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Neverwinter Nights Guide:
For DM's and Builders
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Version 1.2 BETA
By: Tolerance0
Email/MSN: tolerance0@hotmail.com
Edos Homepage:
http://www.angelfire.com/mt/mandg/nwn/intro.html
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______
E-Mail Policy:
If you do indeed email me, put "NWN Guide" as your subject line. If not,
chances are slim that I will even open the email, let alone reply to it.
You can email me with comments/extra info/mistakes/cheers feel free, but no crap mail.
If you are sending me extra info I will of course give you full credit for your input.
Your email address will not be posted inside the guide unless you specify.
Also make sure that your mail service is accepting webmail from Hotmail, or my message
may never get sent to you.
USE CTRL + F TO FIND THINGS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR FASTER
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Table of Contents:
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I. Introduction
1. About
2. Edos Information
3. Version Information
4. Special Thanks
II. For DM's:
1. Building a storyline.
2. Know your players.
3. Keeping your players entertained.
4. Encounters & Rewards.
5. Persistent Worlds
6. DM Resources
7. DM Responsibilities
8. My Stance on D&D rules.
III. For Builders:
1. Making an Area.
2. Making a World.
3. Making NPC's.
4. Making Monsters.
5. Scripting.
A. Making Doors/Transitions.
B. NPC Walk Waypoints.
C. Conversations.
D. Making a Gambling Function.
E. Objects you can sit in/on.
F. MMORPG Style Creature Generators.
G. Healing Locations (Fountains, Wells, etc).
H. Sundials that tell time.
I. Wishing Fountain.
J. Doors that open with levers.
K. Using Scripts to Describe Areas.
L. NPCs Initiate Conversations
M. Tavern Sound Script
N. Having NPCs Attack PCs
O. PnP Style Creature Generators
P. Treasure Respawning
Q. Exploding Creatures
R. Repulsion Fields
S. Level Restricted Areas
T. Applying Effects
6. Advanced Scripting.
A. Bounty Hunters.
B. PvP Arenas. (Not included yet.)
C. Secret Doors.
D. Glowing Objects/People.
E. Barmaids/Bartenders.
F. Commanding NPC's Manually.
G. Giving NPCs Daily Routines / Custom AI.
H. Blacksmiths that hammer their Anvils.
I. Having NPCs Follow PCs.
J. Training Dojos.
K. DM: Level Handler.
L. DM: PC Info Handler.
M. Waypoint Systems.
N. Playing Tag.
O. Henchmen Unleashed.
7. Objects & Placeables.
8. Keeping things interesting.
9. Special Effects.
A. Visual Effects Listing (VFX_*)
B. Sound Effects Listing
10. Think outside the box.
11. Hak Pak Editing and Custom Content
i. About Hak Paks
ii. HakPakFAQ
A. Custom Character/Monster Portraits
B. Custom Ambient Music Files
C. Custom Sound Files
D. Custom Tilesets
E. Custom Creatures/NPCs
-Reskinning a Monster (Not included yet.)
F. Custom Image Maps
G. Custom Classes
H. Custom Items
-Weapons (Not included yet.)
-Armor
-Inventory
I. Custom Placeables
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Please Note: Any Examples that are used are probably cheesy due to lack
of time and patience to think up great ones for this guide. Sorry!
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Some expressions:
RPG: Role-playing game (smack yourself for not knowing that)
D&D: Dungeons & Dragons
DM: Dungeon Master
PC: Player Character
NPC: Non-player character
PW: Persistent World
RP: Role-play, role-playing
DC: Die-count
HD: Hit Dice
PnP: Pen and Paper (referring to real life modules)
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I. Introduction
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[ 1. About ]
First off, thanks for reading. This guide was written to help out and possibly
inspire
beginner DM's or starting builders. Hopefully I can help you get a start in the ever
expanding
world of Neverwinter Nights. To contact me the information is at the very top of this
document.
Random note of version 1.1:
Oh yeah. Since my fingers are numb from playing guitar for the last 2 hours (literally
numb, and
literally 2 hours) I'm gonna urge you to go download the following songs and learn to play
them on
guitar. Or violin, I saw in a Guns and Roses video on of the guys in the orchestra they
hired playing
the solos from their songs. I don't even need to tell you it was badass.
Download (or buy the full CDs):
Steve Vai- Blue Powder, The Audience is Listening
Slayer- Divine Intervention
[ 2. Edos Information ]
Edos is my PW that I host and DM for. It is quite enormous and continuously growing.
Some Edos Features:
-PvP Arena where players can bet on each other.
-Advanced Job System
-Advanced Mercenary and Pet Systems
-Banking and Storage System, Bounty Hunters
-Public message boards, personal houses for PCs, etc
-60 Unique items hidden throughout the land.
-Secret areas and monsters.
Basically, everything that can be done with the NWN engine IS being done with the NWN
engine.
For all the information regarding Edos the homepage is at:
http://www.angelfire.com/mt/mandg/nwn/intro.html
Right now the homepage is decently crappy. Give me a while to update it massively.
[ 3. Version Information ]
1.2B- ***CHECK THIS OUT***
Added FULL Hardcore Ruleset (HCR) support under "Keeping your players entertained."
