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Romance, lifespan and ascension

ilduderinoilduderino Member Posts: 773
in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
It feels weird as a human pc to date Aerie and it never comes up that she may live ten times longer than him, and especially that this never comes up in the context of whether to ascend or not. It feels as if the PC will be a bit mugged by staying mortal, he’ll be dead before she hits middle age. Likewise with Viconia, though different ending noted, and somewhat with Jaheira. If PC is an elf, staying mortal and with love interest seems to make much more sense. I appreciate that conversations about lifespan would have been hard to build in due to the number of variables but it seems such a major issue that I end up having to headcannon discussions about it where there is a huge difference. Is this just me? Do any mods address it?

Comments

  • megamike15megamike15 Member Posts: 2,666
    this is never brought up in any of the romances be it vanilla or modded. atlest with say xan's you need to be an elf to do it so there is no hope of that even happening.
  • Humanoid_TaifunHumanoid_Taifun Member Posts: 1,063
    Though Xan does point out that he is at an advanced age and thus liable to leave the protagonist an early widow.

    I have always missed an option for a delayed ascension, and so that is basically what I try to headcanon into the story. Live out your life with your loved one, and then go rampage through the planes as a young God.
  • gorgonzolagorgonzola Member Posts: 3,864
    edited March 2019
    Or maybe ascend and then return to your lover as an avatar, even better, and your father did something similar, even if love was certainly not his scope. He had so many sons, you have the right to at least a love affair and maybe a couple of little semigods...
  • xizorxizor Member Posts: 89
    edited March 2019
    Does being a Bhaalspawn affect lifespan? I think this was never adressed anywhere.

    Are there methods in 2nd edition to increase the lifespan (with epic level mage or cleric)?
  • ElysianEchoesElysianEchoes Member Posts: 475
    xizor wrote: »
    Does being a Bhaalspawn affect lifespan? I think this was never adressed anywhere.

    Are there methods in 2nd edition to increase the lifespan (with epic level mage or cleric)?

    Well, if you both become liches . . . problem solved?
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    Would you avoid falling in love for someone if you knew that he/she would die in 10 years ,while you would reach the pinnacle of human lifespan?
  • ElysianEchoesElysianEchoes Member Posts: 475
    I probably would avoid that, @DJKajuru . But, I'm sure there are many idealistic people that would happily take the ten years of joy, in spite of the inevitable heartache.
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited March 2019
    ElysianEchoes wrote: »
    I probably would avoid that, @DJKajuru . But, I'm sure there are many idealistic people that would happily take the ten years of joy, in spite of the inevitable heartache.

    Well, to human being 5 or 10 years in a relationship ain't a lifetime but it happens to most people , and if it was someone you really loved it would mark us for the experience , in fact one might even have a child from such a relationship. In fantasy terms, to you it might be your whole life ,but an elf would love you for your lifetime and then , as should we all, move on .
  • ilduderinoilduderino Member Posts: 773
    edited March 2019
    Thanks, am running the Xan mod now, it’s great
  • BladeDancerBladeDancer Member Posts: 477
    edited April 2019
    It shouldn't feel weird. Romances between humans and elves are very common in the Forgotten Realms, and usually the issue of humans not living as long as elves don't matter to them, they focus on the present instead of the future most of the time. In the case of the human male CHARNAME, being a Bhaalspawn guarantees that he will live almost as long as Aerie. I know this because the Baldur's Gate novelizations protagonist, Abdel Adrian lived more than 100 years to the time the tabletop game Murder in Baldur's Gate is set in even though he chose not to become a god and gave up his divine essence in the end of the Throne of Bhaal novel. If Abdel lived longer than the average human after choosing to remain mortal, CHARNAME can too!
    Post edited by BladeDancer on
  • megamike15megamike15 Member Posts: 2,666
    yeah when you look at the canon romances excluding mods. all of male charname's are elves while all of female charnames are human. with dorn being romanced by both. originally it would have been 2 humans and one tiefling as valygar and Haer'Dalis were meant to be romances before they got cut.
  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    Salvatore covers this in detail in one of his Drizzt novels, elves divide their lives into chapters and recognize that each human spouse can form the basis of a beautiful chapter though life will go on for the elf once the chapter is concluded.
  • ilduderinoilduderino Member Posts: 773
    edited April 2019
    Something that Salvatore believed in so strongly that he reincarnated his human cast to hang out with Drizzt again ?
    Post edited by ilduderino on
  • QuickbladeQuickblade Member Posts: 957
    ilduderino wrote: »
    Something that Salvatore believed in so strongly that he reincarnated his human cast to hang out with Drizzt again ?

    I don't have those books.

    I'm glad I don't have those books. Just the very description of it sounds weird.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    ilduderino wrote: »
    Something that Salvatore believed in so strongly that he reincarnated his human cast to hang out with Drizzt again ?

    In Salvatore's defense, WotC forced him to write in the Spellplague and kill off characters. He did the reincarnation thing as a backdoor to keep them around.
  • Fighrer1234Fighrer1234 Member Posts: 3
    From what i remember according to The Complete Book of Elves (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Players HandBook Rules) Aerie's elven race the avariel or the winged elves have the shortest lifespans among all the elves reaching only 300. If i plqy a normal elf i may outlive her and if i play as a human she may outlive me regardless of my extended lifespan as a bhaalspawn ( i really wanted to play as a human because of the cavalier class kit ) so the only option is the half elf with a lifespan of 180 + bhaalspawn extend lifespan = i can live almost or as long as aerie. I'm currently playing as a half elf stalker in bgee killing guards at the cloakwood mines. Im so excited to finish bg1 and sod so i can move on and import my character to bg2 so i can have a cheesy romance with aerie. ;)
  • ZaxaresZaxares Member Posts: 1,330
    My canonical Bhaalspawn is a Human Mage who romanced Aerie. The lifespan difference is nothing some Potions of Longevity (or, in a worst case scenario, Lichdom) won't solve. ;)
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    ilduderino wrote: »
    It feels weird as a human pc to date Aerie

    I agree.

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