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majinkura · 2 months ago

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I mean, this is a silly idea. Whimsical - level silly. And 100% delulu.

But, whatever! I'll share this.

💙 Baldur's Life 💙

Where Baldur's Gate 3 meets Animal Crossing! Or Harvest Moon! Or Spiritfarer! Or...

Basically, the thought is: what if Baldur's Gate 3 took it up a few more levels and added a Slice Of Life mechanic in its gameplay? Wherein, instead of the Companions just standing next to their tents, there would be added gameplay mechanics in the Camp Site to further your relationship, not just with your romanced partner, but with your friends as well?

Let's find out:

( LONG DELULU POST AHEAD, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED )

Tav's / Durge's Tent

First of all, you can't start improving your party's Camp life without an improved tent, right? So, from now on, Tav or Durge would have a tent of their own, and as the story, and their relationship with the party, progresses, the tent improves as well.

At the start of the game, you'll be given a super basic tent design of many choices. Let's just say 9 types for now. At character creation, you can freely customize the color and other details of the tent.

So let's just say, for customization's sake, the basic tents are ( all fully customizable from basic design ):

1. DRIZZT'S UNDERSHADE HAVEN

Shape ( not customizable ): Lolth's Love Triangle

Basic Color: Lolth Purple

Highlights: Honorable Drow White

Special Features: Glows in the dark, and you'll feel as honorable and as valiant as Drizzt Do'Urden himself. Occasionally sprouts mushrooms after rainy days. Mushrooms can be used in cooking or making potions.

2. GARL'S GLITTER GLADE

Shape ( not customizable ): Rocky Square

Basic Color: Resilient Chestnut

Highlights: Fastidious Gold

Special Features: Provides a strong shelter against winds and storms. Can house taller races aside from Gnomes. Can occasionally be used as a shield by races with high STR.

3. TIAMAT'S TURBULENT TOTEM

Shape ( not customizable ): Not-So-Bahamut Rectangle

Basic Color: Not-So-Tiamat Green

Highlights: Definitely-Bahamut Scarlet

Special Features: This is the only tent that works like a bag of holding. Yes, it can house countless treasures any mortal could only dream of. That said, it's the safest tent around, with invisible traps around it, ready to spring against intruders.

4. ROGER'S REGULAR TENT

Shape ( not customizable ): Sad and Placid Triangle

Basic Color: Spoiled Milk White

Highlights: Honey, Jerry the neighbor spilled his coffee on our tent. Again! ( Don't ask )

Special Features: Wait, who's Roger? Anyway, this tent is so plain, that almost no one sees it. No matter how many times Jerry spills his coffee on it, or the occasional Melf's Acid Arrow and Grease, this tent proves to be stronger than your average human's tent purchased from a peddler in Baldur's Gate.

5. VLAAKITH'S VANISHING CITADEL

Shape ( not customizable ): Ascended Triangle

Basic Color: War Queen Green

Highlights: Zaith'isk Brown

Special Features: As strong and as adaptable as a Githyanki, this tent could be used as a sort of teleportation device within specific places you've marked in your map. And, therefore, provides a much better fast-travel option. Can only teleport 2 people at a time.

6. MAISHA LONGBEARD'S SHORT SHELTER

Shape ( not customizable ): Blunt Square

Basic Color: Bunion Yellow

Highlights: Arthritis Orange

Special Features: Stout and serviceable, this tent is perfect for our vertically challenged friends. Once inside, even the Devils would not find you. It's the safest place on Fae'run.

7. GRACEFUL LUMINESCENT SANCTUARY

Shape ( not customizable ): Serene Octagon

Basic Color: Mysterious Umber

Highlights: Gilded Nature

Special Feature: As regal as a High Elf, and as Adventurous as a Wood Elf, this tent combines practicality with elegance. This tent emanates serenity, blending the air inside with soothing fragrances of nature. Has a built-in jacuzzi inside.

8. THE FIENDISH PAVILLION

Shape ( not customizable ): Infernal Oval

Basic Color: Violent Crimson

Highlights: Ashen Imp

Special Features: This tent's threads are infused with a rare Infernal mineral that can emanate a gentle warm glow, like a hearth. It also creates a protective aura that wards off unwanted supernatural influences. Or bad neighbors who want to disturb your sleep.

9. IRONHIDE FORTRESS

Shape ( not customizable ): Resilient Octagon

Basic Color: Tawny Fang

Highlights: Hag Green

Special Features: This tent, made for the strongest of Orcs, is made with reinforced canvas and fortified stakes. This tent may look intimidating on the outside, but it actually provides comfort on the inside. One might say it's perfect for adventurers who want to be left alone.

The player will choose one of these 9 designs upon character creation and be able to customize its colors to their heart's content, matching their personality and tastes. And as they level up, the tent will gain additional features based on the level of relationship they have with their Companions.

As I've mentioned before, this game would introduce new game mechanics for additional quality-of-life features. I can't simply overlook the features of the Companions' tent. After all, we're still discussing the slice-of-life aspects here.

With that said, let's delve deep into the Companions' tent and quality-of-life features.

