AN UNOFFICIAL AND SOMEWHAT OPINIONATED BALDUR'S GATE/TALES OF THE SWORD COAST FAQ v1.70
by Jonathan Kelley (flames, suggestions, and laurels to apostate@gte.net)

LIST OF SECTIONS:

--PREFACE
--HOW BEST TO GET HELP ON THE NEWSGROUP
--BUG/PATCH/HINTBOOK/MALFUNCTION QUESTIONS
--TALES OF THE SWORD COAST QUESTIONS
--MAGE QUESTIONS
--THIEVING QUESTIONS
--TACTICAL/STRATEGY QUESTIONS
--PARTY MANAGEMENT/TRAVEL QUESTIONS
--TO DUAL OR NOT TO DUAL
--ITEM QUESTIONS
--PLOT/BALANCE QUESTIONS
--TACTICS AGAINST CERTAIN CREATURES
--SPOILER-TYPE QUESTIONS
--BEING EVIL (contains many spoilers)

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PREFACE

{addition} I learned nearly all of this from the helpful members of alt.games.baldurs-gate. I created it to save them work as a way of thanking them for their kindness. If you really want to give anyone credit for whatever benefit you get from this, the regulars of that newsgroup deserve it far more than I. I single out for credit Musashi Dragon, Sheitan, Barron, fellow Husky K. Laisithit, Anthony de Vries, Mike Kelley, ,Damian, Cividan, Lazien, Ian the Mac, Kei, Egbert Hinzen, Doc, Henry Shevlin, Rick Craik, Tristan, Rich Velay, Arthur Hagen, Impulz, Skye, Rockz, Art Mruczek, Boxman, Ben, Elessar, Jeff Thorson, Ykalon Dragon, Martin Hackett and Locke, for starters, and haven't even given half the mentions that are deserved. (Want one? E-mail me your request and reason.) Any errors, of course, are my responsibility and mine alone. Spoilers increase as you go deeper into the FAQ.

Special thanks are due to the following website maintainers for their ongoing support of this document through making it available on their pages. These are also excellent places to start if you're looking for more information:

{revision} Tristan's: http://www.demonspawn.net/bg/
Cyberjag's: http://www.cyberjag.com/baldur/baldurhm.htm
Elessar's: http://pick.sel.cam.ac.uk/~apc27/bg.htm#faq
Locke's: http://www.lockes.net/bg/index.html
SoTaDaemon's: http://welcome.to/soultakers

This is not a walkthrough, but does contain slight to moderate spoilers. YMMV. RTFM, of course, but in many cases when you RTFM you don't FTFA because it isn't in there or is poorly referenced in the index in some way. (No complaining about the manual's index, because if you notice, most games don't even have one in their manuals, and many manuals are a lot dinkier than this one. Let's just be glad the Lords of Interplay saw fit to include one and not give them too much crap about it.)

If you are searching for what has been changed in this version, do a text search for the left brace ({). As of 1.40 that which has changed in some way will be labeled (on a paragraph by paragraph basis) with a notation in braces. After posting a version, I'll remove these notations and begin a set of new ones. This should make it much easier for webmasters and frequent readers (assuming I have any) to determine which information is new.

====== Index

HOW BEST TO GET HELP ON THE NEWSGROUP alt.games.baldurs-gate:

Q: Everyone keeps telling me to look at the map that came with the game, or to look on page such-and-such in the manual, but I didn't get a map and the information I want is never on the page they say.

A: You've got a non-North American English version, which is sold in the US and in English Canada (might be available in Québec as well). I'm not sure how the UK and Australian/New Zealand versions differ from the NAE version, but I am told they do. I hear you can contact Interplay and they'll send you a map, at their expense; you can test this theory. The non-North American English manuals seem to have things on slightly different pages, probably due to translation in most cases, so if what you want isn't on the page you're directed to, you will probably find it on a page near that. In Québec the French version, presumably identical to the one sold in France, is available.

Q: I posted my question on alt.games.baldurs-gate and no one responded, those sods. I labeled it "URGENT PLZ HELP PLZ READ". I didn't get any response, so I posted under "NEWBIE PLZ HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" How could they be so callous?

A: Try making reference to the actual problem in the header line, and doing away with the caps and exclamation mark overdose. I like to help people but rarely do I read posts with capitalized headers, and I can't tell if I know the answer to your question unless your header hints at it. "Can't find Brage" is good. "PLZ READ" is bad. Don't know how many other people agree with me, but I bet I'm not the only one. Try using real words, too, instead of assaulting the English language with 'CAN U HELP ME 2 KILL DRIZZT'. If you don't get help, try again, preferably without making an issue of the fact that no one responded.

Q: What do I do if I have a question and English is very difficult for me?

A: Post your question in your native language. I'm going to get some flak for this from Anglocentric readers, but I don't care; the reality is that a.g.b-g is a newsgroup read all over the world. As a result, we have many regulars who are multilingual and may be able to help you. If a question is answered in a language you don't understand, and you would like a translation, you can post your request and hope someone offers to help.

Q: Ok, that's fine. How should I deal with spoilers? Sometimes I want to share one, other times I just want to give a hint. I don't want to ruin any surprises or have my surprises ruined.

A: First of all, my advice is that you realize any thread that refers to a very specific situation may well contain spoilers, and not all of them may be so labeled. I am of the school of thought that says you need not label a spoiler if the subject of the thread obviously denotes and raises it--people should be smart enough to know spoilers will be there. (In fairness, by no means does everyone agree with me on this.) However, sometimes a thread segues into spoilers. At that time, one should always clearly mark 'SPOILER' near the top, and enter a couple dozen returns so that people can avoid reading it if they choose. What would be ideal is for someone asking a question to include in the header either (hint request) or (spoiler request). This would enable respondents to tailor the reply to the situation, and tip off other readers. Many newsreaders see a modified header as a sign of a completely new thread, so adding (spoiler) to the answer's header can create a bit of an issue. It is therefore ideal for people posting questions to be conscientious about labeling the spoiler/hint status of the question when they first post it. I also feel that no one should be taken to task for posting a hint request, clearly labeled as such, even if the question has been asked many times and is still on most news servers--they may just not want to read a potential spoiler. I myself have been negligent about this in the past, and am available to be tolchocked for it.

Q: Ok, I have a bunch of questions that aren't answered in your FAQ. Besides the advice given earlier, how would you suggest I utilize the newsgroup to get the best answers?

A: I'm glad you asked. First, don't ask people to e-mail you the answer unless you have a better reason than 'I can't be bothered to check the newsgroup'. They are gamers who like to discuss, not a paid tech support service. It should be worth your while to watch for a reply to your post if it's worth our while to answer it. Some people have legitimate reasons for requesting an e-mailed answer; if this is you, I recommend explaining those reasons with your request. Also, if you have checked the manual thoroughly before asking, mention that fact. (If you haven't, of course, it behooves you to do so.) If you check the manual first, include your question's gist in the header, and keep an eye on the newsgroup for answers, you will find an astonishing and varied number of people who will be glad to help. Be ready to repost it if you don't get an answer the first time. This is a very helpful group; I didn't figure out a tenth of this stuff by myself.

Q: Can I ICQ or e-mail you if I have questions?

{revised} A: While I'm no big authority, and I think you are better off in most cases posting the question in the newsgroup so you can get more answers from people who know more than me, I don't mind being contacted by polite querents who avoid my pet peeves. My pet peeves are as follows: I) I loathe deliberate butchery of the language through substitutions of 'R' for 'are', '2' for 'too' or 'to', and 'U' for 'you', and I ignore anything and everything written this way. I mean it. No exceptions. Same if it takes time for me to e-mail you back; some days I get a couple dozen e-mails. As for ICQ, I gave up on it. It brought W98 down in flames when I tried to upgrade my OS, and wouldn't bring my contact list over. Obviously I have no grounds for complaint-it's free, I clicked all the 'I agree' license buttons, yahda yahda yahda, but it just isn't worth screwing with anymore.

Q: Why doesn't this FAQ contain more item locations, site URLs, walkthroughs, and quest solutions? That's what I'm mostly interested in.

{revision} A: They are beyond its scope. All of those things exist under oft-changing URLs at many very good websites devoted to the game. I didn't want to knock off anyone's work, nor to be constantly trying to keep a dozen URLs updated. By all means seek them out, and if a site helps you, do let the operator know. As someone who's written a couple of game guides available online, I can tell you that a kind word makes it all worthwhile. In particular, I direct you to Desslock's guides to both BG and TSC at www.gamespot.com, which contain few errors and can either be purchased for US$5 (.pdf versions) or read online (HTML versions). Many of the sites that carry this FAQ also have excellent tips and items sections and would be good starting points.

 Q: What slang do you use that I should know about?

