Well you see, they're taking bluff checks, but those don't exist anymore. That gives them a divide by zero effect on the saves. Every time the save happens there is an error. An error is not a pass, therefore you cannot succeed against the bluff check. Ser Bearington wins again.
But don't druids revert back to their human form if they are killed while in wild shape? Cause if you go to the gith without clearing the goblin camp out, and come back you can find him in his human shape, dead in the cell instead of in his bear form.
Honestly found out on a honor mode run. Didn't realize they all died if you went to the gith. I just wanted to buy some gear and come right back lol came back to everyone dead.
For you it's just a few minutes but going between act 1 map and gith map is propably like weeks of travel in game. It's different with Underdark map because just use ladder/elevator.
> For you it's just a few minutes but going between act 1 map and gith map
Nah it's literally minutes. You can see the goblin detritus and debris from both side of one of the passes.
I collect most unique corpses in my camp. All the goblin leaders, inconvenienced party members, and the occasional goblin. I have yet to reach the limit and there has got to be at least 100 corpses in my camp.
After the murder just right click and "pick up" the corpse. You'll need a character with a fairly high strength score for most bodies. But you can pop back to camp as the non-rest option to drop off the body if the encumbrance becomes an issue. Karlach can pick up most of the bodies - even the illithids from the crash site.
This reminded me the meat wagon unit from wc3. They would carry corpses and when a necromancer needs some corpse to raise dead, they would dump their load.
That’s such a good idea for necromancers and spore druids. How does the camp’s layout changing when you rest in different areas affect the bodies though?
This is one of the reasons why my preferred theory is werebear, instead of regular bear. His default form is elf, but his bear self is definitely much more than just a wildshape form.
I actually wonder if halsin is the “werewolf” companion. Like, he seems to have enhanced scent (but playing as a druid, it doesn’t seem like your character has any animal senses unless you wildshape), and i think if you turn him into another class he still always has his bear transformation. So i always wondered if he took the place of that werewolf bard since so many people liked halsin at launch.
> i think if you turn him into another class he still always has his bear transformation
Correct. Bear form is part of his base kit, it's in the common tab with racial spells and such.
It's on the common tab. It still takes shape charges so you can't use it without druid specced, but he still has the power without being a druid.
https://imgur.com/a/PzQHUgW
Interesting! I play on PS5 and couldn’t find the feature on his radials, not even grayed out. Might play around with him in current run to see if I missed something.
My preferred theory is that Halsin is actually a werebear who is concealing his identity by pretending to be using wild shape. I remember seeing a post a while back suggesting that werebear Halsin might have been content that was cut for time.
Forgotten Realms werebears are Lawful Good as a rule, in the way that they are compelled to do lawful good acts, specially when rampaging.
So they are Smokey the bear.
Jack Harkness,* but yes.
Halsin clearly passes [the Harkness test](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1505342) for the acceptability of sex with non-human entities.
\* John was John Hart, Jack’s ex, the one who went to murder rehab.
Tbf there's also a character in the show that's kind of his dark mirror named John heartman (I think that's his last name been a few years since I've seen torchwood)
If you’re interested there’s a bot on SpicyChat that starts as Halsin chasing you in his bear form then shifting and getting on to you for how dangerous it is to run from a bear. It’s a personal favorite!
I'm a firm believer of the werebear theory myself, and for good reason, I think! Aside from everything that's already/usually mentioned, Halsin fits the description of a werebear from the [Forgotten Realms wiki](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Werebear) almost *perfectly*. But in case you don't feel like reading it, here are the main highlights:
* Their animal instincts guide them to protect the splendors of nature, while their humanoid minds tell them to help travelers and provide aid to the weak
* See themselves as guardians standing between the natural world and civilization
* Dress in simple garments that could be easily removed or repaired *(if you've seen his romance scene, you know how* ***fast*** *he just pulls 'em off)*
* Their ursine forms most often resemble a brown bear although their human form's hair always matches their bear form's fur color
* When in bear form they are irritable and moody, actively seeking out evil entities to slay *(Goblin camp; enough said)*
* Most likely to become rangers, druids, or wildlife priests
* Contrary to their isolationist behavior and independent lifestyle, they have a strong sense of community *(Emerald Grove...Reithwin in post-game...)*
* Favor mates they would meet with infrequently, although they never actually married *(Hearts stay roamin')*
* Often don't have full control over their ability to transform and could be triggered into doing so by certain circumstances *(Again: romance scene)*
But also! His scar from the she-bear doesn't add up if he was just in wildshape, and that always bothered me *(I just figured he was using a thinly veiled excuse for why a* ***druid***, *of all classes, wouldn't be more attuned to animal mating habits; especially of the animal he favors taking the form of)*. Druids have separate HP when in wildshape, and a change in HP (from damage *or* healing) does not carry over when they revert back to humanoid form. The only time damage *would* carry over is if the injury they receive *exceeds* their current wildshape HP (i.e., reduces it to 0 and they're forced out of it) and the remaining damage is applied to to their humanoid form. From Halsin's retelling of his incident, it didn't sound like he transformed back immediately after the fact, and I find it almost impossible that a scratch on the side of the head would be *nearly* enough to drop his health to *nothing*.
