D20 Modern Neverwinter Nights

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D20 Modern Neverwinter Nights (or D20 Modern Mod) is a modern-futuristic themed Game Mod for the first Neverwinter Nights game. It is not a true module with a plot, but an empty module giving the modder a system to create modern or futuristic adventures (single-player or multiplayer) with the Aurora Toolset, including custom scripts, items, characters classes and objects; most of this can be edited by the modder. Basically, it is a d20 Modern total conversion of Neverwinter Nights.

D20 Modern Mod features several different Character Classes, separated between six basic classes and twelve Prestige Classes.

Each basic class is focused on one of the six attributes. They are:

  • Strong (Strenght)
  • Fast (Dexterity)
  • Tough (Constitution)
  • Smart (Intelligence)
  • Dedicated (Wisdom)
  • Charismatic (Charisma)

Each Prestige Class can be chosen if the character meets a few requirements (feats, a minimum level in some skills, etc). This is not an obligation to use only this specific build, but the manual suggests that each basic class goes very well with two Prestige Classes. The Prestige Classes are :

  • Soldier (Strong)
  • Martial artist (Strong)
  • Gunslinger (Fast)
  • Infiltrator (Fast)
  • Daredevil (Tough)
  • Bodyguard (Tough)
  • Field scientist (Smart)
  • Mage[1] (Smart)
  • Field medic (Dedicated)
  • Acolyte[2] (Dedicated)
  • Negociator (Charismatic)
  • Personality (Charismatic)

Each class (basic or prestige) have a maximum level of 10. Because of Neverwinter Nights rules, a character can only have up to three classes. So, the maximum level for a Player Character in D20 Modern Mod isn't 40 but 30.

The other important change to the Neverwinter Nights core rules is the using of firearms as ranged weapons, with specific ammunitions. Instead of using standard Neverwinter Nights ammunitions, it relies on a set of scripts. When a character takes a gun in his hands, the scripts check if he carries the right type of ammunitions (items shown as an inert icon), and, if successful, the amount of needed bullets for a full magazine is substracted from the ammunitions in the bag, converted in the same amount of usable ammunitions (arrows, bolts, or bullets, depending on the weapon) and go up to the loaded ammunitions slot of the inventory when the reloading is finished (reload isn't a free action unless the character has a specific feat). If a loaded gun is taken back to the inventory, its ammunitions are converted back to inert ammunitions.

There is five types of ranged weapons, each being a modded variation of the default Neverwinter Nights ranged weapons:

  • Handguns: modified shortbows, they feature pistols, revolvers, very compact submachine pistols, and a Sawn Off Shotgun. The handguns can be dual wielded (see below)
  • Small arms: modified longbows, they feature some small to medium submachine guns
  • Longarms: modified light crossbows, they feature all kind of rifles (from bolt-action rifles to battle and assault rifles), bigger submachine guns and big shotguns
  • Heavy weapons: modified heavy crossbows, they feature some medium to heavy machine guns, and some special arms (flamethrowers, rocket launchers, futuristic energetic weapons, etc)
  • Dual-wielded handguns: modified slings, it is a handgun when it is dual-wielded. Only two identical guns can be used that way (the player must use a specific command through a dialog menu, when having one handgun in his hand and an identical one in his backpack); in game mechanism, one of the hands bears an active sling which really fires, and the gun carried off-hand is just an inert prop. Putting back one of the guns in the backpack makes both weapons reappear in the inventory, converted back as standard handguns

There is also some more minor mechanisms added, like an alternative wealth system (paying with a bank account rather than with real gold), several item identification skills (depending on whereas the item is an occult or military piece of information, a chemical object, etc), or a system of driving vehicles. Note that some of the new systems, skills and feats are absolutely useless unless the modder adds himself heavy scripts to the D20 basis module, or the module is a multiplayer one featuring a DM.

Although the proper D20 Modern Mod replaces character classes, some bits of helmets, and armors, it doesn't delete the spells and the 3D models of the non-human creatures (including those of the Community Expansion Pack version used to make run the mod), allowing the modder to create modules with undeads, aliens or wizards.

The files needed to run the mod can be found here, but you also need to have both official expansion pack, and the unofficial mod Community Expansion Pack.

Tropes used in D20 Modern Neverwinter Nights include:

Settings and sceneries

This list of tropes concerns the kind of sceneries and settings that can be created with the module. It also concern some of the inert items usable as scenery eye-candy.


Characters and Non-Player Characters

This list of tropes deals with appearance and potential backgrounds of player characters and NPC.


Stats, skills, and feats

This list of tropes concerns the character stats.

