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IWD Completed Mods => Icewind Dale NPCs => Topic started by: Kulyok on February 05, 2008, 07:43:15 AM

Title: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 05, 2008, 07:43:15 AM
1) Nella.

Gender: female

Race: human

Alignment: true neutral

Class: fighter (possible dual-class: cleric or druid; alternate class: fighter/cleric, fighter/druid)

Biography: Born in Bryn Shander to the family of travelling merchants, Nella was shaping up to be a caravan guard, until one day, her parents brought her to Kuldahar.  There, she says, her real life started: Arundel, the Archdruid, recognized her healing skills.  With permission of her parents, which, she recalls, involved a hefty sum of gold, he took her away and started to train her in the druidic rites and spiritual traditions.  More often than not, however, she was sent off to various fighting missions.  The last one took her to Easthaven.



2) Korin.

Gender: male

Race: elf

Alignment: chaotic good

Class: ranger (alternate class: ranger/cleric)

Biography: Though he has spent several years in the vicinity of Easthaven, Korin originally hails from Evereska, an elven stronghold in the northern Faerun.  He does not look especially suited for the harsh, demanding trade of the ranger, and when asked about it directly, he confirms it, saying he hoped to dedicate himself to the finer arts.  There is a brittle edge to his words, soon to be replaced by a genuine smile: as he spent several years in exile, he is grateful for any company.  He speaks about helpful, unobtrusive folk of the Dale with much warmth in his voice, and is seemingly reluctant to leave the shores of Lac Dinneshere.



3) Teriel(Teri).

Gender: female

Race: half-elf

Alignment: chaotic neutral

Class: fighter/thief (alternate class: fighter/mage/thief, mage/thief, thief)

Biography: When asked about her past, Teri's eyes immediately sparkle, and she launches into a multitude of stories a careless listener may emerge from hours later, with a feeling that his head is about to burst.  A child of a happy union of two adventurers, she never imagined another career for herself, though the circumstances under which she arrived to Icewind Dale have probably been rough; she looks pale and thin.  Quickly irritated and quickly distracted, she seems happy to find herself in Easthaven: the corners of her lips go up at the mention of glory and gold, though her eyes narrow as she accesses the risks.



4) Severn.

Gender: male

Race: human

Alignment: neutral good

Class: bard (alternate class: fighter/mage, mage)
 
Biography: Severn comes from the vast farmsteads stretching along the Sword Coast.  Always ready to drop in an unexpected joke or to whistle a long-forgotten tune, he ruefully admits his lack of talents, and adds that as many before him, he came to the Spine of the World to seek inspiration.  He left Baldur's Gate a few months ago due to an embarrassing performance he promises to tell about some time.  Judging by the state of his attire, his money is running out, and Severn confirms this, saying he vowed to join the first adventuring company that would take him.  A wooden flute is his only worldly possession, but he looks to the future with optimism.



5) Holvir

Gender: male

Race: human

Alignment: lawful good

Class: paladin

Biography: A quiet, fair-spoken young man, he speaks little unless addressed directly.  When asked about his past, Holvir explains that he comes from the City of Splendors, having been summoned by his superior's old friend, Hrothgar.  A knight of the Order of the Knights of Holy Judgement, he has dedicated his whole life to Tyr at an early age, and has been made a full paladin a little more than a year ago.  He remains alert and looks ready to provide aid at all times, though his general conduct is a little aloof.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: jastey on February 05, 2008, 07:56:42 AM
"Karin" is a woman's name in German.

Other than that, very promosing. Who are the romantic otpions?? :)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 05, 2008, 08:01:48 AM
Heh. You're not expecting me to tell you that right away, do you?

And, yes, that's a difficulty. Minsc and Erevain took time for me to adjust to; some other mod-introduced names have an unpleasant ring to them in Russian. But since Kelsey is a girl's name, as well, looks like Karin is in a good company! :)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: jcompton on February 05, 2008, 09:04:03 AM
"Karin" is a woman's name in German.

