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#219379 After the End Fooling around

Posted by Hendryk on 21 August 2005 - 10:50 AM in IE Mod Ideas

Then make it a fraternal twin, born at the same time as the PC but shunted aside by Mom because the "lesser" twin was born without the Bhaal taint. The midwife, prompted by whatever vision you please, took the lesser twin away instead of killing it and... (backstory) to a time 15 minutes after the end of ToB when the original PC ascends and the cosmic connection kicks in.



#219301 After the End Fooling around

Posted by Hendryk on 20 August 2005 - 01:42 PM in IE Mod Ideas

Seems to me that there would still be a problem in concocting one single story that would be appropriate to all PC classes and alignments. It would smell really cheesy to give, say, both a paladin and an assassin exactly the same upbringing; much too much like Candlekeep, however it's handled. Simpler, perhaps, to fudge up some story about a "chosen" child, born at the instant CHARNAME ascended and mystically linked somehow to the new god(dess).

For baddies, perhaps an unrepentant cult of Bhaal worshippers? They know about the new PC's connection to CHARNAME (old PC) and want to sacrifice the new PC in a ritual attempt to force CHARNAME to assuming Bhaal's old portfolio of murder whether (s)he would or no. Meanwhile, regardless of CHARNAME's class or alignment, these cultist have been worshipping him/her as the God of Murder with some success. Note, too, that the sacrifice idea would prevent even an Evil PC from cooperating with the cult which would eliminate alternate story lines as in the "champion" idea.

The nice thing about the idea, though, is that it would allow cameos, based on their epilogues, for current NPCs some twenty years later. Most of them wouldn't be easy to find and none of them - except Minsc and Jan, maybe - would be willing to talk to you without your doing them some little "favor" or other. Side quests then would be there in profusion.



#217627 After the End Fooling around

Posted by Hendryk on 02 August 2005 - 12:06 PM in IE Mod Ideas

Different strokes, I guess. You seem to want something like a Greek tragedy out of it while I'm all for a light comedy of manners.

Oh well. I'll be good and shut up now.



#217620 After the End Fooling around

Posted by Hendryk on 02 August 2005 - 11:37 AM in IE Mod Ideas

And a part of the fun of a post-ToB mod would watching NPCs, who formerly adopted a very haughty or bullying attitude, cringe and crawl before the mighty PC. And if the PC were fool enough to leave bodies lying all around Athkatla as in SoA, (s)he would discover that *now* his/her every move is noticed by everyone and all deaths have to be accounted for in the courts.

Sure. The PC, at the player's option, could simply respond by going on a rampage and killing everyone. That would attract the attention of Elminster, Khelben, et. al. and END GAME, no matter how tough the PC was. As for free play, having such an uber character try to "fit in" somewhere in society would do for me. Otherwise, it would be just another middling character with a lot of angst and guilt to work off. I get plenty of those in RL; don't need to roleplay for 'em.

Note that a new romance, with a relatively very low-level NPC, one who would definitely be challenged going one-on-one with an ogre, would be a nice way to rein the PC in - if the NPC were attractive and amusing enough.



#217596 After the End Fooling around

Posted by Hendryk on 02 August 2005 - 08:38 AM in IE Mod Ideas

I love the idea of post-ToB adventuring and the tools now are vastly better for the job than when Silverose first proposed the idea. However, I think the RP aspect would be greatly diminished if the PC were reduced to a 5th level nobody. And all your companions dead? Even if they survived the Throne in fact? That's putting a terrible strain in *my* sense of continuity at least. If nothing else, this 5th level shlub would have all this god-like equipment plus the stats from all the tomes and the machine of Lum the Mad.

I'd much prefer an adventure for high level characters. It would be simple enough to make much of it a matter of RP wherein the party's levels were irrelevant. For the main combat, create a challenge area that is chock full of fairly difficult encounters, that spoils potions and scrolls and allows no rest. If Amn were chosen as the venue, for example, the mod could mostly involve politics at the very highest level and ultimately a confrontation with the Twisted Rune. Not in that silly single room off the Bridge District either but a properly complex and defended lair, suitable for one or more of the most powerful and ambitious liches extant. And if you don't want the Soa/ToB NPCs, they almost all have business of their own to tend to after ToB. Let them make their farewells properly rather than snuff them so off-handedly. Some might even recur for cameos as the non-party NPCs from BG1 did.



#217583 Help, help, I'm being oppressed!

Posted by Hendryk on 02 August 2005 - 07:16 AM in Chrysta

May the noble words "Sic Etiam Transibit" be emblazoned upon your escutcheon, Sir K.



#215462 Which ones came along in BG1? (poll is closed!)

