Item & Weapon Overhaul (IWO): Yet Another Revised Armor System

This component changes armor to give the wearer a mix of Armor Class and Damage Resistance bonuses. The values are listed below:

 Armor:
    leather:	  AC 8 	-1 Dex 	8% DR 	+2 casting time  +0 weapon speed  0% miscast chance  0 movement penalty
    studded:	  AC 7 	-2 Dex 	12% DR 	+2 casting time  +0 weapon speed  0% miscast chance  0 movement penalty
    hide armor:   AC 6 	-3 Dex 	24% DR	+3 casting time  +0 weapon speed  0% miscast chance  0 movement penalty
    chain mail:   AC 5 	-3 Dex 	24% DR	+3 casting time  +1 weapon speed  0% miscast chance  0 movement penalty
    splint mail:  AC 5 	-4 Dex 	30% DR	+4 casting time  +2 weapon speed  0% miscast chance  0 movement penalty
    plate mail:   AC 4 	-5 Dex 	36% DR	+5 casting time  +2 weapon speed  0% miscast chance  0 movement penalty
    full plate:   AC 3 	-4 Dex	42% DR	+5 casting time  +2 weapon speed  0% miscast chance  0 movement penalty

 Enchantment:
    +1:	 	-1 AC	+1 Dex	+1% DR
    +2: 	-2 AC 	   " 	+2% DR
    +3:		-3 AC 	   " 	+3% DR
    +4:		-4 AC 	   " 	+4% DR
    +5:		-5 AC 	   " 	+5% DR
    +6:		-6 AC 	   " 	+6% DR

  * "Caster" armors: no casting speed penalty
  * Elven armors: dex/casting speed equal to leather
  * Scale armors: like plate mail for AC, like chain for DR and penalties
      

This component allows casting arcane spells in armor, but with steep casting time penalties. (As of now, these penalties do not affect divine casters.) It also makes changes to Dexterity bonuses: bonuses to AC and thieving skills are increased so that the penalty for wearing armor is more meaningful without being crippling, and the option to go without armor is a bit more reasonable.

This also makes changes to Dexterity bonuses: bonuses to AC and thieving skills are increased so that the penalty for wearing armor is more meaningful without being crippling, and the option to go without armor is a bit more reasonable.

Finally, this alters the Armor of Faith spell to only give a flat 10% DR bonus, at all levels; and reduces the DR bonus from Hardiness and Defensive Stance form 40% to 20%; and reduces the price of the Defender of Easthaven while reducing its DR bonus from 20% to 5%.

NOTE: you can change these values by editing them in /Scales_of_Balance/ini/YARAS_default.ini. As of version 5.33, there is another version of these settings, which only applies thief skill penalties a chance of miscast magic... this is meant to mimic the "Allow Thieving in Heavy Armor" and "Allow Spellcasting in Armor" components of Tweaks Anthology, but is compatible with mods like Might & Guile and the 5E spellcasting conversion. To use those settings or your own personal preferences, copy /Scales_of_Balance/ini/YARAS_CD.ini or your modified version of /Scales_of_Balance/ini/YARAS_default.ini into your override folder and rename it to "d5_yaras.ini." If that file is in your override folder at the time of installation, the mod will use those settings instead of the default settings. You can keep a copy with your own preferred settings and use it each time you install mods.

Compatibility: this component covers the same ground as the IR component "Revised Armors" as well as the "Spellcasting in Armor" component. Ditto for the Full Plate and Packing Steel mod, and some armor/casting-related components of Tweaks Anthology and Klatu Tweaks. Don't install these things together; choose one armor system mod and stick with it.

IWO: Aesthetic & Enchantment Tweaks

This component removes "+1," "+2," etc. from item names, and standardizes the enchantment levels of weapons for purposes of which enemies they can hit:

• Generic +1 weapons become "Mastercraft" weapons, forged with unusual materials and skill that enable them to strike enemies who are immune to normal weapons.
• Generic +2 and +3 weapons become "Enchanted" weapons, with the enchantment level and stats of +2 weapons.
• All named weapons that were formerly from +1 to +4, become +3 weapons for purposes of what they can hit - though their bonuses and magical abilities remain unchanged.
• All upgraded weapons and originally +5/+6 weapons become +5 for purposes of what they can hit.

