Item upgrade mod- too powerful?

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I wanted to know what everyone thinks of this mod since their are some very powerful weapons but in generaly nearly all of them come at some great cost in items gems money etc, so here are some examples.

Celestial Fury +5
To enchant a katana is no simple process. At least, that's what <CHARNAME> thought before <PRO_HESHE> first had it attempted on <PRO_HISHER> behalf. In reality, the most difficult part of reforging the already-godlike katana known as Celestial Fury was gathering the myriad ingredients required. Celestial Fury has served <CHARNAME> well since it was taken from the kensai Koshi in the Temple District of Athkatla. Its provenance before that point is as follows:


STATISTICS:

Equipped Abilities:
Lightning Strike: Once per day
Blindness: Once per day
Combat Abilities:
Booming Thunder whenever the sword strikes an opponent
(Stun, Save vs. Spell)
Shocking Blow chance when sword strikes an opponent
(5% chance of 20 additional electrical damage)
THAC0: +5 bonus
Damage: 1D10 +5
Damage type: slashing
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 0
Proficiency Type: Katana
Type: 1-handed
Requires: 6 Strength
Not Usable By:
Druid
Cleric
Mage

This is basicaly the same as normal only it a +5

Lilarcor +5
Lilarcor is not quite as lovable (or annoying, depending on your viewpoint) as it was before <CHARNAME> had it upgraded. When the Mind Flayer Control Circlet was embedded in its hilt, Lilarcor seemed to lose the ability to consciously converse with those nearby and was reduced to making occasional quips. However, Lilarcor's peculiar intelligence (or lack thereof) now serves as a boon (or a blight) to the wielder: the one holding Lilarcor cannot have its intelligence adjusted for any reason. This protects against the intelligence drain associated with the Illithid and the beneficial effects of a potion of Genius.

STATISTICS:

Equipped Abilities: Immunity to Charm, Confusion, Intelligence Changes
THAC0: +5 bonus
Damage: 1d12 +5
Damage type: slashing
Weight: 10
Speed Factor: 6
Proficiency Type: Two-Handed Sword
Type: 2-handed
Requires: 14 Strength
Not Usable By:
Druid
Cleric
Mage
Thief

this costs several brine potions money and a few other things as well as mind control circlets, unfortuantely it doesent mute the voice.

Sunblade: Daystar +4
Whether created specifically for use in the service of Torm or appropriated at some point in the long history of the church, Paladins of the Loyal Fury have made good use of Daystar in their battles against evil undead. Through magic or blessing it is empowered with the Sunray, a force of pure life energy so potent that it slays both living and unliving.

<CHARNAME> appropriated this blade from a Lich near the city gates of Athkatla and has since reforged it into an even more powerful instrument of holy justice.

STATISTICS:

Equipped Abilities: Protection From Evil

Special Abilities (twice per day):
Sunray
Damage: 3D6 (save vs. spells or be blinded for 10 rounds)
Undead: an additional 10d6 points of damage (save vs. spells or be destroyed)
Range: 20 ft
Area: 20 ft radius

THACO: +4 bonus, +8 vs. evil creatures
Damage: 1D8 +4, +8 vs. evil creatures
Combat Ability: Any Undead creature struck by Daystar takes double damage.
Damage type: slashing
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 3
Proficiency Type: Long sword
Type: 1-handed
Requires: 6 Strength
Not Usable By:
Druid
Cleric
Mage

This is definately overkill the extra damage actually works against prot. magic weapons (I think).

Water's Talon +4
The blade of this weapon seems to shimmer, revealing a fluid, razor-sharp edge shaped somewhat like the talon of a bird of prey. Water's Talon was commissioned by <CHARNAME> and holds vast power over damaging liquids. Each hit sucks some of the life out of the target and confers it to the wielder. In addition, the water-like edge of the blade is forever envenomed. Much like one of its predecessors, Water's Talon provides immunity to charm. In addition, however, its mastery over water protects the user from the harmful effects of Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting. Most uniquely, the liquid nature of the blade allows it to extend and splash during combat, improving the strike range granted by the weapon to a range beyond that of most two-handed swords. This allows the wielder to make otherwise-impossible attacks from the back rows of a formation or try for daring hit-and-run tactics, counting on the poison from the first hit to disable foes.

