BG2 romanceable males, split from Sand Romance

[berelinde]

Don't worry, ToB for Gavin is zooming toward completion. Got a bunch more dialogues to post in the workroom as soon as my editor gives them the go-ahead. (Got an editor now! Feels all professional and stuff, but it's also a tremendous relief, and a honking big help. Editors rock!) All things considered, I'd say that I'm past the 50% mark.

 

And I'm glad you like Casavir! I didn't want to change him. He's reserved and (perhaps understandbly) hesitant in the game, and I wanted to preserve that in the mod. Glad it worked for you!

[Vaalyah]

So, few things:

1) Where are my BG1 disks? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!! I cannot find them!!!

2) Tutu and all your mods are working with multilanguage game? My game is the Italian version... would it be like in the romance mod, where you just have some dialogues in English and the rest all in Italian?

3) Why everyone seems to hate Anomen? I thought he was sweet... a bit too shy, but sweet... he has been my first videogame-love! ^^

4) Berelinde, since I think you have done a huge psychological analysis of Casavir, can I ask you a thing? Why he is so shy? So much shy, I would have never thought he was trying to flirt with my PC... I mean, he just speaks about Old Owl Wheel!

[Deedlit]

Thanks a lot everyone for the head-ons!now I can safely order the pack and,if all goes well,I'll be asking pesky questions on how to do this and that in some days

 

As for the other discussion on good characters, I am the same,I can't do evil characters for the life of me;still,I do swing more on the direction of passionate,witty,sometimes sarcastic or grumpy npcs when it comes to romances.

 

I loved Casavir anyhow because he wasn't too much interested in preaching for a paladin,even when heading his personal code,not to mention he appeared not blindly devoted to neverwinter and more interested in action (unlike the big let down that was Aarin back then);this added to a sane dose of restraining a passionate nature to boot (at least,from my point of view of course...and pretty much evident from the cut-out content,at least *sigh*) mixed with a hint of clumsiness,did the trick (he reminded me of Valen in that regard,one of the few romances I found really satisfying so far).

 

Guess I can shut up now and crawl in my corner,can't wait to try out BG,let's hope I will manage to play through it this time (because I'm just older,not wiser *laughs*).

[Deedlit]

On an OT note,this meme makes me frantically laugh,because that PC reaction is pretty much the same MY PC had when Casavir bursted out that sentence,all serious and tense (and I love the artist,probably because like myself,she's one of the three persons that loves Jowan in DA *heh* she made a really nice comic based on Jowan&her PC's past which is in her gallery,as well).

 

ok,crawling back in the shadow *hides*

[Ipsy]

So, few things:

1) Where are my BG1 disks? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!! I cannot find them!!!

2) Tutu and all your mods are working with multilanguage game? My game is the Italian version... would it be like in the romance mod, where you just have some dialogues in English and the rest all in Italian?

3) Why everyone seems to hate Anomen? I thought he was sweet... a bit too shy, but sweet... he has been my first videogame-love! ^^

4) Berelinde, since I think you have done a huge psychological analysis of Casavir, can I ask you a thing? Why he is so shy? So much shy, I would have never thought he was trying to flirt with my PC... I mean, he just speaks about Old Owl Wheel!

2) Tutu does, EasyTutu is English only. Unsure - check out the project page. Problem is, regular Tutu makes you have to "unlock" BG2 after you install it. EasyTutu creates a separate directory. You could probably avoid this by copying (not moving) your entire BG2 directory to another location, and installing Tutu there instead.

 

3) Not everybody hates Anomen! I still play unmodded BG2, and I still play his romance. LG Anomen was indeed sweet

[berelinde]

4) Casavir is shy for a number of reasons. I believe that he has trouble opening up to people. He is a paladin, so he knows that he must put on his "game face" for the world: be a leader, do the right thing, strive toward the greater good. Inside, though, he is still a very private person. His public persona must be outgoing, but his inner self builds walls to protect him. It's very difficult to get close to a paladin. They know that personal is not the same a important, and that affects every facet of their lives. Different characters express that in different ways, but Casavir protects himself by locking his soul away and revealing it only when he truly trusts another person. That does not happen often. Even Katriona, who lived and worked with Casavir for months, never really saw anything more than the facade he presented to the word. She knew there was more to him than he presented, and she never stopped trying to coax him to reveal his soul, but he could not do it. Not for her. He is finally forced to unburden his heart to the PC because he has fallen in love. He will die before he allows the PC to come to harm, and when forces gather outside Crossroad Keep, his death looks pretty iminent. He cannot face death with a sin of omission on his conscience, so he confesses his love at last. So sad that he waited so long, and so stupid, but his fear of rejection is great. He can face horrors unmentionable without flinching, but revealing his heart to another living creature takes almost more courage than he can muster. Poor Casavir. He made life much more difficult than he needed to.