It's sort of PPG tradition to have gender-bending names. Particularly in the K portion of the alphabet.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: jastey on February 05, 2008, 12:39:56 PM
Long live tradition, then! I will silently pronounce it Kari'n, then it sounds male.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Ashara on February 06, 2008, 09:34:23 AM
Looks nice, but a bit too uniform from the racial perspective. Good luck, it will be great to have joinables in IWD1.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: jastey on February 06, 2008, 09:50:43 AM
a bit too uniform from the racial perspective
Maybe, but my parties never were much different. If trying to have different (and especially different than H., E., H.-E.) races by all means, it easily leads to the "overused ideas" department. ;D
I think the group is nicely chosen for some kind of homogeneity; therefore it might not please all players, but those who prefer this constellation the more. If that made any sense.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: the bigg on February 06, 2008, 10:09:19 AM
Apart from the 'race variety' issue, there is also the 'class variety' problem, as players who prefeir magic over melee will have a party ill-suited for their playing style, and basically everybody but the most hardcore meleers will probably have to play a mage (notwithstanding the fact that high level spells aren't 'required' or great like in BG2, a bard still doesn't have enough spell slots to really act as the primary caster).

If these make sense story-wise, adding install options for Karin as Ranger/Cleric and Teri as Thief (duallable to Mage) should help IMHO.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 06, 2008, 10:22:42 AM
Quote
Looks nice, but a bit too uniform from the racial perspective.

I was determined to have something like this(two humans, two half-elves, an elf) from the start, but a poll in Gavin made me fully sure. *Everyone*(everyone but one person of today) played elves, half-elves and humans. And, of course, so do I.

And the most important reason of all: the characters themselves. I just can't think in terms of classes, races or alignments; it's "Okay, here is Neila. I know who she is, and I see her in Icewind Dale" - I see the character and it's more or less already a full package, race and all.

Quote
Good luck, it will be great to have joinables in IWD1.

I am having great fun writing them. :)


Quote
If these make sense story-wise, adding install options for Karin as Ranger/Cleric and Teri as Thief (duallable to Mage) should help IMHO.

I understand that class/variety is an important concern, and I would like this to be solved, as well - Dalekeeper or a similar program may not be enough.  An option at install(a-la Xan) may make sense, but it seems a little outdated now: I think that either Level 1 NPCs or a similar mod/similar code is a viable option.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: the bigg on February 06, 2008, 11:05:14 AM
While L1NPC is the ultimate solution for 'experienced' people to fully customize NPCs, options a-la-Xan are easier to install and the available options might make more sense roleplay-wise than just hacking away with DK or L1NPC and resulting with non-sensical characters (for ex. you don't risk making Olga Holg a Necromancer or whatever).

EDIT: also, L1NPC would need a non-trivial rewrite to work in IWD, adding to the `difficulty' of porting that over.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 06, 2008, 11:30:09 AM
I agree. I will see if I can do anything; perhaps a separate topic may be in order.

Holg is a proizvo... derivative from Helg, actually. You wouldn't believe it, but I just spotted the similarity. :)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: CORVIS TERRIBLE MOUNTAIN GOD on February 06, 2008, 03:14:36 PM
These names are not good names.

Use better names.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: stnemele on February 06, 2008, 10:56:01 PM
Just a question:

I was reading through the forum and was wondering, exactly, how much of this is done? (or in just general terms)

Just curious.

Either way, I like the idea! Now I have to dig through my piles of discs to find IWD....
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 07, 2008, 01:01:48 AM
Quote
These names are not good names.

Use better names.

I know someone who's already changed about between four and forty names of my characters(Let's say fourteen) already. So I've written to this distinguished expert. In private, because I'm shy. :)

(Though, while I am more of "Name me and so you shall break me" kind of person when it comes to names, Karin, Teri(this girl reveals her full name in time) and Neila I am rather fond of.)


Quote
I was reading through the forum and was wondering, exactly, how much of this is done? (or in just general terms)

If I was a Vorlon, I'd answer "Yes".

Wait, I already did.

I've yet to write player-initiated dialogue, and most of the content(except the interjections, which are more or less done) for Chapters 4++ and for both expansions.

And welcome to PPG, stnemele.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: stnemele on February 07, 2008, 02:20:05 AM
Sweetness!

Thankees for the welcome :D

Yay for exorbitant amounts of writing! (a feeling that I know only too well) ;)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: stnemele on February 07, 2008, 02:23:09 AM
Okay, so now let's put this in the right place....

Thankees for the welcome!

