I was wondering how close NWN follows the 3rd Edition rules of D&D? If you compared it to IWD 2, which would you say was closer and why? Thanks.

Well, I don't have IWD but I am an avid 3rd ed player and I'll tell you they added a lot of new skills, took out a bunch. They changed the monks, level 20 you are treated as an outsider that can be raised. In NWN, you don't require ingredients for spells. The money system was so screwed up. And they had thieves tools plus 10 and stuff, normally there are no toos (-2 circumstance penalty) thieves tools, and thieves tools masterwork (+2 circumstance check. DOn't get me started...

NWN's is closer than IWD2 as the engine can support the system better. There's tons of stuff from 3E in there that you won't see in IWD2, that said, there have been many modifications made in order for it to work in the game or for other various reasons. I'd recommend that if you get it, join the ever-growing HCR community.

Spirit Warrior, just what is the "HCR Community"?

HCR means Hard Core Rules. There's an ever increasing number of modules being made which adapt the NWN rules to resemble the 3E rules as closely as possible.

Are those the ones that, for example, only let's you rest every eight hour or so and requires that you have a bedroll and rations to do so?

That's right. And also those where you fall to the ground at 0 hp but can still be brought back to life with regular healing until you drop to -10, and the ones using the roomkeys, and even the ones that change the spell effects to do what they are supposed to do (correcting the Phantasmal Killer, for example).
What aspects the creators include and to what extent differs greatly, but the one you describe is a fairly standard collection of items and scripts, quite widely used.

Yep, HCR being the Hard Core Rules community. I myself am not picky and don't really look for HCR mods but if that's what you're into they have done some amazing stuff to adher the game to 3E. Really there is so much conversion and scripting out there to achieve this it's unreal.

Personally though, and I don't want to start a debate rolling on this lol but I think HCR only serves to inconvenience the player more so. You can't imagine how boring it is to have your character killed and then have to wait through 10 rounds of 'bleeding' until you finally die, get deducted a ridiculous amount of XP and GP and then respawn somewhere far far away. Or going to cast a spell and then being told by an in-game script that "You don't have the correct components for that spell". Not my thing at all, as you can see [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

I find the general idea of HCR entertaining, but including every rule from the books is a little ridiculous. Take for example, having to train at the end of each level, with a price formula.. [img]graemlins/1disgust.gif[/img]

I'm pleased the HCR was made modular, so a builder can pick and choose how hardcore they want their module to be. There is also a script package called the tabletop variant rules, that is "lighter" than HCR, but isn't modular like HCR iirc.

I thoroughly enjoy HCRs in a DM'd roleplay oriented multi-player game. In my case my gaming group wanted as much precision to the rules as possible to mirror our old Pnp days. It worked beautifully.