Incline Hearkenwold - an IceBlink and DC engine Campaign

[Dorateen]

I see that the engine is still developed which is nice but really, outside of you is there anybody actually using it to make serious project?

Pongo made a few fun modules (Raventhal and the Elderin Stone) and has been working on a new project that will be larger. Hope to see another update from him soon.

 

[Dorateen]

Last month I was working on a new settlement in Hearkenwold, the desert town of Sinestra. It is not a very welcoming place, so there will be lots of opportunity for fighting. In fact, just passing through might be a matter of survival.

I like the idea of launching the next part of the adventure from this location because at this point, the characters will be of higher level and dare I say, even considered as "heroes" by some people. But in Sinestra they don't give a damn about that. The residents are all too happy to steal, take advantage and murder the party, if given the chance.

This is a glimpse inside the town. Some of the buildings open up to larger submaps, so there is quite a bit to explore.

Here is one encounter with a few of the locals.

And a different battle, with two-headed camels.

This month, I am planning to completely finish the psionicist adventure. There are only a few new items I need to place, and alternate encounters, so it should not take up too much time. But with that out of the way, I can concentrate on the later areas that further the campaign. Looking at the calendar, I think I will see where I'm at by June and release what I have. There is already a lot of content added to the module, and it will be a sizable update.

 

[Dorateen]

Continuing along in the IceBlink toolset, I finally completed the Psionicist adventure that will be added to Hearkenwold. I wanted to go back and mention again, this is an idea that was suggested to me when I first released the module for Knights of the Chalice 2, due to the existence of three Psionic classes in that engine. Because the class specific guild quests are a central part the Hearkenwold campaign, there was interest in making a new organization dedicated to Psionics for these characters to join. In the IceBlink version, however, there is no Psionic class so this becomes an alternative path for wizards.

The Psionicist Guildmaster occupies a unique position in that he can be treated as an ally or adversary, depending on how the characters approach him in his lair. If a party member does decide to join his guild and take up his mission, then it will function similar to the other guilds including the titles given to the character according to level.

I was also able to finish a new location that can be found in the wilderness maps along the river. Here, while exploring underground, the party runs into a metal grate blocking their progress.

But there are multiple ways around this obstacle.

Elsewhere, this battle with dire rats could be tricky for a mid-level party on account of the risk of being swarmed and surrounded by the nasty things. These rats like to target weaker characters and they can cause disease on a hit.

What this all means is that I can now spend the next couple of months focused on the main adventure, and the content awaiting more advanced parties. I'd still like to have this wrapped up in June and release the updated module. Then I will start converting into the KotC2 version.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Damn dirty rats!!!

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Speaking of rats, I recall the FRUA had an exceptionally large rat combat icon. It seemed ridiculous. I was trying to find it and stumbled across a few archives: HERE

From top menu select:
Monster combat icons
R - monsters
Rats

The original FRUA file is there. I don't know why they didn't use the champions of krynn rat tbh.

Yeah, a lot of old frua links are dead and even archives aren't great. Hopefully all articles and forums were updated in the fandoms or https://goldbox.games/

Sadly, iceblink gets little mention.

 

[Dorateen]

Speaking of rats, I recall the FRUA had an exceptionally large rat combat icon. It seemed ridiculous. I was trying to find it and stumbled across a few archives: HERE

I've been working with the FRUA archives here:

http://frua.corhub.com/

 

[Nikanuur]

I've played a few of these on Android and I must say I was genuinely surprised with the neat bits of creativity here and there. Sometimes different choices in quests, simple yet still various build options, and the sense of adventure (go find the lost guardian to the dungeon, oops, you fell through the hole, you are in the dark, low on health and you don't know what's awaiting round the corner much less where's the nearest exit...).

 

[RPK]

Last month I was working on a new settlement in Hearkenwold, the desert town of Sinestra. It is not a very welcoming place, so there will be lots of opportunity for fighting. In fact, just passing through might be a matter of survival.

I like the idea of launching the next part of the adventure from this location because at this point, the characters will be of higher level and dare I say, even considered as "heroes" by some people. But in Sinestra they don't give a damn about that. The residents are all too happy to steal, take advantage and murder the party, if given the chance.

This is a glimpse inside the town. Some of the buildings open up to larger submaps, so there is quite a bit to explore.

