Ravenloft:Strahd's Possession Character Editor Module
Created by David Melanson w/UGE 1.0
Velcome to Ravenloft. Thought it was an appropriate game to
pull out for Halloween. Obviously, you need a version of Jack Hartman's
Universal Game Editor (registered or not) to make this work, as well as
a copy of Ravenloft:Strahd's Possession from SSI.
This is the third game module I've written. If you like it, try
the ones I did for Clouds Of Xeen (New World Computing) and Dark Legions
(also SSI).
I wrote the module to be able to modify certain things about
your individual characters. Feel like you can't handle things with only
two characters? You can actually start off the game with FOUR, by
"creating" new ones in slots 3 & 4! Mind you, they have to be dropped if
you want to add NPC's, but once the NPC's are in place, you can modify
THEM as well! BIG WARNING: If you create characters in slots 3 & 4
without filling in ALL the necessary details (Name, Portrait, Age, Class,
Race, Level, XP, all ability scores, HP, etc), the game WILL crash if you
attempt to access their character info via the info screen. This is NOT
a pretty picture when it happens. Actually, I don't recommend creating
two new ones from scratch...it usually crashes anyway. Rather, I'd
recommend just using this to "edit" NPC's when they join up with the party.
To use it, fire up UGE. Ravenloft games are stored in separate
directories in your Ravenloft main directory, under the names SAVExx, where
xx is a number from 00 to 10. 00 is reserved for the "pre-made characters"
slot, so YOUR first saved game is in SAVE01. The file you want to modify
is "save.dat"
You can break a good majority of the AD&D rules with this module.
You can have 1 XP and still be 20th level, for example. You can memorize
more spells than your level allows. You can acquire spells without even
praying OR memorizing OR resting! And, you can rapidly get just about
any equipment you need. However, there are still some ground rules to
remember:
You can create multi-class characters of any type with this utility.
Unfortunately, no matter what kind of multi-class you create, you CANNOT
cast mage spells while in armor. You can still have the weapons,
shields, helmet, whatever on, but somehow, you can't wear any armor when
casting. Then again, as Ravenloft characters seem to be capable of getting
dressed and undressed from armor instantaneously, this may not be so bad.
Plus, you CAN wear armor and Bracers of Defense simultaneously. The Bracers
go into effect as soon as you remove the armor but not before, so maybe
that's a way around the "defenselessness" issue. Worse yet, if your
character is even PART Cleric, he or she can't use edged weapons, even if
also partally a Fighter, Paladin, or Ranger. In addition, some classes
may just have conflicting interests, so while a Paladin/Thief may seem like
a great idea to you, utilizing him or her may be a little tricky. I also
cannot guarantee that all classes will have all of their respective powers&
abilities. Good luck making a good one...I honestly recommend just making
a Paladin, since they can, through the editor, access all of the spells
without giving up the ability to use edged weapons. Sneaky, but it works
(although they STILL have to remove armor to use Mage spells!)
Also, the game does not recognize bonuses for ability scores above
19, except for Strength (which can go up to 22). Also, when adjusting
Strength, make sure you list the two "Str+" fields as 255 UNLESS you mark
the Strength base fields as 18. Str+ is "exceptional Strength," and will
only be recognized properly if the Strength base is 18. If you haven't
played AD&D before, you're probably lost. Don't worry, you'll get used to
it soon enough.
So, yeah, the AD&D rules are still there and still a pain, but I
found a way, through this module, to make everything a little easier. Now
for a few suggestions before I go on...
If your editable character is at least part mage, you'll note that
Inventory Slot 0 is already set to 166. Do NOT change this!!! This is the
mage's Spell Book, and it is CRITICAL that it remain where it is. Also, do
NOT attempt to use 166 as a number anywhere else in the inventory slots, as
you'll wind up with a blank, unusable slot. Oh, and if you create a multi-
class that DIDN'T have "Mage" as part of it originally, but does after you
modified it, you can stick 166 in slot 0 to gain the "Spellbook," since it
won't happen naturally.
If you want lots of items, be sure you give at least one character
a Bag Of Holding. I didn't make a separate set of fields to handle the
Bag's contents, so the best suggestion would be to create the bag, some of
the items you want to put in it, start Ravenloft & put the items in (thus
freeing up inventory slots), save the game, go back to UGE and add more
items, etc. It's time-consuming, but hey, it works.
