It would likely be hard to work different party members in and out of the group as dialogue often revolves around the shared experiences of having adventured together
I have just found the last new npc and have a dilemma about whether to drop someone and make room ? as they are all great so far
Sure it's the last one? Hah, there are total of 8 by me an Aion: Dusky, Karihi, Minerva, Dendjelion, Ina, Urchin, Oak-Maw, Tipps. Sounds as if you found the 6th one :P Unles you knew Dusky before or excluded one of other NPCs.
Pretty sure it’s the last one, I am carrying the idea of adding them and may cut to the heart of the matter soon ? I have already had a few tough decisions about who to add but am trying to roll with a good / neutral party on this run, which made it is easier to choose as they are all compelling
I can’t recommend these mods highly enough, I am having a lot of fun
Have made it to Kuldahar (I know, I'm slow) and the game already feels so much more alive with npc banter and personalities.
both iwd games feel so much better with party banter. iwd is not as story focused as the other ie games but the banters help make the long slogs through the dungeons not as boring.
I am curious, if you kick these new characters from the party, will they stay in Kuldahar? I've just been messing around a bit in Easthaven, but I noticed that both Minerva and Karihi wait in locations in Easthaven. Will they move to Kuldahar if not in the party, or are they missed forever?
You have to take Minerva and Karihi past the expedition, but their parting dialogue changes to lead them to Kuldahar afterwards. I think I made the same apply to Dusky as well.
I just wanted to pop in and say this series of mods has gotten me to start up a new IWD game and so far I've been loving them. AoinZ and Lava are the best mod authors around when it comes to new npcs and so far I have not been disappointed with these! I'll try to post more specific comments on them as I get further in the game.
I may as well put this out here: I had intentions on writing more than two NPCs. Unfortunately, I write at an embarrassingly slow pace instead of Lava - while Ina and Urchin were written before I had started, I believe every other NPC was written in the time it took me to make two. Between my obligations to my BG mods and the fact that Lava's things were already done, we just decided to get everything that was complete out there. Three NPCs had their progress halted when it was clear I would never get them done in time.
NPC 1
NPC 2
NPC 3
I may resume work on these, but only if people are interested enough to give me incentive to try and balance my time between writing for both BG and IWD. (The alternative is my 4th NPC for BG1, who I'll probably make some sort of teaser for eventually)
And an interesting thing I learned about IWD in the process: healing spells are uniquely coded to be ineffective against undead and fiends, including tieflings. I chose to integrate that gameplay quirk into that NPC's backstory.
@AionZ I feel embarrassed to say that while those all look like rad concepts, I'm looking more forward to your BG related projects (i'm really looking forward to Aura's continuation in BG2 especially!)
@AionZ I'd love to see more of your Icewind Dale companions - especially Tal'zkhar! I really enjoyed Kahiri & Minerva so more companions to interact with them would be a definite plus.
I just started replaying BG2EE so I can try out a few of the evil NPC mods that I missed over the years and then I go and come across this.... wowser! More Glorious IWD NPCs to play! Rejoice!
“God bless you Laval! And god bless Robin Hood!” ?
“God bless you Laval! And god bless Robin Hood!” ?
I hope that by Robin Hood you mean AionZ! It wouldn't happen without him. He not only worked on his 2 NPCs, but helped to improve, debug mine, proofread some of them and turned our discussion about possible crossmod into an actual mod, too!
Decided I'd like to throw in an update on my experiences so far with these mods (I'm up to Wyrmstooth Glacier atm)
I'm playing a Fighter-Mage and have brought along Ina, Karihi, Minerva, and Oak-Maw (along with Sinaherib's Turald). Some notes on each:
Ina: I *love* her manner of speech and expressions. She really has been providing a really interesting perspective. Lava I think you really hit it out of the park on this character, she's just a joy to have around and is my fav npc of the bunch. I'm starting a romance with her and it's been very sweet so far. My only issue is I think her bard song might have been bugged? It was debuffing my own party so I ended up just changing her kit to a base bard. But small mechanical issue aside, she's just a great concept and execution.
Karihi: Pretty well written although she does fall into the 'arrogant mage' trope a bit. I just got to hear her backstory though so I really enjoyed how that tied into her earlier standoffish nature. I think using trips to the bar to share a glass of wine also really works well to let the player character connect with her and deepen her own personality. Also she's also an absolute powerhouse of a blaster mage so mechanically she's fantastic.
Minerva: She's just fun? I don't know what else to say but it's great to have a more lighthearted character around who fits in but doesn't break the tone of the setting or attract too much attention to herself. She's not super complex or 'exciting' but she's just nice to have with me and has just enough history/background to be engaging in talks. She's my second favorite character in the party so far. So on the mechanical side, I really love her kit BUT her automaton is absolutely nuts and feels like effectively a 7th party member. I won't say it's 'game breaking' but I do think it puts her a tier above anyone else in the party. However the way it's scripted also sometimes makes it a bit irritating to use as if it sees an enemy close to it, it stops whatever it's doing to attack which means I can't have it cast spells near an enemy or even run away (since after about a half second it aggros back to them).
