So let's talk about NPC/romance mods...
Twani
Member Posts: 640
This came out of a discussion in the Confessions of a Bhaalspawn, where we bothered @SapphireIce101 to list her five favorite romance mods. And romance mods = NPC mods, generally. Not all NPC mods are romance, and not all romance mods are NPC mods, but I figure the two of them are connected enough that we could talk about both in the same mods.
So here it is, simple enough- what are your favorite romance mods, and what are your favorite NPC mods? Don't just tell us the names (unless you really don't want to type more); tell us why you liked them, or even the parts you disliked about them. Talk about BG and BG2; that's why we're in general modding and not a subforum.
I'll post my experience with BG1 romances here after I eat dinner. But in the meantime... um... everyone post! Tiax demands it!
As a note, my interest is somewhat selfish in this. I'm planning a playthrough of BG1 with a male character to test a few things out, and he'll probably romance Branwen. But BG2? I could go with Branwen again, but I've romanced her many times. If anyone has played any good mods for a male in BG2, I'd be interested in hearing about them.
So here it is, simple enough- what are your favorite romance mods, and what are your favorite NPC mods? Don't just tell us the names (unless you really don't want to type more); tell us why you liked them, or even the parts you disliked about them. Talk about BG and BG2; that's why we're in general modding and not a subforum.
I'll post my experience with BG1 romances here after I eat dinner. But in the meantime... um... everyone post! Tiax demands it!
As a note, my interest is somewhat selfish in this. I'm planning a playthrough of BG1 with a male character to test a few things out, and he'll probably romance Branwen. But BG2? I could go with Branwen again, but I've romanced her many times. If anyone has played any good mods for a male in BG2, I'd be interested in hearing about them.
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Comments
1. Kivan - I think it's purely childhood nostalgia. My dad had a ranger in an AD&D game when I was a child. Also, Domi's writing is rather excellent, and it just brought Kivan to life. Currently, for me, the only down side is if you don't choose to romance him, and decide to resurrect his wife, Deheriana. When doing that, Kivan basically side-steps, and Deheriana takes over.
2. Arath - A hedonistic human avenger druid that hates slavery? Awesome. He's bisexual and all kinds of yum. He has abandonment issues, but who could abandon this cute druid?
3. Adrian - He's a half-elf, and former Zhent. Jaheira and him kind of don't get along sometimes, but I suppose that's in his some what bad boy charm.
4. Xan - He's Xan, what more can I say?
5. Haer'Dalis - His romance mod is written well by Aeryn, even though I haven't completed it. I do intend on doing so.
So, BG1 NPC mods:
Mac'Neth at G3: You know, I've never played with him. I'll have to try him out next game. An evil oozemaster, eh? Sounds like fun.
Finch at PPG: Is adorable. She has a cute little quest with starting a library, lectures Quayle about being too gnome-like, and my short raced males would probably love her. She's sweet, and she seems to work on BGEE okay.
Indira at PPG: I don't even know if I'm spelling her name right. She only has one banter with each NPC, which is sort of disappointing in my book. I honestly didn't find her that interesting- nothing against the mod itself, but she just wasn't a character that appealed to me.
White at SPS: I haven't played him, either! Supposedly he's a gay romance for male Bhaalspawn, so I might have to take a look. It's nice to have one for BG1, in any case.
Valerie at SPS: She's sweet, and if you're a Bhaalspawn playing one of the tall races, you can get a kiss at the end. She's interesting to play with, as most of us are opposed to the Cowled Wizards by reflex (how dare they take Imoen and refuse to let us cast spells in the streets!), but she represents the 'good' Cowled Wizard who believes in her cause. I bet there will be a ton of arguements come the BG2 section of this mod...
Isra at SPS: I haven't played her through BG2 yet, so all these comments come from her BG1 incarnation... and she is wonderful. Flirts with you lightly (and is bisexual) if you don't have another romance going on. A paladin of Sune, she's unique compared to Ajantis and Keldorn (and paladin-wannabes, Anomen and Mazzy). She's free, has a sense of humor, very much prefers inns, talks with you freely... there's a very nice friendship path for her. She's probably my favorite BG1 mod.
