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Magness · 09-11-2002, 11:03 PM

As a veteran BG1, BG2-Soa/Tob, and IWD, I'm completely comfortable with the 2nd ed rules, even thought BIS and/or BW has tweaked them for each game. Going to the 3rd ed rules was quite a shift. Combat tactics aren't all that different. But any preconceptions that you have should be thrown out the window. Check out every potion before you use it. It will have probably been modified in some way.

Multiclassing is very different. But then again, if you play a party full of single class characters (like me), it's not that big an issue.

But there are no weapon limitations by class anymore. If you want your mage and cleric to use a crossbow, go for it. No need to dual-class or multi-class to have your mage carry a bow or crossbow.

Be very careful when you create your characters. Be very certain to max out your character's primary class stats. But also, don't drive down the other stats too far because all of the various rolls are based on these stats.

Your tanks do not NEED to have DEXs of 18. See the Armor section below. But they do need to pay attention to STR and CON. For some reason that I cannot fully explain (I'm not a 3rd ed rules guru), CON seems to be more important than before.

Bard magic is similar to BG2 sorcerors and both Bards and Sorcs use CHARISMA based, not INT based magic. And, like BG2 sorcerors, pipck your spells very carefully.

Armor:
Armor is handled a bit differently. Heavy armors have a max DEX bonus. That is, a high DEX fighter won't gain the full benefit of his high DEX if he puts on some heavy plate. OTOH, a fighter will likely get the full benefit of a high DEX if he's wearing leather or studded leather. And he might end up with as high or nearly as high an AC as that plate wearing tank. My rogue has almost as high an AC as my plate wearing Paladin for this reason. Don't ask me to explain why. Them's the rules.

BTW, Base Attack Bonus or "BAB" is apparantly the 3rd ed version of THAC0.

Magic spells:
Read the descriptions very carefully before selecting spells. Many changes have been made. Don't get caught be surprise by selecting a spell that ends up being not quite as potent as you think it should be.

A few points.

Stoneskin is not as potent as in BG2. BUT ... now you can cast it on other party members. And that's pretty darned awesome. A stoneskinned tank is a thing to behold.

Animate Dead is an ABSOLUTE must. It's really awesome. I'm only in chapter 3 and I can tell that it's awesome. It's more than just a Skeleton summoning spell. It can summon all sorts of undead. And many of those undead are very resistant to damage. And they stay around for hours, not a few rounds, like those run of the mill summoned monsters.

And Magic missile is the still ol' reliable for wizards.

There's lots of other little things(like skills and feats), but I'll stop here for now.

09-11-2002, 11:03 PM	#5
Magness Quintesson Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Manchester, NH, USA Posts: 1,025	As a veteran BG1, BG2-Soa/Tob, and IWD, I'm completely comfortable with the 2nd ed rules, even thought BIS and/or BW has tweaked them for each game. Going to the 3rd ed rules was quite a shift. Combat tactics aren't all that different. But any preconceptions that you have should be thrown out the window. Check out every potion before you use it. It will have probably been modified in some way. Multiclassing is very different. But then again, if you play a party full of single class characters (like me), it's not that big an issue. But there are no weapon limitations by class anymore. If you want your mage and cleric to use a crossbow, go for it. No need to dual-class or multi-class to have your mage carry a bow or crossbow. Be very careful when you create your characters. Be very certain to max out your character's primary class stats. But also, don't drive down the other stats too far because all of the various rolls are based on these stats. Your tanks do not NEED to have DEXs of 18. See the Armor section below. But they do need to pay attention to STR and CON. For some reason that I cannot fully explain (I'm not a 3rd ed rules guru), CON seems to be more important than before. Bard magic is similar to BG2 sorcerors and both Bards and Sorcs use CHARISMA based, not INT based magic. And, like BG2 sorcerors, pipck your spells very carefully. Armor: Armor is handled a bit differently. Heavy armors have a max DEX bonus. That is, a high DEX fighter won't gain the full benefit of his high DEX if he puts on some heavy plate. OTOH, a fighter will likely get the full benefit of a high DEX if he's wearing leather or studded leather. And he might end up with as high or nearly as high an AC as that plate wearing tank. My rogue has almost as high an AC as my plate wearing Paladin for this reason. Don't ask me to explain why. Them's the rules. BTW, Base Attack Bonus or "BAB" is apparantly the 3rd ed version of THAC0. Magic spells: Read the descriptions very carefully before selecting spells. Many changes have been made. Don't get caught be surprise by selecting a spell that ends up being not quite as potent as you think it should be. A few points. Stoneskin is not as potent as in BG2. BUT ... now you can cast it on other party members. And that's pretty darned awesome. A stoneskinned tank is a thing to behold. Animate Dead is an ABSOLUTE must. It's really awesome. I'm only in chapter 3 and I can tell that it's awesome. It's more than just a Skeleton summoning spell. It can summon all sorts of undead. And many of those undead are very resistant to damage. And they stay around for hours, not a few rounds, like those run of the mill summoned monsters. And Magic missile is the still ol' reliable for wizards. There's lots of other little things(like skills and feats), but I'll stop here for now.