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Like, the roughest area of the game for me is the character development in the non-Origin characters. Anybody you recruit later in the game is stretched a little thin compaired to the main cast. Jaheira is obviously the best in addition to the astonishingly pitch perfect performance, but Minthara seems probably the most underdone in my experience. She does has some wonderful character moments if you're a bad enough dude, however.
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Apr 25, 2024 08:34
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wizard2 posted:He is written as a big dude who is big horny and it's difficult if not impossible to not wrack high approval with him by simply solving the Shadow Curse. He makes the first move in the romance plot, so it can come out of nowhere, and for some reason, they had him take the let down particularly hard.. which might have been fine if game conditions made it seem that YOU were the one persuing HIM. I honestly wonder if there isn't a bug here, like a flag getting incorrectly set saying the player has been flirting with him when they haven't, given the thing I mentioned earlier where even if the only conversation you have with him at the party is logistics of the trip to Moonrise and the details of the Shadow Curse you'll have the "I hope I didn't come on too strong...." option in his dialogue. But yeah, coupled with the fact that if you reject him he's all like "oh, but, I thought we really had something special" that comes across as extra creepy.
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Apr 25, 2024 08:38
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wizard2 posted:Like, the roughest area of the game for me is the character development in the non-Origin characters. Anybody you recruit later in the game is stretched a little thin compaired to the main cast. Jaheira is obviously the best in addition to the astonishingly pitch perfect performance, but Minthara seems probably the most underdone in my experience. She does has some wonderful character moments if you're a bad enough dude, however. I'm glad I'm not the only one surprised by Jaheira. I purposely tried to spoil myself very little for this game, so I didn't know who was voice acting who. I was utterly convinced it was the same voice actor from 1 and 2. Minsc was okay, but you could tell it was someone else.
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Apr 25, 2024 08:45
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Is there a way to suppress or mute the Die Success/Die Failure sounds? I hate hearing whether i've succeeded for failed the instant I click to start rolling for a check.
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Apr 25, 2024 08:58
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UltraShame posted:Is there a way to suppress or mute the Die Success/Die Failure sounds? I hate hearing whether i've succeeded for failed the instant I click to start rolling for a check. You can hide passive checks in dialogues in the Custom difficulty, but IDK of any way to just mute the sounds.
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Apr 25, 2024 09:27
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wizard2 posted:Like, the roughest area of the game for me is the character development in the non-Origin characters. Anybody you recruit later in the game is stretched a little thin compaired to the main cast. Jaheira is obviously the best in addition to the astonishingly pitch perfect performance, but Minthara seems probably the most underdone in my experience. She does has some wonderful character moments if you're a bad enough dude, however. Minthara is my prime candidate for expanded writing, just the possibilities when you for instance are an oathbreaker. Like I roleplayed my origin Shadowheart into basically an AC Asassin, so when Minthara starts talking I just want to be Powerman to her Invincible.
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Apr 25, 2024 10:00
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I really like Minthara, for all that she could have been a stock evil cartoon character she has a really interesting arc as she grapples with how she was controlled by the Absolute cult. It's a shame that you only get to see the scene that sets that up if you, yourself, are being a stock evil cartoon character. I know the "now you can KO her and she'll be at Moonrise" option was the least-risky way to implement letting a good PC recruit her, but I wish they had managed to find a way to let you see her goblin party conversation without having to side with the goblins, because as is there's absolutely no diegetic reason to non-lethally KO her or try to redeem her.
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Apr 25, 2024 10:13
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If you knock her out and find her again in Moonrise, she is being tortured by the other cultists for her failure. So the most straightforward reason for you to free and recruit her is that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Like, we're willing to work with vampires and devils and mindflayers, so why not a drow paladin? I think that part is sensible enough, at least. And then after the battle she tells you her thoughts on being brainwashed by the cult. There's definitely no reason to think you should knock her out though, unless you're just habitually knocking out everything for whatever reason. Clarste fucked around with this message at 10:28 on Apr 25, 2024 |
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Apr 25, 2024 10:18
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GimpInBlack posted:You can hide passive checks in dialogues in the Custom difficulty, but IDK of any way to just mute the sounds. i meant specifically for the active checks where you click to roll the die and instantly hear the result while the die is still rolling around.
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Apr 25, 2024 10:28
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Clarste posted:If you knock her out and find her again in Moonrise, she is being tortured by the other cultists for her failure. So the most straightforward reason for you to free and recruit her is that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Like, we're willing to work with vampires and devils and mindflayers, so why not a drow paladin? I think that part is sensible enough, at least. And then after the battle she tells you her thoughts on being brainwashed y the cult. Right, sorry, I was talking about when you meet her at the camp, there's nothing to make you think you should treat her any differently than Dror Ragzlin or Priestess Gut. Once you see her in Moonrise there's a case to be made for "even she doesn't deserve torture," it's just that getting there requires meta-knowledge or some really unlikely circumstances--IIRC somebody earlier in the thread mentioned dropping her with a pommel strike (great for taking off those last 1-2 hp!) and not noticing the KO'd vs. dead status, but that's an edge case. Of course, Minthara's story also raises some uncomfortable questions about all those other True Souls we cheerfully massacre throughout the game, which I don't recall the game ever really addressing. Like, how do we know, say, Z'Rell isn't just as brainwashed and appalled by what the Absolute was making her do?
