NWN Neverwinter Nights (NWN & NWN2) Modules Thread

[luj1]

It's way more polished than HotU, actually

 

[Fedora Master]

Permanent Haste in some form is 100% required for the premium modules, because they made the individual zones way too big.

 

[Gargaune]

I don't really see huge differences in general fit-and-finish between SoU, HotU, DoD and TotM, with the partial exception of the last one's visual being the standout. SoU's scope is badly affected by a rushed development, but the content that is there seems reasonably polished to me.

On a tangent, I'm actually replaying SoU right now and getting a kick out of the writing. It's sillier than HotU, but damnit, "I'm keeping your baby."

 

[Lacrymas]

Chapter 1 of SoU is ok, chapter 2 is a mess and imo pretty boring due to the nonsensical design of the "dungeons".

 

[Poseidon00]

I don't really see huge differences in general fit-and-finish between SoU, HotU, DoD and TotM, with the partial exception of the last one's visual being the standout. SoU's scope is badly affected by a rushed development, but the content that is there seems reasonably polished to me.

On a tangent, I'm actually replaying SoU right now and getting a kick out of the writing. It's sillier than HotU, but damnit, "I'm keeping your baby."

I always get a kick out of the fact that if you keep that baby in HotU, you can perform some horrible ritual and turn it into a monster that becomes a permanent companion. I wonder if you can have that and the animated golem mages can use a ritual to obtain together?

Between that, joining the Valsharess and betraying your allies, selling your companions into slavery in Hell, NWN's evil choices are underrated.

 

[Fedora Master]

I don't really see huge differences in general fit-and-finish between SoU, HotU, DoD and TotM, with the partial exception of the last one's visual being the standout. SoU's scope is badly affected by a rushed development, but the content that is there seems reasonably polished to me.

On a tangent, I'm actually replaying SoU right now and getting a kick out of the writing. It's sillier than HotU, but damnit, "I'm keeping your baby."

I always get a kick out of the fact that if you keep that baby in HotU, you can perform some horrible ritual and turn it into a monster that becomes a permanent companion. I wonder if you can have that and the animated golem mages can use a ritual to obtain together?

Between that, joining the Valsharess and betraying your allies, selling your companions into slavery in Hell, NWN's evil choices are underrated.

I just looked this baby thing up. That's hilarious. Too bad the whole thing is very buggy apparently

 

[Lacrymas]

NWN as a franchise seems to have a lot of juicy evil options that actually go somewhere. Otherwise yeah, the baby is bugged up the wazoo, but you can dodge the bug by not using the item again while it's still alive.

 

[Poseidon00]

NWN as a franchise seems to have a lot of juicy evil options that actually go somewhere. Otherwise yeah, the baby is bugged up the wazoo, but you can dodge the bug by not using the item again while it's still alive.

I am fairly sure there is a fix for this bug and the Aribeth romance bug on the vault, but don't quote me on that, it might have been on the old site.

 

[Fedora Master]

NWN as a franchise seems to have a lot of juicy evil options that actually go somewhere. Otherwise yeah, the baby is bugged up the wazoo, but you can dodge the bug by not using the item again while it's still alive.

I am fairly sure there is a fix for this bug and the Aribeth romance bug on the vault, but don't quote me on that, it might have been on the old site.

If only there was some kind of group that could take care of the game and... Enhance it somehow. Gee.

 

[Poseidon00]

NWN as a franchise seems to have a lot of juicy evil options that actually go somewhere. Otherwise yeah, the baby is bugged up the wazoo, but you can dodge the bug by not using the item again while it's still alive.

I am fairly sure there is a fix for this bug and the Aribeth romance bug on the vault, but don't quote me on that, it might have been on the old site.

If only there was some kind of group that could take care of the game and... Enhance it somehow. Gee.

Now i'm actually curious. Does anyone know if the EE fixed either of these bugs? I can't find anything about it at all.

 

[Riddler]

As far as I've heard, the new EE Darkness over Daggerford and Tyrants of the Moonsea are a cut above the rest (I'm planning on playing them soon), but otherwise yeah, the official modules are mid at best.

Though DoD and TotM were both initially conceived as Premium Modules, they're effectively classic "expansion packs" of similar scope to HotU. The rest of the PMs were smaller productions akin to the more nebulous "DLC" term we have today.

Except wyvern crown of cormyr that was a bit bigger.

 

[ds]

As far as I've heard, the new EE Darkness over Daggerford and Tyrants of the Moonsea are a cut above the rest (I'm planning on playing them soon), but otherwise yeah, the official modules are mid at best.

Though DoD and TotM were both initially conceived as Premium Modules, they're effectively classic "expansion packs" of similar scope to HotU. The rest of the PMs were smaller productions akin to the more nebulous "DLC" term we have today.

Except wyvern crown of cormyr that was a bit bigger.

Still just a demo for a larger campaign that was never released, like most of the "premium" modules really.

 

[Gargaune]

I always get a kick out of the fact that if you keep that baby in HotU, you can perform some horrible ritual and turn it into a monster that becomes a permanent companion. I wonder if you can have that and the animated golem mages can use a ritual to obtain together?

Wait, what?! I tried looking this up, but all I found was some Steam achievements, how does it go? I've never actually kept Nora's baby, just told her I was joking and gave it back.

 

[Pikoman]

Finished the first part of Sands of Fate with an older character from a past playthrough of SoU-HotU. It's a pretty funky build - finished Shadow over Heliopolis at Cleric 14/Rogue 10/CoT 6 with feats picked a bit haphazardly and without putting much thought into levelling. I recall that I wanted to make something less orthodox for a playthrough of the expansions this character was intended for so I could challenge myself a bit, though I'm unsure if I succeeded in doing that since my guy appears to be quite the capable munchkin build, even if not one of the optimal ones, though the +10 weapon and busted OP gear from the HotU run help him immensely.

