This might need to be updated after Patch 7's release, I can select the pact when starting a new game but when loading back into the save, it says the mod is missing. I'm using the SE version.
Can you still load into the game without it crashing? If you can, is the Pact missing from your character, or from the Pact Boon selector list?
Are you using the in-game mod-manager or BG3MM to load your mods? When you say you can select the pact on a new game, do you mean if you reach level 3 you can see it but not if you loaded the game at any point? Or is it just a warning that the mod is missing?
EDIT: I've not been able to encounter a warning that the mod is missing while the mod is installed. Be aware that the new in-game modloader will overwrite the modsettings file for BG3MM, and you should be consistent in which mod manager you use.
hey what level do the shroud comes out? I install the mod and the other requirement mods to the correct folder, also used bgmm. Made a new save with when my warlock reach the pact option it just shows the normal 3.
Pact of the Shroud requires Script Extender to inject into the Boon list, and Script Extender is currently not updated for Hotfix 18 at time of posting. Pact of the Shroud uses Script Extender to inject the passives into the Boon and Invocation lists so that they're compatible with other mods.
If you want, I've made a version that works without using script extender, which will manually put it and the invocations into the Warlock's passive list for Pact Boons and Invocations. However, this makes it incompatible with anything that does the same thing, such as Invocations Expanded or other Pact Boon mods.
When SE updates, it should still work even if you switch over to the Script Extender version, though obviously I cannot test that as SE isn't working for me either - but my best understanding is it should be fine. At most your game will complain that save has a different version of Pact of the Shroud until you next save.
EDIT: Script Extender now works again as of Hotfix 19.
i've been using and testing this since level 1 and I'm lvl9 now and this is a very powerful defensive option for warlock without being too overpowered. i think i got up to like 30 ac one time its kinda crazy but its so well made too. its probably my favorite pact right now. great job on this mod!
I also agree with Mistic but on different grounds than just "it's too weak" it's a really cool concept but it's functionally weaker than other similar functioning features. I.E. the Monk/Barbs unarmored defenses.
Those features, in tabletop and BG3, are permanent functions so long as you're not wearing armor with the only difference being they don't add your proficiency (a max +3 in base BG3) which is easily outclassed by just... good light armor. Which will also usually come with neat little features on top of it.
It's just not worth the reaction cost and a limited resource. Remember this *is* the class feature there at that level. Personally I'd make it just permanently add your charisma to AC when unarmored and then make it able to add your proficiency as a reaction, or a resource, not both. Then let player's pick up additional benefits. For instance extending how long you get your proficiency to your AC, or letting you instead choose to gain resistance to the damage type of *just* that attack instead of gaining proficiency to AC (a great example is knowing you can't beat their roll by upping AC, which would eat the whole attack, but you can still mitigate big damage hit's like Crits, also a pseudo "make a crit a hit" feature)
That last part is just me spewing random thoughts though xD
Don't forget, the Deepened Pact makes it permanent until the first time you are hit each short rest; then it becomes a reaction again. Also, Proficiency maxes out at +4 once you hit level 9.
Why not permanent forever? Well, firstly, it's my design philosophy with the Warlock that you can kinda do anything another class can do as long as you do it less often (full caster power, only two spell slots); and secondly, it honestly gets too high to always be permanent.
In my current playthrough with it to test balance, my AC is sitting at 30 (10 + 4 from dex, + 6 from Charisma, + 1 from Ring of Protection, Cloak of Protection, Evasive Shoes, Potent Robe; + 2 from Bracers of Defence and + 4 Proficiency). I've been considering nerfing it, because I can get it even higher; I believe a total of 36 is possible. I rarely get hit, but thanks to crits, I still do often enough that the ultra-high AC doesn't feel cheaty. The key to that is that it goes away after the first hit, then I have to weigh the cost of a short rest to get it back.
Without equipment bonuses, that number would be 24, which is still higher than most geared AC. Higher than any pure caster would ever get normally.
