Although I haven't made any major decisions in this area, I have thought of giving Specialist Wizards a bit more attention and depth as well as having more specialist opponents (including Irenicus) rather than simple mages. Most of the specialists would naturally specialize in schools that match their character.

The specialist wizards will recieve the following stats:

Abjurer:
Requirements:
- Must be a human with a wisdom of at least 15
Bonuses:
- An abjurer can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of abjuration. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the abjurer
- An abjurer adds a +1 bonus when saving against wizard/priest abjuration spells
- At 17th level, immunity hold spells is granted
- At 17th level a +1 bonus when saving against poison, paralyzation, and death magic is granted
- At 20th level, his base Armor Class is permanently raised from 10 to 9
Penalties:
- An abjurer cannot learn spells from the schools of alteration and illusion

Transmuter:
Requirements:
- Must be a human or half-elf with a dexterity of at least 15
Bonuses:
- A transmuter can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of alteration. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the transmuter
- A transmuter adds a +1 bonus when saving against wizard/priest alteration spells
- At 17th level, the transmuter may increase any of his weapon proficiencies by one
- At 20th level, the transmuter may further increase any of his weapon proficiencies by one
Penalties:
- A transmuter cannot learn spells from the schools of abjuration and necromancy

NOTE: When increasing a weapon proficiency of his choice, the transmuter may only do so for any of the weapons that are normally usable by a mage

Conjurer:
Requirements:
- Must be a human or half-elf with a constitution of at least 15
Bonuses:
- A conjurer can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of conjuration. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the conjurer
- A conjurer adds a +1 bonus when saving against wizard/priest conjuration spells
- At 17th level, the conjurer ???
- At 20th level, the conjurer may dispel up to a total of 10HD worth of summoned creatures, each less than 6HD thrice per day
Penalties:
- A conjurer cannot learn spells from the schools of divination and invocation/evocation

Enchanter:
Requirements:
- Must be a human, elf, or half-elf with a charisma of at least 16
Bonuses:
- An enchanter can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of enchantment. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the enchanter
- An enchanter adds a +1 bonus when saving against wizard/priest enchantment spells
- At 17th level, the enchanter becomes immune to all forms of charm and domination
- At 20th level, the enchanter may cast free action once per day that lasts a single hour and has a casting time of 1
Penalties:
- An enchanter cannot learn spells from the schools of invocation/evocation and necromancy

Diviner:
Requirements:
- Must be a human, elf, or half-elf with a wisdom of at least 16
Bonuses:
- A diviner can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of divination. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the diviner.
- A diviner adds a +1 bonus when saving against divinations
- At 17th level, the diviner gains a permanent nondetection ability
- At 19th level, the diviner may cast find traps thrice per day
- At 20th level, the diviner may cast clairvoyance once per day
Penalties:
- The diviner is denied access to the school of conjuration/summoning

Illusionist:
Requirements:
- Must be a human or gnome with a dexterity of at least 16
Bonuses:
- An illusionist can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of illusion. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the illusionist.
- An illusionist adds a +1 bonus when saving against illusions
- At 17th level, the illusionist gains an additional +1 bonus when saving against illusions
- At 20th level, the illusionist may cast dispel illusion thrice per day. It functions similarly to dispel magic, except the area effect is one creature and the chance of success is 99%
Penalties:
- An illusionist cannot learn spells from the schools of necromancy, invocation/evocation, and abjuration

NOTE: The illusionist will recieve the widest variety of spells that are restricted to illusionists.

Invoker:
Requirements:
- Must be a human with a constitution of at least 16
Bonuses:
- An invoker can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of invocation. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the invoker
- An invoker adds a +1 bonus when saving against wizard/priest invocation spells
- At 17th level, the invoker gains an additional +1 bonus when saving against invocation spells
- At 20th level, the invoker gains an additional +1 bonus when saving against invocation spells
Penalties:
- The invoker is denied access to spells from the schools of enchantment/charm and conjuration/summoning

Necromancer:
Requirements:
- Must be a human with a wisdom of at least 16
Bonuses:
- An necromancer can memorize an extra spell at each spell level (via innate ability), provided it is from the school of necromancy. That extra spell is chosen by the player at the level up of the necromancer
- A necromancer adds a +1 bonus when saving against wizard/priest necromancy spells
- At 17th level, the necromancer gains a +2 bonus to saving throws and armor class against undead in addition to a further +1 bonus when saving against wizard/priest necromancy spells
- At 20th level, the necromancer may cast raise dead once per day
Penalties:
- The necromancer cannot learn spells from the schools of illusion and enchantment/charm

NOTE: The necromancer will recieve the second widest variety of spells that are restricted to necromancers.

