History DragonAgeOrigins / TropesFToK

** One of the one-off NPC dwarves you can meet is Lord Helmi. He has strong opinions that the caste system is an inefficient and unjust disaster, which is why he's backing... Harrowmont, the candidate who ''doesn't'' want to end it.

* ForeignQueasine: Apparently, dwarven cuisine is mostly this. There are codex entries on nugs which state that humans find nug meat revolting, as well as several references to lichen ale and bread, and Oghren states that dwarven ale tastes like dirt compared to surface ale. There's also a funny piece of party banter between Oghren and Morrigan involving lye-soaked fish (which sounds remarkably similar to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk lutefisk]]). Probably justified considering that their only reliable sources of meat appear to be nugs and brontos, and agriculture is probably nonexistent in tunnels carved from bare rock.

** They're called the ''Grey'' Wardens for a ''reason''. They don't care about ''anything'' but defeating the Archdemon and protecting the world from darkspawn, so long as you get the job done. [[Franchise/MassEffect Sounds a lot like a special task force in a certain science fiction game, no?]]
** The succession arc in Orzammar. Harrowmont is an honorable man but believes in preserving dwarven traditions, most notably the oppressive caste system. He also acquiesces too easily to the demands of Nobles (of whom Oghren half-jokingly says, "They've been trying to destroy Orzammar for years"). On the other hand, Bhelen may be a scheming bastard ([[spoiler:and if he wins, his first royal order is Harrowmont's execution]]), but he wants to abolish the caste system and end Orzammar's policy of isolationism. According to the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, [[spoiler:if Harrowmont becomes King, the dwarven kingdom becomes isolationist and cuts itself off from human contact (and keeps the caste system) and he ends up assassinated; whereas if Bhelen becomes King, he becomes a benevolent dictator who does indeed curtail the caste system as well as open the kingdom up to the rest of the world, and strong-arms the self-serving, traditionalist nobility into compliance.]]
*** Bhelen is actually following in his Paragon ancestor's footsteps. When the Deshyrs bickered amongst themselves on whose Thaigs to save in the First Blight, Aeducan seized control, cut off Orzammar from the other dwarven settlements, and was made a Paragon for saving the dwarves.

* {{Fireballs}}: A bread 'n butter spell for higher-level DPS Mages. Does pretty hefty [[PlayingWithFire fire damage]], has a large [[AreaOfEffect area effect]], does lingering [[ManOnFire afterburn]] damage, [[BlownAcrossTheRoom bowls over]] any who fail a physical resistance check, is [[StuffBlowingUp satisfyingly loud]], and [[{{Cooldown}} cools down quickly]] for a quick followup in case the enemy didn't get the message the first time. Just don't shoot at your teammates.

* FromBadToWorse: Redcliffe Village is ''beyond'' screwed in general, what with the entire populace almost wiped out by undead which attack every night, dragging away the living to be devoured and turned, but the Warden has a few chances for finishing sidequests here which adds a few extra helpings of salt to the wounds. These include: informing one wife that her husband has died in the army and another that both her husband and son were killed in the Wilds; letting one of the few survivors of the massacre know that he was drafted by a mercenary company he'd signed up with (or inform him before the attack goes down, resulting in one less defender); and taking one of the party members' weapons back from a dwarf who'd purchased it fair and square. This last one isn't so bad, though, since you ''can'' pay him for the return of the weapon.

* HeroesLoveDogs: No matter what kind of character you're playing, you can always count on the unquestioning love and loyalty of the Mabari Hound. Human Noble Wardens start with one, and Wardens of other backgrounds can get one by completing an easy-to-finish sidequest at Ostagar. Once Dog has joined you, it's not possible to make him leave, even if you deliberately try to drive everyone else from your side; his approval starts at maximum, and except with a silly bit of DLC, you cannot lower it for any reason. Plus, you may engage him in dialogue to literally PetTheDog.

** Behind the deadpan snarking, Morrigan's party banter with Leliana actually makes her raise some highly intelligent philosophical questions. In one conversation, she points out to Leliana, who compares belief in Magic to belief in the Maker, that it's not the same - she can ''see'' magic and ''uses'' magic, whereas there is no proof for the Maker at all. She also theorises that if the Maker does exist, he may have simply moved on to another creation - which, given her later discovering that [[spoiler:the Eluvian leads to an entirely different realm altogether, may not be too far from the truth.]]

* InformedFlaw: Wynne goes on and on about how old she is. WordOfGod states that she's in her forties, just with white hair, and this is a game with much older-looking women. Zevran comments on how well her body has held up. However, [[spoiler:netting a high approval with her will allow you to find out that she has, in fact, already died once, but was revived with the help of a benevolent Fade spirit, which is now keeping her alive; it's this condition which likely makes her feel like an old woman.]]

