Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Encyclopedia
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is the expansion pack
for the computer role-playing game Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
, and is the final chapter in the Baldur's Gate series
. It adds a multi-level dungeon called Watcher's Keep to the game and completes the main plot. There are several new weapons, a higher level cap, a further refined Infinity graphics engine
, and new class-related features and magical skills. A novelization
of the game was written by Drew Karpyshyn
and released in September 2001.
(PC) must venture through treacherous regions, including the besieged city of Saradush, the fire giant-controlled Marching Mountains, and the desert village of Amkethran. Through the game, the PC has to defeat five legendary Bhaalspawn, known as The Five. As the story progresses, The Five kill all their brethren, despite the efforts of Mellisan, a woman trying to save all the innocent Bhaalspawn and keep them safe in Saradush. Only when the PC kills off The Five and uncovers his own power is the truth revealed: Mellisan is in fact Amelyssan the Blackhearted, the mastermind behind both The Five and the slaughter of all the Bhaalspawn. She was once Bhaal's high priestess, to whom he entrusted the task of his resurrection. She does not intend to resurrect the god, however. Instead, she is preparing to become the Goddess of Murder herself. With all quests finished and all Bhaalspawn killed, the PC must journey to the planar
Throne of Bhaal for the great final battle against Amellysan. Ultimately, the PC is presented with the choice of either ascending the throne of Bhaal or destroying it and returning to peaceful life as a mortal. If the PC chooses to ascend, they have the option of either becoming the new God of Murder or becoming a deity dedicated to good and righteousness.
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
for the computer role-playing game Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released on September 26, 2000. The game is the sequel to Baldur's Gate, and, opening only a few months after the events of the earlier game, continues the story of the player character, whose unique heritage...
, and is the final chapter in the Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate is a franchise of action role-playing games released under the Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Licenses. It is set in the fictional campaign setting of Forgotten Realms and takes place in its fictional continent of Faerûn. It takes place mostly in the Western Heartlands, but has also...
. It adds a multi-level dungeon called Watcher's Keep to the game and completes the main plot. There are several new weapons, a higher level cap, a further refined Infinity graphics engine
Graphics engine
Graphics engine may refer to:*Game engine: a physics model typically implemented in software for use in computer games*Graphics engine : a specialized computer hardware device, typically integrated with a framebuffer or other video display circuitry, for performing graphics calculations...
, and new class-related features and magical skills. A novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of the game was written by Drew Karpyshyn
Drew Karpyshyn
Drew Karpyshyn is a Canadian video game scenario writer, scriptwriter and novelist.-Career:Karpyshyn was a loan officer, but when he got in a car accident, he quit his job as a loan officer and was able to go to college again to gain a degree in English...
and released in September 2001.
Expansion of the original game
The game has a number of features that distinguish it from the original:- It is set in a number of new locations in Tethyr.
- It has a new level 40 experience limit, new high-level monsters, and new items.
- It has a new dungeon, Watcher's Keep, which can be accessed from both the original Shadows of Amn game and the Throne of Bhaal campaign.
- All of the non-player characterNon-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s (NPCs) from the original game are available with the exception of Yoshimo. The game adds a new NPC, Sarevok, to the game. - It adds a new mage class kit, Wild Mage.
Plot
The in-game plot is based on a war that breaks out in Tethyr amongst the Bhaalspawn. The player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
(PC) must venture through treacherous regions, including the besieged city of Saradush, the fire giant-controlled Marching Mountains, and the desert village of Amkethran. Through the game, the PC has to defeat five legendary Bhaalspawn, known as The Five. As the story progresses, The Five kill all their brethren, despite the efforts of Mellisan, a woman trying to save all the innocent Bhaalspawn and keep them safe in Saradush. Only when the PC kills off The Five and uncovers his own power is the truth revealed: Mellisan is in fact Amelyssan the Blackhearted, the mastermind behind both The Five and the slaughter of all the Bhaalspawn. She was once Bhaal's high priestess, to whom he entrusted the task of his resurrection. She does not intend to resurrect the god, however. Instead, she is preparing to become the Goddess of Murder herself. With all quests finished and all Bhaalspawn killed, the PC must journey to the planar
Planar
In computer graphics, planar is the method of representing pixel colours with several bitplanes of RAM. Each bit in a bitplane is related to one pixel on the screen...
