Gale: Difference between revisions

From Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 78: Line 78:
* {{Ability Check|Charisma|7}} — available to [[Warlock|Warlocks]], [[Sorcerer|Sorcerers]] and [[Bard|Bards]]  
* {{Ability Check|Charisma|7}} — available to [[Warlock|Warlocks]], [[Sorcerer|Sorcerers]] and [[Bard|Bards]]  
* {{Ability Check|Wisdom|7}} — available to [[Druid|Druids]] and [[Cleric|Clerics]]  
* {{Ability Check|Wisdom|7}} — available to [[Druid|Druids]] and [[Cleric|Clerics]]  
* {{Ability Check|Dexterity|12}} —available to [[Rogue|Rogues]]  
* {{Ability Check|Dexterity|12}} — available to [[Rogue|Rogues]]  


If the first check is failed, a second one can be attempted with increased difficulty:
If the first check is failed, a second one can be attempted with increased difficulty:

Revision as of 23:05, 13 February 2024

Template:Up to date

Gale, full name Gale Dekarios, is an origin character and a recruitable companion with the Sage background. He is a human Wizard first appearing during Act 1.

A scholar and prodigy in the arcane arts, Gale is committed to unlocking the secrets of the Weave no matter the cost. He can be first found at the Ravaged Beach during Act 1 where he can be recruited into the party, and be romanced by characters of any gender.

There's a gust of Weave about you, but it's a mere breeze. I need a tempest.
— Gale's hunger for powerful magic.

Overview

For a full overview of Gale's starting features, see the articles Wizard, Evocation School and Human.

Background

A prodigy in magic, Gale is a wizard of great talent and just as great ambition. Once a Chosen of Mystra, his quest to prove himself to the goddess of magic resulted in him being cursed with a long-forgotten form of magic, a ticking time bomb with an all consuming hunger. Now, lost to Mystra's graces and with a tadpole in his brain, Gale must find a way to be rid of both curse and unwelcome guest.

Starting class

Gale starts as a Wizard with a balanced repertoire of spells, allowing him to act both as an offensive and supporting caster. Upon reaching level two, he will default to the Evocation School subclass, giving him access to a wider arsenal of offensive spells.

Special features

Personal quest

Gale's personal quest is The Wizard of Waterdeep, spanning all acts of the game. In it, Gale will have to come to terms with the consequences of his unbridled ambitions, as well as deal with the ticking time bomb in his body.

Two further subquests are available that tie into his personal quest: In Case of Death..., in which the party must deal with Gale's protocol for his untimely death, and Balthazar's Experiment, where Gale can decide to finish the work of a dangerous necromancer.

Recruitment

Gale can be recruited as a permanent companion during Act One.

Act One

If the first check is failed, a second one can be attempted with increased difficulty:

  • DC 12 Strength check — available if the first unsuccessful attempt was a Strength check
  • DC 7 Strength check — available if the first unsuccessful attempt was a class-specific check

Failing two checks, or choosing to leave him to his fate, will mean Gale falls back into the rune circle and cannot be recruited.

Approval

Main article: Gale/approval
Gale Approves
Gale generally approves of doing good and helping those in need, as well as solving conflicts with tact and pragmatic solutions. He likes those who appreciate the arcane arts and are willing to learn from him, as well as those who support his grand ambitions.

Gale dislikes harming innocents and using unnecessary violence when diplomacy is an option. As a scholar, he disapproves of destroying or wasting valuable knowledge, and those who criticise his convictions and goals will earn his disapproval.

Romance

Main article: Gale/romance

Gale can be romanced by characters of any gender. In his relationship, Gale must reconcile his newfound feelings of love with the consequences of his former time with Mystra, as well as deal with his impending death.

Description

Appearance

Gale has a simple, yet refined style to him, with clothes well-made but never ostentatious. His mousy brown hair is straight and shoulder-length, swept back with an elegant flair. His eyes are chestnut brown, his gaze soft but confident, and he keeps his facial hair neatly trimmed. On his left ear, Gale wears a silver earring shaped in the form of a star, holy symbol of Mystra, representing perhaps his former relationship with the goddess or just his affinity with magic. In the middle of his chest, a dark circle with wispy tendrils can be found, the result of absorbing Karsus' netherese magic. These tendrils extend all the way to under his left eye, faint, but ever present.[note 1]

Personality

Gale is an intelligent, thoughtful wizard, with a good-hearted and peaceful nature. Despite his scholarly and slightly pompous manner of speaking, he is friendly and always willing to lend his ear to friends. As an accomplished wizard and eternal scholar, he is proud of his arcane knowledge and feats achieved as an erstwhile Chosen, yet it's this pride combined with his ambition that prevent him from seeing reason sometimes, risking repeating mistakes from the past. Still, Gale isn't unreasonable, and if convinced by friends, he's willing to think twice before jumping to rash actions.