Vynd at G3: He's not technically out at G3 yet, but if you peek around these forums, you'll find his mod. An evil assassin who's charming, amoral, interesting, and... runs away screaming if you confess your love (hey, you can't have everything), he makes a perfect balance for evil parties and if you're not playing BGEE, he'll get along fine with good ones, too (just not Kivan). Nice part? He'll have conversations with your companions, and you can then ask him about conversations he's had. (I stole that idea for my own mod >.>) In truth, he's just plain likeable: incredibly snarky, but in a funny way. (I love his banters with Dorn.)
Gavin at G3: Perhaps the ultimate in BG1 mods, he's as detailed as any mod for BG1, with a dedicated romance path and a dedicated friendship path (plus a family to meet!). He's a sweet, loving guy, more experienced then the PC and dedicating himself to her... yet he's not my kind of romance. He reminds me lots of Ajantis's romance, actually (which is probably why they're so civil to each other in romance conflicts). He does have a daughter, however, which can turn people off (personally, it made me more interested, but I like kids). Still, I think he's a definite recommend for people who want a romance track for their gal.
...I talked a lot, didn't I? My thoughts on the BG1NPC pack's romances later. Yes. Um. Please ignore me. Oh, if I missed a BG1NPC mod, let me know! I'm planning a new playthrough with a male Bhaalspawn, and would love to try out some unfamiliar faces.
So, okay, let me talk about BG1NPC romances. These are from the BG1NPC Pack; sadly, it's not updated to work on the BGEE engine yet (though there are cheats to get it to cooperate), but it'll still work on Tutu or BGT if you want to try them.
Shar-Teel: My least favorite of the bunch, but still quite good. She remains calm, confident, and strong throughout the romance- occasionally insulting the PC, but perhaps falling for him none-the-less (though she'd never admit it!). There are some very sweet moments from this certainly not sweet woman, and you get to explore more of her past and future with her. As I said, she's my least favorite, but I'd take her any day over the BG2 Bioware romances. She's very interesting, and a must for my evil male protagonists.
Dyna: Oh, I can never spell her real name. Amusingly, due to that cursed girdle, I managed to begin her romance as a female protagonist... and, what the heck, I'm going with it. She has a lot of lines for a bard PC, where you tell her stories and songs- I think it's very sweet. She's a bit strict for my tastes, but she's also very kind, and there are quite a few banters with Minsc where you discuss her. For a good male CHARNAME, I think she's almost a must. Just be aware: she knows a few secrets you do not, and she's properly secretive with them which can lead to a feeling of betrayal once you find out about those secrets. But even still, I think a male Bhaalspawn who forgives her is in to an interesting path. Unfortunately, her end is full of sorrow... but we knew that was coming, didn't we?
Branwen: One of my favorite romances of all times (I wish it was aware to my gals, but Branwen alas is straight). Be aware that her BG1 romance ends in heartbreak, though her BG2 romance goes much better. When some of my friends ask 'how do you write a strong female character who's in love with the main male but doesn't compromise herself', I point to Branwen. She remains stubborn and true to herself, let completely in love: she's an interesting balance, and overall an interesting romance. I strongly recommend her romance for everyone, including straight gals: it's very well written. Hard and heartbreaking at times, but very well written, and her character is done well. (Also, her romance conflicts with Dyna are sweet and silly- just don't make them wait too long before making a decision, or you might find it out of your hands.)
Ajantis: Ah, our paladin. First, let me say honestly: he, like Gavin, is not my type of guy. Yet? He's still adorable. He respects Lady CHARNAME greatly, although he struggles with the idea of his ideal woman being an adventurer for a bit of time... but he comes around.
Xan: Oh, Xan. *Xan*. He has a BG2 mod completing his romance (Ajantis has one, too, but sadly it's not in TOB stage yet), which I sort of have to recommend in turn with the BG1 romance. He's madly in love with the elven CHARNAME (warning: half elves get heartbreak), but it never breaks his DOOOOOOOM facade (although CHARNAME can certainly tease him about it). He's sweet to her, and stubborn to everyone else: he certainly fulfills the brooding boy in love cliche like no one else in the world. (And, also, his BG2 romance on PPG is incredible- try it both paths.) Sadly, he's also a heart-breaker, especially if it comes to half-elven gals.
