Video Advert
Say goodbye to ugly heads, beardless Dwarves and a city full of people from distant lands!
Gone are the pink haired snowflakes, hairy Duergar, men in makeup and flirty ponytails.
Over 1500 NPCs changed!
With this mod, we aim to make it easier to distinguish — for example, the visual difference between a Wood Elf and a High Elf. Their unique racial features can now shine through, free from the muddled mix of colors that once turned everyone into a Californian rainbow soup.
The best way to enjoy the full experience of Realms Restored is to have Aesthetics, Heads, Swaps, Names, Voices and Dynamic Crowds installed ALL together.
But do feel free to read through what each mod entry does, so you can decide for yourself what you do or do not want in your game.
Overview
Step into a realm where every NPC is represented with lore-friendly, subrace and gender-specific designs.
NOTE: this mod works very well with No Alphabets. Multiple NPC entries were not edited out because they would conflict with NA. Consider installing with NA right away!
Quick Links
- Screenshot Showcase
- FAQ
- Author Notes
-
Found a bug that is not listed in Bugs Tab? Report to Realms Restored Support section.
Found a bug that is
INDEX
- Aesthetics {CORE MOD}
- Heads {CORE MOD}
- Unique Drow Heads Add-On
- Unique Gith Heads Add-On
- Swaps {Requires Aesthetics}
- NPC Name Changes Add-On
- Voiced NPC Overhauls Add-On
FEATURES
Aesthetics⤴
This is the core mod that changes NPC Color complexions, Hair styles, Beards, Makeup amongst Other Things!
NPC Changes:⤴
- Sarevok : His Chult appearance has been altered to look Calishite and resemble his portrait from Baldur’s Gate 2.
- Cazador : His Kara-Turan appearance has been altered to look like a Sword Coast Elf.
- Major visual changes for Rath, Florrick, Isobel, Araj and others.
- Mild visual updates to Kagha, Rugan, Lakrissa, Nere and others.
- Raphael wears a fancier suit and has a minor colour complexion update.
- Options to restore NPCs are available in NPC Restoration Tab.
- Many other NPCs were changed as well! Head to RR Showcase to see more examples.
Breakdown of SKIN COLOR, VITILIGO, EYE COLOR, HAIR COLOR, HAIRSTYLES, BEARDS & MAKEUP
Skin : Color⤴
Sick of seeing brown High Elves, deep green Wood Elves and pink skinned Drow? We got rid of all that and more. We took particular satisfaction in removing the rainbow spectrum from the Tieflings who now mostly have red and human’ish colors.
Despite accusations from pRedditors, no one on RPGHQ had previously removed Vitiligo from BG3. So we decided to grant their wish and make it happen.
Is that a Blue-eyed Githyanki? Nope, not anymore!
Hair Color⤴
Common folks are not likely to have dyes or glamour spells available to them to enhance one’s appearance, so we’ve washed away those special rainbow-haired snowflakes and made substantial adjustments to make each race stand out.
Girls with shaved heads, effeminate men and High Elves with afros? Not on our watch!
You can’t have accurate races when Dwarves have no beards and Elves start growing mustaches.
Half-Orcs are unlikely to use makeup and what’s with all the fruity men having eyeshadow?
Sick of seeing brown High Elves, deep green Wood Elves and pink skinned Drow? We got rid of all that and more. We took particular satisfaction in removing the rainbow spectrum from the Tieflings who now mostly have red and human’ish colors.
- NPCs now feature subrace-specific skin tones, distributed in a lore-friendly, intuitive manner. See Stats Tab for color distribution Figures.
- E.g. Most High Elves get pale skin, with a smaller portion having light tan shades.
- All Gur and their children are now more tan/brown to match lore.
- 833 NPCs now have more appropriate skin tones.
Despite accusations from pRedditors, no one on RPGHQ had previously removed Vitiligo from BG3. So we decided to grant their wish and make it happen.
- 19 NPCs now have flawless skin.
Is that a Blue-eyed Githyanki? Nope, not anymore!
- Lore accurate sets of Eye Colors are randomly distributed to NPCs based on their subrace and skin tones.
- E.g. Gith and Gold Dwarfs can’t have blue eyes. And for those races that can have blue eyes, it appears more often in those with paler skin.
- 391 NPCs now have different eye colors. See Stats Tab for color distribution Figures.
Hair Color⤴
Common folks are not likely to have dyes or glamour spells available to them to enhance one’s appearance, so we’ve washed away those special rainbow-haired snowflakes and made substantial adjustments to make each race stand out.
- Hair Color is based on skin tone and race, with randomization ensuring unique and diverse appearances. Blonde or Ginger Hair, for example, are more common among those with paler skin.
- Unnatural hair color and highlights removed, unless Tiefling or Rock Gnome.
- 592 NPCs had their Hair Color altered and another 144 NPCs had their Highlights removed. See Stats Tab for color distribution Figures.
- Elderly, Circus performers and other appropriate NPCs added to exceptions.
Girls with shaved heads, effeminate men and High Elves with afros? Not on our watch!
- Except for some unisex styles, men and women now have gender appropriate hairstyles.
- Each race receives signature hairstyles where applicable.
- E.g., All Duerger regardless of gender are bald. A few Duergar males are “blessed” with splotchy patches of hair. Male Elves are more likely to have longer flowing locks than male Humans, while afros are exclusive to Half-Orcs.
- 783 NPCs now look fashionably lore appropriate.
You can’t have accurate races when Dwarves have no beards and Elves start growing mustaches.
- All male Dwarves & Duergar now sport bushy beards. 77 proud Dwarves found their honor again.
- Removed beards and mustaches from Githyanki, Elves, Drow and Halflings. 41 NPCs had their beards removed.
- Better, longer and girthier beards were added for Dwarves selection only. They are available for players in CC and can be seen on NPCs in the game.
Half-Orcs are unlikely to use makeup and what’s with all the fruity men having eyeshadow?
- Half-Orcs no longer wear makeup unless it looks like face paint.
- Except for simple non gay eyeliners, makeup is allowed only on women.
- Lip color has been dampened massively on men and will no longer look like lipstick.
- 104 NPCs had their makeup altered.
Lore-friendly Improvements⤴
- The Society of Brilliance now consists of Underdark only races. Lady Esther became a Drow Half-Elf and Delverdenn – previously a Shield Dwarf – is now a Duergar ore specialist.
- Followers of Umberlee have expanded their title naming system across all ranks in temple hierarchy, including Tide Rider, Puissant Undertow and Dread Wave of Fury with Name Change Add-On. Their outfits now include tight thin pants in most cases as well.
- Two female Dwarves in the entire game now have beards! A rare sight to behold!
- Female citizens from Rivington and Baldur’s Gate now can be seen wearing way more skirts!
- Drow residing in Moonrise Towers have actually glowing red eyes.
- Vampire Spawn are now all Human, Half-Elf or Elf.
CC Improvements⤴
Character Creation page received some updates:
- Dark Urge is now the default character pick when starting a New Game.
- Dark Urge is a Human Male, including his appearance in the Intro cinematic.
- Default CC Presets were reworked to no longer start with Chult Humans, Chult Dwarves or other miss-coloured complexions. Those are essentially changes that CC & Polymorph Deblacker mod does, but already built in inside Aesthetics. You can still install CC & Polymorph mod on top of Realms Restored.
- Default selections for Skin, Eye and Hair colours now represent appropriate Race and Subrace selections, same as those used in the core Aesthetics mod. You can still access all colours through the “Show All” checkmark. [NOT IMPLEMENTED YET]
Elven colours and no-beards:Please note, while Aesthetics is a mod that greatly improves colour complexions of NPCs and helps distinguish race and subrace visuals, it's still not perfect per se.NPC Example, Aesthetics ONLY
Vanilla NPC Name, Race Occupation Realms Restored NPC Race (Swaps) Gloomy Fentonson, High ElfArmour TraderGloomy Fentonson, Human (Swaps)
{INSERT SWAMP GREEN WOOD ELF}Aesthetics ONLY
Heads⤴
This is a core mod that replaces vanilla head models and/or textures where appropriate.