[Whiteee]

I'd recommend BG Trilogy (and I'm pretty sure it's multi-language) since it lets you play both BG1 and BG2 with the same character on the same installation without having to uninstall/change/whatever anything Convenient - just the way I like it lol.

 

Anomen... you guys realize that David Gaider wrote him? I mean, yeah, if you don't romance him or have him in the party for only a short time, he may seem very boring and not very interesting, but once you get to a 'real' romance, he is a decent person, with a touch of tragic past. I remember reading that David Gaider complained about the fact that they had chosen to make him romanceable late in the works, and so most of his "normal" dialogue was already written and set.

 

If you install BG and play vanilla romances (Aerie, Jaheira, Viconia, Anomen), don't forget Flirt Pack! It makes the game MUCH more enjoyable

[Vaalyah]

Thank you for the deep analysis. I really appreciate it.

 

Deedlit: I read tons of those meme... plus I really love the "Neverwinner Nights 2" comic by Vick330 on deviant. You should read that. It's hilarious!

[Deedlit]

I apologize in advance for my next blabbering,but the discussion is so interesting,I wanted to add my thoughts;and yes,it's just my point of view,so don't take it too seriously

 

I always thought there are two ways to look at Casavir (and he is quite an interesting man in both ways):you either take in consideration only the info you get from the vanilla game,or you dig deeper with the cut-out content,which reveals only some bit,but those bits are pretty meaningful.

 

I'll try and keep my considerations as general as possible in order not to spoil anything to anyone who still hasn't finished playing or just didn't read the toolset thingies.

 

Looking at the vanilla game only,what I've gathered was a man in his 40s,which strives to follow his inner code,ideals and faith tenants,even if this means going against the regents (the first trait that earned him my favor *laughs* because it means he has a brain and a heart,and he's not only a bunch of laws&rules);he prefers action over words,and he's not interested in void preaching,so it appeared to me as a very dedicate,honest and passionate man at heart.He's a real paladino,not a paladin that is more like a priest

So,this honorable man,who cast away his rank and his everything,just to fight for the PEOPLE he swore to protect,finally meets the PC:assuming you are a female PC,what the game implies is you're a young woman,not over her 30s for sure,which was forced to leave her home and brace arms to fight,first for your life,and after for the fate of the world,as well.From his point of view,the first thing he probably feels is indeed the urge to protect you: you are young to him,really young,AND a woman (don't forget he's a paladin,so he probably feels even more compelled in this regard to protect you),not to mention you are new to fighting (it is implied you are unaware of the horrors of the battefield,no matter how skilled you are,with the exception of west harbour,unlike Katriona,which is a mercenary and older).

In time though,he grows to respect you even as a fighter,and even more so considering you didn't have military training (aside from the basics Daeghun or the occasional fight around west harbor could've given you),so it's real talent;not to mention he sees proof of your leadership skills costantly and,last but not least,the fact that you become,in time,his actual superior (he's a paladin,as peculiar as he may be,he still puts ranks in high regard,I'd wager).So this clashing of urge to protect/age difference/admiration/respect/rank difference may cause him to be taken aback and make him unsure on how to treat you (hence why the awkwardness...plus,let's say it,he's not used to have women around for long times,aside Katriona which is like his subordinate more than a woman,being a mercenary and all).

On top of that,let's remember you're still a young woman and,even if you're not a beauty,you're bound to be charismatic for several reason,and let's say it,he can be restrained as much as you want,but he's not blind nor dead,so at a certain point,respect and admiration become something else and something stirs deep inside him,as well;let's even add that,if you have a good-aligned PC,he may even feel a certain kinship of spirit.

But,HE is a paladin,AND he swore to protect you (not to mention the rest)...and this includes "from him",as well (because,as he himself says on the wall scene,he has always considered "feelings" harmful for a long,long time),so in order to get some peace of mind,he decides to turn all his feelings into one thing: will of protection.

All would've been nice and well,if Bishop didn't put the shadow of doubt in his brain,that in doing so he may be lying not only to himself,but to you as well (argh,a paladin that lies,and a paladin of Tyr on top of it!atrocious! <--- inner scream of Casavir's soul *laugh* ah Bishop,at least you did something good finally );so before the "big battle",compelled by the reasons berelinde explained so well,and the fact that his feelings have probably grown into something big at that point,he finally gets past all his inner restrictions and confesses.

