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Main Quest 20 -"The Sin of Tevinter" (Tevinter PC)

 

Locations - The Black City

 

-"Content"- Regaining their senses both PC’s now found themselves within the very spot the Magisters of Old Tevinter used to break into the Fade and the Golden City, to serve their ancient God's in person.  The darkness that had permeated the last building ironically seemed less oppressive here.  The light was brighter, more hypnotic, which served to accentuate the golden sheen that coated surrounding architecture of the city.  "The Golden City indeed, it's no wonder this place became the center of legend."  The memories in this place seemed strikingly vivid now, fragments in the form of after images now swirled around them.  Voices being heard in whispers, but still distinct.  Above the party a winding staircase leading to a single a large construct ... the "Seat of the Maker", its doors opened wide.  The goal had always been to deal with Solas, but they now remained trapped in the place of Tevinter’s darkest legacy and the only way forward and to walk in the same footsteps of those that had brought the Blight upon the world.  Shades swirled around them as the parties wound their way through the empty streets. Faceless Men and Women gibbering to one another incessantly and occasionally outright attacking the party, disturbed by the presences of the foreigners in their realm.  As the parties approached the doorstep of what was to be the “Golden Throne” the Tevinter PC noted how this building reflected the great Septs of Andraste … clearly crafted in honor of this place, with the same symbol of the sun over its entryway.  The doors of the great keep themselves were wrenched open and discarded, sickeningly buckled from their hinges and twisted outward by some tremendous force from within “the blighted magisters perhaps?”  It was once said that there were three chains that held Tevinter trapped in its own stagnation:  The first, slavery, which prevented the people from reaching their true potential, had been thoroughly broken by the Slave Rebellion; The second, the corruption of the Government, had been ironically shattered, along with much of the Magisterium, by the Qunari invasion; And finally the third, this dependence on a grand illusion of a past … a pride that prevented self-reflection and mired the people in delusions of grandeur.   Now the PC's might have a chance to break that final chain ... provided they don't become a blighted monsters in the process.  The two parties stepped into the Blackened Halls and was lost in memory, revisiting the missing history of Tevinter.  Discovering what happened to the Magister's of old, witnessing their corruption, and battling what was left of those blighted horrors imprinted in the Fade ... seems this nightmare what Solas' trap.  This battle is against the "shadows" of the seven Tevinter Magisters Sidereal during their fall and will reveal them in their final moments of sanity and their rise as the monsters they've become.

 

- Boss Fight - Visions of Seven - This boss fight can be handled one of two ways.  It can be either be done through periodic shifting between both PC Parties during phases (with the final one being taken by the Tevinter PC) or having the Tevinter PC Party handling the boss fight solo while the Inquisitor PC plays support from the background.  I actually kind of prefer to prior choice, especially with the amount of Magisters in play.  I've also recently added my rendition of how the battle should play out in a later post for those who are interested.

 

-"Content"- Once defeated the fragments disperse the hazy room finally comes into focus.  Both PCs are greeted with a golden chapel, still heavily wreathed in shadow due to the poor lighting of the fade, but splendid nonetheless ... if a little audacious.  Whatever had caused the creation of such horrors in this room had vanished, along with the corrupted Magisters themselves, presumably into the Deep Roads of the World.  At the end of the hall there stood the golden throne of the maker  ... but not one, several.  Seven thrones, each more extravagant than the last, followed a shallow stairway up the far side of the hall.  Two thrones on each level and the seventh, fashioned in the shape of a giant sun, sat on top ... the "Golden Throne ... no, it was apparent by the others that the Maker had never sat here".  Both PC's were faced with a humbling truth, regardless of whether the Maker existed, this throne, this city, was not his ... nor ever was.  This lost metropolis of the Fade, accessible by eluvians, accessed by the last of what was once known as an Ancient Elvhen God ... whatever this city was, it was of Elven make and because of this the Tevinter PC was now faced with a dilemma.  It seems apparent that the Magisters, despite their greed and arrogance (and despite what they had become), had been just as much victims of the blight as they were its’ cause, but the fact still remained that they (and the Tevinter that supported them) were responsible for unleashing the Blight upon all of Thedas.  So much death and destruction caused by pride ... just as undue pride now prevented the people of Tevinter from facing the reality of their past, preventing them from moving forward.  Even if it hurt in the short term, the people of Tevinter could only hope to truly grow beyond their past, if the truth of this place was told and they were forced to face it.  However, there was a danger to this truth.  The nation remained in a state of great turmoil.  Wracked by the recent uprising, am invasion, and the subsequent loss of much of its infrastructure (economically, socially, and politically).  In order to force its people to face the truth of the Magisters and to take responsibility for their role in the Blight, the Tevinter PC would also need to admit the truth of this place ... this "Black City".  Regardless of whether the Maker truly existed or not, how much damage would it do to the people's faith in the Maker if the Tevinter PC told them that their Golden City, their Seat of the Maker, was instead the seat of the Elvhen Gods?  How much damage could be done to an already damaged people to learn that not just their Empire, but also major aspects of their religion were built upon the ruins of Ancient Arlathan?  Would the people survive with such a blow to their faith, during a time when they needed it most?  "The Truth will set you free ... but was freedom worth it?"  The Inquisitor PC would potentially face a similar dilemma when/if they returned to the south, but they still remained an outsider and should not define this countries fate.  Therefore, it would be up to the Tevinter PC to decide on how their nation would proceed forward.

 

- Tevinter PC Choice: The Final Chain - Reveal the Truth vs Bury the Past

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Main Quest 21 - “Fen’Harel” (Inquisitor PC)

 

Locations – The Golden City

 

-"Content"- With nowhere to go but forward the PC's proceed along the only route available to them, down a singular rear alcove and through a hidden eluvian behind the Golden Thrones.  The halls ahead were strange, dimly lit regardless of light sources, and more oppressive than had ever been experienced thus far.  The walls between the support pillars on either side were lined with eluvians, dozens … hundreds, who could know.  Seemingly active, yet defunct, as they pulsed with murky images that twisted and danced within the panes of glass and filling the group with a deep sense of despair and bitterness they could not explain.  At the end of the path, resided Solas, who was clearly busy with his task of tearing down the Veil, his elven agents huddled to the sides of the room somberly watching the proceedings.  If the Inquisitor PC did not successfully keep their cover Solas is expecting them and is prepared for their arrival, otherwise he is surprised (almost shocked) by the Inquisitor’s appearance and depending on his relationship with the Inquisitor he will show concern over what the Inquisitor has done to themselves in their pursuit of him (“Architect" and Razikale for example).  On the other hand he is simply impressed that the Tevinter PC made it through the previous trial.  Solas expositions as he is apt to do and this is where he explains the truth of the Golden City, the true Arlathan, Capital of the Elves and Home to their Gods.  It was here in this place, the height of power of the Ancient Elvhen Empire, that he used their own arrogance and pride to trap and torture them for their murder of Mythal.  Miring them within the darkness of this sealed world ... and corrupting them so the outside finally reflected the corruption that lied within.  The Darkened Eluvians spread throughout the city, a few of which the Inquisitor encountered on their way in, held much of what remained of "his" people.  Ancient Elvhen trapped in mirrors, scattered, sleeping, until their time runs out or their world returns to house them.  Perhaps hundreds of bastions yet survived, nestled away in the deepest corners of the Thedas and for Solas the only way to save them was to bring back their world, the environment in which they once thrived, and the environment that modern Thedas could not provide.  Upon the end of Solas' "narration" the Inquisitor may attempt to talk to him ... initially he will not be responsive.

 

- Boss Fight - Solas - Again, like the previous boss fight this battle can be handled either through periodic shifting between both PC Parties (with the final part being taken by the Inquisitor) or having the Inquisitor PC handle the boss fight solo while the Tevinter PC plays support.  If the prior concept is used then it would best be facilitated through a combination of Solas' Rift Magic, Petrification Magic (now Temporary thanks to the deal with Razikale), and/or Solas' minions interfering in the battle and forcing the PC's to shift their attention periodically to different phases of the fight.  Again like with all of the boss fights, how my version of this Battle plays out has been included on the following page.

 

- Unless the Inquisitor failed at keeping their cover, after the battle Solas remains beaten, but alive.  His obvious frustration accentuated by the labored breaths caused by his wounds.  Despite his apparent defeat, however, Solas still smiled bitterly.  The process of collapsing the Veil had already begun (as was exhibited by the green energy pulsing through the night sky) and even without being completed the damage already done could never be repaired ... nor would Solas do so if he could, no matter the incentive.  In essence, while the Veil would not collapse instantly, Solas had still succeeded in hastening the process of collapse.  At its current rate it could not hope to last more than a Millennium (though presumably much shorter) and with no-one to maintain it, it was sure to disappear entirely.  It may certainly take longer than he had hoped, but a Thedas without a Veil was guaranteed to return and with it a chance for the remaining Ancient Elvhen people.  It seemed no matter either PC's intention there was little that could be done to rectify the situation at hand and so now it seemed that all the Inquisitor PC could hope to do is define their place in the events to come; and the place of Solas himself...

 

- Note:  If the Inquisitor failed to keep their cover Solas will receive a buff making this battle considerably more difficult.  This version is to be considered a sort of “failed” state and is meant to be the Inquisitor’s death ending.  As such the Inquisitor PC will not have access to the following “save” option upon initiating the boss fight.  Instead they will only be allowed the “stop at any cost” option, in which the cost will be substantial ... the Inquisitors life for the sake of thwarting Solas.  That being said this is not entirely a negative ending, because while the Inquisitor did fail to keep their cover and in turn decrease their chances of success, they did so for the sake of the people of Tevinter.  As such, through the Inquisitor PC's own actions they have become (and will be remembered as) a Hero to the people of Tevinter and it will have influence on future Tevinter relations with the south.

 

- Note: Inquisitor's who became an Abomination with Razikale AND had enough rep to reach this ending, will still die.  Razikale's deal, and the longevity/immortality that comes with it, are dependent entirely on the Inquisitor's ability to hold up their end of the bargain and begin their search to free the remaining Old God after the battle with Solas.  She would have stayed with you after that task was complete, but since in this end-state the Inquisitor PC can no longer physically accomplish their task promised to Razikale, the contract is made null-and-void and Razikale will leave the Inquisitor PC to find a new host before the Inquisitor passes.

