There Are Many Unusual Items in the Game.

[Wids]

This is a whole bunch of them.  

I loathe the many generic descriptions in NWN.  Loathe 'em with a passion!  I've cooked up some items and areas for various servers in the past, and the one rule which I impose on myself is thus: "Thou shalt not leave any description generic."

Not every empty bottle or tree branch needs its own life story, of course.  But more often than not, the more colorful, the better.

So whadayasay we help Kal breathe even more life into the persistent world with some new descriptions to make the many fine details sing?  We can start with the looty bits, right?  

Okay, then!  Chime in with some Descriptions, and we'll see if Kal is impressed enough with our creativity to splash them into the Savage Frontier.  And if any items are missing from this list, then feel free to mention them so that I can edit them into the list.  Shall we?  


50' of Coarse Rope
This thin hemp rope should be strong enough for rappelling down a sheer descent.


50' of Stout Rope
Strong enough to pull wagons, this thickly woven hemp rope is both durable and heavy.


50' of Spider Silk Rope
Spun from spider gossamer, this gauzy rope is surprisingly strong for its scant weight.


A Bit of Green Elixir
Even a seasoned wizard may be puzzled over this fluid and its specific uses. Handle it with care.


Ancient Oil Lamp
[Description goes here.]


Ancient Rune Stone (brown, angled square or diamond-like rune)
This etched Dethek rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.


Ancient Rune Stone (dark gray, Z-like rune)
This etched Ruathlek rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.


Ancient Rune Stone (purple, X-like rune)
This etched Espruar rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.


Ancient Rune Stone (tan, III-like rune)
This etched Iokharic rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.


Animal Bones
An assortment of femurs, radii, ribs and such, harvested from some manner of animal.


Arrowhead
Sculpted from crude iron and honed to wicked sharpness, this arrowhead is bereft of shaft and fletching.


Balances
The staple of many a merchant, this brass balance would work best with a complete set of measuring weights.


Blue Bandana
[Description goes here.]


Bolt of Cloth - Flannel
[Description goes here.]


Bolt of Cloth - Argyle Pattern
[Description goes here.]


Brass Chalice
This humble religious cup would be suited for libations to Ilmater, Silvanus and similarly less vaunted gods.


Broken Chain
[Description goes here.]


Brooch with Glass Baubles
[Description goes here.]


Bugbear Armor Links
Bugbears are brutish, tenacious and violent. Mercifully, the shoddiness of their scavenged armor complements their stupidity.


Cartographer's Tools
Contents: Compass, nautical chart, ink, quill, graph paper. Hourglass, telescope and sextant not included.


Carved Soap - Goat
Because some people have soap, bladed implements and far too much time on their hands.


Clay Bowl
This is a simple bowl spun from clay and kiln-fired to proper hardness.


Clay Saucer
This is a simple saucer spun from clay and kiln-fired to proper hardness.


Copper Earring
[Description goes here.]


Corncob Pipe
[Description goes here.]


Cracked Flask
[Description goes here.]


Dart Tip
An iron cap ground to a point, this nose is all that remains of a bygone dart.


Dreamcatcher
A curiosity from overseas, this woven Maztican hoop is believed to protect sleepers from nightmares.


Dwarf Skull
[Description goes here.]


Elf Skull
[Description goes here.]


Elk Hide
[Description goes here.]


Embroidered Dragon Picture
[Description goes here.]


Empty Glazed Liqour Jug
[Description goes here.]


Empty Glass Bottle
[Description goes here.]


Empty Spice Box
A simple wooden box with a thin interior lining of bee's wax. It still carries the faint scent of whichever exotic spice it once contained.


Empty Urn
Spun from dark clay, this somber funerary urn has yet to fulfill its purpose.


Fancy Hair Comb
What noblewoman once tended her hair with this turquoise-studded comb inlaid with delicate filigree?


Fancy Pipe
[Description goes here.]


Finely Crafted Glass Vase*
[Description goes here.]


Fitted Face Mask
Formed from simple porcelain and glazed with attractive colors, this mask was sculpted to fit the contours of an actor's face.


Garotte
[Description goes here.]


Glass Vase
[Description goes here.]


Gnome Skull
[Description goes here.]