New in version 5.14 is an optional "hardcore" version of this component, borrowed from the "Low Magic World" mod. In this version all generic enchanted weapons, instead of being standardized as +2, are turned into "mastercraft" weapons (i.e. equivalent to +1).

(This component does not work on IWDEE - too many items are defined and recognized by the "plus" in their names and descriptions.

Compatibility: this component covers the same ground as the SCS component "Make +1 Weapons Into Fine Weapons." This component also has other effects, of course. You should not install that component of SCS if you want to use this component.

IWO: Functional Weapon Tweaks

This component makes tweaks to the base characteristics of various items:

• Spears do 2d4 damage, since in BG games they are of the 2-handed variety (this is per PnP).
• Quarterstaves get an inherent -1 AC bonus.
• Daggers do 1d5 base damage instead of 1d4. (This includes throwing daggers.)
• Light crossbows can be used 1-handed, with shields. Heavy crossbows have an overall +3 damage bonus to compensate.
• Bolts do 1d6 base damage (and thus, from heavy crossbows they do 1d6+3).
• Bows have their base APR reduced to 3/2; Longbows and composite bows do an extra +2 damage.
• Arrows do 1d5 damage (and thus, 1d5+2 from longbows).
• Sling bullets do blunt damage.
• Darts have 2 APR instead of 3.
• In the EE games, strength damage bonuses are removed from thrown daggers, darts, and slings.
• Archers (and any kits with the Archer usability flag) can now use Elven Chain armor.

Compatibility: this component covers some of the same ground as the "Weapon Changes" component of Item Revisions. I, for one, use both together. But be aware that this might compound or override some of the IR component's effects.

IWO: Distinctions between Light and Heavy Weapons

NOTE: This component is deprecated and will no longer be installed. Distinctions between light and heavy weapons when dual-wielding are included in a much more comprehensive way in component #124, the "Fighting Style Overhaul."

Light, low-damage weapons get a +1 off-hand thac0 bonus. These weapons include short swords, and daggers. Light two-handed weapons - spears and quarterstaves - get an overall +1 thac0 bonus.

Heavy weapons that are inappropriate for dual-wielding get a -2 penalty to off-hand thac0. These include bastard swords, katanas, and flails.

Compatibility: this component covers the same ground as the "Dual-Wielding Changes for Light and Heavy Weapons" component of Item Revisions. You can probably use both together, but the effects will be compounded and will likely be somewhat extreme. Best to choose one or the other.

IWO: IWDEE-specific Item Tweaks

This component patches IWDEE items in several different ways:

• Weapons for sale by Conlan have their prices normalized a bit.
• The Black Knight and White Bishop figurines are usable once per day instead of once ever.
• Melee weapons "of Action" are changed a bit: instead of giving bonus APR, they *set* base APR higher.
• Weapons "of Action" +2 that previously only gave +1 DEX now give an extra 1/2 APR as well.

IWO: Universal Potions

This component removes the usability restrictions from potions, since I don't understand how one's choice of profession can affect the ability to drink certain liquids.

So now you can waste a potion of Giant Strength on your mage; and you can boost your barbarian's pickpocket skills with a Potion of Thievery. Go crazy.

Weapon Proficiency Overhaul (WPO): Overall Overhaul

INSTALL NOTE: if you install this component, then components #121 (Weapon Category Combination) and #124 (Fighting Style Overhaul) will also be installed automatically.

This component can be considered a convenience tweak; it will give most classes natably more proficiency points to spend. But it incentivizes spreading those points more widely instead of focusing on a single weapon (like the vanilla game), and your overall level of power at any given moment should roughly on par with an unmodded game. The aim is, with more points in more weapons, when you complete a quest and find a wonderful magical artifact, you can actually *use* it instead of just tossing it into your pack to sell later.

Weapon use is slightly liberalized: all weapons are usable by clerics, but single-class clerics can only be proficient in traditional cleric weapons (the exception being kitted clerics' favored weapons.) Multiclass clerics primarily benefit from this: cleric/thieves can use thief weapons, and fighter/clerics can use any weapon.