 

- Judgement 1: Stop Solas - Condemn Solas for his crimes, his mistakes, and expect him to take responsibility for his actions.  Due to his erratic behavior, his manipulation of everyone around him, and his genuine attempt to destroy Modern Thedas and its denizens the Inquisitor PC decides (perhaps regretfully) that he and he presented too much of a danger to the lives of all those living in the world and thus has no place in the world to come.  With the power at his disposal, there was also no guarantee that if left alive he would not attempt to try and finish the process he already started, robbing the world of what little time it had to prepare for the return of the Fade.  For now, the people of Thedas still had a chance to prepare for the Veil's eventual destruction, but to preserve that chance Solas would have to die.  Putting him out of his miserable cycle of self destruction and making sure his greatest fear would not come true were small comforts to the deed that needed to be done.  "At least he would not have to die alone".  Whatever the Inquisitor's relationship with him, they would at least be there in the end.    

 

- Judgement 2: Save Solas - Defeated and thus humbled, Solas now can now be reasoned with, especially if he had a positive relationship with the Inquisitor PC.  There was little anyone could do to change the fact that the Veil could not be returned to its original status and even if Solas could intervene, it remained doubtful that there was anything either PC could do to ever convince him to fix what he had done and condemn the remainder of "his" people to a life of imprisonment and death.  Perhaps then, there was another way ... one in which both sides "COULD" get potentially what they wanted.  The deal is, Solas lets the Veil to continue its increased burn across the whole of Thedas and he would be allowed to live, only if he agreed to return to a state of uthenera until a time just before the Veil’s collapse.  This would allow him to see his people awakened safely and prepare for the imminent subsequent return of the Evanuris (though in all reality he will still be shunned for his destruction of their world after both tasks were complete).  If the Elvhen Empire collapsed so quickly in part due to the abruptness of the Veils creation and not simply the separation of from the Fade on its own, those additional years would give the people of Modern Thedas the time they would need to prepare for the return of the Fade.  What would be created is a Thedas that is neither ancient, nor modern and just like its people would be made up of bits of both, creating something entirely new from the old.  Regardless of Save or Stop is chosen, once the decision is made both Parties (with Solas in tow if he is saved) leave this no longer frozen world of the Fade to warn their own world of the changes soon to come.  Changes that they would have no choice but to prepare for.  

 

- Judgement 2.1: Additional Option for Solas LIs - Look, I'll admit I really like Solas as a character, so much so that the events between him and the Inquisitor are one of the major factors as to why I wrote this little project ... but the thing is I don't think he deserves a "happy" end (at least not without great sacrifice to achieve it).  He is a criminal, responsible for the deaths and destruction of thousands, his own world, and would have repeated those mistakes again if given the chance.  As such, as a rule of thumb, there is almost nothing he can do personally at this point to earn "happiness" for himself and within the restrictions of this it has been decided his happiest endings should only be achieved only by how much a Lavellan PC is willing to sacrifice of themselves for him to gain them.  Solas' greatest fear is, after all, dying alone.  There are two routes to this LI end: 1) (if you did not become an Abomination) Levallan returns to a state of uthenera with Solas and lives out the remainder of their mortal life alongside him in the world the two of them helped create.  While they may have their life extended by the return of the Fade, I personally don't believe a Modern Elf directly transitioned into that veil-less environment can ever truly regain their immortality (they don't get seem to regain it while physically within the Fade, so hence my assumption).  The price of course is a Levallan PC would have to sacrifice their current life in Modern Thedas (all their friends, family and world) to live out their life with him (and everything that entails, including a family).  And 2) (Abomination with Razikal) - You are now an "Immortal" (timeless being) and therefore will outlive you’re life in the South regardless of your intentions and are now perfectly capable of standing alongside Solas for an eternity, once he regains his immortality after the Fade returns.  However, the penalty is rather obvious to all.  You're body and time are not simply your's alone, they now are jointly shared by another ... one who you owe your allegiance.  The contract with Razikale must be fulfilled and your eternal counterpart first and foremost demands "her" final sibling's freedom.  In essence, to have the chance to living an eternity with Solas the Lavellan PC has given up half of themselves and therefore cannot be with him all the time.  Either way (1 or 2) if a Lavellan PC decides to "stay" with Solas, Scout Harding returns to the South to inform them of the fall of the Veil and if applicable takes up the mantle of Inquisitor in the Inquisitor PC's stead.

 

- Inquisitor PC Choice: Sit in Judgement, Solas - Stop Solas vs Save Solas + LI Options

 

- Note: Additional Option for Dorian LIs - Dorian LI’s will have the choice to stay permanently in Tevinter with him at the end of the game if they so desire.  If they do, Harding will still return to the South and take up the mantel of Inquisitor (if applicable to the World State).

 

INQUISITOR PC END 

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Final Scene -"Tevinter Reborn" (Tevinter PC)

 

-"Story"- End Cinematic and the rise of an Archon.

 

-"Content"- The World was coming to an end, but a new one was beginning … as was a new Tevinter.  Because of Solas, the Veil was weakening, dissipating at a faster rate than it had in the previous eight millennia and that fact wasn’t going away any time soon.  All societies of the world would have to face that fact and the ever present green hue in the sky, even if it was barely discernable, proved a constant reminder.  However, Tevinter and the Nations to the South would have time to prepare, time to adapt, and time to rebuild to facilitate such a fundamental shift in the foundations of the world … but that was a long way off still.  Even with its current rate it would take hundreds of years before the Veil collapsed and there were still plenty of major problems to be solved back at home.  Chief among them, who shall lead this new Tevinter?  During this final cinematic the Tevinter PC will be able to choose between Dorian and Calpernia as the new “Archon”.  One representing a moderate who was popular with all the people and a source of stability, the other a force of justice and change and a sign of progress … the person not chosen would continue to serve as an advisor.  Remaining high priority characters: The Slave Faction Representatives, the Mage Circle Magisters/Black Divine, Maevaris (if she was saved), and Titus (if he was saved) will serve as members of the new inner council.   A third option will be available as well.  If a Tevinter PC had achieved enough fame throughout the course of their game then they are an exceptionally powerful and popular force amongst the people of Tevinter and therefore are allowed to suggest themselves as Archon.  If this decision is made, both Dorian and Calpernia will serve as their advisers as the Tevinter PC leads their reborn nation into the future.  As for the Inquisitor PC, those that are not dead, in a state of uthenera with Solas, or vanished entirely with their new "room-mate" Razikale, will show up in a small part in this final scene (if they are one of those three their final scene will occur at the end of the previous quest).  Enjoying a small reprieve before their long journey south (or their retirement with Dorian in Tevinter). 

 

- Tevinter PC Choice: Archon Ascension - Dorian vs Calpernia vs Tevinter PC

 

ACT 3 END: FINAL

 

- Note: The Tevinter PC's story will be completed within the future DLCs 

- Note: I've added entries on Major Characters and Boss Fights on the next page for anyone interested.

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Intentions:

 

I figure I should say this...  There are a number of reasons I went with this story-line beyond the whole "having two PC's work in one game" thing.  Like I said, at its core, this game is based around the DA:O style of storytelling with two core conflicts, 1 political, 1 magical.  Also like in Origins the only real change one could make is within the Political arc, where the destiny of the Nation itself is pretty much defined by the Warden PC through their actions.  The magical story however ... is a different story.  No matter what the Warden does the Arch Demon and the "Battle of Denerim" events will always happen.  Its like a force of nature in of itself and therefore the Warden PC only has the power to define their role (and the roles of those around them) in those events that surround that force of nature.  The power is to define not IF if the event goes down, but how it goes down and that is how I approached the 2 PC stories for this fan-project.   

The Major changes that the player makes by playing BOTH PC's will center around what happens to the nation of Tevinter (pretty significantly as well when you factor in the passive reputations).  On the other hand the Solas decision is like the decision made against the Arch Demon, you're Inquisitor PC is merely choosing their place in the grander events at hand, rather than defining the event itself.  I ... just had no other way around this when I considered the gravity of the collapse of the Veil and after playing both DA2 and DA:I over again I am under the impression that its collapse is the direction that Bioware is leaning.  Simply put, the collapse of the Veil is too big an event for the Inquisitor PC (or any PC for that matter) to have a place in defining.  If the Veil remains up, if the Veil is slowly collapsing, or if the Veil comes down immediately, all of these things will create such drastically different world states that there would be very little hope for future installments without retconning at least "some" Player's decision.  Therefore in the situation of this fan-story, the Veil is stopped in its collapse half-way which has caused it to decompose at a faster rate, but will not collapse any time soon by the end of the game.  With this in mind it therefore relegates the Inquistor PC decision to being much as the Warden PCs was with the Arch Demon, defining their place, and others, in the events transpiring.

 

There were also a number of things that I wanted to achieve with this project (for fun and a challenge to myself)!

 

- 1) Retroactively improve Dragon Age: Inquisition by making a kick-ass finale to the events that were started there.

- 2) Retroactively improve the Inquisitor as a character, by removing them from their title and status and allowing them a chance to be defined when they are not "simply" the Inquisitor.

- 3) Wrap up any big events leftover from the previous games.  The Solas one is finished, the Warden one is planned for a DLC.

- 4) Set a timer for the end of the "Dragon Age" and thus schedule the beginning of the New Age, but still giving time for more quality stories to be told within that "Dragon Age" before the Veil's collapse.  I'm personally favoring a 600-700 year timer at the moment.

- 5) Create a scaling story-line (I need to work on this a bit more).  I wanted the decisions and the story to build in intensity as the game progresses.  Early game decisions and events still matter, greatly in fact, but the later ones feel far more impactful in both cases.

- 6) Wrap up the events of both PC's within the events of that game + the 3 DLCs (the latter will be discussed soon, hopefully).

- 7) End the Old God's influence on the Blights.  The Blight still exists and it will surface again, but it does seem rather apparent that the Arch Demons themselves are really just Powerful Ghouls.  Releasing them both allows for the Blight to vanish for a while and the people to grow complacent before it surfaces in a "truer" form down the road.  I also thought it a waste to sacrifice the only two remaining Old Gods to the Blight.  The God of Night and the God of Mysteries can be used much more productively if they're alive and well.  

- 8) Use the two major reveals within the game, The Origins of the Golden City and the truth of Magister's Fall (though not what actually corrupted them) to set up for future content and future mysteries.  These are BIG reveals after all, using them in any other way than to set up more mystery for future content ... is wasteful.  If you're willing to sacrifice two of the Biggest mysteries of Thedas, the price that must be payed is adding to that mystery.  

- 9) Set up ALOT of future plot intensive NPCs and Bosses.  We have the release of the Old Gods, an introduction to the remaining corrupted Magisters AND the hints of the Evanuris' release all within this game.  I think that is plenty of stuff to work with in the future.

- 10) Finally, just make Thedas bigger and by cleaning up all those loose ends ... create an opening for Bioware to FINALLY to get back to solo-stories and standalone Dragon Age games.  One centered around Kal'Sharok, the Titans and other Dwarven issues, one around changes in the Qun in this changing Thedas, and a Sea based one around Rivain and Antiva would be nice.

