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Druid QuestIf I wrote a druid quest would you guys include it?
Black Elk is my oldest and favorite D&D character. I first played with him over a decade ago in 2ed and got him up to a lvl 7 druid in Pen and Paper (a big deal for me at the time). When BG came out I played him through the entire saga.
He's a Neutral (Evil) Avenger hell bent on thwarting the progress of civilization. An old fashioned misanthropic villain with a slightly different motivation. I can't tell you how cool it would for me be if he was bad guy that people could encounter in BG1.
I'll post some more info:
Jah-din: Black Elk
"This master of the flame and stone can be found frequenting the backwaters and lesser traveled woodlands of the Sword Coast. A solitary wanderer, Jah-din spends his days seeking out the enemies of the forest and crushing all who set themselves in opposition to the greater balance. Unchallenged in his skill with the scimitar, Jah-din descends upon the infidel with all the fury of the ancient storms. With the Dread Helm of the Northern Elk tribes fixed acrest his brow, this champion of the wild is truly an ominous sight to behold. It is said of Jah-din that no fleet footed hunter, be they man or beast, can match his stride when he assumes his kindred form. It is said also that many a formidable foe has met with an untimely and painful death... caught at unawares by a prick of the Great Stag’s antlers. One would do best to tread softly in the forest where the black elk makes his home"
The basic idea for the character was a kind of split personality. Jah-din was initially a human hunter who, through an unfortunate twist of fate, came to be possessed by a malevolent animal spirit. The Black Elk aspect of his persona actually resides in the cursed helmet he wears (which is adorned with the anlters of ancient and powerfull Dire Elk) and also in his hide armor (taken form the same kill)
As you can imagine, I have a lot more info on this cat. But I just wanted to give you a basic sketch
Race: Human
Age: ?
Class: Avenger lvl 7
Str 13
Dex 10
Con 8 (from the physical stress of having his body inhabited by another spirit)
Int 12
Wis 17
Cha 15 base (14 modified)
Favored weapon: Scimitar
Totem: The Black Stagg
What do you think? Is there any chance I could write in a small part for this guy in the quest pack? Myabe as just another encounter in one of the new wilderness areas?
I can type up some nice dialogue strings and post more detailed character specs in a few days. I was thinking something simple for the plot hook like a burnt out homestead on the edge of the wilderness. For the final encounter I was envisioning a forest clearing with plenty of deer around. Perhaps Black Elk could summon a few bears to lend him a hand. When slain I was hoping he could drop some of the following items.
The Dread Helm of the Black Elk (cursed): Charisma -1, Alignment set to Neutral Evil. Grants the wearer the ability to summon lightning once per day. Usable only by druids and rangers. I'll have to see which helmet model is best
Scimitar +1 (maybe +2)
Hide armor: dark grey
Jah-din's pipe: I've been trying to think of a cool minor ability for this one appropriate to BG1. Maybe someone here can give me an idea. I figured I oculd just use the club image for the in game inventory.
Diety: A Vision of Nature
MORE INFO TO COME
I'm working on a painted character portrait (I also want to attempt one with Black Elk in his full war regelia) as well as some more item drawings. I could tweak them in photoshop if you guys want to include them
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It might be intersting to have a few quests involving Pirates. Yarrrrrhghg
I always got the impression the Baldur's Gate was an important maritime trading center, but found it soarly lacking in the Docks department.
Maybe a new tavern, "The Scurvy Dog" could help to flesh things out. hehe You could litter it with a healthy mix of smugglers and scoundrels... Perhaps even a brothel in back... "Madame Black's Precious Gems"
This would be an ideal staging point for some of those beloved "seedy underbelly of the city" type quests. Throw in a captain and a ship (both with catchy names of course) and it would also allow for the addition of an extra island or 2 that people could explore.
Just an idea.