DnD/BG2 noob question

[Wayneguard]

I'm just starting to play baldurs gate 2 and I have zero knowledge of dnd mechanics which brings me to my noob question... what does this mean "Damage: 1D8 +5"? I'm guessing the D is for dice roll so is it an 8 sided die? What are the 1 and +5? Sorry for the intense fail contained in this post but I must know... Thanks.

 

[Canadish]

The one means One Dice roll.
The +5 means you add 5 to whatever is rolled.

Hope that helps, your post does not contain fail, DnD rules are NOT easy to grasp

 

[Knife]

xDy+z basically means x*(1 to y) + z so xDy+z damage means it will do a minimum damage of x+z to a maximum damage of (x*y)+z (not including all other effects). And i really suggest you play through Baldurs Gate 1 first - it would make so much more sense to you storywise.

 

[Nimzar]

Another tip: 2nd edition had some other non-intuitive things like lower armor class (score) is better. A +1 bonus to AC (armor class) actually lowers it by 1.

There is a pretty good AD&D FAQ on Gamefaqs by DSimpson.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/faqs

Whether you read the whole thing in depth is up to you but I would at least read the first part of every section (before it gets into nitty-gritty details) because he does a good job of covering the general information about the systems in play.

 

[Naheal]

I'm just starting to play baldurs gate 2 and I have zero knowledge of dnd mechanics which brings me to my noob question... what does this mean "Damage: 1D8 +5"? I'm guessing the D is for dice roll so is it an 8 sided die? What are the 1 and +5? Sorry for the intense fail contained in this post but I must know... Thanks.

Baldur's Gate 2 is based upon 2nd edition rules, so you'll run into some odd, counter intuitive things in there that might not make sense at first, but will be easy once you get accustomed to it.

Some basics:

XdY+Z. Roll X numbers of Y sided dice. Add Z to the total. So, 1d8+5 would be 1 8 sided die, adding 5 to the total. Your resulting damage range would be 6-13. Another weapon that would do 2d4+5 would have a damage range of 7-13, but tend toward the median rather than have an equal chance to deal all of those damage numbers.

To hit:

THAC0, or "To Hit Armor Class Zero," is probably one of the more complicated parts of 2nd edition, but, once it's grasped it'll seem somewhat easy. The number for your THAC0 is, as would be suggested, the number on a d20 that would be required to hit that armor class. Anything above that number would result in a hit. In order to determine your to hit number for something other than a zero, use this formula:

Your THAC0 - Target's Armor Class = Result needed to hit

Thus, if you had a THAC0 of 16 and were attacking someone with an Armor Class of 4, you would need a 12 or higher to hit, while attacking someone with an armor class of -2 would require an 18 to hit. The lower your THAC0 and Armor Class, the better.

 

[psivamp]

Oh, AD&D, you were a very silly silly thing.

That said, BG2 is awesome. Tough out the absurdity of the old rules.

Congrats on having the stones to ask. Some people would just give up in frustration or continue in confusion.

 

[Paksenarrion]

1D8+5
1D8 +5

1D8=one 8-sided die (possible rolls 1-8)

2D8=two 8-sided die (possible rolls 2-16)
1D6=one 6-sided die (possible rolls 1-6)
etc...

+5=add 5 to your roll
1D8 +5= one 8-sided die (possible rolls 1-8) add 5 to what you rolled

So, if you rolled a 5 (from a possible 1-8), you add 5 to your roll to get 10.

1D8+5=(roll of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,or 8) + 5