Hendryk's Content

#205416 Developer Diary Comments Thread

Posted by Hendryk on 18 May 2005 - 07:00 PM in Chrysta

Does 'bi-weekly' mean twice a week or once a fortnight? Or either, depending on how you feel?

#200988 My modding team is useless

Posted by Hendryk on 18 April 2005 - 07:00 AM in Chrysta

Heheh. First, reserve your prefix for variable names. Then the avian species for HD. Ah well.

Considering its habits, I had thought that the cuckoo was actually the best choice for Chrysta but it has a strong and undesirable connotation of frivilous insanity, at least in the US. And nomenclature like Hairy Western Nuthatch doesn't trip too felicitously from the tongue.

Greater Titmouse anyone?

#200976 My modding team is useless

Posted by Hendryk on 18 April 2005 - 06:15 AM in Chrysta

True, but this is a conversation, not a learned lecture; therefore, a reference or so, rather than the full catalogue, is more appropriate.

#200375 LONG Suggestion: Affairs

Posted by Hendryk on 15 April 2005 - 06:09 AM in Imoen Relationship

Ah, that's why I never heard of it. Don't like the touchy-feelie stuff myself.

#200031 The Mod for the Wicked!

Posted by Hendryk on 13 April 2005 - 04:26 PM in Mod for the Wicked

Oh, Demogorgan could still show up here. Announce that he's there because "Although mortals would have it otherwise, I pay my debts." Then he'd help do Amellyssan. Then reveal to the PC that another debt which Demo feels he owes is one of hatred. Hatred towards the PC for finding him in that shameful prison. He would blot out that memory - and the PC in the process. The PC could then try to bargain, claiming that his/her affinity for the Throne is the only means left for Demo to partake of some of it. Demo says "Ha! You love your wretched mortal existence so much that you would barter the power of a god for it? Very well. I accept." Solar then shows up, says "Now boys! It is NOT supposed to go this way." PC & Demo kill solar. Demo proceeds to drain throne dry (whatever the agreement was.) Demo, now twice as tough as before, says "Fool as well as coward. Not even the fount of a god cancels a debt of hatred for a lord of demons!" Demo proceeds to pulverize the party. End game. Player reloads, chooses banter option #2 and fights Demo (plus allies) for the throne.

#199897 The Mod for the Wicked!

Posted by Hendryk on 13 April 2005 - 04:18 AM in Mod for the Wicked

I dunno. I have a hard time believing that Demo would regard both Mel and the PC as anything but overweening mortals who are, at the Throne, at a level of power that is way over their heads. If you wanted Demo to give the PC a pass there, you could take the angle that the PC's innate Bhaal essence is magnified by its affinity to the Throne so that Demo has to take cognizance of it. It would need a very delicate touch though to have the PC so powerful that Demogorgan is forced to show some grudging respect and yet still make it plausible that the PC is willing to bargain away some of power to get Demo's help. Demogorgan should, I think, regard any sign of willingness to negotiate as a sign of weakness or folly. Of course, it might be a trap, too. Let Demo link himself to the Throne and then use either Mel's or the PC's power over the Throne to drain *him*. If you made him sufficiently arrogant and condescending beforehand, that'd be a nice payback for him.

As for the Solar, she knows a lot and she delivers the final decision of "the gods" to end the battle but I don't know how powerful she'd be at the Throne all by herself. Probably she'd invent some 'duty' that required her to run away and 'inform' someone that things were getting out of hand at the Throne. If she stuck around, she'd almost certainly be destroyed.

#199894 It is Good to be Neutral

Posted by Hendryk on 13 April 2005 - 03:28 AM in Chrysta

In BG1, Edwin wants you to murder Dynaheir as the price of his joining the party. In BG2 he orders you to murder the mage, Rayic Gethras, as a part of the MaeVar quest that is required before he will join. An NPC who suborns the assassination of rival mages for two games running ain't NG.

