LP Baldur's Gate Saga Blind! How could this go wrong?

[Telarii]

Spoiler: Preface

Show

Heya, everyone! Long time lurker here. Thought I'd finally make my debut!

I've long been an avid player of Dungeons and Dragons, specifically the second edition of the game, but I've not really gotten around to playing a grand majority of the D&D computer games... Really only having played the Gold Box games from back in caveman days and Neverwinter Nights 2.

So with the new trailer for Baldur's Gate 3 coming out, it's reminded me that I've not actually played the first two games, which really is a crying shame from what I've heard... so I guess I'll rectify that, and share my blind experience with you all!

Now, I'm going into this game blind. I've avoided as many spoilers as I possibly can, knowing only that the later games probably have something to do with Amn and Bhaal based off the second game and its expansion's titles. Also something about an insane bald guy with a hamster that people reeeeally seem to love for some reason. But I mean, who doesn't love hamsters?

I've also scoured a bit of the internet for any mods that make the first game a bit more enjoyable and consistent with the second game since I'd seen it mentioned that some character stats change between the two games and that's the kind of inconsistency that's just begging to trigger my OCD.

After a quick google search, I've discovered The Gibberlings 3 and their mods! So what I've gone and done is installed BG2 Tweaks mod, which as far as I understand should make things more consistent and let me stack up stuff. Because screw each gem taking up an inventory slot. It should also make stats consistent. I also downloaded BG1 NPCs and the music pack that is supposed to make the character's personalities more in-line with their BG2 portrayals. If you guys can think of any additional modifications I should add to the game, please feel free to let me know! Now, to make a character...

Spoiler: Character Generation

Show

Now, in my current AD&D game, I'm playing a Thief character, so I'd like to try something a little bit different. Instead of a human, this time I'm going to go elf to do a little multiclassing, and just hope there isn't a level limit like in RAW. Then, for class, I might go with...

Woah, woah, woah!

What is this? What the heck is a Shaman? Isn't Sorcerer a class that was introduced in 3.0? I don't recall Monks being in AD&D either... Already a little part of me whispers that choosing the Enhanced Editions may have been a mistake.

Pressing on, and looking at my options, I think I'll go with kind of a spell-swordy character and that means I'll go with a Fighter/Mage multiclass! I'd go with Fighter/Mage/Thief, but well... I want to level up more than once every game. I'm also hoping we'll get a cleric early in the game, instead of toward the END of the game. ZHJAEVE.

I'm also going to with a Neutral Good alignment. I don't know how much alignment matters in this game, but I feel like a jerk in most games if I pick the evil options so I'm going to err on the side of caution here.



That 9 in Constitution's really going to hurt us in the long run, I feel, unless we can find a way to boost it. The 14 in strength is also not ideal if we're going to be on the front lines, but most of that should be offset by our spells later in the game. Furthermore, a 17 in both Dexterity and Intelligence are going to be wonderful, and I may in fact stick to the back until we get some more protection under our belts.

And there we are, Vestika, the bright-eyed and ready elven adventurer prepared for her very first outing! I'm sure whatever deeds await us won't be ended immediately at the end of an unlucky critical hit from the first enemy that looks at us funny.
To further cement this as a possibility, I've chosen to go with Core Rules difficulty due to my familiarity with the 2nd Edition ruleset. Hope that won't bite me in the butt later.

We'll continue this in Chapter 1!

As a side note, getting a custom portrait into the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate is a convoluted and needlessly complicated process I hope I don't have to repeat. >_>

-Edit-

So apparently I have to have 10 posts on here before I can actually link things...even things on this website, so until then, here's a placeholder!

Chapter 1 - Post #19
Chapter 2 - Post #27

[Winthur]

What is this? What the heck is a Shaman? Isn't Sorcerer a class that was introduced in 3.0? I don't recall Monks being in AD&D either... Already a little part of me whispers that choosing the Enhanced Editions may have been a mistake.

In order:

Spoiler: Shamans

Show

Shamans have been implemented in the Enhanced Edition as a custom Beamdog class. It's poorly designed because your "Trance" ability locks you into place and isn't particularly strong at any point in the game, and much of its flavor is encroached on by the pre-existing BG2 kit, the Totemic Druid. Mechanically, they're not a strong class, although the Druid spell selection is impressive in BG2.

Spoiler: Sorcerers and Monks

Show

Sorcerers and Monks have been both adopted into BG2 because the original BG2 was made in the transition period between the 2nd and the 3rd edition, and BioWare decided to adapt some 3rd edition classes; notably Barbarians are also in BG2 and BGEE, they're just turned in the EE into a Fighter subclass instead of their own class. Those are basically BioWare homebrews or otherwise inspired by obscure AD&D sourcebooks (I've seen sources claim that Monk comes from a book called "The Scarlet Brotherhood" or something). Sorcerers are the best single-classed arcane caster in the game, because they aren't gated by scrolls and the allure of a wizard's versatility is less important in a game where it's perfectly viable to be using the same couple spells every so often. (multiclass and dual-class mages, though, generally are superior to Sorcerers, certainly more versatile). Monks are a horrible class that doesn't do anything. They have a shoddy start in BG1 and they do not scale particularly well into BG2; other dubious design choices mean they're locked out of some of the more powerful mechanics in the game, too. BG2 throws a ton of magical items that Monks have no use for. Monks also can't dual or multi, so they're not a powergamer's choice by any merit. They don't have a "strong late game", contrary to common lore; they can still do some impressive stuff at high levels, but they still suffer a lot. Sorta fun as a challenge class, though.

