You know, If BG were a PnP game then I suppose Imoen would be the kind of PC who stuck with the party for a long time but then her player got another job, or had a son and couldn't really attend to pnp session as often anymore, so the DM decided that Imoen would be imprisoned in Spellhold for a couple of months.
"If BG were a PnP game" seems like great idea for a thread. If BG were a PnP game, Kahrk would appear because players pissed GM off so badly, that he wants to teach them a lesson.
If BG were a PnP game, then Durlag's Tower was something the GM designed out of spite after the players insisted that Tomb of Horrors had become a cakewalk for them.
...And after they beat Durlag's, he designed the Firewine Ruins to be just as annoying, but without the loot.
If Baldur's Gate was a PnP campaign: a) Edwin would be Game Master's precious NPC-mage that absolutely *has to be* better than players' mages and keeps reminding them of that. b) Habib would be just a cheap way to force players to pay attention: "hey, stop talking about last episode of GoT! There's... There's dude throwing daggers at you!". c) Jon Irenicus' ability to move during Time Stop would be improvised idea to make him more challenging, after realising that players are able to wreck with little effort. d) Girlde of Masculinity/Feminity would only exist, because of players decided to wear it before identifying, because what's the worse that could happen?
If BG were a PnP game, then Durlag's Tower was something the GM designed out of spite after the players insisted that Tomb of Horrors had become a cakewalk for them.
...And after they beat Durlag's, he designed the Firewine Ruins to be just as annoying, but without the loot.
If BG were a PnP game then there would always be a big fight before hand about who gets to play Gorion's ward... Gotta get those innate spells, hell trial bonuses, and be the only active character whilst dreaming.
DM: Ok, you leave Candlekeep in the cover of darkness with your foster father Gorion, staying off the main road as you stumble through the darkness. Gorion looks worried when he turns to you and says "Wait, there is something wrong. We are in an ambush!"
An Armoured figure steps out of the darkness followed by two large overbearing ogres, two humans with bows and an armoured woman wielding a mace. You know your foster father is powerful, but these odds do not look good as the large armoured figure says "Your perceptive for an old man. You know why I am here, hand over your ward and no one will be hurt. If you resist, it shall be a waste of your life."
Gorion -
Player 1: I interject with a dagger to the face! *Rolls a d20.*
DM - Can you let me -
Player - 20!
DM: *sigh* You hit the armoured figure right in the chest, the dagger piercing through striking flesh. The armoured figure turns to you and laughs, while pulling the blade out. Gorion turns to you. "Run child! get out here."
Player: Gorion should know I do not run from a battle. I draw my sword and charge forward!
DM: Ugh. The woman behind the armoured figure casts a spell. Pointing towards you. You feel a sense of dread and panic come over you and you flee the battle field. Player: What? What spell? I get to roll a save. *rolls a d20*
DM: You're a fighter, you don't know what the spell was. There was no save.
Player: *takes out the PHB and flips through it." All fear spells have a save, which one?
DM: You don't know. You are a fighter and it doesn't matter if you stay there, you're going to die.
Player: But the Armoured figure said no one will be hurt.
DM: That was before you threw a dagger at him. Plans changed. As you runaway in a panic you hear the battle between your foster father and the group looking for you clashing. Finally it goes silent.
Player: I go back as soon the spell wears out.
DM: it's dark and you are now lost. The group of warriors are probably looking for you to finish you off.
Player: I call out for Gorion to find me. DM: What? why?
Player: Roll playing, wisdom was my dump stat. It's what my character would do, plus I want some experience from that encounter.
DM: *Blank face* You hide.
Player: GORION! I'M HERE!
Player2: When do I get to play my character Imoen?
I could see Khalid or Jaheira, and then later Minsc or Dynaheir being locked in a room somewhere and their players vainly knocking on the table saying,
"Excuse me DM, still here, do I get a turn now?"
(that is if they have managed to survive walking naked into a group of hobgoblins/gnolls/ect.)
If Baldur's Gate was a PnP campaign: a) Edwin would be Game Master's precious NPC-mage that absolutely *has to be* better than players' mages and keeps reminding them of that. b) Habib would be just a cheap way to force players to pay attention: "hey, stop talking about last episode of GoT! There's... There's dude throwing daggers at you!". c) Jon Irenicus' ability to move during Time Stop would be improvised idea to make him more challenging, after realising that players are able to wreck with little effort. d) Girlde of Masculinity/Feminity would only exist, because of players decided to wear it before identifying, because what's the worse that could happen?
