To be honest, I think it's kind of unfair to call a character out for being unique. In a campaign that deals with killing an Archmage and a variety of incredibly powerful foes, it stands to reason that you'd need the very best. Furthermore, this uniqueness can lead to a lot of interesting content if done well.
I only take issue with such things when the character either becomes the primary focus of the game (especially when it is to the detriment of other characters), is so overpowered that they render even a metagamer's player defunct, or when a unique quirk or characteristic is poorly implemented.
For example, if this Aeon fellow simply has a Moonblade, it's mentioned a few times and is acknowledged as rare, and this is explained well without making him out to be some kind of divine prodigy who is an honorary elf, then I have no problem with it. If his possession of a Moonblade makes him incredibly overpowered, his banters with other characters make them seem out of character or unusually incompetent/warped in personality, or is poorly explained and handled badly, then I agree that it's cause for concern.
Anyway, just did a bit of digging into my sourcebooks. In Faiths and Avatars (AD&D), under the entry for Selune, there is a 3rd level spell "Moon Blade". The last line in the description says:
"This spell is as no connection with the enchanted items known as moonblades borne and made by some elves."
This should put it to rest since it's quoted direct from a sourcebook. Hope this helps
@Tome I mostly agree, therefore I am withholding further "judgment" until I have seen him and know his full story. It just seemed at first sight a little 'too unique. I have played arcane caster dwarves, but that was Charname. As you say, no npc should steal Charname's spotlight.
If it can be suppressed in such a manner, I would say it's not out of the question for a non-elf to be able to wield it.
I was half-expecting Starym Moonblade to pop up, and it did.
This is a very rare occurrence, and IIRC it's unique. Starym Moonblade is also an artifact, which is far more powerful than any other category of magical items in the game. In Volo's Guide, the history is traced to the founding of Myth Drannor, and this is a very removed era (several hundred years before BG setting), and a god (Moander) intervened. This shouldn't be used as an example of suspending normal canon restriction, else the elves would already have made pacts with other gods to have more such moonblades.
Also, the source material states clearly that the artifact seeks a full-blooded Starym elf to wield it. In this sense, the restriction is still preserved in a way, that non-elves are not to use this type of weapon.
I thought that all moonblades were artifacts? Really, Xan's should have been far more powerful than it was. I fully accept that it's a very unlikely set of events, but it remains a precedent.
Also, it's worth noting that Moander was bound and a lesser power at very best at the time.
Either way, it's a moot point until someone who's actually played the mod shares the actual reasoning for it. xD
@jacobtan Good that you mention Myth Drannor. In the bio it is mentioned that Aeon went to Myth Drannor, no mention of an adventurer's party, and he just seems to stumble upon a moonblade there. Fun fact: Myth Drannor was overrun by demons for hundreds of years before BG events and would not have been cleared out until several years after. I don't yet see how an 8th level character (BG2 beginning stats?) could get there and safely return without an army or at least a very able party of adventurers...
I thought that all moonblades were artifacts? Really, Xan's should have been far more powerful than it was. I fully accept that it's a very unlikely set of events, but it remains a precedent.
Also, it's worth noting that Moander was bound and a lesser power at very best at the time.
Either way, it's a moot point until someone who's actually played the mod shares the actual reasoning for it. xD
Actually, IIRC artifacts and relics are a class above normal magical items, including staves of the magi, holy avengers, moonblades, and so on. In the sourcebooks, they are typically sentient (tries to dominate wielder to do its bidding), cursed (to balance the powers), and very extreme methods are required to destroy them.
For me, I love reading the sourcebooks (up to AD&D 2nd Ed... I hate the 3rd Ed and beyond), so in a way, I'm very picky about inaccuracies in mods. To play about with the canon, it has to be at least semi-canon (e.g. the BG games) and a VERY good reason be given (i.e. VERY good story). Else I'll hate it. LOL
Anyway, for info, Starym Moonblade has the following powers:
1. Long Sword +3, +5 vs Humans and Half-Elves 2. Sentient, tries to dominate wielder 3. Teleport without Error 4. Detect Gems and Precious Metals 5. Project a Mythal Ghost (7th-level fighter that can cast Wail of the Banshee)
It's cursed:
1. Non-elves suffer 8d6 damage per round if holding it
It can only be destroyed by:
1. Bathed in the tears of Queen Amlaruil of Evermeet 2. Shattered by Eldath, goddess of peace 3. If the mythal of Myth Drannor is destroyed.
Most certainly, an item like this... is way out of a typical CRPG, even BG.
