NWN2 Toolset How-To Creating Items

NWN2 TOOLSET HOWTO– CREATING ITEMS

This HowTo discusses the basics of items and how to create them. By the end of this HowTo, you’ll know about most of the many properties items can have, as well as how to create your own items. You’ll also have learned about how to create custom appearances for items that appear in game, such as weapons and armors.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What Is An Item?
• Creating An Item Blueprint
• Creating An Unequippable Item
• Creating An Equippable Item - Weapons
• Creating An Equippable Item - Armor
• Conclusion

WHAT IS AN ITEM?

Anything in the game (or your module, for example) that can be picked up and used in some fashion – that is an item. All armors, all weapons, all potions, all quest items – all the useful things that populate a world, from the magic sword in the troll’s lair to the gold coins you sell it to the merchant for.

Items fall into two categories: equippable and unequippable. Equippable items include jewelry, weapons, armor – things that a character can conceivably place upon their body or wield in their hands. Unequippable objects are items that are never actually placed on a character’s body - they never take up an armor or weapon slot - and may or may not have an effect.

Unequippable items can provide a passive effect when held in one’s inventory, can be disposable (such as potions or scrolls), can be used in crafting (such as raw materials), or simply take up space (such as a quest item).

Since equippable and unequippable items can have very different effects, this tutorial will walk you through making both types, creating a sample of each for use in the Lannon Farm module.

CREATING AN ITEM BLUEPRINT

To create a new item, click on the “Items” tab in the Blueprint Menu to bring up all of the items in the game. Right-click anywhere in the New Item field to bring up a small pop-up menu: within that menu, go to “Create Blueprint,” and select “Module” (this is unless you wish to create an item usable in any module: if you want to do that, select “Global” instead).

This process creates a new item template for you to work with within that particular module group.

Note: another method for item creation involves copying an existing blueprint by clicking on the particular item, right-clicking to bring up the Dropdown Menu, and selecting “Copy Blueprint.”

This creates an identical version of that blueprint to modify – which can be beneficial for creating items that only need to be slightly modified from an original version.

Within the item template are multiple fields that determine the properties of an item:

Note: Some tabs are closed in this screenshot because they do not directly deal with items being created. The Armor tab is closed here because it deals exclusively with armor items, which are addressed after this section. The Misc & and Scripts fields are not used in the creation of standard game items and are thus not touched-on here beyond a brief explanation.