(II.3)
Added the "My Stance on D&D Rules." section. (II.8)
Added a few ideas for builders under "Keeping Things Interesting". (III.8)
Added complete listing of Visual Effects (VFX_*). There's ALOT of them...I never
knew which to use...so I tested them and made a list for easy viewing.(III.9.A)
Added complete listing of Sound Effects (no ambient music, but ambient sound and all
the rest).
There's 7568 sounds, please enjoy them. *Section currently INCOMPLETE* (III.9.B)
***CHECK THIS OUT***
Added ALOT of HakPak information, which is basically the key to changing nearly
every aspect of your NWN modules to anything you can create...literally. (III.11)
(HakPak)
-Custom Character/Monster Portraits
-Custom Ambient Music Files
-Custom Sound Files
-Custom Tilesets
-Custom Creatures/NPCs
-Custom Items
-Custom Placeables
Re-arranged some of the scripts and added:
(Basic)
-Applying Effects
(Advanced)
-Barmaid/Bartenders script is NOW WORKING.
-Playing Tag
1.10- Added an important note in Conversations section (5.C)
Added a few more expressions under Table of Contents
Added a VERY IMPORTANT notice about module corruption (Beginning of "For Builders")
Added the "DM Responsibilities" section (II.7)
Added a note about Transitions (III.5.A)
Re-arranged some of the scripts and added:
(Advanced)
-Bounty Hunters.
-Secret Doors.
-Glowing Objects/People.
-Commanding NPC's Manually.
-Giving NPCs Daily Routines.
-Blacksmiths that hammer their Anvils.
-Having NPCs Follow PCs.
-Training Dojos
-DM: Level Handler
-DM: PC Info Handler
-Waypoint Systems
(Basic)
-Level Restricted Areas
-Repulsion Fields
-Exploding Creatures
-PnP Style Creature Generators
-Treasure Respawning
-Having NPCs Attack PCs
-NPCs Initiate Conversations
-Tavern Sounds
-WORKING set of sitting scripts for PCs
-WORKING Wishing Fountain
1.00- All sections except "Advanced Scripting" included, updates and addendum's coming
soon.
I decided to release it early without the "Advanced Scripting" section.
[ 4. Special Thanks ]
-All the guys participating in my PW
-GH for being a pwn player and continuously trying to make me the best DM ever :)
-Grand because I hate you (heehee)
-Dom Querom for making a kick ass script collection
-Albert Shih for making a few good scripts I used
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II. For DM's
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[ 1. Building a storyline. ]
The storyline is in most cases the hardest thing for a DM to come up with. Its very easy
to just
make a dungeon and throw down monsters for the party to kill...but there is no fun in
that,
and that is not what being a DM is all about.
When building a storyline, I think the hardest thing to do is to be original. Alot of
games have
been made that use the SAME storyline. Save the princess, stop the evil king, or find the
buried
treasure are used all too often to keep your players into your story. Granted, the Zelda
series
was great, but overuse of the plot nowadays makes it dull and lifeless. Try to come up
with your
own storyline. As hard as it may be to believe, an original storyline is not as hard as it
seems.
Here is a list of possible plots, and the main characters you'd need to execute it.
Storyline                               Main Characters
Abduction                               Abductor, Abducted, Guardian
Adultery                                Deceived Spouse, Two Adulterers
All Sacrificed for Passion              Lover, Object of Passion, Person or Thing
Ambition                                An Ambitious Person, Coveted Thing, Adversary
An Enemy Loved                          Beloved Enemy, Lover, Hater
Conflict with a God                     Mortal, Immortal
Crimes of Love                          Lover, Beloved, theme of Dissolution
Daring Enterprise                       Bold Leader, Goal, Adversary
Deliverance                             Unfortunates, Threatener, Rescuer
Disaster                                Vanquished Power, Victorious Power or Messenger
Discovery of Dishonor of a Loved One    Discoverer, Guilty One
Enigma                                  Interrogator, Seeker, Problem
Familial Hatred                         Two Family Members who hate each other
Familial Rivalry                        Preferred Kinsman, Rejected Kinsman, Object
Fatal Imprudence                        Imprudent person, Victim or lost object
Faulty Judgement                        Mistaken One, Victim of Mistake, Guilty Person
Involuntary Crimes of Love              Lover, Beloved, Revealer
Kinsman Kills Unrecognised Kinsman      Killer, Unrecognised Victim, Revealer
Loss of Loved Ones                      Kinsman Slain, Kinsman Witness, Executioner
Madness                                 Madman, Victim
Mistaken Jealousy                       Jealous One, Object of Jealousy, Supposed
Accomplice,
Murderous Adultery                      Two Adulterers, the Betrayed
Obstacles to Love                       Two Lovers, Obstacle
Obtaining                               Opposing Parties, Object, maybe an Arbitrator
Pursuit                                 Fugitive from Punishment, Pursuer
Recovery of a Lost One                  Seeker, One Found
Remorse                                 Culprit, Victim, Interrogator
Revenge                                 Avenger, Criminal
Revolt                                  Tyrant, Conspirator(s)
Rivalry Between Superior and Inferior   Superior, Inferior, Object
Sacrifice of Loved Ones                 Hero, Beloved Victim, Need for Sacrifice
Self Sacrifice for an Ideal             Hero, Ideal, Person or Thing Sacrificed
Self Sacrifice for Kindred              Hero, Kinsman, Person or Thing Sacrificed
Supplication                            Persecutor, Suppliant, a Power in Authority
Vengeance by Family upon Family         Avenging Kinsman, Guilty Kinsman, Relative
Victim of Cruelty or Misfortune         Unfortunates, Master or Unlucky Person
Of course all of those are good ideas, but eventually you should learn to come up with
your own
plots and stories without having to refer to this list. Keep in mind, nothing is taboo in
the
world of DM'ing, unless it is considered "objectionable material" by your players.
