Custom Possession, is it possible?

[Legacy_Buddywarrior]

               I would like to make a custom power for a custom ‘class’ I’m
working on that I’m calling Soul Hopper. The race is able to summon a creature
then immediately possesses that creature.  Their body, limp, powerless while the new host
is of course very strong.

Any suggestions on what function I would use or how to
possess a summoned creature?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rubies]

               There's no NWN function for it but NWNx provides very limited functionality - I still honestly wouldn't recommend it, but it's worth a look!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               You could create the illusion of this via polymorph and cloning.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               Possession itself is hard-coded for familiars only, though as Rubies said NWNx might do what you want...

Hen's suggestion would probably be the most stable.

As an alternative to polymorph, you are also welcome to use whatever helps from my old Dynamic Wildshape for Druid and Shifter classes (3.5 PNP Rules) v1.2 system as well.

Or If you are feeling adventurous, you could try to mutate the existing familiars into what you want...
(Note that they are identified by thier appeance, so be sure to change all scripts were needed...)

See:

Easy Familiars and Animal Companions Starter Kit 1.00 - modifying the Bioware familiars/companions for custom content newbies

Custom Eyeball Familiar

Familiars

Familiar replacement pack v4.1

Player Handbook Familiars (with UMD) 1.03a
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Carcerian, 28 juin 2012 - 01:00 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Carcerian.... thats another good idea: extend the list of familiars. There might be a way to create a lock on which ones are accessible during level up. Very interesting idea.

Another thing that you can do... modify the hell out of the familiar. I do this slightly but think it could be expanded upon. (1) You can change the appearance of any familiar fairly easily. I enable alternate familiar choices by saving the familiar's appearance in a persistent variable (and different appearances have slightly different special abilities). (2) You can polymorph a familiar just like you can any other creature.

Anyway... I think you could code a framework for a very interesting set of abilities.

One drawback of familiars: They can not interact with items.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 28 juin 2012 - 12:01 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Buddywarrior]

               I think the Polymorph idea may be the best idea for me. Thanks a bunch all!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               I'll look into polymorphing familiars then....I just love that idea. Typically you've got your crow familiar, but occassionally you do a ritual to call forth your daemonic advisor, and you get that as your familiar instead.

Very cool! '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               

henesua wrote...

I'll look into polymorphing familiars then....I just love that idea. Typically you've got your crow familiar, but occassionally you do a ritual to call forth your daemonic advisor, and you get that as your familiar instead.

Very cool! '>

Plus Imps and Quasits are suppost to be able to polymorph into animal forms like raven, snake, spider, etc anyway '>

Possible the forms could get better as one levels, ala shifter druids...
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Carcerian, 28 juin 2012 - 01:28 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <dodging donner...>

In Amethyst, familiars are spirits possessing animals.
Chief among them is, of course, Shadows Beneath The Vanguard Of Storms,  a noble elemental from the venn domain of shadow and air (The plane of Storms). <but you may call me lady stormshadow>.
While she is normally quite happy to remain in crow shape,... <raven!>
...when she's um...<excited>
Er, yes, *excited*, she assumes a shape a bit closer to her native form. Specifically, a... <stormhag>
...*magnificent*... <forgiven>
Stormhag...<which you have promised to model appropriately>
*mutters* Blast. She remembered.<*haughty raven stare*>

The point being... <it would be a very good idea if you can help the old man figure out how to polymorph me>
Uh, yeah.

<...getting knocked flat by blitzen>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Rolo, for familiar that can take different forms it is easy.
(1) You set up the polymorph in polymorph.2da.
(2) Add an "alternate forms" ability to spells.2da.
(3) Create a spell script for the ability: The spell script would start a conversation that lists which forms the creature can take, then when the selection is made the polymorph effect occurs.

For a familiar to have a different form than normal
(1) Set up a data framework for familiars and store the data in relation to the master (in DB or my preference is on the PC Skin).
(2) When the familiar is summoned, check the master's familiar settings, and if the familiar is a "special form" trigger a special function in the creature's OnSpawn script
(3) Familiar onspawn script has a special function which applies a permanent supernatural polymorph effect to the familiar.

extra credit - the familiar depending on its special form casts a spell ("familiar effects" which is added to spells.2da) on the master when spawned. The spell provides special bonuses to the master's skills or whatever when the familiar is summoned.
               
               

               
            

[Baaleos]

               nwnx does provide the functions that will allow Possess to work on other creatures.
However....

It is dangerous, unless you hook the playerleaving event also done via nwnx.


If you log out, while possessing a creature, that creature, will overwrite your character permanently.

Thats why you need to hook the 'onPlayerLeaving' event, to unpossess automatically when the player exits.

Automatic Player saves etc, can still cause problems, especially if your server goes offline unexpectedly during a possession.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Baaleos, 28 juin 2012 - 12:39 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               I'd call permanent character corruption definitely not worth it in a PW setting '>
               
               

               
            

[Baaleos]

               indeed -
If someone does decide to go ahead with doing it/using it, then I would certainly always backup Player characters either in database, or in filesystem.

Do some logic too
Check that the target is a PC Character, and belongs to a playable race, before backing them up to the database.

Then, if something does go wrong, the player can always have his backed up character restored, and then repossessed, or turned back into a bic file.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               Yeah, not something I'd reccomend to anyone off hand '>

Maby for DM/Admin use, but then again DMs have much safer possession anyway '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Carcerian, 05 juillet 2012 - 01:40 .