Throne of Bhaal for the great final battle against Amellysan. Ultimately, the PC is presented with the choice of either ascending the throne of Bhaal or destroying it and returning to peaceful life as a mortal. If the PC chooses to ascend, they have the option of either becoming the new God of Murder or becoming a deity dedicated to good and righteousness.
Characters
- Melissan is a mysterious woman who meets the main character early in the game and offers help and information. Melissan claims to help the innocent Bhaalspawn who are caught up in the war and solicits the main character's help throughout the story. Her real motives remain mysterious throughout most of the game. Her true name is revealed to be Amelyssan the Blackhearted, and she is the mastermind behind the Five and the deaths of all Bhaalspawns. She is to become the new goddess of Murder and is the final enemy in the Baldur's Gate saga. She is voiced by Heidi Shannon.
- Illasera is a weak human Bhaalspawn with a lot of bravado. She is the first Bhaalspawn the PC encounters in the Throne of Bhaal. She is voiced by Grey DeLisleGrey DeLisleGrey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
. - Yaga-Shura is a Fire Giant besieging the city of Saradush with his army. He would be invulnerable but for his Achilles' heel, his heart, whose destruction renders him vulnerable but no less fearsome. He is voiced by Kevin Michael RichardsonKevin Michael RichardsonKevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
. - Sendai is a drow cleric and mage. The PC does not get the chance to battle her immediately, but must first defeat wave after wave of statues of Sendai. She is voiced by Vanessa MarshallVanessa MarshallVanessa Marshall is an American actress, voice actress and model. She is the daughter of actress Joan Van Ark. She got into voice-over work after being discovered at a one woman show.-Films:* Bagboy! - Mrs...
. - Abazigal is a half-dragon of great power. The PC has to first kill his son, Draconis, outside Abazigal's lair before setting up a meeting with him. Both Abazigal and Draconis begin fighting in human forms before changing into their immensely more powerful dragon forms during their respective encounters. Abazigal is voiced by Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
. - Balthazar is a good-aligned monk of immense power, who feels the only way to destroy the curse of Bhaal is to become the Lord of Murder, and then end his own life. He is voiced by Jeff OsterhageJeff OsterhageJeff Osterhage is an American film and television actor from Columbus, Indiana.Osterhage began his acting career in a television adaptation of True Grit in 1978 and starred in the 1979 TV movie The Legend of the Golden Gun...
. - Gromnir Il-Khan is a half-orc Bhaalspawn who is the leader of the town of Saradush. While at the beginning it is believed that he is mad and paranoid, his wild theories about Melissan turn out to be true. He is voiced by Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
. - Cespenar is an imp who can refer to his "secret recipes" in order to forge wonderful weapons from special bits of items that the PC collects along their journey. He claims that he is the main character's private butler and respects them as the "Great One". He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Solar is a celestial guide who resides inside a pocket plane dedicated the PC. She is voiced by Charity James.
- DemogorgonDemogorgon (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Demogorgon is a powerful demon prince. He is known as the Prince of Demons, a self-proclaimed title he holds by virtue of his power and influence; which in turn, is a title acknowledged by both mortals and his fellow demons...
is a demon prince of tremendous power included in the Watcher's Keep expansion area as an optional boss. He is voiced by Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
.
Awards
- GameSpyGameSpyGameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
awarded Throne of Bhaal its Best of 2001 PC Expansion Pack. - IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
awarded Throne of Bhaal an Editors' Choice Award. - The Academy of Interactive Arts and SciencesAcademy of Interactive Arts & SciencesThe Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
named Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal as Role Playing Game of the Year for 2001.
External links
- Pocket Plane Modlist Infinity Engine Modlist