Who has played any of the origin characters and would you recommend them?

[Quacksalber]

Title, w/o spoilers would be cool :) Also, how do you think it compares to playing Durge or Tav?

I really liked my Tav playthrough, but I felt he lacked character/relevance or a compelling reason to be "in charge", so I probably will not pick that again.

I'm currently playing as Gale in my coop, and I think it's pretty good overall, but can't say too much as only just hit Act 2.

I'm also considering playing as Astarion, but missing his voice acting is preventing me. I'm intrigued how they implemented him getting the vampire bite thing, and the rest of his story really.

[Doc]

Dark urge was my first playthrough, it was amazing
I'm doing it again in my 3rd now, but leaning into the dark this time

[Husker_85]

Origineel geplaatst door EH!:

I'm playing half assed durge and I've definitely missed a lot in Chapter 2. All the Tieflings are dead, no Halsin so no fixing the curse, now I'm about to lose Nightsong and Isobel too. I feel like my character is sinking deeper and deeper as he does his best and the outcomes are bad anyway.

You're doing it wrong. I played a low wisdom Bard Durge and Alfira was the only casualty of my urge. Didn't lose my BF, saved the grove, lifted the shadow curse, and eventually I destroyed the Crown and saved Faerun.

[Steve]

Without too many spoilers, if you play as Gale your romance with Karlach will always end in tragedy.

[Bishi]

I've beaten the game as Shadowheart and I really enjoyed it. Honestly, it is pretty nice to think for "yourself" as an origin and not be a slave to the MC's whims. Shadowheart in particular is great as the MC as it makes the other companions feel a lot more balanced with interactions and she has a ton of content that clearly make her MC material.

I've also gotten very far with Wyll, but it wasn't as satisfying as SH. Not sure if I'll get around to finishing act 3 with him or not anytime soon.

I've beaten the game as Dark Urge and it has its moments for sure. I don't think it's so good that it's the only origin worth playing, every playthrough. I do think it's better than custom Tav, which I also abandoned in act 3. But, again, not so good it should be the defacto custom origin for every character you ever make, going forward, ever. That's just silly.

[ymarcotte55]

The Dark Urge background:

My rancid blood whispers to me: kill, kill, and kill again. My ruined body yearns to reap death in this world, and when this foul Urge calls, it possesses my whole being. Injured beyond repair, I know nothing besides this: I must resist the Dark Urge, lest it consume my mind. I must discover who I was, and what happened to me. Before my twitching knife-hand writes a tragedy in blood.

You remember nothing but a path paved with blood. Unimaginable cruelty whispers to you from within. Can you escape it? Would you even want to?

The Haunted One: A wicked moment, person, or thing that cannot be slain by sword or spell haunts your mind and flickers in your peripheral vision. You carry it wherever your adventure takes you – or perhaps it carries you.

The blood in your head thrums and pounds. That pounding blood obscures who you are. An overwhelming loss of memory. How you ended up amidst these hellish flames is just as hidden. You have nothing in your skull, besides your name and a headache. But you are in danger.
1. Curse whoever did this to you … The torturer behind this cruel prank will meet your malice when you get out of here. Killing. Now, that sounds like your first good idea.
2. Say your name aloud. You have a part of yourself … The Dark Urge. Whatever that is. That is you. You will claw back the truth, but first you have to claw your way out of here.
3. Take a deep breath, shake your head, and start anew … Time to get out of here, and then you can shed light on the dark of the matter of yourself.

[ymarcotte55]

Astarion Ancunín
Male High Elf — Charlatan — Rogue

Hello, darling. Don’t be shy, I promise not to bite until we’ve been formally introduced. My name’s Astarion, and I’ve spent a century stalking the night, hunting for pretty morsels just like you. A man called Cazador made me what I am, kept me like a pet, and forced me to do his bidding. No more. The tadpole’s influence broke his dominance over me, and now I can finally pursue the one thing I’ve hungered for these long, dark years. Revenge. I’m going back to Baldur’s Gate, to track Cazador down in his lair. I’ll be the last thing the bastard ever sees.

After two hundred years serving a cruel master, the vampire spawn Astarion is finally free – free to walk in the sun, free to chase power, and free to take revenge. Astarion prowled the night as a vampire spawn for centuries, serving a sadistic master until he was snatched away. Now he can walk in the light, but can he leave his wicked past behind?

