[Mod] Imoen 4 Ever - Experience the BG Saga with Imoen - and the beginning of SoA without pressure!

jastey

Gibberlings Three / Kerzenburgforum


Imoen 4 Ever
Mod languages: English, German, Polish

This mod aims at making Imoen a steady companion throughout the whole BG-Saga. Imoen-related story content is being considered, therefore Imoen will be out of party temporarily to reflect the most crucial original game events. This mod makes her rejoin the party after such incidents, so that she can be seen as an actual travel companion in SoD and BGII.

The mod tries to use as many originally voiced lines as possible, but some had to be taken out because they didn't make any sense without Imoen being there (BGII) or with Imoen catually being in the party (SoD).

The mod is compatible with SoD and all BGII games: BGII, BGT, BGII:EE, EET. For EET, install the mod dirctly into your EET game folder. For order of install, this mod is to be considered to be a questmod, i.e. should be installd before any NPC or other mods that add interjections into chapters 2&3 in BGII.

Promotion Artwork by Acifer!

Note to Compatibility:
If you are a player and want to know whether your favorite mods are compatible with I4E, have a look here and also, feel free to ask!
The same if you are modder and want to make your mod compatible with I4E, have a look at the link but also, feel free to contact me!

As of v5, the mod has 12 components. The first 5 are for BGII; for these, the 1st component is required to install any of the other, optional components (numbers 2 to 5). The last components (numbers 6 to 12) are for SoD; for these, components 6 or 7 are required to install any of the other, optional components.

Content BGII:
This mod gives back Imoen in Chapter 2 and 3, right after the first dialogue with Gaelan. The player can then explore and play all quests without any time pressure or moral dilemma about a friend needing rescue. The original game content kicks in again after the arrival in Brynnlaw: Imoen will now be kidnapped. If the optional component is installed, Yoshimo will be then available for recruitment in the Brynnlaw tavern.

All(most all) lines referring to Imoen being taken and needing rescue where replaced with references to Irenicus, instead.

Content SoD:
With this mod, Imoen will be recruitable in SoD. There are several optional components. For one of them, Imoen will remain in your group in the beginning of SoD if she was in BG:EE (If Imoen was not in party in the transition from BG:EE, her presence in Korlasz' Crypt will play like in the original game with no changes.). She will be a party member in Korlasz's crypt up until the point where all party members leave and the PC finds themselves in the Ducal Palace. From there, Imoen will take her role as in the original game.

Another component lets Imoen return to the group when the group arrives at the first camp after marching out against the crusade. She will then be available as a party member until the original game events after the PC's fall kick in.

More content for SoD offered is reactions to game events and dialogues for Imoen, the original "Imoen studies with Jannath" scene from the scrying pool as a cutscene, the possibility to toggle between Imoen's BG1 and SoD Portrait, and an altered dialogue after the poison attack to give a better reason why she will stay behind.

Please refer to the readme to see which other components are available.


Link to Modpage and Readme
Forum at G3
German Discussion Thread (Kerzenburgforum)
Download the Mod G3

AndreaColombo

Hi @jastey ,

This mod sounds pretty great!

Do I understand correctly that if you dual Imoen to T/M in BG:EE, her character in SoD will retain the level at which she was dualled (and possibly any bonuses from the Tomes)?

It would be amazing if the same could be true going from SoD to BGII:EE, to establish a continuity that respects player choice.

jastey

@AndreaColombo From BG:EE to SoD with this mod Imoen will just be the same in the group as before (please note that so far, the mod only realizes her presence as a group member in the first dungeon (Korlassz's Crypt).
For continuity from SoD to BGII:EE you'd have to play the games in one go with EET, there you'll find the Imoen from before in ID (plus an XP boost to make up for the time she wasn't in party in SoD I think) (Her continuity between BGI and BGII being a default feature of EET, not this mod.)

Plans for this mod are to add Imoen as a full party member to all of SoD but I need time to do that, first.

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megamike15

the only part of this mod i have interest in is imoen being in sod. as i feel the keeping imoen through out all of bg 2 breaks to much and hurts the story of that game. while sod should have had her around in atlest the first dungeon instead of removing her and having safana forced on you.

jastey

Thanks! @chimaera
I need to actually play with this mod myself to see how BGII *feels* without the knowledge of time pressure because Imoen is in great trouble, but this mod is definitely a dream come true for me ever since I played the game for the first time. (Insert some ramblings about what the devs did to Imoen for drama's sake here)

jastey

@megamike15 I could consider making the two game additions (SoD / BGII) two separate install options, now that I think about it.