Now it's on to the actual module description...
The Name, Age, and Hit Points Fields are all pretty self-explanatory.
You'll note there are THREE "Level" and "XP" fields. This is because you
can design up to a triple-class character. Characters without three classes
will see -1 in one or more of these fields. Please do not attempt to set
a -1 marked field to something, as this will mess up the game. I do
recommend that you set each XP field at an amount appropriate to whatever
you set its respective "Level" field to, lest something weird happen the
next time you gain some experience.
If one of your characters buys it, and you don't want to waste the
time raising him or her (or the victim was an elf), you might notice this
field is set to 64. Set it to 0, and guess what? Yep. Instantaneous
resurrection. Cool.
Portrait's kinda weird. I suggest you leave it alone or pick a
number 0 to 5. It's the face you choose for each individual character.
Kinda silly, but necessary if you plan on creating somebody new in slots
3 & 4. Plus, it's also fun (but stupid) to make all of your characters
look exactly the same. And yes, the portrait changes based on gender,
whether you change this number or not. The numbers for portrait do range
higher...I'm not sure how high, however. Play around if you like, just
keep a backup copy in case you go too far.
Now there are several fields for three classes, character race, sex,
and even alignment. The values you set here are pretty straightforward. I
included a brief table for each below. (Table 1) Important point: If you
make a character a multi-class, make sure you assign an appropriate level
and XP value for the new class in the appropriate field, or notta-so-too
good things might happen (as in having -1 XP. BAD.) And no, you can't
make a character evil. Sorry. Plus, if you have a Paladin as part of your
classes, make sure he or she is Lawful Good, or a lot of powers will be lost.
Since various things can affect your current ability scores (either
positively or negatively), you'll note there are two fields for each ability
score...current and maximum. Usually, they'll be equal, unless one has
been magically enhanced or drained in some fashion. Once again, except for
strength, do not attempt to set any of these over 19 (or below 3)
The Inventory Slots 0-11 are your character's 12 inventory slots.
Once again, if Slot 0 is occupied by 166, do NOT change it! You can have
practically any inventory item in any slot. See Table 2 below for the
complete list of inventory items (compiled via a LONG process of modifying,
saving, and restarting!) There are also slots for rings, Body Armor, and
Head Armor. These use the same table of items, but there are obvious
stipulations. Only use "Rings" (items numbered 67-72) in the "Ring" slots,
only "head gear" (items numbered 26-32, 82, or 92) in the Head Armor slot,
and only "armor" or "clothing" (items 8-24, 93, or 95) in the Body Armor
slot.
The remaining fields are "Spells." These tell how many of each
type of spell your character has "memorized" or "prayed for," and are
ready to go. A 255 in any slot means your character is not capable of
casting that spell...setting it to 0 makes the character capable of
praying for it or memorizing it. Sorry, you can't give a non-spellcaster
spellcasting ability (simply due to the fact that no casting icon appears).
If you make the character even part Paladin, Mage, or Cleric, however,
spells of ANY class can be cast (Mage spells only if not in armor) if you
program them in via the editor. (Paladins get access to the spell menu
not just because of their own spell ability at high level, but also
because their "Turn Undead" power is considered a 1st level spell. It
won't be accessible till the Paladin is at least level 3 though.) Mind
you, you might still not be able to "Pray For" or "Memorize" them, but if
you can cast 'em anyway, WHO CARES?
Ravenloft handles spells very strangely. To determine how many
spells you have available for casting, divide the number shown in the
"Spell" field by 17. In other words, setting the "Mag.Missile" field to
17 means you have 1 Magic Missile Spell memorized, setting it to 34
indicates 2, and setting it to 51 indicates 3, etc. As a result, you can
actually cast spells that are far beyond your level, memorize more than
you normally could, refresh your spells in the middle of a battle, etc.
I would recommend not setting the number of spells memorized higher than
9 for any specific spell. Also note that there are neither Atonement nor
Remove Curse spells nor scrolls available. Sorry-you'll have to figure
out the regular way to get these done; nothing in the saved game file
seems to enable those spells.
