Tombs of the Undead

Version 1.6b (Release)

New version

Potential fixes for cut-scene problems with final cut-scene and quest update not firing.
Final cut-scene script control delegated to separate object.
Final cut-scene no longer requires 3 other party members to play.
Zaebos cut-scene should no longer show bogus henchmen when soloing.

Installation

Down the file and install directly using daupdater.exe (found in the bin_ship folder of your dragon age installation, usually found in:
"C:\Program Files\Dragon Age\bin_ship\daupdater.exe")

Background

You have heard rumours of recently discovered ruins near the edge of the Korcari Wilds, perhaps they are worth investigating?. When you get there, the archaeologist's team and their guards have all been killed and the area is crawling with undead, disturbed by the digging or perhaps by something else. Investigate the ruins and discover the reason behind these undead and get drawn into a deeper, long buried mystery, and face an ancient evil.

Tombs of the Undead is a set of three dungeons with an emphasis on combat and increasingly challenging boss encounters:

The first is meant to be played through at levels 8-10.

The second and third sections are meant to be played at levels 16-20.

Each dungeon has traps/locked doors and chests meaning a rogue is definately advised. The first dungeon requires a disarm/locks skill of 30 (2 deft hands and 20 cunning will suffice). The second and third dungeons require 50 skill to disarm traps and pick locks. All the traps are lethal.

Notes

• If you are going straight from Lothering with Leliana as the rogue, she is 1 cunning short of the required disarm skill, one of the archer skeletons on the very first map drops a +2 cunning ring to help with this.
• Also a tank that can taunt will help greatly in the first dungeon at low levels.
• In the first dungeon (The Ancient Ruins) There is a secret door at the back of the round room that leads to the altar room.
• The altars in the first and second dungeons reveal the map locations (on the world map) of the next dungeon.
• The areas of sunlight in the spider lair (Abandoned Temple) debuff any spiders caught in the sunlight. So if the boss is proving too difficult drag him into the sunlight for an easier fight.
• The two miniboss steel golems in the Nemesis boss fight (Temple Underground) can be disabled before the fight starts to make it as easy as needs be to defeat Nemesis. Click on the Juggernaut and/or Behemoth to get the dialog to disable them.
• Nemesis can now surrender when almost dead and will help the party (as a non party follower) for the rest of the level. As an ally Nemesis preferentially attacks smaller targets so he will help cleaning up the adds. Nemesis is a very powerful ally so don't take him if you want the last part to remain challenging.
  

Any feedback is welcome.

Mod Info

There are 5 custom layouts used in the areas:

• 1 slightly modified interior layout of the 'dalish elf ruins' (brc200d)
• 1 slighty modified small exterior layout (brc502d)
• 1 heavily modified interior layout of the 'lair of the undead' (brc202d)
• 2 new large(ish) interior layouts.
  

2DA id's used

APR_base:42367 - 42368areadata:6283310 - 6283315item_sets:6283410 - 6283418
M2DA_base:6283510 - 6283515
placeables:12001
PRCSCR:6284091
tint_override:6283610 - 6283630
body_tints:6283710 - 6283717
body_tint_masks:6283810
vfx_base:6283710 - 6283713
String ID's739382446 - 739384235

Other Tools used

nvidia dds utilities
paintshop pro 8
audacity 1.3
fsbextractor
datool
fmod designer/event player
open office

Credits & Acknowledgements

midnightgeek - for the darker spider web models, the spider sections look so much better because of these models.
Aezay - fsbextractor, invaluble tool for extracting, selecting and testing the sound files for cutscenes and area music.
Adinos - DAtool, for resizing and retexturing models.
seventhsanctum.com - for the random monster and item name generators.
DA Builder Wiki - for all the tutorials and guides that made this mod possible.

Changelog

Release 1.6

• Added cutscene immeadiately before the final boss fight.
• Added cutscene at final boss death.
• Re-written inferno/fire scripts so that they stop when the boss dies. No more waiting for the fires to stop.
• Added world map triggers on the way out of each dungeon once it has cleared. (Map could also be brought up at anytime)
• Added a timeout for the final reappearance of the boss spider in the abandoned temple, to force it back in case it decides not to bother.
• Done a code pass to rewrite any code that could be the cause of any potential instability. (namely: GetObjectByTag() replaced by GetNearestObjectByTag(), All instances of DestroyObject(OBJECT_SELF) removed from trigger scripts.)
  

Release 1.5

• Fixed a potential bug in the spider boss script that could prevent the final reactivation of the boss (and thus prevent any further progress)
  

Beta 1.4

• Tidied up the custom layouts for tactical overview.
• Added the option to allow Nemesis to surrender and help the party out for the rest of the level. Or you can kill him if you want the last part to remain more challenging.
• Tweaked some of the boss fights adds and boss stats.
  

Beta 1.3

• Reworked the spider tunnels and lair, reduced the overall amount of spiders but spread the boss fight with Zaebos throughout the first set of tunnels and the spider lair
• Removed some of the invisible barriers in the final part of the Zaebos boss fight, you now have the run of the entire cavern. The exit tunnel is still blocked, this is to stop Zaebos kiting the group into the exit spawns when he starts running about.
• Removed the infinite continuous spawns from Zaebos' adds, these hugely biased the fight towards DPS heavy groups, Crowd control or weaker DPS groups suffered badly. Add waves are fixed numbers now.
• Made the sunlight from the sunbeams in the spider lair and tunnels (including the strange ruins) weaken any spiders caught in the light, including Zaebos. Weakened spiders cannot use overwhelm or web and have their strength and dexterity debuffed. If the spiders or the spider boss prove too tough, fight them in the sunlight for an easier time.
• Added cutscene for first appearance of Zaebos.
• Added an easy option to the Nemesis boss fight, click on Juggernaut and/or Behemoth to get the option to disable one or both before the fight starts to make the fight easier or much easier.
  

Beta 1.2

• Added cutscene for appearance of Forneus.
• Added cutscene for appearance of Valefor (and added some post cutscene vfx).
• Modified first spider boss script so that the waves of adds spawn one at a time rather than all together. (hopefully fixes a rare crash bug with multiple spider activations).
• Fixed wrong icon for one of the amulets
  

Beta 1.1

• Fixed a couple of problems with the layouts for abandoned temple and temple underground.
• Moved a broken crate that you could get stuck behing in the abandoned temple.
• Added a quest stage to open the doors with the levels in the ancients ruins if the player reaches the doors before pulling the levers.
• Added a quest hint for the secret door in the last tomb room of the ancient ruins and made the secret door trigger bigger.
• Removed the spells: death bolt (spirit blast) and death syphon as well as some other arcane horror specific abilities from Coldvine the Subjugator as one of these spells is very likely the cause of the zero stamina bug in some game versions of DAO.
• Reduced Coldvine's spell power and replaced crushing prison with shock.
• Fixed names on some of the spiders at the abandoned temple Spider Boss.

My Other Stuff

Skyrim - Knapsack BackpacksSkyrim - Mead Keg BackpackDragon Age Origins - Tombs of the Undead