I need help with Shadowkeeper: changing NPC classes

Klorox · Post by **Klorox** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:08 pm

How do I change the classes of NPCs using Shadowkeeper?

For instance, how do you change Minsc into a Barbarian, or Imoen into a Mage/Thief multiclass, or Viconia into a Cleric/Thief or Cleric/Mage multiclass?

TIA

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:46 pm

Load a saved game. Click on the Characteristics tab for one of your party characters. Click where it says Class, and choose your profession du jour. Save the changes under File, and you're done.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 6:09 pm

Whoa, it's not that simple. Change your class, but set XP to zero, Level to 0, THACO to twenty, Saving throws to twenty, thieving skills to 0, HP to 1, remove the innate abilities and set Proficiencies to 0.

Save, then load your save in the game, do the level up, save again. Open SK and give your character the relevant XP, save, load in game, do th rest of the level ups.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 7:09 pm

Galraen is correct.

I read your request for only changing the class type, not the various other changes that have to accompany that.

VonDondu · Post by **VonDondu** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:48 am

galraen wrote:Whoa, it's not that simple. Change your class, but set XP to zero, Level to 0, THACO to twenty, Saving throws to twenty, thieving skills to 0, HP to 1, remove the innate abilities and set Proficiencies to 0.

It's not necessary to change THAC0 or saving throws; the game adjusts them automatically when the character levels up. You do need to remove all proficiency points, thieving skill points, innate abilities, and Effects (found under the "Affects" tab). The important thing is to set the level to 0, because the game will automatically add all of the necessary Effects, proficiency points, and other class attributes when the character becomes 1st Level.

When your character becomes 1st Level, he or she will get the full number of Hit Points, so any Hit Points he or she starts with at 0 Level will be in excess of the maximum allowable Hit Points. When I edit a character, I always go back into ShadowKeeper and subtract those extra Hit Points. You can also change the avatar/paper doll at the same time (AFTER the character has levelled up inside the game).

By the way, if you want to edit Imoen in Chapter One, setting her Hit Points to 1 will cause her to run away when you restart the game. Her script and her special belt are intended to keep her alive until you make it out of Irenicus's dungeon (although if you do manage to kill her, she will still appear in the cutscene).

If you intend to change a character to a dual-class character, you might need to adjust their stats to meet the minimum requirements for dual-classing. If you intend to edit a dual-class character, you might need to remove the dual-class flag with a program such as Near Infinity (the flag is not visible in ShadowKeeper). You can also end up with anomalies such as multi-class human characters. But most of the time, everything works perfectly if you do it correctly.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:25 am

oficiency points, thieving skill points, innate abilities, and Effects (found under the "Affects" tab). The important thing is to set the level to 0, because the game will automatically add all of the necessary Effects, proficiency points, and other class attributes when the character becomes 1st Level.

This will also deal with spell choices, which you get to assign as your character acquires all those levels after the change. The alternative-setting experience and level to zero--is painful, since you then have to go through SK to assign everything.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:15 pm

A side note, Imoen seems to be handled differently to other NPCs in my experience. Changing her class can have some strange side effects. For example if you try to changer class to, say, straight fighter and give her 15 strenght, then try to DC her to a second class using SK, it makes her multi-classed instead when you load the save into th game. She also doesn't lose her arcane spells.

I once tried changing her into a fighter DC'd into a Cleric out of curiosity. She ended up as a multi classed F/C, and with all her Arcane spells as well! It was tempting to keep her like that, but in the end my concience made me go back and start again.

Pellinore · Post by **Pellinore** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:30 pm

Whoa, it's not that simple. Change your class, but set XP to zero, Level to 0, THACO to twenty, Saving throws to twenty, thieving skills to 0, HP to 1, remove the innate abilities and set Proficiencies to 0.

Save, then load your save in the game, do the level up, save again. Open SK and give your character the relevant XP, save, load in game, do th rest of the level ups.

What happens if you don't follow these steps? I changed Immie to a straight Thief and everything seems to be working so far...

VonDondu · Post by **VonDondu** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:33 pm

galraen wrote:A side note, Imoen seems to be handled differently to other NPCs in my experience. Changing her class can have some strange side effects. For example if you try to changer class to, say, straight fighter and give her 15 strenght, then try to DC her to a second class using SK, it makes her multi-classed instead when you load the save into th game. She also doesn't lose her arcane spells.

I once tried changing her into a fighter DC'd into a Cleric out of curiosity. She ended up as a multi classed F/C, and with all her Arcane spells as well!

I think the reason that occurs is because ShadowKeeper did not remove the dual-class flag (which I mentioned earlier). That flag has a tendency to screw things up, in my experience. You could verify this (or maybe disprove it) if you tried to do the same thing with another dual-class character.

Pellinore wrote:What happens if you don't follow these steps? I changed Immie to a straight Thief and everything seems to be working so far...

I guess that would make her an 8th level Thief who didn't get any extra thieving points at 8th level, and who only got 4 hit points added (maximum) instead of 6. I'm guessing that her saving throws would also be incorrect (but they would be corrected the next time she levels up).

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:47 pm

VonDondu wrote:I think the reason that occurs is because ShadowKeeper did not remove the dual-class flag (which I mentioned earlier).

Nice touch of diplomacy, me not removing the flag under effects is the real reason, I've always been very wary of touching effects and global values, I'll have to have more courage next time.