Though outwardly confident and easy-going, Gale still carries the physical and emotional wounds of his former relationship with Mystra and the consequences of dabbling in forbidden magic. As such, he is sensitive about criticism, and often reacts defensively when confronted by his past actions. All of this leads him to be willing to do anything to earn Mystra's forgiveness, even if it means sacrificing his life to do so. He also seems to hide somewhat behind his Gale of Waterdeep persona, built to project this image of a great and powerful wizard as opposed to, the way he sees it, the more mundane Gale Dekarios.[1]

History

Life in Waterdeep

Born to Morena Dekarios and an unknown father,[1] Gale was raised in the city of Waterdeep. A prodigy of magic from a young age, Gale learned to manipulate the Weave like a skilled virtuoso plays music, his talents and abilities manifesting in many occasions, though often with unintended consequences. One time, forbidden from having a cat of his own by his parents, Gale summoned Tara, a tressym that would become not only his lifelong companion, but also family.[2] After Gale's departure from home, Tara would keep mother Dekarios company throughout the years. Other less successful attempts resulted in a fiery meeting with a Magma Mephit, though he kept in touch with them over the years, nonetheless.[2][note 2] In time, Gale would be enrolled at the prestigious Blackstaff Academy, an educational institution for promising wizards and sorcerers.[3]

Blackstaff Academy

The academy seemed the perfect place to nourish his talents, as Gale deeply believed he was destined for greatness despite being only a child. Still, young Gale's misadventures would continue even at the academy. Irritated with everyone's lack of faith in him, he attempted to cast a portal spell with the Blackstaff itself. Though it worked, rather than returning to his dormitory as he intended, the resulting portal pulled him into Limbo, facing a rather angry Death Slaad. Before Gale could face the slaad, the current Blackstaff Archmage pulled Gale back, and punished him with months of tedious work.[3]

Chosen of Mystra

At some point, Gale was mentored by Elminster Aumar, one of the most powerful and famous wizards of Faerûn and a hero to Gale. The Sage of Shadowdale guided Gale, furthering his mastery over the Weave and arcane arts, and over time became something of a parental figure to him.[4]

Gale's talent eventually drew the attention of the Goddess of Magic, Mystra, who made him one of her Chosen. Mystra became a teacher, muse, and eventually lover to Gale.[5] When Mystra's passion waned, Gale sought the rekindle her interest by showing her he was her equal. Arrogance demanded she see him as worthy of peering beyond what the goddess of magic allowed mortals to experience, but she refused his every plea. Having learned of Karsus' Folly and his attempts at reaching godhood via his netherese magic, Gale searched for a tome containing a scrap of Weave, hoping to impress Mystra by returning a long-lost part of her.[6] Yet when he opened the book, a writhing mass of darkest black leapt at him, becoming part of his body and giving him an insatiable hunger for magic. To keep the orb from exploding with enough force to level an entire city flat, Gale needed to consume magic constantly in order to feed this gnawing hunger. But the most painful punishment for his hubris would be to lose his position as Mystra's Chosen. When she learned of Gale's recklessness, Mystra ceased all contact with him and ended their relationship for good without adding another word, leaving Gale to deal with the netherese orb within him on his own.

Seclusion in Waterdeep

Abandoned and with a doomsday device in his body, Gale moved back to his tower in Waterdeep to live in quiet seclusion. As much as he wished to be alone, Tara was there to accompany him even in his lowest of lows,[7] and together, they spent most of their time locating magic items for Gale to consume. His abandonment by Mystra turned him into somewhat of a recluse with few friends remaining.

Eventually, Gale left the tower in a hurry for unexplained reasons, where he was then abducted by the rogue Nautiloid and subsequently tadpoled along other victims.

Involvement

The Wizard of Waterdeep

Gale Icon.png
See main article: The Wizard of Waterdeep

The Wizard of Waterdeep is Gale's personal quest. It is added to the journal upon recruiting him and spans all three acts of the game.

Act One

Likely used magic to portal out and got trapped in the process.

Over the course of Gale's personal quest, the game offers the player the choice to encourage, guide or simply mistrust him. While Gale can lie about the danger his condition poses to the party, he can eventually open up to the player character and look to them for guidance.

After the end of Act Two, Gale becomes fascinated by the existence of the Crown of Karsus, developing an obsession with it – and its power. Depending on the player's choices, he either soon regrets his hubris and makes a commitment to become more humble, or decides to reforge the crown and use it to ascend to godlike status, using his new powers to help people.

Tara disapproves of the idea of martyrdom, and will force an origin Gale to promise her he will find another way.

Act Two

Act Three

Endings

Professor Dekarios

The God of Ambition

Quest rewards

Interactions

Companion interactions

Gale has unique dialogue interactions as a companion available after certain events. Whenever one is available, he will have a floating [ ! ] icon above him.

Act One

  • After saving Mirkon from the harpies near the grove, Gale will reminisce about his childhood with the party.
  • If the party intervenes on behalf of Arabella when facing Kagha's judgment and manages to have her spared, Gale will be happy about the outcome of the confrontation.
  • Upon receiving Mystra's orders via Elminster, Gale can be spoken to to learn more about his feelings on his new mission.

