D&D: Baldur’s Gate III – Devs Reveal New Details, New Skills, And The Fate Of Custom Characters
In an AMA on Reddit, the Baldur’s Gate III dev team addressed questions and concerns about the upcoming game–and the future looks promising.
A recent AMA with the development team at Larian revealed many exciting new details for Baldur’s Gate III, including a nod to how it connects to Baldur’s Gates 1 & 2, a look at what custom characters can expect in terms of voice acting (the answer surprised us) and how the game stands apart and ahead of Divinity: Original Sin 2. In the span of several hours, they answered many questions from fans of both the Divinity series as well as Dungeons & Dragons. You can read the AMA in its entirety right here, but we’ve compiled a list of salient points below.
via Larian
Many of the questions centered around character creation. After the gameplay demo people were interested to see how they could explore the game for (or as) themselves. As a result, we learn that your character choices, whatever they may be, will have an impact on the story. Here are a few character related questions:
Can we create custom vampire spawn characters?
No, currently not.
Will warlock patrons have a large narrative weight in the story?
Just like cleric gods and paladin gods, the warlock patron is a variable we know of and can react to. Currently they introduce dialog options and voice-barks. More is possible, but not planned for the EA act.
Can half-drow grow beards like other half-elves?
Can you believe that none of us here at the table actually know? We need to ask the moustache people if they planned it…
Are there plans to make custom characters feel as unique as the origin ones? If so, what can you tell us about them?
Hello! I’m not Swen, I’m Adam, one of the Senior Writers on BG 3 😀 . Custom characters are hugely important to us, and when you choose your class, race and background, you’ll already have made choices that have an impact throughout the game – both in terms of what you can do, how you’re perceived, and what you know. But just as in tabletop, it’s what you do after character creation and how you choose to roleplay that character that will make your adventure and character unique. In many ways, they’re more unique, because you made them.
The world and the characters that populate it – whether companions, NPCs, enemies or potential allies – will remember and react to your actions and attitude. Custom characters are central to the arc of BG3, and as your journey unfolds, you’ll walk your own path. And when your story ends, you’ll have determined your own fate… and the fate of many others.
Finally we get to a question on many player’s minds–will custom characters have less storyline than the pre-built origin characters? As it happens, they are.
I think the concern here is that people felt that playing DOS2 as non-origin characters was somewhat pointless because they would miss out on quite a few dialogue options, and would have substantially less storyline. This was especially true if you were playing co-op, because each person who made a custom decreased how much you could interact with even companion stories. Will there be more storyline for customs than what was seen in DOS2? Perhaps something akin to Dragon Age Origins origin characters?
This isn’t DOS2. In BG3, custom characters have a much stronger connection to the world and the main arc of the story – whether they’re from Baldur’s Gate, further afield, or somewhere else entirely (hey, githyanki). The campaign is much more reactive to your actions – when we say there are serious consequences to your choices, we really mean it – and as you move through your adventure, you’ll discover quest-lines and stories that relate directly to the character you’re roleplaying, and the things that you’ve done. We’re confident that you won’t feel short-changed in terms of narrative breadth and depth if you choose to play as a custom character- we love our origins, but this campaign is built for all of you.
Will custom (non origin) characters have Voice Acting, or is it for for origin characters only?
Yes, custom characters will have voice acting – you’ll choose a voice as part of character creation. They’ll have full voice acting, just like origins!
Character creation is a simple affair–you pick from different face/hairstyle combinations–if you’re looking for custom sliders you’ll need to mod the game, speaking of which:
Will Baldur’s Gate 3 be moddable? If so, is it possible for modders to add in new locations/companions in the main storyline or add in new UI?
We’re focusing first on developing and finishing the main campaign, once we have some space, we can talk about that.
Like the original Baldur’s Gate, will locations be broken down into sections or will it be like in DOS2, where you are in a huge terrain.
You’re in a huge terrain, but between acts you will travel from one huge region to another.
Is tavern resting possible in this game? (eg. in BG, you have to rent for a room ) ( IMO it adds immersion to the game )
We can’t talk about this yet.
