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The Amulet: A Quest and Companion Mod


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#1 Silver-Moon

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Posted 26 December 2013 - 01:24 PM

After much thinking I have decided to make a mod for BG2. Now as a complete yet determined newcomer to modding I'm sure I will have plenty of questions and problems. So I'm going to outline my ideas and plans here in hopes that others will see and possibly leave feedback or advice. Anyway here we go.....

 

 

Here is a bit of details on the story I want to tell with this mod....

 

 

The Amulet

 

After finding an old book for sale at one of the market stalls in Athkatla the child of Bhaal embarks on a quest to find a powerful amulet detailed in the book. The amulet when worn is said to offer great power and protection from death itself though how it does this is left a mystery at first. After tracking down the amulet the protagonist is faced with a tough choice. Sell it or keep it. Even a good person would be tempted to keep such an artifact if only to prevent it's misuse. All the same it can be sold to a noble collector in Athkatla but the real story begins if it is kept and worn.....

 

 

The Voice Within

 

The first night with the amulet around your neck is a strange one...a feeling that you are being watched slowly grows till a soft whisper is heard in your ear. None of your companions are around you and yet you are certain you heard something. A man's voice soft and soothing and yet something feels...wrong. You fall into a fitful sleep only to dream not of Irenicus but of a powerful archdemon wearing the amulet that you have just found. He speaks to you telling you that he will protect you in exchange for your loyalty to him and him alone....

 

Braxas

 

The demon in the amulet is called Braxas. He is trapped inside, quite bored and maybe a little bit insane. He enjoys having control and after having so little of it has become determined to claim and control the next holder of his prison which just happens to be you. No one else can see him or hear him so some may start to think the protagonist is bit mad as a result. He will speak to you asking for favors or giving advice or comments and will slowly become attached to the protagonist wanting to ensure his/her success as well as his own.  

 

A Demon's Love

 

Depending on your interaction with Braxas it may become possible for him to take on a physical form that only the Bhaalspawn can see or touch. A romance of sorts blooms and he becomes even more controlling and his power grows to the point where he can use his magic to aid the player. He will try to sabotage any other love interests the protagonist may have and will try to corrupt good players. He claims to have the players best interest at heart and can be very convincing at times but he remains evil all the same.

 

Hunted or Saved

 

If you become to close to the demon then people will slowly start to notice that you talk to yourself and see things that are not there. A paladin will come hunting for you. This man with his ability to see spirits and banish them will recognize that you are speaking to a demon and if you refuse his attempts to 'save' you which involves him joining the party and trying to destroy the amulet without killing you he will leave and plot your downfall which will lead to several battles in the future.

 

 

The basics of what I am trying to do are as follows....

 

* Create the amulet and the quest to find it...

 

* Make the Amulet conversible and give it random banters, interjections and event triggered conversation.

 

* Write several paths.,A Good path. An Evil path. A Romance path for both those branches. And a path to Destroy the amulet which may lead to another companion and a possible romance with a paladin once the original paths are done.

 

 

Thats the basics of my idea and I'm working on the 'how to make it work' part as we speak. More details to come later....



#2 Eric P.

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Posted 26 December 2013 - 07:56 PM

Welcome to it! Looks like your concept has achievable goals, as you'll see while getting down the basics of coding. I wish you success in developing this mod!


Working and playing on a Mac Pro 6,1 running Mac OS X 10.13.6 High Sierra, and a Mac Pro 3,1 running Mac OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan.

~Buion na 'ell! I serve with joy! Your eyes and ears I shall be. Let us hunt together!~
- Erysseril Gwaethorien: a joinable, romanceable NPC mod for BGII - SoA/ToB, in sporadic development.

A female elf warrior of nature and a Bhaalspawn cross paths during their quests, joining forces to share adventure and companionship. Will they find more?


#3 pro5

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Posted 28 December 2013 - 01:01 AM

Sounds like an interesting and intriguing concept, I wish you success in bringing it to life. :new_thumbs:

 

Advice on a couple things which stood out to me:

 

All the same it can be sold to a noble collector in Athkatla but the real story begins if it is kept and worn.....

 

This sounds like it would be easy for a player to skip the quest altogether (perhaps unknowingly) by selling the item. I'd consider adding a plot line to lead the player back towards the amulet after selling it, so the quest can still be started in another way. For example, maybe after a few days the party catches a rumour of the noble collector dying under mysterious circumstances and is called upon to investigate (or maybe they're even suspects in his death now). Or the noble's behavior changes because he's affected by the artifact, and one of his close friends/family comes to the party with questions or plea for aid.

 

 

and if you refuse his attempts to 'save' you which involves him joining the party and trying to destroy the amulet without killing you

 

I'd recommend not making the extra companion mandatory for completing a quest arc. With the amount of NPC mods out there now, those party slots are very precious and by requiring one of them you risk losing a significant part of the audience who'd prefer to have their own NPC party selection. Perhaps the paladin offers to help, and then if the player accepts he also offers to join the group. If this second offer is refused, he can still try to help (perhaps staying at one of the inns, if multiple interactions with him are planned) without joining the party.

 



#4 Silver-Moon

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Posted 14 February 2014 - 10:37 PM

Thank you both for the support and the advice. I have been trying to figure out where I should start and planning things out. Honestly it is a bit daunting but the main things I need to figure out are how to write quests, create items, make objects conversible, and where I want to put the amulet in the world. I'm not sure I have the skills to make my own dungeon so I will likely need to use an existing one. I'm thinking a crypt in the graveyard district at the moment.

 

pro5 I think the plot line leading back to the amulet is an excellent idea. I will work that in once I puzzle out how to actually write quests. I have some outlines drawn up but I'm not sure where to start or what kind of programs work best for this kind of thing. I am very new to this but I'll get it done eventually.

 

The second suggestion is also doable and I can keep the paladin out of the party. If its possible I want Braxas to be only visible to the player in the later stages when he gets the strength to leave the amulet for a limited time and kind of like a seventh party member. He is there but he is only visable to the player and I'm still deciding what kind of abilities he and the amulet should grant....Suggestions or ideas are welcome and this is still in the works just slow going to start with.