92 replies to this topic

[Jarno Mikkola]

As there happens to be a free space inside the Baldur's Gate, one could presume there would be someone willing to take it to his mod.

What am I talking about?
I was playing the game one day, and I stumbled to a unused exit inside the Baldur's Gate, it's under the Temple of Umberlee in the dock section of the town as this picture shows.

Here.

So as the town should be bigger, as this picture shows, I began to form an idea of what could be there,(by no means necessary to be made by the moder(s)) the central island as seen on the picture in the link could house a memorial for Baldur.

[Miloch]

...the central island as seen on the picture in the link could house a memorial for Baldur.

Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast has this to say about that island:

A bridge from the western shore links the mainland with a rocky islet on which perches the old, massive Seatower of Balduran, which is used as a barracks, naval base, dungeon and fortress. It has a full armory and catapults to battle hostile ships, and a massive chain can be stretched from it to the outermost wharf on the east side to bar the harbor to invaders.

So yes, it has modding potential. It would be a fair amount of work to draw the area map, with subareas (dungeons etc.) and add all the CREs (soldiers, prisoners, etc.) and dialogue, but don't let that stop you.

[Rabain]

Here's an interpretation for you:

http://www.blackwyrm...ages/AR0500.jpg

It needs some work but you get the idea.

[Miloch]

^ Me

[Rabain]

Yeah I did it in the past 3 hours. Just pulled out some BG1 area's and threw them together. The only original feature is the Sea Chain...and it's probably going the wrong way!

I won't be making this mod but anyone wants the area they are welcome to it.

[Miloch]

The only original feature is the Sea Chain...and it's probably going the wrong way!

The chain probably should be going off more to the east or southeast but... details. Bioware's depiction of the city and harbour is a bit off anyway.

I won't be making this mod but anyone wants the area they are welcome to it.

I'm almost tempted but... bah... I should finish up the other stuff I'm working on first.

[pro5]

Has anyone picked this up yet? I'm sorta woking on another BG1 questpack here, and this map looks attractive.

Problem is, I'm utterly out of ideas for new quests. Any suggestions on what could be going on at this island and the seatower?

Edited by pro5, 24 February 2007 - 04:14 AM.

[berelinde]

Do you want this to be a heroic quest or an evil RPing option quest?

The place is used as a prison, among other things. Perhaps something along the lines of smuggling some documents out of the prison? These documents will save the life of a condemned man if you want the heroic quest or frame a politician if you want the evil RPing option quest.

I'd really like to see this island used. It really is quite beautiful.

Edited by BGhead, 24 February 2007 - 04:47 AM.

[Miloch]

Rabain was going to refine the map a bit, and I had some additional ideas. On the prison theme for example, the PC gets apprehended (perhaps in a case of mistaken identity), thrown in the dungeon and has to escape Alcatraz/Count-of-Monte-Cristo-style. Ideas will probably be easier to come up with than the technical work that needs to be done (map overlays, interiors, CREs, dialog, etc.). I probably won't have time in the near future to run with this much if someone else wants to pick it up, though I could possibly contribute to it.

[pro5]

Perhaps a quest to rescue/help/find some important prisoner? I don't think such fortress would be used to hold common beggars anyway.

I'm already going to have to work with several large new maps in my mod (larger than this one, from the looks of the preview posted). So it doesn't scare me much. I'd like to be sure I won't be stuck at thinking of what to put into it when it's technically finished, though.

Do you want this to be a heroic quest or an evil RPing option quest?

Ideally, I'd like to have more than 1 instance of each. Otherwise it would be a beautiful, but empty and useless place, to visit once and forget. So, more ideas please.

thrown in the dungeon and has to escape Alcatraz/Count-of-Monte-Cristo-style

How will it be different from escaping the Flaming Fist prison?

[Miloch]

thrown in the dungeon and has to escape Alcatraz/Count-of-Monte-Cristo-style

How will it be different from escaping the Flaming Fist prison?

This one would be more... watery. Ok, maybe the jailbreak thing is a bit overused, but what isn't in RPGs? Are you really that short on ideas? I always have way more than I have the time or skill to implement. And if you run out, you can always use the random hook generator. It tends to give rather generic stuff sometimes, but you can piece several together and it's specific to the region at least.

Here's another idea: the Seatower itself is fairly nondescript - your average harbour naval fortress that might also double as a lookout and lighthouse of sorts. Inside the tower lie barracks, armouries and quite a lot of storerooms in case the place is ever blockaded. The top level hosts the quarters of a crotchety old retired mage who uses his magic to spy out potential enemy raiders from afar, look out for smugglers and perhaps craft the odd potion or defense mechanism. There are various rumours and factions amongst the soldiers that may tip the party off for some aboveground quests, perhaps interacting with the city. The dungeons are somewhat more interesting, with prisoners of various backgrounds and races, some monstrous perhaps, and could host quests of the type BGHead describes (though how is framing a politician evil? ). Below the dungeons though, lies a deadly secret. A colony of kuo-toa has taken root here and is attempting to tunnel into the sewers and make contact with the Temple of Umberlee to form a monstrous alliance. (Perhaps some of the maps for the kuo-toa colony could be lifted and rearranged from the BG2 Sahuagin city.) Ultimately, the kuo-toa are attempting to bring an avatar of Blipdoolpoolp into the Realms in the form of a kuo-toa leviathan, a hideous monstrosity that the party can only defeat with the help of sea elves who are attempting to thwart this plot. Some critical areas for the quest are accessible only with Rings of Water Breathing or similar spells obtained from them (probably can be coded via script if nothing else). Alternately, an evil party can side with the kuo-toa and destroy the sea elves (headed by an aquatic sorceress of great power), and possibly the Seatower garrison as well, who are trying to contain what little they know of the menace. Ultimately the Fist will probably send in reinforcements to at least hold off the kuo-toa, if not defeat them (assuming the party does not do so).