Head replacements may seem subjective, but they significantly enhance the aesthetics and geographical lore of Faerun and its regions. Gone are the ugly, the androgynous and the overwhelming influx of individuals from distant lands present in the city. We've selected youthful heads, which can be aged with the maturity slider; head options no longer over-represent features from Chult or Kara-Tur. We believe that the new set of heads better showcases Baldur’s Gate as a land and also allows players to easier tell fantasy races apart.- With only a few exceptions, androgynous, purposefully made plain-or-ugly, Kara-Turan or Chultan heads were replaced.
- Head textures updated to smooth out overly weathered or wrinkled appearances.
- Freckles on Elves, Drow and Gith are gone.
- We’ve allowed subtle Eye Glow on a set of eye colours for Elves, Drow and Half-Elves, which highlights their connection to magic and emphasizes their non-human appearances. Tieflings retain the ability to have flaming eyes as well.
- Vanilla Heads (unless from Chult or Kara-Tur) are added back to the CC selection, so you can still access it when making a Tav / Durge.
- With only a few exceptions, androgynous, purposefully made plain-or-ugly, Kara-Turan or Chultan heads were replaced.
- To see visual list of Head Comparisons head to RR CC Showcase.
Not only does Heads mod enhances the overall visual aesthetic across different kinds of races, it also expands the visual diversity of NPCs. You’ll encounter far fewer duplicate faces among notable characters, making each one feel more distinct and memorable.
NPC Example, Tiefling M 4
| Vanilla NPC Name | Vanilla NPC Name, Dupe 1 | Vanilla NPC Name, Dupe 2 | RR NPC Name, Dupe 1 (Heads) | RR NPC Name, Dupe 2 (Swaps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dammon, Tiefling Blacksmith | Danis, Tiefling Refugee | Harper Donner, Tiefling Wizard | Danis, Tiefling Refugee (New Tiefling Head) | Harper Donner, Human Wizard (Swaps) |
Unique Drow Heads⤴ Standalone Add-On
Drow got a new set of heads, mostly distinct from Elves.
- Their features are sharper and on a meaner side in general. If you do not wish to see Drow portrayed in a manner that makes them automatically more evil looking – just skip this Add-on and Drow will have exactly the same faces as Elves.
- To see visual list of Head Comparisons head to RR CC Showcase.
Gith Heads are NOT IMPLEMENTED YET
Gith Heads⤴ Standalone Add-On [NOT IMPLEMENTED YET]
- A subjective mod that reduces the Chult or Kara-Turan features in Gith, enhancing their alien characteristics. It's not a beautification mod, just an attempt to alter Gith's visuals.
- To see visual list of Head Comparisons head to RR CC Showcase.
Swaps⤴
This is an optional mod that selectively changes Race, Sex, Body type and in some cases Maturity of NPCs.
Midgets in leading roles, too many Half-Orcs and a sad lack of straight, Human couples plagues the vanilla game. This mod fixes all that and more! Turn Baldur’s gate back to the “mostly human” city that lore dictates. Note: we didn't just turn NPCs into humans; instead, we made changes on a case-by-case basis, with some NPCs becoming different races even if they were human originally.
- Gnomes and Halflings no longer hog physically aggressive / leadership roles nor are they torturers.
- Interracial and inter-fantasy racial couples are now mostly Human, with rare exceptions made for Elf and Human pairs.
- Hirelings are now more attractive and have more palatable races: e.g. the paladin is now a Strong Human instead of a Half-Orc.
- Bugbears and Hobgoblins turned Human where appropriate.
- NPCs have been Race or Age swapped based on their voice / dialogue / role. Swaps include Young → Old and Old → Young.
- We did not transform everyone to Humans exclusively. Instead, we took careful approach with swapping NPCs according to what would make sense in a set scenario, some NPCs actually were turned into other races despite them already being human before.
- Mute Female NPCs taking up guard / mercenary / Flaming Fist positions have been turned into Men. Voiced NPCs will be dealt with in a separate De-girlboss mod.
- More instances of Male Strong body type were introduced for a better visual diversity. Very rare instances of barbaric Female Strong were introduced as well, mostly in place of Female Half-Orcs.
- More than 400 NPCs were affected by Swaps!