A: (like anyone believes that anyone asks that question) For specialty arrows, I use a lot of slang:
"Boomer"--arrow of detonation
"Biter"--arrow of biting
"Icer"--arrow of ice
"Flamer"--arrow of fire

===== Index

BUG/PATCH/HINTBOOK/MALFUNCTION QUESTIONS

[this one is listed first because it's probably the single most often asked question, and relates to patches and versions]

Q: Where the hell is the Ring of Wizardry I hear so much about?

{revision} A: The Ring of Wizardry that's at the Friendly Arm is supposedly between a rock and a pine tree near the south edge of the FA Inn map, in about the centre. Some versions have it, some don't, some take it out, some put it back. The only time I've ever found it is after a fresh install of BG and TSC. If your version doesn't seem to have it, and you want it, this is what game editors are for. There is another one in BG city that you can get when you win a certain fight.

{new} Q: What do I do about assertion errors?

{new} A: Assertion errors are nearly always caused by corrupt data in the cache folder. A way of eliminating this is to delete the contents of the Cache/Data folder in the BG directory. Cleaning disks or emptying that folder will not damage your game installation but they will most probably fix the problems associated with them. Of course, you'll need to re-establish the cache afterward. A common error is to uninstall then reinstall without removing the corrupt files (the uninstall leaves some cache files in place), thus defeating the purpose of doing it in the first place.

{new} Q: What do I do about runtime errors?

{new} A: Runtime errors are caused by the inability of your PC to read data from the CD. A likely cause of this is a scratched or dirty disk, which we are all too familiar with thanks to Interplay's generous paint and cheap packaging. (Why they could not take the money spent on paint and buy decent jewelcases for the discs is one of the great mysteries of life.)

Q: Is the 'Official Strategy Guide' worth the money?

{revision} A: I don't know personally, because before I bought it I checked out its reviews on amazon.com. There were about a dozen reviews (already) and they were unanimous that the guide sucked worse than any they'd ever seen (they've obviously never seen the one for Steel Panthers II). Based on that, I didn't bother with it. Better guides are Desslock's at www.gamespot.com, and cheaper to boot--or read them online, gratis. Best though to buy them and support this excellent effort.

Q: My CD-ROM sounds like a lawn mower with these CDs in. What the hell?

A: Interplay, in its wisdom, decided that it was ok to put a *lot* of paint on the CDs. It unbalances the disk in the drive; CD 3 seems to be the worst. Yes, this is partly affected by the model of drive you have; some are worse. No, there is nothing you can do about it short of replacement, unless a CD burner works on these or you want to install all 2GB of optional files. Yes, this does have the potential to ruin the disk. No, Interplay has not yet explained why it is that it was more important to make the CDs look pretty than it was to make them function reliably and quietly. Yes, I am eager to have Interplay read this, and offer us a public justification for such a pointless maneuver in publishing what I consider to be a fantastic game in general. No, I am not expecting to make any points with them by flaming them for this. Yes, I realize that this means they will never come to me asking to put this document on a release of the game CD. No, that doesn't bother me. This was far and away the least intelligent thing they did when the published the game. (I am Chaotic Good and, therefore, bribable. If Interplay wants to send me a new set of CDs, I will return my current set (on my honour) and will edit this section so as to be much gentler on them about this.) Apparently, later runs of duplication have corrected this problem, so if you are a more recent purchaser you may never experience the problem.

Q: Why do Jaheira's hit points seemed rigged to be bad?

A: This is a little complicated. At first I thought there was a bug, and I apologize to the developers for the mistaken assumption and can be tolchocked at their leisure. It seems there isn't, but the hit points are in fact more likely to be bad than good. You do get all the hit points you deserve, but the odds are really against you. The dice for each class are rolled and the mean is taken (rounded down to the next integer), then the modifier is used. Now for the fun part: take Jaheira (preferably as far away as possible). She levels up in two classes at once. 1d8 is rolled with a 1 in 8 chance of getting the best roll. If you get a 6 or a 7, it only counts as 3 hp. then the fighter 1d10 is rolled. 1 in 10 chance to max; an 8 or 9 gets you 4 HP, so... 1 in 8 and 1 in 10 simultaneously makes 1 in 80 to max out when leveling up. The odds are much like Jaheira: not that friendly.

Q: The game sometimes crashes when saving or moving between areas.

A: Yes. Save before changing areas just to partly protect yourself. You may want to have multiple save game files because sometimes it crashes when saving and eats the file you were trying to save over. Write to Interplay and ask them if they're going to do something about it (tell them I sent you; they hang on my every word).

Q: You sound like you have a bit of a 'tude toward Interplay and the developers, dude.

{addition} A: Regarding the things they didn't do right, unquestionably. Regarding 95% of the game, my attitude is that they've created one of the best games I've ever played, one that has given me hundreds of hours of enjoyment already and I'm nowhere near tired of. On balance, my "'tude" toward them is "top stuff! come on, give us more!". Moreover, let me single out Bioware for special praise in their rapid response to the respawning bug that became apparent about the time TSC was released. Developer presence on the newsgroup has also been helpful and encouraging, and suggests that games developed by Bioware/Black Isle should receive very favourable purchase consideration going forward. Moreover, Ray Muzyka took a moment to speak praise for this document-this speaks well for Bioware's interest in how their customers receive and use their product. Bioware has definitely got my attention with regard to their future endeavours.

{new} Q: Why did you make this such an opinionated FAQ? All I want is hints and clarifications.

{new} A: The payoff for all the effort involved in this is the ability to speak one's mind. Do not bind the mouths of the cattle that tread the grain, and all that. I reason that people can ignore my comments if they are disinterested in them, or can write to me and dissent if they prefer.

Q: Where can I find BG or TSC for download?

A: Easy. Go to your local software store, get out your checkbook or credit card, and pay a small download fee. The clerk will download it into your hands. Alternatively, you can phone a mail-order house and give them your credit card number, and they will download it through the mail for you. I'm no frothing anti-piracy crusader--in fact, I think some huge, fascist companies get what they deserve--but I absolutely believe in supporting good efforts. BG has been a massive hit because it's a fantastic game. All connected with it deserve the support that your honest purchase represents, which will ultimately lead to more good games.

======Index

TALES OF THE SWORD COAST QUESTIONS

Q: What is Tales of the Sword Coast (TSC)?

A: TSC is the first of what I dare hope will be multiple expansion packs for BG.

Q: What does it add?

{addition} A: This list is not comprehensive, but it's what I've noticed thus far:
--druids may specialize in large sword and use scimitars accordingly, and wear ankheg plate
--raises the XP cap to 161K
--spell scrolls and other more interesting loot start showing up as loot on low-level roadkill such as gibberlings
--estimates of travel time between areas
--more 4th and 5th level mage and clerical spells
--ability to auto-pause when an enemy is sighted
--unidentified magic items now have blue shading
--pathfinding got about 20% better
--Ring of Wizardry at Friendly Arm Inn map is supposedly back
--stackable items now auto-stack
--got to be behind people to backstab now
--presence or absence of shadows affects stealth
--corrected and expanded set of character-related tables
--manual addendum detailing level 4 and 5 spells, as well as changes
--more ready weapon slots for most of the classes that need them
--a new town and a new fortress to explore
--speed of missiles doubled (so they no longer can make Immelmann turns)

Q: Is it worth the money?

A: I think that really depends how much you like BG. Myself, I think the basic game is worth US$70 at least, given the enjoyment it can provide, and $40 is a bargain. If one looks at it that way, $20-25 for an expansion pack doesn't look so bad even though it just adds a couple of rather extensive areas. My take is that if TSC were just the new explorable areas, its value for the money would be questionable. However, as shown above, it's more than that; they responded to a lot of user requests that make the whole game more enjoyable. Therefore, I think they have given fair value and that it's a good deal.

Q: Ok, I got TSC and now I have to have the TSC CD in any time I start the game. This bites a diseased moose! Used to be that having any BG CD in would enable the game to start up.

A: I know. It has been explained to us that this is copy protection. Maybe so, but it also makes the CD-swapping that much more frequent. Unless you are in one of the TSC areas, last time you shut down the game you probably had one of the BG CDs in. Now you have to take it out, stick the TSC CD in to pass the copy protection, and then stick in the next CD the game asks you for, whichever one that might be. I am, of course, a legitimate purchaser (I have the lawnmower noise from my CD-ROM drive to prove it) and one who plays intensively. Since intensive players are the most likely to still have a CD in the drive from the last session, this little twist of copy protection mainly impacts the game's biggest fans. My personal take, based on a recent froth about piracy on www.bgchronicles.com (a great resource for the game), is that someone heard about warez one too many times and decided to up the level of copy protection a tad. I was satisfied with having to have some CD, any CD, in the drive. Perhaps you might take a moment to e-mail Interplay and cathart on this topic.

Q: When should I install TSC?

A: I don't see any reason to hold off on it. It enhances the game in general.

Q: What will happen to my save games, final save, and all that hooraw?