BGEE follows the mold introduced by mods like Baldur's Gate Trilogy and EasyTuTu, which convert BG2 mechanics into BG1; ergo, BG2 is a more "modified" version of AD&D. This means that in BG1, you get kits (at least three per class; Enhanced Editions add more), different weapon proficiencies, and a dual-wielding weapon style, if you play either of these mods or the EE itself. Original, vanilla BG1 is much closer to the p&p game, and it doesn't have these features. It also runs off of a slightly different version of the engine. Same for Icewind Dale 1, which also was converted to BG2 mechanics with the Enhanced Edition.

As for your stats, do not worry - I find that itemization trounces raw stats, so even if you roll a little low in certain places, you will find plenty of items to help you fix those stats. Bummer that you don't get any bonuses to melee damage/THAC0 and HP, but you will pull through nevertheless, I believe that.

Remember to use the Pause function copiously; the game is balanced around you spamming SPACE and giving everyone orders.

Good luck, have fun.

[Eldonauran]

Wow, you've ... never played the Baldur's Gate Saga before? I certainly going to enjoy lurking in the background and watching your journey. Kudos on choosing a Good character. I've seen too many people play the evil route because its edgy but rarely overly satisfying.

[Telarii]

Wow, you've ... never played the Baldur's Gate Saga before? I certainly going to enjoy lurking in the background and watching your journey. Kudos on choosing a Good character. I've seen too many people play the evil route because its edgy but rarely overly satisfying.

Nope. I've played the Gold Box games extensively, and played through Neverwinter Nights 2, but I've typically steered clear of most of the D&D titles. I've heard the Baldur's Gate series is good, but I've never actually gotten around to playing it. With 3 coming sometime in the next... decade, I've decided now would be as good a time as any.

In order:

Spoiler: Shamans

Show

Shamans have been implemented in the Enhanced Edition as a custom Beamdog class. It's poorly designed because your "Trance" ability locks you into place and isn't particularly strong at any point in the game, and much of its flavor is encroached on by the pre-existing BG2 kit, the Totemic Druid. Mechanically, they're not a strong class, although the Druid spell selection is impressive in BG2.

Spoiler: Sorcerers and Monks

Show

Sorcerers and Monks have been both adopted into BG2 because the original BG2 was made in the transition period between the 2nd and the 3rd edition, and BioWare decided to adapt some 3rd edition classes; notably Barbarians are also in BG2 and BGEE, they're just turned in the EE into a Fighter subclass instead of their own class. Those are basically BioWare homebrews or otherwise inspired by obscure AD&D sourcebooks (I've seen sources claim that Monk comes from a book called "The Scarlet Brotherhood" or something). Sorcerers are the best single-classed arcane caster in the game, because they aren't gated by scrolls and the allure of a wizard's versatility is less important in a game where it's perfectly viable to be using the same couple spells every so often. (multiclass and dual-class mages, though, generally are superior to Sorcerers, certainly more versatile). Monks are a horrible class that doesn't do anything. They have a shoddy start in BG1 and they do not scale particularly well into BG2; other dubious design choices mean they're locked out of some of the more powerful mechanics in the game, too. BG2 throws a ton of magical items that Monks have no use for. Monks also can't dual or multi, so they're not a powergamer's choice by any merit. They don't have a "strong late game", contrary to common lore; they can still do some impressive stuff at high levels, but they still suffer a lot. Sorta fun as a challenge class, though.

BGEE follows the mold introduced by mods like Baldur's Gate Trilogy and EasyTuTu, which convert BG2 mechanics into BG1; ergo, BG2 is a more "modified" version of AD&D. This means that in BG1, you get kits (at least three per class; Enhanced Editions add more), different weapon proficiencies, and a dual-wielding weapon style, if you play either of these mods or the EE itself. Original, vanilla BG1 is much closer to the p&p game, and it doesn't have these features. It also runs off of a slightly different version of the engine. Same for Icewind Dale 1, which also was converted to BG2 mechanics with the Enhanced Edition.

As for your stats, do not worry - I find that itemization trounces raw stats, so even if you roll a little low in certain places, you will find plenty of items to help you fix those stats. Bummer that you don't get any bonuses to melee damage/THAC0 and HP, but you will pull through nevertheless, I believe that.

Remember to use the Pause function copiously; the game is balanced around you spamming SPACE and giving everyone orders.

Good luck, have fun.

Oh hey, thanks! That certainly explains a lot about those classes. I knew I'd never heard of Shaman before, and I guess it makes sense that Bioware decided to add in some 3.0 classes into the game with that transition being nigh. Interesting to hear that Sorcerers are better than Wizards though; not something you hear very often, that's for sure!

