First of all, forgive me if any of this sounds off. I'm immensely sleepy at the moment.
When I'm taking small breaks away from Zeke, I have been writing up something else, inspired by the old Vandal Hearts game that I replayed recently. I really liked the Crimson Guard, an anti-terrorism force, fighting the rebel forces (the heroes). They're so cruel and corrupt.
So I thought, why not add them to Baldur's Gate? Maybe they could hunt Bhaalspawn by default, or maybe they'll only come after the PC if the reputation is below a certain point. Whichever solution works best.So that means at least 5 hostile encounters, each featuring a Crimson Guard elite.
- Lando Height - The Hitman
- Dallas Magnar - The Juggernaught
- Kurtz Morrison - The Warmaster
- Sabina Doom - The Valkyrie
- Kane Spites - The Assassin
Other enemies would include "standard" crimson soldiers, archers, clerics and mages. The idea is to let a standard party attack the party first, and after one or several battles, Lando's team appears. All enemies should be killed, but there is a chance Lando will surrender if he has xx% HP left, provided he's not slaughtered. The player can choose to kill him anyway, take him prisoner, trust him and have him join, or send him away (possibly encountering him as enemy again in the battle with Kane). The "prisoner" and "trust" paths will branch seperately, and will lead to a different relationship with him. Generally the prisoner path is less nice, though the player may decide to trust him at a certain point.
Prisoner path -------------------------------->
Trust path -------------------------------->
Prisoner/Trust path ----------> Trust ------------->
I'm not planning on making Lando a romance option, though.
He will have plenty of development otherwise. Let's reveal more about him, shall we?Strength: 15
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 11
Naturally he's male, and he's a human of Lawful Evil alignment and Fallen Ranger class, and he's 25 years old. He's specialized in bows and can also use shortswords if needed. Like the other Crimson Guard elites, he has custom Crimson platemail and weapons. Lando's custom weapon is the Killbow, a longbow +2 that adds 1 additional lightning damage. His Crimson plate gives him additional resistance to ranged/piercing weapons, and allows for a "Improved Invisibility" spell once/day.
He is the newest addition to the elites, and the most inexperienced one. Usually Crimson Guards are a tight team, although Lando would rather live than stay true to them, and so he surrenders to the Bhaalspawn. Lando shows some of his harsh and evil Crimson Guard attitude in his personality. He has no desire of being redeemed. He is who he is.
So why would you take him along after he just attacked you?
He promises to help you with information on your new enemies, as well as help you defeat them. The Crimson Guards are likely to come after Lando anyway, if he chooses to betray them, so it has to be done sooner or later...and by himself, Lando has no chance. If you send him away, Lando is still a Crimson Guard member and will fight against you later in Kane's battle (after being punished quite horribly 
).Some random trivia about Lando:
- As a fallen ranger, he cannot stealth or cast spells, but he has some tracking experience. He's good at finding stuff and people.
- He doesn't drink alcohol. Intoxicating him is a bad idea.
- He used to have a romantic relationship, which ended when he was "persuaded" to join the Crimson Guard.
- Lando seems to care more for animals than he does for people. They soothe him.
Following is some information on the other Crimson Guard elites.
Kane is the team captain and a heartless Neutral Evil bastard, the son of the goverment official (Hel Spites in Vandal Hearts) who commands the Crimson Guard. He's an excellent warrior, wielding his scimitar Caliburn alongide a Crimson tower shield. His nickname may imply he is an assassin (as in the rogue), but he's simply a highly effective murder machine.
Sabina is the only elf in the team, also Neutral Evil. She is highly trained at using arcane magicks, along with her crossbow the Rune Bow, making her the only mage among the elites, and Lando's superior in archery. Like Kane, she possesses a cruel streak and loves to taunt her opponents. Her Crimson plate is exceptionally light and allows her to cast spells while wearing it.
Kurtz is a Lawful Evil monk, team strategist, as well as the calmest member of the Crimson Guard. This does not make him any less dangerous, however. He is swift and nible, attacking with fist, foot, and poisoned daggers. He is the only Crimson Guard member who doesn't wear platemail, but rather a magically enchanted Crimson monk robe.
Dallas is the team's hothead and juggernaught, though perhaps not the brightest fellow around. He gets enraged easily, and although he is slow, he is capable of dealing immense blows with his halberd Bloodied Axe. Out of all Crimson Guard members, this Chaotic Evil dwarf has the highest constitution, health and defense, and an offense strength that is equal to Kane's. His Crimson plate gives him resistance to magic.
Fortunately I don't have to write this alone. I found some help, but I'd always welcome more
as in proofreaders, playtesters, and perhaps some coding and scripting help. I have already commissioned a portrait over at the resource request. Any feedback, comments are welcome! Always nice to hear another's opinion.
Though I'll answer one obvious question here now, and that's no, Leopard love will not be put on hold. In fact, I'm finishing it up as we speak. It will be released first.
Edited by Phobia, 28 August 2010 - 11:41 PM.