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Here is what I have thought so far about NPC specialists:

Abjurer
- Nalia

Conjurer
- Zallanora (a high-level cowled enforcer official)

Invoker
- Edwin (I am not sure about this, but he does mention himself as someone hurling fireballs)
- Sendai

Necromancer
- Just about any Lich with a few exceptions (they might be conjurers, invokers, or simple mages)
- Lavok
- Irenicus

Some of the above are listed as NPCs that have dual classed, but I will remove the unkitted dual class restrictions from the game (so you can have a Dweomerkeeper of Mystra dualed to an Abjurer) by applying the AddSuperKit() command. At the moment I am unsure how to allow 2 kits to be active with multi-classed characters, but I will hopefully have it figured out when I get there.

-Galactygon

they seem nice choices but besides the normal penitalies are there any other ones? they could recive a penitaly from there opposite school.

for example An invoker adds a -1 penitaly when saving against wizard/priest enchantment/charm.

I haven't thought about that idea yet, and it's quite an interesting one, considered the specialist doesn't know that school really well. But then again, that would mean fighters would have that penalty too, since they don't know any of the 8 wizard schools.

-Galactygon

This may sound extra picky, but I don't really like the idea of the necromancer gaining Raise Dead. I feel that is a power which should be restricted to the cleric class for the sake of balance and preserving the uniqueness of the cleric's abilities. Not a huge issue in any respect, though.

An interesting ability for the diviner that I'm unsure is feasible: Perhaps the diviner would be able to cast spells upon creatures affected by Improved Invisibility. I always thought that the diviner was one of the weaker choices for a specialist. If this is possible it would make the diviner a much more attractive choice for me.

I like Kalindor's diviner idea very much.
I also support the Raise Dead idea for the Necromancer, this specialist mage also isn't too popular (and I like Necromancers).

Clerics will have other potent uses (such as warding large areas from particular creatures, spells, damage types, or bestowing blessings, etc.)



If you take a look at the schools of restrictions, you will see the diviner is only restricted from learning spells from one particular school rather than two (or in some cases three).

-Galactygon

I am not convinced by Raise Dead either - many nonevil Necromancers take up their school specially to combat the Undead, rather than to create more of them. The rest looks nice, though.

Also, is it possible to give a save bonus vs. spell school as you are suggesting? If so, how?

It could be alignment-based: Good-aligned necromancers might recieve Raise Dead, evil-ones might recieve Animate Dead, and I don't know what neutral-aligned necromancers might recieve. Perhaps they might also recieve Raise Dead? I initially thought about introducing Reincarnation to the game, and giving the necromancers an extra innate ability to cast Reincarnation once per day. Due to engine limitations, I decided to stick with Raise Dead instead.

I also don't see how raising the fallen to give them an extra chance would be considered "animating the dead" as opposed to animating them as zombies to serve the caster's needs.



I thought about changing the specific.IDS of the caster to a some value depending on the school of his/her specialization. All spells using that school would have .eff files embedded within, granting a +1 saving throw bonus for an extremely short duration.

-Galactygon

Well, that's the part that seems to me to be detrimental to class identity. I'm no PvP loremaster, especially concerning Forgotten Realms. However, I'm assuming that once someone dies something happens to their soul after death. It passes into the great beyond or what have you. If that's the case, it seems to me that messing with the domain of the great beyond would require intervention on the level of the divine only: I.E. clerics and those with a direct conduit to the gods. As I see it, the necromancer animating corpses with magical "programs," if you will, doesn't fiddle with souls that have passed already into the void. It seems odd that bringing dead souls back from the afterlife would be in the domain of a necromancer when it would require divine authority to accomplish. Maybe I think about things too much, though.

