PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING * * Forum Guidelines And FAQ ~Last Updated 02 Nov 2007~

[Dundee Slaytern]

FFFFFF">First of all, welcome to the Baldurs Gate II: Shadows of Amn & Throne of Bhaal forum, one of the many forums that you can find in Ironworks. The following contents of this post will hopefully help you to quickly settle in among the veterans and other regular members of this particular forum.

Secondly, you may want to read the Rules And Regulations, if you have not done so already. It is a pretty short page, and very concise, so spend a few minutes to go through it. If at any time you need to refer to it again, go to the top of almost any page and click on the button that looks like this,


With that out of the way, on to other matters.

00FFFF">SPOILERS:
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I quote from the Rules And Regulations,

Warn before you Spoil: A spoiler is something that reveals information about a plot twist or the location of some object/character/hidden place in a game. Spoilers are by their nature subjective - you will need to use your judgment to determine what these are. Many people in this forum talk about 'general' game issues, such as "What is the best party for whatever" or "Should I drop whoever from my group?". These types of posts usually don't require spoilers as they are general information. Other people might have specific game questions like "How do I get past so-and-so" or "Where is such-and-such". These would be considered posts requesting spoiler information. Some are obviously bigger spoilers than others. There are also posts which refer to specific plot twists in the games here, A lot of people who come here do NOT know about certain plot twists which the rest of us might take for granted. Unmarked spoilers about these detract from these people's gaming experience. The majority of people don't like finding out about a plot twist before they were meant to. (Like someone telling you the ending of a movie before you see it) As a courtesy to other board members who may not have gotten as far in the game as you have, please abide by the following when requesting or revealing spoiler information: Do NOT reveal the spoiler in your title. Put a SPOILER tag in the title so people know you will be revealing spoiler information. Put spoiler spaces just before the part where you are revealing the information.

If you want a summarised version, you may refer to this thread, "On Spoilers"

In addition, it is common practice to point out to a person if he/she has spoiled openly without prior warning. I emphasise though, be polite about it. Ask the person nicely to edit his/her topic title if it is a spoiler, and add a spoiler tag to his/her post if necessary. You may be wondering now, what is a "spoiler tag"? Allow me to give an example below.

Case 1: The Wrong Way Character X is actually a Gibberling!

Case 2: The Right Way Spoiler ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Character X is actually a Gibberling!

Also, if you want to mention ToB( Throne of Bhaal, the SoA expansion) issues in the forum, please add a FFFFFF">[ToB] tag to your thread's title. Remember, not everybody has the expansion, so what you say may not make sense to them, and it will also spoil them.

You may also use HTML to disguise your spoiler into the background. Forum posts are made of two colours, #3D2F1B for the darker ones, #44341D for the lighter ones, and #564006 for the Quotebox. NOTE: FF0000">USE THIS METHOD ONLY IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH HTML. To see the spoiler, simply press Ctrl + A.

Lastly, if you are referring to a mod, make sure you make it known that you are talking about a mod, lest you confuse people who do not have the mod. As before, add a mod spoiler tag as well( not strictly necessary though, it is more important that you just mention you are talking about a mod).
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MULTIPOSTING:
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Whether by accident, or intentional. Multiposting is not encouraged in this forum. We are not blind. We can see a topic even if you only post it once. We have lives. Do not expect instantaneous answers, believe it or not, we may have other things to do and cannot observe the forum all the time. It may take a few hours before somebody answers. Be patient. Spamming the forum with threads that deal with the same question will only invite trouble for you( and may annoy people who would otherwise answer you).

Use the edit/delete function to delete the excess posts/threads. On every post that you make, there is a button that looks like this ----> . This is your edit/delete function.
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LANGUAGE:
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Refer to this thread, "Forum rules (please read)" for more details.
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SPAMMING:
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This is a game forum, and deals specifically with the game, "Baldurs Gate II:Shadows of Amn". Topics not relating to this game are considered spam in this forum. If you wish to discuss something else, choose an appropriate forum for that particular issue.

