How Heodan and Calisca never have to die (easy step-by-step instructions)

[Avalonica]

For Heodan and Calisca to cheat death at "scripted event" you sadly have to start a new game as I never got any other trick to work reliably.

 

1. Make a new character and play as normal, but just before exiting the cave "Cilant Lîs" save the game.

(skip step 2 if you have IE Mod already installed) 

 

2. Quit game and download IE Mod from Nexus: http://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity/mods/1/?

(by itself this mod is fantastic, but it opens up more console commands that might be needed for this to work)

 

3. Open the console and enter "ManageParty", now dismiss Heodan and Calisca and press accept.

(if "ManageParty" does not work, you must first enter "iroll20s" first)

 

4. With Heodan and Calisca dismissed you can now leave the cave "Cilant Lîs" and activate the event outside, and once it's played out leave zone (also called "Cilant Lîs").

 

5. When in "Valewood" you can use the "ManageParty" console command and recruit Heodan and Calisca again who just have cheated one of the more unfair scripted game death's ever.

 

VERY IMPORTANT!

Avoid to have Heodan and Calisca in your party if/when you zone to "Cilant Lîs" map because their "death script" generally will crash the game when you later "zone out" from that map. Otherwise everything works fine (so far) for me with them both in my group.

[Hellraiser789]

....but they don't have any dialogue right? ....So why don't you just make 2 adventurer-replicas of them? Wouldn't that be easier? Granted you might not have their portraits and voices, but you could probably find them and use them if you really tried to look for them in the data files....right? Still, thats kinda cool I guess.

[Amberion]

...I guess there are people who care enough about these kinds of characters to go to extreme lengths to save them. I'm sure someone made a mod to save Corporal Jenkins in Mass Effect, Wilson in Mass Effect 2, The Other Sibling in Dragon Age 2, or the numerous NPCs that die in the various origin stories of Dragon Age Origins. It takes all kinds, I guess.

[drunetovich]

Then a certain sister will tell you how she is waiting for her sister and it is her fault that she is dead now, while her sibling stands right beside her alive and well?

[Avalonica]

Then a certain sister will tell you how she is waiting for her sister and it is her fault that she is dead now, while her sibling stands right beside her alive and well?

Yeah, it feels a bit strange at that point, but still... Calisca is alive for the rest of your story so it's a win anyways.

[Avalonica]

....but they don't have any dialogue right? ....So why don't you just make 2 adventurer-replicas of them? Wouldn't that be easier? Granted you might not have their portraits and voices, but you could probably find them and use them if you really tried to look for them in the data files....right? Still, thats kinda cool I guess.

Heodan and Calisca actually have "dialouge" if you talk with them that sortof is relevant always even if it wont evolve like the other companions. But the great thing with this "trick" is that we now can have the "orginal" Heodan and Calisca, and the feeling from a RP-point is priceless.

[gkathellar]

 

....but they don't have any dialogue right? ....So why don't you just make 2 adventurer-replicas of them? Wouldn't that be easier? Granted you might not have their portraits and voices, but you could probably find them and use them if you really tried to look for them in the data files....right? Still, thats kinda cool I guess.

Heodan and Calisca actually have "dialouge" if you talk with them that sortof is relevant always even if it wont evolve like the other companions. But the great thing with this "trick" is that we now can have the "orginal" Heodan and Calisca, and the feeling from a RP-point is priceless.

 

 

Except that you know they actually died and that you only managed to save them via ... I dunno, peggy sue shenanigans?

[Avalonica]

 

 

....but they don't have any dialogue right? ....So why don't you just make 2 adventurer-replicas of them? Wouldn't that be easier? Granted you might not have their portraits and voices, but you could probably find them and use them if you really tried to look for them in the data files....right? Still, thats kinda cool I guess.

Heodan and Calisca actually have "dialouge" if you talk with them that sortof is relevant always even if it wont evolve like the other companions. But the great thing with this "trick" is that we now can have the "orginal" Heodan and Calisca, and the feeling from a RP-point is priceless.