#199892 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 13 April 2005 - 03:09 AM in Mod for the Wicked

If Lolth was the inspiration for the drow switching 'surfacer' allies from Irenicus to the PC, there's no problem about the drow knowing about the lanthorn. Lolth once was of the Seldarine, IIRC, and so could remember the lanthron from its creation. She might even have helped create it, if there is no canon origin for the device to the contrary. And at a minimum, Lolth hates the Seldarine more than she hates anyone else so she would know a good bit about the lanthorn just from "military intelligence" as it were.

As for ordinary elves *not* knowing about the Lanthorn, remember that Suldanesselar was not normally sealed as it is when the PC gets there. That was something extraordinary that Irenicus had done to make sure his tree-draining wouldn't be interrupted. In normal times, ordinary elves didn't need the lanthorn to enter their city. They just walked there. Elhan, otoh, was the senior commanding general of Suldnanesselar and, as he said himself, had been instructed in its use by sages. And Joneleth had been consort to the Queen and was the most powerful wizard in the place also, so it makes sense that he would know all about it. Ordinary elves, though, probably wouldn't know more than the name that referred to some very old magic lamp that had normally hung in their temple.

#199812 The Mod for the Wicked!

Posted by Hendryk on 12 April 2005 - 03:42 PM in Mod for the Wicked

I think that while Demogorgan might offer to "help" against Melissan first, he'd probably want all the power there for himself and wouldn't take No for an answer. In fact, he'd probably bring enough help along that he wouldn't even take Yes for an answer; just kill everyone and help himself.

Of course, one of Demo's senior assistant demons (who had gotten used to acting independently while Demo was a captive in WK and is *not* pleased that his old boss is back) could double-cross him and jump into the fountain first, so the PC, Demo and Mel could all have a nice chat over what to do about *that* resource hog. Then you could have bargaining with the added fun of Melissan bidding against you.

#199781 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 12 April 2005 - 01:03 PM in Mod for the Wicked

I reckon with the Drow being cocky. That this mere Bhaalspawn is easily removed, if so they have lantern and go after John.

You seem to be assuming here that the drow are acting on their own initiative rather than on instructions from Lolth. In that case, why would they cooperate with the PC even to that point? To get the Rhynn lanthorn? The drow might know it exists from Irenicus but they certainly wouldn't know that the Lanthorn was the key to entering Sul. Even ordinary surface elves probably didn't know that, the Lanthorn being a state secret and all. And Irenicus certainly wouldn't have told them that it was the secret key to defeat his own plan!

I also wonder if the avatar of Rillifane would help an Evil PC allied with Drow. He will sense this,

I doubt he'd be real happy about the situation. But he, personally, can't do anything - he says so himself. And Irenicus, right as he speaks, is about to kill the Tree and become a god. The avatar really doesn't have any other options.

That is beside the question if the gods even know how Bhaal wishes to return. At the of SoA the story is not developed so far as that the mortals know what is going on, perhaps not even Lolth, as Bhaal won't spill his secrets so easily.

She wouldn't know every detail certainly but that in itself is a detail. Certainly, her servants would have learned from the PC that Irenicus had stolen the PC's divine soul, so the PC wouldn't be any kind of threat to Lolth at the moment anyway. Later perhaps, she'll deal with the PC. But, as with Rillifane, Irenicus is happening right this instant. Lolth wouldn't be in any better shape to intervene personally than Rillifane; the Tree is his focus of power, not hers. So either she'd have ordered the PC killed back in Ust Natha or she'd want the PC to "help" finish Irenicus. After all, she'd certainly remember a great deal about Rillifane and would recognize that the PC was a better bet for dealing with him than *her* servants would be.

