[Released] Black Hearts - BG1
AWizardDidIt
Member Posts: 202
Introduction
Black Hearts is a new Quest mod for Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition that follows a plotline involving a character from Throne of Bhaal, Illasera, and a Red Wizard plot involving a dangerous new ally that has joined Sarevok’s cause. This mod repurposes fights from the Black Pits module, using those as a basis for various objectives given to players for the questline (with some variations to them in many cases).
There is a small additional ‘Dialogue patch’ supplement mod that can be downloaded for BG2. This adds some additional dialogues to Illasera in TOB to reflect that the two of you knew each other before.
This is my first ever big released mod, but I’m quite proud of how it all came together. It was a big learning experience for me. I apologize that it was about a year delayed from what I original intended, but I hope the wait was worth it
The mod includes:
Downloads
Screenshots
Installation
FAQ
Credits
Contact
For any issues with the mod, send me a message through the beamdog site or contact me at mandatorymarley@sbcglobal.net and I'll get back to you when I can.
Black Hearts is a new Quest mod for Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition that follows a plotline involving a character from Throne of Bhaal, Illasera, and a Red Wizard plot involving a dangerous new ally that has joined Sarevok’s cause. This mod repurposes fights from the Black Pits module, using those as a basis for various objectives given to players for the questline (with some variations to them in many cases).
There is a small additional ‘Dialogue patch’ supplement mod that can be downloaded for BG2. This adds some additional dialogues to Illasera in TOB to reflect that the two of you knew each other before.
This is my first ever big released mod, but I’m quite proud of how it all came together. It was a big learning experience for me. I apologize that it was about a year delayed from what I original intended, but I hope the wait was worth it
The mod includes:
- A brand new questline that spans from Chapter 3 through to the end of BG1.
- An expanded non-party companion, Illasera the Quick. While she does not join the party, she is a major presence in a Baldur’s Gate game with Black Hearts installed. In addition to being the major quest giver for the mod, she comments on your journey, provides rumors and advice, has 2-3 conversations with all BG:EE companions, and two long form social events if you choose to befriend her.
- Around 3,000 new lines of written dialogue with an emphasis on roleplay.
- Six brand new areas.
- Eighteen new items with unique magical properties.
Downloads
Blackhearts BG1 - The mod for Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition (with or without SOD)
Blackhearts BG2 Patch - Dialogue patch for Illasera in TOB
Blackhearts EET - EET Compatible version of the mod with the Dialogue patch implemented.
Blackhearts BG2 Patch - Dialogue patch for Illasera in TOB
Blackhearts EET - EET Compatible version of the mod with the Dialogue patch implemented.
Screenshots
Installation
For BG:EE
Download Blackhearts_BG1.zip and unzip the mod into your Baldur’s Gate EE directory, making sure that the folder “Blackhearts_BG1” and file Setup-Blackhearts_BG1 is in your base game directory (the same location as the chitin.key. Run the Setup-Blackhearts_BG1 weidu exe file to start installation.
For BG2:EE (patch file for additional Illasera dialogue)
Download Blackhearts_BG2 Patch.zip and unzip the mod into your Baldur’s Gate 2 EE directory, making sure that the folder “Blackhearts_BG2 Patch” and file Setup-Blackhearts_BG2 Patch is in your base game directory (the same location as the chitin.key. Run the Setup-Blackhearts_BG2 Patch weidu exe file to start installation.
For EET
Download Blackhearts_EET.zip and unzip the mod into your EET Baldur’s Gate 2 EET directory, making sure that the folder “Blackhearts_EET” and file Setup-Blackhearts_EET is in your base game directory (the same location as the chitin.key. Run the Setup-Blackhearts_EET weidu exe file to start installation. Make sure this is done AFTER the EET Core component is installed but BEFORE EET End is.
Note:
The mod should only be started on a fresh save. Uninstalling the mod and loading up a save that had been installed will probably not totally break your save, but may result in weirdness.
Download Blackhearts_BG1.zip and unzip the mod into your Baldur’s Gate EE directory, making sure that the folder “Blackhearts_BG1” and file Setup-Blackhearts_BG1 is in your base game directory (the same location as the chitin.key. Run the Setup-Blackhearts_BG1 weidu exe file to start installation.
For BG2:EE (patch file for additional Illasera dialogue)
Download Blackhearts_BG2 Patch.zip and unzip the mod into your Baldur’s Gate 2 EE directory, making sure that the folder “Blackhearts_BG2 Patch” and file Setup-Blackhearts_BG2 Patch is in your base game directory (the same location as the chitin.key. Run the Setup-Blackhearts_BG2 Patch weidu exe file to start installation.
