Drizzt Saga, Baldur's Gate 1

Drizzt Saga

Authored by flysoup, The Drizzt Saga is a hack-and-slay quest mod for Baldur's Gate 1. The Drizzt Saga is notable for its inclusion of Salvatorian characters as recruitable companions; namely, Drizzt, Cattie-Brie, Wulfgar, Bruenor and Regis.

Here is the cast of companions along with their biographies, equipment and character sheets, complete with custom portraits. Following the companion overview is a brief look at encounters, area design and itemization.

Drizzt Do'Urden

Drizzt worships Mielikki and makes war on the cruel city of his birth (Menzoberranzan), his fellow drow, and all who serve Lolth. He counts as friends human warriors of the North (Wulfgar and Cattie-brie) and the dwarf Bruenor Battlehammer, whom he helped to regain the rulership of Mithril Hall. He has slain dragons and drow matron mothers. He defied fiends (Errtu) and powers (Lolth), battled perhaps the most deadly assassin currently active in Faerûn, (Artemis Entreri), and sought to forge his own life on the surface.

Thoughtful and sensitive to others, Drizzt holds himself to the highest ideals but does not expect the same of others. Ever alert for treachery and danger, he speaks little but is apt to be polite (if terse) in his dealings. A perfectionist who yearns to be accepted into places and groups and to make friends widely, Drizzt is haunted by the danger he brings to those he befriends thanks to the scrutiny of Lolth and his other foes (notably Errtu and Entreri). Those he meets see his manner as grim.

Early in his surface travels, Alustriel welcomed him as warmly and personally as she does all in need, but dared not let him openly into Silverymoon at that time. His deeds have, very slowly, made Drizzt Do'Urden more welcome in the Sword Coast North.

Drizzt's Equipment

• Twinkle BG1 (& Icingdeath)
• Mithril Chain Mail
• Black Panther Figurine (summons Guenhwyvar once per day)
• Greenstone Amulet (Mindshield)
• Cloak of Elvenkind (Stealth +10%)
• Boots of Spees Baldur's Gate

• Proficiencies: Large Sword (GM), Small Sword (Sp), Bow (Sp).

Drizzt is an accurate hitter (-9 THAC0 Baldur's Gate), a fast hitter (5 ApR Baldur's Gate), and an excellent tank (-16 Armor Class Baldur's Gate). 

But that 13 Strength means he's not very damaging. His whopping 84% Drow MR makes him great for tanking spells. His paperdoll has been left blank presumably because BG paperdolls are unable to depict dual-wielding. His combat stats are the result of modding a hero; they are unreflected in his gear (f.e, his base AC is -10). Drizzt has limited access to Cleric/Druid spells. The Guenhwyvar summon is as weak as a kitten.

Catti-Brie

Catti-Brie grew up amongst the tough Dwarves of Icewind Dale. As a young girl her parents were killed in a Goblin raid but this beautiful, auburn haired human was taken in by Clan Battlehammer and grew up as tough as the rocks that surrounded her. Cattie-Brie was the first occupant of Icewind Dale to warmly greet Drizzt when he was out on Kelvins Cairn. She, perhaps more than anyone who knows Drizzt, can understand the struggles he goes through in his daily attempt to find acceptance among those goodly races of the Realms who see no further than his skin color. Cattie-Brie, under the tutelage of her friends, has become more than a match for any foe who wishes to oppose her and her great bow, Taulmaril the Heart Seeker.

• Equipment: Taulmaril (longbow, THAC0 +2, Damage +2), Cattie-Brie Quiver (infinite +1 arrows), Khazid-Zhea (longsword, THAC0 +3, 1d8 +3), Chainmail +3 (AC 2), Bracers of Archery (missile THAC0 +2).
• Proficiencies: Large Sword (HM), Bow (HM), Small Sword (Sp), Missile Weapons (P).

Cattie-Brie gets 3 ApR with the bow but actually 4 ApR with the longsword. When wading into melee she will be torn to shreds in a single round if her AC issues are not addressed.

Wulfgar

As a young boy Wulfgar (Son of Beornegar) grew up among the fierce Barbarians of Icewind Dale but was captured by Bruenor in a barbarian raid on Ten Towns. Instead of killing him as a prisoner, Bruenor made Wulfgar serve him and Clan Battlehammer for 5 years to pay for the sins of his people. Wulfgar served well and grew into the huge man of barbarian legends. He now wields Aegis Fang, the magical war hammer, made for him by Bruenor, his adopted father.

• Equipment: Aegis-Fang (THAC0 +5, 2d4 +5), Mithril Chainmail +4 (AC 1), Helmet (generic), Small Shield (AC +2), Wulfgar's Winter Wolf Pelt (cold resist +50%).
• Proficiencies: Blunts (GM), Large Sword (Sp), Small Sword (P), Spear (P).

THAC0 and ApR are on par with Drizzt, but his damage far exceeds Drizzt because he has 19 Strength. Wulfgar pulverizes Drizzt in a duel (50 dmg crits). Again though, that AC. He will be torn to shreds by demonic mobs unless we fix it.

Bruenor Battlehammer

Bruenor Battlehammer grew up among the great halls of Mithril Hall but then watched as the halls were overrun and sacked by the dragon Shimmergloom. Both his Father and his Father's Father were slain trying to defend the halls and the rest of Clan Battlehammer was forced to flee to save their selves. They eventually arrived in Icewind Dale and over the next two hundred years Bruenor guided them as their king. Bruenor is as true a friend as anyone could hope to have. He is a typical Dwarf. He loves the treasures of the earth and has enormous love for those he considers his friends and family but like other dwarves he likes nothing more than bashing Goblin skulls with his axe. A seemingly rock solid dwarf, he is actually the opposite. Under his hard skull is a caring brain, but you couldn't tell him that: he'd deny it to the grave. With his rock thick stubbornness, he made sure that his adopted daughter, and his "adopted" son Wulfgar were brought up well.

• Equipment: Battle Axe +3 (THAC0 +3, 1d8 +3), Mithril Field Plate Armor +2 (AC -1), Bruenor Battlehammer's Helmet (AC +1, THAC0 +1, all-saves +1), Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise (THAC0 +1, dmg +2), Small Shield +1 (AC +2).
• Proficiencies: Axe (GM), Blunts (HM), Missile Weapons (SP), Large Sword (P), Small Sword (P).

Bruenor is basically the same as Wulfgar except he has more HPs, better AC and better saves. Still, Wulfgar is the king of damage.

Regis

Regis (Rumblebelly), true to his race, prefers a life of peace, rest and vast quantities of food. He has a habit of "acquiring" items that aren't his to acquire and this in turn leads to his misfortune and one disaster after another. Regis grew up in Calimport among the dregs of society and became a very adept thief, even gaining membership of the local guild and gaining the confidence of Pasha Pook, the guild leader. His arrival in Ten Towns could only mean one thing - he's in trouble and running.

• Equipment: Short Sword of Backstabbing (THAC0 +3, 1d6 +3), Studded Leather Armor +2 (AC 5).
• Proficiencies: Short Sword (Sp).

Regis is useless just like in the novels. But at least in the novels he is funny. When we're going up against demon hordes, undead legions and Drow, there is just nothing funny about horrible AC, horrible saves and horrible HPs. He is not even a good backstabber thanks to that pitiful Strength. Ranged weapons? Isn't even proficient in a single ranged weapon. We have a Thief with illegal Specialization in short swords, that's it. Also, thief skills are barely needed in the Drizzt Saga. Much less the excellent Halfling adj/20 Dex adj.

As you can see from those character sheets and items, unless we don't mind being upstaged by Drizzt and crew, we not only want our Charname to have hit the BG:TotSC experience point cap before undertaking the Drizzt Saga (161,000 XP), but we also want him or her to have the best Baldur's Gate Items.

Now, the Drizzt Saga actually increases the experience point cap of BG:TotSC to 2,000,000 XP -- and so I recommend, for example, that Fighters advance to 13th (1,250,000 XP). 13th level Fighters can potentially hit 5 ApR, and even lower level ones can if they were first taken through portions of Dark Side & Dark Horizons. We also really need negative THAC0 for this mod (around -5).

For spellcasters, it comes down to what spell circles you need and how many spell slots per level you feel comfortable with. Mages could get by with caster 9th for sure (BG + TotSC cap).

With the exception of Regis, note how the above experience point totals are incorrect, though. Take Bruenor, for example. He's a 12th level Fighter. A 12th level Fighter should have 1,000,000 XP but Bruenor only has 89,000 XP, which is what 7th level Fighters have (the original BG cap without TotSC). That means Bruenor needs to earn 1,161,000 in order to reach 13th, instead of the correct 250,000. And while that probably won't effect our leveling in-game, it shouldn't be like that.

***

In addition to its companion pool, this sweeping but brief and linear adventure is notable for its reapplication of IWD, PS:T and BG2 extractions, which include such assets as areas, monsters, items and soundsets. These are all well-chosen, fitting and polished. The area creation deserves special mention: it can't be easy working with TIS files (the graphical part of area files). Here are a couple of extracted TIS files that show how the modder has spliced together parts of different areas to give the impression of a unique one.

