What's happening with Virgil's Dexterity?!

Hello everybody! I have really strange problem - Virgil's dexterity is decreasing - During playing( while I was in Tarant), I noticed he's moving awfuly slow, although he wasn't encumbered at all. So I looked at his stats and his dexterity was red 1! I am absolutely certain he wasn't hurt in some fight so he could had broken leg or something. Could it happen because I let him wait for a long time (about 8 hours) with really oveweight encumberance? (About 2900 stone). Did he broke his spine or what? I thought the only negative effects of being overweight are temporary speed penalties.

And another question about NPCs - is it just a bug in my copy of game, or do you also get less experience from fights when NPCs helps you with killing - in my game it is true and they are rather a curse than help - I let them wait at the entrances to new locations and when everything is solved, killed and explored I pick them again.

 

How can you be sure Virgil wan't crippled in some fights? ...because I can't find a way to check their status. Try cast a major heal on him just to be sure.

If he's not encumbered, than it's probably some hexed items - they decrease speed, lower stats, cause FT loss and poison damage (which is good for killing NPCs). Though I have no idea how much hexed items you have to equip to have dex dropped to 1!

Don't use magical items before id'ing them!

And to the NPC and Exp stuff. Yes, having NPCs help in a fight will reduce the exp gained - because *you* get exp when *you* make a successful hit. The exp for killing a creature is yours no matter who lands the killing blow. So every swing counts!

When it's time for you to level up, all your NPCs level up too - which means NPCs don't count their exp.

If you want to have more exp, tell them to hold back (press F5). Or just go solo as I do in my current game. I'm level 30 before going to Wheel Clan.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kcwong on 2002-02-20 09:46 ]</font>

 

Going solo can be fun but you loose out on a lot of the side quests and background of the game.

 

You can check their stats.

Method A: Click on their body. Follow the "Ask some questions" option to the one like "I'd like to know a little more about you."

Method B: Right click the face in the corner of your screen. Choose "character sheet." (This is my usual method as you don't have to listen to Virgil).

 

Of course I know how to check their stat! I'm an expert now!

But when you see one of their stat is red, how do you know if it is caused by a crippled limbs or hexed items (assuming you haven't ID all the items equipped)?

So I said in my first reply, "cast a major heal to be sure".

 

Thank you all for your help. I will try that major healing spell... If I find a scroll with it. Btw., ThreeDogs, you said that I will miss some stuff without NPCs. Do you mean that they have their own history and side quests, like NPCs from Baldurs Gate, for example? That would be great! Which NPC is the most interesting(I mean his background, dialogues etc.)?

 

Healing skill with Expert status can also heal crippled limbs/scars. If you can't do that yourself (and Virgil doesn't have it yet), you can buy it from NPCs in the Herbs shop - though not all of them are expert in healing.

Not as much as in BG series, but yes there're some NPCs with their own stories. I think most NPCs with voice-overs are worth keeping for this purpose.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kcwong on 2002-02-21 02:10 ]</font>

 

I think Virgil is cool, or at least, his voice actor. Virgil's voice-acting is superb, IMVHO.

 

I like the broken-spine-through-too-long-waiting-with-too-much-stuff Theory :smile:

 

I had the same problem except it had to do with Int. I played a half-ogre with maxed out str., dex, melee, dodge, and lockpicking. I was towards the end of the game, had Velorien's Blessing and kicked alot of ass.