Thoughts on temples

[Daggerthorn]

Thanks for the link Vedran. I didn't realise how many gods and lesser gods there were!! Would have been nice if the manual had a chapter explaining at least some of the major gods. It definitely heightens your enjoyment knowing something about them. First time I played I was like: "Cyric? What's so bad about him?"

[andrewas]

What happened to Waukeen is a mystery Ive never seen explained. Does anyone know if it happened during the Time of Troubles (when Bhaal and I think Mystra bought it, Bane was killed by Cyric, who became a god) or somewhen else?

As for there being some plan or other, I think it was probably just a way to give DMs a hook to write an epic story involving deities - remember the d&d background is for gaming in, not just a story.

[Angelouss]

I believe bane was killed during the time of troubles. I could be wrong though

[Keraptisdm]

Good to see you have survived the holiday recess, Mr. Baggins.

1) Why don't they sell better cleric weapons at temples? In my world this is where you should expect to find the best tools of the trade...

As an old PnP Dungeon Master, I thought this rather odd too. That's where I enable the adventuring clerics to purchase some decent weapons as permitted by the diety.

2) Do you think that it hurts to be resurected? I mean I am sure that at least some degree of pain is involved in the dying part of the equation but there is still the being brought back part to think about...

In AD&D you had to roll a system shock survival in addition to what the others mentioned.

3) The game seems to go out of it's way to make sure that you know with which god the clerics/paladins are alligned with, yet if you go to a temple of that god you get no special tratment or no hostile treatment when you go to temples of other gods...

I expected a reaction from Ajantis whenever I entered one of Helm's temples, but he said nothing. I felt there should have been some sort of dialog at least. I expected some "discounts" for being of the same alignment, but it was reputation based instead. Overall, alignment didn't mean too much in BG, IMHO.

Still a great game though.

[Daggerthorn]

I expected a reaction from Ajantis whenever I entered one of Helm's temples, but he said nothing. I felt there should have been some sort of dialog at least. I expected some "discounts" for being of the same alignment, but it was reputation based instead. Overall, alignment didn't mean too much in BG, IMHO. Still a great game though.

Yeah, I sort of miss the temple/deity interaction you get in the Arena series of games (mind you, I don't have Morrowind considering my PC can't handle it...). But BG is much more linear so maybe wouldn't work as well. Saying that BG has so much more including the things which I never get tired of: The Taverns and Inns. I love 'em. I often wonder how much thought went into them...must be a lot. Pity we can't sit on the chairs or lie in the beds.

[Lord Brass]

Thought I'd just add to this a bit.

1. The stereotypical idea of a temple is of a monastic order that supplies most of the goods that the brethren would require (including their own smithies). This of course changes with the urbanisation of larger areas of the countryside, and the specialisation of trades providing a small range of items e.g. furriers, cordwainers, armourers, bowyers etc. Thus, the town takes over most of the work formerly conducted at the "temples". The idea between the two has become confused in BG, and is a microcosm of the very nature of the pseudo-medieval notion of the society in most fantasy games. That, or they couldn't be bothered to code it in.

2. It would depend on where you came from. If you were happy, if you were a follower of a good aligned diety, then you might not be too pleased to see your old mates again. However, if it was for the greater good...who knows. If you were escaping something particularly unpleasant, I'm sure you'd put up with any disorientation or discomfort you might experience.

3. All-in, the game fits on six CDs. If we had everything we could think of included in the game, it would probably hit the shelves next year. It's unfortunate (but true) that coding takes an age, and can be a real pain in the a**. Mages shouldn't really need a spell to detect enchantment either, but they do. There's a lot of things that (I believe) need fixing, albeit the game mechanics or the PC game itself. I'm sure we could all think of some things, but we still love what we have nonetheless.

Oh, elves do have an age band in AD&D the same as the rest of the folks. The maximum age for an elf is around 2000 (in the venerable category) for the Greyhawk Grey Elf. It is from this work that the notion of Halfling "subspecies" comes from too, a tradition carried over into 3rd Ed. D&D. (See Pg.13 AD&D DMG 1st Ed. Rev.)

[Midget Gems]

I recently played a Lawful Good party with Paladins and Clerics, so I too was a bit dissapointed that roleplaying to favour one God had little reward. I gave most of my money to my chosen Temple but had nothing to show for my loyalty. Though at least with DSOTSC insalled I could get additional equipment at the Temples.
Another strange thing about Temples - how come the Temple(?) at Gullykin is the same as the one in Nashkell? How can it be in two places at once?

[SixOfSpades]

Originally posted by Midget Gems: Another strange thing about Temples - how come the Temple(?) at Gullykin is the same as the one in Nashkell? How can it be in two places at once?

This is done to save space in the computer's memory--the "Store Pointer" for Alvenhendar's Healing and Fine Wines simply points to the exact same *.STO file as Nashkel's Temple of Helm. A few stores do this as well, especially all the nondescript General Stores in BG City.

[Animal]

I wonder if it would be possible to Gate in a Pit Fiend in the middle of a temple? That would be interesting to watch. Probably couldn't do it in BG because of the level requirement for that spell, but I may just have to go and try that in BGII.

[Midget Gems]

Thanks, Six. I figured it was just a program short-cut, though it's a pity there isn't a nice role-playing answer. Maybe they should have put in a portal so that you could jump across the map, that would help lazy adventurers like me.