And what's wrong with "a)" as a rule?
The GM sounds like a thoroughly sensible and wise person .
DM: You have arrived at a small town surrounded by farmland. Mage: I'm going to look for a shop that sells scrolls. DM: Fine. Cleric: I'm going to see if there's a temple. DM: Fine. Thief: I'm going to scout around for likely properties to burgle after nightfall. DM: Fine. Fighter: I'm going to dig up every field by hand to try and find some better armour. DM: You are clearly insane and have been taken into custody for your own protection.
DM: It's Silke's turn. Silke casts Lightning Bolt on Imoen, dealing... wait. *looks at Silke's stats* ...oh god. *rolls 10d6* Player 2: Wait, HOW many dice are you rolling?
DM: So this flaming fist mercenary wants to execute this drow priestess, what do you do? Gorion's ward player: I let him execute her. Viconia player: WHAT are you DOING??? GW: I can't faithfully rp as a paladin and let a drow live at the same time... Viconia player: You can't let them do this!! DM: Errrr actually they can I guess... back to character creation for you, say, maybe you could play a true neutral priestess of Tempus instead?
If Baldur's Gate was a PnP campaign, it would not last long without reloads.
DM: The assassin draws his dagger and... *rolls d20* ...kills you in one hit. Player 1: What? DM: Thus ends the Bhaalspawn saga. So, you guys wanna try Icewind Dale next month? Player 2: Dude, we never even left Candlekeep. Can we, like, try again? DM: All right, whatever.
DM: The bandit/ghast/basilisk/kobold attacks you and... *rolls d20* ...kills you in one hit.
DM: You see a flaming rock soar over the ramparts and crush a peasant beneath its weight. A small boy rushes forward, tears in his eyes, begging for his father's smoldering corpse to wake up. What do you do?
Charname: Viconia, do you have a Raise Dead spell you could--
Viconia: Nah. Shar is the goddess of loss. If you wanted a cleric who would save lives, you shouldn't have dumped Aerie.
Charname: Fine. I have a Rod of Resurrection. I'll go over and comfort the little boy.
DM: The little boy coils away from you, fear in his eyes: "You're not a Bhaalspawn, are you? Please don't eat me!"
Charname: I'm a Bhaalspawn, but I don't eat little boys. Look, I might be able to bring back your father with the Rod of Resurrection.
DM: The fear in the boy's eyes turns to hope. "You will? Really?"
Charname: Of course. I use the Rod of Resurrection to--
Viconia: Wait, wait... Make him dance first!
Charname: What?
Viconia: Dance for us, little boy! Dance if you want your daddy back!
GM: He says "my name is Koveras, and"... Charname: Yeah, it's Sarevok alright. Imkoen, cast Greater Malision, Jaheira - Chant, Dynaheir - Haste. I gulp potion of heroism and start hacking him. GM: But you are within sancted walls of Candlekeep! Violence is forbidden here! Charname: I have 17 Charisma and 20 Reputation, we'll be fine. And we've got score to settle...
@Artona , What happens in the game if you force attack Koveras? It would never have occurred to me to even try it.
If Baldur's Gate were a PnP campaign, there would be no rule against taking Gorion's ward to a temple and having him or her raised. It's the only way the group would have any chance of finishing the campaign.
But if Baldur's Gate were a PnP campaign, every one in the group would resent the collusion between the player playing Gorion's ward and the DM, making that character a "special snowflake" while they were all just playing regular people with everything they do being about the high and mighty Bhaalspawn. Everyone would quit the group as soon as the plot and the special player were revealed, with much insulting, criticizing, and complaining.
"What an awful campaign. This is stupid. You two just have fun by yourselves and leave me out of it. I'm not pandering to him and his god fantasy. Come on guys, I'll get us together over at my house, and we'll have a fair game where everyone is equal. It'll be more fun than this garbage, I promise. I have some material ready about an expedition to Icewind Dale. "
But if Baldur's Gate were a PnP campaign, every one in the group would resent the collusion between the player playing Gorion's ward and the DM, making that character a "special snowflake" while they were all just playing regular people with everything they do being about the high and mighty Bhaalspawn. Everyone would quit the group as soon as the plot and the special player were revealed, with much insulting, criticizing, and complaining.
"What an awful campaign. This is stupid. You two just have fun by yourselves and leave me out of it. I'm not pandering to him and his god fantasy. Come on guys, I'll get us together over at my house, and we'll have a fair game where everyone is equal. It'll be more fun than this garbage, I promise. I have some material ready about an expedition to Icewind Dale. "
DM: you read the letter it, it says that you are a child of the dead god of Bhaal.