Keep up the work. Having tons of writing to do is never fun, but gutting it out is always worth it. At least you won't have to make 19 versions of it to get it right...(or is that jumping the gun a bit?)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Beetle on February 07, 2008, 11:43:25 AM
Long live tradition, then! I will silently pronounce it Kari'n, then it sounds male.
That's a good solution because there's also a long tradition in science fiction and fantasy of adding apostrophes to names without any grammatical reason to do so.  :)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: stnemele on February 07, 2008, 02:30:26 PM
Or you can plagiarize names from classic stories like Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Shakespeare, Terry Pratchett, etc.

Or you can just look up words in languages that no one really thinks of learning (like Swahili, Ancient Greek or Latin) and use those words. It's the best writer's cheat that I learned when short on names for useless (and important) characters :D
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: theacefes on February 07, 2008, 02:37:18 PM
Where are you that no one learns Latin?
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Evaine Dian on February 07, 2008, 03:39:21 PM
I had Latin at school for 7 years and Latin lessons also included Ancient Greek.

Anyway, I'm glad you've decided to set up a new group. Good luck, Kulyok, this sounds awesome!  :)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: ElaineMc on February 07, 2008, 05:51:09 PM
I don't actually own IWD.

Now, though, I'm strongly considering it-- NPCs rule!
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: stnemele on February 07, 2008, 06:19:12 PM
I am in a version of Cow country, USA.

I took Latin (the equivalent of one year, but split into two years in Middle School), but the rest of the schools around where I lived didn't offer it. We had no Greek at all (though the Latin teacher did speak it and offer to teach it in a club). As for me, I switched to Spanish as soon as I could because I find that to be a more useful language to know.

Maybe I was making a generality that wasn't true. I went to a private school, so I know that things there were different than public. Maybe the difference was that it may have been offered, but people didn't HAVE to take it.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 08, 2008, 02:04:31 AM
Quote
Having tons of writing to do is never fun, but gutting it out is always worth it.

Never fun? Ha! Try coding(strictly coding, no writing) two NPC mods sometime, and you'll be writing like no tomorrow, and enjoying it like hell. :)

Seriously, if I viewed modding as a tedious job that must be finished at all costs, I wouldn't be doing it.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: redrake on February 08, 2008, 11:55:57 AM
3 males and 2 females. You are asking players to use female characters for balance. :P
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 08, 2008, 12:42:51 PM
I am a Russian: by default, another female is my natural enemy. :) It took some time and quite a lot of difficulty to devise two female characters I was able to like.

Seriously, though, I think four males and two females can be pretty balanced. Don't you?
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: berelinde on February 08, 2008, 02:27:09 PM
I agree with the four males and two females ratio. It sounds about right to me. I'll be a lot happier with the lineup once the alternate starting classes are in place, though, so I wouldn't have to have a mage PC.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: stnemele on February 08, 2008, 04:17:30 PM
Quote
Having tons of writing to do is never fun, but gutting it out is always worth it.

Never fun? Ha! Try coding(strictly coding, no writing) two NPC mods sometime, and you'll be writing like no tomorrow, and enjoying it like hell. :)

Seriously, if I viewed modding as a tedious job that must be finished at all costs, I wouldn't be doing it.

Coding....?!*runs and cowers in a corner* I know the writing like no tomorrow (because there usually is not since I'll spent 12 hours writing and not know it). But coding....*shudder* It all gets so confusing....Of course, I've never tried it before, and if I ever do get inspired to actually write a mod (doubtful because it's hard to be really when it comes to certain things), I would not cringe from the idea and actually try to learn...but weidu scares me. I tried it once...that didn't go too well....

Oh, well. This is why YOU do the mods and play them and enjoy! :D
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: redrake on February 08, 2008, 04:46:10 PM
Females are better suited for bards instead of fighters. :P

And you should consider making a dwarf. What's IWD without dwarves? ;D
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: theacefes on February 09, 2008, 02:39:29 PM
Females are better suited for bards instead of fighters. :P

And you should consider making a dwarf. What's IWD without dwarves? ;D

Original.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 09, 2008, 03:29:17 PM
I don't play dwarves - they are too haughty and mysterious for me. Jason likes dwarves - have you tried deArnise (http://www.pocketplane.net/nalia) romance yet?