STATISTICS:

Equipped Abilities: Wielder immune to charm, domination and horrid wilting spells
Special Abilities: Each hit raises the wielder's maximum hit points by 2 for 3 minutes
Special Properties: Extended Strike Range
Damage: 1D8 +4, +2 points of poison damage per second (cumulative)
THAC0: +4
Damage type: slashing
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 1
Proficiency Type: Scimitar/Wakizashi/Ninja-To
Type: 1-handed
Requires: 8 Strength
Not Usable By:
Cleric
Mage
Thief

This abyssal greensteel blade has been improved at <CHARNAME>'s behest. The blade deals poison damage and its victims seem to lose their ability to resist harmful magics as they are sliced by the blade.

STATISTICS:

Combat Abilities: On a successful hit this blade has a 5% chance of casting Greater Malison on its target.

THACO: +3 bonus
Damage: 1D6 +3 +1 point of poison damage each second for one round.
Damage Type: piercing
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 0
Proficiency Type: Short Sword
Type: 1-handed
Usable By: Tieflings

Staff of the Woodlands +5
Known only as the "Wild Man of the Wood", the man that carried this staff was a legendary figure near Trademeet until the day he died and returned to the soil. Those who saw him remember his dark, bark-like skin, a feature that would fade if the staff were set aside. He would harass irresponsible loggers and poachers, and old-timers tell of mercenaries chasing him with a dozen hunting dogs or more. The animals seemed ready to rip the poor druid to pieces, but he quickly turned them on their former masters. Rushing forward in hopes of ending his influence, the men-at-arms saw the final power of the staff, and as the vegetation trembled with the "Wild Man's" magical calling, there formed a green, rotting mix of life and death that shambled overtop of the terrified soldiers, killing them all.

Recently the Staff was re-enchanted by <CHARNAME> to give it slightly better melee abilities.

STATISTICS

AC: +3 bonus
Equipped Abilities: Barkskin (AC 3)

Use Abilities:
Summon Shambling Mound (six times per day)
Duration: 100 seconds

Enhanced Charm Animal (six times per day)
Duration: 5 minutes (no saving throw)

Combat Abilities: When the Staff strikes a target there is a 5% change that the target (and its allies) will be plagued by Creeping Doom.

THAC0: +5 bonus
Damage: 1D6 +5
Damage type: crushing
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 0
Proficiency Type: Quarterstaff
Type: 2-handed
Requires: 5 Strength
Usable By
Druids
Beast-Masters

This weapon is very good for beast masters and actually gives a reason to select one.


these are only some examples but I'm too lazy to look for more.

 

They *are* overpowered but, saying that, they all come at some great cost. Several times through the game I haven't been able to amass the gold and/or items necessary to get all of the really powerful upgrades. If it was possible to get every single one of them and you could arm your entire party with +5 by mid-SOA then I'd say the upgrade mod was a bad idea, but as you generally only get a few of these items then I don't see any big problem with it.

 

I believe the idea of the mod was for people who had two party members who wield the same primary weapon (i.e. katanas) to both have powerful versions.

The weapons ARE powerful but not overpowered considering the effort required to create them.

 

You left out one of my favorites - Pitchwife +5 (combination of Blackblood and Gnasher):
a +5 club, +5 acid damage, slivers: 3/round for 4 rounds, 25% acid resistance

 

And my favourite:

Quietus +4
<CHARNAME> arranged to have this dagger constructed out of the poisonous Pixie Prick and the deadly Boneblade. The result is a weapon worthy of any assassin. The newly refined venom from the Pixie Prick now blinds the victim and the dark lore of the Boneblade makes for deadly backstabs in the hands of a trained thief.

Equipped Abilities: Backstab Multiple increased by 1
THAC0: +4 bonus
Damage: 2D3 + 4
Combat Abilities: Target is either blinded or put to sleep for 12 seconds. A save versus poison at -2 negates both effects. (Blind creature are at -10 to their THAC0)
Damage type: slashing
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 0
Proficiency Type: Dagger
Type: 1-handed
Requires: 3 Strength
Not Usable By:
Cleric

A great off hand weapon for a thief.

 

Teleomortis +4!!!! That bow is ToB content, true...but it makes an Archer overkill!!it fires +4 arrows which RIP the opponents apart...

