Baldur’s Gate 3adapts many rules and mechanics fromDungeons & Dragons flawlessly into the video game world. But it’s a different medium for storytelling, and as such, there are certain things thatBaldur’s Gatejust can’t do like players could in a TTRPG - and conversely,there are several parts of the video game thatD&Dcould never really include.
One of the most interesting examples of this is the way thatBaldur’s Gatehandles floor hazards. A good number of spells, items, and attacks in the game can create puddles or piles of stuff that alter the map, either temporarily or permanently.From setting a pool of oil ablaze to freezing over a shallow pond,Baldur’s Gate 3presents some very fun ways for players to interact with their environment that would be hard to replicate in a tabletop setting.
The Many Floor Hazards Of Baldur’s Gate 3
Elemental Damage Has Never Felt So Impactful
Many of theenvironmental hazards in the game come from various forms of elemental damage. Fire damage can cause flammable objects to ignite, lightning damage can electrocute wet surfaces, and so on. The best spell to showcase all of these is actually a first-level option calledchromatic orb. Characters can cast this spell to deal any one of the six types of elemental damage: fire, cold, acid, poison, lightning, or thunder.
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On top of possibly hitting an enemy with a projectile, this spell creates a surface pertaining to the damage type it deals. It can make a floor icy, covered in poison, and more. This spell does a good job of showcasing these elemental hazards, but it is hardly alone. Pretty much any spell that deals fire damage will ignite flammable objects or surfaces it hits or that the creature it hits is standing on. Spells likeice stormcan create enormous circles of ice, which can melt into water later on.
And spells aren’t the only things that can create these hazards.Water and brine barrelscan be thrown or attacked to create large puddles of water or acid. Acid vials can have a similar, though smaller, effect, and toxin vials can be thrown to create surfaces as well. Evenhealing potionscan be thrown to make their own surfaces, healing the first creature to step on them.
The Game Includes Unique Ways To Play Around These Hazards
Using The Environment To A Player’s Advantage
Another new mechanic inBaldur’s Gate 3allows players to “dip” their weapons into certain surfaces. Poison and fire surfaces are the most useful for this, though certain other options are available. Players can use this to add extra damage to their weapon attacks, light up their arrows, or apply theirhomemade poisonsto more than just one weapon.
Beyond that,Baldur’s Gateincludes some cool ways to disrupt or destroy environmental hazards. Spells likecreate watercan put out fires or clean up acidic spills, and spells that deal thunder damage likeshattercan fully destroy certain hazards. The ways in whichplayers can use different elemental damage and items to evolve and transform the battlefieldlends a lot of creative play to the game. Players may wonder why similar mechanics wouldn’t work in a typicalD&Dgame.
Why Environmental Effects Are Hard To Replicate In A TTRPG
Certain Things Are Easier In A Virtual Space
The biggest reason that these environmental effects work so well inBaldur’s Gate 3but are not usually seen inD&Dis thatthey are hard to keep up with and implement consisntely for DMs. InBaldur’s Gate,every setting and map is planned out meticulously, and the game itself can calculate how surfaces would spread and keep track of what is where. For DMs, who are only human, keeping track of all that data is much harder.
For groups using theater-of-the-mind or just physical battlemaps, this would be much harder.
It might be feasible for parties that use online maps and have thought out the ramifications of environmental hazards beforehand, but for groups using theater-of-the-mind or just physical battlemaps, this would be much harder. Plus,manuevering around the map just works differently inBaldur’s Gate 3. Movement can’t be taken back once it is made, and the level of meta-game knowledge for specific fights is very different, especially forplayers on repeat playthroughs.
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In short, this mechanic works well becauseBaldur’s Gate 3is a video game, and while it might be interesting to see some version of it in futureD&Dgames, it would be hard to implement. Still,D&Dis getting some reworked rules right nowwith the three new books coming out, and there might be room for DMs to experiment with something like this. For such a small mechanic, it had a large impact on the flow of combat inBaldur’s Gate 3, and it deserves more recognition.
Source:Larian Studios/YouTube
Baldur’s Gate 3
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
