Character creation on HAZE: Saltborne works differently to what you may be familiar with on other servers on neverwinter nights. This page is intended to help you understand the options that are available to you and the limitations of those options so that you can make an informed decision whilst creating your character.
It is important to note that, while it's tempting to just look at your character as a stat block, HAZE is about fun and meaningful roleplay first and foremost. To that end, you should strive to create a character that you will enjoy playing and not just aim for the most optimal build.
Here we will quickly walk through basic character creation that occurs before you even enter the world of HAZE. Already familiar with the basics? Click Here ---> Advanced Character Creation
Still here? Great!
The first screen you will see upon creating a character looks like this...
This might seem like a lot, but it really isn't too bad. We'll walk through it step by step.
Your options here are Male or Female. This is primarily to determine your character's body phenotype, but we are LGBTQ+ friendly, so roleplay your character however you like.
For our test character we're going to select "Female"
Your options here are shown below...
If you're interested in the mechanical differences of each race you can either look at the right-hand pane that will display when selecting a race or click this link right here ----> Races
Don't worry about selecting a Sub Race just yet, that will be covered during the Advanced Character Creation section which goes over options that are unique to the world of HAZE.
We have added a variety of additional portraits to HAZE for your use and enjoyment. By default they are ordered by the gender and race you selected but you can use the scroll bar on the right to look at all portrait options that are available by default.
If you want to add your own custom portrait please refer to this Guide to Making Custom Portraits for help. You can share your custom portraits with the community, so that others can see it in game, on the discord which you can join by clicking this Link to Join the HAZE Discord. Make sure to share it in the channel called "ooc-portraits"
...I mean, look at her lovely face...
We have many artistically inclined members in our community who take commissions. Ask on the discord. However, if you do use an external artist's work, please remember to credit them!
The classes that are available are:
Because of the low-magic, low-level and permadeath nature of this server, you might find some of the classes you're used to are either not available or restricted behind the Eminence Reward System.
For information on the mechanics of each class you can use on of the following handy hyperlinks to navigate to the class you're interested in.
Barbarian
Bard
Cleric (100 EP)
Druid (100 EP)
Fighter
Monk
Paladin (75 EP)
Ranger (25 EP)
Rogue
Sorcerer
Wizard
Commoner (5 EP)
Important Note: Haze: Saltborne has many unique changes to the base NWN classes, and you would do well to read more about the changes here: Character Classes.
Your alignment represents your character's general moral compass and how they look at the world. There are very limited effects this has on the world but typically your character's alignment falls adjacent to that of their patron deity and can occasionally affect their ability to interact with the world in a limited capacity. Mostly, this is for roleplay purposes but you should still carefully consider your choice.
Some classes are restricted to certain alignments. If the case you select one of those classes, the incompatible alignments will automatically be made unselectable.
Here you will distribute points to increase your character's attributes. These include...
Mechanically speaking, this may be the most important series of choices you make for your character. It will affect every aspect of your character from how hard they hit, how many hits they can take, and more...
Strength (STR): Represents physical power, muscle, and raw physical force. It influences how much weight a character can carry, how well they can perform feats of strength, and their effectiveness in melee combat.
Dexterity (DEX): Represents agility, reflexes, and coordination. It affects a character's accuracy with ranged weapons, their ability to dodge attacks, and their overall finesse in physical actions.
Constitution (CON): Represents health, stamina, and resilience. It influences a character's hit points (HP), which determine how much damage they can withstand before falling unconscious or dying, as well as their resistance to certain environmental effects.
Intelligence (INT): Represents cognitive abilities, memory, and problem-solving skills. It affects a character's ability to recall information, solve puzzles, and comprehend complex magical or technical concepts.
Wisdom (WIS): Represents perception, intuition, and awareness. It influences a character's ability to notice details in the environment, detect hidden threats, and make sound judgment calls.
Charisma (CHA): Represents charm, presence, and social skills. It affects a character's ability to interact with NPCs, persuade others, and lead in social situations.
Here's a fun way to think of each ability in a nutshell.
Strength is being able to crush a tomato.
Dexterity is being able to dodge a tomato.
Constitution is being able to eat a bad tomato.
Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad.
Charisma is being able to sell a tomato based fruit salad.
For a more practical rundown of which ability does, click this link --> Ability Scores
For more information on how the system for selecting abilities works, you can visit this link ---> The Point Buy System
Please keep in mind that we enforce rules on "dump-statting" that, if not followed, may prevent you from entering into the world of HAZE.
Those can be found here ---> Character Restrictions.
Here you can select a pre-determined build path for your character. If you want the fullest level of control, it is recommended you select "Configure Packages" near the bottom, as indicated by the big red arrow.
If you do select "Configure Packages" this is first screen you'll see...
This is the skill screen. Skills play an absolutely monumental role in HAZE, much moreso than in the base game of Neverwinter Nights. For more information on the changes made to skills, follow this link ---> Skill Changes
There are some changes that have been made that aren't included in that link but those are some details you'll have to FOIG (Find Out In Game)
When you're finished with skills, just hit the "OK" button and you'll carry on to this screen...
These are feats. Special characteristics that further define your character as an individual. They can, at times, be very powerful.
Feat Changes/Additions You can review all the changes and additions to the NWN feats here.
We're almost there! Last step is to put the finishing touches on your character. This section is where you will define how others see and hear you in the world before they actually interact with you in roleplay. The first thing you're going to do is customize your appearance...
Feel free to play around in this screen. If you make a mistake, don't worry! There are mirrors in the OOC area so you can fine tune your appearance before you finalize your character and enter into the world of HAZE. However, once you've entered the world your appearance is final.. unless, of course, you want to use the Disguise System.
Onto the next screen!
Here you will set your first name, last name, character description, and voice pack. You can ignore the deity and age entries here because nobody will ever see them. Make sure you turn on your volume so you can hear samples of your voice pack before you select one.
Events may occur in game that will modify your appearance. There is a system that let's you modify your description once you're already in the game. Information on that can be found here ---> Character Descriptions
I hope you don't lose an eye
Just because you know your name doesn't mean others do too. You can set a descriptive name for yourself and when introducing yourself your character can even lie to others about their name.
But... they wouldn't do that, would they? 😈
You can read more about that system here ---> The Identity System
Congratulations! You've survived character creation. Here's a cookie
Now you can finish your character and enter into the world of HAZE.At this point, you might want to move on to the Advanced Character Creation section.
See you there!