New character questions

[JJ999]

Hello!

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right section here and if not please do move this to the right forum tab.

Staring a new character is pretty daunting when you don't know the meta. I was thinking that since Baldur's gate was a port city that maybe my character sailed as a passenger or deckhand or merc of some ship through a magical storm in an alternate reality or alternate timeline of some sort and ended up in Baldur's gate. That way it would explain that my character didn't know anything about current or past events. He or she is going to spend his or her time fishing in the meantime, motivated by lures of wealth and/or a morale compass to otherwise get involved in this, that, or the other thing. Being relatively new to the setting and current meta, I'm really not sure of how to go about this. I also want to be where the roleplay is at so I'm looking for suggestions. If you want to pimp your guild or whatever, feel free. LOLz.

[Steve]

Visit the Shelf of Many Books! There are many titles there that can explain away the meta in an in-character manner.

Unless you’re playing an illiterate toon...

Then I’d suggest sitting at a campfire, where you’ll soon be indoctrinated into plenty this, that and whatever.

[JJ999]

Visit the Shelf of Many Books! There are many titles there that can explain away the meta in an in-character manner.

Unless you’re playing an illiterate toon...

Then I’d suggest sitting at a campfire, where you’ll soon be indoctrinated into plenty this, that and whatever.

I have to imagine the shelf of many books is a library and not sure what the campfire refers to. Gossip? Some College hole in the wall garage hangoout meeting place? . I'm not seeing any references to either in the forums here. Maybe I should be? Do you have links? I'm no forums or message board expert . I'd rather learn about things first hand in roleplay.

[Steve]

If your toon is "born" to the Surface Realm via Caravan—you choose this as you leave the Nexus—then you'll arrive in the Eastern Farmlands. Just nearby is...a campfire.



The Shelf IS a library in BGTSCC. Which you'd learn soon enough, should you look around a bit.

Just explore mate! All newbies have to put their toes in the water...and of course, your toon will die a whole bunch of times before you gain enough information to survive in the wilds, so to speak. BGTSCC has a lot to offer for the player-explorer...but it's not a difficult Setting, by any means.

As you wrote: "I'd rather learn about things first hand in roleplay." So get in there!!

[JJ999]

Thanks Steve.

Even if I went through all the server lore and educated myself, I'm sure I'd mess it up and ruin someone's immersion. I'd much rather play a character who is as clueless to server history and current events as I am. I don't want to ruin anyone else's immersion. If someone has a suggestion to some far off land in lieu to an alternate reality that is great. I can make it work. Basically, I want my characters past history to be completely irrelevant and a non issue.

[Requiem]

Hey there JJ999 and welcome to the server!

Steve offers amazing advice, I just thought I might offer my perspective.

When I first joined BGTSCC a few months back, it was not only my first time in NWN online play, but my first time delving into Forgotten Realms lore. I had much the same concerns you do. Here's what I did, and by no means is it the "right" way, just my thoughts that I hope you find something useful from.

I went the "foreigner" route, as you've stated:

If someone has a suggestion to some far off land in lieu to an alternate reality that is great. I can make it work.

I kinda searched through this thread here https://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=58824, which gives a nice summary of Human Ethnic groups. But you could do the same with any race with a little digging. I essentially picked one, and my character was "Insert ethnicity/country of origin" here. From there I didn't really have to take in every piece of lore out there, just focused on that one piece to give my character a footing, and let everything else come with time.

Try not to worry so much about mishaps of immersion breaking. I used to do the same thing. I found that people are a lot more lenient/don't care as much as you think about such little mistakes. We all make them from time to time. Just don't run through Baldur's Gate saying your dad is Silvanus, the god of medieval beatboxing who gave you mad skillz to pwn n00bz

Take your time with it and don't worry about it. It's a game, meant to be for fun. See you in there!

[Hoihe]

Thanks Steve.

