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Lava Del'Vortel's mods Tales of the Deep Gardens and Innershade have been added to in his new mod Colours of Infinity. With new quest The White Queen and NPC romance Yvette, Colours of Infinity is definitely worth checking out! Relevant links: Download location Readme Discussion forum

The Gibberlings Three The BG1NPC Project Authors: The BG1NPC Project Team Version 20 of BG1NPC is now available. This WeiDU mod adds a great deal of content by expanding the depth of character and levels of interaction with the NPCs from the original Baldurs Gate game. It also provides some optional tweaks to the BG portion of the game. This package works on both Tutu and BGT. Available in English, Spanish, and French, this version ships with WeiDU v231 for Windows and v229 for OSX. Banter, Player Initiated Dialogues, Romances, Quests, Tweaks, and Interjections expand your BG game experience when you add this mod to your Tutu, EasyTutu, or BGT install. We suggest using the optional Music Pack, as well. Download Forum Project Page Readme - English Readme - French Follow/Contribute on GitHub

Here: http://www.shsforums.net/topic/42220-fixes...post__p__525133

OK, not a lot of activity on the boards, because what free time I do have is being invested in writing/rewriting. Plus, the nature of lots of small files built over five minutes here, ten minutes there... let's just say that the first alpha was notable only in the fact that it installed. In fact, it installed only due to triage, where sections that will eventually be linked were capped off with a temporary state easy to find and replace: IF ~~ PLACEHOLDER SAY ~[CMORGAN] PLACEHOLDER~ IF ~~ THEN EXIT END I should have written that as IF ~~ PLACEHOLDER SAY ~[CMORGAN] YO, IDIOT... FINISH THIS BEFORE 2020 AD. OR THE HEAT DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE.~ IF ~~ THEN EXIT END But, since I have only a few minutes here before work once again swarms over me, here is some work in progress dealing with both quest materials and areea dialog for the new tavern Berelinde has graciously created for me. I thought I had quest stuff up here, but can't take the time to search right now, so if i am overlapping myself, so be it. he first question I think was answered elsewhere - Q: Does Aran have a quest? A: Hells, no. What could possibly be the point of adding yet another friend to be rescued, ex-lover to exact revenge upon, or "I must do this or leave you FOREVAR"? It makes sense for some of the other NPCs out there. For example, Gavin not resolving family issues before potentially being removed from the very weave of existence would be just plain stupid. Decent dads don't say "Yo, might be hideously imprisoned in the depths of hell for the next two centuries, because that's how <CHARNAME> is rolling these days. There's a PB&J on the table, Lanie. If I am not back in two days, go find someone else to take care of you." Some other NPCs I have less understanding of why it is so important that they deal with the quests, but that is actually true in the game, too... Watcher's Keep is a nice little dungeon, but it never made in-game sense to me in terms of the plot. "Hey, the world is falling apart, and you are dealing with all sorts of bhaalspawn opponents... take a load off, and visit the Temple of doom. All the experience and loot you can gather, for a low, low price. Act now! Limited time offer!". Q: Does having Aran in the party add more quest content? A: Hells yes. An established mercenary will be on the lookout for contacts, job opportunities, adventures to join in, loot to gather, all the normal stuff that makes coin. It just is likely to be a little more mundane and simple stuff. Your average merc deals with trivial stuff, for very low pay. You know - "Stand here and look tough. Oh, and did i mention, though your pay is only a few copper coins a day, i never actually paid off the Thieve's Guild, so there might be an attack today?" Or worse... "Lady Kinsa needs a package taken over to lord so and so, and she really wants it delivered without anyone looking into it. Go take care of that". So, what can we come up with? Contact 1: Orrin, tavern keeper and Jeweler(*cough* fence). Simple FedEx quest, the meat of any regular life. Pick up critical tax paperwork, make sure it gets into the right hands, return with rec't. The equivalent of being a Brinks Truck, only for paperwork. Contact 2; Teldra, mercenary recruiter. This one is trickier. What makes sense in-game? Her usual gig would be to send them to Maztica, or assign the party to one of the many Bhaalspawn armies ad such recruiting during game events. That takes the party out of play, which is silly. So, lots of allusions to potential work, but not much in the way of useful stuff... but there are two loopholes that spring to mind. 1. magic is bad, banned, and deviant. But Cowlies will let anyone purchase a license, no questions asked. So what happens when a sage has limited book study of magic, and has logically worked through all the things needed for a cute little research project "on paper", concerning a certain set of writings about this malevolent being? I could subtitle this "Holmes on Homes", or "Why You Need A Licensed Electrician To Install That New Lighting". I. Sage's Guild supports a