NPC Swaps Examples⤴
Table of Race Swaps Examples
| NPC | Vanilla Race, BT | RR Swapped Race, BT |
|---|---|---|
| Nettie, Hope, Korilla | Dwarf | Half-Elf |
| Helsik | Dwarf | Human |
| Vicar Humbletoes | Gnome | Human |
| Quartermaster Tali | Human | Dwarf |
| Nelburn Frust, Harper Darragh | Dwarf | Gnome |
| Maggran, Asharak, Cairos | Regular Male body type | Male Strong body type |
| Arron | Halfling | Human |
| Rox Flunter | Human | Halfling |
| Zena | Drow Half-Elf | Elder Halfling |
| Harper Lymn, Harper Donner | Tieflings | Halfling, Human |
Table of Name Changes Examples
| Vanilla NPC Name (Vanilla Race) | RR Swapped NPC Name (RR Swapped Race) |
|---|---|
| Nelburn Frust (Dwarf) | Nelbonnie Frustiefoot (Gnome) |
| Druggag (Half-Orc) | Duncan Gresham (Human) |
| Kallista Family (Tieflings) | Kallian Family (Humans) |
| Gorrka Bekoone (Gnome) | Gorana Beckett (Human) |
- For a full list of changed NPCs continue to RR Swaps table.
Vanilla Bug Fixes⤴
It looks like a Half-Orc, acts like a Half-Orc, smells like a Half-Orc but the UI is telling me it’s a Gnome!?
- Race text has been changed to match the NPC’s actual race.
- 50 NPCs affected.
Dynamic Human Crowds⤴ Standalone Add-On
- This mod replaces BG city Midgets → Humans and adds more color variety to the crowds' clothing.
- Choose between 60% or 80% Human crowds.
Name Changes⤴ Standalone Add-On
- Some names were altered to better fit their race, gender and/or to remove excessive silliness.
- This is a Standalone mod that can be used in tandem with regular Aesthetics and / or Heads enhancement mods.
- If you’re using Swaps alongside Aesthetics and Heads already, be sure to put the Swaps mod under the Name Changes mod in the BG3 Mod Manager (Unofficial). Swaps has a set of baked in Name Changes to go accordingly with whatever swaps had occurred, so Swaps should always have higher priority.
Voiced NPC Overhauls⤴
NPC was a stupid gnome before. Before Video
By @Lancaster :
- Laila is now a bearded man called Lestor, because 3 sleazy gents loitering outside of a brothel makes more logical sense in a medieval society. [Implemented in RR Aesthetics]
- Carmen Pennygood now has a softer voice to match her half-elf looks. [Separate Download >>> RR Voices]
- Gimblebock now has a deeper voice to match his dwarfiness. [Separate Download >>> RR Voices]
- Alternate Githyanki Voices is inspired by the 80's miniseries V and it implements a phaser effect to all Gith Voices. [Separate Download >>> Here]
Aesthetics 
French
Russian
English.xml from Aesthetics
Credits
Aesthetics -
Silver, 
orinEsque, 
loregamerHeads -
loregamer, SilverUnique Drow Heads -
loregamer, SilverSwaps -
Silver, orinEsque, loregamerName Changes -
Silver, orinEsque, loregamerHuman Crowds 60% & 80% -
orinEsqueVoice Work -
LancasterRR No Alphabets -
Silver, loregamerAssorted Fixes -
Silver, loregamerUndeviled Tieflings -
Silver, loregamerCharacter Creation -
loregamerEye Glow Alt -
SilverDe-Girlboss -
Lancaster, Silver, loregamerDark Urge Gear -
RubyMageDisclaimer: Any user not specifically named here or in the credits tab, had no input in this mod.
Recommended Mods
- Make Baldur’s Gate sane again with Even Better Romance & No Alphabets.
This mod is fully compatible with both. If they aren't, go shout at @orinEsque & @loregamer. - Male Narrator Mod from @Lancaster
- For a full list, read: HQ's RECOMMENDED MODS
Donate
All proceeds go to funding Elevenlabs and other AI subscriptions until we run out of mods we want to make!
ㅤPayPalㅤ