History VideoGame / BaldursGate

* PartyBanter: Both Averted and Played Straight. Companions may start a friedly conversation with each other however, should they have confilcs a cutscene may play or a fight will start between them.

** When you meet Duke Eltan, keep refusing to cooperate will get you killed.

** Several characters can't be recruited until well into the game. Although their experience level will be roughly the same as [=CHARNAMEs=] if they're added to the party, their skills, weapon proficiencies, spells, and/or amount of HP will be determined by the game in a sub-optimal fashion. As a result, they're likely to be underpowered compared to characters who have been in the party for the entire game, and since due to the experience cap you can't level them further, there's no way for them to catch up.

* CainAndAbel: Played straight between [[spoiler: Gorion's Ward and Saverok]] (unlike later in ''Throne of Bhaal'').

* ArcherArchetype: Bows are considered one of the best (if not ''the'' best) weapons in the game; they deal as much damage as a short sword, can be (obviously) used to attack from range, get [=THAC0=] bonuses from high dexterity, and, especially, have, unlike just about every other weapon, two base attacks per round instead of one, which makes them a veritable GameBreaker. As a result, party members who specialize in Longbows, such as [[ColdSniper Kivan]] or [[FriendlySniper Coran]], tended to end up top tier on NPC ranking lists.

Set in the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms setting of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', the game puts you in the shoes of the young ward of a former adventurer named Gorion. After leaving your home of Candlekeep with your foster father, you are attacked by a mysterious BlackKnight in a demonic skull mask and his allies, who kills Gorion as he urges you to flee. Thus begins your journey to discover what the evil warrior wanted with you, leading you throughout the lands of the Sword Coast and into the political intrigue surrounding the CityOfAdventure known as [[TitleDrop Baldur's Gate]].

[[caption-width-right:350: ''{{He who fights monsters}} [[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche should look to it that he himself does not become a monster...when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you...]]'']]

Set in the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''' TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms universe, the game puts you in a shoes of the young ward of a former adventurer named Gorion. After leaving your home of Candlekeep with your foster father, you are attacked by a mysterious BlackKnight in a demonic skull mask and his allies, who kill Gorion as he urges you to flee. Thus begins your journey to discover what the evil warrior wanted with you, leading you throughout the lands of the Sword Coast and into the political intrigue surrounding the city of [[TitleDrop Baldur's Gate]].

%% * {{Necromantic}}: Bassilus.

%% ** ''Bassilus'' likes to hang out with… No. You know what, never mind, if you can't guess.

* LivingDollCollector: Bassilus.

* {{Necromantic}}: Bassilus.

* SpoonyBard: Many players find the recruitable NPC bards somewhat lacking -- Eldoth in particular might be the spooniest bard since the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV original himself]]. Garrick lampshades this in ''Baldur's Gate II'' (where he makes a cameo appearance), admitting that he isn't a very good bard.
** In Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition a suit of Elven Chain Mail (allows spell casting and has an AC of 5) can be acquired, which means a bard doesn't really have to choose between spell casting and melee bashing anymore. A player created bard with good reputation can now fight up close, at range, cast spells, and be almost as good as a more specialized class at any one of these. While Garrick and Eldoth still aren't that great, a player created bard is one of the best classes to play, and quite good for solo work.

* TooDumbToLive: Telling a BloodKnight ChaoticEvil warrior woman that women are meant for "[[StayInTheKitchen making babies and baking cookies]]" is definitely not one of [[SpoonyBard Eldoth]]'s more brilliant moments.

** ''Bassilus'' likes to hang out with… No. You know what, never mind, if you can't guess.

* DiedHappilyEverAfter: Whoever you romance tends to have a pretty short life-expectancy, probably because it's pretty tough to get involved with a Child of Bhaal and escape a violent death.

* CainAndAbel: Played straight (unlike later in ''Throne of Bhaal'').

* CreepyChild: Albert, who is a young child wandering the wilderness looking for his dog. He talks in BabyTalk. He acts oddly; to the point that your journaly even points it out. Offer to find his dog, and he'll give you "Rufie's" chewtoy; a piece of human flesh. Turns out Rufie is a hell hound, and Albert is a young? demon come to take him home to the Nine Hells. Follow through and the quest does give experience and Albert does give you loot as a reward. Attack Albert and be prepared to fight a demon early in the game.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: The unnamed character murdered in the opening cutscene. In the original version he states "there are others" and offers to sell them out to save his life (to no avail). In the Enhanced Edition version he doesn't offer this betrayal.

The game has a 1999 ExpansionPack, ''VideoGame/BaldursGateTalesOfTheSwordCoast'', a 2000 sequel, ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateII Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn]]'', a 2012 UpdatedRerelease, ''Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition'', and a 2016 expansion, ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear''. ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' was announced in 2019 and is set to be released in 2023.

* {{Jerkass}}: It seems like there are many [=NPCs=] that are more than willing to insult CHARNAME or even start a fight for no reason. A few that come to mind are Marl (Feldepost's Inn, Beregost), Thalantyr (High Hedge), Gurke (Jovial Juggler, Beregost), Sendai, Alexander, and Delgod (the area south of Nashkel), Portalbendarwinden (North of Nashkel), and various noblemen wandering around. It's no wonder game players choose the sarcastic options when talking with other characters, especially the rude ones. Marl has an excuse in that he lost his son, Thalantyr is tired of people that want power without knowledge, and Gurke's excuse is that he's a dwarf, his cloak got stolen, and people are making fun of him for losing it in Cloakwood. Interestingly enough, choosing the kinder responses when talking to Marl nets more experience points than provoking him into attacking you, even though you'd be more than justified in beating the tar out of him.

* BeyondRedemption: Jon Irenicus's speech to Ellesime at the Tree of Life showed the latter that the former was a man who, up until that point, had been unrepentant and sadistic. Ellesime tries to reason with Irenicus about the love they used to share, but Irencius is so consumed by hatred that he won't back down from his EvilPlan to shed his mortal form and become a god, through any means necessary. Ellesime sadly concludes that there's nothing left of Jon to save, and that she has to stop him.

* BreakingSpeech: You get LOTS of these. Mostly from your EnemyWithin. A good, or neutral, player character will start to ignore them much to the voice's rage, but its implied an evil character starts listening closely.