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Information on 2da files, which are essentially 2 dimensional array tables of information. See the left hand bar for a list of information on specific 2da files.

Note a lot of information on specific 2da files are on different pages, such as Spells and Abilities for spells.2da.

2da Format

The 2da format is relatively simple, and can be read about in the Bioware documentation:

The top line must be 2DA V2.0
There may be one or more blank lines before the first line that contains characters, which is considered the header line
- The first column header must be blank, and that column is ignored (is usually a human readable number)
  - The first column number IDs can be wrong - the game just reads each new line as a new entry (incremented from 0)
- The second and onwards columns must have the header match the in-game reference loaded, the order of columns doesn't matter. Label columns are generally ignored.
Further lines are data rows:
- Column data - but not the header name - can be in double quotes - "text here" - to include spaces. Whether or not the game understands that one being in quotes very much depends
- Column data is separated by one or more whitespace characters (tabs, spaces)
- Blank data is classified with 4 stars: ****
  - You can quote the stars ("****") or have a blank quoted field which, of course, is blank ("") but any other combination of stars (less, more, or in single quotes) will be returns literally.

This all comes together to mean some very odd looking 2das can be completely valid.

You can find notes on reading 2DA files in scripts at the Lexicon page for Get2DAString. Main thing to note is on error (no column or row matching etc.) and on blank entries it returns an empty string.

Missing Columns versus Blank Columns (****)

There is different behaviour for certain columns where the column is missing entirely (eg; using a old 1.69 version of a 2da) versus the column being present but blanked (****). A notable example is the additional columns in racialtypes.2da which defaults to the 1.69 implementations if the columns are not present to maintain comatibility, and where **** can actually be counted as "Empty value" instead of "Missing value" meaning different behaviour.

Order of Columns

The game generally won't care what order columns are in except for some minor exceptions;

swearfilter.2da cannot be rearranged
The first column of the spell preference 2da files
itemprops.2da appears to be hardcoded due to the PropColumn in baseitems.2da (although not sure if you can add more columns to it).

Adding Columns

Most game read 2da files (if not all) can have custom columns added but these are only useful for Get2DAString (and it's a much better idea to create a custom 2DA file for additional metadata).

In one instance in NWN:EE this has a valid use case the engine recognises: Additional "Spellbook" columns in spells.2da, which are now referenced by column name in classes.2da.

2DA List

This is a list of the different core 2da files (we're ignoring tileset specific ones but there will be a generic entry for them, plus the multitude of class and package 2das) with a note about the usage for client or server, and line limits (if known). Anything in this list is used by the game, the unused ones are listed later on this page.

Note: If a 2da file is listed as "Server Loaded: No" it would still be recommended to include it in relevant hakpack files if altered since Get2DAString will break, and the size of the files is very tiny in any case.

There are a limit to the amount of lines the engine will properly use for 2da files. This is restricted due to network traffic (even in SP there is a "server" running) since the game was made for dialup so Bioware coded in a lot of practical limits to lower packet sizes (presumably...)