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jastey

@chimaera Unfortunately, no. One thing is that BeamDog tends to change dialogue states numbering between patches (at least it happened in the past) so I am reluctant to put much effort into any SoD mod before 2.6. The other thing is that I am writing on other mods currently, so this went a bit further down the list.
I might be able to provide a basic NPC concept with joining/kickout dialogue and moving around camp areas in the not so distant future. But a full-fletched NPC with banter and the likes will not be finished before next year I guess.

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jastey

Technically almost all mods should be compatible (I think my "Imoen Is Stone" mod is the only one so far I identified that would not only clash content- but also technically-wise).
The greatest problem is the content-wise compatibility of NPC mods not realizing Imoen not being abducted for PC dialogues and it still being chapter 2&3 for banters with Imoen. Fade for example has the subject of Imoen's rescue woven into her romance track so these mods will never be really compatible. Same for Imoen Romance which basically bases its story on Imoen's abduction.
EDIT: and to answer the actual question: argent's TotLM should be compatible without problems, yes.

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jastey

Sorry for self-promotion but my Ajantis BGII mod is explicitely compatible with I4E.
Let me know if you encounter any problems!

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Zaxares

Alas, I'm too far into my BG2/ToB playthrough to restart now, but I don't suppose this mod would be compatible with the Imoen Romance mod? I'm guessing not, as several of the new encounters in the IR mod work explicitly off the premise that Imoen was abducted by Irenicus.

jastey

@chimaera Thanks for the info, yes the link needs to be updated I'll do so once I have useful internet connection.

@Zaxares No, Imoen Romance is not and won't be compatible, unfortunately. The whole romance is woven around the abduction, Imoen beging away for two chapters, and Imoen not having met any of the BGII NPCs she will meet after Spellhold.E
EDIT: to some extend, beging abducted by Irenicus is also happening for I4E so referring to this could work if triggered post Spellhold, but for IR there is also too much content featuring the actual separation in chapter 2&3 (including Imoen not knowing the other NPCs) so this is a hopeless case.

Zaxares

I expected as much. Not to worry. The ability to keep Imoen through the events of SoD is already appealing enough on its own.

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Sinaherib

Sounds interesting, though I have a question considering BG2: if Imoen escapes herself, then what is player's motivation to go to Spellhold?

jastey

@chimaera Isn't it just perfectly suited for being considered as the needed fee?

@Sinaherib Going after Irenicus.
With this, BGII is a bit like BG1. What is your motivation in BG1 to actually clear the Nashkel mines, or look for someone in Beregost afterwards, or search for the bandit camp, etc. You progress with the story because it's the only thing you can do to progress with the game, but in BG1 you do it without even knowing it brings you closer to your father's murderer.
In BGII, you know exactly that going with the thieves's or Bodhi's transportation will bring you to the man who tortured you and Imoen and killed some of your companions according to the original game. I don't see any problem justifying the PC's motivation of going there, without introducing a friend being tortured.

But with Imoen back at your side, you have the possibility to do all those fantastic quest mods and linger as long as you want, without having to refer to metaknowledge that it doesn't matter how fast you go after Imoen for her rescue.

Maurvir

I... am not sure about this (for my play throughs anyway). On the one hand, I was deeply disappointed at not getting to play with Imoen in SoD. If I could choose between her and Safana, it would be a no-brainer. I was also deeply irked by her being ripped away in SoA and then feeling the pressure to rescue her as soon as the party was physically (and economically) capable.

However, I do wonder how much would be broken doing this? How will the whole scene in Spellhold play out if she goes with you rather than Irenicus? He had weeks, if not months, to mess her up in the vanilla game. I mean, I love Immy as much as the next person, but I can't help but wonder how much of her character progression will get altered (though, in her case, I imagine it will leave her in a more child-like state than before, which would be nice) Moreover, what would possess you to GO to in the first place under such circumstances? Just to avenge Khalid?

Worse, unless you visit Spellhold for vengeance, the entire game basically stops, since no one loses a soul. If anything, only Bohdi is left as a "major villain", and her entire arc ends in Athkatla. There is no deal in the Underdark, Suldanessellar is never captured, etc.

jastey

Irenicus is a threat to you, your friends, he killed some of them and he clearly threatens to come after you eventually. Not to mention he tortured the PC for weeks, if not months and seems to be overly powerful.