TABLE 1: BASIC CHARACTER INFO TABLES
CLASSES:
0.> Fighter 1.> Paladin 2.> Ranger 3.> Cleric 4.> Mage
5.> Thief
RACES:
0.> Human 1.> Half-Elf 2.> Halfling 3.> Gnome 4.> Dwarf
5.> Elf
SEX:
0.> Male 1.> Female
ALIGNMENT:
0.> Lawful Good 1.> Lawful Neutral 2.> Neutral Good
3.> True Neutral 4.> Chaotic Good 5.> Chaotic Neutral
TABLE 2: RAVENLOFT ITEM LIST (Note some numbers are skipped. Entering
the numbers that are skipped results in a game error.)
1.> Sack 2.> Chest 3.> Sling Pouch 4.>Ivory Scroll Case
5.> Key Ring 6.> Quiver 8.> Blue Robe 10.> White Robe
12.> Leather Armor 14.> Chain Mail 16.> Elven Chain Mail
18.> Bronze Plate Mail 20.> Plate Mail 22.> Adamantine Chain Mail
24.> Adamant.Plate Mail 26.> Leather Helm 27.> Chain Coif
28.> Elven Chain Coif 29.> Bronze Plate Helm 30.> Plate Helm
31.> Adamant.Chain Helm 32.> Adamant.Plate Helm 33.> Small Shield
34.> Medium Shield 35.> Large Shield 36.> Battle Axe
37.> Mace 38.> Quarterstaff 39.> Short Sword
40.> Long Sword 41.> Broad Sword 42.> Warhammer
43.> Dagger 44.> 2-Handed Sword 45.> Halberd
46.> Spear 47.> Throwing Knife 48.> Composite Bow
49.> Sling 50.> Lock Picks 51.> Holy Symbol
52.> Paladin Symbol 53.> Tome of Artifacts 54.> Mage Scroll
55.> Cleric Scroll 56.> Skeleton Parchment 57.> Arrow
58.> Sling Bullet 59.> Elixir of Youth 60.> Potion of Xtra Heal
61.> Pot-Fire Resist 62.> Pot-Giant Str. 63.> Pot-Healing
64.> Pot-Speed 65.> Pot-Fiery Burning 66.> Keoghtom's Ointment
67.> Ring-Featherfall 68.> Ring-Fire Resist 69.> Ring-Free Action
70.> Ring-Protection 71.> Ring-Regeneration 72.> Ring-Wizardry
73.> Rod of Rebirth 74.> Rod Of Smiting 75.> Wand-Enemy Detection
76.> Wand-Fireballs 77.> Wand-Frost 78.> Wand-Magic Missiles
79.> Wand-Paralyzation 80.> Bag Of Holding 81.> Bracers-Protection
82.> Ancient Elven Plate Helm 83.> Gauntlets Of Dexterity
84.> Gauntlets of Stone Giant Strength 85.> Phylactery of Long Years
86.> Stone Of Good Luck 87.> Axe Of Hurling 88.> Arrow-Slaying Undead
89.> Dagger of Throwing 90.> Javelin-Lightning 91.> Sling of Seeking
92.> Ancient Elven Crown 93.> Cloak 95.> Anc. Elven Plate Mail
97.> Parchment Fragment 98.> Parchment Fragment 99.> Parchment Fragment
100.> Parch.Fragment 101.> Footman's Pick 102.> Ancient Elven Shield
103.> Shield-Lightning Protection 104.> Ba'al Verzi Dagger
105.> Ancient Elven Sword 106.> Gold Church Key
107.> Victor Graymir's Bone Vault Key 108.> Iron Elven Tomb Key
109.> Church Vestibule Key 110.> Ivlis Seal Of Entrance
111.> Sharp Iron Svalich Road Key 112.> Jeweller's Key
113.> Paladin's Key 114.> Forgotten Gold Church Key
115.> HOLY SYMBOL OF RAVENKIND (Gee, that might just come in handy...)