Clubs are truly universal, simple weapons: everyone can use them. Crossbows are usable by everyone except druids and Beastmasters.

Warriors, rogues, and priests start with 5 proficiency points; wizards, sorcerers, and shamans start with 3. Warriors receive up the 3 more proficiencies, chosen by dialogue, if their INT score is 11 (+1), 12 (+2), or 13 (+3). At 1st level, nonwarriors may only put one point in any weapon or style, so you must spread those proficiencies among many weapons. Warriors may specialize at 1st level.

Warriors gain another proficiency point every 3 levels. Rogues gain a new point every 4 levels. Druids, clerics and shamans gain a new point every 5 levels. Wizards, sorcerers, and monks can never move past their initial proficiencies (NOTE - this means no more weapon advancement at all after dual-classing into a mage!).

• Trueclass fighters and Kensai can attain Mastery (+++) at 6th level, and High Mastery (++++) at 9th level, in any weapons they focus on.
• Other kitted fighters plus barbarians, paladins, rangers, and multiclass fighters can attain Mastery (+++) at 6th level.
• Rogues, clerics and druids, as well as mage/thieves, cleric/thieves and cleric/mages, can attain Specialization (++) after 6th level, with any weapons they can normally use.
• Multiclass fighter/mages can attain Mastery (+++) in any weapon but the only available styles are Single-Weapon and Two-Handed Weapon.
• Fighter/clerics and Fighter/thieves can attain Mastery (+++) in any weapon they can use.

Beyond that, certain kits will be able to reach 1 point higher or lower in certain weapons (e.g. Archers can reach (++++) with missile weapons, and only (++) with melee weapons; Assassins can reach (+++) with daggers; etc.).

At 12th level, warriors will get a +1/2 APR bonus with all weapons. (This is in place of the unmodded game's 1/2 APR bonuses at 7th and 13th levels. Because you can get an extra APR bonus from proficiencies, the late-game total max APR for warriors will end up the same as in the unmodded game.)

(The APR bonuses will only benefit warriors, unless you also install the WPO part 5, "APR on Spec.")

This component also tweaks the thac0 tables: Rogues' thac0 becomes equal to clerics and their progression is smoothed out - no more jumping by 2.

This component makes serious changes and it has been rather hard to get various game mechanisms to work with it, especially dual-classing and NPCs. To catch them up, joinable NPCs will have several innate abilities that allow you to choose more proficiencies for them.

Compatibility: this component is generally not compatible with stuff like the weapon proficiency changes in Tweaks Anthology. Choose one proficiency system mod and stick with it.

WPO: Weapon Category Combination

INSTALL NOTE: if you choose to install component #122, the Weapon Proficiency Overhaul, then this component will also be installed automatically.

This component groups certain proficiencies together:

• Two-handed swords and bastard swords are combined into a "greatswords" proficiency.
• Scimitars, katanas, and wakizashi are combined into a "scimitar/katana" proficiency.
• Clubs and Maces are combined into a "club/mace" proficiency.
• Spears and halberds are combined into a "spear/halberd" proficiency.
• Daggers and darts are combined into a "dagger/dart" proficiency.
• Long bows and short bows are combined into a "bows" proficiency.

Compatibility: this component is probably not compatible with most other proficiency system changes. However, it IS compatible with the first subcomponent of the "Revised Proficiencies" options in Tweaks Anthology - the one that basically just merges maces and morning stars. If you install that first, then clubs maces & morning stars will all share a proficiency.

WPO: Fighting Style Overhaul

INSTALL NOTE: if you choose to install component #122, the Weapon Proficiency Overhaul, then this component will also be installed automatically.

This component rebalances fighting styles in order to make them each more distinct and useful (instead of everything playing 2nd-fiddle to dual-wielding). The benefits of each style are listed below:

When dual-wielding, your main-hand thac0 will depend on the size and weight of the weapons you have equipped, as described below.

Medium weapons are: short sword, ninjato, wakizashi, club, war hammmer, mace, morning star.
Large weapons are: long sword, scimitar, bastard sword, katana, flail, battle axe.

Note: bastard swords and katanas are unusually large; they cannot be equipped in the off-hand position.

