Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Main character point of view (is this a fair analysis?)

Does this sum up how main characters work in Larian games, or is it a bit different?
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No, I don't think you can change who the main character is...whoever you start the game as that's your protagonist...everyone else can be sacrificed or die or whatever but not your main character. So if you start the game playing as Astarion, then you are Astarion and everyone else can die and the game continues but if Astarion dies you go back to the last save or checkpoint and try again. There's no changing the main character.

Also in main story moments and at camp when talking to party members and other NPCs you can't change to someone else to pass the tough dice rolls for you...you are on your own.

Oh I see, so even though other companions can do the talking, if you control them, you can't 'win the game' as them, it will go to whoever the main character is?

In early access if your main character dies, the game is over then? And just lastly, in Divinity 2, I remember it being a little different because wasn't everybody the main character in that game and they were all competing as part of the story to become the god so to speak?

Yes, you can only win the game as the main character you start as. Haven't played early access but I'm pretty sure it is the same. DOS2 I haven't played in a very long time but iirc the party members couldn't "die" while combat was active unless the whole party was knocked out so your character could be knocked out, the rest of your party could finish combat and then your character would get back up.

But BG3 plays by D&D rules so when a character is knocked out he/she starts making death saving throws and if the knocked out body is hit by aoe attacks or whatever those count as failed throws. If the body is left alone then every round the character rolls a D20 and anything under a 10 is a fail...on 3 success rolls the character is stabilized and can get back up after combat, on 3 failures that character dies and will need some kind of resurrection magic to be brought back though if your character dies in BG3 I think you just go back to the last save or checkpoint, I am not sure if you can even have someone come and resurrect you.

They are competing, but you are playing as one of them nonetheless. If you give away control of the main narrative to someone else but your chosen player character, you'll get a game over. At least I've seen that once. Maybe there are permutations where that doesn't happen.

But because we can play as a companion for most of the game (granted they can't win the game) doesn't that mean it is true that you could potentially manipulate the game by forcing companions to turn on each other or other NPCS for your own benefit? I guess that's part of the freedom the game gives you.

I am more of a fan of the way BioWare goes about their companions, you can't play play as them out of combat as they have their own personality, but you can issue commands with them during combat.

I guess with BG3 you can make companions have any kind of personality you want.

You can manipulate party members but you have to do that as your main character with skill checks. You can't take control of Lae'zel and then control what she says when talking to Shadowheart for example. Companions will have their own opinions and attitudes towards other companions but you can't cheat it like that. generally when walking around the world companions only sometimes want to talk mainly to you, if they talk to each other you don't control any part of that. And at camp you can only control your main character.

Oh right you have just given me a huge insight there, so really the only thing you have direct control over are just their class/abilities. This makes a lot more sense to me now and I can certainly get on board with this

EDIT: But what happens if a companion triggers a cut scene and it is a really important story moment, and you happen have your companion selected at the time for dialogue?

If it is the same as EA you have to reload. So save often. Night time stuff all defaults to the MC, but things in the daytime don't seem to.

I think important story conversations default to your main character. You can control party members in some conversations with other NPCs and events around the world so you could have Wyll talk to other NPCs for your and whatnot. Just not with other party members and in key story moments. Like when you to interact with an NPC who asks you to sacrifice a party member, I don't think anyone but your main character can be in control of that conversation even if you approach while controlling one of your companions.