2da file	Brief Description	Client Loaded	Server Loaded	Toolset Loaded	Line Limit	Line Limit Notes
actions.2da	List of actions and associated icons / TLK strings used by the GUI	Yes	Yes	No	Hardcoded	This file cannot have alterations to lines made, the references are all hardcoded.
ambientmusic.2da	Ambient music tracks	Yes	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. GFF field is stored as INT (-2147483648 to 2147483647).
ambientsound.2da	Ambient sound tracks	Yes	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. GFF field is stored as INT (-2147483648 to 2147483647).
ammunitiontypes.2da	For the hardcoded ranged weapons, what models to use for certain ammo types (eg; Fire Arrows)	Yes	No	No	Unknown / Hardcoded	Likely hardcoded, so no changes to line amounts allowed.
appearance.2da	Creature appearances and base properties like size etc.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	GFF field is stored as WORD (0 to 65535).
appearancesndset.2da	Appearance Sound Set eg what ambient sound they play, referenced by SOUNDAPPTYPE in appearance.2da	Yes	No	Yes?	Unknown	Needs testing. More can be added but not sure about the line limit.
armor.2da	List of armor values, although some of this is hardcoded.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. New AC values can be added but only incrementally (so higher AC, eg: 8, 9, 10 could be added next).
armorparts.2da	Used for the toolset to set how many of each part of armor there are.	No	No	Yes	Hardcoded	There is a single line used by the toolset, no additional lines are even needed.
baseitems.2da	All the item types in the game (eg: longsword, torch, scroll)	Yes	Yes	Yes	255	Hardcoded due to network limitations; items may not function as intended.
bodybag.2da	The bodybag a creature will leave around.	No	Yes	Yes	Likely 255	Needs testing. GFF field is stored as BYTE (0 to 255)
chargenclothes.2da	Clothing available at character generation.	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing. No GFF field, is purely loaded by the engine (at chargen client side and on the server side when the client sends over what clothing choice at the end of chargen for that item to load).
classes.2da	Character classes and main class options	Yes	Yes	Yes	254	Hardcoded due to network limitations plus "255" number is reserved as "CLASS_TYPE_INVALID"
cloakmodel.2da	Cloaks model references and options for each model.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
cls_atk_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "AttackBonusTable" 2da value, defining the Base Attack Bonus progression	Yes	Yes	Yes	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs. In any case epic levels (21+) have static progression from epicattacks.2da
cls_bfeat_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "BonusFeatsTable" 2da value, defining the bonus feats a class gets	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing but likely the limit here is same as feat.2da
cls_feat_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "FeatsTable" 2da value, defining the feat availability for a class	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing but likely the limit here is same as feat.2da
cls_pres_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "PreReqTable" 2da value, defining the prerequisits for taking this (Prestiege) class	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing but this is hardly going to ever be the longest file.
cls_savthr_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "SavingThrowTable" 2da value, defining the saving throw (Fortitude, Will, Reflex) progression	Yes	Yes	Yes	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs. In any case epic levels (21+) have static progression from epicsaves.2da
cls_skill_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "SkillsTable" 2da value, defining the skills the class has available	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown (likely 255)	Needs testing but is likely limited to the same size as skills.2da (255 or 32 depending on bugs)
cls_spgn_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "SpellGainTable" 2da value, defining the spells gained each level (How many can be cast per level). Every spellcaster needs this.	Yes	Yes	Yes	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs. Note in EE that spellcasters are typically limited to level 40 in the engine.
cls_spkn_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "SpellKnownTable" 2da value, defining how many spells are known (Eg; for Bards and Sorcerers)	Yes	Yes	Yes	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs. Note in EE that spellcasters are typically limited to level 40 in the engine.
cls_stat_xxx.2da	Standard name for classes.2da "StatGainTable" 2da value, defining the stat increases for the class (Eg; Dragon Disciple, Pale Master)	Yes	Yes	Yes	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs.
creaturesize.2da	File is hardcoded (engine values in ruleset.2da) and only used by the toolset for the names of sizes	No	No	Yes	Hardcoded	Noted in description this is basically hardcoded and is for toolset only use.
creaturespeed.2da	File defining the speed of PCs and NPCs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. This file can be extended but some lines are hardcoded. See creaturespeed.2da
crtemplates.2da	This defines some "creature templates" for NPCs such as "Half-Celestial" used in the toolset only. Links to ini files that load items and stat changes onto the creature blueprint.	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. Solely for Toolset usage.
cursors.2da	Not a complete list of cursors, but used for trigger objects to define some mouse over cursors. Most cursors in the game are hardcoded and for the scripting OnPlayerTarget event you can set your own unrelated to this 2da.	Yes	No	Yes	Likely 255	Needs testing. GFF field is stored as BYTE (0 - 255)
damagehitvisual.2da	Damage VFX line sent to the client when a particular damage is inflicted by a weapon.	No	Yes	No	Hardcoded	The amount of damage types is hardcoded.
damagelevels.2da	Damage levels, such as "Uninjured" or "Near Death". The amount of HP each level is for is hardcoded, this is purely for clientside TLK loading.	Yes	No	No	Hardcoded	The damage levels are set in the engine, this just displays the right localised TLK string.
defaultacsounds.2da	The sounds of each armor when hit, thus leather armour when hit by a sword has the impact effect sound like leather. Only is loaded if the ArmorType column of appearancesndset.2da is blank, and it looks up the chest AC value.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing. New AC values can be added but only incrementally (so higher AC, eg: 8, 9, 10 could be added next).
des_xxx.2da	These 2da files were used by Bioware designers to have custom systems that work with Get2DAString() in scripts, eg for crafting.	No	Yes	No	N/A	No limits as such apart from what limits 2DA files have naturally
diffsettings.2da	Difficulty Settings used by the game, at least the ones Bioware made editable.	Yes	Yes	No	Hardcoded	The amount of difficulty options and what options are editable is hardcoded.
disease.2da	Diseases defined by the game for EffectDisease or On Hit: Disease item properties. Clients are sent completed effects, not the information loaded in this file, except the name used On Hit item properties most likely.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
domains.2da	Domains that by default only Clerics use, but now in EE any spellcaster can be assigned if setup.	Yes	Yes	No	Likely 255	Needs testing. GFF field is stored as BYTE (0 - 255)
doortypes.2da	List of doors tied to various tilesets. Clients will load it for most likely the sound reference.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown
effecticons.2da	Effect icons used by the game, now extendable massively in EE with EffectIcon.	Yes	Yes	No	255	This 255 limit was set properly in EE for EffectIcon. Previously all effect icons were hardcoded.
encdifficulty.2da	Encounter difficulty. Used by servers for a multiplier on the "difficulty", and in toolset to set the difficulty.	No	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. Not sure if more can be added. GFF field is stored as INT (-2147483648 to 2147483647).
encumbrance.2da	Encumberance levels for amount of strength a creature has. Client uses this to show the amount you can carry. Server it is used where the speed is worked out.	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing. Rows go up to 100 but potentially could be extended.
environment.2da	Contains the area lighting environmental presets available in the toolset only.	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. May be hardcoded.
epicattacks.2da	Attack progression for epic levels (21+). Clients and toolset is just for showing numbers.	Yes	Yes	Yes	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs. Note the epic levels are 21+ so first 20 lines would be ignored usually.
epicsaves.2da	Save progression for epic levels (21+). Clients and toolset is just for showing numbers.	Yes	Yes	Yes	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs. Note the epic levels are 21+ so first 20 lines would be ignored usually.
excitedduration.2da	"Excited" duration, ie; combat music time! Both options are the same, clients say it loads but is it used for anything? Probably not. It is also probably not worth altering this since...who knows what might happen in the engine. If you know maybe post it here!	Yes but not used?	Yes	No	Hardcoded	The entries here are hardcoded.
exptable.2da	Used to figure out when the characters levelup.	No	Yes	No	41	Line 41 is actually making level 40 the highest. EE has some bugs if you go over 40 levels for PCs around spellcasting.
feat.2da	Feats available for creatures to take, or are granted to them.	Yes	Yes	Yes	32,768	uint16 used in network however not recommended to go over 32K even if 65,536 is absolute maximum. There are likely problems with subdial feats if you do this.
footstepsounds.2da	Sound files loaded for particular footsteps depending on appearance.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
fractionalcr.2da	Sorts fractional CR for purposes of encounter challenge rating (working out what monsters to spawn).	No	Yes	No	Hardcoded	The amount of lines are hardcoded, although perhaps you can alter bits of it, it may break something.
gender.2da	Essentially a list of genders for the toolset, and on clients which TLK string to load for them. Server just uses a coded list (ie like the GENDER_* constants in nwscript) although it might use it via. Get2DAString if needed.	Yes	No	Yes	Hardcoded	Even if you can add more genders you'd need NWNX to have the server end work with them properly.
genericdoors.2da	The generic "general" doors and their modes/info.	No	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
hen_companion.2da	Animal Companions list. Used for clients to show at levelup, and servers to load the right resref. Toolset doesn't load it since NPCs have these settings wiped.	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
hen_familiar.2da	Familiar list. Used for clients to show at levelup, and servers to load the right resref. Toolset doesn't load it since NPCs have these settings wiped.	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
inventorysnds.2da	The sounds when inventory items are moved around the inventory or picked up (column "InvSoundType" in baseitems.2da). Server just sends the column ID number to the client to find the file to play.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
iprp_abilities.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_acmodtype.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_addcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_additional.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_aligngrp.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_alignment.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_ammocost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_ammotype.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_amount.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_arcspell.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_bonuscost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_chargecost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_color.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_combatdam.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_costtable.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_damagecost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes	127 (or possibly 128)	Certainly going to line 129 or higher works for the server end (damage is done correctly) but the client won't show it correctly in the character sheet because it looks up 2da line as a negative (impossible). Line 159 was tested which had the string "-97 Magical Damage" since 159 - 128 = 31, and 128 - 31 = 97. It shows correctly on items, and higher lines are safe for NPCs to use.