 

THANKS FOR READING IF YOU MADE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH!  I know it was a TON of content, it shows how nuts I am, and I still have a little bit of fluff content to go ... but I at least hope you got a bit of fun out of it!  I'll periodically edit and add more things as I can.

[Addictress]

I like the Visions of Seven boss fights with the seven magisters in the throne room.

So bloodborne.

It's got to happen, Bioware.

[Deebo305]

I gotta say alot of thought was put into this, I almost wish Bioware would copy this word for word CardButton

Hooefully whatever come next matches this

[CardButton]

I gotta say alot of thought was put into this, I almost wish Bioware would copy this word for word CardButton

Hooefully whatever come next matches this

Oh, well thank you!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[dsl08002]

I think that it is interesting what you have planned with 2 PC because that was one idea i hoped would happen in DAI after the ending of DA2 where you could play as warden and/or hawke where they join for an adventure. It would be innovating.

[CardButton]

I think that it is interesting what you have planned with 2 PC because that was one idea i hoped would happen in DAI after the ending of DA2 where you could play as warden and/or hawke where they join for an adventure. It would be innovating.

Agreed, DA:I had a lot of missed opportunities. 

[Havyn25]

Cardbutton, I would play this game in a hearbeat. It sounds fantastic, and well thought out. Maybe Bioware should hire you to help with the writing

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- Note: WOOT, FINALLY!!  It may have taken forever, but all of the content up till this point has been updated to not only fit the "Mage Killer" DA Comic series and include its characters, but also to read far more organically in a narrative sense.  For those willing to take a crack at tackling my "little" fan-game here, it should be a much smoother ride than for those that had done so as I was first posting each section.  It should also make a lot more sense as a concrete story as well, but there are no guarantee's to their being no grammar or spelling errors still.  The project was massive after all, and still has a little more work to go before its finished.   

 

Next up, I'll do a rough post on the three DLC's I had in mind for this little project: One for the Inquisitor PC ("Shades of Grey"), which is meant to be done before the end of the game; and two for the Tevinter PC ("Return to Seheran") and ("A Request from Par Vollen").  With the first capable of being done both during ACT 3 and Post Game and the second serving as an epilogue DLC (like Trespasser), taking place exclusively Post Game (occurring roughly six months later).  I'll try to plug all three of those out when I get the chance.

 

Anyway, I appreciate all the critiques and thank you all for your time.  Hope you guy's have enjoyed what I've created thus far!

[Dragongirl24]

What the ..... is this ? i know what this is but you have just to much free time on your hands to make this story And i have to say really impressive what i read here .   

[CardButton]

What the ..... is this ? i know what this is but you have just to much free time on your hands to make this story And i have to say really impressive what i read here .   

MWHAHAHAA!!!

 

Welp I won't argue that I have a bit more free time then most (despite being a full time college student and working), but tbh this "little" project actually took me an embarrassingly long time to complete (though part of that is because it kept getting bigger and bigger).    Long story short, I originally started thinking about this concept right after "Trespasser" was released and I started posting ideas on it on random threads, which didn't really result in much ( outside of a lot of bickering lol).  So ... I sort of dropped video games from my docket for a while and focused on writing this instead, until the monstrosity you see before you came to fruition. 

At bare minimum I hope you enjoyed it, even if it does get ridiculous at the end. 

[vbibbi]

Followers:

 

Setting of Tevinter as it is I don't have a lot for this section currently beyond a few limited suggestions as to how the followers and LI's should be approached in regards to functioning within a Dual-PC DA4.  Like with all the previous games there will be a total of 9 Companions and running with the Dual PC theme of the game, they will be split into two groups.  The Tevinter PC requires the most attention and the most opportunity to define who they are in relation to their world (and opportunities for lovin), while the Inquisitor on the other hand simply needs a lot less attention and a considering the deep-cover narrative that is intended for the Inquisitor in this scenario a small close-knit group would be more effective.  As such the Inquisitor gets a total of three (one of each class respectively) and the Tevinter PC gets six (two of each class).  The Companion Specializations of both PC's will be based off of the Tevinter PC's specialization list which will be discussed later within this section.

 

Returning Character Follower Suggestions:

 

- Inquisitor PC: Scout Harding - (Tempest Rogue)

- Inquisitor PC: Scout Charter is being groomed as Leliana's successor and thus will be indisposed.

- Tevinter PC: Fenris - (Spirit Warrior)

- Tevinter PC: Tessa Forsythia - (Duelist)

 

Love Interests:

 

Love Interests for this concept will borrow heavily from DA:I in terms of mechanics.  Like with DA:I there should be a total of eight, spread across a number of genders, races, and sexual preferences.  Like with DA:I followers and non-followers should be available for romance and ... despite my better judgment ... since this fan concept for DA4 is meant to be a stand-alone game as much as it is meant to be the next installment of the Dragon Age franchise, the Inquisitor PC should be allowed a limited number of options for Love Interests within DA4 (if nothing else to allow New Players a chance to romance up their Inquisitor for the first time).  Therefore the Inquisitor should have a total of three (Two Companion/One Non-Companion) which are only accessible if the Inquisitor didn't have an LI by the end of DA:I (which will be the default world state), or were abandoned by Solas and don't wish to pursue the romance further.  Dorian/Solas Love Interest Inquisitors will also have romance options as well, for obvious reasons.  As for the other Inquisition LI's as stated in the "Story Basics" section they will be handled with a letter dialogue wheel system where in which the Inquisitor PC is allowed to choose their responses back to their loved ones (you are not intending to be away for very long so these "letters" should only really need to serve as temporary comforts).  The Tevinter PC on the other hand simply needs more options for love interests since they are a brand new hero, it's also their world so it simply makes more sense for the setting for them to have more options available.  Therefore the Tevinter PC gets access to five LIs (Four Companions/One Non-Companion).

 

Returning Character Love Interest Suggestions:

 

- Inquisitor PC: Scout Harding,

- Inquisitor PC: Dorian (If not romanced by Iron Bull)

- Tevinter PC: Calpernia (Depending on how the "Mage Killer" comic progresses)

- Tevinter PC: Marius (Dependant on a lot of things, still on the fence about him)

- Tevinter PC: Tessa Forsythia (Dependent on the level of Drama it would create) 

- Tevinter PC: Fenris (Dependant on whether he was previously romanced and Hawke's fate)

 

I don't really agree on your reasoning for letting the Inquisitor have new LI's. With the Keep importing system, even a new player can have the Inquisitor already have a LI, and by dividing up LIs between the two it limits the choices for the new PC. The Inquisitor already had 8 options in DAI, they don't need more. Obviously the existing relationships, especially Dorian, would come into play, but I don't think it would be worth the resources to implement the LI letters, Dorian content, any other LI cameos and have three new romances for the Inquisitor.

 

I also think the number of LI options should go back down to 6 for the new PC. Having 8 in DAI diluted the resources too much that could have been used for other areas. Not every companion/advisor should need to be a romance option, IMO.

 

Budgetary Issues:
 

I figure I would end the Mechanics Section off with a small addition in regards to budgetary issues facing this fan game, as I did put a lot of thought into them when creating this narrative.  I'll be honest, because this is a Dual-Protagonist concept this fan game will require a larger budget than DA:I, especially in regards the story specific content.  That being said I did take a number of steps to mitigate some of the required budgetary increases and I'll note those later, but first let us get the big one out of the way ... the story.
 

- Main Story - The Dual Protagonist storyline includes a grand total of 22 main story quests, with an additional 4 sub-quests devoted to the 4 Origin stories for the Tevinter PC (which are included in Tevinter Quest 1) and an additional ending cinematic for the final PC decision.  The game boils down to a total of about 11 Main Story Quests for the Inquisitor PC and 15 (with Origins) for the Tevinter PC, with the Inquisitor PC having their trademark 4 Voice Actors (meaning 44 Quests worth of spoken dialogue would be needed) and the Tevinter PC have 2 (for a total of 30 Quests worth of dialogue).  Essentially what I did was take the amount required for DA:I (40) and added approximately half of what was needed for a SWTOR Class Story Line on top of it (which averaged about 25-27 Quests, which had 2 Voice Actors each and 50-54 Quests worth of dialogue).  This game would then require approximately 74 Quests worth of story dialogue and 26 Quests worth of story cinematics to work.
 

- Companions, Advisors, and Love Interests - A discussed before in their respective sections these two facets are heavily based off of what was found in DA:I.  Companions will have a total of 9, split between 2 parties, with 3 going to the Inquisitor PC and 6 going to the Tevinter PC.  Now in terms of cinematic dialogue, without inflation, DA:4 will have very little variance in reference to expenditures.  On the other hand in terms of "Party Banter", because the total of 9 is split between two groups, Bioware could use this as a method to decrease to total cost as there simply are less combinations of party members within this game.  For Advisors there are 3 Major ones along with a number of smaller optional ones that are based on player decisions, as such in general the expenditures will be about the same as DA:I.  Finally Love interests, since there are a total of 8 (3 for the Inquisitor and 5 for the Tevinter) the total cost won't be all that much different from DA:I, with the only major addition being the "Letters From Home" section which will include a series of dialogue wheeled Letters with Love Interests left in Southern Thedas for those players that have them (which can be voiced or unvoiced depending on Bioware's prerogative).

 

Similar thoughts to the LI...I think it would be easier to have all of the companions be with the new PC, and either have the Inquisitor go solo or just bring DAI companions back for them. Maybe this wouldn't work well with the plot you've set out, but I think it could be a fun mechanic that the Inquisitor not only has to adjust to the prosthetic but also has to learn to operate independently and not rely on teamwork in the field. That could help explain away the resetting of their level to one (or a low level if not all the way back to one).

 

Plus the more we limit the new PC in options, the less flexibility we'll have to customize their build and party composition. If we really want one of the Inquisitor's companions in the new PC's party, as they would compliment the specialization we chose, tough luck. And if the three companions available for the Inquisitor didn't fit well with our predetermined specialization, tough luck again. It just seems limiting both PCs with arbitrary division of resources.

 

And if we're getting odd numbers of romance options for each PC, that means one gender will have more options and will get into that sticky territory of romance preferences amongst fans. I think it's safest to try to provide an equal amount of options across gender and sexuality.

 

- A small system to allow for switching between the two PC's will also be required, along with a "Letters From Home" system for Inquisitor PC.  Zones will also be a little more varied, but their balanced out a bit so they shouldn't be too much more expensive as they were in DA:I outside of whatever optional intricacies Bioware wishes to put within Minrathous.