Also note: your thac0 and/or AC may briefly be incorrect when you equip two weapons and begin dual-wielding them. If your thac0 seems wrong, the first thing you should try it simply waiting a couple seconds with the game clock running. They should quickly resolve to the proper numbers.

Shield bash: in addition to the knockdown effect, it stuns opponents for 1 second starting at level 5; and the saving throw is at a -1 penalty for each 5 levels, up to level 20.

Thrown daggers and darts: will have their base APR reduced from 2 to 1.5, and from 3 to 2.5, respectively. So you will need to be specialized in Fencing/SWS to get the full benefit of those items.

OPTION: by editing Scales_of_Balance/ini/styles.ini, you can set Two-Handed Weapon Style to match Single Weapon Style (it is a single weapon, after all) in granting extra APR for specialization, instead of extra damage and crit chance.

Compatibility: this component covers the same ground as the "Dual-Wielding Changes for Light and Heavy Weapons" component of Item Revisions. You can probably use both together, but the effects will be compounded and will likely be somewhat extreme. Best to choose one or the other.

WPO: APR on Spec

This component enables any class to gain APR benefits from weapon specialization - not just warriors.

(NB if you install component 122 without this one, only warriors will get the benefit of the APR bonus for basic proficiency.)

Compatibility: this component is not compatible with the APR on Spec component of Tweaks Anthology (which I wrote, and is based on this one). The other version is specifically designed for the vanilla proficiency system; this one is specifically designed for the WPO proficiency system. Use If you installed the "WPO Part 2," use this version.

Saving Throw Overhaul (STO)

This component changes all spells such that the saving throws they offer target follow these guidelines:

• Direct magical and mental effects like Charms and Illusions offer saves vs. Spells. This includes spells like Blindness and Confusion.
• Area effects and physical that can be dodged offer saves vs. Breath Weapon. This includes spells like Fireball, Web, and Entangle.
• Necromantic effects and those that affect the subject's life and health offer saves vs. Poison/Death. This includes all Necromancy effects (including vampire Level Drain), fog spells like Cloudkill, and all poisons.
• Spells that affect the subject's physical form or movement offer saves vs. Petrification/Polymorph. This includes spells like Flesh to Stone and Polymorph Other, as well as Hold and Slow.
• Saving throws vs. Rod/Staff/Wands are basically unused. (If you install psionics from Might & Guile, psionic powers will use saves vs. Wands.)

Additionally, saving throw tables are made more sensible. No earth-shaking changes, just sensible progression: wizards save well against spells, priests save well against death, rogues save well against breath, and warriors save well against almost everything.

STO: IWD-Style Spell Evasion

This component adds the IWD Evasion skill (which I'll generally refer to as "Spell Evasion" to distinguish it from the BG2 HLA). This allows thieves of 7th level or higher to roll a saving throw vs. Breath Weapon for a chance to completely dodge the effects of certain spells like Fireball, Skull Trap, Holy Smite, etc.

You can choose to install it with the bare list of spells that can be evaded in IWDEE, or with an expanded list that includes things like BG2 HLAs and some other spells that I think make sense, like Magic Missile, Acid Arrow, Web, and others. Basically anything that seems like it could be dodged by a skilled rogue in the game world. This should gives thieves a distinctive and unique defensive advantage, something they sorely lack in the vanilla game.

Note: this component can only be installed on EE games with the 2.0 or later patch.

Stat Bonus Overhaul (SBO)

To make more meaningful differences between races, demihumans will have more stat bonuses and penalties. The racial maximums are now:

• Elves: 19 Dex, 19 Int, 17 Str, 16 Con
• Half-elf: 19 Cha, 17 Wis
• Dwarf: 19 Con, 17 Dex, 17 Cha
• Halfling: 19 Dex, 19 Cha, 17 Int, 16 Str
• Gnome: 19 Int, 19 Con, 17 Str, 16 Wis
• Half-orc: 19 Str, 17 Int, 16 Cha

This component shifts saving throw bonuses to the INT, WIS, and CHA stats. Therefore, and since Constitution is already one of the most important stats in the game, the "shorty save bonuses" for high CON are eradicated. In their place, dwarves and halflings get a flat +3 bonus to saves vs. Death/Poison, and gnomes get a flat +2 bonus to saves vs. Spells.