A: Save games will be converted (if you consent) to a new format, no longer available without TSC. There is a provision for the final save to take you straight to the new town to begin adventuring. You can convert them later with a utility if you decline to convert them upon installation.

Q: Can I find the new areas on my own?

A: Yeah. However, don't try these with a low-level party. If you find, say, Cloakwood Mines challenging at all, your party has no business in the new areas. Don't let that stop you, of course.

Q: Are there any new NPCs to join my party?

A: No.

Q: Any new monsters?

A: Yeah, a few.

Q: Any major bugs so far?

{addition} A: A respawning bug which was swiftly patched by Bioware, to their great credit. One of the puzzles you have to figure out can easily be done in the wrong order, and if that happens you will be screwed as far as continuing that particular quest. In general, there seem to be some other questkiller bugs that haven't been fully addressed.

Q: Do hacks still work?

{addition} A: Gatekeeper seems to work fine, though it doesn't yet have the new items. Capkill apparently doesn't yet, but there is another cap remover available at www.ehinzen.de and BGEdit has been updated to accommodate it.

Q: I have a non-English version of BG. What if I install the US version of TSC?

A: At www.ehinzen.de you can get a utility that will get you around the headache of having to switch your whole OS to US English.

====== Index

MAGE QUESTIONS

Q: I went up a level as a mage and have no spells in my new level in my book!

A: To get mage spells you have to get the scrolls and write them into your book by right-clicking in inventory and hitting 'write magic'. Success chance depends on intelligence.

Q: My mage can't read some spells into his book! I'm sure I'm of high enough level.

A: Before you choose a specialty mage, carefully review the spell schools they *can't* get, so you don't find yourself missing out on some that you really want. Your spellbook could also be full for that level, in which case it's tough luck (although see below for a workaround).

Q: How can I know how many charges remain in a wand?

A: By looking at how much a merchant will give for it. The less they'll pay, the less is left. Compare that to the relative cost and capability of the wand, of course; a wand of lightning with a few charges is worth about as much as a wand of magic missiles full of charges. They start with 20 charges. Too bad an Identify spell couldn't answer this question directly for us, but it wasn't programmed that way.

Q: When I started I copied all spells into my mage book that I could. Now I can't copy any more first level spells due to my IN score. Am I hosed?

A: Not necessarily. You cannot remove a spell permanently from your mage book, so think before adding them and know your limit per level. However, should you eventually find a tome of clear thought, your IN will go up and that may raise the bar for you. Another suggestion is to give the mage a potion of genius before writing a batch of spells to the book. That will make success more likely as well as increasing (in most cases) the number allowed per level, and I'm informed that after the potion wears off the spells remain in the book.

Q: My stupid mage keeps running into melee combat no matter what script I select. I don't want to equip him with a missile weapon; I want him to do what the script says he's supposed to be doing--stand there, stay away from the enemy, and cast spells when I tell him to.

A: Two options. Either learn the script system and try to rectify this yourself, or equip him with a missile weapon (*and ammo*). The scripts for mages lie about this. (If anyone has written a script that fixes it for mages, please advise. In the meantime, I'm sure Interplay would be glad to hear your comments on this topic.)

Q: I can't find a mage I like. Without mages most wands are useless! Where the heck are they?

A: You aren't imagining things; there aren't many mages in the game and the ones that exist aren't all that great. And later in the game, when you're carting around enough wands to physically crack open the planet, believe you me, you will want at least one mage. However, be aware that bards can use mage wands. They should not be thought of simply as effete fighter/thieves with weaknesses in both classes.

Q: Ok, fine, then about how about dual classing Imoen to Revoker or Perjuror or Orgasmist specialty mage (or whatever)?

A: That's one way around the situation. However, this strategy requires careful timing as well as the services of another thief while she's gaining levels in the new class. One approach is to try and get her to 6th level before doing Cloakwood, then run around killing and looting until she's close to regaining her thief functions (that could be quite some time). There are quite a few places in this game where the thief is the only absolutely indispensable class. Please see the special section on dual classing for a number of intriguing ideas on when and how to switch classes.

====== Index

THIEVING QUESTIONS

Q: How do I backstab?

A: To backstab with thief, first use stealth to hide in shadows, then sneak around and attack from rear. Yes, you can use whatever weapon the thief is allowed to use, even if s/he is also a fighter. (It has been pointed out that one need not be behind the target. That's true in BG, but in TSC, it is no longer true, and in any event there are advantages to being behind them.)

Q: I got caught ripping off the shopkeeper and ran away, but when I came back weeks later he was still hostile.

A: And so he will remain no matter what you do. Don't bother with charm (unless it's to temporarily keep him from hurting you).

Q: I want to create the Backstab From Hell. How would I do this?

{revised} A: Take a fighter/thief with good stealth. Outfit them with the Gauntlets of Ogre Power (or pound a potion of Storm Giant Strength), Boots of Speed, the best short sword you've got, and the Shadow Armour. Sneak in and poke the enemy, then re-stealth and take off like a raped ape. That'll definitely hurt, and in most cases you will be able to be out of there before the enemy spells, if any, can hurt you. However, beware; my experience is that with some enemies you get fewer XP if you kill them before their base turns red (making them actively hostile). The reasoning behind the short sword, and the argument for proficiency in it rather than large sword, is that piercing weapons make better backstab tools.

Q: I picked up Coran (or some other thief) fairly far along in the game and I am dissatisfied with the fact that they have 90% in Lock Picking and 10% in Trap Detection. Do I have to put up with this?

A: Depends how far you're willing to go. You could hack the game and change the numbers. You could keep two thieves in the party and have them specialize in different areas. I think it's a little silly for the game to allow an NPC thief to achieve 110% in a given area before joining your party when the game does not recognize any benefit past 99%. Another good option is to find and join up with the thief character earlier so as to have more control over the development of their skills, or to have your lowest level character open the conversation with them which will cause them to begin at a correspondingly low level.

Q: There are some locks that not only can neither of my two thieves open, neither can my mage with a knock spell.

{addition} A: Some just can't. Others can be picked, seemingly, only by higher level thieves; still others seem impervious to thieves but to respond well to a knock. We just have to Live With It. FWIW, I consider this a strength, increasing the interest and uncertainty of the game--though I'd like to see the knock spell available a bit earlier. (With TSC, this becomes possible, since low-level monster corpses regularly contain spell scrolls.)

Q: I've noticed that there are a lot of seemingly burglable buildings in this game, and I have a very skilled thief. What risks do I take by burgling?

A: It's true. Two risks: 1) getting caught, with all its ramifications, and 2) accidentally stealing an item that mucks up a future quest (especially in BG city).

Q: What's the best way to go about burglary?

A: My burglary technique is simple. Send my thief in alone, stealthed, and try to get out of anyone's view. If I have boots of speed so much the better. Turn on find traps when I'm near a target, if I can safely do so or if I know I have to. Disarm any traps. Pick lock or pocket.

Q: How do I deal with it when the cops show up?

A: Usually if you are noticed you'll get the Foundering Fist with that annoying bray that sounds like, "Duhhh.. serve the Flaming Fist!!". Just run away from the guy with AI switched off. Whatever you do, don't shoot at him unless you're willing to pay the rep penalty. He won't follow you from area to area. The beauty of this is that if you don't fight the police or get caught pickpocketing someone, you lose no rep. Another great tactic is to use the charm ability of the nymph cloak on one of the cops before he talks to you, and have him attack the other one. You lose no rep from this, either.

Q: If I fail in stealing and get caught, I just want to run away. My thief keeps wanting to turn and shoot at the hostile (but harmless) mark. My reputation doesn't need any more damage after that little dust-up with Algernon, no matter how satisfying it was to harpoon the sucker.

A: Turn the AI off when doing burglary and thieving. This is especially true if the rest of the party is watching. If someone turns hostile, an archer like Kivan's kill reflex kicks in, and a good archer is something like a sniper.

Q: I am tripping every trap there is. I have a good thief with high trap detection. Does she deserve a tolchocking for incompetence?

{addition} A: Often you won't see traps until you're almost about to trip them, even with a good trap detecting thief, so go slow in trap country. All spider and ettercap country is trap country, as are many dungeons and a few chests/compartments. Durlag's Tower is Trap Hell, and some of them cannot be disarmed at all. You have to use the four-cornered button on the thief's bottom button bar to turn on trap detection. If the thief does anything else besides move, or after awhile, the trap detection cancels and you have to re-enable it. Ask Interplay why they didn't allow one to have thieves always look for traps as default.

 Q: What the heck is a 'tolchocking'?

A: Read _A Clockwork Orange_ for more info. In brief, it means to whap 'em upside the head. I think it's derived from Russian, like much of the slang in _ACO_. It is something like a 'hosing'.

====== Index

TACTICAL/STRATEGY QUESTIONS

Q: How do I maneuver in tight dungeon quarters?