 

 

Except that you know they actually died and that you only managed to save them via ... I dunno, peggy sue shenanigans?

 

No, technically they "never" died, if you do this trick. Simply put, they "waited" in the cave while you go out alone.

 

The thing is, the "death script" really kills them if they follow with you out, so it's impossible to console add them again since when they do "join" they directly "die" (you hear a scream). However, for some characters depending on luck you can manually console move back to first caravan map and if lucky that way see Heodan and Calisca there, but sadly you can only force console add "Heodan" but it bugs a lot and it's not recommended since game crash when zoning with him that way.

 

Moral of the story is that both Heodan and Calisca have a fantastic backstory, and RP-wise there is just a few RP-bumps in the road to keep them alive, but well worth to live with (at least in my book).

[gkathellar]

She's dead, Jim.

[Hatred]

Wow. It is kind of cool that you worked out how to do this. I cannot say that I would imagine following in your footsteps and saving them this way. Its still cool though.

[Avalonica]

She's dead, Jim.

Not if you (or anyone else) follow my step-by-step instructions, then both Heodan and Calisca can live, period!

 

Truth be known, depending on how a player "finish" the first caravan map things can change too i.e. you can kill all in camp (including Heodan and Calisca), you can also depending on dialogue and your character statistic limitations end up with a dead Heodan or Calisca, so it all boils down to how the "player" want to have things play out really.

 

I get it that you are not happy with my Heodan and Calisca "avoid death" circumvention but my goal here was simply to open up "one more" path where Heodan and Calisca still can be alive after a scripted death event. From a RP-viewpoint, if the protagonist character feels something bad lies ahead then she/he will ask them both to "wait" inside the cave, and I can't see any problems with that really. Some players of course do not approve, while others for sure will use my step-by-step instructions to open this "extra option" of solving things

[zephiris]

I wonder if these kind of stories put a smile on the developers face when they read it. Funny how you went through such lengths to get them to live.

I thought to myself as well when they died. "WTF? I just went through so much trouble keeping them alive. And now they just drop dead". 

 

Haha, but I prefer the companions more. Interesting bunch of people and they interact with you on various quests and ocassions.

[lyin321]

 It will be nice (and an instant restart from me) if someone modded Calisca not to die and have dialogue like normal companion for the rest of the game. And one more party member for those of us that don't want to use the inn's fake party members!

 But maybe she is someone that modders can't touch and they will have to introduce new companions...

 

PS: who is Heodan ?

Edited April 2, 2015 by lyin321

[Avalonica]

 It will be nice (and an instant restart from me) if someone modded Calisca not to die and have dialogue like normal companion for the rest of the game. And one more party member for those of us that don't want to use the inn's fake party members!

 But maybe she is someone that modders can't touch and they will have to introduce new companions...

 

PS: who is Heodan ?

Yes, a mod that does all of this automatically would be great. A dialogue just before leaving the cave based on player statistics about feeling something bad outside would be perfect and really hammer in the roleplay reasons why Heodan and Calisca "might wait behind", then some changes in the Calisca's sister conversation and small things like that. And yes, its fully possible (without voice acting) to make both companions react on events and such. Really hoping a modder will do something! Would love to see a living Heodan's story unfold and how Calisca help's her sister and such... lots potential here!

 

Oh, Heodan is a "Rogue" companion, and sadly he is killed with Calisca (fighter companion) outside the cave Cilant Lîs. The main problem with this is the fact that Heodan is the only "pre-made" Rogue companion the players are given unless they make their own Rogue protagonist or one "generic" one at the inn.

 

If you follow my step-by-step instructions at 1st post you wont need a mod to achieve success in keeping Heodan or Calisca or both (depending on how you solved things back in camp of course) alive outside the cave.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Avalonica

[Augustus]

I was looking to see if someone had actually figured out a way to do this before starting my next play through of the game. I already had IE mod installed and it worked just fine. It's not too immersion breaking besides the thing with Calisca's sister and it's nice to have some extra voiced companions around. Nicely done!