[mod] Ina NPC for IWD EE

LavaDelVortel

New NPC for IWD EE is now available!

The mod adds a brand new companion to Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. Her name is Ina. A bard and a former teacher. But there is something else that you should know about her: she is a spectre. An image of her long gone self. Will you free her from her slumber in the Vale of Shadows. Will you let her join your team and once again walk among the living?

The mod includes talks with the PC, as well as a romance for female PC. Because of her state, the relationship will differ to those between the two living.

Ina may be recruited after the main quest in the Vale of Shadows.

Download
Forum

Want to experience even more talks? Install IWD Crossmod Banter Pack - it will add new banters mod companions. Check the list and description here.

Enjoy, everyone!

Dawglicious

I've been messing around with Ina's bard song a bit, and I can't tell if it is working correctly or not. It seems like it is only affecting her (and presumably enemies) instead of EVERYONE as it states. Is it working and I am just oblivious?

LavaDelVortel

Well, it should work... I am just a bit unsure on how to check it... @AionZ ?

Dawglicious

LavaDelVortel wrote: »

Well, it should work... I am just a bit unsure on how to check it... @AionZ ?

I noticed that the silence effect worked on Urchin, but the whole magic resistance lowering part seems to only be kicking on for Ina. I assumed it would be hitting everyone immediately since as far as I can tell there is no save for it? (Unless the MR lowering is supposed to JUST be on Ina... but if so the description didn't make that clear.)

ThacoBell

Small bug report. I don't know if this happens/happened to anyone else, but Ina's timing on commenting on the forgeable chakram is odd. I carried it around for several days with no comment. But she comments on wanting to get it repaired the second I repaired it. Then the talk about it being repaired happened about 2 seconds after that. It seems like that first talk is supposed to happen when its first found.

LavaDelVortel

Thanks for letting me know!

ThacoBell

No problem. Ina's been an interesting companion so far.

lollers

I see that this mod isn't listed by the EE Mod setup tool list, and I'm wondering if there are a lot of other places to find mods that can't or wont be found with the setup tool?

ThacoBell

@lollers Sorcerer's Place and Gibberlings 3 are the big two. A few modders that host here also have their own websites. Lava and Aionz have a couple threads here that link there.

LavaDelVortel

@lollers - there are lot's of new mods. We just released like 8 new IWD NPCs. All my mods are now grouped at weaselmods.net so you can get all of them out there.

lollers

I should have worded this better... is the EE modsetup tool unreliable? I have known you to include mods on it from what I've seen in the baldurs gate menu of the tool, and am wondering if maybe some of what the tool provides is perhaps a bit behind the times. I have had experiences with the tool downloading incorrect versions of a mod lately, and I do not know if I can trust it.

LavaDelVortel

@lollers - I don't know how the tool is maintained, I never used such tools. There is a chance that some stuff is outdated, because I believe the new mods must be added manually. As I said, not long ago (it's been less than 1 month) we (@AionZ and me) released lots of need stuff for IWD. I also moved all my mods to a new site (it now gathers 35 mods, like 25+ were previously hosted elsewhere)... and such change would also require a manual change in the tool. If they (the links) were not updated... well... then you're installing quite outdated stuff.

You would need to ask the tool author for info on when/which mod links were included/updated to be sure if tool is using the up to date links...

megamike15

i find those set up tools to complicated. rather just install the mods myself.

Brokenkatana

I really recommend Ina. In my mind, it was very easy to picture my party being trailed by her ghostly spirit in a snow covered landscape. I liked her tasting the different environments you go too. Along with “Our Lady” and “Skineater”, I think Lava’s done a really good job adding some horror elements to IWD with these mods, in a landscape that seems perfect for them.

LavaDelVortel

Thank you, that's very nice of you, @Brokenkatana Many of my mods wouldn't be published with such pleasure without your help

lollers

Lava, I have a bunch of your mods for baldurs gate, and I've been hesitating to actually do them because I don't know how much they will reward me. I've got them in a EET mega mod install, and the only one I've really done much of is Eelistraeeefwefsfs song and that was after the underdark and before saving Imoens soul in chapter 6 or 18 or something. It had a fairly minimal effect on my experience and loot I think, and I'm wondering now if I should have just gone ahead and done your stuff whenever they became available?