Oak-Maw: Unfortunately this is a character I haven't really gelled with and I have the sneaking suspicion his conversations might not be triggering properly. Really good concept for a character but he hasn't really offered much insight on the events going on or expressed any personality traits that sparked my interest. I was expecting more talks about Rashemen or the fey world. The last conversation I had with him was leaving Dragon's Eye and he has been very quiet through the Severed Hand and the first half of Dorn's Deep. Maybe there's more I haven't reached yet. One mechanical note is that while I find his setup pretty cool with unique abilities, his armor makes him extremely squishy and I have to really micro manage him in fights to not make him die. Also battle axes were a weird proficiency for him to start with since he can't take advantage of his backstab feature from Stalker with them (not a big deal, I put future proficiencies in scimitar and have him switch between weapons as needed to get backstabs).
Quick Note: I also used Dusky and Urchin for some amount of time. Dusky seemed great and I would have liked to bring him along but he just mechanically wasn't a good fit for my party. Urchin has a great concept but I wasn't overly drawn in on the idea of a character that's essentially a child that you teach as you adventure so I opted for Oak-Maw instead. He felt absolutely busted in the Vale of Shadows with his lifesteal.
As I finish the game, I'll post my closing comments on these characters. Overall this has been a great way to replay IWD and I only wish I was able to take more of these wonderful characters with me!
Ina: I *love* her manner of speech and expressions. She really has been providing a really interesting perspective. Lava I think you really hit it out of the park on this character, she's just a joy to have around and is my fav npc of the bunch. I'm starting a romance with her and it's been very sweet so far. My only issue is I think her bard song might have been bugged? It was debuffing my own party so I ended up just changing her kit to a base bard.
Thank you! The language was boosted by AionZ, I introduced that manner, made her sound unusual, oneiric, but I think it would be worse without Aion's editing. Anyway, I hope you'll continue your adventure with her and that you'll be satisfied what she can offer!
Oak-Maw: Unfortunately this is a character I haven't really gelled with and I have the sneaking suspicion his conversations might not be triggering properly. Really good concept for a character but he hasn't really offered much insight on the events going on or expressed any personality traits that sparked my interest. I was expecting many more allusions to Rashemen or the fey world. Additionally the last conversation I had with him was leaving Dragon's Eye so he has been very quiet through the Severed Hand and the first half of Dorn's Deep. Maybe there's more I haven't reached yet. One mechanical note is that while I find his setup pretty cool with unique abilities, his armor makes him extremely squishy and I have to really micro manage him in fights to not make him die. Also battle axes were a weird proficiency for him to start with since he can't take advantage of his backstab feature from Stalker with them (not a big deal, I put future proficiencies in scimitar and have him switch between weapons as needed to get backstabs).
Thanks! On one hand I am happy that he feels different to Ina, because I don't want all my NPCs to sound the same. But on the other hand I'm unsure why he got so quiet. There should be 8 timered talks. There are 8 more if he's romanced. Then, there are more scenery talks (talks that fire upon specific situations, like entering some area etc) - at least 8 or more. I wonder if you got all those 8 friendship talks or maybe there's some weird thing happening with the variables. Please, use code C:GetGlobal("L#OMFriendshipTalk","GLOBAL") and let me know what number pops out. Feel free to use his thread or this one.
Will take a look at his armor, perhaps I will make it a bit better.
Thank you! The language was boosted by AionZ, I introduced that manner, made her sound unusual, oneiric, but I think it would be worse without Aion's editing. Anyway, I hope you'll continue your adventure with her and that you'll be satisfied what she can offer!
Well, in that case, thanks to @AionZ as well for a fantastic character
Thanks! On one hand I am happy that he feels different to Ina, because I don't want all my NPCs to sound the same. But on the other hand I'm unsure why he got so quiet. There should be 8 timered talks. There are 8 more if he's romanced. Then, there are more scenery talks (talks that fire upon specific situations, like entering some area etc) - at least 8 or more. I wonder if you got all those 8 friendship talks or maybe there's some weird thing happening with the variables. Please, use code C:GetGlobal("L#OMFriendshipTalk","GLOBAL") and let me know what number pops out. Feel free to use his thread or this one.
Will take a look at his armor, perhaps I will make it a bit better.
Thanks for your feedback!
I'll take a look when I get back. As for his armor, maybe just buff its AC a bit. Not a big deal but it'd help.
Random question, is there a way that I should approach HoW with these NPCs that is better? Normally I like to do the main game and then import into HoW but are there some variables that are going to be screwed up if I do it that way rather than start HoW mid-campaign?
Comments
I have just found the last new npc and have a dilemma about whether to drop someone and make room ? as they are all great so far
I can’t recommend these mods highly enough, I am having a lot of fun
both iwd games feel so much better with party banter. iwd is not as story focused as the other ie games but the banters help make the long slogs through the dungeons not as boring.
I did! That was a great scene haha
Have fun.
Please come back with your thoughts after you've completed a run or whenever.