@Sjerrie Yes I agree. This is a fun learning moment, so let's get back to topic, if we're continuing it. LOL
For me, I love reading the sourcebooks (up to AD&D 2nd Ed... I hate the 3rd Ed and beyond), so in a way, I'm very picky about inaccuracies in mods. To play about with the canon, it has to be at least semi-canon (e.g. the BG games) and a VERY good reason be given (i.e. VERY good story). Else I'll hate it. LOL
A kindred spirit! I have been playing the games and reading the sourcebooks for years, up to 3.5ed (4th ed screwed way too much with my beloved Forgotten Realms). Last month was my first EVER P&P session. In 4th ed. xD
But yeah. Let's talk about another mod, and in the meantime I'll see if I can create extra time for an Aeon playthrough. xD
I've been thinking of trying to write a deconstruction of this kind of Sue-ish character, actually.
Basically, they would be a true neutral sorcerer with average stats but a lot of powerful treasures and reputation for defeating a powerful lich. The twist would come from their personal quest, where it's revealed that they actually did beat a lich-through sheer dumb luck, and without destroying the phylactery. You could then choose to either help them track down the phylactery and end the lich for good, or let the lich reform and thus destroying their reputation. Their banters would depend on Wisdom and Intelligence-characters with high mental stats will see through their ruse and thus treat them with mistrust or distaste, but more gullible characters would hero-worship and treat them like a full-blown Sue. I'm still hazy on details though.
I've been thinking of trying to write a deconstruction of this kind of Sue-ish character, actually.
Basically, they would be a true neutral sorcerer with average stats but a lot of powerful treasures and reputation for defeating a powerful lich. The twist would come from their personal quest, where it's revealed that they actually did beat a lich-through sheer dumb luck, and without destroying the phylactery. You could then choose to either help them track down the phylactery and end the lich for good, or let the lich reform and thus destroying their reputation. Their banters would depend on Wisdom and Intelligence-characters with high mental stats will see through their ruse and thus treat them with mistrust or distaste, but more gullible characters would hero-worship and treat them like a full-blown Sue. I'm still hazy on details though.
I'd give a few comments, but I don't want to hijack this thread. Shall we reopen a new thread for this?
Just wanted to clarify: Aeon was one of Lava Del'Vortel's earliest BG2 mods and was self-admittedly written as kinda Mary Sue-ish. However the writing itself was far from bad (if you can overlook the language errors, the author is non-English 1st language) and his later mods are beautiful. (seriously, try Tales of the Deep Gardens, one of the best non-FR setting mods around, and BGEE compatible I believe)
Saerileth has lines directly taken from Shakespeare, mostly from Romeo and Juliet, though I recall there may be a few Macbeth lines in the text as well. If your reputation gets too low, she delivers Tybalt's famous "The love I bear thee can afford no better term than this, thou art a villain." just as an example. That by itself qualifies as poor writing to me, as it is blatant plagiarism.
Anyways my two cents. Over and out. Continue on fellows.
Thanks for defending me I wrote Aeon when I was like... 16-17 (I'll hit 25 this year) and right now I can tell you that he isn't...the best example of how NPC mod should look like, but there was a reason why after years of gathering layers of the cybernetic dust I released this project. There were people who encouraged me to write; there was a number of people who helped me, proofread the mod, showed me how to create items, areas...and more. They put equally as much effort in the mod as I did. If it was just my time and effort -- then sure, I could just let it "rot" on my hard drive, but I would NEVER let my friends' time was wasted. I actually released the mod just for them
@LavaDelVortel my apologies if I came across as harsh. Perhaps I should not have said anything at all until I tried it, but some things caught my eye that did not fit with what I know of the Realms. Considering I have been reading and gaming in the Forgotten Realms for almost as many years as you were old at the time of writing the mod... I could have been more mild... lol
Also, I have not even begun to really build my own mod yet (it's in a very early stage) so I have no experience about the difficulties of it.
I admire your reasons for putting the mod out there and as I said before I will definitely try it out asap.
That was just a side note -- Aeon steals CHARNAME's spotlight and his story is too "yay", I'm not going to argue about that. There are other amazing NPC mods like Arath, Isra or Dace people should check. Actually Aeon was my very first project - it was released after TotDG or some other projects, but Aeon was already written that time, just not public And nah, no need to try it - there are other mods that you may enjoy
@LavaDelVortel I'm fairly sure we all made characters in our youth we were not entirely proud of (Tiefling drow fighter raised on the surface here *Hangs head in shame*), but hey, at least you had the courage to put yourself out there and the patience to make a mod of it. More then I had.
Just out of curiosity: is Chloe even EE compatibile? I wouldn't mind checking the mod for myself just to see what's all this hate is all about but either I'm doing something wrong or it can't be installed properly.
I've hear a lot of good things about Silverstar, but I've never used her. Been looking for her mod lately and can't find it. You all know where I can find the mod for her?
Hmm, ya know... I'm wondering. There was a "How would you improve Saerileth" going on... so here's another:
How would you rewrite Chloe to make her a better travelling partner.
To start.. ditch the super-lesbian shtick. Lesbians are cool and all (to watch) but Chloe is practically the stereotypical horny man.
Chloe needs more reasonable stats. 25 Dex? Really? So she's the daughter of wind goddess... but no. Even having 13 str doesn't even it out. This screams MOD at the top of its lungs.