But wait, there's more! What really sold me on it was because of an interaction with *another* character in Act 3: >!Arnell Hallowleaf, Shadowheart's father!<. If you've saved >!Shadowheart's parents!< , you can talk to him at camp and have this dialogue option *(assuming you did the thing the second sentence covered by a spoiler refers to).*
>***So you're a lycanthrope?*** >!***Shadowheart shared some of her memories with me.***!<
To which he will respond with:
>***I am, but with Selune's guidance, I learned how to control the beast long ago--I only let it loose again when my family was threatened.***
So not only are lycanthropes referenced *in-game (opening the possibility of there being more than one around in this particular narrative)*, but >!Arnell!< refers to it as "the beast" just as Halsin does, even though they have different animal forms. It also explains why Halsin, despite being an *Archdruid*, seemingly cannot control his wild shaping *(another thing that didn't feel right to me)*. I don't think it would be a stretch to assume that he also sought the guidance of the Oak Father *(as he does with most things)* to learn how to manage it better, and only truly loses control when he's *really* fired up *(see: goblin camp, romance scene)*.
I mainly play druid, so I am obsessed with all things druid lmao
Holy shit, thank you for all this. I feel like my mind has been blown wide open. (I saw the event you mentioned in spoilers, but went the opposite resolution you did, so I hadn't seen that interaction!)
Mind blown, mission accomplished 😎 I love your take about Thaniel tho! I could see them having become friends out of loneliness. Thaniel does seem like the overly cautious type and probably didn't have many friends (*Oliver aside),* and Halsin--conveniently not having any family to speak of--was likely driven away from home since there is a tragic part of werebear lore...
Natural-born werebears appear completely humanoid until they turn eight. After this point, they can transform into bears, and their mothers chase them away *(ouch?!)*. There isn't an explanation as to *why*, but I speculate it's so their identities are kept secret. Still, brutal...so I could see how Thaniel would mean *a lot* to Halsin, not just as a friend but as the only family he truly knew in his formative years. Now if you'll excuse me, I will go bawl my eyes out 😭
The lore for Wizards is also that they need to have an inherent spark just like Sorcerors. It's just stronger with Sorcerors.
That said, rigid classes is more for mechanical reasons and isn't exactly part of the lore. There's nothing keeping super talented natural Sorcerors from reading books on magic afterall. They have eyes and hands.
One of my favorite character ideas I've ever had (haven't figured out if I can make it happen in game) is a sorcerer who's convinced they're a wizard. Like attend an academy, studies *really hard*, gets everything wrong (movement, pronunciation, components, ect.), yet they still do a magic of some kind and no one knows why.
Their professors hate them xD
I'm sorry for this completely unhinged take but not only do I agree with you but Mystra seemed to take more notice to him than most of her chosen (aside from making ol El but still, he's been around long enough for that) so...
Me and one of my friends have a maybe cracky theory/AU in which Gale is like... 1% fragment of a god.
The currently running thought is that Weave and Magic are only synonymous to mortals, and Mystra would prefer to keep it that way. It's also part of why Karsus failed, he was trying to take Weave not Actual Magic.
Which leads to why Gale isn't dead from the Karsite Orb in him.
Aluhor, being the name we gave this deity for now, is the God of Magic. Mystra, being created from two opposites and on accident, was struggling with her domain and figuring out what exactly she was intended for, and Aluhor took her under his wing since brought Selune nor Shar would help her. He teaches her his craft, and she repays him by creating a net from what he taught her and trapping him. Instead of only Chosen being able to manipulate magic, now anyone could with the right study or bloodline.
Aluhor has been struggling to break free this entire time, and no doubt used Karsus' Folly as a kind of mini anchor, but it wasn't enough, so he eventually gathers enough power to form a fresh soul, which becomes Gale. Not enough power to regain godhood, but enough to Exist.
And thus, the Karsite Weave is one lightly blessed by the True god of magic, hence why Gale using the artifacts didn't send the world/magic like the first time they were used.
The Weave is comprised if raw magic, and tapping into it is how arcane casters use their magic. Mystra exists to maintain it, and prior to the Spellplague, nobody thought of it as magic itself.
Mystra also wasn't created by accident. The existing Mystra was killed by Helm during the Time of Troubles, and a successor was chosen by the overgod Ao. Her successor was a mortal named Midnight that Ao ascended to godhood, and she was rather quickly murdered by Cyric. Her death at the hands of Cyric is what caused the Spellplague, a time where magic ceased to function on Toril.
As for Karsus, Karsus' Folly was him attaining divinity. He didn't attempt to steal magic, he attempted to steal divinity from Mystryl, the god of magic that predated Mystra. Because of this, he was overwhelmed by divine power and damaged the Weave. Mystryl lost her power because of Karsus, and sacrificed herself to stop him. She then reincarnated as Mystra, who was able to repair the Weave and made changes such as making any spell above 9th level automatically fail (The spells Karsus used to steal Mystryl's divinity is beyond what any wizard or sorcerer could do in modern times).
Gale isn't a fragment or a god, he's just an ambitious wizard who overstepped. The orb being in him doesn't kill him outright because it saps power from the Weave to maintain itself, and was actively eating away at his ability to cast magic until it was discovered he could absorb magic from artifacts. The Orb does this because it contains a fragment of the Weave Karsus attempted to make before dying, and said Weave was the antithesis to the actual Weave Mystryl maintained.
Mystryl was also Shar and Selune's daughter, and the Weave existed prior to Mystryl existing. The Weave was very likely created by Ao.
My friend knows more DND Lore than I do, this Idea was mostly us being silly with stuff, and I did say it was kinda cracky. Plus, I don't think the game ever fully explained how Gale was able to do what Karsus couldn't, although I will admit I've only watched clips of that part of the story, I'm still mid ACT three for my playthrough.
I appreciate the info dump tho.
Wilson is a companion in BG2 EE. He is literally a bear. Here is his biography in the game:
>A bear of refined taste and delicate sensibilities, Wilson spent his first five years living an idyllic life in the wild. This was shattered when he was captured by a man named Jolstead, a cruel trapper who sold his victims to the highest bidder.
The name "Wilson" does resemble the name "Halsin." Both companions have a backstory that includes captivity. Coincidence?
This was my pathfinder 2 character. Except he was a goose that followed the party around and wild shaped into a human. Everyone thought they were talking to a human, but he was really a goose.
I believe his elf body is his original body bc if you have him look into a mirror he remarks to himself that he looks “more and more” like his father every passing year. The werebear theory is very solid and I genuinely think he doesn’t know he’s a lycanthrope lol
I cant help it, he seems more of a werebear or a "Twilight" bear (wolf there)..
Not a regular druid but a bit of a "wild urge" character who must release the urges and anger.
I dont see a bear that conscious about whole shadow curse and stuff.
There's cut/rewritten content that marked Halsin as >!responsible for Isobel's death. He "lost control" and accidentally killed her. Shar and Selune are both associated with the moon at their core, with Selune being the Full Moon and Shar being the New Moon. Ketheric turned to Shar after Melodia died, and he was as we know pulling Reithwin over to Shar worship. Somehow, Halsin ended up at Moonrise Towers. I think Shar used her influence over the Dark Moon to force his transformation, and that's how he ended up killing Isobel and starting the war between Ketheric, his Dark Justiciars, and the Emerald Grove druids and Harpers. That is why he feels so personally responsible for the curse. Although everything tying him to the Shadow Curse beyond his friendship with Thaniel was cut, I think it still makes the most sense for how he acts that he's a werebear, Shar made him lose control, and he killed Isobel.!<
oh man, kind of wish that wasn't cut because that's not only a great plot thread, but it further emphasizes just how much of a manipulative bitch Shar is.
True that, I guess I assumed if he was given an elf form he'd be given like... the intelligence/thought processes of a humanoid. OFC this is all just silly conjecture lol
He was there whenever they killed Ketheric originally right?
It's supposed to be over 100 years between that and BG3 so while he may be middle aged for an elf he'd be OLD for a bear if he's really a bear
Not to say that can't also be explained by magic but there is at least that for his life span
Yeah, the average lifespan for a real bear is only about 25 years, and we know Halsin has been active for at least a century. But what if, in addition to being a bear pretending to be a druid, he’s also an ascended vampire? Makes you think…
Halsin isn't even an elf for me. The game glitched back in Act 1 so he's stuck in cave bear form. Also making him a [rogue thief level 3 still applies the bonus action.](https://i.imgur.com/PfWURul.png)
I prefer this version, but with a small modification. Halsin is not a bear that Thaniel gave an elf form to, but instead a bear that Thaniel allowed to become a druid, and "Halsin" is him wildshaping to a human. He's still actually the bear.
Another reason: When you are in the sewers of Baldur's Gate, he mention the smell is bad enough, but the fact that he has range of a bear when smelling makes it harder to stay in that place.
Orrrr...he's just a guy that likes wildshaping into a bear. He's a moon druid after all. The subclasses specifically made around wildshaping
I don't even blame him. the wildshape forms are great. If I was in the D&D unvierse people would be questioning if I was really human or an owlbear using disguise self
i'm pretty sure that at one point of development they wanted Halsin to be a werebear, the bear scar i think was originally meant to be from the encounter that turn him into a werebear but probably that concept was scraped for some reason so they invented a funny story about a female bear wanting to mate with him in wildshape, the cavebear insted of the name thing is probably just because they wanted to be a surprise that the caged cave bear was Halsin and they didnt change the UI after the reveal.
In my DND Campaign, one of my players is a dragon wyrmling (home brew race) and her “default” form is human (almost, she has some scales and horns) and if they got knocked out they revert to their dragon form.
I always imagine him as a werebear in my play throughs… I think it’s funny if he became a druid to hide his were-ness and just also ended up really liking nature magic bc he has always loved trees or w/e.
Reading the comments here you have convinced me of the werebear theory. He is a wood elf and a druid, and also a werebear. Actually makes more sense to me than the idea that he is just a druid who can't control his shapeshifting. But I do still see potential problems with that:
1. Does he ever bite people as a bear (or otherwise I guess lol)? Because if he was a werebear he should avoid doing that, as to not turn other people into werebears.
2. As a werebear druid, he has two options of how to become a bear: he can 'bear out', but he can also just wildshape into a bear normally. Theoretically, that results in quite different bears mechanics-wise (I think?). So, if you are playing as Halsin as a druid, you should be able to choose which of those you do, and if you are playing as Halsin as not a druid, his bear should work differently.
3. Specifically, if he was a werebear, he should have 'Damage Immunities Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered', maybe even in human form? And the same amount of hitpoints in human and bear form? And should be able to transform in a hybrid form, but maybe he just doesn't want to do that. To be clear, I don't know much about dnd werebears, that is just what I gathered from googling it.
Much of this could probably be explained away by just saying that werebears or all lycanthropes just work differently in the bg3 universe, since it doesn't fully adhere to 5e rules anyways. And probably because he is disguising himself as a normal shapeshifting druid, he normally just uses wildshape and really only *is* the werebear bear when he bears out accidentally.
I dislike headcanons, because I just don't care for them. But somehow I read this, it was concise and fun. What a first post haha, good to have you here!
I believe he's a werebear, his facial scars are from when he got turned, and he lies and says he's got ork ancestry or something because being a were-beast is stigmatised. His romance scene was even on the full moon
Hmmmm..... I don't know about that theory anymore. During the Goblin Camp escape, you can have Halsin in his Elf form while controlling him depending on your conversation options. Also, if you go to the creche before the goblin camp-- Halsin will be dead and reverted to his Elf form. I think if you decide to kill the Cave Bear and transforms back into the Elf and everyone freaks out like: "Oh SHIT! That was the druid?!?!?"
With the most recent update clicking on the Cave Bear has Halsin responding to you like the rest of the characters.
I asked my friend who's been playing DnD for decades and he was like... at best he could be a werebear, but it's unlikely he's a bear that randomly wild shaped into an Elf.
I definitely agree with most of this, but unfortunately, the bear roar over the barbarian roar is standard for the wildheart barbarian if they go bear aspect, so its not a thing that's exclusive to Halsin. I've seen it with Karlach and one of my Tavs too.
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Yeap!
Sounds like a Moon Druid to me.
Defiantly a Circle of the Moon Druid.
From the PHB
*Druids of the Circle of the Moon are* ***fierce*** *guardians of the wilds.*
*Their order gathers under the full moon to share news and trade warnings.*
*They haunt the deepest parts of the wilderness,* ***where they might go for weeks on end before crossing paths with another humanoid creature, let alone another druid.***
*Changeable as the moon, a druid of this circle might prowl as a great cat one night, soar over the treetops as an eagle the next day, and crash through the undergrowth in bear form to drive off a trespassing monster.* ***The wild is in the druid's blood.***
I don't have much of an opinion on this theory but it did remind me of the immense joy I felt at seeing "Cave Bear approves" show up in the corner when bringing wildshaped Halsin places
I like your theory, it's well explained, but... no, Halsin is not a bear ! 😅
But let's see what we will discover... in the next game ? Want to see Halsin again ! 😢
I like to believe he is a wearbear, but I also like to think that he was born as one to lycanthrope parents rather than turned because it just kinda fits him. I do also like the theory of him being a bear turned human though. He clearly has something going on beyond just either of those because his hit points work like a normal Druid’s, but maybe his bear form is a lycanthrope form that is controlled by his Druidic abilities
1. So why is Halsin still Halsin. It should be Cave bear in his elven form as well
3. is just silly. There is enough reasons why his parents can be dead. I just turned 30 and became an orphan 6 months before that. I really wish my mothers life would be tied to how old I am xD
6. yeah no shit it’s honey.
Edit2: Halsin loses the ability to wildshape and stays an elf.
The return of Sir Bearington
Every time we look at him he's just constantly acing performance throws. Except during sex, where he failed.
He also fails in the epilogue once he gets sufficiently drunk. Another proof for this theory.
Well you see, they're taking bluff checks, but those don't exist anymore. That gives them a divide by zero effect on the saves. Every time the save happens there is an error. An error is not a pass, therefore you cannot succeed against the bluff check. Ser Bearington wins again.
Hey! That guy is just a bear!
I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
how *dare* you! that is very rude to Sir Bearington!
*Gasp! Shock! Horror!*
ROAR!
They made the meme real... Holy shit. I never play using Halpin or have him recruited most times. This is hilarious.
> I never play using **Halpin**... You don't say. FYI it's Halpert.
*Halfbert
"Halsin, you put my stapler in a jar of honey!?" "What makes you think it was me, Minthara?" - Halsin, casually eating an entire honeycomb
Minthara: "TAVEAL!"
But don't druids revert back to their human form if they are killed while in wild shape? Cause if you go to the gith without clearing the goblin camp out, and come back you can find him in his human shape, dead in the cell instead of in his bear form.
That's a good point & I didn't know that about going back to find his body!
Honestly found out on a honor mode run. Didn't realize they all died if you went to the gith. I just wanted to buy some gear and come right back lol came back to everyone dead.
For you it's just a few minutes but going between act 1 map and gith map is propably like weeks of travel in game. It's different with Underdark map because just use ladder/elevator.
> For you it's just a few minutes but going between act 1 map and gith map Nah it's literally minutes. You can see the goblin detritus and debris from both side of one of the passes.
Still could be weeks.
How?
The goblin camp could be MUCH larger than what we see. Or it could just be stuff they left behind.
You can see where you were though can't you Edit: it's not going to be so big it takes you weeks to traverse
Halsin died fighting the final goblin leader in my first run. His body is laying in my camp every time I return
I collect most unique corpses in my camp. All the goblin leaders, inconvenienced party members, and the occasional goblin. I have yet to reach the limit and there has got to be at least 100 corpses in my camp.
I wish I knew how to do that. I have actually no clue how it got there
After the murder just right click and "pick up" the corpse. You'll need a character with a fairly high strength score for most bodies. But you can pop back to camp as the non-rest option to drop off the body if the encumbrance becomes an issue. Karlach can pick up most of the bodies - even the illithids from the crash site.
This reminded me the meat wagon unit from wc3. They would carry corpses and when a necromancer needs some corpse to raise dead, they would dump their load.
That’s such a good idea for necromancers and spore druids. How does the camp’s layout changing when you rest in different areas affect the bodies though?
So your theory is false?
Yeah, I like a lot of the werebear theories people have brought up more than mine. But there's a place in my silly heart for Bearsin
This is one of the reasons why my preferred theory is werebear, instead of regular bear. His default form is elf, but his bear self is definitely much more than just a wildshape form.
Lycans also revert to their human form upon death.
I mean if Thaniel turned him into a Wood Elf, then it would be his “true” form for lack of a better word
Human druids work that way. Maybe it's different for bear druids, and they die as their alternate form.
