Hi new member with some ideas, looking for feedback

[Daevorn]

Hi! First of all important to say that BG2 is my favourite game of all time, its truely brilliant, owned since it came out I believe BG2 to be the best rpg ever made. I think its a shame that the time and effort now goes on graphics as opposed to the plot and characters (although Bioware still do a good job of both). As a long enjoyer of many mods Ive always been fascinated with creating my own. As such I thought Id give it a go, as I feel there is a really interesting story to be told inside of me and I think I could maybe create something other people enjoy too. This is just an idea at the moment but its one Ive been adding too for several years, it would be very interesting to see what people think.

So the basic idea I had was this - an ancient mage so powerful he was on the verge of destroying Amn and the Sword Coast was taken down by a coalition of the most brilliant minds of the day (Im thinking a young Elminster had something to do with it) who created an enchanted weapon that turned him and his armies into stone. However forseeing his doom the mage created a second item, one that when used in the right hands would undo the spell.

Im sure you can see where this is going, but I think you are met by a shady man in the Copper Coronet who tells you of a huge stockpile of gold, a lost armys' warchest, untouched for millenia, and he just so happens to have the key, passed down to him from a relative who served the great mage. Now this is the perfect opening quest, alongside the D'Arnise hold and windspear hills quests, and simple get the money for the theives/Bodhi.

If you accept then this quest would take place alongside the rest of the game, using the underdark as a quest location to keep you from trying to complete the quest when you are not ready.

The first part would involve the treasure, finding the cavern boobytrapped and with eternal guardians, obviously the man who approached u (and his family going back) had been sending people in trying to get the treasure for centuries, the cavern littered with dead bodies and skeletons. Eventually you fight/think your way though the skeleton warriors and puzzles until you reach the final chamber. Obviously you ae beset upon by the man who hired you and some of his goons but when he realises they are to lose he runs of, grabbing an amulet as he leaves. You can then take what treasure you like, although Ithink the boxes will be trapped/cursed leading to more dfficulties but eventually leading to some ok weapons/armour and enough gold to hit the next point of the rest of the game.

However as you leave you are surrounded by men in purple, with a strange accent, who explain that the man teleported away before they could capture him, and that he goes to raise a man so evil that not even the afterlife could hold him. I like the parallels with the big bad of the game here, two evil mages, one personal the other more epic. Obviously it will be easier to beat my mage but I hope its still a fun and difficult quest.

The people reveal they must survey what damage as been done and that they WILL find you again, and make you pay for the damage you have done.

This lets you continue playing the actual game, working for which ever guild until a meeting (either time initiated or in a specifc place like the docks district) where the head guy explains all to you that the only way to defeat this mage will be to find the parts of the original weapon and weild it when you take him on. These peices will be tricky to get and I like to think they would be in places too important to be forgotten about, baldurs gate (probably the museum) candlekeep library, council offices of atkatla, the underdark, all in new areas to those places (crypts, basement storage areas etc) and a couple that have been stolen and need finding. As well as this I think that there may be a peice stolen long ago by the man who got you into this mess in the first place and you have to infiltrate his castle and get it.

The end battle would then be to get through the stone army (which starts to come to life as you go through it, could be creepy and then all out action) and a final cnfrontation (the mage has defenses u need to take down before using the weapon, allowing you to fight him for a bit... Ill probably make it so you can try and defeat him if you want but you'll fail if you dont use the weapon. I think the weapon itsself might be modified (possibly bringing elminster back?) so that you can either use it as was, imprisoning him in stone or perhaps finally kill him. (this final option might be to do with the first NPC Id add, and notes e found in candlekeep library, but not nessecarily).

As well as this Id like to ave two new members - one a bard who believes all the stories told, the ones that he tells but quickly discovers that this story is a sham, leading him to want to find out the truth regardless of the cost. So absorbed in his own world that his actions are more or less selfish but for a greater good in his mind. He would help to explain a lot of the history of things, and perhaps become interested in your story and its ending over his own. I like the idea of a slightly immoral good character, doing whats best for his own ends and the truth hes looking for. I think you could find out some really interesting facts from such a person, enlightening the game in a way the history books listed throughout fail to really do and i think that a character so focused on one thing could lead to interesting development, as he discovers theres more to life than books (which may not provide the truth he belived in, leading to a real crisis of faith). As well as this he'd show bravery for his friends but perhaps not be the most useful fighter on your team. He would however side with your every decision once you've won his loyalty, if only to see how your story turns out. Plot wise he would have a major plot about his version of the mage story, which due to documents found was different to the accepted tale. When he told this version the head of the college of chroniclers threw him out and destroyed all is documentation, his lifes work ruined. With no one believing him he worked his way across Faerun selling his lesser tales to people in bars, feeling cheap and baudry. As such he journeyed to th warchest cave and tried to find out more, before getting stuck. When you rscue him you can help him to find out the truth, and discover why the dean was so against this. As well as this he would be the ultimate resource in finding and putting together the weapon and might unlock new options (as said above).