** One dialog between the Warden and Sten in the party camp has Sten questioning the Warden's authority; one dialog option results in Sten bluntly answering he could be a better leader than the Warden. If Sten is in the party during when you enter Haven in "The Urn of Sacred Ashes", [[spoiler:he'll challenge the Warden with the attempt of replacing them.]]

* ForWantOfANail: The existence of the other ''Origins'' player characters is indicated in the game (or in some of the [=DLCs=]). All of the origin stories happen; whichever one you're currently playing is the main character only because Duncan was in the right place at the right time.
** And then there's the DLC quest ''Darkspawn Chronicles'', where it shows to some extent what would have happened if the Grey Warden candidate from any of the origins never survived the Joining ritual.

** Temporary quest followers and actual regular companions can be distinguished quickly because the former don't gain experience.

** Loghain's betrayal of King Cailan and the Wardens at Ostagar, considered by many (including Alistair) to be a MoralEventHorizon. His ensuing slander campaign against the two surviving Wardens is kicking the dog ''again''.
** Everything Vaughn and his men do to the elves of Denerim during the City Elf Origin, especially [[RapeAsDrama what they do to Shianni]] for defying him.

* GoldenSnitch:
** The Orzammar chapter involves the player selecting one of two candidates vying for the throne. You'll do a couple of tasks meant to improve their bid for kingship, but ultimately, the last quest, which involves [[spoiler: securing the decision of a Paragon in the Deep Roads]] is the only one that will definitively secure the position without question. It's so important, you can easily switch candidates at the last minute.
** Regardless of how many votes you get at the Landsmeet, it always ends with a duel between [[spoiler:the PC or a champion and Loghain]], with the winner choosing the new king. Winning the Landsmeet merely precludes the meet devolving into a melee before the duel.

* InterfaceSpoiler: Depending on which voice set you chose, the PlayerCharacter may shout [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling "Warden senses are tingling"]] or something similar when you encounter darkspawn. This can happen in the origins, thus spoiling the fact that you will eventually become a Grey Warden.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the Brecilian Ruins, the player can find "A Love Letter" to "Miss Ambrose" from a butcher, which mentions a ''three-pound sausage''. Yikes.

** [[spoiler:[[MsFanservice In spite of Morrigan otherwise looking pretty damn hot]] and the overall sexy factor, context makes the Dark Ritual (if you choose to go through with it) somewhat {{Squick}}y.]] It's also worse if you're [[spoiler:a female character and are romancing Alistair, in which case, ''he'' has to do the ritual - and the game forces you to watch (well, until it blacks out). Even if you're a female who didn't romance Alistair, the scene is made incredibly uncomfortable by the fact that he looks ''terrified'' when Morrigan joins him in bed. It doesn't help that Alistair and Morrigan pretty much hate each other.]]

** The darkspawn taint, especially for [[spoiler:women. If they survive, they eventually turn into Broodmothers and birth more darkspawn. The taint is no picnic for men either, though, as it turns them into deformed insane slaves to the darkspawn, assuming they survive.]].

* FragileSpeedster: Rogues. They usually don't have a high Constitution stat, but they have the ability "Evasion", which allows them to dodge one-in-five attack, and "Momentum", which boosts their speed all-around. However, this can be averted by putting enough points into Constitution, which turns them into [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]].

** Alistair asks Zevran why the Crows would send someone like him to attack someone as powerful as surviving Grey Wardens, commenting that Zevran is no master of straight-up combat. While the player can build him up to be such after he joins the party, Zevran was indeed not too well-built when he first attacked the Warden. (He basically had one or two talents in several talent trees but not enough to make any of them particularly useful, making him a MasterOfNone.)

** Although Wynne strongly disapproves of BloodMagic like other Circle Mages, there is absolutely nothing preventing you from making Blood Mage her second specialization after unlocking it. If you are a Blood Mage, Wynne won't even bat an eyelash if you use BloodMagic ''right in front of her'' during battle. DummiedOut dialogue reveals that this was not originally the case, as it has Wynne confront a player who uses blood magic. It also explains why neither she nor other mages seem to take notice otherwise: she does not recognize the spells as being BloodMagic (though she has her suspicions), and she can be [[BlatantLies persuaded]] to believe that they are actually special "Grey Warden" abilities. Other specializations work similarly, as there is nothing stopping you from, say, making all-around good guy Alistair a Reaver.

* GayOption: ''Origins'' pretty much set the standard for the typical GayOption RomanceSidequest in games to come. Both Leliana and Zevran are available for Wardens of either gender, with some minor dialogue changes in how the relationship develops. The player may also sleep with pirate captain Isabela, and Human Nobles can spend the night with either Dairren or Iona, all regardless of gender. Aside from that, all romantic content remains strictly heterosexual, although PC players have the option of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX8ex_mueeM using mods if they want to change that]].

