BG2/BGTutu - Warrior Kit Pack Mod Review

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BG2/SoA/BGTuTu Warrior Kit Pack
Version – none listed – presumably 1
Review First Posted On: August 9, 2004
Review Updated On: August 10, 2004
Get the Mod: web page

This mod allows additional PC character classes, specifically additional kits for the fighter, paladin and ranger classes. I have listed the aspects of each kit below and follow with my comments:

Paladin Kits:

KNIGHT TEMPLAR

Sworn to the defense of a temple site, the templar is a holy warrior blessed by his deity with combat prowess and great endurance. He bears his deity's favored weapon into battle and fights his deity's enemies without question or hesitation. In addition to defending the temple itself, a templar may be charged with additional duties, including a campaign to attack foes on their own home ground.

Advantages:

-Gain 2% resistance to all types of melee and ranged attacks, due to their exercise in combat tactics at levels 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22.
-Gain a +4 to the Save vs Spells save at level 1.
-Gain the "Bull's Strength" Ability at level 10. Bull's Strength: Character gains 1d4 +1 strength Bonus for 20 seconds.
-Gain the "Smite Infidel" Ability at level 12. Smite Infidel: The Templar gains a +4 to THAC0, and inflicts maximum damage/hit. Lasts only for 5 seconds.
-May choose to be either Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral. In either case, however, the Templar still has to keep a high reputation or fall from Grace.

Disadvantages:

-No Lay on Hands Ability.
-Must have 16 minimum Strength.

Comments: A beefier version of the original paladin. This kit gives you a couple of abilities seen in other classes. The resistance to physical damage is not unlike a barbarian, although it doesn’t get to the level that a barbarian gets it. The 2% may seem small, and it is at first, but it adds up after a while. It’s 16% at level 22, and when you are fighting creatures that hit for considerable damage (like fire giants), 16% can make a difference of several hit points of damage. The +4 Save vs. Spells is actually 2 more than a standard paladin, who receives +2 to all saving throws. The Bull’s Strength ability is nice in that it greatly increases the damage. Unfortunately, this only lasts a couple of rounds, so it is better to activate it during a battle, rather than “buffing up” before a battle. The Smite Infidel ability is like a shorter version of the Kai ability. It lasts 5 seconds, so timing is critical.

The disadvantages aren’t that much of a sacrifice either. Losing Lay on Hands is no big deal – it’s basically one extra healing spell, and I’ve never had a paladin with under a 16 in strength, so for me, that didn’t even factor in. If a regular paladin isn’t quite enough tank for you, this is your man.

KNIGHT HOSPITALLER

It is the duty of knights hospitaller to protect people traveling on religious pilgrimages. Over the years, this single duty has expanded to include the construction and administration of hospitals and refugee facilities. Hospitallers are a fighting force of necessity, sworn to poverty, obedience, and the defense of those in their care.

Advantages:

-They get to cast the "Lay on Hands" ability one more time per day at level 1.
-Can cast "Cure Light Wounds" as an innate Ability once per day for every 4 levels of the Caster. This means, that they get an extra Cure Light Wounds at levels:1, 4,8,12,16,20.
-Can "Ilmater's Touch" once per day for every five levels of the caster (at levels 5,10,15,20).
Ilmater's Touch: Using this ability, the caster can invoke his deity's power at will, focusing it on a target, who is afterwards cured 20 hit points, has blindness, disease, poison, berserk, confusion etc dispelled.
-Can "Dispel Magic" once per day.
Disadvantages:
-They get a -2 to maximum Constitution at creation, due to their reduced interest in developing their clerical powers.
-Must have a fairly good wisdom score of 15.
The utility of this character entirely depends upon your playing style. For me, it didn’t work. I typically only bring one character who is either part cleric or part druid along with me. NPCs like Aerie or Jaheira are all the healing I need. So for me, a Knight Hospitaller is simply a character that typically has lower stats with extra healing I don’t need. The stats are lower because you have a maximum 16 in constitution, and with a wisdom requirement of 15 instead of the typical 13, you lose two more points that could go elsewhere. The Knight Hospitaller still doesn’t have enough healing ability to be your lone healer, and since I don’t need two, this kit is superfluous to my playing style.

However, if you are a player that subscribes to the “two healer” theory, this guy might work for you. He doesn’t have a huge arsenal of healing spells, but definitely brings more healing than a standard paladin. If you want a second healer who has some decent fighting skills, and you don’t mind him being a little bit lower in hit points than other fighter-types, he does have something to offer.

