Send them home from Brynnlaw?

[berelinde]

Coming attractions for version 3.

The Pocket Plane isn't the only place NPCs can languish. There's also Spellhold and the Underdark.

Enter Captain Ruby. She'll take up to three companions back from Brynnlaw to the mainland, for a price. It will be your choice whether you make the arrangements before you enter the assylum or upon your return from it, but once she sets sail, she's gone, so you had better think it through.

As with the Pocket Plane transportation, the NPCs must be in your party when you make the arrangements.

Unlike the Fate Spirit, though, Captain Ruby is a human being, so your companions are likely to have something to say about being foisted off on a sea captain of somewhat dubious repute.

Her first mate, Alys, will have a small, rather choice selection of items for sale, but when Captain Ruby goes, Alys goes, too.

[Kulyok]

Seems like a good idea - though at the very point where you *need* to send an NPC home(say, you want to send Cernd home, 'cause of Imoen), the captain won't be there.

(Just like with the Pocket Plane, though, there's a question: why can't PC go home to Athkatla with them? With the Pocket Plane, it's more or less answered: PC has Destiny, and the Fate Spirit isn't about to let PC go. But with the captain Ruby, I can't see why not - she'll need a damn good excuse not to be able to ship PC and some of PC's companions(say, PC, Kivan and Xan) back to Athkatla).

[berelinde]

It won't happen mostly because it isn't a dialogue option.

Sure, it won't make complete sense, but then there are lots of things in the original game that don't make sense. I can't think of a good example of "So, if this NPC could do this now, why couldn't he/she have done it then, and avoided this whole big chunk of game." But that's because it's not even 6am. They're there, though. For further discussion on improbabilities pawned off on players by BioWare, see this thread, among others.

The important thing is that it is a convenient, not completely incomprehensible way of making room in the party for Spellhold or Underdark NPCs, like Imoen, Tiax, Solaufein, and the upcoming Xulaye, while leaving the original party member available for recruitment later.

I did attempt not to break the fourth wall with it, or to let it stand as too obvious an example of metagaming. That's why she's a sea captain in Brynnlaw, not a hepful captive djin in Spellhold or a conveniently altruistic sahuagin, or a drow travel agent. When someone can give me a credible reason why Adalon cannot send you all the way back to Athkatla, rather than teleporting with you most of the way to the surface and making you fight your way to the exit only to be verbally assaulted by Elhan (I finally thought of an example), then I'll tackle that question.

[Raven]

Sounds like a good idea to me. 

[cmorgan]

I think it is a good idea, from a player perspective. Otherwise, there is really no good way to have a full party and still have some fun with new NPCs. It also can be given a roleplay feel.

If the player has a stronghold, the NPC can be dispatched to keep an eye on things. Dialogue options could indicate the party wants to split up to confuse pursuers. Individual NPCs might plead temporary need/personal business, and go home for just a bit to be picked up again in a later Chapter; the captain could have heard of the bhaalspawn troubles, and decided not to take on so obvious a target but is ok with others in the party (the Drizzt novels do this a few times, with splitting up via ship). Linvale could insist on a progress report, or need a report on Haverian's treachery; and if worst came to worst, the player could have party members be "shanghied" - PC pays for the full party, then goes down to the docks only to find the NPCs that were chosen to board first were captured and the ship has sailed (a side quest later to rescue the NPCs, with changes to the pirate ship materials that indicate chasing the shangheid members for a rescue, with the ship making it back. Perhaps the NPCs meet at home, having had theior own offscreen adventure, and tell the tale to <CHARNAME> right before demanding compensation/requesting help, having broken free and taken the ship).

A million plots spring to mind. Perhaps they each get put on an Imperial Slaver, mind-blanked, and and end up starting a trans-planar trip to Morrowind, waking up as the protagonist - "Welcome, cyrodil. That storm was very strong last night..." [ok, got carried away. Sorry. back to "normal" fantasy.]

[berelinde]

I think it is a good idea, from a player perspective. Otherwise, there is really no good way to have a full party and still have some fun with new NPCs. It also can be given a roleplay feel.

That was the plan. It kind of forces the PC to choose whether he/she wants to take Spellhold NPCs (Tiax and Imoen, if you didn't bring Yoshimo), or Underdark ones (Solaufein and Xulaye)... but wait! I see a way around that. I can easily arrange it so that she won't set sail until the PC gives the word that there will be no more additions. So the PC could dismiss NPCs before *and* after going to Spellhold. Cool. Thanks!

If the player has a stronghold, the NPC can be dispatched to keep an eye on things. Dialogue options could indicate the party wants to split up to confuse pursuers. Individual NPCs might plead temporary need/personal business, and go home for just a bit to be picked up again in a later Chapter; the captain could have heard of the bhaalspawn troubles, and decided not to take on so obvious a target but is ok with others in the party (the Drizzt novels do this a few times, with splitting up via ship). Linvale could insist on a progress report, or need a report on Haverian's treachery; and if worst came to worst, the player could have party members be "shanghied" - PC pays for the full party, then goes down to the docks only to find the NPCs that were chosen to board first were captured and the ship has sailed (a side quest later to rescue the NPCs, with changes to the pirate ship materials that indicate chasing the shangheid members for a rescue, with the ship making it back. Perhaps the NPCs meet at home, having had theior own offscreen adventure, and tell the tale to <CHARNAME> right before demanding compensation/requesting help, having broken free and taken the ship).

Wow. My plans were nowhere near that elaborate, although I might well swipe the thing about not taking a Bhaalspawn. But unless you feel like co-authoring this one, which I don't object to, by the way, it's going to be a bit more simple than that.

But thanks for weighing in. I do get the feeling that this is going to be one of those mods that I tweak from time to time.

[cmorgan]

This one is a great idea, berelinde - but all yours (Well, everything except teh "drop the player in Morrowind" idea, which was a joke anyways ) We have plenty to do as it is, if that's ok with you.

Just like CamDawg's "Open the Claokwood Areas" component for BG1NPC, the more stuff out there that allows roleplayers a more open field of choice is way cool.