iprp_damagetype.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_damvulcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_feats.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_immuncost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_immunity.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_kitcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_lightcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_matcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_material.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_meleecost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_monstcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_monsterdam.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_monsterhit.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_neg10cost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_neg5cost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_onhit.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_onhitcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_onhitdur.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_onhitspell.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_paramtable.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_poison.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_protection.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_qualcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_quality.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_redcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_resistcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_saveelement.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_savingthrow.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_skillcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_slotscost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_soakcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_spellcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_spellcstr.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_spelllvcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_spelllvlimm.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_spells.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_spellshl.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_srcost.2dai		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_trapcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_traps.2da	Is this used? to test, maybe just in toolset?	???	???	???
iprp_trapsize.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_visualfx.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_walk.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_weightcost.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
iprp_weightinc.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
itempropdef.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
itemprops.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
itemvalue.2da		Yes	Yes	Yes
itmwizammo.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizarmor.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizhelmet.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizmelee.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizpotion.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizranged.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizrods.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizscroll.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizstaves.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizthrow.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwiztrap.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
itmwizwands.2da	Toolset only; Item Wizard 2da files	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Item Wizards are not something anyone realistically will edit much so no doubt no one will test this.
keymap.2da	Even though it doesn't have identifying ID lines, it appears this is used to determine a lot key bindings (maybe defaults in some cases?)	Yes	Yes	No	Hardcoded	Can't add more keyboard actions
lightcolor.2da	Seems to define some lighting colours for main and source lights in the toolset and in game.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing, would be interesting if it was expandable.
loadhints.2da	Load hints used on Load Screens used by the game. Client just gets a random ID to use.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing. Since it's not used in network traffic it doubtless can be quite high.
loadscreens.2da	Load Screens used by the game.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
masterfeats.2da	Master Feats contain other feat options inside them, eg; Weapon Focus. See feat.2da as wlel.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
namefilter.2da	Used to filter bad words from the random name generator.	Yes	Maybe?	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
packages.2da	Packages are used by the class system to allow people to not bother choosing level up feats/skills. Button can be removed by ruleset.2da nowadays.
packeqXXX.2da
packftXXX.2da
packskXXX.2da
packspXXX.2da
parts_belt.2da
parts_bicep.2da
parts_chest.2da	Armor Chest parts. This is what really determines the AC of the appearance. The float values are floored.
parts_foot.2da
parts_forearm.2da
parts_hand.2da
parts_legs.2da
parts_neck.2da
parts_pelvis.2da
parts_robe.2da
parts_shin.2da
parts_shoulder.2da
phenotype.2da	The phenotypes available to fuller player models, eg Humans, so they can have horses, or be "Big".
placeableobjsnds.2da
placeables.2da	Placeable object appearances and properties
poison.2da	Poisons the game uses in EffectPoison. On Hit variant is just pure ability damage.
polymorph.2da	Polymorphs used by EffectPolymorph which change your character into something else entirely.
portraits.2da	Portiaits available in the game. Users can use their own portraits (given ruleset.2da settings) but this is the list primarily used.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing. Field is stored as WORD (0 to 65535).
pregen.2da	Pregenerated characters available to filter in character select. If in this list and the tickbox "Show Pregenreated Characters" is unticked they disappear as they're filtered out.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
prioritygroups.2da	The amount and priority of sounds and when they can be interrupted. With EE not sure if they can be dramatically increased or not.	Yes	No	No	Hardcoded	The line references look to be hardcoded engine references.
progfx.2da	NWN:EE unhardcoded "programmed effects" values.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Likely same limit as visualeffects.2da if there is one
pvpsettings.2da	Toolset only list of PvP settings	No	No	Yes	Hardcoded	The PvP settings are hardcoded in the engine.
race_feat_xxx.2da	The feats granted when a race is chosen.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
