This AU was made in collaboration with @dustbunnybaby
All of the base AU information used to write this AU can be found —> HERE!!!
This post is for specification for how Classifications would work in BG3 (and technically DnD but not really since the logic between the games is a bit different) so it will not go over all the aspects of the AU! Please look at the base information post linked above first before continuing, thank you!
Though I will reiterate this here - There are many different versions of classification AU’s that focus on different dynamics. This version is specifically based around and is for age regressors so this ISN’T a k*nk based AU and is ENTIRELY sfw.
The treatment of littles varies from place to place and group to group.
The city of Baldur’s Gate is fairly good to their littles as there are multiple policies put into place to support littles that live there.
Some religious groups -like the Church of Shar- do not treat littles well within their ranks as they are viewed as incapable and liabilities to their deities. While other religious groups -like those who worship Silvanus- treat them as equals and think that all classifications should be celebrated.
The Githyanki specifically have very cruel views on littles. While they don’t have classifications themselves they look down upon those who have them, especially if they’re littles. They view classifications as an easily exploitable weakness.
Note: for those who aren’t familiar with DnD and by extension BG3. Race does not refer to ethnicity, it's the term used for species!
Humans were the first race to have classifications. Other races began to inherit them from humans til eventually they became a normal part of all human adjacent species (a human adjacent species is identified by whether that race can parent a child with a human or come from a human through cursed bloodlines). Elves, half-elves, Orcs, half-orcs, and Tieflings are capable of developing classifications (My research into dwarves, gnomes and halflings provided inconclusive evidence so those guys are up for debate as to whether or not they can have classifications). Meanwhile Githyanki and Dragonborn are incapable of developing classifications naturally but they are able to act as a caregiver if they choose to.
Testing is performed by clerics. The cleric will gather a small sample of blood either with a syringe or by making a small cut on the shoulder. The blood is put into a small dish where the cleric will cast a version of the spell ‘Identify’ called ‘Ascertain’ ; it allows the Cleric to learn the individual’s classification. If applicable they will also learn the individual’s age range.
While there are herbal suppressants available, most people turn to potions and spells since the effects of herbal remedies are minimal in comparison to other options. Potions for headspace management are fairly simple to make and therefore are cheap to buy and easy to come across though they aren’t overly effective in comparison to spells.
There is only one potion that is more effective then its spell counterpart. The potion is called ‘cotton thoughts’. It helps littles/flips slowly enter their headspace. It will put them in what would roughly be considered the middle of their age range. This potion is very sweet thanks to the large amount of berry juice used to mask the taste of the ingredients so it’s easier for littles/flips to take. These potions are extremely hard to make and its ingredients are incredibly rare so they are very expensive and not worth producing because of this. Coming across these potions is incredibly difficult to the point of being nearly impossible so most people use spells anyways. (Yes, we know goodberries don’t occur naturally. No, we do not care)
Certain spells (Au specific) are specialized for effects on classifications instead of being a chance side effect.
The spell ‘Little mind’ can temporarily put a person regardless of classification into a regressed headspace for about an hour. This spell has a very high chance to fail.
‘Guardianship’ does the same thing as ‘Little mind’ but instead gives the affected person caregiver instincts for about an hour. This spell also has a very high chance to fail.
‘Clear head’ is very good for headspace management. Even though its name implies it does similar things as ‘Calm emotions’ it does not change or affect the person's emotional state which is why it’s preferred.
There is also a menagerie of normal spells that can: act as suppressants, have a low chance to force a person to regress, enhance instincts or even temporarily shift a person into a false classification as a side effect of their primary purpose.
Spells like ‘Fear’ can possibly cause a little to almost instantly regress. It also has the chance to cause a neutral to enter into a pseudo-regressed state, or possibly make a caregiver enter a protective rage (for flips which ever classification they lean towards typically tends to be the effect they experience)
The spell ‘Antipathy’ has a similar effect to ‘Fear’ but its opposite, ‘Sympathy’, only has a note-able effect on caregivers, flips and neutrals in which it enhances a caregivers/flips caring instinct and there’s a chance it can give a neutral temporary caregiver-like instincts.