--->'''Oghren:''' ..Too much to handle....Stone!..."*passes out*

---> '''Alistair''': What about Leliana, then? I mean, sure, '''hot''', but...

* GoldDigger: Noble-hunting is practically a profession amongst the casteless dwarves, as children inherit the caste of the parent of the same sex. Such a child is a valuable commodity which benefits both parents. The casteless family is adopted into the noble house, and the nobles receive another heir, which - due to low fertility rates and casualties from the darkspawn and political backstabbing - are in rather short supply.

* GrailInTheGarbage: Far Song, generally considered one of if not ''the'' best bow in the game, has apparently spent decades sitting buried in the stockroom of a tiny podunk blacksmith shop in Redcliffe.

*** Bhelen is actually following in his Paragon ancestor's footsteps. When the Deshyrs bickered amongst themselves on whose Thaigs to save in the First Blight, Aeducan seized control, cut off Orzammar from the other dwarven settlements, and was Paragon'd for saving the dwarves.

** At Ostagar, when the Warden and Alistair are making their way through the Tower of Ishal, they will pick up either one or two of these for the duration of the quest - a nameless Circle mage and a nameless soldier, or two nameless soldiers if the Warden is a mage. If the Warden is the Human Noble, Dog is already in the party and only the mage will attach himself to the group.
** Before that, during the preparations for the Joining ritual, the Warden-to-be is accompanied into the Korcari Wilds by Alistair and two other Warden recruits, Ser Jory of Redcliffe (a Warrior) and Daveth (a Rogue). Neither of them end up surviving the Joining for one reason or another.

* GuiltBasedGaming: Oh boy. Yes, being a creep generally nets you a lot of goodies, but certain members of your party are ''not'' going to let you forget it. And just ''try'' breaking up with someone without feeling like a scumbag. (Hint: watch your dialogue choices, or you may end up with some hapless character on your romantic radar unintentionally.)

* HopelessBossFight: Bioware probably ''intended'' the (optional) fight with Ser Cauthrien in the Arl of Denerim's estate to be this, though they also probably realized that they had to provide a possibility for someone to beat Cauthrien or else it would feel like a cop-out if she suddenly turned invincible and wiped the party at 1 hp. You have the option to surrender without fighting, and if you fight and get killed (very likely) you're "captured" instead of getting a game-over. Cauthrien ''is'' beatable; she's just extremely difficult to beat, possibly the hardest boss of the game, level to level. She's ''definitely'' the hardest if you don't draw her out of the room with all her lackeys (the two warriors will follow you as well, but the horde of archers and the mage will stay put). Even then, she can still kill even a tank with only one or two hits. Inexplicably, she becomes a DegradedBoss when you meet her again at the Landsmeet if you took the "go to prison" route (and is in fact a SkippableBoss if your persuasion skills are strong enough).

** The character creation screen states that women and men are regarded as equals and are equally represented in most organizations. However, if you play as a female PC, the game is full of characters commenting in shock that a woman is a Grey Warden. Most, if not all, of the military leaders, heads of noble houses, and Templars you meet in the game, as well as the Grand Enchanter of the Ferelden Circle, are men. No one (except Bann Teagan) seems to question why the Queen's father is taking over the kingdom after the King's death instead of the Queen herself. One of your companions has [[spoiler:what was implied to be a pretty brutal [[RapeAsBackstory gang rape in her backstory]]]]. Rape is also a theme in three of the [[MultipleGameOpenings origin stories]]. In another origin story, a female PC is told off for "playing at being a man." The [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII subsequent]] [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition games]] gradually improved on this.

** If you [[spoiler:have Loghain become a Grey Warden and sacrifice himself]], the epilogue claims that history forgets all the evil things he did and instead remembers him as a hero, because he gave his life for Ferelden. These forgotten crimes include [[spoiler:almost ''dooming'' all of Ferelden]], attempted murder on Arl Eamon, allowing slavers to abduct elves from the Alienage, branding the Grey Wardens - the only people who can stop a Blight - criminals and trying to kill them, allowing a king to die in battle despite having the ability to save him, allowing the kidnapping of his own daughter, and quite a few other things. It's understandable that he (at least partially) redeemed himself at the end, but ''come on''.

** Loghain's betrayal of King Cailan and the Wardens at Ostagar, considered by many (including Alistair) to be a MoralEventHorizon.