racialtypes.2da	Racial types the game has, for players and NPCs	Yes	Yes	Yes	255 likely	Needs testing. GFF field is set to BYTE (0 - 255)
ranges.2da	The ranges used for creature perception and spells.	No	Yes	No	Hardcoded	Range types are hardcoded to engine values.
repadjust.2da	Reputation adjustments the game makes	No	Yes	No	Hardcoded	Hardcoded list, but values can be altered.
replacetexture.2da	Not really sure what this does. Tiles related?	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
repute.2da	Toolset only defaults for the faction manager the game uses the modules settings.	No	No	Yes	Hardcoded	Hardcoded standard faction list
restduration.2da	Time it takes at each level to rest with ActionRest	No	Yes	No	60	Classes are limited to 40 levels for PCs and 60 levels (mostly) for NPCs.
rrf_nss.2da	The dropdown in the toolset when opening a script has these categories and simple filters available.	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
rrf_wav.2da	The dropdown in the toolset when opening a sound file has these categories and simple filters available.	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
ruleset.2da	NWN:EE allows some unhardoding of default feats and values the game uses, some very useful client side only options too.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardcoded	All values are hardcoded to particular lines of course.
skills.2da	Skills list for players. Note that many lines are hardcoded (eg; Parry) and new skills will be missing relevant skill increasing feats (eg; Skill Focus).	Yes	Yes	Yes	32	Hardcoded due to network limitations to 255 but GUI issues make it a 32 skill limit. May only affect the "Untrained" column however? https://github.com/Beamdog/nwn-issues/issues/171
skillvsitemcost.2da	The amount of skill needed by Use Magical Device to equip a particular magic item due to restrictions due to class/alignment/race.	No	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing. No doubt it could be increased in numbers though to have more granular control.
skyboxes.2da	Skybox model list. Skybox ID from the area is sent to client, server doesn't validate the 2da. Toolset uses it to load the list of available skyboxes.	Yes	No	Yes	Likely 255	Needs testing. GFF field is BYTE (0-255)
sounddefaultspos.2da	Default values for toolset placeable sound types	No	No	Yes	Hardcoded	Toolset uses this for the default values of the different placeable sound types.
sounddefaultstim.2da	Default values for toolset placeable sound types	No	No	Yes	Hardcoded	Toolset uses this for the default values of the different placeable sound types.
soundeax.2da	EAX values are still in the toolset mainly for compatibility, as of EE they are no longer used.	No	No	Yes	Hardcoded	Hardcoded but unused by the game so who cares.
soundset.2da	Soundset references.	Yes	No	Yes	65535 Likely	Needs testing. GFF field stores it as WORD (0 to 65535)
soundsettype.2da	Column "Type" in soundset.2da refers to this. The categories of soundset file in the toolset, unused out of the toolset however since only 0 matters for chargen (PC voicesets)	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
spells.2da	Spells and abilities usable by creatures	Yes	Yes	Yes	4096	Possibly the limit - needs testing, but is to do with 12 bits available for the "spell radial" entry being sent over the network. May have been removed at some point but needs fully testing.
spellschools.2da	Spell schools. The amount is hardcoded but you should be able to alter the TLK strings now.	Yes	Yes	No	Hardcoded	Hardcoded list
statescripts.2da	State scripts run when under the effect of certain effects, also shows the games default priority list for them	No	Yes	No	Hardcoded	Entirely hardcoded.
stringtokens.2da	String tokens like <Man/Woman> used in conversations and in general. See Conversations.	No	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing, can new ones be even added?
surfacemat.2da	Surface material definitions, such as grass/water/lava. In EE now extended with actions and able to be affected in hakpack files.	Yes	Yes	Yes	64	0 through 63 are valid lines for this in patch 1.84.8193.29 and up.
swearfilter.2da	Stops swearing in the game if [ui.chat.swear-filter] is enabled in settings.tml (I think this is a client only option? Needs testing!). Note the columns cannot be rearranged for whatever reason.	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
tailmodel.2da	Tailmodel reference file. Note that Bioware added a lot of "real" models to be used with invisible appearance things for scaling. Bit unnecessary nowadays in EE! Server just sends the ID number to the client to load the model in this file.	Yes	No	Yes	Unknown	Given there are over 5000 lines the answer is "High"
tilecolor.2da	Loaded by the game but does it do anything or does lightcolor.2da	No	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Needs testing (if it's even in use).
XXX_edge.2da	Tileset edge information. One per tileset.	No	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
traps.2da	Traps, which are item properties and the placed on objects/as trap triggers on the ground.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
vfx_persistent.2da	Persistent VFX, ie items created with EffectAreaOfEffect.	No	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
visualeffects.2da	Visual Effects the game uses, called from the game (see Hardcoded VFX References) or by EffectVisualEffect.	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
waypoint.2da	Toolset only waypoint definition file. Basically waypoints are not "real" so this defines the different types so they show properly in the toolset with a model.	No	No	Yes	Unknown	Needs testing.
weaponsounds.2da	This is a file referenced for sounds from baseitems.2da, what is being used labelled on the left, and the thing it is hitting as a column name.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
weathertypes.2da	Weather related 2da. Server just tells client which line number to load.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
wingmodel.2da	Wing models reference file. Wings are things on the back node so can include weapons and scabbards etc. Server just sends the reference ID number for the client to load.	Yes	No	No	Unknown	Needs testing.
xptable.2da	Used to value the XP given from monsters using the default game XP. If you set the XP slider in the module to 0 it will disable killer XP from this file, then you can grant your own XP on death.	No	Yes	No	40 or 60	Players can only be level 40 normally so the file only goes up to 40. NPCs can be 60.