A: By choosing the right formation. The rectangular formation is hard to direct, whereas T formation is easy (pivots on a dime). Pentagonal or hexagonal isn't bad. Triangle is too spread out. Wedge is ok but a little crowded at the front. If all else fails, move them manually, especially if you don't want to trip traps or have some idiot wander around the long way.

Q: Are the formations I see all the formations available to me?

{deletion} A: No! Right click on any formation button and you will be presented with half a dozen other options including single column, three abreast, single staggered column, all abreast, follow-the-leader, and more. I'm very embarrassed that I never figured this out sooner--it's in the manual.

Q: Who should be leader?

A: This was poorly done in BG; the leader always marches up front. Ideally, a fighter with high CH. Failing that, use the character with highest CH when buying, selling, or dealing with non-threatening situations. You can also use whoever's voice you like best (personally I prefer Viconia's Drowic words); go to www.bgchronicles.com, and you can download the voice set for any of the game's party-capable NPCs. Don't try playing them with a .wav file reader--doesn't work. No idea why--may have to do with the need for concurrent sounds.

Q: I'm having bad luck in combat.

A: Missile weapons rule, as does magic missiling a spellcaster before s/he gets the spell off. Thief backstab is vicious. Area effect spells such as Stinking Cloud, Entangle, Sleep and Fireball are super. My personal favourite is to watch my archers gun down sleeping or unconscious Black Talon mercenaries and mages in cold blood without even wasting specialty arrows. Some people play entire parties of thieves and missile-armed characters.

Q: I've fooled around with various scripts and my people are behaving stupidly in some crucial fights. It's going to be the death of someone someday.

A: The button second from right at the bottom of the screen turns off party AI. This is your key to having complete control over party actions in combat. You have to order every attack and spell and healing effort and backstab, but at times that's exactly what you want.

Q: This not being able to get into inventory with the game paused is more than I'm willing to tolerate. Is there a way around it?

{addition} A: Play in multiplayer mode. You can do it there. However, you may have to feed the game some connection information to get it to understand properly when setting up the game. (I haven't faced this with only a modem, because I have a LAN, and if you have a LAN it seems happy enough with that.) Also, my experience is that pause and unpause in multiplayer mode are not nearly as responsive, probably due to the game having to check to see if there's any other player to tell. When a fight starts, the first full second and a half usually passes before I can get the damn thing paused. Price you pay. If you don't want to play in multiplayer mode, another idea is to set all possible events to auto-pause. What happens then is that when you go to inventory, it does indeed unpause the game; however, something else is likely to happen very quickly to cause another auto-pause, which will remain paused while you are in inventory. With TSC's new option to auto-pause upon enemy sighting, this got a lot better.

Q: I have more fire arrows than I know what to do with thanks to generous kobold commandos, but I don't want to waste them on diseased gibberlings.

{addition} A: To switch quivers, right click on the bow/arrow (or whatever weapon it is) button at the bottom, and hit whichever button you want. I keep the first two loaded with regular ammo and the third with something cool, such as biters or boomers. A good tactic is to have specialty arrows in the third quiver and make sure the first quiver is always selected with normal arrows except when you want to roll out the heavy stuff. Note: sometimes the quiver order is wrong; i.e., I have seen it start drawing ammo from the third quiver when the first was exhausted, skipping the second quiver entirely. Very bad if the third quiver contains boomers and you weren't out of the blast radius.

Q: Combat is uncontrollable because it happens so fast.

{addition} A: Pause the game as soon as the conversation turns hostile or bad, so you can issue orders. If need be, hit the X button on the bottom to cancel all party actions. If you select all and click the sword pointer on an enemy, then they will attack that enemy according to their scripts (unless they are a mage, in which case the scripts don't work right). If you then give a character a different order, the rest will still do what you told them. Pause frequently during the fight to issue new orders as necessary. Consider turning AI off in some situations to keep people under control. Use TSC's new auto-pause upon enemy sighting ability.

Q: I gave the Boots of Speed to my thief, but she isn't going any faster.

A: She is probably encumbered. If the weight number is in bright yellow (or another non-standard colour such as pink), she's encumbered and the effect of the boots is canceled out. Alternatively, check if she is wearing the Ring of Free Action (or if you've cast the spell of that name on her). This rest is reported but not verified by me: in order to get Free Action with the Boots of Speed you must first equip with the Spider's Bane and then the boots, or with the boots and then the Ring of Free Action.

Q: The above are all fine and dandy, but I need more help. The range of situations one sees in battle in this game is hard to prepare for.

A: True. You need to evaluate the following to do well in combat:
--the enemy's capability and habits (sirines casting dire charm, gnoll slashers bypassing your front rank)
--your available magic, ammo, weapon types
--whether it's safe to let your frontliners charge, or whether it's better to let the enemy come to them
--whether this is a fight best avoided completely.

From the above you can decide what to do. Pause, look at spell lists, choose ammo, give movement orders, and so forth. The combat system really rewards you for maximum use of every weapon you have. Be creative. I summoned about thirty undead one time for a tough fight in a tavern. I went to Peldvale specifically to replenish my stocks of specialty arrows and give haircuts. In some fights, I don't move my fighters forward at all (they don't want to be where my spells are going…). Got pissed off once and cut loose with two fireballs and two necklaces of missiles all at once. I combined sleep with stinking cloud. Shot a cleric with a biter and cast hold person on him.

Q: Help, I'm in the Nashkel Mines/Bandit Camp/Cloakwood and am getting hammered! My main character keeps getting murdered by kobolds, and I've got no other decent melee fighters. Everyone says that you should spend ages rolling attributes at the start, but I just leapt in. I counted up my stats and I've only got a total of 60! What's more, I decided to give my fighter a well-rounded balance, and he's got strength 10 and wisdom and intelligence 16! Should I restart? I'll never complete it now and I think I'll save myself pain and trouble by doing it again...

A: Chill out! Stats aren't that important... you could complete the game with a party of gibberlings, if you had a bit of skill and good luck. There are plenty of items in the game to improve your stats, as well as books to permanently improve them. At the worst, dual-class your character into something more useful (like a cleric) and keep him at the back, and use fighters like Ajantis and Minsc to bolster your cause. It won't come to that, though... items like Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, Bracers of Dexterity and the tomes ensure that the game can be completed without too much difficulty.

====== Index

PARTY MANAGEMENT/TRAVEL QUESTIONS

Q: I've explored much of the overall map and find it tedious to have to walk the party, dealing with pathfinding and stupid kobolds and gibberlings and so on, through every area. Nashkel to the Friendly Arm takes forever, for example.

A: Look at the overall map. If an area is in black, you can simply transit directly to it (sometimes takes more than a day and many ambushes, so be prepared). Same for an area in purple, which is one you haven't been to yet but know it's precise location. Those in gray you haven't precisely located yet and must enter for the first time from an adjacent area. In TSC you get an estimate of the travel time.

Q: Ok, I tried the above on the way back from Cloakwood, and several wyverns and spiders later, I need to stop and rest. I'm not even halfway back to the Friendly Arm and everyone's bushed, wounded, and complaining; Jaheira in particular has gone from irritating to insufferable. I'm out of decent spells, too.

A: When transiting multiple areas, after you leave the ambush maplet you will see you are between a couple of areas. Go to the nearest one, camp, and go back to the map edge to continue the long journey with refreshed comrades and renewed spells.

Q: It appears that it doesn't matter which map edge I exit from when transiting areas. True?

A: Not entirely. In the city of BG some transits will put you on the wrong side of the wall for what you want to do. You may have to go first to an adjacent area, then navigate to an exit point which the game will interpret as putting you on the right side of the wall. Also, for areas you are entering for the first time (in the process, turning them purple on the overall map), you may need to exit from a point on your current map that's as close as possible. The statement in the question above is only true when you are transiting to an area outside BG that is already black on the overall map.

Q: What are some good multi-class combinations?

A: I like:

Fighter/thief--uses larger bows and melee weapons with advanced specialization, thieving skills, good HP, potential for 18/xx exceptional strength, two quick weapon slots, very versatile character.

Cleric/mage--can function as front-liner in crucial early chapters, two spellbooks, uses any wand in the game, can cast mage spells while using shield and helmet. Gnomish cleric/illusionist is even better due to the specialty mage factor.

In a multiplayer game, if playing with just one other human (or by yourself but in multiplayer mode with two created characters), if each of you took one of the above class combos you could pretty much choose whichever other NPCs you enjoyed most to be in the party without having to worry about classes very much.

Q: What about dual classing?

A: Such a large volume of good material on this topic was received that it now has its own section.

Q: It seems that some of the quests in the game are extremely tough. Are there some that simply can't be solved?

{addition} A: Not to my knowledge. It may take you several tries, and some creative effort (different magic, different party, or suchlike), and bug avoidance, but they can all be beaten. You have but to persevere.