HERALDIC KNIGHT

Heraldic Knights are closer to the clergy of the faith they follow than most paladins. While they are Knights, they have spent half their life far from the battlefield, in temples and libraries, trying to learn as much as possible about their deity, their faith and other religions. Therefore, a Heraldic Knight is a studied scholar, but also a capable warrior, an exemplar of honesty, piety and loyalty. Heraldic Knights are often seen as missionaries, thanks to their most valuable abilities at spreading their knowledge through preaching.

Advantages:

-Gain +1 to wisdom score at level 10.
-Gains a +2 to his Lore Score for every level up.
-Gains a +5 to his Save vs Spells saving throw.
-Gains 2 extra spell slots at every Spell Level.
-Gains lots of clerical spells as innate abilities every level up. They are listed below:
At Level 8: Sanctuary, Remove Fear, Cure Light Wounds, Bless
At Level 10: Know Alignment, Aid
At Level 12: Cure Medium Wounds, Rigid Thinking
At Level 14: Mental Domination
At Level 16: True Seeing
At Level 18: Physical Mirror
At Level 20: Greater Restoration

Disadvantages:

-The Heraldic Knight, although a warrior, is closer to his cleric nature than he is to his warrior nature. Therefore, Heraldic Knights may become proficient in weapons allowed to the cleric's class.
-May not devote any proficiency slots at all to the "Two-weapon Fighting" style.
-Must have 18 minimum Charisma.
-Must have 16 minimum Wisdom.
-Has a -2 to Constitution at creation.

Note: The above 3 restrictions actually mean the Heraldic Knight has lower strength and constitution scores, making him weaker than most warriors in battle. His spells and charisma make up for this, however.

I initially had very high hopes for this character, but they really didn’t materialize. This kit is a cross between a paladin and a cleric, and at first I thought, “Perfect – a fighter with just enough healing to keep my party going.” Unfortunately, it didn’t really happen. Yes, they do get two more spells per spell level, put are still limited to only memorizing spells up to 4th level. So you are still going to be missing out on high level cleric spells. Some of the advantages aren’t that great either. The +2 to lore instead of +1 is meaningless, in that other characters will still have higher lore than this character (thief, mage, or bard). His starting stats tend to be a lot lower than a typical paladin for the same reason as the Knight Hospitaller, but to an even greater degree. The Heraldic Knight needs to spend 3 more points in wisdom and 1 more point in Charisma, essentially taking away 4 points from other stats. He then loses 2 to his constitution, so basically you are losing out on a total of 6 points that would normally go towards the power stats.

That having been said, there is appeal of this character as a second healer. He is beyond doubt the best healer you can pick up after a character that is part cleric or part druid. As a bonus, he still retains the standard paladin THAC0 progression of one point per level. As a result, even with his combat limitations, he will still be a better fighter than any cleric you can make. So once again, it’s really my playing style that is limiting this character class. If this guy came with just a little bit more healing, I’d be able to use him as my party’s sole healer, and then he would be very useful indeed.

Fighter Kits:

HORDEBREAKER

Many folk of the Lands of Intrigue harbor a special hatred for the tribes and hordes of humanoids that constantly threaten to destroy the civilized way of life in the region. This antipathy is so great for some that it borders on paranoid obsession, and these folk sometimes swear enmity against one of more races of humanoids that gather in large groups - especially those that gather in the mountain hordes. In the opinion of these fanatics, there is no greater danger facing the world than the ever-growing humanoid horde menace, and they believe it's up to them to fight it.

Advantages:

-The Hordebreaker starts with 10 additional hitpoints, and gains 1 extra hit point every level.
-Gains a +1 THAC0 bonus to all attacks.
-Moves faster than any usual warrior.
-Can devote a maximum of three specialization slots to the "Two Handed Weapon" and "Two-weapon" fighting styles.
-At level 12, gains +1 to his strength score.
-May berserk once per day.
-Can see a bit further than most warriors.

Disadvantages:

-Cannot be of any lawful alignment, and in no case can they select the Neutral Good alignment.
-Require 17 strength, 13 dexterity and 9 constitution at least.
-Has a -2 to Charisma score on creation.
-May devote maximum 4 proficiency slots to any weapon chosen.
-Cannot dual-class, due to too much specialization in his class.
-May only wear leather or studded leather armor.