Also, plot twists are good...most of the time. Do not over use them, or your players will
begin
to expect them, and things will get boring. Plot twists are very well used in murder
mysteries,
betrayals, and plots of that nature. You can craft your plot so that the players will fall
right
into your trap. Its not as bad as it sounds...having your players misled is often used
for
greater purpose. For example, say the party just finished collecting all the parts of an
ancient
scepter (eh, you get the idea). Now the villain could come in and take it away after you
have
done all the work for him/her leaving the party no choice but to follow him/her to
retrieve the
scepter. This is somewhat common, but not a bad idea to incorporate into your stories.
Please note, you DO NOT have to have a pre-determined story when you DM. Many DM's just
make it
up as they go along, and it is a very effective, very simple way of doing things. It
allows you
to form your plot around the actions of your character as well as let the character
themselves
have more room to work with throughout the story.
[ 2. Know your players. ]
Know what your player's personalities are, and their weaknesses. What decisions they would
make
if presented with a certain situation. This can be used VERY well to set off side quests
or
other possibilities. For example, have the righteous and moral character(s) be approached
by
someone in need of assistance. The character(s) will most likely accept the quest and try
to
help the person. Now, this is where you can get very creative. You can have the
character(s)
that went to help become captured and have the rest of the party do a rescue mission, or
you
can have the person captured presented with a jail-break like quest. Either way you can
do
alot of different things with this.
Also know what your players like. Don't send hordes of Orcs against the party when you
know
for a fact they BORE of fighting orcs. It just leads to a bunch of bored players who
decide
to start attacking each other or the NPC's. Not good. Give your players challenging and
exciting puzzles and battles. Give them alot to work with, while still being able to
change
things around if you need to.
If you are making a persistent world I heavily advise getting a character info sheet of
the
characters participating so that you can plan ahead on side quests that involve them and
such.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DM NO-NO #1
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DO NOT, for any reason pick on a player because you don't like him/her.
Make sure its all randomly done by a dice to find out who exactly gets
the evil curse cast upon them by the evil witch. Only use a particular
character is it in integral to the development or completion of your plot.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DM NO-NO #2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DO NOT, for any reason give a player overpowered weapons at any point in the
story unless they earned them. Just because he/she is your friend doesn't
mean that the gods of the realm you play in should entrust their heavenly
powers to that character. It just makes it no fun for all the honest and
hard-working characters.
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[ 3. Keeping your players entertained. ]
---Puzzles:---
Puzzles are by far one of my favorite things in RPGs. There is no greater joy for a DM
than to
sit there watching PC's agonize over a puzzle when the answer is right in front of their
eyes.
Riddles are a great puzzle for many players.
Infinite possibilities can happen with puzzles. Puzzles keep the players, as well as DM,
entertained and stop dungeons from getting boring, repetitive, and nothing but monsters.
Use them, and use them well.
---Secrets:---
Personally, I like secrets. It gives players something to search for, and discover with
great
joy and pride. For example, my persistent world, Edos, harbors many secrets. It has
secret
items, secret areas, secret monsters. Many, many things for my players to discover and
rejoice
over. I can't wait until one of the players discovers one of the secret items :D. If you
make
secret items, make them unique and only one in existence. It's much funner that way, and
gives
the player much more reason to find them.
---PvP:---
Some players may wish to have an arena or PvP function in the game. I think this is very
fun
to see players go head to head against each other. Let them fight each other :) it makes
everyone happy.
---Misc:---
Npc interaction, historical notes, and many other things are good to use in your world.
Let
them tickle the fancies of your players for no apparent reasons. A small book on
gardening
could be quite amusing to players who find it in the local barn. Things like that give
players
small little insights into the story you create for them, as well as insights into your
head.
---HCR:---
This stands for hardcore ruleset. It was made by Archaegeo and many others in the Bioware
community.
It's a GREAT addition to the game, and a very interesting, and very intertaining means of
keeping
your modules alive and keeping players intereseted. Instead of writing down all the rules
myself, I'm
going use Archaegeo's Manual for the HCR.