116.> Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol 117.> Barovian Coin
118.> Wereraven Feather 119.> Priceless Fire Ruby
120.> Strahd's Invitation 121.> Trimia's Catalogue
122.> Sasha's Reading Glass 123.> Vistani Potion
124.> Pouch of Unusual Gold Dust 125.> Elven Signet
135.> Finger Of Commanding 136.> Withered Heart Of Mortal Ardor
137.> Seed Of Morninglord 138.> Manual 139.> Vistani Tarokka Card
140.> I, Strahd 141.> Van Richten's Tale Of Strahd
142.> Van Richten's Guide To Werebeasts 143. Mage's Journal
144.> Jade Cavern Key 145.> Jade Cavern Key 2 146.> Jade Cavern Key 3
147.> Jade Cavern Key 4 148.> Ruby Catacomb Key 149.> Sapphire Catacomb Key
150.> Onyx Cata. Key 151.> Emerald Cata. Key 152.> Blood Bat Key
153.> Ravenloft Tower Key 154.> Ravenloft Silver Tower Key
155.> Blood Key 156.> Green Elven Tomb Key
157.> Iron Cemetary Gate Key 158.> Paladin's Sword
159.> Paladin's Dagger 160.> Winged Holy Symbol
161.> Gold Teardrop Key 162.> Silver Star Key 163.> Silver Moon Key
164.> Stone 165.> Magic Stone 166.> RESERVED FOR SPELL BOOK ONLY!
167.> Scroll-Armor 168.> Scroll-Burn.Hand 169.> Scroll-Chill Touch
170.> Scroll-Det.Undead 171.> Scroll-Light (M) 172.> Scroll-Magic Missile
173.> Scroll-Shield 174.> Scroll-Ag.Scorch. 175.> Scroll-Blur
176.> Scroll-Impr.Ident 177.> Scroll-Knock 178.> Scroll-Wizard Lock
179.> Scroll-Ice Knife 180.> Scroll-Dispel Mag 181.> Scroll-Fireball
182.> Scroll-Flam.Arrow 183.> Scroll-Haste 184.> Scroll-Slow
185.> Scroll-Hold Pers. 186.> Scroll-Hold Und. 187.> Scroll-Invis 10'Rad.
188.> Scroll-Lightn.Blt 189.> Scroll-Vamp.Touch 190.> Scroll-Det.Scrying
191.> Scroll-Ice Storm 192.> Scroll-Stoneskin 193.> Scroll-Wizard Eye
194.> Scroll-Cone Of C. 195.> Scroll-Hold Mons 196.> Scroll-Claws of U.Hulk
197.> Scroll-Dth Spell 198.> Scroll-Lich Touch 199.> Scroll-Freez.Sphere
200.> Scroll-True See. 201.> Scroll-Drag.Scale 202.> Scroll-Bless
203.> Scroll-Cur.Lt.Wnd 204.> Scroll-Cau.Lt.Wnd 205.> Scroll-Detect Magic
206.> Scroll-Inv.Undead 207.> Scroll-Light (C) 208.> Scroll-Magic Stones
209.> Scroll-Aid 210.> Scroll-Fl.Blade 211.> Scroll-Hold Person
212.> Scroll-Slow Psn. 213.> Scroll-Draw Str 214.> Scroll-Draw Dex
215.> Scroll-Cure Dise. 216.> Scroll-Dispel Mag 217.> Scroll-Neg.Plane.Prot.
218.> Scroll-Prayer 219.> Scroll-Rem.Paral. 220.> Scroll-Cur.Ser.Wnds
221.> Scroll-Cau.Sr.Wnd 222.> Scroll-Fortify 223.> Scroll-Neutr.Poison
224.> Scroll-Cur.Cr.Wnd 225.> Scroll-Cau.Cr.Wnd 226.> Scroll-Flame Strike
227.> Scroll-Heal 228.> Scroll-Harm
229.> Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page 230.> Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page
231.> Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page 232.> Strahd's Notes
233.> Assassin's Parchment 234.> Count Strahd's Writ
235.> Strahd's Letter to Vistani
Well, that's basically it, folks. Hope this whole thing comes in
handy for you in the game. It was rough, but worth it. Keep watching for
future modules along the way. Feel free to send comments, flames, or
whatever to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. But PLEASE, no requests. Not every game
can be modified, and I don't have EVERY game out there. My next planned
target is either Shadowcaster or Menzoberranzen. See ya then...
-David Melanson
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