Halsin/Romance

Template:CompanionTab Halsin can be romanced. He is a polyamorous, a relationship anarchist, and the only character with whom you can have two committed partners, as long as your first partner is either Shadowheart, Astarion, or Karlach.

Storyline

Halsin cannot be romanced until Act Three, due to his desire in the first two acts to only focus on breaking the Shadow Curse. However, the player can flirt with him in certain dialogues and in his camp conversation of Act Two; this will have no impact on existing romantic relationships.

Act 3

Halsin's romantic scene can be accessed with high enough approval and/or by camping in the Lower City only if the player has successfully completed Lift the Shadow Curse before embarking on the Road to Baldur's Gate.

While he is eager to be intimate with the player after losing the burden of the Shadow Curse, he will always encourage them before this scene to speak with their partner for consent if they are already in a relationship. Shadowheart agrees enthusiastically and asks to hear how it goes, Astarion consents as long as the player affirms that they're still happy with him as well, and Karlach is skeptical but supportive of the player's desires. Lae'zel, Gale, Wyll, and Minthara will always decline, however, and a player dating one of them is required to either leave their partner for Halsin or reject his advances.

If the player accepts Halsin's offer for a night together and has either stayed single, broken up with their partner, or gotten Shadowheart/Astarion/Karlach's consent, the player will meet up with him by a secluded tree during their next long rest. Any choice but the last can be selected for the first two dialogue prompts to progress a scene where Halsin strips and the pair shares their first kiss, but eventually, when the player strips, Halsin will accidentally turn into a bear out of excitement. If the player then selects "I'm flattered I have that effect on you. Now come here" on the next prompt, Halsin will maintain his normal form and resume making out against the tree as the screen fades to black; the player will then sleep in camp as normal. Otherwise, if the player selects "Don't apologise. I like it", followed by either of the first two options in a fourth prompt, Halsin will turn back into a bear and begin mating the player as a squirrel living in the tree watches in shock.

After either version of this scene, the player and Halsin will immediately be in a "relationship", though he will tell you that he prefers for what they share to be fluid and non-exclusive. If the player asks to kiss him while Jaheira is in the party, she may jokingly commend the two for their bravery because she gets bad breath after assuming her own Wild Shape form.

Being polyamorous himself, Halsin's relationship with the player will not be affected by any other romances, and he is one of the few partners that can join the foursome with the drow twins at Sharess' Caress. If Halsin participates, he will be heard turning into a bear once again and carrying the player around, much to the shock and amusement of the twins. If the player is also dating Shadowheart and both she and Halsin are in the party, the player can choose to have a fivesome with both partners and both twins. This version of the scene plays out similarly to a foursome with only Shadowheart, but she admits that she has fantasized about Halsin as well, and he says that the pleasure of a woman is one of nature's greatest gifts. The player can also have a fivesome with the twins, Halsin, and Astarion, in which case Halsin compliments Astarion's body as a work from all of nature's powers and Astarion teasingly asks Halsin if he's comfortable being kissed "with teeth". However, after the fivesome with Astarion, Halsin will also share with the player that he spent several years when he was younger as a sex slave in the Underdark, but this experience reminded him of his youth and gave him pleasure.

Like the other romance options, Halsin and the player can take Zethino's love test together at the Circus of the Last Days; his response is positive if the player answers two or more questions correctly.

'Listen. Think. When is he most comfortable?'

1. While in the form of a bear, clad in nothing but fur. ★
2. After a supper large enough to induce hibernation.
3. Comfort doesn't come naturally to him - he's restless and roaming. ★
4. At his study in the grove.

'We strive to do our utmost - to prove ourselves worthy. Tell me - of what is Halsin most proud?'

1. His physique. Who can blame him?
2. Saving his friend Thaniel and banishing the shadow curse. ★
3. Protecting his grove from those who threatened it. ★
4. An impressively-notched bedpost.

'Life is full of victory and loss. You cannot have one without the other. Halsin - what is his greatest failure?'

1. Appointing a fanatic second-in-command at the grove. ★
2. Allowing the shadow curse to blight nature for a hundred years. ★
3. That he somehow let some scrawny goblins capture him.
4. Rejecting an amorous she-bear's affections.

Epilogue

If the Netherbrain is defeated while the player is partnered with Halsin, based on a dialogue option, the two will go their separate ways, or together, so Halsin can return to the former Shadow-Cursed Lands, help the residents and nature heal, and care for the displaced children there. However, if the player chooses to temporarily stay in Baldur's Gate or go to Avernus with Karlach, or travel with their other partner, dialogues with other characters imply that they maintain a long-distance relationship in the six-month time skip. If the player was only partnered to Halsin in Act Three and did not go to Avernus, they still receive their invitations to Withers' reunion party while on a date together and enter the Campsite as a couple; other than the player being able to ask for kisses, Halsin's dialogue will remain the same as if they were close friends or exes: Halsin shares about his efforts in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, asks the player what they've been up to for bedtime story ideas, and offers to let them visit and tell the story themself. However, when Halsin is discussing bedtime stories, the player can joke that they would've asked for some during their adventure, and Halsin will respond that he would've even tucked them into bed if they'd asked. If the player instead chose to travel with him, he will ask if they're sure about their choice of a quiet life over an adventurous one.

Romance Mechanics

Unique Dialogue

Greetings

Players who romance Halsin have a few unique greetings that are unlocked after Act Three's romance scene:

• "My heart soars just to look upon you. What do you need?"
• "You wish to speak? I am here for you."
• "All of nature's bounty pales next to you. Do you need something?"
• "Speak to me, lover."
• "Nature has been most kind to let me share in your heart. What do you need?" (First conversation after romance scene)

Party/Camp Interactions

Following his love scene in Act Three, Halsin will have the following unique dialogue options that are always available when interacting with him both in camp and while he's in the player's party.

1. The player can ask Halsin how he's feeling about everything. ("I just wanted to see how you were faring.")
2. The player can ask about the relationship status, and Halsin will reaffirm his open-ended view of relationships and encourage the player to share their love with others. ("How do you see our relationship?")
3. The player can ask for a kiss, and Halsin will happily oblige. ("May I kiss you?")
4. The player can break up with Halsin. ("I think our relationship has run its course.")
   • The player has a chance to back out of breaking up with Halsin if this option is chosen.

If the player breaks up with Halsin, these options will no longer be accessible.