To me, this character is like a barbarian on steroids. With 10 additional hit points on startup, and 1 additional hit point every level, he can theoretically match a barbarian in terms of total hit points. The faster speed is also like a barbarian. The +1 to strength at level 12 is a boon if you are playing a character with an 18/xx strength, as it can potentially greatly increase your damage. With a 18/xx strength, it will raise to 19, even if it was 18/01. That’s a huge difference. 18/01 is +1 to hit, and +3 to damage, whereas 19 is +3 to hit, and +7 to damage. However, if you’re playing a half-orc, and already have a 19 in strength, the difference between 19 and 20 is only one additional point of damage, and no additional bonus to hit.

The disadvantages aren’t that bad either. The alignment restriction does not prevent you from playing a good character, as Chaotic Good is still a viable choice. This guy is for powergaming, and therefore this character would always have stats that exceed the minimum values given. There are some really good studded leather armors in the game as well, so that’s not very limiting. The -2 charisma is no big deal, and 4 proficiency points per weapon is nearly as good as five. (Although the 4th point only enhances your speed factor, so you may want to stick to only 3 per weapon.) While technically a fighter kit, the class is more like a barbarian, but with a few additional bonuses (and only having one berserk per day instead of several). The class works, and the armor restrictions prevent it from becoming too overpowered.

PEERLESS ARCHER

Many armies boast units of soldiers who use a bow as their primary weapon, but most do not possess the discipline to gain the kind of expertise that the peerless archer has. The peerless archer devotes her life to perfecting her skill with the bow. All other concerns are secondary. For her, the perfect moment in life occurs when the arrow is loosed and everything depends upon the accuracy of her eye, the steadiness of her hand, and her understanding of the chosen weapon. For the most skilled archers, life is lived to its fullest in that moment. Perfection is a bull’s-eye, and everything else is irrelevant.

Advantages:

-Gains +1 to his ranged THAC0 score at levels: 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25,28,31,34,37,40.
-Gains +1 to his ranged damage score at levels: 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25,28,31,34,37,40.
-May create 40 simple arrows/day as an innate ability. This ability is granted at level 1, and is doubled at level 10.
-May create 10 arrows +1 as an innate ability once/day. This ability is granted at level 12.
-Gains the "Sharpshooting" ability at levels 8, 10, 12 and 14.
SHARPSHOOTING: The Peerless Archer gains + 4 to his ranged THAC0 score and +4 to his ranged damage score for 5 seconds, therefore allowing him to inflict greater damage to his ranged opponents.
-Gains the "Lethal Shot" Ability at level 16.
LETHAL SHOT: Using this ability, a peerless archer targets a specific body part of the target, and unleashes a storm of arrows one after another within seconds. His attacks are doubled, his ranged THAC0 and Ranged Damage gain +5. The ability lasts only for 4 seconds, however, and shouldn't be wasted.

Disadvantages:

-Requires 17 dexterity at minimum.
-May not wear armor greater than studded mail.
-May not be dwarven.
-Can only reach 5 proficiency points at ranged weapons. All other weapons are limited to 1 proficiency point at maximum.
-While the Peerless Archer is an excellent marksman, his extreme specialization in the bow and other ranged weapons make him weaker at melee combat. He has a -1 on his Melee THAC0 score.
-Cannot dual-class to any class, except for the thief (although it would be a waste of his talent), due to his exceptional specialization.

This kit however, IS overpowered. This kit is basically an archer (already somewhat overpowered) on steroids, and essentially makes the archer kit completely obsolete. His to hit and damage bonuses match the archers exactly, and his abilities of sharpshooting and lethal shot are more than a match for the archer’s special ability, called shot. Additionally, the disadvantages are nothing big either. If you were to make an archer, you would definitely want at least a 17 in dexterity, you would still be limited to studded leather armor, and you still couldn’t be a dwarf. To me, it’s overpowered, but if you really want to play a short race who is a bow expert, like a Halfling or Gnome, you may like it.

Ranger Kits:

WILD SCOUT

Wild scouts are the spies of the wilderness, traversing the open and wild country in search of valuable information. They are a boon to whoever employs them, though their services are often expensive. Good wild scouts seek out and report on the movements of evil creatures and forces in the wilderness, usually on behalf of a noble or community. Neutral Wild Scouts often work for rich employers, searching the wilderness for whatever they were hired by their employer.

