Baldur's Gate 3 2: The Rebalduring
Sep. 10th, 2023 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrYep, I'm playing it again. Going slower this time, and probably won't have as much to say about it, but having fun! I'm playing a gnome barbarian, which is great, their axe is bigger than their head :D
I'm only in Act 1. I'll try to avoid overtly spoiling later parts of the game in this post, but having finished the game does influence my choices and experience.
Masterpost
So! Meet my gnome barbarian Tavh. Not my most creative name choice, but I wanted something similar to the default "Tav" and couldn't think of anything better.
*pokes behind the name* Hmm. Maybe I'll change it to Stav, if only in my head. That's gender neutral and kinda sounds like stab.
Here's my guardian design, I was aiming for friendly looking yet unsettling.
My first attempt at a new character was this halfling bard, who I was perfectly happy with until a few seconds into actually playing the game when my brain went "I WANT TO PLAY A GNOME BARBARIAN". Oh well. I do want to play a bard at some point but might go for a drow, I hear they have interesting special dialogue.
It was only after designing both characters that I realised that between them they look a bit like me (short, freckled, dark haired etc)... oh well, what's a self insert for, eh?
Anyway. The aim with Tavh/Stav is to do all the things I wanted to do with Tav and couldn't, specifically interesting quests I didn't get around to or screwed up, and getting to know Gale and Lae'zel. Also romancing Astarion, though I'm not opposed to romancing Gale or Lae'zel if that ends up more appealing.
Astarion was in Tav's default party and Wyll wasn't, but I'm planning on playing Stav as the kind of snarky and morally ambiguous type who would despise Wyll as a sanctimonious cop. Gale is also pretty Good but I can see him and Stav clicking better. Also (a) Astarion is too much fun to not romance and (b) SOMEONE has to open the locks.
I don't have it in me to be outright evil, and thus far the "be basically decent but in a kinda assholey way" approach is getting me little bits of approval from all three members of the party at different times. While I want approval from Astarion and Lae'zel, Stav is just being themself, and thinks those two are amusing but a bit too bloodthirsty to ever be real friends.
The aim is to use intimidate/strength checks as often as possible, but also be fairly clever and sneaky. Stav could manipulate people but scaring them is more fun. Unlike Tav, they are not remotely above reading people's minds, and have better stats for it, too.
Everyone looks so TALL from Stav's perspective, it's kinda fun. Stav still manages to scare most people into doing what they want, though they did lose an intimidate check on a squirrel. (I could have rerolled, but it's funnier this way) Naturally I acquired "talk to animals" as quickly as possible, even if I can't BE an animal any more.
Stav: Why is there a completely blood-drained boar here?
Astarion: Who cares? It's a dead animal. Animals die. Move on!
Stav: *insight check succeeds* You're hiding something.
Astarion: I. Uh. Well! I realised a vampire did it! And didn't want to worry you! Terrifying things, vampires. But you don't need to worry. I'll take first watch tonight. Keep you safe :)
What a sweet boy.
I was expecting Astarion to grow on them over time, and that's working out pretty well so far! I was not expecting Lae'zel to proposition them for sex QUITE so early in the game, I thought about it for a moment but decided I want Stav to be her bff. She needs a bff more than sex.
Right now I'm heading into fighting the goblin camp and haven't made many hugely different decisions, but I've been going about things a little differently (more demanding of money, for a start) and have encountered a surprising number of things I missed the first time, through a combination of following a guide and just happening to wander in a new direction.
Like the guy in the marsh Astarion is racist to! Not fantasy racist, actual "judging a human being by their ethnicity and repeating negative stereotypes about them" racist, you can even call him out on it. The Gur are a nomadic people who hunt monsters, and afaict experience prejudice similar to that experienced by real life nomadic people like the Roma. They specifically hate Astarion because he stole their children. While I was deciding how to handle this without alienating Astarion or feeling like I was being racist Astarion got nervy and STABBED THE GUY IN THE FACE.
I had to replay that section and decided to just...not talk to that guy again.
I had to kill all the thieves in the underground base after I stole from them, oops. I decided that really was a logical consequence of my actions so I'd just have to live with it.
