39 replies to this topic

[Idobek]

If my character doesn't give a damn about Imoen's fate and isn't interested in revenge or power, why on Toril would I bother to hunt down Irenicus? If Jon-boy wants my soul he can damn well come and find me. Currently the game doesn't give my a satisfactory reason to go anywhere near Spellhold. It would be nice if this mod fixed that, for all classes and alignments. Personal gain is always a good motivation and it this that is missing.

[Andyr]

Perhaps a side quest where you can have plastic surgery to hide your face then move up to Nashkel and tend bar for the rest of your days...

Seriously, though, Ido has a point.

[khayman]

Hmm, very valid point, I honestly never thought of this. But what would the satisfactory reason be? Wealth? Power? Both? Something else? Since becoming director of Spellhold will grant you some power (you need to be a high-ranked cowled wizard for that) and moderate wealth (the quests will bring you loot and such) I don`t really know what else could motivate the player.

Andyr

Edited by khayman, 18 July 2004 - 04:31 AM.

[Pekka]

An interesting idea, if the PC is really sick and evil, he probably wouldn't give a damn about Imoen's fate and wouldn't go chasing after Irenicus either. But wouldn't this kind of plot change require some serious work, i.e. it would be quite a major mod? Very interesting, though.

FAQ:

Q: Is it going to be WeiDU?
A: No, it`s going to involve overwriting files in your override directory and will contain a custom DIALOG.TLK file. The player will also need to manually edit various 2DA files and scripts to make the mod running, it is only going to be compatible with The Darkest Day.

Oh man, you almost got me with that!!! You shouldn't do that to an old man...

Anyway, another mod I'm very much looking forward to!

[Userunfriendly]

imoen owes you money?

because neeber said the underdark had cool stuff?



no really, just being able to own spellhold would be a good enough reason, i think...

hmmm...how about graft and corruption???

spell hold has a weekly maintainence of 2000 gp...this number is completely fabricated, the asylum only needs 500 gp to run...one of the hidden perks in the spellhold stronghold is skimming off the top, which compensates for being almost exiled if a cowles is chosen to be the director of spell hold...various documents near jon's notes tells you the details of the various scams previous directors used to get as much money as possible...of course you can turn in the documents to inspector brega at the gov district...

corruption..once a month, didi's (the shapeshifting girl) parents show up in spellhold, with a purse of 1000 gold to be spent on their little girl, to make her life better...you can either use the money for its purpose, get her cookies and milk and good food, keep the money, or when you find out her wealthy merchant family is moving to waterdeep, to move to the center of their trading empire, you can just send someone to fetch her, and you just smile as you push her into the arms of her mommy and daddy...

[BigRob]

I've always thought that the dreams you had were a good reason. It seems that Irenicus is screwing with you long distance, so I was always pretty worried about putting him down.

But if you're involved with the Cowled Wizards there must be several good reasons to head on out there. Are they sending you out there to discover why the director hasn't been checking in recently? Are they sending you out to escort a dangerous deviant into custody? Has Irenicus himself sent feelers back and, as the director, requested your presence? I'm sure all these work.

[BobTokyo]

Honestly, if you want to roleplay a character who stubornly refuses ever to leave the Seven Veils tavern, you can. It'll get mighty dull after a while, but that's your choice. You have a Good reason (save Imoen) and two arguably Evil reasons (Kill Irenicus, Gain Power from Irenicus) to go after him. If your character still doesn't care, have fun on the mainland.

Edited by BobTokyo, 18 July 2004 - 08:00 PM.

[jester]

My CN character always just takes the wrong exit from the Athkatla freeway and ends up in Spellhold searching for the beach and the really great hot-dogs. The reason? The reason is that nobody ever keeps quiet in the back of my Halruian Floating Home I got from Jan as a present.

[Domi]

BobTokyo, on Jul 18 2004, 08:05 PM, said:

Honestly, if you want to roleplay a character who stubornly refuses ever to leave the Seven Veils tavern, you can. It'll get mighty dull after a while, but that's your choice. You have a Good reason (save Imoen) and two arguably Evil reasons (Kill Irenicus, Gain Power from Irenicus) to go after him. If your character still doesn't care, have fun on the mainland.

I agree. The simplest solution is that after Ireniucs tired of waiting for you to drag your ass to spellhold, simply use Bodhi to abduct you again and bring you in.

