32 replies to this topic

[khayman]

The 'Third way' mod is offering an alternate way of getting to Brynnlaw -- with the help of the Order of the Radiant Heart. Also Orions Stardom over at LM (Limbo Mods) is working on a mod which would add another route, although currently not much is known about it.

Valheru posted an idea at FW about the PC being able to fully join the Cowled Wizards if he`s a mage and I remembered that I was tossing around similar ideas myself years ago. Let me quote:

Valheru said:

I would like to have the PC if he is a mage to be able to fully join the cowled wizards and know more about thier mesterious organisasion so instead of just being used and manipulated by Teos. I think the PC could be assigned to enforcer duty and be given greater duties as his ranks go up until he is given a last assignment to retreive the assylum from irenicus. could be new option for the rescue imoen quest.

I was thinking about the whole thing and posted a few ideas, I`m SHIFT+INSERT-ing them here:

The idea is intriguing and I thought of this too a while ago; it would be nice to be able to actually join the Cowled Wizards in a more developed way than it was done in vanilla BG2.

It is well known that the whole organization of the Cowled ones is a pit full of corruption and whatnot; perhaps as a good-aligned player, by gaining higher and higher ranks within the organization itself, could try to combat all these negative aspects and maybe gain control of a portion of it. I`m not saying he should automatically become a member of the Council heh, but gain a title which would allow him to control a certain part which is under the tutelage of the organization (gaining the Asylum as a stronghold, perhaps?).

I think the Asylum would be a good stronghold, perhaps the player should get an innate which would allow him to teleport back to the stronghold regardless of where he currently is, much like the Stone of Recall from Neverwinter Nights. Aye, balance issues might arise, but it`s rather reasonable, perhaps disallowing the player to exit the asylum in any other way than using the aforementioned innate would resolve everything.

Apologies for the long post, but what do you guys think about something like this? As Cam pointed out, a quest mod should be pretty well received by the masses (provided it`s well done, that is).

[Grim Squeaker]

Sounds like a good idea. Another way I'd like to see you getting to Spellhold would be through dodgy pirate dealings. Finding some totally drunk, stoning pirate who would take you to Brynnlaw, and later on the way back from Brynnlaw you get attacked by Sahuagin...

The only problem is that you need to find a way to introduce Bodhi.

[khayman]

Hmm great idea, methinks. You`re a pirate specialist, right?

[Grim Squeaker]

khayman, on May 9 2004, 09:44 PM, said:

Hmm great idea, methinks. You`re a pirate specialist, right?

Swash swash buckle buckle.

[BevH]

Grim Squeaker, on May 9 2004, 03:43 PM, said:

Sounds like a good idea.  Another way I'd like to see you getting to Spellhold would be through dodgy pirate dealings.  Finding some totally drunk, stoning pirate who would take you to Brynnlaw, and later on the way back from Brynnlaw you get attacked by Sahuagin...

The only problem is that you need to find a way to introduce Bodhi.

Why would there be a problem with Bodhi? She could still appear even after you hack and slash Irenicus. You're still new to the Assylum and don't know your way around. It would be easy to stumble across Bodhi.

[Userunfriendly]

An evil alternate story line would be good too..

a chance to become a feared and despised cowled enforcer, with the ability to d door to a magic using adventurer on the streets...and lock them up in your new stronghold...a bit of taunting when you slam them into their new home..

a chance for chameos...like locking up cattie brie, or edwin, if you haven't done the maavar quest...

and eventually, after being a good little enforcer for a while, you could get involved in the hidden struggles for power behind the scenes in athkatla, maybe align yourself with the cowled wizards who are planning a coup d'etat....seize members of the council, blackmail them by kidnapping their family...and when your faction has seized the council, you assassinate your collegues, and become the true head of the council of 6...

oh and please make it open to sorcerors as well...

[khayman]

Wow, that`s what I call brainstorming!

[BevH]

khayman, on May 9 2004, 05:12 PM, said:

Wow, that`s what I call brainstorming!

That's all it seems to take around here. Someone to suggest something and we just seem to run with it.

[Grim Squeaker]

BevH, on May 9 2004, 10:12 PM, said:

Grim Squeaker, on May 9 2004, 03:43 PM, said:

Sounds like a good idea.  Another way I'd like to see you getting to Spellhold would be through dodgy pirate dealings.  Finding some totally drunk, stoning pirate who would take you to Brynnlaw, and later on the way back from Brynnlaw you get attacked by Sahuagin...

The only problem is that you need to find a way to introduce Bodhi.

Why would there be a problem with Bodhi? She could still appear even after you hack and slash Irenicus. You're still new to the Assylum and don't know your way around. It would be easy to stumble across Bodhi.

Well yeah but you don't get the 'Bodhi in the guild war' introduction to the character...

[BevH]

Grim Squeaker, on May 9 2004, 05:37 PM, said:

Well yeah but you don't get the 'Bodhi in the guild war' introduction to the character...

Ah, didn't know that. I've never accepted Bodi's offer.