The surface elves will have seen you entering with Drow. Ellesime won't help you, I reckon, thus creating once again inconsistency

I don't reckon she'd give you a hero's welcome certainly. But she probably wouldn't kill you either until she's at least spoken with you. After hell. The drow wouldn't wait. They'd kill you while you were in hell, no question about it. After talking with you, what Ellesime would do would depend on what was said. Certainly, if you were fool enough to tell her that you hate surface elves and voluntarily allied with the drow to destroy Sul, she'd have you executed. But if the PC turns the blame around towards her - saying it's Ellesime's fault that Irenicus lived to steal his/her soul and that the drow forced the PC to aid them in their final assault - she might not believe you fully but she probably wouldn't execute you either. Hell, she didn't even execute Joneleth or Bodhi after their first attempt to destroy the Tree. So she could, without inconsistency, simply kick the party out of town and direct them to the grove to ensure that they go quietly.

#199757 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 12 April 2005 - 11:29 AM in Mod for the Wicked

Um...how does it make sense that the drow attack you because "they don't want a new evil god"? Killing the PC will just bring Bhaal that much closer to restoration as Lolth, at least, might foresee. And what is Irenicus in the process of becoming if not a "new evil god"? And Irenicus is right now, not at some indefinite time in the future as is the best (worst?) case for the PC.

#199750 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 12 April 2005 - 11:02 AM in Mod for the Wicked

I'd think that Lolth would be calling the shots for the drow here and her first concern would be to make certain that Irenicus didn't become an elven god. An Evil male mage elven god might have a most unfortunate effect on her "mere male" followers by giving them an alternative.

So with stopping Jon as the drow's main priority, I can't see them turning on the PC while Irenicus lives and is still casting his ritual. No matter how Evil you are, you don't waste your strength by turning your forces on each other until after the main threat has been dealt with. Unless you are also truly stupid, which Lolth is not.

For that matter, I can't see drow getting quite the cooperation from the avatar of Rillifane that the PC would. If anything, his forest spirits would probably start killing drow right along with Irenicus' little playmates. That is probably just as well for metagame reasons since the drow would certainly destroy all the mortal bodies around the tree while everyone's spirits are duking it out in helll. Thus, the game could never get finished unless the surface elves survive to tend to the party's corpses.

So yes. The drow would definitely betray the party but not until after Irenicus has died at the ToL. But by that time, in order to reach the Tree, the party has already loosed the forest spirits and all the drow are dead or fled. So they never get the chance to kill the party at the point in their scheme at which they logically should do so.

#199366 Banter Check

Posted by Hendryk on 10 April 2005 - 08:45 PM in IE Help

Did you use a timer variable to trigger your NPC's banters? If so, you can CLUA the timer to 1 and the banter will trigger - if it has no other conditions (resting, being in a wilderness, See(Player1), etc.) that are currently unmet. Sometimes you have to repeat this a couple of times if other NPCs use the same (standard) timer and the others joined the party before your NPC.

#199365 BGIII

Posted by Hendryk on 10 April 2005 - 08:31 PM in Baldur's Gate Series

From Gorion's letter:

"For reasons unknown to me, he (Bhaal) sought out women of every race and forced himself upon them. Your mother was one of those women..."

#198276 Keldorn <3

Posted by Hendryk on 06 April 2005 - 01:00 AM in IE Mod Ideas

Our RL manners and morals are not those of Faerun. And Keldorn is, besides Good, also highly Lawful which means that the structure and customs of society, including expectations of and about the nobility, would also have a very strong claim upon him. Keldorn certainly couldn't just brush all that aside merely to avoid a painful choice for his own case.

#198216 Non-vindictive Mod Rant & Praise thread

Posted by Hendryk on 05 April 2005 - 03:59 PM in Chrysta

I think it is - or close enough that it does not matter

Naah, I just saw a Romance Mod that gets you lovin' a Kobold NPC, I kid you not. I'm not positive, but I think the Kobold was blue, too...and if that isn't unlimited, I don't know what is.

Drat! I've got a female PC that I've been saving up to romance a kobold. But she wants a purple kobold monk who is psionic. Still too limited for me.