There is a General Discussion Forum where you can post a wide range of topics from "Beef vs Lamb" to "What I did in school today". Have fun there.
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REPORT POST FUNCTION:
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The button is NOT for you to use to ask for game tips. It is NOT a hotline help button. The button is for you to report disturbances, acts of villainy or possible issues with the Rules & Regulations that another member might have infringed in that post/thread.

For example, if you think a member's username is potentially offensive, then by all means use the button, or if you think a member is flamebaiting another member, or if you think the member is acting out of control.

Those are valid reasons.

If you really want to garner game tips from any of the moderators, please use the button. This is the equivalent of calling a policeman's mobile phone, which is his own personal business. You do not call his office phone for irrelevant matters.
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Okay, I think I have covered all the major areas. Please adhere to these guidelines, and enjoy your stay. Cheers.

If you can think of other forum issues that should be dealt with in this post, feel free to send me a Private Message. Just remember, the purpose of this thread is not to give out game information.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Frequently Asked Questions

This post will deal with issues that are not game spoilers, but get asked regularly. Reading this post will in no way, spoil you on the game, so feel free to browse through this post. If you feel that something should be added or edited in this FAQ, you are welcome to send me a Private Message or an E-Mail about it.

Quickguide:
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• Where can I get the game patch?
• What is 1d20?
• Is higher AC/Saving Throws better than lower AC/Saving Throws?
• What is THAC0?
• How often do classes gain their weapon proficiency points?
• What is a HLA?
• Dualclassing FAQ.
• Common acronyms.
• Portraits and Sound Sets.
• What are mods?
• Relevant links.

00FFFF; font-weight:bold">Where can I get the game patch?

No game is perfect, as much as we want it to be. As such, patching a game is almost inevitable. It is very common to read of problems that fellow gamers encountered during their gameplay that are rectified in the game patch. To prevent trouble and frustration, take the time to download the relevant patch and fixpack and install them. Just remember these guidelines,

1) Install the game first
2) Install the Official Patch next
3) Install the Fixpack
4) Install third-party mods if any

If you do not have ToB installed, get the Official SoA Patch first, then get the Baldurdash SoA Fixpack v3.61.

If you do have ToB installed, get the Official ToB Patch first, then get the Baldurdash ToB Fixpack v1.12.

Happy patching, and may it solve whatever ails you. If it does not, let us know and we will try to help you as best as we can.

00FFFF; font-weight:bold">What is 1d20?

As this game is based on Second Edition Dungeons And Dragons, it uses dice to determine success and failure. The "d" stands for dice, and 1 indicates that there is one dice, while 20 represents the number of sides the dice has. Therefore, 1d20 simply means one twenty-sided dice, giving you a range of 1-20.

00FFFF; font-weight:bold">Is higher AC/Saving Throws better than lower AC/Saving Throws?

It is only logical to assume that higher values must be better, but this is not the case when it comes to AC( Armour Class) and Saving Throws. In both cases, you will want them to be as low as possible, negative values even, if you can.

How AC is handled will be explained in the next segment of this FAQ. Saving throws are more straightforward. 1d20 is rolled, and the value rolled must match or beat your saving throw in order for you to pass your saving throw. This might lead one to think that with a saving throw of 1, one is invincible, but do not forget that there are times when penalties are applied.

Finally, a roll of 1 is always considered a failure, while a roll of 20 is always considered a pass.


What is THAC0?

To Hit AC 0.

Basically, if you have a THACO of 10, you need to roll a 10 or better on 1d20 in order for the hit to connect on a target who has an AC of 0.

The basic formula is as follows,

THACO - AC = Number to match or beat on 1d20.

ie: THACO(5) - AC(2) = 3( Must roll 3 or better on 1d20)

Always remember that when you subtract a negative number, it works out like this. 2 - (-2) = 2 + 2 = 4.

Additionally, a roll of 1 is always considered a Critical Miss, while a roll of 20 is considered a Critical Hit and doubles the damage( if the target has headgear, it will still be an automatic hit, but the damage will not be doubled).