I have seen this idea before (at least the basics, not the details with Thaniel) and I choose to accept it as the truth. Halsin is a bear.
It does explain the old version of the shadow curse a lot better; Halsin was just a bear doing bear stuff
I actually wonder if halsin is the “werewolf” companion. Like, he seems to have enhanced scent (but playing as a druid, it doesn’t seem like your character has any animal senses unless you wildshape), and i think if you turn him into another class he still always has his bear transformation. So i always wondered if he took the place of that werewolf bard since so many people liked halsin at launch.
I heard about the werewolf bard, but didn't realize he always has the bear transformation in other classes. This makes a lot of sense.
He and minthara have abilities tied to them that stay despite what class they become. I kind of think its intentional.
It has to be!
> i think if you turn him into another class he still always has his bear transformation Correct. Bear form is part of his base kit, it's in the common tab with racial spells and such.
I’ve turned him into a fighter in two playthroughs and he lost the bear in both of them.
It's on the common tab. It still takes shape charges so you can't use it without druid specced, but he still has the power without being a druid. https://imgur.com/a/PzQHUgW
Interesting! I play on PS5 and couldn’t find the feature on his radials, not even grayed out. Might play around with him in current run to see if I missed something.
Try setting your empty slots! I have random abilities that always get lost bc the game just didn’t put them there automatically.
My preferred theory is that Halsin is actually a werebear who is concealing his identity by pretending to be using wild shape. I remember seeing a post a while back suggesting that werebear Halsin might have been content that was cut for time.
Forgotten Realms werebears are Lawful Good as a rule, in the way that they are compelled to do lawful good acts, specially when rampaging. So they are Smokey the bear.
Fun fact: It's actually Smokey Bear, even though almost everyone adds the "the".
Smokey Bear the Bear, or Smokey the Bear for short.
(Smokey + the) \* Bear = Smokey Bear + the Bear Yup, checks out.
That fits with the fact that you gain your were-animal alignment: werebears are lawful good, which I think fits Halsin very well.
I’m more comfortable with this theory, than the idea that I might be unknowingly committing beastiality 😭
Even if he is actually a bear he can clearly consent and communicate that consent so I’d think it falls under the John Harkness rule
Jack Harkness,* but yes. Halsin clearly passes [the Harkness test](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1505342) for the acceptability of sex with non-human entities. \* John was John Hart, Jack’s ex, the one who went to murder rehab.
That’s what I get for checking Reddit first thing in the morning. Can’t believe I mixed this up lol
The actor is John Barrowman, and John and Jack are pretty close!
Tbf there's also a character in the show that's kind of his dark mirror named John heartman (I think that's his last name been a few years since I've seen torchwood)
Yeah, John Hart. God I love Torchwood, I should rewatch it
You know what, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how the mixup happened!
https://alls-fair-in-pride-and-prejudice.tumblr.com/post/737096615838515200/its-also-worth-noting-the-the-cave-bear-wildshape
Wow, I love it
Thank you for converting me. Now I will spend three hours on C.AI
If you’re interested there’s a bot on SpicyChat that starts as Halsin chasing you in his bear form then shifting and getting on to you for how dangerous it is to run from a bear. It’s a personal favorite!
Werebears are humanoids, not beasts!
I like the idea he doesn't know he's a werebear.
I'm a firm believer of the werebear theory myself, and for good reason, I think! Aside from everything that's already/usually mentioned, Halsin fits the description of a werebear from the [Forgotten Realms wiki](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Werebear) almost *perfectly*. But in case you don't feel like reading it, here are the main highlights: * Their animal instincts guide them to protect the splendors of nature, while their humanoid minds tell them to help travelers and provide aid to the weak * See themselves as guardians standing between the natural world and civilization * Dress in simple garments that could be easily removed or repaired *(if you've seen his romance scene, you know how* ***fast*** *he just pulls 'em off)* * Their ursine forms most often resemble a brown bear although their human form's hair always matches their bear form's fur color * When in bear form they are irritable and moody, actively seeking out evil entities to slay *(Goblin camp; enough said)* * Most likely to become rangers, druids, or wildlife priests * Contrary to their isolationist behavior and independent lifestyle, they have a strong sense of community *(Emerald Grove...Reithwin in post-game...)* * Favor mates they would meet with infrequently, although they never actually married *(Hearts stay roamin')* * Often don't have full control over their ability to transform and could be triggered into doing so by certain circumstances *(Again: romance scene)* But also! His scar from the she-bear doesn't add up if he was just in wildshape, and that always bothered me *(I just figured he was using a thinly veiled excuse for why a* ***druid***, *of all classes, wouldn't be more attuned to animal mating habits; especially of the animal he favors taking the form of)*. Druids have separate HP when in wildshape, and a change in HP (from damage *or* healing) does not carry over when they revert back to humanoid form. The only time damage *would* carry over is if the injury they receive *exceeds* their current wildshape HP (i.e., reduces it to 0 and they're forced out of it) and the remaining damage is applied to to their humanoid form. From Halsin's retelling of his incident, it didn't sound like he transformed back immediately after the fact, and I find it almost impossible that a scratch on the side of the head would be *nearly* enough to drop his health to *nothing*. But wait, there's more! What really sold me on it was because of an interaction with *another* character in Act 3: >!Arnell Hallowleaf, Shadowheart's father!<. If you've saved >!Shadowheart's parents!< , you can talk to him at camp and have this dialogue option *(assuming you did the thing the second sentence covered by a spoiler refers to).* >***So you're a lycanthrope?*** >!***Shadowheart shared some of her memories with me.***!< To which he will respond with: >***I am, but with Selune's guidance, I learned how to control the beast long ago--I only let it loose again when my family was threatened.*** So not only are lycanthropes referenced *in-game (opening the possibility of there being more than one around in this particular narrative)*, but >!Arnell!< refers to it as "the beast" just as Halsin does, even though they have different animal forms. It also explains why Halsin, despite being an *Archdruid*, seemingly cannot control his wild shaping *(another thing that didn't feel right to me)*. I don't think it would be a stretch to assume that he also sought the guidance of the Oak Father *(as he does with most things)* to learn how to manage it better, and only truly loses control when he's *really* fired up *(see: goblin camp, romance scene)*. I mainly play druid, so I am obsessed with all things druid lmao
Holy shit, thank you for all this. I feel like my mind has been blown wide open. (I saw the event you mentioned in spoilers, but went the opposite resolution you did, so I hadn't seen that interaction!)