Finally, the major effect of this component: stat bonuses are modified so that every point added above 13 or so results in a tangible benefit; and scores below ~11 have some tangible penalties (down to 5, which is the new minimum). NOTE: the changes for each stat can be selectively skipped by editing a variable in /Scales_of_Balance/ini/stats.ini.

Note: the 18/xx "exceptional" Strength doesn't work in BG like it does in PnP; ALL bonuses are supposed to go up that table in steps (including for non-warriors). BG makes it so that the 1-point jump from 18 to 19 is a bigger difference than the 5-point jump from 13 to 18. I fix that by, essentially, collapsing the 18/xx values to all be about the same. Bonuses are pushed downward, so there is now almost the same difference between 14 and 15 as there is between 18 and 19.

SBO: Ability Score-Based Bonus Spells

This component gives you bonus spell memorization slots for having high stats. Clerics and druids already get this in the unmodded game; now similar bonuses are applied to mages (based on INT), bards (based on CHA*), and sorcerers and shamans (based on CHA). (* Note, if you have installed Might & Guile's 'Revised Bards,' those multiclass bards will use INT as their casting stat.) If you have installed the option for priests to cast spells spontaneously from Faiths & Powers, that mechanism will be affecte by these bonuses as well.

Additionally, these bonuses have been mde more uniform - including the unmodded cleric and druid bonuses:

NOTE: sorcerers only get bonuses to spells up to 5th level; in addition, they get up to three 1 bonuses to their caster level.

SBO: Ability Score Bonus Spells for 5E-Style Casting

These components are only available if component 201 is installed. They represent options for how the ability score-based bonus spells should operate if the '5E Spellcasting' mod is installed, or a mod that uses it such as Tome & Blood's Arcanist or Might & Guile's Revised bards. With only component 201, those spellcasters will get bonus memorization slots, but no bonus casting slots. These components allow you to change that:

• Component 2012: ability score bonuses increase both memorization slots and casting slots.
  
• Component 2013: ability score bonuses increase casting slots but do not increase memorization slots.

NOTE: if you combine component 2012 this with the component in the 5E casting mod that grants bonus casting slots for the Ring of Wizardry and similar magical items, you will end up with a LOT of both memorization and casting slots. I'm surprised to hear myself say this, but it is too many. With such bonuses a 5E mage can easily overpower a sorcerer, which is not supposed to happen. In particular, large numbers of memorization slots can unbalance things; 5E casters can change out their prepared spells every day, so limits on ho many spells they can have prepared is a key balancing mechanism. My suggestion for finding a happy medium is to skip the 5E items component, thereby setting magic items to only increase memorization slots; and to install component 2013 here, thereby setting stat bonuses to only increase casting slots. (Or, if you really want a lot of casting slots, install the 5E items component with component 2013 - that will give you lots of casting slots but retain some limits on memorization slots.)

SBO: Full Strength from 2-Hand Weapons Only

This small component simply adds a -1 STR penalty to every 1-handed weapon. The idea behind it is, your "STR" score measures your total bodily strength. If you attempt a feat of strength one-handed, naturally the result will not be as effective as if you used both arms.

Note: this penalty stacks, so you will have a -2 penalty when dual-wielding. That weapon style is all about speed - not power!

SBO: Concentration Checks

This component enables the 'concentration' stat and allows spellcasters to roll to avoid interruption when they take damage during casting. The formula is:

(1d20 + Luck) vs. (spell level + damage taken)

NOTE: This is disabled for now. I've heard it said that concentration checks are bugged in the EE 2.0-2.5 engine, applying the 'damage taken' value on the wrong side of the equation:

(1d20 + Luck + damage taken) vs. (spell level)

This means that the more damage you take, the more likely you are to avoid spell interruption. That is really stupid, and it really annoys me that Beamdog has let this bug persist through several patches. I don't think they fixed it for 2.5 (someone with more time than me can run some tests, if you like), and who knows what they're doing for the new 2.6 patch - I don't even know how to report bugs for it. Hopefully they get off their butts and fix this, because it is one of the last places in the engine where the old engine with ToBEx is completely superior. It's 2020 guys, that shouldn't be happening anymore.

