43189717th new NPC mod idea..

[Andarielle]

Hello!

 

I would like to write a mod for BG2 that adds a new NPC but first I need opinions. I made a portrait and I have somewhat of a biography/personality idea, but I decided not to start writing dialogues until I have read through all the tutorials.

 

I asked people for their opinions about the portrait, and the girls liked it, however the guys said he was too feminine for a pirate and all that.. So I will write my idea of a story for him, then you can tell me if the portrait fits the man I'm portraying in my head.

 

His name is Enolas, he's an Elf. When he was a child, he was taken by slavers and a few years later he ended up serving some pirate lord on his ship. His elven appearance was irritating the crew so his ears were cut off to make him look more like a Human. And he lost his eye in a bet.

The scars on his face tell the tale of a life of hardship, although he is very reluctant to share any details.

 

You can find him in a cell in Mae'Var's basement, awaiting his turn on the torture table.

 

I was thinking of making him a Swashbuckler, even though I've never liked that class, the name fits though! And his alignment would be Lawful Neutral or Chaotic Neutral.

 

I'm not a fan of melodrama, I just can't stand characters like Aerie who have to cry all day about their problems, so I'll avoid this stuff at all cost!

 

Anyway, let me know what you think! Here's his ugly mug:

 

http://nyila.deviantart.com/

[Lysan Lurraxol]

I like the portrait - and pirates are always good.

 

MY concern here is the backstory seems a little OTT - perhaps tone down the level of hardship? I've always thought that mods which try and add too much grittiness to their characters tend to most jarring, given the relatively fluffy setting of BG2.

 

Maybe give us some idea of his personality?

[theacefes]

the guys said he was too feminine for a pirate

 

He's got less makeup than Captain Jack Sparrow...I'd say for a pirate he looks manly enough.

 

I agree with Lysan...there is nothing wrong with your character having a dark past or something happen to them to get them where they are now (it's a fantasy world and CHARNAME isn't exactly the most normal person) but you may want to tone down the grittiness and stick to a harsh past or tough childhood or something. Let him keep his eye or something (maybe he has the patch to look tough and impress the ladies ).

 

Why is he Lawful/Chaotic Neutral? Some more backstory would be great. Also, a tip for when you actually start making the mod....try not to write the entire mod and then go back in and code it. That = recipe for mod never getting finished.

[Andarielle]

Thank you for your comments!

 

I've always thought that mods which try and add too much grittiness to their characters tend to most jarring, given the relatively fluffy setting of BG2.

 

That's funny, I never thought of Baldur's Gate as "fluffy", with all the bloody torture racks and other rather violent themes.

 

For his past, I didn't see it as particularly hard, compared to Aerie's for example, he didn't get tortured or whatnot, and I want to introduce his wounds with humor. Losing his eye could just be an accident. For his ears, I was thinking that he could have improperly tied the knots around the alcohol reserve then, during a storm, a few kegs of rum were destroyed, which angered the whole crew. The captain then offered him a choice between walking the plank, or cutting the tip of his ear, and he chose the second option. Another mistake of his led to his second ear being cut off. Then he'd say: "Having only two ears means having only two chances, if I had made another mistake, I'd have walked the plank for certain. It was time for me to leave them and find myself another employer."

 

I kinda have to make him be taken by slavers though, otherwise how would an Elf end up on a ship full of Human pirates?

 

For the personality, I haven't thought about it in depth yet, I wanted to make him headstrong, not too quiet, and not exactly the most romantic person in the world, but still endearing. Lawful Neutral because he doesn't quite care about good and evil, but he can be very loyal to whoever he travels with. I tend to prefer Lawful Neutral, but Chaotic Neutral just sounds more likely for someone who has spent years on a ship around ruthless people.

 

Also, a tip for when you actually start making the mod....try not to write the entire mod and then go back in and code it. That = recipe for mod never getting finished.

 

Indeed, that's why I'm going through all the tutorials before I start writing.

 

Ace, would you happen to have any printer-friendly version of your tutorial?

[theacefes]

Erm...I do but it's the older version...the one on my website has been updated quite a bit. If you don't mind using a dated version of it, here it is.

[ericp07]

Elves retain no scars, as their recuperative and regenerative abilities are far beyond those of (for example) humans. Any signs of injury (with the possible exception of the missing eye) would be short-lived, and represent recent experiences. Just a friendly FYI

[berelinde]

Elves retain no scars, as their recuperative and regenerative abilities are far beyond those of (for example) humans. Any signs of injury (with the possible exception of the missing eye) would be short-lived, and represent recent experiences. Just a friendly FYI

Is this Forgotten Realms canon or EricP canon? I ask because Forgotten Realms elves most certainly *do* retain scars. That's why Irenicus looks the way he does. Also, Aerie is constantly complaining about how ugly and disfigured she is because of the scars where her wings used to be.

[Ardanis]

Well, Irenicus is no longer an elf, and Aerie had to bear not just her skin cut, but wings - bones - sawed off, kinda too major cripple to regenerate.

[aVENGER_(RR)]

Elves retain no scars, as their recuperative and regenerative abilities are far beyond those of (for example) humans. Any signs of injury (with the possible exception of the missing eye) would be short-lived, and represent recent experiences. Just a friendly FYI

Is this Forgotten Realms canon or EricP canon?

 

It's AD&D canon. From the Complete Book of Elves:

 

Unless a disease is fatal, the effects usually fade simply with the passing of time, for elves have a strong regenerative ability. Scars (not wounds) on their bodies heal more quickly than they do on other races, eventually disappearing almost entirely. Such scars show up only under intense scrutiny or under harsh lighting conditions. This ability works only on scars; elves do not recover hit points more rapidly than any other PC race.

