I currently don't own a baldurs gate version, just borrowing one, but around the end of the month I may be buying the collectors edition, so I want to know what all the patches and such does. Thanks.

Also, if one took a stake, one that you use to kill vampires, if you adjusted its physical appearance to fit crossbows, couldn't you shoot Vampires with Stake bolts, where a 20 would be an automatic death both physical and spiritual? (As when you would normaly stake a defeated vampire)

Are you asking about creating weapons and such? if so, you cant do that. you could prob make special ammo that looks like stakes.. but i dont think you could do it your way.

you mean you couldn't take a stake, fit it onto a crossbow and shoot undead with it?

If you only changed the appearence of the stake, then yes I think it would still work.

Oh... well then no. You'd have to mess around with WeiDU programs if you'd want to make something like that. But firing stakes normally? No.

Thats the sort of thing you can do in PnP. In BG2, you have to edit files. Plus instakill on a vampire is too powerful for game balance. These things are supposed to be tough.

On the patches, anyone who runs with anything less than the official patch and the baldurdash fixpack is just asking for trouble. Both fix lots of things.

<font color=white> Creating a bolt with the BAM file of a stake is easy, let the vamp make a save vs death at a -2 penalty when succsefully hit.. and you got yourself an great vampire slaying bolt.

Right know I don't have time to create it, but 2-night I may have some time... if you wish? </font>

sure.

<font color=white> First of all, make a history for it (a item without a history... isn't a real item).. I will try to create it 2-night, though I can't promise anything because its now like 23:55, almost midnight here.

I'll load it up to my site tomorrow when its finished, I'll post the link here. </font>

[ 04-16-2003, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: Annatar ]

If you think about it, it wont be that hard.

Use IEEP to make a bolt with insta kill for vamps, and make the appearnce that of a stake. pretty good, though a majorly cheap weapon [img]smile.gif[/img]

<font color=white> I will use the BAM file of the wooden stake but I'll use BAMworkshop to give it a red/black like coat.

I vampire will not be killed with a insta-kill, their is always the chance that you miss the heart (the place were the bolt must be placed for the vampire to disintergrate), so giving the vampire a save vs death (-2) should be fair enough.

Though it still needs some work and efford (Don't even think about stealing this project Vedran [img]tongue.gif[/img] ;) ) if I want to compleetly sure that it is bug free and compatible with the game. </font>

[ 04-16-2003, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: Annatar ]

What? I've already finished it...
Heh, heh, heh [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] .
I would never dream of stealing your work, this item is yours. (But I'll do the next one... ;) )

<font color=white> Your serious about that you already finished it?

If so, get it on your site because I didn't got time left to work on it today (got a hassle with school :( )

I'll probably fix it tomorrow, there isn't any hurry I think. </font>

Making the vampire have a saving throw against the stake-bolt insta-death effect would be the most realistic.

After all a vampire needs to be staked in the heart to die. If the stake-bolt just hit him in the leg nothing serious would happen.

Sweet. I was wondering when somebody would do this.

In PnP, Undead Hunters can use crossbows because they can fire stakes. It is instakill for vampires, no save, no hope. Well, for lesser vampires.

Stakes have a considerably reduced range but strike with huge damage against all creatures, including undead. IIRC stake damage is 3d4.

Nice work mod folks [img]smile.gif[/img]

<font color=white> Okay people I will work on it, but I still need a nice history/description.. anybody that can come up with a good one will get credits for it ofcorse... ;)

Anybody willing to provide one? </font>

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Annatar:
<font color=white> Okay people I will work on it, but I still need a nice history/description.. anybody that can come up with a good one will get credits for it ofcorse... ;)

Anybody willing to provide one? </font>[/QUOTEYou mean for a stake?

What about:
There is something magical about this stake.When you first found it,you thought that was just a piece of sharp wood. Then once when you fought a Vampire by name Thosulas, a mystirious man appeard. He had the teeth and the strenght of a Vampire,but he was able to walk in the daylight. When you defetead Thosulas the man told you that his name is Blade. He was a Vampire hunter and devoded his life to find his mother. Once the most powerful Vampire of them all attacked him and you saved him.You deliverd one powerful strike in the heart of your enemy and the Vampire vanished. The stake started to turning blue. Then he told you that this is The Stake of The Darkness...you never saw him again.

Xen

hehe Xen, movie rip off! plus, he wants more than one, not just one [img]smile.gif[/img]

Seems to me it should only Insta-Kill on a Critical Hit - after all, how much more Critical can you get than a Heart-Shot? [img]smile.gif[/img]

Still, if you go with a Save vs. Death, I'd say make it do minimal damage vs. non-Vampires (Stakes aren't exactly aerodynamic, after all), but with the added power of possibly Insta-Killing Vampires (much like Shazzellim kinda sucks but can Insta-Kill Bards or Harbinger has the mostly useless ability to Insta-Stone Ogres).

- Imrahil

Oh sure, make a history while I have easter break now. [img]tongue.gif[/img]
But on reflection, it should cause instant death on critical, its more sensible that way
But how's this for a history?

Vampire hunters, as all know, stake the resting vampire, but Vladmire, nicknamed the Impaler, adjusted the holy stakes to be able to be shot at vampires, thus staving vampires away from him. With the now stake bolts, he hunted the vampires until he met ruin, with the remaining bolts being stowed away...

I was not serious ;) .
I've said that this project is yours, and I mean it.

