Baldur's Gate

[Frog Dragon]

So since the old thread is months old I figured I'd start a new one for this great CRPG. Oh and I also have a question. Anyone know a fix for the annoying "Infinity Efreeti bug" when you fight the City Gates lich in BGII. I have the latest patch and tweak pack along with some other mod shiz. What I mean is when the lich summons an efreeti and I kill it iy just turns into invulnerable mist for a little while and then reappears at full hp without the lich resummoning it:smallmad:

[Hzurr]

Have you tried killing the lich? (I haven't played the game, this is just my random guess out of right field)

[Eolar]

Does anyone know if the magic items in BG1 have charges? I've found two items that seem totally overpowered - a cloak of charm person and a wand of summon monster, but I can't figure out if I should use them all the time becuase they have unlimited uses or to save them because they have a limited amount of charges. I know in BG2 there are wands with charges, but I'm not sure if that is the case in BG1.

Thanks,
Eolar

[Remmirath]

I don't know about the cloak - I never use charm - but the Summon Monster wand does have charges. I believe they tend to have quite a few charges, though, so it's probably safe to use it in every big fight.

[Mordokai]

Have you tried killing the lich? (I haven't played the game, this is just my random guess out of right field)

That usually works. At least for me.

[Eolar]

I just used the all of the wand charges in the Firewine Dungeon. Oh well, that place was annoying as heck. The narrow corridors and the fire-arrow kobolds of doom kept making Khalid turn a corner and take 10 arrows to the face. However, summoning 7 gnoll elite into the tiny space filled with kobolds was totally worth it.

[Pronounceable]

Algernon's Cloak is the most horribly broken item to ever exist in a game. That doesn't mean it's no fun, on the contrary; there's an obscene amount of dialog that can be accessed by charming all NPCs you come across. Especially amusing with bosses.

[Frog Dragon]

Have you tried killing the lich? (I haven't played the game, this is just my random guess out of right field)
That usually works, but my party can't handle them both at the same time for long. My highest level character is Haer'Dalis Bard 10. Not highest XP though my cleric mages top him, but the efreeti summon doesn't work that way anywhere else. If you drop it, it should drop, not come back 5 seconds later. Summon or no.

[Triaxx]

Algernon's? It's not really that bad. I used it mostly for shopping. Once you've got the Nymph's Cloak as well, then's horribly broken.

Wands do have charges in BG1, but so many that you don't have to worry. In BG2, they told you how many they have, which is a good argument for TuTu.

[Ebonsword]

That usually works, but my party can't handle them both at the same time for long. My highest level character is Haer'Dalis Bard 10. Not highest XP though my cleric mages top him, but the efreeti summon doesn't work that way anywhere else. If you drop it, it should drop, not come back 5 seconds later. Summon or no.

Hmm, don't recall hearing about that bug before, and a quick Google search didn't reveal anything.

You could try asking here: http://forumplanet.gamespy.com/planetbaldursgate/

Or you could just go buy a couple of Protection from Magic Scrolls (I think that they're available at the beginning of the game from one of the merchants). Have your two best fighters use them and you should be able to pound the Lich into dust in no time.

[Mordokai]

That usually works, but my party can't handle them both at the same time for long. My highest level character is Haer'Dalis Bard 10. Not highest XP though my cleric mages top him, but the efreeti summon doesn't work that way anywhere else. If you drop it, it should drop, not come back 5 seconds later. Summon or no.

I... really don't think you should be tackling liches so soon. Liches can be pain in ass even for high level parties, but you are, from what I can deduce, barely starting the game. You really shouldn't be fighting liches so soon.

[Frog Dragon]

I have Minsc (Ranger), Thalain (PC Cleric/Mage multi), Aerie(Cleric/Mage multi), Viconia (Cleric), Jan Jansen ["Mustard Jelly Jansen at your service!" All you need to defeat most liches (Thief/Illusionist multi)], Haer'Dalis [Currently not in party as I'm in astral prison right now. I know it's hard, but the hardest part for low levels at least. The starting encounter is done for.(Bard)]

Yeah the lich is able to wail spells long enough for Jan Jansen to run out of polymorph and the Efreeti can still hit him.

Yeah and mustard jelly is really all you need to deal with liches. Actually what is the duration on Cloak of Severs. I have it and I could use it to kick the liches ass. All the better if Minsc can wear it as he has high HP to take the efreeti attacks without too much trouble. And yeah liches are tough, but levels don't have that much meaning in there. Just apply the right set of ch- I mean abilities and you're set.

[Wraith]

Killing liches in BG2 is always tricky, but for some reason the one in the City Gates always seems to be comparatively easy to take down when I play the game.
I seem to recall that you can also locate some Arrows of Penetration quite early in the game - possibly even Irenicus' Dungeon? It's not a perfect tactic, but loading those into the Tuigan Bow is good for a laugh against Liches (and, indeed, any sort of spell-caster).

Alternatively, just have Jan cast Improved Invisibility and Haste on himself, run in and unlock/pilfer the chest (he can't be targeted by anything because he's invisible, so even if he gets caught in Time Stop it'll probably work out alright) and then send a character in with your newly looted Daystar longsword.

I know it's all down to dice and probability, but I have yet to see the Lich survive a quick succession of Sunbursts to the face while being shot with arrows which ignore his magic protections :smallsmile:

Favouritest game ever, love it to bits. Still waiting on that Mazzy Fentan Romance patch, mind... :smallconfused:

[Altima]

I don't know if it works this way in BG1, but in BG2, you can recharge wands by selling them to a merchant then buying them back.

[Triaxx]

The wand trick still works in BG2.