**Begin Manual**
HardCore Ruleset (July 29th 2002. 1.7.0)
Lead Designer
Archaegeo Neosophy
Started June 20th, 2002
Original Manual by Archaegeo Neosophy
Regularly updated by E.G. Hornbostel, aka Whyteshadow
Table of Contents
Copyright Information
Overview
Feature Discussion
Persistent World Support
Character Generation
Experience in HCR
Death and Dying
Resting and Natural Healing
Healing Skill and Medkits
Searching and Traps
Spells and Special Abilities
Server Support
Miscellaneous
Installing the HardCore Rule System (HCR)
Case 1 : Building a New Module
Case 2 : Upgrading a Module not previously HCR
Case 3 : Upgrading a Module previously under the HCR
All Cases
Building and Playing with the HardCore Ruleset
Subraces
Experience
Death, Dying and Corpses
Resting and Natural Healing
Healing Skill and Medkits
Searching; Traps and Locks, Creating, Locating and Disarming
Spells, Spell-Like Abilities, Familiars and Pets
Server Support
Miscellaneous
DM Helper
When cast on a player
When cast on a creature
When cast on a creature or selectable object
When cast on a door
When cast without a target
Wandering Monster System
Summon Creature Spells
hc_defaults : Game settings
Detailed Description of All HCR Components
Areas
EXAMPLE  hc_fugue_exit  SCRIPT
Conversations
Creatures : None
Doors : None
Encounters : None
Items
Placeables
Merchants
Scripts
Copyright Information
The HardCore Ruleset (HCR) is released for use by Dungeon Masters (DMs) and
Builders to use to create modules for NeverWinter Nights (NWN) based upon the
HCR. This code is not released as public domain. Any use of any portion of the
HCR must retain all credit information, such as the about_credits script and the
// remarks within the code. Users are granted the right to modify the work as
needed to function as desired in their modules. Rights are granted to the end
user as stated above, not to conflict with the agreements contained within the
EULA.
Before any code not written by Archaegeo is added to the HCR, the author of the
code is contacted and asked if inclusion of the code within the HCR is
acceptable. If the author cannot be contacted, the authors code will not be used
unless it was released with a statement that it could be used as the end user
wanted.
Infogrames and Bioware are the only entities granted unlimited rights to the
HCR, in accordance with the EULA that accompanies NWN.
In English, use the code as you need to, but retain credits in it of all names
that appear, and do not release other versions as HCR. If you have a product
that works well with the HCR, you are encouraged to have it hosted on the HCR
site as an add-on product or offer to have it included in the HCR releases.
Overview
The HardCore Ruleset was started on the 20th of June by Arcahegeo. It began with
the simple purpose of changing how folks died, and moved on from there. Many
folks have contributed to the development of the HCR, and ideas and suggestions
are always welcome.
The HCR in its current form has many features, which will be discussed in
greater depth below. It enhances death, resting, casting, and much more. The
guiding principle Archaegeo uses to determine whether or not to put things into
the HCR is twofold:
1)     Does it allow NWN to more closely follow a Sourcebook (SB) rule? Example:
Arch didn’t want potions to be usable on unconscious bodies, but someone showed
him the rule in the DMG, so it was added.
2)     Does it enhance play such that players care more for their characters?
Example: Level 1 is extremely tough under the HCR system, you will likely die,
and if you do, it costs 450gp minimum to resurrect you, not worth it for a level
1 character, so you stay dead.  This has the effect of meaning that if you see a
level 9 character on a true HCR system, you KNOW that character is well earned
if he started at level 1.  You end up caring for your characters a LOT more.
Anyone is welcome to use the HCR in their module.  If you run a game that’s HCR
enabled, please place (HCR) in the Server name somehow, so others know you are
running a HCR server.
Revisions to the HCR come out frequently.  Revisions numbers have no special
significance other than they are sequential.  If you wish to update each minor
revision, do so, but it is recommended that you update at least each 0.0.5 revs,
i.e. 1.3.5 1.4.0, etc.   Of course you are never required to update, you may
choose to stop at any time you wish and are satisfied with the HCR ruleset.
Many features of the HCR may be turned off when needed, so play with the ones
that let you enjoy the game as you wish.
The HCR Homepage is at:
http://nwn.darkemud.com/~darke/HC
The HCR is designed with the following assumptions made about the modules using HCR:
Difficulty is set to Hardcore
Experience slider is set to 0%
Server Vault characters only
ELC On
ILR Off.
Full PVP
Time scale default
Feature Discussion
This section will discuss the various features of the HCR.
Persistent World Support
So long as the server remains online, the status that a player leaves the world
in is the status the player will return to the world in. So if a player is dying
at -5 hp and they quit out of the game, they will return dying at -5 hp. This
also holds true if the server is restarted from a saved game.
Character Generation
When a character with 0 experience points enters the game, they are stripped of
all items, and given the PHB amount of gold for their class. The player
character may now purchase basic items by clicking on the HCR Signpost (custom
placeable item). You may either choose to place your start point in the _Base
area with a one-way portal to your module's actual start area or create your own
start area with the same properties.
Adjusting the Minimum Character Level for the Module
You can set your module up so that all characters start with a minimum level.
Subraces
Subraces are supported. Subraces which require an ECL (effective character
level) are not included.
Experience in HCR
HCR is meant to be played with the modules experience slider set to 0.