As for the stats, I agree and am not that worried about it. Sure, the low constitution and not getting a THAC0 bonus yet are a little painful, but those will be remedied by Gauntlets of Ogre Power and just not getting hit. :D

...hopefully.

[GloatingSwine]

It's a consequence of the game being a videogame.

Sorcerers are good at being hammers, and videogames have trouble presenting problems that aren't nails.

[Logic]

I shall be watching the thread with great interest.

I always go through the game as one of 2 types: either Fighter/Mage/Thief or Paladin. I've never tried anything else.

[Narkis]

Remember to use the Pause function copiously; the game is balanced around you spamming SPACE and giving everyone orders.

Very much this, though I'd recommend the autopause options instead of mashing space.

Fighter/mage is one of the stronger class combinations you could have picked, if not the strongest, with the Kensai kit working even better with the mage's lack of armor.

And I'll be following this thread. The last time I saw someone get through Baldur's Gate with fresh eyes was when I was a kid and the game was still new.

[Winthur]

Fighter/mage is one of the stronger class combinations you could have picked, if not the strongest, with the Kensai kit working even better with the mage's lack of armor.

Yup, but OP isn't Human. Nevertheless, there are advantages to being a multi-class F/M anyway, and the combo is strong no matter how you cut it.

Spoiler

Show

Berserker/Mages are a better dual.

[veti]

Question from ignorance here: is the monk class derived from the monk in 1st edition Ad&d?

[tyckspoon]

As for the stats, I agree and am not that worried about it. Sure, the low constitution and not getting a THAC0 bonus yet are a little painful, but those will be remedied by Gauntlets of Ogre Power and just not getting hit. :D

Archery tends to be the best way to get through the low levels anyway - can't suffer for your lower HP if they never get close enough to hit you, and your stats are set up well for that until levels and gear can help make up the difference.

[Manticoran]

As someone who also hasn't played these, but has problems with older interfaces... I'm quite happy to see a let's play with a character that I feel like I potentially could have made myself.

[Winthur]

Question from ignorance here: is the monk class derived from the monk in 1st edition Ad&d?

Spoiler: Monk crap. I don't want to derail the thread from being an LP thread first and foremost.

Show

Honestly? Who knows. It's possible. Like I wrote in the spoiler, there's a 1999 supplement called Scarlet Brotherhood Monk of Greyhawk. Here's a post on Beamdog forums tracing the BG2 Monk's "heritage". It's just as likely that it's also supposed to be a quasi-port of the 3E class. Whatever the case is, the class is weirdly implemented into BG2 (it's plain bad, and it also can't use Staves, which seem like an archetypal Monk weapon, because the special Monk fisticuffs animation takes up the "two-handed fighting" animation slot), and since it wasn't made with BG1 in mind at all (like all of the kits) it has a bit of an outlandish place in the entire series.

None of the "pseudo 3E" classes are really that well implemented, anyway; Sorcerers, for example, have absolutely no priority stat that would determine their spells known or their spellcasting. They don't really care for Intelligence much. Or Charisma. Wisdom, at most, for Wish effects.

[Istarial]

This should be interesting.
Just be careful to save frequently, and I do mean frequently.
There is a sortof level cap, by the way, since you asked- (to be specific, there's an XP cap, which of course means different levels for different classes, but that's only really relevant for dual classing.)

[Spore]

Con 9 on the character that determines game over or not, that also is on the frontline? Let's just say you should be glad you are a mage too and you should like to "retcon" encounters via save/load and preparing for encounters with spells. Though technically for the most time you don't care about Con, be it 7 or 14. (The claw of Khazgoroth debuffs con but with your con you're just high enough to not suffer majorly).

Personally I would've switched Con and Wis but mechanically it is not a big deal.

[Winthur]

Con 9 on the character that determines game over or not, that also is on the frontline? Let's just say you should be glad you are a mage too and you should like to "retcon" encounters via save/load and preparing for encounters with spells. Though technically for the most time you don't care about Con, be it 7 or 14. (The claw of Khazgoroth debuffs con but with your con you're just high enough to not suffer majorly).

Personally I would've switched Con and Wis but mechanically it is not a big deal.

OP plays on Core Rules (not Insane) and is likely AD&D-savvy enough (as she stated) to know that at level 1 ranged weapons rule supreme.

Spoiler: calculations

Show

At range at level 1, the only thing that takes you out is a Bandit, who has raw 20 THAC0, no Dexterity bonuses to range, and a basic proficiency in bows at best; by my calculations you can make yourself unhittable to arrows 95% of the time with just a Large Shield and a Splint Mail without any Dexterity bonuses (effective AC against missiles should be around -1 with that setup). In case an arrow hits, OP can't die to a one-shot because an arrow does a maximum of 6 damage and OP starts with 7 health; she can't be crit for double-damage because she's a Helmet wearing combo. OP has high Dexterity and thus doesn't even need a Shield (overall 0 AC against missiles with a Splint Mail which still means Bandits need a natural 20 to hit) to achieve high avoidance. If she wants to keep casting, she can cast Shield for a total of -1 AC against missiles with her Dexterity bonus, still unable to be hit outside of natural 20s. After level 1, she will manage. Con is still not ideal and might be a bit scarier against mages and the like, but I still believe OP will be alright.

