Quick Guide to ALFA Character Changes

[Veilan]

Hey hey,

thanks to AL's tireless work, we will soon be able to switch to 1.23. Here is a quick guide to how that is going to change your ALFA experience, hopefully to your enjoyment.

Let's jump right in shall we.

Skills

Skills are going to be changed to match the PnP skillset. This means, you will get the opportunity to spend your hard-earnt skill points among additional skills:
- swim
- climb
- jump
- balance
- use rope
- escape artist
- gather information
- disguise
- forgery
- ride
- sense motive
- decipher script
- profession
- language
- subsets of the perform skill
- subsets of the knowledge skill

PnP distribution of class and cross-class skills applies.

The skills lore, taunt, set trap and the old perform have been removed.

Please note that you will get an automated opportunity to reassign skill points upon logging in after the patch.

The identification of magic items will now work off of the knowledge (arcana) skill.

The use of any bard abilities will consider the perform subskill with the highest rank. If you have perform (dance): 8 and perform (sing) 3, your abilities will assume you have rank 8.

If you raise your skill rank in language, you now will automatically be able to pick up new languages. See more under the "languages" heading.

Feats

Due to some technical difficulties, Alertness is for the time being non-functional. For all characters that have it due to some source, it has been replaced with an appropriate skill focus in either spot or listen. Please note that this is temporary - it should be switched back to the original later again. Think of the skill focus as a helpful placeholder.

The feat Able Learner should now already price cross class skills beginning from first level correctly. It remains a 1st level only feat.

You can now pick a starting region, which will influence the choices of language available to your character. Please take the appropriate region .

Due to our inability to get a satisfying canon implentation, and the imbalancing NWN 2 mechanism, the dinosaur companion feat has been axed. At this point, it should be noted that volunteers who wish to tackle the issue, or maybe even work on a full PnP animal (and familiar?) companion set, are more than welcome to give it a go.

The NWN 2 background feats that modified skills that are no longer applicable have been removed.

The same goes for skill focus feats. Of course, you will get your feat pick replaced.

Once more, it is of note that you will be able to alter your feat selection automatically upon logging in after the patch.

Classes

Bardic knowledge now works like in PnP. In short, that means:

A bard may make a special bardic knowledge check with a bonus equal to his bard level + his Intelligence modifier to see whether he knows some relevant information about local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places. (If the bard has 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (history), he gains a +2 bonus on this check.)

A successful bardic knowledge check will not reveal the powers of a magic item but may give a hint as to its general function. A bard may not take 10 or take 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random.

DCs: Common 10, Uncommon 20, Obscure 25, Extremely obscure 30

As noted under skills, we altered the class skill lists to match PnP.

Prestige Classes

Canon skillsets mean a change in the requirements for several PrCs to have them match canon more closely.

Keep in mind the roleplaying focus of ALFA, and make your choices accordingly, as best befits how you portrayed and played your character. You are not somehow at a loss if you cannot obtain a PrC the first game-technical opportunity. ALFA focuses on characters, not builds, and a believable, plastic, naturally developed character will be more rewarding for your enjoyment of the game than a cookie-cutter narrow path towards optimum build X. Please refer to our Player's Guide and Rulebook.

That said, here are the following changes you will have to accomodate for your plans of PrC pursuit, as they fit your character:

Arcane Trickster

• Lore: 7 -> will be replaced by Decipher Script: 7
• Tumble: 7 -> will be replaced by Escape Artist: 7
• Spellcraft: 4 -> will be replaced by Knowledge (Arcana): 4

Assassin

• Disguise: 4 will be added to the requirements

Blackguard

• Knowledge (Religion): 2 will be added to the requirements

Divine Champion

• Knowledge (Religion): 3 will be added to the requirements (as in NWN 1)

Doomguide

• Knowledge (The Planes): 5 will be added to the requirements

Duelist

• Perform (any): 3 will be added to the requirements

Harper Agent

• Diplomacy 8 (OK, matches canon)
• Lore: 4 -> will be replaced by Knowledge (Local): 4
• Sense Motive: 2 will be added to the requirements
• Feat: Alertness and Feat: Iron Will -> will be replaced by Feat: Negotiator

Hellfire Warlock

• Lore: 12 -> will be replaced by Knowledge (The Planes): 12
• Language: Infernal will also be an RP requirement for approval of this PrC

Invisible Blade

• Sense Motive: 6 will be added to the requirements

Pale Master

• Knowledge (Religion): 8 will be added to the requirements

Red Dragon Disciple

• Lore: 8 -> will be replaced by Knowledge (Arcana): 8

Sacred Fist

• Lore: 8 -> will be replaced by Knowledge (Religion): 8

Shadow Thief

• Gather Information: 3 will be added to the requirements

Shadowdancer (NWN2 differs from DMG 3.5 canon)

• Tumble: 5 -> will be replaced by Perform (Dance): 5

Warpriest (NWN2 differs from canon Complete Divine 3.5)

• Spot: 5 -> will be replaced by Sense Motive: 5

Deities

Deep Sashelas, Tiamat and Uthgar have been added to the deity list.

