Expanded Minsc Mod

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So I hear someone was already making this, I just don't remember who it was.

Reminded by a comment in the NPC Elimination Finals -thread, I thought I should make an own topic for the gathered suggestions for possible ideas for this mod. Don't think realistically, think imaginatively.

Someone suggested that a deity should recover Minsc's intelligence to original level (whatever level that might be), so he would then be romanceable, and squash that hamster of his.

I say, he would not squash boo but praise him all the more, with eloquent and very intelligent words. This would go on to the point of some major quest where an immense power would be set against you, and just as your party was about to die Boo would reveal his true powers and summon a few other giant miniature space hamsters as well. After this amazing powerplay, while everyone would just stand there watching with their jaws dropped to the ground, it would come clear that Minsc never hit his head but merely gained a level of unnatural wisdom that mere mortals were unable to understand. Followed by a return of this wisdom, Minsc and Boo would lead the way out of the cataclysm, the entire party now convinced that these mysterious, god-like giant miniature space hamsters really do exist. Afterwards, Minsc would be his original self again, but everyone would have new-found respect for him. And people now knowing what they do, Boo would no longer have to hold back his incredible powers.. granting an extra spice to the fights a few times a day.

It could be incredibly humorous if done right. So more ideas people?

 

Minsc becoming smarter. I dunno it just seems...wrong.

What would be cool is if there were some way the party could travel to Rasheman (Minsc and Jaheira both came from here, I believe), do battle with some genies or something. Meeting Minsc's family would be great! His poor mother who loves him despite his little...injury. His father who just thinks he's an idiot, but Minsc loves him and sticks up for him anyway.

Maybe you could work in a little known "fact" that Minsc had a long lost twin brother who could be a joinable NPC. Maybe a monk. You could write in that he was the smarter half of the pair and thinks his brother is a total goofball, or even that he suffered the same injury at the same time and is equally as goofy (you could even use Minsc's soundset from BG1). Since, Jaheira is from there as well, maybe an extra quest for her. A pre-Khalid childhood love perhaps to create a little conflict?

Just off the top o' me noggin'.

 

perhaps a simple conversion of Boo from quickitem-slot-uselesly-taking crap into a balanced familiar (there is a rat avatar after all) would do...

 

or at least putting it into his pack like your familiar, so that you have that quick item slot for something else (like that moondog).

I'd like to see a romance between Minsc and perhaps one of the other Npc's. Aerie and Nalia come to mind as they are a little naive too. Perhaps Mazzy will find him honorably silly enough to balance out herself. Can you imagine Mazzy and Minsc? He's over six feet tall and she's under four! That would be interesting.

 

*ahem* I was the one who suggested Minsc get his intelligence restored. I would simply like to see what he was like before his injury -- remember -- he wasn't born that way, he would have had to had a Wisdom of at least 14 (IIRC) to become a Ranger, and his Intelligence was most likely higher as well. What sort of man was he before he got Tysoned?

On a similar topic, Aerie should get her wings back at some point. If you can bring someone back from the dead, you should be able to regenerate wings and the accompanying muscle tissue. I see that as a serious logic flaw, though I realize that the BG2 framework does not include flying characters.

 

I was the one who typed before I thought things through, and said I would write up some romance and quest dialogue.

Now that I've said it, I'm intrigued by the challenge and suggestions are appreciated.

For Romance we'd have to emphasize Minsc's more lovable qualities-- loyalty, bravery, honor, indominatable good spirits, to name some. Would he have racial restrictions do you guys think? I'm thinking he'd break it off with anyone he figured out was truly eeeevvvillll. Maybe he wouldn't start with evil alignments in the first place.

Re: Boo. I was also thinking along the lines Foradsther posted above... that Boo really *is* special, and does give Minsc good advice, and that somehow that would be revealed. He couldn't be soooo special that he upsets game balance, but special.

I also like the idea of going back to Rasheman. After all, wouldn't he have to report Dynaheir's death? I also like the idea of meeting Minsc's family. Keep the family member suggestions coming.

I would think part of his quest would be honoring Dynaheir's quest/notifying her family/notifying the Rasheman Mage's guild and making atonement/avenging her. Does anyone know if Minsc and Dynaheir had a *specific* task for their Djemma... or if they were just supposed to wander around looking for adventure for awhile?

I think if we make Minsc's intelligence and wisdom tooo normal, we'll lose that special "Minsc-ness". I'm playing with ideas that Boo is from an alternate dimension and that Minsc went there, and it tweaked his brain somehow. As a result, he isn't really stupid, he just perceives reality differently than everyone else. Perhaps he could get a couple of special abilities from this-- to compensate for his loss of consensual reality. Suggestions anyone?

This is where I am so far. Thanks for starting the topic.

 

IIRC In BG1 Dynahier tells you if you saves her before talking to Minsc that he hitted his head during her capture and therefore went mad.

 

Agreed - Minsc lost his mind to the Gnolls, so to speak.

Jaheira came from Tethyr, I think, somewhere South of Amn like that.