• Appearance. This section briefly determines the general look of your item, particularly weapons.
• Appearance (special effect) – a list of special effects that can be attached to an item. Typically these are not necessary, as weapon effects are actually hard-coded: any weapon with an elemental enhancement bonus that averages to 3 or higher (i.e., 1d6 and up, not 1d4) automatically gains an appropriate visual effect. Visual effects can also be set in the “Behavior” section.
• Container UI Screen – sets what background graphic is used when a placeable container is opened. Should be left at the default for item-creation purposes.
• Icon – what icon the item uses (pulls from the list in nwn2_icons.2da).
• Model Part – what model the item uses (only important for certain equippable items, such as weapons and bard instruments. Wearable items use the armor set tool and are discussed later).
• Tint – the colors that the item model is tinted (shown in RGB values).
• Behavior. How the item works within the game world.
• Additional Cost – how much the item will cost in addition to the preset values (seen three lines below in the unmodifiable “Base Cost” area). Every item is given a base cost in the baseitems.2da: any enchantments on the item are given values via code and added on to the cost.
  If the user desires any modifications in addition to this code-based value, it can be added here (or set as a negative value to decrease the price).
• Armor Type (for game rules) – sets the armor type (via the preset armor rules in the 2das). Only important for base armor sets.
• Armor Rules Info – CANNOT MODIFY. Gives a list of all of the rules attributes for the selected armor type.
• Base Cost – CANNOT MODIFY. Lists the base cost of the selected item type.
• Base Item – determines the actual item type. This is likely the most important field in the entire blueprint (aside from the resref, which is discussed below) because it determines item elements such as model used, item weight, weapon stats, and base cost (all of these individual settings are controlled by the baseitems.2da file, and cannot be modified within the toolset itself).
• Charges – how many total charges a magical item has (only useful for items that cast a spell, and that the user only wants to have a particular number of charges – different spells can have different charge costs, and even be recharged if desired)
• Container Preference – which type of container the item defaults into when picked up: default is the standard player inventory. This setting can be used, for example, to have a potion box that, by default, will store the player’s potions.
• Cursed – sets the item to be cursed (non-droppable, non-disarmable until a Remove Curse or similar spell is cast on it).
• Droppable – whether or not NPCs will drop that item (default set to false – usually handled on a case-by-case basis when an item is placed on an NPC - for example, you may want an ogre to drop the club he wields, but a troll wouldn’t drop his claws).
• Force Into Preferred Container – whether the item can be dropped into a container other than their preferred one (like preventing arrows from going anywhere but in a quiver, or gems in a gem bag)
• Identified – whether or not the item is identified, or needs a Lore check/Identify spell cast on it before it is able to be equipped (for magic items in NWN2, this is usually set to False).
• Item Properties – any special abilities that an item has (things like Cast Spell, Enhancement Bonus [+2], Damage Vulnerability: Acid) – these are all set in a pop-up menu that accompanies this field.
• Item Property Activation Preference – controls when an item is able to use its special properties. Items such as weapons are only active when equipped, while items such as charms can have abilities when they are in repository (i.e., inventory). Items can also be set to give effects in both situations (equipped and unequipped).
• Pickpocketable – whether or not an item can be pickpocketed (default set to false – usually handled on a case-by-case basis when an item is placed on an NPC).
• Plot – whether or not an item is vital to the Plot of the game (such as a quest item). Prevents item from being destroyed or moved from the character’s inventory.
• Stack Size – how many items of that type appear at once when the item is placed in game (a stack size of 1 for an item means only one of that item will appear at once, while a stack size of 50 means that 50 of that item will appear at once)
• Stolen – whether or not the item is stolen, and thus cannot be sold to merchants who are not tagged as Black Market vendors (default set to false – usually handled on a case-by-case basis when an item is placed on an NPC)
• Blueprint. How the toolset is able to track the item.
• Comment – basic field to jot down comments. This information is never visible to the player within the game.
• Template Resref – resref of the blueprint that an instance came from (key for placed instances within modules). Each item must have a unique resref.
• General. How the item is categorized and described.
• Classification – how the item is ordered within the toolset
• Localized Description – base descriptive text for the item: this appears on normal items, or unidentified items before they have been identified.
• Localized Description (when identified) – descriptive text for the item after it has been identified.
• Localized Name – the name of the item.
• Resource Name – the name of the actual file on disk (the official filename of the item)
• Tag – name by which an object can be referred to in script [Note: the tag, Resource Name, and Template Resref are all usually the same name, to keep things simple]. It is generally best to use unique tags, but unlike resrefs, two items can have the same tag.
• 5. Misc. Deals with the UV scroll, which is used to determine how fast the texture of the item scrolls in the U and V directions (typically used to add the proper “flowing” look to things like water elementals and lava flows).
• Scripts. Additional scripts attached to an item (beyond the standard ones). For example, taking gem bag could trigger a script that causes its owner to attack you.
• Statistics. Sets the item’s material properties.
• Damage Reductions – sets the item’s damage reduction (not a damage reduction property granted to the wielder, but the properties of the item itself).
• Material – what the item is made of, which is used for weapons and armor in order to determine its effect on certain monsters, and vice-versa. For example, lycanthropes are resistant to weapons that aren’t made with alchemical silver.
  
  Now that the terms have all been defined, you have the foundation you need to create items.

CREATING AN UNEQUIPPABLE ITEM

The first item to be created for the example is a non-equippable item – Pitney Lannon’s prized bottle of 1363 Harvest Mead. Follow the steps listed above to create a new module-specific item, and you can start filling in the particulars of that item.

