My first (sucesfull) try that goes over protos hacking

No, I refuse to revert that change. It is against everthink that I belive, and learned about largely-tested D&D mechanics. I always thought that the head of giant quest was a huge livonya's mistake: she wished to add quests to refresh the game a bit but didn't think about the role of masterwork items. They are NOT rare, and something that must be available from level 1. Nulb is too far.
You're asking me to make that change just because you're used with the past but I won't for the reason that I already expressed before. It completely goes against my belivings and I won't be a creator of something that I feel wrong. I know it is not democratic, but that is.

About Otis, even if Liv fixed him, those are dialogues strings.
First, I'm not sure that I can prevent him from selling you masterwork items in the middle of a dungeon or a forest and, even if I'll do it, what should you do? Kick him out of the party everytime you need to buy a new item? Even if you don't use Otis, this doesn't mean that other people don't use him. Why should I screw up the game for a caprice? Wait untill MOB files will be available so that we'll be able to refresh his stocks with items that are better than the one onwed by brother smith. Maybe I could move the rare-metals spet from brother smith to Otis: this would have a sense.

 

because in the original troika's game he was the only one selling masterwork items and b.smith didn't? I still prefer that Brother smith sells masterwork items and Otis doesn' for the reason already expresses above.

 

One of the problems with MW items is cost. There really isn't much money available until Lareth's loot and the moathouse gang. Platemail cost 1500GP, so maybe 1 fighter with a tower shield can be had. Money is pretty tight early in the game so the availibility of MW items isn't that much of a help. I don't see a need for the giants head quest, but it's new and different.
I don't buy anything from Otis and he's usually not part of my game. Mother Screng is kind of pricey and she's not part of my game. I go to the safehouse in Nulb to heal/craft/restore spells and avoid Hommlett road random encounters.

 

Perhaps Troika should make a sequel of ToEE with all the updates and you would be able to take your old save files and put them into the new game.

You know The original ToEE was for 1st edition D&D but they made one for 3.5 Return to the temple of Elemental Evil........with perhaps some prestige classes such as a cultist of Iuz?

 

Weren't Darkblades the ones worn by Anti-Paladins? Basicaly Unholy slanted weapons for lawful evil avatars. I can dig out my old Dragon magazine and look it up. Was a great article about dark druids and anti-paladins and how to add them into your game worlds.

 

Re: My first (successful) try that goes over protos hacking

Anyone planning to update the protos for monsters any further? I noticed that gnolls don't have damage reduction any more, but I'm still seeing gnolls with a +7 natural armor bonus when it should be +1.

 

@orion79 - I wanted to test your stuff, but when I use the files from mes.zip the game crashes upon loading. At the moment I have only Co8 3.04, Liv's 1.51.

 

Sorry, it is a problem that Allyx noted only when I went back from Poland. In my version the game loads the protos even if there is some small typing error in the cells, in others it quits to desktop. That's because english is not my mother language and I can't check if I do some error while modifying the protos. Actually I'm waiting to have a bit of free time to come back here and end what I begun, but still I'm deeply involved with university and my music band, without considering that I wished to do it when the definitive Liv's version was out, but I can't see any thread about it yet, even if I'm glad to see people that are still working on the game.

 

1. To answer Cujo's question - Darkblade, a form of unholy sword for an Anti-Paladin as a counterpart to a holy sword for a Paladin
* I could see different levels of both, where Excalibur would be an ultimate holy sword (King Arthur) and Stormbringer would be an ultimate unholy sword (Elric).

2. My 2 cents on the smiths and masterwork weapons...what is set in the game is intended to provide a balance
* People need masterwork items to make magic items. Here is an off-the-wall for example. You have Elmo as a Fighter in your party where you add to him combat reflexes, weapon focus (battleaxe), weapon specialization (battleaxe), improved critical (battleaxe), greater weapon focus (battleaxe), and two-weapon fighting and two-weapon defense for battleaxes; provide him with two +3 battleaxes that you make, he totally rocks. At 8th level he gets like 3 attacks per round and at 18th level he gets like 5 attacks per round where in combat standing beside of what he is told to attack, he says, "Ok.", and he proceeds to jump and spin around and fly through the air like a buzzsaw with his 2 battleaxes. It's never too late in a game to make new +3 weapons.
** The reason as I see the game introducing magic stuff early, before masterwork items, is because the cashflow needed to buy a masterwork item for each party member and make the items in to magic weapons and armor early in the game is impossible [for each party member]. I do not see any problem with this. What this alludes to is that magic items are available in the realm if you are resourceful and do the right things in the right places. This is perfectly okay [IMO]. The game provides, at least, one magic weapon that each class can use on the first level of the temple with some better magic weapons on the second level of the temple. And, maybe you have characters using weapons because they're +1 for the interim and you want to, specifically, make something else or a different magical weapon for those characters when your party has the cash to do it. Again, I see nothing wrong with this. It's all about choices. Do you buy masterwork items for your party and stick with inviting low-level characters like Fruella or Meleny or Serena or Rianna. Or, do you forego buying masterwork items and you, immediately, upon starting the game invite Elmo to join the party and work on the magic items later in the game?

3. Concerning Zaxis, please, read my next post.

4. Oh yah, good to read your posts 0rion79.

Thanks..

 

First, meet Zaxis and talk with him. Ask him about who he is looking for. He says his half-elf sister, Ima, who is an illusionist.

1. If you already have the note when you meet him, ask Zaxis if this is her in the note you have. He asks where you found the note; you tell him in the deepest levels of the temple. He has a dialogue, states he must take revenge, and he asks about joining your party. You can tell him yes or no. If you say yes, he joins your party. If you tell him no, he is on his own, he states a dialogue and tells you that he must return to his family and inform them of her demise; then, he says he will return to take revenge. He disappears.

2. If you do not have the note, just talk with him and ask about who he is looking for. At some random interval later in the game, you will meet him on the road, again. Because you do not have the note to let him read, he asks if he may join your party. If you say yes, he joins your party. If you say no, he tells you he must continue searching for his sister and he disappears.
* He actually at that point goes to the brothel at Nulb if he does not join your party. You can find him there later in the game. Go inside the brothel at Nulb and talk with him. He stands alone toward the back, far-right corner of the first floor in the lounge room.