Even if I went through all the server lore and educated myself, I'm sure I'd mess it up and ruin someone's immersion. I'd much rather play a character who is as clueless to server history and current events as I am. I don't want to ruin anyone else's immersion. If someone has a suggestion to some far off land in lieu to an alternate reality that is great. I can make it work. Basically, I want my characters past history to be completely irrelevant and a non issue.

Be a fisher from some coastal village hidden away from much of the world who stowed away on a large ship looking for adventure and wound up at Baldur's Gate.

Only thing you'd need to read up on would be Chauntea, Valkur, Umberlee as those would be things a fisherman living in a quint little village might know of.

[Ewe]

The meta is melee mostly due to inflated monster hit points. So most casters are gish. But summons are vastly stronger than vanilla, so summons can be used until high epics to great effect. A good rule of thumb is that on BG monsters have lots of HP but pretty low AC. So they tend to be easy to hit even with poor AB, but have too much HP for a blaster mage to have enough spells.

Also, the grind to 30 is extremely tedious, especially after level 20. Usually people rpxp or fish at that point rather than grind monsters, but if you have a dedicated grinding party it can be more efficient, just hard to get several others to sit there killing monsters for hours on end.

There's a salesman outside the Lewd Lyre (North in Eastern Gate in BG) that sells very cheap gear that all gives bonus hp, very strong at level 1. Then you should aim to get a cloak of regen in the palace district (it's the only regen item asides for DM granted items).


If you're able to use throwing axes, getting the undead slaying axes from Tommy at the bottom of the Blushing Mermaid in Docks District and heading to the graveyard will yield some very easy early levels.

If you're able to use scrolls, the Thayan shop in BG sells planar binding scrolls which can summon powerful creatures that can make leveling pretty trivial early on as well.

[Raivana]

Hello!

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right section here and if not please do move this to the right forum tab.

Staring a new character is pretty daunting when you don't know the meta. I was thinking that since Baldur's gate was a port city that maybe my character sailed as a passenger or deckhand or merc of some ship through a magical storm in an alternate reality or alternate timeline of some sort and ended up in Baldur's gate. That way it would explain that my character didn't know anything about current or past events.

Oh traveling through a magical storm from another reality is.. pretty out there... more like.. from a rural village in the sticks with little contact from the outside world, slaughtered by bug bears, hobgoblins, gnolls, drow, orcs, a red dragon, a bunch of evil cliche folk dressed in black.. whatever.. you were the sole or one of few survivors, wondered the coast looking for a new home and are currently in BG. That's probably 50% of back stories and for good reason, it works.

[Raivana]

Hello!

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right section here and if not please do move this to the right forum tab.

Staring a new character is pretty daunting when you don't know the meta. I was thinking that since Baldur's gate was a port city that maybe my character sailed as a passenger or deckhand or merc of some ship through a magical storm in an alternate reality or alternate timeline of some sort and ended up in Baldur's gate. That way it would explain that my character didn't know anything about current or past events.

Oh traveling through a magical storm from another reality is.. pretty out there... more like.. from a rural village in the sticks with little contact from the outside world, slaughtered by bug bears, hobgoblins, gnolls, drow, orcs, a red dragon, a bunch of evil cliche folk dressed in black.. whatever.. you were the sole or one of few survivors, wondered the coast looking for a new home and are currently in BG. That's probably 50% of back stories and for good reason, it works.

[Tsidkenu]

I did have a thread for the in-game books:

Candlekeep Archive Index

I have not updated it and also gave up copying books out as it was a tedious and mostly thankless task. There might also be more books added than the last time I played.

Some of the IG books have quite useful lore to help you.

[JJ999]

Heya!

I just wanted to say that I very much appreciate the feedback. I've been totally sucked back into another MMO, but I've not forgotten about you all. I think I have a character idea now that is more down to earth then twilight zone. Hopefully when and if I make it in game that you all enjoy my story and roleplay!

Jake