I commend the balls not to roll your typical 18/19/17/18/x/y Fighter/Mage anyhow, especially from a Gold Box veteran.

[GloatingSwine]

Personally I would've switched Con and Wis but mechanically it is not a big deal.

Mechanically it will have no effect at all. You have to get Con to 15 before it gives bonus HP or down to 6 before it starts imposing penalties.

And Wisdom is useless for non-clerics.

Spoiler: Stats

Show

Personally I'd have been more tempted to swap the strength and dex, as much as class requirements allow, because the Gauntlets of Dexterity are available considerably earlier in the game than the Gauntlets of Ogre Power, but this is a blind playthrough and really high strength is mostly useful for carting around piles of crap anyway.

[Narkis]

And Wisdom is useless for non-clerics.

It does have a small use for mages.

Spoiler

Show

Both Limited Wish and Wish give better outcomes to high-wisdom casters.

[GloatingSwine]

It does have a small use for mages.

Spoiler

Show

Both Limited Wish and Wish give better outcomes to high-wisdom casters.

Spoiler

Show

By which you mean Potions of Insight have a use for mages.

[Telarii]

Spoiler: Chapter 1

Show

And so we begin. We're told that we are a ward of Gorion, and that we've lived all of our lives within the great tome-filled halls of Candlekeep. Furthermore, we're informed that our wizened teacher has grown distant from us, and that's simply responded with telling us that we have to leave and handed us a hundred gold pieces to prepare.

Parenting skill 100, right there.

But with our gold in hand, we begin in front of the inn... so I guess we'll start there. To my great and utter surprise, the innkeeper, a rotund man by the name of Winthrop, sells a vast array of arms and armor. Much call for these wares amonst the monks and scholars, are there? After giving a pity laugh to the innkeeper, I purchase a few items to help along the way – longsword, shortbow, helmet, medium shield and leather armor. The latter I won't be using until after I whip off the one spell I have memorized.

After that, I look around the rest of the inn. Pressing and holding the Tab button apparently activates Detective Mode, allowing me to highlight nearby objects... and learn that a surprising number of people are named Tutor. Ignoring the generics, I go to speak with the other man in the room with a unique name – Firebead Elvenhair.

He mentions something called the iron crisis and casually mentions that he knows my identity already. He then sends me on a simple fetch quest to go retrieve his Scroll of Identify he left with a fellow named Tethtoril. Weeeee, free experience!

There's also a locked chest in the room behind Winthrop. ...not that I'd steal anything, mind you. I was just checking! For security reasons! And also a man in the kitchen with a very strange name indeed.



Uh oh. I think I may have screwed up the tweaks mod or something... Well, we'll see if it effects anything else down the road because I don't wanna go through that hassle again.

So, we've got a task! Find Tethtoril! I head outside, and head northward to find a woman named Phlydia.



She's lost a book and needs me to find it. No problems there, I stole Batman's detective vision! Wandering eastward, I uncover a tutor who wants to teach me about Fatigue and being drunk. Ha! Joke's on him! I already know all about both of those! Furthermore, I find a man named Dreppin and a mysterious glowing patch of hay. I wonder if anything's there?

Alternatively, non-batman related people can speak to Dreppin and he outright tells you the book is in the hay. At least he makes it easier for people who haven't figured out the tab thing yet.

Bringing the book back to Phydia, and she gives me a gem! Score! Also 25/25 exp toward our next level. Just a hundred more of those and we get to cast two spells per day!

Heading back eastward, we find a priest of Oghma selling some potions and services. The prices are pretty reasonable (100g for a Raise Dead? Niiiice), but out of our reach at the moment. We move on!
Turning southward, we run across Jondalar, who seems eager to teach us a thing or two about fighting.



My staff, you say? Hah! I brought a sword! What do you take me for, a wizard? So we begin a little sparring match, and the jerk has a friend start shooting arrows at me from nearly offscreen! Cheap! And I'm glad that those arrows were made with blunt tips, or I'd be a very dead character already as two manage to find their marks on me.

He offers to teach me how to fight with a party, but being a NWN2 veteran, I'm fairly sure I know the gist of it... but the smell of exp is tantalizing. We follow.



Oh.

That'll teach me for skimming through dialogue, as I'm accosted by rats! Of course, rats are little challenge to an exterminator of my caliber, but you can bet I'll be paying a bit more attention to the dialogue now... where did those two go though? I clearly saw them come in here. Were they eaten by rats? We search a few of the containers within for a suitable prize, and behold a ring! Non-magical, most likely, but a worthy prize for rat killing.

We leave the lazy cats to clean up our mess and head back outside. Just outside, the dwarf we ignored on the way in is... enthusiastic about the dead rats and slaps us with 5 gold pieces and some experience. Hey, not bad for accidentally doing his job. Further south, we come across a watcher with a unique name, Hull.



Hi Hull. Hull is rather dim for leaving his sword at the barracks, but if he's willing to pay us to get it, I don't see why not! While on my way, I'm accosted by the uniquely named Gatewarden, who's mother apparently didn't like him enough to give him a real name.

