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I don't know which forum is the most active. Is beamdog more active than here? G3? Anyways, I wanted to share some ideas that have been bumping in my head
1) Candlekeep illusion party
Several years ago I tried to change the illusory training party you can get in the prologue. I wanted to change them into a 2nd level Order of the Stick party, with Haley, Durkon, V, Belkar and Elan, some "cameo" work before their main appearance in OOTS. However the game kept crashing when I tried to use the altered files. I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that you aren't supposed to be able to keep the party or their items, and changing them screwed with the script(s).
2) Plot with Firehair and Tethtoril
Why on earth are Firebead and Teth examining an ID scroll? Sure, you could say there's an RP reason... maybe it's from another culture, another plane, uses different gestures, etc... it IS Candlekeep so perhaps they're interested in some obscure aspect of the scroll. If you put that aside however, it seems odd that two very powerful mages would otherwise care about a simple 1L scroll. If the scroll is rare enough to merit their attention though, why are they passing it through YOUR hands?? I have always found the whole thing highly suspicious.
What if T is actually sending a secret message to Elvenhair? In PNP there's a spell called Secret Page, which lets you create an illusion over a document so it looks like something else. This would explain why they wouldn't want to be seen together, why they have somebody else carry the message. It could be as simple as that, but since you're involved, what if it's even more?
What I imagine is a scroll like this:
"Elvenfire, the day has finally come. IT is leaving Candlekeep, and we will finally be able to sleep easy at night. Gorion is leaving with it today, but he refuses to divulge his plans. Though we will now be safe, we cannot remain ignorant of what is to come. I have enchanted this scroll with a tracer spell so that when it is accepted, the spell will strike. In this way it will be marked. Of course, we won't be able to track it from here, Candlekeep's wards will block the spell.
I need you to pack your things and leave as well. Go to our chapterhouse in Beregost. From there you can track it's movements and learn of how it is affecting the Sword Coast. Send regular reports! My tracer spell was rushed, as I have only just learned of Gorion's departure, so it will not last long. Prepare an item in Beregost with a stronger tracer, and find some way to get it to accept it from you if it should visit."
For most characters, this would appear to be a regular ID scroll for which Elvenbead will give his standard reward. For characters with a certain class/ kit/ stat, or if perhaps they took it to the priest of Oghma, they might learn the truth. Whether there's anything further to this idea is up for inspiration, but it would not only help to explain why they're having you pass on this scroll, but give some foreshadowing that powerful people have their eyes on you, even if you don't know why yet.
There could also be something in the scroll indicating that it was T who allowed Shank and Carbos entry to the keep to kill you, or he hired them from a caravan, or whatever. Hairbead doesn't agree with T's plan to kill you, but can't directly oppose T either, so he gives you an invisible "boost" with his spell to help you out.
It might also be nice for Firehair to have a custom spell with a much longer duration. I think the vanilla spell barely lasts long enough to exit the inn, and while SR gives a longer duration, it still might not be long enough for a casual newbie gamer who's taking his time exploring.
3) Carbos and Shank
How did they get in?? Entry to Candlekeep is supposed to be tighter than an elven arse, yet these two goobers made it in? How??? One idea is mentioned above, that T (or some other monk), let them in to kill you. Another idea is this:
Carbos and Shank are actually high level thieves in a BG guild. They are competing for an "officer" position in the guild. The guildmaster, looking for a difficult task to challenge them, sees this recent posting for a bounty on some child in Candlekeep. He says this is their task. The 50gp bounty for killing you is not their real reward, it's the high ranking position in the guild. The challenge, of course, is getting in.
Now the guild has long known of Candlekeep's defenses, and it's weaknesses. Wards and spells that can block archmages aren't impervious to thieves. The trick is how the wards work. The spells on the keep keep out the powerful. The higher your level, the stronger the barrier becomes. The weaker you are, the weaker the barrier, which is how peasants and farmers are able to bring in food and supplies all the time and not be kept out. What the thieves have to do is drink a special potion from their guild alchemist that temporarily drains them to zero level commoners.
So they travel to the keep, drink their potions, and walk in through the front gate. They then slip away and hide out, waiting for you. However, they underestimate just how much the potion has weakened them, so when they attack you, they miss a lot, hit for only 1 damage, and die very easily. Perhaps one or both could have the remains of a bounty notice on you, as well as a letter from the alchemist explaining for them to be VERY CAREFUL about how weak the potions will make them.
As with idea #2, it's just about adding a letter to their inventory, nothing fancy.
4) Some mod has introduced bracers and girdles that don't do anything and are just for decoration. What if they did? What if there were bracers that gave -1 bow speed, girdles that gave +30 carrying capacity, boots that gave -2 speed to stop low AC mages from constantly running ahead of the slower warriors in armor, and circlets that gave infravision? Minor convenience items.
5) FAI Porter
Create an NPC called "porter" or somesuch, just inside the common room of the FAI. When you talk to him, for a small fee (10gp), he will teleport your party to the southern part of the FAI map, and will also spawn a copy of himself. Talking to the copy will teleport your party inside to the first porter. This would be a simple convenience mod for those who tire of trudging back and forth and back and forth between the map entry and the taproom.
The second porter can't appear until after the party goes inside first, so as not to bypass Tarnesh. The only flaw with this is that it would allow the party to skip other events in the courtyard, if any, afterwards. I'm not aware of any, but there may be mods that add something. Still, I think it would be a nice timesaver.
Perhaps there could be something similar on the Nashkel map, something that could teleport you from the bottom of the map to near the inn, but not too close so as to avoid Nimbul.
6) Balance the ammo APR
I'm well aware that 2E says bows have 2 Attacks Per Round. This makes them too good compared to other missile weapons IMO, especially slings. Does anyone think that bows should drop to 1 APR, or that others should go up? The 1d4 of slings is pathetic, surely they should be 2 APR at least? What about something like this:
Darts................... 4 APR, 1-3 dmg, no STR, short range
Throw daggers... 2 APR, 1-4 dmg, STR, short range
Slingstones.........2 APR, 1-4 dmg, no STR, med range
Throw axes.........1 APR, 1-6 dmg, STR, med range
Bows...................2 APR, 1-6 dmg, no STR, long range
Crossbows..........1 APR, 1-10 dmg, no STR, long range
