
- Veridon's Icy Ray: inspired by Polar Ray from Player's Handbook v 3.5 (Wizards of the Coast, 2003), by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams, and by Veridon, from Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, 1996), by Jim Butler.
- Material for the various additional gods for clerics is drawn from too many Forgotten Realms sources to mention, but chiefly from Faiths and Avatars (TSR, 1996), by Julia Martin with Eric L. Boyd.
- The Favored Soul class was inspired by Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004) by David Noonan.
- The Elementalist speciality mages are inspired by Tome of Magic, ibid.
- The sorcerer bloodlines are inspired byPathfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo, 2009), by Jason Bulmahn and others.
- The Bloodrager kit is inspired by the Bloodrager class from Pathfinder Advanced Class Guide (Paizo, 2014), by Jason Bulmahn and others.
- Militant wizards are inspired by the kit of the same name from The Complete Wizard's Handbook (TSR, 1990), by Rick Swan.
- The Disciple of Asmodeus and Thrall of Orcus blackguard kits are inspired by the (3rd edition) prestige classes of the same name from Book of Vile Darkness (Wizards of the Coast, 2002), by Monte Cook and others.
- I'm also grateful to the following:
- For the game itself, and its Enhanced Editions: Bioware, Black Isle, and Beamdog
- For Icewind Dale II: Black Isle.
- For hosting: Gibberlings Three, and especially CamDawg and Kat Bella ("TheAceFes")
- For tools: Westley Weimer, Valerio Biggiani ("the bigg"), and Fredrik Lindgren ("Wisp") for WEIDU; Jon Hauglid, devSin, argent77, and others (for Near Infinity)
- For designing many of the HLA icons: Lava.
- For information about the game; Ascension64, for TobEx; the various contributors to the Infinity Engine Structure Description Project
- For many insightful comments about the Infinity Engine kit system: SubtleDoctor.
- For proofreading this readme and cleaning up my execrable HTML: CamDawg.
- For patience: Hannah Wallace
- For impatience: Leo Wallace and Maia Wallace
Talents of Faerûn is ©2023-Present, David
Wallace. The material in the folder 'dw_talents/hla_feat', and any files called 'hla_feat.tra' in the dw_talents/lang' folder and its subfolders, are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License (CC-NC-SA 3.0).
Since in practice I'm obviously not going to sue anyone, I'll use this section to say what I'd like people's attitude to re-using and redistributing my mods. Basically, I don't mind
what you do with the code provided you (a) give me full credit when you borrow or re-use my code in your own mod, and (b) don't actually mirror this mod (or any modified version of this mod) somewhere else. (In practice this is about the same as you'd get if I released the whole mod under a CC share-alike license, but I'd rather keep it informal.) If you make use of material licensed under CC you will also have to conform to the terms of that license, which means releasing any derivative material under a CC-NC-SA 3.0 license. (That's the reason I'm doing this myself: I'm re-using material from another mod under that license.)
The 'revised High-Level Abilities' component contains some material from the 'Rogue Rebalancing' and 'Refinements' mods. The former mod was released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License and re-use of material is in accordance with that license. Valerio Biggiani ('the bigg'), co-author of 'Refinements', gave blanket permission at www.shsforums.net for material from 'Refinements' to be used by modders and re-use of that material is in accordance with that permission. (At time of writing there is no active official link to either mod, unfortunately.)
- The high-level abilities adapted from Rogue Rebalancing are: Break Enchantment, Call Spirit Warrior, Crippling Strike, Enhanced Bard Song, Enhanced Skald Song, Enhanced Jester Song, Enthralling Melody, Insightful Strike, Magic Flute, Mass Charm, Resonating Weapon, Set Acid Trap, Set Exploding Trap, Sound Barrier, Sound Burst.
- The high-level abilities adapted from Refinements are: Acrobatics, Adamantite Body, Aegis, Chant, Circle of Law, Comet, Create Flesh Golem, Create Greater Boneguard, Dark Pact, Death Field, Diamond Soul, Displacement, Divine Shell, Dragon Fist, Ethereal, Exorcism, Faster than the Eye, Finger of Destruction, Foresight, Greater War Cry, Inner Time, Malavon's Fury, Mirrored Clones, Nature's Wrath, Precision, Regeneration, Reveal, Righteous Magic, Rune of Immunity, Second Wind, Set Toxic Trap, Shadowless Kick, Shield of Law, Spell Immunity, Spell Worm, Tiger Strike, Tranquility, Virtue, Volcano, Wildstrike.
- Re-used material can be found in the folder 'dw_talents/hla_feat/resources' and its subfolders and can be identified by the prefix 'rr#' (for Rogue Rebalancing) or 'tg#' or 'li#' (for Refinements). None of these distributed files have been modified.
- The in-game effect of these high-level abilities is modified (at install time) by the code in the files 'hla_spec_[XX].tph' in the dw_talents/hla_feat folder. The code should in most cases be human-readable and in any case the changes can be understood by comparing the respective documentation for the high-level abilities.
Version beta 1 (12th December 2023)
Version beta 2 (18th December 2023)
- Fixed some synchronization bugs between ToF and SCS versions of spell tweaks that were causing install-time failures.
- Installing the mage specialist memorization component by itself no longer breaks ui.menu.
- Multiclass subrace characters no longer receive their bonuses twice.
- Subrace abilities at level >1 should now be applied correctly.