Player1: woah, cool.
Player2-4: what? Why the hell does he get to be a half god? What type of favouritism is this?!
DM: excuse me? He was the only one who didn’t care about his background was and didn’t want to be affliated with some cool organization to get their perks, like these two love bird harpers, or the mage from Thay who had to have those extras spells, or the drow elf “exiled from her home land” thank you Salvador for that now cliche character troupe, who automatically gets 50% spell resist. That’s why.
Imoen: what about me?
DM: what about you? You joined last minute with your character. I had to pencil you into the story.
Imoen: but I’m nothing special either.
DM: ugh! Fine. You’re a Bhaal spawn too but your character doesn’t know it yet.
DM: Hey players. I bought that funny supplement book - it's called SCS. Let's try it out, shall we? Two hours later DM: Well, nowhere in the rules it says that you can't have two spells immunities at the same time. Or that lich can't cast PfMW twice in the row. >evil grin< One hour of arguing later DM: Last time you said that "Demogorgon is laughably easy", and that you need "real challenge". So that's exactly what I did.
@BelgarathMTH - I'll try to remember it next time I'm in Candlekeep. IIRC, he automatically approaches you and disappears after conversation, so it maybe not possible to kill him.
DM: You arrive at the big bridge to Baldur's Gate, which is over a river. You can see that the drawbridge is open. Player1: That means I can pass, right? DM: No, it means you can't. Drawbridges are weird. Player1 [who is an avenger]: Okay, I shapeshift into a wyvern, drink a potion of invisibility and fly across the river. DM: When you attempt to fly across the river, you find that you are unable to fly above the water. Something blocks you. You are only able to fly above the land. So you cannot fly across the river. Player1: *Angry wyvern noises*
A Lv. 7 FIghter with a magic long sword +2? There is no way Lv. 2 characters would survive to this...
I don’t know... how would a DM respond to the kiting tactic?
I’d be more:
player1: I run away out of his sword’s reach while everyone else pelts him with arrows.
DM: ok. You disengage in combat. The bounty hunter strides over to the artist and *rolls a die* kills him in one hit. Sling bullets bounce off his back as he bends down and removes what look like 2 emeralds from the lifeless corpse. Your arrows go wide as he ignores you and strolls back to town.
DM: Okay, so next morning after dukes asked you to march to Dragonspear...
Charname: Where is my gold?
DM: Well, you lost it. All of it. So next morning...
Charname: Listen, pal. Entire Sword Coast may burn for all I care, but I'm not leaving Baldur's Gate until I get my gold back!
But seriously - if any DM did something like that to me, I would never play with him again.
II
DM: "It's time I and Bhaalspawn talk" says Caelar Argent on the other side of the bridge. What is your answer?
BG: My answer? First arrow of dispelling, then potion of explosions. Dynaheir, Edwin, use Wand of Paralyzation on her, Corwin - arrow of explosions, chop-chop.
DM: But she called for parley!
BG: Too bad. I didn't.
III
DM: You see that bridge is destroyed. "Closest route to Dragonspear Castle is through Boareskyr Bridge", says Bence Duncan.
BG: Yeah, no. M'Khiin, summon earth elemental to build some dam over water. Dynaheir, Edwin - animate dead, we need workers who never tire and require no salary. Corwin, convince marshal to give us some soldiers. With any luck, we'll be on the other side of the river by tomorrow morning!
Baldur's Gate guard: You can't go here. There are bandits about so we've declared this bridge closed.
Party: Fine, can we go back to the fisherman and get one of them to row us across?
DM: They refuse because of they fear they angered Umberlee.
Party: Can we steal one of their boats?
DM: Sure you can try to. But no one has proficiency with using boats.
Safana: Wrong. I've got it. Let's do this thing.
Comments
If BG were a PnP game, Kahrk would appear because players pissed GM off so badly, that he wants to teach them a lesson.
...And after they beat Durlag's, he designed the Firewine Ruins to be just as annoying, but without the loot.
a) Edwin would be Game Master's precious NPC-mage that absolutely *has to be* better than players' mages and keeps reminding them of that.
b) Habib would be just a cheap way to force players to pay attention: "hey, stop talking about last episode of GoT! There's... There's dude throwing daggers at you!".
c) Jon Irenicus' ability to move during Time Stop would be improvised idea to make him more challenging, after realising that players are able to wreck with little effort.
d) Girlde of Masculinity/Feminity would only exist, because of players decided to wear it before identifying, because what's the worse that could happen?
