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View as plain text# Ember's Lute
Inspired by Lohse of Divinity Original Sin 2, this mod adds three lutes and several spells that let your avatar perform with musical sprites.
The sprites customise musical performances in the following ways:
+ automatically accompany your performances on supporting instrument types,
+ put on a dancing light show of instrument 'charms' that varies by song,
+ lets you toggle instrument specific support on/off mid-performance.
Performing "The Weeping Dawn" will have your avatar joined by the Spirit of a Tiefling Bard.
# Lute Trader Locations
+ Act One: the halfing by the entrance to the druid and tiefling den
+ Act Two: the harper quarter master at the Last Light Inn
+ Act Three: the Chromatic Scale store
All Ember's Lute items will appear on vendors inside an Ember's Lute treasure chest.
If you cannot see this chest on one of the above vendors, take a long rest and try again.
If you have the Tutorial Chest Summoning mod, you can also find the Embers' Lute chest inside the cartilaginous chest.
# Installation Instructions
This mod follows the same installation process as other BG3 mods.
For comprehensive instructions on how to install BG3 mods, visit this page: https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Modding:Installing_mods
## BG3 Mod Manager
The recommended way to install this is with LaughingLeader's BG3 Mod Manager (https://github.com/LaughingLeader/BG3ModManager/releases).
+ Choose the Manual Download option from the Files tab on the Nexus page for this mod, then in BG3 Mod Manager, go to File -> Import Mod...
+ If you do not already have Norbyte's Script Extender, then go to Tools -> Download & Install the Script Extender in BG3 Mod Manager.
+ To activate this mod, simply drag it from the right-hand panel to the left-hand panel in BG3 Mod Manager.
## Vortex
If you are comfortable with Vortex, then there should be no problem in taking advantage of the Nexus integration as a convenient way to install this mod quickly.
+ The only thing to keep in mind is that if you do not already have Norbyte's Script Extender (https://github.com/Norbyte/bg3se/releases) installed, you will need to do it manually. Fortunately, this is very easy to do - just follow the instructions in the releases link.
## Manually
If you wish to install manually, then you will need the information held in modsettings.lsx, which can be found as an Optional download on the Files tab.
+ This wiki page (https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Modding:Installing_mods) has a great set of instructions for manually installing BG3 mods.
+ You will also need to follow the steps for manually installing Norbyte's Script Extender, as per the Vortex instructions.
# Common Mod Installation Troubles
Certain symptoms point back to regularly occuring problems often experienced when installing BG3 mods or starting a new campaign with mods enabled.
These are not issues that are specific to installing this particular mod.
**I followed all the steps to add and enable a new mod, but now when I load up my Save Game, I cannot speak or interact with any NPCs or traders! The interaction problem goes away when I uninstall the mod.**
Typically experienced if Norbyte's Script Extender has not been installed or is currently unavailable. Script Extender will trigger all the required calls to the BG3 engine to start file merges and rebuild the Story data. Some people have also had success using Mod Fixer to achieve the same thing if they cannot use Script Extender for any reason (e.g. Mac users). Since this mod requires Script Extender as a dependency, the recommendation is to ensure the latest version Script Extender is installed and working. When you start BG3, you will see a message in the bottom left corner of the main menu screen which will tell you which version of Script Extender is running.
**The vendors are not showing any of the new items in the mod I've just installed.**
A common but usually simple one to resolve. Take a long rest and check the trader again. For the slightly technical explanation, BG3 will 'save' the treasure table of a vendor if you have interacted with them on any given day. So if you install a mod, load up a Save Game where you have recently spoken to a vendor, the new items will not appear until you long rest and the treasure tables are refreshed. This one has caught me out enough times I thought it worth a mention here.
**I started a new campaign after installing this mod, and now I am a white Dragonborn surrounded by naked men.**
This somewhat jarring experience is caused by a similar issue as the blocked dialog and interactions issue. There are two ways around it, that I know of at least, and have worked for me.
1. Uninstall all mods (you can temporarily remove them from modsettings.lsx, equivalent of deactivating mods in Vortex, or drag and dropping a mod from the left hand panel to the right hand panel in BG3 Mod Manager). Start a new campaign. Save your game once you are through character creation and then re-activate the mods and Script Extender.
2. If you need a mod to be enabled for the character creation, then this is one scenario where the Mod Fixer sledgehammer can be a reliable way of getting around the Durge and his naked party. Personally, I would remove Mod Fixer once through the character creation and then let Script Extender manage file merging triggers etc. going forward.
# Uninstallation Instructions
This mod includes a short book of uninstall steps for removing this mod from your Save Game, which can be found in the Ember's Lute chest in-game. It also includes an item designed to help with the cleanup, which the book goes into more details about.
