Heirs to Skull Crag:Not all Roadwarden Arms Quests Complete Before Kidnap

[gogogomez]

Just re-installed UA, I do so every few years when I get some free time. I was playing Heirs to Skull Crag but I can only complete two of the three Arms of the Roadwarden quests before the kidnapping stage kicks in; it does not matter which order I do them, any two trigger the kidnapping.  This does not seem right, does anyone know what needs to be done so that I can recover all three of the arms before the kidnapping occurs (and prevents me from ever recovering the third item).

[ProphetSword]

I haven't played the game in years.  But, it's possible that you can't avoid the kidnapping.  If it happens every time you do two out of three of the quests, it's likely that it was programmed that way on purpose.

I say go with it and see what happens.

[gogogomez]

Something deep in my memory tells me there was a correction that had to be done to the module to allow for all three items to be recovered.  Does anyone else remember this?  Cannot remember how I would have found out about it, unless it was in an old AOL forum.  I remember downloading mods from there...

[gogogomez]

Also, there are three keys that you recover as you get each of the arms of the Roadwarden, so by not recovering all three items, you only have two of the necessary three keys.  Not sure if these keys are required to complete the kidnapping quest, but they are required to open a section of the Drow/Minotaur dungeon (think similar 3 key door is in the Giant dungeon), perhaps you need them to open the way to chase Vidruand (sp?) through the long tunnel at the end of the mod.

That's the reason I keep stopping and going back to figure out the issue.  As I said before, I vaguely recall that the mod was flawed and you had to change the mod in some way to allow for all 3 items to be recovered before the kidnapping takes place.  Think I found the directions to change it on an AOL forum years ago.

Does what I wrote also jog anyone else's memory?

Has anyone else encountered the same problem as I?

[Ben J]

A while ago, we had a discussion somewhere in this forum about the differences between FRUA version 1.0 and 1.2.

I can't remember who said it, but someone said that version 1.2 would break an event in Heirs to Skull Crag.

As long as we don't know specifically which event that was, playing Heirs in FRUA version 1.0 could probably help.

[Jadefang]

The only broken event in version 1.2 I can think of was a guided tour in the lizardman village area, which was supposed to have an event following it.

[gogogomez]

I really think the problem with Heirs is internal to the mod itself. I'm pretty sure that something must be done to make it work right. I've poured over the mod trying to find the issue, but i don't know enough about modding to know how to look properly, or what to look for.  Frustrating...

[gogogomez]

One way to solve the problem is if someone with some mod experience could tell me what I need to change so that the kidnapping event does not occur until after all three arms of the Roadwarden are recovered.  The scene introducing the kidnapping states that all three have been recovered and that the PCs have met with the three children, indeed, the kidnapping ransom IS the 3 arms. But how can they be ransomed if they haven't all been found?

I have not been able to figure out how to do it myself. I cannot even find in the mod where the kidnapping is triggered, but I know that in the game, as soon as you leave the Keep AFTER recovering two of the three arms, it is triggered.

Any help would be most appreciated!!  In the meantime I will keep looking for a solution myself!

[gogogomez]

Is is possible that the items must be recovered in a particular order (even though they do not state explicitly?)?  From examining the Mod it appears that Dazmilar = Quest 1, Stage 1, Kallithrea = Q2, S1, and Yemandra=Q3, S1.  Upon completion they are listed as: D=Q1, S3; Y=Q3 S3; K=Q2, S3. 

Does this mean I must do Dazmilar, Kallithrea and THEN Yemandra?

I guess I will try it.

If anyone has any tips for figuring out how to tell what triggers the Kidnapping event, that would be great, can't seem to find it on my own.

[Ben J]

The last time I played "Heirs" was probably 1993 or '94. I don't know if I ever finished it. I was disappointed by it and went straight to designing my own mod.

Where does that kidnapping event occur? Maybe I can find out how it works.

[gogogomez]

It happens toward the end of the module, I think, if I recall correctly, the kidnapping starts the chain reaction that ultimately leads to the end stage. It is supposed to occur right after the last of the three items is recovered. The mod is set up so that once the items are recovered, the keep and town become NEW dungeons. Which is why I am having trouble identifying the exact trigger.  You leave the Keep after returning the 2nd item (should be the 3rd) and when you re-enter, you are transferred to a new dungeon, but it is still the keep.  What I am trying to figure out is how to prevent the transport event from occurring until all three items are found.

[ProphetSword]

The event that is kicking you into the "kidnapping" areas is accessible on the overland.  There are a chain of transfer events over the top of Skull Crag, each one firing for different reasons.

In this case, it works like this:

If player does not have Quest 4 - Enter town - Dungeon 2
If player has completed Quest 4 - Enter town - Dungeon 2
Always - Enter town - Dungeon 3 (Kidnap Event Areas)

At some point in the game, you are acquiring Quest 4, and since it is not complete, you are entering the kidnap event area.

Two things to say here:

1) You can fix this easily by changing this event chain.

2) Are you 100% sure that this is not the order the events are supposed to go in?  I say this because the 1.2 patch for FRUA would not have altered how this was supposed to fire...it would fire the same in 1.0 as it does in 1.2.


The question is: what is activating the Quest 4 variable?

[Olivier Leroux]

I never really got into "Heirs to Skull Crag", so I wouldn't know, but do you have to return to Skull Crag each time after you've recovered an item? If not, just try to avoid it until you've got all three of them.

[gogogomez]

first off, I appreciate everyone's help.  Greatly appreciated!  Since two of the three people (children of the Roadwarden) who give you the item quests are IN the keep, it is impossible to avoid the Keep before getting the items.  In addition, the reason that I think it is a flaw in the module itself is because it is illogical for the kidnappers to ransom for the three arms when all 3 have yet to be recovered and at the initial kidnapping event reference is made to the party having recovered all 3.  On top of that, you acquire each of three keys as you recover each item, keys that are necessary to unlock a door during the endgame.  Finally, I do recall finding on an AOL messageboard LONG LONG ago that this was indeed a flaw in the design, and there were instructions for correcting it.  The correction had to be simple or I could not have done it.  The overland change that Prophetsword mentions may be itl.  I will give it a go!  Thanks!! 

 

[ProphetSword]

I played this game many years ago (it was around 1999-2000), and I solved it.  So, I know it can be done.

Maybe the trick is to find the one item that's outside the keep first?  Don't know...