 

Now,in regard of the cut-out contet info,I'll just take into reference what Casavir says on the wall scene again,i.e. that he considered feelings to be harmful for a long time;without saying too much,the cut-out content suggests the WHY behind those words,the reasons and the events that lead him to have such a twisted view of love.

In that light,his being shy masks a real trauma (poor poor Casavir *pats him*),and the awkwardeness he feels toward the PC may be the result of a real clashing inside his soul (which is anyway evident throughout the game);this interpretation isn't much different from the vanilla one,it just adds some more details to it,aside from the more in-the-spotlight ones.

 

Ok,sorry again for my blabbering!

 

Now to get IT again,as for Anomen I'm unsure on what to say: when I played BG back then I didn't even discovered he was a love interest,not to mention that yeah,he was a paladin,so the tought of him as a romance was waaaay back into my brain *laughs*

In my defense,I'll say that unfortunately,I didn't get to know him well,because he got disintegrated early on (like just some time after meeting him..ugh),so I blame BG hardcore rules (although I honestly rejoiced when the aerie elf girl was disintegrated *bad,bad grumpy lady at heart*)

Maybe I'll give him another shot,considering he was written by Gaider (thanks for the info whitee!);I just hope he isn't another alistair... don't misunderstand me,I love the character...just not as a love interest

 

My only doubt now is....should I do a playthrough only with the vanilla game,to get a better grasp of the npcs,and then add the modules,or go straight with the modules?Usually I always do at least two playthroughs,one vanilla and one modded,but with BG,I?m afraid of getting too frustrated along the way....I accept advices from who already tried both ways,thanks in advance,and,sorry again for the long post

 

 

P.S. Valyah,mind giving me a link,eve through pm? and I love memes and comics,both of nwn and DA,there are very good ones on deviant,if you want I'll link you my favs by the way,you should check nwn discussion,its the detachment of our modules discussion and I await an answer

[Whiteee]

I'd say that you should install some mods even if you want to play a "vanilla" game. If you are a romance fan (and you probably are, from what I've read ), try Flirt Pack which I recommended in my last post; this adds a possibility of talking/flirting with your love interest; you don't have to wait for them to initiate a talk (at last!). I'd also recommend all the bug fixes or fix packs for BG to correct many bugs and errors that can make you hate the game very quickly (not really *the game*, but the rules and the engine).

[Deedlit]

Thanks a lot for the advices Whiteee!I will probably need a list or something (expecially for fixes),because I really know close to nothing in regard of BG,unfortunately (as I said,at the time modding didn't even exist,lol!);for now I'm trying to figure out what I should install,if WeiDu,BGT (which I assume is the baldurgate trilogy you mentioned?) or whatever,since I don't know the differences and I want to be sure I can install the romance mods (the ones that are here and berelinde kindly listed...I am indeed a romance addicted *laughs*) without conflicts

 

Of course this is all void pondering until I get my nice 4in1 boxset,but I like to be prepared

 

Thanks anyway!

[Ipsy]

I found the Flirtpack annoyingly out of character. Aerie's were the worst. The only in-character ones were for Viconia, really.

 

DEFINITELY play the vanilla game first And Anomen really isn't anything like Alistair. Not much of a sense of humor, for one thing.

 

WeiDU is not something you install - it's a tool for installing mods. Personally, I would recommend EasyTutu (to play BG1) and BG2 as separate installs. You can still import characters to BG2. The Baldur's Gate Trilogy annoyed me greatly with the cutscene it used to bridge the games, especially since said cutscene a) prevents BG1 NPC's Dynaheir romance cutscene from occurring and b) seems to have issues displaying the proper text.

 

The PPG Modlist lists (AFAIK) every single Infinity mod. It is your friend If you want recommendations, just ask in General Mod Discussion There are numerous fantastic mods for the BG series, but there are also some truly horrible ones.

 

The best method to get rid of bugs is to install the official Bioware patches for Throne of Bhaal and Tales of the Sword Coast, then install the BG2 Fixpack (hosted on this site).

[Deedlit]

Thanks a lot for the advices Ipsy!I've taken notes and I bookmarked the website you kindly provided;I'll prolly ask again for help when I'll actually have the boxset in my hand,if you guys don't mind me being pesky

 

I guess the discussion about the mods is the same as for nwn;in time I found jewels as much as I've found REALLY sloppy and crude ones

But since,as I've said,I don't know much about BG,I'll gladly take advice

My preference regarding mods have been listed in this topic,if you want to take a peak (presently one of the latest posts)

 

As for the original patches,are they on the official site?Does the game download them automatically,like nwn with its updater,or should I begin downloading them by myself?

