Terry Brooks MOD??

lunarwater · Post by **lunarwater** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 6:32 pm

I'm suprised I have not seen a module based on the Shannara series yet for NWN. That seems like it would be perfectly set with the tools at hand.

Has anyone heard of one?

p.s. Just bought the new Shannara book and am about to start. Can't wait!

archerknight · Post by **archerknight** » Thu Aug 29, 2002 8:08 pm

Wow. I almost forgot about that series. I hope we're not the only two who have heard of it. You're right I think it would make an great mod. Afraid I haven't done more than look at the tool kit, but it would be nice if someone who had the time and ability would give it a whirl.

Imagine the other possibilities: The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Blue Adept(the Phaze side).

Oh the possibilities.

Nagroth · Post by **Nagroth** » Fri Aug 30, 2002 12:32 am

What´s the Blue Adept ?! I thought I knew all major fantasy series at least by name but I never heard of that one.
BTW, how about a Wheel of Time mod ?

Mathurin · Post by **Mathurin** » Fri Aug 30, 2002 10:36 am

Wheel of time would be very cool but rather complicated.

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Fri Aug 30, 2002 12:14 pm

How about a Baldur's gate rebuild?
Sounds really cool!

garazdawi · Post by **garazdawi** » Fri Aug 30, 2002 2:13 pm

The problem with doing a module afetr a book or already existing games is that people will know what is "supposed" to happen and will complain greatly if one char is just a bit out of character. They also know the plot so no surprises what so ever(if you were to follow it point by poit). there is already a wheel of time game, it had to be based on someone else than Rand and thios ruined teh whole idea, who wants to follow the progress of an novice or accepted? So it is thereofre much easier to do an original module where you can have all the things as you like and just say it is supposed to do that and then fix it in a later version

So if you want to do it go ahead just beware of all complains you are going to get later on from WOT fans

Sirius_Sam · Post by **Sirius_Sam** » Fri Aug 30, 2002 4:26 pm

@Nagroth:

Piers Anthony series...very good, but has dual worlds (magic and technology), kinda like the old Roger Zelazny 'Jack of Shadows' stuff.

Hmmmm...Shadowjack, Nine Princes in Amber...Zelazny material would make some good mods too

S_S

lunarwater · Post by **lunarwater** » Fri Aug 30, 2002 6:25 pm

I've seen a Tolkien and WOT one out on GameSpy before. Never logged onto them though. It's good to hear that someone else likes Brooks though. I'm now almost done with his new book and it is Mui Bueno.

archerknight · Post by **archerknight** » Fri Aug 30, 2002 8:55 pm

I guess it would make for some pretty linear quests and be pretty restricting. You'd have to play realizing the limitations.

@Lunarwater: What's the name of the new book? As good as the others?

lunarwater · Post by **lunarwater** » Sat Aug 31, 2002 8:30 am

His new Shannara series the last couple years or so has been entitled The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara with the idividual book names, "The Isle Witch", "Antrax", and now "Mogawr". They were all very good.

limorkil · Post by **limorkil** » Tue Sep 03, 2002 8:27 am

I'd settle for a LOTR mod. Most of the stuff by Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, Stephen Donaldson and others is based on LOTR anyway. Elfstones of Shannara had some original ideas, although I find it hard to get around Allanon (sp?) being so much like Gandalf. Hell, he even falls into a crevasse and then comes back again more powerful. Erm...

That said, Brooks is a lot more original than a lot of the Forgotten Realms stuff used for Baldur's Gate and NWN. For example, Elminster is almost identical to Gandalf. I just read the Icewind Dale series by Salvatore and it features a fat halfling with a liking for food who accidentally steals a piece of jewellery that turns out to be much more powerfully magical than he expected. And the evil owner of the item (a necklace in this case) really wants it back ...

Jeez, give me a break.

Mathurin · Post by **Mathurin** » Tue Sep 03, 2002 8:46 am

Hehe this place will turn into a flame war if some hardcore Realms fan sees that, especially a Salvatore fanboy.

Now back on topic. Id love to see a module based in the Amber Novels by Zelazny. For years Ive been wanting to see some sort of Amber roleplaying game created, but all I've been able to find is a few play-by-emails over the net, hell Ive even tryed to do it myself unsuccessfully a few times.

Nagroth · Post by **Nagroth** » Tue Sep 03, 2002 9:32 am

I wouldn´t agree that WOT is very similar to LOTR, as far as fantasy series go. Of course, they are all indebted to Tolkien, but I think that Jordan managed to create a distinctly different world. It´s much more down to earth, the magic system is very different and innovative, the roles of women in WOT is more prominent. Of course I have no idea how to translate the peculiar saidin/saidar structure of the One Power into DnD terms

limorkil · Post by **limorkil** » Tue Sep 03, 2002 11:54 am

I suppose many, if not all, fantasy authors owe something to Tolkein. Stupid thing for me to say really because even D&D owes Tolkein a lot.

I suppose what I mean is that if someone did a LOTR mod then it wouldn't be too hard to take the same basic structure and modify it to be a different fantasy series. They nearly all have the same basic elements:
1. Somewhat naive main character who discovers hidden talents along the way (usually magical).
2. The 'enemy' who was defeated long ago and is now returned.
3. A quest, usually involving a long journey into the heart of the evil realm.
4. A war, usually occurring alongside the quest
5. Some very long lived person with strange powers who is the backbone of the 'good' side but doesn't actually get too involved (Gandalf wannabes)
6. A smart-alec rogue type
7. A magical animal or two
8. "Elves" and "Dwarves". Wven if they are not called by those names, there's always a couple of races or peoples that are basically the same.

I could go on. Note also that some of these similarities, such as 1 and 6, are common across many fantasy novels but are not necessarily based on Tolkein.

As for the Salvatore fanboys, I should point out that "The Dark Elf" trilogy is one of my favorite series. Drizzt and Menzoberanzan (sp? - I can never get it right) seem very original to me, maybe based a little on Elric of Melnoborne (sp? - long time since I read it) but certainly not LOTR.

The hardest part about creating a mod based in a non-D&D world would be implementing the rule changes needed to restrict characters and abilties, or to create new races and abilties. I'm not even sure it's possible to create totally new races and abilities with the Toolkit, unless they are just simple modifications of an existing D&D race. In particular, the D&D magic system is very different from that of most fantasy genres. I suppose you could just have the fantasy world with the D&D rules, but I think that you would risk losing some of the atmosphere unless you are very restrictive with the spells and abilities players can use.