Archers, longbows, and goblinoids

serjeLeBlade · Post by **serjeLeBlade** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 8:46 am

Another inventory full of "composite long bows"... even some magical one and... No one wants to use them

Isn't it a familiar feeling?

I was thinking... seriously... how many NPC can use longbows? You find them EVERYWHERE! Looks almost like that finding a normal shortbow is harder than finding some composite long bow +1! What gives?
(And why goblins are all using composite longbows anyway? Composite longbows are supposed to be
very expensive... )

But to the question... who can use them?
Minsc -- but he has double wield for free and likes melee more.
Mazzy -- but starts specialized in shortbows instead.
Korgan? (Ahem, pretty out of character and could not specialize).
Keldorn, but starts using crossbows.
Don't know about Valygar... he's a backstabber and double wielder again...

In the end,
who are we supposed to give all those magical longbows to???

In my first BG2 game, I found myself using Minsc as he was Kivan

Not very optimal choice...
Ah, how I miss Kivan.
What do you think of it?

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 9:46 am

Not to mention the given that many other NPC party members simply can't use longbows because of profession limitations. There's really a frustrating cornucopia of fine longbows in the game (Heartseeker, Elven Court Bow, Mana Bow, Strong Arm, Ripper, etc) but most characters that could use 'em are already handy with other ranged weapons. Who in their right mind would suggest to Korgan that he train with a longbow when he can already spin out a magical axe with the best of 'em?

Good reason to create an archer PC, I suppose.

kemra · Post by **kemra** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 9:48 am

You need a strength of at least 18 to weild a composite long bow. So Mazzy and Keldorn and Valygar can't use them without strength enhancing items. Unless of course im wrong.

serjeLeBlade · Post by **serjeLeBlade** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 10:15 am

Originally posted by kemra
You need a strength of at least 18 to weild a composite long bow. So Mazzy and Keldorn and Valygar can't use them without strength enhancing items. Unless of course im wrong.

I think you're right now that I think of it...
Great, so things are actually even worse than I thought

I came very close to create an archer npc (and name him Kivan), but there are more interesting things I've still to try...
So I ended up creating a ranger/cleric (named Kivan, with the correct portrait and voice set, but alas no bows).

Maybe a little editing is in order...

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 10:40 am

Too bad we can't create kensai/archers. That's the one thing about kensais I don't like: lack of ranged attacks.

Koveras · Post by **Koveras** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 12:05 pm

Originally posted by fable
Too bad we can't create kensai/archers. That's the one thing about kensais I don't like: lack of ranged attacks.

Actually, I was able to have my kensai use firetooth dagger, so I suspect perhaps he can use all throwing daggers(?). I believe he gets all the attack bonuses so he's about as good as an archer at range.

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 12:12 pm

Originally posted by Koveras
Actually, I was able to have my kensai use firetooth dagger, so I suspect perhaps he can use all throwing daggers(?). I believe he gets all the attack bonuses so he's about as good as an archer at range.

Yeah, yeah. Been there, thrown that.

Works for Rifthome, too. But I'm thinking of missile-using weapons, which are much more versatile.

Koveras · Post by **Koveras** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 12:26 pm

Heh, can't have everything.

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 12:28 pm

Originally posted by Koveras
Heh, can't have everything.

Well, I could, if I used SK, but I won't.

I do find the "no missiles" restriction a bit silly on a profession like kensai, though I can see where it might be considered overpowering. Still: if that's overpowering, why did they allow kensai to be dual-classed? That's far more cheesy than a missile-using kensai.

UserUnfriendly · Post by **UserUnfriendly** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 1:35 pm

i actually love crossbows slightly better, slower rate of fire, but fun tricks....

like firing unmagical bolts thru firetooth +5...hehhehehhe....

best long bow is item upgrade telemortis....

btw...a kensai firing longbows do wicked damage...hehehhehh

ARcheR_S_ · Post by **ARcheR_S_** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 3:32 pm

Kensai - Archer wasnt possible I believe, not even with SK...

I guess you need a kit creator for it...

Bruce Lee · Post by **Bruce Lee** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 3:53 pm

A kensai/thief can use bows...

HighLordDave · Post by **HighLordDave** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 6:00 pm

Originally posted by serjeLeBlade
Ah, how I miss Kivan.

Download TDD and you can have him join the party.

serjeLeBlade · Post by **serjeLeBlade** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 3:52 am

@HighLord... TDD is too big for my modem

But the coming Kivan Romance mod should do the trick I hope

UserUnfriendly · Post by **UserUnfriendly** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 5:19 am

"Kensai - Archer wasnt possible I believe, not even with SK...

I guess you need a kit creator for it..."

you can make ANYCLASS into kensai...i even made aerie into a kensai....

first, create a template game, start the game, and make a kensai, you will use this saved game as a template....

open up in sk, look for the line that starts

"AC"

copy the line into the affects of the character you want to make into a kensai...

then look for the line that starts with

"damage modifier"

and copy to the character you want, and duplicate 13 times...

then look for

"0x00000116"

and duplicate 13 times...

a kensai is just 27 lines in the affects tab, with kai innate ability...

you can add kai, but i usually dont bother....

this will turn anyone into the equivalent of a 40th level kensai...

serjeLeBlade · Post by **serjeLeBlade** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 6:08 am

Yes, with SK nearly everything is "possible"... with some approssimation... that's why Immy became an archer/mage yesterday night

(about 30 seconds later, I remembered an NPC who could be good at using composite longbows indeed: Sola! Oh well. I wasn't planning to take him with us anyway, this time).

@User... do you know what kind of damage does Teleomortis, perchance?
I mean... what kind of creatures could be hit by the created arrows?
(By what I see in the readme, it does not seem good for any special tricks... or is it?)

UserUnfriendly · Post by **UserUnfriendly** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 12:43 pm

the reason why i like

telemortis

gesen

firetooth

is because....if you equipp ammo, like bolts of biting or arrows +3. you add the damage of the ammo to the damage of the shot....and telemortis has 5% chance of chaos, too....

but if you simply unequip and reequip the bow, the thaco of the missile goes way up...thaco of a shot is either the ammo thaco, so a bolt of biting will not hit vampires fired from a high thaco bow, but if no ammo is equipped with a ammoless bow, the thaco of the shot is the native thaco of the bow...

so if no ammo is equipped, the firetooth fires thaco +7 arrows, as per description, thus absolutely hitting everything...

telemortis without ammo is i think +4...

sola in my party has telemortis, alternate between it and firetooth...tele for high volume of fire, firetooth for high damage...