  • Artistic License Chemistry / Artistic License Engineering / Artistic License Physics: The craftmanship system.
  • The Big Guy: A character with the Strong and / or Tough class can usually be one.
  • Dumb Muscle: Averted with the Soldier Prestige Class, which requires spending some points in the Tactical knowledge skill to be choosable. Can be played straight with a build combining the Strong, Tough, and Martial Artist classes.
  • Genius Bruiser: Combining the Strong or Tough class with Field Medic or Field Scientist. It can also be done just with putting skill points in some "intellectual" skills without multiclassing in science or intellectual oriented classes, but the "genius" part will be less present, as those skills won't be "class skills" and thus there level cap will be halved.
  • Genius Ditz: When a character puts a lot of skills points in the Theology / Occult / Chemistry / etc knowledge skills but nothing in the Current events, Streetwise or Popular culture.
  • The Gunslinger: Especially with the Gunslinger Prestige Class.
  • Master of None
  • The Medic: The Field medic Prestige Class; an Acolyte can potentially be a magical one, if he chooses the right spells.
  • Non-Action Guy: Depending on the module and the roleplay of the player, a character build with three-class combination of Dedicated / Smart / Charismatic / Celebrity can become one.
  • Omnidisciplinary Scientist
  • One-Man Army: Possible if a Strong / Tough / Fast character have to fight mooks who's level is a lot lower.
  • Squishy Wizard
  • Street Smart: The "Streetwise" skill.
  • Useless Useful Non-Combat Abilities: Most of the skills of the mod can be this (deciphering foreign languages or technical pieces of information, craftmanship, repair, etc). Most of them requires heavy scripting of the module or the intervention of a Game Master to work.
  • You Have Researched Breathing: Some actions, like driving a car or having decent knowledge of current events or popular culture, require specific skills or feats.


Items, weapons, and armors

All which is related to usable stuffs.

  • Arbitrary Gun Power: Can be played straight or averted, depending of what the modder wants to do when creating the weapons.
  • Bag of Holding
  • BFG: the heavy weapons, which includes miniguns and rocket launchers.
  • Bling Bling Bang: The silver-ivory plated Desert Eagle model.
  • Chainsaw Good: The two chainsaw models are modified from the sickle.
  • Cool Car: Sadly, some of the 3D models of the mod are only usable as parts of the scenery, not as drivable vehicles.
  • Cool Guns[6]:
    • Handguns: Walter P38, Heckler & Kock USP, Berreta 92, Colt M1911, several Glock pistols
    • Machine pistols: Beretta 93R, Škorpion, Ingram MAC-10 / MAC-11
    • Submachine guns: several Heckler & Koch MP5, mini-Uzi, Heckler & Koch UMP, FN P90, Thompson (the World War II variant with a straight magazine, not the "Chicago Piano" with a drum magazine), MP40
    • Rifles: M1 Garand, Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, two variant of Mauser (including a scoped one)
    • Battle rifles: FN FAL, Heckler & Koch G3
    • Assault rifles: several Colt M4, Heckler & Koch G36, FAMAS, AK-47 / AKM, Israel Military Industries TAR-21
    • Sniper rifles: Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Series, SVD Dragunov, Heckler & Koch PSG1,
    • Machine guns: FN Minimi / M249
    • Shotguns: Daewoo USAS-12, Winchester Model 1897
    • Rockets, missiles, and grenade launchers: M203 (useless at itself, the appearance of some weapons can be customized to add one), M1 / M9 / M20 Bazooka, LAW Rocket
  • Gatling Good: Two of the weapons are two minigun variants.
  • Gun Accessories: Some of the 3D models for firearms include some scopes or grenade launchers. There are also some one-use items which are made to ehance stats of a firearm.
  • Gun Porn: The mod includes 3D models for a lot of real firearms (and a few futuristic ones, too), although the ones that already exists in the basic demo D20 Module are far less numerous. See the Cool Guns and Rare Guns entries on the page.
  • Hand Cannon: The Desert Eagle, the Sawn Off Shotgun, and some of the biggest revolvers.
  • Improvised Weapon:
    • Some blunt weapons are put in this specific category (they suffer from a decrease of accuracy, unless the character has a specific feat). They include a mug, a bottle, a chair or a frying pan
    • Some other "improvised weapons" models belong to standard weapons categories. Among them, there are spiked plank and baseball bat (club), kitchen knife and broken bottle (dagger), and small hammers (light hammer)
  • Improvised Armour: One of the buckler models is a trashcan lid.
  • Katanas Are Just Better
  • Magic Antidote
  • Phlebotinum Pills: The "drug" class of item features objects represented by syringe and/or pills icons. They are consumables with one charge, and the modder can give each a "spell", which is automatically cast on the user.
  • Rare Guns[7]:
    • Handguns: Desert Eagle
    • Battle rifles: STG44
    • Machine guns: FG42, minigun
    • Shotguns: Pancor Jackhammer, Franci SPAS-12
  • Revolvers Are Just Better: The two most powerful handguns (among the already made firearms in the basic module) are a Desert Eagle and a .44 Magnum, which inflict the same amount of damage.
  • Sawn Off Shotgun: One of the already made handguns, it is a sawn-off 12-gauge two-barreled hunting rifle which must be reloaded after to shots.