Perhaps:

A mindflayer or something, an outcast from his race, can find a way to restore some of Minscs' mind, but only a bit, perhaps raise his intelligence by two and wisdom by one - but you have to do quests to accomplish it. Afterwards Minsc is grateful for what you did and pledges his new found intelligence to you and the party. maybe then people can get their romance with Minsc... but wouldn't Boo get in the way a bit?

 

And the most important part:

While with the other characters the so-called "test of true love" appears as an opportunity to bed them, with Minsc this would equal hiding Boo in one of charname's *own* crevices for Minsc, as he was unable to do that.

Then again, that goes beyond any good sense of humour. Perhaps it is better if Minsc continues to hide the hamster in his own holes instead.

(I can't believe I said that, but I couldn't get it out of my mind..)

 

For how he gained a wisdom and intellinge boosted: It could be that mindflayer you contact in the sewers for some kinda mission (can't remember which) who somehow contacts you and says that he has been watching you and your party members for quite sometime and saw that Minsc is.. well, unnaturally dumb so he (it?) decides to regain a little of his intelligence.

After that Boo might decide to reveal his true identity to Minsc, perhaps because it wont make him insane or somesuch (perhaps he gets a negative shield on his brain or something (my imagination is .. lame)

And then Minsc might return home to report how his quest went (can't remember the right word) and if Aerie is in the party he might ask to get her as a ..that word. A romance could perhaps start..?

Sidenote: A mage could perhaps confront Aerie, see her scars and try to make her some new wings..

We'll then see Minsc family (a huge and wise male barbarian and a elf mother (half?, perhaps a ranger) and perhaps a couple of kids. I dunno what can happen there.

Perhaps a couple of quests with Boo on another plane.

Valygar might've got something to do here.

I might add something more.

 

Well, since Minsc wasn't born dumb, but only his INT and WIS dropped when his head got hurt... His INT and WIS could be *restored*.

 

Minsc is a kind of hopeless character. His madness prevent him from developing and without it he would no longer be Minsc.
And after all those years I donť find it so funny. I rather come to pity him.

 

How often do dumb and insane people mate in our society today? I don't see any need to raise his int or wis to have the mod.

I like the ideas coming so far.

 

I disagree - in a way, I envy Minsc. Think about it. Everything in his life is very simple, cut and dried. As far as he is concerned, there's nothing that can't be done, especially when it serves the cause of good. Rather than his madness causing his worst qualities to take over, it seemed to illiminate them. Not saying he was a bad person "before the bonk" as I now famously refer to it, but like all creatures, regardless of alignment, we all have our bad sides. Minsc's bad side, for all intents and purposes, seems to be non-existant to me.

Even the "good" characters in the game show their bad sides; Keldorn contemplates vengeance, Aerie lashes out at fate over her wings and slavery, Valygar thrives on hatred of Lavoc, etc. Minsc seems immune to all things trivial and stays focused on his one purpose, believing beyond doubt that he's fighting the "goodest" of good fights.

Minsc is in a state of permenant optimism and confidence. No amount of obstacles will derail him from his purpose and ideals. I guess it's a bit sad that he's crazy, but he doesn't KNOW he's crazy, and therefore expects no exception to be taken to his condition. Any attempt to fix his condition would, IMO, effectively kill off what makes him so unique.

Everyone else puts in their 2 cents...that was my nickel.

 

Yeah, I agree with the above post. I personally come to despise the good-aligned characters in BG2 after some time with the exception of Minsc.

Why? Death Rabbit has said so already, but this is just my opinion.

Minsc still does tend to get annoying after some time, though.

 

I hate Minsc.

What if after the deity restored his INT (what kind of stupid "deity" would do something so lame?!) it was restored to it's original level of 2?

I mean after all the bump could have allowed the gaps between the 3 braincells to connect and his INT actually went up as a result.

I hate Minsc.

This is a lame rant, no need to comment if you disagree.

 

Minsc has just been on a quest to stop Sarevok and his evil plans (BG1) and then stopped Irenicus becoming a god. Some deity must have noticed Minsc and his overwhelming (and charming) stupidity and feel sorry for him.

 

Well think about it. What if he was married, was inteligent a lot, was a poet or whatever? This is a great loss, not to speak of the loss for his friends and family. As a ranger, he was certainly inteligent and wise...

 

Has anyone seen that one Simpsons episdoe where Homer discovers that a blue crayon stuffed in his brain has been the cause of his stupidity, and has it removed? Yeah, I kind of think that's what the "new and improved" Minsc would kinda be like.

Maybe something like Anomen, being all pompous and self-righteous with his new intelligence. He'd try to make up for all those "stupid mistakes" in the past and just not take the normal Minsc-y way to things (that is, swords). Alignment shift to Chaotic Neutral? I think so.

Oh, yeah, and he'd step on Boo. Think it about it. If you've just realized that your best friend is actually a non-intelligent hamster, wouldn't you kill that hamster? I'm fairly sure I would, in my fit of rage.

ArrynMogerim: Rangers don't necessarily have to be intelligent; I've always thought of Minsc as a multi-classed Barbarian/Ranger as well. Or probably just a plain Barbarian.

 

He gets all mad at edwin when you meet him, and the guy in the copper coronet, the one who challeges you to a fight. Minsc often kills him for insulting me.