Astarion

Our handsome Rogue doesn't just provide utility and lockpicking services. When his relationship level is maxed, Astarion Ancunin can offer a diverse range of camp clothes that are much cooler than what Figaro Pennygood makes.

Oh yes, you heard it first right here. Astarion has a surprising talent in sewing, and with 200 years of practice, he has come up with interesting and innovative designs which he can now put to practice with your help.

First, you'll need to raise his Approval Rating to 20%. Once you achieve that, you can unlock a cutscene where he repairs his old doublet which is damaged by an enemy during one of your battles. Choose a dialogue option to either praise his tailoring skills or express surprise at his hidden talent. Astarion will naturally award you Approval points, and he'll offer to make you a simple night garb.

To have him make this, you need to search for pieces of fabric and threads scattered around the Sword Coast, which you can loot from boxes, chests, and barrels. Some enemies, like Kobolds and Harpies, also drop these items as loot. Bring the materials to Astarion, wait for a Long Rest, and when you settle down for another Long Rest the next day, he'll ask you to model the clothing he made for you. Depending on your reaction ( remember, this is still a D&D game where choices matter and have consequences ), he'll offer to create more sets of clothing.

Continue bringing him materials, and when you raise his Approval Rating to 50%, during a Long Rest, he will ask you to fetch materials like wood, canvas, and stakes. When you wake up the next morning, his tent will have expanded into a decent moving Tailor Shop ( which he calls Le Fabuleux Chéri ). He will now offer a wider variety of clothing, not just for you but for the rest of the party as well, as long as you continue to supply him with materials.

Reaching ACT II unlocks his jewelry section, Les Bijoux d'Ancunin. You can now trade cool trinkets with him, which can be gifted to other companions or NPCs. Yes, NPCs.

Reaching ACT III also unlocks the Le Parfum d'Ancunin feature in Astarion's shop, where you can now purchase bottles of different scents he created himself (move over, Auntie Ethel). These scents provide a +5 bonus in Charisma Checks, making you smell good and reducing the chances of others turning aggressive. They can also mask the occasional Undead smell. Oh, he does miss his calling as a perfumer!

When you finally max out his Approval Ratings, he'll gift you Legendary-tier Camp clothing with a design of your choosing. You can change its color right away by pressing 'I' on your keyboard or navigating to your Inventory. The Design button is located next to the Alchemy button at the top.

Moreover, unlocking Astarion's quality-of-life feature will earn you a new Achievement - Best Dressed, Never Stressed.

Gale

Gale Dekarios, the Wizard of Waterdeep, is not only an expert on the Weave. He is also Gale Dekarios, Masterchef. With our loveable Wizard around, you'll never go hungry again.

Similar to Astarion, you'll unlock the cooking feature with Gale when you reach his Approval Rating of 20%. You'll be able to unlock a cutscene where you see him cooking the Fish Head you looted from a barrel. He'll mention that in Waterdeep, he's capable of cooking more than Fish Heads. He'll offer to prepare a decent meal for you during your next Long Rest, provided you gather the ingredients for him. Agreeing to this will earn you Approval Rating points.

Getting ingredients for Gale is fairly easy. You can loot them practically anywhere — from boxes, chests, and even in caskets in some cases. Some types of enemies also drop them ( playing a Durge would enable you to get ingredients from Dwarves or other smaller races — basically anything a Slayer can get into its mouth, morbid, I know ). Provide these ingredients to Gale, and he'll be able to cook you a nice bowl of stew. Eating it and expressing your enjoyment will earn you more Approval Rating points, and he'll offer to cook you more meals.

Continue bringing him ingredients. Once you reach an Approval Rating of 50%, he'll ask you to bring pots, plates, and other kitchen utensils. Provide him with these items and wait until the next Long Rest. After that, Gale's tent will expand into a small moving Eatery ( which he calls Weave Cuisine ). Now, he can cook more meals not only for you but also for your other party members.

Reaching ACT II unlocks the Meals Packed With Love feature, where each meal comes with various buffs of your preference. In addition to this feature, Gale can also provide you with boxed lunches to take with you wherever you go. And yes, you can savor these meals during battles as a Bonus Move.

Reaching ACT III unlocks the Weave Patisserie, where Gale can now bake sweet goodies packed with more buffs. You can gift these to other companions and NPCs.

Once you max out his Approval Ratings, Gale will craft a one-time Legendary pudding that permanently boosts your desired stat to 24. Cool, I know!

Unlocking Gale's quality-of-life feature will earn you the Achievement - It's Not Raw!

Halsin

We can't discuss cooking without mentioning Halsin first. What does he have to do with cooking? Simple. His quality-of-life feature enables farming in BG3. Farming, in BG3. Incredible, I know!

Now, we need to address the dilemma of recruiting him first. Unlike other companions, whose quality-of-life features require a 20% Approval Rating, Halsin's can be unlocked much earlier. Once you save Thaniel in ACT II, do a Long Rest after the mission. The morning after, when you convince the Archdruid to share details about himself, he will reveal his passion for farming, aside from whittling.

In fact, he would feel excited that he'd ask you to spare him some crops or herbs, and he would do his best to grow some next to his tent. Give him another Long Rest or two, and afterward, he'll give you back the same plants, now multiplied.