Posted by Hendryk on 17 July 2005 - 09:52 AM in Mod for the Wicked

Yeah, I know. I wasn't seriously suggesting that you do that; just trying to give an accurate stat pic of how I'd think he should be. I would suggest leaving his STR and, possibly, his DEX alone and just adding +1 or 2 to his CON though. And if you can see your way clear to lowering anything on him, his CHA should definitely be worse than a "low-normal" score of 9. Perhaps because of the number of times he got all banged up in BG1?



#215429 Which ones came along in BG1? (poll is closed!)

Posted by Hendryk on 17 July 2005 - 04:12 AM in Mod for the Wicked

For Monty, I'd suggest stats of STR 13, INT 14, WIS 9, DEX 18, CON 17 & CHA 6. Not amazingly strong, even for a little chap, but quick, tough, pretty smart and utterly repellant.



#214922 stoopid $15,000 requirement

Posted by Hendryk on 12 July 2005 - 04:46 PM in IE Mod Ideas

The PC isn't the only adventurer in Amn. If a quest is deferred too long, another group could take it up and succeed. The other group (doing the Unseeing Eye, DeArnise Keep, Umar Hills and/or Trademeet maybe) would be of opposite alignment to the PC, higher level, better equipped and completely obnoxious about succeeding at something which the PC hadn't dared to attempt.

As for Immy, another choice (since she somehow gains a million + XP in Spellhold as is) would be to make her more powerful, the longer the PC waits to rescue her but also either TN or NE. In either of those alignments she wouldn't be the chirpy, faithful "little sister" anymore. In fact, NE Imoen might do something like turn coat and fight the party along side Bodhi in the Spellhold dungeon, having been converted into a willing bait for the PC by her kind host.



#214532 Which ones came along in BG1? (poll is closed!)

Posted by Hendryk on 10 July 2005 - 04:19 AM in Mod for the Wicked

NOw how will you justify Montaron being there without Xzar :P ;)

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Easy. Montaron hates Xzar's guts. After being stuck as Xzar's gofer in BG1, he was stationed in the backwater (from the Zhent pov) of the Sword Coast again and *AGAIN* as nothing but Xzar's caddy. So he got pissed off, told the Zhents where to stick their stupid assignments and is now a freelance murdering psychopath with a Zhent price on his head.

That'll complicate the PC's life if the party meets any real Zhents along the way but it could also make relations with the Harpers - different, if not actually more pleasant.



#212342 Forum bug reports

Posted by Hendryk on 27 June 2005 - 06:05 AM in Directives from the Director

The old FW URL doesn't transfer here.



#212285 Lets all FAQ Chrysta

Posted by Hendryk on 26 June 2005 - 05:15 AM in Chrysta

Ah, he's around somewhere; just distracted. Supposed to be back in a week or so.



#210872 Chrysta Screenshots

Posted by Hendryk on 17 June 2005 - 01:55 PM in Chrysta

However (and you knew there was bound to be a "however" somewhere in here, right?), my one small note is that Haer'Dalis would know there are more than celestials, cambions or alu-fiends Out There.

Heheh. Since HD is one of the other cases himself and was long resident in Sigil, that's pretty much a given. If it is really unobvious that he's just using those three cases as examples (listing all the possibilities might get a bit tedious, no?) then perhaps his last bit should be:

"Neither celestial, cambion nor alu-fiend are you my hummingbird, nor any other race, singularly or in combination, which I can name from a rather extensive experience. While imperfectly helpful, that is not nothing."


She says that she must then be a prime (which canonically isn't capitalized, but is in the game, so you're spot on). I think HD would be gentleman enough to either agree that, yes, she is likely a prime, or gently correct, that no, that isn't necessarily what he meant.

He might but since he hasn't anything really substantive to add to an already overlong banter, it might be as well to let him be gentleman enough to let the lady have the last word. If Sir K would prefer, it would certainly be easy enough to have Chrysta seem less definite in her line by adding a "probably" or "seem to be" to it to make your distinction clear there.



#210816 Who is Chrysta?

Posted by Hendryk on 17 June 2005 - 06:16 AM in Chrysta

Oh, right! Sorry! That was the new Treasure in Bodhi's spiked-trapped room that I wasn't to mention, huh?



#210812 Who is Chrysta?

Posted by Hendryk on 17 June 2005 - 06:01 AM in Chrysta

Will a general Heal Serious Inflammation take care of that or will we have to find an affliction-specific scroll somewhere ingame?



#210068 It is Good to be Neutral

Posted by Hendryk on 14 June 2005 - 01:24 AM in Chrysta

There's a practical aspect, too.  As noted, druids are charged with the natural, ecological balance while the moral and ethical imperatives of other alignments are merely human concerns.  Specifically, civilized human concerns.  So experience would have shown the druids that whenever Law or Chaos, Good or Evil predominates in human society, then the natural environment will be more subject to stress from that society than if the human elements were balanced and could be played off against one another.  So it's not a matter of core faith for the druid, just "practical politics" to keep human civilization balanced also.

