BG2 Xzar?

[Lemernis]

Just floating the idea, but it seems to me that Xzar would be a popular choice as a playable character in SoA/ToB.

 

What made me think of this was a post in another forum where a player commented that he had dual classed Xzar from Necromancer to cleric at level 5 via a tome of Wisdom. I liked that idea, and began thinking about what the character would be like in BG2.

 

In BG2 Xzar should be dualed at a higher level, I would think. And I think it would be fun to offer the option to play him as a Strifeleader of Cyric using Divine Remix. Although if the Strifeleader kit seems particularly satisfying for him, then it may make more sense to go with that kit exclusively (the mod would then require DR), and his banters would then be written to reflect his conversion to the Cyricist faith. Xzar's wacked account of all that, and his efforts to proselytize, etc., could be very entertaining.

 

As for Monty, he's a great character but I would separate that NPC pair because writing banters for 2 NPCs is probably too much work for a project of this kind. Sorry Monty!

 

Anyway, as I say, just floating the idea for whatever it's worth.

[Gorilym]

I don't know, Xzar was always somewhat one-dimensional in his nuttiness to me. BG1NPC did a great deal to rectify that, however.

 

In any case, such a mod would have to revise the Xzar / Harpers plot heavily. (as well as the Jaheira romance, possibly)

[SimDing0]

In any case, such a mod would have to revise the Xzar / Harpers plot heavily. (as well as the Jaheira romance, possibly)

fsdgsfdg

[Lemernis]

Ah, I guess I'm displaying my lack of experience playing BG2, as in my 4 complete games thus far I have yet to do Jaheira's Harper quest (though I did do Jaheira's romance the first time through).

 

If Xzar would be fun starting as Necromancer 7/Strifeleader 8, I don't know that the character developed as such needs to be bound to the BG1 NPC Banter Pack... it's good if it is though, obviously...

 

His CE alignment restricts him from being an Authlim of Iyachtu Xvim...

 

I just used Xzar in a game with the BG1 NPC Banter Pack but I don't recall any banters that seemed to particularly shed that much light on his insanity. But in any event, a conversion to Cyric at least doesn't seem wildly out of character for him, unless I missed a really crucial banter.

 

Um, "fsdgsfdg"?

[Gorilym]

The Xzar / Harper plot is intimately tied to Jaheira's romance in the unmodded game, the romance won't actually initiate unless you do that quest IIRC.

 

AFAIK a character can only have one kit, so a neccy / strifeleader is out of the question.

 

As far as BG1NPC goes, I didn't mean that it "explained" his insanity or anything like that - rather I meant that that mod gives him more of an actual personality.

 

I don't know what is meant by "fsdgsfdg" either, care to clarify Sim?

[berelinde]

Jaheira's romance will start whether you do the Xzar quest or not, but it will never get past a certain (early) point.

 

And Jaheira's romance is a tricky one to fool with, since it seems to be hard enough to progress in an unmodified game.

[Lemernis]

Oy, I forgot the game only grants one kit, so a specialty cleric is out of the question anyway.

 

A Necromancer/Cleric seems like an interesting variation on Xzar to me, but if it mucks up Jaheira's Harper quest I guess that's way too much work. Oh well.

[Smoketest]

Xzar is an insignificant blip in Jaheira's code, especially since his appearance runs regardless of whether Jaheira is in your party. He appears immediately after you've returned Renfeld to Rylock at the Harper Hold, and you can talk/work your way into the Harper Hold in order to complete your mission. If you don't have Jaheira in the party, the Harper encounters will end with Xzar's death. If Jaheira is in the party, regardless of your relationship with her, the conflict with Galvarey's Harper faction will begin.

 

There are only two romance-specific encounters for Jaheira in a patched game: an ambush by Ertos and his motley band which takes place when you rest outdoors (they appear to be a romance vehicle and don't seem to have any connection to the Harpers in Athkatla); and a special dialog with Jahaboam, a merchant near the center of the Docks district. My previous game included her as a party member but I romanced Aerie instead, and I still experienced every Harper quest and encounter except the two previously mentioned. Jaheira even got her Harper Pin at the end of it all.