Yeah, something similar to that has probably been done too, but like I said, what hasn't.

Edited by Miloch, 24 February 2007 - 04:33 PM.

[Rabain]

One thought I had (which i mentioned to Miloch in PM) was to redirect the player to this area if they take up the Scar quests as part of the BG1 story.

When Scar tells you to come back to him at the Flaming Fist HQ simply redirect the dialogue so he says "I'll be at the Sea Tower, just keep the Temple of Umberlee on your left and you can't miss it. It's a great big Sea Tower!".

This would at least introdue the player to the area and any extra quests (given by a "Sea Tower Commander" for example) could be hinted at by Scar when the player meets him there.

[Jarno Mikkola]

And maybe the ship captain(Lobar?) in Low Lantern could use the hero's help to lower the chain that blogs his passage to the sea.

And thank you for accepting my idea.

[Kaeloree]

If you guys would like a workforum, just give a shout.

[pro5]

It's a bit too early for workroom, I think. I wasn't going to start on this right away, have lots of my own other stuff to finish first. May take a month or two, I guess.

Rabain could use this time to finalize the map if it needs improvement, and Miloch could meanwhile record some more of his innovative quest ideas to implement.

[Miloch]

I was stuck in my car for a couple hours the other day, waiting in a massive traffic jam, so I decided to occupy myself with sketching what might be in this tower. I had only a crappy pen and the back of some insurance papers to work with, so this isn't supposed to be high art or anything - just a rough draft to give a rough idea of possible interior layouts.







I also wrote up some accompanying text as to the potential inhabitants:

The Seatower of Balduran houses 12 soldiers (L6 fighters), 10 archers (L6), 7 servants (L1 commoners), 1 blacksmith (L4 dwarf fighter), 1 mage (L12 diviner) and 1 commander (L14 inquisitor). In addition, a stalker (L9 elf) and bounty hunter (L11 halfling) operate out of the tower to apprehend prisoners.

Bailey: hosts a small chapel to Selune, housing a priest (L8 cleric) and an acolyte (L4 cleric). During the day, 2 merchants operate in the bailey, selling odds and ends to the garrison. One is a tanner/leatherworker (L3 gnome fighter/illusionist), the other a bowyer/fletcher (L3 half-elf archer). Also in the bailey is a statue of Balduran with a plaque commemorating his last voyage to Maztica. 5 of the archers and 2 soldiers are deployed on the bailey wall, mostly manning the catapults and ballistae. 2 soldiers guard the bridge to the mainland. 2 others patrol the bailey. Outside the bailey, a secret door on the southern cliff wall allows access down to the sea elf caverns.

Level 1 (entry floor): 1 soldier guards the entry to the great hall, another is nearby in the kitchen taking a meal. A cook and a scullion work in the kitchen preparing meals.

Level 2 (barracks): 3 archers and 3 soldiers are asleep in the barracks. The smith and an apprentice work in the armoury; a servant cleans the privies (garderobes in the tower wall and washbasins).

Level 3 (quarters): The diviner prepares potions and other magicks in his workroom. The commander is at work in his office reviewing maps; the bounty hunter is here receiving orders. [The bounty hunter knows of the secret door in the cliff wall but is not certain what lies beyond it.]

Level 4 (roof): 2 archers man the ballistae here and keep the beacon lit.

Dungeon 1 (cellar): 2 servants are asleep in their quarters here. A scullion is in the pantry fetching supplies for the kitchen. The storage rooms hold plenty of food, water and supplies in the event of a blockade.

Dungeon 2 (prison): 1 soldier and the stalker are on guard here. The stalker has just captured a kuo-toa scout and suspects a hidden entrance here. Only the kuo-toa knows about the entrance for certain. There are 9 cells which also host an ogre mage (captured near the docks), a wererat, a ghaunadan (just biding his time before escaping under the door in slimeform), a drow scout (the latter 4 all apprehended in the sewers), a human bandit and a human spy from Amn. The other 2 cells are empty. [Note: one could easily make this area larger with more cells and an "interrogation" chamber.]

Dungeon 3 (caverns): In all, there are about two dozen kuo-toa here, dispersed amongst a central cavern, various sleeping caves, a temple to Blipdoolpoolp (to the east) and passages leading to the Temple of Umberlee (north) and the aquatic elf caverns (south).

Edited by Miloch, 19 April 2011 - 11:51 PM.

[pro5]

I've already filled most space on the map the other day. If nothing changes, I'll have a forum here soon. I'd also like to have "Balduran's Seatower" workroom there, which both you and Rabain (if he wants) will have access to.

[Kulyok]

Guys, you rock.

[Miloch]

Anyone ever looked at their BG game map?

Both the Seatower and Statue of Balduran are in fact marked on the map. Though the Seatower is placed on the west bank, when it should actually be in the harbour where the statue is. But the map is pretty far from accurate to either canon material or the game itself... I just thought it was interesting.

Edited by Miloch, 19 April 2011 - 11:51 PM.