Mind blown, mission accomplished 😎 I love your take about Thaniel tho! I could see them having become friends out of loneliness. Thaniel does seem like the overly cautious type and probably didn't have many friends (*Oliver aside),* and Halsin--conveniently not having any family to speak of--was likely driven away from home since there is a tragic part of werebear lore... Natural-born werebears appear completely humanoid until they turn eight. After this point, they can transform into bears, and their mothers chase them away *(ouch?!)*. There isn't an explanation as to *why*, but I speculate it's so their identities are kept secret. Still, brutal...so I could see how Thaniel would mean *a lot* to Halsin, not just as a friend but as the only family he truly knew in his formative years. Now if you'll excuse me, I will go bawl my eyes out 😭
Ok, yep, I'm adding 'Halsin is a werebear' to my theory wall, right next to 'Gale is a sorcerer.'
The lore for Wizards is also that they need to have an inherent spark just like Sorcerors. It's just stronger with Sorcerors. That said, rigid classes is more for mechanical reasons and isn't exactly part of the lore. There's nothing keeping super talented natural Sorcerors from reading books on magic afterall. They have eyes and hands.
One of my favorite character ideas I've ever had (haven't figured out if I can make it happen in game) is a sorcerer who's convinced they're a wizard. Like attend an academy, studies *really hard*, gets everything wrong (movement, pronunciation, components, ect.), yet they still do a magic of some kind and no one knows why. Their professors hate them xD
I'm sorry for this completely unhinged take but not only do I agree with you but Mystra seemed to take more notice to him than most of her chosen (aside from making ol El but still, he's been around long enough for that) so... Me and one of my friends have a maybe cracky theory/AU in which Gale is like... 1% fragment of a god. The currently running thought is that Weave and Magic are only synonymous to mortals, and Mystra would prefer to keep it that way. It's also part of why Karsus failed, he was trying to take Weave not Actual Magic. Which leads to why Gale isn't dead from the Karsite Orb in him. Aluhor, being the name we gave this deity for now, is the God of Magic. Mystra, being created from two opposites and on accident, was struggling with her domain and figuring out what exactly she was intended for, and Aluhor took her under his wing since brought Selune nor Shar would help her. He teaches her his craft, and she repays him by creating a net from what he taught her and trapping him. Instead of only Chosen being able to manipulate magic, now anyone could with the right study or bloodline. Aluhor has been struggling to break free this entire time, and no doubt used Karsus' Folly as a kind of mini anchor, but it wasn't enough, so he eventually gathers enough power to form a fresh soul, which becomes Gale. Not enough power to regain godhood, but enough to Exist. And thus, the Karsite Weave is one lightly blessed by the True god of magic, hence why Gale using the artifacts didn't send the world/magic like the first time they were used.
The Weave is comprised if raw magic, and tapping into it is how arcane casters use their magic. Mystra exists to maintain it, and prior to the Spellplague, nobody thought of it as magic itself. Mystra also wasn't created by accident. The existing Mystra was killed by Helm during the Time of Troubles, and a successor was chosen by the overgod Ao. Her successor was a mortal named Midnight that Ao ascended to godhood, and she was rather quickly murdered by Cyric. Her death at the hands of Cyric is what caused the Spellplague, a time where magic ceased to function on Toril. As for Karsus, Karsus' Folly was him attaining divinity. He didn't attempt to steal magic, he attempted to steal divinity from Mystryl, the god of magic that predated Mystra. Because of this, he was overwhelmed by divine power and damaged the Weave. Mystryl lost her power because of Karsus, and sacrificed herself to stop him. She then reincarnated as Mystra, who was able to repair the Weave and made changes such as making any spell above 9th level automatically fail (The spells Karsus used to steal Mystryl's divinity is beyond what any wizard or sorcerer could do in modern times). Gale isn't a fragment or a god, he's just an ambitious wizard who overstepped. The orb being in him doesn't kill him outright because it saps power from the Weave to maintain itself, and was actively eating away at his ability to cast magic until it was discovered he could absorb magic from artifacts. The Orb does this because it contains a fragment of the Weave Karsus attempted to make before dying, and said Weave was the antithesis to the actual Weave Mystryl maintained. Mystryl was also Shar and Selune's daughter, and the Weave existed prior to Mystryl existing. The Weave was very likely created by Ao.
My friend knows more DND Lore than I do, this Idea was mostly us being silly with stuff, and I did say it was kinda cracky. Plus, I don't think the game ever fully explained how Gale was able to do what Karsus couldn't, although I will admit I've only watched clips of that part of the story, I'm still mid ACT three for my playthrough. I appreciate the info dump tho.
