Silvi

Druid-specific Love Talk


IF~~MilesLT03D
SAY~Do you really like wilderness that much?~
++~ I do. Nature is beautiful.~ + 3.01druid
++~ It’s powerful. Even if you don’t like it, you have to respect its strength.~ + 3.02druid
END

IF~~3.01druid
SAY~Scary, more like. I much prefer the cities.~
++~ You’re actually afraid of nature? Even of little critters? ~ + 3.02adruid
++~ Is that why you became a thief?~+ 3.03druid
++~ There is nothing scary about nature. ~+ 3.04druid
END

IF~~ 3.02druid
SAY~~I prefer the cities, thank you very much.~
++~ You’re actually afraid of nature? Even of little critters? ~ + 3.02adruid
++~ Is that why you became a thief?~+ 3.03druid
++~ There is nothing scary about nature. ~+ 3.04druid
END

IF~~ 3.02adruid
SAY~Especially of the little critters. Those things are mean, they can sneak up on you and hit you with a nasty club and carry you off, all the way looking cute and fluffy…~
=~Okay, maybe  I went a little bit too far. Let’s just say I’m not comfortable in the wild.~
++~ But you’re a half-elf. Part of you belong to the wild.~+ 3.02bdruid
++~ Is that why you became a thief?~+ 3.03druid
++~ There is nothing scary about nature. ~+ 3.04druid
END

IF~~ 3.02bdruid
SAY~A much bigger part of me prefers not to belong to nature at all.~
++~ Is that why you became a thief?~+ 3.03druid
++~ Odd example of a half-elf you are. Very odd.~ + 3.02cdruid
END

IF~~ 3.02cdruid
SAY~Because all elves have to love trees? May I point out the existende of drow?~

++ ~ I suppose… is that why you became a thief? To avoid wilderness? + 3.03druid
++~ That was a weak argument there – drow are not natural, thief. + 3.02ddruid
END

IF~~ 3.02ddruid
SAY~ They seem to exist, though and I don’t think they’re undead. Seems pretty natural. ~
=~ I prefer to be a thief and stay in the city… though becoming a thief was never my decision. It’s my life – that and telling jokes, of course.~
++ ~Why not become a bard then? ~+ 3.05druid
++~ You became a thief because you had to? ~+3.05adruid
END

IF~~ 3.03druid
SAY~Being a thief isn’t my profession. It’s my life. That and telling jokes.~
++ ~Why not become a bard then? ~+ 3.05druid
++~ You became a thief because you had to? ~+3.05adruid
END

IF~~ 3.04druid
SAY~Animals, moose, plants, deep water, weather, critters… I’d say there is plenty of scary things that fall into the ‘nature’ category.~
++~ There are a lot of scary things in the city. If you’re afraid of everything, why did you become a thief?~+ 3.03druid
++~ You are actually afraid of *critters*?~ + 3.02adruid
++~ Moose? ~ + 3.04adruid
END

IF~~ 3.04adruid
SAY~Mooses? Er, moosi? Hm. Meese? No I’m pretty sure it was moose. They’re like sheep. They can sneak up on you in great numbers and you don’t even notice because it’s still just ‘moose’ and ‘sheep’.~
=~Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best argument. Let’s just say I’m not comfortable in the wild.~
++~ But you’re a half-elf. Part of you belong to the wild.~+ 3.02bdruid
++~ Is that why you became a thief? ~+ 3.03druid
END

IF~~ 3.05druid
SAY~A *bard*!? No. Just no. I found out I’m way too intelligent to be one. I don’t love my own voice and I wouldn’t be able to sing happy songs when someone is charging at me with a sword. I prefer to get behind people and stab them in the back.~
=~ Being a thief has countless other perks, too.~
IF~~ + 3.06druid
END

IF~~ 3.05adruid
SAY~Something like that. It’s survival of the fittest on the streets and how can you get food if you are too small to earn for it? ~
IF~~ + 3.06druid
END

IF~~ 3.06druid
SAY~One way or another, I’ll remember to avoid being caught looking through your things. I don’t fancy wild animals attacking me for that.~
++~ You’re actually telling me you’re going to steal my things? ~ + 3.07druid
++~ I’ll make sure to summon a legion of battle-ready squirrels to protect my things.~+ 3.07adruid
END

