Utility of Stats?

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I am listing below the effects of stats as I understand and the doubts/questions as well.

Strength - Increases THAC0 and damage of melee items only. Is there any other advantage of pushing your strength to 22-23?

Dexterity - Increases AC, AC against missiles, THAC0 with missile weapons. Any other advantage?

Constitution - Increases hit points. Somebody told me that character starts regenrating if Constitution is 20 or above. Is it true?

Intelligence - Increases chances to memorize spells. Limits maximum no. of spells memorized. At intelligence 19, you can memorize all spells. Is there any advantage of pushing it up to 20. ( By potions, you can push your intelligence up to 25 and make the chance of learning apells 100%. So, increasing chances of spells learnt is not really an advantage).

Wisdom - Low wisdom gives chances of spell casting failure. Is it only for priest spells or for mage spells too. For priests, high wisdom gives bonus spell slots. For non-priests, does wisdom has any advantage?

Charisma - Controls party members of dirrerent alignments. Helps NPC interaction. Any other advantage?

 

The higher your strength goes, the more bonuses you get. The max strength is 25, which gives +7 to hit and +14 to damage. So yes, if you push it past 22-23, you get additional bonuses. I don't know all the breakdowns, but the difference is huge. For example 20 strength gives you +3 to hit and +8 to damage, whereas 25 is +7 to hit, and +14 to damage. Strength has big increases in the bonuses every step up you go, generally giving you +1 to hit and +2 to damage for every point beyond 20.

Dexterity also continues to give bonuses to AC and to hit with missile weapons, all the way up to 25. However, the bonus to armor class is +4 for dexterity scores between 18-20. You don't get +5 until you hit 21 (which is impossible non-cheating, unless you play a elf or halfling thief, going through BG1 1st, and taking the evil choice in the anger test in hell).

Consititution - does give regeneration once you hit 20 - and the rate of regeneration continues the further beyond 20 you go (for example through the use of the spell Draw Upon Holy Might). It also gives additional bonuses to hit points if you are fighter, paladin, ranger, or barbarian, but not until you hit 21 or 22 (which is impossible without the use of a spell).

Intelligence - other than what you said, the higher your intelligence, the higher your lore value. However, for all practical purposes, 19 is as high as you'll ever need it. Also if you intelligence is 12 or less, there is a chance you will miscast a mage spell, but I don't know anyone who makes a mage with less than a 12 in intelligence.

Wisdom - is the other component of lore. In fact, wisdom has a bigger impact on lore than does intelligence (in other words, an average wisdom and high intelligence gives a lower total lore value than an average intelligence and high wisdom). There is a slight chance for spell failure (of cleric/druid spells) if you wisdom is below 12. Again, I know of no clerics/druids with such a score. There is one final aspect to wisdom if you are a cleric/druid. The more wisdom you have, the more spells you can memorize. This is why it is a good idea to go through BG1 if you are playing a cleric/druid/multi-class thereof. You can get your wisdom all the way up to 21 and get a boatload of bonus cleric/druid spells. (I mean you increase the number you can cast, you don't actually learn spells that other clerics can't learn.)

Charisma - other than what you mentioned, it affects how much merchants charge you for purchases.

[ July 09, 2004, 15:37: Message edited by: Aldeth the Foppish Idiot ]

 

Strength - You can push it to 25 by using the Crom Faeyr. There are also potions that can push it up to 23 (i.e. Potion of Hill Giant Strength, Potion of Storm Giant Strength, etc.).

Dexterity - I think you got everything on that one.

Constitution - I think character always regenerate... Maybe higher CON means faster regeneration.

Intelligence - I think an INT of 19 is enough. It can get you past dialogues that check your INT (i.e. Soulafein's Mind Flayer dialog) and memorize enough spells to take out a horde.

Wisdom - I don't think that it has that big of an effect if given to non-cleric, non-druid, or non-paladin PC's.

Charisma - Primary stat of the Sorcerer. This determines how many spells he/she can cast per level.

