Clara DLC/Patch. Spoilers inside.
Khyron
Member Posts: 635
I've not yet seen an actual Feature request for this, so here it is.
If it already exists somewhere, then I'm sure the Devs will remove this potential redundancy.
I'll join the masses who want to keep Clara around.
I really loved her picture and the initial character and thought she was pretty neat to have around.
Yes, there's a Clara mod in the works over at SHS, but truth be known I don't think it looks any good, nor is it part of the actual official game.
The whole Hexxat thing was quite disappointing and it's all just.. meh.
An evil, undead thief? How am I -ever- going to incorporate that in a neutral or good party?
I don't understand why you Dev's even made an evil thief to begin with.
Sure there was a lack of useful evil thieves.. but the options on neutral/good ain't exactly overwhelming either with either Jan or Imoen, both who are rather insufferable and boring.
So here's my request:
Make Clara a viable and proper NPC.
Let us rescue her from Hexxat.
Give her a bit of more background, perhaps a few interjections here and there.
A romance isn't really requiered, but it would be fun.
In case you vote no, please share your reasons for this.
"Dev's should be working on other things.. bla bla" - Their priorities is not the issue here.
If it already exists somewhere, then I'm sure the Devs will remove this potential redundancy.
I'll join the masses who want to keep Clara around.
I really loved her picture and the initial character and thought she was pretty neat to have around.
Yes, there's a Clara mod in the works over at SHS, but truth be known I don't think it looks any good, nor is it part of the actual official game.
The whole Hexxat thing was quite disappointing and it's all just.. meh.
An evil, undead thief? How am I -ever- going to incorporate that in a neutral or good party?
I don't understand why you Dev's even made an evil thief to begin with.
Sure there was a lack of useful evil thieves.. but the options on neutral/good ain't exactly overwhelming either with either Jan or Imoen, both who are rather insufferable and boring.
So here's my request:
Make Clara a viable and proper NPC.
Let us rescue her from Hexxat.
Give her a bit of more background, perhaps a few interjections here and there.
A romance isn't really requiered, but it would be fun.
In case you vote no, please share your reasons for this.
"Dev's should be working on other things.. bla bla" - Their priorities is not the issue here.
- Clara DLC/Patch. Spoilers inside.313 votes
- Yes, I would like to see Clara as a proper NPC.68.37%
- No..19.49%
- Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries! (aka: I don't care)12.14%
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Comments
Onto the real reason: Clara is monotoned and dull the entire time. And the entire time you are thinking "what is with her? What is in that tomb? Can I clear her mind so she can think rationally? Can she snap out of this funk?" You are thinking all about HER. However, when you get to the tomb, something entirely unexpected happens.
And BLAM! Clara suddenly snaps out of it and pleads for her life in such a heart-wrenching way (the voice actress is SUPERB), that it's impossible NOT to feel for her. Evidently, it worked, everyone and their dog wants her as an NPC because there could be "more to her." And this is exactly why she should remain dead. Maybe you can tell me why you would want to take such a powerful scene away from the game?
Moreover, I don't really think there would be much more to her. Came to the city to be an actress, failed, and became an average piddling thief around the slums. Hexxat tells you all there is to know. You can faff any character up to a point where they are interesting, but then you'd have fans demanding other things. Like me, for example, to be able to recruit the likes of Xzar, Faldorn, or have Minsc's Wychlaran story resolved.
These things will never happen.
Lastly, I'd like to add that an evil thief (along with the evil Dorn) FINALLY enables a character to round out an evil party. Something that was sorely missing from the original. So the evil thief was needed. This game has been out for over a decade. And for over a decade, people have made do with charname thieves, ctrl + Q-ing a random thief if they felt like it, Imoen, Jan, even Nalia. THAT'S why Hexxat had to be evil.
People may not be happy with it, but I think it was a bold move from the devs (and I rarely praise them). I think they should stand firm on the matter. Clara is dead. Do try your best to move on.
I'm all for making perhaps another NPC thief. Or while we are at it, why not have Eric Vanstraaten as a joinable NPC? I always liked that Paladin. The Shadow Thieves help you in Bodhi's Lair for their own gain. Drizzt helps you because he's world-famous and known for being a hero (and will not help you if you are evil and provoke him). Vanstraaten is the odd man out. He's a nobody. He helps you for no reason other than *it's the right thing to do* (even if you are playing an evil bastard.) If devs invest any time into developing a character who temporarily joins you, it should be him, not Clara.
So, yes. Explain to me why you would want to take away such a powerful moment from the game. I can't see any reason to, other than "oh, it's so sad." Give me a break, there's quite a few sad scenes in the game. Should we fix them all so the whole thing is a feel-good experience and neuters storytelling and immersion?