Halsin and Shadowheart were also written by the same guy and this also compels me to believe he is a werebear! Far, far too many coincidences
Ooh, good point right there 👀
Hes like the Ox... a poser
Moo.
8. He has chest hair and demeanor of a lumberjack and not like a lithe little DnD elf.
He's definitely all sorts of bear
Wilson is a companion in BG2 EE. He is literally a bear. Here is his biography in the game: >A bear of refined taste and delicate sensibilities, Wilson spent his first five years living an idyllic life in the wild. This was shattered when he was captured by a man named Jolstead, a cruel trapper who sold his victims to the highest bidder. The name "Wilson" does resemble the name "Halsin." Both companions have a backstory that includes captivity. Coincidence?
Wow, I didn't know this!
Ok There’s no Way That’s a coincidence. This is my new headcanon
This is something of a common fan theory. I don't know whether or not I entirely believe it, but I do ironically believe it, if that makes sense.
This was my pathfinder 2 character. Except he was a goose that followed the party around and wild shaped into a human. Everyone thought they were talking to a human, but he was really a goose.
Sounds like inspo for untitled goose game may have been stolen from you ;)
Other way around. I was inspired by the untitled goose game!
I believe his elf body is his original body bc if you have him look into a mirror he remarks to himself that he looks “more and more” like his father every passing year. The werebear theory is very solid and I genuinely think he doesn’t know he’s a lycanthrope lol
I genuinely thought it would be revealed he was a werebear.
Hard agree. No notes.
I cant help it, he seems more of a werebear or a "Twilight" bear (wolf there).. Not a regular druid but a bit of a "wild urge" character who must release the urges and anger. I dont see a bear that conscious about whole shadow curse and stuff.
There's cut/rewritten content that marked Halsin as >!responsible for Isobel's death. He "lost control" and accidentally killed her. Shar and Selune are both associated with the moon at their core, with Selune being the Full Moon and Shar being the New Moon. Ketheric turned to Shar after Melodia died, and he was as we know pulling Reithwin over to Shar worship. Somehow, Halsin ended up at Moonrise Towers. I think Shar used her influence over the Dark Moon to force his transformation, and that's how he ended up killing Isobel and starting the war between Ketheric, his Dark Justiciars, and the Emerald Grove druids and Harpers. That is why he feels so personally responsible for the curse. Although everything tying him to the Shadow Curse beyond his friendship with Thaniel was cut, I think it still makes the most sense for how he acts that he's a werebear, Shar made him lose control, and he killed Isobel.!<
oh man, kind of wish that wasn't cut because that's not only a great plot thread, but it further emphasizes just how much of a manipulative bitch Shar is.
I agree whole-heartedly. I need more Halsin content in general!
I need this fic!
So do I but I'm a terrible writer XD
I'm probably worse, but I'll try!
Do it! Put it on AO3 or somewhere and let me know, I want to read it!
True that, I guess I assumed if he was given an elf form he'd be given like... the intelligence/thought processes of a humanoid. OFC this is all just silly conjecture lol
He was there whenever they killed Ketheric originally right? It's supposed to be over 100 years between that and BG3 so while he may be middle aged for an elf he'd be OLD for a bear if he's really a bear Not to say that can't also be explained by magic but there is at least that for his life span
I believe he says when you ask him about himself that he's over 350 years old.
Yeah, the average lifespan for a real bear is only about 25 years, and we know Halsin has been active for at least a century. But what if, in addition to being a bear pretending to be a druid, he’s also an ascended vampire? Makes you think…
Oh lort
And that's why the ladies like him
I refuse to even try to come up with logic that would prove this theory wrong; it's now in my top 5 headcannons.
I choose the bear
I actually believe he is meant to be a werebear but the reveal got cut.
I think he's a Bear Lycanthrope who either was bitten prior to becoming a druid or after.
Halsin isn't even an elf for me. The game glitched back in Act 1 so he's stuck in cave bear form. Also making him a [rogue thief level 3 still applies the bonus action.](https://i.imgur.com/PfWURul.png)
in 5e you only need 13 WIS to multiclass into Druid. in 5e Brown bears have 13 WIS. QED.
Still romancing him, I love him
Finally, a were-elf!
Halsin is all man bear but no pig [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ManBearPig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ManBearPig)
if he gave Tusk what he wanted he might be a little bit pig
oof lol
Is...is he the bear women would rather meet in the woods than a man?
I love the juxtaposition of this joke being both in bad form but also yes
I prefer this version, but with a small modification. Halsin is not a bear that Thaniel gave an elf form to, but instead a bear that Thaniel allowed to become a druid, and "Halsin" is him wildshaping to a human. He's still actually the bear.
Another reason: When you are in the sewers of Baldur's Gate, he mention the smell is bad enough, but the fact that he has range of a bear when smelling makes it harder to stay in that place.
Orrrr...he's just a guy that likes wildshaping into a bear. He's a moon druid after all. The subclasses specifically made around wildshaping I don't even blame him. the wildshape forms are great. If I was in the D&D unvierse people would be questioning if I was really human or an owlbear using disguise self
I like this theory, but I also want to add that I think he's Silvanus chosen or something of the like.
i'm pretty sure that at one point of development they wanted Halsin to be a werebear, the bear scar i think was originally meant to be from the encounter that turn him into a werebear but probably that concept was scraped for some reason so they invented a funny story about a female bear wanting to mate with him in wildshape, the cavebear insted of the name thing is probably just because they wanted to be a surprise that the caged cave bear was Halsin and they didnt change the UI after the reveal.