- Added many component checks for compatibility with Tweaks Anthology.
- The fact that monks get to apply their Wisdom bonus to AC is now noted in the readme (it was already documented in-game).
- Added basic documentation for sorcerer bloodlines, since this was originally missing. (Fuller documentation to follow in a subsequent update.)
- Documented 'Rangers use Icewind Dale-style spell memorisation'.
- Documentation now notes that the 'Cleric/Rangers can use bows' component is automatically installed by the 'Cleric/Ranger and Druid/Ranger multiclass kits' component.
- Under-the-hood: Updated to new batch-mode system.
- Under-the-hood: Many library fixes and updates.
Version beta 3 (7th January 2024)
- Unique icons for the HLAs that were using reused or IWD2 icons - huge thanks to Lava for the design work here.
- LUA functions now load correctly in ability-modifier and ability-pointbuy components.
- Zero-level multiclassed characters can now level to 1st level (after fixing a complicated interaction of the HLA system with the level-0 hack for NPC customization).
- Kit (and god) selection screens in SoD now have scrollbars.
- Fixed a glitch in the Tweaks/ToF component-compatibility code.
- Smite Evil component now installs properly on batch mode.
- Barbarian Rage is no longer broken by the 'revised HLAs' component.
- Sorcerer bloodlines are now documented properly.
- Favored Soul component no longer breaks scripts containing 'OriginalClass'.
- New HLA system should now install properly even if spell system tweaks are not present.
- Recoded 'Empowered Healing' to avoid various instabilities.
- Fixed a number of problems with the 'NPC Customization and Management' component.
- Fixed some problems with Smite Evil/Good.
- Drow/Svirfneblin MR is now set correctly if you create a character of level >1.
- Library functions can now handle kit and class names with ' or " (but not both!) in them.
- Library functions can now handle kits which have not been assigned a HLA luxxxx file.
- Fixed a bug that was preventing third-party-added priest spells from showing up.
- Fixed some bugs in the code that hides unwanted abilities from the action bar.
- If you install the low-level ability system, characters start at level 1 and can level up at the start of the game, so as to get their abilities.
- Werewolves were not getting their correct AC modifiers due to a library bug.
- Werewolf regeneration has been restored.
- Sorted out some anomalies with assigning subraces to joinable NPCs.
- NPC-only kits are no longer made available to the PC if you use 'remove class/race restrictions'.
- Certain subraces were getting duplicate icons.
- Fixed many small errors in class/kit/race descriptions.
- Made the UI edits a bit more robust, in part to improve compatibility with Lefruet's UI and with EEUITweaks.
- Deprecated the 'use IWD slow poison' spell tweak, as it would require systematic regimenting of BG/BG2 poisons.
- 'Increase the accuracy of Mordenkainen's Force Blade' tweak should now install.
- Resolved some inconsistencies in the Stonefist spell's description and effect, and fixed the missing level in the description of 'Telekinesis'.
- Resolved an invalid string in Chromatic Orb if the 'Use IWD Chromatic Orb' component is used.
- 'Use IWD Chromatic Orb' component now affects avenger and trap versions of Chromatic Orb.
- Breach no longer bypasses Spell Turning.
- Strength of Stone should now work correctly.
- IWD bardsong component now correctly adjusts bard kit descriptions.
- New divine spell descriptions now match EE spell-description conventions.
- Various minor library fixes.
Version beta 4 (21st January 2024)
- Reasonably systematic rebuilding of the part of the UI system that detects a character's kit and class, to avoid problems caused by accents and other non-alphanumeric symbols in kit names. This should fix various serious UI glitches people (mostly people uing non-English installs) were encountering.
- Kit-editing functions no longer choke on externalized weapon proficiencies of lower-cased kits (don't ask, but it was stopping, e.g., Amber from being compatible)
- 2da files now try to cope better with the proliferation of illegal 2da formats in the mod ecology.
- CLAB-editing functions no longer delete CLAB rows outside the "ABILITY[0-9]+" namespace.
- Fixed a logic error in the function that handles stripping mid-level effects off HLAs; inter alia this was confusing SR.
- Protection from Fire no longer gets an annoying animation glitch from 'IWD-inspired tweaks to BG spells'.
- Library files no longer get confused trying to read in saving throws when they are defined up to level 50 for some classes and level 40 for others.
- Fixed a library bug that meant Polymorph Self and Shapechange were losing their casting-bar icons.
- Hill Giant barbarian rage (from Polymorph Self) no longer persists once you shapechange to something else.
- Tweaked Chromatic orb now correctly gives no saving throw against damage.
- A few miscellaneous library bug fixes.
Version beta 5 (25th January 2024)
- Class detection should no longer cause install-time failures on IWDEE.
- Fixed a bunch of interaction issues between NPC Customization and Management and the Subrace and Proficiency components; hopefully you shouldn't find yourself being offered 33 proficiencies any more!
- Fixed some cosmetic issues where odd symbols were sometimes displayed next to class names.
- Fixed a library issue that in certain circumstances would cause install failures on sorcerer kits.
- Creatures with non-core races (e.g. genasi, svirfneblin) should have their race displayed correctly on Siege of Dragonspear and other campaigns using a variant racetext.2da.
- Ability score modifiers should work on Siege of Dragonspear and throughout EET.
- Ability-score component no longer mixes up weight and open-locks data.
- Help text for spell memorization notes that Favored Souls do not need to memorize spells.