 

Character do not regenerate (unless you're counting resting at an inn or the like) for any constitution value of 19 or lower. With 20 or above, you can literally just be standing around and you get hp back. Granted for 20 in constitution, the rate is very slow, but it's there.

Charisma is the primary stat for a sorcerer in 3rd edition. Unless you have a mod that changes the game rules, bg2 uses 2nd edition.

 

Do you mean +25 to damage? That seems a little high and I've never noticed my character (either Slayer-changed or wielding Crom Faeyr) have +25 added to damage.

 

No he doesn't. 25 strength gives +14 to damage as Aldeth clearly states later on in that same paragraph.

 

One thing that high wisdom is supposed to affect (for everyone) is magical defense (whatever that means), but apparently that isn't actually implemented in the game.

Also, while not actually an effect, high intelligence is useful when facing mind flayers.

 

As JSSB stated, I clearly meant +14, I don't know why I said 25.

Splunge's comment also made me remember something else. For some reason the short races get bonuses to saving throws versus spells based on their constitution. I know this applies to dwarves and gnomes, I know it doesn't apply to humans, half-orcs, half-elves, and elves, and I am unsure about halflings. The bonus to your saving throw vs. spells is your constitution divided by 4 rounded down.

I also agree with Splunge that a high wisdom is supposed to help you with magic resistance (not actual magic resistance like a dragon or anything - maybe I should call it "magic resiliance"), but I've never seen this actually happen.

 

I forgot about the CON thing too (odd, since I often take that into consideration). Yes, it applies to halflings (or at least, it's supposed to).

 

I would just add that if one is going to play a Mage/Sorcerer and plans on casting Wish or Limited Wish, then high Wisdom as well as high Intelligence is needed.

 

Thieves also get bonus points to their thieving skills based on high dexterity IIRC.

 

Strength allows you to carry all the loot you gather. And it improves your chances for killing your enemies in melee.

Thieves get a Dex and race bonus in thieving points at make. Subsequent level ups get no bonus.

Isnt Wisdom used to determine your save vs spells? For non- Divine casters it provides better Lore and Wish spell options.

Mind Flayers drain your Int scores. Which is why Minsc has to come in last while fighting them.

High Char means cheaper prices in all shops for you. In BG the NPCs will join u regardless of Char.

 

I thought Wisdom determined your Saving Throws.
When you have less than 8 Wisdom, you have a penalty, between 9 and 12 Wisdom, you have normal Saving Throws, between 13 and 16 wisdom, you have increased Saving Throws, and so on ...
I'm not on the numbers though.

 

@ B.S. ( )

WIS is supposed to help saving throws. Go back to near the start of this thread; it actually doesn't.

 

CON also affects how soon your character becomes fatigued.

IIRC charisma effects something called "Reaction" on the character screen. What does that do??

 

Actualy, you can get Dex to 21 without cheating...
Elf 19 starting, +1 in BG I, +1 Dex on Shuruppaks Plate ( This plate you get late in the game, so when I created my own Armor I set it to gime me +1 DEX )

 

I've tested this and that's actually not true. It is supposed to be, but it doesn't seem to be implemented.

Nothing that matters.

 

It is implemented, at least in my game, but its only the charisma of the party leader that counts. So if you've got Korgan on point your paying too much.

 

@Rastor

My buttugly 6Char Kensai found things to be pretty cheaper after the visit to Aerie's tent. Not like 1/2 price or any thing but atleast a 25% improvement in the prices asked and offered.

Also does it mean the my next Fighter Char can have 8Wis instead of 18 and not keep getting himself charmed or anything?

 

@Splunge
Oh, when i played Baldur's Gate and found 3 Tomes of Wisdom, i used all of them of course.
I thought i saw my Saving Throws increasing, but that was probably bad thinking then ? :xx

@Shrikanth: I was wondering the same thing

@Rastor: you're right, in Baldurs's Gate (2), high Charisma doesn't lower shop prices. In Icewind Dale, it does !
That's why many people are confused, i think.
But then again, Icewind Dale uses another version of AD&D rules, iirc.