I Never Knew I Could Do X Until Just Now...

I agree, I for one, was not born with an innate knowledge of how to manipulate the rolls.

This is one of my favorite threads, I pick up all kinds of cool and amusing things.

To be clear: I knew about the cheat, but it's a great place to let folks know about it.

 

Re-posting here, for those who are not aware of the complete awesomeness of full attack...

There is something of an art to using full attack. I always assign a hotkey to it and to 5 foot step, as you often use them in combination. Using Full Attack, it is perfectly possible to carry out a range of options once you have started the cycle, and this is easiest achieved with hotkeys - you can attack, move 5 feet, smite evil, change weapons (with quick draw), shoot, throw, feint or trip in any combination, each with cleave possibilities. It's worth noting that a hotkey for trip is not reliable, so you always need to select that one from the radial menu whilst in a full attack cycle. Throwing weapons as part of a full attack is also a good tactic, particularly short range ones like cleavers, and combined with 5 foot steps you can position yourself for cleaving, attacks of opportunity or setting yourself up for whirlwind attack next round. Also useful is to have reach and close weapons and switch as needed, or different weapons for different foes (or indeed to change ammo). For maximum benefit you need quick draw.

For an example; a paladin with 3 attacks, quick draw and improved trip against a ghast.

Assign a hotkey to full attack; press control+the hotkey whilst hovering over the radial menu: ctrl-X for example assigns x.

1. Press x, icon changes to 3/3.
2. Hover over ghast and select smite evil. After attack becomes a 2/3.
3. Select improved trip from the radial menu for attacks 2 and 3.
4a. If I trip the ghast I stay next to him as I deal more damage up close and I want to hit him when he gets up.
4b. If I trip myself up, I am still able to execute my third attack from the floor(!) but can't move.
4c. If I don't trip him, I switch to glaive and 5 foot step away, reducing his number of attacks but maximising my AoOs.

Full Attack is temperamental, so you often have to click twice to execute an attack, and if you click on a dead body by mistake, you will likely lose all of your attacks. It is also possible in a Full Attack cycle to attack your own characters, so watch out where you put your mouse!

Full Attack also allows what I would consider a complete exploit when used at range, but for those who are interested anyway... if you start a combat, but can no longer see your enemies, then with Full Attack, you can still launch arrows at them. Start a Full Attack cycle (click X in my example above), then click on an enemy portrait, and you will fire at him. Mouse away from the portrait until the icon changes back to 2/3 for example, then click on a portrait to execute your next attack, etc. This can be used to great effect to pick off enemies one by one, and in areas where they won't charge you, you can can kill enemies off without any risk at all. Personally I don't use this one, but there you go!

 

A legit way to kill at range with impunity is far shot combined with clairvoyance. Throw in a few fireballs to soften them up, then pick them of, one, by one. They never know what hits them.

 

Zuggy can be defeated by the Vrock(s) she summons. They attack her if I'm able to get out of immediate combat range (Dodge, Tumble, Dimension Door) into the adjoining room or hallway.

Just like the Emriddy Meadows Hill Giant and skeletons can be induced into attacking each other.

Sometimes the Moathouse Dire Rats will join in the melee against the Bandits; I wish I could get them to attack the Giant Viper.

One of the Fire temple priests will attack the other Fire temple priests sometimes.

 

Good breakdown of manual use of full attack's benefits; it's definitely extremely useful in the right situations.

Always interesting when one person considers 'legit' an element of the game engine (enemies not responding when attacked by PCs outside of their perception range) that the previous poster considers an exploit. The original BG1 game was like this too, which is why mods that improve AI of monsters came out; personally such 'tactics' are too cheesy/exploity for me, though it's nice to have more reasons to use spells like Clairvoyance.

 

I just discovered a secret passage for the very first time. Although it does not lead to any new area it was very surprising to me. It is on the first temple level, it goes from the room with the stirges (about middle upper section of map) to the room on the left, the one I would call small round blue column room.
Really no game changing experience but nice little discovery.

 

I'm sure others had this, but...

I just discovered that NPC's will 'sell' you their starting equipment. Been running around with Ronald in full gear, encumbered because he had his original bow, shield, mace, and armor on him. Apparently all of that was a sacred harm against orcs or some shit...

I found Zaxis in the wild, tried to bring him to his sister, neither cared about the other, kicked him out. Saw that he might sell his stuff if asked.

Rocked my world!

 

Most NPC's will require that you build a relationship with them before they will sell you their belongings.

 

Until recently I did not know that I could identify potions with Read Magic. So...much...wasted...money... :no:

Also did not know how to swap a sorcerer's spells on even numbered levels.

 

Please explain the sorcerer spell swap. I'm using one right now, but I rarely do.

 

Protection from undead potion! Who knew it gives you 5 points of invulnerability vs. undead? I sure didn't! Great potion for the Moathouse and temple!

 

Starting with your sorcerer's 4th level, you can swap one of your spells at every even level (4, 6, 8, etc.). This spell needs to be of at least two spell levels lower than the highest spell level you can cast. Meaning that you can swap a 0th level spell upon attaining the sorcerer's 4th level, a 0th to 1st level spell at 6th level, a 0th to 2nd level spell at 8th level, etc.

To swap the spell, you need to drag the spell you want from the list in place of the spell to be replaced. It can only be done upon leveling up.

Hope it helps.

 

Hmmm...interesting. My sorcerer just turned 4th level, but this "workaround" doesn't sound that great, at least until you get to higher levels. What's a typical swap you like to do?

 

Yeah, swapping a cantrip is of limited use but my current sorcerer is a summoner and I've recently replaced Summon Monster I which was rendered obsolete by an improved version of the spell. You might also want to trade spells such as Sleep for Deep Slumber at higher levels once they have outlived their usefulness. With such a limited amount of spells known, I do not permit my sorcerers to have any dead slots.

 

Just so you know, Bards also can swap spells. Don't know at which level though.