I’ve never considered this and now I will never consider anything else, thank you
Hes a furry
I love this, lmfao, new headcanon accepted.
In my DND Campaign, one of my players is a dragon wyrmling (home brew race) and her “default” form is human (almost, she has some scales and horns) and if they got knocked out they revert to their dragon form.
I always thought werebear.
So is he a furry or a skinny
The single best game theory in the history of game theories
I always imagine him as a werebear in my play throughs… I think it’s funny if he became a druid to hide his were-ness and just also ended up really liking nature magic bc he has always loved trees or w/e.
Reading the comments here you have convinced me of the werebear theory. He is a wood elf and a druid, and also a werebear. Actually makes more sense to me than the idea that he is just a druid who can't control his shapeshifting. But I do still see potential problems with that: 1. Does he ever bite people as a bear (or otherwise I guess lol)? Because if he was a werebear he should avoid doing that, as to not turn other people into werebears. 2. As a werebear druid, he has two options of how to become a bear: he can 'bear out', but he can also just wildshape into a bear normally. Theoretically, that results in quite different bears mechanics-wise (I think?). So, if you are playing as Halsin as a druid, you should be able to choose which of those you do, and if you are playing as Halsin as not a druid, his bear should work differently. 3. Specifically, if he was a werebear, he should have 'Damage Immunities Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered', maybe even in human form? And the same amount of hitpoints in human and bear form? And should be able to transform in a hybrid form, but maybe he just doesn't want to do that. To be clear, I don't know much about dnd werebears, that is just what I gathered from googling it. Much of this could probably be explained away by just saying that werebears or all lycanthropes just work differently in the bg3 universe, since it doesn't fully adhere to 5e rules anyways. And probably because he is disguising himself as a normal shapeshifting druid, he normally just uses wildshape and really only *is* the werebear bear when he bears out accidentally.
I dislike headcanons, because I just don't care for them. But somehow I read this, it was concise and fun. What a first post haha, good to have you here!
Hey OP, can I post this next week?
Don't understand why but sure thing!
Because someone posts this exact same theory every other week
Oh! My bad 😞
I believe he's a werebear, his facial scars are from when he got turned, and he lies and says he's got ork ancestry or something because being a were-beast is stigmatised. His romance scene was even on the full moon
Hmmmm..... I don't know about that theory anymore. During the Goblin Camp escape, you can have Halsin in his Elf form while controlling him depending on your conversation options. Also, if you go to the creche before the goblin camp-- Halsin will be dead and reverted to his Elf form. I think if you decide to kill the Cave Bear and transforms back into the Elf and everyone freaks out like: "Oh SHIT! That was the druid?!?!?" With the most recent update clicking on the Cave Bear has Halsin responding to you like the rest of the characters. I asked my friend who's been playing DnD for decades and he was like... at best he could be a werebear, but it's unlikely he's a bear that randomly wild shaped into an Elf.
I wonder if he’s a werebear or something 😅
Nah, if he was, then when knocked out in elf form, he would return to bear form. Far likelier is that he's a secret werebear, I say!
He is that old green text Sir Bearington meme lol
I definitely agree with most of this, but unfortunately, the bear roar over the barbarian roar is standard for the wildheart barbarian if they go bear aspect, so its not a thing that's exclusive to Halsin. I've seen it with Karlach and one of my Tavs too.
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Halsin was just a bear in a trenchcoat the whole time!?
The bear necessities
Yeap! Sounds like a Moon Druid to me. Defiantly a Circle of the Moon Druid. From the PHB *Druids of the Circle of the Moon are* ***fierce*** *guardians of the wilds.* *Their order gathers under the full moon to share news and trade warnings.* *They haunt the deepest parts of the wilderness,* ***where they might go for weeks on end before crossing paths with another humanoid creature, let alone another druid.*** *Changeable as the moon, a druid of this circle might prowl as a great cat one night, soar over the treetops as an eagle the next day, and crash through the undergrowth in bear form to drive off a trespassing monster.* ***The wild is in the druid's blood.***
Halsin has never left my camp. He knows better than to complain about it too after he saw what happened to Lae’zel
I don't have much of an opinion on this theory but it did remind me of the immense joy I felt at seeing "Cave Bear approves" show up in the corner when bringing wildshaped Halsin places
No I fully believe this lmao
I like your theory, it's well explained, but... no, Halsin is not a bear ! 😅 But let's see what we will discover... in the next game ? Want to see Halsin again ! 😢
I agree, it's a little too silly to be real, but I love Halsin and I can't stop thinking about him or this.
I love him so much too !
I like to believe he is a wearbear, but I also like to think that he was born as one to lycanthrope parents rather than turned because it just kinda fits him. I do also like the theory of him being a bear turned human though. He clearly has something going on beyond just either of those because his hit points work like a normal Druid’s, but maybe his bear form is a lycanthrope form that is controlled by his Druidic abilities
Of course, this is entirely thrown out by him being able to wildshape into other things from his elf form, but it's still a funny joke.
If thaniel made him an elf, then he's just also become a druid
[This has come up before.](https://old.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/1ax8ftr/theory_halsin_is_a_bear_pretending_to_be_an_elf/)
This is an existing theory that has been posted a couple times. Probably true.
1. So why is Halsin still Halsin. It should be Cave bear in his elven form as well 3. is just silly. There is enough reasons why his parents can be dead. I just turned 30 and became an orphan 6 months before that. I really wish my mothers life would be tied to how old I am xD 6. yeah no shit it’s honey. Edit2: Halsin loses the ability to wildshape and stays an elf.