Here is one encounter with a few of the locals.

And a different battle, with two-headed camels.

This month, I am planning to completely finish the psionicist adventure. There are only a few new items I need to place, and alternate encounters, so it should not take up too much time. But with that out of the way, I can concentrate on the later areas that further the campaign. Looking at the calendar, I think I will see where I'm at by June and release what I have. There is already a lot of content added to the module, and it will be a sizable update.

palindromedary. that's awesome

 

[Dorateen]

For the next part of Hearkenwold, I've been working on a new area called Hathgar Wiles, which translates as "Wild Highlands", or simply referred to as The Wild Plateau. It is a dangerous location, where the land begins to climb just south of the Serion Forest. The plateau is flanked by foreboding mountains on the east, ending in a volcanic region known as the Daemon Cones.

Here are a few screenshots from some of the maps:

This is one of the encounters the party might face. These Mountain Lions are seriously big cats who will rip your throat out.

A ranger character will explain why fighting Pyro Snakes could hurt.

I have a little more to do to finish this area. But for this month I am going to shift gears, or rather shift oars, as I start on a new boat adventure. As in content that will take place aboard a large, multi-deck sailing vessel. It will be another path available for higher level characters when they reach this point. More on that in a future update.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I haven't watched a vid in a while and this one gave me WOTES vibes.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I was watching this vid and watched a bit of combat. Are there a lot of death and hit sounds?


In comparison:

 

[Dorateen]

I was watching this vid and watched a bit of combat. Are there a lot of death and hit sounds?

The attack sound is attached to the weapon item, usually either a sword slash, a punch or the click of a bow firing. Spells have their own "buffer" sound. Occassionally, the sound file might glitch and not trigger. I don't think we have a death sound effect, only those laughing skulls from the Gold Box games, which cover a fallen enemy.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I know DC can get quite complex with the sound effects and triggers of other effects. It has been a while since i popped up the kit to mess with.

 

[Abu Antar]

Will all of these changes also be in the version with the KotC2 engine?

 

[Dorateen]

Will all of these changes also be in the version with the KotC2 engine?

Yes, everything I build in the iceBlink toolset, I then re-construct in KotC2. The schedule is to try to finish this update in June, and then I should have the KotC2 version with all this content by early fall.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I suppose I need to buy kotc2 to reap the special sound effects and gfx? I really do like the original engine though as it makes me think of ACS, old Exile, Wyvern etc.

 

[Dorateen]

The main reason I started the KotC2 conversion project is because I enjoy running the encounters in that combat engine. KotC2 does have a somewhat more modern, smoother interface. But I also like the old school approach of IceBlink and the features it brings. Both editors have been equally fun to work with.

 

[WarHamster]

Is the IceBlink engine still being developed?

 

[Dorateen]

Is the IceBlink engine still being developed?

I know slowdive was working on a Unity version of the engine. And build 204 has been in development.

 

[Dorateen]

I have a nautical themed update for the work I did last month on Hearkenwold. I was able to complete the adventure that involves a large sailing vessel. This content would be available in the later stage of the campaign, for more advanced characters. If the party can make it to the Sea of Venum, there they will find docked a mighty barge known as "The Crimson Cutlass". Of course, the player still needs to figure out a way to board the ship.

The areas I put together balance the abstract map design of the module with a recognizable sailing ship layout. I've got a main deck, lower decks, forecastle and even a Crows Nest to explore. Overall, I'm satisfied with how it turned out. Weather effects persist while above deck, accordingly.

Something I've wanted to mention, even though the IceBlink engine is presented with a top down perspective, the conversation interface does have a viewport window for portraits, similar to the Gold Box games. Often throughout the module, when displaying narration text about an area, I will use a "backdrop" image for this kind of first person approach. So at least there's that a little bit of first-person view while adventuring.

Here, a superstitious sailor will confide an unsettling secret with the party.

Some appropriate equipment for the voyage can be found.

And finally, of course there will be the opportunity for combat. In this case, there is a band of sahuagin to be dealt with. As an enemy, the sahuagin will make their first appearance in Hearkenwold as part of the upcoming module release. They are featured in quite a few locations due to the nature of the included river wilderness maps, and this boat adventure. But there are a diverse set of creature types for these aquatic foes, including rangers, priestess and the four-armed baron.