- Poison selection should now work properly.
- Removed an unnecessary line break from the bloodrager disadvantages list.
- The winter wolf breath weapon now has its projectile set correctly.
- Blackguards no longer get the Extra Lay On Hands feat, but get the Extra Absorb Health feat instead.
- Low-Constitution NPCs have been vaccinated and no longer drop dead if you install Revised Ability Scores.
- Constitution modifiers to hitpoints have been capped below at -3 per die, to avoid stillborn PCs.
Version beta 6 (8th February 2024)
- Rewritten the 'Improved NPC customization and management' component from the ground up; hopefully it's now a lot more robust, but we'll see! (It also now allows rangers to choose their favored enemy.)
- Automatically assigned appropriate proficiencies to NPCs, if the revised proficiencies component is installed and NPC customization and management isn't.
- Fixed some bugs caused by interactions between various components that affect proficiencies.
- Fixed some more cosmetic issues where odd symbols were sometimes displayed next to class names.
- Blocked compatibility problems in IWD installs where the broken file '#bonecir.spl' has already been removed by another mod.
- Mantle spell tweak correctly lets ordinary Mantle protect against +3 weapons.
- Fixed some glitches with the monster summoning spell tweak.
- You can now dual-class into specialist mage kits.
- If you remove alignment restrictions, the select-favored-enemy screen no longer refers to rangers as 'protectors of good'.
- Svirfneblin should now get their magic resistance at higher levels.
- Noted that the subrace component is incompatible with starting a new game in Heart of Winter(!) and disabled that option if it is installed. (There is a possible, albeit awkward, workaround to this. I'm assuming few people use this option but if I'm wrong, let me know.)
- New component: rangers get revised favored-enemy categories, and can reselect their favored enemy every third level. (Yes, I should be fixing bugs before adding new components, but this one was a fairly straightforward spinoff from the new 'NPC customization and management.'
- Suppressed the (cosmetic, but annoying) display on levelling to 1st level that tells you you have 18 million trillion proficiencies.
Version beta 7 (10th February 2024)
- Fixed a residual bug with the proficiency system that was affecting dual-classed characters.
- Ability score modifiers should work on Siege of Dragonspear and throughout EET, for real this time.
- The pregenerated PCs are now set to 1st level if you install low-level abilities, and get their proficiencies assigned correctly if the revised proficiency system is used.
- Fixed even more cosmetic issues where odd symbols were sometimes displayed next to class names.
- Shadowdancers no longer get the Trapmaster ability
- Fixed a minor issue with the Wand of Spell Striking in the 'more consistent breach' spell tweak.
- Fixed a library bug which meant the new Fiendish Warding spell was given to some non-evil joinable NPCs.
- If you have installed the remove-alignment-restrictions components, Beastmaster documentation no longer assumes they are good-aligned.
- Installing both the 'wider grand mastery' and 'revised proficiency system' components no longer leads to duplicate lines in class descriptions.
- Elementalists cannot be installed unless you are using both the IWD spells and the new arcane spells. (This was always the design intention but an error in the ini file was blocking it.
- Water elementalists have overcome their self-doubt, and are now correctly documented as unable to use fire spells, instead of water spells.
Version beta 8 (8th March 2024)
- New component: make barbarians into a class.
- New component: make wizard slayer available as a barbarian kit.
- New component: new blackguard kits (largely as a proof-of-concept and a test as to how well my system handles kits for virtual classes).
- Fairly substantial rebuild of the code for handling proficiencies and proficiency documentation.
- Fairly substantial rebuild of the code for hacking the UI, which should be generally more robust and in particular hopefully solves various issues with ranger enemy selection.
- We should now be compatible with mods that change the proficiency system (like the various Tweaks Anthology components), provided they are installed before Talents of Faerun.
- An earlier update had broken the system that puts virtual classes (e.g. druid) on the character sheet; it should be working again now.
- Cleric/Mages who are also specialist mages should now be able to memorize their priest spells properly.
- Fixed a couple of glitches with the rewritten 'Improved NPC customization and management' component.
- Fixed a typo that was blocking install of the minor-abilities component on SoD.
- Dragon disciples' additional uses per day of their breath weapon is now documented in-game.
- Green and black dragon disciples' breath weapons get the correct projectile.
- Dragon disciples' breath weapons have the correct in-game description.
- Added a new 'concentrated venom' feat for mages, giving +10% poison damage and 10% resistance to poison damage, in parallel with Aegis of Rime, etc. (RoyalProtector's request.)
- Fixed a few redundancies and formatting errors in subrace and ability descriptions.
- The monk's description text now notes that they use Wisdom as an AC modifier.
- Half orcs were not receiving their hit point bonus.
- Ambidexterity was still leaving a residual -1 penalty to hit with offhand weapons.
- Fixed a small bug in the batch-mode TP2.
- Favored souls, and multiclassed priests, of Tempus now get an appropriate color scheme.
- Quayle has reconsidered his flirtation with the worship of Baervan, and has reaffirmed his faith to Baravar, even though that means he no longer gets a cool new kit. Truly, the path of Baravar's faithful is a difficult one.
- A new vaccination scheme against wyvern poison means that baby wyverns only do 1 hp damage per second with their poison, as per the documentation.
- Removed an unintended poison effect from the hunting spider Avenger form.
- We no longer bother blocking quick item use when shapechanged, since you can do it from the inventory screen anyway.
