Cutscene Breaking

Trick Summary
It is possible to regain control of your characters during cutscenes when player control is normally disabled.

Games It Works In
Baldur's Gate I - ?

Baldur's Gate II - Yes

Icewind Dale I - ?

Icewind Dale II - ?

Planescape: Torment - ?

Method And Explanation
Note that by a 'cutscene' we mean a sequence in-game in which the player has no control over his characters and the user interface is removed. This includes several two second 'cutscenes' in which the player momentarily loses control of their characters prior to being teleported somewhere. There are two known methods to break cutscenes.

Variant 1

Have a character initiate dialogue during the cutscene. This is generally acheived by kicking a character out of the party just prior to the cutscene so that they will approach the PC and ask to rejoin the group while the cutscene is playing, though other methods exist such as using a Djinni summoned with the Limited Wish spell.

Should dialog be suppressed during cutscene, a Simulacrum can cast Limited wish in a different area before initiating the cutscene. The dialog between the Simulacrum and the Djinni will break the cutscene.

Variant 2

Prior to the cutscene, give the party an order to leave the area via a party-required area transition in order that they leave during the cutscene. This will not of itself break the cutscene, but upon reloading the autosave created when the party left the area, the player will have full control again.

Note that the scripts for many cutscenes will supress all dialogue during the cutscene to prevent the first variant of the trick from occurring, while others will either clear all orders currently issued to the party or disable all exits from the current area when the cutscene starts to protect against the second variant. However, these safeguards are applied inconsistently and most cutscenes are breakable using at least one of the above methods.

Notable Speedrunning Applications

 * Breaking the cutscene that plays when you first arrive in Athkatla
 * Breaking the cutscene in which Gaelan teleports you to his house in the slums
 * Breaking the cutscene when you enter Suldanesslar
 * Breaking the cutscene when Irenicus spawns in hell