Hearts of Darkness Soul Offer

[Rudra]

In the 3rd arc of the Hearts of Darkness, the 1st mission has you go to a Fortunata Fateweaver to discover Zephyr's weakness. When the Fateweaver says a price would be demanded, your character, regardless of background, morality, or intelligence, idiotically offers up his/her/their/its soul. Even if said character wouldn't even have one. There are multiple points in the Hearts of Darkness story line that I find... not well thought out... but this one is most likely the most egregious in my book. (At least Dean John Yu's lines have been updated since Live so he is less obvious about using your character. Still obvious, but less insultingly to the player in just how obvious it is.)

 

So my request is this: A new line of dialogue selectable by the player is added to the interaction with the Fateweaver. A more generic dialog option such as simply asking what the price for the provided information is instead of the hamfisted forced on the player choice of offering up their soul. For players playing characters willing to offer up their soul? That dialogue option would remain. For others? An alternate approach that may fit their character concept better. (Like a robot character being able to inquire as to what the requisite price would be instead of offering up something it does not possess.)

 

(I get that the Hearts of Darkness and Shining Stars arcs are built around newb characters that haven't got a clue so the player can learn about game features the basic tutorial doesn't cover, but come on.)

 

Edit: It's like a DM/GM arbitrarily telling you what your character rolled for a check without anyone rolling anything or telling you how your character has to behave or act.

 

Edit again: Just because a character is a newb/noob, does not mean the character is an idiot. And even from the assumed human perspective of the game, there are a plethora of reasons why the human would either not be able to offer up their soul or would be unwilling to offer up their soul.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Rudra

[FupDup]

I don't think it was meant to be taken literally. "Selling your soul" is a common expression for paying a high price for something, it doesn't necessarily involve actual soul exchanges. 

 

But I wouldn't complain about an extra dialogue option. 

[Rudra]

11 minutes ago, FupDup said:

I don't think it was meant to be taken literally. "Selling your soul" is a common expression for paying a high price for something, it doesn't necessarily involve actual soul exchanges. 

 

But I wouldn't complain about an extra dialogue option. 

I would agree with that except for the line used. The line is: "Price, huh? Do you want my soul? I'm not really using it...". That is not using an expression. That is quite plainly offering up your soul, with no idea how to actually do so.

 

(Edit: Apologies for the very rapid response. I was adding the last edit on the OP, which took me 4 tries because the site kept logging me off and not saving what I typed.... So I was already on the page when you posted your response.)

Edited November 25, 2023 by Rudra

[Cybersbe]

3 hours ago, Rudra said:

I would agree with that except for the line used. The line is: "Price, huh? Do you want my soul? I'm not really using it...". That is not using an expression. That is quite plainly offering up your soul, with no idea how to actually do so.

 

(Edit: Apologies for the very rapid response. I was adding the last edit on the OP, which took me 4 tries because the site kept logging me off and not saving what I typed.... So I was already on the page when you posted your response.)

Honestly, I always interpreted that line in a tongue in cheek way. You know how people sometimes claim evil people are “soulless”? This line rings similar bells.

[Rudra]

45 minutes ago, Cybersbe said:

Honestly, I always interpreted that line in a tongue in cheek way. You know how people sometimes claim evil people are “soulless”? This line rings similar bells.

To me, that would have been more along the lines "Hope it's not my soul, I'm not sure I have one." or anything else of similar approach. I don't see any other way to read the current dialogue line except as straight up offering your soul (because you think so little of it). And while that may be a trope for villainous beings bargaining for power, your character is not bargaining for power, just for information on how to take down Zephyr. (Which is a ridiculously paltry thing to trade your soul for. And typically, when a character trades their soul, they gain arcane or demonic/infernal power.)