Such druidical concern would apply even to the hardest test case of other alignments, NG.  If a society were overwhelmingly NG, it would increase in numbers so rapidly as to overwhelm the wild lands within a few generations.  So druids would have to prune it back to save what their care is.



#209491 Detectives (f and m) wanted!

Posted by Hendryk on 11 June 2005 - 07:20 AM in Mod for the Wicked

Thinking about it a little more, you should sell her, after some haggling, to Lehtinan for only 2 gp - plus "a round for the bar". That way, you get a +1 to Reputation for your generosity.



#209467 Detectives (f and m) wanted!

Posted by Hendryk on 11 June 2005 - 03:58 AM in Mod for the Wicked

The Graveyard
The Mournful Paladin and the Little Girl

Maybe a bit more evil dialog. Something like provoking the Paladin or telling him a few lies.


Heheh! For a PC of sufficient INT, WIS or CHA, play on the paladin's sense of guilt until he falls on his own sword over his son's grave. Then go talk to the priest of Lathander:

PC: Gee, there was a paladin back there that might've done but he's dead. Killed himself because his neglect murdered his previous ward. Guess it's fate but I'll have to take charge of this poor little girl myself to save her from the orphanage.

Then sell the brat to Lehtinan for 10 gp.



#208896 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 08 June 2005 - 01:35 AM in Mod for the Wicked

@Torn. As always a valid point. Of course we won't do it always. I know of only two (three counting Ian being betrayed) places at the moment (yep another one, but I ain't gonna tell) and I reckon that is enough.

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Heh. Just please don't forget to give the PC a chance or two to betray someone else. Being betrayed comes with the Evil territory. Betraying someone who trusts you is why a player goes the Evil route in the first place.



#208758 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 07 June 2005 - 06:57 AM in Mod for the Wicked

Why does the avatar of Rillfane have to appear at all in the evil path? There are many possible alternatives.  The avatar of Kiaransalee or Selvetarm (Lloth's two demipower servants), perhaps?

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For metagame reasons, if you want your body to survive the hell experience, the best bet is to have the surface elves back in charge of them. The drow would destroy your bodies the instant you and Irenicus both died at the ToL. And the forest spirits summoned by Rillifane would be needed to drive off the drow and let the surface elves back.

Rather than dredge up some reason for the drow not destroying your body, the better choice might be to have your bodies descend to hell with you. Your equipment does, so why not your corpse? Then when Irenicus is defeated, you gather them up, get ejected back to the ToL, get yourself together and have to fight your way out of Sul past hostile drow occupiers. And the logical culmination of such a victory for Lolth would be for her to come and poison the ToL herself. Again, in metagame terms, that'd mean new areas for a dead ToL and a ruined but still recognizable Sul above it. Doable but a lot of work. All the additional modification wouldn't have a matching payoff in an Evil gaming experience, IMO, unless there's a really good artist to modify the areas. Having to end SoA by fighting treacherous former allies, including maybe her demipower servants or an avatar of Herself, through a dead ToL and a ruined Sul would be pretty cool though.

Ingame, the temple is still Rillfane's, based on the fact that his avatar appears there. The three artifacts that must be sacrificed there are sacred to the Seldarine, not to Lolth. Having Lolth's servants appear anywhere in Sul to hijack them would be a grave affront. Having them do so in Rillifane's own temple would be tantamount to a god-vs-god confrontation that dieties tend to avoid on the PMP, at least. Plus, the avatar is almost helpless in the face of Irenicus' ritual. He can't stop Jon; all he can do is open the way to him for the PC. It set a rather odd tone, to my taste anyway, if Lolth's servants, playing away, were able to do even that much. Again, it's not impossible, just a matter of taste mostly on what sort of reminder you want to give the PC. Myself, I think the message that Good entities such as Rillifane are still around and still have power would be the better choice.



#208691 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 06 June 2005 - 05:05 PM in Mod for the Wicked

I think upon gaining access to the elven city would be good.

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Um... granted that you haven't made up that sleep deficit you mentioned before, a couple of reasons for thinking this is the right time for drow betrayal would better help move the conversation along.



