If only because it makes sense. Saving a cow from Xvarts - 10g Delivering Prism's Gems to Nashkel - 250g Killing the Ogre Mage in the sewer - 2000g Killing Bassilus the murderer/necromancer cleric - 5000g Killing Sarevok, stopping a war that would devastate two countries and saving thousands of lives - A pat on the shoulder and hearty 'Thanks mate!' before they kick you out.
There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mastercard.
@TehCerealKiller- Szass Tam is the Zulkir of Necromancy in Thay, he's also a lich and 30th level. Manshoon is the 23rd level wizard who founded the Zhentarim, Khelben Arunsen is also known as "The Blackstaff", and a 27th level wizard who was also one of Mystra's Chosen. His lover was Laeral Silverhand, one of the Seven Sisters (sister to Storm and Qilué Veladorn, The Symbul, Dove Falconhand, Alustriel and Syluné, who was better known as "The Witch of Shadowdale" and died in an attack of Dragons, surviving as a Spectral Harpist (a good-aligned undead spirit).
I am not an amazing repeater of lore like you, but I am glad to say that I actually new all of that. One of the first things you have said I knew everything about haha.
Maybe he could drop something that's useful but not balance breaking? A Bag of Holding? Some useful non-combat items? Anything else you can think of?
Bag of Holding is definitely balance breaking this early in the game, as you're able to collect 15-20k worth of gear in the initial dungeon+waukeens promenade
Problem is that in bg2 you are striped from all your possessions at the beginning ,so Item reward doesn't make any sense.
Not technically. You know how you usually find in the BG2 dungeon a Helm of Balduran and Mail of the Dead +2. It gives you that by default if you START with BG2, but if you import a character that has other items on them it will adjust accordingly. I found a chart somewhere (http://www.forgottenwars.com/bg1/miscellany.htm), and it describes that you can bring two items (plus the Golden Pantaloons) into BG2 from BG1. (I always liked to bring the Claw of Kazgaroth myself :P) So an item reward would make sense.
I knew I remembered Khelben from something that related to the player character. Also LadyRhian speaking of lore, Have you ever read the History of The Dead Three tome that Firebeard Elvenhair gives you in Beregost after you buy that other tome for him? I thought it was pretty cool to learn how Bhaal came to be the God of Murder.
How about this. Whenever Sarevok is returned to us after killing him under BG, he has the option to channel his/our essence back into his old gear? Useless +2 crap for us, personal "error sound" sarevok-slaps-your-hand-away gear when he has it, and it's epic stuff (perhaps not the +5 madness the one post spoke of, but +3-4 isn't unreasonable is it?) Since the sword of chaos already exists, +2 chaos armor(or something) would have to be made to go with it. Also, I distinctly remember getting an exp reward after killing him, useless of course since the game ends moments after, but you technically DO get something for killing him in the original game. :P
The game shouldn't let you import a BG1 char if you haven't killed Sarevok, pure and simple. Either beat BG1, or create a new char in BG2.
The problem is that in the default BG1, the game ends when you kill Sarevok, and you don't get a chance to save your party. This has changed with introduction of Baldur's Gate Trilogy and TUTU, but that would have to be included (at least in part) by the Overhaul team.
I don't see why we need a huge debate about this. Just because you can game the export system and bypass the battle with Sarevok doesn't mean that's how BG1 is meant to be played. And there's little point in winning any particular gear since you start with nothing in BG2 anyway - yes, the golden pantaloons and a few other items can be carried over, but it's not like those items are especially useful past the first few areas of BG2 anyhow.
@TehCerealKiller: But what would be the point? High-end gear in BG1 becomes obsolete in BG2 relatively quickly, you'd only end up selling it for something better...
Oh, come on you guys, if you really need a mechanical incentive to beat the mastermind villain in a story-driven game then you might as well just play hack-and-slash...
@shawne That's why I thought inserting a questline into BG2 that restores the full power of the Sword of Chaos would be cool or do something similar to ToB if you don't import a BG2 character it starts you off with some random stuff including a Bag of Holding. Either of these ideas would sufficient
@TehCerealKiller: But what would be the point? High-end gear in BG1 becomes obsolete in BG2 relatively quickly, you'd only end up selling it for something better...
Okay I have one major bone to pick over the BG1 equipment becoming useless for BG2. Mother F***ing cloak of Balduran! Good god, 25% magic resistance? +1 armor class, and plus +1 saving throws? And not just the crummy protection ring +1 kind of armor class, but a +1 that stacks! I'd use that thing in Throne of Bhaal. (And did so just recently)
I don't think you guys are being creative enough. Forget the Sword of Chaos. Forget Bhaalspawn powers.
