Sorry if this actually posted and even discussed a lot but genuinely have a problem in getting some doubts cleared in areas (not particularly on the rules) of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2nd Edition) which BG2 covers.

I also own a copy of "The Complete AD&D 2E" by David Cook and an overview of user-friendly Gamefaqs upload too.

Understanding is not the problem but the amount of massive details with the limited time to manage reading them after all days work for just playing a game.
That's where I ask your help!

I don't want to read entire book but just need help in pointing out (listing) most important rule(s) which are enough to understand the play style of BG2 smoothly without much confusion.

When I played BG1, I had literally never played AD&D in any form whatsoever. I went through the enclosed manual with the game, but not in any great detail.

Now, I won't claim to be a master tactician or have created the perfect characters in the game, but I got through both BGs and both IWDs without any real problem.

1) Make a character using stats that are appropriate for their class. It is recommended that you play a fighter if you never played before. In that case,

Strength: 18+ (I'd aim for 18/76 or higher -- 18/00 is an absolute best [note: 76-99 are great, 100, which is represented as 00, is the best])
Dexterity: 17 or 18
Constitution: 17 or 18
Intelligence: 3-9 is okay, 10 is best, over 10 is useless
Wisdom: under 8 is bad, over 8 is useless unless you can put in 15 or more points
Charisma: 8, or higher than 13 (note: there is an item early in the game that gives you 18 CHA, so sometimes I just rely on that. But it will take up a slot, so you might want some points in CHA. And you might not find it.)

THAC0: (thack-oh) To Hit Armor Class 0. You want this number to be low. Using proficient weapons lowers this number. Dual-wielding makes this number very high (bad to dual wield). Using magical weapons makes this number go down (a longsword +2 will lower it by 2).

AC: Armor Class. You want this number to be low. You make it low by having high Dexterity and/or wearing heavier, better, magical armor. Spells and potions can also make your AC better.

That's the meat and potatoes. Keep your THAC0 and AC low. The rest is just frosting on the cake.

Also, when you have spell casters in your party, you open your spell book and select the spells you want to use the next day, and then rest. You can now use the spells. Resting always reset the special abilities and spells, but there is a chance that you will get attacked if you don't rest in an inn.

Honestly, this is one of those games where you just have to play it with a fighter, begin to understand the rules, and learn from your mistakes. Its going to take time to get used to, but its a fantastic game so stick with it.

For attacking it's important how many proficiency points you have in the weapon you use, 1 point avoids a penalty and 2 points (only available for warrior classes) double the damage output.

Just tell which character class you want to play and we tell you the stats you should roll at creation. Be aware that only extreme values make a difference, 14 in all stats is barely better than 8 in all stats.

Also...

Fighter guys want Strength and Constitution, and decent Dexterity
Thieves want mainly Dex
Mages want Int
Paladins want Cha, then probably Con and Strength
Druids... Wisdom, IIRC (been so long)

They key thing to remember is that your stats are nothing but things that contribute to +something bonuses for the related actions. For example, 18 strength will +3 (I think) to things that use strength, like damage rolls.

Other than that, it's just a natural learning experience you'll have to go through yourself. I first played BG when I was 17 and had never played DnD in any form before in my life. It's not a hard game, really, but you do have to pay attention to what's going on.

Thank you guys for the helpful advice
The manual is actually just more theory and less numbers, same is the case with the Book on AD&D.

Also comfortable with character creation and related race, class and abilities in detail while still learning to understand about all modifiers to attack and defend for all the characters in the game.

But I would like to know some more info on the following

I. On the Record Page of Characters
1. What is "AI Script: None" ?
2. 'Saving throws v/s xxx' have a number, like 13, 16, 11 etc. What is the range? like STR has range value 0 - 18/00 (max). Also, Higher the better or these numbers can go negative?
3. Resistance
- It's always NONE. But when a weapon is held or an armor worn these start to show values like +1, -2, etc. So, a + or - in Resistance is good or vice versa. What do Negative values mean as far as 'Resistance' is concerned?