NPC 1
I may resume work on these, but only if people are interested enough to give me incentive to try and balance my time between writing for both BG and IWD. (The alternative is my 4th NPC for BG1, who I'll probably make some sort of teaser for eventually)
And an interesting thing I learned about IWD in the process: healing spells are uniquely coded to be ineffective against undead and fiends, including tieflings. I chose to integrate that gameplay quirk into that NPC's backstory.
Could we bbbbbeeeee any more interested?
Nirik looks especially interesting (non evil dwarf outcast companion for the win)
Though I can’t wait for your BG2 NPCs either so that’s a dilemma and a half
I’ve been waiting years for the Pikel Bouldershoulder NPC!
“God bless you Laval! And god bless Robin Hood!” ?
I thought that too and even better it looks like this guy will be able to speak in coherent sentences
OOO!
I'm playing a Fighter-Mage and have brought along Ina, Karihi, Minerva, and Oak-Maw (along with Sinaherib's Turald). Some notes on each:
Ina: I *love* her manner of speech and expressions. She really has been providing a really interesting perspective. Lava I think you really hit it out of the park on this character, she's just a joy to have around and is my fav npc of the bunch. I'm starting a romance with her and it's been very sweet so far. My only issue is I think her bard song might have been bugged? It was debuffing my own party so I ended up just changing her kit to a base bard. But small mechanical issue aside, she's just a great concept and execution.
Karihi: Pretty well written although she does fall into the 'arrogant mage' trope a bit. I just got to hear her backstory though so I really enjoyed how that tied into her earlier standoffish nature. I think using trips to the bar to share a glass of wine also really works well to let the player character connect with her and deepen her own personality. Also she's also an absolute powerhouse of a blaster mage so mechanically she's fantastic.
Minerva: She's just fun? I don't know what else to say but it's great to have a more lighthearted character around who fits in but doesn't break the tone of the setting or attract too much attention to herself. She's not super complex or 'exciting' but she's just nice to have with me and has just enough history/background to be engaging in talks. She's my second favorite character in the party so far. So on the mechanical side, I really love her kit BUT her automaton is absolutely nuts and feels like effectively a 7th party member. I won't say it's 'game breaking' but I do think it puts her a tier above anyone else in the party. However the way it's scripted also sometimes makes it a bit irritating to use as if it sees an enemy close to it, it stops whatever it's doing to attack which means I can't have it cast spells near an enemy or even run away (since after about a half second it aggros back to them).
Oak-Maw: Unfortunately this is a character I haven't really gelled with and I have the sneaking suspicion his conversations might not be triggering properly. Really good concept for a character but he hasn't really offered much insight on the events going on or expressed any personality traits that sparked my interest. I was expecting more talks about Rashemen or the fey world. The last conversation I had with him was leaving Dragon's Eye and he has been very quiet through the Severed Hand and the first half of Dorn's Deep. Maybe there's more I haven't reached yet. One mechanical note is that while I find his setup pretty cool with unique abilities, his armor makes him extremely squishy and I have to really micro manage him in fights to not make him die. Also battle axes were a weird proficiency for him to start with since he can't take advantage of his backstab feature from Stalker with them (not a big deal, I put future proficiencies in scimitar and have him switch between weapons as needed to get backstabs).
Quick Note: I also used Dusky and Urchin for some amount of time. Dusky seemed great and I would have liked to bring him along but he just mechanically wasn't a good fit for my party. Urchin has a great concept but I wasn't overly drawn in on the idea of a character that's essentially a child that you teach as you adventure so I opted for Oak-Maw instead. He felt absolutely busted in the Vale of Shadows with his lifesteal.
As I finish the game, I'll post my closing comments on these characters. Overall this has been a great way to replay IWD and I only wish I was able to take more of these wonderful characters with me!
Thank you! The language was boosted by AionZ, I introduced that manner, made her sound unusual, oneiric, but I think it would be worse without Aion's editing. Anyway, I hope you'll continue your adventure with her and that you'll be satisfied what she can offer!
Thanks! On one hand I am happy that he feels different to Ina, because I don't want all my NPCs to sound the same. But on the other hand I'm unsure why he got so quiet. There should be 8 timered talks. There are 8 more if he's romanced. Then, there are more scenery talks (talks that fire upon specific situations, like entering some area etc) - at least 8 or more. I wonder if you got all those 8 friendship talks or maybe there's some weird thing happening with the variables. Please, use code C:GetGlobal("L#OMFriendshipTalk","GLOBAL") and let me know what number pops out. Feel free to use his thread or this one.
Will take a look at his armor, perhaps I will make it a bit better.
Thanks for your feedback!
Well, in that case, thanks to @AionZ as well for a fantastic character
I'll take a look when I get back. As for his armor, maybe just buff its AC a bit. Not a big deal but it'd help.
Random question, is there a way that I should approach HoW with these NPCs that is better? Normally I like to do the main game and then import into HoW but are there some variables that are going to be screwed up if I do it that way rather than start HoW mid-campaign?
Thanks!