Other rules

  • Critical Existence Failure: Like in the original Neverwinter Nights, being in full health or nearly dead doesn't have any consequence on the ability to walk and fight.
    • Although there is some scripts which force a character to do a saving throw or die immediatly, when they suffer a very high amount of damage.
  • Dual-Wielding: It is possible to fight with two knives, or with a knife and a baseball bat, or two small hammers, or anything. Like in the original Neverwinter Nights, it greatly reduces the accuracy of attacks unless the character has some specific feats, especially if his offhand weapon is bigger than a small melee weapon.
  • Exploding Barrels: Not created in the demo module, but possible by combining a barrel model (there is a large selection of them) with a specific script.
  • Guns Akimbo: Every handguns can be used this way (if the modder created the dual-wield equivalent items for the guns and ammunitions, of course), including the Desert Eagle; only possible with two identical guns. Note that the character will fire two times more ammunitions, and his accuracy will be decreased.
  • Hyperspace Arsenal: Although the carring capacity is limited by the character's strenght (this limitation becomes neglectable when the strenght is higher enough, which happens at a not so high point), the Neverwinter Nights inventory has enough room to store several firearms (from handguns to BFG), several square-meters of ammunitions, a few Bags of Holding, a whole load of tools, and tons of plot-related items.
  • Incredibly Durable Enemies: Any enemy which has a relatively high level becomes this (see "Made of Iron" below).
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: What usually happen when a character tries to shoot another who is a lot higher in experience levels.
  • Made of Iron: Any character with a relatively high level will have enough hit points to not being killed by a simple blow / bullet and will be immune of a lot of status effect because of their high saving throw bonuses.
  • Trauma Inn: Downplayed. Unlike the original Neverwinter Nights, resting only heal a small part of hitpoints, not the whole lifebar. It can be modified by the modder, though.
  • Universal Poison: Like in the original Neverwinter Nights.


Technical Information

  • Artificial Stupidity:
    • The Artificial Intelligence is the same as the original Neverwinter Nights. Especially with the followers...
    • For the NPCs, target acquisition range is slighly higher than the range of the firearms. It means that unless the NPCs have spawned in range, any attempted gunfight within two groups will end with the characters frozen facing themselves in a perpetual Mexican Standoff. Worse, it gives an advantage to the IA characters against players: to be able to attack, the player will have to go nearer and will suffer an opportunity attack from his target
    • The creators of the mod didn't created customized patterns of recommanded feats / skills when levelling up, so the game makes absolute crap when having to do it automatically. It means that creating NPC will require to manually fix their skills and feats (or to create player characters, and then use a third-party tool to convert them as NPCs)
    • NPC can only use the gun that they have in their hand when they are placed on the map; when run out of ammunitions, they cannot pick another gun from their inventory
    • NPC seems to have some rather random difficulties to use the custom firearms and ammunitions system. Another thing is that nobody unless players characters is able to use dual-wielded guns, followers and scripted-spawned NPC can't figure how to use ammunitions at all and will choose melee combat
  • Obvious Beta:
    • Some items and objects aren't fully textured or their textures are buggy
    • Some of the handguns already created in the example module lack their dual-wield counterpart, which makes them diseappear when trying to dual-wield them
    • One of the female heads has an hat which color is automatically the same as her lips, instead of using the color of the clothes in the armor slot
    • If this troper believes the text description of the feats, the Soldier Prestige Class must have chosen the feat "Weapon Focus: Small Arms" to choose "Weapon Mastery: Longarms", and vice versa
  • Space Is an Ocean
  • Short-Range Long-Range Weapon: Because of limitations of Neverwinter Nights, every firearms has the same (rather medium) range.
  • Sword and Gun: It is possible for modders to create a character like this (with a one-handed melee weapon in his main hand and an inert gun-looking prop in the other), but he won't be able to use both, he only will use melee attacks.


Unsorted

  1. ↑ The same thing that the classical Wizard from Dungeons & Dragons
  2. ↑ The same thing that the classical Cleric from Dungeons & Dragons
  3. ↑ the "sewer" tileset belongs to the original Neverwinter Nights
  4. ↑ At least, the late 20th / early 21st century variant
  5. ↑ technically, a lot of items are considered as magical by the game, even if they are real: for exemple, the different stats of the firearms come from "magical" properties, as the effects of the pills
  6. ↑ it lists the 3D models available, not only the few guns which have already been created in the basic module containing the D20 Modern' system
  7. ↑ it lists the 3D models available, not only the few guns which have already been created in the basic module containing the D20 Modern' system
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