Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Do you make "builds" or "characters"?

This is purely personal definition, but stupid stuff that you can get away with once you know the ins and outs of the mechanics but if you started your first playthrough with them it would just be frustraiting. Its like looping back to the roleplay stage once you know the story + mechanics well.

e.g.
Stupid themes and Single class parties: (e.g. 6 bards in IWD2)
Deliberately gimping yourself because you want to: (e.g BG2 solo enchanter)
Stuff that hurts you but you want to try anyway for "roleplay": (e.g. playing with funny stats - i like an 8str 8dex 8con wizard personally)
Gnomes

That's really interesting to me, as I've never done that. I never think about myself in a fantasy world, I always design wholly unique characters who are quite different from me. I do see a lot of streamers who make the characters in RPGs look like themselves, so maybe lots of people feel the same as you.

It's like being an adventuer and every game is a new world. Admitedly it requires a bit of self awareness and flexibility but it's fun for me. All choices and actions I take are extensions of my will. It's part of how I live and games are no exception. The catch is that I have to be catious of games with premade protagonists that commit actions I don't like. I have more fun with certain games at the cost of avoiding others. I tend to do a lot of research so it's almost never a problem. I am probably more strong willed than most I guess haha. I recommend trying it if your curious. You may end up having more fun than you thought possible.

How do you deal with the magic aspect? I tried to do this before in fantasy games but that part is immersion breaking. Had better luck with the Fallout series but usually at the point I want to knock some heads together is the point I stop playing like myself. There are always some limits and railroading that frustrate the crap out of me because none of that would be what I would do. I do play some survival games as myself, but also other characters as well since I am not a sniper in rl.

Do what feels fun.

Madness. Games are not for this "fun" you speak of. Games are serious business, and should be undertaken with grim-faced stoicism.

and very little history(I dislike it)

Well not to get all philosophical, but what about magic bothers you? Fire is real. Ice, lightning, etc. The methods of manipulation vary quite a lot to make amusing scenario's. A lot of science domains especially when approaching quantum levels are very well.... Um let's say they can't say they have all the answers haha. If your really curious you look up topics of vibrations and energy in physics. Heat and cold are vibration rates at there core as is lightning. Lightning requires two opposing energy sources though most naturally through positive and negative in upper atmospheres. Vibrations also can generate visible light that could even be quite dangerous.

For the sake of your question I would say to establish a sense of self. You are you. You are not people, you are not society, you are not humanity. You live in these themes, but you are not them. You begin and end in the choices you make. You are not the ripples. You are what caused the ripples. Strength in sense of self.

I guess to simply all this I've studied math, science(most in general with some more than others), religion, philosophy, Mythology, psychology, and very little history(I dislike it). Believe me magic is the least disgusting thing you can immerse yourself in lol.

At the end of the day you be what you want to be. Unfortunately games cannot accomodate everything. Do what feels fun.

what were the circumstances leading up to this?

Magic doesn't bother me in the least. I would even say it can be used in rl, depending on interpretation and belief (namely belief of the target.) Using Skyrim as an example, if I was in that world I could probably do some illusion magic (for stealthy purpose, defusing situations, and misdirection) and maybe occasionally some alteration like Oakflesh with my interpretation of it (I have a high pain tolerance, natural and trained, that is even higher when I am angry.) Conjuration would be out unless hallucinogenics and suggestion were being used but I have no experience in making someone be hurt by something only they can see, which isn't the point of conjuration anyway. Some basic restoration and maybe a bit of destruction could be considered energy manipulation but I am not trained in this, have only read about it (Reiki, some monk techniques.) Shooting fire out of my hand would be immersion breaking. Using enchanted weapons or armour would be perfectly fine since they are available in the world and I would probably work with or hire a mage since I can't do most magic. Maybe could study it I guess but I never think of that. :P Skyrim alchemy is really just herbalism, not magic, so I could do that easily once I learned the native flora (have studied some herbal medicine.)