As far as I know, stakes don't kill vampires because they are stakes, but because they are made of a specific type of wood (I don't know the english name). And such a bolt would be just a bolt made of that wood (thus it would be aerodynamical).
Annatar, I suggest that you alter the BAM to show only one stake, not three.

The Heartseeker

This birch stake appears to be perfectly normal, but to those with holy virtue, it is much more then it seems. This birch wood stake comes from an enchanted Elven glade and has been blessed by Elven priests to slay all undead, especially vampires. It has also been enchanted with more practical endowments. It is impossible for one of holy virtue to fire this at a living being of any sort, as such an act is far to cruel. This stake magically seeks out the black hearts of the undead and drives splinters imbued with divine might into the foul heart of the undead to finally put them to rest.

Stake will only damage undead targets.
THAC0 +4
Damage 3D4+4
Stake returns to crossbow after blowing undead into oblivion.
Does 2 spinter damage for 1d4 rounds.
All undead must make a save vs death at -2 or be utterly destroyed.
Special vs vampire. Lesser vampires are slain instantly, greater vampires must save vs death at -4 or be utterly destroyed.

<font color=white> Nice Butterfingers and all you other guys, but Butterfingers his history was the better, though wander about something (how-2-do).

Stake will only damage undead targets.

Probably easy when I look in to it.

THAC0 +4
Damage 3D4+4

Pretty harsh... sjees :D

Stake returns to crossbow after blowing undead into oblivion.

Need to look in files that got the same abilitie (returning ect...)

Does 2 spinter damage for 1d4 rounds.

An extension header will do this trick.

All undead must make a save vs death at -2 or be utterly destroyed.
Special vs vampire. Lesser vampires are slain instantly, greater vampires must save vs death at -4 or be utterly destroyed.

This is gonna take a lot of work guys, different parameters and values are a pain, so don't expect this bolt to come on the net real soon (will take me around 1 a 2 days to fully tweak it)

any other ideas are welcome ofcorse... [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

</font>

Oh yeah, forgot something. Only good characters can use it.

As for the returning aspect, well, make it like a quiver of endless bolts. I think ToB offers such an object.

As for targeting lesser and greater vampires, I don't know how hard that will be... But those un-named vamps running around that ambush you are considered lesser, while say, Tanova or Lessal would be considered greater I believe, unless the game code says otherwise.

And yes, it is harsh. When Elves make an object, their craftsmanship is seldom bested. Why would they only go halfway? This thing could even blow poor Kangaxx into dust.

I should probably also explain why the spinters are important, for those less versed in vampire lore. For a vampire to stay dead, the stake must remain in his heart... If it is removed, they slowly come back to life, as well as other special forms of undead. The splinters prevent this, leaving shards of holy wood forever embedded in the creature's black heart after death.

I think it is a well thought out and balanced item. You can't just waltz through the game blasting everything you see into oblivion with it, only undead. Meaning you will have to find something else to paste demons and the like. However, something like this would make xbows a viable option, considering very few people use them when they probably should.

One last idea. Probably not possible, but, to get the bolt, there should be a mini quest. When you are told to hunt down Bhodi for the second battle, perhaps this quest and ultimately this bolt could be used to help you out. Make a special spot of forrest around the Elven city where the bolt was last stored, make it have some powerful guardians summoned by Jon to make sure it does not fall into the wrong hands. Have it placed on some altar or somesuch, possibly a puzzle or two to get it free. Perhaps have it protected by a whole mob of basilisks, to justify the use of all the protection from petrification items. Or, have it stolen by the Drow and offer a subquest to steal it back while in the Drow city or something. Or, have it guarded by 3 or 4 greater demon types. Just make it a challenging and rewarding fight.

Just one note to consider about the splinters....

What if you WANT to bring a Vampire back to life? More specifically, someone whom you hope to be able to de-vampirize? Would the splinters interfere with that, or would they cease to do "damage" after the creature's bond with the Negative Energy Plane has been broken?

Personally, I would make all Undead-slaying weapons usable by Undead Hunters, and Undead Hunters ONLY. With the current state of affairs, the mighty Kangaxx can be demolished in 1 hit by a Level 1 Bard and the Axe he bought at some cheap tavern.

Only if said Bard installed a mod and battled some Beholders first. ;)

Ahh, who needs to fight Beholders? Go tiptoe through some Sewers, recruit Keldorn, toss your Axe at a couple of Vampiric Mists, open a crypt, have Keldorn Dispel, toss your Axe again, done.
Go to another building, have Keldorn Dispel, toss your Axe, done.
Fight some ghost kids, install a MOD, have Keldorn Dispel, toss your Axe, toss your Axe again, done.

(Although it must be said that the EXP gained from the Liches would push a Bard beyond Level 1.)

Why? Recall, SixOfSpades, that you need to defeat the Unseeing Eye in order to unlock the Sir Sarles quest. The Beholders beckon. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Not true Dundee. Just talk to the alcolyte at any time and get the quest. I often have a IMoD long before I face the Eyeless Wonder.

Really? Well, this is news to me... dang! All that time frying my butt in some Godforsaken pit just because I want some illitium. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Almost any time--the Sarles/Ring quests can't be accessed until Gaal has done his rabble-rousing and you've spoken to Oisig about it.

I'm unclear about the Evil route: Are Evil PCs screwed out of the Helm of Glory? I've only played Evil twice--once was before I BaldurDashed and I had no opportunity to get the Helm, and in the second game, the computer seemed to think I was Good/Neutral (I stole the Necklace and worked from the Temple of Helm).