Unused 2da files

Bioware left in some 2da files from early development (before game release) or they're now unused in NWN:EE. These files are not loaded by the game, toolset or Get2DAString at all and can be ignored. They do get confusing however.

2da File Name	Type	Notes
areaeffects.2da	Unused	See vfx_persistent.2da instead
armourtypes.2da	Unused	While the GFF documentation suggests it is used, the game really just ignores it and uses defaultacsounds.2da to look up which AC value gets which sound effect. 0 being no armor or clothing.
caarmorclass.2da	Unused	Early armor class system or holdover from an older game perhaps.
categories.2da	Unused	Not loaded by the game, in fact not even a valid 2da file (it's missing line 0). The constants for TALENT_CATEGORY_XXX are just hardcoded in the engine. Adding things to do this does nothing.
catype.2da	Unused	"P", "H", "GIHE", "C", "A" - mysterious! category types? Early phenotype listing? Or model complexity listing?
combatmodes.2da	Unused	Unused references to (a limited set) of combat action modes
doortype.2da	Unused	See doortypes.2da instead
effectanim.2da	Unused	Pretty much a blank file. See visualeffects.2da instead
gamespyrooms.2da	1.69 only	Gamespy no longer used / this isn't used
iprp_base1.2da	Unused	Blank unused IPRP file
iprp_bladecost.2da	Unused	"Dancing_Scimitar" IPRP 2da file by the looks of it, alas an unusable item property
iprp_staminacost.2da	Unused	Blank, obviously no stamina in the game
iprp_terraintype.2da	Unused	Blank but would have obviously been used for the "Restriction: Terrain" item property.
metamagic.2da	Unused	Appears to be unused by the game making all of these hardcoded references, similar to categories.2da how it looks usable but isn't
nwconfig.2da	1.69 only	Unused as of NWN:EE since it removes the "settings" nwconfig program.
nwconfig2.2da	1.69 only	Looks like it's something to do with the legacy launcher which popped up before running 1.69
placeabletypes.2da	Unused	I think an old toolset 2da, now there are proper pallets for placeable types
resistancecost.2da	Unused	Blank 2da file, probably from early dev
soundcatfilters.2da	Unused	Replaced probably by rrf_wav.2da and would be toolset specific anyway
soundgain.2da	Unused	Seems to be unused by the game and toolset, but should define the loudness and distance of sounds. Given theg ames default perception range is 45M maybe at one point you could see much further (up to 100M!)
soundprovider.2da	1.69 only	As of EE this is no longer used, since it refers to Miles and EAX both of which were replaced with OpenAL
soundtypes.2da	Unused	Sounds are not tied to a 2da, but are done by resource name
treasurescale.2da	Unused	I don't think this is used anywhere of note. It'd be used in the toolset I'd guess but there isn't a treasure generation system there. Possibly was part of early Item Wizard generations (instead it gives a magic item range, None to Godly).
vfx_fire_forget.2da	Unused	Pretty early dev file, very empty. See visualeffects.2da instead.
videoquality.2da	1.69 only	No longer used in EE, was the old 1.69 video quality settings - in the launcher I think
xpbaseconst.2da	Unused	Seems to not be in use when file is altered so likely some old XP system file

Designer 2da files

These are strictly used by Get2DAString and not used by the game inherently. However the systems they relate to are things like crafting, which is called by default game scripts and conversations the PCs can activate.

They are all prefixed des_ - and being only used by Get2DAString they are serverside only.

There is one special case here: x3restrict.2da is used in the default game spells to restrict polymorph spells when casting on a horse. Added for horse support.

Client and Serverside 2das

The game as a whole is made up of the client and the server. A singleplayer game essentially runs both at once for the local user - of course other players may still join if it is created as a network game. Therefore it is important to understand which is which, since some 2da files you don't need to include at all in hakpack or nwsync resource lists, and can be left in the .mod or override folder on a PW server perfectly fine.

The client ones tend to be based around levelling up, appeareances, visuals (icons, vfx, textures, etc.) and sounds (the latter 3 servers don't even load of course). Servers need to know about all the resources loaded by the game in regards to objects, spells, etc.

It is recommended of course for the server to have copies of everything (if only for Get2DAString lookups) while you can lessen the amount put in client hakpacks or on nwsync if sending certain ones to the client.

Note: If a file is not listed here (or above as a toolset only, or unused one) it might still be used!

Client and Server

2da load reference	2da Name	Notes
m_paIPRPCostTables // all of them	All cost tables in iprp_costtable.2da column "Name"	Example: iprp_bonuscost.2da
m_pAppearanceTable	appearance.2da
m_pGenderTable	gender.2da
m_pSurfaceMaterialTable	surfacemat.2da	Loaded at game start so you cannot change it in a hakpack file, only in the override folder
m_pVisualEffectTable	visualeffects.2da
m_pPersistentVisualEffectTable	vfx_persistent.2da
m_pCreatureSpeedTable	creaturespeed.2da
m_pDoorTypesTable	doortypes.2da
m_pGenericDoorsTable	genericdoors.2da
m_pPlaceablesTable	placeables.2da
m_pAreaTransitionTable	loadscreens.2da
m_pIPRPSpells	iprp_spells.2da
m_pIPRPLightTable	Not sure - probably iprp_lightcost.2da ?
m_pIPRPColor	iprp_color.2da
m_pIPRPMelee	iprp_meleecost.2da
m_pItemPropDefTable	itempropdef.2da
m_pItemPropsTable	itemprops.2da
m_pCreatureSizeTable	creaturesize.2da
m_pArmorTable	armor.2da
m_pEncumbranceTable	encumbrance.2da
m_pPortraitTable	portraits.2da
m_pPartsChest	parts_chest.2da
m_pSpellSchoolTable	spellschools.2da
m_pTrapTable	traps.2da
m_pLightColorTable	lightcolor.2da
m_pIPRPDamageTable	iprp_damagecost.2da
m_pPartsRobe	parts_robe.2da
m_pItemValue	itemvalue.2da
m_pPackages	packages.2da	Presumably also all the relevant class package 2das
	chargenclothes.2da	Clothing items must be part of the base game, or included in the hak as UTI resources
	feat.2da masterfeats,2da	Likely needed for both (chargen needs feat.2da, and server obviously needs it for backend stuff)
	namefilter.2da	No bad words, naughty! Probably char gen only?
	swearfilter.2da	No swearing for you!
	prioritygroups.2da	Sound related but may be just client side (along with some others) usually never edited by hakpacks anyway.