research project, and Teldra contracts the party to go over there "just in case" something happens. Cute little project, simple enough - make sure some fool doesn't disturb me, oh big thug-like sellswords I know what I am doing - I graduated top of my class at Harvard, and that silly Oxford set really doesn't know what they are talking about. Besides, they talk with funny accents... Only it turns out the "research" involves someone with magical or bardic skill (or a decent amount of reading time in fantasy literature) might recognize as a scroll of summoning, or a book protected by a minor demon. Hilarity ensues, leaving the party with an interesting set of choices: a. if trouble realized, pursuade the researcher to stop; contract over, minor payoff, crisis averted, Miller Time™. b. if trouble realized, have a minor "accident", wherin said researcher accidentally falls head first into his vat of ink, after having somehow bound himself tightly and fallen head-first out of a third-story window. Twice. c. do the job right, allowing research to continue, and be faced with a new set of quandries: Run. Screw this gig - a few gold coins to face *THAT*? I am breaking this contract, and quick! Negotiate. Heya, big fellow - answer a few questions, and we will let you take this silly researcher as a prize. It is a win - win scenario, and we all go home happy! So, this place they call 'Spellhold'... any idea where it is? Fight. Back, foul fiend! Though I am armed with but a paper mache sword and a few rotting clubs, I shall defend this poor researcher unto the death! (Hey, i never said i was smart. Just dedicated. A job's a job, right?). negotiate with winning charm and insider knowledge, and/or the wisdom of Soloman (because hey, this is FR, and anything might be possible) [available to high charisma/intelligence/wisdom PCs] - find a win-win situation where the researcher gets his information, the protector/demon gets something he wants, and the party gets a contract completed without 92% casualty rate and the use of every spell and item available to them, just for a measly little 20gp a day rate. Well if they complete that, that might be a fun boss battle opportunity, or a fun roleplay opportunity. So what else might a happy headhunter do with someone who made an impossible situation right? Well, how about hand them a politically suicidal hot-button issue that noone else wants to touch? We could subtiltle this "Help, Help! I'm Being Repressed!" II. The Army doesn't want it. the Council wants nothing to do with it. The various Guilds have no real skin in the game... but this stupid guy has managed to tick off his tenants to the point that they are threatening to revolt. Well, techincally, as most of them have never really bathed and have the table manners of a Kobold, they are a little revolting already, but now they want to kick the idiot who rules their section out. Ordinarily, this would be the work of a few good regiments of the army, or perhaps a couple of Shadow Thief enforcers making some "suggestions".... but the idiot kid trying to make his mark as a lord is well connected, and the peasants are reasonably well Guild-connected themselves. So, enter the Contract Mercenary - Heads Bashed, Solutions Enforced. Have Mace, Will Travel. Options for resolution: Convince the kid to negotiate with the unwashed hordes, resolving the dispute and making everyone breath a great sigh of relief. A lousy payday and no loot, but job well done is its own reward, right? Just another day as a contract merc, unthanked, and underpaid, ready for a nice stiff drink and a good grousing session on why the world should be ruled by mercs, because civilians just don't understand how to solve problems. Convince the peasants that being unwashed is just fine, compared to being unwashed and pushing up daisies from underneath. Convince the kid that washing the peasants and perhaps even letting them eat once a week might improve profits - especially as it is hard to take any profit from them when a wannabe-landlord is explaining the sword run through his forehead to Kelemvor, who has heard it all before. The truly and uniquely mercenary option - get a contract from the noble to clobber the peasants, and one from the peasants to do away with the noble, and then confront them both. Now a merc is not an assassin, but perhaps if you play your cards right, both sides will be so upset that you had the audacity to do such a thing that they ignore the whole point of doing this (allowing a settlement to be enforced, as you have a valid contract from each side, so they can negotiate together or else), and they both join up together and attack you - wherin you get a contract finished, you get the experience, and you get to sell all their various body parts to the highest bidder. Hey, the contract said settle the dispute - it said nothing about keeping anyone out of harm's way! This set of ideas provides some fun, a battle (or not), some loot and experience (or not), and does not interrupt the flow of the game. Do these, or not - completely immaterial to the main plot, or Aran sticking around. Of course, if Aran isn't around, you did pay your union dues, didn't you? You didn't? Golly, gee... Teldra can contract with Aran, but if he is not around, she just can't pay off the party, now, can she?