For EET
Download Blackhearts_EET.zip and unzip the mod into your EET Baldur’s Gate 2 EET directory, making sure that the folder “Blackhearts_EET” and file Setup-Blackhearts_EET is in your base game directory (the same location as the chitin.key. Run the Setup-Blackhearts_EET weidu exe file to start installation. Make sure this is done AFTER the EET Core component is installed but BEFORE EET End is.
Note:
The mod should only be started on a fresh save. Uninstalling the mod and loading up a save that had been installed will probably not totally break your save, but may result in weirdness.
FAQ
Will this mod get ported for the non-EE BG (BG1 or BGT)?
Not from me. I learned to mod using a lot of EE shortcuts that I am not going to relearn to mod vanilla BG. If someone else would like to do this for me, feel free to reach out.
Is SOD required?
No, however an SOD add-on epilogue chapter will be coming Soon™
Are there any mod incompatibilities?
There shouldn’t be. I tried to make the mod with best modding practices in mind towards compatibility with other mods. However if anyone finds anything that doesn’t work together, notify me and I’ll look into it (contact details below).
What languages are the mod in?
Only English so far. If someone would like to assist me in translating to other languages, please contact me (contact details below).
Where does the quest start?
The Questline begins in the Feldepost Inn of Beregost and can be started in Chapter 3 and forward.
Are there any time limits or requirements for the quests?
There are no time limits on any quest. However, all available quests must be completed prior to starting Chapter 7 (post-Candlekeep) or else the last chain in the questline will not be available. It will be obvious when you’re safe to move on to Candlekeep.
Illasera is kind of mean. Can she not be?
No, I tried to write the character as very firmly in the evil camp. However, she is not a cackling villain, simply practical and without much empathy for others. She’s intentionally condescending towards the PC to start, but lightens up over time (and can even respect/befriend them).
Are there story consequences for doing/not doing the quest?
Yes. Without spoiling things, playing through the questline to its completion will add an extra benefit to the end game. However, failing to do it will make for a complication towards the end. This is a quest about Sarevok getting a new ally. Failing to stop this will make for a fairly tough battle near the end.
I’m not getting experience from quest turn ins. Is that intended?
Yes. I feel like the amount of XP you get in BG:EE is already incredibly high and the fights in this mod generally award pretty good XP for the enemies you kill, so I decided awarding even more XP for quest turn-ins wasn’t really necessary. There are a couple instances of XP rewards given however for alternate quest solutions.
Is there any special content for specific npcs/characters?
Imoen gets a few extra bits of content in this mod, including an expanded Eversong Bar scene. Besides her, all other EE base npcs get quite a bit of banter and a few even provide alternate routes for some quests to usually shortcut them.
I'm stuck on X quest. What do I do?
Please check the mod Quest Guide here
Not from me. I learned to mod using a lot of EE shortcuts that I am not going to relearn to mod vanilla BG. If someone else would like to do this for me, feel free to reach out.
Is SOD required?
No, however an SOD add-on epilogue chapter will be coming Soon™
Are there any mod incompatibilities?
There shouldn’t be. I tried to make the mod with best modding practices in mind towards compatibility with other mods. However if anyone finds anything that doesn’t work together, notify me and I’ll look into it (contact details below).
What languages are the mod in?
Only English so far. If someone would like to assist me in translating to other languages, please contact me (contact details below).
Where does the quest start?
The Questline begins in the Feldepost Inn of Beregost and can be started in Chapter 3 and forward.
Are there any time limits or requirements for the quests?
There are no time limits on any quest. However, all available quests must be completed prior to starting Chapter 7 (post-Candlekeep) or else the last chain in the questline will not be available. It will be obvious when you’re safe to move on to Candlekeep.
Illasera is kind of mean. Can she not be?
No, I tried to write the character as very firmly in the evil camp. However, she is not a cackling villain, simply practical and without much empathy for others. She’s intentionally condescending towards the PC to start, but lightens up over time (and can even respect/befriend them).
Are there story consequences for doing/not doing the quest?
Yes. Without spoiling things, playing through the questline to its completion will add an extra benefit to the end game. However, failing to do it will make for a complication towards the end. This is a quest about Sarevok getting a new ally. Failing to stop this will make for a fairly tough battle near the end.
I’m not getting experience from quest turn ins. Is that intended?
Yes. I feel like the amount of XP you get in BG:EE is already incredibly high and the fights in this mod generally award pretty good XP for the enemies you kill, so I decided awarding even more XP for quest turn-ins wasn’t really necessary. There are a couple instances of XP rewards given however for alternate quest solutions.
