January 2013 Custom Content Challenge: Spells and Spellcrafting

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <pulling a couple...>

henesua wrote...
...
Another familiar I have not done is the dog / wolf group of familiars. If I had help integrating OTR's dog doing its business animation ( ...or if I get around to cutting and pasting that animation into an open animation slot for the dog, the open animation slot that I have never found....) I may include the dog as a familiar which would also be the only one that could act as a meat shield. That said... the dogs and wolves in Project Q are VERY good. We don't really need more dogs unless someone can do for dogs what OTR did for deer.
...

Perhaps OTR could be encouraged to make a "Canine Kit" to add to the CC Maker's Reference...? ;-)

*rememberes he was going to finish the TaVFX templates*
*coughs*
Well, I'll need that for the Mounted Familiars, won't I.
*Might* get done then, since I'm quite a selfish old man... <you said it, i didn't>
Just trying to head you off at the pass, dear.

<...tangled strings>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_DM_Vecna]

                @Shemsu-Heru: I posted a script HERE for you to change the turn undead to look for a holy symbol. I can change that script in any way you need. Thanks for your contributions of content over the years 

:happy:
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shemsu-Heru]

               Thank you That's it the kind of thing what i have asked for. However as Rolo had suggested, could you consider to make a prefabricated item, with that script, in an ERF file. For those like me which don't have too much experience with scripts; Thanks again...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_DM_Vecna]

               no problem, I'll put something together.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

                <wishing the bird...>

First look at the bottle:



Edit: Do ya think I could get Cestus to make an aquarium VFX? ;->

<...would stop gulping the guppies>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 05 janvier 2013 - 05:53 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Since others are providing teasers, I'll do so as well. Part of my project on familiars includes an alternate to pen and paper D&D's Find Familiar spell. I call it "Bind Familiar". A wizard or sorcerer targets a creature with this spell. One use of this spell is to replace a dead familiar with a living one. Another use is to change the look of your familiar. The kind of familiar chosen by a wizard limits which kinds of animals they can bind.

For example, lets say that Mezlo the wizard has a crow familiar, but Mezlo doesn't like the crow's look and wants a parrot instead. If Mezlo finds a parrot and targets it with Bind Familiar, their familiar will now be a parrot instead of a crow. The beauty of this is that a builder can associate different familiar benefits with alternate forms.

Continuing our example, Mezlo has enjoyed his blue macaw as a familiar, but then encounters the rare jubjub bird which when summoned as a familiar gives the wizard a +1 to saves against enchantments (or whatever). So if the Bind Familiar spell is successful on the Jubjub bird, the wizard would - as long as the familiar remains living - summon the jubjub bird and gain those benefits.

Bind Familiar
   Caster Level(s): Wizard / Sorcerer 1
   Innate Level: 1
   School: Necromancy
   Component(s): Verbal, Somatic
   Range: Touch
   Area of Effect / Target: One Animal of the right type
   Duration: Instant
   Additional Counter Spells: None
   Save: Special
   Spell Resistance: No

   This spell has the following uses:
   (1) Restore Familiar.
When a familiar dies a wizard may cast this spell on another animal of like type and thus restore their ability to summon a familiar. Otherwise the wizard has to wait until they level up and gain a new familiar. This use costs 200xp per wizard/sorcerer level.
   (2) Transfer Familiar's consciousness from one form to another.
Most familiar types can take different forms. Crows and parrots for example are different forms of the same familiar type. A wizard with a crow familiar can also have a parrot familiar, and most domesticable cats are equivalent with one another as well.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 05 janvier 2013 - 06:20 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <eyeing the bird...>

Oh! *Nice*!

Wonder what a Bird of Paradise would do for me... <forget it, wizard>
Wouldn't you like absurdly long feathers and brightly colored wings <i'm a storm elemental from the venn domain of shadow and air. what do you think?>
Hmmm... <*raven glare*>
Just a thought...

Edit: Teasers *good* =) Keep the energy up ;-)

<...with a nasty glint in his eye>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 05 janvier 2013 - 06:35 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Since no one bit on modelling new familiars, I've decided to simplify my project and use the standard appearances. So I will only plan on providing the following familiars:

The bat defaults to the bat appearance and has no alternates/upgrades.
The crow defaults to the raven appearance but can also be a parrot and maybe I'll include seagulls as well. Seagulls have two appearances which can be fun as they will toggle between flying and landed.
The mouse defaults as a rat appearance and can upgrade to a dire-rat.

Cats are out. I'll consider dogs if I have time.
Developers using this system can easily add new types. I'm documenting the system so it should be easy.

If anyone decides that they want to step up and model some familiars, I'll do my best to incorporate them.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 05 janvier 2013 - 06:52 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <considers things...>

By modeling new familiars, what are you asking for? The creature models themselves?
I.e. What do you want that's different from the models you are using from the Vault?

Depending on the poll, I'll be doing Mounted Familiar VFX for:

• Raven (in the works now)
• Spirit (a generic default)
• Owl
• Cat
• Bat
• Toad
• Snake
• Mouse

House cats are the third mounted familiar VFX we'll do. Hate to see them dropped :-(

<...in a different light>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               I mean the art assets - portraits, models etc... This is a CCC release so I don't want to include assets which are another's work unless they are participating in the project. For example if Cervantes contributes a version of that siamese cat I am using or another we will include cats, and if someone shrinks and animates BabaYaga's frog we can include toads.