I couldn't care less about the "emotional" side of things here.
Clara has the potential to be an awesome npc. The game needs more of them, and specifically more thieves. I can't see a reason to -not- make a full npc out of her, seeing how most of the rough work has already been done.
I could go on all day. There are so many. Clara is no more interesting than the aforementioned ones. If anything, she is less interesting. Honestly, I'd like to see any of them as an NPC before her.
So explain to me what potential she has, aside from evoking the emotional response she did from players? And why she should deserve a spot above any of these characters, who would be awesome as hell to have as party members, when she is nothing but a means to an end, as are many of these for the story. Her simply joining you temporarily shouldn't grant her extra rights for NPC status over these others. Especially because she is not fleshed out in any way (in fact, some of the aforementioned are more fleshed out and have better bases for development, despite never joining you in game). So why should Clara get a spot over Lavok? Or Calahan? Or anyone else?
To be exact, I'd choose XZAR. Why should Clara be saved if Xzar doesn't? To hell with party balance, I could dual him to thief if I wanted one.
Because I and many others want her to be a proper npc, that's why.
I want her as a proper npc, so i made a feature request. If i wanted any other, I'd make a request about them, but I didn't.
It was never intended as Clara vs Another npc. It's a measurement of if we want Clara as an NPC, and I would love to see her as one, as do many others.
Maybe it would be refreshing to see a more "normal" person for once, someone who is not a worldly type who has seen it all and know just what to say and do in any given situation. Hell I'd even go as far as saying that such an NPC is exactly what the game needs for a bit of different scenery, and Clara is exactly that.
I'd vote a thousand times for Xzar/Montaron over Clara. But I also realise it's never going to happen. They're dead. I've made my peace with it, with the help of extensive therapy. Hopefully, OP and everyone else on this "we want Clara" bandwagon can do the same.
As for your "normal" person argument, not a worldly type who's seen it all, etc.... We already have two of them, in the shape of Aerie and Nalia. Both young and naive, and learn a lot at charname's side, with their wide-eyed wonder. We really don't need more.
So yes, you want her. But it doesn't sound like there's any reason behind it other than "I want her." Why would devs waste time and energy on something, when far better alternatives exist? Until you rid yourself of the alternatives, your proposal will likely not go through. And Clara has a LOT to get through to be a viable NPC.
Really, suggesting mass therapy because people disagree with you doesn't seem that well adjusted to me, even as a joke.
I could always throw you a curve ball and say that the reason you're so against this is because you just love to play an evil Charname and now you finally feel vindicated since there's a truly evil npc for you to play with, and any tampering with it would damage your now inflated feelings of being in the right after all these years. But that's besides the point and not really worth getting into.. nor do i really put any weight behind it, because it's just me comming down to your level. However, i suspect you can't resist replying to it ..
Anyway, back to topic:
I actually feel that Clara would be a great addition to my group of adventurers. She'd fit in just perfect as a protege, someone who needs to be shown the ropes and add a little more depth to the interactions within the party itself. Travelling around 6 hardasses together get's a little stale at times and some new blood with an inexperienced view on things would be great. Hell it even spawns an idea in my mind for a completely different story arc of it's own.. The dancing woman turned thief who learned her tricks under the ruthless/kind/indifferent/whatever tutelage of the one surviving powerfull Bhaalspawn, hah!
Back to the topic, you said: "I actually feel that Clara would be a great addition to my group of adventurers. She'd fit in just perfect as a protege, someone who needs to be shown the ropes and add a little more depth to the interactions within the party itself. Travelling around 6 hardasses together get's a little stale at times and some new blood with an inexperienced view on things would be great. Hell it even spawns an idea in my mind for a completely different story arc of it's own.. The dancing woman turned thief who learned her tricks under the ruthless/kind/indifferent/whatever tutelage of the one surviving powerfull Bhaalspawn, hah!
This character type already exists! Get Nalia as your little protege. She's perfect for what you just described. We don't need replicas of NPC's. Nalia and Aerie exist already of that wide-eyed, inexperience archtype. Or ctrl+Q some random Thief and imagine a cool story for her. That's what imagination is for. It's definitely not about a mass complaint because a certain NPC would fit into YOUR style of play. And it's funny you accuse me of feeling vindicated and being against this when everything you say is reminding me of a baby wanting its bottle. Calm down. It's painfully clear you want this for some personal reason, and you are trying to project that onto everyone else. Not everyone's going to agree. That's no reason to essentially call them psychopaths.
I worry about people sometimes.