In addition, the Veil of Shadows invocation imposes disadvantage on both the initiating attack and for the duration of Eldritch Shroud, meaning it can turn a crit into a hit unless they roll two twenties: and Shroud the Soul lets you auto succeed on the saving throws that would ignore your AC. The defensive abilities of the Shroud are second to none.
In the early game it is not as strong, but that's true of all pacts (well, except Pact of the Tome. Guidance is insane and it's only up from there.) But sticking with it, with equipment and investment, you'll find it is the highest AC you can get.
With all of that said, I have been considering removing the level requirement of Veil of Shadows; so that it can help during the early game when Shroud needs it more. And potentially making it and Shroud the Soul grant an additional use of the Eldritch Shroud resource (mainly so that non-shroud Warlocks can still take them). It's entirely possible my level of familiarity with the class means I've overtuned it, and it needs to be a little more forgiving at low levels to be enjoyed. I always appreciate feedback, and if you and others feel it needs a little more oomph, I'll consider making a stronger version.
I like the mod, but I think that something is off. On the example on the link below why does Eldritch Shroud subtract just 3 from the attack roll? the tooltip says base armor goes to 15 (from 10 ; 2 from proficiency and 3 from charisma), so I was expecting 5. Stats are Dex 14 and Cha 16.
This is an engine restriction on BG3's part: you can't adjust the AC of a roll after it's been made, but the reaction needs to trigger after the roll is made in order for the player to know whether they want to use it or not. If you look at how the Shield spell works, it also subtracts the attacker's roll by 5 instead of adjusting your AC for the initial attack.
The reason it's subtracting 3 instead of 5 is because your existing base AC is 12, so to make your attacker's roll be equivalent to attacking a base AC of 15, the difference is 3, not 5. The reason you got hit despite that is because High Ground also adds to the roll after the fact; which can misrepresent the attack roll.
The reason it's subtracting 3 instead of 5 is because your existing base AC is 12, so to make your attacker's roll be equivalent to attacking a base AC of 15, the difference is 3, not 5. The reason you got hit despite that is because High Ground also adds to the roll after the fact; which can misrepresent the attack roll.
Don't the base AC exclude dexterity bonuses? The 12 AC on the screenshot is 10 from wearing robe + 2 from 14 dexterity. I thought that the base AC would be 10 on that situation. The way I had understood the mod was that in this case the AC when shroud applied would be 10 + 2 (dex bonus) + 2 (proficiency) + 3 (charisma) = 17 which would allow me to deny this attack roll (16 roll with all bonuses).
If the numbers are right then the class would be too underpowered. A robe warlock with shield and mage armor would have higher permanent AC on this scenario ( 10 + 2 (shield) + 2 (dex) + 3 (mage armor) = 17 permanent vs 15 just on proc w/ the mod ), and even without a shield mage armor would give the same AC permanently.
Hmm, you're right, it is missing the dexterity modifier isn't it. I'll post a fix right away. I'll also tweak the tooltips so it's clearer the dexterity modifier should be included. My apologies, the High Ground +2 being the same as your Dexterity bonus distracted me.
Just one more thing. The implementation is working as expected now, but the tooltip is a bit confusing because it says it sets AC to (base + dex), but actual armor may be more than that because of other sources (e.g. clothing or spells).
It is currently not possible to call the various modifiers to a character's Armour Class as a single number, which is what is required to insert it into the localisation parameter so that it shows up in a tooltip. Neither as a sum, nor any individiual modifier.
The tooltip does say Base Armour Class, not Armour Class. I know that's not as clear as we would like, but until we can add our own functions to the game, there is no perfect solution.
I like the looks of this. Seems well balanced. I know many people, like the other poster below like more powerful classes, but if you choose to buff it, please keep this balanced version too.
I really like the concept, i could even see someone using this in their tabletop game.
I do have some feedback/suggestion that i'll add after this, i hope you won't get scared or demoralized; even as it is it's very good, and i appreciate all the work you put in it.
