Divinity: Original Sin 2 developer Larian Studios has revealed what its final Kickstarter stretch goal looks like. Game Master Mode turns Divinity: Original Sin 2 into a tabletop RPG system like Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder, allowing players to create pen and paper campaigns using Divinity ’s combat system for battles.
You can check out a detailed video below, featuring D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast’s “Lost Mine of Phandelver” module from the D&D 5th Edition starter set:
GM Mode is designed for four players plus the Game Master. Focused on storytelling, GMs can completely control their campaign by choosing from a bevy of campaign maps or by uploading their own images. They can also choose from among many pre-built settings (over 120 of these pre-made levels) as well as character models to create their own combat and roleplaying encounters.
“We built Game Master Mode to be as flexible as possible, so you can adapt to your friends on the fly and create a truly reactive world. Do your players want to burn down an NPC’s home? Make a pact with, rather than kill, the demonic boss? Perhaps they want to parlay with the pack of rabid wolves using pet pal? Even if you haven’t planned for it, you can adapt quickly to their choices and still deliver a story that feels real.
“Whether you’re new to tabletop role-playing or an experienced GM, we’ve worked hard to make sure this is easy to pick up and intuitive to use. We also have prepared campaigns so you can jump straight in, working with a preexisting world to get a feel for the tool or, of course, you can create your own,” the dev team wrote on Kickstarter.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 ’s all-new modding tool will allow GMs to build the classic fantasy adventure of their dreams: coliseums, quaint towns, gloomy dungeons and any other tropes the imagination might offer.
Using a “vignettes” system, Game Masters create text “cards” allowing players to select different dialogue and decision options as well as make dice-based skill checks. Success is determined by the GM alone, and when fights break out, GMs and players can use Divinity ’s complete tactical combat system to resolve them. GMs may allow enemies to battle automatically or take direct control over NPCs, either to battle their players or support them.
“It’s a full modding package,” said Larian Studios creative director Swen Vincke in an interview with Polygon. “You can create your own levels. The level editor allows you to make your own creatures, and you can also import those. You can create new art assets. What you’re seeing here now [in game master mode] is just the storytelling part.”
Custom campaigns can be uploaded and shared via Steam Workshop as well, so if you’re suffering from a creative block, you can leverage the entire imaginative power of the Divinity: Original Sin 2 community to resolve it.
A stream will be available with Matt Mercer, well-known voice actor and GM of Geek and Sundry ’s popular Critical Show , at 7 p.m. EST here on the Larian Studios Twitch channel. The stream will also feature livestreamers Jesse Cox, Dodger, Strippin and Bikeman as adventurers in the world of Mercer’s design.
Prepared for the fun and visuals of Original Sin married to the group creativity and freedom of a D&D roleplaying session? Check out the stream today for a look at Divinity: Original Sin 2 ’s Game Master mode and feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section below.