How is this not suggesting mass therapy? Even so, you keep suggesting i pick up Nalia or Aerie or whatever else. I don't really care for those characters, nor for your attempts at convincing me to settle for second best or whatever it is you're tring to get across here.
I'm saying I like Clara, I'd like to see her as an NPC. My motivations for this should be irrelevant.
I happen to think that she's a fantastic prospect, with great voice acting, profile pic and I just happen to like the character. Can't see how it's so upsetting for you that I made a feature request about it.
It's not like it's a crap game without a full npc version of Clara, hell i'll enjoy the game to bits anyway.
I just happen to think that it'd be a richer experience with her. I understand that you disagree.
Clara is an interesting character from the get go, she is constantly distracted but this single minded goal, being able to rescue clara would open up to an interesting story / quest (perhaps) in learning how clara got trapped, maybe she was a slave, maybe it was a bargain for power, maybe she is just an idiot it would be up to the writers if something like this was planned.
(the following is speculation becuase i killed hexxat and i dont want spoilers as i intend to pick her up next)
the enigma surrounding clara and hexxats relationship alone is enough for a few quests, and learning about this could give context on to just how old, evil and/or powerful hexxat really is, clara could have been a member / leader of a cult devoted to hexxat (an area could be added in the temple sewers where the cult lives leading to a possible relation to the sightless eye cult aswell)
as an example we are going to assume clara willingly wanted to help hexxat in a lust for power and you kill hexxat and save clara against her will. she could follow you because she has nowhere else to go / plans revenge for you, you could then show her that undeath isnt really a good thing and that the power is only always temporary leading her to find new purpose in life.
or for evil characters, you could overpower her and make her beg to become your servant instead and breed a new bhaalspawn or something like that. (i dont give much thought to evil story lines as i like playing good guys)
now the above stories could factor into a romance for both genders because saving = love *shrug* i dont know but honestly i think there are enough love interests (for males at least) ill only be choosing jaheira / aerie or neera, they are the only 3 out of how ever many that i like, if i do an evil group ill probably go with viconia just because but again i rarely go evil.
i think with such little back story the writers could do something amazing, hell maybe have a side quest where hexxat still kills clara but after becoming friends with CHARNAME give him / her the idea to do a true ressurection ritual to bring clara back, that way you could have both characters, but im just thinking outloud.
I love new NPC's. I want there to be an endless supply of them. I just don't see redundant prospects such as Clara as viable. Not from a storytelling perspective, nor an NPC-related one. Even her character archtype already exists, as I've mentioned, in both Nalia and Aerie. As for second best, I'd take Nalia any day over Clara. Mage and Thief? Yes, please! (granted she is not the greatest thief, but this can be helped by some spells and potions along the way when she struggles. Better NPC than Clara who is not a mage and can never be one.) Besides, Nalia is good-aligned, neutering your complaint of Clara being evil. I just don't see what leg you have to stand on. I've not heard one solid, definitive argument as for why she should be brought back, but I've presented tonnes of why she shouldn't.
In conclusion: Clara would bring nothing new to the table.
Nothing.
Her greatest achievement is the shock value of what happens to her, and the "what might have been" reflection of the player after the event.
Perhaps a storyline with Hexxat and Clara could make a really interesting take on the dilemma and actually tell a story around it.
Haha, imagine Clara's horror at being killed off by vampires TWICE.. if she became a romance option that is. Poor girl
nalia -wants- to help people
aerie -wants- to help people
clara -needs- to go to the tomb of dragomir, she -needs- to awaken hexxat, why? she doesn't explain, she barely knows why only that she needs to do it. after the deed is done hexxat could explain after becoming chummy with CHARNAME that what hexxat did is indeed reversible and you could learn claras story and maybe clara still wants to be with hexxat, you could have conga line of clara follows hexxat who follows you. you could keep clara as distracted as she is and turn her into a thrall which you could convince to follow you instead of hexxat. another possible story line.
the fact so little is known about clara means so much can be done with her. it makes sense that clara is pissed at hexxat for killing her, but it also makes sense the clara wants to continue being a servant of hexxat, so much could be done and it brings the moral thought of "does absolute power corrupt absolutely?" a moral dilemma of "do i continue to serve the one woman ive served for all my life" (again an example), "do i forge my own path in light of what ive seen" or "do i serve the person who saved me from death and undeath" but again im just thinking outloud, i get what your saying, yes she is supposed to die to fuel hexxat and thus she shouldn't come back, but i dont think it would ruin hexxats character, if written right it could evolve hexxat to a more fuller understanding person so despite being a vampire she retains her humanity which could lead to more emotional investment
Also please use proper capitalization, your posts are painful to read.