Overhauls the Enhanced Edition's Shadowdancer Thief kit to something more balanced in some ways, more powerful and fun in others
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Changelogs
Version 1.1.9a
**Fixes**
- Fixed HiPs not working correctly with Hide in Shadows skill levels under 201
- Misc fixes
- Added more safeguards to ensure shadowstep can't be broken with True Sight or Breach
- Fixed Shadow Maze mistakenly considered a level 1 spell in most cases for the purposes of immunities. It now bypasses spell level immunities, as intended (which is the vanilla state, anyway)
- Fixed Shadow having several instances of its teleport spell at particular levels when it shouldn't, since it was turned into a cooldown-based ability a while ago and as such it's only supposed to have one
- Fixed Delayed Blast Shadow Fireball dealing 4 points of fire damage above intended
- Fixed some effects on Shadow Evade being treated as level 1 spells by mistake
- Fixed the issue of some spells in shadow conjuration adding the casting line to the console twice. The downside is that those will not have a name in the tooltips inside the spell selection though I expect most people to be familiar with the icons for Magic Missile, M. Globe of Invuln., Shadow Door, Stoneskin, Melf's Acid Arrow, and Cone of Cold.
- Fixed issue where the mod did not prevent the SD from casting Shadowstep: Blink while in Shadowstep: Planeshift as intended
- Fixed Shadow Swap (shadow spell) cooldown mechanic being dispellable
- Fixed Beshadow Body (shadow spell) granting spell XP when the cooldown was over after casting
**Modifications**
- Rewrite of some ability descriptions
- Fade (spell from summoned shadow) is now a spell selection ability which will initially contain the original Fade (invisibility 24 hours), and later Improved Fade for 2 turns. The choice then will be left to the player whether they want shorter improved invisibility, or normal, virtually permanent invisibility (unless broken).
- Adjusted the number of uses Shadows get of Fade according to the new schema: 3 times per day for all shapes. This also fixes in passing the fact that some earlier level summon versions had more uses of Fade than more powerful ones
- The Fade ability by shadows is now instantly cast (even if the game is paused!) and may not be interrupted though it will still respect action per round limits
- Added +6 Armor Class to the brief bonuses after Shadowstep.
- Improved Fade casting duration increased to 9 for counterbalance
- Shadowstep's automatic saving throw success feature will be decreased to a +6 save bonus if an attack is made and succeeds after coming out of it for the remaining ~3 seconds, leaving you less protected but still less vulnerable than normal. The new Armor Class benefit will linger as well. This will make the choice of whether to use it for defensive or offensive maneuvers more critical, since choosing to attack (and succeeding) will remove the possibility of automatic saving throw success, and of course, leaving the shadowdancer exposable to being attacked in any way
- The shadowdancer is immune now to its own Shadow Fireballs cast through shadow conjuration. Shadowbound creatures such as shadows, wraiths, shadow dragons, and other spectral undead including the Shadowdancer's own shadow summon are immune to it. Having Shadow Form or Shadow Evade on also provides immunity to it.
- The console log will now warn the player on level up about what abilities were gained (if any)
- Clarified in the description that the Shadow-version of fireball spells belong to Illusion spells. As such, protection vs. the Illusion spell school or saving throw bonuses vs. Illusion will affect the performance of this spell.
- Changed the progression of Shadow Evade, new uses are gained at levels 5-10-15
**Future plans**
- I'm planning to switch Evasion and Improved Evasion HLAs to something else because I feel like it overlaps too much with the rest of abilities of the kit (shadow evade, shadow form, shadow shield...). Don't know what yet, though it will certainly become a single HLA, no need for the silly business of one unlocking the better version. I might directly remove those though. If you got any ideas, I wanna hear 'em!
Version 1.1.7
- A new biography tailored to the Shadowdancer kit will be used when creating a new character in BGEE.
- Fixed a file not found error when installing the item tweaks and the vanilla SD fix component
Version 1.1.6
Deleted unused files that were being copied for no reason
.tra edits
Shadow Evade will now improve and upgrade at levels 8 and 16 (4-8-16)
Shadow Jump is now called again Shadowstep (with the two variations).