LavaDelVortel

@lollers - I am unsure why you ask this question here, not in Eilistraee's Song or my general thread. It has nothing to do with the matter and this is IWD section

Also, I'm not sure if I understand what you mean at all. I have no idea what's rewarding for you and I think that's pretty personal. I am rewarded by a good story and interesting characters. Items... well... they are ok. Experience? If you get too much too fast, it's not rewarding, but breaking some balance. But that's me. All my mods tell some story, something I would like to hear or see or experience myself. Are all of the good? No. And to make it even harder - that's also a matter of taste. I actually hate my Eilistraee's Song. It was to be like a training camp, but I am not thrilled by those characters or story. But there are also other mods I wrote and they are all different. Will you like all of them? Probably not. Will you like some? I hope so. Will they give you new items? Yes. Will they be useful? Some will, I think, but that also depends on who you have in the team. When you should play them? Check readme. If it doesn't say it's for experienced parties, then you should be ok. Or just start doing it and if it's too hard, leave and get back to it later. I think only TotDG does not allow that, but that's why I included a readme note.

I won't tell you which mods to play or when to play them or how to play them, because it's all up to you. It's for you to experience them, read the text and decide if that's your cup of tea. Once you know them you will know if you want to give then a 2nd, 3rd or 4th run later. I hate Nalia's Keep so I don't do that quest. Even if that means I won't get the Flail of Ages. So I suppose it's the same as the original game.

@JuliusBorisov or anyone else who can move posts - could you move it here:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/39119/mod-eilistraees-song/p1 ?
I think it's a better place for these posts, they're not about Ina or even about IWD EE.

ThacoBell

If they are doing an EET megainstall, "rewarding" probably means 3million exp and +6 items.

Thrasymachus

Some thoughts on this mod after completing a playthrough a couple of weeks ago…

I really liked Ina’s background and story arc! Her personality was truly unique. The portrait and voicing were professional quality. Overall an excellent companion (story-wise).

However, I was a bit mixed on the Darkbloom bard kit. The song seemed to cause more trouble for the party than benefit, so I never used it. And I never got the backstab ability to work (but I only tried it a couple of times before deciding not to bother). On the other hand, the special ability (Dark Entanglement) was helpful a number of times early in the game, and the extra spell/level obviously was very helpful (the bonus druid spells somewhat less so). Overall, I found the extra spells and lore sufficient reason to keep using the kit, but it felt odd to have a bard character without ever using her song.

Despite these quibbles concerning the kit, this is one of my favourite mod NPCs ever. Thanks!

LavaDelVortel

Thank you for your feedback

Cheers!

zelurker

Finished the vale of shadows, but didn't find ina... where is she ? Somewhere in kulhadar or somewhere in the vale (lots of caves there !) ?

LavaDelVortel

When you complete the main quest and when the priestess is dead, she should be standing right in front of the entrance to the 1st level of the main tomb (exterior area). Her main color is white and there is snow out there, so it may be easy to walk past her, heh. And while neutral, her circle is light blue, to make it worse :P

zelurker

Yeah yeah, found her now, I was so fed up by this exploration of all the tombs/caves that I immediately switched to the map to select the nearest exit to get out... ! Thanks anyway !

zelurker

Ok, feedback : it's a spell caster, useful for parties which don't have one, or who want 1 more, and joining at the point avoid to cope with a mage at super low level. She is a kind of anti bard, meaning her song casts the silence effect and lowers magic resistance, so if you plan to replace a bard with her, think again, as an anti bard she can't support the party with her songs ! I don't think I'll take her for this game, but it's an original idea for sure !

selocon

I like her. One upside is to give her the Armor spell and have her memorize and cast it. Get a specific protection neck item from Below and Below Inn mod, and then have her go up and sing, preferably near a spellcaster.

If you have Urchin and/or Denjelion they're more than capable of defending her.

ilduderino

She is one of the best written NPCs I have tried, she is hard to use though and is quite different from a normal bard

kiwidoc

I am playing a new game and getting close to where I'd pick up Ina. Can you give me any info on her bard kit? I rely a lot on bardsong so I need to know if using a new kit would be too hard for me. Also, you need to put a bit in about the kit in the readme, so people can build a team that works together properly.

