Page History

This is a basic upgrade of the original Harper Scout to include a spellbook.

Changes

The casting feats will be removed and marked as disabled - the links to spells.2da lines will be removed and they'll be renamed and have the icons changed.

Feats are:

• Sleep
• Cat's Grace
• Eagle's Splendor
• Invisibility

This is possibly character breaking but only really affects PWs where this can be remediated offline (else characters mess up ELC). For singleplayer it should just remove the feats if they don't exist when the BIC or save is loaded since ELC isn't used (and only affects levelups anyway).

Adding in Skill Focus to level 2, not sure why those were removed. Class is awful so some positives should be added.

Spellbook is going to be added similar to Bard, as per the rules:

Spells per Day: Beginning at 1st level, a Harper scout gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells. The Harper scout’s ability to cast these spells works exactly like a bard’s ability to cast spells. (They are Charisma-based and do not need to be prepared.)

A 1st-level Harper scout learns two spells from the Harper scout 1st-level spell list. She learns two new Harper scout spells of any spell level she can cast at each Harper scout level thereafter. There is no limit to the number of these spells the Harper scout can know from this list. She may learn more by studying arcane scrolls or spellbooks.

NB: You still need a "Spells Known" dummy 2da file even if it is all 0's for the Learn from Scrolls property to work on a Bard-like caster.

• Spellcaster
• Learn from Scrolls
• Arcane
• Restricted by a Spellbook
• Has spell failure
• Charisma based

The spells list is expanded mostly using the list from this project: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1975673785&searchtext=harper

This is both because of the lack of spells in the original 3.0E list for the class and because even if those were all there they were a paltry list making the class even worse.

Issues with Spellbook (Bard casting with Wizard scroll learning)

There are some quirks of the NWN combination of things above; primarily:

• When you level up it limits you to the known spells limit in cls_spkn_harper which is, for instance:
  • Level 1: 2 level 1 spells
  • Level 2: 4 level 1 spells
• If you learn a scroll at level 1, then progress to level 2, you only can choose 1 more spell
• You can swap out known spells, so at level 2 you can swap 4 spells
  • If you learned more by scrolls all of those can be swapped out as well

Its a bit of a mess overall. Per below I learned 2 normal spells at level 1 Harper and then learnt 4 spell scrolls and it ends up being able to choose any 6 spells.

Image RemovedImage Removed

Options:

• Change to a pure bard-like caster, meaning no learning from scrolls (frankly given the amount of spells not a huge loss)
• Leave as is with the quirks
• Work on some specific engine changes, but ELC is involved.

Past Level 5 / Epic Levels?

Bioware did plan for at least 10 levels with 2 unused feats and the Epic Harper Scout feat present.

This might be worth looking at. The feats could be replicated with scripts (if we wholesale check out the crafting system, so not now!).

Major changes;

• Spellbook as a bard, and removal of "spell feats" (spellbook goes to level 10)
• Re-Add Skill Focus bonus feats at level 2 (Perform plus...it should be a certain list. But need new bonus feat list functionality for it).
• Extension past level 5 and into Epic levels
  • Favored Enemy every 4 levels (actually a better set of bonuses than rangers, but obviously you can't level in it as early so balances out)
  • Re-add Scrounger and Master Crafter which will be in the overhauled crafting setup
• Add Bard Song feats as available general feats (of course requires Bard Song to begin with) and use Epic Bard feat list (again the Bard specific ones will require Bard Song).
• Change Craft Harper Item to be more general.

The casting feats will be removed and marked as disabled - the links to spells.2da lines will be removed and they'll be renamed and have the icons changed.

Feats are:

• Sleep
• Cat's Grace
• Eagle's Splendor
• Invisibility

This is possibly character breaking but only really affects PWs where this can be remediated offline (else characters mess up ELC). For singleplayer it should just remove the feats if they don't exist when the BIC or save is loaded since ELC isn't used (and only affects levelups anyway).

Adding in Skill Focus to level 7, not sure why those were removed. Class is awful so some positives should be added.

Spellbook is going to be added similar to Bard, as per the rules:

Spells per Day: Beginning at 1st level, a Harper scout gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells. The Harper scout’s ability to cast these spells works exactly like a bard’s ability to cast spells. (They are Charisma-based and do not need to be prepared.)

A 1st-level Harper scout learns two spells from the Harper scout 1st-level spell list. She learns two new Harper scout spells of any spell level she can cast at each Harper scout level thereafter. There is no limit to the number of these spells the Harper scout can know from this list. She may learn more by studying arcane scrolls or spellbooks.

NB: You still need a "Spells Known" dummy 2da file even if it is all 0's for the Learn from Scrolls property to work on a Bard-like caster.

• Spellcaster
• Learn from Scrolls
• Arcane
• Restricted by a Spellbook
• Has spell failure
• Charisma based

The spells list is expanded mostly using the list from this project: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1975673785&searchtext=harper

This is both because of the lack of spells in the original 3.0E list for the class and because even if those were all there they were a paltry list making the class even worse.