- Characters using Dirty Fighting are now less chivalrous, and can affect women (but can't affect undead, monsters, and animals; there was a typo in the exclusion code).
- Dirty Fighting now correctly displays 'slowed'.
- Blackguards can now use Dirty Fighting.
- The sphere system (and related components) now resets joinable characters' memorized spells (previously, some characters would have illegal spells, which could block spell slots).
- The leveller component no longer gives extra spells to characters who multiclass from mage/bard to sorcerer or priest to shaman.
- Fixed a subtle library bug which meant dummy kits were being added in an unnecessarily compatibility-unfriendly way.
- Fixed a library bug that was inserting a blank into the description of innate versions of priest spells.
- Malagents and necromancers of Talona should now correctly receive their Poison Weapon ability.
- By popular request (and because I was persuaded on lore grounds) Aasimar is now available as a PC subrace in BG/BG2.
- The 'stunned' string is correctly displayed when using Stonefist in BGEE.
- Symbols weren't being correctly moved over to the Enchantment school.
- Fixed a documentation error for Sol's Searing Orb (no in-game change).
- Made a few changes to the 'Spell Tweaks' system to make things easier for translators.
- Fixed a couple of glitches in Faerie Fire (notably, it is now properly blocked in daylight).
- Tweaked Chromatic orb now correctly gives no saving throw against damage, for real this time.
- Fixed several issues with Strength of Stone.
- Under-the-hood change: new arcane and divine spells are added in 'normal' slots for spells if there are any available, and only added in 'extended' slots if normal slots are full.
Version beta 9 (15th April 2024)
- Fixed a critical bug in the UI edits that was disabling the start of the game, and two related bugs that disrupted character generation and level-up.
- Selecting the character button no longer plays everyone's selection sounds if 'NPC Customization and Management' is installed.
- Fixed a library bug which was adding spurious entries to the fighter kit-select screen.
- Fixed a UI bug which sometimes caused the game to crash if you went from the wizard to priest spell screen when 8th or 9th level spells were selected.
- New component: revised shields.
- New component: revised weapon styles. (This and the last components are partly to address a bit of a mismatch in attack vs defense created by the new strength scores.)
- If you use the 3e-style ability scores, NPCs now have their Strength, Constitution and Dexterity ability scores adjusted to keep their modifiers approximately unchanged. In addition, various (mostly humanoid) monsters now have minimum strength and dexterity scores, determined by race. (This attempts to address the issue that ability scores are rather more important now than they were.)
- New component: revised paladins and blackguards. This is just for convenience: it combines the 'IWD-style paladins', 'revised Smite Evil', and 'extra uses of Lay on Hands and Smite Evil' components. (They are still available separately.) This was actually added earlier (beta 7?) but I forgot to announce and document it.
- Third-party mods that add scrolls with '!' or '#' should no longer confuse the spell system.
- Fixed a couple of bugs that were making saving throws too good.
- Fixed a serious library logic error which was preventing kits properly installing on the BG and SoD parts of EET.
- Fixed a library bug that caused (harmless) WARNINGs when installing kits on EET.
- Subraces should now install on EET.
- Characters who dual-class into speciality mage kits now get their one bonus spell per level.
- Fixed some residual documentation issues with proficiencies.
- The deities of the realms have decided that their most powerful followers would be better served if they were actually granted a Holy Symbol at level 25, rather than just briefly glowing.
- Drow NPCs in BG/BG2 no longer cause a double Reputation penalty.
- Aasimar Sunscorch innate now works properly.
- Greater War Cry, Greater Whirlwind, and Greater Deathblow no longer work once only.
- Summon Elemental Prince no longer displays an erroneous 'the prince does not answer your call' message on first casting.
- Adjusted the descriptions of Abyssal Pact and Infernal Command to make clear that these are powers that command existing fiends, not summon new ones.
- Fixed a broken projectile in the paladin Holy Aura HLA, and also made the visual feedback a bit less intrusive.
- Projectiles weren't being set correctly for many rogue HLAs: Set Exploding Trap, Set Acid Trap, Set Toxic Trap, Sound Burst, Mass Charm, Enthralling Melody, enhanced bard song, enhanced Jester song, enhanced Skald song. (This caused them not to work at all, to target the party or caster, or other weirdness.)
- Set Spike Trap now does piercing damage as intended.
- Poison Aptitude and Poison Expertise should now work.
- Improved Defensive Stance can now be taken the correct number of times.
- Kensai can no longer take the Deadly Aim feat.
- Thunderous Rage and Fiery Rage no longer require Greater Rage to work (this is a holdover from an older design).
- Fixed a typo that prevented Volcanic Rage and Tempestuous Rage from working properly.
- Mass Raise Dead now has a proper description.
- Spirit Warriors have resolved to be team players and can now be selected.
- Resonating Weapon now has the correct icon.
- Barbarians can now multiclass as thieves.
- Barbarian Wizard Slayers now gain access to the Spell Immunity high level ability.
- Resist Magic high-level ability now adds 20% to Monk and Wizard Slayer MR, rather than just giving a flat 50%.
- Empowered summons should now get the correct AC and attack bonuses.
- Fixed a general effect-order bug that meant Berserker Rage was not granting most immunities.
- Barbarian Rage no longer stacks.
- Berserker and Barbarian Rage now protect against Feeblemind at level 8 rather than 6, as per their description.