Coran: is complicated! But that's what Coran is. There are actually three distinct paths to his romance- the first, he gets bored with you and dumps you (CORAN YOU JERKFACE :E), the second he accepts his responsibility to his child and falls in a quiet love, and the third (my favorite) where he turns CN and treats the Bhaalspawn as some sort of goddess of madness and slaughter, and loves her like that. Just the different paths you can take make him unique: the fact that he's well written in all three paths really sells him. His romance can be incredibly hurtful (it's never fun to be abandoned by the one you love), but it can also be incredibly sweet. It depends on luck more then any other romance, but well, Luck be a Lady and Adventure is everything, after all. You learn to deal with it, or you cry, and crying isn't very fun.
...BG2 romances are harder. There are a lot I've played... good, bad, and ugly, I suppose. Which is which is anyone's guess.
Then, in BG2, Coran decides to pull a Jacob, and moves on. This is after he confesses his love for the PC in BG1. I mean, in the whole gets bored with you, and dumps you path, it makes sense for him to go to Safana. However, what about the rest of us that got love confessions? It just doesn't seem fair that our PC has to sit there, and basically take it, and accept that Coran moved on.
I mean, I have a PC that is so heartbroken by Coran's betrayal that she seeks comfort in Kivan's arms. However, I would like it if she could stay with Coran. Rather than getting betrayed by him, because he found a new piece of eyecandy after confessing his love to the PC.
*cough* Sorry, I ranted and got on a soapbox there. Heh.
I have much more experience in BG2 NPCs area, but apologies if they all get mixed up in my head, because most of them I've played a couple of years ago or so.
But... favourites first.
Kivan. Kivaaaan. I'll take ten, please. SoA part of the romance is such a torment to Charname, but at the same time incredibly enjoyable experience to the player.
If not for desperately wanting this guy in my BG2 I probably wouldn't be able to understand English half as good as I do now, so yay for educational value I guess?
Btw, is it a common bug that "Where's me ale woman" appears over Kivan's head at the beginning of ToB or is it just my game doing this every time?
Xan. I honestly hate Xan, but love him nonetheless. Kulyok is amazing for making his character so diverse and realistic. He's such a selfish bastard sometimes. Or rather, often.
That's why the new bonded path is refreshing to see, watching him grow into someone much more likeable instead of sobbing over the "normal" path is a nice change.
Never ever managed to finish the game with old path. No, nope, no way, I can't do that.
Then there's Kelsey, who is way too much of a "neighbourhood guy" for my liking, but hey, he's cute. And redhead. Redheads are cute.
He seems much more suited for Imoen, though...
And I really deeply enjoyed Sarevok romance, however wrong it feels to type it out. It was well written and every change from "fair Charname and handsome NPC fall in love instantly" is very welcome.
Surprisingly, unintentionally adorable at times, reaction provoking, much more plausible than sudden change of character in the original game. At the same so very wrong in so many ways ingame events wise.
Well, I have a thing for two parts of this mod - sleeping with the enemy trope and highly inteligent strong brutes.
And ahh, the Polish voiceover. One of the most recognisable actors and voices - he was also for example Vhailor and Obelix:) Also, I'm giggling like mad because there's an audiobook of fairytales he read. Storytime with Uncle Sarevok!
sorry for derailing this thread but someone just reminded me of that good time I spent reading Asterix and I had to post a bunch of Obelix pictures.
Always adored Asterix too! BG and comic books... oh, the perks of having a much older brother.
@iuventas Definitely play both the Coran and Branwen romances! (And the Branwen one is extended in to BG2, as well (it's on Pocket Plane Group, one day NPCs), and definitely worth a play.) Actually, try all the BG1NPC romances, if you so desire: all of them definitely have their perks.
I'll talk about some of my favorite NPC mods for BG2, um, later tonight.
(I still need recs about good mods for a male PC in BG2, too!)