Sunlight. Your first instinct is to flinch from it and hide in the safety of shadows. But to your astonishment, there is no pain. The opposite, in fact. Your skin tingles pleasantly. Like the caress of a lover who doesn’t know any better yet. But beneath the skin, flesh, and bone, there is a much more unpleasant sensation. something nibbles and burrows where it does not belong. The tadpole, nestled in your brain.

1. Forget the parasite and savour the warmth of the sun. You are reborn … Your stomach rudely announces itself to you with a twinge. Unfortunately, you cannot eat sunlight. Time you found some prey …

2. Just the thought of nibbling reminds you – it’s high time you found some prey to sup on … What delicacies might abound? Only one way to find out …

3. Perhaps you are being too harsh. The tadpole gifted you the sun, after all … But it will also bring transformation, given time. Into a mind flayer. Tentacles, horror. Blood. Oblivion. Only some of those sound appealing.

And, of course, you’ll be feeding for two now, thanks to your guest. Until it deigns to feast on your brains and split you open to reveal a newborn mind flayer. Perhaps it would be wise to fucus on finding a cure. As wonderful as the sun is, you can hardly enjoy it if your face rips open.

[ymarcotte55]

Gale Dekarios of Waterdeep
Male Human — Sage — Wizard

Well met, stranger. You find yourself in the presence of the renowned wizarding prodigy, Gale of Waterdeep – please, no need to be intimidated. My virtuosi talents once caught the eye of the goddess of magic herself, Mystra, who named me her Chosen, and her lover. Thanks to a slight miscalculation on my part, that relationship eventually soured, as did the greatest of my powers. Now I’m merely a humble wizard on the road to redemption. Unless I can find the path to something greater …

Gale’s wizarding prowess once earned him the love of Mystra, the goddess of magic, until his ambition led him to the brink of catastrophe … Gale has one ambition: to become the greatest wizard Faerûn has ever known. Yet his thirst for magic led to disaster. A Netherese Destruction Orb beats in his chest, counting down to an explosion that can level a city. Gale is confident he’ll overcome it, but time is not on his side.

Despite your recent fall from the Nautiloid, you are miraculously unharmed. Apart from the volatile orb of netherese magic buried within your chest, of course. It stirs softly. Soon it will hunger, and when that time comes it must be fed. Starve it, and you risk triggering a cataclysmic explosion of raw, unfettered Weave. Such an explosion will be unavoidable, if the tadpole in your skull triggers ceremorphosis. An outcome definitely best avoided.

1. You’ll find a way yo fix this. You are Gale of Waterdeep, after all … That great mind is little more than a playground for a parasite right now. The tadpole must be disposed of.

2. Ponder your miraculous survival … It was indeed miraculous … and perhaps a little suspicious. But it will have been for nothing if you don’t find a way to remove the tadpole. And quickly.

3. Recall everything you know about illithid tadpoles … You know a good deal about illithids and the process known as ceremorphosis. None of it good.

According to what you’ve read, you have but seven days to find a cure … or that’s the end of you. Better get moving.

[ymarcotte55]

Lae'zel of K’liir
Githyanki Female — Soldier — Fighter

Since I was born in the cold reaches of Wildspace. I have known but one purpose: to wield a silver sword and ride a red dragon in service of my regent, the githyanki queen Vlaakith. My first step on this path is to slay a mind flayer and bring its head to my queen. There is no flesh I will not carve and no barrier I will not shatter to see it done. I am the one who sunders, I am the Undying Queen’s most unshakeable warrior. I am Lae’zel of K’liir.

Lae'zel was raised ready for a life amongst the stars, mercilessly conquering the cosmos as a githyanki soldier. Grounded, she must deal with a world she doesn't understand, and find a way to serve her people in a plane that despises her militant kin.
Lae'zel is a consummate warrior, ferocious even by the standards of a githyanki crèche. Faced with transforming into the very monster she has sworn to destroy, Lae'zel must prove herself worthy of rejoining her people ? if they do not execute her first.

"What is this ghaik trickery ? Where am I ?"

Losiir: Lae'zel — you still live! May the Queen's favour be yours.

You head throbs and your skill tingles. Visions rush past: a dragon's wing, a silver sword — and a flash of your face seen through the gith man's eyes.

Losiir: By Vlaakith's touch, what is this? Rsk'va. The parasite has already taken hol. We must take to a crèche and be cleansed. But first, we must get to the helm.
Lae'zel: So they put a parasite in your eye, too?
Losiir: Yes, we risk turning into mind flayers. But purification will have to wait until we take control of the ship. Let us see what a soldier of Crèche K'liir can do. Htaka'a!