** You have this option with Brother Genitivi, who wants to show off Andraste's Ashes to the world.

** Bhelen Aeducan can be this if the player is a Dwarf Noble and supports him as King of Orzammar. Depending on the Noble's actions in the origin story, he/she can actually be innocent of murdering their older brother, Trian, but he/she is then framed for his death and subsequently sentenced to death for a crime of which he/she is innocent. However, this comes down largely to player choice. A player can make certain decisions during a Dwarf Noble playthrough in which they will actually be responsible for killing Trian, either out of self-defense or aggression. Moreover, when a Dwarf Noble Warden returns to Orzammar, he/she can easily support Bhelen's rival for the crown, Lord Harrowmont, out of revenge. This trope is only played straight if the Dwarf Noble had no role in Trian's death ''and'' subsequently supports Bhelen's claim to the throne of Orzammar, in which case he becomes King and never suffers any real consequences for his actions.

* FreudianTrio: The starting team. Unusually, all three members show traits of multiple parts of the trio. Alistair is an {{Adorkable}} ManChild who is very much into saving kittens from trees and dislikes ruthless choices as a combination of the Id and Ego. Morrigan is mostly ruthless for pragmatic reasons, is motivated by power and survival, plus she has one odd [[ForTheEvulz puppy kicking]] moment as a combination of the Id and Superego. The Warden rounds things out as a combination of the Ego and Superego.

* InfantImmortality: Averted. ''You'' never kill children, but children do die. Most notably, [[spoiler:the Human Noble's nephew Oren is brutally murdered during the origin]].

* FailedASpotCheck: During the mage origin. After exiting the phylactery chamber, Irving will ask if you took anything, to which you can say you didn't if you pass a persuasion check, despite the fact that chances are you've got a staff on your back you certainly couldn't have gotten anywhere in the tower.

*** It's worth noting that, when this comes up in the Landsmeet (see previous spoiler for context), the distinction is likely just the standard disconnect between the way the nobility view themselves and commoners. If your blood is blue, there's a fairly decent chance you are just considered more important than a bunch of random commoners. No matter the shape of their ears.

** Dwarves also look down on humans and elves, considering themselves to be superior. And they also hate "surface dwarves", fellow dwarves who have left Orzammar for the surface world, who are officially considered casteless and exiles.

** In ''Awakening'', the Orlesian Warden is often on the receiving end of this, as many nobles don't trust that they're now swearing fealty of their lands to the Grey Warden order... and even least of all to an ''Orlesian''.

** The darkspawn taint, especially for [[spoiler:women. If they survive, they can eventually turn into Broodmothers and birth more darkspawn. The taint is no picnic for men either, though, as it turns them into deformed insane slaves to the darkspawn, assuming they survive.]].

* FetchQuest: The Orzammar questline is by far the longest in the game. First, you have to run a couple of minor fetch quests in the city and/or the Aeducan thaig, then you have to fight the Carta in Dust Town, and ''then'' you have to navigate the Deep Roads --a MarathonLevel consisting of four sprawling thaigs-- in order to find Paragon Branka and have her [[spoiler:(or Paragon Caridin, depending on your choices)]] forge a crown for the king of your choosing.
* {{Fictionary}}: Played with. Dalish elves often seem to sprinkle their dialogue with "elvish" phrases, even when a scene consists of just elves (such as in the Dalish origin). This isn't just breaking TranslationConvention, though, because the whole point is that the Dalish ''aren't'' speaking "elvish"; the elvish language has been all but forgotten. Many Dalish use as much gratuitous elvish as they can as a way to hold on to their heritage.

* FinishHim: A choice the player can make after dueling [[spoiler:Loghain.]] They can either nod to Alistair, indicating their approval, or strike the blow themselves.

* FishingForMooks: You'll ''need'' to do this to survive on Nightmare if your party isn't insanely well balanced. And good luck with the bosses...

* FragileSpeedster: Rogues. They usually don't have a high Constitution stat, but they have the ability "Evasion", which allows them to dodge one-in-five attack, and "Momentum", which boosts their speed all-around. However, this can be averted putting enough points into Constitution, which turns them into [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]].

** Gameplay-wise, [[spoiler:Jowan]] is one of only two {{Guest Star Party Member}}s (in the PC version) with a colored background in his portrait. [[spoiler:While it's actually a remnant of Jowan originally being planned as a full party member, it still ends up foreshadowing the fact that he is the only companion from the origin stories to play a major part of the plot.]]

---> [[spoiler:'''Fergus''': Don't worry son, you'll get to see a sword up close real soon!]]

* ForeignQueasine: Apparently, dwarven cuisine is mostly this. There are codex entries on nugs which state humans find nug meat revolting, several references to lichen ale and bread, and Oghren states that dwarven ale tastes like dirt compared to surface ale. And there's also a funny piece of party banter between Oghren and Morrigan involving lye-soaked fish (which sounds remarkably similar to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk lutefisk]]). Probably justified considering that their only reliable sources of meat appear to be nugs and brontos, and agriculture is probably nonexistent in tunnels carved from bare rock.

