To add a visual effect to your NPC, add integer variable AI_VFX (or AI_VFX1, AI_VFX2, AI_VFX3, etc) with the index number(s) of the desired visual effect index # from visualeffects.2da or from the ooc area's visual effect browser.

The functions for assigning XDATA appearances to NPCs are located in inc_appr.

See: https://nwn.sinfar.net/res_nss_edit.php?name=inc_appr (Get/SetEntireCreatureAppearance is being replaced by Get/SetEntireCreatureAppearance2)

In order to assign an appearance to a creature, you must have an Entire Appearance variable. This will assign Cloak, Helmet, Armor, Body, Head V2 and VFX appearances to an NPC all in one go.

Traditionally, the easiest way to get this string is as follows:
1. Open the Web Client.
2. Go in game to a place that has both a Tailoring Model and Body Model.
3. Set up the Body Appearance first. Once complete, copy it to yourself.
4. Add VFX if any. 5. Copy your appearance to a Tailoring Model.
6. Set up the Clothing/Armor/Helmet/Cloak appearances.
7. Once finished, go back to the first menu while interacting with the Tailoring Model and have it “Speak the complete appearance code”:

It will print the appropriate String into your Web Client for easy copying. Now that you have a code, you can assign it to an NPC that is spawn by the Sinfar spawning system by using the String Variable “ENTIRE_APPEARANCE2” on the creature. When the creature is created, it should have the correct appearances.

If you want to use your own custom spawn script, make sure you include the file “inc_appr” and add the following:

    string sEntireAppearance = GetLocalString(oCreature, "APPEARANCE2");
    if (sEntireAppearance != "")
    {
        SetEntireCreatureAppearance2(oCreature, sEntireAppearance);
    }

Set NPC OnSpawn script to amb_npc_spawn (or any other custom appearance script).

Use a body model to design your NPC's head, body, and a tailor model to design your NPC's armor, helm and cloak.

Open web client, have the model “speak the (component) appearance code” to make it whisper the xdata for each component you wish to customize on your NPC, and paste the XDATA string to the following variables:

• HEAD_APPEARANCE
• BODY_APPEARANCE
• ARMOR_APPEARANCE
• HELM_APPEARANCE
• CLOAK_APPEARANCE

(Source: “Tutorial - How to customize your NPC using XDATA:” by Carcerian, 2020/12/8)

Note: “Speak the complete appearance code” uses the variable COMPLETE_APPEARANCE2, this string {a lot of code} exceeds (often) the toolset's string variable length limit(1024). You thus have to apply this string via the web development's page of your erf or by script.

For the NPC in player houses see the instructions for the hs_spawn_animnpc function here : https://nwn.sinfar.net/houses_scriptlist.php