Avernum 2 - Weapon, Hardiness, and Defense Skills: Exact Effects?

[mikeprichard]

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere in the forums, but in Avernum 2 specifically, I'd appreciate a breakdown of what exactly Melee/Pole/Bows/Thrown Weapons, Hardiness, and Defense skills affect.

 

1) For the weapon skills, the in-game tips only indicate an increase in to-hit chance by 5% per point, but the walkthrough (http://www.harehunter.info/Avernum2/Maps/characters2.html) states damage is increased as well - although the amount of such increase per skill point isn't given.

 

2) For Hardiness, the in-game tips only indicate a possible reduction in incoming damage by 1, but the walkthrough states any applicable armor AP penalties are reduced as well - although the amount of such reduction per skill point isn't given.

 

3) For Defense, the in-game tips only indicate a reduction in chance to be hit in melee by 4% per point, but the walkthrough states to-hit chance penalties are reduced as well (if I'm reading it correctly - it's vague here) - although the amount of such reduction per skill point isn't given.

 

Anyway, the "comprehensive skill effects"-type lists Slarty and other veterans assembled in the "Strategy Central" forums for more recent titles had me spoiled when I returned to replay the earlier games - any responses approaching that level of detail for the exact complete effects of these six skills in A2 would be great. Thanks all!

[mikeprichard]

Sorry for the double-post, but I ran some initial play-testing on Melee Weapons vs. Hardiness vs. Defense for to-hit chance by increasing each skill independently in the Character Editor and then attacking the same goblin fighter in the nephil fort. Here are the results for a character attacking with an Iron Longsword and a 12% armor-related to-hit penalty (at least according to the in-game tooltips: 8% penalty for Leather Armor, plus 4% penalty for Steel Small Shield):

 

Increasing Melee Weapons

Melee Weapons 8, Hardiness 1, Defense 1 = 78% to-hit

Melee Weapons 9, Hardiness 1, Defense 1 = 90% to-hit

Melee Weapons 10, Hardiness 1, Defense 1 = 92% to-hit

Melee Weapons 11, Hardiness 1, Defense 1 = 94% to-hit

Melee Weapons ≥12, Hardiness 1, Defense 1 = 95% to-hit

 

Increasing Hardiness

Melee Weapons 8, Hardiness 1, Defense 1 = 78% to-hit

Melee Weapons 8, Hardiness 2, Defense 1 = 82% to-hit

Melee Weapons 8, Hardiness ≥3, Defense 1 = 86% to-hit

 

Increasing Defense

Melee Weapons 8, Hardiness 1, Defense 1 = 78% to-hit

Melee Weapons 8, Hardiness 1, Defense ≥2 = 78% to-hit

 

Some conclusions:

1) Melee Weapons, as already known, does affect to-hit chance, but the effect isn't linear (i.e. it's not simply a 5% increase per skill point, despite the in-game tooltip). I assume the non-linear effects I noticed during testing (from 78% to 90% when going from 8 to 9 points, but only 90% to 92% when going from 9 to 10) has something to do with the stats of the Goblin Fighter interacting with my skills. (Also, it was unclear whether or not increasing Melee Weapons - or Strength, for that matter - had a noticeable effect on damage.)

 

2) Hardiness does affect to-hit chance, but strangely, no matter how high the skill is, my above test wasn't able to reduce all 12% of the armor-related penalty - I could only reduce up to two armor penalty "increments" of 4% (from 78% to 86%) by increasing Hardiness. To reach the 95% cap, I had to pump up Melee Weapons instead. (I still have no data on how Hardiness would affect any armor-related AP penalty, though.)

 

3) Despite the walkthrough note that it "allows you to wear bulkier armor with out penalty", Defense has no effect whatsoever on to-hit chance - armor-related or otherwise. (Maybe the "penalty" referred to in the walkthrough is just for mage spells, but having one skill - Defense - affect only that armor-related penalty, while another - Hardiness - affects all other armor-related penalties wouldn't make much sense.)

 

 

Anyway, this was just a quick test that only partially answered my questions, so if anyone already knows and could provide a more comprehensive answer per my earlier post, I'd appreciate it. Cheers!

[Randomizer]

There are two different penalties for bulky armor: reduced chance of to hit and reduced action points per round. Defense removes the action point penalty.

[Lilith]

Hmm, what an interesting set of results. I'm especially curious about that sudden +10% in hit chance over and above the normal pattern that happens between 8 and 9 Melee Weapons.

[Ohsky]

Great, this comes very handy to me right at the moment.

[mikeprichard]

Thanks for the hint, Randomizer. I guess so far we've determined that Melee Weapons increases to-hit chance overall (but apparently not at a linear rate? - and as for its effect on damage, that's still unclear), Hardiness reduces the to-hit penalty from armor (but apparently only partially?), and Defense reduces the AP penalty from armor. I'll keep testing as I play through A2 and post more on all this if/when I figure it out.