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Kagain for BG2EE


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#1 Daxs

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Posted 30 August 2014 - 12:18 AM

The idea is rather self explanatory: add your favorite regenerative degenerative money grubber to BG2.

 

Kagain, like most NPCs who cross over, gains some stats... and something else.

 

 

Kagain is much the same as he was in BG1, alignmentwise he's still Lawful Evil.

 

But here's the situation and you'll see the differences.

 

Class: Dwarven Defender

 

Stats:

18/68 Strength: He's no slouch, definitely fit for combat, especially after travelling with you.

12 Dexterity: Low Dwarven nimbleness is a common letdown.

20 Constitution: Kagain's staple trademark, his illegality and his claim to fame. He's a sturdy Dwarven Defender and he's not afraid to show it for the right price.

16 Intelligence: Scheming is Kagain's middle name. If there's money to be made, he'll think of a way to get it. He also does some light accounting work, standard fare for a business capitalist.

11 Wisdom: Stubborn as can be, Kagain is average on wisdom.

8 Charisma: The downfall - Kagain has the appeal of a belching, greedy dwarf who smells like alcohol and sounds like grandpa, despite being younger than he sounds.

 

 

Situation: Kagain's business fell through, and it's all your fault. Yes, <Charname,> it's your fault. You slew way too many bandits and solved far too many crisises to the point that roads are just a bit too safe for the Sword Coast to live up to its wretched name.

 

Kagain's business nearly tanked, but a small trip to Amn brought stories of troubles in Trademeet and Athkatla in need of a hero. As a caravan escort, he gathered what goods and gear he had to sell his mercernary services to merchants in Trademeet. The problem? Nothing can get in. Djinn price gouging is causing more harm than good. Good thing you've come along to set things right once againb.

 

Romance: What? You don't want to romance a dwarf? Kagain has room for his silver lady next to his one true love... unless you've got pansy elf blood in ya! P-feh!

 

While not a full requirement to get it started, there'll be times when the romance requires you have money to proceed. In those cases, you need more than 10,000 gold. Kagain won't exactly leave you hanging. If you're in the romance, he'll tell you something if you don't have enough. "I sure do wish we had a lot of gold, babe!"

 

 

He doesn't care about any stats or alignment, but good players might need more, ya see, despite being Lawful Evil, Kagain understands the value of feigned altruism if the reward is right. If you hit breaking reputation and your gold count is at least 30K, Kagain will stay. If it falls below that point, he'll warn you to get back above that in 1 or 2 weeks.

 

He won't take the gold, but you need to have it.

 

NPC Relations: Kagain understands the value of party members from all walks if they suit his ends and line his pockets with a glimmer. To this end, he doesn't really befriend any, other than drinking buddy Korgan, but only has a few real hostilities.

 

Chief among them is Nalia; it will end violently. He hates her charitable nature of giving away money to worthless beggars. In Kagain's words "We earned them coins! You can't throw em away!"

 

He doesn't like Cernd either, but that's mostly because a tree hugger that smells of wet dog is bad for business.

 

 

For others though...

 

Aerie: She knows showmanship, as a freak in a cage. If he had the chance to put her back while people throw money, he probably would. Then again, he knows the value of a good mage and a good priest... why put both in a cage when they ask for so little money?

 

Anomen: There will be fighting during the romance if you're human or halfling, and in Kagain's mind, the guy's a few desperate grasps away from giving away money to charities/churches, and Kagain is watching him with his axe.

 

Dorn: The two respect their battle prowess, but as far as Kagain is concerned, Dorn would be more effective if he sold himself to a source that couldn't crush his bones if he was bored. In turn, Dorn sees Kagain as weak for still giving himself to an immaterial source that, at the end of the day gives him no power.

 

Edwin: Two manipulators with self interest aren't going to get along as long as self interest gets in the way.

 

Haer'Dalis: Kagain hates theater. It's a stupid profession and art ain't worth a dang cent. They starve willingly and work underpaid. In Kagain's mind, he's just putting on too much of an act, but is worth as much as the average actor: noth much at all.

 

Hexxat: Treasure hunting and tomb raiding sound like a fine profession for Kagain, and she even has a bag of holding. He thinks she's alright for a bloodsucker. A pity there's romantic conflict possible.

 

Imoen: Pick pockets with a curious nature never sit well with Kagain. He can tolerate her bubbly nature if she sticks to magic.

 

Jaheira: That husband of hers was the best part of her. As a tree hugger, she's not a worthless fighter in his mind, but she cannot stand his greed. There will be no violence, just uneasiness.

 

Jan: The inventor, the salesman, Kagain wants to butter his way into the Jansen business books... for a good wage. Whether Jan knows the greedy dwarf's intentions or not, Jan will have no part of it. On the other hand, Kagain might just get his hand on a nice crossbow this way (then again, Firetooth is easy enough...)

 

Keldorn: He's unlike any knight he knows. In a sense, they can get along, provided their morals don't get involved.

 

Mazzy: Kagain doesn't understand why Mazzy wants to live up to long limbed standards of justice. "It's a shame, you'd probably be a good cutpurse on our side."

 

Minsc: Minsc is dumb muscle whose only price seems to be more evil to slay and a little hamster food. Prognosis: Useful!

 

Neera: Kagain is terrified of Neera. He knows about wild mages. He knows their surges. He knows that at a moment's cast, gold can just disappear forever... all of it! The risk is just too great. If surge 17 actually DOES happen, there will be a very hostile banter between the two.

 

Rasaad: Monks and their want for nothing and charitable nature. Rasaad doesn't go around giving out cash, thankfully, but Kagain has a wary eye.

