Battle of the Builds allows you to instantly raise your PCs to level 30 and pit them in mortal combat against some of the finest power builds from the NWN2Wiki and the Epic Character Builders Part Deux. If you've ever wondered how your character build concept would fare against the likes of the Iron Sorcerer, Kaze no Kama, or Lord of the Mountain, Battle of the Builds will allow you to test your character's kung fu against theirs. You can even pit the NPCs against each other in one-on-one combat and watch the ensuing debacle in relative comfort and safety.
This is not an adventure module. There is only one NPC whom you may talk to, the Arena Master. At your command, he will arrange gladiatorial fights for you, give you experience points, and offer you the kind of gear that you may buy, loot, or craft in both the Original Campaign and Mask of the Betrayer. You may then pit your PC against any of the power builds to determine the PC's strengths and areas of improvement. The ultimate objective of this module is for you to test your character build concept against other epic builds or to test how these builds would fare against each other.
It is highly recommended that a good AI routine be installed for testing your character builds. This module works very well with Tony_K's AI.
Battle of the Builds may be of interest to the following types of people:
Powergamers who want to test their character build concepts
Builders seeking inspiration for deadly NPCs to put in their modules
Scripters who want to look at some examples of special combat AI
Wanna play as one of the power builds of the Arena? If you think you can control any of the characters in this module better than the AI, you're probably right, but you'll never really know until you try. Now you can download the Power Builds of the Arena and play them as PCs. Take your favorite gladiators for a test drive and see how you like them.
What's new in version 1.23.1
Fixed a problem regarding the Quest Journal not displaying the stats of the current set of gladiators.
Recompiled some scripts to address the issue of PC clones not disappearing when a fight is canceled.
Note: Edition 2.7.1 of "Meet the Power Builds" has corrections on the armor class and saving throws of several power builds as well as on the leveling guide of the Epic Arcane Trickster.
What else is new in version 1.23
Added the following new power builds: Left Fist of Gond, Pointy Stick, Right Fist of Gond, and Terracotta Soldier.
Updated the Divine Soul to JeminiZero's version 3.
Added an option to toggle the notorious weapon-grabbing tactic of gladiators that can disarm their opponents. Note that this won't necessarily prevent weapons from automatically landing in a gladiator's inventory through successful use of the Improved Disarm feat.
Added an option to limit fast buffing only to spells and feats with a duration of 24 hours or more.
Made several improvements to the AI.
Changes in version 1.22
Improved the AI of all NPCs, particularly the rangers, bards, non-caster gladiators, and the Blood Scholar.
Fixed a bug that was sometimes causing NPCs not to fight even when they can see their opponents.
Fixed a bug that was causing NPCs not to pick up their weapons when disarmed.
Changes in version 1.21
Added a new power build, the Claw of Malar.
Updated the Iron Sorcerer to version 2 created by JeminiZero.
Added journal entries listing the stats, feats, and skills of gladiators.
Added Zalantar spears among the weapons that are available from the Arena Master.
Added a new item to the Arena Master's list of available armor and clothing: the Swashbuckler's Tunic. This is an unenchanted piece of clothing that looks a lot better than monk pajamas.
Fixed the spellcasting animations and spell ranges of the Blood Scholar.
Made numerous improvements to the AI.
For details on the complete version history of the module, see the enclosed readme file.
Credits for the Power Builders None of the power builds in this module were created by me. All the character builds here are better than any PC that I've made in the past. To give credit where credit is due, I've listed the creative minds behind each build.
adzaroo: The Epic Arcane Trickster
Aekula: Ithil'kyw the Underdread
chipzahoy: An Inconvenient Ranger
Dark Eternal: Fallen Angel
Dark_hold_ / Darkhold: Black Dragon Soul
Dimeron: Eldritch Blade
DirtyFinger: Illusionary Blade, Kage Kaze no Kama, Kaze no Kama
Falconhurst: Drow Fury, Kaze no Kama Duelist
Felexitus: Holy Dragon Dervish
GT74: Claw of Malar
jeminizero / JeminiZero: Armored Fist of the Fallen, Blood Scholar, Divine Bard, Divine Ranger, Divine Soul, Divine Storm Soul, Divine Warlock, Eldritch Paladin of Candlekeep, Halfling Ninja, Iron Sorcerer, Obsidian Sorcerer
lokigr: Lord of the Mountain
Lorstaff: Sacred Spear
Mithdradates and TyrTemplar: Terracotta Soldier
rain4november: Restless Soul
SchnaKe: Veteran
steelsamurai: Pointy Stick, The Left Fist of Gond, The Right Fist of Gond
Zhonn-vei'ay: Black Dragon, Joe Average, Thuggernaut
Peek-a-BIC: New Tool for Power Builders Peek-a-BIC is a standalone program for viewing and documenting the stats and level progression of your player characters. This software reads your character BIC files and displays the data in any of several formats. Now you can view and upload your character's stats and level progression with just a few easy clicks. If you enjoy power building, give Peek-a-BIC a go.
The characters in "Battle of the Builds" are so powerful, you'll doubt they're legal. This PDF document proves that they are. Inside are the complete stats, equipment, and spells of all the power builds featured in the module. The document even has a leveling guide so you can recreate your favorite builds as PCs. (Not that you'll need to. You can get the Power Builds of the Arena as BIC files. See the link in the main description above.)
10 - A Masterpiece, Genuinely Groundbreaking 9 - Outstanding, a Must Have 8 - Excellent, Recommended to Anyone 7 - Very Good, Deserves a Look 6 - Good, Qualified Recommendation 5 - Fair, Solid yet Unremarkable 4 - Some Merit, Requires Improvements 3 - Poor Execution, Potential Unrealized 2 - Very Little Appeal 1 - Not Recommended to Anyone
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