Teleomortis +4,c2bow01
Assembled on behalf of <CHARNAME> using a dark and dire ritual, Teleomortis is a composite longbow of unparalleled power. When the string is drawn back a ghostly arrow forms, seeming to flicker and bend in the light. The bow thus requires no extra ammunition (although it can make use of more mundane arrows as well). The ghostly arrows associated with Teleomortis tear at the mind in some unknowable fashion, hinting at secrets not meant to be unearthed on this Plane.

STATISTICS:

Combat Abilities: Creates its own ghostly +4 arrows. A target struck by such an arrow has a 5% chance of being confused for 30 seconds.
THACO: +4
Damage: 1d6 +4
Weight: 7
Speed Factor: 1
Proficiency Type: Longbow
Type: 2-handed
Requires: 18 Strength
Not Usable By:
Druid
Cleric
Mage
Thief
Bard

 

IIRC the mod's items are NOT considered magical.
Thus while some of the items may not be uber mixing the armours can make one person untouchable. Consider a WizardSlayer wearing the +2Ring of Regen and +3Girdle with Amulet of Illmater.

Like someone said above it does at least remove the restriction on NPCs who you can pick and still give the best equipment. Now we can have a Cavalier with Carsomyr taking Keldron and his +5Redeemer along for the adventure.

 

I think that the items are fairly balanced for what you have to give to create them. Lets face it, the NPC's have special equipment that never gets better, so in the end, those items get pushed aside. Now you can upgrade them, but at a high cost. Example, Amonen's shield can be upgraded, but you have to use the Saving Grace as well to upgrade it, so you lose a very nice medium shield that someone else could use.

Another thing that I noticed was that several of the items require the same components to create. There are several items that require a Rogue Stone or a Demon Heart. These items are very limited in quantity. That means that you limited to how many of the items that you can actually create.

All said, I think that the mod was well thought out. The items are powerful, but you have to give up several decent items to get them.

 

Well you can get two demon hearts that I know of in the Planar sphear, not counting the one you need to actually leave the place, and not many rouge stones? are you kidding? There's over 10 in the game that I know of maybe as many as 15 if you do WK, and considering all the items that you usually throw away (some of them are upgradable however) you can sell all of them to supply you with enough money to buy you a few items, and by the time you get to ToB money is no object at all you just have to sell all the +2 and +3 weapons you get from your enemies which are in abundance.

 

While there are enough rogue stones in the game to do all the upgrades you want, I always tend to find that I don't have enough cash to do everyting. After I've bankrupt myself upgrading a dozen or more items ans buying all the best weapons and equipment, I don't always have the necessary funds to get every single item I might want.

 

That's the rub. It's not that you don't have enough rogue stones, it's that they are worth 1500 gp a pop, and not being able to sell them reduces the amount of cash you have, which reduces the amount of upgrades you can afford. Seriously, with that many upgrades, plus all the standard upgrades that Cromwell still offers, it's unlikely you'll be able to afford everything.

 

If you want Rogue stones, the Spellhold quest cotains plenty. Especially if you talk to the man, who says he has 'pretties' high in the sky.

I got three rogue stones from him. I think it is random.

 

Actually, Aldeth, you can afford them all Once played the game through with all the possible quests and upgrades; at the end of SoA, every member of my party had a +5 weapon/armor, when this should had been at the end of ToB.

Needless to say, too easy...

 

Maybe the most overpowered Item-Upgrade is "Improved Kitthix". A mirror imaged, highly poisonous killing machine. When it killed one of the tactics lichs (!) all by its own I decided to downgrade it a bit.

So my Imp. Kitthix has no mirror images, poison damage is reduced to 3/sec. for 12 seconds (was 5) and the saving throw penalty (was -2) is gone. I think it's still useful to distract/harm the enemy, but it won't kill bosses/high level monsters anymore.

 

I think the Improved Kitthix is as overpowered just as the original Kitthix is underpowered. The improved version seems to pretty much be able to handle every enemy in SOA and quite a few in TOB. I had him take down liches, adamantite golems and half a dozen drow in the Underdark. Way overpowered!

 

i dont think those items are overpowered. in fact, this mod makes some chars more playable that were crap before. wanna tell me anyone played a dual-scimitar char before ? i like this mod as it benefits all none-paladin chars !

just compare carsomyr with all the other weapons without the upgrade mod and you know what i mean. hooray for goodies. it is (xpwise) difficult enough to ROLEplay an evil group and now the bad ones get beefed a bit. i like it.

 

I don't like the Mod. There are enough great weapons out there without delving further into the cheese.