Advantages:

-Gains 50% Bonus to his Hide in Shadows Score.
-Can Cast "Invisibility" twice per day. This becomes 4 times a day at level 14. Note that the invisibility spell affects only the caster.
-Can Cast "Improved Invisibility once per day at level 10. The spell affects only the caster.
-Can Cast "Shadow Door" once per day at level 12.
-Can Cast "Non-Detection" 1 time per day for every level of the Wild Scout.
-Moves a lot faster than most rangers.
-Can Cast "Haste" once per day at level 14 only on himself.
-Can Cast "Improved Haste" once per day at level 18 only on himself.

Disadvantages:

-May not be of any lawful alignment.
-Cannot wear more than studded leather armor.
-The Wild Scout is a very specialized ranger, therefore, he cannot dual class.
-In order to be able to perform all the feats mentioned above, the Wild Scout needs at least 18 dexterity, 15 Constitution and 14 intelligence.

This is a very interesting kit, and probably the most appropriately named of the kits. This character is the master of stealth. That’s all fine and good, except for the small problem that he isn’t allowed to backstab (like a stalker for instance). The fact that he can prevent himself from being seen, or even detected through the use of true sight, is somewhat nullified by the fact that he can’t backstab, and doesn’t have any mass damage spells to take advantage of his not being seen.

If you like the ability to scout ahead, and being completely prepared for what is about to happen, this character does have some merit. The other disadvantage with the wild scout is similar to that of the Heraldic Knight – your strength might suffer a bit. With high requirements in dexterity, constitution and intelligence, there may not be enough points left over for strength. Overall the kit is definitely something new, somewhat interesting, but not particularly versatile or practical. Finally, your alignment choices are very limited. You must be good, but you cannot be lawful good – so obviously you’re either neutral or chaotic good.

FOREST GUARDIAN

Inspired by a desire to develop a deeper connection with nature, the Forest Guardian is a warrior devoted to the protection of the forests and the wilderness. However, he is not a simple warrior, as, in order to come closer to the natural being inside him, he needs to develop his spiritual self as well. Warriors like the Forest Guardian are scarce, and are most often confused for simple rangers. Few can realize, however, the abilities and strengths of the Forest Guardian.

Advantages:

-Can Cast "Entangle" once per day for every 2 levels of the caster.
-May Cast "Shillelagh" once per day. This becomes twice per day at level 10.
-May shapeshift to wolf, like a druid does, at level 8.
-Has 5% resistance to poison.
-May Cast "Animal Summoning I" at level 11.
-Can "Conjure Animals" at level 16.
-Due to his touch with Nature, he regenerates slowly.

Disadvantages:

-May not wear armor greater than studded leather.
-May not dual-class.
-Requires 16 minimum wisdom.
-The Forest Guardian is an exemplar of good behaviour, due to his rule as a guardian and protector. Therefore, if his reputation drops below 7 (instead of 4), he becomes fallen.

This type of ranger is a little bit more like a druid than a typical ranger. However, this ranger isn’t all that much different from a beast master. He has a greater choice of weapons, but his special abilities can be matched in most instances by the beast master. The exception to this is Entangle, as once for every two levels is more than pretty much any other character can cast that spell. He has a higher wisdom requirement than other rangers, so again, another stat may suffer because of it. His armor selection is like that of a beast master as well. Overall, I’d say this character is slightly more versatile than a beast master, and therefore a little better. Of course, given the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever played a beast master, I’m not sure how much of a compliment that is.

Conclusion:

Overall, the kits are pretty good. While I must admit that these kits do not particularly fit into my style of play, I am very aware that my style of play is not everyone’s style of play. Any kit pack that adds more choices to the game is of help, and there are many playing styles that will greatly benefit from this.

If you love your rough and tough fighters, the Hordebreaker and Knight Templar are a couple of tough cookies. They can stand toe-to-toe with the very best tanks in the game. While I don’t typically take two healers with me, if I ever decided to, the Knight Hospitaller and the Heraldic Knight are excellent choices, in that you get some more limited healing, along with above average fighting abilities. I don’t like the Peerless Archer – sorry. I’m in favor of new kits, but not at the expense of making an existing kit obsolete. Finally with the rangers, I can see the appeal if you like stealth characters, and, more specifically, beast masters. I don’t use rangers for that purpose. I’m more of a Minsc-type ranger: “None will see me now, although my battle cry may give me away.”

Anything that gives more choices for the PC is a good thing. While I may not think highly of all the choices, you certainly won’t hear me complaining about having additional options. They could give a new feeling to the game depending on the kit you choose, and I would recommend the mod to anyone who wants to change things up a bit.

[ August 10, 2004, 20:33: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

 

Did you play with any of these kits?

I played a bit with the Peerless Archer and quickly found some bugs. Impossible to miss if one plays with the kit.