[Wounded_Lion]

Let me say:

 

1. This is an excellent idea.

 

2. It is possible to implement this concept without damaging Jaheira's romance. For example, Xzar is a playable character in the TDD mod (though he lacks banters, interjections, and quests).

 

3. This mod should have nothing to do with BG1NPC unless you want to establish continuity with that project. Not all mods have to play nicely with each other. For example, I hate Unfinished Business with a passion. Some of Morrow Gate's next-to-be-released features are specifically incompatible with parts of that mod.

 

4. NPCs can have two kits. It's been a while since I've looked into this, but I'm almost certain of it...

 

5. This mod should not require Divine Remix. Get permission to implement the kit outside of Divine Remix. The DR team is awesome, and I'd be suprised if they denied you. Then code your NPC mod to account for both DR games and non-DR games.

 

Good luck if you decide to make this mod. I would love to play it!

 

- D

[Gorilym]

Xzar is an insignificant blip in Jaheira's code, especially since his appearance runs regardless of whether Jaheira is in your party. He appears immediately after you've returned Renfeld to Rylock at the Harper Hold, and you can talk/work your way into the Harper Hold in order to complete your mission. If you don't have Jaheira in the party, the Harper encounters will end with Xzar's death. If Jaheira is in the party, regardless of your relationship with her, the conflict with Galvarey's Harper faction will begin.

 

There are only two romance-specific encounters for Jaheira in a patched game: an ambush by Ertos and his motley band which takes place when you rest outdoors (they appear to be a romance vehicle and don't seem to have any connection to the Harpers in Athkatla); and a special dialog with Jahaboam, a merchant near the center of the Docks district. My previous game included her as a party member but I romanced Aerie instead, and I still experienced every Harper quest and encounter except the two previously mentioned. Jaheira even got her Harper Pin at the end of it all.

 

Which is all well and good, but the original point remains: in the unmodded game the (notoriously flaky) Jaheira romance will stall unless you do a quest which ends with Xzar's death. Any Xzar mod would have to take that into account, methinks.

[Smoketest]

Naturally, which is why I didn't see a reason to comment on it earlier. The Harper related quests, which include the Xzar encounter, provide hook points for Jaheira's romance, but that doesn't mean that it's hard to change things around so that Jaheira's romance could continue regardless of Xzar's health status. Although I wouldn't recommend having those two characters together in a party.

 

I don't view fixes, such as the core fixpack, as mods. (Bioware released patches, not mods.) I don't see why anyone would want to mod on an install base full of bugs when there is a fixpack available that will fix most of the bugs the official patches missed (or even introduced).

[Andyr]

Smiles, everyone, smiles!

[Domi]

I don't view fixes, such as the core fixpack, as mods. (Bioware released patches, not mods.) I don't see why anyone would want to mod on an install base full of bugs when there is a fixpack available that will fix most of the bugs the official patches missed (or even introduced).

 

'Cause some of us never installed any fixes and never noticed anything wrong with the game? I never bothered with Baldurash/Fixpack - excellent, extremely useful mods, that I agree most players do use- because my games run just fine without. Granted, I never tried to romance Jaheira....

[SimDing0]

Right. But then there's also "I never wear a seatbelt because I haven't noticed myself flying through the windscreen before." In this case, I think proactivity wins.

[pro5]

'Cause some of us never installed any fixes and never noticed anything wrong with the game? I never bothered with Baldurash/Fixpack - excellent, extremely useful mods, that I agree most players do use- because my games run just fine without. Granted, I never tried to romance Jaheira....

Even if you know most game items don't do what their descriptions claim they do? Most spells don't work quite as you'd expect them to work after reading descriptions? Original bard song doesn't do a damn thing except sometimes (not always) protecting party from fear effects? Check out complete Fixpack documentation for other items on the list.

 

Um, but if you say it's fine... sure.

 

But for me, "fine" means more than just "hey, it's even working! How cool is that."