* ForWantOfANail: The existence of a few other ''Origins'' player characters are alluded to in the game (or in some of the [=DLCs=]), suggesting that you're the main character only because Duncan was in the right place at the right time. And then there's the DLC quest ''Darkspawn Chronicles'', where it shows to some extent what would have happened if the Grey Warden candidate from any of the origins never survived the Joining ritual.

** It's the nature of all fire spells in particular to avert this. Avernus combines his aversion with AnnoyingVideoGameHelper, as his assistance is highly likely to wipe out all your melee fighters.

** Also not in effect during the 'Attack at Nightfall' section of the Redcliffe storyline, where the Militia can easily get wiped out by fire spells or decide to ''[[ArtificialStupidity run into the burning barricades]]''.
* FriendlyEnemy: Greagoir, Knight-Commander of the Templars, and Irving, First Enchanter of the Circle. Irving sees Greagoir as one of the few Templars who listens to reason, and Greagoir sees Irving as one of the few mages who isn't power-mad.

** Played with in regards to Loghain, a commoner who ends up being a hero to Ferelden during the Orlesian Wars and later takes the throne. He clearly thinks he's this, as evidenced by how he acts during ''Origins'' - threatening the Bannorn into inciting Civil War and believing he can outmaneuver the darkspawn like he does more conventional enemies.

** Lyrium potions are supposed to have an addictive quality, but none of your characters will ever suffer that no matter how many bottles they chug. Additionally, lyrium ore is supposed to be lethally toxic to non-dwarves, and potentially brain damaging even to experienced dwarvish miners. Non-dwarven characters can touch exposed veins of the substance to heal themselves, and dwarven characters receive no effects at all.

** After you have completed the "A Paragon of Her Kind" quest and leave Orzammar with Oghren, he will ask for a moment to regain his composure because he, like all dwarves, is afraid he will "fall into the sky" the first time he sets foot on the surface. This makes sense if that is really the first time he leaves Orzammar - but not so much if you leave Orzammar when he joins the party and complete other (main) quests, plenty of them set in the open air, before coming back and tackling "A Paragon of Her Kind." DummiedOut dialogue reveals that Oghren would originally leave the party if you left Orzammar too early, and only join again when you return.

* GayOption: ''Origins'' pretty much set the standard for the typical GayOption RomanceSidequest in games to come. Both Leliana and Zevran are available for Warden's of either gender, with some minor dialogue changes in how the relationship develops. The player may also sleep with pirate captain Isabela, and Human nobles can spend the night with either Dairren or Iona, all regardless of gender. Aside from that all romantic content remains strictly heterosexual...[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX8ex_mueeM though there are always mods if one wants to change that]].

* GiantSpider: The franchise focus on them begins here: tainted by darkspawn they are aggressive and violent DemonicSpiders thanks to their overwhelm ability, where they overpower, pin down and repeatedly bite the character you play as.

** Oghren definitely thinks so. He remarks that he'd wish he'd known Branka preferred girls to him - just before stating he has ADateWithRosiePalms. If a female Warden has Oghren in the party when she visits the Pearl and requests a female prostitute, Oghren will walk in on them. And if your female Warden invites Leliana along for her tryst with Isabela, Oghren faints.

---> '''Alistair''': What about Leliana then? I mean, sure, '''hot''', but...

** Mages and templars see themselves as the good, each other as the bad, and abominations as the evil.

* GoldDigger: Noble-hunting is practically a profession amongst the casteless dwarves, as children inherit the caste of the parent of the same sex. Such a child is a valuable commodity which benefits both parents. The casteless family is adopted into the noble house and the nobles receive another heir, which, due to low fertility rates and casualties from the darkspawn and political backstabbing, are in rather short supply.

** At the Landsmeet, [[spoiler:Loghain's execution]] is given this treatment, sort of. As the sword is swung, the camera cuts away [[spoiler:to Anora's face as his blood splatters her]].
** PlayedForLaughs when leaving Honnleath with Shale. Upon reaching the road to the exit, a cutscene starts. Shale sees a chicken idly clucking away and scowls at it, since birds are Shale's SitcomArchNemesis. The camera cuts to the rest of the party as they continue down the road, until they are interrupted by a loud stony '''*STOMP*''' and the chicken squawking. Next to Shale is a bloody puddle, and Shale simply shrugs.

** The succession arc in Orzammar. Harrowmont is an honorable man but believes in preserving dwarven traditions, most notably the oppressive caste system. He also acquiesces too easily to the demands of Nobles (of whom Oghren half-jokingly says "They've been trying to destroy Orzammar for years"). On the other hand, Bhelen may be a scheming bastard ([[spoiler:and if he wins, his first royal order is Harrowmont's execution]]), but he wants to abolish the caste system and end Orzammar's policy of isolationism. According to the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, [[spoiler:if Harrowmont becomes King, the dwarven kingdom becomes isolationist and cuts itself off from human contact (and keeps the caste system) and he ends up assassinated; whereas if Bhelen becomes King, he becomes a benevolent dictator who does indeed curtail the caste system as well as open the kingdom up to the rest of the world, and strong-arms the self-serving, traditionalist nobility into compliance.]]