It's interesting talking to Gale now I have a better grasp of his character. He's an interesting guy, he genuinely tries to be kind and decent but is also incredibly power hungry. And apparently willing to roll with it if you go Full Evil. I certainly haven't been losing approval from him when I do small petty nasty things every now and then. Hopefully he won't fall madly in love with Stav like he did Tav, but if he does Stav won't feel so bad about hurting his feelings.
I'm not really talking to Karlach, Shadowheart or Wyll but still make a vague effort to be nice to them. Shadowheart is so unfriendly if you don't make an effort to crack her shell, I don't think Stav likes her much haha. It'll be interesting learning more about her Whole Deal from the plot without having had the chance to talk to her much about it first.
I am really enjoying using Barbarian Intimidate on people to get my way. It functions very similarly to persuading them nicely did, but feels different.
Act 1 goals I didn't manage last time:
- rescue the baby owlbear
- visit the githyanki creche
- defeat Ethel
- reveal Kagha's evil motives
Overall game goal I didn't manage last time:
- save EVERY gnome in peril.
Thus far these are all going well!
I've also been trying a little bit to learn more of the mechanics, especially for magic, since I really didn't know how to use that properly last time (a problem when your party has three spellcasters). I have thus... actually taught Gale some spells from scrolls! Which is a thing you can do! And I rearranged which spells he has prepared! Which is also a thing you can do!! I looked up a guide and it suggested teaching him crowd control stuff like grease (makes enemies fall over) and darkness (makes enemies blind), which contradicts my usual "hit things until they die" strategy but I'm giving it a go and it's working ok! Exciting stuff.
(Still using cheats sometimes though)
And I think that's a good place to stop! Might try poking Behind the Name again, I'm not really happy with Stav either...
I'm only in Act 1. I'll try to avoid overtly spoiling later parts of the game in this post, but having finished the game does influence my choices and experience.
Masterpost
So! Meet my gnome barbarian Tavh. Not my most creative name choice, but I wanted something similar to the default "Tav" and couldn't think of anything better.
*pokes behind the name* Hmm. Maybe I'll change it to Stav, if only in my head. That's gender neutral and kinda sounds like stab.
Here's my guardian design, I was aiming for friendly looking yet unsettling.
My first attempt at a new character was this halfling bard, who I was perfectly happy with until a few seconds into actually playing the game when my brain went "I WANT TO PLAY A GNOME BARBARIAN". Oh well. I do want to play a bard at some point but might go for a drow, I hear they have interesting special dialogue.
It was only after designing both characters that I realised that between them they look a bit like me (short, freckled, dark haired etc)... oh well, what's a self insert for, eh?
Anyway. The aim with Tavh/Stav is to do all the things I wanted to do with Tav and couldn't, specifically interesting quests I didn't get around to or screwed up, and getting to know Gale and Lae'zel. Also romancing Astarion, though I'm not opposed to romancing Gale or Lae'zel if that ends up more appealing.
Astarion was in Tav's default party and Wyll wasn't, but I'm planning on playing Stav as the kind of snarky and morally ambiguous type who would despise Wyll as a sanctimonious cop. Gale is also pretty Good but I can see him and Stav clicking better. Also (a) Astarion is too much fun to not romance and (b) SOMEONE has to open the locks.
I don't have it in me to be outright evil, and thus far the "be basically decent but in a kinda assholey way" approach is getting me little bits of approval from all three members of the party at different times. While I want approval from Astarion and Lae'zel, Stav is just being themself, and thinks those two are amusing but a bit too bloodthirsty to ever be real friends.
The aim is to use intimidate/strength checks as often as possible, but also be fairly clever and sneaky. Stav could manipulate people but scaring them is more fun. Unlike Tav, they are not remotely above reading people's minds, and have better stats for it, too.
Everyone looks so TALL from Stav's perspective, it's kinda fun. Stav still manages to scare most people into doing what they want, though they did lose an intimidate check on a squirrel. (I could have rerolled, but it's funnier this way) Naturally I acquired "talk to animals" as quickly as possible, even if I can't BE an animal any more.
