Attempting to finish Baldur's Gate for the 7TH TIME!

[Johannes]

It's not like you miss quests or items or something. Go ahead. You should start it slowly and only install some AI stuff without prebuffing. Even i hate AI prebuffing because i larp and like to avoid metagaming encounters.
SCS is fucking great but you shouldn't think the AI doesn't cheat. It does cheat if you won't install certain tweaks also for yourself, so don't hesitate and get some tweaks too.

The AI cheating in SCS (2) is a wrong way to put it, I think. You define the rules it plays by (the options are clearly stated upon install) and then it'll follow just that, and do it consistently. Whether that includes prebuffing etc. or not, is up to you.



Btw, how to get through spell defenses of Spell Immunity (Abjuration) + a hoard of Protection from X (magic weapons, magic energy, fire, etc.) spells other than just waiting it out? Ruby Ray of Reversal is an Alteration spell so that should work, but are there any alternatives especially considering I can't cast 8-lvl spells yet? Playing with a F/M/T and Viconia through SCS2'd BG2.

 

[Thor Kaufman]

Vampiric touch always works and is only affected by MR but damage is level dependent iirc.
Hit and run tactic works pretty well against Shandalar, just run into the near inn when he fires off a spell. If necessary sleep a night so that his globe of invulnerability wears off.

 

[Aeschylus]

Touch attacks for spells were only introduced in 3e iirc, so there would not be any in Baldur's Gate.

 

[Revenant]

Touch attacks for spells were only introduced in 3e iirc, so there would not be any in Baldur's Gate.

That's not true, there were spells that required a successful melee attack in AD&D 2nd Edition, for example Chill touch.

 

[Aeschylus]

Huh, ok, never mind then. Must have just been ranged touch attacks.

 

[Incantatar]

It's not like you miss quests or items or something. Go ahead. You should start it slowly and only install some AI stuff without prebuffing. Even i hate AI prebuffing because i larp and like to avoid metagaming encounters.
SCS is fucking great but you shouldn't think the AI doesn't cheat. It does cheat if you won't install certain tweaks also for yourself, so don't hesitate and get some tweaks too.

The AI cheating in SCS (2) is a wrong way to put it, I think. You define the rules it plays by (the options are clearly stated upon install) and then it'll follow just that, and do it consistently. Whether that includes prebuffing etc. or not, is up to you.



Btw, how to get through spell defenses of Spell Immunity (Abjuration) + a hoard of Protection from X (magic weapons, magic energy, fire, etc.) spells other than just waiting it out? Ruby Ray of Reversal is an Alteration spell so that should work, but are there any alternatives especially considering I can't cast 8-lvl spells yet? Playing with a F/M/T and Viconia through SCS2'd BG2.

No if you don't rewrite DavidW's scripts, the AI works in his intended way not yours or mine. There are a few options, but i didn't talk about them when i said the AI cheats. And i also don't mean it pejorative. The AI needs to cheat, but it shouldn't be obvious for the player. That lessens the fun. He gives several recommendations for player tweaks and has them in the mod itself (e.g. every mage gets triggers and contingencies) . But there are a few other things. E.g. the AI in SCS has no summoning limit and AI's summoned fiends will never be hostile to their casters.

The other question, SI:A does not protect from many Abjuration spells. But it really depends on the install. I usually have Spell Revisions installed, so i get confused with other installs.

 

[sigma1932]

Some minor comments.
1. I'm pretty sure the last tactic won't work in vanilla BG1.

Depends what you mean by vanilla... if you mean unmodded, but including the expansion plus official patches, then it does, cuz that's what I did it in. If you mean just the main game with no expansion, then I dunno... I haven't tried it that way.

Touch attacks for spells were only introduced in 3e iirc, so there would not be any in Baldur's Gate.

That's not true, there were spells that required a successful melee attack in AD&D 2nd Edition, for example Chill touch.

Shocking Grasp would be another one.

Regardless, this is what I went on... I admittedly assumed and never really botherd with Vampiric Touch in BG because my rep was always too high to get it as a bhaalspawn ability, and the regular spell is the same level as other spells that are more useful overall, so it's possible this part was never implemented.

Hit and run tactic works pretty well against Shandalar, just run into the near inn when he fires off a spell. If necessary sleep a night so that his globe of invulnerability wears off.

I agree that should work, but I'd call this cheese since any sensible enemy is going to follow you into the Inn... Then again, I could see justifying it by using Invisibility to escape before resting...