For the remainder of May, I just need to go back and finish the Plateau caves, and the town of Sinestra. Realistically, I expect this will take me into the next month, and I will want to play through the new content again for testing. As soon as this is done, I will post the updated version of the campaign. Should hopefully be right at the start of summer.

 

[Replicante]

gonna give it a try. I notice that when I increase my INT at char creation, my WILL save increases. But the in game guide says it should increase with WIS, as expected. Something wrong here?
And secondly, should I use an upgraded IB engine or the one included with Hearkenwold? thanks !

 

[Dorateen]

And secondly, should I use an upgraded IB engine or the one included with Hearkenwold? thanks !

The engine included with the Hearkenwold download is the latest build of the engine. I will check the saving throw modifiers, sounds like we need to switch that around. Thanks!

 

[Replicante]

And secondly, should I use an upgraded IB engine or the one included with Hearkenwold? thanks !

The engine included with the Hearkenwold download is the latest build of the engine. I will check the saving throw modifiers, sounds like we need to switch that around. Thanks!

Nice to hear. I've noticed that the hotkey C for cast spell during combat seems amiss. I mean, the PC moves diagonally instead of casting a spell, so the hotkey isnt working for me. In the world map, C hotkey does work as Cast Spell. M and K ( for attack ) hotkeys work correctly. Im enjoying it a lot!

pd: also is there such thing as a short manual?you seem to get i finite AOO and one free move if already next to an enemy, also I'm unsure as to how sneak attack (stealth) works. But still I'm having a blast. Much better than other throwback indies out there. Better than most actually.

 

[Dorateen]

pd: also is there such thing as a short manual?you seem to get i finite AOO and one free move if already next to an enemy, also I'm unsure as to how sneak attack (stealth) works. But still I'm having a blast. Much better than other throwback indies out there. Better than most actually.

There definitely needs to be some better documentation, it's just that IceBlink has gone through a number of versions, adding new features over the years. The AoO are something to be aware of as tactical positioning for your party matters. If a spell caster is next to an enemy, they will be attacked when trying to cast a spell. If they are hit, the caster makes a saving throw and could lose their spell if it fails. So you want to try to keep your casters away from adjacent enemies, or else risk moving them out of the way.

Stealth works for a character that has taken the stealth trait. It requires a round to hide in the shadows, so you have to skip that characters turn, and then they will be in stealth mode (a shadowy overlay will cover the character icon). The advantage is that the character can then move around without provoking AoO and if they have the sneak attack trait, they can deliver a backstab attack when positioned directly opposite the way the target is facing. The yellow arrows indicate directional facing.

I think the hot keys might function differently on the battle maps from the adventuring map, I'll have to test that and check. Thank you for the feedback!

 

[Replicante]

pd: also is there such thing as a short manual?you seem to get i finite AOO and one free move if already next to an enemy, also I'm unsure as to how sneak attack (stealth) works. But still I'm having a blast. Much better than other throwback indies out there. Better than most actually.

There definitely needs to be some better documentation, it's just that IceBlink has gone through a number of versions, adding new features over the years. The AoO are something to be aware of as tactical positioning for your party matters. If a spell caster is next to an enemy, they will be attacked when trying to cast a spell. If they are hit, the caster makes a saving throw and could lose their spell if it fails. So you want to try to keep your casters away from adjacent enemies, or else risk moving them out of the way.

Stealth works for a character that has taken the stealth trait. It requires a round to hide in the shadows, so you have to skip that characters turn, and then they will be in stealth mode (a shadowy overlay will cover the character icon). The advantage is that the character can then move around without provoking AoO and if they have the sneak attack trait, they can deliver a backstab attack when positioned directly opposite the way the target is facing. The yellow arrows indicate directional facing.

I think the hot keys might function differently on the battle maps from the adventuring map, I'll have to test that and check. Thank you for the feedback!

thanks for your reply. Yes, I noticed the AoO mechanics, the peculiar thing is 1- you get infinite AoOs apparently (not trait related) and 2- you get one free movement (around an enemy) without triggering AoOs if you start the round adjacent to an enemy.
On the other hand the "cast" hotkey seems amiss in combat indeed which is a shame 'cause it is used quite a bit :D
still, level 3 and smashing my foes :D !

edit: also, safe to assume there isn't any external resources such as a world zone map? ty