II. Alignment

Currently "Lawful Good" is what my character is playing. But, if I choose lesser alignments (top to bottom) for every game. How significantly it impacts the world around the Character?
Can a character complete the game with the worst alignment (Chaotic Evil)? Even without donating gold or any modifiers to change alignment??

AI script determines what your character will do in combat if you don't give orders.

Saving throws are on a scale of 0 - 20 (sort of). When you have to make a saving throw the game rolls a 20 sided die for you and if it's equal or higher to this value, you succeed. So the lower, the better.

Resistance can help you against certain effects. A fire resistance of 50% for example would give you a 50% chance to ignore fire effects like the fireball spell.

Alignment determines your party's starting reputation. Actions in the game can modify that. Higher reputation gives better store prices. Some classes and items have alignment restrictions.

1. You can select a script for your and the other party members. If AI is enabled on the travel screen they act accordingly to the script chosen.

3. I guess you are confusing resistances with armor class modifiers. The different types of armor protect differently versus different types of damage (slashing, missile, piercing, crushing). Low AC is better, so -2 is of course better than +2. for example. But you can ignore it and just look at the general AC.

Here is the basic primer I tend to give people when playing the D&D CRPGs:

AD&D: (Baldurs Gate 1 and 2, Icewind Dale 1, Planescape)
In general, the lower a number is, the better
THAC0: Lower is better
AC: Lower is better
Stats: Higher is better, except for the second value for strength, where 18/00 is better than 18/95, but 18/95 is better than 18/20
Saving Throws: Lower the better
Play a combat-oriented class first (fighter, ranger, paladin)
Read the flavor text during character creation (especially for alignment and the like)



3e/3.5e: (Icewind Dale 2 and Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2)
In general, the higher a number is, the better
Any Bonus: Bigger is better
AC: Bigger is better
Stats: Bigger is Better
Play anything but a rogue, bard, or monk first.
Read the flavor text during character creation (especially for feats and aligment)

Great info, thanks guys a lot :)

@ kmonster - you mean the 10 movement formations (at the bottom) are what can be modified for AI script?

Well for the rest I shall rely over spending more time playing and try to understand completely.

Lastly, there is one more thing just forgot to mention in previous post

In Gothic mages can cast unlimited number of times (with given mana) a particular spell ONCE the corresponding Rune is acquired.
In Baldurs Gate 2, there is no mana system nor any runes provided to the Mages.

So, how can I (as a mage) cast any spell more than once?
- Usually, only once or thrice (maximum) a day particular spell can be casted and after that it disappears from the book.

In BG2 spells are only memorized and they disappear from memory after casting. Is there any way I can memorize spells once and than cast them without any restrictions??
- Like any sort of Rune that needs no frequent memorizing. Just select and Cast it!


Thanks again..

No, he means there are AI scripts that control how the characters behave in specific situations (whether they use a ranged weapon, a melee weapon, etc.)

*edit* To find these script options, choose the character sheet (bring up the stats sheet for that particular character), then choose Customize (at the bottom under 'Dual Class' and 'Level Up'), then choose Script. You'll see all the options there.
The only way to cast more spells as a Wizard is to memorize more than one of the same spell at a time. Once you've cast them, you need tor est again in order to replenish them.

If you're playing a Sorcerer, then once you've cast your allotted amount of spells per day of any particular level, you need to rest in order to replenish your spells per day allotment.

No. You select the character, press "r" (or click the symbol) to get to the record screen, click customize and script afterwards. There you can select the script you like.

If the party AI is on (press "a" or click at the lantern in lower right corner of the travel screen to turn it on/off) your characters will act accordingly.

oops......oh got it! ..

glad all you guys been around helping. thanks a lot

back to bg2 :)

have a great day! see ya around soon