[Hendryk]

Just having Bodhi grab you wouldn't be a great "role-playing" reason to go to Spellhold though. More like a "railroad" reason. Thinking about it, the Shadow thieves and, once contact is lost with Spellhold, the Cowled Wizards would certainly want the Irenicus question settled permanently. Both groups would know enough about the PC to recogize him/her as a capable assassin. So, if the PC is contacted by Gaelan Boyle and expresses zero interest in going to Brynnlaw, these two groups could join together and recruit someone from the government to step in and, say, offer the PC a deputy procuratorship in the New Lands where, despite optimistic public pronouncements, the native rebellion is getting really out of hand. Thus, the PC is needed there. If the PC declines this "honor", the government official can allude to some of the many bodies that the PC has strewn about Athkatla by this time and tell the party that, frankly, they are going to sea. In state as high government officials to the New Lands or chained to a galley oar as criminals but they are going. That would get them out onto salt water and allow Saemon (their captain, whatever happens) to maroon them on Brynnlaw.

Once there, the PC might of course, try to leave again - probably with Claire and Sanik's captain. The desharik would have to intervene at that point. He'd have been informed (by Saemon, I bet) that vampires had appeared in his town and would want the PC to take care of them. If the PC still refuses the desharik would probably start a fight with the party and lose it. However, the panic caused by the appearance of vampires and the demise of the desharik has caused the residents to load all they could onto every available ship and depart. This leaves the party stuck on Brynnlaw with no help and no place to go but Spellhold. If the party still won't go to Spellhold, vampire attacks every night and each time they try to rest indoors, should get the message across.

This is still a railroad solution of course but not so obviously so. Another tactic would simply be to have Bodhi and her minions attack whatever place the PC is in and plant the word among the civilians that the "PC's curse" is the reason for the Undead infestation. This would eventually mean that every NPC in the game would either attack the PC or run away. Plus, the vampires would also begin attacking the party. Eventually, the PC will can flat out be told (by one of the vampires) that Irenicus' enmity is behind all this and that Spellhold is the place to deal with it.

Edited by Hendryk, 19 July 2004 - 09:55 PM.

[Valheru]

A popular way to entice the Bhaalspawn character is to offer information or more scope for his powers so that could be reason enough.

[Andyr]

Hendryk, those are some pretty good ideas. We've also tossed about the idea of the Government effectively forcing you to go somewhere like that for Lands of Intrigue, as a matter of fact.

[Domi]

This is still a railroad solution of course but not so obviously so. Another tactic would simply be to have Bodhi and her minions attack whatever place the PC is in and plant the word among the civilians that the "PC's curse" is the reason for the Undead infestation. This would eventually mean that every NPC in the game would either attack the PC or run away. Plus, the vampires would also begin attacking the party. Eventually, the PC will can flat out be told (by one of the vampires) that Irenicus' enmity is behind all this and that Spellhold is the place to deal with it.

I like this one It's devious and sends the message accross.

[Immortality]

Quote

Honestly, if you want to roleplay a character who stubornly refuses ever to leave the Seven Veils tavern, you can. It'll get mighty dull after a while, but that's your choice. You have a Good reason (save Imoen) and two arguably Evil reasons (Kill Irenicus, Gain Power from Irenicus) to go after him. If your character still doesn't care, have fun on the mainland.

Well, you see, I really dont give a damn about Imoen, and i dont care for power, just like Idobek. Thing is, if you are like this, you just HAVE to go to spellhold anyway to end the damned game. If i was truly rolaplaying i could say i'd live a really quiet SIMs life in Amn, but lets get real, i kill imoen in sight (then dump her body in the road) and i STILL have to pretend i care and go to spellhold to finish the game.

Quote

This is still a railroad solution of course but not so obviously so. Another tactic would simply be to have Bodhi and her minions attack whatever place the PC is in and plant the word among the civilians that the "PC's curse" is the reason for the Undead infestation. This would eventually mean that every NPC in the game would either attack the PC or run away. Plus, the vampires would also begin attacking the party. Eventually, the PC will can flat out be told (by one of the vampires) that Irenicus' enmity is behind all this and that Spellhold is the place to deal with it.

i like the idea, but why would a vampire... say, your enemies "the bad dude whos behind your downfall is irenicus and he's hiding in spellhold" like... it sounds like a james bond cliche, no? the bad guy telling you their exact plan while he thinks you are about to die?