Experience in HCR is now handled per the DMG pg 165. The current Bioware system
takes into account Familiars, Summoned Creatures, Animal Companions and Henchmen
when calculating your average level. Plus it bases exp on the individual (and
pets) level and doesn't do a party split of the EXP. In fact, a single creature
actually gives more exp in a larger party with pets than a single pc fighting
solo.
If the CR of the creature is 8 more or less than the Average party level, they
will gain 0 experience.  8 CR below is no challenge, 8 CR above they should be
unable to defeat, so the DM should award exp in that case.
Henchmen count as players in regards to XP division.
Leveling Up and Trainers
Level trainers (turned on by default) are now supported. When turned on, a
person must go to a trainer to level. If he/she levels without going to a
trainer he/she will lose that level and must go to the trainer to regain it.
Death and Dying
Death and dying follows what is defined in the Player Handbook (PHB) pg 129 as
closely as is possible.
When a player takes damage that reduces them to 0 hp, they are DISABLED.  While
disabled, a player receives an 80% movement penalty, is Slowed, and is Cursed
with -5 pts to all stats save constitution and charisma.
When a player takes damage that reduces them between -1 and -9 hp, they begin to
die.  They fall to the ground, and a Death Corpse (DC) appears beside them.
Everything not equipped on the character, including their gold, appears on the
DC.  Anyone can loot these items, the intent being that your party members can
use the cure potion you have on your body to heal you.
Once a round (6 sec) there is a 10% chance that you will STABILIZE.  If you do,
you stop bleeding, if not, you take 1pt of damage.  Once stabilized, there is a
10% chance per hour (2 min by default timer) that you will enter RECOVERY, if
not, you take 1pt of damage.  Once in recovery, you have a 10% chance per day of
beginning to heal normally.  While in recovery, you suffer the exact same
penalties as when disabled.
If you heal ANY while -1 to -9, you automatically jump to a stable heal state.
You will take no more damage and are under the same effects as when in Recovery.
Once you reach -10 hp, you are dead.  All equipped items join your Death Corpse,
along with the Player Corpse Token (PCT).
When you die, you get one automatic roll to see if your Deity chooses to notice
your passing and resurrect you.  There is a 5% chance this will happen, +1% per
4 levels.  If not, you are off to the Fugue Plane.
One on the Fugue Plane, you are able to move, but not attack anyone.  You stay
here till you decide you are tired of waiting, or till you get resurrected (See
below)
You now keep all your worldly possessions when you enter the fugue plane.
However, if anyone opens your death corpse, all your possessions, except the
fugue robe, will be instantly transported to your death corpse. When your
deathcorpse is closed, or when your corpse token is placed in someone's
inventory, all your items are once again put back on your character (except
anything that was removed by the looting player). This feature was added so that
players do not loose their hard-earned items on a full server reset. Note: you
must be standing still while the looting player closes your corpse, or your
items may not transfer over. To regain these items, the looter must open and
close your corpse again.
Back in the real world, your corpse may be dragged by anyone who picks up your
PCT. It weighs 130lbs.  When they pick up your PCT, your DC goes to the Storage
area, making it look like they picked up your corpse.  When they drop the PCT,
your DC reappears where they drop it.
The PCT may be activated targeting a NPC cleric of level 9 or higher.  The NPC
cleric will raise the dead person, if the person using the PCT has 50gp*level of
NPC cleric for raise dead, 70*level for resurrection and 90*level for true
resurrection.  Raise dead and Resurrection have an additional 500gp cost, and
true resurrection has an additional 5000gp cost, so 950gp minimum.  (Thus its
usually not financially feasible to raise a level 1 person). When resurrected by
any means other than Deity, you lose 1 level, going to the middle of the
previous level.  If level 1, you lose 1 hp.  BUG: If you are multiclassed and
lose a level, it bugs your character if you are only 1/1 in level. Will be fixed
soon.
When you return to life, you appear in the vicinity of your corpse and your corpse
vanishes.
Henchmen are now removed from service before you are transported to fugue so that they do
not accompany you there.
Resting and Natural Healing
You can rest in game once every 24 hours (48 min). If you have a bedroll, that
time becomes every 8 hours (16 min). This is done so that casters do not just
cast all their spells, rest for 30 seconds and then rinse and repeat.
Quitting and returning does not reset this timer.
If you are using the FOODSYSTEM you need food on you to be able to rest. (Cant
rest on an empty stomach you just toss and turn all night).
When you rest, you only heal 1 hit point per level instead of full heal.
This prevents fighters from attack, rest, attack sequence.
Rest Button
When your character can rest, the rest button will now blink. This way, Any
spellcasters can safely cast all his/her spells right before resting.
Resting In Armor
Resting in Armor with a total bonus of AC 6 or more will produce fatigue (-2 to
Str, -2 to Dex, walk only). Resting in armor while fatigued will produce
exhaustion (-6 to Str, -6 to Dex, slow walk only).
Understandably, this isn't 100% PHB behavior, but PHB behavior requires querying
an armor's Armor Check penalty. Bioware, in their wisdom failed to supply us
with any method that would give us this much needed data.
-Healing Skill and Medkits-
Healing
When using the HC Healing kits, the Healing skill now follows the PHB. Healing
only serves to stabilize anyone who is bleeding to death, allows the healer to
attempt to cure poison or disease (on a successful heal check), or allows the
healer to attempt long term care.