And if you think women ain't well suited for fighters, try Auren Aseph (http://gibberlings3.net/auren/), while you're at it.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: CORVIS TERRIBLE MOUNTAIN GOD on February 09, 2008, 09:46:42 PM
Females are better suited for bards instead of fighters. :P

And you should consider making a dwarf. What's IWD without dwarves? ;D

Original.

wouldn't so muh apply that term to a party full of elves and humans.

Not that I really care, D&D races are dull as shit and I don't think I've ever seen a dwarf NPC in any game ever whose personality wasn't 80% I AM A DWARF.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Beetle on February 14, 2008, 11:42:47 AM
I agree with the four males and two females ratio. It sounds about right to me. I'll be a lot happier with the lineup once the alternate starting classes are in place, though, so I wouldn't have to have a mage PC.
Especially since the PC has to stay in the first slot. That could be painful for a mage.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: jcompton on February 14, 2008, 11:44:14 AM
Just use the formation with the first member in the middle (unless that's not in IWD for some reason?), or right-click and spin the formation deployment.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Odd-Eye on February 15, 2008, 08:12:13 AM
Hi guys, can I just say that this is EXACTLY what I always felt IWD was lacking, sure creating one's own party is fun but you miss the interesting characters and camaraderie of BG2 style NPCs.
I think the proposed names are fine personally, just remember "were all like in a forgotten realm and like omnisexual and stuff"  :) . In all seriousness though, good luck, I'd be happy to test or help with the mod if you need anyone to as I think its a brilliant idea. Personally I think a dwarf would make a really good addition as it seems like hardy dwarves would thrive in harsh, cold wildernesses (think mithral hall everyone). And when I played through IWD I really liked the snow-shrouded dwarf portraits that came with it. Maybe you could mix up the norm and make it a female dwarf? You seem to have the npc personalities in mind though and it will make them more interesting if you really have a feel for their characters. Either way though good luck, can't wait to give this mod a go.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 15, 2008, 08:18:06 AM
Thank you, and welcome to PPG.

By the way, there's IWD2 NPC Project (http://gibberlings3.net/iwd2npc) over at G3. Though there're no dwarves there, either, I'm afraid, but the mod is interesting, and some of the characters are fantastic.

As for help, yes, there might be a call for playtesters soon enough(keep an eye on the forums!) and I put an ad for voice actors yesterday.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Annatar on February 16, 2008, 07:53:56 AM
I'd really love to see some portraits for these npcs.
I think I saw some teeny-tiny ones in the preview topic, but they may have just been placeholders for all I know.
Did you already have some pictures which inspired the characters, or do you get a feel for their personalities first and then get a portraits specially made to suit the way they look in your imagination?
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 16, 2008, 08:26:41 AM
I'd rather not say anything, yet, because I don't want anyone to feel committed or obliged. But I would love to have portraits in IWD style for the final release, yes.

(And, yes, these are placeholders in Screenshots topic, though I've gotten used to them by now, with so much testing and all. :) )
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Iguana-on-a-stick on February 16, 2008, 12:13:51 PM
The idea for this mod sounds very interesting. I liked the IWD2 NPC project a lot, it added tons to the game. IWD1 certainly can use one also.

But I'm a bit concerned about the choice of classes. With 4 fighter types and a bard... you have no decent mage and no healer. (paladins and rangers don't count.) IWD was quite a difficult game in my recollection. Not as difficult as IWD2 perhaps, but some parts I really struggled. And that was with a much more balanced party. I think the game would be incredibly difficult if you played either without healing or without a decent spellcaster. (though I admit that in my case I'm biased in that I almost always play magic-heavy parties with preferably 3 arcane spellcasters in them.) The stuff in the alternate classes thread will help if it can be implemented, though.

Edit: Karin is a female name in Dutch also. The English equivalent is Karen. But I see the name was changed to Korin in the initial post... that sounds much better to me either way.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on February 16, 2008, 12:29:40 PM
It will be implemented, of course. You'll have a choice of two healers(Nella can be dual-classed into a druid or a cleric right away, and Korin can become a ranger/cleric, which makes a lot of sense, given his background), and two mages(Severn will be able to become either a fighter/mage, or a pure mage, and Teri may become a multiclass thief/mage, or a fighter/thief/mage), besides your PC.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Alastair on February 18, 2008, 11:04:23 AM
This mod sounds pimp-tastic.  Just what I wanted for IWD, will install for sure.

