Beyond the Law - Kova & Kiyone SoA Release v1.30 by Zyraen zyraen@hotmail.com 1. Introduction This Mod introduces 2 new NPCs to the BG2 Gaming Experience. - Kova, a mage/thief with an unsavoury baackground and good heart (or so he claims) - Kiyone, a law-enforcing, impartial (or so she claims) archer This Mod looks into proving one man's innocence against the odds, and highlights the unlikely yet strong bond formed between the two people, so different yet so much alike. The Quest is slated to run from chapter 2 onwards, and aims to show more about the power play between the Shadow Thieves and the Cowled Wizards, the pliable nature of the law-enforcers in Athkatla and further insights into why certain things happened to certain NPCs, such as - How did Renal come to be informed of Mae'Var's designs? Why did Edwin want Rayic dead, and why was he in Mae'var's Guild? Why was Rayic protecting himself so extremely? Was Jermien building a golem simply to protect his daughter? The NPCs of this Mod will only show up if - the Player is either Good or Neutral inn alignment - the Player's reputation rises above 12 and the Player is still in Chapter 2. While it is not necessary to start a new game to play this Mod so long as the Player is still in Chapter 2, it is recommended. What is/isn't in this Release? - Extensive Quest involving the NPCs, froom chapter 2 to 6, with roughly 7 separate parts - Interjections up until ToB (Mod contentt will end after leaving Suldanessellar) - Interjections have been done for ALL Maajor (and most Minor) Quests that are not NPC-specific and non Stronghold-related Quests in SoA. - over 75 Banters with 1205 lines (approxx) with Bioware NPCs - over 446 Interjections with 975 lines ((approx) - over 30 Banters with over 650 lines (appprox) between the 2 NPCs (the above 3 were the figures for the Beta, which are definitely less than for the SoA Release) - 3 Banters for both Kova and Kiyone withh the Player - Interjections for Watcher's Keep - Original Soundset for Kiyone - also hass FEMALE4 soundset voicing in an Optional Component - Original Soundset for Kova - 2 BGMs for the Banters - 2 extended BGMs for particular events iin the Mod - more than 4 cutscenes throughout the Mood - No Voiced Lines just yet - Enhanced Statue of Riddles has been remmoved in this version, as it has been included under Zyraen's Miscellaneous Mods, at http://www.pocketplane.net/zyraen What kind of Person would enjoy this Mod? You probably NEED to be this kind of person to ENJOY playing the Mod to any extent, namely someone who - likes a Serious Mod and not a joke Mod - likes reading quite a bit to enjoy in-ddepth banters - enjoys observing character development in other characters, especially Bioware ones - enjoys some degree of combat OR doesn'tt rest much in the game - willing to make do with bugs showing upp, especially when the Mod was done and tested on a heavily Modded version of ToB To get the most out of this Mod, it is recommended that you try to have your party as full of Bioware NPCs as possible. In terms of banter quality, I would recommend the following NPCs for positions in your party, in no particular order of preference. - Mazzy - Keldorn - Jaheira - Valygar - Minsc - Viconia - Anomen - Aerie - Imoen - Yoshimo 2. How to Install the Mod 1) Unzip the contents of the BTL.zip file into your BG2 directory 2) Run Setup-BTL.exe. The Mod should install without any problems. 3. String Fixers / Sound Files Select the Character and press F to invoke the string fixer String Fixer for Kova String Fixer for Kiyone - if Optional FEMALE4 voice component is installed, the String Fixer for Kiyone will be changed so that her sound files will link to the FEMALE4 soundset. Her subtitled lines will not change. 4. Notes for the Player While fatal errors like crashes and game-hanging occurences are not expected in this release, it would be well to have at least 1 backup save game that is regularly updated to fall back on to. 5. NPC Character Sheets - Bios, Stats, etc KIYONE Alignment: Lawful Good Race: Half-Elf Class(s): Archer Starting Level: 7 Str 15 Dex 17 Con 11 Int 14 Wis 15 Chr 12 Character Overview Kiyone is a top ranger from a group called the Sentinels, with a reputation for being an investigator, tracker, and a capable judge, and was sent South to assist Magistrate Bylanna in hunting down an elusive criminal known as Kova. As a person she is fixated on righteousness, truth and law, and is focused and pragmatic, and her view of emotions is that they only serve to ruin objective judgement and cloud the truth, though she does use them to encourage allies and to ensnare villains. Even as she seeks to uncover the truth behind the case, perhaps she will learn more than she ever wanted to