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Character Actions

The basic actions you perform in the Spine of the World are simple: wander the landscape, speak with its denizens, and occasionally swing a sword.

Movement

There is one constant movement rate in Icewind Dale. Characters move more quickly while under the effects of a Haste spell or while wearing certain magical equipment.

You can group-select characters and move them in various formations.

Dialogue

Killing everything you meet eventually causes problems:

  • You'll never finish the quests if there's no one left to talk to.
  • You will close off rumours, hints, and side stories that often turn out to be the most rewarding part of a region.

Sometimes the best response is to talk — casual conversation, hardball negotiation, jovial rumour-swapping, or intimidating threats. Help often appears in the most surprising forms.

Who speaks for the party

When you initiate dialogue with an NPC, the NPC addresses the character you have selected. When an NPC initiates dialogue, they always address the party leader — the character whose portrait sits in the topmost position of the right sidebar. Drag a different portrait to that slot to change the leader.

Fighting

Sooner or later your characters must fight. The real skill lies in knowing when to fight, when to talk, and when to run. Combat mechanics are detailed under Combat.

Source: iwdee/original_manuals/IWDEE - Mastering Melee & Magic.pdf — "Character Actions", "Movement", "Dialogue", "Fighting".