 

Their regenerative ability does not extend to regrowing lost limbs or organs, although some contend that the elves are the original creators of the magicks that enable this. Elves are, however, on the pioneering edge of creating artificial limbs to replace lost ones (see page 106). In addition, elf crafters are working on ways to replace the more sensitive organs, such as eyes and ears, as well as the heart, stomach, and other internals.

[berelinde]

Oh, gods. Elves. Canon Sues. (sigh)

 

Well, up to the OP if she lets him have scars or not, but if it means less OMG-so-perfect NPCs around, more power to the modder. Seriously, though, BG2 doesn't always follow PnP rules. If you let elves have a few normal deformities, like a character who actually engages in combat might suffer, I'll love you forever. I'm heartily sick of the oh-so-perfect bestest and all that.

[ericp07]

Elvish characteristics have been distilled as follows: Tolkien provided the original template. Roger E. Moore expounded upon it magnificently In time, much of that information became D&D canon. I cannot and do not claim to have created nor participated in the creation of any "official" D&D-style Elvish details. Been playing the game for the past 27 years, with a keen focus on the details of non-human player-character races. So, there's no "Eric P. canon" as such I agree that any significant physical trauma will leave lasting reminders, as I've already mentioned. I believe the idea is that superficial wounds heal completely. I also stand firmly behind the idea that Elves grow no facial hair, and less body hair than (for example) Humans do, but that's not the issue here.

[ericp07]

Based on this character's description, and considering Elvish nature, I'd say Chaotic Neutral would be his most suitable alignment. This guy's really been though the wringer! He'll have many a hair-raising tale to tell about his experiences, should he be willing to share them, I'd think.

 

Swashbuckler can't be all that bad, if some people have written that that's the best thief kit. Haven't played with it enough to see the advantages, though.

[Andarielle]

Thank you for your comments!

 

Actually, I knew about Elves not growing facial hair, but I decided to paint stubble anyway, just because.. I wanted to!

 

I didn't know about the scars though, but losing an eye shouldn't be something that would regenerate (like Aerie's wings), however for the other scars, they can be temporary.

 

As for the "many hair-raising tales", well, I hope I find some interesting stuff. Maybe I should start watching Deadliest Catch..

 

Well, up to the OP if she lets him have scars or not, but if it means less OMG-so-perfect NPCs around, more power to the modder. Seriously, though, BG2 doesn't always follow PnP rules. If you let elves have a few normal deformities, like a character who actually engages in combat might suffer, I'll love you forever. I'm heartily sick of the oh-so-perfect bestest and all that.

 

I totally agree with that. Besides, I believe that most people who play those games don't know much about the PnP rules. The people who do might get irritated at details like that though, I understand.

 

But on a creative standpoint, is it better to follow the rules word for word and have boring, stereotypical characters, or is it better to just bend the rules a bit and have a more interesting result? I am not going totally crazy creating a hybrid Elf/Gnome/Dragon/Vampire, just an Elf with a few scars.

 

 

Thanks Eric for your advice, indeed, Chaotic Neutral would fit better, now I just need to find a personality that matches. Maybe a bit like Haer'Dalis, minus the poetry..

[ericp07]

Thank you for your comments!

 

Actually, I knew about Elves not growing facial hair, but I decided to paint stubble anyway, just because.. I wanted to!

 

I didn't know about the scars though, but losing an eye shouldn't be something that would regenerate (like Aerie's wings), however for the other scars, they can be temporary.

 

As for the "many hair-raising tales", well, I hope I find some interesting stuff. Maybe I should start watching Deadliest Catch..

 

Well, up to the OP if she lets him have scars or not, but if it means less OMG-so-perfect NPCs around, more power to the modder. Seriously, though, BG2 doesn't always follow PnP rules. If you let elves have a few normal deformities, like a character who actually engages in combat might suffer, I'll love you forever. I'm heartily sick of the oh-so-perfect bestest and all that.

 

I totally agree with that. Besides, I believe that most people who play those games don't know much about the PnP rules. The people who do might get irritated at details like that though, I understand.

 

But on a creative standpoint, is it better to follow the rules word for word and have boring, stereotypical characters, or is it better to just bend the rules a bit and have a more interesting result? I am not going totally crazy creating a hybrid Elf/Gnome/Dragon/Vampire, just an Elf with a few scars.

 

 

Thanks Eric for your advice, indeed, Chaotic Neutral would fit better, now I just need to find a personality that matches. Maybe a bit like Haer'Dalis, minus the poetry..

 

Even following the rules word for word would not necessarily result in a boring or stereotypical character. Even I managed to give my Sylvan Elf NPC a unique personality, while making sure her physical details were in line with published materials. In the Forgotten Realms, unless the character comes from a different planet, plane, or whatever, an Elf will be either a Moon (or Silver), Sun (or Gold), Sylvan (or Wood, or Copper), Green (or Wild), Aquatic (or Sea), or Winged Elf (Avariel). Moon Elves are the most sociable and widespread, and most likely to adventure. All the others are standoffish, to one degree or another, and there aren't vast numbers of any of the subraces. Each subrace has a unique and interesting (to me, anyway) history and characteristics. That said, it's always good to give a character something out of the ordinary, even for his or her species, if you will Heh, it may also be worth noting that my Elf NPC's portrait shows a bit of scarring and fresh blood on her, as she's actively engaged in her own pursuits and battles when the party and she cross paths.

 

Brainstorm and be creative! Bend rules if you need to in order to suit the character concept, once you have that down, because the details should support the concept.

[phordicus]

Elves are, however, on the pioneering edge of creating artificial limbs to replace lost ones (see page 106). In addition, elf crafters are working on ways to replace the more sensitive organs, such as eyes and ears, as well as the heart, stomach, and other internals.

 

Just... wow. The derp is stronger with 2nd than I remembered.