 

So Weidu is a tool,what are exactly EasyTutu and BGT then? just a way to bridge the episodes or add-ons?Sorry for my ignorance and confusion

 

As for the romances,I'm not honestly much concerned with female love interests,since I usually play female PCs (I think I played a male PC only twice,once in BG just so Jaheira would stop jabbering on my leadership and another in NwN to get some additional quests *laughs*),expecially those in BGII,because from the few memories I have,they were really annoying and irksome women to the bones *laughs* (expecially if you play as female);I don't know the flirtpack anyway and I hate stuff that goes too much OOC,so I guess maybe I should play the vanilla game first,just to get an overall idea of story and npcs personalities by myself,and then compare

 

Too bad about Anomen/Alistair....his sense of humor is one of the main reasons I love him (as a person...alas,I really cringe at him as love interest *sighs*),but I guess I'll just have to wait and see (hoping that this time he won't get disintegrated...I really loathed the fact you couldn't resurrect disintegrated people,as much as it can be realistic....feh! )

 

Thanks again everyone for your patience and kindness in explaining

[Deedlit]

Thank you kindly for the detailed explanation and advices Ipsy,now it's all much more clearer!

And I bookmarked the patch links as well (dumb me,I didn't check them first time )

 

I'm starting to think easy tutu is the way to go;is there really some problem if I don't play the game as a whole (like with BGT)?I can always import my character,or,at least,re-do it in BGII,right?I wonder...

 

I can't wait to try the npc project and some of the romances you mentioned;they seem pretty interesting,although,isn't Edwin an evil mage?Or so I remembered....I don't dig sneaky,self-serving bastards much *giggles* but maybe he will be fun to tease like Bishop,who knows?

 

As for lesbian romances,I'm not much of a fun of them;the only one I really liked so far,was the one with Anera,a really marvelous and skillfully written npc in Adam Miller's Shadowlord (and dreamcatchers,and demon...) saga,back in NwN1.

 

Do you really think female PCs have more content?In my experience it seemed pretty much the contrary instead!Just take BG for example: only in BGII vanilla,there have been 3 romance options listed for a male PC,and only one for a female PC,not to mention negative reactions you overall get from your female party members,being female (thse,at least,from my memories).

In Nwn1 there is not only more than one romance option for a male PC,but even additional quests (not to mention several brothel options,heh),whereas a female PC has only ONE romanceable option,which is frankly a huge let down in the end;heck,even HoTu has 2 options for a male PC,and only one for female PC (although the one for the female PC is epic,so I forgive them*laughs*).

Not to mention many mods on the vault are restricted to male PCs,or are written clearly from a male point of view (with few but wonderful exceptions,like A dance with rogues,or Sex&Single adventuress - mainly for the laughs);plus,many rpg are being built on a male figure (The Witcher being an example,although the story is still enjoyable,at least it was for me....even planescape torment,which I loved,was built on a male figure,as well).

 

Of course,since NwN2 this tendecy is slightly changing,and now we have DA which balanced things out a lot,regarding possibility and depth of the romances,but it's a recent thing,at least in my eyes;and a big thank you is owed to the wonderful people who work on projects like the romance packs here on this forum,and the likes,to add further content (and quality one as well,trying to stay in character and all)

 

Still,this is just my point of view,so it is debatable,but I had always to research carefully to find something of quality which a woman could enjoy

I'm not saying it's not there,because there is,but you have to look carefully

Or maybe I'm just picky

 

Thanks again for all the advices and the explanations.....now if only they'd invent a teleport to mail packages faster!But I guess this way I can read and research in the meantime

[berelinde]

In BG1, there are 4 romanceable males (Ajantis, Coran, Gavin, Xan), compared to three romanceable females (Branwen, Dynaheir, Shar-Teel). In BG2, you have only 1 romanceable male and 3 romanceable females, but when you add mods, it evens the score: Ajantis, Angelo, Edwin, Gavin for BG2, (Keldorn in beta), Kelsey, Kivan, Neh'taniel, Sarevok, Tsujatha, and Xan. Compare that to the straight female mod romanceables: Amber, Fade, Imoen, Kiarra, Saerileth, Nalia, and Tashia. I'm probably forgetting some. If I'm running a male PC, I usually play Amber's romance.