Gold Pentagram with Carbuncle
A mystic focus for many a mage, this pentacle was crafted for a magician of nobler means.


Golden Figurine
[Description goes here.]


Hat Feather
[Description goes here.]


Half-Elf Skull
[Description goes here.]


Half-Orc Skull
[Description goes here.]


Halfling Skull
[Description goes here.]


Handmade Paper
A few droplets of blood are seen on the first page of this bound stack of handmade paper.


Human Skull (0.1 lbs)
[Description goes here.]


Human Skull (5.1 lbs)
[Description goes here.]


Iron Earring
[Description goes here.]


Itchy Spores
Rubbing these fungal spores into your skin would probably be a bad idea.


Lace Doily
[Description goes here.]


Large Cat Skull
[Description goes here.]


Large Ivory Idol
One can only guess which primeval god this statue represents, but it should nonetheless fetch a fair sum at the marketplace.


Leaky Flask
[Description goes here.]


Love Letter
[Description goes here.]


Mantle Clock
[Description goes here.]


Mushroom Spores
[Description goes here.]


Oak Log
[Description goes here.]


Orc War Drum
[Description goes here.]


Patchwork Quilt
[Description goes here.]


Petrified Leather
Skin normally rots away long before it can calcify.  By what witchery did this happen?


Pewter Handheld Magnifier
[Description goes here.]


Pile of Fine Glass Baubles*
Staples of jewelry crafted for those of too meager means to afford genuine precious stones, these faux gemstones are more precisely cut than most, and their luster could almost pass for that of zircon or amethyst.


Pile of Glass Baubles
Staples of jewelry crafted for those of too meager means to afford genuine precious stones, these faux gemstones are crudely carved, cracked or chipped in spots and worn from rough handling.


Plain Hair Comb
Of crude design and cheap metal, this comb was likely all that some peasant woman could afford.


Prismatic Orb
[Description goes here.]


Red Bandana
[Description goes here.]


Religious Scroll
[Description goes here.]


Rune Casters Stone (generic, inert)
[Description goes here.]


Rune Casters Stone (any one which can be Used to cast a spell)
[Description goes here.]


Scroll with Reagents List
[Description goes here.]


Sealed Urn
Spun from dark clay, the tin band binding the lid to this funerary urn is etched with a name for the ashes within, as well as the dates through which that life ran its course.


Shell Necklace
A crude assembly of string and awl-bored seashells, such fragile necklaces are common among seaside women of meager means.


Small Box w/ Broken Lid
[Description goes here.]


Small Chunk of Pyrite
Iron pyrite is widely called "fool's gold" for its deceptively auric appearance.


Small Colored Bottle:
[Description goes here.]


Small Mirror:
[Description goes here.]


Small Wilted Plant:
[Description goes here.]


Torn and Stained Map:
[Description goes here.]


Tube with Animal Parts:
[Description goes here.]


Unfinished Dungeon Map
Evidently, an unnamed cartographer came to a tragic end amid this final work.


Web Brooch:
Though its wizardry is human, the intricate design of this brooch hints at the sinister influences of Drow culture.


Well-Worn and Bloodstained Cormyrian Adventurer's Charter:
Who is this "Torvis Mull," and why has he sent so many to perish in the Western Heartlands?


Wine Decanter:
Blown from white crystal glass so that its contents may be appraised more readily, this decanter still holds a small measure of red wine in its belly. The strong aroma of a dry and bitter merlot hints at an old vintage of many years.


Wooden Chalice
This sacramental cup serves well for the humblest of gods and religious ceremonies.


Wooden Pipe:
[Description goes here.]


Yellow Cotton Thread:
[Description goes here.]


* Doesn't have the generic item description, but it does have the same description as the healing kits.  Obviously, that description needs to go.

Holdable Items

Broom
[Description goes here.]


Bucket
An empty bucket.


Magnifying Glass
[Description goes here.]


Measuring Cup
An invaluable tool when competing in pastry competitions.


Mop
[Description goes here.]


Sextant
[Description goes here.]


Telescope
[Description goes here.]


Wooden Pipe
[Description goes here.]

[Wids]

Empty Spice Box:
A simple wooden box with a thin interior lining of bee's wax. It still carries the faint scent of whichever exotic spice it once contained.