#198024 Non-vindictive Mod Rant & Praise thread

Posted by Hendryk on 04 April 2005 - 06:27 PM in Chrysta

Another important thing for me is that the character was well-grounded in Faerunian reality. I prefer it over dropped-in characters and characters with hard/impossible-to-believe storyline or origins.

An excellent point and one I largely share. However, one does have to admit that "Faerunian reality" does include an awful lot of critters that weren't born/hatched/cloned/spawned/sprouted on Faerun. Where this sort of "dropping in" is just an excuse for an Undead/half-dragon/half-beholder/paladin/sorcerer/who-turns-lycanthrope-under-the-full-moon NPC, well...yeah. What you said.

Otoh, an alien NPC who isn't overpowered and who does have a plausible reason for being on Faerun and cooperating with the PC isn't automatically a poor choice just because he/she/it is of non-standard race. It depends on how thoroughly the background is worked in, how consistently it's applied and on how interesting or amusing it is. In other words, it all depends on the imagination and skill of the writer - and that's the case, too, for the standard cleric-next-door.

#197586 The Mod for the Wicked!

Posted by Hendryk on 02 April 2005 - 11:33 PM in Mod for the Wicked

You're missing a lot of the fun of dealing with Demo if you forget that he's been Evil much longer than the PC. However much he might appreciate being released from WK (probably not much) or enjoy the Helmite snack, he is also going to be keeping an eye on the PC. He's got four, so he can afford it.

Now once you are gearing up for the final battle with Melissan, old Demo should pay a social call. He has been watching and by now is aware of just how much free power there is in that fountain. He'd like more than a sip of that juice himself, though he might try to fool you by pretending that he has come to "help" against Amelyssan. However that works out, he wouldn't truly care what you, or Melissan or the solar or even Ao, himself, might think. Demo would want to increase his own power, conquer a neighboring layer of the Abyss or two, gain more power from that, conquer more of the Abyss, eventually win the the Blood War, take over the Hells and...Well, you get the idea. An utterly rapacious demonlord does not play nice. And that is exactly the sort of consequence that should befall an Evil PC who is also stupid and trusting.

#197296 The nature of evil

Posted by Hendryk on 01 April 2005 - 10:32 AM in Mod for the Wicked

The cases of purely selfish Evil are, I think, adequately represented in the game already. However, individuals in the Realms do enjoy an amenity which we lack. They have a multitude of, relatively speaking, immortal and purely aligned guides and exemplars upon the outer planes. So an individual who voluntarily and with self-abnegation subserves the Greater Evil for its own sake, rather than his/her/its own benefit, might make a challenge (and a strong dramatic contrast) even for an Evil PC of the selfish-to-the-point-of-megalomania sort.

#197286 Non-vindictive Mod Rant & Praise thread

Posted by Hendryk on 01 April 2005 - 09:56 AM in Chrysta

I'd submit that characters have been designed with that rationale in mind and it has proven largely unsatisfying to a large segment of the player base. Saying "My character is more awesomer because he had this really awesome background and was born into a family of awesomeness and trained for awesomeness at an early age and has a special Awesome Master kit which gives him the great abilities of the ancient Awesomes" means that you have created a character with a "rationale" that explains why they're so awesome, but doesn't at all explain how such a character can really be taken seriously in a game alongside rather less awesome peers.

You can explain away anything you like, but after a while, credibility is stretched pretty thin for a lot of players. It's not necessarily enough to simply explain why somebody is the Second Coming--some players are rather puzzled why such a thing belongs in the game in the first place.

No argument. I wouldn't bother downloading a "superhero" mod myself. In fact, my personal list of modding do's and don't's is quite extensive and almost all of it appears here in one form or another. I was merely suggesting that no consensus of player opinion, no matter how well thought-out or grounded in past experience, should be construed as an a priori straightjacket for any conceivable mod. If someone tries such a thing and, in popular estimation, fails, that still shouldn't absolutely prohibit the next person from trying.

Put prospective modders on notice as to what has hitherto been found most generally acceptible? Certainly. Establish a pretense that Moses bore a recently rediscovered third tablet from Mt Sinai bearing these injunctions? No.