Act Two

Act Three

  • After meeting Tara on the rooftop of the Open Hand Temple, Gale will express his happiness over seeing her once more, and can be questioned about his surname.

Moonrise Towers

Reithwin Town

  • Interacting with the corpses of either Gerringothe Thorm, Malus Thorm, or Thisobald Thorm gives you the choice to consume the shadow magic within them, or purge it. Consuming it awards a permanent level 3 long rest recharged spell slot, purging it awards you mystra's blessing until the next long rest.

Unique interactions

Either as an origin, or in the party as a companion, Gale has unique interactions and special dialogue with the following characters, listed by the act they are first encountered in.

Act One

Act Two

Act Three

Loot

Gale can be killed and looted, and drops the same loot as his starting equipment.

Starting equipment

Achievements

A-Repairing the Weave.jpg

Repairing the Weave
Stabilise Gale's Netherese orb.


Gallery

Related literature

Notes

  1. Gale received an appearance change in Patch 8 of Early Access that would remain until release. His face was changed and smaller details like his signature earring and chest tattoo were added.
  2. It's likely that Gale's summoned mephit is the same magma mephit who appears in In Case of Death...
  • Can be spoken to with Speak with Dead.
  • According to Larian Studios, until Patch 3 of Early Access, Gale was both the most romanced and most killed companion.
  • He will correct the player if they refer to Tara as "his" tressym. However, Tara refers to Gale as hers and affectionately calls him the "most expensive pet in Waterdeep".
  • During the end of his Companion story, Wyll remarks, "Let's hope Gale doesn't take offence if I assume cooking duties, just the once." This implies that Gale usually does the cooking. Additionally, if he is sent to camp when recruited in Act One, he will tell the player he is going to cook a slow roast for their return.
  • As of Patch 5 of release, Gale is the most played origin character according to Larian Studios.[url 1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Open Hand Temple rooftop, lines spoken by Gale after inquiring about his surname upon meeting Tara.
    "It is. Courtesy of my mother, the inimitable, dare I say it sometimes unavoidable, Morena Dekarios. It's been so long since I've used it. 'Gale Dekarios' cuts a poor figure next to the wizarding prowess of 'Gale of Waterdeep'."
  2. 2.0 2.1 Secluded Cove, dialogue with Gale after saving Mirkon.
    "One time my parents denied me a kitten, so I summoned myself a tressym. Dear old Tara. Beautiful creature. (...) There was that magma mephit once. Nice fellow - we kept in touch."
  3. 3.0 3.1 Arcane Tower, lines spoken by Gale after reaching the tower and speaking to him.
    "Ah. Quite. A misadventure from my days as an apprentice at Blackstaff Academy. I was but a child, only a few months into my studies, but already I knew I was destined for greatness. No one believed me, of course, so I decided to prove it. To cast a spell with the Blackstaff itself. From one perspective, I succeeded. I opened a portal. However, instead of pointing it at the first year dormitory, I found myself pulled into limbo, facing a very irritated Death Slaad. Fortunately, The Blackstaff himself came to the rescue, hauling me back from the brink, and straight into several months of writing lines."
  4. Campsite, origin Gale's thoughts after being tasked by Elminster to sacrifice himself to destroy the Absolute.
    Narrator: "It's one thing to have fallen from such heights, but to have Elminster himself now witness your humiliation is almost unbearable."
    Gale's thoughts: "His disappointment cuts deeper even than Mystra's. He was your hero..."
    Narrator: "While most know of Elminster the legend, few know him as you have. He plucked you from obscurity. Offered you his guidance. His faith. And most recently, his pity."
  5. Campsite, lines spoken by Gale when telling the player about his past relationship with Mystra.
    "Once upon a time, not quite that long ago, there lived a wizard in a tower. (...) Such was his skill that it earned him the attention of the mother of magic herself. The Lady of Mysteries. Mystra. (...) Mystra showed him the secrets beneath the veils. The gossamer veils first, draped across the Weave. The delicate veils next, draped across her body. 'Chosen One', she whispered (...)."
  6. Campsite, lines spoken by Gale when telling the player about his past relationship with Mystra.
    "A fragment of it was caught and sealed away in a book. No ordinary book, mind you: a tome of gateways that contained within it a bubble of Astral Plane. It was a fragment of primal Weave locked out of time - locked away from Mystra herself."
  7. Campsite, dialogue with Tara after suffering the first pangs of arcane hunger as origin Gale.
    Narrator: "Nestled amongst your books and papers, Tara bore witness to your greatest triumphs... and your greatest failure. You made yourself a walking cataclysm, the annihilation brewing within you just about held at bay by your constant consumption of magical objects. Tara saw it all, but never left your side."
  1. Official Twitter Account: Larian Studios (05-12-2023). Baldur's Gate 3 in Numbers. Larian Studios. Retrieved 06-02-2024. Archived from the original on 06-02-2024.

External links