Issues with Spellbook (Bard casting with Wizard scroll learning)

There are some quirks of the NWN combination of things above; primarily:

• When you level up it limits you to the known spells limit in cls_spkn_harper which is, for instance:
  • Level 1: 2 level 1 spells
  • Level 2: 4 level 1 spells
• If you learn a scroll at level 1, then progress to level 2, you only can choose 1 more spell
• You can swap out known spells, so at level 2 you can swap 4 spells
  • If you learned more by scrolls all of those can be swapped out as well

Its a bit of a mess overall. Per below I learned 2 normal spells at level 1 Harper and then learnt 4 spell scrolls and it ends up being able to choose any 6 spells.

Image AddedImage Added

Options:

• Change to a pure bard-like caster, meaning no learning from scrolls (frankly given the amount of spells not a huge loss)
• Leave as is with the quirks
• Work on some specific engine changes, but ELC is involved.

Past Level 5 / Epic Levels?

Bioware did plan for at least 10 levels with 2 unused feats and the Epic Harper Scout feat present.

This might be worth looking at. The feats could be replicated with scripts (if we wholesale check out the crafting system, so not now!).

...

• The class was a pretty bad choice so the spellbook (with an expanded list) is at least a little better as a sidegrade to certain classes such as Rogue or Bard adding some unique defensive feats, some minor spellcasting and Favored Enemy. Bonus Skill Focus: Perform also helps bards pick it without falling behind too much on Bard Song.

NWN Description

(PRESTIGE CLASS)
The Harpers are a secret society. Members are dedicated to holding back evil, preserving knowledge and maintaining the balance between civilization and the wild. The Harper Scout performs many duties including espionage, stealth and reporting information.

-WARNING: HitTo Die: d6.
- Proficiencies: Simple weapons and light armor.
- Skill Points: 4 + Int Modifier.
- Primary saving throw(s): Reflex, Will
- Base attack bonus: Medium (+3/4 levels)
- Spellcasting: Arcane (Charisma-based, no spell preparation, spell failure from armor is a factor, you learn spells on level up like a Bard)

REQUIREMENTS:

Alignment: Any non-evil.
Skills: Discipline 4 ranks, Search 4 ranks, Lore 6 ranks, Persuade 8 ranks.
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will.

ABILITIES:

Level
1: Bardic Knowledge: Bonus to identifying items with a lore skill bonus equal to your Harper level.
 1st Favored Enemy. As the Ranger ability, you gain increased bonuses as the number of enemies selected increases.
2: Deneir's Eye - +2 bonus to saving throws vs. traps.
3: Tymora's Smile - +2 bonus on all saves, once per day. This bonus increases by +2 every 3 additional levels.
4: Lliira's Heart - +2 bonus to saving throws vs. mind affecting spells.
 2nd Favored Enemy
5: Craft Harper Item - Create magical potions.
6: Scrounger - The harper scout's crafting skills continue to improve, he/she gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (armor, weapon, trap) checks. This improves by an additional +2 for every 2 levels past 6th.
7:cast a spell, a harper must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level. For example, to cast a 2nd-level spell, a harper must have a Charisma of 12.

- Hit Die: d6.
- Proficiencies: Simple weapons and light armor.
- Skill Points: 4 + Int Modifier.
- Class Skills: Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Craft Armor, Craft Trap, Craft Weapon, Discipline, Heal, Hide, Listen, Lore, Move Silently, Persuade, Pick Pocket, Tumble.
- Primary saving throw(s): Reflex, Will.
- Base attack bonus: Medium (+3/4 per level).
- Spellcasting: Arcane (Charisma-based, no spell preparation, spell failure from armor is a factor, you learn spells on level up like a Bard).

REQUIREMENTS:

Alignment: Any non-evil.
Skills: Discipline 4 ranks, Search 4 ranks, Lore 6 ranks, Persuade 8 ranks.
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will.

ABILITIES:

Level
1: Bardic Knowledge: Bonus to identifying items with a lore skill bonus equal to your Harper level.
 1st Favored Enemy - The harper gains a +1 bonus to any damage delivered to their favored enemy. They also receives a +1 bonus on listen, spot, and taunt checks against the favored enemy. Every new favored enemy choice improves these bonuses by +1 but do not stack with ranger levels (whichever class chose the feat determines the bonus provided)
2: Deneir's Eye - +2 bonus to saving throws vs. traps.
 Skill Focus: Perform
 Skill Focus: Lore
83: 3rdTymora's Favored Enemy
10: Master Crafter: At 10th level, the Harper Scout becomes a master of crafting. His indepth knowledge of the crafting skills and secret harper lore allows the character to craft powerful weapons and armor no other class has access to.

EPIC LEVELS:

You have become an expert in espionage and crafting, honing your skills against specific enemies and providing intelligence to your allies.