- Fixed a library bug which was tying Feeblemind protection icons to the wrong opcode (Stun).
- Berserker and Barbarian Rage now correctly protect against Confusion.
- In light of EEFP discussions on Hold/Paralysis, better separated Hold from Paralysis in revised kits.
- Readme now clarifies that Barbarian immunities match Berserker immunities.
- Readme now documents that Barbarian damage resistance starts at level 7.
- Extended Barbarian damage resistance changes to barbarian multiclasses.
- The various Animal Spirit HLAs now work correctly, and have unique icons.
- Spirit of the Snake now protects from confusion as well as charm and poison.
- The Animal Spirit HLAs are now available to Shamans as well as Totemic Druids.
- We now adjust Str, Con and Dex scores for all creatures to values as close as possible in effect to their old values.
- The documentation for Thralls of Orcus listed their required alignment as Lawful Evil, not Chaotic Evil. (If Orcus is reading: this was Asmodeus's doing, not mine. Please don't kill me.)
- Reduced the benefit of Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes and Great Fortitude from +2 to +1.
- Fixed a small bug in the militant wizard/bloodrager code that might have been messing with multiclass mages' item use.
- Fixed a couple of logic problems which were messing with the ability to detect druid multiclasses (this was breaking some quests that checked for the PC being a cleric).
- If you are using the new ability system, Blades automatically start with Ballad of Three Heroes rather than an unknown bard song, and Jesters/Skalds get the proper descriptive text for their special songs.
- Tweaked the description for bard kits to note that they do not automatically learn the IWD bard songs (they can get them through taking abilities).
- Nerfed water genasi damage resistance a bit, from 15% vs slashing/piercing/missile to 10% vs piercing/missile.
- Tweaked documentation to clarify that the Ballad of CHARNAME replaces the Ballad of Three Heroes, that the Mesmeric Melody replaces the Jester's Melody, and that the Saga of CHARNAME replaces the Saga of the North.
- Improved documentation of Mesmeric Melody.
- Deprecated the Concentrated Venom ability for now, as it's a bit underpowered.
- Increased the damage from Fury of the Pack, from 2d8 to 3d8 per wolf.
- The wolves summoned by Fury of the Pack can no longer critically miss.
- Thunderstorm now uses the correct projectile and associated visual effect (it was using Burning Hands, not Call Lightning.
- Dragons and other very large creatures were not correctly immune to Abyssal Fury.
- Foebane+5 now casts Larloch's Minor Drain at level 1.
- Ice Knife correctly does piercing damage now.
- Scroll scribing now displays the correct XP cost.
- Elemental transformation now grants the correct animation.
- Elemental shapeshift forms now have weapon icons.
- Added a spell tweak that renames 'Favor of Ilmater' to 'Favor of the Martyr'.
- Goodberry is now correctly assigned to the Plant sphere rather than the Nature sphere.
- Cause Serious Wounds and Cause Critical Wounds are correctly assigned to the Necromantic sphere rather than the Divine sphere.
- Clerics and Favored Souls of Kossuth can no longer take the Elemental Immunity: Fire HLA (they don't benefit from it).
- Clerics and Favored Souls of Auril can no longer take the Elemental Immunity: Cold HLA (they don't benefit from it).
- Elementals are now immune to their own offensive spells.
- Ice para-elementals now cast Ice Storm, not Spike stones.
- The Conjure Fire Elemental power of clerics of Kossuth now correctly appears in the Innate Abilities bar.
- Beast Claw is now properly handled by the 'Revised Ability Score' component (including if you have the Priest of Malar kit).
- Oghma has recognized that his standards for what counts as 'learned' were overly demanding, and he now grants innate abilities to his followers.
- Talos has reached a deal with the Union of Talos Worshippers and has agreed to grant them a working version of the 'Lightning of Talos' spell.
- Lower Resistance now displays the correct level of resistance decrease.
- Fixed a typo in the description text for Tymora's Favor.
- The descriptive text for clerics of Velsharoon and Myrkul is a bit clearer on what bonus they get to Command Undead.
- Addressed an edge-case issue which meant that enemy-summoned fiends were sometimes party-controllable.
- Fixed a layout problem with the description of single-target Power Word Blind.
Version beta 10 (30th April 2024)
- Fixed a critical bug that was causing ability bonuses/penalties to be applied multiple times on EET and SoD.
- Various tweaks to improve compatibility with other UIs (mostly Lefreut's and Dragonspear UI++).
- The low-level abilities component no longer disables casting healing spells on rest (though if you have the Empowered Healing ability, unfortunately it doesn't empower your heal-on-rest castings).
- You can no longer remove level one proficiencies and apply them elsewhere.
- The HLA selection screen now displays your current HLAs (to a maximum of 5).
- HP table for barbarian multiclass is generated properly.
- Simulacra and projected images are now correctly blocked from using items if you have installed the appropriate tweak.
- The various cleric multiclass kits now install correctly on batch mode.
Version beta 11 (7th May 2024)
- 'NPC Customization and Management' should avoid Imoen-related UI glitches on EET now.
- Fixed a library issue which caused kit installation to choke if a 3rd-party kit was missing a LUABBR entry.
- Fixed a library issue where dummy kits with no weapon entry could cause install failures (this was the weap_array_LATHANDER_X bug).
- Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause the Militant Wizards component to fail to install, depending what else you have installed.
