XP cap removal, is it cheating?

[[BLITZ]Flood]

This has probably been done before, but what the heck....

Personally, I don't think it is, but I'd be interested in what others think.

[Mori]

Well, the logical way to answer is to find a way to define "cheating".

My definition would be "anything that circumvents the legitimate game rules and/or gives the player an advantage the developers didn't intend".

I think the experience cap was put in to keep the game balanced, so removing it does count as cheating.

There's an equally valid argument, though, that the XP cap in Baldur's Gate was simply to provide a baseline for expansions and sequels, and the XP cap in BG2 is there so the programmers don't have to fiddle about with awkward druid abilities and stuff. After all, Planescape: Torment did fine without an XP cap.

[[BLITZ]Flood]

Tbh I removed the cap from both BG & IWD, and it didn't effect either of my games.

In IWD none of my party reached the XP cap prior to completing the game, and similarly in BG only Imoen exceeded the cap.

I'd be interested to know about the 'awkward' druid abilities you mention. What are they?

[Mori]

*fishes out his AD&D 2E player's guide*

Well, basically, there's a limit to the number of high-level druids you can have around. They've adapted the original AD&D rules on this in BG2, though, so I'll skip over that quibble and just give you the 'brief' version:

15th level (grand druid, 3 million xp): The Grand Druid knows six spells of each level (instead of normal spell progression) and also can cast up to six additional spell levels (e.g. one sixth-level, two third-level, one second and one fourth, etc).

The position of Grand Druid is demanding, thankless and generally unexciting for anyone except a politician. After a few hundred thousand XP of it, any adventurer worthy of the name is probably ready to move on. For this reason the Grand Druid reaches 16th level after only 500,000 more XP. After reaching 16th level, the Grand Druid can step down at any time if he finds a successor. He is now a hierophant druid, loses all his XP except one and begins advancing anew.

Beyond 15th level, the druid never gains any new spells; instead, spell-like abilities are gained.

16th level (500,000 xp):

Immunity to all natural poisons
No longer subject to ability score adjustments for aging
Alter appearance at will, in one round, up to 50% weight and height increase or decrease, detectable only by True Seeing


17th level:

Gains biological ability to hibernate (now how do you implement THAT in a game?)
Can enter and survive in elemental plane of Earth at will


18th level:

Can enter and survive in elemental plane of Fire at will


19th level:

Can enter and survive in elemental plane of Water at will


20th level:

Can enter and survive in elemental plane of Air at will

[Tenshi]

WoW .. sounds good,
i think that they should incorporate the 'illegitamate' T1 (lvl 31 i think) levels.. (such as my beautiful old D&D game T1 sorceror)

it had the ability to cast any spell at will without all the memorising bit, every spell is known.. and the ability to create new spells at will

the ability to modify the magical 'aura' of the plane around him (ie. change what other players cast.. make them cast a spell, or disallow them to cast spells..stop magical weapons from working, create magical items/weapons etc..)

anyway .. this may not have been in the rules, but i was told it was by a friend.. hmm..

now that would be kewl :E

[[BLITZ]Scarab]

IMO its not cheating but its up to everyone elses what they want to do, i never remove the exp cap until i have completed the game. Though if your ever gonna try and complete the game as a solo charachter you have very little chance with out the xp cap removed.

[[BLITZ]Scarab]

I'm pretty sure the Bg team have done a mod that lets you play under level 30/40 rules

[Tenshi]

yes they have :
DSOTSC :E
but it does not have all of the AD&D rules for proper lvl 30/40 characters.. i don't think so anyway,

[Bruce Campbell]

Can someone please tell me how to remove the XP cap in BG2 i just wanna see what its like..... honest :E

[[BLITZ]Flood]

You'll find it here:

http://teambg.gnnetwork.com/downloads.html

[SummerFlame]

At higher lvls Druids can travel to different planes at will. This was too difficult to implement because it would have required designing all the new planes to travel to, and they wouldnt be related to the main plot anyway.

[Mori]

Way to repeat the gist of my own reply, m8 :)