Thread: Q on Planescape
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Old 01-19-2002, 04:16 AM   #4
Erydian
Manshoon
 

Join Date: December 14, 2001
Location: the great beyond
Posts: 172
Actually the stat that I found the most useful was Wisdom, closely followed by Intelligence, and then Constitution/Charisma.

Why wisdom? It increases the amount of experience that you receive throughout the game. A character with higher wisdom will gain more experience for completing the same quest that someone with a lower wisdom score would have. Additionally, wisdom seems to factor in the most when it comes to finding alternate (and usually the best, exp-wise) dialogue options - as well as when it comes to recollecting memories. Also, it increases your Lore rating (as does INT).

Intelligence is also key to getting the "best" dialogue options, and if you're looking to play as a mage, you should definately pay attention to it. Usually, in situations where INT directly influences your dialogue options WIS also will (although there are a few that rely solely on INT I believe). Generally speaking, for quest purposes you'd probably want a 15+ INT at the very least and more if you want to be a mage.

Charisma is probably the third most important statistic when it comes to getting what you want out of quests, though it is far less important than wisdom in these cases. Usually, the options that a high charisma would award you are no better than what a high wisdom would get you. There are, however a couple cases in the game where this is not true, and I'd probably advise attaining a 16+ charisma (either through allocation or items) before too long in the game.

Constitution doesn't work the same way in this game that it does in other AD&D games. Raising your constitution at any point in the game will get you all of the bonus HPS that you would have had if your constitution had been that way since the start of the game. This also applies to when you lose constitution - though as you might guess the reverse happens. In addition to affecting your HP total, constitution also increases the Nameless One's regeneration rate. Because it is retroactive, you can probably survive for quite some time without actually having to up your constitution, and as long as you can, there's no penalty to waiting until you have some of your more important stats at the levels that you want them to be. I tend to think of Constitution and Strength as stats that I raise after I'm done with WIS,INT, and CHA.

DEX affects your AC, much like in standard AD&D, just as STR affects your THAC0 and overall combat proficiency. There are a *few* quests that can only be completed if you have sufficient STR, but you'd miss out on far much more choosing STR over WIS or INT. DEX will also affect your thieving abilities, as well as your ability to catch pickpockets (though you usually tend to need WIS as well).

During character creation, I pumped my WIS, INT, and CHA. Once I had them at the levels I wanted I began to raise other stats. There are walkthroughs available that will tell you exactly when you need a certain stat etc. but unless you're going to resort to one of those, then you're not going to get everything perfect the first time through - so don't worry about it too much. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Planescape really isn't all that combat-orientated, and when you do have to fight don't forget that a mage can be just as devastating as a fighter. You can play the game any way you want (it's possible to play even if you utterly ignore the stats I've suggested), but I'd strongly advise focusing on WIS and INT. By doing so you will gain access to most quest experience, as well as increase the amount of experience that your character gains overall. Keep in mind that there will be opportunities to boost your stats through quests throughout the game, as well as items that will augment your weaker stats.

EDIT: When considering what class you will be, keep in mind that whatever you choose - you're going to want to "become" that class as soon as possible. Why? Because when you change classes, whatever experience that you had as the previous class does NOT carry over. Therefore, if you plan to be anything other than a fighter, I'd advise finding an NPC that is capable of training you in your class of choice before completing too many quests. Additionally, there are "bonus" levels (7th and 12th), and when you hit those levels, you gain certain bonuses to your stats and/or skills appropriate to the class that you currently are. You can only get these bonuses ONCE.

If you're going to opt for the WIS, INT, CHA path, you're probably best off being a mage. You could remain a fighter, but it would definately be more challenging (at least until you started to devote your attention to the more combat orientated stats).

Some quests are only available to certain classes, and you might as well change to the appropriate class to do them (as they would simply not be available to you otherwise), but for the most part, I'd recommend choosing a class, and sticking with it. Finding NPC trainers can be a tad difficult when you first begin, but once you've found them (and some of your party members will be capable of training you, too), changing over really isn't an issue.

[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: Erydian ]

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