Client Only

While many of these are only loaded by the game client, the toolset would still make regular use of them, for instance, to be able to have a blueprint reference a particular wing model on a suitable NPC.

It is always recommended to have these available on the server if only for Get2DAString lookups.

2da load reference	2da Name	Notes
m_pPartTable	Not sure?	Model appearance related
m_pArmorTypesTable	armourtypes.2da	Sounds loading (cloth, leather, plate, chain)
m_pTileColorTable	tilecolor.2da	Texture loading
m_pReplaceTextureTable	replacetexture.2da	Texture loading
m_pTailModelTable	tailmodel.2da	Model appearance related
m_pWingModelTable	wingmodel.2da	Model appearance related
m_pCloakModelTable	cloakmodel.2da	Model appearance related Note: CopyItemAndModify() may use this server-side in some instances (non-PLT based ones which there are none in the base game).
m_pCursorTable	cursors.2da	For the cursors for certain default game actions.
m_pActionsTable	actions.2da	For GUI icons list (player action list top left)
m_pAmbientMusicTable	ambientmusic.2da	Server tells client which line to load, which refers to this for the sound files
m_pAmbientSoundTable	ambientsound.2da	Server tells client which line to load, which refers to this for the sound files
m_pFootstepSoundsTable	footstepsounds.2da	Sounds loading
m_pAppearanceSoundsTable	appearancesndset.2da	Sounds loading
m_pWeaponSoundsTable	weaponsounds.2da	Sounds loading
m_pDefaultACSoundsTable	defaultacsounds.2da	Sounds loading
m_pAmmunitionTypesTable	ammunitiontypes.2da	Sounds loading
m_pKeymapTable	keymap.2da	Client GUI default keys/shortcuts
m_pPlaceableSoundsTable	placeableobjsnds.2da	Sounds loading
m_pDamageLevelTable	damagelevels.2da	GUI showing how damaged something is (Formats the text over creatures heads)
m_pEffectIconsTable	effecticons.2da	GUI effect icons (top right, inspect panel on items/characters, character sheet)
m_pLoadHintsTable	loadhints.2da	Loading string text loading
m_pSwearFilterTable	swearfilter.2da	It's funny how this is here. I presume it alters incoming messages not outgoing ones? Needs testing. Servers can implement changes to PC chat to implement a filter using OnPlayerChat event.
m_pPhenoTypeTable	phenotype.2da	Model appearance related
m_pIPRPVisualFxTable	iprp_visualfx.2da	Visual effects
m_pWeatherTypesTable	weathertypes.2da	Client is just told which line to load

Server Only

2da load reference	2da Name	Notes
Any custom 2da	eg: des_crft_aparts.2da	Loaded with Get2DAString so entirely script based access

m_pStateScriptsTable	statescripts.2da	Runs specific scripts
m_pPoisonTable	poison.2da	Applies effects / timings of effect changes
m_pDiseaseTable	disease.2da	Applies effects / scripts / timing of effect changes
m_pRepAdjustmentsTable	repadjust.2da	Engine changes to "reputation" ie; if they're hostile or not.
m_pFractionalCRTable	fractionalcr.2da	Works out how much a goblin with 1/4CR is "worth" in the engine XP system/"difficulty" tags (eg; "Easy" enemy when inspected)
m_pEncounterDifficultyTable	encdifficulty.2da	The "value" column is loaded when referenced from the encounters GFF
m_pCategoryTable	categories.2da	Used by the functions for talents. Some is hardcoded (eg; potion lines). So yeah.
m_pExcitedDurationTable	excitedduration.2da	Presumably amount of time in milliseconds (so 10 seconds) the thing is considered in combat after the events listed
m_pRestDurationTable	restduration.2da	Amount of milliseconds to sit on the ground for
m_pPartsBelt	parts_belt.2da
m_pPartsBicep	parts_bicep.2da
m_pPartsFoot	parts_foot.2da
m_pPartsForearm	parts_forearm.2da
m_pPartsHand	parts_hand.2da
m_pPartsLegs	parts_legs.2da
m_pPartsNeck	parts_neck.2da
m_pPartsPelvis	parts_pelvis.2da
m_pPartsShin	parts_shin.2da
m_pPartsShoulder	parts_shoulder.2da
m_pXpBase	xptable.2da	Used for giving out XP
m_pAssociatesAnimalCompanionTable	hen_companion.2da
m_pAssociatesFamiliarTable	hen_familiar.2da
m_pSkillVsItemCostTable	skillvsitemcost.2da
m_pRangesTable	ranges.2da	Note the "45.0M" range for streaming in usable placeables is hardcoded, and a maximum of visibility regardless of values here of any creature object.
m_pPolymorphTable	polymorph.2da
m_pDamageHitVisualTable	damagehitvisual.2da	Sends a relevant visualeffect.2da line number to the client
m_pBodyBagTable	bodybag.2da	References a placeables.2da line
m_pIPRPFeatsTable	iprp_feats.2da
m_pIPRPMonsterDamageTable	iprp_monsterdam.2da
m_pOnHitTable	iprp_onhit.2da	Note this pretty much is hardcoded
m_pOnHitSpellTable	iprp_onhitspell.2da
m_pOnHitDurationTable	iprp_onhitdur.2da
m_pIPRPACModTypeTable	iprp_acmodtype.2da
m_pIPRPWeightIncTable	iprp_weightinc.2da
m_pIPRPArcSpell	iprp_arcspell.2da
m_pIPRPBonusCostTable	iprp_bonuscost.2da
m_pIPRPSRCostTable	iprp_srcost.2da

