Drow Light Penalties

[mr duncan]

Ill make one today or tomorrow and send it in to you for inclusion in our ALFA basemod and BG if they think they might ever need one, and Ill send it to the TSM HDM for faster inclusion by the team that handles the only PC this actually applies to currently.

I will PM you for that email addy as soon as I have it done


J

[HEEGZ]

Thank you.

[Mikayla]

Thanks guys!!

[HEEGZ]

copies of the item are starting to be tested. i haven't had a look yet, but plan to soon.

[AcadiusLost]

I set up a basemod with rapid time progression and a few features to test this more closely the other night, with a few unexpected results.

I did confirm that Light Blindness/Sensitivity does not discriminate between night and day outside as reported. The character sheet does indeed report all skills, saves, and attack bonus penalized by one.

However, when combat actually ensues, the PC's full attack bonus is applied (contrary to the listing on the character sheet). This is true both at night, and during the day. So, the feat is actually bugged in both directions: in terms of attack bonus, it actually fails to apply the penalty at all. This can be easily (and safely) tested by initiating attacks at placeables or doors to check what's actually being rolled.

Actual skill checks (as rolled by the game automatically like Tumble, or via DMFI or PC Tools dice rollers) do appear to be penalized by the "Light effects". These are penalized outside at night as well as during the day.

I didn't have the opportunity to test saving throws triggered by the game engine, though DMFI and PC Tools manually rolled saves were penalized (again, both at night and during the day).

So, overall, the bugs in Light Blindness are a mixed bag. The attack bonus issue, which was rightly emphasized as the most statistically significant one for low-level survival, turns out to be one in which the bug actually favors the Light-Sensitive PC (similar to having the Daylight Adaption feat for free, with regards to combat). While a toolsetted equippable item could grant saving throw and skill bonuses to counteract the incorrectly applied penalties outside at night, such an item could not apply the missing blanket -1 attack penalty during the day. I would say leaving the feat the way it is makes a reasonable compromise until a more elegant fix is possible.

Upside: freedom from combat penalties, even during the day, without spending the feat
Downside: undeserved -1 skills, -1 universal saves while outside at night.

If not a fair deal, this at least seems like less of a raw deal to me.

(Also; the Daylight Adaption feat does work to nullify penalties correctly, so if/when the AB issue is sorted out, we can script the ACR to apply/remove that feat as appropriate to counter the skill/save penalties in a straightforward fashion.)

[Rotku]

Thanks AL

[Ithildur]

*sigh* Obsidian...

[hollyfant]

Are Duergar and Grey Orcs similarly affected, and will any "cure" work for them too? Duergar in particular have -2 penalties rather than -1.

Also: will the Sunbeam spell deal double damage to

Any creatures to which sunlight is harmful or unnatural

[Brokenbone]

Couldn't the OOC item apply the Daylight Adaption feat though at the same time apply "various negatives", and you slap it on your finger or neck or whatever when realizing your PC is in daylight? I.e., rather than a "helper at night", a "hinderer in daylight"? *shrugs*

[HEEGZ]

Thank you AL.

[Mikayla]

Thanks AL, thats awesome. The only thing I tested was skills. It did not occur to me to attack a door or anything (and with 6 hp, if I attack anything that moves, thats it for me!). I also didn't test saving throws (simply overlooked it).

As for the double-reverse-whammy penalties, I still think it should be corrected even if the AB bug now favors me rather than not. I would much rather have things simply work the way they should. That said, I can certainly live with the bug too (who couldn't afterall?). So, even if Skills are bugged (and Saves unknown), with the AB not bugged as it was, this is not as critical for me as it was (not that I don't want to see it fixed, I do, its just not critical anymore).

Thanks for all the research, and all the help folks.

[AcadiusLost]

Are Duergar and Grey Orcs similarly affected, and will any "cure" work for them too? Duergar in particular have -2 penalties rather than -1.

Tested with Duergar, same behaviour but with -2 instead of -1 (to all skill checks and saves, day or night, when outdoors). Again, character sheet reports -2 AB, but this is ignored and full AB is used in combat.

Also, the same "Daylight adaption" feat negates the Duergar penalties- so when we eventually script a fix, that'll be the property to add, much much simpler than trying to adjust all those skills/saves depending on what "flavor" of light sensitivity the PC had.

[Faeryl]

Also, the same "Daylight adaption" feat negates the Duergar penalties- so when we eventually script a fix, that'll be the property to add, much much simpler than trying to adjust all those skills/saves depending on what "flavor" of light sensitivity the PC had.

The fact that there may be a somewhat simpler fix is awesome news AL. Thanks sooo much for looking into this. You've got to be one of the busiest people in ALFA so your time is deeply appreciated.

AL rocks!