Originally Posted by RagnarokCzD
Originally Posted by gabrielled
It actually is, as there are 3 archdruids, and 9 in the inner circle (regular druids), and in order to ascend into that circle you have to defeat the currently seated member. If you lose, you automatically lose XP points that bumps you down to a certain level. That's probably how a lot of shadow druids infiltrated the druid order.
I dunno about order ...
I was talking about grove only ...

I mean i dunno about common customs within order, but just from common sence it seems like:
"You cant be first druid, since you didnt beat previous one in fight!"
"No i didnt ... so what?"
[Linked Image from dailymale.sk]

But maybe that is just my feeling. laugh

And then the bigger druid who's in charge of the region comes and kicks you out. The druid can, not only because the druid has authority, but the said druid can probably wallop the upstart. The druidic order isn't tree-hugging lets-be-friendly order. It tries to imitate nature, so challenging to gain a seat is not that rare.

Originally Posted by RagnarokCzD
Originally Posted by gabrielled
because I quite frankly don't cherish the idea of getting wiped out by a level 1 party when MY party is level 15).
I didnt know this is possible. O_o

Of course it can be, you wiped out a hag, a githyanki company, an entire circle of druids, and an adamantine golem and you are barely level 5. So the reverse can also happen: you, a pretty powerful team of eclectic collection of super-powered people (a vampire spawn, an extremely famous adventurer/hero, and once-beloved of Mystra herself) can be wiped out by a level 5. If the other party is feeling lucky, they might challenge you at level 2. And you can lose.

5E did something weird with CR. A pit fiend can take out Mordenkainen. And either Gale was formerly SUPER-DUPER high-levelled or his WIS should be lower, because Karsus was level 40+ when he attempted Karsus' folly. The dude could cast level 12 spells (which don't even exist anymore).

Originally Posted by RagnarokCzD
Originally Posted by gabrielled
Also REALLY not sure why Astarion doesn't realise that the symbols they see everywhere around the Absolute's Chosens have at least Myrkul's symbol on it, because Myrkul was the God of the Dead for the vast majority of his lifetime and he definitely would've seen the symbol, being a vampire spawn. Myrkul died in 1358DR. Selective blindness seems to curse everyone in this game, since the Gur blithely ignores my PC calling Astarion by his name (not to mention pasty white skin, red eyes, and fangs).
That seems like general problem in litteraly every fictional universe ...
Especialy comics ...

Someone SHOULD have mentioned it. If Shadowheart passes a skill check, she can identify that the ruined temple is Jergal's, so she should know the Myrkulite symbol (after all, Myrkul lost his church much more recently than Jergal, so I'd think it's in the basic clergical education). Astarion can definitely do a skill check in Risen Road's blood symbol and say "hey, that looks like Myrkul's symbol".


Originally Posted by GM4Him
And it IS explained by several people that we have VERY special tadpoles. So special that a cambion wants it for himself. Does he want Minthara's? Nope. Does he want Ragzlins? Nope. Just ours. Ours is a catalyst. It is given authority over other True Souls even. It is a boss tadpole protected and imbued with Sharran/ Netherese Shadow Magic which is keeping it from turning us instantly into mind flayers - or whatever it will actually turn us into. It is even said by Omeluum that whenever we do turn, it will likely be far more excruciating than any other ceremorphosis ever, and it has burrowed so deep into our person that he cannot remove it from us either via connecting mentally with it or by physical or magical means. It is apart of us completely.

People, this is no different from Bhaalspawn. Instead of being infused by the seed of a god, we've been infused by the seed of mind flayers - a special mind flayer seed that has made it apart of the very essence of who we are. It is really no different. We have been reborn as something new and godlike, and it is very different from any other mind flayer parasites ever, including that of other True Souls. THAT is why the Absolute wants us so badly, not just the weapon. THAT is why Shadowheart is called a beautiful weapon by the voice on the ship. We are MORE than any other, and the tadpoles can't be crushed and removed and us resurrected because they ARE apart of us now. If we are rez'd, the tadpole is rez'd with us.

I don't really buy that argument. As a Bhaalspawn, you were born with a piece of Bhaal's divine essence, but even it can be ripped away and you come out somewhat okay (Imoen, PC. Imoen later gives that piece of Bhaal to PC). The tadpole is still a different entity from you, as it's made clear from the writing during the daisy sequences, as well as when you use your power (the narrator says that the tadpole is 'satisfied'). At any rate, the tadpole can be incinerated along with your entire head, and resurrection or reincarnate will restore your personality and memories. Omeleum mentioned physical method (as in surgery) isn't really a viable option (it's probably somewhere in the 3rd ventricle or nearby), so no surgical extraction for you) but we're not exactly trying to keep the brain intact with the mentioned method. Furthermore, it'll be weird if there was a mechanism to get rid of divine essence willingly without it returning to the deity (dissipate in thin air, return to the Weave, what have you) and it wasn't mentioned once in BGII. Some PCs might not take it, but some PCs might... and that's the end of story right there.

This plot hole could've been solved in many different ways.

1. Nettie/Halsin telling you that the Netherese magic makes your head shatterproof and fireproof. This would make me laugh hysterically.
2. Gale not being able to cast True Resurrection and not wanting to give it up to a cleric of Shar. Larian defeated this idea by allowing anyone to use a scroll. I first thought it was a bug because it felt so odd seeing Lae'Zel use scrolls.
3. Have Nettie tell you that you will permanently lose part of yourself if you go through with this headbash/resurrection process, as the infection is too far along (which IS a caveat in this tadpole extraction procedure). You still get the option to go along with it, but you will be bumped back to level 1, and level progression takes twice the amount of XP.
4. Tadpole mind-controlling you to say no if Nettie/Halsin offers the solution. You make a skill check of 20 on Wis to say that you want to hear more or yes or any confirmation to further the extraction procedure plot. Good luck.

These can all be implemented with a few lines of dialogue tree, and would make the solution "Travel to Baldur's Gate to find a high-level cleric of
Myrkul, I think
ASAP" much more relevant. They also need to come up with why the priest of that particular clergy can be high-level or even exist.