Will there be party banters among companions? If so, will they be in dialogue mode (like the originals) or will they just say out their lines during exploration (like the Dragon Age series)?
Ah, we have both types! Of course they’ll comment and react. They will banter while just walking around (we call these voicebarks and AD for Automated Dialogues) but they will also react to what you and your party are doing (and not doing) in dialogues, and when you go to camp.
Reactions are a really important part of D&D 5e. A lot of classes have features that revolve around them, there are a ton of really important spells that are reactions (shield, counterspell, absorb elements, etc.). Are you making changes to the 5e reaction rules, and if so, how are you implementing these crucial features/spells?
While it’s not going to be in EA immediately, the features and mechanics that allow a character to perform an action as a reaction will trigger automatically. The players will be able to control which reactions they want to enable in anticipation of enemy actions. E.g. a wizard would disable their Attack of Opportunity but enable their Shield spell, which will be cast automatically whenever the wizard is targeted by an attack or Magic Missile spell.
Along those same lines, you have touted emulating the degree of player freedom offered in table top D&D, but there are a few core battle mechanics that have not been shown off. Will grappling be a battle mechanic? Can you ready an action such as an attack or spell? Will Extra Attack work the same way it does in 5e? Can you set spells (especially cantrips) to auto-cast every turn? Will ammunition and spell component mechanics be present?
We don’t have grappling, but we have shoving. Extra attack will work like in 5e (though a bit less limiting). You currently can’t actively ready an action, but you can select which one of your reactions can trigger during the enemy turn. We’re not doing auto-casting. Ammunition is there for things that are special ammo. Spell components are only present on spells that require expensive materials as a balancing tool.
Now let’s look at how D&D and its sourcebooks feature into the game.
In the demonstrated gameplay, many non-magical skills (dash, jump, etc.) had flashy visual effects attached to their use. Has there been consideration given to making mundane skills appear mundane and reserving fancier effects for spells and truly magical/supernatural abilities?
Yes – we actually started with a more mundane version that but it didn’t work that well and made it harder to read which is why to give it some extra flash.
How will multiclassing work? Like 5e or modified? Also, what can you tell us about your ranger rework?
Multiclassing rules will follow closely the 5e DnD. On level up characters will be able to continue with their current class or choose a new class, provided they meet the requirements. Multiclassing is not going to be available in Early Access at launch, we’re planning to add it later.
As for the Ranger, we will be implementing alternative variants of Favourite Enemy and Natural Explorer features that are not limited to specific monster and location types. When we were working on these changes, we went to WotC for their approval and it turned out that we were completely on the same page. Mike Mearls shared some of their playtesting material, and we’re rolling with that.
There have been hints of other 5e sources being implemented into the game. Are you going to include material from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and/or other player materials outside of the core material of the 5e Player’s Handbook? Additionally, at full release, will all content of the PHB be represented (notably, (sub)classes and (sub)races)?
HB/MM/DMG are the base we are starting from but we are taking material from other books too.
What is your plan for magic items? Are you using the classic magic items from existing D&D source material and/or creating your own? Will we be able to design/craft our own magic items in-game?
We’re planning a mixture of magic items from published DnD materials and some homebrew items of similar complexity and power level.
You have mentioned that the scope of Baldur’s Gate 3 is huge, but we do not have much to go off of. How many places will we be able to visit and explore? Will it only be a small part of the Sword Coast or can/could we venture off to places like Neverwinter or to the South to see Amn? Is it closer to an open world or will it be closer to D:OS 1/2 in that it is a large map that is sectioned into smaller areas?
The small portion of the adventure we’ve shown takes place many miles East of Baldur’s Gate, and the initial journey will take players along the banks of the river Chionthar, and surrounding wilderness and settlements, toward BG and the coast. You won’t be walking the whole way to BG in real-time, so there will be several large, open regions. Later, you’ll visit the city of Baldur’s Gate itself, of course. Other places I’m not going to spoil for you because discovery and exploration are part of the joy.