He offers to teach me mass combat. Well, since I thought that's what I was doing earlier, I agree and head off to learn some stuff from him, and I'm introduced to my practice party. And gibberlings. Yay, gibberlings! The illusory monsters are quickly dispatched. Since I'm fairly sure the monsters can't actually hurt us, I take on a greater “challenge”, this time... Xvarts. I don't even remember Xvarts, but hey!



Before we're even done fighting the Xvarts, Obe summons some Skeletons for us to fight, and reminds me about the Cleric's turn undead ability. Oh yeah. That'll be helpful to remember! ...The turn attempt promptly fails, and we dispatch the skeletons the old fashion way.
Midway through the fight, though, I notice my character is no longer swinging around her longsword...



...oh. We're going to be dealing with that huh?

Deciding I've had enough of that, I ask to be teleported outside... but not before swiping everything of use off my temporary meatshields. Once outside, I take stock of my ill-gotten gains and... it's all gone. Damn you, Bioware! How dare you foresee my future exploitation of your tutorial!

Oh well, heading westward we find some gold hidden in a chest and head inside the bunkhouse, where we find this friendly looking fellow, Carbos.



Oh.

Well, that's not good. I've got a bounty on my head already it seems. Mayhaps I shouldn't have tried to steal from the NPCs. Unfortunately he didn't give me any clues as to why he's after me, but maybe Gorion was right about wanting to get out of here swiftly. But I still have to find that Scroll of Identify before we do, because priorities, right?

Outside, we speak with a man named Karan who consoles us over what just transpired since.. oh yeah, I'm not a seasoned veteran yet. That would probably be traumatizing. Karan tells me to hurry and leave, and I assure him that I will.... just as soon as I get that Scroll of Identify. Oh, and that sword for Hull. Conveniently, the barracks is just north of us.

Heading inside, we speak to man named Fuller, and explain that Hull is useless and left his sword behind. He agrees and points it to us, and we gather it and take it on back. Yay! More gold! More exp! (And we swiped his antidote for good measure, since he's kinda a jerk.)

We circle the big garden looking area since that's probably where Gorion is in search of Tethtoril and the illusive scroll, but even with detective vision on, he's nowhere to be seen. So we head to the only building we haven't been in yet – the Priest's Quarters.



Oh.

I should stop telling people I'm Gorion's ward. Outside, Parda speaks to me and I tell them about the second assassin. He tells me to hurry and get out of here. I'm beginning to agree... but not before I find that scroll!

So we head into the garden-like area. There we find a Chanter and some Voices. They're singing something, but I don't know if it was my volume or what, but I couldn't make it out and they didn't seem to have an subtitles. Further south and we finally find Tethtoril! Our long search is ended! He gives me the scroll, and we quickly return to Firebead.

He gives us some experience, a healing potion and casts Protection from Evil on us. I don't think it lasts that long, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right? Now, let's find Gorion. Before we can though, we run into the purple-y pink Imoen, who has a portrait so she's probably important.



Unfortunately, our only dialogue choices make us sound like a condescending git, but I guess that makes sense being an elf. Also, come to think of it, I'm extremely young for an elf if Imoen and I grew up together. Huh.

Just up the stairs, we speak to the venerable Gorion himself. We ask him a few questions, but sadly, all we get is some vague responses. With nothing left to do, I head off with Gorion into the wider world. I'm certain that this will be the start of a long journey between foster father and daughter.



Oh.

Well. That sucks.

Well, that's it for chapter 1 for now! Or... the prologue, I guess. What do you guys think, so far? Any changes to the format you'd have me do? More pictures? Fewer? Too long? Too short? This is my first LP, so any feedback would be useful. :D

As for the game, it plays like a more archaic NWN2, so far, which is just fine by me. The sprite work holds up remarkably well even today, which isn't bad for 21 year old game. I look forward to actually biting into the meat of this thing. :D

Also, I don't know why the Jondelar screen came out so tiny. It's just there, staring at me. Mocking me. o.o

[Spore]

Decidedly not picking thief, second thing she does is rob the inn people blind...

[Telarii]

Haha, it's the gamer in me, I'm sorry! XD To be fair, the chest was locked and I don't have the Knock spell yet. >.>

[veti]

Well, that's it for chapter 1 for now! Or... the prologue, I guess. What do you guys think, so far? Any changes to the format you'd have me do? More pictures? Fewer? Too long? Too short? This is my first LP, so any feedback would be useful. :D

Good read, thank you. I have some issues with the pictures, because I'm reading on a phone currently and the text is a wee bit on the small side. It'd help if you could include the gist of the dialogue in your account, because "oh" doesn't tell me much.

Or, make the pics a lot smaller and focused on the important bit.

Did you ever do anything about the broken sword?

[Kish]

Nonmagical weapons have a tiny chance of breaking on each swing, for plot reasons (not much of a spoiler; the iron crisis has already been mentioned). The only thing to do about it is throw the broken weapon away and buy a new one. And carry multiple backups.

[Wraith]

Welcome to the Sword Coast, Telarii! It's a long and dangerous journey ahead, but I look forward to seeing you enjoy it.

