Cerlis

As you said, it's likely my best option to bite the bullet and run through the Inner Crypt again. I'm sure it won't be as bad as I'm imagining, as tends to be the case with dread. I'd also like to apologize if it seemed I was expecting someone else to do all the research for me. My intention was merely to ask for advice from anyone who knew a solution off the top of their head, as I surely lack the same knowledge that many longtime players, modders and staff know by heart. At this point I believe all my choices have been presented, and all that's left is to choose. I appreciate everyone's help, both for myself and anyone who may have a similar issue in the future. I'm unfamiliar with how this forum works, but I think this thread is ready to be closed/locked, if that's something you do here.

Edit: Since we're talking about modifying files, it may be worth mentioning that I'm playing the Steam version. I'm slowing building myself back up to run through the Inner Crypt again, but I'd definitely prefer to use one of the methods you both provided, if I could figure them out. I'm unfamiliar with scripting in general, let alone Geneforge's scripts, so attempting to figure out which parts to copy and paste over would be mostly guesswork, I'm sure I'd break something. That said, I found z35woodval.txt and z35woodvaldlg.txt in Geneforge/Data/Scripts. Is there anything in those files I can modify to help with my issue? I also noticed a lot of references to SDF, which I assume is related to TheKian's suggestion. I've already backed up my game folder and saves, so if I break something I can restore it easily. Reviving Sniff or mimicking his dialogue is preferable, but unless he sets a quest flag, then at the end of the day I just need that door open so I can talk to Astrov. I can always read through the dialogue file in more detail if I want to know what Sniff would've told me.

Forewarning, this post contains spoilers for later parts of Geneforge 1. If you haven't played through Geneforge 1 yet and wish to avoid spoilers, now's your change to click away from the page. More context in the spoiler, but to summarize I killed Sniff in Wooded Valley and I need to revive him. I don't care if it's through legitimate means, a cheat, or even modifying my save to reset the entire zone. Loading an old save is doable, but it's my last resort.