[Scottg]

Character skills: Generally, Dialogue, and the Overland Map..


Overland Map part deux..

Most of the overland map skills were commented on in the preceding post, BUT many of the other skills also have relevance on the overland map when dealing with finding treasure based on a particular skill and its level. Besides Search, you can find treasure from these skills:

Craft Alchemy, Craft Armor, Craft Trap, Craft Weapon, Heal, Disable Device, Lore, Set Trap, Spellcraft, and Tumble. From this list - LORE is the second most important skill (..second only to Search). Disable Device and Tumble are "runners-up" - they find a lot of "ancient traps" that you can sell for a nice sum (..they can also find other things as well, but a LOT less often). You might also find treasure from these skills as well (but I don't remember): Appraisal, Listen, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Use Magic Device. (..I don't know about Perform, haven't had it to use.)

Again, NONE of these skills need to be all on one character. Once you've come across an area on the overland map where your lead member has found treasure, THEN you can toggle on other members in your party with these other skills to see if you'll find treasure based on those different skills. The only "tricky" part is waiting for enemies to be far enough away so that these other party members aren't "spotted" when they are switched to lead member position for your different treasure searching. Of course IF you don't have any interest in this treasure (..which is NOT essential to the game), then don't worry about any of it. It is however IMO a fun aspect to the game and it might provide you with items you would not otherwise be able to purchase.


Dialogue:

Dialogue takes place normally AND on the overland map (..once you encounter others and they or you have initiated contact - usually to fight).

ALL party members have their own representation in *all* dialogue. A mini-portrait of each member appears just above the dialogue choices in the dialogue sheet. Clicking on a portrait shows the choices for that particular member. IF a member has a "thought bubble" appear on their portrait THEN they have one or more additional dialogue choices that their skills provide. Most of the time there is no clear choice of which dialogue response is the "best". Among all party members you only get ONE RESPONSE (while the skills provide you with more options for that one response). Once you have made a choice - there is (mostly) no "going-back".

TIP: ALWAYS SAVE BEFORE STARTING DIALOGUE *IF* POSSIBLE. (..unless its just a normal merchant purchase you'll be making.)

The *major* skills for normal dialogue are: Appraise, Bluff, Heal, Intimidate, Diplomacy, Lore, Spellcraft, and occasionally Spot.. (..actually Heal doesn't come up as *dialogue* per se, rather its a fairly rare dialogue based choice to heal the respondent. Spot is something similar.) I *think* I've had a few other choices occasionally "pop-up" with other skills like Craft Alchemy. Perhaps surprisingly - Diplomacy isn't all that important in the first 1/3rd of the game. Intimidate seems to provide more additional dialogue (over-all) than any other skill.


Dialogue on the Overland Map..

Here dialogue is mechanically exactly the same (as normal dialogue). Dialogue is initiated through contact (either by you or your opponent), and up "pops" a dialogue sheet with each of your party member's mini-portraits at the top. Depending on which party member you select on the dialogue sheet - you'll likely get different dialogue choices. The DIFFERENCE here is what those dialogue choices represent. Unlike normal dialogue, overland map dialogue is *almost* exclusively about fighting.

Your choices on the overland map *usually* are:

Fight.
Intimidate: which has a chance of causing a few or more enemies to stop their normal "head-long" rush to kill you once you start into the fight. (i.e. they "hold back" and that way you don't have to take on a full mob all at once.)
Bluff: Lowers enemy AC.
Diplomacy: Bribe them not to fight you (..costly wuss-way to escape).
Wild Empathy: Druids and Rangers only - makes animals run away.
Evade: Based on that selected member's higher Hide or Move Silently skill - it closes the dialogue sheet and gives you a few seconds "head start" to run-away before they run you down again and give you NO DIALOGUE CHOICES. IMO (like Diplomacy), also a worthless choice.

In these situations then only Bluff and Intimidate have significant worth (..Diplomacy if you are really beat-up already and can't stand another attack - something that should NOT be a problem if you were using a "stealth" character to move around the overland map).

TIP: IF the size of the enemy party is expected to be large (numerous), then Intimidate is usually the best choice. Also, if you have spell casters that routinely use area-effect disabling spells - then Intimidate is usually the best choice. (..dido for a party with primarily ranged attackers.) IF however you only expect a few (tougher) opponents then Bluff is usually the better choice. IF POSSIBLE *always* use one or the other skill before a fight.

It *may* not always be possible to get a dialogue check in your encounters on the overland map (other than "Fight") - after-all, *many* enemies don't speak! HOWEVER,

IF you have either a Ranger or Druid (one or more levels of either), then you get the Wild Empathy skill - only useful if you want to avoid a fight.

WARNING: IF you have augmentations like Bardic Inspirations (I think), spells, and Warlock invocations that add to your skills that you are counting on for dialogue - THEY ARE WORTHLESS ON THE OVERLAND MAP!

TIP: If you find a blue circled "encounter" (friend or foe - you don't know), then IF possible track-down a nearby enemy you'd consider fighting. Engage that enemy in combat, and after you have finished with them - SAVE ON THAT "FIGHT-MAP". ONLY THEN should you exit the "fight-map" and go and initiate dialogue with the blue circle encounter. (..and this of course is under the heading: SAVE BEFORE TALKING TO OTHERS.)


Skills Genererally..

In general you should have as a "native" skill set in ***ALL*** the skills distributed among your party members and constantly increased as you level-up. Look to your party member's skill sets and increase those skills for those party members. As a result - plan a party where there isn't much overlap of skills among party members. If you plan on multi-classing then take that into account and also consider the feat Able Learner if necessary.

Skills that do NOT need to be really high (and can have modifiers to achieve their numbers):

Appraise - near 15. (..there are some +3 gloves of Appraisal for purchase near the beginning of the game.)
Craft Armor - 15. (..there is a belt that gives +3 to all the Crafting skills near the beginning of the game.)
Craft Trap - 14.
Craft Weapon - 15 (I think).
Don't know about Craft Alchemy..
Concentration - only needed for spell casters in combat.

As for Spot and Listen - I've only come across a few opponents with concealment.. but you never know.. A few Assassin-types (after 1/3rd of the way into the game), had Stealth so high that I couldn't spot them with even high Spot and Listen - so far though they seem to be rare.

Sleight of Hand and Perform are "wild cards". I haven't used a bard with Perform, so I don't no how it reacts in-game (other than its normal use). Sleight of Hand has been pretty rare and I haven't found anything "pivotal" so far - so its nice, but by no means necessary (I *think*).


Additionally your party should have one member that has at least one level of Rogue (with Able Learner), OR is something close to a "purist" Rogue and has all of these skills *maxed* at level-up:

Disable Device, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock, & Search. Additionally, Hide and Move Silently *need* to be augmented with this character, not only with Dexterity bonuses, but also with items that give bonuses. There are a great many opponents with excellent hearing and vision that can find your "stealth" character with even good skill numbers (..invisible characters too).

Practically speaking however - you *CAN* "get away with-OUT" having your own personal-made Rogue-type for the first 1/3rd of the game, and can then quickly gain the Rogue that's available in-game (after that point). IF you go this route then you should have the spell "Knock" available, AND a party member with high Search capabilities. It isn't something I recommend, but it shouldn't be too difficult.


What about Crafting?