NWN Neverwinter Nights (NWN & NWN2) Modules Thread

[felicity]

What mods do you use you can't play without? I don't exactly mean module that is a game on its own, but haks, tools, whatever that enhance the overall gameplay experience. I have gathered a small list of useful mods from nwnvault. The improvement on the game is so great. I was impressed with what I've seen. NWN2 is truely the most mod flexible game on the market. I've to admit that I actually like NWN2 now. A shame that the game didn't start off well.

A good control scheme is better than any mods. On outdoor maps, buildings always get in my view if I'm in exploration mode with camera focus locked on the character. I use strategy mode for most maps, zoom out as much as possible, and only uses exploration on indoor maps if necessary. This way only really tall objects, for example mountains, can block my view. It's still not perfect however, everytime when the PC decends/ascends a hill, the camera auto zoom in or out, but it is an endurable glitch. I customized WASD to control camera panning, and right mouse key to adjust camera angle instead of middle key (this requires a mod, see below). This settings I find very natural and no worse than NWN1. It'll be perfect if they can fix the auto zoom in/out problem, and makes the buildings autohide themselves when they are behind your camera.

These mods can all be found by searching its name on nwnvault.

Essential mods:

• Slim GUI - I prefer it over Charlie's one. The custom shortcut bar doesn't recognize keyboard inputs so I disable it and use the stock's hotbar instead.
  
  Kornstalx's HotKeys - Right click to adjust camera angle instead of middle key, and makes highlight hotkey toggable instead of press and hold. VERY USEFUL.
  
  Rod of preparation - Autobuffer, save time and finger, essential for any modules.
  
  NWN2 creature distant tweak - No more over-crowded confused combat. Why I didn't find it earlier?
  
  Store tweak - Makes the scrollbar stays where it was after you've bought something. No more scrolling back and forth when you want to buy multiple of the same item.
  
  TonyK AI - I like to have control over most things but this is still useful for the autoswitch AI so I don't need to micromanage every party members' weapon when I face a monster with DR. Also greatly improves monsters AI.
  
  Less obrusive spell effects - More easily see which buffs you have active.

Gameplay enhancements:

• Kaedrin's PRC pack - The best supported PRC packs at the moment, and extremely well documented too. It sports a nice array of classes that are actually useful. There are also new spells and feats for many classes. This PRC packs beat the NWN1's one by far. The PRC pack in NWN1 is a buggy mess, many feats and spells simply don't work as described, or a sloppy work around that breaks in actual play, largely because NWN1 feat is hardcoded. Unfortunately this PRC pack conflicts with most spell/feat fixes mods because they alter the same files.
  
  Player1's spell fixes and feat fixes - Correct a lot of spell glitches. Incompatiable with Kaedrin's PRC pack.
  
  Warlock buddy - Eases micromanagement, very handy for warlocks.
  
  Universal companions - Similar to NWN1 OHS mod, only much better. Add a few options in the game menu. Let you store your character and your companions for other modules.
  
  Companion multiclass - Multiclass your companions. Haven't tried it yet but supposed it works.
  
  NWN2 editor - Very powerful and easy to use editor. Useful when you took a wrong feat or want to modify your companions' stats to your preferences.
  
  Vordan's Hero Creator - The best trainer module there is(a trainer module is a module that let you level up and equip your character, often for the purpose of exporting to other community modules.). A lot of features and easy to use. It was an eye opener to me how moddable NWN2 is.
  
  FRW character creator - Another trainer module. This one only have basic functions but it gives you power appropriate amount of gold and item in store is level restricted. I find it more useful in practice than VHC.
  
  Various portrait packs - Replaces the ugly and indistinguishable 3D heads on party bar and character sheet.

What are your recommendations?

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Warlocks suck - even with a cheating device like Warlock Buddy.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Warlocks suck

NO U

 

[MetalCraze]

Wasn't warlock a yet another DnD3.5 stupidity aka casual class developed specially for games?

Anyway - unless there is a mod that totally rewrites all NWN2 story, characters and quests NWN2 is still shit.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Warlock was introduced in Complete Mage, back in normal 3.0 as well IIRC.

And skyway, BG2 requires a mod like that too if that's the case.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Warlocks suck

NO U

Sorry, didn't mean to hurt your feelings.

 

[FeelTheRads]

I heard Uninstall is a good mod.

 

[FeelTheRads]

And skyway, BG2 requires a mod like that too if that's the case.

Yeah, uhm, no.

The difference between BG2's story and the NWN2 one is like the difference between PST's story and the BG2 one. That is: huge!

Plus, BG2 also has better combat, if only for the fact that you can click on enemies without having to rotate the camera (because otherwise you select your own party members instead of attacking) and you can actually see what the fuck is going on because the spell effects are not that retarded to cover everything.

 

[Shannow]

NWN2 has a story? I thought that was just a string of bad combat, binary choices & consequence/choices --> same consequences, some underdeveloped castle management, boring/aggravating/forced companion drivel, camera torture and bugs/performance issues...

Anyway, felicity, I'm not sure if it was the Less obrusive spell effects, but there was also a mod that prevented skin spells from shoving. Was useful for SoZ's buggy mess (, very slightly improved performance) and I found it aesthetically more pleasing. Otherwise you've pretty much listed all mods I used/knew about.

 

[felicity]

The only cheating part about Warlock Buddy is automatic hideous blow, but you can disable it in the menu. Warlock is pretty good, medium BAB progression, ranged touch attack for blasts, variety of damage type, no save and can bypasses SR, and UMD. A solid class for a backup arcane user/crafter.

Anyway - unless there is a mod that totally rewrites all NWN2 story, characters and quests NWN2 is still shit.

Some community modules are really great. I just started Subtlety of Thay, and it's awesome. I'm in chapter 1 still but it has already become my favorite NWN2 module. I heard chapter 2 is even better and it has 20 gameplay hours(total 30 hrs chapter 1+2). It has great combat, lots of skill checks, good assortments of inventories in stores; my bard/rogue surely took advantage of that. The author really knows what good gameplay is supposed to mean, not novelist wannabe like many others.

I actually like this module better than MoTB because MoTB is pretty boring if you don't care for the storyline, the combat sucks. The crusade for the damned faithless plot is just the old recycled anti-christ argument. In MoTB Kelemvor didn't give any real reason as to why the wall of faithless must exist and so the players are led to believe that it's an injustice from the gods. The developer chose not to include the lore of the wall of faithless, so the teenage knee jerks rebels against christianity can more easily connect with the plots.

 

[Shannow]

Yay, let's start a new thread-war of the faiths. I hope we get past page 12 before it is retardoed this time.

felicity started with some weak, groundless ad hominems against non-christians. How will they react? Will they point out that a god that claims to love and forgive everyone but punishes non-believers with hell/purgatory isn't very consistent? Or will they follow the path of telling felicity to shut the fuck up and stop comparing fantasy injustices with each other?
Will some even point out that the Wall must not exist and MotB's story suck in the end because it doesn't make a futile crusade possible?

Ooh, I'm so exited.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

The only cheating part about Warlock Buddy is automatic hideous blow, but you can disable it in the menu.

automatic Dark Foresight

medium BAB progression

With no native way to buff your AB like Cleric or Bard that means you won't hit shit.
I don't talk about the wussies you fight in the OC.

UMD

Yes you need to mimic capabilities of real classes to suck less.

Some community modules are really great. I just started Subtlety of Thay, and it's awesome.

That is true enough. Problem: it ends when it gets interesting and no Chapter 3 in sight.

MoTB is pretty boring

disagree

 

[felicity]

there was also a mod that prevented skin spells from shoving

Are you speaking of this?

I prefer visible spell effects, make it easier to spot when they wore off or were dispelled. My avatar already looks like my ass anyway, stoneskin will only conceal the ugliness.

 

[Lonewolf]

I think you guys are too hard on NWN2, you raise the bar too high... :shock:

[dons flame coat]

 

[felicity]

automatic Dark Foresight

Isn't it only works when out of combat? It just saves you the trouble of mouse clicking.

With no native way to buff your AB like Cleric or Bard that means you won't hit shit.
I don't talk about the wussies you fight in the OC.

You have ranged touch attack for high ac enemies, in which case eldritch blast does a decent job, and even in tougher modules high ac isn't the norm, a warlock who has invested ability point in STR can hit most enemies. In party it can be buffed by other casters. Bull STR, bless, heroism, aid are easy access buffs.