When setting up a new item, set the item’s Localized Name and its Resource Name/Tag/Template Resref at the same time. As soon as you set these, the item will appear in the Items directory.

Once the name and resrefs have been set, you need to set the Base Item (in the Behavior field). In the example case, because the Harvest Mead is a small, unequippable item with no special properties needed, it should be set to be a “Miscellaneous Small Object” (this will assure that is assigned the proper settings from the baseitems.2da) – use the Dropdown Menu in the Base Items field to select it, and hit “Enter” to confirm your choice.

Advanced Topic: 2da Files

The term 2da stands for “2 dimensional array.” 2da Files are used by NWN2 to contain data for many aspects of the game, including spells, character classes, and feats. The 2da files are located in the Data folder. baseitems.2da specifies the basic parameters for many different types of items. Each row in a 2da is one entry and each column is a field.

For example, all greatswords share the same row in the baseitems.2da. They all do the same amount of base damage, are equipped with two hands, choose their models from the same set of options, etc. Potions, rings, scimitars, etc. each have their own row in baseitems.2da.

Once these main parts of the item are set, the only things that remain are setting the icon for the item (selecting the icon field will create a drop-down, scrolling menu just like the Base Item field: change the icon from temp0 to it_spirits), setting the desired value in the Plot field (it is not necessary to prevent the Mead from being dropped or destroyed, so the field will remain set to False in this case), and writing a proper description for the item in the Localized Description field.

To give the item a little more variety (and to provide an example of how an unequippable item can provide passive bonuses by sitting in one’s inventory), open up the “Item Properties” tab to add a special property to the item.

Scroll through the Available Properties to the Skill Bonus section, and open it up to find the Concentration skill. Click on the “Add Property” button to add the property to the item, then select the bonus and look beneath the Available Properties field to the tabbed “Selected Property” field. Set the Cost Value (in this case, the bonus to Concentration) to +2, and click OK to confirm the selection.

Finally, in order to get the Concentration bonus to actually show up for the player (since the item can not be equipped), change the Item Property Activation Preference to ITEMPROP_ACTIVE_REPOSITORY_ONLY, which will make the item properties only apply when the object is in the character’s inventory.

The item should be ready to place within the module.

CREATING AN EQUIPPABLE ITEM - WEAPONS

Now that an unequippable item has been created for the module, it is time to create a pair of suitable equippable items: a weapon and an armor. In terms of weapons, it just so happens that Pitney Lannon is in possession of a quality club perfect for harassing pesky lizardfolk: he may lack the courage to use it himself, but this hardly prevents him from passing it on to an enterprising young soul who might make better use of it…

To craft a weapon (Lannon’s Reptile Bane Cudgel in this example), follow the usual instructions to create a new module-specific item (right-click on “Items,” Create Blueprint -> Module). As with creating an unequippable item, set the item name and resref first.

Once the name and resref have been set, go to the Base Item field and select an equippable item type from the list (“Club” in this case). Since the Club base item is a weapon, now there will be an actual model available to select

Note: this is the case with most equippable items, but not all – bracers, rods, wands, and jewelry do not have visible models set for them.

Move up to the Appearance area and set the desired model number in the Model Part fields: different base items have a different number of available models and model types, and some have interchangeable model types (swapping out different hilts, blades, and pommels on swords, for example).

To find out what model (or combination of models) looks ideal, it is a good idea to change the Model Part values one at a time and swap between the “Properties” and “Preview” tabs to see how the item changes [Note: if a black question-marked cube appears in the Preview window, that is because there is no model set for the given model number].

For the Reptile Bane Cudgel example, type in “2” in the first Model Part field – this will select the second available club model (the metal one). You will be able to check the model by clicking the “Preview” tab at the top of the window, and navigating through the window by using the mouse scroll button to zoom, Ctrl+right-click to move the model around, and Ctrl+middle-button-click to tilt the camera

Note: the “Preview” option on the top bar must be selected, or no model will appear in the Preview window

Once the club appears correctly, open up the Tint mini-menu in the Appearance area. Three set tints will appear – click on one to bring up the Color Edit Form.

