History Headscratchers / BaldursGateIII

** Lae'zel can actually offer herself to make the sacrifice. If Lae'zel is your player character, obviously she can choose to become a mind flayer just like any other [=PC=] can. But even if she's not your [=PC=], you just need to have her in your party during the scene inside the Astral Prism. Then, when Orpheus says someone needs to become a mind flayer, you can say you need to think about it, which ends the dialogue. Then you can change the character you control from your [=PC=] to Lae'zel, and go talk to Orpheus as her. She offers herself for the sacrifice, but Orpheus rejects her, saying she's not strong enough to handle it. It's not clear why your [=PC=] or Karlach ''are'' strong enough, but at least the option to volunteer is there for Lae'zel too.

*** Lae'zel being blindly obedient doesn't preclude her from ''offering'' to make the sacrifice, though. Orpheus is clearly reluctant to do it himself--it's not an "I have to do this," it's a "I'll do it since no one else will"--and Lae'zel's entire arc in the second half of the game is about getting to him to save her people. That's wasted if Orpheus turns into a mind flayer and subsequently dies. It'd be one thing if she offered to do it and was rejected, but she never seems to consider it at all despite already having her own tadpole.

* Based on what the Archivist says in the House of Hope, the Orphic Hammer is not some pre-existing ancient artifact, rather than something Raphael himself commissioned to be made. But it seems unlikely he commissioned it only after he decided to cut a deal to the protagonists, since the protagonists only got mixed up in the whole affair a couple of weeks before Raphael made his offer, and the Hammer is described to have been made of some rare ores gathered in the Hells, so it doesn't sound like it took mere two weeks to gather the materials and forge it. So why did Raphael commission it in the first place? Before the protagonists entered the picture, was he planning on using it himself to release Orpheus?

* Based on what the Archivist says in the House of Hope, the Orphic Hammer is not some pre-existing ancient artifact, rather than something Raphael himself commissioned to be made. But it seems unlikely he commissioned it only after he decided to cut a deal to the protagonists, since the protagonists only got mixed up in the whole affair a couple of weeks before Raphael made his offer, and the Hammer is described to have been made of some rare ores gathered in the Hells, so it doesn't sound like it took mere two weeks to gather the materials and forge it. So why did Raphael commission it in the first place? Was he planning on using it himself to release Orpheus?

* At what point is the Emperor's identity as [[spoiler:Balduran]] revealed?

* Why exactly did Raphael take Hope as prisoner in the first place? We find out that he later become obsessed with her because she refused to give in to his torture, but that doesn't explain why a seemingly ordinary cleric was worth of his attention to begin with. The fact that Raphael's house is called the House of Hope, and that Hope can banish cambions from "her" house seems to suggest she has some magical connection to Raphael's dwelling, but it remains unclear why she is so important there.

* Why exactly did Raphael take Hope as prisoner in the first place? We find out that he later become obsessed with her because she refused to give in to his torture, but that doesn't explain why a seemingly ordinary cleric was worth of his attention to begin with. The fact that Raphael's house is called the House of Hope, and that Hope can banish cambions from "her" house seems to suggest Hope has some magical connection to Raphael's dwelling, but it's never explained why she is so important.

* Why exactly did Raphael take Hope as prisoner in the first place? It's explained that he later become obsessed with her because she refused to give in to his torture, but that doesn't explain why a seemingly ordinary cleric was worth of his attention to begin with. The fact that Raphael's house is called the House of Hope, and that Hope can banish cambions from "her" house seems to suggest Hope has some magical connection to Raphael's dwelling, but it's never explained why she is so important.

* What are some good names for the default Dark Urge?

* So the curse that Shadowheart was supposed to be free of by letting her parents go was presumably the wound in her hand that started hurting whenever she was doing something Shar disapproved of. But in my playthrough where she did make that trade, during the epilogue party she still got a pain in her hand at one point. Was it a different curse that she lost as a result, or did my game just forget that that was the choice she made?

** There's plenty of evidence around for Withers being [[spoiler: Jergal. Not an avatar or a chosen, but the god himself. That would pretty much make him a reality warper, yes.]]
*** Quick note; [[spoiler: He ''would'' be an avatar, gods don't show up in their full form on the Prime Material, but that is splitting hairs; an avatar of a god is still the god, just taken a mortal form to exist in the world.]]

* Something's off about [[spoiler: Orpheus.]] Githyanki monks are almost unheard of, and his behavior is extremely bizarre by Yanki standards. Not only is he willing to be cordial and work with outsiders [[spoiler: he's willing to become a Mindflayer to stop the Netherbrain if you dont want to.]] He also seems to have no intention of being the genocidal space conquerors his mother intended his species to be and is instead focused on looking inwards to help repair the state of his species. This is the same exact reason why the Githzerai split from Gith, the game doesn't state exactly when he was imprisoned for all we know this could've happened before or directly after the race split. There's at least one theory that suggests he's the son of Zerthimon. It should be noted though that he considers Gith the "Queen of the One Sky", whether he uses that title as a means of honoring her or as an ideological statement is unknown. For how much the game put emphasis on the Githyanki its odd how there's little to no mention of the Githzerai (the reference in the Mindflayer colony was weak), you can't really talk about one without mentioning the other. Similar with the Baneite cult this screams cut content.

*** Having some morals doesn't preclude someone from being Evil. He was [[spoiler: perfectly at peace with the idea of having led children to the slaughter in the hands of his master, no hint of regret until it's pointed out that they were enslaved instead of killed]], this screams Evil alignment. Of course, throughout the game you can make him a little less of a bastard, but most party members can have some small changes in alignment depending on their actions with the player.