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Apr 25, 2024 10:31
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yeah it's a mess, the only way you could backsolve it if you say your character knows a drow woman would never do what she does of her free will, and is not so sure about anybody else
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Apr 25, 2024 10:50
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It's quite simple: They had sick loot, and needed to die.
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Apr 25, 2024 10:53
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exquisite tea posted:It's quite simple: They had sick loot, and needed to die. And Nere was rude to me!
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Apr 25, 2024 10:57
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exquisite tea posted:It's quite simple: They had sick loot, and needed to die. simple as
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Apr 25, 2024 12:21
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For the record, the people saying recruiting Minthara in a Good Run is difficult or obscure are working with old information. Originally, it involved shenanigans with Polymorph or something. Then it was changed so that you had to make her Temporarily Hostile in the Goblin Camp and knock her out there. Now, as long as you just Knock her out instead of killing her, that's literally all you need to do. (though people have stated this a few times, that's what I get for just skimming the last page or so instead of actually reading through it before posting) BlazetheInferno fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Apr 25, 2024 |
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Apr 25, 2024 14:05
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exquisite tea posted:It's quite simple: They had sick loot, and needed to die. it's true GimpInBlack posted:And Nere was rude to me! he was
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Apr 25, 2024 14:09
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BlazetheInferno posted:For the record, the people saying recruiting Minthara in a Good Run is difficult or obscure are working with old information. Originally, it involved shenanigans with Polymorph or something. Then it was changed so that you had to make her Temporarily Hostile in the Goblin Camp and knock her out there. Yeah, we know, what we're saying is that unless you have meta-knowledge about her, there is no reason you would want to do that. There is no scene in Act 1 that reveals that she's been brainwashed by the Absolute, no hint that she's any different from Dror Ragzlin or Gut, not even a tutorial suggesting that KOing her instead of killing her might have effects later. There is nothing at all within the bounds of the actual story of the game to present rescuing or recruiting her as an option or something a good-aligned character might want to do. In other words, they just took some steps to make the hacky sequence-breaking approach less inconvenient, rather than integrating it into the story. Which, again, is totally understandable, I've worked on complex branching games with lots of potential states and patching things like this in can be a huge headache and risk breaking a bunch of other stuff, so this was probably the safest option, but I still wish it had been integrated into the story.
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Apr 25, 2024 14:18
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nere is a slaver in a room full of a bunch of other slavers who are hostile to you in conversation because they think you’re a true soul, so it’s safe to say there’s a chance nere was probably a lovely jerk prior to his infection. but hey, maybe he spent his free time working in an owlbear rescue and you killed the guy raising money to make a hobby farm
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Apr 25, 2024 14:19
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side note i am going to respec minthara into a bard. now that she is free from the absolute she can pursue her real dream: playing the recorder
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Apr 25, 2024 14:21
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cash crab posted:side note i am going to respec minthara into a bard. now that she is free from the absolute she can pursue her real dream: playing the recorder A fine set of insults https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhA1NwgnFN8&t=4110s
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Apr 25, 2024 14:26
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GimpInBlack posted:And Nere was rude to me! rude soul nere
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Apr 25, 2024 14:28
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Cross-Section posted:rude soul nere true soul neener neener
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Apr 25, 2024 14:28
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cash crab posted:nere is a slaver in a room full of a bunch of other slavers who are hostile to you in conversation because they think you’re a true soul, so it’s safe to say there’s a chance nere was probably a lovely jerk prior to his infection. but hey, maybe he spent his free time working in an owlbear rescue and you killed the guy raising money to make a hobby farm I don't really remember The Dark Elf Trilogy, but I wonder in the production Larian was developing him as a companion, if took cues from Baeloth from BG1EE? Very similar character, but Baeloth is way more fun. It's kind of neat seeing there's really cut content on display like that.
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Apr 25, 2024 14:33
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I'm still just sad the Werewolf Halfling Bard companion got cut. That would have been awesome.
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Apr 25, 2024 15:22
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GimpInBlack posted:Of course, Minthara's story also raises some uncomfortable questions about all those other True Souls we cheerfully massacre throughout the game, which I don't recall the game ever really addressing. Like, how do we know, say, Z'Rell isn't just as brainwashed and appalled by what the Absolute was making her do? This brings up another interesting question: why does she get the Absolute shield from the artifact after the raid, even if only temporarily? Why doesn’t that jerk in it just radiate a field of anti-Absolute so you can do that to all the other True Souls?
