I think this is a question for those of you who can play around with NI or IE, or perhaps those of you who're familiar with AD&D 2E rules. I'm none of those things, thus the question...

Since a lot of mods allow godlike stats (random Tomes lying around and all that), are there any benefits beyond those published in the manual's stat tables to having, say, a really high INT? WIS? CHA?

I ask since my elven F/M/T (currently soloing BP-BGT-NEJ) has an INT of 20 :D after playing through the SoBH mod, and wonder if I get anything for it other than just a better chance to learn spells (it's already a near guarantee).

Thanks in advance, folks.

[ May 13, 2005, 14:40: Message edited by: Derkoth the Disgruntled ]

Int - helps against mind flayers (can take more intelligence draining attacks before death), helps with lore, and, as mentioned, helps with amount of spells you can learn and chances of doing so.

Wis - Bonus spells to clerics, dealing successfully with wish and limited wish and, I think, lore as well.

Cha - better prices at merchants, I think there is a morale check component although don't hold me to that.

Int: Your guy could scribe all the scrolls he found (specialist class restrictions permitting). Mages with lower Int have a limit on number of spells per level they can memorise. Ofcourse, nothing a potion or two wont cure...

Wis: An even Int and Wis stat gives higher Lore. Neglecting either will get you lower lore. Bonus Devine spells. Wis does NOT affect your Will saves. Thats 3E.

Cha: In SoA, you need decent Char before being allowed the other forms of entertainment in the CC. IIRC the Pallys wont trust you with their quest. Shopkeepers make your day hell.

Well, you'll need both Int and Wis (as said before), but CHA is frankly useless for me.

There is a ring at the Circus that sets your CHA to 18, and a first level mage spell Friends, that adds 6 more points. So, you could get 24 CHA whenever you want, why boost your natural one? :)

Does CHA not count for your whole party, not just the main character? eg Minsc's low CHA would have detremental affect on your store prices?

Thanks, folks!

I suppose my question was more along the lines of what do you get that the manual doesn't tell you about from high stats like that. For example, does INT add to your Detect Illusions score if you're a thief? Doesn't a high WIS help with saves against mind-affecting spells?

If there ain't no benefits of high INT, other than Lore, then there's not much point in pumping INT much past 19, is there? Anyway, it's mainly an issue of curiousity.

All info welcome here...

Wis does not affect saves. :(
IIRC there is an entry in the manual which gives you the base thief skills dependent on race, stats and kit.
High Int gets you out of the Maze faster.

Dont know what other affects there are.

@CtFB
Only the Cha of the charecter talking is taken into consideration. There is a attribute 'Reaction' in your Charecter Record sheet which is based on Char and is used for all such encounters. You dont have any reason to worry if you have Korgan in your party. Just keep him from talking. :D

I'm not aware of any bonuses from stat values past 25.

@threadstarter

I think I've read somewhere that WISDOM give bonuses to saving throws if you are a Paladin, but that might be some kind of myth.

OFCOURSE high wisdom gives you bonuses to saving throws vs spell if it is a mind effecting one (hold, charm, confusion, dominate to name a few)

This is a STANDART 2E rule and it is called MAGICAL DEFENSE ADJUSTMENT. I am not sure if it is implemented on the game but it is a rule!
Though this explains why Minsc (low wis) tends to fail his saves.

PLUS, high dexterity gives you a bonus to saving throw vs spells against effects that can be avoided by being quick, like a fireball, lightning bolt etc. This is called something too I can not remember.

BTW Paladins DO get +2 bonus to all saves so they are better at saves than ordinary fighters.

Believe it or not, these are rules. I know they look like 3E somehow, but believe me this is pure 2E!

I think you're right, Silverstar. I use Dave Milward's walkthrough for the locations of items and suchlike, and he mentions spending three hours rolling his favorite character's statistics so he would be resistant to mind-control (Str: 18/24 Dex: 19 Con: 17 Int: 18 Wis: 14 Cha: 10).

Yeah, 2E also has the adjustment to saves for paladins, but it's a fixed +2, with also 2HP/level to lay on hands. In 3E, this was replaced with CHA mod (CHA/2 -5). Specific high values of INT and WIS give immunity to certain spells in 2E.

At any rate, I believe everything is capped at 25 unless there are benefits programmed with a specific formula based on your score rather than a score check for awarding benefits. Therefore, it's possible that some adjustments to attack or defense, weight capacity etc etc still work past 25, but it's not like there's a host of special abilities awaiting you.