Some questions about 'game rules'

[Jess]

Hi, if anyone could give me a hand with these I'd really appreciate, I want to get a better understanding of how the game works They're mostly about THAC0 (but I know what it is)

1. What determines starting THAC0?

2. Are the 'Hit prob' and 'Miss adj.' bonuses from strength and dexterity THAC0 modifiers?

3. I have a Fighter and a Paladin both with +3 weapons. They both have Base THAC0 of 11, but it says their THAC0 is 5. Shouldn't it be 8?

4. Weapon speed factors. I know that they're 'tenths of a round', but I thought you only got one attack per round anyway, except with darts? Does a character with a spear (6) actually attack more often than one with a 2 handed sword (10)?

5. When you steal from shops with your Thief, does that use your Pick Pockets value? And what do these number represent exactly? Are they probabilities out of a maximum value?

I know that's a lot of stuff, but thanks to anyone who can help!

[VonDondu]

Your Base THAC0 is determined by class and level. I don't think there are any tables in the manual, but the character records tell you what your current THAC0 happens to be. THAC0 is subject to various adjustments, resulting in an effective THAC0 that is used by the game to determine your chance of hitting an enemy. For example, lots of weapons have THAC0 bonuses. High Strength can also confer THAC0 bonuses. For example, if your Fighter and your Paladin both have STR somewhere between 18/51 and 18/99 (and I'm guessing that they do), they receive a +2 bonus for their Strength as well as a +3 bonus from their +3 weapons. Characters with high Dexterity receive bonuses to their THAC0 when they use missile weapons such as bows. There are also other modifiers to THAC0, including a few that are related to your proficiency points. For example, if your character has three proficiency points in a weapon, he gets a +2 THAC0 bonus when he uses that weapon. (I'm guessing that your Fighter and your Paladin both have two proficiency points, which gives them a +1 THAC0 bonus on top of the +2 STR bonus and the +3 weapon bonus.) There are also THAC0 penalties as well as bonuses. For example, if you use two weapons at a time (one in each hand), each weapon receives a THAC0 penalty, depending on how many proficiency points you have in Two Weapon Style.

Weapon speed factor does NOT determine the number of attacks you get per round. It determines how early in a round you can score a hit. For example, if an enemy Mage is trying to cast a spell that has a casting time of 8, you can hit him and disrupt his spell if you use a weapon that has a low speed factor, such as 4. Speed factor really just determines who gets hit first in a round.

You can have more than one attack per round. The number of attacks you get per round depends on your proficiency points. It can also be affected if your character is Hasted or if you use two weapons at a time. If you have Throne of Bhaal, there's even a spell called Energy Blades that gives the person casting it 9 attacks per round.

When you try to steal from a store, yes, your Pickpocketing ability determines your chance of success. Basically, your Pickpocketing score is compared to the storekeeper's resistance to theft (for lack of a better term), and that determines your chance of success. I don't know exactly how it works, so perhaps someone else should try to explain it to you.

[fable]

Originally posted by VonDondu
When you try to steal from a store, yes, your Pickpocketing ability determines your chance of success. Basically, your Pickpocketing score is compared to the storekeeper's resistance to theft (for lack of a better term), and that determines your chance of success. I don't know exactly how it works, so perhaps someone else should try to explain it to you.

I think somebody here showed once that it was specifically the pickpocketing ability of the individual PC or NPC that determined success, rather than simply the best score within the party being applied. So if you do pickpocket, make sure you use your thief. There are also potions that can make their fingers distinctly lighter.

Do a search on "pickpocket" in this forum and you'll get hundreds of hints. Just be prepared for a ton of spoilers, as well.

[Jess]

Thanks, that was exactly what I wanted to know
Just one more thing... what's Bashing %?

[Hesperus]

It is the probability of forcing open locked doors, chests based on the character's strength. To try to do it, you click to "attack" the item.

[fable]

If you don't like the first result, try again. There's a certain random factor involved in the bashing roll, though it also clearly looks at strength.

[Jess]

Oh right! Bit of a let down, I thought it had something to do with critical hits!