IF~~ 3.07druid
SAY~Of course not. I’ll just have a look around. Your journal seems to be an interesting goal to begin with.~
++ ~Don’t you dare.~+ 3.08druid
++~ You can expect nature’s wrath for that.~+ 3.08adruid
END

IF~~ 3.07adruid
SAY~I’m sure they’ll have to leave to eat or take a leak. I’ll wait for a crack in those heavy squirrel defenses before attacking. Your journal seems to be an interesting war spoil to acquire.~
++ ~That's why I said 'legion', Miles.  Someone will always be on watch.  *Always*.~ +3.08bdruid
++~ Don’t you dare. ~ +3.08druid
++~ You can expect nature’s wrath for that. ~ +3.08adruid
END

IF~~ 3.08druid
SAY~Be not afraid, <CHARNAME>. I was kidding. (Something in the way he winks at you and leaves you be afterwards tells you he was definitely *not* kidding.)~
IF~~ EXIT
END

IF~~ 3.08adruid
SAY~I always expect nature’s wrath. ~
IF~~ + 3.08druid
END


IF ~~ 3.08bdruid
SAY ~...don't say "always" like that ever again.  Gave me the creeps...~
IF~~ + 3.08druid

Here's a preview of NPC's portraits for your consideration:

Miles:


and Alastria, Miles' aunt, with Sir Nomnuts, her beloved squirrel familiar:


Art by me. Done in hours of toil, sweat, blood and tears. Well, I'm over-dramatizing. But don't steal or no cookies for you.

Hello and welcome to a little F.A.Q!

General Information
What is this then?
Miles is a new NPC we intend to add into the game, while trying to make him something of a new experience instead of making him 'just another romancable character'. (did you know romanceable, romancable and romance-able aren't even words? I learn something every day). Miles aside, it will also include other NPC's (one joinable under certain circumstances), quests, moose, and a good dose of humour.

Who is he?
Miles is a half-elven thief born and raised in Athkhatla, though that does not necessarily mean he spent his entire life in the City of Coin. Oh, and he stabs people sometimes.

WeiDU?
Yep.

So what about compatibility?
It's too early to say. This will be updated as we go.
Vivi here!  As far as the coding goes, every step that I know to take to help with compatibility has been and will be taken, but we won't know if there will be any crazy interferences with Obscure Mod X until much later in the future.

Does this mod have content for ToB?
Miles has content for both SoA and ToB. In fact we're not going to end SoA with any definite resolution, as some side quests will carry over to ToB and also some quests you do in SoA unlock secret silly things in ToB. In short: we treat SoA and ToB as one game.

Will he have crossmod content?
As soon as the mod has been properly developed, we will consider doing crossmod content.

What languages are you planning to include?
English for now. We'll think about translations later, when the mod is finished.

Is he going to be voiced?
Yes. Not only Miles, but also a few other characters will be voiced.

What will be his rating?
Tough question. Considering the amount of jokes of mature nature I'd say M, but seeing how every teenager will get it, we can say T. We will consult, analyze and update this if need be.
There won't be lengthy descriptions of reaction of PC's loins and things that people do between the sheets, in case you're curious.


The Gameplay
Race, class, stats, alignment?
He's a half-elven thief (true class) of Chaotic Neutral alignment.
Str: 14
Dex: 19
Con: 13
Int: 11
Wis: 12
Cha: 10

When and where will I find him?
Very early in the game - in fact he will be in a bit of trouble near the Adventurer's Mart just after the prologue's Château Irenicus dungeon crawl. (In short: from Chapter 1. You don't have to start Chapter 2 and go back for him to appear - he's there from the start.)

Will it be possible to leave him to wait somewhere?
If it's not the middle of nowhere, Miles may be willing to wait a day or two in an inn or within the safe walls of any city. If he is kicked out without PC asking to 'wait here', he'll go back to the Adventurer's Mart.
Don't leave him waiting too long if you want to enjoy romance path. He'll miss you for only so long before moving on with his personal life.

How about quests?
There will be Miles-related quests as well as missions for other NPCs (including his crazy aunt, Al). Quests happen in SoA and ToB. Some quests from SoA will reach a logical explanation and final resolution in ToB, so playing both games will be recommended.