You have friends in the Sword Coast, old party members make appearances in SoA, so why not other NPCs? Instead of starting the game with a bonus, an emissary from Baldur's Gate could visit you some point after you escape from the opening dungeon.
Skie and Eldoth, perhaps, sent to deliver a reward from the city (could honestly just be a gold) and offer to join the party again. Or Volothamp Geddarm, who we meet in Nashkel and don't see again until ToB, could hunt CHARNAME down for an interview. We could learn what has transpired in Baldur's Gate while you're imprisoned.
@Zadred_Darkflame Ohoohoo! That is pretty damn creative! I like it! I mean... probably not the gold reward, as that kind of takes away from the challenge of collecting the gold for Imoen, unless it's such a small amount that it's not really worth much anyways. Although I suppose if you added it as another quest to do of some sort that could be one of those things meant to help you get Imoen... that has some potential too.
Also I doubt they can touch someone as big named as Volo, but it would be pretty cool just to have a famous bard from Baldur's Gate or something of that nature. Perhaps even a newly added NPC or something.
I was thinking something small, tops 1000gp, as monies from the city of baldur's gate could be better spent rebuilding trade infrastructure, reimbursing claims of highway robbery, distributing cached iron throne iron to the farmers and other laborers, etc. A good character would happily accept this, as they wouldn't have "saved the sword coast" for the money. And an evil character would be far enough away where he couldn't really demand a higher sum. Also if you played an chaotic/evil character it could be argued that what would have been a far greater reward was being put to use burying all those flaming fist you killed instead of paying fines owed.
You could also give a different reward, or none at all depending on the character's reputation. If you're seen as just a more powerful evil that killed as many innocents as you did Sarevok's henchmen, I don't think they'd reward you for stopping the war, as you basically waged it.
The solution to this is very simple. Remember the sword that the Genie gives you in BGII for saving him from Irenicus? If you have killed Sarevok, have him drop "Sarevok's essence" that powers up that sword to something like a +3 and increases the special properties of it significantly.
Sarevok's something. Maybe the sheath to the sword, or a gauntlet, or an amulet, or a ring. Or a Gem containing a tiny fragment of his soul that he planned to use to resurrect himself should he die (because IIRC it's never adequately explained where he figured out how to do this), but his original plans were foiled when CHARNAME took it before he could do anything about it. Some sort of unique item that can be combined with the sword for neat results. Building off of the soul gem idea, carrying the gem (or the upgraded sword) all the way to Throne of Bhaal would allow you to use them to resurrect Sarevok rather than having him nick the tiny bit of soul from CHARNAME or Imoen, and potentially power up the sword even further for his use.
I'd definitely like to see some kind of reward item, but I'd much rather see it be something that can be used by any class (sheath being a cloak slot or a belt slot, gauntlet being bracer slot, amulet being neck slot, ring being a ring, gem being an Ioun Stone).
What I've always thought would be awesome, as a reward for killing Sarevok, would be to be able to venture down that huge canyon with all the bhaalspawn statues, and observe each one. Perhaps just a name and maybe even current location on each statue would sate my imagination. A thought, I reckon, worth exploring.
Comments
L.
That's a reward! Also, even if Sarevok can drop items, his corpse blocks acquisition of that item.
You have friends in the Sword Coast, old party members make appearances in SoA, so why not other NPCs? Instead of starting the game with a bonus, an emissary from Baldur's Gate could visit you some point after you escape from the opening dungeon.
Skie and Eldoth, perhaps, sent to deliver a reward from the city (could honestly just be a gold) and offer to join the party again. Or Volothamp Geddarm, who we meet in Nashkel and don't see again until ToB, could hunt CHARNAME down for an interview. We could learn what has transpired in Baldur's Gate while you're imprisoned.
Also I doubt they can touch someone as big named as Volo, but it would be pretty cool just to have a famous bard from Baldur's Gate or something of that nature. Perhaps even a newly added NPC or something.
You could also give a different reward, or none at all depending on the character's reputation. If you're seen as just a more powerful evil that killed as many innocents as you did Sarevok's henchmen, I don't think they'd reward you for stopping the war, as you basically waged it.
I'd definitely like to see some kind of reward item, but I'd much rather see it be something that can be used by any class (sheath being a cloak slot or a belt slot, gauntlet being bracer slot, amulet being neck slot, ring being a ring, gem being an Ioun Stone).