An Armoured figure steps out of the darkness followed by two large overbearing ogres, two humans with bows and an armoured woman wielding a mace. You know your foster father is powerful, but these odds do not look good as the large armoured figure says "Your perceptive for an old man. You know why I am here, hand over your ward and no one will be hurt. If you resist, it shall be a waste of your life."
Gorion -
Player 1: I interject with a dagger to the face! *Rolls a d20.*
DM - Can you let me -
Player - 20!
DM: *sigh* You hit the armoured figure right in the chest, the dagger piercing through striking flesh. The armoured figure turns to you and laughs, while pulling the blade out. Gorion turns to you. "Run child! get out here."
Player: Gorion should know I do not run from a battle. I draw my sword and charge forward!
DM: Ugh. The woman behind the armoured figure casts a spell. Pointing towards you. You feel a sense of dread and panic come over you and you flee the battle field.
Player: What? What spell? I get to roll a save. *rolls a d20*
DM: You're a fighter, you don't know what the spell was. There was no save.
Player: *takes out the PHB and flips through it." All fear spells have a save, which one?
DM: You don't know. You are a fighter and it doesn't matter if you stay there, you're going to die.
Player: But the Armoured figure said no one will be hurt.
DM: That was before you threw a dagger at him. Plans changed. As you runaway in a panic you hear the battle between your foster father and the group looking for you clashing. Finally it goes silent.
Player: I go back as soon the spell wears out.
DM: it's dark and you are now lost. The group of warriors are probably looking for you to finish you off.
Player: I call out for Gorion to find me.
DM: What? why?
Player: Roll playing, wisdom was my dump stat. It's what my character would do, plus I want some experience from that encounter.
DM: *Blank face* You hide.
Player: GORION! I'M HERE!
Player2: When do I get to play my character Imoen?
I could see Khalid or Jaheira, and then later Minsc or Dynaheir being locked in a room somewhere and their players vainly knocking on the table saying,
"Excuse me DM, still here, do I get a turn now?"
(that is if they have managed to survive walking naked into a group of hobgoblins/gnolls/ect.)
And what's wrong with "a)" as a rule?
The GM sounds like a thoroughly sensible and wise person .
The GM sounds like a thoroughly sensible and wise person .
Nothing. Players simply love killing this kind of npcs.
If Baldur's Gate was a PnP campaign no player in the world would stop for even a moment to consider *not* killing leader of Iron Throne in Candlekeep.
Mage: I'm going to look for a shop that sells scrolls.
DM: Fine.
Cleric: I'm going to see if there's a temple.
DM: Fine.
Thief: I'm going to scout around for likely properties to burgle after nightfall.
DM: Fine.
Fighter: I'm going to dig up every field by hand to try and find some better armour.
DM: You are clearly insane and have been taken into custody for your own protection.
Player 2: Wait, HOW many dice are you rolling?
Gorion's ward player: I let him execute her.
Viconia player: WHAT are you DOING???
GW: I can't faithfully rp as a paladin and let a drow live at the same time...
Viconia player: You can't let them do this!!
DM: Errrr actually they can I guess... back to character creation for you, say, maybe you could play a true neutral priestess of Tempus instead?
DM: The assassin draws his dagger and... *rolls d20* ...kills you in one hit.
Player 1: What?
DM: Thus ends the Bhaalspawn saga. So, you guys wanna try Icewind Dale next month?
Player 2: Dude, we never even left Candlekeep. Can we, like, try again?
DM: All right, whatever.
DM: The bandit/ghast/basilisk/kobold attacks you and... *rolls d20* ...kills you in one hit.
Charname: Viconia, do you have a Raise Dead spell you could--
Viconia: Nah. Shar is the goddess of loss. If you wanted a cleric who would save lives, you shouldn't have dumped Aerie.
Charname: Fine. I have a Rod of Resurrection. I'll go over and comfort the little boy.
DM: The little boy coils away from you, fear in his eyes: "You're not a Bhaalspawn, are you? Please don't eat me!"
Charname: I'm a Bhaalspawn, but I don't eat little boys. Look, I might be able to bring back your father with the Rod of Resurrection.
DM: The fear in the boy's eyes turns to hope. "You will? Really?"
Charname: Of course. I use the Rod of Resurrection to--
Viconia: Wait, wait... Make him dance first!