 

- As for things that will be getting removed ... obviously Skyhold style base-building will be removed and have the budget repurposed elsewhere, as will War Table Ops and Judgements, as none of these three things are even remotely necessary for the narrative I've made for my fan game.  I personally would also remove the Weapon and Armor crafting mechanics from DA:I and with it the resource gathering aspect.  I know people will get pissed and even I admit that Bioware did excellent job implementing these features into DA:I, but honestly I really did feel like the gathering of resources was nothing more than busywork and the crafted weapons and armor themselves where SO DAMNED GOOD that they actually detracted from weapon drops and Boss Rewards.  I remember one of the best parts of DA:O was finishing a long side quest or exploring some side path and finding a rare, really good, item that I or my party could use ... but in DA:I once a crafted set of Tier 4 Gear was made I never used an item drop again outside of Amulets and Rings.  As such I do feel that the budget required for these two features should be repurposed elsewhere and at most players should be given a re-skin or armor dye tool to allow for choice in basic aesthetics.  Finally, unless Bioware wants to actually make them worth-while, with an interesting quest chain or amazing loot ... shards, or anything resembling shards, should not be included in the game.  Collectibles are fine, but not game long gathering quests for **** rewards, that was nonsense Bioware.

THATS IT! MOST OF THE NITTY GRITTY NON-STORY CRAP IS DONE!  SORRY AGAIN and if you'd like to see my older thread check it out here! http://forum.bioware.../#entry20083701

I'll start posting the Story by ACT in a couple of Days ... and I'm sure I'll get some people pissed at me for it, but it was fun to write nonetheless! 

Maybe you already said this and I missed it: So would the open zones be available for both PCs? Or have X zones available for Inquisitor and Y zones for new PC? It would be tricky to have both PCs able to access the same zones, since any changes performed by one PC would then have to be reflected in the zone when switching to the other PC. Easier just to limit which PC has access to which areas.

 

And perhaps the story zones are only available in certain acts, like DAI's zones, and allow the open zones to be accessible throughout the entire game. I think I'd like the GTA system where we can freely switch between PCs but are prevented from progressing to the next act until certain requirements had been fulfilled. That's basically how DA2 acted; we had to finish all main quests before we could go to the Deep Roads, even if we had Anders' map and the 50 gold required.

[CardButton]

I don't really agree on your reasoning for letting the Inquisitor have new LI's. With the Keep importing system, even a new player can have the Inquisitor already have a LI, and by dividing up LIs between the two it limits the choices for the new PC. The Inquisitor already had 8 options in DAI, they don't need more. Obviously the existing relationships, especially Dorian, would come into play, but I don't think it would be worth the resources to implement the LI letters, Dorian content, any other LI cameos and have three new romances for the Inquisitor.

 

I also think the number of LI options should go back down to 6 for the new PC. Having 8 in DAI diluted the resources too much that could have been used for other areas. Not every companion/advisor should need to be a romance option, IMO.

 

Similar thoughts to the LI...I think it would be easier to have all of the companions be with the new PC, and either have the Inquisitor go solo or just bring DAI companions back for them. Maybe this wouldn't work well with the plot you've set out, but I think it could be a fun mechanic that the Inquisitor not only has to adjust to the prosthetic but also has to learn to operate independently and not rely on teamwork in the field. That could help explain away the resetting of their level to one (or a low level if not all the way back to one).

 

Plus the more we limit the new PC in options, the less flexibility we'll have to customize their build and party composition. If we really want one of the Inquisitor's companions in the new PC's party, as they would compliment the specialization we chose, tough luck. And if the three companions available for the Inquisitor didn't fit well with our predetermined specialization, tough luck again. It just seems limiting both PCs with arbitrary division of resources.

 

And if we're getting odd numbers of romance options for each PC, that means one gender will have more options and will get into that sticky territory of romance preferences amongst fans. I think it's safest to try to provide an equal amount of options across gender and sexuality.

 

Maybe you already said this and I missed it: So would the open zones be available for both PCs? Or have X zones available for Inquisitor and Y zones for new PC? It would be tricky to have both PCs able to access the same zones, since any changes performed by one PC would then have to be reflected in the zone when switching to the other PC. Easier just to limit which PC has access to which areas.

 

And perhaps the story zones are only available in certain acts, like DAI's zones, and allow the open zones to be accessible throughout the entire game. I think I'd like the GTA system where we can freely switch between PCs but are prevented from progressing to the next act until certain requirements had been fulfilled. That's basically how DA2 acted; we had to finish all main quests before we could go to the Deep Roads, even if we had Anders' map and the 50 gold required.

A lot of stuff to address, but I shall do my best!  Keep in mind, most of my decisions on LI's and Companions came out of practical necessity more so than anything else.  Like I said I'm not great at "who a person should be", but instead am proficient at "what they should be".  I'm very function oriented that way.

 

For LI's, experiencing an LI and simply choosing one from a list before the start of the game, are two very different things.  I wanted this game to work as a standalone game, as much as it was the next installment to the franchise, and having the new players being stuck playing a PC for half the game without LI's available, seemed counter-intuitive to this attempt.  The Inquisitor PC may not be in Tevinter looking for love, but it doesn't mean they won't find it there ... though their choices are more limited.  Three options, with various sexual orientations, seemed like a decent middle ground (two options being made available for both Male and Female Inquisitors, since Harding is Pan and flirts with either gender in DA:I. Also, it should be noted that with the exception of Solas LI's who no longer wish to pursue that relationship an Inquisitor PC won't have access to the LI options (though they can flirt if they want).  The default world state will be an Inquisitor PC without a LI for the new players, but Harding was chosen as a Inquisitor PC companion not simply as a potential LI, or because she is low key as Inquisition members go, or because she is an additional contact to the South and the Inquisition (if it still exists), but because she can serve a giant anti-cheating powerhouse keeping the Inquisitor PC loyal to LIs back home ... if they happen to have one.  She had good relationships with all the LI's, she doesn't want to see them hurt.  The Tevinter PC gets 5 with similar results. Its not as if LI availability was balanced between the genders in the last game either,  Female PCs had 6 Options, while Males only had 4.  The Letters from Home system tbh, is just a courtesy to returning players.  If its not voiced (it could be, but it is not necessary), it is sort of like a codex entry system with a dialogue wheel attached ... so it should not really cost all that much to implement. 

 

As for Companions, again because I wanted the Inquisitor PC to actually fight they needed a party of four and to do that I needed a group of people that wouldn't oust the Inquisitor's cover immediately by simply by being around them (Harding is low key and in the field so often that she would be the least missed if she vanished for a while, out of the available options.  Even she admits she always miraculously seems to miss out on all the action).  If the HoF and Hawke have taught us anything, it is possible for a big name to disappear into Thedas if they want to and this could apply to the Inquisitor as well, but to improve their chances of doing so I took a number of subtle steps.  I made the prosthetic look like a gauntlet not just because of the practical nature of having a semi-functional hand (and decreasing the cost of animating it), but also because to the casual onlooker it would appear as if the Inquisitor PC was just wearing armor and not actually missing an arm.  As that is what people would be looking out for if they wanted to find an MIA Inquisitor, a one-armed Individual.  I also created the "Handler" Companion as an additional means to improving the Inquisitor's cover as well.  Even with the contact crystal available, having a new, lowly servant constantly talking to the head of the Pavus household would be a big red flag to those searching for the Inquisitor, missing arm or no.  "Handler" was crafted as a medium to bridge that gap, as he serves as an additional form of contact between the servant "Inquisitor PC" and "Handler's" employer Dorian.  To top it all off, to the residents of Tevinter "Handler" appears to be the superior of the Inquisitor PC, rather than the other way around, securing the Inquisitors cover as a simple Pavus servant.  

 

This is the very same reason I chose not to bring any of the DA:I Companions back to support the Inquisitor PC (outside of the obvious expense issues, which would be immense).  The Inquisitor disappearing is possible, members of their Inner Circle disappearing with them (and then partying with them in the new setting) is simply not.  Their presence, as helpful as they might be in combat, would prove to do far more damage to the secrecy of the Inquisitor PC than anything the PC themselves could do.  Plus, I can explain away the Inquisitor's drop in level for this game as LVL simply being a construct showing how proficient an individual is at using a particular combat style ... so with the missing arm the Inquisitor PC is no longer proficient in their old style and must therefore learn a new one, hence the lvl drop (they will start at 10).  I cannot however do the same for members of the Inner Circle, which is why the only member returning for this game (Dorian) will serve in an Adviser role rather than a Companion/Follower.

 

As for zones, its a combination of being exclusive and being shared, weirdly enough.  Since side quests are PC exclusive, by Act 3 all 6 Explorable Zones and all 4 City Zones will be made available to both PC's (although some of them will be exclusive during Acts 1 and 2 for story purposes).  Dungeon Zones are always considered PC exclusive, because they are so story-centric and will always remain that way. 

[vbibbi]

Hmm ... a lot of stuff to address, but I shall do my best.  

 

Most of my decisions on LI's and Companions came out of practical necessity more so than anything else.  Like I said I'm not great at "who a person should be", but instead am proficient at "what they should be".  I'm very function oriented that way.

For LI's, experiencing an LI and simply choosing one from a list before the start of the game, are two very different things.  I wanted this game to work as a standalone game, as much as it was the next installment to the franchise, and having the new players being stuck playing a PC for half the game without LI's available, seemed counter-intuitive to this attempt.  The Inquisitor PC may not be in Tevinter looking for love, but it doesn't mean they won't find it there ... though their choices are more limited.  Three options, with various sexual orientations seemed like a decent middle ground (two options being made available for both Male and Female Inquisitors, since Harding is Pan and flirts with either gender in DA:I. Also, it should be noted that with the exception of Solas LI's who no longer wish to pursue that relationship an Inquisitor PC won't have access to the LI options (though they can flirt if they want).  The default world state will be an Inquisitor PC without a LI for the new players, but Harding was chosen as a Inquisitor PC companion not simply as a potential LI, or because she is low key as Inquisition members go, or because she is an additional contact to the South and the Inquisition (if it still exists), but because she can serve a giant anti-cheating powerhouse keeping the Inquisitor PC loyal to LIs back home ... if they happen to have one.  She had good relationships with all the LI's, she doesn't want to see them hurt.  The Tevinter PC gets 5 with similar results. Its not as if LI availability was balanced between the genders in the last game either,  Female PCs had 6 Options, while Males only had 4.  

 

The Letters from Home system tbh, is just a courtesy to returning players.  If its not voiced (it could be, but it is not necessary), it is sort of like a codex entry system with a dialogue wheel attached ... so it should not really cost all that much to implement. 

Hm, it seems like we might be approaching the dual PC idea from different angles. I guess I thought having the dual PC system was in order for people who had played DAI to have closure on the story and characters raised in that game. Because if the main goal is to get new players to buy DA4, a dual PC system where one of the PCs has an elaborate history detailed in the previous game is not going to be ideal. If that's the goal, a single new PC would be a better option, IMO.