** ''Origins'' also contains quests that don't appear in your journal.
** The gifts you can give your party members can be ''very'' unintuitive and require a bit of poking around; this is even more the case in ''Awakening'' because you have fewer opportunities to talk to the characters. But on the plus side, some are ''highly'' obvious.

** Hardening Alistair and/or Leliana. Hardening the former is the only way to make it possible to recruit Loghain without Alistair stomping off and leaving (provided he will be Anora's husband). Hardening the latter will change her slightly - a romanced Leliana will be the Warden King's mistress, for instance, during the epilogue. However, there's no way to know this is possible, and there's so indication they are hardened til certain events test it.

* GuiltBasedGaming: Oh boy. Yes, being a creep generally nets you a lot of goodies, but certain members of your party are ''not'' going to let you forget it. And just ''try'' breaking up with someone without feeling like a scumbag. (Hint: watch your dialogue choices, or you may end up with some hapless character on your romantic radar without meaning to.)

** There's nothing stopping a male Warden from being a ranged fighter or a female one from being a warrior, of course, but this is in full force with the companions. In the base game there are no female warrior companions[[note]]''The Stone Prisoner'' DLC adds Shale, but she's, well, a {{golem}}, and her being female is [[SamusIsAGirl something of a revelation later on]][[/note]], no male mages, and of the rogues, Zevran is geared towards melee weapons while Leliana favors a bow. {{Averted}} in the expansions, which has warriors and mages of both genders.

* HauntedCastle: Soldier's Peak. Redcliffe Castle also qualifies, to a less literal extent.

* HeroesLoveDogs: No matter what kind of character you're playing, you can always count on the unquestioning love and loyalty of the Mabari Hound. Human Noble Wardens start with one, and Wardens of other backgrounds can get one by completing an easy-to-finish sidequest at Ostagar. Once Dog has joined you, it's not possible to make him leave, even if you deliberately try to drive everyone else from your side; his approval starts at maximum, and except with a silly bit of DLC, you cannot lower it for any reason. Plus, you may engage the Hound in dialogue to literally PetTheDog.

* HiddenDepths: Behind the deadpan snarking, Morrigan's party banter with Leliana actually makes her raise some highly intelligent philosophical questions, pointing out to Leliana (who compares belief in Magic to belief in the Maker) that it's not the same, as she can ''see'' magic and ''uses'' magic, whereas there is no proof for the Maker at all. She also theorises that if the Maker does exist, he may have simply moved on to another creation - which, given her later discovering that [[spoiler:the Eluvian leads to an entirely different realm altogether, may not be too far from the truth.]]
** Zevran also demonstrates that he's not just the mere assassin he seems, seemingly picking up on Morrigan having plans for the Warden fairly early on.
** Oghren, the smelly, drunk, womanizing, ever-belching dwarf looks like quite a superficial person. But take him to talk to [[spoiler: the Guardian of Andraste's Sacred Ashes]] and...
* HiddenElfVillage: One of the reasons suggested why the Dalish kingdom was invaded and destroyed is they kept watching their neighbors getting beaten to a pulp... so the neighbors got pissed and now there is no more Dalish kingdom. Now, all Dalish clans occupy these, and they are almost continually picking up stakes and relocating in order to ensure that they ''stay'' hidden.

* HighPressureBlood: Defeated enemies sometimes lose parts, resulting in a pretty blood fountain. Arguably applies to all melee combat, considering how much gore characters get on them. (It even goes on their back!) And the Walking Bomb spell causes its victim to literally explode in a shower of blood. Also, any use of blood magic, or the Power of blood talents from the Warden's Keep DLC results in ridiculous fountains of blood. One of the Power of Blood talents boils down to knocking enemies over with HighPressureBlood.

* HollywoodTactics: Justified. The darkspawn rushing at the fortifications at Ostagar is somewhat plausible since they are mostly mindless beasts and have [[WeHaveReserves virtually unlimited troops]]. However, the Ferelden soldiers break their ranks and charge out of their defensive positions before the darkspawn have come even close. Even if Loghain had charged the darkspawn horde from the side, it wouldn't have helped the King and Duncan in any way, as they were already getting swamped by darkspawn at the other side of the battlefield. Justified because King Cailan is an IdiotHero who was dead set on winning the battle in an epic, storybook-style fashion. More than that, Loghain is the one who made the plan in the first place, and he [[TheChessmaster deliberately]] [[XanatosGambit screwed it up]] because he wanted to kill King Cailan.