Any alignment/reputation restrictions?
He'll stick around no matter what. He'll *complain* but he won't ditch you just because you're having a very bad murder-filled week -- alignment doesn't matter, so long as you're not looking for the romance. Read 'Romance related info' below for details.

What about his equipment?
He won't have any awesome shiny weapons, but he starts with an armour that he won't part with. It will be later on possible to upgrade it with a little help of Cromwell... unless he points you to someone else.



The Character
What's Miles like?
Awesome, can't you tell already?
But really, he's a cheerful guy with a slight kleptomaniac problem and major nature paranoia. Best judge yourself based on the previews to be supplied soon.

Why would he want to join my party in the first place?
Trust us -- as soon as you meet him, it won't be a mystery.

Friendship and Romance included, right?
There are total of 3 different paths: Friendship, Friends with Benefits, and Lovers. All will have dialogues, PiDs and Interjections as well as an Epilogue which alters depending on what PC says and does.

What is his full name anyway?
Just 'Miles'. If he has a surname, he haven't told me yet. I'll be sure to share if that ever happens.

Wait. Nature paranoia? Won't that be a problem?
It already is a problem. He will complain about going out into wilderness, but he's a man. He can get it together. For the most part. He may have a negative morale modifier when in certain areas, balanced with a positive morale boost when in cities and villages, it's still an open discussion.
Also be weary of walking too close to moose. It may trigger dialogues from time to time.
Same goes for squirrels.
Now that you have this knowledge, we can only hope you won't torture him with it.

How about other NPCs? Will he have interjections and the like?
Most definitely. He likes to talk. And while he won't pull a Cartman and declare 'Screw you guys, I'm going home' when you accept people into your party, he may have extensive quarrels with some. He won't kill anyone just for having a different opinion, though.
He has a problem with bards. Just saying.



Romance related info
Any restrictions?
Yes - first and foremost, he likes women. A lot. He'll only romance elves, half-elves and humans and PC's race may affect some dialogues. Not in some racist way, though. He's not a full-bred elf to be picky.
Also he will not romance Bhaalspawn of extreme alignment (not lawful good or chaotic evil), bards, paladins, and monks; as well as the following kits: barbarians, wild mages, berserkers, beast masters, and shapeshifters. (He's nature-paranoid, remember that.)
And amazon women freak him out.  Rule of thumb: if your character's class is known for crushing men with their pinky fingers, being a shining pillar of justice, or summoning (accidentally or otherwise) hoards of squirrels, don't even go there.

That is a lot of restrictions.
That's not a question.
But yeah. It all makes sense for his character. He's not a perfect, all-tolerating guy.

Wait, you said nature-paranoid, but the list doesn't speak about druids...why is it okay for him to romance a druid but not a beast master?
Good question. Druids may be in for all sorts of surprises.
I would put the word romance in quotes for the exact reasons you're thinking about right now, though.

How long is the romance?
Pretty long. The total number of LTs is still subject to change, I like to write a lot. However, you can safely assume every path will have +40 dialogues of varying length across SoA and ToB (plus situation-dialogues and the like).

PiDs, flirts, randomness?
Yes.

What about romantic conflicts?
Obviously, there are going to be some, but don't get too excited about any heated battles over the fair hand of the lovely maiden Bhaalspawn -- Miles isn't the jealous type.  That doesn't mean you can slap him around and treat him poorly without consequence, however.



Miscellaneous
Will he quote poetry?
No.

But...
No.

Will he woo the PC like there is no tomorrow?
He'll drop a joke every other minute. He won't fall to his knees and kiss the rim of her robe, or anything like that.
He "woos" in his own way, really.  It doesn't exactly fall in line with romance novel standards, but it's not like he's stale or standoffish.

That sounds pretty un-romantic. Is it really a romance mod?
Yes. Just not the extensively romantic one. People can love without yelling 'I love <CHARNAME>' at every corner. There are many other ways to show affection and fondness. Honestly, hugs are better than talking about being hugged.

And who are YOU people?
Silvi, the writer and Vivi, the coder and resident awesomeness specialist -- here, take my card.

Anything else?
You're welcome to drop by our forum for info and cookies. Information about the Walking Through Faerun mod, which will go with Miles, can be found there. As well as some other funsies. Silvivi Team Forum

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. And thou shalt receive answers as we bestow them onto thee in text adorned with pretty colours.