[Request] A Baldur's Gate Stronghold!

HeroicSpur

Baldur's Gate is already a very large game, coupled with new content it will, hopefully, become a true epic.

However, during all of that time, the player never really acquires any kind of 'base' or 'stronghold'. I think considering the increased size of the game, it would be excellent if the player could acquire some sort of fort or other building. Obviously having class specific BG2 style strongholds would be going way overboard, but it would be nice if there was a location to dump/store equipment, rest and yield the odd or small benefit/quest/income.

Otherwise you have to pick a spot where you want to store your stuff and just dump it all there. It feels a bit inappropriate leaving all my spare potions, weapons etc in a barrel.

EDIT: The principle idea so far is:

In the Nashkel aftermath CHARNAME could be awarded a house, as a gift by the mayor for your service (you do effectively save the entire future of the town). It could simply be a house with adjoining farmland you're gifted with.

-Obviously you could store your stuff and rest there
-Income may come in the form of farming revenue (50gp a week or something)
-Future opportunity may come through investing in land improvement
-People of Nashkel may ask favours of you
-Your small plot may find itself attacked by xvarts (trying to avenge Nexlit) and you may need to go to its defence

I'll edit this again if we get more popular alternatives.

lordkim

I like this one a lot !!

Ward

I don't like this idea. You're Gorion's young ward, thrust into the open world by the great evil and unmatched power of Sarevok. I don't think those humble beginnings mean a 'stronghold'. Storing equipment would be easy, more benefits aren't needed and you already have enough money not far in as it is.

Not having a base is the point. You've just be kicked out of Candlekeep and you must defend yourself (lawl).

In BG2 it makes a whole lot more sense. You've learnt of the cold hardness of the world and despite being left with nothing, you know better than you once did and you make friends who can better help you. Naila giving you her Stronghold is one example and it works nicely.

HeroicSpur

I appreciate that I may have got a bit over-excited by my definition of 'stronghold' but my intention was to keep it to something relatively minor, a place where you can easily store your equipment/rest etc. Stronghold these days tends to mean 'place that belongs to you'.

@Ward: Your reading that you're someone going out fending for yourself is a sensible one. However the PC does take charge of his/her situation very quickly. You go from one location to the next being a hero. I don't think it's right to say by the mid-stages of the game you're still a hapless foster child thrust into the world without a clue.

In fact you spend a lot more time in BG1 just wandering around the world and exploring (on non-story business) than you do in BG2.

In BG2 it makes no more sense than it does in BG1 to have a stronghold. You are in rapid pursuit of your kidnapped friend, it's not consistent with setting up shop and become the master of a keep or whatever else. Time is even more of the essence there than it is in BG1.

Ward

@HeroicSpur

It makes sense in BG2 because you don't recieve a stronghold off the bat. If you're a fighter and save Nalia's keep, with her father deceased, she passes it over to you as a base of operations to form your evil plans, er, I mean rescue attempts from. If you're a paladin, you join the Order of the Most Radiant So Totally Epic Holier-Than-You Heart and get your own little room.

I don't know anything about the other keeps, I haven't tried them. But I would hope you don't just get them for no reason at all. I think you get the Planar Sphere if you're a wizard.


The problem with BG1 is I don't know how you'd get a stronghold. The most reasonable time you might get a keep is after you save Nashkel in the mines. But you sure as hell wouldn't be able to waltz up to it in chapter 1 and start pushing your weight around. You'd have to do something epic, yes?

Alejandro

If it has some more to it, the yes. Maybe it could provide some income (like you said), or have some special quests that could only be started there, or it could be improved, or it could be attacked randomly. Anything that makes it a bit more interesting than just being a barrel disguised as a stronghold.

HeroicSpur

I wasn't suggesting that you would get it for no reason. It is true that some thought we would be needed as to where you could set one up, and the basis for it.

If you're thinking along the lines of Nashkel aftermath it could quite easily be a house awarded to you as a gift by the mayor for your service (you do effectively save the entire future of the town). It could simply be a house with adjoining farmland you're gifted with.

-Obviously you could store your stuff and rest there
-Income may come in the form of farming revenue (50gp a week or something)
-Future opportunity may come through investing in land improvement
-People of Nashkel may ask favours of you
-Your small plot may find itself attacked by xvarts (trying to avenge Nexlit) and you may need to go to its defence

Ward

@HeroicSpur

Now I reckon THAT is an EPIC idea. It makes a lot more sense, I was thinking a castle or something. I could start talking about historical accuracy and how in the Middle Ages knights were awarded castles and blah blah, but a house and farmland sounds good for Gorion's ward.

Besides, if we're talking about making Baldur's Gate historically accurate then they would NEVER waste a perfectly good keep with a full garrison on an inn. That would be occupied by one of the king's vassels.

HeroicSpur

@Ward: I only called it a stronghold because of the implications which are attached to that word (i.e. your own base), not to say that you should get a big castle.

Although that said, there is a certain stronghold which you do clear out in the game that might be put to better use than its former owners....