Planar Shift is now renamed to Planeshift
Dimensional door is now renamed to Blink
Description issues fixed
Nerfed a bit the offensive bonuses of Shadowstep. THAC0 will only improve to +6 (which becomes +10 anyway by virtue of being invisible in most cases), Damage will improve to +3 instead to +5, and critical hit chances will stop improving at +15% (improvements now occur at levels 13 and 25)
Shadow Artist HLA is renamed to 'Artisan of Shadows'
Artisan of Shadows no longer disallows detection via script for creatures that see through it, or provides immunity to non-True-Sight detection spells
The Shadowdancer now becomes immune to Oracle and Detect Illusion at level 10 along with the ability to regenerate while hiding, instead of gaining this immunity in an HLA, when by that time most enemies default to True Sight every time
Shadow Form is now the only other condition that prevents detection by any means (along with Shadowstep, for a very brief time), but only for its duration (5 rounds, 6 rounds at level 30, and 7 rounds at level 42)
Shadow Twin now warns with a log message when you can cast again, to prevent issues not knowing when to cast again if the clone died before the duration ran out
Shadow Conjuration is now divided in four spells that are gained at different points: Shadow Conjuration, Greater Shadow Conjuration, Shades, and Deep Shades (as an HLA). The previous selection of spells for Shadow Conjuration is mostly gone. These spells more or less mimic how they work in NWN and NWN2, with a few differences tailored to the shadowdancer. All of these have the same type of icon, with a different coloring (made by zenblack following my specifications). The spells are:
Shadow Conjuration (uses gained at levels 6, 9, and 12):
Sleep, identical to the wizard spell
Darkness, identical to the wizard spell, causes persistent blindness in area for 1 turn
Invisibility, identical to the wizard spell
Shield, identical to the wizard spell,
Magic Missile, identical to the wizard spell, SD level is considered half of the normal level. For example, to cast it as a level 9 wizard, the SD should be level 18
Greater Shadow Conjuration (uses gained at levels 12, 15, and 18):
Melf's Acid Arrow, identical to the wizard spell, SD level is considered half of the normal level. For example, to cast it as a level 9 wizard, the SD should be level 18
Web, identical to the wizard spell
Minor Globe of Invulnerability, identical to the wizard spell, SD level is considered half of the normal level. For example, to cast it as a level 9 wizard, the SD should be level 18
Blindness
Shades (uses gained at levels 18, 21, and 24):
Cone of Cold, SD level is considered half of the normal level. For example, to cast it as a level 9 wizard, the SD should be level 18
Shadow Fireball, custom version that causes the normal amount of damage but divided in magic, cold, and fire. It also uses a custom explosion with an eerie magical purple color
Stoneskin, same as wizard spell, SD level is considered half of the normal level. For example, to cast it as a level 9 wizard, the SD should be level 18. However, the SD is not allowed to get more than 5 skins in this version
Shadow Door, same as wizard spell, SD level is considered half of the normal level. For example, to cast it as a level 9 wizard, the SD should be level 18.
Deep Shades (available as an HLA; selectable three times):
Delayed Blast Shadow Fireball, follows the same trend as Shadow Fireball (see above)
Shadowstep (both versions): Allows casting the Blink and Planeshift version instantly
Shadow Shield, custom spells based loosely on NWN/NWN2 spell of the same name: 2 turns illusory protection +2 AC (+4 vs missile), Blurred, 20% hiding skill, 8 mirror images, immunity to up to +1 weapons, necromantic spells, dispellable and true sight removes it
Component that adds minor benefits to some items for shadowdancers will no longer make Lava's Tongue of Thax[...] from his mod SotsC a ninjato to avoid unwanted interactions with my other mod ZSTweaks. ZSTweaks will manage that without changing the weapon type, if it is installed. ZSTweaks should be installed after this mod, and generally any other kit additions or overhauls of any kind (and this counts as both, technically)
Shadow Swap can no longer be self cast successfully by shade summons
Simulacra may no longer cast Shadow Twin either, as it does nothing useful anyway
Added new icons for Beshadow Body (shade spell), Shadow Evade, Improved Shadow Evade (HLA), made by zenblack
Fixed some code issues that the MODDER flags highlighted
Shadow Evade, Shadow Form, and Shadowstep now use a darker, more purple visual effect when cast and less sharp sound effects
Self-Concealment HLA no longer requires you to pick Improved Shadow Evade first. It's available from the start. This enables your character, if you want, to just stick with shadow evade, achieving 40% damage resistance easily when mixed with self-concealment, though without the extra perks of shadow form in this mod, such as regeneration, higher duration at higher levels, and complete immunity to divinations for its duration
Elusive mind bonuses for spell schools of Illusion and Enchantment start at +1 instead of +2
Added safeguard to prevent Blink from working while in a Planeshift
Hiding in plain sight has now a default cooldown of 1 turn. The cooldown reduces by 1 round every fifth level thereafter, reaching 2 rounds at level 40
Fixed code error resulting in slightly incorrect probabilities for Shadow Maze
Shadow Form will now dispel Shadow Evade when cast
Fixed bug with the code adding a warning message that Shadow Twin is available for casting again, which was adding instead around 11 thousand AC to the character instead. Oops.