The Color Edit Form sets the individual tints on a model, either by selecting a color by hand from the palette on the left, or by selecting a named swatch on the right (the names of each swatch appear when the mouse cursor is hovered over each swatch).

It’s often helpful to set the tint values initially to very bright colors (like pure red, green, or blue) so that it is very obvious between switching from the “Properties” tab to the “Preview” tab which tint is connected to what part of the model. In the case of the club model 2, the Model Tint 1 controls the main body of the club, the second tint controls the color of the handle, and the third tint governs the color of the wrapping.

For this example, swatches will be used to select the colors of the Reptile Bane Cudgel: Darker Cool Brown for Tint 1, Medium Cool Brown for Tint 2, and Darker Pea Green for Tint 3. Once the tints are set, check the Preview window to see how it looks.

Once the appearance of the club is set, follow the same sequence of events to finish up the item as on an unequippable item – setting the icon (it_wu_clubpoison), writing up a description, and setting a proper set of Item Properties.

For the Reptile Bane Cudgel, it is important for the weapon to have a proper bonus against Reptiles to suit its name. Click on the Item Properties field and select the “Attack Bonus vs. Racial Group” ability, scroll down and select “Reptilian” from the list, and change the Cost Value of the ability to +3. To strengthen the weapon a bit more, scroll down to “Enhancement Bonus” and add that property as well, setting the Cost Value to +1. [Note: you can add numerous additional properties to items in this same fashion].

Once the Item Properties are set, scroll down to the Statistics section and set the Material field to “Metal (Iron)”: while not terribly critical for this particular weapon, it’s good practice to set the value for every weapon, in case one wishes to make an item out of a different material. Certain materials are set to give specialized effects, such as Cold Iron (effective against demons) or Darksteel (deals an additional +1 electricity damage), and can be a valuable addition to many types of items.

Once this field is set, the weapon should be ready for use.

CREATING AN EQUIPPABLE ITEM - ARMOR

After creating a properly equippable weapon, there are only a few additional steps to be learned to create an armor set. Pitney’s Militia Armor should provide a good introduction on how to spruce up a base armor model with a few appropriate attachments, and an additional feat and spell bonus.

To create a set of armor, follow the same steps as creating a standard equippable item: create the blueprint, set the item name and resrefs, and set the Base Item to “Armor.” Once the Base Item has been set to “Armor,” set the Armor Type field to the desired style of armor (in this case, Pitney is a simple village militiaman, so Padded armor should work nicely). When the Armor Type is set, you will see the ArmorRulesInfo field below (in gray) update to reflect the rules for that particular armor type.

Once the Armor Type has been set, select the “Armor Set” tab on the far right of the blueprint menu – this will help you to set the actual appearance of the armor itself [Note: the model for the Armor Set tool is a human male: while the majority of the base armor models are identical in appearance across race and gender, some armors may appear different on some race/gender combinations]

As with the Preview window, navigation within the Armor Set window is controlled with a combination of the middle mouse button and the Ctrl key: the mouse scroll controls zoom, Ctrl-middle -click rotates the model, and middle -click-drag moves the model. It is important to note that when using the Armor Set tool that one should turn OFF the Preview option along the top bar of the window: the Armor Set tool will be useable either way, but turning off the Preview option prevents armor flickering within the Armor Set tool when the Preview window loads an updated model.

The first thing to do when creating an armor within the Armor Set window is to set the base appearance of the model, which is listed under the Main Type (which controls the armor appearance type) and Main Variation (selects model variation within the main type) menus. The two armors below are both scale mail, for example, but use different variations.

Advanced Topic: Untraditional Armors

It is possible for the armor appearance and the Armor Type (from the “Properties” tab) to be set differently, so one could have armor that looked like cloth but had the properties of Full Plate mail, and vice versa. This is an option for armor creation, but moreover something to be aware of when creating armor.

For the purposes of the example, select the “Padded” armor from the Main Type menu in the “Armor Set” tab, and select variation 0 for the set.

