A transatlantic cooperative effort brought to you by:
Module builder, story expansion, and whip-cracker:
Dave Mason (Canadian)
Plot basis, (some) dialogue, and custom content:
SideStep (Scottish)
Error checker extraordinaire, custom content, and walkthru read me with spoilers (be sure to check those out at some point - great reading!):
Jo Cool (American)
Grateful thanks to:
- Barfark for two wonderful portraits
- Ice-Child for the children and window haks
Beta testing was greatly assisted by:
- Eye4NEye (Check out his 'Trust Lies Within' series!)
- DaMonkey (Check out his 'A Simple Plan' series!)
- Becca
- Jo Cool
- SideStep (who's gone beyond the call of duty. Been beta testing this since the module was just a series of connected areas!)
- Dave Mason
As before with AMOT, a special thanks goes to Eye4NEye, whose scripting help and building inspiration never seem to end for me, or cease to amaze. He was, is, and always will be, in my estimation, THE MAN!!
Thanks to BioWare for giving us the tools to do this, and honors and praise to Ed Greenwood, the man who created the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, and to all at TSR and Wizards of the Coast who published the books that hooked SideStep (and a lot of others) all those years ago. For those who know their F.R., this MOD is happening a few weeks after (and not far away from) the momentous events described in the early part of Ed Greenwood's book 'Spellfire', and some NPCs may make reference to some of these goings-on.
We believe this series to be very faithful the FR, including the time line, so any inconsistencies noticed are welcomed.
Once again, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank the community for their continued support. Your comments are what keep me coming back to the NWN builder, again, and again.
I'd also like to thank all the great builders in the community who I've been entertained, inspired, and instructed by. Playing many of the mods out there has given me some great ideas, and cracking them open has given me some great code. There are too many builders to mention specifically, here. Thanks everyone!
If you finish this and you like it, please vote! (don't vote if you didn't like it... heh heh, just kidding). All comments welcomed and encouraged.
Read Me
This document provides a brief overview of A Harper's Tale Prelude, the first in what will be an (extensive) ongoing series of modules. A separate spoilers sheet will be available later. The module is only suitable for single-player use, and has certain restrictions on character type:
- Must be of human, half-elven, or elven descent
- Must be a non-evil alignment (any goods or neutrals - If you are tempted to take an evil route after starting, be warned that allowing a character to drift too far in this direction can prove detrimental in this series of modules)
- Must be below level 8 (Any level is acceptable between levels 1 - 7. The lower the level, the longer the mod. Level 1 recommended.)
One thing that is not restricted with respect to the PC is gender. It is encouraged that players try either sex (or both if you replay). What effect is has on the game comes more into play in Chapter 1, however.
This module is a 'semi-leveller', or what I like to refer to as 'accelerated level building.' I knew I wanted to make Chapter 1 in the series for mid level characters, but I didn't want people to come into the mod, talk to someone, and magically get promoted 8 levels. I decided to create a small adventure to make a PC work for their promotion to level 8 (sort of). (BTW, it is possible with this module for your PC to make it as far as level 11 or so, but you really have to learn to milk the XP to do that!) This module is intended to get a first level character up to the necessary 8th level in about 3-4 hours, depending on class. Most areas have respawning monsters, and there are items to be found that can help your cause considerably. Watch for them! (Note: it is not necessary to start a new character. The module is built to accept any character in the specified range, and the easier tasks can be skipped if the PC is already 'above them').
The Mod is set in the Year of the Prince, 1357 in the Dale Reckoning, in the Thunder Gap area south west of Cormyr, in the Forgotten Realms.
The game is probably easiest when played with a fighter class, but has been successfully completed with all types, and a significant number of dual-classed characters. Spellcasters can have a lot of fun here. A pure rogue is probably the hardest route to take.
NOTE: There is no PC re-spawn in this game, so be careful to SAVE REGULARLY!! We have decided that when you die, you're actually dead (what a concept!) The message here: SAVE REGULARLY!!
****One slight spoiler****: Try to hang on to any reagents and jewels you find, especially if they're things you've never seen. Trust me, you'll be glad you did later on, and not just in this mod, but throughout the series...
The series features a LOT of custom item content with more details in the spoilers, but it's probably more fun to discover things as you go along. Be sure to carefully read the item descriptions.
Some enemies cannot be slain, but can be outwitted, sneaked past, or otherwise defeated. A wise adventurer accepts the need to retreat and re-group on occasion. Know when to run away! (we don't believe every single encounter should be tailor made to match your exact level every time... be aware! Most encounters can be handled, however.) Again, save regularly, and learn as you go.
We hope you enjoy these modules, which have been six long months in the making. At this moment, we anticipate there will be at least six more to come before we're done (there goes the next few years of my life...) SideStep could be drawing a pension by then! We think we've error-checked it to exhaustion, but we're bound to have missed something. If you find any bugs, play difficulties or typographical errors, please let us know; we'd really appreciate it.
KNOWN ISSUES:
- Occasional game instances have a lesser monster respawn rate. This is a Bioware level bug (if I check the 'continuous respawn' box and set them to infinite respawns, that should work, right?)