SoF itself, at least the first part, was an easy and fairly enjoyable romp with the overall experience being solid in most departments which deserves more plaudits, considering it's a pretty old mod. A lot of alignment shifts, though I don't think they lead to anything in particular, though there are good and evil paths according to the vault page(probably implemented in the latter two episodes). The writing was enjoyable and on the fairly humorous side of things which reminds me a bit of SoU, though the dialogue trees are a bit disjointed with some NPCs and your lone henchman for example having nothing more to say after you save her from captivity - when speaking to her she acts as if you two are still trying to escape the area you found her in. Encounter and dungeon design is a bit of a mixed bag, though there were some decently fun and moderately challenging boss battles and the areas are decently crafted and interesting, though one could easily argue that high DC hidden doors and the employment of constant pitfalls, transporting you to zones with respawning mobs, lead to unnecessary tedium(checked a dude's playthrough of SoF by a youtuber that ran Swordflight with a Barb/Druid and poor guy ragequit after being unable to locate a critically important hidden door lmao).

At the end of the day it's a decently polished epic level module to play whenever you want to powertrip for a bit and test out your build. I'd class the epic level encounter design as somewhat of a middle-ground between HotU and Swordflight's approaches to epic level, though both outclassing SoF in that department at least so far. There are resting restrictions(soft ones in the form of ambushes), mobs with high resistances, immunities and/or damage auras/shields, HP sponges and bosses healing themselves and commonly using feats like some of the stuff in Swordflight, but potential difficulties are more or less offset by the very liberal itemisation, vanilla mob AI, your AC usually outclassing the mobs' AB and spellcaster enemies being on the dumber side like in HotU's more casual friendly epic level experience. Looking forward to playing the other two parts, the second chapter starts strong and it throws you divergent paths to take all culminating in what appears to be a city adventure segment which I expect to be good, considering that I liked how Heliopolis was fleshed out in the first part.

 

[Poseidon00]

I always get a kick out of the fact that if you keep that baby in HotU, you can perform some horrible ritual and turn it into a monster that becomes a permanent companion. I wonder if you can have that and the animated golem mages can use a ritual to obtain together?

Wait, what?! I tried looking this up, but all I found was some Steam achievements, how does it go? I've never actually kept Nora's baby, just told her I was joking and gave it back.

When you get to Chapter 2 in Hordes of the Underdark, you will encounter some strange illithid-made machine. You have the option to just throw the baby into it and you have the choice of multiple different monsters he can turn into, both surprisingly powerful.

A lot of the side content in NWN is poorly documented.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Looking forward to playing the other two parts, the second chapter starts strong and it throws you divergent paths to take all culminating in what appears to be a city adventure segment which I expect to be good, considering that I liked how Heliopolis was fleshed out in the first

Beware the gelatinous cubes buddy.

 

[Gargaune]

When you get to Chapter 2 in Hordes of the Underdark, you will encounter some strange illithid-made machine. You have the option to just throw the baby into it and you have the choice of multiple different monsters he can turn into, both surprisingly powerful.

Okay, that might just be the most capital-E Evil thing I've heard of in an RPG, I've rolled some moustache-twirlers in NWN but I don't think I could do this one. It's like some designer at BioWare thought "this Stirge the Baby Killer's a pretty cool idea, but it needs more player agency."

Do you remember where the machine is? I wanna look it up in the Toolset and see what the scripter had to say in the comments.

 

[Poseidon00]

When you get to Chapter 2 in Hordes of the Underdark, you will encounter some strange illithid-made machine. You have the option to just throw the baby into it and you have the choice of multiple different monsters he can turn into, both surprisingly powerful.

Okay, that might just be the most capital-E Evil thing I've heard of in an RPG, I've rolled some moustache-twirlers in NWN but I don't think I could do this one. It's like some designer at BioWare thought "this Stirge the Baby Killer's a pretty cool idea, but it needs more player agency."

Do you remember where the machine is? I wanna look it up in the Toolset and see what the scripter had to say in the comments.

It is right outside of the Seer's Camp, on the bridge console to get into the Illithid base.

 

[Fedora Master]

More CnC than Aeries baby

 

[Gargaune]

It is right outside of the Seer's Camp, on the bridge console to get into the Illithid base.

Okay, I checked, there's no particular comments or anything in the code. Can picture the BioWare designer going back home to his wife - "Oh, just another day at work, honey, implemented a quest to turn a baby into a horrible monster, nothing special."


Going back to Shadows of Undrentide, does anyone remember what the Heart of Shadow is used for? In Chapter 1, if you kill the Shadowhart, you can give its horns to the elf or take them to the blacksmith, but you also get the deer's heart and I have no idea what that's for.

 

[Lacrymas]

It is right outside of the Seer's Camp, on the bridge console to get into the Illithid base.

Okay, I checked, there's no particular comments or anything in the code. Can picture the BioWare designer going back home to his wife - "Oh, just another day at work, honey, implemented a quest to turn a baby into a horrible monster, nothing special."


Going back to Shadows of Undrentide, does anyone remember what the Heart of Shadow is used for? In Chapter 1, if you kill the Shadowhart, you can give its horns to the elf or take them to the blacksmith, but you also get the deer's heart and I have no idea what that's for.

Iirc you have to use the heart in the alchemy lab in the school. With one of those teleportation crystals.

 

[flyingjohn]

Anybody want to recommend good online coop nw1 modules?