Charname: What?
Viconia: Dance for us, little boy! Dance if you want your daddy back!
Charname: Yeah, it's Sarevok alright. Imkoen, cast Greater Malision, Jaheira - Chant, Dynaheir - Haste. I gulp potion of heroism and start hacking him.
GM: But you are within sancted walls of Candlekeep! Violence is forbidden here!
Charname: I have 17 Charisma and 20 Reputation, we'll be fine. And we've got score to settle...
If Baldur's Gate were a PnP campaign, there would be no rule against taking Gorion's ward to a temple and having him or her raised. It's the only way the group would have any chance of finishing the campaign.
But if Baldur's Gate were a PnP campaign, every one in the group would resent the collusion between the player playing Gorion's ward and the DM, making that character a "special snowflake" while they were all just playing regular people with everything they do being about the high and mighty Bhaalspawn. Everyone would quit the group as soon as the plot and the special player were revealed, with much insulting, criticizing, and complaining.
"What an awful campaign. This is stupid. You two just have fun by yourselves and leave me out of it. I'm not pandering to him and his god fantasy. Come on guys, I'll get us together over at my house, and we'll have a fair game where everyone is equal. It'll be more fun than this garbage, I promise. I have some material ready about an expedition to Icewind Dale. "
Player1: woah, cool.
Player2-4: what? Why the hell does he get to be a half god? What type of favouritism is this?!
DM: excuse me? He was the only one who didn’t care about his background was and didn’t want to be affliated with some cool organization to get their perks, like these two love bird harpers, or the mage from Thay who had to have those extras spells, or the drow elf “exiled from her home land” thank you Salvador for that now cliche character troupe, who automatically gets 50% spell resist. That’s why.
Imoen: what about me?
DM: what about you? You joined last minute with your character. I had to pencil you into the story.
Imoen: but I’m nothing special either.
DM: ugh! Fine. You’re a Bhaal spawn too but your character doesn’t know it yet.
Two hours later
DM: Well, nowhere in the rules it says that you can't have two spells immunities at the same time. Or that lich can't cast PfMW twice in the row. >evil grin<
One hour of arguing later
DM: Last time you said that "Demogorgon is laughably easy", and that you need "real challenge". So that's exactly what I did.
@BelgarathMTH - I'll try to remember it next time I'm in Candlekeep. IIRC, he automatically approaches you and disappears after conversation, so it maybe not possible to kill him.
DM: You arrive at the big bridge to Baldur's Gate, which is over a river. You can see that the drawbridge is open.
Player1: That means I can pass, right?
DM: No, it means you can't. Drawbridges are weird.
Player1 [who is an avenger]: Okay, I shapeshift into a wyvern, drink a potion of invisibility and fly across the river.
DM: When you attempt to fly across the river, you find that you are unable to fly above the water. Something blocks you. You are only able to fly above the land. So you cannot fly across the river.
Player1: *Angry wyvern noises*
A Lv. 7 FIghter with a magic long sword +2? There is no way Lv. 2 characters would survive to this...
I’d be more:
player1: I run away out of his sword’s reach while everyone else pelts him with arrows.
DM: ok. You disengage in combat. The bounty hunter strides over to the artist and *rolls a die* kills him in one hit. Sling bullets bounce off his back as he bends down and removes what look like 2 emeralds from the lifeless corpse. Your arrows go wide as he ignores you and strolls back to town.
Charname: Where is my gold?
DM: Well, you lost it. All of it. So next morning...
Charname: Listen, pal. Entire Sword Coast may burn for all I care, but I'm not leaving Baldur's Gate until I get my gold back!
But seriously - if any DM did something like that to me, I would never play with him again.
BG: My answer? First arrow of dispelling, then potion of explosions. Dynaheir, Edwin, use Wand of Paralyzation on her, Corwin - arrow of explosions, chop-chop.
DM: But she called for parley!
BG: Too bad. I didn't.
BG: Yeah, no. M'Khiin, summon earth elemental to build some dam over water. Dynaheir, Edwin - animate dead, we need workers who never tire and require no salary. Corwin, convince marshal to give us some soldiers. With any luck, we'll be on the other side of the river by tomorrow morning!
Party: Fine, can we go back to the fisherman and get one of them to row us across?
DM: They refuse because of they fear they angered Umberlee.
Party: Can we steal one of their boats?
DM: Sure you can try to. But no one has proficiency with using boats.
Safana: Wrong. I've got it. Let's do this thing.