NWNX Reference

Source of what is referenced by the game engine (not complete - some 2da files seem to be loaded from elsewhere such as swear filters). It relates to this file: https://github.com/nwnxee/unified/blob/master/NWNXLib/API/API/CTwoDimArrays.hpp

    // client+server
    m_paIPRPCostTables // all of them
    m_pAppearanceTable
    m_pGenderTable
    m_pSurfaceMaterialTable
    m_pVisualEffectTable
    m_pPersistentVisualEffectTable
    m_pCreatureSpeedTable
    m_pDoorTypesTable
    m_pGenericDoorsTable
    m_pPlaceablesTable
    m_pAreaTransitionTable
    m_pIPRPSpells
    m_pIPRPLightTable
    m_pIPRPColor
    m_pIPRPMelee
    m_pItemPropDefTable
    m_pItemPropsTable
    m_pCreatureSizeTable
    m_pArmorTable
    m_pEncumbranceTable
    m_pPortraitTable
    m_pPartsChest
    m_pSpellSchoolTable
    m_pTrapTable
    m_pLightColorTable
    m_pIPRPDamageTable
    m_pPartsRobe
    m_pItemValue
    m_pPackages
    m_pRuleset

    // client only
    m_pPartTable
    m_pArmorTypesTable
    m_pTileColorTable
    m_pReplaceTextureTable
    m_pTailModelTable
    m_pWingModelTable
    m_pCloakModelTable
    m_pCursorTable
    m_pActionsTable
    m_pAmbientMusicTable
    m_pAmbientSoundTable
    m_pFootstepSoundsTable
    m_pAppearanceSoundsTable
    m_pWeaponSoundsTable
    m_pDefaultACSoundsTable
    m_pAmmunitionTypesTable
    m_pKeymapTable
    m_pPlaceableSoundsTable
    m_pDamageLevelTable
    m_pEffectIconsTable
    m_pLoadHintsTable
    m_pSwearFilterTable
    m_pPhenoTypeTable
    m_pIPRPVisualFxTable
    m_pWeatherTypesTable
    m_pProgFxTable

    // server only
    m_pStateScriptsTable
    m_pPoisonTable
    m_pDiseaseTable
    m_pRepAdjustmentsTable
    m_pFractionalCRTable
    m_pEncounterDifficultyTable
    m_pCategoryTable
    m_pExcitedDurationTable
    m_pRestDurationTable
    m_pPartsBelt
    m_pPartsBicep
    m_pPartsFoot
    m_pPartsForearm
    m_pPartsHand
    m_pPartsLegs
    m_pPartsNeck
    m_pPartsPelvis
    m_pPartsShin
    m_pPartsShoulder
    m_pXpBase
    m_pAssociatesAnimalCompanionTable
    m_pAssociatesFamiliarTable
    m_pSkillVsItemCostTable
    m_pRangesTable
    m_pPolymorphTable
    m_pDamageHitVisualTable
    m_pBodyBagTable
    m_pIPRPFeatsTable
    m_pIPRPMonsterDamageTable
    m_pOnHitTable
    m_pOnHitSpellTable
    m_pOnHitDurationTable
    m_pIPRPACModTypeTable
    m_pIPRPWeightIncTable
    m_pIPRPArcSpell
    m_pIPRPBonusCostTable
    m_pIPRPSRCostTable
    m_pIPRPNeg5CostTable