Is there any special content for specific npcs/characters?
Imoen gets a few extra bits of content in this mod, including an expanded Eversong Bar scene. Besides her, all other EE base npcs get quite a bit of banter and a few even provide alternate routes for some quests to usually shortcut them.
I'm stuck on X quest. What do I do?
Please check the mod Quest Guide here
Credits
- New Area assets sourced from Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader
- Nerys’ song is So Close by FlyByNo (Endless Legend)
- Nerys voice lines pulled from Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
- Special thanks to DnD Detective (https://www.youtube.com/@dnddetective4463). His modding tutorial videos started out my own dabbling in modding. I couldn’t have made this mod without his work.
- Thank you to all the BG modding community. You’ve inspired so much interest in this game/series that has kept it fresh and fun for decades. This entire process of modding was a lot of trial and error learned from scouring through various mods and trying to put it all together myself.
- Beamdog for their work to maintain Baldur’s Gate as a game. You all aren’t always appreciated, but I think deserve accolades for the work you’ve done updating the game (and SOD is a pretty swell little expansion).
- Nerys’ song is So Close by FlyByNo (Endless Legend)
- Nerys voice lines pulled from Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
- Special thanks to DnD Detective (https://www.youtube.com/@dnddetective4463). His modding tutorial videos started out my own dabbling in modding. I couldn’t have made this mod without his work.
- Thank you to all the BG modding community. You’ve inspired so much interest in this game/series that has kept it fresh and fun for decades. This entire process of modding was a lot of trial and error learned from scouring through various mods and trying to put it all together myself.
- Beamdog for their work to maintain Baldur’s Gate as a game. You all aren’t always appreciated, but I think deserve accolades for the work you’ve done updating the game (and SOD is a pretty swell little expansion).
Contact
For any issues with the mod, send me a message through the beamdog site or contact me at mandatorymarley@sbcglobal.net and I'll get back to you when I can.
Post edited by AWizardDidIt on
20
Comments
I have 2 major requests for this mod for its initial release.
1: Include native EET compatibility. Ask the people on Gibberlings3 as prudent for aid.
2: Include Orange Ioun Stones for +1 caster level. This is one item that seems easy to make/include but one that I've not been able to use in any D&D video game yet!
Thankee!
1. EET compatibility is definitely something I would like to do. Probably will be one of the last things I visit before I look to Release it.
2. That seems like a great idea for a new magic item and definitely within the scope of magic items I want for the mod. I *hate* when mods introduce OP gear and have specifically been making gear that's less god-tier and more trying to make items that are lesser used in BG or have interesting/unique effects.
Thankee! I realized that +1 caster level is most appropriate for low levels when the +1 CL matters a lot. Once in BG2, that +1 CL matters much less.
(I also like the notion of integrating the Black Pits' fights into the main BG story. Baeloth is my favorite NPC! Alleluia!)
Looks incredible. Very eager to see it released.
@Endarire
You mean... this thing?
I'd also like an Orange Ioun Stone equippable by all classes, like the Pale Green Ioun Stone in BG2EE.
Well, as soon as my mod's ready, you'll be able to grab a non-class restricted Orange Ioun Stone from an enemy nearish to the end of the questline
The Bright Orange Ioun Stone linked above is from the Angel's Made in Heaven Item Pack mod.
And to clarify, the Orange Ioun Stone is +1 caster level to all classes, yea even Rangers, Paladins, Bards, Shamen, Clerics, Druids, and obscure kits that can cast.
Plus, if I were to see portraits, I would rather see original ones (like the ToB Illasera) rather than those introduced in mods. Illasera's portrait you use was made by Artastrophe and was designed as a part of PaintBG portrait mod, not as a standalone thing. They do not blend in well with original portraits and such a mix always felt weird... that's also why I think I prefer to keep quest mods portrait-less or minimalize a number of portraits.
As for other npcs, only a few of them have portraits and those are the more major ones and I've been toying with the idea of doing non-party romances for them. A few of those portraits I created myself, so I'm kind of proud of the work I did and want to include them. I promise it won't be too immersion breaking!
Cheers!
Earlier I mentioned that Illasera was going to have over 1000 lines of dialogue. Wow, seems like a lot, right? Maybe even too much. Well, a bunch of that is tied into two optional sequences where you can hang out in a pub and get to know each other better. You learn about each other's history, events in the region, and even companions you travel with, with my focus being on offering a lot of options to emphasize roleplay, so I made trees to be as responsive to many different types of characters as possible, with lots of options specific to class or stats.