- The proficiency system no longer breaks for unkitted sorcerers.
- Escaping out of the ranger Favored Enemy screen no longer breaks the UI (but please still don't do it; it shouldn't be possible at all but I can't immediately work out how to block it, so this is a temporary workaround.)
- Rakes of Sune are now more chivalrous and no longer get backstab.
- Chanthalas Ulbright has loosened up a bit and is now willing to talk to people who aren't followers of Tymora.
- 'Improved NPC Customization and Management' should cope better with characters imported from one game into another (e.g. in EET or Endless BG).
- Adjusted strength scores for joinable NPCs are now slightly higher.
- Finger of Destruction is now available only to evil monks.
- We now properly enforce the rule that you can only take one Elemental Immunity HLA.
- Favored of the Spirits now correctly has Spirit Form as a prerequisite.
- Paladin protection from evil no longer loses its animation.
- Inquisitors (who can't cast spells) can no longer take the Empowered Casting ability.
- Undead Hunter and Cavalier versions of Smite Evil now correctly do double damage against appropriate foes.
- The 'Smite Undead' HLA now bypasses magic resistance.
- The 'Death Field' HLA now has an icon and is treated correctly as a (L10) spell.
- The 'Dark Pact' HLA now correctly doubles the target undead's hit points.
- Fixed some cosmetic issues with the 'Smite Undead' HLA.
- Fixed some cosmetic issues with the description of the Bloodrager kit.
- Fixed some cosmetic issues with the layout of some mage HLA descriptions.
- Fixed various issues with Conjure Flesh Golem (most importantly, golems are no longer hostile to the summoner.
- Adamantine Body correctly grants Grandmaster proficiency with its fists.
- The spell tweak that makes Truesight remove blindness no longer adds multiple 'this removes blindness' messages to Truesight's description.
- The spell tweak to Grease now correctly updates its description.
- Fixed a nasty interaction between two spell tweaks which caused the Mind Flayer shapechange effect to crash the game.
- A bunch of HLA animations, including the ones for Malavon's Fury, were missing and have now been restored.
- The gaze attack granted by the Shapechange spell's Basilisk ability is now correctly restored each round.
- Shamans may take the Spirit Form HLA more than once.
- Fixed a missing icon for Abyssal Fury which was causing it to crash the game.
- When using 'Improved NPC Customization and Management', Minsc (hopefully) no longer complains about his hit points immediately on joining.
Version beta 12 (21st May 2024)
- The previous fix to paladin Holy Aura is now properly installed (no more cloud animation).
- Fixed cosmetic issue in the description text for Arcane Knowledge.
- Extra level 6,7,8 arcane spells abilities are now available again.
- Description of Spell Worm now notes that it does not remove 10th-level or Quest spells.
- Ultroloths are correctly assigned a soundset.
- Aasimar sunscorch now works properly, for real this time (it was being assigned the wrong projectile).
- Clerics and druids should now have access to spells in the sphere of Divination (there was a namespace clash with the Divination school).
- Cleric/Mages no longer have their mage spell restrictions imposed on their priest spells. (This got fixed in an earlier update but was broken by a more recent update to the way the UI is patched.)
- Un-broken a UI edit that makes sure kit selection options are properly displayed (e.g. when choosing a god or a sorcerous bloodline) - this was broken in one of the recent updates to the UI,not 100% sure which.
- If you dual-class into a mage speciality and then die, you don't lose your bonus spell.
- Fixed an issue with the ability point-buy system that in rare circumstances could cause the ability screen to hang.
- NPC Customization and Management correctly skips certain characters (notably Hexxat and Caelar) who shouldn't be set to level zero.
- NPC Customization and Management now correctly displays the extra thief skill points you get when advancing to first level.
- NPC Customization and Management now populates the spellbooks of generalist mages (including multi-classed and dual-classed mages) and wild mages.
- NPC Customization and Management no longer removes character-specific innates (e.g. Minsc's Berserk ability).
- Fixed some cosmetic issues in the descriptions of the new arcane spells.
- Fixed some cosmetic issues in the changes to spell descriptions in the spell tweaks components.
- New spell tweak: Otiluke's Freezing Sphere does half damage on a successful save.
- New spell tweak: Glyph of Warding does half damage on a successful save (BG/BG2 only; this is already true on IWD).
Version beta 13 (22nd July 2024)
- Balancing changes:
- Draw upon Holy Might and Bolt of Glory have been added to the Good sphere (they're still in the Combat sphere).
- The 'custom' version of ability score modifications grants slightly slower bonus-spell progression, and the baseline number of spells for wizards and bards has been adjusted down slightly.
- Force mages get +40% resistance to magic damage (up from +10%).
- Fixed some issues with biographies in 'new races and subraces'.
- 'New races and subraces' now assigns correct saving throw and skill modifiers to joinable NPCs.
- 'New races and subraces' should now display the correct modifiers on a character's saving throws.
- Duergar PCs now have race=dwarf rather than race=duergar, and deep gnome PCs now have race=gnome rather than race=svirfneblin - on balance the compatibility problems outweigh the advantages.
- Planetouched PCs are no longer able to use weapons that are restricted to specific races (except their own!)
- The HLA system now correctly tracks HLA legality when you take many levels at once (and my god, that was a complicated bit of coding).
- An earlier update broke the in-game documentation of the prerequisites for many HLAs; it's now fixed.
