Coup de Grace and Spell Resistance

Kameleon · #1 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 10:17 AM

A couple of questions:

1) Coup de Grace: what is it? There's nothing about it in the manual as far as I can see, and it's only happened a few times - it's a special attack that floats above the head of the attacker like Power Attack or Flurry of Blows - it's an automatic hit, and seems to happen only to people who are unconscious/helpless/lying down, I think, but I don't know because I've only see it happen twice - once with a [spoiler]False Helmite in the Ritual Chamber, and once just now when Grimgnaw the walking Gatling gun ran into a room to finish off a bugbear. Am I just missing it in the manual or is it not there?

2) Spell Resistance: I have loads of spell resistance items, being a fighter who doesn't particularly like being held/fireballed/blasted into a million pieces. I have:

Golden Circlet: 10
Ring of the Wood Elves: 16
Sash of Shimmering: 12
Amulet of the Long Death +1 (Grimgnaw's): 10

So I should have a total resistance of 48. However, when I look at my Character Sheet, it reads as 16. When I take all my equipment off - 16. Huh?

Trix · #2 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 10:23 AM

Effects are only cumulative if they have a plus in front.
Spell resistance doesn't seem to.
The total effect will simply be the highest ... in your case 16.

That it still says 16 if you remove all your equipment is prolly a bug. I've noticed the character sheet often doesn' t update properly.

Kameleon · #3 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Trix
Effects are only cumulative if they have a plus in front.
Spell resistance doesn't seem to.
The total effect will simply be the highest ... in your case 16.

That it still says 16 if you remove all your equipment is prolly a bug. I've noticed the character sheet often doesn' t update properly.

Argh! That realy sucks - I spent so much money on that $%^&$* ring...Grrrrrr.

Ah well - it's not like I don't have enough money

Trix · #4 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 10:35 AM

Quote:

it's not like I don't have enough money

Tell me about it!
By the end of the game I think I could've pretty much bought NeverWinter if I'd wanted!

I see ur in Oxford ... I live in Cambridge ... you got any multiplayer plans yet?

I'm gonna be looking for a decent RP campaign soon ...

Kameleon · #5 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Trix
Tell me about it!
By the end of the game I think I could've pretty much bought NeverWinter if I'd wanted!

Along with Athkatla, Suldanesselar, Baldur's Gate, Beregost, Nashkel, Luskan...way too much money. I really laughed when one person (later turning out to be not quite what she seemed to be) told me that some people kidnapped her brother because he had 5 gold, which is a lot of money. HA! If that's a lot of money, with what I have I could buy...

Quote:

Originally posted by Trix
I see ur in Oxford ... I live in Cambridge ... you got any multiplayer plans yet? I'm gonna be looking for a decent RP campaign soon ...

No, actually - I was kinda hoping to play a friend's module through when he made it, but his computer has other ideas

I have little to no clue how the multiplayer bit works, it's probably easier playing than DMing though. I'll probably have to wait till I'm at Uni in the autumn to do any MP stuff, 'cos we only have one phoneline and my parents have been known to threaten pulling the plug...

Kameleon · #6 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 10:56 AM

Forget about the Coup de Grace thing, guys - I found it in the "Initiative and Threat Rolls" thread

Mathurin · #7 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 12:20 PM

Yes as has been said with Spell Resistance, as with most other things in the game, like bonuses don't stack, thus if you are wearing a cloak and 2 rings that all give you a +1 deflection bonus to AC, you only get a +1 not a +3, only the largest of any one bonus type will stack. But thats not to say you wasted your money on the Ring of Wood Elves. SR 16 is pretty good. And im sure this is simply because you haven't played D&D, and Im not doggin on you, but the idea of SR 48 is laughable and a little ludicrous

. The goddess Mystra has a spell resistance of 52.

Kameleon · #8 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mathurin
And im sure this is simply because you haven't played D&D, and Im not doggin on you, but the idea of SR 48 is laughable and a little ludicrous . The goddess Mystra has a spell resistance of 52.

Hehe. In BG2 I ended up with a SR of 80...Holy Avenger, 2 Rings of Gaxx, and whats-his-names amulet of something-or-other.

And yes, I was a BAMF

Zolt · #9 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 12:37 PM

Spell resistance in nwn is nothing like in BG2, it's not a % but the # the enemy spellcaster has to roll for the spell to affect you.

1d20+spellcasters level must be greater than your SR.

Kameleon · #10 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zolt
Spell resistance in nwn is nothing like in BG2, it's not a % but the # the enemy spellcaster has to roll for the spell to affect you.

1d20+spellcasters level must be greater than your SR.

Aha.

Thanks for that, I probably should read the magey-bit of my manual sometime. I much prefer whacking things hard

Explains a lot...especially to someone who's new to 3rd Ed.

Mathurin · #11 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 12:42 PM

No you didn't, because spell resistance didn't exist in 2nd edition D&D.

MAGIC resistance is what you had at 80. Which means that it was a simple 80% chance of spells failing on you. SPELL resistance works differently. Spell resistance is a 3rd edition mechanic that replaces magic resistance. It is a set number just like a DC for anything else that an enemy caster must beat to hit you with a spell. To beat spell resistance a caster makes a check whenever a spell he casts would affect you. He rolls a d20 and adds his bonuses, plus anything like Spell Penetration that adds to this roll and if it is higher than your SR he penetrates and you take damage, otherwise you have recieved no ill effects. 3rd edition SR is much better than MR because it allows higher level casters to have a better chance of bypassing it. In 2nd Edition with MR a 1st level caster had the same chance of hitting someone with 80% MR as a 20th level caster did.

Skilless · #12 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 03:31 PM

For those not wanting to search for the Coup de Gras thread, you can find the answer in the 3E Player's Guide.

Essentially, you get a bonus to hit and damage on a prone victim. I believe its +4, but I could be wrong.....going off the top of my head on that one.

Kameleon · #13 (**permalink**) 07-09-2002, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skilless
For those not wanting to search for the Coup de Gras thread, you can find the answer in the 3E Player's Guide.

Essentially, you get a bonus to hit and damage on a prone victim. I believe its +4, but I could be wrong.....going off the top of my head on that one.

Or if you don't want to go out and buy/search for the 3E Player's guide, you can find the thread here

I thought it was an automatic hit, or at least a take 20...that's what it seems to me, now that it's happened a few more times (Lots of sleeping orcs in this neck o' the woods

)

Skilless · #14 (**permalink**) 07-10-2002, 10:59 AM

Went back and looked at the Player's Handbook (pg. 133) last night.

The Coup de Gras falls under the Helpless Opponents heading:

Regular Attack on a helpless opponent results in a +4 attack with special damages (what I got confused with).

A Coup de Gras is a special attack on a helpless opponent that takes a full round to do (you are open to Attacks of Opportunity from other enemies). It hits automatically and automatically does critical hit damage. Rogues add their additional Sneak Attack damage as well (book acknowledges this is overkill). Additionally, the opponent must make a Fortitude saving throw (at 10+damage dealt?) or die automatically.

I didn't go to the other thread before, but I guess I will now.....