Adding text to spell casting?

[OXHawkXO]

I was going to ask "if" it was possible, but I know we have someone great coders out there that can "make it happen". My question is, can we make it so that we can assign our own text that would show up when you cast a specific spell. e.g. Cast spiderskin - "I grant the protection of a spiders skin." I guess there would have to be a spellcraft check to see if other characters would recognize the spell being cast.

[Wandering_Woodsman]

This MIGHT be helpful to you, but I seem to recall there bein' something in the client expansion that could let you say something when you press a button.
IE, you hit Button 3 on panel 5, and it would say "Hello there. My name is So-and-so. What is your name?" or something.
It might, potentially, be possible to have it do that, as well as cast the spell, since you can already drag a spell to a button..it MIGHt be possible.

Just a thought.

[OXHawkXO]

I know about the macro buttons in the PC tools you can add text to, But I'm lazy and I type very slow and very poorly.

[Svabodnik]

Darkness beyond twilight,
Crimson beyond blood that flows,
Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows,
I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand,
Before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand,
Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed,
by the power you and I possess...
DRAGON SLAVE!
Casts Magic Missile.

[Svabodnik]

That way, when you buff up your traveling companions, everyone's chat log can be filled with...

Code: Select all

Billy Bob: Blade quick as the wind, nimble as a feather! Keen Edge on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Blade quick as the wind, nimble as a feather! Keen Edge on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Weave as supple as silk, as strong as steel! Spiderskin on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Weave as supple as silk, as strong as steel! Spiderskin on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Weave as supple as silk, as strong as steel! Spiderskin on Grunt McGrunty.
Billy Bob: Forge of fire, forge of flame, forge that conjures my enemies' bane! Flame Blade on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Forge of fire, forge of flame, forge that conjures my enemies' bane! Flame Blade on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: The answer long sought to the Riddle of Steel! Greater Magic Weapon on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: The answer long sought to the Riddle of Steel! Greater Magic Weapon on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Iron of spears, ferocity of claws, crumble before simple rock! Stoneskin on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Iron of spears, ferocity of claws, crumble before simple rock! Stoneskin on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Iron of spears, ferocity of claws, crumble before simple rock! Stoneskin on Grunt McGrunty.
Billy Bob: The rage of red, two horns raised high! Bull's Strength on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: A subtle step, before the pounce! Cat's Grace on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Angel songs lull the temptations of darkness. Protection from Evil on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Angel songs lull the temptations of darkness. Protection from Evil on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Angel songs lull the temptations of darkness. Protection from Evil on Grunt McGrunty.

I could go on with the usual buffs, but I think I've made my point. I don't know if you've ever played in an MMO that has the option of text+action macros, but you may soon discover, even if you like the notion roleplay, tying a rote game action to a mechanical effect quickly ruins both. If you want to RP a character who uses flowery or otherwise notable recitations for the verbal component of their spells, it's best saved for when you're either casting a specific spell for roleplay reasons (i.e. DM asks you to cast Dispel Magic to move past a ward, you use such a line during your emote for doing so, or giving a blessing to an adventurer you cannot accompany, so you RP out a prayer to your deity before rolling out with a dozen buffs to represent it) or simply summarizing the behavior of your character the first time someone interacts with them ("As Billy Bob begins to weave his spells, his motions drift from sudden jarring gestures to smooth flowing steps, as if in a dance with no rhythm. His voice undulates as of one reciting a chant, or perhaps a poem.").

[Hoihe]

That way, when you buff up your traveling companions, everyone's chat log can be filled with...

Code: Select all

Billy Bob: Blade quick as the wind, nimble as a feather! Keen Edge on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Blade quick as the wind, nimble as a feather! Keen Edge on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Weave as supple as silk, as strong as steel! Spiderskin on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Weave as supple as silk, as strong as steel! Spiderskin on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Weave as supple as silk, as strong as steel! Spiderskin on Grunt McGrunty.
Billy Bob: Forge of fire, forge of flame, forge that conjures my enemies' bane! Flame Blade on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Forge of fire, forge of flame, forge that conjures my enemies' bane! Flame Blade on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: The answer long sought to the Riddle of Steel! Greater Magic Weapon on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: The answer long sought to the Riddle of Steel! Greater Magic Weapon on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Iron of spears, ferocity of claws, crumble before simple rock! Stoneskin on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Iron of spears, ferocity of claws, crumble before simple rock! Stoneskin on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Iron of spears, ferocity of claws, crumble before simple rock! Stoneskin on Grunt McGrunty.
Billy Bob: The rage of red, two horns raised high! Bull's Strength on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: A subtle step, before the pounce! Cat's Grace on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Angel songs lull the temptations of darkness. Protection from Evil on Mary Jane.
Billy Bob: Angel songs lull the temptations of darkness. Protection from Evil on Joe Shmoe.
Billy Bob: Angel songs lull the temptations of darkness. Protection from Evil on Grunt McGrunty.