That is true enough. Problem: it ends when it gets interesting and no Chapter 3 in sight.

I find chapter 1 plenty interesting enough and I'm really enjoying it. Perhaps that's because I play a bard/rogue jack-of-all-trades so I get to try most skill checks and have to plan for combat.

 

[felicity]

I think you guys are too hard on NWN2, you raise the bar too high... Shocked

[dons flame coat]

:Hivemind casts lesser spell breach:
:Hivemind casts maximized flame arrow CL 20:
:Lonewolf takes 120 fire damage:

 

[felicity]

Yay, let's start a new thread-war of the faiths. I hope we get past page 12 before it is retardoed this time.

felicity started with some weak, groundless ad hominems against non-christians. How will they react? Will they point out that a god that claims to love and forgive everyone but punishes non-believers with hell/purgatory isn't very consistent? Or will they follow the path of telling felicity to shut the fuck up and stop comparing fantasy injustices with each other?
Will some even point out that the Wall must not exist and MotB's story suck in the end because it doesn't make a futile crusade possible?

Ooh, I'm so exited.

I'm not religious at all and I have nothing against non-christians, or atheists for that matter. I probably count as one myself, at least the god in the sense of a personified all-knowing being. I said MoTB plot sucks because it's recycled from an argument against an extremist view of the afterlife. While I can be called an atheist, I have no interest in battering bankrupted arguments from fanatics. I know that the educated, progressive christians do not contend those who do not explicitly believe in God will be burned in hell. The wall of faithless, by excluding us the reason of why it existed, only reflects the retarded fanatics position, and as such it does not interest me.

What Obsidian should have done is give us lore of the wall of faithless is so important to the well being of the multi-verse. Perhaps because faithless fuels the power of the Entropy, and ultimately will lead to the demise of the multi-verse? What part does the overgod AO plays in the establishment of the wall of faithless? What do you mean by faithless? Do you have to undergo some rituals to become one, or is it sufficient to become faithless when you explicitly denounces gods? If you follow some principles but do not explicitly follow any gods, are you a faithless? These are all interesting stuff that could be further explored. Planescape:Torment was great because there were a lot of myths to be found everywhere in game. If they could include myths like these, it'll be much more interesting.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

You don't want to end up in the wall? Pick Mystra at char-creation. Problem solved.

 

[MetalCraze]

And skyway, BG2 requires a mod like that too if that's the case.

Yes. Though I don't understand what infinitely superior BG2 has to do with this pile of crap called NWN2.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

And skyway, BG2 requires a mod like that too if that's the case.

Yeah, uhm, no.

The difference between BG2's story and the NWN2 one is like the difference between PST's story and the BG2 one. That is: huge!

Plus, BG2 also has better combat, if only for the fact that you can click on enemies without having to rotate the camera (because otherwise you select your own party members instead of attacking) and you can actually see what the fuck is going on because the spell effects are not that retarded to cover everything.

Actually, there is next to no difference in quality between the story of NWN2 and BG2. In fact, NWN2 does better on some parts (ie, dialogue).

The combat in BG2 on the other hand is better due to having the occasional well-designed encounter. However, it should be pointed out that a number of them depend on the enemy using auto-buffs on contact.

 

[Norfleet]

:Hivemind casts lesser spell breach:
:Hivemind casts maximized flame arrow CL 20:
:Lonewolf takes 120 fire damage:

I don't think that works against protections granted by items.

I'm not religious at all and I have nothing against non-christians, or atheists for that matter. I probably count as one myself, at least the god in the sense of a personified all-knowing being. I said MoTB plot sucks because it's recycled from an argument against an extremist view of the afterlife.

Well, faithlessness seems like a bit of a counterfactual argument in a universe where gods demonstrably and tangibly exist.

 

[Lonewolf]

....wha...

 

[racofer]

The only mod you need is a whole new game engine.

 

[Lonewolf]

Where can I get that mod?

 

[FeelTheRads]

Well, faithlessness seems like a bit of a counterfactual argument in a universe where gods demonstrably and tangibly exist.

I suppose it's more a thing of not worshiping the gods, rather than not believing in their existence. Even so, I fail to see what would the benefits be for one who doesn't worship them, especially if he knows about the wall. Like, "Wut? Fuck gods, I'll just go in that fucking wall! lol". Rebellious, but stupid.