‘Calm emotions’ can be used as a headspace suppressant; but it is also used by caregivers to help a Little/flip calm down if they’re extremely distressed though it is used very rarely for this purpose as it has a high chance to push a little/flip outside of headspace.
Classification affects many aspects of life, one of which being how a person's magic feels. The magic of a little might be described as soft or dainty though it is no less powerful than the magic from an individual of another classification, a caregivers magic may be described as warm and protective and a flips would be somewhere in between.
Hags and Devils can pick up on this difference in magical aura and use it to their advantage to coerce and manipulate people into making deals with them. They tend to favour those who have conflicts with their classification and offer to take their classification away in return for their soul or something else. Both Hags and Devils are fully capable of ‘removing’ a classification but in reality they’ve put up a powerful magic blocker that prevents the person from entering headspace and removes the symptoms of headspace repression. In doing this the person who’s classification has been ‘removed’ will seem hollow as if they’re not all there. These classless people are still themself and are still able to go about their lives; they just feel a constant sense of emptiness and distance from the world around them.
It is also possible for a Hag or Devil to give a classification to a race that would otherwise not have one. The exact effects this has on the individual is unclear as it rarely happens.
Illithid tadpoles are extremely dangerous to littles due to the fact the symptoms of infection are very similar to and often confused for regression sickness.
Due to the illithid invasion, it’s been discovered that these little parasites can cause a classification change. When this classification change occurs it’s often preceded by the parasite progressively getting more active and moving a lot more violently. The tadpoles' increased activity can prevent the host from sleeping while also causing them headaches.
What exactly it does to elicit the change is unknown, but it’s assumed that it bites the part of the brain responsible for classification. There is a sharp pain for a few moments before the host feels what’s often described as ‘a switch being flipped’.
The classification changes caused by these worms can happen at any time and without much forewarning. They don’t seem to do this often as it’s been an undocumented effect for so long and the number of recorded cases is very small (under 200)
This section has some changes that would allow certain story events to fit the AU better and adds new things that doesn’t fit in the above categories.
Ethel - the encounter with Ethel would go basically the same as it does normally but the move set she uses has a new addition. Ethel has access to the ‘Little mind’ spell. Just like her ‘Vicious mockery’ she has some unique dialogue for each of the companions upon the spell succeeding:
“Toothy for someone who’s nothing but a helpless babe!” -directed towards Astarion
“Gonna cry to your mummy, little one?” -directed towards Gale
“Now now, no need for the tantrum, deary” -directed towards Karlach
“Cry harder, petal. Maybe Vlaakith will finally hear you” -directed towards Lae’zel
“Feisty for a little pup” -directed towards Wyll
“No wonder Shar doesn’t want you… sniveling like a little babe” -directed towards Shadowheart
“Bear? You look more like a cub to me” - directed towards Halsin
“Done playing hero, petal?” -directed towards a Tav character
“Tiny things like you shouldn’t play with things so sharp” -directed towards a Durge character
Upon the spell failing she gives one of her existing exclamations of frustration.
In the Underdark there is a new variety of extremely rare mushroom called the Tiny cap. These mushrooms, despite what their name implies, are rather large. Their cap is a dusty pink with vibrant blue spots. The reason they are so rare is because their mycelium only grows one to two mushrooms every 5-7 years. It takes decades for the mycelium to grow enough to support the large fungus they produce. Older books imply they used to be more prevalent but their slow development and the overharvesting of their spores has damaged their numbers severely.
The fungus gets its name from the effect its spores have on littles/flips. When inhaled the spores cause a little/flip to drop near instantly. Caregivers and neutrals are unaffected.
The spores of this fungus are the main ingredient in the ‘Cotton thoughts’ potion. Within the potion the effects of the spores are diluted so they’re more manageable and safe for use as rapidly dropping isn’t healthy nor comfortable for a little/flip.