I could go on with the usual buffs, but I think I've made my point. I don't know if you've ever played in an MMO that has the option of text+action macros, but you may soon discover, even if you like the notion roleplay, tying a rote game action to a mechanical effect quickly ruins both. If you want to RP a character who uses flowery or otherwise notable recitations for the verbal component of their spells, it's best saved for when you're either casting a specific spell for roleplay reasons (i.e. DM asks you to cast Dispel Magic to move past a ward, you use such a line during your emote for doing so, or giving a blessing to an adventurer you cannot accompany, so you RP out a prayer to your deity before rolling out with a dozen buffs to represent it) or simply summarizing the behavior of your character the first time someone interacts with them ("As Billy Bob begins to weave his spells, his motions drift from sudden jarring gestures to smooth flowing steps, as if in a dance with no rhythm. His voice undulates as of one reciting a chant, or perhaps a poem.").

What I tend to do is select a few spells and RP them out, that set the tone for the rest. Favourite are silent spells .

I recommend the same! Emote out a few types of spells as you ward and you're golden. In combat, do the same - best if it got emotion tied to it if sorcerer.

[OXHawkXO]

@ Chambordini

I look forward to seeing your work in-game.


@Svabobnic

I think you may have missed my point. But as I have said before, I type pretty slow and I spell poorly at best. So I am sure my thought's didn't translate to the written word very well. Then again I have come across a few people that don't really read the post, they just tend to pick up on what will fit there narrative and go from there. Mind you this is just my observation, it's not intended to offend, encourage, discourage or provoke anyone.


@ Hoihe

I see that you joined the server in late 2011. But if my memory server me correctly (which it rarely does) I recall you being very active about 5-6 years ago. I don't think I ever interacted directly with any of your characters. I might have been in an event or two with you, but never had and IC reason to interact with your character.

It didn't take me long to see that you were a gifted writer and skilled role player. I am guessing you built your character solely around the RP. Needless to say, that's not my thing. I spend most of my time soloing. I try and build my characters to survive and RP them the best I can when I have too. But I think that's one of the strengths of this game and this server, It caters to a wide variety of people and there playing styles. If I had any say in the matter, I would type 75 wpm and they would flow as if Ernest Hemmingway himself was behind the keyboard. Not gona happen. I have no collage experience. I have spent most of my working life behind a welder, and a good bit of my youth in bars and the like. There's just not many opportunities to express ones self on paper when one chooses that lifestyle. But I do the best I can with what I have to work with, or maybe I'm just lazy. hehe

Just for some reference, My first encounter with AD&D was the gold box series released in the early 90's. The first time I seen RP was right here about 7 years ago, had to ask what RP meant, as well as occ and many other things. Well it seem I am rattling on. I just think it would help someone like myself to have the ability to add text to some of the spells I cast, at least it would look like I am contributing to the RP a little.

[Svabodnik]

If you simply want people to take note of a certain spell that you cast, even without spellcraft (and quite a few people familiar with NWN2 mechanics will take spellcraft in order to qualify for the +1 save bonus vs. spells per 5 ranks), those that would know enough of the spell effect by the name of the spell alone are also probably quite familiar with the casting animation and VFX of the spell itself.

EDIT: Or maybe I'm misunderstanding you again. If the purpose is to inform your allies of a crucial spellcast, that rarely comes up, as typically parties expect to either discuss tactics prior to an engagement (no telling if anyone is even going to be paying attention to the chat log if things are actually hairy enough to warrant that), or have enough trust in the other players that they will be able perform their roles independently. If the purpose is to add a repeated text to a casual combat action, then my previous post stands. If you're worried about not being vocal enough in RP, as you've said, the server plays to a variety of playstyles. Quite a lot of people I've met on the server are slow typists, and if their interest is in the RP, they'd rather mull over text in an environment that isn't as fast-paced as a grinding a dungeon. I typically prefer the lull of solo-grinding a dungeon than partying up myself, as it lets me set the tempo and relax with a podcast running the background. On the other hand, if I want to RP and think about what I want to post, I'd prefer doing that when not surrounded by enemies.

[Steve]

It didn't take me long to see that you were a gifted writer and skilled role player. I am guessing you built your character solely around the RP. Needless to say, that's not my thing. I spend most of my time soloing. I try and build my characters to survive and RP them the best I can when I have too. But I think that's one of the strengths of this game and this server, It caters to a wide variety of people and there playing styles. If I had any say in the matter, I would type 75 wpm and they would flow as if Ernest Hemmingway himself was behind the keyboard. Not gona happen. I have no collage experience. I have spent most of my working life behind a welder, and a good bit of my youth in bars and the like. There's just not many opportunities to express ones self on paper when one chooses that lifestyle. But I do the best I can with what I have to work with, or maybe I'm just lazy. hehe

You expressed yourself in prose quite well with quality “flow.” Any skill requires practice.

Anyway, I think you should revisit PC Macros, because it would provide you with a set of reusable texts that could definitely support your desired RP.

Subject: PC Tools: How to Setup Macros

[OXHawkXO]

Thanks to everyone who responded to this post. Looks like I have some work to do.

[wangxiuming]

I use the text macros from PC Tools - they were a hassle to set up, but definitely have saved me a lot of typing over the years. Osric is a daggerspell mage, and rather than having to type out that he's actually throwing daggers with his blasts, I just use my preset macro now to do it for me. Obviously, I don't spam it with every blast, but if I'm traveling with characters I don't usually travel with, I always use the macro once at the beginning of combat.