about what she stands for and what it means to be alive. Biography When asked about her roots, KIYONE always brings up first her place within a cadre of rangers known as the Sentinels in the North, apparently a rather newly formed group. She recalls the group being a lot smaller when she was under their care, and how, under their instruction, she had become the top ranger in her cohort for her rather large batch. She has since served as a tracker, investigator and magistrate on various occasions, typically for more challenging cases. Her accounts almost never focus on her considerable combat prowess, but instead emphasises the importance of discernment and deduction in bringing to light the true nature of a case. KOVA Alignment: Chaotic Good Race: Half-Elf Class(s): Mage/Thief Starting Level: 6/7 Str 14 Dex 17 Con 12 Int 17 Wis 10 Chr 11 Character Overview Kova is a man wanted by many powerful organisations for a variety of crimes he claims he didn't commit, and comes across as cynical and sardonic, unwilling to open himself to others except through jibes of sorts, with a tendency to cautious unenthusiasm about adventuring heroics. He despises himself for being "good", especially as he has been far from it almost from birth, but deep down he hopes against hope that there is a way out, and that there is some truth in the world after all. These same feelings take him down a road he feels would certainly lead to his demise, and for that he despises them even the more. Biography It is with an overly nonchalant tone that KOVA speaks of his being brought up in the Shadow Thieves as a young street urchin, and becoming a proficient thief with a distinctive lack of pleasure for vices. He claims his intelligence allowed him to survive the intrigue without having to resort to knifing others, and books and equipment were generally what he spent his "income" on. He had leaped at a chance to join the Cowled Wizards as a mole so that he'd be out from among the lawless ways of the Thieves, but he became equally dissatisfied with Enforcer assignments and spent his time buried in magical libraries furthering his thirst for knowledge, in the hopes of finding some way to be rid of his current situation and his past. 6. FAQ (some are spoiling) Q : Where can I find Kiyone or Kova? A : You can't find her - she will show up and speak to you when your reputation first hits 13 after the Mod is installed, and if you are still in Chapter 2. From there Kova will show up. Q : Can I romance Kiyone or Kova? A : No. Q : Can I bring Kiyone along to Chapter 3 and further without bringing Kova along? A : No (or rather, it should not happen) Q : Can I have Kova in the party without Kiyone? A : No. Q : After Kiyone joined me, I still can't find Kova on the map he is supposed to be on. Where is he? A : He is fishing close to the middle of the far left side of the map. Q : Can I have low Reputation and still keep them? A : No. They are scripted to leave your party once your Reputation drops to a certain low level. Q : Kiyone and/or Kova left my party suddenly for some reason. Can I get them back? A : In general, they only will remain in the game IF they leave your party as a result of you asking them to leave. Otherwise they are permanently removed from the game and will not return. Q : I think I messed up a segment of the BTL Quest. Will I still be able to play the other parts? A : Not entirely. While you can still experience Parts 1-4 in varying degrees, it is very probable you will miss Part 5 onwards. Note that messing up Renal's Quest against Mae'Var will also prevent you from finishing the Quest properly. If you have other Mods installed that allow you to side with Mae'Var, it is recommended that you do not side with him. Q : I think their items are a bit too powerful for my taste. Why did you make them so? A : Their weapons and armor are arranged so that (once upgraded) they are among the best items you can give to them. This gives the player more reason to leave them on the NPCs, giving them a consistent look and feel throughout the game. If you find them too powerful, install the component "Better Balanced BTL Items", though that probably will mean their look and feel in the game will not be quite so consistent. Q : Why aren't the lines in the Mod voiced? A : This soundset of Kiyone by Celosia is the only soundset that I felt suited Kiyone, but unfortunately since she sent me this soundset, Celosia has been uncontactable. Since none of Kiyone's lines are voiced, I did not voice any of Kova's lines either to make it consistent. I am still looking for a voice actress for Kiyone. Q : Can I stop the thieves from coming after me? A : No. You can however reduce the frequency of their attacks. Q : Can I stop the