Hit Dice Overhaul (HDO): Revised Hit Point Progression

This component takes some of the randomness out of hit point rolls. In the vanilla system, a warrior with 16 CON can actually get *fewer* hit points at level-up than a mage with 8 CON. That only leads to annoying reloads or constant moving of the difficulty bar to get max hp (which is just too cheaty, and perverts various game mechanics). With this component, there are still rolls, but the roll will usually seem "fair" and should never cause you to feel you need to reload or go below Core difficulty. That 16 CON warrior will get between 9 and 12 hit points per level, instead of from 3 to 12. Higher average rolls, and more satisfying numbers, but not overpowered.

• Wizard hit dice is now 1d3+1. Rogue and priest hit dice is 2d3+1. And warrior hit dice is 3d3+1 (3d4+1 for barbarians).
• Everyone gets an extra hit point at 14 CON and 16 CON, and warriors get an extra hit point at 18 CON. Everyone also gets an extra hit point at 20, 22, and 24 CON (so stat-boosting spells and effects can actually increase non-warriors' hit points).
• The minimum roll for those d3 rolls is 2 at 15 CON, and 3 at 17 CON. (So 17 CON means max hit points.)
• Everyone gets very slow hit point regeneration (1 hp per 2 turns) at 19 CON. The regeneration speeds up a bit at 20 CON (1 per turn), 21 CON (1 per 4 rounds), 22 CON (1 per 2 rounds), 23 CON (1 per round), 24 CON (2 per round), and 25 CON (1 per second).

This slightly front-loads HD progression: you get about 2HD at first level, but HD only goes to 7th level (so you get 8HD total). From 8th level on::

• Warriors get 4/level from 8 to 15, then 3/level from 16 to 25, and 2/level after that.
• Rogues and priests get 3/level from 8 to 15, 2/level from 16 to 25, and 1 per level after that.
• Wizards get 2/level from 8 to 15, and 1/level after that.

Additionally, there is an alternate hardcore version of this component, which eliminates 1 hp from each class (so wizards are 1d3, rogues/priests are 2d3, and warriors are 3d3). The regular component should give hit points somewhere between the vanilla game's mean and max values; the hardcore variant should result in hit points closer to vanilla's mean.

Finally, there is a third version of the Hit Dice progression, labeled "Reduced." This is unrelated to the system described above; it is a simpler modification for players who want to retain the original game's mechanic and who tend to play with the "max hit point rolls" option, but who do not want monstrous amounts of hit points. This option reduces wizard hit dice to 1d3, rogues to 1d4, priests to 1d5, warriors to 1d6, and barbarians to 1d7. It also gives +1 hit point per level for every even point of CON starting at 12 for warriors, and at 14 for non-warriors. If you use the "max hit point rolls" game option, this should approximate higher-than-average rolls in the original system, but with zero variability. Like the other two components, it doubles the hit die at 1st level, but unlike them it allows hit dice rolls until 9th level. After that you only get 2-3 hp/level, slowly tapering to just 1 hp/level at level 25.

Experience Point Overhaul (XPO): Revised Tables

XP advancement and thac0/spell/skill advancement are two ends of the same rope; you only need to pull on one end to get the desired effect, but for some reason the 2e rules pull both. I've streamlined it to a fast path and a slow path. Fighters, thieves, bards, and clerics are on the faster table; paladins, rangers, druids and wizards are on the slower table. (No more thieves with more hp than fighters with the same XP!) Advancement is a bit faster than vanilla in the middle levels, and then gets progressively slower at epic levels. You'll be at or near level 20 with 3 million XP, like in vanilla; but won't hit level 30 until 8 million XP. HLAs will be rarer with this component, so choose wisely!

The unmodded game sets HLAs to be available at certain levels based on when each class hits 3 million XP. Because these new XP tables change that, the mod will also change when you get HLAs for the sake of uniformity and convenience, all classes will get HLAas when you achieve "epic levels," i.e. level 21. NOTE/b> this is true for multiclasses too! No more getting HLAs at 13th level or whatever, instead multiclasses wil get HLAs starting at level 20, when they have close to 6 million XP. Multiclassing will just have to be, like virtue, its own reward. :P