The second step of creating armor is to decide on the armor attachments. On the bottom right of the Armor Set tab is a scrolling menu listing each armor attachment slot, which allows the user to pick what armor attachment they would like to put in what location [Note: as per the note above, armor appearance and Armor Type are not inherently linked, so it is possible to use any attachment on any base armor without influencing its stats.] To place an attachment, scroll to the desired attachment location (such as “Left leg”), open up the Dropdown Menu (which lists the models available for that attachment slot), and select the desired attachment.

For Pitney’s armor, since it’s a bit fancier than the armor of the other militiamen, he’s been given burly leather shoulderpads (Left shoulder: 7, Right shoulder: 3), mismatched arm and knee attachments from wear-and-tear (Right bracer: 21, Left arm: 18, Left Knee: 3, Right Knee: 4), and matched legwear to protect his thighs (Left & Right Leg: 17).

After the basic armor attachments have been set, you can apply gear attachments as well. Gear attachments are items that are not directly attached to the armor itself: helms, belts, gloves, cloaks, and boots. Gear attachments are located directly beneath the Main type armor setting, and are handled in an identical fashion.

In the example, to equip the given armor set with leather gloves, scroll down in the menu to the Gloves Type menu, click the check-box next to the menu to turn on the gear attachment, select “Leather,” and set the desired variation (model #3). Using this same method for the other attachments, you can easily set the armor set to have a very unique and distinctive look with no hassle.

After all of the attachments have been set, you can begin tinting the armor. Next to each armor piece – main, attachment, and base – there are three squares that control the tint color for each piece of armor, in order of importance (first color covers the bulk of the item, with the second and third colors as the secondary and tertiary details). When setting a tint, click on a tint button and select a color within the Color Edit Form (which is identical to the one used to set weapon tints).

Although the base armor is only able to take the latter two tints listed, it is possible to set three tints on it temporarily: this is done in order to take advantage of the “Apply To All” button that sits immediately below the main armor tint buttons. The “Apply To All” button automatically migrates the color settings of the base armor to all of the armor attachments so that they do not need to be set individually (but they can be if desired).

For Pitney’s armor, if the main colors are set to be (in order of appearance) Pale Warm Brown, Darker Yellow Orange, and Dark Yellow Orange, only the second two tints will actually appear on the base armor, but pressing the “Apply to All” button will set all of the armor attachments to those same settings.

Note: gear attachments are not included in this change; they are tinted individually.

The below examples show a screenshot previous to pressing the “Apply to All” button (left picture), and after (right picture): you can see that the base armor tints featured at the top have been migrated to the attachments, and are showing up on the model.

Once all of the attachments and gear are set and properly tinted, return to the “Properties” tab to finish up the item: setting the icon used (it_al_padded04 for the example), the material type (since the example armor is padded, it should be kept as “Non-Specific”), other desired property tweaks, and setting the Item Properties.

In terms of the example: Pitney once won a bet with Tarmas, so the local wizard grudgingly enchanted the item with a pair of smaller spells – the Item Properties should be set up to reflect this. Open up the Item Properties menu, open up the “Bonus Feat” selection in the Available Properties menu, and select the “Toughness” feat – this is one of many available feats that can be included on an item for a character to take advantage of.

In addition to this, scroll down to the “Cast Spell” selection in the menu, select the “Light” spell, and set the Cost Value to 1 Use/Day.

If the player wants to use this spell, they can equip the armor, and right-click on the armor in their inventory to bring up the menu to cast the spell – or use the Item Property Activation Preference to set the item’s magical properties to be usable even when the item is unequipped.

Once the properties of the armor have been set, save the changes made – and the armor should be ready to be placed into a module and used.

CONCLUSION

Although a first glance at the many fields and settings of an item blueprint may appear intimidating, it should quickly become an easy thing to swiftly create all kinds of items – both fantastical and mundane – with which to populate one’s modules. Now that you have completed this HowTo, you should know:

• 
  
• Some of the various properties that can be assigned to items.
• How to create new equippable and unequippable models.
• How to customize specific weapon and armor appearances.