Just be careful to save frequently, and I do mean frequently.

I recommend keeping multiple saves, too. While not particularly a problem in BG1, BG2 occasionally throws a curveball at you where you make a decision and it comes back to haunt you a little while later, so it's good to get into the habit of quick-saving and manually saving at the same time, and making a separate manual save whenever you finish a play-session.

Deciding I've had enough of that, I ask to be teleported outside... but not before swiping everything of use off my temporary meatshields. Once outside, I take stock of my ill-gotten gains and... it's all gone. Damn you, Bioware! How dare you foresee my future exploitation of your tutorial!

Everyone tries it at least once, so your instincts are spot-on! Now you get to wrestle with the ethical conundrum - there IS a way to get that gear out of the room and use it freely, but if you knew how do it, would you? You're not LAWFUL Good, after all....

Wow, you've ... never played the Baldur's Gate Saga before? I certainly going to enjoy lurking in the background and watching your journey. Kudos on choosing a Good character. I've seen too many people play the evil route because its edgy but rarely overly satisfying.

Baldur's Gate was released in 1998. There are people in the world old enough to have graduated from University, who are younger than this game - I know it's hard to take in for us old-timers, but we're going to have to start getting used to the idea that we're handing over the Ancient Lore to a new generation!

[Telarii]

Good read, thank you. I have some issues with the pictures, because I'm reading on a phone currently and the text is a wee bit on the small side. It'd help if you could include the gist of the dialogue in your account, because "oh" doesn't tell me much.

Or, make the pics a lot smaller and focused on the important bit.

Did you ever do anything about the broken sword?

Ah, okay. I'll see what I can do about that. I thought about uploading the full pictures, but thought that might be a little too big since they're 1920x1080, so they'd fill up most people's whole monitors and all that. Though, since they're being inserted into forum posts, would they be shrunk? Might be worth trying at least. Regardless, I'll definitely take your advice and try to summarize what is happening in the screenshots better!

I'm glad you're liking it at least! As for the broken sword, I ended up buying a new one from Winthrop before I left, along with a flail as a backup and for skeletons.

Nonmagical weapons have a tiny chance of breaking on each swing, for plot reasons (not much of a spoiler; the iron crisis has already been mentioned). The only thing to do about it is throw the broken weapon away and buy a new one. And carry multiple backups.

Yeah, I kind of suspected that iron crises that got mentioned might have something to do with my breaking weapons. That or the game just had a critical fail system in place, in which case I was reeeally not looking forward to the next 80+ hours of gameplay.

But don't worry, I'm definitely carrying backups. I think I've got two extra longswords, a flail and a morning star on me right now in Chapter 2, which should be posted soon.

Welcome to the Sword Coast, Telarii! It's a long and dangerous journey ahead, but I look forward to seeing you enjoy it.

I'm definitely enjoying it so far, from what little I've seen.

I recommend keeping multiple saves, too. While not particularly a problem in BG1, BG2 occasionally throws a curveball at you where you make a decision and it comes back to haunt you a little while later, so it's good to get into the habit of quick-saving and manually saving at the same time, and making a separate manual save whenever you finish a play-session.

Ah, that's a good idea. So far the Q button has become my best friend, but manual saves would definitely be a good idea. Fortunately, I haven't needed to reload yet, but I've definitely had some moments where I've come close so far.

Everyone tries it at least once, so your instincts are spot-on! Now you get to wrestle with the ethical conundrum - there IS a way to get that gear out of the room and use it freely, but if you knew how do it, would you? You're not LAWFUL Good, after all....

Maaaaaybe... >.>

But eh, sounds cheesy so I probably wouldn't try it. (Not that trying to take it in the first place wasn't high class french cheese all on its own)

[Wraith]

Ah, that's a good idea. So far the Q button has become my best friend, but manual saves would definitely be a good idea. Fortunately, I haven't needed to reload yet, but I've definitely had some moments where I've come close so far.

Quick-saving often is an excellent habit to get into, but not if you're like me and it becomes reflex. I've lost count of the time where something bad has happened - a character has died or I clicked the wrong dialogue option - and then muscle memory immediately made me reach for Q before opening the Save/Load screen. Hours and hours of my life lost to that little button because I was using it too often and not keeping a manual save up to date!

But eh, sounds cheesy so I probably wouldn't try it. (Not that trying to take it in the first place wasn't high class french cheese all on its own)

It's absolutely cheese, and it would also require you to restart the game so it's not ideal for a Let's Play. It's handy to know if you're just playing for fun and are sick of grinding through the early game with a wooden stick and no armour besides the shirt on your back, though.

[Telarii]

Spoiler: Chapter 2

Show

So now we're alone, but not without a bit of guidance! Before he met an untimely end at the hands of the Armored Figure, Gorion had told us that we could find help from Jaheira and Khalid at a place called the Friendly Arm Inn. That's a better idea than wandering aimlessly through the woods alone at first level...

Or at least, we would be alone, if not for the arrival of Imoen! Apparently she had followed us because she'd read a note of Gorion's before we head out and it gave her a bad feeling. Well, the more the merrier! Our survival chances just doubled!