* HopelessBossFight: Bioware probably ''intended'' the (optional) fight with Ser Cauthrien in the Arl of Denerim's estate to be this, though they also probably realized that they had to provide a possibility for someone to beat Cauthrien or else it would feel like a cop-out if she suddenly turned invincible and wiped the party at 1 hp. You have the option to surrender without fighting, and if you fight and get killed (very likely) you're "captured" instead of getting a game-over. Cauthrien ''is'' beatable; just very, very hard. Possibly the hardest boss of the game, level to level. ''Definitely'' the hardest if you don't draw her out of the room with all her lackeys (the two warriors will follow you as well, but the horde of archers and the mage will stay put). Even then, she can still kill even a tank with only one or two hits. Inexplicably, she becomes a DegradedBoss when you meet her again at the Landsmeet if you took the "go to prison" route (and is in fact a SkippableBoss if your persuasion skills are strong enough).

* HumanoidsAreWhite: The number of named dark-skinned characters you meet can be counted on one hand, including one black ''elf''. Gets especially jarring if the player gives the Grey Warden a very dark skin tone - in the origins where the Grey Warden's parents are seen, like the human noble origin, said parents are very fair-skinned in contrast to their son/daughter. No one in the game mentions the Grey Warden's skin tone as being in any way unusual if this is done. Bioware actually got criticized about this, to the point where this was one of the things they addressed in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' - your family will actually resemble you in skin tone and features.
* HypnosisProofDogs: A powerful demon tries to imprison you and your current party in a LotusEaterMachine. After you break free, you can enter your companions' dreams to free them. Most of them (except Morrigan and Sten) fall for the illusion but your Dog is simply put to sleep and re-joins you as soon as you approach him.

* InformedAbility: For all that the game plays up Teyrn Loghain mac Tir as a military genius and his daughter, Queen Anora Thierin, as a savvy politician, neither of them show much of this. Loghain is a berserk attacker in personal combat whose only even reasonably smart tactical move is pulling his forces back from the Battle of Ostagar, getting the outnumbered and surrounded King's Army killed (including the King). He then proceeds to pull back all military forces south of the Bannorn, allowing the Darkspawn to get a foothold. Anora, meanwhile, is presented as the true power behind the Fereldan throne on which her husband sat, but is shown to be absolutely ineffectual and does nothing to oppose her father's coup until the Warden forces her hand.

** Templars are said to be able to overpower magi that get out of control, but they never do anything other than get stomped by them. Even though [[spoiler:blood magic is used,]] the magi shouldn't have been able to get as out of hand as they did if the templars are as tough as they make themselves sound.
** The character creation screen states that women and men are regarded as equals and are equally represented in most organizations. However, if you play as a female PC, the game is full of characters commenting in shock that a woman is a Grey Warden. Most, if not all, of the military leaders, heads of noble houses, and templars you meet in the game, and the Grand Enchanter of the Ferelden Circle are men. No one seems to question why the Queen's father is taking over the kingdom after the King's death instead of the Queen herself. One of your companions has [[spoiler:what was implied to be a pretty brutal [[RapeAsBackstory gang rape in her backstory]]]]. Rape is also a theme in three of the [[MultipleGameOpenings origin stories]]. In another origin story, a female PC is told off for "playing at being a man." The [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII subsequent]] [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition games]] gradually improved on this.
* InformedFlaw: Wynne goes on and on about how old she is. WordOfGod states that she's in her forties, just with white hair, and this is a game with much older-looking women. Zevran comments on how well her body has held up. However, [[spoiler:netting a high approval with her will allow you to find out that she has, in fact, already died once, but was revived with the help of a benevolent Fade spirit, who is now keeping her alive; it's this condition which likely makes her feel like an old woman.]]

* InternalizedCategorism: Keili, a Circle mage who genuinely believes everything the Chantry teaches about magic being wicked. In the Mage Origin, she says it must be a punishment from the Maker and that she prays daily for forgiveness. During Broken Circle, she all but hopes the Templars will kill her.

* {{Irony}}: If you decide to help Brother Burkel open a chantry in Orzammar, you can intimidate the Shaper by saying that a single dwarven preacher is better than a human army marching on the city to convert everyone. [[spoiler: If Burkel gets his permission, the epilogue mentions that the chantry's success in Orzammar ultimately leads to Burkel's death and riots in the city, which in turn leads the chantry on the surface to contemplate a Exalted March, which is basically a crusade. Or in other words: A human army marching on the city.]]
* IsntItIronic: Whoever decided Music/MarilynManson's "This is the New Shit" was a good pick for the game's trailer either didn't listen to the lyrics at all or was intentionally satirizing it: The song mocks the use of [[DarkerAndEdgier sex, violence, and blood]] as hype to cover up a complete lack of true innovation and creativity, and was used as backdrop in a trailer featuring... Sex, violence, and blood used in an attempt to hype the game as innovative and creative.