Continue giving him plants. When you reach ACT III, after the Long Rest where you assist the Emperor against Orpheus' Gith guards, Halsin will be absent for an entire day. He leaves only a note assuring you not to worry, explaining that he's out collecting materials. After doing a Long Rest, the morning after that, you'll notice that Halsin has built a stall next to his tent. He now sells different crops, herbs, mushrooms, and flowers that can be used for cooking and making potions.

When you max out his Approval Rating, he'll begin selling whittled animals and potted plants that you can use to decorate or spruce up your tent. You can give these to your Companions and some NPCs.

He simply calls his humble stall, Silvanus' Blessings.

Unlocking Halsin's stall will earn you the Achievement - Just A Humble Farmer.

Jaheira

Improving your relationship status would also affect Jaheira's quality-of-life features, and much like Halsin, she doesn't require much for her special feature to be unlocked.

In fact, the moment Halsin opens up shop during ACT III, she will offer to sell her very own concoctions, provided that you also bring her some plants, especially flowers. After waiting a few Long Rests, Jaheira will now offer you potions and elixirs. Improve her Approval Ratings, and you'll be able to unlock even more.

And once you rescue Minsc and Boo, her tent will have expanded into a small shop which she calls HaggleHag Apothecary. Not only can she sell potions, elixirs, and essences, but she can now also offer you a wide variety of soaps and hair lotions, suitable for both humanoids and creatures of all sizes and shapes. These products can be offered as gifts to companions and NPCs.

When you max out her Approval Ratings, a feat that very few can achieve, she will offer you an interesting gift, which she reveals when you defeat the Netherbrain...

But, more on that later! For now, after helping Jaheira open her shop, you'll receive the Achievement - Master Apothecarist.

Minsc and Boo

A companion who required even less for his special feature to be unlocked, Minsc and Boo have something simple and yet pretty special to offer the player - that is to teach both Scratch and the Owlbear cub a wide variety of skills.

Now, in order to do this, you must, of course, rescue Minsc and bring him to camp. Unlock Jaheira's HaggleHag Apothecary, and the Ranger will tag along as her partner in tending the small shop. You'll be able to see a cutscene after a Long Rest where Minsc accidentally spills a strange potion on Boo's head, making the Miniature Giant Space Hamster shoot small fireballs in its tiny paws.

This peculiar scene will give the player character an idea to teach Scratch and the Owlbear some new tricks to make them useful and resilient in battle.

Simply talk to Scratch and the Owlbear cub about having Boo teach them tricks, wait one Long Rest, and after that, their new skill sets are ready! Additionally, they can now level up to 12! Get Minsc's Approval Rating to at least 50% in order to unlock different types of Summon Classes with their own skill sets.

There are a total of 12 different Summon Classes for Scratch and the Owlbear cub to explore:

THE BARBARIAN'S CLAWFIEND - Pet can now wear Medium to Heavy armor and wield Great Weapons. Has a Rage ability that boosts movement speed and constitution.

THE BARD'S PAWTNER - Pet can now wear Light to Medium armor and wield Finesse Weapons. Has a High Charisma which can be used to distract enemies.

THE CLERIC'S GUARDIAN - Pet can now wear Light to Medium armor and wield Bludgeoning Weapons. Can use Healing Words, Remove Curse, and Revivify.

THE DRUID'S COMPANION - Pet can now wear Light armor and wield Staff Weapons. Can shapeshift into smaller animals such as mice, squirrels, and birds. Can also use the Spore skill to animate one dead per one Long Rest.

THE FIGHTER'S CHAMPION - Pet can now wear Light to Medium armor and wield Martial Weapons. Has Action Surge as a Bonus Move, and can use Lesser Restoration on itself.

THE MONK'S FRIEND - Pet can now wear Light armor. Additionally, they have the Feat Tavern Brawler, where they can inflict higher amounts of damage without wielding anything.

THE PALADIN'S KNIGHT - Pet can now wear Light to Medium armor and wield Martial Weapons. A pet can never break its oath because they're the bestest pet and goodest boi in the world. Can also throw Holy Grenades to heal allies and damage nearby enemies.

THE RANGER'S SCOUT - Pet can now wear Light Armor and wield all types of Bowguns, which they carry on their back and automatically fire. They can use Sneak Attack on all enemies as a Bonus Move, and they can cast Hunter's Mark.

THE ROGUE'S STALKER - Pet can now wear Light armor and wield Daggers and Finesse Weapons. They can now pick locks and disarm traps.

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE - Pet can now wear Light armor and wield Staff Weapons. Or the occasional broomstick. Can cast up to level 5 Spells and improve them with a chosen Metamagic. Has 4 Spell Slots, two of which can be recovered through Short Rests.

THE WARLOCK'S FIEND - Pet can now wear Light armor and wield Staff and Finesse Weapons. Carries around a copy of their master's contract with the Devil, reminding them of their deal. Can cast Eldritch Blast as a Cantrip. A howl can be heard from afar when the pet casts the Spell.