Note that the "disadvantage" of a minimum stat is in fact an advantage, since you choose the kit first and then the game rolls the stats.

 

All the bugs you posted will be fixed, thanks for the report. Considering this is the first version, bugs can be present, sorry for them in advance.

Did you play with any of them beyond the Peerless Archer?

 

@ Earl Grey

Of course I played most of these kits, especially the paladin ones to see how they stacked up. I will make an admission - and I thought that this was clear in my review - I really didn't like the idea behind the peerless archer. So no, I didn't play with that kit. To me, the fighter kits were pretty straight forward. It was the paladin and ranger kits that some comparing needed to be done.

As far as the minimum stats are concerned, I agree in principle that because you choose your class initially, you are guaranteed to hit the minimums for the kit you are choosing. However, I still maintain that many of your power stats will be lower because of higher minimum requirements for less important stats.

Here's a simple example:

The Forest Guaradian requires a minimum widsom of 16. A typical ranger has a minimum wisdom requirement of 9. So, while I agree that you definitely will get a 16 at minimum, a regular ranger could drop a high wisdom roll all the way down to 10 or so, and put those points into strength, constitution or dexterity. No luck for the Forest Guardian. Even with a perfect roll of 18, you will have just two points to put into other stats.

THe point I was trying to make is that your power stats would likely be somewhat lower. Your total stats however, may very well be above average, because, to use that example again, there aren't too many rangers out there running around with 16 in wisdom.

 

Excellent, you formatted your initial post! I was waiting for that.

Your point regarding the high minimum stats is good, but not applicable to all the kits, specifically the Knight Templar, Hordebreaker, Peerless Archer and I think even the Wild Scout (the automatic 18 dex).

For the other kits players who dislike rerolling the stats for a long time will indeed be faced with making some serious compromises.
Those who like 90+ stats will in the end have an easier time.

[ August 10, 2004, 20:56: Message edited by: Earl Grey ]

 

Ah, I see your point as well. (You can tell I didn't spend much time on the fighter kits!)

After looking through again, here's my final take:

Knight Templar - 16 strength - that's an advantage, as you won't have to spend as many points to get it high, and you are going to want a high strength anyway.

Knight Hospitaller - -2 constitution, 15 wisdom. That IS a disadvantage. Not only do you have a maximum of 16 in constitution, but regular paladins only have a 13 as a normal minimum wisdom.

Heraldic Knight - 18 charisma, 16 wisdom. Same as the Hospitaller, you're losing potentially one point to charisma and 3 points in wisdom that could be used for other stats.

Hordebreaker - 17 strength, 13 dexterity, 9 constitution. This is an advantage, as you are guaranteed some decent scores in two of your power stats. Note that ALL fighters have a 9 minimum constitution, so I'm not sure why that's considered a minimum here.

Peerless Archer - 17 dexterity - obviously an advantage.

Wild Scout - 18 dexterity, 15 constituion, 14 intelligence. Kind of a split here. It's great to get the automatic 18 in dexterity, and 15 constitution minimum is a good start, although the 14 in intelligence is a bad thing. Overall more good than bad though.

Forest Guardian - 16 wisdom - disadvantage.

So I guess I have to agree with you - in 3 of the 7 kits it's advantageous to have those minimums, in 3 kits its a disadvantage, and in 1 kit it's a split. So yeah, for some of the so-called disadvantages, they are actually good.

 

Fighters have a minimum 9 in strenght only, nothing in the other stats. For a human that is. Otherwise the 9/6/6/6/6/6 fighter wouldn't be possible.

 

I actually *borrowed* the Hordebreaker and Peerless Archer kits from the Silver Marches book (3e Forgotten Realms Supplement) because I thought people would like them more, if it's original D&D work. Well, I have to admit I did make some changes to make them Baldur's Gate compatible, but I'm beginning to feel the kits I created myself appealed more to the public.

I would like to welcome any suggestions on what to change/improve on the mod's forums.

[ August 10, 2004, 22:23: Message edited by: Sendel'ar ]

 

Out of curiosity, why would this be a waste of his talent? When reading this, I was considering making a fighter/thief using the Peerless Archer. They seem to fit together, at least to me.

 

@ Jag

I dont' know - I copied it directly from the kit description. I agree that they seem to go together naturally, and you already have the dualclassing requirements met with your high dexterity.

 

perhaps it is so because you cant backstab with a ranged weapon and those are what gives a peerless archer his hitting power.