Alejandro

@HeroicSpur
It will be a great addition as long as it`s not like in Skyrim, for example. In Skyrim you did some random generic quests, then you got some money from those quest, and then you bought a house which was nothing but a disguised barrel.

As long as it has some meaning, then it`s fine by me, even if It`s only used to store items. Maybe like you said, saving the entire future of a town. Some other type of quest which requires real involvement with a cause or some meaningful action to be taken, would be okey as well.

HeroicSpur

It would be entirely up to the devs as to how much depth they would put into it, although I do take your point full Alejandro. I'm just very conscious about feasability, I don't want to stray this request into 'good idea but we don't have the time or resources to implement it' territory.

Alejandro

True true, I`ll try not to take your idea to that point. I am a dreamer, sorry hahaha.

Ward

@HeroicSpur

Which one? I can think of several.

HeroicSpur

@Ward: I think the Friendly Arm is an inn because it formerly was in the possession of evil forces. Bentley and his band cleared it out and decided to set up their own...'stronghold' there. Which in principle is an alternative manner in which CHARNAME could get one.

HeroicSpur

@Ward: Gnoll Stronghold

Although the problem with that is that it's perhaps a bit too out of the way.

Ward

@HeroicSpur

I like the idea of aquiring Gnoll Stronghold. Or atleast somethign being done with it. I was thinking of the bandit camp above the cloakwood mines, the little motte and bailey castle.

How about we take over the Iron Throne too? And last but not least Sarevok's tower. All kinds of lovely buildings to liberate man.

HeroicSpur

@Ward: Lol! And you were the one saying we wern't humble enough!

Ward

@HeroicSpur

Why be humble? I'm going to be the Lord of Murder! I'm going to assuming my late daddy's role as supreme bastard of cold blooded killing!

Start small, a piece of land in Nashkel with a cow like the one we gave that antidote to in Candlekeep. Then move on to greener pastures and bigger keeps.

HeroicSpur

Greener pastures come in BG2

Dee

See, I was thinking more along the lines of a room at the Friendly Arm Inn, so that when you're traveling between Nashkel and Baldur's Gate, you can rest there for free without being "waylaid by enemies".

I like the Nashkel idea too. But as a place that's at the southernmost point of the map, it's kind of too remote to be actually useful. I'd rather something in the middle of the map.

HeroicSpur

@Aosaw: a permanent room would be a nice alternative, presumably after having done some suitably heroic act to warrant it of course. If you were to have special encounters related to it, then you could have different, perhaps more imaginative ones associated with the room. They would, one would imagine, be more of a social nature.

Flauschig

Nice DLC idea

Communard

I think you should not be able to get a stronghold (that is a higher level), but gain a "stake" in some of the local institutions. You could become the apprentice of Thalantyr, an initiate into the Cloakwood Druids (your choice: Shadow or mainstream?), a member of one of the temples, etc. Think of it like a more permenant arrangement along the lines of the Thief quests from Narlen Darkwalk, you would get a room in the guild to store your things that could feel like "home".

Senash

While I do understand all the reasons @HeroicSpur lists here, I'm still with the ones who are against it. For the same reasons Ward said at the beginning of this thread. And also because you are an adventurer. You live on the road, you have nowhere to go, which is kinda the point of the story in BG.
A personal container would be nice though. Perhaps a bank where you could buy a deposit box?

Rogeveev

I really like the idea of @Communard...it would be nice to have a chance to become a member of some isntitution and it would fit in the story as well. as was said, the character is thrust into the world with almost nothing so it would be nice to have "protective wings" of some sort, or better said, it is just natural to look for some in that situation.

I was thinking about and it would be nice to have a "property" as well. Nothing fancy in the beginning but if you invested some gold and resources to it it would generate some income. I think this would make sense especially if devs make the game a little more difficult (in terms of gold, like more expensive equipment because of the iron crisis etc.) I have to admit, i do not like the fact that you can get really wealthy quite easy.

And last, the Gnoll Stronghold. That is place with so much potential it would be a crime not to use it. There is a possibility for more quests and story. It would not be good as a stronghold for the player, but once you clear it from gnolls there are many possibilities what to do. More former "owners" could appear (the player would choose which one to take it) and depending on the decision get some future rewards or bonuses. Later maybe defend the stronghold from gnolls trying to retake it. Really, the options are many.

Tanthalas

Technically, there actually is a quest in BG1 that rewards you with some real-estate.

Rogeveev

Technically, there actually is a quest in BG1 that rewards you with some real-estate.

Which one? When I think about it, i remember two quests which leave you with empty property...Joia's house in FAI or Landrin's house in Beregost...

Tanthalas

There's a quest where after you cure someone's petrification she awards you with the house in the lake south of Beregost.

Rogeveev

Oh...well, that house used to be in a better condition I guess :-D

kamuizin

Didn't like the idea.
1° you're being hunted. A fix base is a flash point to anyone that want to kill you.
2° if everything on BG2 exist in BG the game will lose the flavor when we reach Amn.

Space_hamster

I shall find a hollowed out tree in the wood of sharp teeth, kick out the squirrels, and stash my stuff there. There will be goodberries, goodberries for everyone!