Let's see, what are her stats...



Leaping jackrabbits, batman! Look at those stats! WHY AREN'T YOU A THIEF/MAGE!? ...Actually, probably because you're human. Damn, girl! I'm gonna dual class the hell out of you! You're going to rock! For now though, let's get some thief levels under her belt so she can actually... do thiefy things. It's a long road before your skills can do anything but fail as a thief.

She also comes with a wand of magic missiles and some healing potions. I quickly nab the wand and a potion for my own personal use. On the map, we can see the area of Gorion's last stand, so we head there.

There, we find the grim remains of the battlefield. So, obviously, the first thing I do is loot Gorion's body. Ooo, some money, a magic belt I can't identify yet, and a letter.

The letter speaks of those in Gorion's care – I'm guessing myself and Imoen, and speaks of 'the other side' making a move. Ominous vagueness, that. However, our mysterious author – who goes simply by 'E', seems to have been the one to recommend Jaheira and Khalid. Well, then, they must be trustworthy. With that in mind, we gather the rest of the loot and begin exploring the area for any hidden goodies and – very likely – death.

Heading northwest, we find only a black bear and a coastline. Keeping a safe distance from the bear keeps him from growing aggressive, much to my appreciation, and so we start exploring southward.

And here, on the edge of a cliff, we meet a man named Chase.



Chase doesn't seem to be doing so well, and is threatening to jump! Being the good person that I am, I quickly remind him that there's much to live for... and he wholeheartedly agrees. In fact, he admits that he's been here many times, threatening to jump off only to be stopped by people passing by many times. He then muses about having 'Mumsy' construct a closer cliff before walking way.

...is.. am I in a Monty Python skit?

Heading just east of where we encountered him, we find our first adversary... a wolf! Now, where most would see this as free experience, I see only death charging at us as the wolf closes the distance. Fortunately, I'm proven wrong as a hail of arrows and some skillful kiting manage to pull us through to victory.
Buuut not without injury, as some gnashing fangs manage to drop Vestika to a single hit point! Which leads me to a bit of a crossroads. Does resting fully heal me in this game, or is it one health per day like the books? I could drink a potion if the going gets rough, but I'm not certain how common those'll be. We risk a rest.

My gamble pays off, as the resting screen fades away to show a fully healed party...and that two days have passed. Splendid! Can you imagine the view from the walls of Candlekeep, just watching us camping right outside for two days? We are the best. Carrying on!

As we make our way to the northeast section of the map, we run across a man named Binkos, who's apparently standing around doing nothing. When spoken too, however, he tells us he's far too busy to talk to use because he's a messenger for the Dukes of Baldur's Gate, then runs off. Well then, that was – and then we were attacked by another wolf.

A full minute of kiting the wolf around later, and Imoen is bleeding profusely, leading us to take another rest and pray we're not accosted in the night.

The dice gods smile upon us, but another two days and eight hours are eaten up by the rest. I hope we're not timed or I may have already doomed this run. But, just the southeast section of the map remains uncovered at this point, and I'll be damned if I leave without searching the whole map thoroughly!

Here we encounter an odd duo, a halfling and a human named Montaron and Xzar. And they have portraits, so perhaps party members?



They even give me healing potions, but something feels just a little off. They say I'm in no debt, 'though my conscience will say otherwise' 'just like all good people'. Definitely a little fishy, maybe I shouldn't drink those potions. However, no sooner do they say that than they offer to join me for the small price of taking them to the town of Nashkel to meet with the mayor.

I don't see why not. I do feel obligated to tell them that I intend to meet with Jaheira and Khalid first, though. They agree, and suddenly two become four. Let's take a look at them.





Wow, everyone has high stats in this game. That's surprising, though neither of them are quite on Imoen's level. Do they even lift? Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Xzar and Montaron are of the...less good alignments, and surprisingly even have kits – Montaron is an Assassin, and Xzar is a Necromancer. Not precisely optimized, but potentially useful later. And another thief is never an awful idea, though I'm beginning to see a lack of a frontline.

With them in tow, we head off to finish our exploration before continuing on. We have a short encounter with a man named Kolssed, who runs up to us, then tells us to stay away before leaving. Forgotten Realms is a silly place.

With that, our exploration is complete, and so we head deeper into the woods. We're immediately approached by an old man in flowing red robes named... Old Man.



He speaks with a bit more of a antiquated prose than most, but I suppose that's just to show he's old. He seems friendly enough, regardless. I let him know that I'm a bit desperate and seek the Friendly Arm Inn, and he informs me that it's a bit northward and that he's sure I'll find my friends there. And then leaves, because he's very busy. Farewell, Old Man. Thanks for the directions, I guess.

Ignoring his advice entirely, I once again begin exploring every dark spot on my map. Get used to this. Just a short ways down, we end up encountering a group of three gibberlings. While they're not much of a threat, they do drop a Scroll of Chill Touch, which immediately goes into my spellbook – and gives me a small amount of experience. Bonus! We also encounter another messenger, this one talking about garrisoning Beregost in case of an Amnan attack.