 

Valygar: The definition of nothing to talk about. In fact, most of their banters literally ARE about how they have nothing to talk about. It's mostly meant to be deadpan, dry humor. When Kagain mentions his magic blood, Valygar quickly shuts it down and it's never mentioned again.

 

Viconia: Kagain wants to be sure she don't need to be rescued yet again. Gods forbid that one day her rescue requires an actual fee. He doesn't care if she's a dark elf, she just better avoid needing any more rescue.

 

 

 

So... will this go anywhere? I dunno. The ideas are there, ready to enter limbo as I read several tutorials and move at a slug's pace.

 

There's an option for a Kitless fighter, mostly for non-EE versions... unless the Dwarven Defender can be made backwards compatible.


Edited by Daxs, 30 August 2014 - 12:13 PM.


#2 The Imp

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Posted 30 August 2014 - 04:48 AM

There's one fact that you have not mentioned, and it kind of huge deal here.
That the Kagain is a BG1 character, this coupled with the fact that the mod would be strictly for BG2EE is a fact that's not likely to win awards.
 
Now, even if we are not going to go for the "Mod Of The Century Award", you'll be hard pressed to find a lot of interest, because you'll be competing with a lots of other mods you are not likely to even know exist.
The Darker Days(TDD) mod, the BG1 NPCs in BG2(it was actually in SoA, and then it got the ToB addon) mod which makes Kagain a store keeper in BG2, the BGT + BGT Tweaks which allows you to have a near silent Kagain in BG2, Tutu's, and coupled the last two with the BG1 NPCs project.
That all with the fact that the character already has a copyrighted voice actor which you are likely not going to get to make the speech files...
 
You are not likely to see the full picture, specially if you intend to feature randomly selected stat bonuses and a kit, even if it's clear to anyone knowing the original character that they are made clearly to make the character more competent in comparison with the other characters.
 
Now, I would help you, but that fact is, I can't really unless you make your base mod to be all inclusive one that tries to combine the above mods content(AKA Project One Kagain, similar like there's one for Drizzt), and start from the BG1EE/Tutu/BGT character, the kit can be added during the story if the player decides to push Kagain to that direction, or the other can be the Trollslayer from TDD, or no kits... no stat bonuses, but for example the Kagains helm could get the +1 Int at one point, and even the STR bonus... and later even become a vs. Mindflayer specific item:
 
Screamer Helm:
This unique dwarven designed helm is of Duergar origin, it's a typical helm with a unique feature, there's a enchanted <insert a ingame gem of a choise> wedged inside the helm, the gem is said to provide a mental block from mind flayers psychic gifts and their brain draining tentacles, but weather the effect is maintained with the magic of the stone or a the gems grim spike piercing the users skull all the way to the brain is unknown, but it hardly matters for the dwarves that utilize it.
 
STATISTICS:

Armor Class: +1 bonus
Special:  Protection from mind flayer psionics, including their intelligence draining attacks.
Sets User Strength to 18/68
Lowers the users maximum health with 10 hit points while in use
Lowers the users Intelligence to 7
User can use the Berserk ability.
Weight: 3
Usable By:
Kagain

Edited by The Imp, 30 August 2014 - 05:50 AM.

Yep, Jarno Mikkola. my Mega Mod FAQ. Use of the BWS, and how to use it(scroll down that post a bit). 
OK, desert dweller, welcome to the sanity, you are free to search for the limit, it's out there, we drew it in the sand. Ouh, actually it was still snow then.. but anyways.


#3 jastey

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Posted 30 August 2014 - 08:58 AM

The Imp: I don't see why a new mod would have to include any content of other mods, just because it features the same (BG1) NPC. There is always interest for another, new interpretation. And the voice actor - there are (very good) NPC mods with just a sound set out there, and others with own (different) voice actors, so that is no reason to cancel such a project, either.

 

Daxs: I am no fan of Kagain, not even took him for the quest... But I like the reason why he would be in Amn, because that is always the question: Why, oh why, would all those BG1 characters be in Amn all of a sudden..

For mod creation, all I can say is: Just do it; There will be players if it's finished.



#4 Thimblerig

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Posted 30 August 2014 - 01:57 PM

The romance requirement is certainly interesting ;)



#5 jastey

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Posted 30 August 2014 - 11:04 PM

Ah, OK, this is a joke mod? I always fall for those.



#6 Kulyok

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Posted 31 August 2014 - 09:19 PM

A new BG1 NPC mod would surely be interesting. I usually don't install those new kits and items - tend to screw the game too much, add nothing to the story - boring. But an NPC with a good story and probably a romance, too? I say go for it.



#7 Austin

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Posted 14 July 2021 - 12:55 AM

The mod that adds Kagain to BG2 already exists (this is the "Kagain" component from the "BG1 NPCs in BG2" mod - http://www.baldursga...php?board=133.0).
Daxs offered very good ideas for dialogues with other NPCs, which, unfortunately, were not implemented, so I decided to write my texts, taking as a basis some ideas from the first message of this topic, and add them to Kagain. Hopefully Daxs will not mind, given that since 2014 these ideas have remained unused.
 
Thus, the new dialogues between Kagain and Nalia, Aerie, Haerdalis, Dorn, Neera are written: http://www.baldursga...g78902#msg78902


#8 Isewein

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Posted 20 July 2021 - 11:06 AM

Good on you for digging out this old topic and going through with it. I wasn't too sold on all the BG1 NPCs in BG2 before but it seems like with all your work that mod has become more modular and I shall certainly give it a try next time around.