Why limit the shroud to a number of times, though? Since it also consume you reaction (so you give up on opportunity attacks, or on casting Shield, Hellish Rebuke, Counterspell, or other reaction spells or abilities) it seems a little too steep. Sure, they recharge with a short rest, and as a warlock you take short rests more often than others, but by consuming one use per turn (and unless your party only face only one or two enemies at a time it's basically always) I can easily see the warlock burn through all its uses in a single combat.
I also have a suggestion. I don't know how hard it would be to implement, but it feels right to me it would have something to do with invisibility too. Maybe another invocation that let you cast it? Or if you choose to remove the limit, the improved pact feature would be a lot less usefull, so maybe you could replace it with casting invisibility once for short rest?
Well, I did adapt this from a homebrew pact I used for paper D&D, and paper has a lot less attacks per round than BG3 does; so perhaps it is a little too conservative. I might add a more powerful version of this mod as well; one that better accomodates how often you'll get hit in BG3. Perhaps Improved Eldritch Shroud resets every combat; or the ability to refresh the improved shroud by spending a use (or two?) of the shroud while outside of combat?
Interestingly, the original homebrew I made had Veil of Shadows make you invisible when you shrouded, but I replaced it for blur due to how easily enemies can get rid of invisibility; and blur being closer to how invisibility works in paper. Perhaps it's worth bringing it back?
But I think it's a little too weak to use currently Especially when compared to Pact of the Blade - which gets Cha modifier to melee damage and an extra stackable attack
If it's buffed to be stronger in combat I will definitely try it on my current Warlock :)
24 comments
Awesome mod, but seems like Patch 7 broke icons on action resource panel.
Are you using the in-game mod-manager or BG3MM to load your mods? When you say you can select the pact on a new game, do you mean if you reach level 3 you can see it but not if you loaded the game at any point? Or is it just a warning that the mod is missing?
EDIT: I've not been able to encounter a warning that the mod is missing while the mod is installed. Be aware that the new in-game modloader will overwrite the modsettings file for BG3MM, and you should be consistent in which mod manager you use.
If you want, I've made a version that works without using script extender, which will manually put it and the invocations into the Warlock's passive list for Pact Boons and Invocations. However, this makes it incompatible with anything that does the same thing, such as Invocations Expanded or other Pact Boon mods.
When SE updates, it should still work even if you switch over to the Script Extender version, though obviously I cannot test that as SE isn't working for me either - but my best understanding is it should be fine. At most your game will complain that save has a different version of Pact of the Shroud until you next save.
EDIT: Script Extender now works again as of Hotfix 19.
Those features, in tabletop and BG3, are permanent functions so long as you're not wearing armor with the only difference being they don't add your proficiency (a max +3 in base BG3) which is easily outclassed by just... good light armor. Which will also usually come with neat little features on top of it.
It's just not worth the reaction cost and a limited resource. Remember this *is* the class feature there at that level. Personally I'd make it just permanently add your charisma to AC when unarmored and then make it able to add your proficiency as a reaction, or a resource, not both. Then let player's pick up additional benefits.
For instance extending how long you get your proficiency to your AC, or letting you instead choose to gain resistance to the damage type of *just* that attack instead of gaining proficiency to AC (a great example is knowing you can't beat their roll by upping AC, which would eat the whole attack, but you can still mitigate big damage hit's like Crits, also a pseudo "make a crit a hit" feature)
That last part is just me spewing random thoughts though xD
Why not permanent forever? Well, firstly, it's my design philosophy with the Warlock that you can kinda do anything another class can do as long as you do it less often (full caster power, only two spell slots); and secondly, it honestly gets too high to always be permanent.