Q: I want Khalid but not Jaheira (or one of any other pair of character teams, such as Minsc/Dynaheir, Xzar/Montaron, Eldoth/Skie).

A: If you want to get rid of one of a pair, send that one into a building that you don't plan to ever enter again, then remove them. If they can't talk to you they can't take their friend with them. Alternatively, you can send the unwanted member into battle stripped of gear, then remove them after the anticipated death.

Q: How do I carry a dead party member back to the temple for raising?

A: Just don't use the reform party option to get rid of the grayed out image. You get to carry them weight-free automatically and there is no icon. If the greyed out image vanishes when the character dies, they're beyond resurrection (true if killed by fire, poison or dismemberment (blown to bits)).

Q: My reputation suddenly bites. I didn't do anything so awful.

A: If you kill Flaming Fist, or innocents (including someone you tried to pickpocket and failed), your rep will plummet very quickly. You may have hucked a fireball and killed someone innocent that you couldn't see. Fast way to get it back is to donate major gold at a temple. Otherwise, you can only get it back through quests. At the extremes of rep, oppositely aligned characters may leave the party, so be careful. If you turn off AI while pickpocketing, your archers won't reflexively gun down the prostitute you tried to steal from (or goose, as the case may be). Exception: there are a couple of Flaming Fist encounters where your rep doesn't drop quite so far if you grease them, such as Viconia and one on the highway.

Q: My paladin/ranger is now classified as 'fallen'. I lost some abilities. What do I do now?

A: Paladins and rangers can't atone, and if their rep drops too far they will be 'fallen' and thereafter be worse than a normal fighter. You did bad; either reload or take your medicine. One newsgroup poster had a creative suggestion: if the character has sufficient IN, dual class him to necromancer. I don't think it's a cheat in this case to change the character's alignment to evil using a hack; if you want to roleplay a good character who has given in to the dark side, go for it. You may at times get some rather broad hints that there's a bit of Old Nick in you anyway, so it is even in keeping with the storyline.

Q: I've got 3000 xp and still haven't gone up a level.

A: You have to hit the 'level up' button on the information screen in order to advance a character a level. Sounds silly to have to say, but the question has come up.

Q: I dual classed Imoen after she hit 7th level. Now I've hit the 89K XP cap and she'll never again be a thief!

A: If you dual class a character after a certain point, due to the XP cap, they won't be able to attain enough levels in the new class to regain their previous abilities, so think carefully. You cannot remove a class. Read the table in the manual and keep in mind that the character must exceed the old class level by one in the new class to be able to use both. Either that or find a cap kill utility on the net, or use Gatekeeper to edit the character, or get TSC.

Q: I threw Branwen (or whoever) out of the party and hoped to come back for her. She's no longer there. How do I track her down?

A: Some characters, if dismissed, will hang around forever. Others you'll never see again. For others it varies based on timing. Beware.

Q: I had a brief chat with Minsc when I first hit Nashkel and decided him and his wondrous rodent companion/stupid varmint (take your pick) could wait. Now I'm 5th level and just got him into the party. He's only second level. Did I have anything to do with this?

A: The level of a potential party member is determined by your own level at the time you first enter their map. My suggestion is to consider it a challenge and take that character adventuring until they catch up a bit. A low level character with a high level group, if kept out of serious harm's way, will advance rapidly because the group as a whole can kill more rewarding monsters and do more rewarding quests. This answer is incomplete, though: recently I went to pick up Yeslick and he had about 26K xp (everyone else was at about 80K), so something else is going on. It may be that Yeslick's level was fixed much earlier when I picked up Coran, then left the Cloakwood. If anyone knows more specifics please advise.

======Index

TO DUAL OR NOT TO DUAL

Note: this section departs a bit from the Q&A format of the document. The original author of the entire portion is Lazien, who has graciously permitted it to be included here (and to evolve, if other ideas come in) and to whom special thanks are due.

LAZIEN'S CAUTION: if you want Baldur's Gate to be a difficult game, read no further.

This section is devoted to the powerful dual class option in Baldur's Gate. By using the dual class option, you can make the game's most powerful classes yours for the taking. But there are a few things to consider before you take this road. First of all, as with anything, there are rules that you must follow in order to dual class. They are as follows:

--you must be of human race
--you must be of the required alignment of the class you wish to dual to (example: thieves cannot be of lawful good alignment)
--you must have at least an ability score of 17 in the prime requisite of the class you wish to dual to (although I recommend an 18; see the table below); you must further have a 15 or better in the prime requisite(s) of the class you are dualing from
--you can't use any of the abilities of your old class until you gain at least one more level in your new class than you achieved in your old class; with exceptions that are described in detail below for certain combinations
--you can *never* advance again in your previous class

Class Prime Requisite Abilities:

Mage = IN
Cleric = WI
Paladin = CH (can't dual)
Thief = DX
Ranger = CO (can't dual)
Fighter = ST
Druid = WI and CH
Bard = CH (can't dual)

Now for the character class creation part. Remember that the class that you wish to finish the game with should be your second class. I recommend that your first class be a fighter, to receive all the bonuses their class receive--most importantly their (d10) hit dice and advanced weapon specialization. You'll also receive a higher constitution bonus, extraordinary strength bonus (18/xx), increased weapon and armor options, be able to wear a helmet for critical hits no matter what class you dual to, and the ability to drink fighter only potions (heroism, etc.).

Obviously, you'll want to get the highest rolls possible. Here are some recommendations for ability scores in order of importance:

--prime requisite 18 (of the second class you want to switch to)
--CO 18 (+4 hit points per level with fighters = good thing :))
--ST 18/00 if you can get it but anything over 18/91 will do just fine (better weight allowance and "to hit" /damage rolls)
--DX 18 for lower armor class adjustment (-4) and bonus to missile weapon attacks (+2)
--WI 18 (+4 to magical defense against spells that attack the mind (dire charm, fear, confusion, etc.))

IN & CH are pretty much useless unless they are a prime requisite. I always set CH to 3 for more ability points because it doesn't affect game play at all with the negative reaction adjustment; I have played through the entire game without a hitch and am on my second time with TSC.

The following is a list of my favorite dual class combos. Please remember that when you dual you want to do it at as close to the level max & experience point value I stated to attain the maximum level for your second class. Note that all HP values are computed with a CO score of 18. Level maximums are computed with the new experience point cap found in TSC and are set so you can attain the highest level possible in your second class. Fighter Proficiency Points (FPP) are the weapon proficiency points you get when you choose fighter as your first class; this class is the only class that will let you get above 2 in any one weapon type or achieve advanced specialization (+3 to hit, +3 damage or more). Below I have given recommendations on how to allocate these fighter proficiency points for the best weapon types for the class you're dualing to.

Lastly, if you decide to dual to a mage class I recommend you pick the Conjurer 'specialist mage' due to the fact that you get to memorize 1 extra spell per spell level. This doubles the amount of 5th level spells you can memorize (5th level spells are the most powerful in the game) while losing the least amount of spells of all the specialist mages at five (Identify, Infravision, Detect Invisibility, Know Alignment and Clairvoyance). [JK here. Myself, I think Identify and Clairvoyance are pretty good and that necromantic spells largely bite; matter of personal style. The Illusionist is also a very good specialty mage.] Here are some recommended specialties in the format:

MageType (opposition school(s))--# spells lost: specific spells lost

--Conjurer (Divination)--5: Identify, Infravision, Detect invisibility, Know Alignment, Clairvoyance
--Illusionist (Necromancy)--8: Chill Touch, Larloch's Minor Drain, Ghoul Touch, Horror, Skull Trap, Vampiric Touch, Spirit Armor, Animate Dead
--Necromancer (Illusion)--6: Blind, Blur, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Improved Invisibility, Shadow Door
--Diviner (Summoning, Conjuration)--8: Armor, Grease, Melf's Acid Arrow, Flame Arrow, Ghost Armor, Monster Summoning I/II/III

The other specialists lose ten or more spells.

--Fighter/Mage (Conjurer) - LVL max. (5/9), dual at 16,000 exp., HP max (90)

 This combo gives you the fighter bonuses described above along with the ability to wear a helmet, get anywhere from 60 to 90 HP, use a composite long bow for your ranged attack and a longsword or bastard sword for your melee combat weapon; you can still cast spells at the same time. You get 5 FPP that I recommend spending on Bow=3 and Largesword=2 to have a mage that can defend himself long after his spells have been depleted. Trust me; there's nothing like a specialized bow totin' mage to ruin an enemy's day.

--Fighter/Thief - LVL max (6/9), dual at 32,000 exp., HP max (108)

This combo gets you the fighter bonuses described above, along with all the wonderful thieving abilities including 4X backstab. You can also ditch the short bow and get a real one like the composite long bow and use a helmet. You also get 6 FPP to spend on, say, Bow=3 and Largesword=3 or maybe Bow=4 and Largesword=2. Make sure you buy the stealth armor for your thief because with anything but leather they can't use their thieving abilities.