As NWN 2 does not support Tiamat's favoured weapon, it was changed to rapier for now.

Languages

PC bonus languages are now determined by the starting region, as opposed to starting server. Please pick the appropriate one. Class, faith, race and subrace may also influence choices.

If you level your language skill, your additional bonus languages are based on the same list above, but additionally the server region you are levelling up in is taken into consideration. Please note that you still need to maintain some amount of thought to maintain roleplay congruence - it's always advisable to consult one of your DMs should you have any questions or doubts as to what is appropriate.

Languages that are a dialect of another can now understand each other.




That's a fair deal to digest. Almost all of this has been made possible by AL, who has invested a lot of time and effort into this. Please make sure to thank and praise him!

Cheers,

[Ksiel]

I have to say, I have just recently returned to ALFA. In my haste to get in game I updated to the 1.23 patch before reading the forums. AL pmed me and told me if I didn't want to reinstall I could help test on the test mod.

I have to say, without a doubt, that this is the most streamlined user friendly update to the ALFA system that I have used. Big props out to all those who made it worked.

Thank you.

Ksiel

[AcadiusLost]

To follow up on the nice overview above, here's what to expect the first time you log into a 1.23-enabled ALFA server.

1. Autodownloader (ADL). Your haks, walkmesh files, and tlk file will be checked against the server's list automatically, and updates downloaded and installed if necessary, from inside the NWN2 player or DM client. While you wait for them to download, you'll have 3 pages of info you can read through that will brief you on character conversion and general ALFA news.

2. Region Selection. As you select your preexisting (non-adapted PC) to enter the module, you'll immediately be dropped into a dialog to select a background region for your PC. At the same time, your PC will be surrounded by a VFX so others know you are busy rebuilding. The Effect should also prevent moving/resting and protect your PC from attacks. Your choice of starting region should be made carefully, as it will define what automatic language your PC starts with, as well as what bonus languages will be available for selection. There are two categories of starting regions, "Geographic" and "Non-human Racial". Geographic regions are mostly-human settlements all over the Realms; essentially all the regions from the tables in the FRCS and PGtF are represented, with very few exceptions. Non-human racial regions are meant to reflect characters who were raised among non-human cultures, whether they be hidden elven villages, dwarven citadels, or orc tribes. There are not restricted by PC race, so unusual concepts like a half-orc raised by halfling, or a human who was raised as a slave of the drow, are potentially workable. Please note that these regions tend to grant a racial language as automatic rather than a human tongue like Chondathan. The region information for your chosen region will appear prominently on your character sheet as a placeholder feat, readable in-game by DMs as well. Also note, there is a "Default" option, which will always work to make your character "from" the server you are currently on, region-wise. This is a good option for new players who may not know the FR lore as well.

3. Starting Skillpoint Reassignment. Next, your PC's skills will be analyzed. If you were higher than 1st level before logging in, your PC will be temporarily dropped to 1st level for this stage. Any points invested in deleted non-canon skills like Lore, Set Trap, or Taunt will be returned to you for re-investment. You will be able to adjust individual skill ranks, or use "clear all" to start from scratch. The server messages box on the right will show a running tally of your skill ranks and remaining skillpoints. You may save up to 2 skillpoints from character creation for later reinvestment. Class skills are marked in the dialog, and descriptions explain the use of each skill. Those skills which will primarily only be of use via a DM are further marked as "RP skills". PCs who took the "Able Learner" feat at 1st level will be prompted to clear all ranks from character creation, so they can use all their starting skillpoints at the proper cost for cross-class skills. Also note: Speak Language is an available skill at this point (though it's a cross-class skill for non-bards). Points invested at this point will increase the number of languages selectable for the PC (normally equal to the number of points of INT bonus).

4. Feat Adaption. When skill ranks are "finalized", the system briefly examines your feats. Alertness, if present, is replaced with a skill focus in Spot or Listen. "History" feats like Wild Child or Troublemaker, which formerly adjusted ranks in one or more deleted skills, will be removed. This was the only fair way to handle it, as these feats were all based on balancing bonuses with penalties, and leaving them in place would leave some PCs advantaged without the corresponding limitation, or vice versa.

5. Starting Languages. Next, a DMFI tool will be re-awarded to your PC. At this point the "starting languages" selection GUI will appear, showing choices based on your class, subrace, faith, favored enemy, and selected starting region.

6. Level return / completion For 1st level PCs, finishing language selection ends the adaption process. The character file is saved, and play can resume normally. For PCs that were 2nd or higher level before logging into the 1.23-enabled server, XP is returned to boost them back up to their prior level, and they must continue with adaption. If your prior alignment was incompatible with your base classes, it will be temporarily shifted to allow you to re-level in the same class as before. If you had PrC validation before adaption, the feat will be re-awarded at this stage for later (don't need a DM to re-validate).