Scroll and Potion Creation
The Magic Item Creation System Add-on allows mages to create scrolls and potions
if they have enough money and XP. For detailed instructions on how to use this
addon, please read the MagicItemCreationSystem.txt file in the HardCoreERFMI.zip addon
file.
-Searching and Traps-
Searching
A new search and trap system has been introduced as of release 1.7.0 to better
emulate PHB rules and to get rid of the automatic "Take 20" roll. In order to
detect traps, a player must now use a "Search Tool". This tool completely
replaces the NWN search button. When HCRTRAPS is set to 1, this tool is
automatically given to any players that don't have one when they log in.
Secret Doors
Secret doors have been introduced that work with the search tool. These secret
doors are also passively detectable by elves. Any elf who walks within five feet
of the door may discover a secret door if a successful search check is made.
Builders adept at scripting may also use this tool to allow players to find
hidden items. Simply insert your search code in the preEvent or postEvent hooks
(see tablescriptsevenrow on event hooks).
Traps and Locks
When using this system, in order to disarm traps or open locks, the player must
now use the HC "Thieves' Tools".
Traps of DC 21 or more may only be dectected and disarmed by Rogues.
You may not use the thieves' tools if you are untrained in disarm trap or
unlock. Do so only at your own risk.
-Spells and Special Abilities-
Spell Changes
The Summon Creature line (I-IX) now lasts the duration given in the PHB, i.e. 1
round per caster level. (Plus 1 round to make up for NWN Game mechanics).  If
you want this to last longer, you may set SUMMONTIMER to the number of
rounds/level you want it to last.  This change does not affect Familiars, which
still last till dead or you rest.
There is now a "Summonin Creatures book" that allows a caster to choose what
creature to summon.
The Cure  Wounds series of spells has been modified such that they do not
cure for maximum when cast on Players.
The spells Raise Dead and Resurrection have been modified to apply the
resurrection penalty of level loss.
Material Components
If you set MATERCOMP in hc_defaults to 1 you will turn on requirements for
material components. Note, if you choose to use them (I recommend it) you must
also install the add-on Material Components (HardCoreERFMC.zip) if you did not
download the Full Hardcore set.
When material components are turned on, Clerics and Paladins must now carry a
holy/unholy symbol.
Wild Magic and Null Magic
No, not druid spells.
Wild magic is magic gone awry -- usually due to the magical nature of the area
(such as a planar area) or perhaps due to some really powerful wards and glyphs.
The possible effects are random (and not always good or bad). You may place the
wild magic effect upon your whole module, an area or several areas, or an object
(creature, placeable, item, etc).
Null Magic is simply that... for some reason, the area/object/creature nullifies spells.
Sound Familiar?
When a Familiar dies, the familiar's master will now lose 200xp x level of the
owner. The owner will be given a chance to avoid half the penalty by making a
successful Fortitude check.
Feeding a familiar will no longer heal it fully. Sorry, but the ability to
spontaneously heal is reserved for Artifact Familiars. Familiars now heal as
PC's do (1 hp per hit dice) when resting.
Summoning a familiar is free for the first time. Any subsequent summons cost
100gp per the PHB.
If you feel your familiar is getting a bit too daring, simply unsummon it.
Animal Companions
Animal Companions are now created to be 1 hit die greater than the player.
Turning Undead
Evil Clerics may now dominate the most powerful undead creature that was
supposed to be destroyed. The rest of the undead that were meant to die will now
follow the cleric.
Determining the turning levels for pure Paladins and Paladin/Cleric multiclass
is now correct as per PHB p. 56 (fixes a Bioware bug).
Paladin Powers
The Paladin now has the power to detect undead. It's per the PCB, except for
lasting auras.
The Paladin has an aura of courage that he can activate once he reaches level 2.
It lasts for 2d6 rounds.
-Server Support-
Login message
A login message appears to all players when logging in.
Locking the Server
Say your playing along, and you like your current grouping, or you don't want
new players for the moment? Simply use the command line (hit ` to bring it up)
and type:
To Lock the server:
dmsetmodulevarint LOCKED 1
To unlock the server:
dmsetmodulevarint LOCKED 0
DM reservation system
By setting DMRESERVE in hc_defaults to some number greater than 0, the game will
limit the number of players to that number, regardless of what Maxplayers is set
to on the server.  This allows the DM to always have a slot to log into.
HCR Helper
There is a new tool for DM's called the HCR helper. This tool allows the DM to
turn HCR settings on or off on the fly, or to change HCR settings on the fly.
Feel your party isn't making enough money to level? Lower leveling costs! It's
that simple! Monsters giving too much XP? As long as you didn't place them by
hand, simply change the XP settings at will! And you get all of this for the low
price of... FREE! Act now and we'll even throw in this manual!
Be very careful, though, as some settings would be very bad to change under
certain circumstances... such as turning off the LOOTSYSTEM off while someone is dead.
Single Character Servers
A new setting in hc_defaults (SINGLECHARACTER) can be turned on to enforce each
player (via CDKEY) to play with only one character. The restriction lasts until
the next full server reset, upon which the player now must play with only the
first character he logs in as.