wizards from coming after me? A : Yes, but only for a time, and at a hefty price. Go to Corneil and find out. Q : Can I stop the guards and knights from coming after me? A : Yes, by finding and submitting new evidence to Bylanna's messenger. Try not to give anything directly to Bylanna. Q : Must I hold on to all these scraps and stuff that I've found about the Quest? A : No. You can discard them in most cases. Q : What if I don't want to go back to Brynnlaw after Spellhold? A : It is *highly* recommended that you do. Q : Can I change Kova / Kiyone's class/Stats along the way using ShadowKeeper? A : You can, but it isn't recommended. If you change Stats make sure the Stats go Up and not Down, or they might not be able to use their own custom items. If you change their class, some later actions and bonuses in the Beta and Full Version may seem very strange, or fail to execute properly. Q : Must I restart a New Game if I install a newer version of BTL over this Beta installation? A : No. Unless you Continued Playing after you should have stopped, ie gave the Lanthorn to Elhan, you should not miss any Mod content. Q : Can I affect the interactions between Kiyone and Kova? A : Yes, but only to a limited extent. The ultimate outcome between them though lies on how well their case is handled and how far their relationship has developed. If there is no conclusive closure to their case, then certain things will not happen between them. Q : Why is it BTL but the folder is aD&L and the executables etc are prefixed "aD&L"? A : aD&L was the original name I gave to it, representing Darkness & Light, a fanfic I wrote from which Kova and Kiyone are taken from. "a" is simply a prefix to put it at the front and top of my BG2 directory etc so I could easily edit/access it. I had been working on the Mod for a while before I decided to call it Beyond The Law. Note : Now it is Setup-BTL, though the folder is still aD&L. Q : I've handled the Quest well (I think) but nothing happens between them? A : One possibility is that the Quest was not handled well-enough. The other possibility is that Kiyone and Kova have not developed their relationship fully BEFORE the conclusion of their case, and you probably just need to give them more time to each other before closing the case. If you are impatient, use of CLUAConsole:AdvanceRealTime(500000) is recommended. 7. List of Changes ==> Changes from Beta 1.20 Bugs Squished - Fixed Crashes regarding Part 5 in the BBridge District - Lonk interjection removed due to probleems - Pursuit will no longer happen after Kovva leaves the party - Knights will no longer have any chance of showing up after talking to Bylanna regarding her grace period - Visaj interjection bug fixed - Rampah interjection bug fixed - Fixed various typos / grammar errors - For BTL Part 7, there is a cutscene whiich Corneil initiates, but does not end off - he needs to be talked to again after the cutscene, in order to conclude the Quest. This does NOT happen if you create a New Game of BTL. - interjections for Aran when going to Sppellhold now show up New Content - Interjections from Elhan onwards, addedd, all the way to the end of SoA - Marriage Cutscenes included - Proposal, Romance conclusion - Part 6, Finale of BTL Quest, included - Part 7, Optional portion of BTL Quest, included - 4 Epilogues, 2 for Married and 2 for Unnmarried, included for after completing ToB Misc Changes - Watcher's Keep Interjections now run inn both SoA and ToB - Timers for Encountering Shadow Thieves,, Cowled Wizards are doubled in duration - Kova's weapon changed to a Wakizashi/Daagger instead of a Katana/Dagger, only in description ==> Changes from Alpha 1.10 Bugs Squished - Fixed non-completion of quest in Trademmeet - Fixed a semi-permanently looping dialoggue in Trademeet - Kova can now learn UAI - prevented bonus XP being awarded midwayy if they join you when your XP is very low - Brynnlaw encounter should now work smooothly - Aran Bug fixed - changed the position of a comment on reeaching Brynnlaw - ensured interject for Skinner Murders ddoes not result in double payment - Wellyn interject fixed - Mazzy Rescue Mislink fixed - Kova now comments on Madam Nin without errors - Hendak end Looping bug fixed - Dayven will now appear as long as BTL iis installed, though he will serve no purpose in-game if Kova and Kiyone are not in the party. If Dayven is already present, he will not show up. - Valygar not joining Party after interjeections - Item Upgrades Fixed - Item Upgrades Component Descriptions immproved, typo fixed - fix mislinked GOTO in Kova's 2nd PC Bannter that causes a loop - fixed Kiyone repeating a conversation rregarding catching up with Irenicus after Spellhold - "No valid links" error after killing Toorgaal