Any ideas for a new adventure?

Neverwinter Nights 2
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Being a playtester made me want to get back to doing something for NWN2.
I don’t know who makes me do this.
I was thinking something as simple as a hack n slash, but way better than that abomination I had to test.

But looking back my adventures were already hack n slash, after all combat is an important part of this game.

The SoulPath is pretty much an HnS with a modicum of story.
The Townsimulator is basically about killing monsters to get the resources to build your own city.
In the arena, the latest addition was a sort of tower defend, where with a team you have to stop so many waves of enemies.

So does it make sense for me to do another HnS?
But what else could be done?

A couple of years ago, before I stopped, I was working on a sort of Monster Hunter, I had already set up several scripts, but in the end it seemed like a pretty boring idea with NWN2 mechanics, (monster hunter is already a boring game of his own) and then building the settings is an ambitious job, especially because either you do it well, or it’s not worth doing.

If I had to actually get to work on NWN2 again, I’d make interior environments, simpler.

But let’s get to the point: a hack n slash.
Is it supposed to be a solo adventure? In this case many mechanics that the game offers would go to waste, putting locked doors and traps would force the player to rogue. It does not seem right.
A team HnS then? The player with three companions who challenges the dungeon in all its facets? Wouldn’t that be more interesting?
The loot should be divided among four characters, rather than simply resold because it is unused.
Four characters offer multiple strategies for dealing with the waves of enemies.
But should the companions be proposed by the module, or let them all be created by the player?

Write me some notes, about what you might consider fun and interesting for a Hack n Slash, and what kind of challenges you would like your character to face.
And also what would you avoid and what would bore you.

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With a PC and three companions, there are very few challenges a player cannot overcome. You simply build a fantasy “special operations team” and go from there.

Solo means whatever you build, some will go to waste because as you say, traps-vs-no-traps sort of forces the player’s hand.

IMO having a limited choice of companions makes for more interesting play. If I only have two extra slots, do I drop the healer or the arcane spell caster? If I only have one companion slot, what complements my PC?

SoZ style parties are easier to play since you can multiclass and create synergies of very powerful companions.

A limited selection of single class companions is the most restrictive and most challenging.

I like a hack-n-slash if it allows me to chose my tactics.

  • cast a spell
  • throw a grenade
  • set up an ambush
  • summon a creature
  • sneak-hit-and-run

IMO boring only happens when there is no option but melee.

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So, instead of a group of four, do you think it would be better with just one mate from a pre-made list?

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Depending on your design, that is one way to control the difficulty.

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Reavers of Harkenwold

It’s for level 2 characters and seems to be well received. You could probably throw in a preface for starting 1st level characters.

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I meant “new adventure to create” with the editor.

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Yep, we got that. I don’t think anybody has made a Reavers of Harkenwold module for NWN2, so it was a suggestion.

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And how am I ever to know what this Reavers of Harkenwold is and what it’s about?
I asked which elements can make an HnS interesting, and which can bury it.
Don’t make me suggest transposing an existing paper adventure.

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The story and characters will make the hack and slash interesting, think of the beginning / setting first and a few people, the rest should follow.

Something I always thought about doing was taking the spirit eating function and making a vampire mod. That could be a fairly straight forward bite and suck ( not hack and slash ) with an emphasis just on not getting caught.

But it would be far better and wouldn’t risk getting repetitive if it was about an underworld of vampires or getting revenge on the master that turned you and made you fang your family before you knew what was going on.

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You wanted a suggestion; I gave one. Good luck, mate.

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What a lovely happy mellow person making his videos… Good on him, whoever he may be.

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Make something high level. Practically every mod for NWN2 is for lower levels and I am sick of killing rats with a dagger! Let’s see simulacrum and weird and quivering palm already in some mods!