Player Killer Tracking and Banning
A PK Tracker system  Setting PKTRACKER to a number higher than 0 in hc_defaults
will make it so that if anyone kills more PC's than that number, they are booted
from the game and cannot get back in in any form till the server resets.  If
TELLONPK is set to 1 in hc_in (default) then all dm's are told anytime a player
kills a player.  Note that PK's against members of your own party do not count
against your total allowed (whoops, fireball)
Persistent World Database
A Persistent World Database system has been added. This system allows you to
keep track of specific variables you would like to keep between server resets.
-Miscellaneous-
DM Helper
If you downloaded the full Hardcore file, or installed the DM Helper add-on
package, all DM’s are given a DM Helper upon login. (See DM Helper below)
Player DM's
If you have a player's Public CD Key, you may set him/her up to be a player DM.
What this means is that they may use the DMWand and HCWand.
Player DM's
DM's may now use the HCRHelper to set a "player" DM. This is a player for whom
the HCRHelper and DMHelper will function. You must know the players public CDKey
to set them as a player DM (can be yourself) and you can get that info via
DMHelper. So now when you have to leave, you can leave a player in charge if you
trust them. Or if your party is one member short, you can play as a PC and still
have DM controls.
Event Hooks
Event hooks are a great way to add custom code to your modules, and yet make it
very easy to upgrade from HC version to HC version. As long as you do not touch
the base files and put any modified code in the event hooks, upgrading to a new
HC module should be very quick and very painless (perhaps not as painless as a
wax job, but it's getting there).
Event hooks can now be used to completely bypass HCR behavior.
Timestamps
There is now a new function called SecondsSinceBegin() that returns the number
of seconds since the server was originally started, if you are using the
persistent world log dumps. If you are not using the persistent world dumps,
then it will return the number of seconds since the server was last re-started.
Potions
There are four new potions that may be used on others rather than just self.
They are the Cure  wounds series. They appear under miscellaneous since
Bioware has potions hardcoded as self only. These potions cost IAW the PHB. Its
strongly recommended you remove the normal cure potions from vendors and just
use the improved ones.
Sittables
Any item may be made sittable upon by addition of the hc_pc_sittable script
(hey, its cheesy, but I liked it).
Summoned Monsters and Random Encounters
An add-on summon monster system adds more than 200 creatures to the possible
results when casting Summon Creature. A wandering monster system is available,
allowing you to set the strength and chance of wandering critters when players rest.
Communication
An add-on bulletin board system is available. at this link:
http://nwn.darkemud.com/~darke/HC/download.htm
Natural Light Sources
Natural light objects have a duration per the PHB, duration settable by
BURNTORCH in hc_defaults. You would want to remove all NWN torches from the
game. HC Torches are dimmer so that a lantern can be brighter than a torch.
Grenade Like Weapons and Oil Flasks
Oil, Holy Water, Alchemist's Fire and Acid Flasks can be thrown per phb pg 109, 113, 114,
and 138.
Players may use a flask of oil to create a campfire that they can sit around.
Where's the beef?
Players may use a skinning knife to carve meat from dead animals and then cook
it on a campfire.
Monster and NPC Corpses
Tired of watching seeing your awesome kills simply vanish into thin air, only to
leave tons of loot in a tiny little bag?
Worry no more! When monsters or NPCs die, they leave their corpses behind. Use
this to search for loot instead of the loot bags.
Installing the Hardcore Rule System
The HCR system is distributed in three formats. HardCoreFull.zip, HardCoreBase.zip and
HardCoreERF.zip.
HardCoreFull.zip
HardCoreFull.zip contains all Hosted add-ons, except for the Purple Rose Inn. It
contains all the hardcore scripts and items in one handy little module.
HardCoreBase.zip
HardCoreBase.zip contains the basic Hardcore scripts. If you would like any of
the Hosted add-ons included you must download the appropriate add-on file (see
the Download page for a complete list of add-ons)
HardCoreERF.zip
This file contains all the scripts, custom objects and other custom HC required
items included in the HardCoreBase.zip file. The ERF distribution is the
distribution set as a set of 6 exports (ERF) files, broken down as follows:
ERF1 : The hcr files.  All of the scripts except for the DM Helper
ERF2 : Conversations : in this case its just the DM Helper.
ERF3 : The Items : All of the special items associated with HCR
ERF4 : The Placeables : All of the special HCR Placeables
ERF5 : The Merchants : Currently just the Newbie Merchant
The rest of this section describes different methods of implementing HCR in
different situations.  I STRONGLY recommend you read the rest of this
documentation first before you begin installation.
Case 1 : Building a New Module
So you’ve decided to build a new module using the HCR system, good for you.
You’ve chosen the easiest method of using HCR.  Just grab the HardCoreBase.zip,
uncompress it in your modules directory, read this documentation, and begin
building.  Good luck.