THE WIZARD'S SPELLWEAVER - Pet can now wear Light armor and wield Staff Weapons. Has a high enough INT to learn up to level 5 Spells. Has 4 Spell Slots, two of which can be recovered through Short Rests.

Pets can multiclass when they reach level 5, and have their classes changed just by speaking with Boo.

Pretty cool, right? But, wait, there's more!

Just like with the other companions, something neat will happen if you achieve 100% Approval Ratings for Minsc.

You can now recruit some animals you've met along the way and have these pets partnered with your Companions. I call this new feature, Best Friends.

Here is the symbol, as illustrated by me ( it's not that good, I'm sorry ):

You'll see this icon displayed next to your Companions' portrait the moment you partner them with a Pet Companion. Another cool thing about this is you'll see them play and have different cute scenarios in the Campsite. Cute, I know!

The list of all recruitable Pet Companions ( they all come with their own default Ability Points and Class which you can respec with the help of Boo ):

*THE ADDLED FROG ( Common / THE CLERIC'S GUARD ) - Comes with a condition. If you did not yeet it in ACT I, of course, and you're able to gain its favor by reverting the Swamp to how it was, it will come to visit you in your Camp the moment you're finally able to defeat Auntie Ethel in ACT III.

*BOSK THE BEAR ( Rare / THE DRUID'S COMPANION ) - Comes with the Halsin romance condition, making him a rare Pet Companion. After spending the night with Halsin, Bosk will visit him in the Camp, claiming he misses the old Emerald Grove Archdruid. He instantly becomes Halsin's Pet Companion.

*COMMANDER LIGHTFEATHER ( Common / THE RANGER'S SCOUT ) - The general himself, in the flesh! Once you max out Minsc and Boo's Approval Ratings, go back to Rivington to visit him and he'll recognize you for your effort of saving the Platoon. He'll agree to come with you as a Pet Companion.

*NESSA, YURGIR'S DISPLACER BEAST ( Very Rare / THE WARLOCK'S FIEND ) - Also comes with a condition. If you did not yeet her during ACT II and you're able to convince her to fight alongside you to defeat Yurgir, she'll come to visit you in your Camp once you're able to beat Raphael in a single round of Lanceboard ( more on this later ). She will say the Orthon is surprised someone was able to beat the Master of the House of Hope in the said game. He then allows you to have Nessa as a Pet Companion.

*SHADOW WHISKERS ( Common / THE ROGUE'S STALKER ) - Having completed her so-called "vengeance" when you free her from her captives at the Circus of The Last Days, she will come to visit your Camp and insist you take her on a new adventure.

*GRUB ( Common / THE BARD'S PAWTNER ) - Comes with Yenna when you adopt her. If you manage to guard her against Orin, Grub will become a willing Pet Companion.

*MYSHKA ( Common / THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE ) - When you're able to convince him that you are his mother, he will instantly become your Pet Companion if he's not able to find a home in Bonecloak's Apothecary.

*HIS MAJESTY ( Rare / THE PALADIN'S KNIGHT ) - All hail His Majesty! If you're able to save him during that encounter in the Last Light Inn, he actually comes along with Isobel when she stays at your Camp, tormenting her for that milk she promised.

*THE SQUIRREL AT THE EMERALD GROVE ( Common / THE MONK'S FRIEND ) - Available when you did not kick her back in ACT I, this little friend comes along with Bosk when he seeks out Halsin in ACT III.

*SQUIRE ( Very Rare / THE FIGHTER'S CHAMPION ) - A very gentle and good boy, this robotic dog comes along with you right off the bat in ACT II when you're able to convince him not to fight with Ketheric Thorm.

*THE STRANGE OX ( Rare / THE BARBARIAN'S CLAWFIEND ) - A savage creature, this strange fellow comes along with you when you meet him again in ACT III. That is, if you did not yeet him back in ACT II.

*TARA ( Very Rare / THE WIZARD'S SPELLWEAVER ) - When you're able to stop her from attacking the carrier pigeons in ACT III, and you have Gale in your party, she stops attacking the birds, and she instantly becomes the Wizard's Best Friend.

*ANSUR, THE DRAGON ( Legendary / NO CLASS ) - The 13th and secret Pet Companion who can't exactly be partnered with anyone in your Camp, Ansur has a steep condition for him to be recruited to your party.

*First, you must pass all the tests to enter his lair in ACT III. His boss fight will still happen no matter what choices you make here, so make sure not to slay him.

*Second, when you're able to knock him out ( and good luck with that ), a cutscene will play out wherein you'll have a small window to either save him or ultimately defeat him. When you're actually able to save him, the Emperor will be disappointed with you, but nothing too major will happen that will affect your alliance with him ( not yet ).

*And lastly, when you're able to convince Ansur that your only desire is to save Baldur's Gate, you'll finally gain the Dragon's trust. The Dragon will give you a Legendary Item - Balduran's Blade ( he used this weapon to attempt to assassinate Balduran, as mentioned in their story ), which you can use in the final battle to call upon him as an ultimate ally against the Netherbrain. A Nemesis Event will trigger between him and the Emperor if the latter decides to join the Netherbrain. The outcome of this fight will put the ultimate closure in their chaotic relationship.