LavaDelVortel

I think @AionZ is checking the kit right now, so perhaps you should wait for a day or two. I wouldn't be surprised if a new version, perhaps with a fix or two, would be released in that time.

DARKBLOOM BARD: Rarely seen in the Realms, Darkbloom Bards are recognized for their skills in using the powers of nature. Unlike druids, however, Darkbloom Bards appear to twist the beauty of flora and fauna into wicked and twisted visions—the stuff of eldritch dreams and nightmares. While some believe these are borne of the alien fantasies of practitioners, others fear that Darkbloom Bards are, in fact, drawing upon pieces of otherworldly aberrations that are attempting to infiltrate the waking world.

ADVANTAGES:

– +15 bonus to Lore.
– +5% bonus to Magic Resistance.
– Receives one additional spell slot per spell level.
– +2 bonus to Armor Class vs Spectral Undead, Shadows, Myconids, Shambling Mounds, Shriekers, Slimes and Spectres.
– Receives the following druidic spells, which are automatically scribed into their spellbook: Curse, Beast Claw, Mold Touch, Thorn Spray, Insect Plague, Fire Seeds, Mist of Eldath.

– The Darkbloom Bard's song, "Silence of Dreamrealm's Bog", inflicts Silence upon all surrounding creatures, both friendly and hostile, as well as reducing Magic Resistance by 10% plus an additional 2% per two levels, up to a maximum of 50%. All creatures may make a Saving Throw vs. Spells at +2 (-1 modifier per 6 levels) to avoid being Silenced.

– 6th level: May use Dark Entanglement once per day.

DARK ENTANGLEMENT: By means of this spell, the caster is able to cause dark plants and roots in the area of effect to entangle creatures within the area. Once per round, a creature can attempt to make a Saving Throw vs. Spell with a +3 bonus to avoid entanglement. An entangled creature can still attack but receives a -2 penalty to its Armor Class and -10% to Magic Resistance. There is 10% chance upon entanglement that the creature will be poisoned and suffer 1 damage per second for 5 seconds.

– 12th level: May Backstab at x2 damage, additionally dealing 2d8 acid damage. There is also a 50% chance that the victim will be Entangled by dark vines for one round.

DISADVANTAGES:

– Incurs a -2 penalty to Strength and Constitution and a -4 penalty to Charisma.
– Incurs a -1 penalty to all Saving Throws.
– Only has one-quarter Pick Pockets percentage.
– May only be of True Neutral and Neutral Evil alignment.

ineth

LavaDelVortel wrote: »

– The Darkbloom Bard's song, "Silence of Dreamrealm's Bog", inflicts Silence upon all surrounding creatures, both friendly and hostile [...]

Huh.
That doesn't sound like a very good deal in IWD, where few enemies are spellcasters.
You're basically just silencing your own party.

LavaDelVortel

There are plenty of more shamanic/druidic/divine casters all over Dragon's Eye, there are some in Forgotten God Temple, some in the Hand, many of those among tribes in the Expansion Packs... there are drow sorcerers, many evil clerics in the final Dorn's Deep areas, including Malavon Despana, some really annoying evil clerics... There is a powerful caster in Frost Giants' Lair... and more. I would say having a free silence for all those situation may be pretty cool + she gets more spells than other bards, free spells written right into her book, unique Entanglement that's WAY more powerful than a standard one. Yeah, probably she won't be usual bard support as standard character of such class, but used strategically, she can help in some less standard ways

Also, that means if you play a bard, you won't have your abilities duped. You can have 2 bards and they will keep doing different things. Not to mention stuff like you can still cast all protection spells before battle and charge with everyone and disable enemies' casting in the same time. So, there are some strategies you can try out when having her in your team

kiwidoc

I've had a slight problem in the Aquatic Museum. Ina keeps stopping instead of moving smoothly. I am sure I saw this reported by someone else, but I can't find the post.

Like previous posters I've never used her song, as so many others in the party are magic users. I suppose I'm using her as a sort of fighter mage. I totally forgot aboput her dark entanglement ability, so I haven't used it till now. Despite these things I've found her interesting, and an enhancement to the game - her eerie, cool ethereal nature fits very well with the whole mood of IWD, and so does her storyline. However I do miss the power of ordinary bard songs.