Case 2 : Upgrading a Module NOT previously HCR
So you’ve read all about the HCR and decided it’s the ruleset for you,
fantastic.  Since you’ve never used the HCR before, you’ve got it pretty easy
when it comes to converting.  You have two options:
1)     Grab the Base zip and export all areas in the module your converting,
then import them into the HardCore Base module. (Super easy)
2)     Grab the ERF set, and import the ERF’s into your module.  Be aware, at
this time there is a bug that if you choose to overwrite a file that already
exists, the Toolset might add all kinds of characters to the files.  Since
you’ve never used HCR before, the only files you should have to overwrite are
the ones that begin with: nw_'.  So import away.  Once you are done importing,
you must place the scripts in the areas shown in the SCRIPTS section of this
document.  I.e., hc_entering goes in Module Properties (in the Edit menu),
Events, OnClientEnter.
Case 3 : Upgrading a Module previously under the HCR
It use to be hard for you, but now your life has gotten a lot easier.  As of
version 1.3, there is a script called changed_files which lists ALL of the files
that were changed in any way since the previous version.
The easiest way for you to upgrade is to either cut and paste from the new file
to the existing one in your module or to delete the existing file in your module
and import the new file.  This is MUCH faster than importing the entire ERF sets
and then finding out where the Toolset added extra bugs.
All Cases
For all cases, there are some things to bear in mind.
If you have any existing scripts in any of the blocks that hc_ scripts need to
go, you may have to mesh them.  This is the hardest case.  Most of the time the
hc files can just replace what's there, but if there is something special in the
existing file (i.e. the campaign modules) you'll have to do some meshing, and
that requires some knowledge and is beyond the scope of this document.
One ideal way to build using the HCR system to make it easier to upgrade is to
build your module separate of the HCR system, and then mesh the two anytime you
upgrade your module, or a HCR revision comes out that you need.
Be sure to keep meticulous change records on any scripts you need to change to
make a feature in your world that’s not a part of the HCR so that when you go to
upgrade, you can more easily do so.
Building and Playing with the HardCore Ruleset
This section will discuss the various features of the HCR in detail.
Subraces
To use a Subrace, you must pick the base race (i.e. Elf) and then click on the
Subrace button and type the subrace name EXACTLY as it is on the "Sub Race"
column in the table below (i.e. Sun Elf):
Base          Race       SubRace   Affects Gameplay?
Dwarf         Gold        Dwarf          No
Shield       Dwarf         Yes
Elf           Moon         Elf           No
Sun          Elf          Yes
Wild         Elf          Yes
Wood         Elf          Yes
Halfling   Strongheart   Halfling       Yes
Lightfoot    Halfling        No
Experience in HCR
If you plan on using the HCR XP tables, please set module's experience slider to 0.
Experience in HCR is now modeled after the DMG pg 165. The current Bioware
system takes into account Familiars, Summoned Creatures, Animal Companions and
Henchmen when calculating your average level. It bases experience on the average
party level (including pets and summoned creatures) and doesn't do a party split
of the EXP. In fact, a single creature actually gives more exp in a larger party
with low-level pets than a single pc fighting solo.
Please note that as per the DMG tables, no experience is awarded if the
individual creature's CR is either 8 points above or below the average party
level. This is because anything below 8 will be no challenge at all. Anything
above 8 would be literally impossible, and so defeating such an encounter would
require special DM intervention (or scripts). A good example of this would be
the Red Dragon in Chapter 3 of the official SP campaign. Unless weakened, this
encounter would almost surely be impossible to defeat with a single character at
level 16. Because a special device was needed, full XP for the encounter should
not be given, and the DM/Builder should decide what a fair XP value should be.
The rate of experience gain in HCR is controlled by two variables in
hc_defaults. One is BASEXP. The other is BONUSXP.
BASEXP is used to calculate a creature's base experience points based on its CR.
Setting it to 300 will give you numbers that match the DMG. BASEXP is set to 75
by default. This value was chosen due to the ease at which most players are able
to dispatch a CR 1 creature with the current BW palette of creatures. If you
know that your module will consistently be played by four or more players, you
may want to raise this value a little.
BONUSXP adds experence after the fact. It can be used to speed up XP gain in your
campaign.
You must play test your module to get the feel for what is right for your
desired progression.  (This could not be stressed enough).
To set up a module to behave similar to the NWN default of 10%, just set BASEXP
to 30. (Many thanks to Helz and Mmealman for the base for this code and to
Whyteshadow for optimizing it). This allows you to have the same advancement as
normal NWN, but it does not reward larger parties (other than safeties in
numbers), neither does it reward anyone for summoning low-level creatures.
As a player, you now must consider: do you limit your party size and have more
risk, or do you go with a large party and have less risk, but less reward?
As a DM/Builder, this system also allows you to control exactly how much exp
will be available in a module.
Leveling Up and Trainers
By default, HC requires that players go to a level trainer to gain a level.
Builder/DM may turn this on or off by setting the LEVELTRAINER variable to 1
(default) or 0 respectively.
With LEVELTRAINER turned on, and a player levels without first going to a
trainer, the player will lose that level, and must go to the trainer to regain
it. All experience gained until then is lost.
Cost to train is 1000 GP x Current Level, but may be changed with the LEVELCOST variable.
Death, Dying and Corpses
Author's note: Currently this section is exactly the same as the one in feature
discussion, at least until I can figure out how to separate usage vs. feature