## Important - Risks to be Aware of When Modding BG3
Because this mod adds new custom items to the game with custom template IDs, it will require pre-requisite in game steps before it can be uninstalled from a Save Game in which it has previously been enabled. While mod removal from a Save Game is quite possible, there is a risk that increases over time, where mod removal from a campaign can become very difficult. It's unfortunately not possible for me to 100% guarantee that it will be ALWAYS be possible to uninstall this mod from a Save Game in which it has been enabled and used. However, from my own testing, I am confident that it MOST PROBABLY will be possible to remove successfully, as long as you have not dropped or lost custom mod items somewhere in Faerun. General good practise: keep track of any custom mod items, stash them in your Camp Chest if you are not using them rather than dropping them in a random dungeon somewhere. The items this mod contains to help with mod removal is essentially a temporary container with an auto-filter on it. This will help you find and then fully erase the custom items from your Save Game, when they disappear along with the container.
## Important - Definition of "Removing" a Mod
Often when a mod is described as it being possible to uninstall from BG3, the statement is not concerning itself with the data footprint mods leave behind in Save Game datafiles, even after their pak files have been uninstalled. It is not dishonesty, more that because this data is generated by the BG3 engine, many will simply be unaware of it - and nor would they need to be concerned with low level BG3 engine behaviour. In the interest of transparency (and because I am a pedant), I feel compelled to point out the following: after this mod has been removed, Save Game datafiles will still contain references to custom template IDs. It's not the best or most complete analogy, but you can think of this data footprint left behind as a bit like an audit trail. "A spell was cast with this ID", "a character with this template ID was registered with this trigger", and so on. That low-level BG3 generated history does not get cleaned up by removing a pak file.
If you are not comfortable with the idea that it will not be possible to 100% clean ALL traces of this mod from a Save Game, even after a successful uninstallation of the pak file, then you should not install this mod. If you are reading this, now concerned, but have already installed it - don't panic - you can revert back to an older Save Game before the mod was enabled. This method, while not always desireable if it means loss of progress, does however guarantee Save Game datafiles will have no traces of custom items from the mod.
## Uninstallation Steps - Short Version
Caveats out of the way, here are the uninstall steps. There's a short version and a long version.
You only need to read the long version if you are interested in a more comprehensive explanation of what and why.
It is not required to use the items in this mod to uninstall the mod.
If you already have mods that clean up items (such as the Summon Tutorial Chest), these can be used instead to achieve the same outcome.
### Step 1
Check all companion equipment slots and unequip any items, instruments or clothes from this mod. Dismiss any summons from this mod.
### Step 2
Equip Arifel's Flute of Cleaning. You can find this flute in the same chest that contains the lutes, sold by the merchants. This flute unlocks the TEMPORARY CHEST spell. Use the spell to summon the chest to your inventory and it will auto-add all items tagged "EMBER". n.b. the Flute of Cleaning will also add itself to the container at this point. You can pass this temporary chest between companions if Ember's Lute items are across multiple inventories. Its filter should also work on the Camp Chest.
### Step 3
Wait for the temporary chest to disappear (10 turns). If you have recently been using any of the curse spells on the Whistling Lute, you may want to take a Long Rest at this point, just to ensure any status effects wear off.
### Step 4
Save the game. Quit BG3. Use your preferred mod manager to uninstall the Ember's Lute mod pak.
### Step 5
Restart BG3 and reload the Save Game. It should now be mod-free. If you experience a crash to main menu or desktop at this point, then it typically means there is still a custom reference lingering in the world somewhere that has been missed. You will need to reinstall and renable the pak file, then continue searching for any mod items that might have been missed. If you have been using the Transmog mod to swap item appearances, then it may be worth checking or restoring any glamoured items in your inventory.
# Uninstallation Steps - Long Version
The purpose of this section is to give more comprehensive steps along with explanations for why the steps are required. It's intended for those new to modding, or those looking for a read on the "gotchas" to be aware of when uninstalling mods that add new custom templates to the game.
## UNINSTALLING BG3 MODS
This mod adds new, custom items to the game, which creates dependencies in Save Game data. This means uninstalling the mod is very likely to cause issues, or prevent your Save Game from loading at all. If you are not comfortable with the risk that your Saves may break following a game patch or update, then I do not recommend you mod BG3. That warning aside, it is possible to "remove" this mod from a Save Game with a few pre-requisite steps that involve erasing the in-game custom items.
It is not enough to unequip custom mod items or stash them in the Camp chest. If you are experiencing a "crash to main menu" after uninstalling a mod and trying to continue from a Save, then custom items in your characters' inventories are a possible cause.
The most common way BG3 mods support item erasal is with the use of a temporary container that disappears after a few turns, along with all of the items placed inside it. The steps outlined in this book will walk you through how to do this with the utilities included in this mod, but there are many other ways to achieve the same thing.
One more thing to be aware of! Even if you successfully remove all the custom items, there will always be residual "data" from the mod in your Save Game files. In most cases, this data is benign and will exist silently in database files unreferenced after the mod is removed (custom template IDs etc.). However, if you are not comfortable with a mod leaving behind a data footprint in your Save Games, then do not install this mod.