Deleted a bit of the bulk of the text in the kit description. More specific details will be found on the spell or ability descriptions
Rod of Shadowstep now allows the user to cast both variants of the spell (Shadowstep, not just the teleport variant) and it can also be used instantly, identically to using the spell directly
Fixed typos and other text issues
Shadow Swap (summoned shadow's spell) now decreases cooldown more strongly, reaching a 2 turn cooldown at nighthaunt level (down from 3 turns)
Fixed Shadowstep (Blink) not teleporting the shadowdancer at levels 10-12 due to an incorrect targetting field on the effect
Hide in plain sight's cooldown can no longer be sabotaged by True Sight, leading to the permanent loss of the ability
Prevented HiPS fading sounds from happening if the invisibility was broken with a melee/ranged attack
Shadow Illusions now uses a proper icon with the usual stony background
Shadow Conjuration is no longer an infinitely spammable ability and obeys the 1-action per round as far as spells and consumables go. Shadowstep remains properly spammable.
This part installs my custom Shadowdancer kit. For technical reasons, it will disable the original Shadowdancer, as this mod models the Shadowdancer around a basic Thief kit.
They were several things in the way Shadowdancers were implemented by BeamDog, that I didn't like at all. For all the juicy bits, do see the full readme, but as highlights:
Can cast shadow conjurations in a limited way.
Shadowstep is much more useful both as a defensive and offensive maneuver, and may cast without any chance of interruption.
Shadowstep can be cast as a planeshift or as a teleport ("blink") ability
You can summon a shadow that grows in power with you and has special powers of its own
You can cast Shadow Evade as a much less powerful type of the Shadow Form HLA
All Shadowdancer-specific HLAs have been improved in various ways.
May also learn to cast Shadow Illusions, roughly inspired by NWN2's Shadow Daze
Three new HLAs
Gains some cool passives as it levels up with the theme of shadows and concealment in mind
Can hide in plain sight with a spell (you can no longer use the hiding in shadows button for this, that works as it does on any other thief, ranger, or monk), whose probabilities of success are tied to your skill in Hide in Shadows and is subject to a cooldown that improves with level
### 2. Streamline THAC0 for Thieves
This component streamlines the THAC0 for Thieves and allows them to attain the more reasonable THAC0 of 6 that priests can attain. Essentially, every even THAC0 level lasts only for one level, and uneven ones persist for 2 levels. 20, 19, 19, 18, 17, 17, 16, 15, 15... This is recommended unless you're using another mod that does the same.
Be warned, however, that it will conflict with the swashbuckler class, since the THAC0 bonuses in the vanilla class rely on Thieves attaining a THAC0 of 10 at most, which means Swashbucklers will attain a THAC0 of -4 instead of 0, like Fighters.
### 3. Improve the THAC0 of Bards too to match the changes to Thieves
This simply matches the THAC0 progression of Bards to that of the Thieves as per the previous component.
### 4. Make Shaman Spirit Form mirror the benefits of Shadow Form
This is just for consistency. If installed, Spirit Form will also protect against non-physical types of damage, and will not be dispellable. Additionally, it makes the casting speed instant, same as Shadow Form, which should help in using it in combat (though this does not make it truly uninterruptible).
### 5. Give a selection of items extra hidden traits if wielded/worn by Shadowdancers
This components gives a selection of gear a few hidden bonuses if wielded by the Shadowdancer. This component does not require the overhaul to work: the original shadowdancer class will benefit from it. These changes are for the most part mild effects for stealth or evasion:
- Shadow Armor +3: +10% Hiding in the Shadows
- The Night's Gift +5 / The Night's Embrace +3 (SoD): +10% Hiding in the Shadows, +2 AC
- Armor of the Deep Night +4 & Cloak of the Dark Moon: 10% Hiding in the Shadows and Move Silently
- Shadow Dragon Scale: 10% Hiding in the Shadows, Saving throws +1
- Night Walkers: Movement speed bonus is 4 points higher for Shadowdancers
- Worn Whispers/Whispers of Silence: +5% Hiding in the Shadows
- Cloak of Displacement: +1 AC
- Soft Feet (SoD): +2 movement speed, +10% Hiding in the Shadows and Move Silently
- Ioun Stone of Darklings (Lava's Shades of the Sword Coast): Protects against critical hits (universal), adds +2 saves against Illusion and 25% cold resistance for Shadowdancers
- Tongue of Thaxll'ssillyia +2 (Lava's Shades of the Sword Coast): +2 Saves against Illusion, 50% chance to cause 1d2 magic damage, -2 THAC0 for 3 rounds if Save vs. Death at -1 is failed
### 6. Allow vanilla Shadowdancers to take advantage of Rogue Rebalancing's HLA
This component allows vanilla Shadowdancers to take advantage of RR's new HLAs, if RR is installed first (crucial). RR does not support shadowdancers, and this ensures the new HLAs are provided. The overhauled Shadowdancer already takes advantage of the new HLAs, if RR is installed first.
