Why mages are so ugly?

Grey Human · Post by **Grey Human** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 9:51 am

I want to create a mage character, but his picture looks ugly. I am not fan of beards and dresses. Thief's picture looks far more better. Is there any way to create mage with thief's picture on the inventory screen?

QuenGalad · Post by **QuenGalad** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 10:40 am

Just download the Shadow Keeper editor for BG2 (I'm at work right now so can't supply a link, but it won't be hard to find).

It's a great tool for tweaking such things as character's silhouettes, colours and stuff. I use it regularly for such purposes. Playing an elven archer is twice as fun when you give him/her an elven thief avatar, so they get a neat little hood instead of a horned helmet

Oh, and you can use SK for blatant cheating and creating godlike characters, but who'd do that?

Grey Human · Post by **Grey Human** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 1:05 pm

Boo says: "Thank you!"

That was exactly what I was looking for! Here is the link: Shadow Keeper

However I have another very serious problem. I can't start playing the game because I can't stop listening great menu music. I don't know what do!

Lopov · Post by **Lopov** » Wed Jun 16, 2010 7:33 am

Turn the menu music on in Youtube on repeat, then start playing the game.

willsanders84 · Post by **willsanders84** » Wed Jun 16, 2010 4:04 pm

The music's the ONLY reason I'd ever install ToB. And regarding the original thread, I love the mage paper doll - Nalia (illegally) looks far better than Imoen. Sure the hooded thief looks great, but you have to wear leather, and who wants an entire party of hooded characters? (Oh btw if you want a hooded mage there's POTENTIALLY a robe that gives you a hood.) The worst paper doll has to be the female fighter in plate - ERG. I LOVE female fighters, but this graphic looks so rubbish, I don't play them. "Steel is the only thing a woman can trust." !!!! Love it.

P.s. 139 views, about 5 replies on this thread, two cents people! Even if it's just what you had for breakfast!

Ode to a Grasshopper · Wed Jun 16, 2010 5:52 pm

Grey Human wrote:I want to create a mage character, but his picture looks ugly. I am not fan of beards and dresses.

You think you have troubles, try making a female gnome mage...Why does my wild mage Princess Kashmir have a beard?!

QuenGalad · Post by **QuenGalad** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 1:16 am

Maybe not the whole party, but rangers looking exactly like fighters - with those super-ugly big helmets etc - are just wrong. Especially elves, being thin and small. You put on the Helm of Balduran and you get basically a horned lollipop.

As to Immy and Nalia, I quite like that they have different looks. Immy is, by now, an experienced adventurer and traveller, and Nalia is still just a noble girl, so it makes sense that one is wearing a simple short tunic and the other a long dress. I usually change Immy to mage avatar in ToB to show that she's become more powerful.

Ode, have you checked Spellhold Studios? There's a modder there who works on that kind of stuff and I think i saw something for the Little Ladies... not sure though.

Devilock · Post by **Devilock** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:01 am

Bump!

I've also used SK to edit the way my self-made NPC's look, but I'm also not entirely satisfied with the results.

I've edited my dual-classed fighter-thief to look like a rogue instead of a boring old fighter, but I can only see the result in the inventory screen/paper doll. The in-game model for the little guy still looks likea fighter. How is this possible?

I've also changed my dual classed fighter-mage to look like a mage, but as the original poster said: he is ugly as sin. I've noticed a 'Mage Human Male Low'-model in the SK menu, but I can't really tell the difference. :S Also, I love the way Xzar looks when you meet him in the Docks (with the hooded robe and everything), but I can't find the model for that. Is it possible to give your mage a hooded look?

Thanks!

QuenGalad · Post by **QuenGalad** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:14 am

The difference between the "low" and "standard" physique remains a mystery. To me, at least.

The hooded mages - this depends on what you are actually wearing. A character's look is a mix of class avatar and armour used. A mage that is not wearing anything looks like he's got a cassock on. A simple robe adds a few details, a "medium" robe adds a cape and pads, and a "heavy" robe adds the hood and wide sleeves. However, IIRC only the Robes of Archmagi (good, neutral, evil) count as that.

As to why your fighter-thief looks like a fighter, you're probably wearing some heavy armour (chainmail, plate). A thief avatar has no animation for those, since he can't wear them, so he reverts to "default".

Devilock · Post by **Devilock** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:22 am

I see! My mage is wearing the Robe of Veccna, so I'm afraid he'll just have to do without a hood. My fighter/thief is actually a kensai/thief (not high level enough for UAI), so he's not wearing any armor.

Thanks for the quick response, though!

QuenGalad · Post by **QuenGalad** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:23 am

There's your answer, then. "Naked" characters look more or less the same, fighters, thieves, clerics et al. Only mages get preferential treatment

Ode to a Grasshopper · Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:10 pm

QuenGalad wrote:Ode, have you checked Spellhold Studios? There's a modder there who works on that kind of stuff and I think i saw something for the Little Ladies... not sure though.

Missed that one, oh well...I settled for giving her an extremely effeminate male voiceset instead. Didn't know that about the elven ranger-to-thief avatar though, will have to do that next time.

Devilock wrote:I see! My mage is wearing the Robe of Veccna, so I'm afraid he'll just have to do without a hood. My fighter/thief is actually a kensai/thief (not high level enough for UAI), so he's not wearing any armor.

Thanks for the quick response, though!

If it really bugs you, there's a program called NearInfinity that lets you edit and create items. It's a bit tricky to get the hang of but if you copy and paste effects from one item to another you can usually make minor alterations without crashing the game.

I used it to change the green trim on the Robe of Vecna to gold (amongst some other changes to various items).

QuenGalad · Post by **QuenGalad** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:15 am

Ode to a Grasshopper wrote:Missed that one, oh well...I settled for giving her an extremely effeminate male voiceset instead. Didn't know that about the elven ranger-to-thief avatar though, will have to do that next time.

I definitely recommend giving rangers thief avatars, especially elven. With a green or brown color scheme they look great. There's just something wrong about a small, slender guy (or gel) with a huge, helmeted (sometimes horned) head, trying to remain unseen :laugh:

Female dwarves are finished, I think, and a lot of other content is on the way that's supposed to rectify the horrible treatment of short races in BG. You may want to rummage around [url="http://www.shsforums.net/forum/159-1pp/?"]this Spellhold Studios forum[/url].