This is something I've personally (Meaning, I don't know about anybody else) have found myself wishing for, often.

Essentially, I would just like to see a barebones module with widgets for experience and gold, shops for basic loot, as well as some of the kinds of things you can find in the equipment drop tables on quests, As well as consumables and such. All that, and an arena area where one can spawn EfU style monsters of various types, numbers, and levels. Also important woud be the custom scripts that are found on EfU. I especially mean the Tumble rule enforcement scripts and the new barbarian changes, the domain overrides, and other things of that nature.

I suppose I don't really expect the DMs to make something like this themselves, but I do know that there are a lot of talented builders in the community, who I suspect would be more than happy to do something like this if they had the scripts to do so.

Just a thought, and perhaps one better placed in another forum (off-topic, or General Discussion, maybe), but I figured since it is a suggestion...

Well, thoughts?

There are a tonne of existing character-testing modules already. You could just use one of them, and figure out the EFU-specific mechanics after the character is made. The only things needing consideration really are class improvements (like barbs, as you said) but it's pretty easy to equate for.

I use one called Novice to Epic Character Maker. It's got all you could need. Just look for it on thw NWN vault

I'm a fan of the "Pretty Good Character Creator" also easily found on the vault.

I especially llike exporting my characters and playing around with color schemes on their armor, so that I know which dyes to use for which parts online.

I use the Novice to Epic Character Maker as well, and I have to disagree. Monster scaling on there is ridiculous. It expects level 6 characters to have ridiculously high level gear. It also seems to expect a level 6 to be able to take on an Warrior Mummy with something like a 20/+3 Damage reduction...

It's frustrating, because the module doesn't account for consumables at all, and those are the single most important factor of combat on EfU, for either PvP OR PvE.

The little bonuses make all the difference in determining how a character would perform in a true-to-EfU circumstance, and the character makers out there just don't account for those either.

It's not as if I've never bothered to find a character maker to use; I have, and am very dissatisfied with them. But I suppose if there's 0 interest in this proposal, I'll let it drop.

I like this. I reckon it'd be useful, to actually -see- how you character would manage of EfU.. rather than just guessing.

That mummy warrior always spawns when I let it choose a monster for me GODDAMNIT!

Wouldn't giving the general public access to such a module give them unnecessary mechanical knowledge of the various EFU monster spawns?

Totaly true.

What I would like to see is a "general moster" which we could give attributes and spawn it, in order to test our character against it.

If we would want to build a monster from EFU, it would need us to find it's properties IG and apply it in the module.

It might even create research teams IG which their goal is defining the monsters in the underdark, in order to see their weaknesses, and strong sides, hostilities among each other, etc.

I prefer people to guess, but thats just me. Knowing that the build is strong ruins some of the play in the game world.

You can never know when a build is really strong, but rather estimate. And besides, no matter how strong he is, when a drow militia dm possessed comes, with thier archmages and high clerics, you would get pwned anyway ;)

Less off topic: If people want to build such an amodule, I think it's fine, perhaps to ask for the barb and ranger changes as well. But monster's scripts should be given. Modules are published around the net, the only think which might be missing is the class changes, and spells.

It's a good idea and everything, but it'd probably take a lot of effort to make - and wouldn't necessarily be beneficial anyway. Part of the fear-factor that comes with playing your character on this server would be reduced if you knew the strengths and weaknesses of all the customised monsters on EfU.

Then there needn't be the custom monsters. That was about the least of my worries, though at 6 AM this morning I may have overemphasized that particular. It really could just be standard NWN spawns, the important stuff is the barb/ranger/tumble changes. Probably the Spell Changes, too.

I like alogen's idea about a general monster which module users can make, but that would come down to the module's builder.

Bear in mind, I don't expect one of the EfU DMs to make a module like this. I'd much rather see a small team of EfU players put it together, and maybe, if it isn't too much trouble, have the EfU DMs send them the scripts needed for the rest.

I am not sold on the idea of a custom (edit: EfU) module where people can custom tailor PCs to be the most effective in the EfU enviroment. It's something that is fairly out of our control, but I would be dissapointed to hear that it starts to become a common practice.

BAM!

nwvault.ign.com/Files/modules/data/1072327077107.shtml

It's all about statistics - just do the math! We dont need a builder time taken on that, I think - if someone wants to do voluntary, then there isnt anything stopping him, isnt it?

Kotenku I use the Novice to Epic Character Maker as well, and I have to disagree. Monster scaling on there is ridiculous. It expects level 6 characters to have ridiculously high level gear. It also seems to expect a level 6 to be able to take on an Warrior Mummy with something like a 20/+3 Damage reduction...

It's frustrating, because the module doesn't account for consumables at all, and those are the single most important factor of combat on EfU, for either PvP OR PvE.

The little bonuses make all the difference in determining how a character would perform in a true-to-EfU circumstance, and the character makers out there just don't account for those either.

It's not as if I've never bothered to find a character maker to use; I have, and am very dissatisfied with them. But I suppose if there's 0 interest in this proposal, I'll let it drop.

Why not simply outfit yourself in the kind of gear you could find on EFU, usually being fairly mundane stuff, and buy all the relevant potions to account for consumables, then test?

All you have to factor in is class specific changes if playing a barb/ranger, and spell changes if a spellcaster.

I think this would be way cooler as a PvP arena server for fun than as a game mechanics/monster tester module. If we could just get the mechanic changes, it would be fun for re-enacting epic battles!

Calculating the EFU add-ons takes the simplest of mathematical additions.

Repeat after me:

Two plus two is four.

Two plus two is four.

Two plus two is four.

So what you are looking for is tools to better min/mix characters to powergame better? Yeah, let me get right on that.

It'd help me personally. I'm really not familiar with the rules, and still don't fully grasp the changes in EfU. If just to help me with how make b uilds and stuff, this'd help greatly.

Mort It's all about statistics - just do the math! We dont need a builder time taken on that, I think - if someone wants to do voluntary, then there isnt anything stopping him, isnt it?

Not knowing excatly what you will face, nor how your chararcter will perform against what you think you know is part of the fun for me. Let's leave some of the mechanics in the dark, shall we?