Multiple Strongholds SPOILERS

sonny · Post by **sonny** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:51 pm

When I reloaded my game after my PC crashed, I also loaded something else from the BG2 Tweak Pack that I did not have loaded on the first game and that was the Multiple Strongholds, thinking that it may add additional quest.

My question is. When I get to it, can a all Good Party do the Thieves Guild Stronghold quest with out any consequences? (i.e. lose of reputation points, characters leaving your party, etc.)

Thanks

mcgregor · Post by **mcgregor** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:04 pm

A good party/character can indeed do the thief stronghold quest with no negative consequences - I have done so myself.

mcgregor

CFM · Post by **CFM** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:09 am

The only possible negative consequence might be with how Bodhi "deals" with you (if you wanted to pursue that avenue, so to speak). She don't like the Thieves' Guild too much.

But more than likely, Dealing Options With Bodhi probably depends on your main dude being of the thief class, instead of weather or not your main dude runs the thief stronghold.

On a side note, I've heard of an in-game "loop-hole" which allows a multi-class (and dual-class?) fighter/mage protagonist to run both the fighter and mage strongholds.

Running three or more (or all!) strongholds might become a bit overwhelming. If you're still running a fighter dude, and are still considering dualling to a mage, and you want more info on this "loop-hole", then let us know.

sonny · Post by **sonny** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:05 pm

CFM wrote:
Running three or more (or all!) strongholds might become a bit overwhelming. If you're still running a fighter dude, and are still considering dualling to a mage, and you want more info on this "loop-hole", then let us know.

I am not so much interested in managing the strongholds as I am in doing any quest that are associated with them. When I was playing the first time before my computer crashed, the only one I did was the Fighter Stronghold. I loaded the Multiple Stronghold in BG2 Tweaks hoping it would give me additional quest that I could do. So I guess my questions would be, can I do all the Stronghold quest, with a good party and only do the day to day managing of the Fighters Stronghold?

Yes, I have a Fighter as my NPC and a good party again. Probably will not dual my character this play through of the game. Will wait until my second play through.

The thing that upset me the most when my computer crashed was loosing the awesome character I was lucky enough to roll.

This time after 5 1/2 hrs. the best I was able to do was ST18, Dex17, Con17, Intel10, Wis9, Char16.

A long way from what I had.

Thanks again

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:17 pm

You do realise that you can add and subtract attributes when creating a character don't you Sonny? Looking at your new character it doesn't look like it. Sixteen on charisma is pretty much wasted on a fighter, or any character that doesn't need it like a bard or druid, you could have reduced it to 13 and had 18 Dex and Con.

Personally I would have reduced it to nine and put the rest on Int and Wis, but that's just my preference.

PS Doing the stronghold quest is managing them effectively. You will get tied down, and be restricted in your movement by them, even more than the by the fighter stronghold.

CFM · Post by **CFM** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:35 am

As galraen said, you don't manage your stronghold day-to-day and do its quests. Rather, you manage your stronghold by doing its quests.

Assuming you don't play a paladin as evil or anything like that, alignment affects the cleric strongholds, and not much else.

I've read that at least one stronghold-related quest is timed (ranger, others?). Juggling several at once might prove somewhat tricky.

You could do the fighter stronghold in your current game, and have another good excuse to play again with a different character and class.

The bottom line here is that you will not experience everything in this game in one, two, or even three play-throughs.

And regarding your fighter, 5+ hours is a lot of life dude! You could tweak your ability scores in thirty seconds with the free, downloadable, easy-to-use editor called ShadowKeeper. Ask if you'd like specifics.

Personally, I make all my characters with 18-17-16-15-14-13 scores, assigned as appropriate to my class. It give me a happy medium between Above Average and Too Godly. Overcoming characters' weaknesses (via playing style, strategy, cool items, magicks, etc) is the best part of running a party. Just my preference. I can't picture a character with 18-18-18-3-3-3 scores, it just seems too unrealist.

(Of course, realism is paramount in a CRPG game where you wield a talking sword and your Bhall-spawn half-sister casts Magic Missiles at David Warner from Titanic.)

sonny · Post by **sonny** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:34 pm

galraen, now that you mention it, I remember someone told me about adding and subtracting attributes in one of my other threads, but to be very honest, I forgot all about it. Since I'm only a little ways in to the new game, (just arrived in Waukeen's Promenade after leaving Irenicus Prison) Think I'll start over and try to get better stats for my fighter.

CFM, thanks for the offer to help with ShadowKeeper. Will probably take you up on your offer before I play through a 2nd time (if I ever get through the 1st play through:laugh

Still new at this stuff, so I try to go slow.

Also, guys, since I'm going to start over, if I re-install BG2 tweak pack and not add the Multiple Strongholds, will that eliminate my party being offered the other stronghold quest? I know about the Fighters Stronghold from my first game, because I did that before the crash, but don't think I started any of the others. Sorry about some of these questions, but sometimes I get a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with every thing.

I've decided to take your advice and only do the Fighters Stronghold.

Thanks again for the help and advice.

Dummy · Post by **Dummy** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:48 am

usually you can get the "stronghold"s just for your class, eg the castle for fighter and so on, if you install this "tweak" the game will think you are a mage for the magesphere a thief for the thief guild and so on, you will get asked to take over a guild or a mage will ask you to manage the sphere and so on, it just means u can have all strongholds

no downsides on that since you can still say no

CFM · Post by **CFM** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:53 am

sonny wrote:Also, guys, since I'm going to start over, if I re-install BG2 tweak pack and not add the Multiple Strongholds, will that eliminate my party being offered the other stronghold quest? I know about the Fighters Stronghold from my first game, because I did that before the crash, but don't think I started any of the others.

FYI-
There are 8 different strongholds, each with it's own theme, story lines, and quests. There's a stronghold for each class: fighter, paladin, ranger, cleric, druid, bard, mage, and thief.

In Vanilla BG2, you can only accept one stronghold, and it's accompanying quests, per game.

(Exception: there's an in-game conversation loop-hole, for fighter/mages only, that can net both the fighter and mage strongholds in the same game. But you must be a fighter/mage to exploit this loop-hole.)

Which of the eight that you are offered during the course of the game depends on your main dude's class.

Of course, there are mods that remove these restrictions. But I think one stronghold a game is aplenty, as you decided.