Book of Kaza (MINOR SPOILERS)

[Nerull]

Is there any use for the Book of Kaza, beyond selling it? The reason I ask is that I am playing an evil party on and off (playing on my "I hate everyone days", which have been a little too common for my liking over the past two weeks). My PC is a Neutral Evil Necromancer. It states specifically that the Book of Kaza is a work of powerful necromantic magic.

Thus, it is only fitting that my PC would find some sort of benefit from the book. An evil Necromancer selling an ancient book of necromantic lore because he can't get any use from it? Very unlikely.

I even checked the readme for the Item Upgrade Mod, and it looks like they didn't do anything with it there, either. Is there any use already built into the game, or is there a mod out there that does find a use for it? I would just like to find some purpose and/or benefit from it beyond selling, as the whole reason I am playing a Necromancer is for the roleplaying (and this thing flies right into the face of it).

[True_Moose]

Not that I know of...you can only sell it.

[Kezardin]

An in-development MOD "Kazrath the Necromancer" may allow the eponymous NPC to upgrade one of his items with the book of Kaza but presumably no-one else would be able to use the doo-dad.

You could submit suggestions about using the book to item-upgrade MOD gurus like Weimer or Moonfruit on their forums.

[Nerull]

Originally posted by Kezardin: An in-development MOD "Kazrath the Necromancer" may allow the eponymous NPC to upgrade one of his items with the book of Kaza but presumably no-one else would be able to use the doo-dad. You could submit suggestions about using the book to item-upgrade MOD gurus like Weimer or Moonfruit on their forums.

Good idea, though I am thinking of playing with the (newly downloaded) IEEP myself and see what I come up with. I'll still submit the suggestion, though. Thanks for your responses!

[Grammar]

There's no other use for it, but with SK you might remove it and add a point of Wisdom to your Necromancer or something.

[Pyrenk]

What Grammar said, but put a point of intelligence. If you're carrying the Necro over from BGI, you can have 20 int. with only a tome and the Book. Then add various ways to increase stats in BGII...

[Nerull]

Hmmm...not a bad suggestion. That is a pretty good, easy way to justify its use.

I was actually thinking about designing it to give a once per day use of one Necromantic spell per spell level, but making it cursed (stuck in the quick slot) and give minuses to abilities. For example:

code:

---

Level of     Can use 1/day the                    Penalties

Character    following:

1            Chill Touch                          none

3            above + Ghoul Touch                  -1 Wis

5            above + Skull Trap                   -2 Wis

7            above + Spirit Armor                 -2 Wis, -1 Cha

9            above + Animate Dead                 -2 Wis, -2 Cha

12           above + Death Spell                  -2 Wis, -2 Cha, -1 Con

14           above + Finger of Death              -2 Wis, -2 Cha, -2 Con

16           above + Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting  -3 Wis, -2 Cha, -2 Con

18           above + Wail of the Banshee          -4 Wis, -2 Cha, -2 Con

[/QUOTE]What do you think? I know this is difficult to do (you literally have to make 10 separate books--one that you pick up and selects one of the other 9 both when you pick it up and when you gain levels). I'm nowhere near good enough to code this yet, and I'm going to have a busy semester, but I'm just throwing this out as a suggestion (brainstorming, mostly).

[ 08-25-2003, 08:06 PM: Message edited by: Nerull ]

[Pirengle]

Originally posted by Nerull: What do you think?

My busy semester just started, so I know what it's about, Nerull. [img]smile.gif[/img]

The penalty balance idea is pretty nifty, but the penalties you've exacted for using the book aren't really bad for a necromancer. Unless you're a paladin or cleric, WIS and CHA don't matter all that much. There are potions and items to negate the loss.

STR, CON, and DEX, in that order, would be more crippling, and would force the player to decide how badly he/she needs that ADHW. (Is the stat loss permanent, or would Remove Curse send the book back to inventory and restore the missing points?)

Come to think of it, necromantic spells tend to damage the physical instead of the mental...it's those illusion spells that make ya insane in the membrane!

[Nerull]

Originally posted by Pirengle: The penalty balance idea is pretty nifty, but the penalties you've exacted for using the book aren't really bad for a necromancer. Unless you're a paladin or cleric, WIS and CHA don't matter all that much. There are potions and items to negate the loss. STR, CON, and DEX, in that order, would be more crippling, and would force the player to decide how badly he/she needs that ADHW. (Is the stat loss permanent, or would Remove Curse send the book back to inventory and restore the missing points?) Come to think of it, necromantic spells tend to damage the physical instead of the mental...it's those illusion spells that make ya insane in the membrane!

Usually, anyone who reads up on Lovecraft and other such works knows that messing with such forces usually blasts the mind first. They gain the hidden knowledge they seek, but at a cost of their sanity. Thus the big loss of wisdom. Charisma goes next, as the touch of evil begins to permeate them. Finally, the life force begins to be sapped.

I could make it so it can be removed by Remove Curse. They lose the penalties, but lose the extra abilities, too. However, I think that it would be better if you couldn't remove it once it is put in the quick slot, no matter what. The only thing that would remove it would be the new book being spawned by an increase in level (destroying the other book and putting the new one in the quick slot).

[CerebroDragon]

Having only just completed Korgan's quest for this sacred necronomical tome, I thought I'd post my thoughts here on it, as I quite like the idea of changing the book to make it useful as discussed. Its one of the few situations where I'd even consider modifying the game, but that's just my personal taste.
Did you happen to follow through with the idea Nerull?

I think that an opportunity was certainly missed with the game makers to weave a sub-plot around Xzar regarding this book, as he is definitely a likely candidate for someone being deeply interested in its contents.
Hmm, perhaps he might talk to me if I do his quest first? Hmm indeed.
Come to think of it, I don't think his dialogue is written that well in the sequel character-continuity wise, and its such a shame that he cannot be an NPC, at least seemingly in the unmodified game....

A couple more questions regarding this fascinating book: (spoilerish)

A) Is there anyone in particular that wants this book other than Pimlico who pays more than the usual stores do? I.E So far I'm only fetching a price of approximately 1300 gp.

B) In my experience of this quest, my party was too slow going from the lower tombs to the temple district - as we stopped by a temple for healing on the way, after enduring the nastiness that is the second level of those tombs. Can you arrive fast enough and obtain the book earlier at the estate in the Temple district? Or is the final confrontation on the roof the a certain pub inevitable? Just curious as to others have experienced.

Anyway, just a few necromantic thoughts.
Cheers!
Cerebrodragon