It's funny that the question of "but why would the PC go to Spellhdold then" is raised again and again. Do you also criticize BG1 for never coming further than Nashkel because why would the PC clear the mines? There is absolutely no reason to enter them.

This is one of the mods where "don't install it if you don't agree" is truer than ever.

jastey

@Maurvir what I meant to say: with this mod, going to Spellhdold is game progression like you find it in any other game. I already mentioned BG1, where there is no preassuring reason to do anything the first 90% of the game. Skyrim for example makes you meet with someone in a tavern at some point to progress the actual story. If you don't go, you can go on collecting ingredients and forging things in a world where nothing happens else. But in all games you eventually go there because you know it is waiting, a quest that's still open.

It's funny how in BGII people got so used to the theme of a friend being tortured into losing herself as a pull factor that not having this seems like "no motivation" to go after a foe that tortured, killed, and threatens to come after you when he prepared whatever he thinks he needs to for you.

Permidion_Stark

@jastey I am so looking forward to playing this mod and I can't thank you enough for creating it. I was so disappointed when I bought SoA (on the day it was released) and discovered that I couldn't have Imoen in my party for most of the game. I was then disappointed all over again, twenty years or so later, when I discovered that SoD did exactly the same thing.

Will it be possible to keep Imoen as a thief right through the game using this mod?

jastey

@Permidion_Stark This mod does not interfere with Imoen's class in any way. So, whatever the game you are on offers for her, this will not be changed in any way. Meaning, if you start a new BGII game she'll be the T/M she's there, but if you play a continuous BGT or EET game, she'll remain whatever the was before the transition to BGII.

Thanks for the kind words. I hope I'll be able to provide a basic NPC concept for SoD soon (after the first dungeon where Imoen in the group is already realized). There is so much I could add to Imoen for both games but it all needs time.

Permidion_Stark

jastey wrote: »

Thanks for the kind words. I hope I'll be able to provide a basic NPC concept for SoD soon (after the first dungeon where Imoen in the group is already realized). There is so much I could add to Imoen for both games but it all needs time.

There's no rush. I've already been waiting half my life for this so take your time. Another year or two isn't going to kill me.

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Sinaherib

jastey wrote: »

he clearly threatens to come after you eventually.

Actually this is the most serious reason to go after Irenicus - a danger that he will attack again later. It is much more important than rescuing Imoen or getting vengeance (both these reasons are not life-critical for Charname). Too bad BGII ignores it almost completely.
I didn't play SoD though, I heard that it raises this subject?

chimaera wrote: »

The only motivation BG1 gives you for going after the 'armored figure' is avenging Gorion.

But player's motivation in BG1 is suvival, not vengeance. "Armoured figure" keeps on sending assassins (such as Tarnesh, Karlat, Neira) after main character, so if player does nothing, he/she will be killed sooner or later. Though I agree about the entire Nashkel mines thing.

Maurvir

Please note, I'm not complaining about the mod at all. I actually like the idea of having Imoen in the party the whole time. I was simply wondering how you would work around the near constant references to rescuing her in chapter's 2 and 3. I suppose you could just delete those responses, since they wouldn't make sense, but it does seem like the mod would have far reaching implications. That is NOT the same as saying it's a bad mod. In fact, I'm considering using it myself.

I was simply pointing out that it does change the dynamic of the first two chapters dramatically, and depending on how you normally RP the game, it means you will have to find a different motivation. There is also the issue of how to deal with Bohdi, who will no longer have said soul in chapter 6 - unless the intent is to have Irenicus steal BOTH of them in chapter 4. Since the cut-screens are in-game, that would be an option - He just steals both souls serially in that one scene.

As for BG1, the game pressures you to become more skilled by constantly sending people to kill you. Now, arguably, that does NOT necessarily mean going to the Nashkel mines, but there aren't enough respawning critters in the woods to make a game out of being a free-roaming ranger - eventually pushing you back to the main plot line. It's more a matter of necessity, since no one else is offering paying work.

megamike15

bg1 in general kinda forgets about seravok until about chapter 6 and 7. your just wandering around the wilderness dealing with the iron crisis for much of the early game. heck bg 1 in general does not really get more urgent until chapter 7 when you need to rush around to get stuff done as the flameing fist are after you.

jastey

@Maurvir sorry if it sounded like a personal attack. Thing is, I don't know either how the game will feel with this mod and without the real time pressure.
I only know that I did all the side quests in chapters 2&3 anyway when playing for the first time.
But I was spoiled concerning the story and what will happen to Imoen (also, what will not happen independent on how long it takes) and thinking about it, I am glad I was.