#208428 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 05 June 2005 - 07:44 PM in Mod for the Wicked

I have a severe problem believing that the surface elves, battered and leaderless as they are, could wrest the goblet from the black dragon, for one thing. Or survive the golems and rakshasa to get the other two items for that matter. So Lolth would be able to tell you (via Mother Ardule or Phaere, whichever survived) that the temple must be opened. She was of the Seldarine, after all, and would remember such things. As for the avatar of Rillifane, it would not be delighted to meet you in the circs but the PC *is* after Jon's throat after all and Rillifane is powerless against Irenicus while the PC isn't. And Irenicus, who is about to kill the ToL, is a much worse and more immediate threat than the PC, even as an ally of the drow. So a deal could be struck there although it wouldn't extend to the drow allies. The forest spirits would kill or expel them just as they do Irenicus' minions. So the surface elves would be back in charge after the ToL/hell sequence and, as stupidly fair-minded as she is, Ellesime wouldn't destroy your bodies either. She would, certainly, kick you right out of town though but might - on instruction from Rillifane, perhaps - kick the party into the prophetic grove to start ToB. She might also hand you instructions found on the body of the drow general (Solaufein?) from the the matron mother, telling her boy to kill you the instant Irenicus is dead. This, from Ellesime's pov, to prove to you how dumb you were to trust the drow at all, at all, at all. And to tie up any loose plot ends.

Of course, while in strict logic, the drow ought to stay allied with party until Irenicus is dead, they might be arrogant enough (following Deathangel's idea) to decide that once you've retrieved the Lanthorn, they don't need you any more. In that case, there might be an option to just give them the bloody thing and let them open the way. They'd enter first, the screen would shake a couple of times and then the sole survivior of the drow invaders (Mother A, Solaufein or maybe just a common soldier) would run back out of Sul and tell you to proceed. Seems the drow weren't welcomed as Jon's allies and weren't as competent to deal with his creatures as they thought, so there'd be dead drow scattered over the city but otherwise, no one in town knowing any better, matters could go as per the vanilla game. The PC would just have to lie a bit and say he/she followed the drow rather than accompanied them.

Either way, the drow prove treacherous at some point, as they should. And the PC will get the old schnozolla rubbed in that, even if their treachery doesn't prove very effective. And the game can be completed even after you've killed Elhan and his pals on first meeting them. That's about the best a surfacer could hope for from an alliance with drow, I think.



#208420 Which ones came along in BG1? (poll is closed!)

Posted by Hendryk on 05 June 2005 - 05:32 PM in Mod for the Wicked

Sometimes I think Korgan IS Kagain. I mean personality wise they are almost the same dwarf. The only difference is the name and stats.

It's a question of emphasis. Kagain is a goldbug. If he got rich enough, he wouldn't much care if he never killed anything else ever again. Korgan, otoh, would like to be rich mainly because being rich would free up more of his time for killing more (and more interesting) things.

EDIT: Hic! Simultaneous posts!



#208315 Working with the Drow?

Posted by Hendryk on 05 June 2005 - 04:06 AM in Mod for the Wicked

@ Lord Kain. You keep insisting that Jon's ascension would be good for Lolth. That ignores the female superiority which is the basis of drow society. As a new god, Jon would need worshippers. As a mortal mage and former elf, he'd most naturally look for his first worshippers among Evil elven mages. The drow have more Evil elven mages than anyone, so Jon's becoming a god could very easily tear drow society apart. And Lolth could foresee that result and fear it.

As for the ToL, if the drow could, even temporarily occupy Sul, the Tree would be at *Lolth's* mercy. She could poison it and absorb its power herself. This would give all the benefits of a success for Jon and none of the drawbacks; no namby-pamby "sharing" of anything.

So, yes. The drow ally with Jon to bring down Sul. Once that's done though, I can't see the least reason for Lolth not wanting to double-cross Jon and keep all possible rewards for herself alone. And the PC would be a handy tool for the Jon double-cross, who could be double-crossed and slain in turn. That's the way of Evil as I see it, anyway. No honest cooperation anywhere at any level.



#207243 Developer Diary Comments Thread

Posted by Hendryk on 29 May 2005 - 08:54 PM in Chrysta

I'm rather more interested in your...um... personal notes. If you are going to become a chemical engineer, might I suggest that the vast, untapped shale oil, coal tar and oil sands of the New World might be a better destination than the depleting oil fields of the Old? Some reasons are:

1. More people here speak English, of a sort, and somewhat fewer are inclined to shoot you on sight. Almost nobody would want to blow you up and you can even get British football scores in a lot of places. More homey, you know?
2. Over the medium-to-long term, you'd probably do better financially in a start-up venture than somewhere in the bowels of a huge corporation fighting it out over diminishing returns.
3. By helping to provide an economically and environmentally sound (not to mention timely!) way of bringing much needed energy resources to market, you'd be doing the world a lot more good than would be possible anywhere else.

Of course, in the Middle East, they have the 1001 Arabian Nights. Here, we only got season 6 of the Sopranos. No contest there but surely a paladin would be expected to forsake something for the greater good? Even a dual-classed paladin/chemical engineer?