That sounds ominous. More ominous, perhaps, is the site of a bandit attack on a wagon just east of the messenger. No survivors, but some loot tells me they weren't very good bandits. Going a bit northeast, we find another wagon train that's been attacked, and again poor banditry. We recover some treasure and a small shield and bastard sword. No one's proficient with either, but they could be sold later.

Just northeast of that however, and we find this big guy.



That is an ogre. That is not good. Or it would have been, if a Sleep spell didn't immediately end the fight. Still, things looked dicey there as Montaron took a nasty blow before the lumbering brute went night-night. Still, two magical girdles make the fight seem worth it, even if we can't identify our prizes just yet. Soon, maybe.

Just north of the crossroads, west of the ogre, we find a small rock. However, Vestika – armed with her Detective Vision, is not fooled and finds some hidden goodies within! Or rather, a hidden goodie, a magic ring!



Another thing for the 'to identify' pile. And with that, and an encounter from a friendly ranger, we seem to have explored all the reachable parts of this neck of the woods. Onward, to the Friendly Arm Inn!

Rolling up to the inn feels all special and stuff what with the blaring music and 'cutscene' that plays for it. To be honest, I expected an inn, not a fortress, but that's what I get for expecting things to be named appropriately.

As we approach the steps heading into what I assume is the 'inn' part of this decidedly not inn-like fortress, I come across a man in robes named Tarnesh. The conversation starts normally enough, until he starts questioning if we came from Candlekeep.



Ohhhh, no. I see where this is going. Time to play dumb!



Playing dumb didn't work. A few arrows and Montaron's short sword did though. This win shocked the hell out of me, actually, because he got off a Mirror Image spell. This guy was at least a 3rd level mage! That could have turned out really poorly for me! Time to loot, and head inside. But before that, we should read the bounty letter he had on him.

It turns out that there is a price on my head! And 200 gold, to boot! What did I do to deserve that, from my understanding, I've been locked up in Candlekeep forever. Who even knows I exist? Sadly, the bounty doesn't state who put it out, so I can only continue on into the inn.

Inside the inn, we're told that bandits have become more numerous on the road to Baldur's Gate, which sounds like an adventure hook for newbies if I've ever heard one! Moving deeper into the inn, we finally come face to face with Jaheira and Khalid and... well, they're certainly a couple of characters. I get the impression that Jaheira doesn't get out much, given her social etiquette, and I don't think Khalid will ever succeed a fear check if that stutter is indicative of anything...

But! Six is better than four! Welcome aboard, you two! Their only request is that we head toward the village of Nashkel, which if memory serves, is where Xzar and Montaron wish to go as well. Well that's convenient! Kill two birds with one stone!

Let's take a look at our new companions...





I'm beginning to think people just don't roll poorly in this world. Khalid seems fairly solid as a fighter, and 13 hit points is nothing to sneeze at for a 1st level character, and it gives us a decent frontline. Jaheira's role as a Fighter/Druid multiclass is an interesting one I don't see often, and she's even fairly close to a 2nd level. Her druidic magic should prove pretty useful – particularly healing at low level, and an entangle could be life saving...

And that's where we're going to leave it off for this chapter. Next chapter, we'll head off to Nashkel and see what all the fuss is about, and maybe even try to solve that issue if the journey doesn't take that long. I'm not sure when good spots will be to end these episodes are, since I won't want them to be overly long or overly short or... awkwardly cut off.

Definitely liking it, so far. Had a few clench moments with wolves nearly one shotting party members, but no casualties or reloads yet. Even despite being attacked by a 3rd level mage or an ogre. I consider myself incredibly lucky. I hope it lasts!

That being said, if I lose a party member would it be better to reload or try to drag them to a priest? I'm tempted to try and Nuzlocke this thing, but I have a feeling that that may be more of an effort in frustration than anything else...

[Spore]

Haha, it's the gamer in me, I'm sorry! XD To be fair, the chest was locked and I don't have the Knock spell yet. >.>

Not blaming you at all for it. To be fair, I often play thieves in RPGs anyhow. Why should I deal with gigantic monsters and mag wizards when I can just sneak in, steal the good stuff and sneak out again?

If you're allowing yourself a huge early game boon that makes mages actually viable in BG 1, here is a hint:

Spoiler

Show

Check the trees east of the entry to the Friendly Arm, south of the map. You find a ring in a tree hole hidden there that doubles your 1st level spell uses. It's welcome staying power and not hugely impactful as it does not give you spells or improves your current ones, it just makes for a smoother game experience.

That being said, if I lose a party member would it be better to reload or try to drag them to a priest? I'm tempted to try and Nuzlocke this thing, but I have a feeling that that may be more of an effort in frustration than anything else...

Ressing is a thing but mostly inconvenient (they miss experience points, you might be overburdened carrying their equipment to town) but adds a bit of a gameplay if you play with ressurection rules (low con and afaik crits have a chance to destroy bodies so they cannot be ressurected).

[Winthur]

makes mages actually viable in BG 1

Wand of Sleep? Wand of Frost? Wand of Lightning? Scroll of Cloudkill?

Spoiler

Show

the ring

Oh.

[JadedDM]

Assassin? That's weird. In my version of the game, Montaron is a Fighter/Thief.