All that said, I will still write scripts for your system.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               Question - Would a new vfx be in order for this challenge? I am thinking along the lines of the effect used for my Micro Maps and also similarly in my mini module A is for Adventure. The problem is that unlike conventional cc this will require a little scripting to drive it. And I've also got to figure how to attach the vfx to npc's as opposed to the pc.

TR
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <allowing a little light...>

henesua wrote...

I mean the art assets - portraits, models etc... This is a CCC release so I don't want to include assets which are another's work unless they are participating in the project. For example if Cervantes contributes a version of that siamese cat I am using or another we will include cats, and if someone shrinks and animates BabaYaga's frog we can include toads.

All that said, I will still write scripts for your system.

Ahhh! Of course. Should have figured that out on my own :-/

Well, as another (couple) friends have pointed out, my eyes may have been too big for my hourglass. <old saying you just made up?>
Yup. <thought so>

For *this* month, I'm trimming the list of Mounted Familiars to the first three avians - Raven, Owl & Parrot, with Falcon a possible fourth, if I get the Homonculus to a satisfactory state early enough.

I'll continue to make these until I've got a more complete list, but I'm aiming for just those three for now.

Like you, I'll be making a system (Max template) to make things easier for people to add their own later.

<...to infiltrate his cob-webby head>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <always eager...>

Tarot Redhand wrote...
Question - Would a new vfx be in order for this challenge? I am thinking along the lines of the effect used for my Micro Maps and also similarly in my mini module A is for Adventure. The problem is that unlike conventional cc this will require a little scripting to drive it. And I've also got to figure how to attach the vfx to npc's as opposed to the pc.

Yup. One order of VFX, please :-)

Attaching the vfx is the same for NPCs, just apply effect to them instead of oPC.

<...always greedy>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               I'm considering making a substantial change to innocuous familiars, but before I do so I want to ensure that it won't create a barrier to others using my system. The gist is that I want to put most of the things that a familiar gets on their hide: Special feats, abilities, skill bonuses, possible bonus spells etc... With the default familiars there won't be all that much of this, BUT this becomes quite beneficial when introducing special familiars.

As I mentioned above I have implemented different appearances for familiars, and different appearances can be linked to different benefits received by the familiar's master. But the different appearances of a familiar do not change the creature blueprint. The easiest way to swap special abilities in and out is to have these abilities on the familiar's hide, and exchange hides based on appearance.

The downside is that this relies on various item property 2das. I suspect that most builders will have fully kitted out these 2das already, and so any creature hides that I make might have the wrong item properties on them - wrong feats... etc... - because our item property 2das wouldn't merge properly. One way around this will be to pad the item property 2das a great deal.

Question 1: is it worth it for potential users that I pad these 2das a couple hundred indexes?
Question 2: will this cause a problem for the CCC? I understand the CCC has its own padding rules. If I exceed these will it be a problem?
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 06 janvier 2013 - 05:13 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <weighing in...>

henesua wrote...
I'm considering making a substantial change to innocuous familiars, but before I do so I want to ensure that it won't create a barrier to others using my system. The gist is that I want to put most of the things that a familiar gets on their hide: Special feats, abilities, skill bonuses, possible bonus spells etc... With the default familiars there won't be all that much of this, BUT this becomes quite beneficial when introducing special familiars.

This is *my* preferred methodology -  implement new systems in parallel. I do encourage this. In fact, I'm pretty damn excited about it :-)

As I mentioned above I have implemented different appearances for familiars, and different appearances can be linked to different benefits received by the familiar's master. But the different appearances of a familiar do not change the creature blueprint. The easiest way to swap special abilities in and out is to have these abilities on the familiar's hide, and exchange hides based on appearance.

The familiars of Amethyst fit this system perfectly. Familiars are helping spirits bound by various bargains into mortal creatures. The greater the power of the spirit, the stronger the host must be, but the death of the host doesn't mean the loss (except in the short-term) of the spirit so bound.

Interesting side-note, Bother discovered her alternate form during a particularly confusing and nasty period where my familiar spirit - possessing a raven - was herself possessed by a rather clever, if not quite clever-enough hag who had an axe to grind (literally) with me. Now Bother can (usually just to annoy me) take the form of a nasty old storm hag. And she's taken to *experimenting* with an old ratty cauldron *shudders*.

So, yeah, I do like the alternate appearances for familiars :-)

The downside is that this relies on various item property 2das. I suspect that most builders will have fully kitted out these 2das already, and so any creature hides that I make might have the wrong item properties on them - wrong feats... etc... - because our item property 2das wouldn't merge properly. One way around this will be to pad the item property 2das a great deal.

Question 1: is it worth it for potential users that I pad these 2das a couple hundred indexes?

I think so, yes.

Question 2: will this cause a problem for the CCC? I understand the CCC has its own padding rules. If I exceed these will it be a problem?

I'll let AD make the final determination on that, since he's doing all the heavy lifting these days :-)

However, my own feeling is that the various padding rules and 2DA coordination guidelines were doomed from the start, as they tried to work nice with every other major project out there. 

Hence, I no longer bother trying to make my entries dodge between the old CCCs, the CEP *and* the Q. I just add them onto the end of the Bioware reserved lines and let builders adjust them to their particular custom 2DAs... which are *always* different :-P

<...far too much>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 06 janvier 2013 - 05:49 .