portraits.2da defines the game-selectable portraits in the toolset (for creatures, placeables) and for players at character generation. Portraits can be changed (by resref or ID number) later using script commands.
Portraits are made up of several different files all with the same prefix - po_ - but with different end letters. Generally TGA files are used for these to retain quality.
You can convert files in the engine itself using the command ConvertPortrait filename (if present in the "portraits" folder) but to be honest, you will find it easier to edit files in something like Paint.NET or GIMP to get the required sizes since you can easily crop to retain detail in the smaller sizes.
| Portrait Size | Letter | Resolution | Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huge | h | 256x512 canvas; upper 256x400 used | Character Creation (not needed for placeables) | |
| Large | l | 128x256 canvas; upper 128x200 used | Character Sheet (not needed for placeables) | |
| Medium | m | 64x128 canvas; upper 64x100 used | Conversations | |
| Small | s | 32x64 canvas; upper 32x50 used | Party bar, radial menus | |
| Tiny | t | 16x32 canvas, upper 16x25 used | Mouse over name windows, chat window |
Custom portraits are selectable unless the ruleset.2da toggle is altered; CHARGEN_ALLOW_CUSTOM_PORTRAITS. If off only portraits in portraits.2da can be chosen.
If the players want custom ones no one else can select, the portraits.2da file can be altered to allow a certain portrait only for NPCs (the Plot column), then it is set in game using script commands.
The number of rows in this 2da are limited to 65,536 due to the game storing it as a short reference.
| Column Name | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BaseResRef | dw_f_01_ | The filename without the "po_" prefix or the corresponding "size" value (h, l, m, s, t) noted above after it. Example file would be po_dw_f_01_h.tga for the "Huge" one. |
| Sex | 1 | Index into gender.2da, the suggested gender of the portrait |
| Race | 3 | Index into racialtypes.2da, the suggested race attached to the portrait |
| InanimateType | 7 | Index into placeabletypes.2da, the suggested category of placeable this portrait is related to. |
| Plot | 0 | If 0 it is allowd for players to pick this, if 1 the portrait is considered "plot" and not pickable by players (eg; Aribeths portrait in the OC) |
| LowGore | PLC_M06_ | If a resref is supplied and "low violence" mode is enabled this is show instead of the original. Same formatting as BaseResRef. |