7. Leveling up. The protection/freeze effect will continue to persist as you move through the levelup GUI. You will see the new skills as part of the level-up interface, all banned feats will be hidden, and feats altered by ALFA will have changed descriptions. IMPORTANT: If you are working towards the possibility of a Prestige Class (PrC), or had one or more levels in one before adaption, make sure to examine the description of your chosen PrC in the Class Selection party of the level-up GUI, to make sure you know what skills and/or feats to take in order to qualify for it. A number of changes have been made to the requirements in order to bring them closer to PnP canon, but all are listed ingame in the class descriptions. You may change Feat selections, but are strongly encouraged to re-take ones you had before for continuity. NOTE FOR WIZARDS: Any spells gained by scribing scrolls will already be in your spellbook, but those taken on previous level-up will be missing. For continuity, you are encouraged to try to select the same spells you chose when originally leveling up, but this is not enforced by the scripts.

8. Level-up check. As you finish a level-up, the scripts check to make sure you leveled into the correct class. If an attribute point was gained, they check to make sure it was put into the same statistic as before. If not, you are dropped back down a level and asked to repeat the last leveling. Note that additional languages from Speak Language ranks will not be selectable until you are done re-leveling up to your level prior to adaption.

9. Final Language selection. Once all levels have been appropriately reassigned (and feats and skills reinvested), the language GUI will pop up again for any additional languages earned from Speak Language investment.

10. Completion. Any alignment shifts are now reverted, and the protection/freeze FX is removed. Your PC is fully adapted to the new skillset, and ready to be played IC. Normal RPXP banking should resume at this point.

Other notes:

• Initially, the custom skills can only be rolled by PCs using PC Tools. The DMFI skill roller for PCs will be re-added later for convenience. DMs may use either method to roll or call for rolls in the new skills.
• New PCs rolled on a 1.23 server will see the custom skills from the start, and be allowed a region choice during the character creation GUI. ALFA-specific information will be available at every stage of the character creation process, and new heads/hair/voicesets are now available.
• New PCs will be forewarned of which class (FS), feats (Heritage), and subraces (Planetouched, underdark) require Extraordinary PC approval, and what that entails. Level-Adjusted subraces also include a warning about how many XP they will require to reach their second character class level.
• New PCs will also go through an abreviated version of the above adaption just in case they ended up with a skillpoint or two in a deleted skill (the Recommend button, or Package use sometimes cause this). This also allows Able Learners to take full benefit of their feat, and for PCs who take one of the remaining "History" feats (like Bully) to still pick a region.
• Instead of PWC files, the new system places the walkmesh files in module-specific subdirectories of your /documents/nwn2/modules folder- so don't panic if you don't see any PWCs in your /pwc folder. Also, you will be able to delete any Live server PWC files you still have from before the 1.23 conversion.
  
• IMPORTANT FOR BUILDERS: If you have a copy of the module you are going to be logging in to (as a player or a DM) in your /modules directory, make sure you rename it before logging in, otherwise the module directory will be overwritten with walkmesh information.

These systems have been a long time coming, it's exciting to be able to finally bring them to light. Many people have assisted here and there in bringing these changes to fruition, but none of it would be possible without the continued support of Obsidian and those NWN2 community contributors who have assisted in patch testing and development. Getting haks loading before character creation and an integrated content downloaders have been dreams of the Neverwinter Nights community from the earliest days of NWN1, and it is inspiring to see them realized now.

We are aiming to switch over to 1.23 this weekend, if all goes smoothly.

[Riotnrrd]

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all whom have been involved in this upgrade! It is sooooo exciting, and has been professionally and wonderfully done.

Special thanks to AcadiusLost whom has worked so hard on this! Thanks also to all of the members of the standards team and everyone else whom helped to make this happen!

[fluffmonster]

I haven't even been playing much, but am still much appreciative of all who put in the hours to make this happen. I salute your commitment to the task.

[NickD]

OK, here's a slightly controversial question!

There are a number of the new RP skills I would like to take. However, my character's intelligence would not support them all. Would it be possible to change my character's stats (+intelligence, -whatever) with the automated "rebuild" process? Or do I just have to take a hit with that?

[KalevD]

Congratulations and job well done AL, you're a cornerstone to this community and we can't thank you enough for all you've done.

Three Cheers!

[gribo]

NickD, See section 8. You have to assign your attribute points the same way.

[Brother Humphrey]

NickD, face it. She's a typical dumb blond. Otherwise, would she have had a kid with a tail?

[Brother Humphrey]

On a more serious note, the loss of taunt is a bit of a blow, if it's not integrated into Intimidate, as per what I've just read on the 3.5th ed skills & actions description. I realise that it would only apply to a single foe, rather than an increasing radius of hostiles, but it can still make a big difference when faced with an opponant that can be scared into screwing up and soiling his/her own armor.

[pangolin]

so...when?

[Rotku]

[Edited to remove an aboslutely unhelpful comment and a general waste of space after deciding that such a comment coming from an ADmin type person may be taken in the wrong way]

[rorax]

I just wanted to say thanks to AL and all others invovled that keep investing their time to improve ALFA.


So thanks AL and the rest of the group

[Veilan]

I had forgotten to list the skill related changes to PrCs. I've added them to the OP.

Cheers,

[Ithildur]

Tom, you sir, simply rock.