 

It also seems like a lot of resources to be able to implement two concurrent romances in a new game, if the Inquisitor doesn't have a LI from DAI and the new PC romances someone. Personally, that could be jarring since I would in effect be managing two relationships at the same time. That becomes much more of a dating sim than I want in an RPG. And the players who want to play the Inquisitor because of DAI's dangling plots would most likely have a DAI LI attached to their PC. The people who aren't bothered whether the Inquisitor returns and new players are the ones who won't have a LI. It's a lot of resources to invest for three LIs if the audience who would play under those worldstates is less interested in romance or character relationships. Better to save the resources to provide as many LIs to the new PC and spend only a few resources continuing the existing DAI romance for the Inquisitor.

 

 

As for Companions, again because I wanted the Inquisitor PC to actually fight they needed a party of four and to do that I needed a group of people that wouldn't oust the Inquisitor's cover immediately by simply by being around them (Harding is low key and in the field so often that she would be the least missed if she vanished for a while, out of the available options.  Even she admits she always miraculously seems to miss out on all the action).  If the HoF and Hawke have taught us anything, it is possible for a big name to disappear into Thedas if they want to and this could apply to the Inquisitor as well, but to improve their chances of doing so I took a number of subtle steps.  

 

I made the prosthetic look like a gauntlet not just because of the practical nature of having a semi-functional hand (and decreasing the cost of animating it), but also because to the casual onlooker it would appear as if the Inquisitor PC was just wearing armor and not actually missing an arm.  As that is what people would be looking out for if they wanted to find an MIA Inquisitor, a one-armed Individual.  I also created the "Handler" Companion as an additional means to improving the Inquisitor's cover as well.  Even with the contact crystal available, having a new, lowly servant constantly talking to the head of the Pavus household would be a big red flag to those searching for the Inquisitor, missing arm or no.  "Handler" was crafted as a medium to bridge that gap, as he serves as an additional form of contact between the servant "Inquisitor PC" and "Handler's" employer Dorian.  To top it all off, to the residents of Tevinter "Handler" appears to be the superior of the Inquisitor PC, rather than the other way around, securing the Inquisitors cover as a simple Pavus servant.  This is the very reason I chose not to bring any of the DA:I Companions back to support the Inquisitor PC (outside of the obvious expense issues, which would be immense).  The Inquisitor disappearing is one thing, members of their Inner Circle disappearing with them (and then partying with them in the new setting) is entirely another.  Their presence, as helpful as they might be in combat, would prove to do far more damage to the secrecy of the Inquisitor PC than anything the PC themselves could do.  Plus, I can explain away the Inquisitor's drop in level for this game as LVL simply being a simple construct showing how proficient an individual is at using a particular combat style ... so with the missing arm the Inquisitor PC is no longer proficient in their old style and must therefore learn a new one, hence the lvl drop (they will start at 10).  I cannot however do the same for members of the Inner Circle, which is why the only member returning for this game (Dorian) will serve in an Adviser role rather than a Companion/Follower.  

But if we're already going to go against the grain and try a new system of dual protagonists, why not take it a step further and have one of those protagonists be an independent agent? The Inquisitor is high enough level, even with learning to fight with a prosthetic, that s/he could solo missions instead of have to use a team. And that fits into the theme of the Inquisitor going undercover. Wouldn't some people question why this Pavus slave has three followers accompanying them rather than one single "slave" going about their business?

 

If the companions are the "Handler" for the Inquisitor, I would want that relationship better demonstrated than in DAI, where Cassandra is the de facto leader of the Inquisition until Skyhold, and yet she and the advisors obey our choices for the entire game. I'm not sure how we would make that relationship evident; cutscene showing the Handler NPC "ordering" the Inquisitor about to the public eye, and then have the Inquisitor actually be in charge?

 

 

 

As for zones, its a combination of being exclusive and being shared, weirdly enough.  Since side quests are PC exclusive, by Act 3 all 6 Explorable Zones and all 4 City Zones will be made available to both PC's (although some of them will be exclusive during Acts 1 and 2 for story purposes).  Dungeon Zones are always considered PC exclusive, because they are so story-centric and will always remain that way.  

That would be cool. I don't trust Bioware to be able to implement this idea well, though. DA2 has the most similar structure, IMO, and they were not able to show the effects of a changing environment between Kirkwall day and night between the three acts. I think that would be biting off more than Bio could chew when added to them learning the dual PC system to begin with.

 

 

Some very interesting ideas!

[CardButton]

Hm, it seems like we might be approaching the dual PC idea from different angles. I guess I thought having the dual PC system was in order for people who had played DAI to have closure on the story and characters raised in that game. Because if the main goal is to get new players to buy DA4, a dual PC system where one of the PCs has an elaborate history detailed in the previous game is not going to be ideal. If that's the goal, a single new PC would be a better option, IMO.

Hmm ... only a little bit. 

 

A Goal was always closure, but I also felt that if I wanted to justify the Inquisitor's presence as a playable PC in this game it would require that the Inquisitor PC also be made palatable to new Players as well (they will be forced to play them periodically too, after all).  Part of the reason I dropped the lvl down to 10 and included companions + LI's for the returning Inquisitor was that I felt that removing core features common to a DA PC, removed too much content from the Inquisitor PC to make them worthwhile to have.  Plus, LI's were always optional anyway and its not as though the resources used were lost in any sense.  Like with DA:I there are 8 available LI's, just spread between the two PCs (which means the worst part of this deal is that the Tevinter PC gets the same amount of choices as Hawke had, rather then the ridiculous amount the Inquisitor had.  Plus, lets face it, Blackwall, Bull and Josey romances all kind of sucked).  As for the Tevinter PC getting less Companions ... I really don't see it as that big a deal.  There are a lot of moving parts in my little fan story, the Tevinter PC is supposed to be more subtle with their methods of combat, and the story is already very busy.  If Bioware want's a full party of 9, they are welcome to spend the extra resources needed to do so ... but honestly I don't see it as necessary (at least within my draft). Make the 6 they do get good ones and no-one will care. 

 

I think, perhaps, the disconnect is that I also had a "second" goal in mind for the Inquisitor PC's return.  I wanted to flesh them out as a character and allow them to be defined as a person, giving the Inquisitor a chance to have some character development when, simply put, they are not the Inquisitor.  A small select group of Companions (and even LIs) could allow for this and help connect the Quizzy a bit to the setting. 

 

But if we're already going to go against the grain and try a new system of dual protagonists, why not take it a step further and have one of those protagonists be an independent agent? The Inquisitor is high enough level, even with learning to fight with a prosthetic, that s/he could solo missions instead of have to use a team. And that fits into the theme of the Inquisitor going undercover. Wouldn't some people question why this Pavus slave has three followers accompanying them rather than one single "slave" going about their business?

 

If the companions are the "Handler" for the Inquisitor, I would want that relationship better demonstrated than in DAI, where Cassandra is the de facto leader of the Inquisition until Skyhold, and yet she and the advisors obey our choices for the entire game. I'm not sure how we would make that relationship evident; cutscene showing the Handler NPC "ordering" the Inquisitor about to the public eye, and then have the Inquisitor actually be in charge?

 

Actually I used "Handler" for a specific companion I had in mind, rather than the all the Companions being the Handlers of the Inquisitor PC (I just didn't have a name for him).    He was intended to be a long running servant of Dorian who has trained previous new recruits to the household and would therefore not be conspicuous walking around the Capital with a bundle of them in tow (sort of like a younger mix of Alfred and Ser Barristan Selmy).  In essence, for all eyes within the capital, he would be the one leading around the party, not the Inquisitor PC.  He would also serve to give the Inquisitor some authority while in the capital as he is so well known.

 

Each of the three companions I chose for the Inquisitor PC served a specific role.  Harding, is an additional Contact to the South and a direct contact with the Inquisition (if it still exists). She will also serve as a caretaker for an Inquisitor recovering from the side-effects of the new prosthetic.  "Handler" serves as a Dorian Contact and a method to give exposition about the new setting the Inquisitor PC now finds themselves in (so that required exposition doesn't to get thrown at the Tevinter PC, since they should already know that information).  "Protoge" is the Maevaris Contact and due to his/her youth gives an easy outlet for the Inquisitor PC to talk about the events (and LI's) of DA:I in conversation (filling in new Players on the some of the events that transpired within that game, especially Solas, more naturally). 

[vbibbi]

Hmm ... only a little bit. 

 

A Goal was always closure, but I also felt that if I wanted to justify the Inquisitor's presence as a playable PC in this game it would require that the Inquisitor PC also be made palatable to new Players as well (they will be forced to play them periodically too, after all).  Part of the reason I dropped the lvl down to 10 and included companions + LI's for the returning Inquisitor was that I felt that removing core features common to a DA PC, removed too much content from the Inquisitor PC to make them worthwhile to have.  Plus, LI's were always optional anyway and its not as though the resources used were lost in any sense.  Like with DA:I there are 8 available LI's, just spread between the two PCs (which means the worst part of this deal is that the Tevinter PC gets the same amount of choices as Hawke had, rather then the ridiculous amount the Inquisitor had.  Plus, lets face it, Blackwall, Bull and Josey romances all kind of sucked).  As for the Tevinter PC getting less Companions ... I really don't see it as that big a deal.  There are a lot of moving parts in my little fan story, the Tevinter PC is supposed to be more subtle with their methods of combat, and the story is already very busy.  If Bioware want's a full party of 9, they are welcome to spend the extra resources needed to do so ... but honestly I don't see it as necessary (at least within my draft). Make the 6 they do get good ones and no-one will care. 

 

I think, perhaps, the disconnect is that I also had a "second" goal in mind for the Inquisitor PC's return.  I wanted to flesh them out as a character and allow them to be defined as a person, giving the Inquisitor a chance to have some character development when, simply put, they are not the Inquisitor.  A small select group of Companions (and even LIs) could allow for this and help connect the Quizzy a bit to the setting. 

 

 

I can see including some "justification" or explanation for continuing to use the Inquisitor. For me personally, I was not a huge fan of the Inquisitor in DAI and don't have interest in continuing their story. BUT a lot of people who have expressed interest in them continuing into DA4 have said that it was mostly due to the Solas plot in Trespasser that they wanted the Inquisitor to return. To me, this is really the only justification for having them return as a PC. Everything else is secondary.