[Userunfriendly]

it could get irritating, if you got a pop up box saying that you're on duty, and its your task to arrest this group led by an annoying dark elf, with a name that sounds like a nasal discharge in the slums while you're in the middle of the umar hills, about to slay some liches...

so this part would have to be carefully thought out, but at certain times you're on call, other times you're not...and maybe like a cowly, you give warning the first time you encounter a party, who uses magic, to go talk to cornell to get a license...or maybe you're in the executive arm, sent out only after the hardened and dangerous ones...

hey...how about every time you're ready to enforce the law...(and help yourself to some good loot) you talk to cornell at the gov district, and he sends you out to enforce the law... d door you to the proper location in athkatla, and you basically kill them and loot the bodies...you go back to cornell for another assignment...3 assignment every week...this would be much more controlled than getting an assignment randomly...after 12 or so, the cowled faction are so impressed they invite you over for tea and crumpets, and ask you to subdue the guards of some noble in the bridge district...so the rest of your co conspiritors can seize the family of the head of the council of 6...then you find out that while the coup succeeded, the cowles plan to kill you, cause you're too dangerous..

so you kill them, and now whenever you go into the gov district, everyone treats you with respect...and you talk to beurcrats to get problems, like judge decisions, much like the fighter stronghold, like making decisions about rebuilding the prominade, or execute or release mrs. craigmoon, (the potion seller in bridge...if you talk to kids in bridge district they will tell you she's a witch) maybe even taking bribes from lady yuth in the adventure mart, since obviously to be able to sell magic scrolls and items, she's got to be bribing someone in the cowles...

so you really have two strongholds...you decide what to do about spell hold, make decisions about inmates, and you run the city behind the scenes...eventually you can decide to let the family go, and the head of the council is so grateful, and of course still afraid of you, you keep being the power behind the council...

cool, wot???

[Grim Squeaker]

BevH, on May 9 2004, 11:40 PM, said:

Grim Squeaker, on May 9 2004, 05:37 PM, said:

Well yeah but you don't get the 'Bodhi in the guild war' introduction to the character...

Ah, didn't know that. I've never accepted Bodi's offer.

Well, I've only done it once. But I was referring to the introduction of the character either as your mistress if you side with her or as your enemy if you side with the Shadow Thieves.

[Userunfriendly]

hmmm...the good side (yuk!) could be just as interesting...

a cloaked and hooded figure comes to the party, and asks for the pc's help...to infiltrate the cowled wizards, whom he suspects are planning a coup...certain encounters you have to arrest the magic users, others you can...urm...bribe or figure some way of not having to do their dirty work for them...

and eventually when the cowled faction comes to you for help, you inform your unknown patron, who is revealed to be the head of the council of 6...and he's outraged at the cowles plan to kidnap his family...(could it be he's faarad, the delryn family archnemesis? i guess you really have to take the good route if you have anomen in the party, wot???)

so you kill off the cowles, getting some really good spells either way, and now you become advisor to the ruling council of six...your advice is sought to defang and make the remaining cowles less of a power in athkatla...

[BigRob]

Very cool idea. Extra ways into Spellhold would be good. I always wondered why you couldn't bribe a Cowled for the info and catch your own boat.

An interesting sub-plot to add to the quest could be a "failure" device. If you act badly among the Cowled Wizards, bungle the kidnapping, take bribes and get caught or otherwise screw up, the Cowled Wizards might send you along to the asylum as a kind of backwater posting punishment.

It could even be a goal of sorts if you hear about the possibilityit. Join the Cowled Wizards and buck the system until they post you to Amn's rear end.

And, of course, the Director of the Asylum has been asking after you.....

[Userunfriendly]

BigRob, on May 10 2004, 01:08 AM, said:

Very cool idea. Extra ways into Spellhold would be good. I always wondered why you couldn't bribe a Cowled for the info and catch your own boat.

An interesting sub-plot to add to the quest could be a "failure" device. If you act badly among the Cowled Wizards, bungle the kidnapping, take bribes and get caught or otherwise screw up, the Cowled Wizards might send you along to the asylum as a kind of backwater posting punishment.

It could even be a goal of sorts if you hear about the possibilityit. Join the Cowled Wizards and buck the system until they post you to Amn's rear end. 

And, of course, the Director of the Asylum has been asking after you.....

in fact it looks like the mod could be made so big and so interesting, that people will actually bungle things just to see the content...

good path: remember the little halfling who's hovel was taxed like a castle??? you could help him out, slip in a good word for him, maybe a bribe...

you could frame isea roenall for further charges, or even investigate the matter more throughly, uncover the connection between roenall and the twisted rune...shangalar could drop isea's signet ring...(of course unfinished buisness is suppose to be working on that...)

evil path: you manipulate things so that isea is released, get axehand (isea's boss) framed up on the piracy and slavery charges, and sell nalia off to be isea's wife, after he slips you a huge bribe...then when nalia kills isea, and runs off, hunted by the authorities, you could get isea's estate and the de'arnise estate...be a right bastard...

you form an alliance with the twisted rune, and you get not only celestial fury as a reward, but the staff of magi...you get a cut of the slavery rings in athkatla, and you can fill the spell hold stronghold with your slaves...


khay, you have the opportunity to make a evil path at least as interesting as a good path, heck, even have interesting content for bungling things...rather than reload, a player would be seriously tempted to play things out just to see what happens...