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Apr 25, 2024 16:36
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OzFactor posted:This brings up another interesting question: why does she get the Absolute shield from the artifact after the raid, even if only temporarily? Why doesn’t that jerk in it just radiate a field of anti-Absolute so you can do that to all the other True Souls? Im sure it made more sense in production when there was never intended to have it both ways with the conflict in the grove and it was a Frog vs Magus thing
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Apr 25, 2024 16:40
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GimpInBlack posted:Yeah, we know, what we're saying is that unless you have meta-knowledge about her, there is no reason you would want to do that. There is no scene in Act 1 that reveals that she's been brainwashed by the Absolute, no hint that she's any different from Dror Ragzlin or Gut, not even a tutorial suggesting that KOing her instead of killing her might have effects later. There is nothing at all within the bounds of the actual story of the game to present rescuing or recruiting her as an option or something a good-aligned character might want to do. There is very little disadvantage to switching on Non-lethal attacks and then just leaving it on. A little harder to interrogate people with Speak with Dead, but you can go through the game leaving melee induced concussions in your wake instead of killing as many people.
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Apr 25, 2024 16:44
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OzFactor posted:This brings up another interesting question: why does she get the Absolute shield from the artifact after the raid, even if only temporarily? Why doesn’t that jerk in it just radiate a field of anti-Absolute so you can do that to all the other True Souls? Probably the same reason why you have to nag the emperor to shield Minsc when he's knocked out
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Apr 25, 2024 16:50
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Ah so it boils down to: the Emperor sucks. Amazing how much of the plot comes down to that.
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Apr 25, 2024 16:55
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And the romance.
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Apr 25, 2024 17:03
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OzFactor posted:Ah so it boils down to: the Emperor sucks. Amazing how much of the plot comes down to that. it's one of the great tropes of Fantasy 
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Apr 25, 2024 17:06
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I may be wrong, but I think the Emperor warns you that he can only exert his protection so far when you get him to help Minsc. It’s very possible that he could do more than he does, but it also makes sense his ability to shield people isn’t limitless. I think there is also a risk that the absolute would rapidly realize it’s losing contact with True Souls and use that to pinpoint you. The Emperor can only really shield you from incidental attention; it’s why you can’t return to Act 1 after the army marches to Baldurs Gate, because the Absolute realizes you are rogue.
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Apr 25, 2024 17:15
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Everything makes a lot more sense when you finally realize that the Emperor is full of poo poo and sucks and you can’t really trust anything he says. . You have limits, do you?? What about all those goobers sitting back in camp / all the way over there in Elfsong??
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Apr 25, 2024 17:20
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OzFactor posted:Everything makes a lot more sense when you finally realize that the Emperor is full of poo poo and sucks and you can’t really trust anything he says. . You have limits, do you?? What about all those goobers sitting back in camp / all the way over there in Elfsong?? he spends the entire game proving himself to be a total untrustworthy bastard and in the end, he most definitely is a total untrustworthy bastard. you shouldn't trust him! the end. the wisest players spotted this on their first playthrough!
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Apr 25, 2024 17:27
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I probably would have let him get away with it too if he just stayed as the hot drow chick I made in the character creator. 
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Apr 25, 2024 17:31
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figured out a finicky thing, is this any good? Flame Blade quote:Conjure a flaming Scimitar in your hand that deals 3d6 fire damage. Uses WIS for attack rolls, gets damage riders. Pyroquickness Hat quote:When you deal Fire damage with a non-cantrip spell, you Burn yourself and gain an additional Bonus action this round. War Magic quote:After you cast a cantrip, you can make a weapon attack using a Bonus action. Be at least 7 Eldritch Knight (for War Magic) / 3 Druid (for Flame Blade).
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Apr 25, 2024 17:43
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The Emperor definitely sucks and I told him to take his worms and pound sand, but he also tends to avoid a lie where the truth will serve. Like right at your early meetings he tells you that he has stolen the power he is using to protect you, and is stuck fighting the ones that want it back. This is true - he stole it from Orpheus and he’s fighting his honor guard. He could just lie completely about that, but he tells you the truth in a way that serves him, he just obfuscates the details and uses it to help his appeal to you. Plus if he was already powerful enough to simply release all the True Souls, he wouldn’t need so many hoops to confront the brain himself. But he helps fewer than he could because he’s a dick and they aren’t useful to him like we are.
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Apr 25, 2024 17:46
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He doesn’t want you to be too powerful, because he thinks of you as a thrall and he knows what can happen when thralls rebel.
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Apr 25, 2024 18:02
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crepeface posted:figured out a finicky thing, is this any good? What is the leveled spell you’d be doing damage with for the pyroquickness hat to activate? You’re doing a melee attack with a sword instead of shooting a sword shaped flame at them iirc.
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Apr 25, 2024 18:09
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The Flame Blade spell summons a scimitar, it's not a spell attack.
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Apr 25, 2024 18:21
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