18 réponses à ce sujet

[TheMyron]

I know I am way too late for the party, but still; I, like many others, wish there was an option to have a Dalish Mage origin.
 
Here is my idea of how the Dalish Mage origin should have been:

You, Tamlen, and Fenarel are all sent from the Clan camp to check out a Shemlen village that isn't far away and see if any trading can be done. The village just so happens to have a garrison of Templars.
One of them happens to spot the trio and approaches. Being equipped with "Counter Magic", like all Templars, the individual "detects/senses" you and your magic, (you may or may not know about it yourself) and that is where the trouble starts.
Being a Dalish, you are obviously an apostate, either because you're a runaway, or you simply never met the Chantry.

Either way, and no matter what happens between the trio and the Templars, the trio flees back to the camp, and Duncan arrives just in the nick of time to conscript you and prevent (further*) bloodshed between your people and the Templars.

*You might end up being forced to kill the troublemaking Templar.

What do you people think?

[springacres]

Creators, YES.  The Dalish mage origin would have made so much more sense for my canon Warden - he's an import of a Druid character I created for another canon, years ago, and Dalish culture seems to fit much more closely with his character than the Circle elf mage origin does.

[MouseHopper]

Sounds like a good idea to me as well.  The Dalish origin was not my favorite, and I might have been more interested in trying it with your suggested intro.  Good idea.

[TheMyron]

Sounds like a good idea to me as well.  The Dalish origin was not my favorite, and I might have been more interested in trying it with your suggested intro.  Good idea.

Yeah, but it would be only available to the "Mage Dalish", not just any Dalish.

[TheMyron]

When I first played DAO, I played the Dalish Elf, and I had truly hoped this starting adventure would have me entering a "Shemlen" village.

[luna1124]

Am I missing something, or none of you have seen this?    Dalish Mage Origin

 

Oh, you mean with all the bells and whistles.. Yes that would have been better yet

[springacres]

Seen it, but I'm meh on downloading mods like that one that add specific class or race combos, just because they don't always play nicely with the vanilla dialogue.  (Which has issues with continuity and lore as it is; a prime example is doing Broken Circle as a blood mage.)

Modifié par springacres, 04 mai 2015 - 06:24 .

[TheMyron]

What I had in mind up above is something better than simply reusing the typical Dalish origin mission.

 

Bioware should have thought of this.

[springacres]

What I had in mind up above is something better than simply reusing the typical Dalish origin mission.

 

Bioware should have thought of this.

Definitely, although it would admittedly beg the question of why Merrill had to be brought in as the Keeper's First if the Sabrae clan already had a child with magic... unless the child's magic manifested later than Merrill's did.

 

Still, great idea and I wish they had done this!

[TheMyron]

Definitely, although it would admittedly beg the question of why Merrill had to be brought in as the Keeper's First if the Sabrae clan already had a child with magic... unless the child's magic manifested later than Merrill's did.
 
Still, great idea and I wish they had done this!

Exactly!

[TheMyron]

Too late now, the game's out and there's no recalling it.

You don't say, Sherlock?

[TEWR]

Definitely, although it would admittedly beg the question of why Merrill had to be brought in as the Keeper's First if the Sabrae clan already had a child with magic... unless the child's magic manifested later than Merrill's did.

 

Still, great idea and I wish they had done this!

 

Merrill was four years old when she was given to the Sabrae clan, indicating her magic manifested remarkably early compared to everyone else, since it normally happens when a Mage is anywhere between 6-12 years old.

[sylvanaerie]

I recall reading on the boards the reason there wasn't a "Dalish Mage Origin" was because they wanted to introduce players to the concept of how things are for most of the mages in Thedas (IE: trapped in a tower as a "Circle mage").  

[springacres]

I recall reading on the boards the reason there wasn't a "Dalish Mage Origin" was because they wanted to introduce players to the concept of how things are for most of the mages in Thedas (IE: trapped in a tower as a "Circle mage").  

A good point, but it still doesn't follow that they couldn't have written such an origin - although it makes sense, if there were time limitations?

[sylvanaerie]

A good point, but it still doesn't follow that they couldn't have written such an origin - although it makes sense, if there were time limitations?

Not so much time limitations I think as that it wasn't workable for what they wanted to do.  They had also written up a different human origin, and a third was discussed--you can see glimmers still of the 'commoner' origin in the toolset.  In the end, they didn't like the way the story progressed in the commoner, so we got only the Human Noble.  Personally, I'd have been more interested in a human commoner origin than a Dalish mage one.  When you think about it, a Dalish mage origin really wouldn't have exposed us to the climate on Thedas (with trapped mages getting more and more desperate 2 games later) like the Circle mage one did.  Basically, it's a Dalish, who can toss spells around instead of arrows who has never spent one day behind walls in a Circle--not a big difference of origin there.  I felt the Dalish one was boring enough without having a modified version of it to slog through--and no, adding a couple of templars wouldn't have improved it since that would reduce them to 'mooks to be overcome in the origin' instead of "mage hunter fanatics who can kill you if you step out of line".  Whereas the human commoner would have provided us with a completely different perspective (like the DC does from the DN) into the culture of Ferelden as opposed to the Human Noble.

