Overhaul Packages

Notes on the games class packages.

Updating PC Packages

The current packages are sometimes a bit naff. However since they might be used in modules for NPCs we have to be a little careful. The main fixes here would be:

• Removal/de-prioritisation of crafting feats. So many crafting feats! Many are useless in modules, and should be chosen only if the PC really wants them (someone purely using the package/recommend button probably won't!).
• Addition of newer skills, feats and spells in appropriate locations. Monks should be taking Tumble for instance.
• Improved descriptions detailing what the package chooses.

If old NPC only packages are made available to PCs might as well just add them in new lines (duplicating them) but can just make new ones up now there is no packages.2da limit.

An example package description for a normal base class that is just "fine":

Most monks follow this tradition of simple virtue and martial artistry.

These packages do not give any special abilities to your character, they simply configure your skills and feats so you don't have to.

Package configuration:
- Ability: Wisdom
- Weapons: Unarmed Combat
- Feats: A variety of active combat feats such as Disarm and improvements to Stunning Fist, and Dodge and Toughness for survivability.
- Skills: Tumble, Discipline and Persuade are prioritised. Hide and Move Silently then Listen will be secondary choices.

An example spellcaster:

The abjurer specializes in abjuration spells (spells that block, protect, or banish).
Prohibited Spell School: Conjuration

These packages do not give any special abilities to your character, they simply configure your skills and feats so you don't have to.

Package configuration:
- Ability: Intelligence
- Feats: Combat Casting, Toughness and Dodge then Metamagic feats and Spell Penetration feats.
- Skills: Concentration, Spellcraft and Lore primarily, then Persuade, Spot and Listen.
- Spell School: Abjuration (Opposition school: Conjuration)
- Familiar Choice: Ice Mephit
- Spells: Abjuration spells are a focus such as Spell Mantle and Dispel Magic. Secondary are offensive Evocation spells such as Fireball and defensive spells such as Stoneskin.

An example package description for a "to take a prestige class". It won't translate necessarily well into the prestige classes package though for example Divine Champion using a Mace would be a downgrade since they get Martial weapons.

(In fact I don't know but maybe having this package specifically choose Martial then Weapon Focus: Better weapon that is used for the Divine Champion...)

This example also shows that Bioware just usually reused the default feat package list and added one or two lines, in this case the Cleric gets spellcasting feats instead of improving their combat ability in prep for Divine Champion. They didn't change the skills or spells.

Dedicated their life to war and battle, this cleric package will lead to the righteous Divine Champion.

These packages do not give any special abilities to your character, they simply configure your skills and feats so you can pick the Divine Champion prestige class later.

Package configuration:
- Ability: Wisdom
- Weapon: Mace
- Feats: Apart from Weapon Focus: Mace for the Divine Champion, there is a general focus on usual Cleric feats for casting and turn undead.
- Skills: Concentration and Heal primarily, then Parry, Persuade, Spellcraft and Discipline.
- Domains: War and Good
- Spells focus: Clerics already know all possible spells they can learn.

New PC Packages

Packages currently only are needed for two cases:

• Base classes, choice at level 1 only
• Prestige classes, only one option required

Some tuning could well be done though so there are more solid options and spells and feats from expansion and Overhaul are also cleanly added.

In the future if packages can be chosen for each class slot it'll make sense to do additional packages to allow "continuations" between them (eg Cleric to Divine Champion uses Weapon Focus: Mace, so why not carry on with Mace as a preferred weapon in the Divine Champion build?)

New packages should be much "better built" for specific builds.

NPC Packages

Some of the NPC packages for Hordes of the Underdark were presumably once going to be available to players, since they're named very similarly to player-based ones (with translated TLK entries to boot which are completely unnecessary for the toolset!), and have some interesting descriptions, for instance With the blood of a red dragon coursing through their veins, this sorcerer package will lead to the power of a dragon disciple" for Deekin's packages.

There are some unused NPC ones as well, which either were intended to be PC ones but not added to the game for some reason, like "Barbarian, Blackguard", or "Bard, Harper Scout". Not sure why these were not added but maybe the default alignment/race selections messed some of them up or just wasn't enough time to fix them up properly? Each base class in HotU gets one Prestige class configuration package (even if some are not great matches like Ranger or Barbarian, at least they tried!).

Below are some notes on them all, and some may be reused for PCs (although all the current NPC only ones will remain as such just in case some module has used them and so changing them might break things).