Saving Throws Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate Saving Throws

In Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2, saving throws give combat units a chance to resist Baldur's Gate spells, spell-like effects or on-hit effects that can inflict negative status effects, damage and death. The value of the saving throw is derived from level, class and race/monster type; it's just a number like +20 or -5. There are five distinct saving throws in Baldur's Gate:

• Paralyze / Poison / Death
• Rod / Staff / Wands BG1
• Petrify / Polymorph
• Breath Weapon
• Spells

As with Armor Class and THAC0, lower saving throw scores are better. That is, the lower the score in the saving throw, the more likely the target is to resist the spell, spell-like ability or on-hit effect.

The saving throw that most concerns spellcasters is spells (though other saves are employed as well).

Famous items that impact saving throws are Horn of Kazgaroth and Claw of Kazgaroth.

Example of Saving Throws in Baldur's Gate

Let's give the example of the first circle AoE immobilizer, Sleep: save vs. Death at -3 penalty or fall asleep for 5 rounds per caster level (targets of 4 HD +3 and over unaffected).

In attempting to resist Sleep's negative status effect (unconciousness), the target rolls a d20 and compares the result to their death saving throw. If the result of the d20, with the 3-point penalty (5-point if cast by Enchanter Specialists), equals or exceeds the saving throw, then the enemy "saves vs. Death" and rejoices, having resisted falling asleep.

But since low level creatures have such awfully high saving throws, usually in the teens, the chances of saving are slim to non-existent. That's why when we cast Sleep on mook-mobs they almost always enter a comatose slumber, and we can then casually choose how to finish them off.

Since Sleep is a first circle spell, this an example of arcane spellcasters (Mage BG1) dictating combat encounter outcomes straight out of the blocks.

The best spell that penalizes Baldur's Gate enemy saving throws is Greater Malison.

There are also no-save and MR-bypassing spells. Vampiric Touch is an example of a spell which is both no-save and MR-bypassing.

When attempting to ward off a spell effect, magic resistance Baldur's Gate is checked before the saving throw is checked. In essence therefore, targets that sport MR have two layers of defense vs. many spells (Drow: Sendai BG2): first we have to get past their MR, then we hope they fail their save as well. On the flip-side, this makes Viconia BG1 and Viconia BG2 (also Drow) resilient to spells.

Best Saving Throws Baldur's Gate

Dwarf and Halfling receive a one-point bonus to Death, Wand and Spell saving throws for every 3.5 points in Constitution (+5 at Con 20), whereas Gnome receives +1 saves vs. Wands and Spells for every 3.5 points. This can make such demi-humans immune to most spells that target saving throws.

• Dwarven Fighter Cleric Multi-class: -2/2/6/8/3
• Slayer BG2: -6/-3/-5/-7/-4
• Sarevok BG1: 1/1/1/1/1 

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