Kivan - absolute favorite. Well written and emotional. I agree with @SapphireIce101 about Deheriana, though. She comes in and Kivan ceases to be interesting. I mean, even if you're not playing the romance path, it suddenly seems like you've lost a friend. Side thought: I know the romance is not at the right place for the event to happen, but I always wonder how @Domi would have written Kivan being abducted by Bodhi. This "rescue your love from the enemy" bit I always enjoy.
Xan - I enjoyed this mod, but I have not yet played with the new bonded path. Need to try that.
Edwin - Surprisingly enjoyed. Not my usual character or type, but this mod was just so much fun.
Gavin - Okay, I only tried him once, and not with my usual type of charname. I really like how he tries to "save" a main character of an evil alignment. You don't see that often.
I've tried other mods, but these are the ones where I got the most enjoyment.
Having a tendency to misread names is sometimes funny, for the longest time I thought Anomen shares it with a delicate little flower.
Oh, and I also managed to install Saerileth in German. The fact I remember enough of the language to understand maybe 1/4 of what she's talking about apparently makes it bearable.
Maybe we need a Gnome that overtalks in Gnomish and has gnomish racial traditions and afterlife affairs... ya get what I'm getting at?
Unmodded? They're fine and I don't get elf shoved in my face, but the mods...
@Dazzu This issue is true. I don't mind them speaking in elvish too much- what I do mind is that quite a bit of the Elvish they use is from Tolkien, not Forgotten Realms elvish. They're entire different languages, and even though we certainly don't have a full D&D/Forgotten Realms elvish dictionary, we know enough to know that the rest of the words aren't Tolkienese, seriously.
On the other hand, Forgotten Realms elves seem to be convinced they're the bestest, most special people in the world, so it makes sense they talk about how wonderful they are and how wonderful their language is and generally act like racist jerks at times.
Edwin is one mod mentioned that I'm... let's just say indifferent to. It's witty, funny, charming, and well written... but to me, it doesn't feel like Edwin in the slightest. It's a fanfic version of Edwin (and indeed, the author wrote it based on her fanfiction), and your CHARNAME is almost forced to take the same roll as her CHARNAME from her fanfiction without much slide. If I pretend it's a completely different character, I'm happy enough, but if I treat it like Edwin- I think the only thing in common in-game Edwin has with this version of Edwin is his tendency to mutter to himself (also, the random changing of Edwin and Viconia's actual epilogue because they authors didn't like it was a bit much for me).
Mods of female characters I do like: Keto, Amber, Fade. Mods that are probably never going to see ToB light of day: Keto, Amber, Fade (why does this seem to be the curse for female characters?). I haven't even tried playing Compton's Nalia romance for that reason. If it ever gets a ToB portion, I'll try it, but I'm sick of getting to ToB and my companion suddenly going silent and not remembering anything we once shared.
Other mods mentioned: Kivan, who I like, but who I usually leave to hook up with Deheriana as I think he'll always love her for more then he could ever love my PC- and they just seem so suited to each other. Xan, who might be my favorite romance path if you choose the bonded/sad ending, because it's tragic and beautiful (and very, very elvish)- I'm wondering if I'll like the good ending as well (the non-bonded path, he needs to be smacked repeatedly, though the friendship path is good). Haer'Dalis, needs to be bi to me, but very enjoyable... especially how long you can keep him running with another mod romance, which is horribly mean to him but somewhat amusing. Gavin, I liked what little I saw, but I'm not going to fully play with him till he comes out with a stable ToB. As for Kelsey... we owe him a lot of props, but he reminds me of the guys I knew in high school. Appealed to me back when I played him in high school, not so much now.
Still haven't done Arath, Adrian, or Sarevok's Romance. I'd like to try all of them.
Another mod I enjoy? Angelo, over at G3. He's... a bit different from his encounter in BG1, but not too much, so it doesn't jar me overly (unless you take to inspecting cre files or something). Your character has to definitely pursue the romance: he doesn't react at first, then will turn you down, and you do have to keep pushing. But once you get it going, he's surprisingly sweet, well-written (and voiced, though if you play Xan a lot you may end up squinting), perfect for a Bhaalspawn a bit ruled by chaos, and he has some great encounters with Imoen and Sarevok. (If you turn Sarevok CG, their last conversation together is beautiful and one of my favorite mod pieces of writing.)