There has been a back and forth over the inclusion of Origin characters in Baldur’s Gate 3. Namely how origin characters had much more interesting story/plot beats than player-made characters in Divinity: Original Sin 2. Do you have any plans in place to combat this and give player made characters more agency/story beats in Baldur’s Gate 3?
This is our campaign, but it’s absolutely your adventure. The small amount of gameplay we’ve shown so far, focused on one of our origin characters, but whether you roll a custom or origin character, the choices you make and the actions you take carry the same weight. In Baldur’s Gate 3, ‘origin characters’ are basically fully-fledged companions, that you can optionally play. BG 1 & 2 had companions with intricate, unique backstories and quests, and our origin system allows us to give you the choice of getting even closer to those stories by roleplaying as characters that also act as companions. Even if you’re not playing as an origin, you can explore their backstories and personal quests by having them in your party. Just as with a custom character, you’re still deciding how those characters behave, how their story unfolds, and how they interact with the world and the party.
Custom characters will see the world react to them based on their chosen race, class and background..Creating a character gives a sense of who you are, but the heart of the game’s reactivity is based on what you do after character creation.
A very practical example of how custom characters are tied to the story is the fact that the game identifies and recognises them as Baldurians. Given the importance of the city in the game (in its own way BG is very much one of the game’s protagonists -or antagonists depending on your perspective and how events unfold), making it the players’ home makes the place and the stakes you’re fighting for feel very personal. (It should be noted though that player characters from the Underdark or other places – githyanki and drow for example – have their own unique experiences and backstory in the world, as you’d expect).
Will all possible companions be available as Origin character options or will there be companions available only as NPCs?
We are trying to make all characters with backstory available as origin characters. Other than that, you will be able to recruit generic mercenaries and customize these. We’re also planning to allow you to build a custom party from the character creation screen though that most likely won’t be present in early access from the get go.
Will all 5e Classes be available at launch?
Yes, all classes from 5e Player’s Handbook will be included at launch. In Early Access you’ll be able to play as a Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock or Wizard.
Does that include paths, subclasses, etc?
Yep.
Is there a date set for early access?
When it’s ready.
Will there be a Dungeon Master mode in Baldur’s Gate 3, similar to the one you had for Divinity Original Sin 2? I really enjoyed it and with the Dnd rules it would have even more potential.
When we built GM mode for Original Sin, we were of course thinking of D&D and how long it had been since anyone had made such a mode. So yeah it’d make a lot of sense, but we’re focusing on developing the game first at the moment…
Fans of Baldur’s Gate spoke up about Larian’s narration style:
Writing and storytelling is a major point of contention in discussions surrounding Baldur’s Gate 3. While there has been speculation about the plot, the player responses when interacting with other NPCs have been specifically noticed. Many agree that the first person, past tense style of the writing is jarring and breaks immersion. Is this the style you wish to continue forward with or is this still being worked on?
There’s several reasons we’re doing it this way. Of course there are story reasons but it also allows you to get closer to your character; their thoughts, their feelings and moments of introspection allowing you to truly understand their motivations. We’ve experimented with several styles when starting development but this was the one that at the end of the day stood out and we’re actually quite excited by what we can do with it. It turned out to be an excellent way of allowing players to tell their own story and role-play their character on a deeper level. I think it’s a wonderful tool for role-playing and story telling and when you’re playing it’s like you’re narrating your own adventure.
The demo gameplay demonstrated a very strong buff to bonus actions compared to the 5e rules. This seems to break or make other aspects of the game less desirable, especially when concerning the balance of classes. The Cunning Action from the Rogue class becomes largely invalidated when all classes can dash, disengage, or hide with a bonus actions. Is this an issue you are aware of or has there been something lost in translation and this is not an issue?
We’d like to allow the players to combo small common-sense bonus actions with full actions. From the mentioned Dash and Hide still require a full action while Disengage is merged with Jump as a bonus action. We are aware of the effect this has on Rogues and are looking into ways of keeping them appealing and viable.