* JigsawPuzzlePlot: You pretty much have to have played both Dwarf origins and both of those characters' interactions with both candidates to get the whole picture for the Orzammar story.

* KarmaHoudini: Bhelen Aeducan can be this if the player is a Dwarf Noble and supports him as King of Orzammar. Depending on the Noble's actions in the origin story, he/she can actually be innocent of murdering their older brother, Trian, but he/she is then framed for his death and subsequently sentenced to death for a crime of which he/she is innocent. However, this comes down largely to player choice. A player can make certain decisions during a Dwarf Noble playthrough in which they will actually be responsible for killing Trian either out of self-defense or aggression. Moreover, when a Dwarf Noble Warden returns to Orzammar, he/she can easily support Bhelen's rival for the crown, Lord Harrowmont out of revenge. This is only played straight if the Dwarf Noble had no role in Trian's death and subsequently supports Bhelen's claim to the throne of Orzammar, in which case he becomes King and never suffers any real consequences for his actions.
** If you [[spoiler:have Loghain become a Grey Warden and sacrifice himself]], history is claimed to forget all the evil crimes he did and became a hero because he gave his life for Ferelden. These forgotten crimes include [[spoiler:almost ''dooming'' all of Ferelden]], attempted murder on Arl Eamon, allowing slavers to abduct elves from the Alienage, branding the Grey Wardens - the only people who can stop a Blight - criminals and trying to kill them, allowing a king to die in battle despite having the ability to save him, allowing the kidnapping of his own daughter, and quite a few other things. It's understandable that he (at least partially) redeemed himself at the end, but ''come on''.

* KeepTheReward: An option for a few quests. Notable for the fact that it doesn't earn you karma or anything, since there ''is'' no karma. You just miss out on a reward when you do this. Instead, it's usually better to grub for rewards... and that's why it's so much more ''satisfying'' in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' when you do refuse the reward.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: There are some mods that allow players to eviscerate Arl Howe because some players feel his death taking place in a cutscene let him get off ''too easy''. And most players are more than happy to reject Vaughn's offer in the City Elf origin so they can kill him themselves. You can literally tell him you will enjoy kicking his ass.

* KnightInShiningArmour: Averted. Nelaros from the Female City Elf Origin so desperately sees himself as this, attempting to protect you from Vaughn and later organising a rescue attempt with Soris to rescue his bride. What he doesn't realise is you are already planning your own escape, which luckily coincides with Soris arriving to slide you a sword, and within minutes you're heavily armed and taking down guards left, right, and centre. Sadly, you arrive too late to be able to rescue ''him''.
[[/folder]]
----

* GreyAndBlackMorality: Don't expect easy moral choices for most quests, even though many clearly have an evil choice. This reflects that the Blight is such a great threat that TheEndJustifiesTheMeans for real.

* FatCat: In one of his banters, Alistair mentions owning "a very large cat" that may have been capable of swallowing pigeons.

* KarmaHoudini: Bhelen Aeducan can be this if the player is a Dwarf Noble and supports him as King of Orzammar. Depending on the player's actions in the origin story, they can actually be innocent of murdering their older brother, Trian, but they are then framed for his death and subsequently sentenced to death for a crime of which he/she is innocent. However, this comes down largely to player choice. A player can make certain decisions during a Dwarf Noble playthrough in which they will actually be responsible for killing Trian either out of self-defense or aggression. Moreover, when a Dwarf Noble Warden returns to Orzammar, he/she can easily support Bhelen's rival for the crown, Lord Harrowmont out of revenge. This is only played straight if the Dwarf Noble had no role in Trian's death and subsequently supports Bhelen's claim to the throne of Orzammar, in which case he becomes King and never suffers any real consequences for his actions.

* KarmaHoudini: If Bhelen becomes the King of Orzammar when the PC is the Dwarf Noble. He gets away completely with his actions in the Origin, where he framed the Warden for the murder of their brother Trian, poisoned their father the King, and bribed the Assembly to {{unperson}} the Warden.
** On the other hand, the Dwarf Noble has become a legendary Grey Warden (thus regaining their name in the Shaperate), and goes on to defeat an Archdemon and even gets declared to be a ''[[LivingLegend Paragon]]''. The only reason Bhelen even has his throne is because of the sibling he tried to kill. In that respect, it could be seen as a rather PyrrhicVictory.

** There are numerous choices in the game that will usually result in some of your party members leaving you for good. However, if you have a master coercion skill, you can easily lie/charm your way out. It’s also possible to avoid some confrontations by simply not bringing a particular party member with you on certain missions.