Song and Silence mod for Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

Song and Silence contains the following components which can be installed independently of one another:

Changes to trueclass bards and thieves, and unmodded game kits (required for other components)

This component changes thieves and bards to be more in line with pnp rules and my own personal views on the classes. Firstly, alignment restrictions have been changed. Thieves can now be of any alignment (previously Lawful Good was prohibited) as can kitless Bards and Blades. Jesters and Skalds can now be of any non-Lawful alignment.

Secondly, this component fixes several bugs to do with bards and rogues in the unmodded game. These are listed below. Some of these bugs may be fixed by other mods/patches/fixpacks such as Baldurdash. There will be no problems with having the fixes from both sources installed.
- Blades not actually suffering a penalty to their Pick Pockets skill as the description states.
- Skalds were not getting a bonnus to hit as the description states.
- Swashbucklers had incorrect maximum proficiency slots in Katana, Crossbow, Short Bow and Sling.

Thirdly, Thieves (kitless and kitted) can now place 3 proficiency points in Two Weapon Fighting Style. The Swashbuckler description has been altered to reflect the fact that this is now not unique to them.

Further versions will include HLA changes - at the moment I would suggest using aVENGER's Rogue Rebalancing from Forgotten Wars as an alternative. aVENGER has graciously allowed us to use his work as a basis for HLAs in this mod, so if you've been using Rogue Rebalancing and liked that you should hopefully enjoy this mod too!

Add new bardic store and thief items

This component adds a new storekeep, Raoul, to the game who sells a variety of interesting new items. These are mainly for bards but other classes may find something to suit as well... So be sure to take a peek. Raoul can be found standing between two tents at the Nashkel Carnival in Tutu, and outside the Five Flagons at the Merchant's Square in the Athkatla Bridge District in BGII.

A selection of new items designed with thieves in mind have also been added; in Tutu they can be found in the inventory of Black Lily (in the Thieves' Guild in the city of Baldur's Gate) and in SoA you can find them with Roger the Fence (in the Sewers of Athkatla underneath the Temple District).

The mod includes eight new kits:

ACROBAT: As entertainers, most Acrobats are typically found accompanying carnivals or circuses, although a troupe of Acrobats can put on a remark­able show all by themselves. The often perform in large taverns or in clubs, using their arts to draw in the crowd and captivate them long enough for the proprietor to drain their purses.

CHORISTER: Music, whether hymn, symphony or dark chanting intonation, plays an important part in the services of most deities. For aiding in performing rituals or just leading the faithful in worship, most holy places have at least one bard, known as a Chorister.

DIRGESINGER: Dirgesingers voice melodies not of celebration and joy, but of sorrow and grief. They seek to spread this melancoly outlook far and wide, believing that only those who give in to their sadness can truly understand the world.
These sad wanderers seek to express their grief through songs that teach the hearts of their listeners the meaning of true sorrow.

GYPSY: Gypsies are often called "travelling people" or "forest nomads," typically wandering the lands in caravans comprising of brightly painted carts or wagons. These people are well-known for their strange music and dances, typically surviving in their wandering lifestyle by entertaining villagers and folk in the places they roam.

ADVENTURER: The adventurer is a jack-of-all-trades, not so much a thief as a character who takes advantage of general thiefly skills on adventures. An Adventurer is preferred by many adventuring parties, because he is much less likely than other thieves to betray or steal from his own companions.

BURGLAR: This sort of thief is the consummate Burglar. He is an expert at breaking and entering the most difficult buildings, bypassing walls, locks, traps and guardians, grabbing the best loot, and escaping unnoticed as stealthily as he arrived.

SOULKNIFE:This sort of thief, a being possessed of potent psionic power, recognises his or her own mind as the most beautiful and deadly thing in all creation. With practice, they have learned to forge their mental strength into a semisolid blade of pure psychic energy.

SHARPSHOOTER: This sort of thief tends to be a stealthy character, preferring to engage their target from afar with bolt or arrow rather than face them in dangerous melee combat. Unlike the ranger, they use their skills to aid their dubious activities involving the property and lives of others rather than the protection of the great outdoors.