#197250 Non-vindictive Mod Rant & Praise thread

Posted by Hendryk on 01 April 2005 - 07:44 AM in Chrysta

You forgot "manages to intimidate Korgan"

that's worse than the others, in my opinion.

Heheh.  You beat me to that one.  It's certainly right up there with reducing Jaheira to awed acquiescence and out-talking Edwin or Jan.

Couple things though.  First, nobody's going to write an NPC if the author isn't interested/amused by that NPC.  So some bias in favor of an NPC is almost inevitable because the author is going to try to make the NPC interesting to others also.  The most an author can do is be aware of this syndrome and at least consider the objections of others regarding the most serious failures to self-edit.  But you have to accept, too, that there are so many others with as many particular points-of-view that no one, not even the author, is ever going to be perfectly satisfied with the result.

Second, some NPCs will normally out-shine most, or even all, the official ones within the area of their particular expertise.  For instance, I once wrote some dialogues for a character, now, alas, defunct, whose backstory included a long tour of duty in the New Lands.  Because of this experience, no one, not even Viconia, was thought better able to discuss the effects of culture clashes in the game world, though the character in question was otherwise neither a great intellect nor outstandingly empathetic.  The point is that general injunctions to the effect that "you can't do this" or "never do that" can and should be broken in individual mod NPC cases for specific reasons.  Even if an author produces an ubermensch NPC; one who is in fact superior to all the official ones in all ways and whose actions and banters confirm this superiority, if the rationale is appropriate and the official NPC characterizations are respected, then really the only valid criticism is that such a character is not to your taste.

So, while all these lists show a great deal of thought and concern and make their quite valid points, they shouldn't, I wouldn't say, be regarded as a check list against which to grade a mod or all mods.  Authors write NPCs for fun.  If the scope for permissible fun is drawn too tightly, then there will never again be a new character for the game and that would be a greater pity than infraction of all these rules together.

#197093 The Mod for the Wicked!

Posted by Hendryk on 31 March 2005 - 12:53 PM in Mod for the Wicked

You don't seem to be suffering from any shortage of good - excuse me, of Evil - ideas here. Perhaps a non-spoilerish indication from you about what you intend doing first, now that you're busy in the protected forum and all, would stimulate more input.

#196724 Non-Spoilery Draft of Chrysta's Joining Dialogue

Posted by Hendryk on 30 March 2005 - 02:53 AM in Chrysta

Well, another cover for that is a statement in the read-me that the Chrysta experience will be greatly diminished if the PC is a dunce, a fool or an uncharismatic lout.
Provided we add a disclaimer that the same limitations do not necessarily apply to the mod leader

What, then, shall be disclaimed on behalf of followers of that leader? Evolution?

#196710 Non-Spoilery Draft of Chrysta's Joining Dialogue

Posted by Hendryk on 30 March 2005 - 02:08 AM in Chrysta

Well, another cover for that is a statement in the read-me that the Chrysta experience will be greatly diminished if the PC is a dunce, a fool or an uncharismatic lout.

#196638 "Stonefire Rising" comments/criticism thread

Posted by Hendryk on 29 March 2005 - 08:45 PM in Chrysta

You are certainly off to a good start here although I am not, generally speaking, a fan of End-of-the-World-as-We-Know-It scenarios. Can't help but recall the Pythons' blancmanges: They Mean to Win Wimbledon!

Anyhow, being the short-sighted bottom feeder that I am, may I suggest that it ought to occur to someone that Chrysta *has* to accompany the two paladins to Mamnoth? Knowing, as she does, about the gem and knowing how very regretable it would be if she blabbed indiscriminately, she can really only be permitted to remain alive in the company of those to whom she can speak freely without breaching security. She cannot even be taken back to the company's base. What if she spoke, in all innocence, of unmentionable matters to a guard? Or even had a revealing nightmare? Far, far too risky, IMHO.

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