 

Each origin was (overall) about discovering some aspect of culture on Thedas.  The Dwarven Noble exposes us to the darkspawn, the dwarves constant battle and the cutthroat shark tank that is dwarven politics.  The Human Noble exposes us to Ferelden nobility and how things work on the human side.  The City elf shows us the alienage and how things are for the majority of elves in Thedas.  The Circle mage origin shows us the Circles, templars (making them actually seem an threat and not just nameless mooks to fight), the restrictive life in the Circle combined with some of the best learning to be had anywhere--kind of a "Hogwart's from hell".  The DC illustrates the desperation of the casteless, and the unfairness of the caste system.  The Dalish shows us the last of a people trying to hold onto so much lost culture.  

 

Looking at it from that perspective, I don't see where having a mage in the Dalish origin would have added anything to it that wasn't already there.  

[springacres]

Looking at it from that perspective, sylvanaerie, it makes sense.  I didn't think about it that way.  You're right, the Dalish mage origin wouldn't have been that different from the Dalish non-mage origins.

[TheMyron]

Looking at it from that perspective, I don't see where having a mage in the Dalish origin would have added anything to it that wasn't already there.

Au contraire, it would have given us a much better look on how Mages who aren't connected to the Chantry are hunted like animals, even if they were totally innocent in that regards as they weren't even aware of Chantry or it's laws in the first place.

Or as I said in my OP, there the possibility that the player himself doesn't even know they are secretly an arcane warrior, and only realizes it when a nosy (and very astute/acute) Templar detects him.

[sylvanaerie]

Au contraire, it would have given us a much better look on how Mages who aren't connected to the Chantry are hunted like animals, even if they were totally innocent in that regards as they weren't even aware of Chantry or it's laws in the first place.

Or as I said in my OP, there the possibility that the player himself doesn't even know they are secretly an arcane warrior, and only realizes it when a nosy (and very astute/acute) Templar detects him.

 

Arcane warrior is a specialization you get at level 7, and must be unlocked before you can even get it.  Being 'secretly an AW' wouldn't work in an origin story, as you are only level 1-3.  How is meeting a couple of mook templars supposed to show the desperation of mages who are hunted?  Especially when a couple of spells or arrows would kill them?  No threat there, just another day in the life of a Dalish who is often harassed and hunted by humans anyway--which is already illustrated in the origin--no need to make it a 'mage specific' harassment.  Especially if your mage 'doesn't even know he's a mage'--also unworkable since mages usually come into their power young, around puberty, some prodigies even earlier than that,--I believe Merrill was still a small child when she was sent to train with Marethari,  and the PC is already older than a tween.

 

Also in conversations with Merrill in DA2, you learn the Dalish are VERY aware of templars, and the Chantry stance on mages.  So you can't even claim that 'ignorance' is a reason for the origin's inclusion.  But let's assume the Dalish are completely in the dark with the Chantry.  How would they even know what a Templar is--beyond just a better dressed human than the farmers they usually encounter?  Or why they would be hunting an 'apostate'?  Which makes more sense to you: Would they even stop and try to hold a conversation with said apostate or come in sword swinging, templar abilities at the fore?  At which point PC either dies, gets damn lucky or manages to kill Templar Mook #2, even with no magical training.

 

Why would Duncan conscript you, especially if you are completely untrained in magic?  He's not there out of charity, he's there seeking capable recruits, which your untrained self wouldn't be!  Why would your PC agree to go with him when a few mook templars could be taken out by your clan with some sniper arrows?  He has no reason to conscript you since you will be far better off staying with Marethari and your clan so you can be trained to properly use your powers, and will have their protection from further templar intrusion.  Far more compelling is the Dalish Origin's original need--the PC is tainted and dying.

 

As to the fate of apostates, that's covered quite ably in the Circle mage origin with a little bit of exploration and coversation.  No need to meet easily beaten mook templars to completely blow that 'Templars are bad ass mage hunters' theory.  Note not one of the mobs you fight in the Circle mage origin is a templar.  Not one.  It's all spiders and 'spirit guardians'.
 

You are entitled to your opinion, but I completely disagree with it.  Adding a Dalish mage origin (or modifying the existing one to encompass that possibility) wouldn't add anything to the game that isn't already covered amply in the Dalish origin, and even better in the Circle origin.

 

TBH your scenario sounds like an okay fanfic but in a game where resources are limited, and the issues are already covered quite well in what's included already, it is redundant.

 

BTW anyone who plays Origins on the PC can download the free toolset and check the wiki for the codes.  Even, if for some reason, you don't like mods, you can make any character a mage (even dwarves).