OK, a quest. Or quests. Or something that Aran brings to the table in terms of gently adding to the story or fleshing it out, without hijacking the plot. Does he need one? No, not really. There are lots of NPCs out there that are useful additions that carry no real plot beyond a copy of traditional themes, shadowing in-game ideas of betrayal, love, conquest, good versus evil, rescuing Boo, cooking Boo over an open fire, Slaying The Evil Ones And Gaining The Gratitude Of The Gods™ (all rights reserved, MGM Studios, 1929). We have NPCs that add no quest content at all. We have intricate plotlines like Beyond The Law that seek both entertainment and some social tweaking/thinking, controlling single-viewpoint storytelling quests like Saerileth, open character-building plotlines/encounters like Keto's quest, and a whole ton of romantic plots that can entertain a player. So, what could we possibly add to this mix that does not already exist in some form or fashion, and fits Aran? He is not Chloe or other god-children, or Sheena the half-dragon, Kivan of dark and sad twisted fate, or even Nalia who is at least a Noble and should darned well expect some quest-like content cropping up. I mean, really - running a darned fiefdom is no picnic in the Realms - and she has to deal with <CHARNAME>> to boot. So what is it that Aran brings to the party? He is supposed to be, well, normal. Or as normal as Faerun really gets, anyways. Kind of that gruff travelling trader/fighter/scribe type, a Have Gun Will Travel, only not so much into the Lone Gunman role... the guys that are one step behind John Wayne (OK, so perhaps Ms. Jonie Wayne, since the protagonist can be male or female) in the 5th Cavalry Charge. You know. The one who takes the bullet for our hero, or hands our hero the extra ammo, or holds his horse - bit actor parts at best. No secret angsty famly to save - his sister is a mage off in Waterdeep, and his family has all retired from trading oster work. No roots put down, so no former girlfriend to rescue - a hint of slaver work that he detested and decided against doing ever again, lots of mercenary battles, some study with itenerant scholars - a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Hmmm. Perhaps what Aran needs is not a Quest, but an Anti-Quest. Or a series of them. Traditionally, Quests are fun diversions. After all, we know the main plotline, and unlike Morrowind, you really can't ignore it successfully forever without simply abandoning your game and starting over (a nasty habit, that. I am opening my own chapter of "BG2 Plot-Restarters Anonymous", if anyone else wants to join. Anonymously, of course. To join, simply do not send me an email and never admit you joined to anyone, and voila - you are in). Some folks want tons of 'em. Some want specific ones. Most NPC quests require the NPC to actually be there, or involve her being kidnapped and having to be rescued, etc. But the predominant characteristic of BG2 NPC quests is that they seem to be attempts to play up the character in a situatiion that fleshes out thier backstory and provides a glimpse of what the mod maker though would be really cool for the NPC to do (or the PC to do to/for the NPC). This is to be expected - basically, it is the CRPG equivalent of literary sub-plots, which can enlighten and entertain while forwarding or obscuring the story, however the story works. C-3PO and R2D2 were just oddities in the first Star Wars movies - it wasn't until we saw the whole sequence unfold or read the books that we began to find out how deeply enmeshed in the action two little plot-device/comic-relief 'droids actually complete a nice little subplot and tie stories together, providing a thread to follow that enriches the whole. The best example of this device in TV Sci-Fi that I can think of is Babylon 5, which was a masterful use of entire story-arcs built entirely out of "sub-plots" - until the series writers twisted them into a rope that really became one big story. It is so important to us players/readers, that entire genres of fiction are based not on primary or secondary characters in the Forgotten Realms / Star Trek Universe / Honorverse / BuffyVerse / whatever - we create entirely new characters to live and breath in those worlds, interacting with those worlds. the paperback sci-fi/fantasy section of our local bookstore shows us that there is a large market for stories that expand or reinforce the playground universe of WarHammer, or Star Wars, or Dragonlance, or Forgotton Realms. We are either incredibly creative, or incredibly out of touch with day to day survival. Not that I care - I have a Morrowind game, BG2 game, Tutu game, and a good CoH RTS going, so don't talk to me about day to day survival