Hello everyone,

I installed Torment, done some modding and ready to play the game in a couple of days. But I know that Torment is a special game so i want to play it right first time.

I installed:
* Step 3a: Install The Bigg's Widescreen mod
* Step 3b: Install Ghostdog's incredible UI mod
* Step 4: Install the Ultimate Fixpack by Qwinn
* Step 5a: Install Unfinished Business by Qwinn
* Step 5b: Install Tweaks Pack


It has been probably asked million times before, so sorry for asking again, but what stats do you recommend me so I can experience the game as much as i can.

1. STATS

I dont like number 9 so I made them all 10 first. Looks like you cant go below that. What I have in mind is..

STR: 10
DEX: 10
CON: 10
INT: 16
WIS: 16
CHA: 13

I noticed that I started as a warrior and I didnt have a choice to select one. I remember reading that you can be a mage later.

2. COMPARISION TO BG STATS

I am good with BG version of rules for stats but I have a feeling Torment does not follow the exact same rules. For example my health increased when I added 1 point to my Constitution. Normally it shouldnt effect until it is 16. What other changes are there regarding rules that I should be aware of?

I would appretiate it if you can keep your answers as spoiler-free as possible.

Tnx in advance.
Engin.

I think that you're ready to go. You always start as a fighter, but later on you can learn to become a thief and a mage. After that you can switch between the classes, it's really quick if you have someone in your party that is a fighter, thief, or a mage (in order to "guide" you). The experience points are not shared between the classes, so when you learn to be a mage, you'll start out as a level 1 mage, even if you're e.g. 6 level fighter.

Your stats are fine, I think, especially if you want to play mainly as a mage.

Planescape: Torment breaks some AD&D rules, but most of it will be familiar to you. Most differences are connected to the characters, e.g. Nameless One gains 1 stat point on level-up that you can distribute (increasing Wisdom, for example). Some spells behave differently, so I would recommend reading their descriptions and tattoos are some of the more useful equipment for Nameless One. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't give other examples. When I was playing this game for the first time, having played Baldur's Gate many times prior, I wasn't confused that much. I think you'll be fine.

TNO is a bit... special in regards to how the rules apply to him (for story reasons), so a few more things:

- The +2 HP per Constitution point below 15 only applies at character generation; if you put points into it on levelup, your health won't be affected until you reach 15, after which you get the normal bonus (which applies retroactively).

- TNO has permanent health regeneration regardless of his Constitution stat (though the rate does increase, slowly, as you raise it).

- TNO always gains HP (+Constitution bonus) of a fighter class (1d10), even if he switches to mage or thief.

- To be able to switch classes, you have to be taught how to be a different class first; there are trainers who can teach you. Switching to mage (or thief) for the first time, you start at level 1, but automatically gain enough experience to immediately level up to level 3 in that class (just like you start as a level 3 fighter). Note that only the highest of your classes will give you stat points and health when you level up. (So, for example, if you reach level 5 as a fighter, then switch to mage and stay as that class, you only start getting stat points again from level 6.)

Thank you very much both of you. I really appreciate the information you have given.

Do I get free stats at level up? I would love to increase wisdom and INT to 18 as soon as possible. Also char to 15 which I read somewhere that is beneficial. Also 13 Dex to avoid being pickpocketed. Decisions decisions. :))

You can actually raise all of your stats to 25 naturally, if you're into hardcore level-grinding. (Gonna take time, though, so not worth it.)

In regards to Charisma, if you train to be a mage, you can buy and learn the Friends spell (and start abusing it to get store discounts :D). One more quirk this game introduces to make your life easier is that you cannot fail to scribe a spell; just get your hands on one scroll, and it's yours. So if you sleep regularly, you can have a ready supply of extra Charisma points for when you want to talk to people.

Be aware that with con so low your character will be quite wimpy but there are other party members you can hide behind.

Don't bother raising int, 18 is perfect and can be reached from natural 16 with equipment easily.
Raise wisdom at the next 2-3 level ups for the additional luck, XP and other bonuses instead.

Not that you'd need it now, but good to know during the character-creation the rule of 18/XX also applies here, aka. if you manually rise the STR during creation you need to pump a lot of points in it to reach 19.
But during playtime if you have a simple, unmodified 18 and gain a STR, that instantly puts you 19.
Might worth keeping in mind for future games.

Minor Spoiler:
At the start with minimum starting CHA you'll miss the ring the ghost gives at the ground-level of the Mortuary. As magic rings are rare in the game I highly suggest you modify your stats until you get it.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I used the STATS I said I was going to use and now my wisdom is 19. Even with 10 STR and 10 CON I havent experienced any problem with fights so far.

When I first came out of the mortuary, I tried to talk to a thug and he attacked me so I killed him. Now, when I come close to thugs, they sometimes attack me even if I dont talk to them. Is that normal? Even at daylight, they just gang up on me. Thanks to Morte and Dakkon I handle them easily and they are a nice source of XP and gold but I cant stop wondering if I did something wrong.

tnx.

Yes, this is by design. Common thugs are scripted to randomly attack your party if you happen to be near them, even if you have never explicitly interacted with them. The ones you encounter right now permanently stop doing this after you reach a certain area for the first time, because you'll be dealing with stronger enemies by that point.

Speaking of XP. You should be getting enough from quests, but in case you ever need more... In some areas, among the wandering people there are some black abishai. They're very, very strong, and require +1 enchanted weapons or spells to kill, but once you can handle tougher enemies, you can have Morte taunt them, and grind them for experience without any consequences. Just don't do this anywhere outside the Hive.

I am already 20 hours in the game and I believe I cleared most of the Hive and I am in love with the game already. I am reading every conversation and taking notes of every detail so I am playing it rather slowly.

I only have one problem so far. My characters usually dont attack, staying idle until they are attacked. This is becoming annoying after some time, especially while fighting 10 enemies, i have to do micromanaging. Party AI is on and auto-attack is enabled.

I found this article, it seems to be for Pillars of Eternity but it is same situation as my case.

Since most of the time there isn't a lot of strategy required for battles, I usually immediately set all melee type characters to "guard area" around the enemies, so they fight until everything within is dead. This means they won't chase the opponents that manage to run beyond the area edge, but this is still useful for fighting enemy groups.

Their AI scripts are of the simple "if attacked, fight the attacker" type (and, for allies, "fight whoever just attacked TNO", if they're close by), so the targets don't get replaced automatically even if there are still hostile creatures nearby.

How can I set them to "Guard Area" Mode. I couldnt find a way to do that yet. Also, I couldnt find a bow or arrow either which is usually my main killing weapon in Infinity games.

Guarding, I think, is a command that exists in other IE games as well; this is done with the shield icon on the circular menu (either in the weapon selector or on the main section, depending on how many characters are selected). If you select it and draw a circle on the ground, the characters given this command will fight anything within the circle, but won't leave it. Useful for protecting an ally, but also useful for keeping them from chasing thugs around the map.

No bows for you, sorry. :( Well, you can get a companion who uses crossbows, but he is really hard to find without a guide. Spells are your best choice if you don't want to be in melee range, but you have to cast them manually.

Ah damn. That sucks. And thanks for the Guard suggestion. I had never used guard command in IE games cos I always thought it was only to defend a character.

I am almost 30 hours in the game and I am mesmerized. You get experience for reading history "knowing" things. What MORE can you want. To want more you must know "more". When one knows "more" then comes the true power and one is complete.

I have 40 degrees of body temprature right now (normal body 36,5) so i am my mind is working crazy, observing everything i see, even details in weapon descriptions.

Ofcourse game has some flaws but you forget about them while good things happen. I should probably writing here now.