Who Would Want Their Own Keep and Equipable Followers?

WithinAmnesia

Capture This Castle: (Abandoned Copper Mine)


Garrison It Via: (Blurry Concept Image)

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Garrison Features Offered: Recruit Garrison Followers and Issue Items to them, Control The Garrison and Defend your Castle when Under Siege, Launch and Control Garrison backed Counter Attacks and can make Player Controlled Raid Parties.
-Constructive Thoughts Anyone?

dunbar

Okay, according to The Book (or at least my 2nd edition copy) you would need a stronghold, good charisma and loads of money in order to attract Followers - so that's doable. However, they don't follow the party around the countryside (again, according to my manual) only coming into play when defending the stronghold (at least that's my interpretation).

So, much as I like the idea, how could followers be introduced into the structure and context of BG?
Possibly by twisting/changing/ignoring the rules to allow charname to 'summon' a party (say once a day) when required, even if he/she isn't a mage or cleric?

BTW I notice that Followers level up with the PC.

WithinAmnesia

@dunbar Thank You my friend, although.. The Garrison stays put and your party travels around. Think of it as an 'extra party' / 'game' where they have their own unique antics (defending, counter attacking via sally port, raid parties etc.) while your party goes and tries to find Sarevok and gang. The main character can check in and give them stuff and or collect taxes and such but they cannot summon followers.. They are glorified manor maidens if you will. Does this make much any sense? Do you have any questions @dunbar ?

dunbar

@WithinAmnesia I see what you mean. I had something a bit more grandiose (and doubtless impractical) in mind. My starting point is my disappointment with the way the stronghold concept is implemented in BG as I find it very underwhelming. I envisaged the stronghold having a more interactive and contributory role in the game.
So, to expand on your idea (and using the d'Arnise Keep as an example), the PC would be called back occasionally to put down increasingly stronger incursions with the aid of the stronghold's resident Followers. This would incentivise the PC to invest some of the vast amounts of GP he accumulates in equipping his followers as the game progresses. After each stronghold battle the defeated enemy could 'drop' genuinely useful items, culminating in a 'final' battle in which a unique or very hard to find weapon or scroll could be dropped.

WithinAmnesia

I like it more than my idea @dunbar. I think yours is more practical than mine.. I Imagine this: Prepare the fort for an attack threat that the player has no clue as to when it will happen; maybe at random. Although It would reward the player for coming back and stocking up and maybe even fighting for their keep. Like a gladiator 'keep' [arena] were the 'waves' get on average harder and harder with a big battle epic 'that-takes-all-of-the-skills-that-one-has-earned' to be victorious but it rewards the player's hard fought battles and effort with useful rewards. What you think clever Sir Dunbar?

NightWarden

@WithinAmnesia @dunbar I was happy to discover this thread. It would be awesome if a PC-controlled keep or castle could be introduced into the game! I can envision so many fun ways to make this idea work.

You could design an entirely new keep within a new map location, or perhaps you could repurpose the gnoll stronghold after the gnolls have been defeated. The idea of slowly remaking the gnoll stronghold into something different appeals to me. Settlers who previously abandoned the gnoll-infested area might choose to return to support the PC. An entirely new story-line could be developed around this concept without harming the continuity of the original story the the PC is a part of.

Followers could be "attracted" to the keep based not only upon charisma and wealth, but also upon the reputation of the PC. As a guide, think of the effect that reputation has on NPC's of differing alignments. An evil PC with a very low reputation would attract more followers...a neutral PC would attract more followers with a mid-range reputation...a good PC would attract more followers with a high reputation score. Consequently, changes to reputation could cause followers to leave.

The types and alignments of followers could be determined by both the the race and class of the PC. A monastic feel for a PC monk, a militant feel for a PC warrior, or a carnival feel for a PC bard...there are so many ways that the keep could be customized.

As an alternative to creating an overly complex way of equipping followers, you might consider using quests -- quests in which the PC could attract specialists to the keep. For example, as a result of completing a certain quest the PC might attract a fletcher, a smith, an armorer, or a tanner. Gold could then be used to create upgrades at the keep, such as paying for the installation of a forge (which could then be used by the armorer to create better armor for the followers). Again there are so many ways to make this work.

Throughout the game you could add additional interactive options to certain non-joinable NPC's, or you could create new NPC's to add to the immersion of keep's story-line. New dialogues could be created for joinable NPC's as well.

I hope my thoughts are helpful...

WithinAmnesia

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@NightWarden You Are Hired! (Well, not really but.. In Spirit Yes!) I Love the idea of reclaiming the Gnoll Stronghold. I was planning to add an extensive dungeon (with at least five to six levels that start easy and then progressively become very challenging) within the bowels of the stronghold in the future regardless of the 'copper keep mine'.
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I love your idea and I can see the 'circle' pits as attraction with 'live-caught' weird beasties from some keep related adventure quests to 'liven up' the 'Keep de la Carnivàle'. One could employ the impoverished miners of Nashkel within the newly mined tunnels beneath the stronghold (as to where the 'caves' are now) to find copper and then later they could be used by the player's besieging enemies as a sapping route in the 'final epic battle'. One could find all of the N.P.C.s and employ them at the fort if the N.P.C. in question agreed! This is shaping up to become VERY pleasing.. *Eyes Squint, Smirks, Rubs Hands. HRMMMNNNnnn?*.
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[Edit: - I will put that keep from the above abandoned copper mine concept art somewhere else, like in the Isle of Mintarn or some other place? Any Ideas Anyone? *Is at 99 Insightfuls. Shameless badge grab is shameless*]