For anyone who doesn't want to sit down with a cup of tea and do that much reading, you can choose to keep your relationship with Illasera purely professional, skipping these scenes entirely. She won't begrudge you it any for it (she might even respect you more for it), but you keep to just doing the quests, only asking what questions you need to do the missions you're given.
I'm currently finished about 75% through the second sequence and then will be doing some touch ups on it soon. My main objective this week is to get it complete so I can move onto the last 'act' of content for the mod.
I have plans for other items that I would like included in this mod or/and other mods. How receptive are you to implementing more items suitable for sometime in BG1?
Thankee!
There are selfish and aggressive options in dialogue and you can kill some npcs along the way if you feel like it and get some extra items for doing so, with the trade off being that they aren't around to help or talk to you later. Otherwise, the whole questline is pretty morally agnostic. I didn't really approach it with "Good" or "Evil" in mind. Everyone knows "Law" vs "Chaos" is where it's at
@Endarire
Feel free to give me item suggestions if you'd like! I don't have all my items laid out beforehand; my process so far has been taking a fight and then just sort of thinking what type of magical item might make sense for it and then scouting around the item effects in NI to see if I can't do something fun. If your suggestion seems neat to me and I can figure out a way to make the item, I'll def throw it in.
I'm putting the finishing touches on the pub scene I was working on last week. The dialogue ended up being a bit more extensive than I first intended and has two cutscene elements which made things take longer.
Once I get this part finished, my next plan of action is to start prototyping the last "Act" of the quest, which opens up after you return from Candlekeep. I already have a rough idea of how I want the quest to go, but I need to start nailing down the specifics of where it's going to start and begin writing the script/dialogue to get the needed npcs into place. Once I've done that, I get started on the last area map, which is going to be a big one.
For this update, I wanted to share some stuff about the new added maps in the game. A while back, I ripped BMP images of all of the maps from the ill-fated Black Isle isometric RPG "Lionheart". While this game has a sort of renaissance-era style to it that often doesn't blend great with Baldur's Gate, a few of the maps work pretty excellently and with a little photoshop magic, I'm able to cut those image files apart to make some good maps.
Pictured below is one of them, a sanctum in the Undercity of Baldur's Gate that you'll travel to during Chapter 5.
Apologies for the delay. I've been working on other things, and I'm expecting to start a new employment position next week. (It's seasonal for 11 days.) Mid-to-late August at soonest is when I can give you the proper item descriptions.
Thankee!
Last week I finished up sketching out how I want the last 'act' of the mod quest to go as well as scripted together the intro part. This was actually all new to me since part of the intro is a character helping you out in a fight as a neutral npc so I had to figure out how npc script ai works a bit. I ended up just "borrowing" a few scripts from npcs in Siege of Dragonspear to handle combat ai and then creating a top level script for plot relevant actions I needed the npc to do. Work smart, not hard, right?
What's on the agenda this week? Creating the last new areas for the mod, which will be a modest sized dungeon with one "hub" zone that connects to five small spokes. It's size should be roughly equivalent to something like a single level of a durlag's tower, though not so condensed with traps and monsters. It will definitely be the most ambitious area I've made, but I'm feeling excited to try out some of the new triggers I want to play with and I've already starting photoshopping together a really neat zone (spoiler: it's not a prime material location). Should be a cool area to go to.
I've finished creating the last area maps (3 in total). Now comes the rather tedious process of going into dltec and actually making them into areas, including the process of setting up the various maps and wall objects. This shouldn't actually be *too* bad for these areas, as they don't have a ton of occluding objects. My hope is to finish this and then at least get significant process on the area scripts this week. That's about it, not too much else to report here. I am also planning an 'epilogue' post-game section for my mod that takes place either in SoD or integrates into the Endless BG1 mod so you can do it that way instead. So I'm thinking about that while I do the more mundane process of putting together these map areas.
Also, do you think you will release the mod for BGT too?
Oh, I would never require SoD. The epilogue component would be 1.) Optional and 2.) Would be present in *either* SoD or in post game BG1 via the Endless BG1 mod so you could play it through that mod instead of SoD if you so wished.
For BGT, I am a first time modder and have been taking advantage of a lot of shortcuts the EE versions of the game have in terms of modding. I unfortunately don't see myself being very motivated to do the work needed to backport it into BGT so I'd say it's extremely unlikely to get a BGT version, at least from me.
Next week is the soonest I can work in earnest on the item proposals for this mod. Thankee for your patience!
I like SoD and so am pleased that there will be some additional content for it. (The main thing I dislike about SoD is that, like ToB, there is little mod material for it.)