Enhanced Monsters Options

[aigleborgne]

AI script will first do a step forward, especially for monsters with special abilities or spells.
Some monsters will be weaker, because they were more powerful than in P&P. However, they might gain P&P abilities that help a bit.

Globally, this is an improvement for most monsters. They will be stronger, smarter, and with most of their P&P abilities.
Smarter script help a lot monsters with many abilities (succubus, sirene, hamadryad, demons, ogre-mage). For all others, it's more a matter of beeing able to track, rest and recover, or pick easiest target.
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with them. Now, I will use a lot more shapeshifting abilities or conjure monsters & animals.

It will be no more possible to kill a polar bear with a solo level 2-3 character, using classical hit & run tactics.
However, a lone monster will not increase difficulty by much (except if you take a very powerful one). But you will see a difference in big fights with many monsters.
That beeing said, players like me who used to play solo will certainly see a difference. It was possible to take most of monsters solo with cheesy tactics and gain lots of experience.
But it doesn't make sense to see a lone level 2-3 warrior killing greater basilisk, ankheg, doom guards, sirenes. In P&P, it wouldn't have been possible!

Ankheg: one acid spit per day, entangle target with no save on hit.

Basilisk: petrification is area of effect (as in P&P)

Greater Basilisk: they were just basilisk with more HP! Now, they have their foul breath on melee range (save or die) and poison claws. They are also strong in melee with heavy HP.

Bears: they are all a lot more stronger and faster! This was their big weakness... Bears move as fast as human in P&P, why not in game?

Carrion crawler : they now have their 8 attack per round. Their ability to hold with smarter AI and high number of attack make them more powerful. but they are still easy to kill (very low HP)

To be continued...

[aigleborgne]

Relating to P&P, Monsters will be based on 2nd and/or 3rd edition. It depends on what I can find or what I can do.
Overall, 3rd are better and I will try to stick to it when possible.

I am making a new tool which will allow me to add special abilities in a very easy way. I will have a very good control on every monsters.
From actual standpoint, it will be a major change. I expect to produce a high standing component.

[Chev]

Overall, 3rd are better and I will try to stick to it when possible.

I fully understand this is your mod and you will make the way you want. BG1&2 are 2nd Ed. AD&D games and I hope it will stay that way. That is why I play it not 3rd Ed. based CRPGs. Not that everything 3rd Ed. is bad, but 2nd Ed. is a fully developed game. If you are going to use P&P rules to backup your ideas then sticking to one game would be best.