I can't really play Kivan, though, because I'm a fan of the actual languages and seeing the hated cheap knockoff is pretty much an instant uninstall.
My own favorites... anything by Aeryn, really. I need to play through all of Haer'dalis properly one day, because it's beautifully written and he's always been one of my favorites anyway. I tend to be awful and read instead of play things these days, but I do want to make an exception for him. Eventually.
But certain D&D books have outlined words in D&D's Elvish, and it doesn't often match up to whatever language Kivan and Xan are speaking. So, it annoys me a bit. Not that D&D Elvish is a very well thought up language...
What other mods did Aeryn make?
Okay, I'm seeing a lot of "mellonamin" in both parts of Xan, so yeah, there's at least some follow through with the Grelvish. Not enough to get annoying, though.
In fact, all of Deheriana's sound set is spoken in elvish. Kudos to the lady or ladies that did that sound set.
Aeryn's mods are some of the most awesome things ever written. I hope she writes a Cernd romance, or does her own rendition of Solaufein.
I've played the Sarevok friendship, and enjoyed it. Looks like I need to give the romance a try soon...
Otherwise, playing with Adrian, and for some reason, whenever I read his lines, I mentally read them with a British accent. I blame his...I don't know what to blame, but now, in my mind Adrian is british.
On one hand, I enjoy huge blocks of text in dialogues and it's quite interesting to have Irenicus in your party, but on the other some of the dialogues are ridiculous. And he's extremely overpowered. And it has many plotholes. And you just can see which options author deems right instead of having many paths for many Charnames... Also, music is too lively and loud.
Not to mention, it just feels *wrong* to have someone who tortured the PC and stole her soul. Which I suppose is not a valid criticism since I lately grew to unconditionally adore Sarevok (YES, @Twani, play it!
...I still enjoy this mod to some extent, for some reason, even if Irenicus has something to say in almost every possible encounter.
On a more positive note, I started a playthrough from the beginning as a goody two-shoes lady. Ajantis is winning my heart already! Charname's more, of course.
BG2 Imeon, it's a really really good mod ok.
The only bit I don't like is the music it's set way too loud and just doesn't fit with the bg theme.
1. Sarah - She's a cute, sweetheart of a Ranger who will Romance a Female Main Character. The lack of such mods (though that seems to be changing a lot as of late) drew me to her and the only other option at the time for a Female/Female Romance was Chloe and yeaaah... I don't need to go into that one. Anyway, Sarah is such a sweetheart and it was just an adorable romance and friendship all around. She really touched me in a nice way.
2. Xan - I hate Xan. I hate how he whines so much about everything and is always pessimistic and selfish. That's also why I love Xan. I only played through the original Romance in BG2 and I must say, that's one of the few romances that actually hit me hard personally after a certain event. I was heartbroken for my character and could feel it. That all comes from the strength and reality of the writing so all credit goes to the author of Xan. Fantastic work.
3. Imoen - Funny, cute, slightly disturbing. What needs to be said? I'm glad a few people have taken the mod under their care and are updating it (some of the original dialogue options were quite troubling and didn't fit the feel of the game in my view) also there is still work on the ToB portion.
4. Fade - Ahh Fade, when I played her she only had SoA content and I loved her. She made me laugh and was actually a sweetheart under that rough exterior. I can't wait to try her ToB content, it's just tough for me to get into playing as Male MC for obvious reasons so playthroughs with Male/Female romances are tough for me to immerse myself in.
5. Mazzy - Yes, I know it doesn't exist, but I've often dreamed of it. I always had a thing for Mazzy, I love how noble and brave she is, a shame a romance was never made for her. It could be wonderful.
Haer'Dalis and Kivan.
I write review about their romance mod on my webcomic.
Adrian a Darian was good, which I write again review about their romance mods. If you find some mistake it's 'cause my native language is Slovak.
I played from NPCs Project Ajantis and Xan in first game 'cause I haven't time play BG2 for real life issues.
And in BG: EE version I started play Dynaheir romance mod, which is really interesting. I am on 5. chapter, which will took some weeks 'cause RL and work.
currently i'm going through the game and romancing isra. i love her so much as a character and her romance is sweet even if she does flirt alittle to much.