Yeah, I misread Raise Dead for Animate Dead.

Either way, I am not convinced it would work well - the power to raise the dead is meant to be a divine one, not available to arcane casters.

Then why is reincarnation a level 6 wizard spell?

-Galactygon

I don't even know what the reincarnation spell contains the abilities to achieve. Like I said, I'm no PvP loremaster. If it lets an arcane spellcaster revive the dead in an original-soul type of way, then I say nuts upon it and whoever came up with it is full of soot and poo poo.

It's just a convention that only divine magic can raise the dead. It's nice and good, but nothing forces us to respect the convention, if want to add Arcane spells e.g. for raising the dead.

Reincarnation is similar to raise dead except you restore a character in a different (humanoid) body.



Wizards can potentially achieve anything that priests could; only without the help of an external deity and with much greater difficulty. Thus, wizards could heal wounds, except at a much greater cost (for example, cure light wounds might be a second- or a third-level spell rather than a first-level spell). The same would apply to spells that raise the dead.

For example, a wish spell is capable of duplicating any priest spell.

-Galactygon

I see your reasoning now. That makes a little more sense. I always assumed that arcane and divine magic were fundamentally different in nature. If the gods simply wield a huge amount of arcane magic and bestow abilities upon their servants, it seems they would give them some of the incredible offensive magic that mages command. I mean, what's with this Magic Stone and False Dawn crap?

It should be pointed out that Wish doesn't draw on the caster's own energies or even the magical weave - rather it relies on extraplanar creatures. Why these creatures should be as or more powerful than the gods I don't know, but that's just the way it is .

That would be the same case with reincarnation/raise dead the necromaners may cast.

-Galactygon

According to AD&D, conjurers who have reached 17th level will not have to rely on material components when casting a conjuration spell. However, since I will not be introducing material components into the game, I have ran out of ideas on what ability I should to give 17th level conjurers instead.

My first thoughts were to give a special monster summoning spell, or to choose which type of monsters the conjurer wishes to conjure when (s)he casts Monster Summoning I-VII (remember the default is a random amount of monsters appearing of a random type). I felt they weren't fitting enough or were too repetetive (I am tired of giving out innate abilities to character subclasses/kits like candy).

-Galactygon

Would there be any way to alter the normal spells found in the Conjurer's spellbook so it would allow selection of which type of monster is being cast? So for example normal players would get the random version, but when a conjurer casts the spell, the get a spell-immunity type listing of the different monsters they can choose to summon for that particular spell.

It would be really good if I could choose the monster I want to summon. For example, when fighting an enemy not immune to paralysation, I would summon Ghouls, while a strong enemy would get Ogrillons from me. Actually I know we're talking of BG2 spells, so the Monster Summoning spells don't summon 6 creatures of the same type, which I don't like.
In case of MonSum III, I personally preferred 6 ogrillons/ghouls to 1 ogre/ettercap. What do you think about this, Galc?

Unfortunately, I just realized it wouldn't be possible to apply the spell immunity selection menu to conjurers while randomizing the monsters for non-conjurers. That is, I haven't figured out a way to bypass this yet unless I delve into .bcs and .dlg files. And I dislike using them in spells; they make the game quite dirty.

-Galactygon

Too bad, I would have loved that feature.

However, the final question of my previous post still remains valid. I suppose you didn't plan such changes, but I ask it anyway (i.e. more creatures of the same, but of a bit weaker type -- instead of one strong. E.g. 6 ogrillons instead of 1 ogre).
I know that in BG2 ogrillons/ghouls are too weak, but in the later stages of the game, ogres/ettercaps aren't better either. 6 ogrillons have more total HP than an ogre anyway, so they are better in holding up the enemy. (And the player will rather summon Elementals and Planar creatures to assist him).

It's much nicer/more esthetic when a wizard summons 5-6 nice ogrillons/ghouls/etc. than one unlucky ogre, isn't it?

That would be like merging the different levels of Monster Summoning; in Lost Crossroads, Monster Summoning spells summon a random number of monsters per casting of a random type.