*** There is, in fact, evidence of that. Vlaakith and the Githyanki are residents of Avernus, and [[spoiler: the Emperor was sent there, while still under the influence of the Absolute, specifically to steal the Artifact.]] What we see in the opening is the aftermath of that, the Githyanki striking back and trying to recover what had been stolen from their hands. By the time we wake up, the Artifact is already in Shadowheart's possession, with the Guardian already inside.

* How does (ending spoilers) [[spoiler:Orpheus even have the option to turn into a mind flayer? There's no indication that he has a tadpole, and yet the player can just casually ask him to make the sacrifice as though that's a thing he can just do. For that matter, why doesn't Lae'zel (who obviously does have a tadpole) offer to make the sacrifice herself, rather than simply let her people's best hope do so?]]
** [[spoiler: He did in fact not have a tadpole until then. He simply found one and infected himself, living tadpoles are a surprisingly common resource in this game. As for why Lae'zel didn't intervene, she's very obedient to what she acknowledges as her chain of command, she wouldn't question Orpheus just like she never questions Vlaakith before you manage to convince her to switch leaders. You make her change from blindly following one leader to blindly following another, you never actually change that trait about her.]]
*** [[spoiler:Lae'zel being blindly obedient doesn't preclude her from ''offering'' to make the sacrifice, though. Orpheus is clearly reluctant to do it himself--it's not an "I have to do this," it's a "I'll do it since no one else will"--and Lae'zel's entire arc in the second half of the game is about getting to him to save her people. That's wasted if Orpheus turns into a mind flayer and subsequently dies. It'd be one thing if she offered to do it and was rejected, but she never seems to consider it at all despite already having her own tadpole.]]

** By the above logic, Shadowheart is covered because [[spoiler:Shadowheart and her teammates successfully stole the artifact from the Githyanki, but then Shadowheart was abducted]].

** Did you let her enter the Zaith'isk? If so, failing to convince her to escape as soon as things start going horribly wrong does inflict a stat penalty. (The same ones you'd get if you entered the Zaith'isk and failed the saving throws.)

* Does Vlaakith curse Lae'zel in some way when she rebels? Because her CON and INT decrease by two ability points.

** Because Shadowheart's parents, if she chooses not to save them, are still freed from Sharran imprisonment and are immediately welcomed into the arms of their goddess. Duke Ravenguard is being left in a living hell being a mind flayer tadpole's puppet. Also the loss of Shadowheart's parents won't destabilise an entire city. Not saying I agree with the position, better to take a chance of finding and rescuing the Duke by one's own power than keep giving a devil what they want in my view, but I can see why someone might feel otherwise and even view Wyll's decision as selfish or short-sighted.

* Something's off about [[spoiler: Orpheus.]] Githyanki monks are almost unheard of, and his behavior is extremely bizarre by Yanki standards. Not only is he willing to be cordial and work with outsiders [[spoiler: he's willing to become a Mindflayer to stop the Netherbrain if you dont want to.]] He also seems to have no intention of being the genocidal space conquerors his mother intended his species to be and is instead focused on looking inwards to help repair the state of his species. This is the same exact reason why the Githzerai split from Gith, the game doesn't state exactly when he was imprisoned for all we know this could've happened before or directly after the race split. The first Vlaakith could've imprisoned him on Gith's orders and there's at least one theory that suggests he's the son of Zerthimon. It should be noted though that he considers Gith the "Queen of the One Sky", whether he uses that title as a means of honoring her or as an ideological statement is unknown. For how much the game put emphasis on the Githyanki its odd how there's little to no mention of the Githzerai (the reference in the Mindflayer colony was weak), you can't really talk about one without mentioning the other. Similar with the Baneite cult this screams cut content.

** Because Shadowheart's parents, if she chooses not to save them, are still freed from Sharran imprisonment and are immediatelt welcomed into the arms of their goddess. Duke Ravenguard is being left in a living hell being a mind flayer tadpole's puppet. Also the loss of Shadowheart's parents won't destabilise an entire city. Not saying I agree with the position, better to take a chance of finding and rescuing the Duke by one's own power than keep giving a devil what they want in my view, but I can see why someone might feel otherwise and even view Wyll's decision as selfish or short-sighted.

* So when Wyll chooses to break his pact and give up his father's life for his freedom, most of the companions seem to disapprove of this course of action. But when Shadowheart makes pretty much the same trade at the end of her story, everyone sympathizes with her. What gives? Doubly egregious given that Shadowheart can be left to make this choice on her own, vs you having to urge Wyll one way or the other.

** The narrator addresses this if you talk to Shadowheart after she spares the Nightsong. It's from [[spoiler:Selûne.]]

* How do evil vengeance paladins like Minthara or possibly the Dark Urge avoid breaking their oath?

* So among Orin's potential "screw with the PC" disguises is Zethino from the Circus of Last Days. How? A doppleganger can (quoting from their Monster Manuel entry) "use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid it has seen, or back into its true form." Zethino is a dryad and therefore isn't a humanoid, she's a fey.

* So among Orin's potential "screw with the PC" disguises is Zethino from the Circus of Last Days. How? A doppleganger can (quoting from their Monster Manuel entry) "use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid it has seen, or back into its true form." Zethino is a dyrad and therefore isn't a humanoid, she's a fey.