--Fighter/Cleric - LVL max (6/8), dual at 32,000 exp., HP max (104)

Again you get the fighter bonuses with the ability to heal yourself, cast cleric spells and turn undead, but be aware that you still can't use cutting or piercing weapons like swords and bows due to the cleric's ethos. Thus I recommend that you spend your 6 FPP on Missile=3 (sling) and Blunt or Spiked=3 (I prefer blunt because you get more weapon choices) or Missile=2 Blunt=4.

--Fighter/Druid - LVL max (6/10), dual at 32,000 exp., HP max (124)

Again you get the fighter bonuses, along with the ability to cast cleric spells and shape change into a brown bear, black bear, or wolf each once per day. You can also use the scimitar but no other swords due to the druid's ethos. You can use full plate armor and cast spells simultaneously so this character is a good frontliner with the ability to get so many HP (this is the highest you can get with any class, dual class, multiclass, or straight classed character, period) and wear the best armor/shields. I recommend you spend your 6 FPP on Largesword=3 [(scimitar) TSC only] and Missile=3.

--Cleric/Mage (Conjurer) - LVL max (5/9), dual at 13,000 exp., HP max (74)

With this combo you are a spell slinger supreme with all kinds of cleric and mage spells to use and can turn undead, but you are severely limited in the weapon category. For instance you can only use a staff or sling until you get to mage level 6 and can never use darts or daggers. On the flip side you can cast all kinds of defensive and offensive spells, and can still wear a helmet.

--Thief/Mage (Conjurer) - LVL max (6/9), dual at 20,000 exp., HP max (66)

This character is the Bard supreme, giving you a lot of versatility with weapons and abilities. Even though you can't wear armor (spells won't work) or helmets, you can still backstab for 3X damage (imagine what a level 9 backstab lightning bolt does for damage--162 hp max--hehehe) and use all other thieving abilities. Be aware that you will only get 130% points to distribute on thieving skills so plan ahead where you want to put them, i.e. make the character a pickpocket, trap finder or backstab/stealth expert. Last word on the dual class thief/mage: you can sit in the background with your bow and pick off enemies or go into stealth mode, sneak up on upcoming enemies and wreak some major havoc with area effect spells before they even know you're there. My favorite tactic with this character is to scout ahead in stealth mode and then cast Stinking Cloud, Web, or Cloudkill on a pack of enemies in front of the group, then charge in with the party and have a massacre.

{new} Q: When I dual class from the fighter (or whatever) to the Mage of Incredibly Big Fireballs (or whatever), what happens to all my fighter proficiencies? And where should I spend the one or two proficiencies that my mage is given?

{new} A: The previous proficiencies are unavailable until your new class is of a higher level than the class you dualed from. Also the proficiencies from your old class are laid over the new class, and the best ones are kept. e.g., Fighter with Large Sword*3 Missile*3 duals to Mage. If the mage has Missile*1 when he finally increases in level past that of his fighter past, his proficiencies will be Large Sword*3 Missile*3 (the missile proficiency was lost). However, if that proficiency had been in Short Sword for instance (mages and daggers :); when the mage gets the fighter experience back, his proficiencies will then be Large Sword*3 Missile*3 Short Sword*1. Advice: when dual classing, when you set up the new class, pick weapon proficiencies that you didn't have in your old class.

====== Index

ITEM QUESTIONS

Q: Where is the Ring of Wizardry I've heard so much about?

A: See the section on bugs/patch/etc at the beginning. Didn't want to dupe it here.

Q: Where is the Hand of Vecna?

A: It isn't in the game. Probably just as well.

Q: What about the secret Cow Dungeon and Summon Cow spell? I'm from Kansas and these would enhance my experience.

A: Take it from a fellow Jayhawker: there is no Cow Dungeon. However, with hacks such as Gatekeeper you can get the Summon Cow spell. I think it would be very amusing to use this in snobby taverns, leaving deceased bovines all over the floor. Remind me to tell you about the time I turned the Helm and Cloak Inn into an abattoir with about 40 dead skeletons, 15 dead xvarts, 3 dead kobolds, and 13 dead humans. Unfortunately, Dufus here didn't have the presence of mind to preserve the uplifting spectacle with a screenshot. It was precious.

Q: How come is it that hobgoblin elites hit me with poisoned arrows, and they work all too well, but when I loot the bodies the arrows are nothing special?

A: You cannot get poisoned arrows from dead hobgoblin elite, in spite of the fact that they poison you. Probably they dip them in their latrine or use the tips to clean their nails.

Q: I tolchocked the storekeeper/temple cleric/smith/cranky mage and can't loot all his magic stuff.

A: You don't get to loot a store's entire inventory after you grease the shopkeeper, just whatever's in the trunks and shelves and bags and barrels and whatever.

Q: I have a fighter with a +2 sword and a +1 morningstar, and proficiency with both. When facing skeletons, I switch to the morningstar, but my fighter keeps switching back to the sword. Why won't he do what I'm telling him to do?

A: No idea. This seems to be a bug we just have to live with. My suspicion is that the game is deciding for you which is his optimal weapon and making the change at the beginning of a new round.

Q: I just killed a really bad dude who is supposed to have some excellent magical items. All I found was a little pile of gold. Do some items not occur from game to game?

A: Did you blow him to smithereens, like the shatter effect with the wand of cold? I have found that if you kill someone by blowing them to kingdom come, leaving only small pieces, often their magic items fail the saving throw.

Q: Everyone said that if I dumped stuff in a barrel, it would have the shelf life of gravel. I tried this and came back and all my loot was gone!

A: If you stash something in a barrel or chest, usually it stays there, but sometimes not. I have better luck caching them inside buildings in chests than outside.

Q: Do I need to save all these letters I've taken from dead bodies?

A: Some are needed to complete quests. I wouldn't throw any away. I'd put them in a chest somewhere in case I ever need or want to review them. If nothing else, the ones found on Mulahey are pretty amusing (he's getting reamed by a pointy-haired boss). Sarevok has some moderately sappy ones. Your character is the topic of a good number of them…

Q: Some of the quest items I find are magical and I think I'd rather hang onto them. What will happen if I do?

A: Nothing other than you won't get the quest reward. If you want to have it both ways, complete the quest then pickpocket to get the item back. Works sometimes.

Q: I have the coordinates for the +2 Hockey Puck of Scoring (or whatever). How do I figure out what coordinates I'm at?

A: Hit L.

Q: I found something called 'Perdue's short sword' or 'Joia's flamedance ring' or a bunch of skulls or some other strangely-named oddball item. What good is it?

A: If you find something that isn't magical, yet has a name associated with some individual or seems worthless, it's probably associated with a quest. Hang onto it until you figure out whose quest it is. Sometimes that may be awhile.

Q: Ok, I've been carting around Laeral's Tear Necklace for months like you said above and no Laeral. Where the heck is s/he?

A: There is no Laeral (not to be confused with Laurel the Paladin); that's just the name of the item. When you see what shopkeepers give for that trinket you'll feel better about not having just pitched it.

====== Index

PLOT/BALANCE QUESTIONS

Q: How come bounty hunters are punking on me every time I hit a new town, or sometimes out in the bush?

A: That's part of the story. You've pissed off some remarkably powerful people just by being you. Try and win the fights and take the loot, which is usually good.

Q: Infravision seems fairly worthless even though I have 'party infravision' turned on. Am I doing something wrong?

A: No. It is all but worthless. However, items and scrolls that confer it can be sold for gold.

Q: I'm not satisfied to play the game as it is. I lust for power and might and am willing to bend the rules to get them.

A: If you really want to unbalance the game and take the personality out of it, you can:

a) work with a character until s/he goes up a couple levels, then export and import them into a new game. This will beneficially affect the starting levels of all your new party members.

b) set up a game in multiplayer mode and create however many characters you want. If you do this you'll also be able to pause the game in the inventory screen.

c) hack the XP cap, or the characters, with one of the editors that's out there.

d) repeatedly try to sleep in the golem cave, or spend a lot of time on the ankheg map while periodically saving and reloading the same game.

====== Index

----SPOILER LEVEL INCREASES FROM HERE DOWNWARD--

TACTICS TOWARD CERTAIN CREATURES

Q: I'm being Puppy Chow for vampiric wolves.

A: Vampiric wolves and non-corporeal undead are vulnerable only to magic weapons. If you don't have them, you either run or are SOL.

Q: Sirines are wiping up the floor with me.