Thanks Kulyok!
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: close2myheart on March 01, 2008, 02:13:11 PM
Heya !  ;D

Finally. More male NPCs than the female  ;D so 'Horay!!' to that  ;D ;D ;D

I Haven't played IWD before coz I red it somewhere that the game lacks chatty npcs like in BG2  :-\ (although I'm curious about the game itself and wanting to play it :) but I just can't stand 'silent parties'  >:( ) So I'll definitelly be downloading this mod once it's done, Kulyok!  ;D (Have the IWD cd at hand already  ;D )

Btw, if it's not too much to ask...
Can you make all the NPCs as a romance option?  :P (yeah i know i'm greedy)  :P
Pretty please?  :-*  :)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Alatariel on March 02, 2008, 11:50:58 AM
Hahaha. I can only share close2myheart's sentiment. At least ONE mod where the female players are priviliged would be nice.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Imoen on April 02, 2008, 01:25:04 PM
Alatariel, one of my Baldur's Gate characters has that name.  How ool.

So how many romance options are there?  Two for each?
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Kulyok on April 02, 2008, 01:27:15 PM
You must have access to the beta testing room now, so feel free to ask these questions there. I won't give an answer here until the mod's release, though.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Imoen on April 02, 2008, 01:31:43 PM
Oh okay, I'll be sure to ask questions in there then.  Thanks!
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Tokeloshe on June 26, 2008, 11:34:47 AM
This team needs a spellcaster, and something a little bit different. Particularly alignment wise.

Maybe a lawful evil gnomish lawyer sent North to investigate insurance claims?
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: evilsofa on August 18, 2008, 03:51:14 AM
For those concerned about the classes chosen and whether they make a party strong enough to play through the game:

If you follow the Dan Simpson FAQ (and if you haven't seen it, you should), Dan's recommended party is:

Human     Male     Paladin (to take advantage of the Pale Justice sword)
Human     Male     Fighter dualled to Conjurer at level 3)
Human     Female   Bard (to identify items and cast Magic Missile)
Half-Elf     Female   Cleric/Ranger
Human     Female   Fighter (using Halberds!)
Halfling     Male     Fighter/Thief

Looking familiar yet?  Ignore the gender, which is purely roleplaying, which is the point of this mod.  If we match up Dan's party to the party in this mod, we get:

Human Paladin = Holvir (exact match)
Human Fighter/Conjurer = player's choice
Human Bard = Severn (exact match)
Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger = Korin (install the alternate cleric/ranger class for Korin.  The race is even correct.)
Human Fighter = Nella (exact match)
Halfling Fighter/Thief = Teri (who is actually Half-Elf instead of Halfling, the only race mismatch)
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Cal Jones on August 18, 2008, 12:26:23 PM
Typically, I prefer my main character to be a fighter. If s/he's going to sit in the front ranks, then that makes sense, to me at least. The only character I choosed to modify was Nella, who is a fighter/cleric in my game. I really needed a healer and I prefer Korin as a pure ranger. I thought about Severn as a mage but his story makes little sense unless he's a bard, so I left him as one and haven't regretted it (he gets a lot of kills with his crossbow when he's run out of spells). Sure he can't cast higher level spells except from scrolls, but IMHO I don't think he needs to.
Title: Re: IWD NPC: character profiles
Post by: Green Knight on May 08, 2010, 01:01:21 AM
Like I said in my 'glowing praise post' more NPCs should have at least 1 dot in some form of missile weapon.

I ended up doing the following with their proficiencies:

Holvir: 1 in Crossbows + 2 in Halberds and 1 in Great Swords (didn't want him to be a great missile type)
Korin: 2 in Bows + 2 in Large Swords
Nella: 1 in Missile (sling) + 2 in Quarterstaff and 1 in Large Swords (Scimitar; it makes the most sense to dual her to druid)
Severn: 1 in Bows + 1 in Large Swords
Teri: 1 in Bows + 2 in Large Swords and 1 in Small Swords (she's a FIGHTER, so I gave her real weapons, otherwise she mights as well have been a single-classs Thief)