5.0.x Cumulative Mods & Fixes (CMF) Bug Reports and Discussion Thread

Seriously. I was a lot nicer than I could have been; all I was asking was for you to reconsider your statements in light of how demanding and unappreciative you seemed. If you still want to contribute - fine. Everyone is welcome. Maybe doing so will give you a better sense of what the contributors endure for all our sakes. If not, then have a nice life. Your choice. If you really want to help make this a better game, then this is the only place to do it. Just check your "you guys owe me" feelings at the door. We didn't make this game; we're only trying to make this game better. No one here is compensated for doing so except by the enjoyment & infrequent bits of appreciation expressed by the minority of visitors to this site. No one owes us anything; yet we are not bound by anything either... except a sense of pride in making this the best game possible.

 

Drow Leader in Deklo Grove (Chaotic Evil party)

This isn't a bug as much as it is a balance suggestion, but I thought it could be taken into consideration for the next mod release. Feel free to move it as convenient, though.

My remarks regard the Drow Leader in the Deklo Grove encountered once the spiders have been eliminated and are based around a Chaotic Evil party. Placing a dark elf in the grove was a great idea, and the way the battle unfolds is good, but there are a few areas that could be improved, in my opinion: First, it would be ideal for the Leader switch to his sword in melee combat, as his reliance on his hand crossbow provokes enough AoOs to detract from the satisfaction of his defeat. I was able to beat him at level 1, but, because of this weakness, I felt as though I shouldn't have been able to stand against a level 10 warrior.

Second, because switching to his +2 longsword would likely lead to a total-party kill for lower tier adventurers, I believe lowering his level could be benefiical, as would reducing his shield enchantment to +1 from +3. A level 5-7, or even 3-5, creature with magical weapons and proper strategy would still be an exciting battle, but it would be accessible for players still expecting the spiders only. This would also solve the reward issue, with a more reasonable shield and XP gain (which was over 1000 points even with the XP reduction mod). A 300-500 point reward, in addition to the magic sword and shield, cloak, and money is about right when compared to the gain from the more difficult orc cavern.

Let me know your opinion or whether anyone would be interested in looking into this adjustment. My thanks go to the original author, as it is a great battle!

 

I believe the original purpose of the level and equipment of the drow in the Deklo Grove was to result in a TPK (Total Party Kill) if the player decided to play Stupid Evil. If you attack him, you are supposed to get wiped out. His reliance on the hand crossbow seems to be getting in the way of that. If the TPK result was not intended, or is not desired, his level and equipment should definitely be reduced. I will take a look at him, since the original author of the mod is absent.

 

For a Chaotic Evil party, the Drow Leader carries Black Jay's ring, and, though I didn't attempt to negotiate with him, I'm not certain how I would have acquired it other than through battle. Here are more thoughts on him:

He did manage to wipe my party out once. However, with a minor strategy adjustment, I was able to beat with only a slight wound at first level. I would prefer, actually, that the option to initiate combat with him remain valid, as I don't feel it's stupid for a CE party to challenge him. For example, take into consideration that the PCs are people who gleefully slaughtered a peasant camp, are looking to join/loot bandits for their own gain, and have likely joined an assassins guild. The most logical RP decision, when met with violent threats, would be to respond with action, if only for the thrill of bloodlust. Kowtowing, or having them address the drow as "sir," would be similar to forcing a paladin lie or make a lewd comment.

That's my two cents, at least, as a sensitve "evil" D&Der. I'm also not giving back my shield and XP, thank you very much. ^_^

Oh, and I may correct a few typos in his dialog, if anyone's interested or doesn't do it before I have a chance. Overall, it's a great setup, and the fighting, without the switch to melee, is simply a bit more awkward than it has to be.

 

Just as Gaear said.

A Paladin lying or making a lewd comment is not outside his LG alignment, it is outside his class description. Similarly, a CE person showing common sense, wariness and concern for keeping his own skin intact is not outside the CE alignment. Attacking a group of peasants is a safe bet. The chances that one or more of them is a very powerful person in disguise are slim, and a low level party should be able to take them easily. Attacking a well armed and armored dark elf at low level, on the other hand, is risky. The power, ability and resources of the dark elf are unknown, and while a smart CE individual may want to kill him and take his gear, he would be wary and try to evaluate the relative chances of success in doing so before blindly attacking. There are other ways of achieving CE aims than leaving scorched earth behind.

 

That's fair enough, I suppose, given that there are many ways to role-play.

As far as CRPGs go, I'm not fond of the no-win scenario. If battle is at all possible, but not winnable, I'd rather the dark elf respond with a non-lethal solution, i.e. with a hold person spell or some magic 'paralyze and escape' device. It wouldn't be particularly in character for a drow to leave survivors, but death is a harsh way to punish PCs in the Deklo Grove, at least in my opinion.

I'll start on the dialog soon. I may go over a few additional areas where my treading wouldn't tromp the toes of the original authors. Also, I should say I'm very appreciative of any work put into the drow encounter; don't let my viewpoints above cast me as ungrateful, despite my preferences.

 

I´ve posted this in the TOEE forum, but I think it belongs here better

I have a bard sorcerer, and I noticed that the max nº of spells she can cast is determined by only one of the classes. For example: she has 4 level one spells as a sorcerer and 1 as a bard. If I use the bard spell, she can only use 3 of her 4 sorcerer spells, even tough the UI show that she still has 1 left. Is this working right (by the rules) or is it a bug?

Cerulean told me that this bug was fixed in the 5.0.2 and 5.0.3 patches. I have 5.0.3 installed, but I forgot to delete the .pyc files. I´ve done this now, but still my game is bugged. Is there any way to fix it? Will I have to restart the game? Thanks!

 

It is indeed a bug. It was fixed for Bard or Sorcerer combined with a caster class that has to memorize spells, but not for a Bard/Sorcerer combination. Right now the Bard/Sorcerer combo is still bugged, and there is no ETA when it will be fixed, if ever.

 

Oh, that´s too bad... Well, I hope you can fix it someday! Thanks!

 

Ruf never got the "go melee" to work. His orcs in the Cave Lair use the "delete bow to switch to melee" method. That is where Krunch got it from. I'm thinking of just removing the Drow's hand crossbow. He's all alone, and at most would have one round to use it before the party closed with him. He wouldn't even bother with the crossbow, and would go with his sword.