If Ansur survives the fight, he will not go back to his dark lair, but instead, he'll fly away to a safe place that only he knows of. He will stay there until the time comes when Baldur's Gate needs him as its protector once more. You can then either give Duke Ulder Ravenguard ( or Wyll if he becomes the Blade of Baldur's Gate ) the legendary blade so he can summon Ansur again when the city's in danger, or keep the blade for yourself.

COMPANIONS' REACTIONS WHEN YOU PARTNER THEM WITH A PARTICULAR BEST FRIEND

*Astarion APPROVES it when you partner him with Shadow Whiskers. He DISAPPROVES when you partner him with The Addled Frog.

*Gale APPROVES it when he's instantly partnered with Tara. He DISAPPROVES it when you re-pair the Tressym with Raphael. He also APPROVES it when you pair him with Myshka.

*It doesn't matter with Halsin who you pair him with. He loves animals, and he will always APPROVE whatever your choices are regarding this.

*Jaheira is the same as Halsin regarding this matter, with the exception of Squire, who used to belong to Ketheric Thorm.

*Minsc APPROVES any Pet Companion who is naturally good-aligned. On that note, he DISAPPROVES it when you pair him with any of the 2 Displacer Beasts, The Strange Ox, or Squire.

*Karlach loves all Pet Companions, regardless of their nature.

*Lae'zel doesn't care whatever Pet Companion you pair her with. So long as they can wield weapons, I guess?

*Wyll APPROVES it when you give Duke Ulder Ravenguard ( or him ) the legendary item to summon Ansur.

*Shadowheart APPROVES it when you pair her with any of the cats ( including the Displacer Beasts ), especially His Majesty.

*Minthara, just like Lae'zel, doesn't care whatever Pet Companion you pair her with. But she'll vastly APPROVE it when you pair her with Squire.

*Rapheal APPROVES it when you pair him with either Nessa or Shadow Whiskers, especially Tara and Squire. He DISAPPROVES it when you pair him with Myshka, Grub, The Squirrel, The Addled Frog, and Commander Lightfeather.

More importantly about Minsc and Boo's quality-of-life feature, which is already thick, when you somehow manage to get Boo's Approval Rating to 100%, he'll share with you a piece of his knowledge as a Miniature Giant Space Hamster, and you'll gain a permanent Speak With Animals feature.

Recruiting all Pet Companions, including Ansur, will earn you the Achievement - A Friend To All.

Karlach

Now, I did mention that pets can now wear armor and use weapons with Minsc and Boo's quality-of-life feature. No, they can't actually use the ones we have. These items have to be forged. And this is what Karlach's special feature is all about.

Once you and Karlach reach The Last Light Inn from ACT II and have Dammon tune up the infernal engine for her, she will ask you for lots of things for her to hold. And her favorites are plushies. Apart from that, she will mention how neat it is to have an actual smith as a member of the party.

What you want to do first is to raise her Approval Rating to at least 50% before you get to ACT III. You can do this by giving her all the plushies you can get. And when you finally get to Baldur's Gate, she will, in fact, convince Dammon to stay with you in the Camp.

In order for Dammon to agree, you must prepare a proper smithing area in the Campsite. You can achieve this by bringing Karlach materials such as wood, metal, and simple tools. Give these materials to Mama K, take a Long Rest, and the next day, you'll find that Dammon has now cozily set up shop in your Campsite.

Dammon and Karlach offer a wide variety of weapons and armor at a discounted price, among them are the items for your pets to use later on.

Raise Mama K's Approval Rating to 100% and she will start selling you plushies that she and Dammon made. You can give this to your other companions, NPCs, and your pets. You can also use these as decoration in your tent.

And when Karlach goes with Wyll to Avernus, Dammon stays behind as a promise to her to continue the business and partnership they started together.

Prior to that, giving Karlach ALL the plushies you can find in the game when you're traveling all throughout the 3 ACTs will earn you the Achievement - It's So Fluffy!

Lae'zel

Lae'zel is a very simple and straightforward Companion who doesn't need much to unlock her quality-of-life feature.

Outside of the many battles you fight together, Lae'zel is, in fact, dreaming of doing many fun things in the Material Plane, and she's just scared to admit this. Also, she thinks you'll regard her as weak because of this, and she doesn't want that. But once you reach 50% Approval Ratings with her, she'll begin opening up about the activities she wants to do together with you.

And when that happens, you'll be able to unlock EACH AND EVERY COMPANION-RELATED CAMP MINIGAME, yay!

I did say this is a delulu post, right? Or have you forgotten?

So, without further ado, I present to you all the games that both you and Lae'zel can enjoy!

NOTE: Some of these games can also be enjoyed in a Multiplayer setting. Other Companions can also play these games if you select them.

ANOTHER NOTE: Beating this game will earn the player Camp Points, or CP. More on this later.

FIND THE OUTFITS WITH ASTARION - A simple minigame where Astarion gives you mannequins with certain body types, and you'll have to find the correct style and outfit color that best suits each body type.