A: They're tough unless tackled with care. Invisibility is bad enough; Dire Charm is much worse. Worst (and common) is three sirines at once. Try to engage them one at a time; disrupt spells with missile weapons and magic missiles; use potions and spells to increase resistance, hold person on dire charmed characters, or throw in something that makes a lot of fire. Use backstab. Purge invisibility unless you use it too. Start encounters with a lone hidden character to get them to use up their spells. Throw Stinking Cloud on them while they engage your summoned undead (immune to Dire Charm and the cloud). If you have a paladin, use Protection From Evil, which is effective protection from the effects of Dire Charm. Remember you can always run away, which is helpful while waiting for a dire charm to wear off.

Q: I ran into a creature from hell called the hamadryad. I got clobbered. Eight times.

A: It happens. Dimension door at will combined with dire charm is rough stuff to go against. Similar tactics to sirines, but you really have to pack your lunch. Luckily there's only one. One valid tactic is to summon a particularly large number of undead, hoping the dire charm will be wasted against a skeleton. AFAIK there is only one hamadryad in the game.

Q: The Black Talon are really cutting me up. How does one fight them?

A: With area effect weapons and spells. Stinking cloud is great. Sleep is elegant. Fireball works. What you want is to kill them before they use up too many of their ice arrows, so that the next batch of Black Talon you meet gets to some air conditioning as well as ventilation. Of course, good anti-missile defenses (large shields, certain items, good AC in general) help, because if you charge them they switch to melee weapons.

Q: Mustard jellies are turning me into toast. It's quite jarring to encounter them; none of my tactics seem to gel. I can't loaf around forever; I've got to take them on sometime. I'm really in a jam.

A: Magical hammers, flails and maces are ideal; you are looking for crushing damage of a magical weapon nature, the higher plus the better. Other magical weapons do less damage but they still hurt them. Don't look for much help from spells and wands due to the jellies' magic resistance.

Q: I've wandered onto a map full of basilisks. This isn't what I mean when I say that I like to get stoned.

A: This map, or any basilisk encounter, requires some preparation. Mages should load up with protection from petrification spells, and scrolls of protection from petrification are especially useful due to their long duration. Potions of mirrored eyes should be purchased for frontline fighters, and march order should be monitored so that only the protected ones are liable to reveal unexplored area. Summoned undead should march in a cluster out front--tedious but lifesaving. Finally, on this map there's Korax, who wants to become an adventurer and your friend. He is also one of the most amusing encounters in the game. If you accept him into the party, he can walk out front and kill basilisks, immune to their petrification and poison, at least for a time...

Q: So here I am, walking through a plowed field and minding my own business, and an ankheg has hawked up a glob of acid mucous on me! There are three of them! They burrow and come up! Yaaaaa! and blecch!

A: Run like hell until your party is 4th level or better. Then use specialty arrows. Might try a scroll of protection from acid for frontline fighters, or make sure they have items conferring high missile AC; the loogies are missiles in game terms and can whiff. The ankheg map is a good place to summon 2-3 packs of undead, confident that they'll save your party damage and get in some licks. It would have been amusing had the designers included a +2 handkerchief of acid mucous protection, but it was not meant to be.

Q: I'm having problems with enemy spellcasters.

A: They are normally your priority target in combat. At least one fast archer/slinger/dart thrower should be dedicated to shooting at each mage, if you have enough. Only missile hits disrupt their spells; Magic Missile is a particular favourite as it goes off with no delay and is only 1st level, improving as your level improves (good for when the caster's first act is to cast Mirror Image, as is common). Good news is that in order to cast, they have to stand still, which means stinking cloud will give them a very bad day, as will web. If you suspect there is a group, throw the cloud as far as you can toward what you think is its centre. Invisibility purge is an important spell to have, and so is dispel magic. It's fun to summon monsters and undead adjacent to them (this works against enemy archers too).

Q: It's Chapter 7 and the Flaming Fist is on me like white on rice. No matter what I do, it's fight, get creamed or go to jail. My reputation is going to be like negative 636 (status: immediate demotion to a Type III demon and a palace in the Lower Planes) by the time I get to the Elfsong!

{revision} A: What works for me is two things. First, use the sewers to get across town. In BG the cops steer clear of the sewers (because people like you and me hang out down there). Second, when out and about aboveground, turn party AI off as your standard procedure, and just run away. They'll get a couple of hacks at you now and then, but by Chapter 7 you are tough enough that even your mages need not worry about this. With party AI off none of your archers will nail the Flaming Fist with a flamer (amusing irony, that) unless specifically ordered to.

====== Index

OTHER SPOILER-TYPE INFO

Q: I can't find the Blade & Stars in BG, and I have to do a quest there!

A: Volo's map (included in North American English version) can be misleading. Trust me, the Blade & Stars is definitely in the SE sector of BG, specifically in the NW corner of that sector. It's a white building with brown trim. Word is that this is a feature rather than an error: Volo got annoyed at the B&S, and deliberately misplaced them on the map.

Q: Where is Drizzt?

A: Look in an unnamed sector northwest of Nashkel, middle of the map. For some reason it's a little hard to enter this sector for the first time; you have to be in certain portions of the adjacent area that you are coming from. There is a big lake in the north half of this map, with some clods fishing and complaining nearby and a rundown house.

Q: How do I kill him?

A: My suggestion would be a massive orgy of monster and undead summoning, keeping him penned up while you shoot at him with specialty arrows (preferably from the island). He has high magic resistance and requires a natural 20 to hit. I'm not so sure he isn't worse than Sarevok, taken singly. Be aware that no matter how you kill him, your rep will drop ten points. Since the first patch, you can't pickpocket him for his swords.

Q: If I wear Drizzt's +4 mithril chain mail, can I use thieving abilities and cast spells?

A: Yes. I went to the trouble of killing him just to test it. Looks spiffy, too.

Q: Bjornin's quest is a pain. I can't find the half-ogres, and can't be sure I killed them all.

A: Same map as Drizzt, above. If you don't want to trigger the Drizzt encounter, stick to the top half of the map. I've tried this and, by diligently sweeping the top half, fulfilled Bjornin's quest. You don't get direct confirmation on this until you get back to the Juggler and see Bjornin, though Detect Evil would answer the question.

Q: Can I kill Elminster and Volo?

A: I hear that you can (which isn't at all 'realistic', especially for Elminster, who should wipe the party out without breaking a sweat).

Q: What do I do with the ancient armour I found in the Firewine dungeon?

A: Look for some ghost knights in the dungeon to hand it over to.

Q: I have an ankheg head that weighs a ton. What good is it?

A: The smith in Beregost will only make one set of ankheg armour, and it takes some time (he's usually late). There are a few other people who will buy them (careful; they rot) but for their weight they're hardly worth it by the time your party is capable of killing an ankheg to begin with. There are also good arguments that full plate is better than ankheg plate; for me it depends on the ST of the wearer. Full plate is very heavy and if the wearer doesn't have high ST the AC benefits of full plate are balanced by the reduced carrying ability. In TSC ankheg armour is a major improvement for druids.

Q: What good are wyvern heads?

A: If you really want to haul them around, they're good money some places. They make Coran happy if that's important to you (he should have to carry some, fair's fair).

Q: Dynaheir is supposed to be in the gnoll fort. I've killed two hundred or so gnolls and been over every walkable meter of the place. She isn't there!

A: Yeah, she is. When you see a pit, consider that the posts along one side are a form of crude stairs, and send someone all the way down.

Q: Thalantyr's flesh golems tolchock me in a pathfinding goat rodeo when I go into his shack.

A: If you have magic weapons and some toughness, take them on. If not, send in just one character and run straight in to talk to him ASAP. After you talk to him the golems leave you in peace.

Q: Having Boo in Minsc's quick item slot handicaps him. How do I get the little sucker out?

A: Over Minsc's cold, dead corpse. Don't forget that Minsc (Indian name: "Dances With Rodents") has an anger management problem; I think in our modern world it would be called 'rodential emotional syndrome' and they would hand out a med for it. He is one of the least wise characters to get hacked off at you; his punches have quite a sting.

Q: I can't find the bandit camp/Cloakwood/Baldur's Gate entrance.

A: You can't get to the bandit camp without having located it in one of a few ways (beat it out of Tranzig (upstairs, Feldepost's, Beregost) after doing Nashkel Mines, or join with Teven in Larswood or Raiken in Peldvale). (You could also try just walking north from Peldvale or the ankheg farm map, and I'm told that south of the Friendly Arm there is a bandit encounter where you can beat it out of a survivor.) You can't get to Cloakwood until you've done the bandit camp. You can't get to Baldur's Gate until you've done Cloakwood. You can't get back into Candlekeep until you've done the Iron Throne (and when you do, trust me, the property values have gone way down). Important: if you've successfully crossed the big bridge to BG, you should be able to get in. Just walk through the wall nearby; there is actually a gate there. Moving your cursor over the wall will enable you to find it.

Q: Shoal the Nereid kisses me and kills me no matter how I handle her. I've reloaded six times and tried all the options. She reminds me of someone I took home from a bar one night.

A: This one is a pain if you don't know the inside info. Don't let her kiss your main character. If you fight her after she kills whichever other character, she'll raise them from the dead (albeit very low on HP, be forewarned). She's good XP if you decide to beat on her anyway, and if you turn on her after killing Droth (and get your licks in quickly) you get the XP with no rep loss.

Q: I've read several online tip guides and I don't care what they imagine, Brage ain't where they say he is. Is this a red herring quest of some sort?

A: If you can't find Brage, he's near the middle of the map just below the lighthouse map, along the coast. If you see dead horses you're getting warm (steel yourself; this will get pretty gross). The wild goose chase quests in the game are, thankfully, precious few.

Q: I got pummelled in Peldvale by the Black Talon and reloaded. I kept running into more of them; it was the Map from Hell. Second time I came through I only had a couple of fights with them. How come?

A: When you reload a map, or a saved game, in some cases, the non-plot creatures of that map respawn. If you do this on a map where there are a lot of Black Talon, you will find out just how fun it can get. (When of higher level, you can use this to gain ridiculous amounts of experience on the ankheg farm map, though you will also pay a price for that experience. Acid loogies hurt when hawked at one.)

Q: There is no way, simply no way, to kill Davaeorn in the Cloakwood mines. His battle horrors are giving me a serious hosing before I even get to cowboy up on him.

A: The battle horrors are spawned by traps leading into Davaeorn's pad. Disarm them and you get no battle horrors. Even then, he's still tough, with all the abilities of a powerful mage. Pack your lunch, preferably with a nice stinking cloud and dispel magic; dispel magic is also good against battle horrors in general, as it nukes their flaming swords.

====== Index

BEING EVIL

Q: I want to put together a truly wicked party of evildoers. Is this even worth trying?

A: Yes. It's harder, but very interesting. There are just enough evil NPCs eligible for party membership to round out a successful party. You will have to be a little bit clever and visit some areas that you would normally avoid for awhile if you want them sooner rather than later, but that in itself is an interesting quest. If you've ever read the comic Calvin & Hobbes (much lamented), now's your chance to be Calvin. (For the full effect, play a blond gnomish thief/illusionist, and import an image of the little rascal.) Here is one suggested way, omitting the quests along the way that you could also choose to do if you saw fit:

Take Imoen for the time being outside Candlekeep, the land of pompous windbag do-gooders who failed to raise you to be a pathetic boy or girl scout. When this is over they won't feel quite so learned, the old coots. Pick up Xzar and Montaron on the way to the Friendly Arm. Stay away from Khalid and Jaheira; since Gorion was obviously not bright enough to keep from getting drygulched, you don't want to be surrounded with his loser friends. All the resources of Candlekeep at his disposal, and he couldn't be bothered to even get you a lousy fireball wand. If you yourself are a mage, put Xzar in front as you approach the Arm, hoping the bounty hunter will get him, and put him in front for every combat until he gets put away. (If you are not a mage, you might treat him better… he's useful for now (muhahahahaha…). You can always sack him for Shar-Teel later.) Now run east to Peldvale, and for darkness' sake hug the west edge of Peldvale; at this point it's worth your life to venture in. Find Viconia and help her against the Racist Fist, accept her into the party, and get your butts out of Peldvale. Make sure Viconia has at least two cure light wounds spells by next rest. Run from any serious ambush on the way to and from areas, if you can.

Go to Beregost and join up with Kagain, and arm and armour him as impressively as you can, then go east past the temple, staying in the south portion of the temple map. (If you've ever been to the NW quadrant of that map, you know why.) Go to the area east of the temple map (12 hour journey), and don't talk to Korax the Ghoul (you need him later as a temporary servant whom you will still later cut down in his tracks). Hug the west edge of this map as well, unless you want rock and roll in a way not even Ozzy Osbourne could like. A ways to the north you will find Shar-Teel, your basic Klingon in all but name. Accept her challenge, but since you're evil, you should cheat, having Viconia cure Kagain's wounds during the fight and letting him drink healing potions. If she wins, heal him and challenge her again. When you win, her musclebound, arrogant, bigoted ass will join your party. Get the heck off this map and back to Beregost the way you came. Now Montaron can get out of the front lines and become a mean crossbowman/thief. His trap detection isn't much better than that of a kobold, for future reference (someday you will care a lot about this), but he's a first-class sneak as well as a general slimeball, thus meeting your primary résumé requirements.

When you're ready (good time to go do quests, steal from idiots like Algernon, practice the fine art of burglary, and generally raise merry hell), head south for Nashkel. Don't talk to Minsc. When you're ready to go to the gnoll stronghold (should be a 3rd level party or close to it), talk to Edwin on the south bridge in Nashkel. If Imoen or Xzar of all the Russias is still with you, take their goodies (very wicked of you, good deal) and dump them for Edwin, then do his quest. (Do it in a selfish and sneaky way, by having Montaron sneak into the stronghold and backstab her in the torture pit.) You will never have to listen to Dynaheir's pathetic homilies after you go to the gnoll fort and put her out of your misery, or send her up the stairs naked to face the gnolls you snuck past. Even the gnolls will probably thank you. Now you have the crew that you'll keep for the duration, unless you later decide to pick up Eldoth or Tiax.

Want to do some really wicked deeds? Kill the boy's dog and scoff at his lame guilt trip. Turn on the druids of Cloakwood, having first pickpocketed Aldeth for his pretty sword. Murder Mulahey and Tranzig as they beg for mercy. Help Tenya impoverish the fishermen, marking her insolence as something to be avenged one day. Rob Joia's pad after you get her questionable reward. Steal from Thunderhammer at night. Kill Greywolf but don't give the emeralds back to the pompous ass who tipped you off about Prism; sell them and keep the money. Tell Bassilius you're his undead parent; since he's so fond of them and for good ambience, summon some authentic undead. Silence Noober with a crossbow bolt in the throat. Drink yourselves blind on cheap beer every time you hit down. Let the bereaved farmer find his own money. Let Viconia wear the Foolish Fist helmet as a trophy. Charm innocent forest creatures and let them do the fighting for you. Animate the undead to take the wrath of basilisks and anyone else you don't like (a pretty broad category, as it were). Let Drizzt fight the gnolls all by himself since he's such a bad dude, then (if you dare.he's pretty tough for a traitor) take his fancy-dan armour and weapons. Take offence at Imoen's squeaky voice and find a particularly nasty place to leave her, such as a crib in the Undercellar or in the bowels of Ulcaster dungeon. Regain hit points by casting Larloch's Minor Drain on squirrels, horses, cattle, rats and anything else handy.

Keep cool quest items for yourself, or pickpocket them back after taking the reward. Wipe up the barroom floor with Marl's spurting blood. Join the bandits with Teven, then clean out and loot the bandit camp, feeling free to attack those who are not attacking you. Show your affection for Chill hobgoblins by shooting them with the dozens of icers taken from their dead Black Talon allies. When summoned urgently to meet with some Fleeing Fist type on their earthshaking issues, do not rush over. Deliberately take your time; go out shopping (applying the five-finger discount where feasible), get hammered in a bar, and rest up so that you can suffer through their rhetoric and cowardice in comfort. (It is a definite inaccuracy in the game that getting drunk does so little. It should produce nausea at random the night before and the morning after, and should also be a recruiting tool.) De-stone Branwen, then take her and use her as basilisk bait. Decide that Edwin would look cute in pink and mauve, and moreover that he needs to get in better touch with his anima, and give him the sex change girdle to wear. If Shar-Teel annoys you with her sexism, put said girdle on her and laugh as she starts showing some balls (so to speak). Since the Priestesses of Umberlee have all the charm and ministerial warmth of constipated alligators, once you've cured your poisoning, stand everybody back and drill Jalantha with a boomer, thus avenging the many offences this crowd has inflicted upon you.

Join the Thieves' Guild and steal from them when they aren't looking, even as you do the work the Failing Fist lacks the guts to handle. Narc to the Flaccid Fist on the deserter; who wants to haul a body halfway across the landmass for a lousy 800 xp? Be very rude to Officer Vai. Never talk to her after whipping the bandit camp unless you have scalps to sell, so that you can keep getting good money for them forever; the fact that she and her Fumbling Fist clowns are stuck in Beregost is her problem, not yours. Use the nymph cloak to hold gladiatorial galas involving one Feeble Fist type vs. another when you get caught swiping stuff. Having saved Shoal the Nereid, turn around and kill her. Take the shield you get from Bjornin and callously kill Ajantis while using it to ward off his futile blows. Tell Laurel that if she wants the gibberlings dead she can do it herself, and hope she loses. Kill Thalantyr's golems even when they're leaving you alone; he is a screwoff anyway, just stands around contemplating Ye Magickale Navele, so a little work would probably improve his demeanour anyway. Some of these will harm your rep, which is why you don't want it to get too low. Have fun, you sick, disturbed being.

jkk 17 August 1999

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