1.1. Add the very special connection to the main plot only for the custom character.
It should be something the character himself couldn’t know before the main plot came into motion. Maybe he was observed by The Absolute before, got favored and now he has a different kind of tadpole that gives him special powers over the rest of tadpole users. Maybe he has some relation with whoever The Absolute is (yes, that’s somewhat BG1 all over again, but still better than being Tav-named nobody).
But your character DO have a different kind of tadpole ...
Its mentioned in underdark, if you let that hopgoblin asociate to examine you ... he specificly say that "this larva power is beyond everything i ever seen" (or something like that) ... and when you do, you get another special power from tadpole, that others dont have.
That is not enough to you? O_o
1.2. Make the custom character the only one type of glue to paste them all together for companions as continuation of those special tadpole powers.
You have Lae’zel and Shadowheart hating each other, Astarion being so paranoid that aggressive at the first meeting, Gale jumping on our character from the teleport, Wyll fighting goblins before becoming the part of our party. At the moment it all may become fatal for them, but we pass our checks and everything is fine. So let’s imagine that no one but the very special person with the very special tadpole and maybe Wyll can persuade Lae’zel and Shadowheart to put their differences aside, no one but that person and maybe Gale can deal with Astarion in a non-lethal way, and so on. As an option to make it not so harsh on players it may be just different DC for the checks. Also it may be partially based on companions classes, in such a way that we would always get a viable party.
I think this is also quite inplemented allready ...
No companion ever question any of your decision, yes they disagree silently ... yet they follow you, no matter of their own moral compas.
Great example here is wiping out whole druid groove.
I know its "only" game mechanic ...
But if you played KotOR II. (recomended, if you didnt) they were specificly using game mechanic to story.
So your character (in KotOR i mean) had ability to create strong influence bonds with others trough the Force, so they follow him (almost) without question ... also funny part was there for good jedi, when you were in end of the game asked if you even realize how many people have you killed just to get here, and yet you dare to say that Dark side have no influence on you?
I see some similarity here.
1.3. Additionally maybe… I know it’s tons of work… but add a small level for the custom character before Avernus as a flashback of his normal day. And then a personal quest that involves someone he knew before.
The flashback level should be based on our choice of race and background. It will exist only to establish a connection between our character and a few NPC. The character has his normal no-adventures day and meets some friends/rivals/mentors. It should be short dialogs starting with the narrator characterising the NPC for us and us choosing the relationships. Like this:
N: Here comes Charles as pompous as always. Just a local thug, he never knew when to stop adoring himself. But some people think it’s just a part of his specific sense of humor, which many find amusing. You…
P: 1. …never liked this jerk. 2. … always were good friends with him, knowing that’s the humor for sure. 3. …never really paid too much attention to him. 4. …learned a lot from him.
After that the story should proceed mostly as normal. But at some point we should meet the same characters being somehow involved in the whole situation with The Absolute or any other suitable disaster.
I love this! :3
2.1. Make Halsin much more useful for our pass through the Underdark.
He may possess some more vital information than the position of one of many entrances. He may be an additional or locked powerful companion for our Underdark adventure. He may have contacts in the Underdark. Without him going to the Moonrise towers through the Underdark must be pretty much as suicidal as going there through the surface without Minthara’s contact.
If Halsin allready known position of any entrance, he would not join that adventurers to find it ... therefore he would not be captured, therefore he would not be here for us to find. :-/
I believe that Halsin should be made a companion ... many people will probably hate it, bcs he would be then 4 level "archdruid" ... yet, im not even sure if this game count with nontadpoled companions.
Simmilar to "contracts" ... you cant quite create any allies somewhere, if you have no idea how to get there.
We dont know yet how will path to Moonrise towers lookalike ... so i would let that part go.
2.2. Make Halsin confess that he can’t heal us and we need to go to the Moonrise towers the moment we find him, not after killing all the goblins' leaders. But he should also tell that he has means to assist us, he just wants us to make sure that the Grove isn't threated first.
Well ... he does, but the way he does it now, he makes sure you will help him ...
In your way that is just chance, and since he really cares about groove, i get that he would not take chances here. :-/
2.3. Make Minthara say for sure that her next stop is the Moonrise towers and she’s ready to take us with her by the safe surface route if we assist her.
That would also completely change her character ...
But since first patch alterning story is coming, that could also be allready ruined.
