Official Storm of Zehir user manual! - PDF

[Say10]

I found it at Sorcerer's Place today! I just can't wait for the game!

[url="http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=NWN2&f=../Games2/NWN2/soz_user_manual_en.rar"]Storm of Zehir User Manual[/url]

Enjoy!

[Scottg]

Thanks for the Heads-Up!

Here is a non RAR file:

Neverwinter Nights 2 - Storm of Zehir- Buy and download it on Atari Store (PC game)

Scroll down to the User Manual tab and PDF file.

[Scottg]

It doesn't look like the cross-class feats were applied (..that give a continuation of special abilities like sneak attack.)

In fact the only "major" feat I see on the list is Steadfast Determination.

The "Teamworks" benefits look like fun.

The Swashbuckler got "ham-stringed" though.. Insightful Strike was supposed to be an "attack" enhancement, NOT a damage enhancement (..and a pitiful one at that).

Overall I'm not liking what I'm seeing.

HELLO.. that 2nd level Cleric/Favored Soul spell "Living Undeath" is going to trigger a LOT of controversy and tick off a lot of DM's in the process. Sneak Attack characters have been "hosed" in the past, and this pretty much puts a "nail in the coffin" for them.

Sneak Attack in-effective - CHECK!
Traps in-effective - CHECK!
BAB mediocre - CHECK!
Scripted Battles for little or no chance of sneak attacks or trap setting - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK.

[Claudius]

Still Swash 3-12 Weapon Master 7 Bard 1-10 RDD 10 will be nice multiplying all the damage mods on crits (with high AB to boot)

For campaign you could start as a yuan ti with Swash 3 Bard 2 (no exp pen) then go RDD 10 then maybe finish off WM by the end of the game hehe.

[Scottg]

Still Swash 3-12 Weapon Master 7 Bard 1-10 RDD 10 will be nice multiplying all the damage mods on crits (with high AB to boot)

For campaign you could start as a yuan ti with Swash 3 Bard 2 (no exp pen) then go RDD 10 then maybe finish off WM by the end of the game hehe.

Yeah, but who is going to spend points on intelligence? 13-14 will be the limit (for the Weapon Master's pre-req.s). Maybe add-on what ..6-8 more points of intelligence with an item at the highest levels? At best that's an additional 6 points of additional damage per attack (provided your opponent doesn't have immunity to sneak attacks). A fighter can get +2 to+6 damage from 1-3 feats without using an intelligence boosting item, and without restriction to sneak attacks.

The more I think about how FUBAR'ed the Swashbuckler and Dualist classes are, the more inept I think the developers are. I can of course understand that they wouldn't want someone hitting the 3rd level for the Swashbuckler *just* to gain an attack bonus (rather than a damage bonus as implemented), but the idiots could have easily provided Insightful Strike like this:

Intelligence bonus to attack - class level 3, maximum +1. Additional maximum of + 1 every 3 class levels (i.e. Swashbuckler class level 6 +2 max., class level 9 +3 max.).

[Claudius]

yeah +x AB is better than +x damage for sure. I'm telling you its still a nice class in some builds. Maybe not the build I mention though I am sure that one wouldn't be that bad. Another thought is that intelligence is good for skills and the damage multiplies on a crit. For my build I might just take the +8 RDD strength and add it on the Yuan ti base (haven't read about yuan ti but that might be 14) I'm saying the break point for when str costs 2 pts. Then start with max dex and pump dex. You'd have good AC/AB and would still have crits/damage with 10 Bard levels you'd have some useful spells but you'd lose an attack. Or you could go more swash.

What is the PnP rule on swash anyway?

[Scottg]

Yeah, it isn't a bad class..

But it doesn't have any compelling reason to choose it over other classes EXCEPT for the intelligence damage bonus - and even then only when you don't expect to get into epic levels (where Combat Insight would be preferred).

1. it has a high bab
2. you can get the damage bonus with only 3 levels.

Basically it removes both the Dualist and Invisible Blade classes from most Wizard multi-class configurations. Spend fewer levels; spend fewer feats and potential attribute requirements; get a greater potential for damage modification. The cost is a potential multi-class problem with exp. points, but a racial Wizard favored class negates this.

In other words its existence will almost exclusively be:

Wizard 7/Swashbuckler 3/Eldritch Knight 10 Race: Sun Elf or Drow.

Insightful combat *may* also double up with Combat Insight.. that would be cool, but I doubt it.

If it stacks with the damage bonus from either the Invisible Blade or the Dualist - then I could also see potential there.. but only for 3 levels again.

I don't remember what the p'n'p version is. (..I was going by what I thought I remembered from viewing the bioware board discussion on this class as p'n'p vs. as expected in-game.)

[Claudius]

I think it will stack with combat insight. And the swash abilitity is actually better anyhow because it stacks with strength. Which is nice if you are lugging around a big mess of stuff in a budget bag of holding. Ten strength is great for minmaxing but it is brutal in terms of playability. Also combat insight costs an epic feat while the Swash is just a class feature!

Also opens the door to dexer clerics with insane AB, skills, and ok damage per hit.

I think the deal with rogues is they keep rogues in the game to appeal to rogue lovers. But then they make it so all they do is pick a lock (knock/bash anyone). They need to grant precise strike as a level 1 rogue ability and upgrade that to Double Precise Strike in epics. I will admit that HIPS is still insane even without sneak damage.

[Scottg]

I think it will stack with combat insight. And the swash abilitity is actually better anyhow because it stacks with strength. Which is nice if you are lugging around a big mess of stuff in a budget bag of holding. Ten strength is great for minmaxing but it is brutal in terms of playability. Also combat insight costs an epic feat while the Swash is just a class feature!

Also opens the door to dexer clerics with insane AB, skills, and ok damage per hit.

I think the deal with rogues is they keep rogues in the game to appeal to rogue lovers. But then they make it so all they do is pick a lock (knock/bash anyone). They need to grant precise strike as a level 1 rogue ability and upgrade that to Double Precise Strike in epics. I will admit that HIPS is still insane even without sneak damage.

Fix sneak attack - that's an excellent idea. They should also double the damage of traps generally. For sneak attacks even a 3rd of the damage (on critically immune opponents) would be acceptable IMO. I'd also like to see a restriction for rogue classes on sneak attacks that make them more or less damaging depending on less or more armor.

HIPS is nice, but in addition to a "5 second cool down" I'd like to see an additional 10 seconds (while hidden) before another offensive action can be taken. I think that would match feint's weaknesses better (..but differently).

On the "flip side" though I'd like to see potions that can be quaffed a lot faster than they currently are. Remember the assassins in the bridge district of BG2? #3 here:

Baldur's Gate II @ GameBanshee

I'd like to see a viable "drink invisibility potion then sneak attack" maneuver like they had.. for a different type of sneak attack.

.................

True - I'd forgotten that Combat Insight doesn't work *with* strength damage.. BUT I'd question most builds that have much strength damage for the Swashbuckler, it is after all a "weapon finesse" character - likely very high dexterity.

Perhaps a Fighter/Swashbuckler/Invisible Blade/Neverwinter Nine - dual wield kukri, good feint, maximum BAB, weapon specialization & focus, good non-armored AC, ect.. Hmm, sounds good for a Yuan-ti..:mischief: Combat Insight at Epic levels.