Your skull throbs, your muscles ache. Memories of the last day swim through your head before taking form.
"1. Meditate on the words of your queen, Through them, you will find calm … ""Vlaakith'ka sivim hrath krash'ht"" Only in Vlaakith may we find light."
"2. Summon your resolve. The ghaik tadpole will not be the end of you … The pain brings the world into focus …"
"3. Rob your forehead. Can you feel the tadpole, wriggling inside ? … inside you, an atrocity is growing — feeding on you, becoming you …"
"4. Brush off the pain — there is no time to waste … the pain deepens as you take in the world around you."
The world around you comes into focus. Whatever this place, you know Vlaakith's protocol: you must locate a githyanki crèche. It is only a matter of days before tentacles split your lips, and you skin turns to gore. At a crèche, you will find your kin. the tadpole will be removed, and you will be purified.

Losiir is dead. Shadowheart and I met Astarion and Gale, who were also victims of the Mind Flayers. We are now travelling together.

[ymarcotte55]

Jenevelle Hallowleaf, also known as Shadowheart
High Half-Elf Female — Acolyte — Cleric of Shar

My name is Shadowheart, loyal servant of Shar, goddess of darkness and loss. There is little more I can tell you than that. My Lady Shar tasked me with a mission of such secrecy that I surrendered great swathes of my memory in order to safeguard the knowledge of it. All I know is that I must bring the artefact I hold to Baldur's Gate, and that nothing can stand in my way. My goddess is watching.

Shadowheart willingly undertook a ritual to remove her memories in order to protect the secrets of her fellow Shar worshipers. Loss and pain are sacred to her, but her faith is now being tested like never before.

One of Shar's dark disciples, Shadowheart was sent on a suicide mission to steal an item of great power. While wrestling with her faith and strange, untamed magic, Shadowheart has enemies on all sides – and a long-buried secret to uncover.
I am the sole survivor of a secret mission for the glory of my goddess, the Lady Shar. I must safeguard an artefact of great importance that I helped steal from the Githyanki, and deliver it to the Mother Superior. I must not falter, in my mission or my faith.

Your mind reels, stomach churns, legs struggle to find their footing. Fire and chaos assail every sense. You shut your eyes. In the dark, Lady Shar can guide you. The mission. The artefact. Many were sent to retrieve it, and now only you remain. You must survive, and bring it to Baldur's Gate. to the Mother Superior.
"1. Retrieve the Artefact … Such and insignificant-seeming item. You know nothing of its purpose - only that you must protect it with your life."
"2. You need to get out of here. Back away … Your mission is not so easily abandoned. What strange powers does this artefact lay claim to …?"

"What? Where am I …?"

Your head spins as you gather yourself. Fresh air and firm ground feel almost alien to you. But not as alien as the creature hiding deep inside your head. You must get rid of it.
"1. The Artefact. You need to make sure it's secure … It's safe with you — Lady Shar's mission can still be fulfilled. But only if you can find a cure first. The tadpole must be evicted — be it by blade, magic, or any other means you can find."
"2. Offer the Dark Lady silent thanks for your survival this far. Beg her for guidance …

You feel nothing. But of course, Lady Shar is no crass teacher, bludgeoning you with her instructions. She wants you to solve this on your own — prove yourself to her. First the parasite, then the mission. You are on the right track already."

[ymarcotte55]

Wyll Ravengard
Human Male — Folk Hero — Warlock

Seven years ago, I was exiled from Baldur’s Gate, the city I call home. My name is Wyll, but the people of the Sword Coast call me the Blade of Frontiers – champion of the meek, defender of the innocent. The truth isn’t quite so simple, but they’re right about one thing. I hunt monsters, and I always catch my prey. My latest target is a devil, and I’m right on her tail. Once I’m through with her, she’ll never escape the fires of the first hell.

Known as "The Blade of Frontiers", Wyll uses his magic to fell the monsters and devils menacing the Sword Coast. In a moment of desperation, he accepted an offer of greater power, forcing him into an infernal game he is struggling to play.
Noble by birth, Wyll made his name as the heroic 'Blade of Frontiers'. He keeps his pact with a devil well-hidden, and is desperate to escape the hellish bargain - even if that means rescuing the seductive creature that made the deal.

I woke up upon a Nautiloid — a mind flayer ship. The last thing I remember is pursuing my target, a dangerous devil called Karlach, across the fiery hellscape of Avernus. I need to escape this ship and destroy the infernal fiend; if she were to be loosed upon the Sword Coast, there's no telling what havoc she would wreak.