FOOD MATCHES WITH GALE - Plays exactly like Candy Crush but with wines, fish heads, and various Sword Coast ingredients. This game also opens up when you select ingredients before Long Rest. Matching 3 or more correct ingredients grants you random boosts when you wake up in the morning depending on the foods you matched.

WHACK-A-MOLE WITH HALSIN - Help Halsin get rid of those farm pests! You can use any weapons or spells to get rid of these pesky critters within the time limit. WARNING! Bulettes may occasionally show up, so be careful!

POTION MAKER WITH JAHEIRA - Plays exactly like an ordinary witchy cooking game but with potions and lotions galore. Help Jaheira prepare the right ingredients for her potions before her customers get mad! This game also rewards you with much bigger CPs when you beat Boss Customers, such as Raphael, Gortash, Orin, Mizora, and Volo.

WARNING! What happens when you don't give them their orders in time?

Raphael calls his Cambions, who order more complicated potion recipes.

Gortash sends in a Steel Watcher to whack Jaheira's shop.

Orin kidnaps a random Humanoid or Pet Companion.

Mizora either kidnaps Wyll or seduces your romantic partner.

Volo shortens your preparation time and annoys your other customers with his Dror Ragzlin song.

May or may not have permanent effects on your Camp. What fun!

GET THEIR EYES, BOO! - Play like a regular shooting game, but use Boo as a projectile. Shoot down those Goblins, Zombies, Bhaal worshippers, Shadows, and Duergars to earn CPs! Occasionally, Aradin, Lorroakan, and Wulbren Bongle show up as mini-Bosses, and shooting them grants you more CPs. Customize Boo however you like during this minigame, and unlock skins for the miniature giant space hamster using CPs, ranging from Common to Legendary.

WALKING TALKING CLIVE - Dammon enchants Clive to be big, arms him, and lets him loose around Camp. You must stop this Teddy Bear within the time limit to prevent him from wrecking your Campsite. And when you manage to tame him, you can pretty much carry him around like a Tamagotchi, talk with him, feed him, and bathe him ( no, he doesn't poop, sorry ). You can ask Dammon to enchant him again to play the catch game for more CPs.

DANCE WITH WYLL - A simple minigame where you must press a combination of buttons to dance with Wyll. The button combinations get harder as the level progresses. You can use Astarion's costumes when you dance with Wyll for that added fab effect.

CARDS OF DIVINATION WITH SHADOWHEART - A simple card game that plays like a normal memory and divination game. Shadowheart channels her divine insight with her Goddess ( either Shar or Selûne depending on where you take her story ) to re-arrange the cards on her table and show you various card combinations depicting random events in the game. It's up to you to create the correct card combinations to resolve these events by selecting some cards in your own deck. As the level progresses, Shadowheart will leave some cards face down, and it's up to you to correctly guess the cards and solve the events.

SAVE THE SHEEP WITH MINTHARA - In this deceptively simple minigame, Minthara lets loose an innocent sheep, which will start walking around the Camp. However, she also went ahead and hid many kinds of traps for the creature to walk in! It's up to you to disarm these and keep the poor sheep safe until it goes back to Minthara's tent.

LANCEBOARD WITH RAPHAEL - As simple as the title itself. You must beat the Devil in a game of Lanceboard. But, how hard is that you say? You are playing against the Devil, nuff said. Defeating him for the first time grants you the chance to recruit Nessa, Yurgir's Displacer Beast, as a Pet Companion.

As we are still talking about Lae'zel and her quality-of-life feature, we must now address the CPs she can earn playing these minigames. Once you reach 100% Approval Ratings with our Gith friend, she can use these points and exchange them for Gold Pieces, which she can use to travel around Baldur's Gate for a day and buy herself souvenirs. She thanks you for this wonderful "Fay Run" experience and brings these gifts back with her to the Astral Plane.

You also gain CPs of your own by playing these minigames yourself, which you can use to buy stuff from your Companions' shop as a substitute for GPs, or have them exchanged for GPs ( 1 GP = 10 CP ). Just speak to Withers to have your CPs exchanged for GPs.

You can also donate these CPs to your Companions who wish to enhance or improve their shops.

When Lae'zel is finally able to quench her thirst with all things "Fay Run" during her one day vacation, you'll be rewarded with the Achievement - Culture-Shocked, No More.

Wyll

Wyll Ravenguard, Blade of The Frontiers, is more than just a warrior who made a deal with the Devil; he is also a humble man with a heart of gold, and his quality-of-life feature revolves around the orphans of Baldur's Gate.

During ACT III, if you have more than a 50% Approval Rating with him, you'll unlock a cutscene during a Long Rest. In this scene, you'll see him buying food from Gale and packing it into small lunch boxes. He'll reveal that he found a poor family on the outskirts of Rivington and that he wanted to help them.

Go with Wyll during this event, and you'll unlock a heartwarming scene of him giving food to this poor family. He also provides them with extra clothes and sheets to help them survive the cold weather.

The next day, after your Long Rest, Wyll opens up to you about performing these small acts of kindness—reaching out to poor people, especially orphans, who need help.