Left: PS:T and IWD. Right: BG, BG2 and IWD.

It's also cool to have a few IWD and BG2 enemies working just fine in the original BG engine. So let's take a look at a few encounters now, shall we?

• Left: Greater Tanar'ri (Aec'Letec) along with its demonknight and demonic guardian minions. Note that even lesser demonknights sport ACs in excess of -10.
• Center: Belhifet IWD (IWD boss, 45,000 XP).
• Right: Marilith Yxunomei IWD (IWD and BG2 enemy).

I vastly prefer the look of the original Baldur's Gate demonknight; why change it? This mod also changes the look of Sarevok BG1. He now looks like one of those humanoid sprites above.

• Left: Jarlaxle, Errtu and an unseen Artemis Entreri getting ready for a backstab.
• Right: Drow Priestesses and Drow Warriors.

Teleporting Demonic Astral Spiders and fire-breathing Dragon Golem Skulls:

There are also mummies, ghosts, wailing death, regenerating greater werewolves and sirine-like vampires that drain Con, among others.

Biographies aside, writing and story are nothing to write home about. But that doesn't matter as we're only playing this for a laugh. If nothing else, The Drizzt Saga shows what one can do with the BG engine, and its hack and slash is decent, so let's not get uppity.

There is no need for a walkthrough.

Ok, quick look at the items. I've added the item codes, too.

Drizzt Saga Item Code List

• Belhifet's Sword of Grief (F_SW2H17, two-handed sword, THAC0 +5, 1d10 +5, 10% on-hit no-save 2d12 poison) ← modified BG2 weapon
• Dark Opal Plate +1: Plate of Darkness (F_OPALPL, AC 0, all-resists +15%, missile damage reduction 20%) ← cool to see a DR item in BG
• Ice Slasher +2 (throwing axe, THAC0 +2, 1d6 +3, Cold +2, upgradeable)
• Bruenor's Diary
• Spider Figurine (summons six phase spiders, one use only) ← modified BG2 item.
• Magi Staff (F_MAGMAC, quarterstaff, THAC0 +1 [strikes as +5], 1d6 +1, AC +2, all-saves +2, Invisibility, Immunity: Charm, Protection From Evil, on-hit Dispel Magic, Mage only) ← modified/nerfed
• Snake Soul (leather armor, AC 4, Immunity: Poison)
• Snake Bite (F_ARTSWD, short sword, THAC0 +4, 1d6 +4, poison +5, no-save) 
• Vampiric Dagger +5 (F_ADAGGR, short sword, THAC0 +5, 1d4 +3, save vs. Death or poisoned) 
• Battle Axe of Dispelling Fire (F_JARLAX, axe, THAC0 +4, 1d8 +4, +4 fire, on-hit Dispel Magic) 
• Jarlaxle's Personal Plate (AC 0, Acid Resist +80%)
• Green Dragon Scale (F_DRGPLA, crafted armor, AC -1)
• Ice Slasher +5 (F_ICEAX5, crafted throwing axe, THAC0 +5, 1d6 +3, Cold +2, Strength set to 25, Slay: Ogre).
• Enchanted Winter Wolf Pelt (cloak, crafted, cold resist, +50%)
• Moonblade (F_MOONSW, longsword, 1d8 +3, dmg +3, AC +1, fire resist +50%, Evil and non-Elven only) ← modified Xan weapon
• Storm Star +3 (mace, THAC0 +3, 1d6 +4, +1d6 electrical) ← modified BG2 weapon (lacks %chance chain lightning AoE)
• Ice Star +4 (THAC0 +4, 2d4 +4, +1-4 cold, fire resist +40%) ← modified Gromnir weapon
• Boots of Phasing (AC +2, cursed)
• Girdle of Frost Giant Strength (F_FROSBL, Strength set to 21) ← BG2 item
• Pale Green Ioun Stone (F_GRIOUN, THAC0 +1, HP pool 10% bonus) ← BG2 item
• Potion of Death Ward (F_DWRDPT, Immunity: Death Magic, Vorpal, Petrification, Vampiric Constitution Drain)
• Amulet of Vampiric Drain Protection (F_AMSHLD, perma-Bless, Immunity: Vampiric Constitution Drain)
• Abyssal Idol (F_SUMTAN, summon... Tanar'ri, one use only) (don't have to cast Protection From Evil first...)
• Handwritten Letter to Bodhi from Irenicus

So what would be the best Baldur's Gate class to take through the Drizzt Saga?

Mage BG1 or Fighter Mage would be a solid addition to the Salvatore party. But any class will suffice providing the ACs of Drizzt's crew are addressed, and reasonably sound tactics are employed during combat encounters.

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