How often do classes gain their weapon proficiency points?

As this is not mentioned in the manual, it can be a puzzle for some.

Fighters, Rangers, Barbarians and Paladins get 1 point every 3 levels.
Clerics, Druids, Bards, Thieves and Monks get 1 point every 4 levels.
Mages and Sorcerers get 1 point every 6 levels.


What is a HLA?

HLA stands for High Level Ability. You can only get them if you have ToB installed. Characters gain one HLA per level up after their XP exceeds 3,000,000 XP. For Multiclassed characters, the XP from both classes( or three) is added up to get a collective total. For Dualclassed characters, the XP of the their second class needs to be above 3,000,000 in order to gain HLAs.


Dualclassing FAQ.

With thanks to SixOfSpades and Arquendil Lorigollo. Kudos to Alson and Pirengle for chipping in as well.

Dualclassing enables you to add a second class-type to a character and hopefully gain the benefits of both class-types, with minimal penalties from either class-types. The following is a general guideline for dualclassing, with a few exceptions which will be further discussed afterwards.

1. You must be Human in order to dualclass.
2. You need to be at least level 2 in your first class.
3. You may dual from a kit, but not to a kit.
4. The resulting combination must be a valid multiclass option as well.
5. Your alignment must not conflict with the second class.
6. You need a score of 15+ in your first class' primary statistic(s), and a score of 17+ in the desired class' primary statistic(s).
7. Using potions to boost your statistics will not help. The game looks at your base statistics.
8. When you dual, you temporarily lose the abilities of the first class. The level of your second class needs to exceed the level of your first class before you can reuse your first class' abilities.
   
   The Throne of Bhaal Expansion High Level Abilities do not apply to this rule however.
9. The XP from both classes is added together to get the character's total XP.
10. Once you dual, there is no going back and your first class will no longer improve in levels
11. Characters can only Dualclass ONCE.

Quirks:

Fighter

When you dual from a Fighter class-type, you are able to retain the Grandmastery ability for your second class. You are also allowed to wear all types of armour that a normal Fighter can wear( with the exception of the Kensai). All weapon-types are available to you as well( unless you dualled to a Cleric, whose weapons restriction holds higher priority). Certain fighter-only items are open to you.

Kits like the Wizard Slayer and Kensai will transfer their equipment restrictions over to the second class.

Berserkers and Kensais cannot use certain ranged weapons. This restriction is transferred over to the second class if you choose to either dual from a Berserker or a Kensai.

Cleric and Druid

When part of the dualclass is a Cleric or a Druid, you are automatically forbidden to use non-blunt weapons. You gain the ability to use priest-only items though, and certain spellcaster ones if the other half of the dualclass is a non-spellcaster.

Mage

When part of the dualclass is Mage, you gain the ability to wear robes, even if you have armour restrictions from the other class( for example Kensai). Mage-only items become available for your usage, as are all spellcaster items.

NOTE: The following table lists ALL the valid combinations for dualclassing. If any of the default classes or kits is NOT mentioned in the table, it is not a valid combination. Classes or kits from Mods will specify whether or not they are valid for dualclassing.

FF0000">VALID COMBINATIONS
1st Class	2nd Class	Requirements
Fighter Berserker Kensai Wizard Slayer	Cleric	15 STR, 17 WIS
	Druid	15 STR, 17 WIS, 17 CHA, True Neutral Alignment
	Mage	15 STR, 17 INT
	Thief	15 STR, 17 DEX
Cleric Including the kits	Fighter	15 WIS, 17 STR
	Mage	15 WIS, 17 INT
	Ranger	15 WIS, 17 STR, 17 DEX, Good Alignment
	Thief	15 WIS, 17 DEX
Mage Including the specialist kits except the Wild Mage	Fighter	15 INT, 17 STR
	Cleric	15 INT, 17 WIS
	Thief	15 INT, 17 DEX
Thief Including the kits	Fighter	15 DEX, 17 STR
	Cleric	15 DEX, 17 WIS
	Mage	15 DEX, 17 INT
Ranger Beast Master	Cleric	15 DEX, 15 STR, 17 WIS
Druid Including the kits	Fighter	15 WIS, 15 CHA, 17 STR

Common acronyms.

