ABC: Bordering Genius - Poor Flock

[Legacy_werelynx]

               ABC: Bordering Genius - Poor Flock

What' ABC? - Adventure Building Challenge made by community for community
Where can I find more? - Adventure Building Challenge

What's Bordering Genius - Poor Flock? - Werelynx entry for February ABC. It's designed to be played with pregenerated character - Doppelganger with Shifter class and custom polymorphs.

[Player] Can I play it? - Yes, just click the above link.

[Builder] Can I continue Bordering Genius series? - Yes you can, I will be providing a starter module for you, soon. As the ABC rules say, you may continue series in future ABC editions.

I'm awaiting your comments!
- Write them here!
- PM me!
- Write them on the nwvault!
               
               

               

                     Modifié par werelynx, 02 avril 2013 - 12:30 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_rogueknight333]

                I have finally gotten around to playing the somewhat revised version of this, so I could review all the February ABC submissions (sorry about the delay).

The premise of the module was not unpromising, setting up a darkly humorous adventure with an amusingly psychotic protagonist. The main activity of the module involves exploring and trying to find various easter egg-ish things and coming across various little jokes. Some of the combats (of which there are not very many) were also well-designed to make use of  the abilities of a Shifter character - there is one fight where you will want to give yourself immunity to a particular type of damage, and another where you will want to inflict a particular type. On the other hand the fight against the Paladin at the beginning is (I suspect) more difficult than intended since he apparently has enough Damage Reduction that he cannot be harmed by physical damage from the provided weapons, which can make it hard to kill him even when he is temporarily disabled by the special shoe, though the pre-gen character provided does have one weapon that deals some elemental damage, and there are also some spells and shifter forms that might be useful.

Unfortunately the module still suffers from a fair number of bugs and general polish issues. The most serious (apparently a known issue from the comment on the Vault page, but still a particularly noticeable impediment) is that after the initial fight a web blocking the exit from the cave does not disappear (as it was apparently intended to), forcing one to use Debug Mode to actually get out. This seems to be related to the conversation with the surrendering Ranger, who (another bug) does not actually die when the conversation with her indicates she should. Another oddity of the initial fight is that the character identified in the conversations as a paladin is represented as a Golem. Such a humorously exaggerated way of depicting an armored warrior is appropriate to this module, but the name and description have also not been changed from the default for the golem, which is a bit confusing and strange. There were also a number of points in conversations where there were notes of things that should have been included or done but were not (and a few typos - unfortunately I do not remember them all).

After the initial fight, one is left without much direction. I suppose the module from that point on is intended to be a bit free-form, but a few journal entries or something of that type to give the player at least a general idea of what to do next would not have been amiss. I basically went exploring at that point. I expect the main thing to find is the Gnome house, which was set up a bit strangely in that one traversed the various rooms by going back through the door one entered by - perhaps if a somewhat larger area had been used this kludgy expedient would not have been necessary. I am not certain if I found everything. In particular I could see a couple of portal objects that there was no apparent way to get to, not sure what the point of them was.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_werelynx]

               First I would like to thank you for your comments.

rogueknight333 wrote...

On the other hand the fight against the Paladin at the beginning is (I suspect) more difficult than intended since he apparently has enough Damage Reduction that he cannot be harmed by physical damage from the provided weapons, which can make it hard to kill him even when he is temporarily disabled by the special shoe, though the pre-gen character provided does have one weapon that deals some elemental damage, and there are also some spells and shifter forms that might be useful.

I will tone him down, initially he was supposed to be invulnerable to all attacks(almost all) from Chompy. I thought that the coup de grace would immediately happen after he is asleep.  Later(after realising last version) I have found out that it only workd for NPCs with 4 Hit Dices or less.

rogueknight333 wrote...
Unfortunately the module still suffers from a fair number of bugs and general polish issues. The most serious (apparently a known issue from the comment on the Vault page, but still a particularly noticeable impediment) is that after the initial fight a web blocking the exit from the cave does not disappear (as it was apparently intended to), forcing one to use Debug Mode to actually get out. This seems to be related to the conversation with the surrendering Ranger, who (another bug) does not actually die when the conversation with her indicates she should.

That's true Sorry.

rogueknight333 wrote...
..paladin is represented as a Golem. Such a humorously exaggerated way of depicting an armored warrior is appropriate to this module, but the name and description have also not been changed from the default for the golem, which is a bit confusing and strange.

