Hound's Dumpster Survival Tips

[Hound]

A little collection of tips and tricks for NWN that some of our newer players might not be aware of. Feel free to add your own as you see fit.


UI Management  [INDENT]- Try installing the Aenea transparent UI, found here: https://neverwintervault.org/project...-and-colorized it helps a lot in maintaining more awareness of your surroundings whilst you have windows open, as well as making it more clear and easily definable as to which spells are which on your quickbar.

- You can use the [ ] keys to navigate between inventory tabs when organising your pack.

- It's generally a good idea to keep your inventory neat and tidy. Try to keep all of your potions on one tab, and consumables/trinkets on another. This will prove especially helpful in PvP. Try seperating them into different sections according to their functionality, and put them in some sort of sequence or drinking order. Every person will differ in how they organise their pack, but just make sure that your system makes sense for you.

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- ​You can have trade windows open from other people whilst incapacitated or in combat.[/INDENT]
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Questing/PvE  [INDENT]
- You can use SHIFT+CLICK to disengage from an enemy without provoking an attack of opportunity. You will walk away, and if there is another character nearby who can intercept the monster then they will usually change target, leaving you safe to recover your health.

- Never underestimate the importance of your AC in a fight. As a general rule, you should be reasonably safe at an AC of 24 or higher. Having a cleric in your party can be very advantageous in this regard, as they are able to provide significant AC bonuses with some of their spells that have quite lengthy durations.

- If you are a spellcaster, consider the value of taking the Extend Spell metamagic feat. Having longer durations on your spells can be extremely useful in some situations, leaving you safe to continue healing instead of needing to navigate your way through a dangerous scrum in order to refresh somebody's flame weapon or something.

- Never take Improved Expertise. If you do, you're a terrible person.

- Pay close attention to your combat log. Remember that weapons with +1 piercing, such as that given from Magic Weapon, ignore the damage reduction effects of Blur potions. There is no point in drinking a Blur vial if you know your enemy has +1 on their weapon. Consider using displacement instead, which will give you 50% concealment.

- Damage Immunities stack up. If you have 10% immunity slashing from your boots, 5% immunity bludgeoning from your chestplate and 20% immunity to physical from your Fighter perk, you will have a total of 30% immunity to slashing and 25% immunity to bludgeoning when your perk is active. This also applies to Barbarians, but keep in mind that Barbarian damage immunity is negated whilst wearing heavy armour.

- It's a matter of personal preference how much someone chooses to optimise the stats of their character. However, you should bear in mind that having stats with odd numbers is not a bad idea if you are a spellcaster such as a bard or a cleric. Transmutations provide 1d4+1 to the statistic they enhance, which means that if you have an odd stat then the maximum value of 5 will be quite useful to you.[/INDENT] PvP  [INDENT]- PvP will become exponentially more difficult the more you are outnumbered. As a general rule, its wise to eliminate your weaker enemies first: dodge, incapacitate or outrun your dangerous foes whilst hunting down the squishier targets. You should do this because weaker foes will likely try to dispel and incapacitate you, making you a far easier target for the dangerous enemies.

- Try to keep Clarity active as much as you can. Having a strong defense against incapacitation spells is essential as a martial character.

- Never underestimate the power of a dispel. Psychologically it can make your enemy feel vulnerable, and they'll almost always go on the defensive after being hit with a successful dispel, even if you didn't strip very much from them. Take that opportunity to either catch a breather, or press the offense hard.

- Movement speed is also an overlooked aspect of PvP. Hitting someone with grease, web or slow can make them easier to catch, especially if you are immune to these spells; remember that Blurring renders you immune to first circle spells.

- If you are a Ranger, a Paladin, a Rogue (with UMD) or a Bard, it is a good idea to equip yourself with wands. Wands crafted by an arcane caster, such as a wizard, can allow Bards to cast spells they otherwise wouldn't be able to, such as Flame Weapon. Clerics are also capable of crafting wands, and be used in a similar manner by Rangers and Paladins.[/INDENT]