"What did that Illithid do to me?"
"Forget it – I've got a quarry to catch. Dammit, Karlach, where have you gotten to?"

It hurts just to think it, but you need to get your bearings. You went to Avernus as a hunter, but you've left it as prey. Not to devils, but to the tadpole in your brain.
"1. Focus. You have a devil called Karlach to hunt … Your mind doesn't want to cooperate. Every time you try to focus on the hunt before you, thoughts of the tadpole brush it aside. You have to find a cure."
"2. Maybe your patron can help with the tadpole … Perhaps. But you need to help her before she can return the favor. High time you got back to the hunt."
"3. Removing the tadpole is all that matters now. Unless you find a cure, your hunting days are over … Your patron might see things differently. But if the tadpole has its way, in a few days you won't be worrying about her or anything else."

[ymarcotte55]

Karlach Cliffgate
Female Zariel Tiefling — Outlander — Barbarian

Ten years ago, I was sold to the archdevil Zariel – she put a hellfire engine in my chest and made me her prize soldier. But I’ve escaped now – thank you, mind flayers – and I’ve got a few scores to settle, if this engine doesn’t burn me to ash first. I’ll need people I can trust. An infernal mechanic. And a serious amount of luck. But you know what? I’m not worried. After ten years in the hells, I can take on anything. I’ve got my chance at freedom, and believe me – I’m going home.

Karlach has escaped ten years of service in the Hells with nothing but the axe on her back – and the infernal engine blazing furiously where her heart used to be.

"This is it. I've been trapped in the Hells for a decade — and this Nautiloid is my ticket out."
"♥♥♥♥. That squid really scrambled my brains … but at least there are no devils on my tail. Hm. My engine's burning hot. Better be careful who I touch."

Ye gods! Can it be … I'm … I'm …

HOME! If it looks like the Sword Coast, smells like the Sword Coast, and feels like the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Sword Coast … I did it. I got out.

ALIVE! And not a devil to be found. This is it. I'm finally free.

OUT OF THE HELLS! For good. Forever. No matter what.

INFECTED BY A MIND FLAYER PARASITE! Better ten bugs than another day in the Hells. Than another hour.

No doubt Zariel will be on my trail soon. Think I even spotted one of her hunters on the ship. I better get moving. Forget the hunter. I'm more afraid of the parasite in my head. Been through a lot, but I draw the line at becoming a mind flayer. I'll sort it. I always do. I'm more concerned about the infernal engine burning out. Yeah, yeah, one crisis at a time, hm? Yes. YES! Should be able to follow the river straight to Baldur's Gate. Easy. Step one: get far away from anything with tentacles. Step two: stay calm and don't burn anything down. Step three: find allies who won't mind a friend who spends a lot of time talking to herself. Now — time to march. I've got a life to live. Finally.

[ymarcotte55]

TAV

"Ngh. My head … I've been abducted by mind flayers and infected with some kind of parasite. I need to find a way off this ship."

As you wake, the tadpole squirms in your skull. Other than the infection, you're more or less intact. A miracle, given everything you've been through. But it'll be for nothing if you don't find help soon. The chaos of the crash site confuses the landscape. You'll need to find a settlement or landmark. And you'll need to do it quickly. The tadpole is a death sentence, and the clock is ticking. You need a cure.

We've escaped the Hells on the nautiloid and crashed somewhere back in the Material Plane. We need to explore the area and find a healer.

[Husker_85]

Origineel geplaatst door ymarcotte55:

TAV

"Ngh. My head … I've been abducted by mind flayers and infected with some kind of parasite. I need to find a way off this ship."

As you wake, the tadpole squirms in your skull. Other than the infection, you're more or less intact. A miracle, given everything you've been through. But it'll be for nothing if you don't find help soon. The chaos of the crash site confuses the landscape. You'll need to find a settlement or landmark. And you'll need to do it quickly. The tadpole is a death sentence, and the clock is ticking. You need a cure.

We've escaped the Hells on the nautiloid and crashed somewhere back in the Material Plane. We need to explore the area and find a healer.

Sir, this is a Wendy's...

[ymarcotte55]

I just recreated all 8 starting possibilities. It's up to the players to decide which one they want to start.

I personally liked the dance Karlach does when she arrives at the Ravaged Beach.

[Dagný]

TAV is literally a hireling, that was kind of a bummer. Dark Urge is the way to go.

My 2nd was Shadowheart and I loved it.
My biggest problem is that your main character is a type of ,,silent protagonist", I don't understand why they decided to do this.