It confuses me as well. I do not have English version of the toolset and apparently any description I have made is just utterly bull.. I mean invisible to players with English version of the game. Could you point me in the right direction as to what I should change in my settings or how I can make it visible for English players?
By the way I have made quite a lot of descriptions, that were supposed to be funny so that's rather serious issue.
How does it look in the toolset:

rogueknight333 wrote...
There were also a number of points in conversations where there were notes of things that should have been included or done but were not (and a few typos - unfortunately I do not remember them all).

I will have to do them when I have some free time
and acquire a spellchecker. It's a shame you can't remember any.

rogueknight333 wrote...
After the initial fight, one is left without much direction. I suppose the module from that point on is intended to be a bit free-form, but a few journal entries or something of that type to give the player at least a general idea of what to do next would not have been amiss. I basically went exploring at that point. I expect the main thing to find is the Gnome house, which was set up a bit strangely in that one traversed the various rooms by going back through the door one entered by - perhaps if a somewhat larger area had been used this kludgy expedient would not have been necessary. I am not certain if I found everything.

That's another bug connected with ranger insisting on staying alive. Bad ranger! Bad!
So after you click on the web and they disappear, you should get journal entry and message to look for the gnome.
There were also more journal entries planned for the "Gnome Research" quest, Maybe I should call it "G-nome Research"?
"Gnome house" - now that's funny, it's not Gnome's - it's jsut a house. A haunted one. That's why it won't let you out and have rooms that look the same. Gnome have just been looking for a shelter. He has chosen poorly.
What do you find kludgy? The fact that they are adjacent to each other(rooms)? Would something like making special area called "Trying to get out" in between those rooms would be in order? So that the rooms(area) are loaded again? Or maybe I should make the player say "it's haunted house the gnome must have chosen poorly" and after going back through the door(trying to do so) I should make PC say "what the hex, I want out! Bad house!"? Would that be right or do you mean something else completely?

rogueknight333 wrote...
In particular I could see a couple of portal objects that there was no apparent way to get to, not sure what the point of them was.

Hah, if the custom description would be there you would understand why. Anyway it's the plot-hook for the next episodes(if there will be any). Or rather if anyone would continue this series.

Finally, have you eaten shrooms while in the Forest of Trees?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rogueknight333]

               

werelynx wrote...

It confuses me as well. I do not have English version of the toolset and apparently any description I have made is just utterly bull.. I mean invisible to players with English version of the game. Could you point me in the right direction as to what I should change in my settings or how I can make it visible for English players? 
By the way I have made quite a lot of descriptions, that were supposed to be funny so that's rather serious issue.
How does it look in the toolset...

At least you have a good excuse then. Actually most of the custom names and descriptions (on both placeables and custom creatures) were perfectly readable (and a good thing too, since, as you note, they are an important part of the module). The only exceptions that I noticed were the Shiny Paladin, whose name and description somehow reverted to the golem's default, and the description of the infamous blocking web that does not disappear like it was supposed to (its description was not in English). Looking at things in the toolset was kind of weird: in the palette for custom creatures a "Shiny Paladin" was listed, but when I clicked to look at his properties he had inexplicably reverted back to the "Maug Commander." That was also the name of the placed creature (but looking for the names of placed creatures in the area I just saw a blank space where he should have been. Not sure what is going on there, and since I have never used anything other than the English version of the toolset I am probably not the best person to advise you. One possibility (since the golem appearance is a custom one - I assume from Q) is that something in the Q hakpaks or custom tlk file is messing up the "translation" (just a thought - no idea if that is actually the case).

werelynx wrote...
"Gnome house" - now that's funny, it's not Gnome's - it's jsut a house. A haunted one. That's why it won't let you out and have rooms that look the same. Gnome have just been looking for a shelter. He has chosen poorly.
What do you find kludgy? The fact that they are adjacent to each other(rooms)? Would something like making special area called "Trying to get out" in between those rooms would be in order? So that the rooms(area) are loaded again? Or maybe I should make the player say "it's haunted house the gnome must have chosen poorly" and after going back through the door(trying to do so) I should make PC say "what the hex, I want out! Bad house!"? Would that be right or do you mean something else completely?

I thought it strange that going back through the door I entered by did not take me back to where I came from, and assumed you were just doing that because there was not enough room to add a second door. If the house is haunted and magical than that actually makes sense. It was not clear that was the case, but adding the speech you describe should help to make the situation clear to players.

werelynx wrote...
Finally, have you eaten shrooms while in the Forest of Trees?

And fought the "Shroomer"? Yes, I did.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_werelynx]

               Quick Update: finally I got around to fixing what you have mentioned in your messages. I have uploaded the newest version to the vault.