fixed - 2 male references to the PC fixed - 2 Viconia Banters no longer repeat - Reduced 2 lines in Brega's dialogue thaat exceed 4 lines on 800x600 - Bylanna's Messenger will now let you knnow if you've gathered enough evidence, and will leave the area properly after that - Bylanna's Messenger will now show up moore than once - Bylanna's Messenger will now use femalee soundset - Kova not resting at times - Fix Kova's 2nd Banter no valid links - Fix post-Madulf Interjection "TH" line by Kova - Fixed Repeating Experience bug for a smmall part of the quest - Fixed various typos / grammar errors - Fixed all the Armor for Kova and Kiyonee, a problem caused by misreading Near Infinity Fields New Content - Underdark Interjections - 2 more Imoen Banters - 2 Korgan Banters - 2 Cernd Banters - 2 Underdark Banters - 3 Forest Banters - 6 more "Rest" Banters, 3 with scripted scenes - Added a Warning before Mid-game Encountter - Arledrian, Gaelan and Myroven will showw up at various times after leaving Underdark - Interjections for Elhan, Drizzt, and obbtaining other allies to do battle against Bodhi - Interjections for Bodhi and after her ddeath Misc Changes - prevented double Spellhold Interjectionns - Kiyone now has a soundset - One of the NPCs now has a soundset for doing battle - split another one of Brega's lines intoo two to shorten it - Government Pursuit is now harder, sincee it's fairly easy to avoid the pursuit altogether - Harpers now are consistently written wiith a capital H - added an interject in ValygarJ file so that it is not missed - Component provided to Fix Bioware (not BTL) Cowled Enforcer Scripts to prevent them from attacking each other - More likely that there will not be misssing enemies for the Spellhold encounter - Timer for probably the first banter witth Kiyone asking Kova about where they are has been extended by 30 seconds - BTL Rest-Scenes now check that Game-Dreeams (like dreams of Irenicus, Imoen, Ellesime, Slayer) do not run, to ensure that they do NOT conflict - removed Interjection on entering Illithhid lair in the sewers. - to reduce probability of errors, changeed all INTERJECT_COPY_TRANS in interj.d to INTERJECT_COPY_TRANS2 - removed Banter Acceleration for Kova annd Kiyone (since the content was being shown too fast, it seems) - redid the scripting for taking certain items from the party - scripting now removes multiple copies oof Kova / Kiyone's items (prevents UAI characters from using them) - made an interject regarding Lady Delciaa unmissable - Player has more say in the NPC-releasinng Encounter (as per Fraylor's review) - Beyond a certain stage, Kova / Kiyone HHelp Each other when injured - Fighting too many Govt Pursuers now cauuses your Reputation to Decrease over time - More "Balanced" Equipment for Kova and Kiyone in an optional Component for purists - Kova's high level weaponry (which probaably none of you have seen, lol) have been powered down - Kova's scripted Hide In Shadows is now automatic, with no chance of failure AND voiceless. It is randomized, however, and has somewhat higher possibility of not happening, unlike previously where he keeps trying until he stealths successfully 8. Credits For giving me support and technical advice and helping out - Ghreyfain (tutorials) - CamDawg - Andyr - thanks for your initial encouraagement when I was totally new and totally needing it! - JCompton - SimDing0 - Sillara and Nethrin (items) - Revan (hosting / FTP) - Dellaster - Plasmocat - for the fantastic uber and totally wonderful work done on portraits! :) She did a pretty and sweet original Kiyone pic that was later replaced, and she Created of Kova's Portrait from almost scratch! Voicing Credits - Zyraen as Kova - Celosia as Kiyone - if only there was ssome way to still contact you... - Samara, previously Irenicus, as an NPC - voiceset only Misc Friends / Support / Shown Interest / Would Be Testers - Silk aka Sionna - SimDing0 - LuckyOne - Kain - Regullus - Dellaster - CamDawg - Sir Kalthorine - Togashi Renshi - Moongaze - Dragonlord (of CoM) - Ashalind - Januzska - Fantasy - Miss Sakaki - Isaac (sorry for keeping you waiting soo long...) - LarrytheArcher - Midia Eveill - Andyr - JCompton - Regullus - SConrad - Aran (of #ppgmod, briefly) - Jester - Glain (I still wonder how it would havee been if you had voiced Kiyone ;) ) - and any others I may have missed out inn a moment of rush-typing this.. Thank you ;) Soundtracks These are extracts of themes from great movies and some other places :) Do catch them. If copyright is exercised on them, I'll pull them, no trouble. kkrom1 - extract from Forrest Gump Theme kkrom2 - extract from Meet Joe Black Theme kktrialc - extract from Olympic Theme 1988 kkwed - extract from Freedom by Michael W Smith