 

And the more focus that goes into the Inquisitor, the less that goes into the new PC. HOF gets 1.5 games with Awakening, Hawke gets one game, Inquisitor gets 1.5 games, new PC gets half a game. The Inquisitor is already at an advantage by showing up as a PC at all, I would rather even out the content by having most of it go to the new PC. That's why I don't feel it necessary for new LI opportunities for the Inquisitor. So the Inquisitor, as an individual, would have 11 total LI options, while the HOF had 4, Hawke had 5, and this new PC has 5? This makes the Inquisitor appear like either the writer's pet or the "canon" hero of the setting.

 

I think one of the major complaints people had about DAI was the "bland" PC. Agree or not, fair or unfair, I would think Bioware would not want to fan this spark into a bigger fire by then having a controversial protagonist return as the first recurring PC AND have three new LIs to choose from. And that means it reduces the potential amount of LIs a new PC could have, which could be seen as discouragement from players viewing this new PC as a full fledged hero.

 

I think one of the benefits of the party system that DA has used is that there is enough variety in team members that if we dislike a character or their skills we can swap them out for another companion. But if the Inquisitor is limited to three companions, they all are mandatory. If we're going to eliminate player choice in the playstyle, I would advocate rather to strip the Inquisitor of all companions and then add those three to the new PC. This way, instead of limiting choice in both PCs, we're only limiting it for the one we've already played as before.

 

I think we will just see things differently and talk past each other on these issues. I'm not saying your version couldn't work, just that if Bio goes this direction, I would prefer my alterations to what you have already proposed. Lazy on my part

 

 

Actually I used "Handler" for a specific companion I had in mind, rather than the all the Companions being the Handlers of the Inquisitor PC (I just didn't have a name for him).    He was intended to be a long running servant of Dorian who has trained previous new recruits to the household and would therefore not be conspicuous walking around the Capital with a bundle of them in tow (sort of like a younger mix of Alfred and Ser Barristan Selmy).  In essence, for all eyes within the capital, he would be the one leading around the party, not the Inquisitor PC.  He would also serve to give the Inquisitor some authority while in the capital as he is so well known.

 

Each of the three companions I chose for the Inquisitor PC served a specific role.  Harding, is an additional Contact to the South and a direct contact with the Inquisition (if it still exists). "Handler" serves as a Dorian Contact and a method to give exposition about the new setting the Inquisitor PC now finds themselves in (so that required exposition doesn't to get thrown at the Tevinter PC, since they should already know that information).  "Protoge" is the Maevaris Contact and due to his/her youth gives an easy outlet for the Inquisitor PC to talk about the events (and LI's) of DA:I in conversation (filling in new Players on the some of the events that transpired within that game, especially Solas, more naturally). 

 

Okay that makes sense. And it is an interesting idea to overtly show that the PC is not seen as the leader of the party, since Bioware games haven't really done that before. (See my comment about the Herald still being leader despite Cassandra ostensibly being in charge). If Bioware could pull it off, that would be great. I'm not holding my breath on this; honestly, their strengths are characters and not innovative game structure.

 

I think what you're proposing would be cutting edge for RPG game development. But it's biting off more than Bio could chew. They could do a few changes well, but give them too much outside of their standard formula and they will run into issues like in DA2. I love the game but can accept all of its flaws prevent it from being as amazing as it could have been.

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I can see including some "justification" or explanation for continuing to use the Inquisitor. For me personally, I was not a huge fan of the Inquisitor in DAI and don't have interest in continuing their story. BUT a lot of people who have expressed interest in them continuing into DA4 have said that it was mostly due to the Solas plot in Trespasser that they wanted the Inquisitor to return. To me, this is really the only justification for having them return as a PC. Everything else is secondary.

 

And the more focus that goes into the Inquisitor, the less that goes into the new PC. HOF gets 1.5 games with Awakening, Hawke gets one game, Inquisitor gets 1.5 games, new PC gets half a game. The Inquisitor is already at an advantage by showing up as a PC at all, I would rather even out the content by having most of it go to the new PC. That's why I don't feel it necessary for new LI opportunities for the Inquisitor. So the Inquisitor, as an individual, would have 11 total LI options, while the HOF had 4, Hawke had 5, and this new PC has 5? This makes the Inquisitor appear like either the writer's pet or the "canon" hero of the setting.

 

I think one of the major complaints people had about DAI was the "bland" PC. Agree or not, fair or unfair, I would think Bioware would not want to fan this spark into a bigger fire by then having a controversial protagonist return as the first recurring PC AND have three new LIs to choose from. And that means it reduces the potential amount of LIs a new PC could have, which could be seen as discouragement from players viewing this new PC as a full fledged hero.

 

I think one of the benefits of the party system that DA has used is that there is enough variety in team members that if we dislike a character or their skills we can swap them out for another companion. But if the Inquisitor is limited to three companions, they all are mandatory. If we're going to eliminate player choice in the playstyle, I would advocate rather to strip the Inquisitor of all companions and then add those three to the new PC. This way, instead of limiting choice in both PCs, we're only limiting it for the one we've already played as before.

 

I think we will just see things differently and talk past each other on these issues. I'm not saying your version couldn't work, just that if Bio goes this direction, I would prefer my alterations to what you have already proposed. Lazy on my part

Naw its cool, I like having varying opinions postedon here and I remember your stance about the Inquisitor as a returning PC from last we spoke (oh so long ago). 

 
While I personally liked my Inquisitor PCs quite a bit, I will admit that I found them a little dry as well.  Also, yeah I was more or less done with the Inquisitor PC as well before "Trespasser" came around, but it that DLC was more a "This is a chance to salvage a character from mediocrity, if this is handled right" moment for me more than anything else.  Sort of, the second game could be used to retroactively improve the Inquisitor as a character, sort of thing.  That being said I don't believe the Inquisitor has enough content on their own to suffice as a Solo PC for an entire game, hence this dual-pc approach, and I while I would be bummed at the loss of the Inquisitor/Solas plot, I would choose a New PC over a returning one if I was forced to have only one. 

As for losing a bit of content in regards to the new PC ... that is true to an extent.  The new PC will have the same amount of LI options as Hawke did and only have access to 6 Companions (though 5 of these 6 have been written to be more involved in the story than past Companions have been, so it should balance out a bit). In exchange for the condensing of side characters, both PCs get a full story-line.  DA2 had 26 quests, this one has 22-23.  If you get the chance, and have a bit of time here and here, you should read through my version of the story vbibbi.  It may be a bit ridiculous, but I think you'd like it!  

It took an absurd amount of effort, but I think I did both PCs justice.

[vbibbi]

Naw its cool, I like having varying opinions postedon here and I remember your stance about the Inquisitor as a returning PC from last we spoke (oh so long ago). 

 
While I personally liked my Inquisitor PCs quite a bit, I will admit that I found them a little dry as well.  Also, yeah I was more or less done with the Inquisitor PC as well before "Trespasser" came around, but it that DLC was more a "This is a chance to salvage a character from mediocrity, if this is handled right" moment for me more than anything else.  Sort of, the second game could be used to retroactively improve the Inquisitor as a character, sort of thing.  That being said I don't believe the Inquisitor has enough content on their own to suffice as a Solo PC for an entire game, hence this dual-pc approach, and I while I would be bummed at the loss of the Inquisitor/Solas plot, I would choose a New PC over a returning one if I was forced to have only one. 

As for losing a bit of content in regards to the new PC ... that is true to an extent.  The new PC will have the same amount of LI options as Hawke did and only have access to 6 Companions (though 5 of these 6 have been written to be more involved in the story than past Companions have been, so it should balance out a bit). In exchange for the condensing of side characters, both PCs get a full story-line.  DA2 had 26 quests, this one has 22-23.  If you get the chance, and have a bit of time here and here, you should read through my version of the story vbibbi.  It may be a bit ridiculous, but I think you'd like it!  

It took an absurd amount of effort, but I think I did both PCs justice.

 

I don't dislike the Inquisitor as a PC, per se, it's more the dialogue lines which prevented me from strongly connecting to her. I dislike the special snowflake status that I consider her, but that's another debate. I think for me, the game had three dialogue lines to say exactly the same thing, which ended up making the PC rather generic. Compare that to the previous two games or the ME series, where if we choose different dialogue we get different results. It's a small difference, but one that matters when giving the player a sense of agency. So unfortunately the Inquisitor as a character suffered from the game's lack of options outside of the main quests.

 

That being said, my specific view (independent of your ideas here) is that bringing back the Inquisitor as a PC is either A) Bioware trying to retroactively provide more character to them as you say, and/or pretending players didn't find the Inquisitor boring and put up the front that the character was successful enough to merit a second game. This obviously doesn't take into consideration the personal connection between the Inquisitor and Solas and is not a fair assessment of the entire situation, but that's my impression of how the general audience could see this.

 

I can imagine the cries of certain fans "We want the HOF as a PC for every DA game and you bring back the Inquisitor?" Bioware shouldn't only act in anticipation of preventing controversy, but I do think they should be aware of possible outcomes in their game design.

 

This is why, again for me personally, I think if we have a dual PC setup in DA4, the Inquisitor really shouldn't be perceived as receiving special treatment. By that I mean they shouldn't have the option for new LIs as well as the ones from DAI, have another half of a game devoted to them after being the PC for the largest Bioware game to date. It's why I think it would be cool if the portions of DA4 using the Inquisitor would be a new gameplay style, focused more on investigation than combat (though combat can still happen and I don't want people to make the leap of logic that someone with a disability is incapable of fighting) and a solo mission.

 

I'll try to take some time to read through the plot section!

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I don't dislike the Inquisitor as a PC, per se, it's more the dialogue lines which prevented me from strongly connecting to her. I dislike the special snowflake status that I consider her, but that's another debate. I think for me, the game had three dialogue lines to say exactly the same thing, which ended up making the PC rather generic. Compare that to the previous two games or the ME series, where if we choose different dialogue we get different results. It's a small difference, but one that matters when giving the player a sense of agency. So unfortunately the Inquisitor as a character suffered from the game's lack of options outside of the main quests.

 

That being said, my specific view (independent of your ideas here) is that bringing back the Inquisitor as a PC is either A) Bioware trying to retroactively provide more character to them as you say, and/or pretending players didn't find the Inquisitor boring and put up the front that the character was successful enough to merit a second game. This obviously doesn't take into consideration the personal connection between the Inquisitor and Solas and is not a fair assessment of the entire situation, but that's my impression of how the general audience could see this.

 

I can imagine the cries of certain fans "We want the HOF as a PC for every DA game and you bring back the Inquisitor?" Bioware shouldn't only act in anticipation of preventing controversy, but I do think they should be aware of possible outcomes in their game design.

 

This is why, again for me personally, I think if we have a dual PC setup in DA4, the Inquisitor really shouldn't be perceived as receiving special treatment. By that I mean they shouldn't have the option for new LIs as well as the ones from DAI, have another half of a game devoted to them after being the PC for the largest Bioware game to date. It's why I think it would be cool if the portions of DA4 using the Inquisitor would be a new gameplay style, focused more on investigation than combat (though combat can still happen and I don't want people to make the leap of logic that someone with a disability is incapable of fighting) and a solo mission.