Most of the monsters summoned at a particular level of Monster Summoning are about the same in power. The difference is some monsters prove to be more useful in some situations and less useful in other situations.

There will be no "one powerful creature" or "many weak creatures" as there were in BG2; it is a random number of a particular type of monster.

-Galactygon

It is even better than what I originally suggested (or asked).
(By the way, I didn't want to merge any spells, I was talking of a spell in one particular level, concretely about the 5th level MonSum III, but it could have been any level.)

You could check for when the spell is memorised (have spell, or just set a local) by a conjurer in the dplayer scripts, and then remove the spell and give an alternative spell.

Or, seeing as you seem to be modifying .ids files, give the specific.ids a use, and use it to track kits (or perhaps just use 1 value for 'I am a conjurer' for PC's), and then use eff targetting when giving the spell.

That only works for innates, not for wizard/priest spells. Speaking of which, I implement this method for the memorized extra innate spells the conjurer may cast once per day.



Unfortunately, that will not work very well. Monster Summoning I-VII summons random monsters and has a casting time of a particular value. When applying the spell immunity menu, the spell should be cast instantly (even if the game is paused ~ see Nahal's Reckless Dweomer). I cannot have the spell be cast in the same manner as the former for conjurers, while keeping the normal casting time intact.

-Galactygon

How about a reduction in casting time of conjuration spells for conjurers, which would sort of symbolize the lack of fiddling with spell components?

That would be even harder to implement than allowing conjurers to pick their monsters.
Otherwise, your idea would be the closest to AD&D.

-Galactygon

Hmm... I think I found out a way to allow conjurers to pick their monsters; it does require a great deal of work, but I am used to working with 235 effects in 40 extension headers.

I will write an explanation for mainly my own benefit (I usually forget procedures quite quickly) or for any modder wishing to make such an attempt:

1.) When scribing a scroll, conjurers scribe a different spell than non-conjurers (determined by some value in the specific.IDS, as igi indicated).
2.) When picking a spell at the beginning of the game, conjurers pick a different spell than non-conjurers (this could be done by excluding the regular monster summoning to conjurers and the special monster summoning to non-conjurers via school exclusion flags).
3.) The special monster summoning spell the conjurers pick/scribe is exactly identical to the normal monster summoning spell, except at level 17, the conjurers may pick the creature they may summon via spell immunity menu.

This should theoretically work, and the only possible shortcoming I can see is the conjurer may scribe scrolls repeatedly (and thus gaining EXP), even if (s)he has the spell. In ToB, you can erase and re-scribe your spells, so it will not make much of a difference anyway.

-Galactygon

You could work around this, with script and spells (it would be hacky, but I think it could probably work), but, as you say, there's little point, as the exploit exists anyway once you install ToB.

Generally I would agree with the specialist mage kits, however, I would argue that Nalia wouldn't be an abjurer since it means she cannot use illusions and, to be fair, why would a thief dual-class to a mage that cannot improve on thieving abilities (ie invisibility) it does not make sense in a role-playing way.

Personally, from the descriptions you have given - I would say that she suits a diviner better with find traps / non-detection. But that may be just me . . .

Forgive me not replying - I have not noticed this until now.

Abjurers are known to be thoughtful, giving, well-mannered, and like to protect weaker members of the society. Nalia fits all these traits, and would suit her character quite well. Not to mention that in terms of combat stats, she is a weaker version of Imoen. Thus, giving her this kit would also make her more unique. Her previous class as a thief signifies the innocent times spent sneaking around the kit (didn't Imoen do this back in Candlekeep?), while her mage kit represents her maturing and going back as an adult to defend her lands. So in a way, her dual-classing signifies her transitioning into adulthood. I would argue that her "chaotic good" alignment represents her lack of experience and her lack of ability to agree with the Amnish society.

Nevertheless, I will make kitted NPCs optional components, in case people don't like what I'm doing.

-Galactygon

Right, I didn't know this - I'll agree that fits her personality well then, though you may want to make it clear for those of us who never played PnP and wouldn't know something like that . . .

PnP or not, it would make sense anyway.

-Galactygon