There's... more. Much more. I do not like Chloe at all.
Comments
I only take issue with such things when the character either becomes the primary focus of the game (especially when it is to the detriment of other characters), is so overpowered that they render even a metagamer's player defunct, or when a unique quirk or characteristic is poorly implemented.
For example, if this Aeon fellow simply has a Moonblade, it's mentioned a few times and is acknowledged as rare, and this is explained well without making him out to be some kind of divine prodigy who is an honorary elf, then I have no problem with it. If his possession of a Moonblade makes him incredibly overpowered, his banters with other characters make them seem out of character or unusually incompetent/warped in personality, or is poorly explained and handled badly, then I agree that it's cause for concern.
Anyway, just did a bit of digging into my sourcebooks. In Faiths and Avatars (AD&D), under the entry for Selune, there is a 3rd level spell "Moon Blade". The last line in the description says:
"This spell is as no connection with the enchanted items known as moonblades borne and made by some elves."
This should put it to rest since it's quoted direct from a sourcebook. Hope this helps
That said, I'd like to note that even within accepted canon the Moonblade restriction has been overcome:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Illitran_Starym
If it can be suppressed in such a manner, I would say it's not out of the question for a non-elf to be able to wield it.
This is a very rare occurrence, and IIRC it's unique. Starym Moonblade is also an artifact, which is far more powerful than any other category of magical items in the game. In Volo's Guide, the history is traced to the founding of Myth Drannor, and this is a very removed era (several hundred years before BG setting), and a god (Moander) intervened. This shouldn't be used as an example of suspending normal canon restriction, else the elves would already have made pacts with other gods to have more such moonblades.
Also, the source material states clearly that the artifact seeks a full-blooded Starym elf to wield it. In this sense, the restriction is still preserved in a way, that non-elves are not to use this type of weapon.
Also, it's worth noting that Moander was bound and a lesser power at very best at the time.
Either way, it's a moot point until someone who's actually played the mod shares the actual reasoning for it. xD
For me, I love reading the sourcebooks (up to AD&D 2nd Ed... I hate the 3rd Ed and beyond), so in a way, I'm very picky about inaccuracies in mods. To play about with the canon, it has to be at least semi-canon (e.g. the BG games) and a VERY good reason be given (i.e. VERY good story). Else I'll hate it. LOL
Anyway, for info, Starym Moonblade has the following powers:
1. Long Sword +3, +5 vs Humans and Half-Elves
2. Sentient, tries to dominate wielder
3. Teleport without Error
4. Detect Gems and Precious Metals
5. Project a Mythal Ghost (7th-level fighter that can cast Wail of the Banshee)
It's cursed:
1. Non-elves suffer 8d6 damage per round if holding it
It can only be destroyed by:
1. Bathed in the tears of Queen Amlaruil of Evermeet
2. Shattered by Eldath, goddess of peace
3. If the mythal of Myth Drannor is destroyed.
Most certainly, an item like this... is way out of a typical CRPG, even BG.
@Sjerrie Yes I agree. This is a fun learning moment, so let's get back to topic, if we're continuing it. LOL
But yeah. Let's talk about another mod, and in the meantime I'll see if I can create extra time for an Aeon playthrough. xD
Basically, they would be a true neutral sorcerer with average stats but a lot of powerful treasures and reputation for defeating a powerful lich. The twist would come from their personal quest, where it's revealed that they actually did beat a lich-through sheer dumb luck, and without destroying the phylactery. You could then choose to either help them track down the phylactery and end the lich for good, or let the lich reform and thus destroying their reputation. Their banters would depend on Wisdom and Intelligence-characters with high mental stats will see through their ruse and thus treat them with mistrust or distaste, but more gullible characters would hero-worship and treat them like a full-blown Sue. I'm still hazy on details though.
Saerileth has lines directly taken from Shakespeare, mostly from Romeo and Juliet, though I recall there may be a few Macbeth lines in the text as well. If your reputation gets too low, she delivers Tybalt's famous "The love I bear thee can afford no better term than this, thou art a villain." just as an example. That by itself qualifies as poor writing to me, as it is blatant plagiarism.
Anyways my two cents. Over and out. Continue on fellows.
cheers!
Also, I have not even begun to really build my own mod yet (it's in a very early stage) so I have no experience about the difficulties of it.
I admire your reasons for putting the mod out there and as I said before I will definitely try it out asap.
How would you rewrite Chloe to make her a better travelling partner.
To start.. ditch the super-lesbian shtick. Lesbians are cool and all (to watch) but Chloe is practically the stereotypical horny man.
Chloe needs more reasonable stats. 25 Dex? Really? So she's the daughter of wind goddess... but no. Even having 13 str doesn't even it out. This screams MOD at the top of its lungs.
There's... more. Much more. I do not like Chloe at all.
(But you forgot Bruce the Cockney Barfighter.)