Northlander's War Axe

[EiriktheScald]

We were discussing a technique with a light axe... hooking the axe over the opponent's shield and pulling it out of position, a nicely effective trick. Effect #264 - Drop Weapons in Panic (Example: gauntlets of fumbling) causes the target to drop all weapons it is holding. If it's a weapon-wielding humanoid, it's largely disabled by this. I would like to cause the target to either drop its shield or suffer a penalty in armor class on a successful hit (5-10% chance). Can this be done? What would be required to cause the target to drop its shield?

 

[Edit:] This script might work:

 

IF

HasItem("SHLD01",NearestEnemyOf())

THEN

RESPONSE #100

DropItem("SHLD01",NearestEnemyOf())

END

 

But I'm not sure how to implement it into the item.

[EiriktheScald]

I found some tutorials that may help:

 

Non-Lethal Combat

Complicated Item Creation

 

Not easy, but I think it can be done. Another idea is this:

 

258 FillSlot(I:Slot*SLOTS)

This action will attempt to fill a slot in a character's inventory with the appropriate item type. Using FillSlot(SLOT_WEAPON) will look for any items (let's use, SW1H01, for example) in the inventory, and move the first it comes across into the weapon slot. This is a dangerous function because it will not check whether or not an item already exists in the slot. This means that an item already in the slot would be destroyed.

 

Although if the creature had a nice magical shield, that would be a bummer.

[EiriktheScald]

Went another direction with this. If I set up the following item effect like so:

 

Type = THAC0 vs Type Bonus

Targettype = TargetSelf

Power = 1 (+1 to bonus?)

IDS Target = General/Shield

Duration = Instant/Limited

Dispel/Resistance = No Dispel/Bypass Resistance

Time = (what is equivalent of 1 round?)

Probability 1 = 5

Probability 2 = 0

 

Does this mean the one wielding the axe will gain a +1 THAC0 bonus against creatures holding a shield, 5% of the time?

 

If that's how it works, I've effectively neutralized the opponent's normal shield AC bonus for 1 round. This would simulate hooking the axe over the opponent's shield and pulling it out of position.

[Nythrun]

That'll give a THAC0 bonus versus creatures who are a shield, which isn't what you want.

 

The power field in effects is really "spell level for dispelling and spell absorption purposes".

 

One round in this field would be six, it's different for casting time and weapon speeds though.

 

None of the IDS targeting methods are going to help (they don't check inventory); you'd be better served by applying an AC penalty of 1 to the creature 5% of the time.

 

If you really want the specifics of hooking a shield or weapon out of the way, you'll have to script it.

[berelinde]

I've taken my cold meds and am now feeling comfortable enough to venture a response that doesn't require a squeegee for the monitor. Unfortunately, I've taken my cold meds and am now feeling incoherent enough to doubt that my response will make sense.

 

Are you really sure this is what you want to do? Do you really want to waste spend valuable modder time figuring out how to create an admittedly cool effect that *no one is ever going to notice*? Really, there is no way they could. Even if they have to-hit rolls displayed, they're never going to know why Eirik sometimes gets a +1 when his opponent has a shield.

 

Wouldn't it be easier, and really kinda cool, to spend some time explaining to <CHARNAME> the role of the axe in Northland combat, to pull down enemy shields? You can imply you're doing this, if you give yourself a nifty random bonus in combat, the player will think you're doing this, and you get to show the PC a little culture. In my mind, that is one of the primary reasons people are going to download this mod. They're going to want to play with a Northland NPC.

 

That is where BioWare fell flat: not enough detail. NPCs need more than a set of stats and a joining dialogue. They need personality. By the way, I'm not accusing Eirik of any lack there! He'll have plenty when he's done. But the details bring the NPC to life, not their combat stats.

 

If you think you need to make this axe to make Eirik more real, I'll support you with whatever feeble modding skills I possess, but I think you might just as well write a nice dialogue about Eirik's unique fighting form.

 

Just my 2 pence.

[EiriktheScald]

Heh, not too many shields are gonna get up and attack are they? Arbitrarily applying a penalty to AC when the creature doesn't have a shield doesn't seem right somehow. I guess a script is the way to go then.

 

The general concept, I believe, is as follows:

 

1. On successful hit, summon invisible creature

2. invis creature has it's own script

3. Script would go like this:

 

/*check if shield is equipped*/

IF

OR(28)

HasItemEquiped("SHLD01",())

HasItemEquiped("SHLD02",())

HasItemEquiped("SHLD03",())

etc.