unless you can tell me how to find more Ash Yams so I can punch up my Alchemy Skill and enhance my intelligence so that I can create better potions using Ash Yams. Or perhaps explain why I just can't seem to make my Rangers take Hill 101 by the timed deadline for the combat medal... so far, 9 tries, 9 failures. Bleh! Plotting Quests DM-ing by the anti-numbers In my book, good DMs provide four things every single time: a goal, a conflict or consequence of failing to attain the goal, an adversary or obstacle to overcome, and finally - plot points. For DM'ing, plot points are pretty similar to the screenplay/writer/author/novelist idea, in that they are a point at which the plot can pivot or change direction unexpectedly, or even cease to be important as a new direction is revealed. There are lots of folks who actually study this kind of thing, so if you are one, awesome - good luck on your next book, and I honestly hope you have success. Luckily, I have a paying gig and have no aspirations of being a real author (I starved and scraped and did enough things that I am ashamed of being a musician, thank you very much - I don't relish repeating it in yet another career that chews creative people up and spits them out without much regard for things like, say, a reasonable income. Or sleep. Or even food.) I am stealing the phrase 'plot point' and applying it in a personal way, so if you have already read the latest greatest "How To Write The Next Great Original American Novel In Twenty Days™" or just came back from a writer's seminar at Harvard (better yet Bennington or Oxford or Cambridge, because they have real writers there) way cool - go write that damned novel and let a musician misuse terminology. For my purpose, I am going to say that a plot point is the point where the players can completely and utterly screw up their DM. In a novel or screenplay, the author has a story (or stories) and the reader follows the story (or dumps the book at the next train station to inflict in on some poor unsuspecting soul who just needed to pass the time). The difference in really awesome DM'ing is that each one of the critical points of the story, the part where the author drives the story forward or teases the reader by tossing new light on the matter or whatever - the element of choice creeps in. A group of players doesn't "know" the story, so they can't make the "right choice". And that is really, really fun. It can lead literally anywhere, for any reason, and usually in the manner least expected. For example, the classic plotpoint, meeting the Lich who will give the quest to our party of intrepid adventurers. Deus Ex Machina is nice, but a little goes a long way. And having a quest forced on you just plain stinks, in my book - though I understand that for some NPCs, the modder feels that the characterization makes it an all or nothing proposition. Although she is not alone in the modding world in this regard, she is one of the absolutely classic examples of "directional"storytelling, Saerileth again springs to mind - one story, strong character, definite "yes" and "no" answers, and that means less player choice. You go through the story, but in order to fit Saerileth in the party, you go through *her* story. I actually am ok with that story, but Aran is the antithesis of "thou shalt do this or thy evilness shalt rip my teenage heart in two and I shall die of the pain thou hast caus-ed mine own". He would be more like Now, how much choice can we accomplish in the i.e. engine? lots. Tons. WAY TOO MUCH. Because although the concept of a freeform awesome DM'ing of player choice, you need to create your own game. We have Limitations™. There are Canonical Rules™. There is also the little teeeeeny consideration that the darned quest would never be finished if every single major point had a measly 5 choices, and their points had 5 choices, and so on, and so on (I hope Prell doesn't sue me for stealing their commercial). For that, you need real people, so you need a PbP or a gaming group, or an online group of some kind. For BG2, you have to draw some limits. Let's see what we might need to do to limit Aran. Has to be Faerunian, even if it isn't completely Old Skool Canonical Treatment. Should fit 2E rules and expectations, probably should reference correct timeline (even though they kind of screwed that up a bit in the game - fans are notoriously more picky about that than the original authors in almost every setting, except perhaps Tolkein Himself.) Has to take place in chapter 2 or 6, because we didn't make Aran a Drow or a pirate, or set him up with a backstory that puts him in Saradush somehow. And that is a pretty crowded set of chapters, let me tell you. Has to try to not spoil the main plot