When you mentioned that loot will be static, is that only for magical items or is that for all items? Following this, will all magical items be know upon finding them or will a player have to use the Identify spell or something similar to discover the magical qualities an item holds?
Identify is going to be in. And I did indeed mean magical items.
There has been concern about the team initiative showcased in the demo. Specifically with how this greatly favors whoever goes first and is able to Alpha Strike their enemy, which worries people that this will cause combat to be too one-sided. Is the plan to continue with Group initiative alone or do you plan on adding individual initiative as an option, at least for single player?
One of the big themes of BG3 is the focus on party over individuals. As we were trying to encourage more cooperation between party members in combat, we had the idea to let them share their turn for total tactical coherence. Additionally, it provides a more comfortable co-op experience.
The introduction of the common party turns naturally leads to the changes for the initiative system – we need to compare the initiative of groups of characters instead of individuals. We have considered several ways to do that, some more complex than others, and for EA we’re going with taking the highest initiative roll outcome in the party or NPC group.
We chose this way because we want to explore the mechanical subtheme of allowing the entire party to benefit from each member’s personal excellence in some area. The same way an eloquent Bard can lead their entire party through a tough dialogue check, a swift Rogue should be able to give their party the best shot at going first in combat. On top of that, this way of resolving team initiative opens the way for the player to scout out the enemy with the top initiative and neutralize them before entering the combat
However, all of that said, it is something we are still working on and experimenting with. If we find it doesn’t work as well as we hope, we’ll tinker with it. It’s one of the things we’ll figure out during Early Access.
Finally let’s take a look at a few story clues:
The original Baldur’s Gate games were somewhat of a departure from classic D&D in that they focused on a specific protagonist, while party members were more or less just tagging along. Will the story of Baldur’s Gate 3 eventually grant special significance to the player character or is it purely a tale of a gang of adventurers who have been uniquely effected by the Illithid “tadpoles”?
Each avatar will be granted special significance and that significance will be based on player agency. There are many possible fates waiting for you.
Will there be any connection between the story of Baldurs gate 1/2/tob and Baldurs gate 3?
We really don’t want to spoil anything but we wouldn’t call it Baldur’s Gate 3 if there wouldn’t be a link. Let me just say that we touch upon the story of BG 1 & 2 in meaningful ways, there are returning characters and what happened in BG 1/2/tob leads to what happens into BG3. You won’t necessarily see that at the start of the adventure but you will quickly understand once you get further into the game.!
The variety of alignments in Baldur’s Gate I & II allowed for many interesting party compositions and conflicts (for example, Edwin becomes openly hostile towards some companions and will straight up start a physical fight with them or refuse to be in the same group as them due to his Lawful Evil alignment). It’s been said there won’t be an alignment system on Baldur’s Gate 3 as it’s no longer relevant to 5e, but will we still get to have openly evil/selfish party members that actively support “evil” actions and might leave the group if you play in a more heroic fashion, or will all party members have a more neutral/good behavior?
Alignment may carry less weight in 5th edition, but all companions definitely have their own moral compass. Some are fine with evil and underhanded deeds, others are not – and they’ll be vocal about their approval or opposition to the decisions that you make. It’s absolutely possible to take actions that cross the line for someone and he or she will leave the party, or even decide to attack you.
From a player perspective, there’s the freedom to play the game in any which way you want from an alignment perspective. In dialogs, there are plenty of choices to be made, from heroically good to patently evil and the different shades in between. Added to that, there are unique options to be had from a player race or class point of view that fit within the good/neutral/evil perspective. As you would expect, a drow will get different options compared to a Paladin of Tyr for instance. For sure, the world will react to your actions, and the choices you make, since these will in some way define you. For example, Astarion is a vampire spawn and when you play him, you can try and hide this from the party. But if they find out -because, well, you might try to bite them as they sleep- they will obviously be shocked and unless you manage to handle the situation with the necessary tact and diplomacy, you may just find you’re left behind companionless.
Happy Adventuring!