 

I'll try to take some time to read through the plot section!

True, though I always found it strange that Bioware just didn't use the excuse "If the PC has a hard core death state, they cannot come back, as it would require the heavy alteration of player world-states to do."  It would be so easy to use.  Regardless of how one perceives the way "Trespasser" went down, how much of a connection an individual sees between Solas and the Quizzy, the one thing that our previous two Protagonists have had that our Inquisitor doesn't, is a death-state. The HoF can be sacrificed the Arch Demon, Hawke can be left in the Fade, for me even if I don't choose these options they pretty much remove the possibility of a PC's return.  I refuse to ret-con someone else's in game decisions just to have a chance to play my old PCs (though I might bend them a wee bit if I can rationalize it). 

 

Personally, the missing forearm with the elbow still attached is a really poor equivalent to a death state, if that's what Bioware was going for. However, what it does do well is remove the Inquisitor's "Special Snowflake" status ... which is just plain awesome!  When it became apparent that the Inquisitor lost their arm I literally jumped for joy, the biggest hurdle to them becoming a genuinely good character had been removed (at least until I realized that people thought the missing limb, even in Thedas (where I'm pretty sure in one of the comics someone used magic to grow a whole arm back), people thought it a sufficient reason for the Inquisitor not to return! 

 

Anyway if you get the chance, enjoy the story.  I'm going through it again right now for another round of minor editing and grammar corrections, but you should get the jist of my intentions regardless.

[vbibbi]

True, though I always found it strange that Bioware just didn't use the excuse "If the PC has a hard core death state, they cannot come back, as it would require the heavy alteration of player world-states to do."  It would be so easy to use.  Regardless of how one perceives the way "Trespasser" went down, how much of a connection an individual sees between Solas and the Quizzy, the one thing that our previous two Protagonists have had that our Inquisitor doesn't, is a death-state. The HoF can be sacrificed the Arch Demon, Hawke can be left in the Fade, for me even if I don't choose these options they pretty much remove the possibility of a PC's return.  I refuse to ret-con someone else's in game decisions just to have a chance to play my old PCs (though I might bend them a wee bit if I can rationalize it). 

 

Personally, the missing forearm with the elbow still attached is a really poor equivalent to a death state, if that's what Bioware was going for. However, what it does do well is remove the Inquisitor's "Special Snowflake" status ... which is just plain awesome!  When it became apparent that the Inquisitor lost their arm I literally jumped for joy, the biggest hurdle to them becoming a genuinely good character had been removed (at least until I realized that people thought the missing limb, even in Thedas (where I'm pretty sure in one of the comics someone used magic to grow a whole arm back), people thought it a sufficient reason for the Inquisitor not to return! 

 

Anyway if you get the chance, enjoy the story.  I'm going through it again right now for another round of minor editing and grammar corrections, but you should get the jist of my intentions regardless.

 

You must not have read through countless arguments justifying why the HOF possibly dying doesn't preclude them showing up as a PC again. Massive headcanons for how they can come back, or if not, the Orlesian Warden Commander from DAA could fill that role.

 

The devs have even outright stated that the HOF is not coming back, but that did not prevent people from trying to find ways around that.

 

I mean, anyone can argue any POV. Hawke is not technically canonically dead. The text in HLtA said "most likely die" when choosing whom to leave, so I think the devs never want to back themselves into a corner like Leliana again. It really shows that if someone wants something to happen, they are not going to rely on empirical evidence to stop their arguments.

 

I personally view the Inquisitor losing the arm as Bioware's less harsh method of moving on to a new PC, rather than forcing the PC to die. It allows us to have a "happy ending" for our PC without leaving us wanting them to return. Unfortunately, it didn't work out since Trespasser opened a lot more doors and didn't effectively close off the Inquisitor's story. But I really do think that was at least 50% of the reason the Inquisitor lost their arm. I don't think Bioware cared as much about depowering and losing the special snowflake status.

 

 

That being said, I'm not opposed to dual PCs, as I think we've discussed previously. And if they can put the level of thought into that system that you have done, I would have some confidence in the system.

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I personally view the Inquisitor losing the arm as Bioware's less harsh method of moving on to a new PC, rather than forcing the PC to die. It allows us to have a "happy ending" for our PC without leaving us wanting them to return. Unfortunately, it didn't work out since Trespasser opened a lot more doors and didn't effectively close off the Inquisitor's story. But I really do think that was at least 50% of the reason the Inquisitor lost their arm. I don't think Bioware cared as much about depowering and losing the special snowflake status.

 

That being said, I'm not opposed to dual PCs, as I think we've discussed previously. And if they can put the level of thought into that system that you have done, I would have some confidence in the system.

Well, true!  But doesn't it seem odd to remove the arm if Bioware's goal was a happy ending, not 3 minutes after Solas says he's going to end the world and everyone is going to die anyway (I'm paraphrasing of course)?     It's like saying "you get a very happy misc amount of time that you have no way of guaranteeing won't be as short as a week, or as long as a century, provided you don't stress too much about what Solas told you (and only you) about ending the world".  

 

A very strange approach indeed, especially since they could have just as easily have side-lined the Inquisitor by having Solas Petrify them after removing the Anchor (perhaps he thinks this may save the Inquisitor from removal of the Fade, or wants them to suffer after they are thawed out too late to stop him). This would not be perceived as a hard-core death; it would distract the Inquisitor's remaining friends and allies with trying to find a way to free them from their stone prison, while still giving the important "world-ending" set-up to the Players; and Solas' "e-vile" plans would remain a secret until such a time where the Inquisitor was freed.  Then a New PC who has had plenty of time to be developed independently from the Solas issue would be the one to save the Inquisitor at some point during their game, but the Inquisitor would be "un-thawed" in the same state they were in just before becoming a statue (where they are simply in no physical condition to stop Solas themselves after just having their arm gutted by magic).  They could then logically be quietly shuffled to the side, pushed in a advisory role, or serve in a cinematic capacity only (even if the player gets to choose a bit of their dialogue). There Bioware, that's how you go about doing such a thing with the set-up you had, if what you had in mind was the Inquisitor's "forced retirement".   

Also, thanks!  I hope they do too!

[vbibbi]

Main Quest 2 -"Slave Diplomacy" (Tevinter PC)

 

Locations - Lower Minrathous / Minrathous Shipyard / Valarian Fields

 

-"Story"- "The Preasumptors", shadowy thieves of some notoriety within Minrathous, amazingly repurposed into an anti-slavery organization.  Calpernia and Marius had been busy since their return to Tevinter and were putting the groups previous "professional" skills to good use.  Skilled, subtle and now augmented with Mage Hunting techniques the once criminal organization were now proving a formidable force and were already suspected in a number of Altus and Laetan assassinations throughout the capital.  Unfortunately, a rebellion they were not, as the group still would require support from the very people they intended to free if they ever hoped to make any progress.  That would not be easy however as the slave factions of Tevinter were just as divided as rest of the populous and held great contempt for the each other.  Each slave group distinguishing themselves differently from the others in some desperate bid to retain some semblance of pride.  Approaching one group would assuredly damage relations with another and the Preasumptors had neither the resources nor manpower to approach them all ... a choice would have to be made.

 

-"Content"- First official work with Calpernia, Marius and their "Preasumptors" faction, the Tevinter PC works in secrecy under the burdens of their new shackles to help the slave rebellion gain traction. New connections and alliances will be required, but who to approach first?  The "Liberati" due to both their physical location within the city and their status within Slave Society would unfortunately make them unapproachable as things were now.  Their continued "freedom" was too dependent on the their loyalties to the members of Altus that had gifted them that freedom.  That left only two groups the "Praesumptors" could approach with any certain level of safety, both of who Calpernia was working tirelessly to obtain access to their "representatives".  The first option was the Tevinter PC's fellow "Servus Publicus" (unskilled laborers) who had far superior numbers, but lacked access to both the resources and will to focus that man-power constructively.  The other option, the middle class slaves of the of the Agricultural and Industrial sectors of the city, who were lesser in number but allowed access to the materials needed for prolonged rebellion.  A decision had to be made and to do so the Tevinter PC was being sent along with two superior agents to help further negotiations. Regardless of choice, once a connection has been established the "representatives" of that group will promise nothing concrete.  They have seen far too many failed slave rebellions to risk themselves in another that has yet to prove itself.  For the "Praesumptors" to prove this movement was different than its predecessors it would take something big, VERY BIG, to secure the slave factions full cooperation.  "I wonder if Calpernia has something in mind?"

 

- Tevinter PC Companion: Male Dwarf - (Assassin) - Ex-Carta - "Potential" Love Interest? - Representative for the Preasumptors

- Tevinter PC Companion: Female Elf - (Necromancer) - Love Interest - Representative for the Preasumptors

- Tevinter PC Choice: A Slave Alliance - Mid-Level Slaves vs Servus Publicus

 

Main Quest 3 -"A Gilded Collar" (Inquisitor PC)

 

Locations - Upper Minrathous / Three Imperators' Square

 

-"Story"- Awaking in their new quarters the Inquisitor is introduced to Minrathous and their new position as a member of the Pavus household.  As a member of the "Liberati" class the Inquisitor would be working for Dorian and as a "freed" slave, would retain certainly more autonomy than the traditional household servant, but care would still need to be taken to preserve their cover and not drag Dorian into too much political trouble.   To avoid drawing too much attention it had been decided that Dorian and the Inquisitor's remaining allies in the south would be the one's focusing on hunting for Solas and his agents, as they would be expected to continue their search for him regardless.  The Inquisitor's focus would instead be turned to discovering methods deal with Solas if and when he were to be found, as his ability to petrify his opponents at will would make any attempt to stop him superfluous until a such at tactical advantage was found.  Dorian had thus been working on a starting point for the Inquisitor PC to get them access to the magical records of the Circle of Magi, but it was still in the works.  First though, perhaps it was time to meet the master of the house, Magister Pavus, and get some information about his world.

 

-"Content"- Short introductory quest to Upper Minrathous and enhancing the setting.  The Inquisitor needs to allow for their body to recover from the implementation of the new Prosthetic and to allow the Trespasser PC to catch up in levels so combat will be relatively limited in Act 1 and be almost non-existent in the earlier quest.  As an outsider to Tevinter the Inquisitor represents a useful tool in regards to presentation of lore about the country without forcing information onto the Tevinter PC that they as a local should really already know.  Namely, the Tevinter PC is allowed to be written from an insider's perspective to Tevinter BECAUSE of the Inquisitor's presence serving as an outlet for exposition and lore.  As such the Inquisitor needs a little time to explore their new role and new setting and that is primarily what this quest is, as Dorian prepares to help you get access to the Circle of Magi to begin your research.