- Fixed a bug whereby characters taking many levels at once got the wrong number of HLAs.
- The 'Wildstrike' HLA should now work properly.
- The 'Hardiness' HLA can now be selected more than once.
- Fixed some issues with summoning water elemental princes in the revised HLA component.
- Force mages should now correctly get their +20% magic damage bonus.
- HP table for barbarian multiclass is generated properly, for real this time.
- Fixed cosmetic issue with Veil of Djalice.
- Skald song is now correctly adjusted at levels 1 and 5.
- Priests of Baervan Wildwanderer now get access to the earth sphere rather than the air sphere. This matches PnP material; it also gives Aerie access to Iron Skins, which partly makes up for her not having Stoneskin.
- Following a frank and constructive conversation with Lolth, demon queen of spiders, the requirement for certain clerics to be female (or to have certain alignments and/or races) is no longer described as a 'disadvantage'.
- Fixed an issue with elemental-spell-list generation that was causing compatibility issues with some spell-tweak mods.
- If the new sphere system is installed, Cleric/Rangers can now use spells from the same spheres as clerics, plus Animal and Plant, minus Good and Evil. (Previously they had the same picks as druids, or the same picks as clerics if 'Multiclassed Druids' was installed.
- Classes unable to use an item are now presented in a sensible order.
- Multi-classed barbarians now have sensible item-use restrictions.
- Improved Defensive Stance now correctly adjusts poison, magic fire, and magic cold resistance.
- Fixed some issues with UI class-detection library that (among other possible problems) was confusing which spells mages could learn.
- Fixed a library issue that was allowing certain kits to put 3 proficiencies in a slot at first level.
- Bloodragers are now correctly blocked from using missile weapons.
- Planetouched and other exotic races can no-longer dual-class (they can still multiclass).
- Removed transitory Intelligence shifts that were occurring as a side effect of learning scrolls.
- Items with a minimum Strength requirement now have that requirement adjusted down if you are using the revised ability score component.
- Fixed a number of cosmetic problems with spell, class, and kit descriptions.
- Vitriolic Sphere is now correctly detected as an Earth spell.
- Spell Revisions (and other mods that put duplicate entries into spell.ids) should no longer confuse the scribe-scrolls component.
- The changes made by 'rebalanced thief traps' weren't consistently being recorded in the kit/class descriptions.
- Fixed a compatibility issue where some mod allocations of HLA files to kits could confuse ToF's HLA sytem.
- Under-the-hood tweak - slight improvements to the system for assigning 3rd-party kits.
- Improved compatibility management between SCS and ToF versions of shapeshift.
- The auto-levelling system in 'NPC customization and management' now only affects NPCs, not the player (or other player-created characters).
- NPC Customization and Management should correctly handle removing a dual class from an NPC.
- If you use NPC Customization and Management to change a ranger to a different class, their two pips in two-weapon fighting are correctly removed.
- NPC Customization and Management no longer removes all spells from Baeloth (who it's not supposed to edit).
- If you use NPC Customization and Management to change a core-game NPC's class or kit, they should no longer be barred from using items that are supposed to be only usable by them.
- At the start of Siege of Dragonspear, NPC Customization and Management no longer resets the hit points of NPCs who have previously been in the party.
- Fixed an incompatibility between the Universal Spell Triggers spell tweak and the externalized spell system that was stopping some specialist mages from using spell triggers etc.
- Scrolls of Shocking Grasp no longer target the caster if you have installed the 'Use IWD Shocking Grasp' tweak.
- Scrolls of Turn Pebble to Boulder now work properly.
- The tweak to Protection from Normal Missiles should now work properly.
- The tweak to Mordenkainen's Sword THAC0 no longer fails if Spell-50 or similar is installed.
- Wands of Spell Striking now penetrate SI: Abjuration.
- The 'revised elementals' component is now correctly marked as incompatible with Spell Revisions.
- For modders: included reasonably detailed SFO documentation in dw_talents/sfo/doc/index.html.
- Fixed a library bug with SFO patching of EFF files.
- SFO's 2DA and array functions now handle empty arrays more gracefully.
- Other misc SFO fixes and tweaks prior to documentation release.
Version beta 14 (9th September 2024)
- Fixed a couple of library bug sthat would sometimes cause the proficiency screen to resolve wrongly, or the ability screen to hang, when levelling.
- Fixed an intermittent bug with the bit of code in 'Revised ability scores' that adjusts learned spells.
- Party-joinable humans are no longer turned into Aasimars (!)
- The 'use IWD Chromatic Orb' spell tweak no longer brings over Icewind Dale opposition schools (and so can now be scribed by conjurers).
- Removed an erroneous check from Supernatural Fury.
- Paladins can now only take Summon Deva once.
- Fixed a typo that was corrupting the script for summoned fiends.
- Fixed a bunch of issues with the aura effects for druid elemental forms.
- Duration of Rune of Immunity now matches description.
- Seven Eyes spell now works correctly.
- Blood to Ice now grants appropriate saving throws.
- Sorcerers with the Rimefrost bloodline can no longer learn Comet, Dragon's Breath, Elemental Immunity:Fire, or Spirit of Flame; they get Necromancy rather than Invocation as their free school at high levels, and can select Elemental Immunity: Cold without taking Arcane Knowledge: Abjuration.
- Sorcerers with the Efreeti bloodline can no longer learn Blood to Ice, Thunderstorm, or Aegis of Rime; they can select Elemental Immunity:Fire without taking Arcane Knowledge: Abjuration; their default colors are more appropriate.