Hit Die: d8
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+ Int Modifier
Bonus Feats: The epic Harper gains a bonus feat every five levels after 20th
Special: Tymora's smile continues to gain a saving throw bonus every 3 levels.
New Favoured Enemies may be chosen every 4th level (12, 16, 20, etc.)

Epic Harper Scout Bonus Feats List:
Arcane Defense, Curse Song, Epic Skill Focus (all but animal empathy, perform, use magic device), Epic Spell Focus, Epic Will, Extra Music, Great Charisma, Great Dexterity, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Combat Casting, Lasting Inspiration, Lingering Song

Extra info:

Spells available:

1st: Camouflage, Charm Person, Light, Ultravision, Sleep, Expeditious Retreat, Grease, Identify, Resistance
2nd: Cat's Grace, Eagle's Splendor, Invisibility, Knock, See Invisibility, Ghostly Visage, Web, Hold Person
3rd: Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Mass Camouflage, Charm Monster, Find Traps, Displacement

Spell List

Added some ideas from this project: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1975673785&searchtext=harper

...

Camouflage, Charm Person, Expeditious Retreat, Grease, Light, Sleep, Identify

...

Smile - +2 bonus on all saves, once per day. This bonus increases by 1 every 3 additional levels.
4: Lliira's Heart - +2 bonus to saving throws vs. mind affecting spells.
 2nd Favored Enemy
5: Craft Harper Item - Create magical potions and some wondrous magical items without the need for crafting feats.
6: Scrounger - The harper scout's crafting skills continue to improve, he/she gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (armor, weapon, trap) checks. This improves by an additional +1 for every 2 levels past 6th.
8: 3rd Favored Enemy
10: Master Crafter: At 10th level, the Harper Scout becomes a master of crafting. His indepth knowledge of the crafting skills and secret harper lore allows the character to craft powerful weapons and armor no other class has access to.

EPIC LEVELS:

You have become an expert in espionage and crafting, honing your skills against specific enemies and providing intelligence to your allies.

Hit Die: d8
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+ Int Modifier
Bonus Feats: The epic Harper gains a bonus feat every five levels after 20th
Special:
 Tymora's smile saving throw bonus continues to increase by 1 every 3 levels.
 Scrounger bonus to crafting continues to increase by 1 every 2 levels.
 New Favoured Enemies may be chosen every 4th level (12, 16, 20, etc.)
 Note the Harper Scout does not automatically get Bard Song nor count as a Epic Bard for consideration of certain Epic feats.

Epic Harper Scout Bonus Feats List:
Arcane Defense, Curse Song, Epic Skill Focus (all but animal empathy, perform, use magic device), Epic Spell Focus, Epic Will, Extra Music, Great Charisma, Great Dexterity, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Combat Casting, Lasting Inspiration, Lingering Song.

Extra info on spells:

Spells available:

1st: Camouflage, Charm Person, Light, Ultravision, Sleep, Expeditious Retreat, Grease, Identify, Resistance
2nd: Cat's Grace, Eagle's Splendor, Invisibility, Knock, See Invisibility, Ghostly Visage, Web, Hold Person
3rd: Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Mass Camouflage, Charm Monster, Find Traps, Displacement

Spell List

Added some ideas from this project: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1975673785&searchtext=harper

Spell Progression

Extended to level 10 to make it a bit more nifty.

Spells Per Day

Spell Progression

Extended to level 10 to make it a bit more nifty.

Spells Per Day

...

Class Feats and Abilities

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Bard level 1, Harper Scout level 1.
Specifics: This feat allows the character to identify items more easily than others. It grants the character a bonus equal to their level to any Lore checks.
Use: Automatic.

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Harper Scout level 2.
Specifics: The harper receives a +2 saving throw bonus vs. traps.
Use: Automatic.

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Harper Scout level 3.
Specifics: Once per day, the harper or a target receives a +2 saving throw bonus on all saving throws for 5 turns. The bonus increases by 1 every 3 additional Harper Scout levels.
Use: Selected.

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Harper Scout level 4.
Specifics: The harper receives a +2 saving throw bonus against mind-affecting spells.
Use: Automatic.

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Harper Scout level 5.
Specifics: Once per day, the harper may make a magical potion.
Use: Selected.

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Harper Scout level 5.
Specifics: Once per day, the harper may make a magical potion for free.
Use: Selected.

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Harper Scout level 6.
Specifics: The harper scout's crafting skills continue to improve, he/she gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (armor, weapon, trap) checks. This improves by an additional +1 for every 2 levels past 6th. This bonus is only applied when crafting items personally, not when doing conversation or other skill checks.
Use: Automatic (When using the craft skills)

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Harper Scout level 10.
Specifics: At 10th level, the Harper Scout becomes a master of crafting. His indepth knowledge of the crafting skills and secret harper lore allows the character to craft powerful weapons and armor no other class has access to.
Use: Automatic (When using the craft skills)

NWN: Further Feats and Epic Harper

...