Stav: Why is there a completely blood-drained boar here?
Astarion: Who cares? It's a dead animal. Animals die. Move on!
Stav: *insight check succeeds* You're hiding something.
Astarion: I. Uh. Well! I realised a vampire did it! And didn't want to worry you! Terrifying things, vampires. But you don't need to worry. I'll take first watch tonight. Keep you safe :)
What a sweet boy.
I was expecting Astarion to grow on them over time, and that's working out pretty well so far! I was not expecting Lae'zel to proposition them for sex QUITE so early in the game, I thought about it for a moment but decided I want Stav to be her bff. She needs a bff more than sex.
Right now I'm heading into fighting the goblin camp and haven't made many hugely different decisions, but I've been going about things a little differently (more demanding of money, for a start) and have encountered a surprising number of things I missed the first time, through a combination of following a guide and just happening to wander in a new direction.
Like the guy in the marsh Astarion is racist to! Not fantasy racist, actual "judging a human being by their ethnicity and repeating negative stereotypes about them" racist, you can even call him out on it. The Gur are a nomadic people who hunt monsters, and afaict experience prejudice similar to that experienced by real life nomadic people like the Roma. They specifically hate Astarion because he stole their children. While I was deciding how to handle this without alienating Astarion or feeling like I was being racist Astarion got nervy and STABBED THE GUY IN THE FACE.
I had to replay that section and decided to just...not talk to that guy again.
I had to kill all the thieves in the underground base after I stole from them, oops. I decided that really was a logical consequence of my actions so I'd just have to live with it.
It's interesting talking to Gale now I have a better grasp of his character. He's an interesting guy, he genuinely tries to be kind and decent but is also incredibly power hungry. And apparently willing to roll with it if you go Full Evil. I certainly haven't been losing approval from him when I do small petty nasty things every now and then. Hopefully he won't fall madly in love with Stav like he did Tav, but if he does Stav won't feel so bad about hurting his feelings.
I'm not really talking to Karlach, Shadowheart or Wyll but still make a vague effort to be nice to them. Shadowheart is so unfriendly if you don't make an effort to crack her shell, I don't think Stav likes her much haha. It'll be interesting learning more about her Whole Deal from the plot without having had the chance to talk to her much about it first.
I am really enjoying using Barbarian Intimidate on people to get my way. It functions very similarly to persuading them nicely did, but feels different.
Act 1 goals I didn't manage last time:
- rescue the baby owlbear
- visit the githyanki creche
- defeat Ethel
- reveal Kagha's evil motives
Overall game goal I didn't manage last time:
- save EVERY gnome in peril.
Thus far these are all going well!
I've also been trying a little bit to learn more of the mechanics, especially for magic, since I really didn't know how to use that properly last time (a problem when your party has three spellcasters). I have thus... actually taught Gale some spells from scrolls! Which is a thing you can do! And I rearranged which spells he has prepared! Which is also a thing you can do!! I looked up a guide and it suggested teaching him crowd control stuff like grease (makes enemies fall over) and darkness (makes enemies blind), which contradicts my usual "hit things until they die" strategy but I'm giving it a go and it's working ok! Exciting stuff.
(Still using cheats sometimes though)
And I think that's a good place to stop! Might try poking Behind the Name again, I'm not really happy with Stav either...
no subject
Date: 2023-09-11 12:16 am (UTC)I always feel really bad about doing remotely sketchy things (don't know what I was thinking with the Dark Urge haha), but I enjoy them vicariously, so this was really fun to read about. I'm curious how the dynamic with Gale will wind out for an edgier personality than your Tav's—I barely hit level 3 on the cleric of Mystra/Gale romance attempt and trying to win him over is absurdly easy thus far, lol.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-12 04:33 am (UTC)Yeah I'm not even trying to win Gale over and being a bit of a jerk and he still likes Stav more than anyone else in the party does, including Astarion.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-11 10:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-12 04:27 am (UTC)Yeah I'm looking forward to actually seeing the creche at last! I've been thinking it would be fun to play a githyanki, along with all the other things I keep thinking it would be fun to play...