with info too early, and yet have some attraction to being done/accomplished that makes sense to the PC (no pulling a sword from a stone to become the next King Of Amn, and no suddenly discovering that Aran is actually Elminster's First Cousin and Future Ruler of a Moonshea Isle... it really needs to follow the goals of the PC, not Aran. Bit part, remember? Must be Equity, but not command a star billing and salary...) OK, some minimal stuff - what does that leave us with? How about a quick brainstorm. What would a JOAT (Stainless Steel Rat, a great story, go read it) do when hired by a Bhaalspawn bent on Saving/Dominating The World? After all, he is Pinky to <CHARNAME> The Brain.... GOALS: Help The BhaalSpawn Succeed. Potential plots that might fit that goal: gather information on OBE's (Other Bhaalspawn Enemies) (if you are British, you get it...) find scrolls of power or a secret cache of gold/items that could help the PC (Pirate Gold, ARrrrrrr....) arrange mercenary work for money using contacts (Conquerers For rent. Reasonable Rates. No Dragons. Apply within.) build a man from scrap parts labled "Abbey... abby something - abby-normal" and bring him back to life (Hey, how did Young Frankenstien get in here? Commonplace occurrence in FR, so scrap this one!) discover plot against PC by local authorities scared of the Prophecy and resulting business losses (Leave the guns. Take the canolis.) CONSEQUENCE/CONFLICT: Tasks Distracting From Main Goal. mercenary network of information can work for or against the merc - what happens when you are in the posse of the Notorious BiG (Bhallspawn Interest Group) and someone has hired your former friends and acquaintences to "detain and question" said BiG, for, say, perhaps... - the rulers of Waterdeep, who might want to see what is going on and see if this is a Good witch, or a Bad witch? (ok, or warlock, but you get the idea) - the followers of Ilmater/Cyric/Corelon/etc. who want to help/hurt a being who is rumored (correctly or incorrectly) to have chosen sides in the religious conflict rebrewing? There are other forces interested in the outcome, after all. - payment of taxes or service requirements by the local lords? The Cowled ones aren't the only game in Amn, and the Roenalls are not the only nobles by any means. Court intrigue might help here. Written communication is cool, but can spread information the wrong way, too. What happens if Aran's journal falls into the wrong hands, and Irenicus finds additional chinks in PC's armour - sending a bribery attempt against the party, with a loyalty check on participants (Korgan takes the cash no problem, Minsc squishes the messenger...) A mercenary's life is a hard one. What happens when PC finds himself accused of warcrimes against "innocent, law abiding" patrols that ambushed the party, like every time I try to go from point to point in the darned city? Especially when Aran is found to be wanted by the Crimson Tower for 'spying' during the Iron Throne conflict? negotiation is not Aran's strong point. There is a great Padme quote about this - something about negotiations - ah, Google is my friend; Anakin: You call this a diplomatic Solution? Padme: No, I call it an aggressive negotiation. So what happens when a guy can get you a job, but gets in over his head, and PC has to choose between breaking the contract or fulfilling it - better yet, what happens when you take the contract and find out there is*no* good guy present, and Aran's answer is "To hell wi' th' contract, anyways. I never did like that murderin' son o' a bitch, beggin' pardon to dogs everywhere. I says we kill em' all, an' let Kelemvor sort out what bastard gets sent to what hell." ADVERSARY/OBSTACLES well, on this one, it really depends on what form of goal and consequence/conflict we lay down. One sample scenario: > Aran gets job offer for group to negotiate peace between some nobles for some traders. > group finds out "traders" are really agents sent to test PC and gather info for other bhallspawn, or for Irenicus, or for some other political entity > peace must be negotiated or resolved through any number of means, from a game of chess through to personal challenges/champions, to perhaps the regular way (bug group battle, save, reload, try again). Well, that is the brainstorm - no answers yet, just floating out ideas. The "non-required-yet-fun-to-accomplish-subplot-for-normal-mercenary-faerunian-sellswords-that-builds-up-PC-and-fills-in-backstory" quest or mini-quests. An interesting uzzle. Help yourself to a brainstorm, if you like. When something moves along into focus, we can come back to actual plot points, and see how we can make the quest be one of those 'replayable because I actually have real choices' quests.