The second NPC is something Ive always wanted - not plot specific just an addition to the game in an area I think needs it. An ex paladin, now a drunk Chaotic Good fallen paladin, romancable and just awesome. Imaging this games Han Solo, quick witted, wry humour, definately the god guy but with real shades of grey. I think is alcoholism could be a real issue in the game for the protagonist to deal with. He would also be enemies with the paladins and make the fallen paladin quest a lot more intruiging. His relationship with Anomen in particular would be excellent, each hating on the other, and competing against each other. Such a party would end with one or the other leaving, a fight to the death or them becoming hearty friends depending upon your actions. He would also get on very well with minsc, who acts like a drunk most of the time and is also chaotic good. This is the first idea I had and might be my starting point, I might even make him stand alone first to learn the basic skills.

Both the NPCs would need a lot of work but I feel could be strong additions to the game without overpowering it as some do.

I also have other plot ideas but that would either be fitted into this one or form the basis for a second one. Looking at the amount of time it takes to do this right te time scale mite be in years but I know it could be brilliant, and not much seems to be happening to BG2 anymore.

I should probably point out I will go for shades of grey, I dont lke black or white endings and the new areas will probably be pilfered from other games like BG1(especially baldurs gate itself, and candlekeep) and ID2 (I remember some interesting areas that could be imported). I think it could easily add 5-10 hours gameplay, and probably more but its hard to say atm. I also have other ideas but I think this is all more than enough to be getting started with!

Let me know what you think and if you are interested,

Dave

[Miloch]

Nice ideas. You might want to start with just one quest, and perhaps one of the NPCs but *not* a joinable one (not at first anyway) just someone who provides quest info or similar, as joinable NPCs are a lot of work.

[Daevorn]

Nice ideas. You might want to start with just one quest, and perhaps one of the NPCs but *not* a joinable one (not at first anyway) just someone who provides quest info or similar, as joinable NPCs are a lot of work.

Thanks for the advice, it would be sensible to start small definately! I have a few ideas to get started with (im thinking the start of the quest could stand alone for now just a simple meet the guy hear about the location and get into this mythical treasure) but think ill start with a more simple, smaller quest using the known locations at first, ill just have to come up witn something witty and fun to play around with, maybe with a rubbish apprentice to a very well known and respected mage. I'll let you know how i get on or come back if/when i get stuck! Cant wait!

Dave

[Andarielle]

I like your NPC ideas. You need to think of a full biography and personality in order to start writing dialogue. I'm not sure about the "drunk" part though, getting drunk once in the game would be funny, but being constantly drunk.. At work, I sit next to a guy who smells like alcohol all day, so I don't think I would romance a guy like that..

 

I've always wanted to write an NPC mod. But it's a lot of work, I'm actually going through the tutorials on my breaks.

 

I would be interested in teaming up with someone, I can write dialogues and make portraits (you can check the portraits I made here: http://nyila.deviantart.com/). If you're interested, let me know.

[theacefes]

Your link leads to an error page.

[Andarielle]

I think I fixorzed it.

[Keldor]

I'm not sure about the "drunk" part though, getting drunk once in the game would be funny, but being constantly drunk.. At work, I sit next to a guy who smells like alcohol all day, so I don't think I would romance a guy like that..

Ah, but think about a drunk fallen paladin. Such a character would still have sensational charisma.

 

Although I have serious misgivings about the plot, I very much like the bard and fallen paladin NPCs. The latter is an ideal opportunity to inject some real pathos into the game, which is, I think, uncommon even in mods. The nearest I can think of is Valygar and his troubled mind on the concept of redemption. The player can feel sympathy with him as a man whose family has been seduced and then torn asunder by unspeakable evil, leaving him alone and feeling a debt of guilt over the sins of his lich family members but he himself is a fine figure of a man. With this fallen paladin besotted with alcohol we see the shadow of a once great and noble figure of inspiration. To fall from such a height must be almost unbearable; every day after he's slept it off, he'll see again his own reflection, bleary eyed, unwashed, gazing back at him a ruined mockery of his former self. I can imagine many times he'd have had people try to pull him up by his boot strings, make him clean up his act and fight the good fight once more and him having repeatedly brushed them away, so consumed with the fact that he can never again achieve the status he once held, that he fails to see the great work any good man can do. It would be painful for onlookers to see such a man 'go to waste', and be so broken, while at the same time he would inevitably have moments when the old righteous fire burns again in his eyes, words, and actions. His character arc would be, of course, to be inspired by the PC and his fellow adventurers to sober up and create himself anew.

 

The bard is an ideal tool for exposition and, if written well (very difficult to do, mind) any bard will always be enjoyable. Bards are invariably the life and soul of anywhere they are, making parties where there are none, and stealing those that were in full swing when they arrived (as well as stealing hearts and gold pouches). To write them requires great jokes, stories, songs, and poems though. They're a fount of these and are professionals to boot, able to entertain any audience no matter what the mood. Not easy.