- Sorcerers with the Deep Earth bloodline can no longer learn Thunderstorm or Scion of Storms; they can select Elemental Immunity:Acid without taking Arcane Knowledge: Abjuration.
- Sorcerers with the Stormborn bloodline can no longer learn Gaze of the Medusa, Malavon's Fury, or Aqua Mortis; they can select Elemental Immunity:Electricity without taking Arcane Knowledge: Abjuration.
- Sorcerers with the Fiendish bloodline can no longer learn Summon Planetar.
- The 'enhanced bard song' HLA, and the Jester and Skald versions, should now correctly grant an ability to reuse them.
- The new Blackguard kits should now be selectable even if you haven't installed another component that makes Blackguard a class.
- Fixed a cosmetic issue with the descriptions of bard songs.
- Favored Souls no longer try to detect traps when using the default AI.
- On IWDEE, armor and scroll descriptions are no longer hidden.
- Scorn Injury should now work properly.
- "NPC Customization and Management" was failing to fully remove dual class flags from dual-class characters, leading to awkward consequences if they multiclassed.
- Fixed an issue where, if you install 'New races and subraces' without 'IWD bard songs', specialist mages didn't their subrace allocated correctly. (How could I possibly have missed that?)
- Fixed a compatibility issue with some mods that change the XP table, that caused first-level mages and bards to get far too many spells.
- Added a readme warning about manually editing the game after installing ToF.
Version beta 15 (21st November 2024)
- On IWDEE, subraces should no longer display 'Invalid String' on the character screen.
- Fixed some issues with NPC auto-levelling that arose when games were saved and loaded.
- Fixed some issues with the way subrace biographies are handled.
- Fixed an occasional bug with specialist mages learning spells from scrolls.
- Druid/mages, druid/thieves, and druid/rangers now have Turn Undead deactivated; Favored Souls now have Find Traps deactivated. (They are normally hidden entirely by the UI) but there are edge cases where it is visible).
- Clerics and Favored Souls of Oghma no longer get Identify, and instead get 15 lore per level (up from 10).
- Assassin poisons were not being blocked by Stoneskin or by targeting an elemental/undead/etc.
- Deathkiss now inflicts poison damage correctly.
- Fixed a library bug which meant that the 'poison aptitude' and 'poison expertise' HLAs were not working.
- Fixed issues with Nerve Venom: no longer does damage, no longer grants a saving throw, affects priest as well as wizard spellcasting, does not grant +25 AC vs crushing(!)
- Nightmare Paste and Carrion Ichor can now be applied once per round instead of once per several rounds.
- Wyvern Venom is identified in-game when used.
- Blackguards should now receive their extra uses of Absorb Health if you are using Revised Paladins and Blackguards.
- Thrall of Orcus and Disciple of Asmodeus Find Familiar abilities no longer list specific stats for the familiar (since they vary between games).
- Fixed several errors in the allocation of high level abilities to druid/elementalist multiclassed characters.
- Druid/Elementalists should now get the right shapeshift elemental options (previously fire elementalists could shapeshift into water but not fire elementals, and vice versa).
- Barbarian wizard-slayer component now requires barbarian-as-a-class component.
- We now longer try (and fail) to install the Force Mage of Mystra cleric/mage kit if you haven't installed the Force Mages component.
- Fixed an edge-case incompatibility between SCS and ToF that occurred if the Low-Level abilities from ToF were installed but the High-Level abilities weren't.
- Blood to Ice was not properly granting a saving throw.
- Elemental Prince summoning no longer requires you to choose an (irrelevant) target for the spell.
- Humans (and other races/subraces that grant extra first-level proficiencies) no longer grant them again when you dual-class. (That wasn't exactly a bug, but the consensus seems to be that they shouldn't get them.)
- Fixed a cosmetic issue with the way spell schools were displayed for multi-school spells.
- The Perceptive low-level ability now correctly grants +15, not +10, to Detect Illusions.
- Removed outdated description text saying that Favored Souls of Helm get Ironskins.
- Shapeshift ability is now correctly removed from Totemic Shamans and Raging Shifters.
- If 'Revised Class Alignment Rules' is installed, Fighter/Assassins can no longer be good-aligned.
- The 'extra level 6', 'extra level 7', and 'extra level 8' spells have been moved from the HLA list to the low-level ability list, and no longer have ability prerequisites (as for other extra level X' spells, you need to be able to cast X+1-level spells to take them).
- Nishruu have been slightly lowered in level so that Death Spell still affects them.
- The Larloch's Minor Drain tweak no longer does an extra 4 hp of damage.
- Stonefist now grants the listed +2 bonus to AC.
- The IWD-style color spray component now installs properly.
- The Ascension version of the innate Cure Light Wounds bhaalspawn ability is now affected by the Enhance Cure/Cause spell tweak.
- Slight tweak to the SFO library to handle (unconfirmed) compatibility errors on level-zero creatures.
- The IWD spells now overwrite previous versions of the spells installed by other mods (except Spell Revisions) - not doing so was leading to subsequent install failures when the other-mod version of an IWD spell was configured differently from our version.
- Balance change: the extra damage from Deathkiss has been reduced so that it is no longer strictly superior to Wyvern Venom.
- Balance change: Slightly increased the weight that can be carried at strength 11-15.