Help him earn CPs through minigames or donate your extra CPs to him so that he can purchase food, clothing, toys, and other items for the poor families of Baldur's Gate from your Companions. When you adopt Yenna, Grub will automatically become a Pet Companion, and the girl will assist Wyll in preparing the donations.

Keep helping Wyll and Yenna. As you progress through the story and reach a 100% Approval Rating with him, you'll unlock a special event. In this event, The Blade of Frontiers organizes a party for the orphans. Mol, Mattis, Myrkon, and other children you've met along the way attend this party. Even Arabella comes along. Some, particularly Mattis and his friends, will even stay in your Camp to help Wyll continue his outreach program.

When you wake up the next day after the party, you'll notice that Mattis and the other Tiefling kids have already set up a nice area next to Wyll's tent, all prepared for when Wyll goes out to help the poor people of Baldur's Gate once more. The kids will even help some of your Companions with their small business, and you can also see them casually playing with some of the Pet Companions who you've recruited along the way.

And finally, when Wyll goes to Avernus with Karlach, Mattis takes over the responsibilities of managing donations and outreach.

After Wyll's party, you'll be rewarded with the Achievement - A Heart Of Gold.

Shadowheart

Our Cleric friend here has an interesting quality-of-life feature. Although she may not be very talkative about herself the first time you meet her, she can learn to trust you and your decisions more. Once you reach a 50% Approval Rating with her, she'll invite you over to her tent for a Divination session.

You can now visit Shadowheart once per Long Rest to have your fortunes read. Additionally, you can ask her questions about quests you're struggling with. She'll shuffle her cards, channel her faith in Shar or Selûne, and provide hints about what to do in those sticky situations. She'll even bless you and offer advice on the best methods to use in future battles. If you help her with her Companion Quest in ACT II, she may even offer to guide you in your romantic pursuits.

Yes, you heard that right. The moment Shadowheart frees ( or yeets ) the Nightsong, a crucial part of her Companion Quest, she will now offer to give you Love Readings. She can now tell you what a Potential Romantic Partner feels about you, how far or close you are to them actually confessing to you, and the best gifts to give them to increase their Approval Ratings. She'll even give you hints on the best days to have Night Outs with them ( more on this later ).

Give Shadowheart some Night Orchids, and she'll even go out of her way to procure a crystal ball that you can use to peer at ANY companion or NPC at any given time. You can use this feature once per Long Rest.

Continue raising your Approval Points with her, and when you reach 100%, she'll gift you a special deck of your choice, which you can use in your tent to do your own divinations. There are many themes to choose from, each depicting a Companion and their story in the game. All in all, there are 17 Decks, which are:

*Astarion's Freedom of The Soul / Ascension of The Soul Deck

*Gale's Selfless Prodigy / Might and Ambition Deck

*Halsin's Blessings of The Oak Father Deck

*Jaheira's Long Lost Love Deck

*Minsc and Boo's Best Friends Forever Deck

*Karlach's Strength of The Heart Deck

*Lae'zel's The Knight of The Comet / Vlaakith's Chosen Deck

*Wyll's Blade of Baldur's Gate / Blade of Avernus Deck

*Shadowheart's Light of Selûne / Darkness of Shar Deck

*Minthara's Noble Queen of Spiders Deck

*Raphael's Inferna Victoria Deck

and *The Heroic Pets of Baldur's Gate Deck

If she is your Romantic Partner in the game however, she'll also gift you a Legendary-tier Deck, in addition to the one you chose—The Golden Child of The Moon.

Don't worry! You can purchase the remaining decks with CPs ( 500 CP each ). Obtaining all Decks, including the Legendary one, grants the player a new in-game Achievement - Divine Insight.

Take note that Shadowheart can also tell the fortunes of your other Companions.

Minthara

Ever the careful and insightful Paladin who gives the best war counsel, Minthara really cares about your prowess in battle and how you carry yourself in difficult situations.

Once you're able to recruit her ( either in ACT I at the Goblin Camp or ACT II at the Moonrise Towers ), build a steady relationship with her, and don't forget to bring her along during Ketheric Thorm's fight. After she fulfills her vengeance on Thorm, she'll open up about wanting to train you and the other Companions in the art of war taught only among the nobles of Menzoberranzan.

That is, in your Campsite, you and your companions will finally have a training ground of sorts. The Drow will improve her tent and build the training area once you bring her the materials she requested, such as wooden stakes, iron ingots, and torches.

Wait for one Long Rest, and the morning after, you or any of your companions may now approach Minthara to open up her training area. This allows you to test your battle prowess against her ( and Withers' Hirelings if you recruited some ) in a friendly duel.

You can now test out the effectiveness of your Armor and equipment combinations, spell and multiclass builds, and feats and fighting classes without going aggro on some NPCs outside of your Campsite. The training sessions last 5-10 minutes, and they are also available in Multiplayer mode.

Continue improving your relationship with Minthara and increase her Approval Ratings to 100%, and she will also open her training area to your Pet Companions by ACT III.

Unlocking Minthara's Training Area will grant you the Achievement - Back To Basics.

Raphael

Imagine this as an extension of my very first imaginary patch ( Part 1 / Part Deux ) wherein Raphael is now a recruitable and romanceable Companion.