Pile of Glass Baubles:
Staples of jewelry crafted for those of too meager means to afford genuine precious stones, these faux gemstones are crudely carved, cracked or chipped in spots and worn from rough handling.

Pile of Fine Glass Baubles:
Staples of jewelry crafted for those of too meager means to afford genuine precious stones, these faux gemstones are more precisely cut than most, and their luster could almost pass for that of zircon or amethyst.

Wine Decanter:
Blown from white crystal glass so that its contents may be appraised more readily, this decanter still holds a small measure of red wine in its belly. The strong aroma of a dry and bitter merlot hints at an old vintage of many years.

[kalbaern]

Descriptions are a two edged sword. While they greatly enhance role play, especially for those of us that enjoy the little details, they come with penalties. Time is the first, resource impact is the second and affects lag, the third.

The time involved, along with the "brain strain" of constantly creating new and unique descriptions is daunting. It all impacts on my already meager free time (I enjoy playing too .

The resource impact is when items on the palette have descriptions. This inflates the file size for each item. Although its small on a case by case basis, it all adds up and inflates the over size of the module's memory requirements. Somewhere between 150 and 200 megs, hosted modules begin to strain a server, no matter how robust its processor(s), mainly due to NWN's age and only utilizing a single core for processing. A couple of years ago, I went through the entire module, "delagging" it by removing descriptions from any placeable that wasn't usable and in the end, regained over 20 meg in memory to do "other" things with here.

In addition to the shear size of the module, items with detailed descriptions can cause players to load slower when joining the server and cause small lag spikes for those already in game and playing. When a character logs in, NWN first creates them in game, followed by all of their items, then lastly applies all of their feats and class adjustments. This is also why feat based increases to abilities can result in a loss of bonus spells when a caster logs in. If a player has a poor connection, the prolonged time to fully load their character can also cause them to time out, which gets frustrating for most. Sending Tells or a Party Invite to a character still loading (other players can often see them IG before their load screen has actually cleared and the player logging in can see where they are) also often causes them to crash and have to start over. So whatever makes logging in faster and smoother makes everyone happier in the end.

Yes, even the default descriptions have an impact. But, I agree that whenever possible, they should be eliminated or replaced. So long as we replace them with short and unique descriptions, I'm good with it. At least as a test.

[Wids]

So in a nutshell, no novella-length descriptions. No problem.


Arrowhead
Sculpted from crude iron and honed to wicked sharpness, this arrowhead is bereft of shaft and fletching.

Dart Tip
An iron cap ground to a point, this nose is all that remains of a bygone dart.

Empty Urn
Spun from dark clay, this somber funerary urn has yet to fulfill its purpose.

Sealed Urn
Spun from dark clay, the tin band binding the lid to this funerary urn is etched with a name for the ashes within, as well as the dates through which that life ran its course.

Web Brooch
Though its wizardry is human, the intricate design of this brooch hints at the sinister influences of Drow culture.


Like so?  

(As for the brain strain of coming up with new descriptions, that's what you have us for.  There lies the reason why this thread exists in the first place!    )

[Wids]

And as I may have mentioned, if you find any items that I overlooked, just say so here.  

*adds Blue Bandana, Red Bandana, Ancient Oil Lamp, Corncob Pipe, Patchwork Quilt and Well-Worn and Bloodstained Cormyrian Adventurer's Charter to the list*

[Wids]

*also, adds Bolt of Cloth - Flannel and A Bit of Green Elixir*

[Wids]

*adds Empty Glazed Liqour Jug to the list*

By the way, "liqour" is misspelled. I had to do a double-take when I first read that.

[Wids]

Carved Soap - Goat:

Because some people have soap, bladed implements and far too much time on their hands.

[Wids]

Fitted Face Mask
Formed from simple porcelain and glazed with attractive colors, this mask was sculpted to fit the contours of an actor's face.

Balances
The staple of many a merchant, this brass balance would work best with a complete set of measuring weights.

Brass Chalice
This humble religious cup would be suited for libations to Ilmater, Silvanus and similarly less vaunted gods.

Large Ivory Idol
One can only guess which primeval god this statue represents, but it should nonetheless fetch a fair sum at the marketplace.

Shell Necklace
A crude assembly of string and awl-bored seashells, such fragile necklaces are common among seaside women of meager means.