ADHW	Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
AFAIK	As Far As I Know
AoP	Amulet of Power
ApR	Attacks per Round
CC	Copper Coronet or Chain Contingency
CFaeyr	Crom Faeyr
CFury	Celestial Fury
DoE	Defender of Easthaven
DUHM	Draw Upon Holy Might
FoA	Flail of Ages
GoWE	Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise
HiS/MS	Hide in Shadows/Move Silently
HLA	High Level Abilities( ToB only)
IIRC	If I Recall Correctly
IMHO	In My Humble Opinion
IWD	Icewind Dale
LOL	Laughing Out Loud
MMM	Melf's Minute Meteors
PM	Private Message
SoA	Shadows of Amn
SotM	Staff of the Magi
TDD	The Darkest Day Mod
ToB	Throne of Bhaal Expansion

Portraits and Sound Sets.

This site has a flood of links. The following links below are a summary of the more commonly-known ones.

PORTRAITS

• AllHealy's Site
• Baldurnet's Site
• Billy Yank's Site
• Black Magic Games' Site
• Cassinus' Site( Females)( Highly recommended)
• Cassinus' Site( Males)
• Death Jester's Site
• Games4's Site
• Havak's Portraits And Sounds
• Karse Soze's The Portrait Portal( Good celebrity portraits! Must see! :p )
• Kirith( This is the gamers' choice)
• Marianne's Portrait Site
• M. James' Site
• Moonraker's Site
• PhroXenGolds's Site
• Space Spider's Site( Good for those who want Irenicus' portrait to name one)
• Vaul's Site
• Venani's Site

SOUND SETS

• Havak's Portraits And Sounds
• Kris Johnstone's Site
• Sorcerer's Place

What are mods?

Mods are third-party programs that modify your game in some way. It may be something as small as adding new items, or it may add entirely new quests. WeiDU mods are compatible with each other and will not cause any conflicts between themselves. Non-WeiDU mods though, may conflict with other mods, so always read the readme files to make sure that you do not have two or more mods that clash with each other.

Kelsey the Sorcerer NPC
Nalia Romance
Tashia the Sorceress NPC
WeiDU Mods

For a more comprehensive list of mods, you may refer to the following.

Originally posted by icelus: Almost a year ago, I decided to create a comprehensive list of all the mods made for Baldur's Gate 2. As time went by, the list grew and grew, and was eventually complemented by similar lists for Baldur's Gate 1, Icewind Dale, and Icewind Dale 2, as well as lists of all the various modding communities and portrait sites. To say that it took up quite a bit of time is an understatement. All of the lists were posted on numerous sites around the 'net and usenet. To make things easier for me and more convenient for players everywhere, we at the Pocket Plane Group have setup a centralized database to consolidate all of these various lists. This new setup allows for easier categorization of all the mods, as well as allowing mod authors to submit their own entries. The database is by no means complete just yet. TeamBG is still down, and a few other sites are inaccessible, but they will be added when and if the situation changes. The database population will be an ongoing project of ours for the next several days, so please bear with us. Feel free to help us out, however, and submit your own links. Please note, however, that only completed/beta mods will be listed. Finally, I would like to thank everyone individually for making the IE modding community for being one of the most diverse and vibrant groups around. Without you all, my work would all be for naught. So, without further ado, I present to you the Pocket Plane Group Infinity Engine Modlist: Pocket Plane Group's Infinity Engine Modlist

Relevant links.

As this is only a basic FAQ, I direct people who are more interested in learning more to SixOfSpades' guide.

Volothamp's Comeuppance

Aspiring spellcasters should take a look at the Baldur's Gate II Spells Reference and make it mandatory reading. It contains a lot of tricks, tips and trivia from veterans old and new.

Baldur's Gate II Spells Reference