In addition to the fact that you can now occasionally play Lanceboard with him and unlock a rare Pet Companion by winning against him for the first time, you can also broaden your passion for the arts and literature with his quality-of-life feature.

That is, he can now grant you proficiency with Performance and teach you many new different songs. Think of all of Borislav Slavov's musical compositions for Baldur's Gate 3, but Faerûn Bard edition.

And yes, that includes his theme song, Raphael's Final Act, as well.

You can unlock these new songs by progressing your relationship with him and raising his Approval Ratings. Gifting him things he likes, such as rare books and paintings, also helps in unlocking the songs, as it puts him in a good mood to teach the annoying little mouse ( of course he likes you, he just doesn't want to say it to your smarmy face ha! ).

Sometimes, he'll also ask you to perform the pieces he composes and share them with everyone in Baldur's Gate so he would be known, and this grants you a huge amount of CPs ( he will never ask you something without a reward in return ). And he'll gain popularity as well, thanks to you. More people, more clients, which means more souls, right? Raphael will start asking you to perform his pieces once you reach his Approval Rating of 50%.

Maxing out his Approval Ratings to 100% will also give you an in-game option to change the ambient music in your Campsite and when you enter your own tent. Additionally, he will present you with a Legendary instrument that he crafted in the Nine Hells himself — The Infernal Fiddle. This instrument grants you and your Companions Bardic Inspiration without requiring you to reclass as a Bard.

A bit of a warning, though: if you betray him in ACT III and already possess this instrument, it will start to rot and give you Curses instead of Bardic Inspiration.

Receiving the legendary fiddle from Raphael also grants you the Achievement - I am Music, and I Write the Songs ( if you sing that just now, congratulations, I know how old you are ).

OTHER QUALITY OF LIFE FEATURES

TENT DECORATIONS - As the title implies, you can now decorate the exterior and interior of your tent using items purchased from your Companions' shops. These items include Halsin's whittled animals and potted plants, Jaheira's potions and lotion bottles, and Karlach's plushies. Additionally, you can display paintings and many types of furniture inside. As you progress through the story, you'll eventually be able to customize the shape and colors of your tent to match your personality and play style even more. You'll also unlock a special bedroll when you reach level 5, and a separate bedroll for your Pet Companion when you reach level 10. As mentioned in the Raphael quality-of-life feature, you can now choose any ambient music in the options to make your tent feel cozier.

Moreover, as you progress in your relationship with your Companions, particularly when you reach an Approval Rating of 50% or more with them, you'll be able to decorate and customize their tents however you like. The only exception to this is Raphael, as he doesn't want people touching his things, and his tent already feels like a real house anyway, like a House of Hope Version 2, but tinier and without Haarlep.

NIGHT OUTS - Another new feature for this chunky and delulu imaginary patch allows you to have actual dates with your romantic partner. This is another way to strengthen your relationship with them and unlock cool new cutscenes. During these night-outs, you can choose which place to go to ( or have your partner choose the place for you ), and the option to exchange gifts with them now appears, in addition to the hug and kiss options.

CAMP POINTS - As mentioned before, Camp Points, or CPs, are a brand new in-game currency that you can earn by playing minigames or fulfilling certain Companion requests ( such as Raphael's request to spread his music all over Baldur's Gate ). You can use these points to purchase items from your Companions, and you can also donate them, as in Lae'zel and Wyll's situations. Additionally, you can exchange these points for Gold Pieces when you speak with Withers.

JAHEIRA'S HOUSE - Perhaps the most important part of this patch is that, once the Absolute is defeated (or dominated in some situations), Jaheira's family will open up their house for you and your Companions to move in and continue their businesses, as well as for them to open up their goods to the public.

With the exception of Raphael ( who returns to Avernus to fulfill his mission to become the Archdevil Supreme or dies if betrayed ), Lae'zel ( who goes back to the Astral Plane to free her kin or ascend as Vlaakith's chosen ), Astarion ( if he's ascended ), Gale ( if he becomes a God ), Karlach, and Wyll ( if they go to Avernus ), your Companions will now set up shop in the Harper house and continue contributing for the greater good of the city after its destruction following the final fight.

Jaheira and her family will only offer this at the end of the game if you reach a 100% Approval Rating with her.

Dammon and Mattis will come along and open up shop in place of Karlach and Wyll. Astarion will send in an assistant to take over his shop if he's ascended. Gale will send in a clone to cook in his shop if he becomes a God. And Raphael will appear from time to time to remind you to get working and spread his music if you did not betray him.

ENDGAME CONTENT - Contrary to the original ending where your adventure just ends as it is, you can still continue playing the game and interact with your Companions. Sometimes, you can even receive letters from the Companions who left, and you can still play some of the minigames...

And that's it! I think I covered everything that I need to share in this new imaginary patch.

Until the DLC, that is, where you get reunited with your friends and allies once more to confront another kind of evil taking hold of the Sword Coast...

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I swear I busted all my brain cells coming up with these ideas that it took me so long just to finish it ( almost 3 weeks, zamn! )

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this and coming up with these wild ideas.

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#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #i love this

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