In my current playthrough with it to test balance, my AC is sitting at 30 (10 + 4 from dex, + 6 from Charisma, + 1 from Ring of Protection, Cloak of Protection, Evasive Shoes, Potent Robe; + 2 from Bracers of Defence and + 4 Proficiency). I've been considering nerfing it, because I can get it even higher; I believe a total of 36 is possible. I rarely get hit, but thanks to crits, I still do often enough that the ultra-high AC doesn't feel cheaty. The key to that is that it goes away after the first hit, then I have to weigh the cost of a short rest to get it back.
Without equipment bonuses, that number would be 24, which is still higher than most geared AC. Higher than any pure caster would ever get normally.
In addition, the Veil of Shadows invocation imposes disadvantage on both the initiating attack and for the duration of Eldritch Shroud, meaning it can turn a crit into a hit unless they roll two twenties: and Shroud the Soul lets you auto succeed on the saving throws that would ignore your AC. The defensive abilities of the Shroud are second to none.
In the early game it is not as strong, but that's true of all pacts (well, except Pact of the Tome. Guidance is insane and it's only up from there.) But sticking with it, with equipment and investment, you'll find it is the highest AC you can get.
With all of that said, I have been considering removing the level requirement of Veil of Shadows; so that it can help during the early game when Shroud needs it more. And potentially making it and Shroud the Soul grant an additional use of the Eldritch Shroud resource (mainly so that non-shroud Warlocks can still take them). It's entirely possible my level of familiarity with the class means I've overtuned it, and it needs to be a little more forgiving at low levels to be enjoyed. I always appreciate feedback, and if you and others feel it needs a little more oomph, I'll consider making a stronger version.
https://ibb.co/nQDJPGR
The reason it's subtracting 3 instead of 5 is because your existing base AC is 12, so to make your attacker's roll be equivalent to attacking a base AC of 15, the difference is 3, not 5. The reason you got hit despite that is because High Ground also adds to the roll after the fact; which can misrepresent the attack roll.
Don't the base AC exclude dexterity bonuses? The 12 AC on the screenshot is 10 from wearing robe + 2 from 14 dexterity. I thought that the base AC would be 10 on that situation. The way I had understood the mod was that in this case the AC when shroud applied would be 10 + 2 (dex bonus) + 2 (proficiency) + 3 (charisma) = 17 which would allow me to deny this attack roll (16 roll with all bonuses).
If the numbers are right then the class would be too underpowered. A robe warlock with shield and mage armor would have higher permanent AC on this scenario ( 10 + 2 (shield) + 2 (dex) + 3 (mage armor) = 17 permanent vs 15 just on proc w/ the mod ), and even without a shield mage armor would give the same AC permanently.
The tooltip does say Base Armour Class, not Armour Class. I know that's not as clear as we would like, but until we can add our own functions to the game, there is no perfect solution.
I do have some feedback/suggestion that i'll add after this, i hope you won't get scared or demoralized;
even as it is it's very good, and i appreciate all the work you put in it.
Why limit the shroud to a number of times, though?
Since it also consume you reaction (so you give up on opportunity attacks, or on casting Shield, Hellish Rebuke, Counterspell, or other reaction spells or abilities) it seems a little too steep.
Sure, they recharge with a short rest, and as a warlock you take short rests more often than others, but by consuming one use per turn (and unless your party only face only one or two enemies at a time it's basically always) I can easily see the warlock burn through all its uses in a single combat.
I also have a suggestion.
I don't know how hard it would be to implement, but it feels right to me it would have something to do with invisibility too. Maybe another invocation that let you cast it?
Or if you choose to remove the limit, the improved pact feature would be a lot less usefull, so maybe you could replace it with casting invisibility once for short rest?
Interestingly, the original homebrew I made had Veil of Shadows make you invisible when you shrouded, but I replaced it for blur due to how easily enemies can get rid of invisibility; and blur being closer to how invisibility works in paper. Perhaps it's worth bringing it back?
But I think it's a little too weak to use currently
Especially when compared to Pact of the Blade - which gets Cha modifier to melee damage and an extra stackable attack
If it's buffed to be stronger in combat I will definitely try it on my current Warlock :)