A Bit of Green Elixir
Even a seasoned wizard may be puzzled over this fluid and its specific uses.  Handle it with care.

[Wids]

Bugbear Armor Links:
Bugbears are brutish, tenacious and violent. Mercifully, the shoddiness of their poorly kept armor complements their stupidity.

[Wids]

Animal Bones:
An assortment of femurs, radii, ribs and such, harvested from some manner of animal.

Cartographer's Tools:
Contents: Compass, nautical chart, ink, quill, graph paper. Hourglass, telescope and sextant not included.

Clay Bowl:
This is a simple bowl spun from clay and kiln-fired to proper hardness.

Clay Saucer:
This is a simple saucer spun from clay and kiln-fired to proper hardness.

Petrified Leather:
Skin normally rots away long before it can calcify. By what witchery did this happen?


(Fun fact: The sextant was developed around 1731 CE as an improvement on such previous navigational tools as the alidade, the astrolabe and the quadrant. Hobbyists still use sextants to this day, even in the age of the GPS (though the occasional hobbyist may try using alidades, astrolabes or quadrants to get around, just to outdo his peers in a stupid navigators' penis-measuring contest of sorts). Does the Forgotten Realms setting even bother to identify its stars, including some analogue of Polaris for navigators to work with?)

[Snubletraad]

Found these:

Gold Pentagram with Carbuncle:
?

Handmade Paper:
A few droplets of blood are seen on the first page of this bound stack of handmade paper.

Bucket:
A empty bucket.

Measuring Cup:
An invaluable tool when competing in pastry competitions.

[Wids]

Ooh, it so happens that Lilibeza Hillington has a Gold Pentagram with Carbuncle as one of her "junk for roleplay" items!  I guess I just overlooked it on that list up there.  So I might as well give that item a Description too.

(I wonder if I should point out that there's a difference between pentagrams and pentacles, and that the goodie in question is most certainly a pentacle?)

I think that the Measuring Cup and the Bucket are holdable items, and those holdables tend to have either a different generic Description (the one that says "items for your roleplaying pleasure" or whatnot) or no Description at all (like that Bucket).  I might as well make a list of holdable items while I'm at it.  And thank you for stepping up to the plate, Snubletraad!  


Gold Pentagram with Carbuncle
A mystic focus for many a mage, this pentacle was crafted for a magician of nobler means.

Ancient Rune Stone (brown, angled square or diamond-like rune)
This etched Dethek rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.

Ancient Rune Stone (dark gray, Z-like rune)
This etched Ruathlek rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.

Ancient Rune Stone (purple, X-like rune)
This etched Espruar rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.

Ancient Rune Stone (tan, III-like rune)
This etched Iokharic rune may be used in divinations, if not stronger magicks.

Small Chunk of Pyrite
Iron pyrite is widely called "fool's gold" for its deceptively auric appearance.

Dreamcatcher
A curiosity from overseas, this woven Maztican hoop is believed to protect sleepers from nightmares.


*also, having been prompted by Lilibeza's other "roleplay junk," adds Fancy Hair Comb and Plain Hair Comb to the list*

[Wids]

*adds the Stout Rope, the Coarse Rope, the Itchy Spores and the Lace Doily to the list*


Itchy Spores
Rubbing these fungal spores into your skin would probably be a bad idea.

50' of Stout Rope
Strong enough to pull wagons, this thickly woven hemp rope is both durable and heavy.

50' of Coarse Rope
This thin hemp rope should be strong enough for rappelling down a sheer descent.

50' of Spider Silk Rope
Spun from spider gossamer, this gauzy rope is surprisingly strong for its scant weight.

[Wids]

Wooden Chalice
This sacramental cup serves well for the humblest of gods and religious ceremonies.

Unfinished Dungeon Map
Evidently, an unnamed cartographer came to a tragic end amid this final work.

Plain Hair Comb
Of crude design and cheap metal, this comb was likely all that some peasant woman could afford.

Fancy Hair Comb
What noblewoman once tended her hair with this turquoise-studded comb inlaid with delicate filigree?

Well-Worn and Bloodstained Cormyrian Adventurer's Charter
Who is this "Torvis Mull," and why has he sent so many to perish in the Western Heartlands?