THEN

RESPONSE #100

 

END

 

However, I'm not sure what action to script to change AC or THACO.

[berelinde]

My post above is the reason I don't attempt to write while under the influence of Nyquil.

[EiriktheScald]

Are you really sure this is what you want to do? Do you really want to waste spend valuable modder time figuring out how to create an admittedly cool effect that *no one is ever going to notice*? Really, there is no way they could. Even if they have to-hit rolls displayed, they're never going to know why Eirik sometimes gets a +1 when his opponent has a shield.

 

I haven't spent any time modding yet, just discussion at this point.

[Nythrun]

I ought to back off for a moment to say that I agree with berelinde - if it's a choice between cutting corners on mood or cutting corners on a technical detail, the technical details should lose.

 

Probably the least demanding way to do what you want would require (in addition to the axe, modified to have an additional effect) an .eff file, a .cre file, and a script.

 

The axe calls the .eff with its new effect, using opcode 177 (?) and a 5% chance.

 

The .eff does opcode 67 (summon creature) on your target, summoning the creature you've made.

 

The creature (which is invisible) runs the script you've made and destroys itself.

 

The script can be very simple, even to the point of

IF
Global("EirikFoeShield","LOCALS",0)
HasItemSlot(LastSummonerOf(Myself),SLOT_SHIELD)
THEN
RESPONSE #100
	SetGlobal("EirikFoeShield","LOCALS",1)
END

IF
Global("EirikFoeShield","LOCALS",1)
HasItemEquiped("shld01",LastSummonerOf(Myself)) // Small Shield
THEN
RESPONSE #100
	ActionOverride(LastSummonerOf(Myself),DropItem("shld01",[0.0])) // Small Shield
	DestroySelf()
END

IF
True()
THEN
RESPONSE #100
	DestroySelf()
END

 

There are ickier ways to do this too.

 

/edited to add:

 

You could also add the effect to Eirik and not the weapon and it will all work out much the same

[EiriktheScald]

Well, if I can put this in Eirik's script, all the easier. Will ChangeSpecifics adjust his THAC0?

[berelinde]

Nythrun means that you're going to have to literally add the effect to Eirik, as in "Eirik will have an innate ability."

 

I think the effect she means is that you'll have the ability to summon that invisible creature that's going to latch on to your shielded opponent.

 

I have no idea how this works. I just write dialogue and beg people who know how to write script to help me.

 

Eventually, some of it sinks in.

[EiriktheScald]

Path of least resistance: just use stun to simulate hooking the ankle and falling to the ground.

 

Type Stun (45)

Targettype TargetPresetTarget (2)

Power 0

Unknown 70 00 00 00 h

Unknown 03 00 00 00 h

Duration Instant/Limited (0)

Dispel/Resistance No dispel/Bypass resistance (0)

Time 6

Probability 1 5

Probability 2 0

Unknown 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 h

# dice / min level 0

Dicesize / max level 0

Savetype ( No save )

Save bonus 0

Unknown 00 00 00 00 h

[Miloch]

Nythrun means that you're going to have to literally add the effect to Eirik, as in "Eirik will have an innate ability."

Did she? I thought she said it could be done either way:

You could also add the effect to Eirik and not the weapon and it will all work out much the same

I don't mind admitting my ignorance about this sort of thing, but couldn't it be done easier? What if you used this effect:

#112 (0x70) Item: Remove Item [112]

Parameter #1: Irrelevant

Parameter #2: Irrelevant

Description:

Removes the item specified by the resource key from the targeted creature(s).

And set the resource key to non-magical shield resources (yeah you might need a separate effect for each but there aren't all that many). As such, it might make sense they'd be destroyed in the process of the axe-bash-disarm or whatever and that magical shields are immune. Just throwing out ideas.

[EiriktheScald]

Hmm... would it be this,

 

#112 (0x70) Item: Remove Item [112]

Parameter #1: Irrelevant

Parameter #2: Irrelevant

Description:

Removes the item specified by the resource key from the targeted

creature(s).

 

or this?

 

#123 (0x7b) Item: Remove Inventory Item [123]

Parameter #1: Irrelevant

Parameter #2: Irrelevant

Description:

Removes the item specified by the resource key from the targeted

creature(s).

 

 

And what if they don't have the item? Is the effect just ignored?

[EiriktheScald]

This script could simulate the target getting hooked by the ankle:

 

IF
True()
THEN
RESPONSE #100
ActionOverride(LastSummonerOf(Myself),PlayDead(75))  // target is tripped for 5 secs or whatever
END

 

How many AI updates per round? How many rounds to get back on their feet again?