Thieves can use Longswords. And Jan can cast Identify... :smallsmile:

Of course, that's got nothing on a good ol' scroll of Protection from Undead. Or Protection from Magic. The latter could even be cast while invisible, on the Lich, to prevent all it's spells. Daystar will then wipe it out of existence even if you have to use it unproficient to beat him to death.

[Shpadoinkle]

Does anyone know if the magic items in BG1 have charges? I've found two items that seem totally overpowered - a cloak of charm person and a wand of summon monster

That wand and all other wands in the game have charges, yes. They just disappear when you use the last one.

Algernon's cloak has infinite charges.

[Cespenar]

My Anomen had once blasted a lich into nonexistence with Turn Undead. Admittedly, he was high-level (20+), but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

[Arang]

Speaking of lucky breaks with liches, I once had three of four party members stunned by Deirex. My Assassin, Korgan and Edwin were all down, which was kind of a bummer because at that point my tactics usually revolved around Edwin or Korgan killing everyone. Thankfully, Deirex was content to try and overcome Korgan's outrageous saves while Viconia, silenced, was beating on him. As I reached for the reload key, the Mace of Disruption kicks in and OHKOs its first and (that I noticed) only undead ever.

Good times.

[Satyr]

The easiest trick to win almost any combat which starts with a dialogue or where the enemie appears later or must be summoned are traps. You can kill everything with traps.
The other rather stupid trick is to take Aerie, as she is always a lower level spellcaster and let her cast spell resitance on all enemies you cannot harm with spells, as the spell overwrites the normal spell resitance, which is then further reduced with debuffing spells. This works exceptionally well with liches and the truly enerving Kangax.
The other trick with Kangax is to steal him his ring before the fight. The loss of the ring will not make him much weaker, but it will make you much stronger, so it's definately worth it.

[Pronounceable]

My Anomen had once blasted a lich into nonexistence with Turn Undead. Admittedly, he was high-level (20+), but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

My Viconia regularly turned Keldorn.

[king.com]

Speaking of which, what NPCs did everyone take and why? Myself, i went fro th hilarious NPC interaction with Minsc, Jehiera, Aerie, Viconia, Edwin(a). good times had by all.

[Arang]

I usually ditched Jaheira and Minsc, and never ever picked Cernd, Haer'Dalis and Nalia. Keldorn, Aerie and Jan rarely featured, as well. I didn't pick Mazzy often, but I did like her when I did. Yoshimo got brought along nearly every game, not just because he was very very good at what I needed him for but also because I liked his character.

My favourite NPCs are Edwin and Korgan, both for their hilarious dialogue and for how insanely powerful you could make them. What I really missed in the game was an evil Thief (or hell, any Thief) so I could play as a Sorcerer. Wish in one hand, I guess.

[Driderman]

I usually ditched Jaheira and Minsc, and never ever picked Cernd, Haer'Dalis and Nalia. Keldorn, Aerie and Jan rarely featured, as well. I didn't pick Mazzy often, but I did like her when I did. Yoshimo got brought along nearly every game, not just because he was very very good at what I needed him for but also because I liked his character.

My favourite NPCs are Edwin and Korgan, both for their hilarious dialogue and for how insanely powerful you could make them. What I really missed in the game was an evil Thief (or hell, any Thief) so I could play as a Sorcerer. Wish in one hand, I guess.

You've really done yourself a disservice if you haven't teamed Korgan up with Mazzy, Jaheira, Aerie and/or Nalia. The inter-party banter is hilarious, especially with Mazzy

[Recaiden]

My Viconia regularly turned Keldorn.

Awesome! I really loved those games.

[Cespenar]

My Viconia regularly turned Keldorn.

Hah, nice.

About the group composition, by the way, Minsc, Edwin and Jan are all good banter starters. After that, I take Jaheira and Viconia/Anomen (Anomen is annoying, but more powerful), and we're set.

By the time Imoen returns, I would probably have heard most (if not all) banters of Jan, so I exchange him with her.

In one run, I decided to form a team out of the least preferred/weakest characters. Namely, Haer'dalis, Mazzy, Cernd, Valygar, Nalia. Turned out there was some fun banter between Mazzy and Valygar too. Mazzy, thinking herself a noble knight, assumes that every knight must have a loyal squire, and chooses Valygar for the job, without asking him of course. Cue banter. :smallbiggrin:

[Altima]

I usually took along Minsc, Jaheira, Aerie, Viconia, and whoever I needed/wanted or Yoshimo. Yoshi got replaced by Imoen, whose thiefness could be boosted by potions. I, of course, had the romance patch installed.

I replaced Minsc with Sarevok in ToB. Deathbringer assault is awesome, plus you get all three Bhaalspawn together again.

[Avilan the Grey]

Speaking of which, what NPCs did everyone take and why? Myself, i went fro th hilarious NPC interaction with Minsc, Jehiera, Aerie, Viconia, Edwin(a). good times had by all.

Viconia.

In BGI had two other must-have characters together with her: Dynaheir and whatshername, the chaotic evil fighter.
The reason for picking that one is that at least with my playing style, high dex was much more important in those 2ed based games since AC just didn't seem to help on it's own (Minsc dies so quickly compared to her).

In BGII, my only other must-have would be Jaheira. She was not one of the better characters in BGI, but in BGII her insect swarm spells spells doom (pun intended) for enemy wizards. Plus she can hold her own in a fight.

[SilentNight]

Speaking of which, what NPCs did everyone take and why? Myself, i went fro th hilarious NPC interaction with Minsc, Jehiera, Aerie, Viconia, Edwin(a). good times had by all.

Last time I played I think I had Edwin, Korgan (With a -10 THACO thank you Crom Faeyr), Viconia, Jaheira and Minsc I think, although it's been a while.