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I can understand you, but from which level would you be concerned?
One of the nice things about this game is the travel and progression; see your character grow and overcome difficulties.
If the character has already grown up, he loses a bit of taste in my opinion.
So what level would you start at?
And once I’ve leveled up the new character, how do you get the starting equipment?
Do you buy it? Normal or already magical weapons for sale?
So I should also give you starting gold to buy it.

I don’t know, it feels like resuming a game midway instead of starting a new game.

However, all my adventures start from the first level, to get to the thirtieth.
So if you have a halfway character you can still use it, you’ll just be overleveled for the first half of the adventure, and the rats.

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Agree with you on the loss of connection with your character when you start at higher level, though that can often be remedied by a good backstory.

I prefer level 1 starts myself, if the adventure is to be of great scope. And there’s nothing wrong with it. Sure, go kill the rats in the cellar is the king of cliché - that doesn’t mean you have to do it. Come up with something different. Maybe take the tired clichés of the NWN series and spin them up differently. Infinite possibilities :slight_smile:

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Since your previous works were light on story, you could go with making a module that’s more story-driven but still have lots of combat in it. A strong narrative can be a great motivator for pushing on in a module. Now regarding party size, I think a small party is better so that each member plays a larger role and personally I prefer story-related companions but with full control over their build aside from their starting class.

As for the story itself, it is up to you, but I’d suggest something more unusual instead of a traditional adventurer start. Perhaps you could try perspectives that have not been explored in any module from the vault so far?

What annoys me sometimes is the module not supporting player’s weapon focus as it basically means the player wasted a precious feat on a weapon class he will never find in the module. Now, this doesn’t mean there should be unique weapons for every weapon class, just a way to buy or obtain a base or upgraded weapons of all types somewhere would be enough or add a upgrade system for players can make their own unique weapon. Or let the player know which weapon types are supported in the mod page description.

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Sigh. I guess this is why it stays this way. BG2 maybe the greatest rpg ever progressed your character 40 levels over three games (whirlwind, timestop, man that was fun!). if you weren’t connected after that, not sure that you would ever be, IMHO. You can start it at whatever level, but I agree with Bow, do something different. Also consider removing restrictions on the best spells and feats, or enabling them at lower levels. Indanthrine Prince was great but lacked a mage (Haven’t tried it with conjurer yet), it let you get to a high level. And here’s a wild never before tried idea…lol, make the enemies stronger too! Well, off to play my no daggers and rats allowed mod!

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An idea: Korean novels style “Gate” story.
Set in a modern world in which Dungeons appear and select few “awaken” and acquire powers (i.e. become adventurers = standard classes). In some stories modern weaponry does not work inside dungeons.
Society becomes driven by guilds often run by corporations that compete (and even auction off) dungeons. Teams of awakaned enter dungeons to farm items/crafting materials/energy cores of monsters. Otherwise they also protect the cities and countryside from whatever monster spills out of the dungeons.
PC starting up a guild, gathering companions and growing in power…

I always wanted to play such a game. :expressionless:

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Game mechanics good for an HnS in neverwinter nights 2, not plot ideas.
You are asking for another game, try looks on steam.

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I don’t know about that, I can only see one thing that would cause issues with Werelynx’s suggestion and that is the modern setting. Rjshae has been beavering away with modern placeables :+1: but I still think it would be hard to go the full modern society with weapons etc. Other than that I think it’s a really good idea.

The faction system and journal could handle most of it but for simplicity I’d go in reverse and make the society more primitive and the adventurers and guilds would therefore hold the power, making it much easier to make the setting.

You could also go for some local conflict because “the old ways are still the best,” and maybe they are because simple living people are becoming corrupted, so in comes another angle… Does the PC turn his/ her back on it all and destroy the dungeons ? That’s an awesome possible ending and brings in an angle on modern society in general… I’d definitely be going for that option.

Werelynx’s suggestion could certainly make for some epic modules and a whole new game world, it’s definitely doable, even by me and I’m crap at scripting and avoid it.

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Gives a new meaning to the vermin quest -

TR

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