[Mod Request/Idea] Permanent Bonuses Balance

[Rhonin25]

Coming right to the point:

 

I thought about writing down my ideas to re-balance the permanent bonuses you can pick up while playing through Baldur's Gate 3. If I don't mention an ability, I'd either leave it unchanged or not have a good idea yet. I'm using this Page on the fextralife Wiki for reference:

 

*Spoilers btw

 

Auntie Ethel's hair: Gain +1 to an Ability Score of choice. (Defeat Auntie Ethel during Save Mayrina and take her deal to spare her life.)

 

Proposed Change: Make it droppable, so even people that decide to kill her are rewarded OR implement a check that triggers should Auntie Ethel die in Act 3, which would remove the buff, since with her dead you also loose her borrowed power.

Either way introduce a limit so you can't use the hair to raise a stat over 20.

 

Instrument Proficiency: You know how to play a variety of musical instruments and are able to entertain a crowd with them. (Pass two Charisma checks while helping Alfira with her song in the Druid Grove.)

 

Proposed Change: Just straight up remove this. It's a cute interaction but so are the other ones that don't lead to this ability, and it takes away from bards uniqueness. 0/10

 

Loviatar's Love: When you have 30% Hit Points or less, you gain a +2 bonus to Attack Rolls and Wisdom saving throws. (Submit to Abdirak and put on a good performance for him in the Shattered Sanctum.)

 

Proposed Change: Simple change, give it a duration of 1 or 2 long rests, after which the buff wears off. I know boring, but you got a lashing and long rests heal you to full, even after you've been submerged in lava and revived. So I interpret it that the lashings actually invest you with the blessing, but those heal.

 

Survival Instinct: Gain the additional Illithid Power Survival Instinct. (Help Omeluum investigate the parasite.)

Proposed Change: Honestly such a minor thing. The power sucks, the quest is a red hering. So maybe just let the player choose if they want to receive the ability for roleplay purposes.

 

Potion of Everlasting Vigour: Gain +2 Strength (Convince Astarion to bite Araj Oblodra in Moonrise Towers)

 

Proposed Change: Potion grants +1 Strength OR +1 Constitution (Cannot exceed an ability score of 22) ; simple rationale, I think putting the story and roleplaying into opposition with a mechanically bonus this harshly isn't good. Nerfing the potion a little hopefully makes the interaction more interesting, or not as punishing for standing up for Astarion.

 

Githzerai Mind Barrier: Advantage on Intelligence Saving Throws (Insert the Waking Mind into the nearby Mind Interface, speak to the Slack-Skinned Head, and agree to purge its mind.)

Proposed Change: Simple change, give it a duration of 1 or 2 long rests, after which the buff wears off. Same thing as above, the buff already wears off if you die and have to be revived, so it makes sense to me that the buff isn't actually permanent.

 

As far as general design principle is concerned. To me this is about removing the "need" to checklist through the game on a repeat playthrough. By making most things more situational you're able skip things outright or aren't discouraged from taking a different path on a repeat playthrough. Additionally by loosening up the big ability score bonuses the situations, in which they occur end being up more open and interesting.

 

I might revisit this, as for now I don't have a clear idea for act 3 bonuses, but I will say this. They seem like the most idiotic and non-sensical of them all. You sacrifice one thing to gain another but can regain your sacrifice through remove curse!? And similar but another case: You sacrifice knowledge previously acquired, but retain said knowledge, I'm just flaggergasted, positively flumoxxed.

Waiting for patches since act 3 is messy at times anyway. The saving grace is that act 3 is fairly late in the game (I know hurr durr right), so the bonuses don't have as far-reaching consequences.

 

Anyway thank you for reading this if you did, see you space cowboys.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Rhonin25