## UNINSTALLATION STEPS
### Step 1
Check your companions for any Ember's Lute instruments, clothing or items and unequip them.
[Tip: if you can't remember if an item was from this mod, unequip it anyway and a filter will take care of it in a later step].
### Step 2
It's a good idea to save your game at this point, in case you need to revert.
Equip Arifel's Flute of Cleaning. You can purchase this from vendors along with the lutes. In Act1, the druid halfing near the entrance of the tiefling den. In Act2, the harper quarter master at Last Light Inn. In Act3, the Chromatic Scale store in the Lower City. It does not matter which companion or character uses the flute.
### Step 3
On equipping, this Flute will unlock a spell called 'TEMPORARY CHEST'. Equip the flute, use the spell.
You'll understand why in a moment.
### Step 4
A temporary chest (10 turns) will appear in your inventory. This chest has an auto-add for any items tagged with the Ember's Lute mod. You can pass this temporary container between companions and it will work in the same way that keyrings auto-add keys. The filter will also work on other containers. For example, you can drop this container into the Camp Chest to auto-filter any items that might be stashed away inside to save sorting through it manually.
### Step 4 ("by the way")
Please note, the auto-add will not remove equipped items.
But that's OK, because you followed Step 1, right? :)
The Flute of Cleaning is an exception. You'll need to keep this equipped to cast the temporary container spell. Casting the Temporary Chest spell will bump the flute out of your equipment slot once the container is summoned.
### Step 5
After 10 turns, the chest will vanish and everything inside it will be gone with it. Now, you can Save your game, quit BG3 and use your preferred mod manager to remove Ember's Lute.
If you installed this mod manually, then navigate to your game Mod folder and take the .pak file out of the directory. Remember to update modsettings.lsx and remove the entries added for this mod.
### Step 6
Restart BG3, load your Save game. If all the items were successfully removed, your game should load as usual, mod-free.
### HELP THE STEPS DID NOT WORK
If you are bumped back to the Main Menu, or straight to desktop, then reinstall the mod and reload.
Most likely there is a rogue item missed somewhere (obvious places to check are the Camp chest). If you have been playing with the spells on the Whistling Lute, then it might also be worth waiting some in-game time, just in case there are lingering turn-based statuses that need to time-out (10 minutes will be plenty). You can also try taking a long rest if you have recently granted Mild Mockery to party members.
After trying these suggestions, repeat the steps again to remove the Ember's Lute items from game and Save.
If this still does not work, then your Saves may need to come to terms with their life-long commitment to Ember's Lute. On the positive side, this mod has been deliberately designed not to impact the base game or the base music performance mechanics. Provided you do not equip the instruments included in the mod, you can play and perform music in BG3 unchanged.
Your last resort is to revert to an older Save before installing this mod.
# Thanks and Credits
A list of mods that appear in the video and some of the images uploaded to the Nexus pages for this mod:
+ Tav's Hairpack, by Toarie - https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/213
+ Extra Gear, by pooteeweet - https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/3483
+ Fancy Camp Clothes, by pooteeweet - https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/6919
+ PseudoKociaras' Heads by PseudoKociara - https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/6152
+ Izzli's Pigments and Tinctures by Izzli - https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/4706
+ Transmog Enhanced by Eralyne and Wayden - https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/2922
(Please let me know if you spot a mod I might have missed and I will add it).
With massive thanks to:
+ Norbyte for Script Extender (https://github.com/Norbyte/bg3se/releases) and the LSLib Export Tool (https://github.com/Norbyte/lslib/releases)
+ LaughingLeader for BG3ModManager (https://github.com/LaughingLeader/BG3ModManager/releases) and the BG3 Modding Tools (https://github.com/LaughingLeader/BG3ModdingTools/tree/master)
+ ShinyHobo for the BG3 Multi-Tool (https://github.com/ShinyHobo/BG3-Modders-Multitool)
+ Shivero's VFX Auto Color Changer (https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/3880)
+ An anonymous IRL friend who was a guinea pig for some early mod testing
All the assets in this mod, are either derived and adapted from the BG3 base game, or (for better or worse lol) my own creation.
Anyone is welcome to unpack this mod to inspect how things have been put together and you do not need to request my permission to do this, as long as you aren't doing so to extend or re-package as your own work. If you can make sense of it, then good on you! This mod has grown organically over the last few weeks I've been working on it, and I've gleefully jumped in to pretty much every rabbit hole that piqued my curiousity a bit as I tried to figure how how the pieces fit together. So, structurally it won't offer the most straightforward examples of how to achieve things in BG3. I've tried to compensate for this with lots of comments to explain whatever madness was going through my head at the time.
There are no music paks or assets included in this mod. All music used is calling existing in-game BG3 sound events only.
The mod will attempt to remove custom spells for unowned songs from the UI (such as the Divinity DLC songs), but this is
just to avoid a spell that only plays silent animations if the music is not installed. It's not doing anything with the
assets directly.