 

- First Letter from Home: From LI's left behind

- Inquisitor PC Talent Tree: "Architect" Introduction to Prosthetic

- Inquisitor PC Companion: Lace Harding - (Tempest) - Love Interest - Inquisition Contact

- Inquisitor PC Companion: "Handler" Male Human - (Champion) - Love Interest - Dorian Contact

- Inquisitor PC Advisor: Dorian Pavus - Love Interest

 

Interesting ideas. A suggestion, the name of the prosthetic might want to be unique, as we've already had an Architect in the series, and introducing a duplicate name might cause confusion.

 

Personally, I think it would make more sense for the Inquisitor not to be around Dorian that much. If I were Solas, I would be keeping a close eye on the Inner Circle, so even disguised as a slave, I think the Inquisitor would be more likely discovered in Dorian's household. Plus, isn't Dorian from Qarinus, so wouldn't his estates be there? Maybe have the Inquisitor as a slave in his Minrathous household so they can investigate the Circle and libraries there but keep Dorian and the Tevinter PC in Qarinus at the start.

 

Main Quest 4 -"Crash Course Academia" (Inquisitor PC)

 

Locations - Upper Minrathous / The Circle of Magi

 

-"Story"- Despite the risks it presented to both the Inquisitor's cover and Dorian's political standing, the Circle of Magi and its vast magical and historical resources still remained a tempting prize to the Inquisitor if they ever hoped to find a method to deal with a "demi-god" like the Dread Wolf.  Once upon a time it was the Temple of Razikale and held untold hordes of information that dated back even before the days of Andraste, there was no grander epicenter of knowledge in all of Thedas (outside of the DwarvenShaperate in Orzammar perhaps) and could provide any number of helpful tomes.  The problem was, the Inquisitor "wasn't" exactly in Tevinter (or they weren't supposed to be) and therefore a servant of the Pavus household (as high status as it was) would not be allowed to wander the halls of its libraries unsupervised.  Simultaneously, if Dorian accompanied them (or went himself) it would draw far too much attention to them both for the Inquisitor's search to prove productive "sometimes it's a pain to be so famous as the Inquisitor knew all too well".  The only solution, it was now time to do what no mage in the history of Southern Thedas would willingly do, break INTO a Circle of Magi ... hope it goes well. :3

 

-"Content"- Dorian has provided the Inquisitor with the means and instructions needed to delve into the libraries of the Circle of Magi with some chance of success (at great risk to himself).  Directions to specific areas within the hordes of magical information that may be of help has been provided, but even Dorian was unclear of exactly where to start regarding the search about Elven Gods, the Ancient Elvhen, and the ability to prevent or reverse petrifaction.  The Inquisitor's goal is to explore the halls of the Circle of Magi, gather what information they need, and get out with whatever information they can without getting caught.  A run in with a Magister Maevaris Tilani and her student (a young blood mage) however would prove an unforeseen complication and perhaps an asset towards these objectives and give the Inquisitor one more ally in their quest to stop/save Solas.  Unfortunately, in the end, the search itself would turn up very little ... the texts dealing with the Ancient Elvhen proved remarkably inconsistent, colored by the very biased interpretation of their prideful Tevinter authors and the volumes on petrifaction and methods to reverse it remained frustratingly absent.  Whether or not such studies ever existed or where absent through either theft or destruction, it wasn't known, but the search wasn't a complete waste of time.  Despite the obvious air of superiority and bias from its Tevinter author there remained a single text revolving around the "Dread Wolf" himself.  Inside it, information which led to a small town in the southern reaches of Tevinter, the Town of Solas in the "Silent Plains".

 

- Inquisitor PC Companion: "Protégé"- (Blood Mage) - Maeveris Contact

 

Main Quest 5 -"Archon Assassination, Anarchy" (Tevinter PC)

 

Locations - Lower Minrathous / Upper Minrathous

 

-"Story"- As it turns out Marius was the one with a plan in mind to convey the power of the revolution ... a big one.  The repurposing of the "Preasumptors" thieves faction into an anti-slavery rebellion now made perfect sense as the group's innate skills and stealth proved remarkable assets in the trade of assassination.  Archon Radonis, leader of Tevinter, was a prime target if Calpernia's faction wished to make a show of force and prove their validity to their potential allies.  Assassinating him would not only remove the current leader of the Imperium as a factor, but prove that the "Praesumptors" had the capabilities to defy the corrupt system, not to mention freeing up Marius and Tessa from their wanted status.  There however was a political component for this choice as well.  The moderate reform faction of Tevinter, the Lucerni, led by Magister MaevarisTilani and Magister Dorian Pavus had proven to be a bit of a hindrance.  Their actions in pursuit of Top-Down moderate reform conflicted with of the Bottom-Up Tevinter rebirth agendas of the "Preasumptors", because they relied heavily on the stabilization and the strengthening of the Imperium for their success.  Where in contrast it was the instability that Tevinter currently found itself in due to years of neglect, corruption and centuries of war with Qunari that allowed the chance for more radical reform to take place, such as freeing the slaves of Tevinter (a goal that was not shared by the moderates).  The assassination of the current Archon would force the Magisterium to turn their gaze inward and elect a new replacement first, a process that could take time and bog down the moderates due to instability until a choice was made ... and by that point the Slave Rebellion would be a power to be reckoned with.

 

-"Content"- Assassination of the Archon plan.  Marius had been keeping tabs on important Altus since his return to Tevinter and the Archon himself is no exception (especially since the hit on Marius and Tessa originated from this man).  The plan is for the Marius and the Tevinter PC to sneak into the Circle of Magi with number of the organization's mage hunters (through a newly discovered entryway used for a previous theft) in order to poison the Archon and prove the potency of the current slave-revolt.  A recent addition, a Spirit Warrior with a flair for brooding, had been recently added for support.  The poison unfortunately will only prove half effective and the Archon, despite being weakened is no slouch, resulting in a Mini-Boss encounter against him which will result in the deaths of quite a few of the "Praesumptors" before the Tevinter PC manages to strike him down.  Defeated and on death's door, the poison coursing through his veins, the Archon looked up at their murderer for relief ... of which the player has a decision to make: 1) Kill the man with dignity, which is more noble, but will result in far less infamy throughout Tevinter (assassinations of the Upper Class mages was a common occurrence after all) or 2) Make a statement with his death which will result in more fame and support, but is quite gruesome.

 

- Mini-Boss - Poisoned Archon Radonis

- Tevinter PC Companion: Fenris - (Spirit Warrior) 

- Tevinter PC Choice: Final Blow - Death with Dignity vs Making a Statement

- Note: Marius assists on this mission

 

One thought about Fenris is that he can be conditionally dead in some playthroughs. I think Bio would hesitate to make him more than a cameo in DA4 because of this as they don't want more Leliana resurrection drama. I would want to see him appear but don't know that he could be a main companion. Plus, I would rather all companions be new characters; having Dorian, Calpurnia and Tessa/Marius as returning characters is more than enough for me.

 

 

Could you post a breakdown of all companions, for Inquisitor and Tevinter PC? I know you listed them throughout the acts but it would be easier if there were one central post containing them all. And any bios or backgrounds you have on them?

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Interesting ideas. A suggestion, the name of the prosthetic might want to be unique, as we've already had an Architect in the series, and introducing a duplicate name might cause confusion.

 

Personally, I think it would make more sense for the Inquisitor not to be around Dorian that much. If I were Solas, I would be keeping a close eye on the Inner Circle, so even disguised as a slave, I think the Inquisitor would be more likely discovered in Dorian's household. Plus, isn't Dorian from Qarinus, so wouldn't his estates be there? Maybe have the Inquisitor as a slave in his Minrathous household so they can investigate the Circle and libraries there but keep Dorian and the Tevinter PC in Qarinus at the start.

 

Yup!  Way ahead of you there, hence the creation and practical use of the "Handler" Companion!

 

The Inquisitor PC, especially in ACT 1 will have very limited direct access to Dorian (you'll have some ... just not a lot) and instead most of what you will get will be from the Communication Crystal or through "Handler".  You may live in the same household, but you are a petty servant and he is the lord of the house, you shouldn't really be talking face to face.  Handler is the intermediary needed for this living situation to work realistically.  By the time you start getting more direct access to Dorian halfway through ACT 2, you're new-found "closeness" will be grossly overshadowed by both the massive events that have already occurred, those that are still occurring, and the presence of of the Tevinter PC who is working their way up in the world (as Dorian begins taking on on an advisory roll for them as well within that ACT).  And yes, you are right, Dorian is from Qarinus, but it will be a small thing to simply imply that since he accepted his father's mantel of Magister his work in that position regularly takes him to Minrathous (and keeps him there).  Especially since he is one of the founders of the Lucerni faction and if he wishes to push their progressive agenda he would need to do so in the capital, for it to be most effective.  I would honestly be surprised if most Magisterium families didn't have some form of "small" residence within Minrathous for personal use when their playing Political (even those who's main estates remains outside the city like Maevaris and Dorian).

 

And yeah, as noted on the actual Prosthetic post ... the name is up for debate. If you have suggestions I would absolutely welcome them!  Just remember the name's gotta be sort of universally OK for all Inquisitor PCs, regardless of class or spec.  If you think of something cool I'll go back and edit "Architect" out! 

 

One thought about Fenris is that he can be conditionally dead in some playthroughs. I think Bio would hesitate to make him more than a cameo in DA4 because of this as they don't want more Leliana resurrection drama. I would want to see him appear but don't know that he could be a main companion. Plus, I would rather all companions be new characters; having Dorian, Calpurnia and Tessa/Marius as returning characters is more than enough for me.

 

Could you post a breakdown of all companions, for Inquisitor and Tevinter PC? I know you listed them throughout the acts but it would be easier if there were one central post containing them all. And any bios or backgrounds you have on them?

 

This is true... thank you, sorry Fenris you're out.  Luckily Fenris (strangely enough) ended up to be the single most modular Companion of the 9 I had in mind for this game.  As interesting as it would be to have him back, his class is actually more important to have then he himself is, in a functional sense.  Hell, he wasn't even an LI.  I'll have to move around the order the Tevinter PC gets their companions a tiny bit (The Dwarf Assassin will be put into Main Quest 5 for the Archon Assassination and the replacement Spirit Warrior will take his place as being presented in Main Quest 2). 

Funnily enough, I'm working on a write up for the Advisers and Companions right now LOL!  Like a said I'm not super great when it comes to characters so they (like the rest of the story) will be a little more function oriented, but its on the way.