Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Shadowheart Romance and the Hidden Fetish - (Spoilers inside)

Astarion approves

Lol throwing rocks at Halsin is just the way Astarion flirts okay

That would truly force a very heteronormative view with core family values upon the player. My Tav is a woman, where did this baby come from? (I am not sure I even want to know!) And not everyone sees a Jane Austen fantasy as their dream relationship. Yes, Shadowheart expresses this as a future she would like, but I find her character to be very open minded and receptive to Tav's wishes as well. So I don't think she would force them into a certain lifestyle. I think it's best to leave certain things unknown so the player can paint their own picture of their future. Sure you could put a bunch of flags and checks that only leads to this ending under very specific conditions, but that seems like a lot of work and their track record with implementing flags and checks properly isn't exactly stellar.

I am not accusing you of any bigotry or anything, I don't think you meant it with any sort of malice. It just shows how these norms are so prevalent and can unintentionally exclude minorities and other people.

Please read carefully, part "Maybe they could do something with the githyanki egg too (if you take it) because it would be hilarious, yet heartwarming seeing SH raise a gith child..."

"Perhaps they also have a baby already or on the way"

I do not interpret this is as referring to the gith egg but rather that they ALSO would have their own baby.

I'm literally a lesbian. I've read there's a way for lesbians to have a biological child together in 5e. This world is full of magic so I don't see why it can't be possible.

You can convince the caretaker of the Gith egg to hand it over to you for a better future (the Creche were planning to eliminate it, but he was the last of his clutch so he had a soft spot for latecomers). He'll ask you what your plans with it are, and if you tell him you'll raise it as your own flesh and blood, Shadowheart will approve.

Pretty much settles that she'd be completely fine with that! After all, if she approves of you doing that, and she becomes your spouse, then she'll automatically be part of that too.

Ok, I suppose Shadowheart has one use of Divine Intervention and that would certainly be a very sweet thing to save it for.

But it's still a bit restrictive in terms of how narrow this version of their future relationship is. Like I said, I am not against it for some players if it is written for them. Just that it could feel unsatisfying for others so then make it an option related to player choice.

Oh I usually leave my group behind to get to the egg, without them walking threw traps like the dummies they are, so I didn't know she approves! I love this!

Fair enough. Perhaps they could give a few options for players to choose from. Getting a cutscene that actually shows where they go and what happens to them would be so nice though.

It's an interesting thought, because there's still the matter of the (bugged, imo) dialogue options that update which are only available once eventually updating to her essentially asking you to "get her in a family way". And since it takes an entire playthrough of not asking her the question (that's available the second you meet her on the beach) before you have it updated to that, nobody seems to know if this dialogue changes based on Tav's gender.

Because if it doesn't, then the game seems to follow the 5e rule that lesbians can have children (according to Backinstyle, but I believe him her (5 hour late edit, misgendered, sorry!)! I'm no expert on the matter). Which is actually relevant for Karlach and Lae'zel too (I know Lae'zel can't bear children, but I don't recall if that was a permanent thing, and besides, Tav still can unless you roleplay one that can't).

Edit: There is the matter of a Gondian lesbian couple that has a child as well, but it's not explained if that was through adoption or not, since it's not really a big talking point while they're being oppressed.

No I think you can go with women in a lesbian relationship having children. Gods and magic can certainly explain it. I wasn't expanding my mind far enough to think of that when I responded (I stopped at thinking that modern science wasn't available in Faerun so it wouldn't be possible that way).

I have a question. Does the flirting banter with Halsin or orgy scenes you get with Shadowheart appear if you have her on her Dark Justiciar route (Black hair Act 3)? I saw that you can still get a happy ending with her if you save her parents, which is why I'm asking. That and I couldn't find those scenes with her as a Dark Justiciar on Youtube, which is ironic lmao.

The flirting, at least the way it plays out right now, will not happen because you never get the skinny dipping scene as Dark Justiciar. In fact, you get no romance scene at all if you save her parents as Dark Justiciar (officially the full romance path with the least amount of romance scenes, with only 1), but I do not know if she'll accept the drow twins regardless.

Pretty sure there is no flirting banter and no drows scene available, not sure about her reaction to Mizora. Ironic.

It's honestly not even that ironic, but actually in character. Sharrans aren't encouraged to have sex for pleasure, that's stated during her entire "romance" path as Dark Justiciar in act 3, and it's why you get none despite her loving you until she finds an elaborate excuse to do so "oops, forgot the feast but have to feast to complete this ritual for Shar, guess you'll have to be my feast". The only time this is stated otherwise is during the Mizora scene, which, being a complete contradiction to an entire story arc, is just false and it's part of why I consider that scene as bad as it is.

So really, neither should be fine with it.

I think you can still get a happy ending anyway, which is what's important. So, sorry Dame Aylin:

I still prefer her being free of Shar(with dead parents), I think it's more right. Fight me.

Not as happy as the same outcome (save parents) when you spare the Nightsong, I'd say. But I might be reading too much into things with this.

At the point where she's about to turn on Shar on her own accord - for you - you instead push her to remain loyal - push her away from you (eventhough you don't really know that at the time, she does, it's why she's been doubting about becoming a Dark Justiciar in the first place). Because of this, neither of the chats about being together forever after happen (the one straight after Nightsong & the one when entering the Lower City in act 3). It makes the epilogue dialogue when saving her parents make a lot more sense; she's never confirmed with you that you're actually planning to stay with her. All she knows is that when she was ready to devote herself to you, you instead made her devote herself to Shar.

Unless this chat happens after you save her parents as Dark Justiciar, I don't actually know about that.

Yeah that's still a bummer now that I thought about it more. However, you can still get a happily ever after together if Dark Justiciar Shadowheart saves her parents, it seems. Just won't be as happy as it could have been. Here's the youtube video: