Depends on alignment. If I'm an of the good or lawfull I return it, keep it when evil. The two nonlawfull neutral alignments I guess I would borrow it or keep it. Don't fit in any of the options.
I don't always play evil, but when I do I return the belt and kill unshey.
Seriously though I mostly play neutral good or lawful neutral and in my mind both alignments return items to their lawful owners. It's the right thing to do people!
That would seem to infer you actually knew who the rightful owner was - most of my parties never even enter the upstairs area of FAI - so those characters have no reason not to wear the belts and as a player I look on the lost experience as payment in full...
I never agreed to retrieve that guy's belt for him. He just mentioned he had lost a belt to an Ogre, so basically it's up for grabs to whoever kills the Ogre.
If I do happen to talk to him again and he rudely steals the belt from my waist, then I teach him the error of his ways.
Keep it all the way. The belt is far too useful to give up, especially after been traumatized by 10 bow wielding bandits ambushing your party on the way to the Friendly Arms Inn at level 1.
Well I always used to just turn it in straight away. In my latest playthrough however I'm waiting until the last fight is due before returning it. I will have enough other advantages in equipment by then :-)
I kill the little wretch every time & keep the belt, doesn't matter what alignment I am, I can always find a justification for offing the little oxygen-waster.
His body odor carries the suggestion of an incurable disease that will soon bring him more pain than one should have to endure - it was a mercy killing...
Elven Bane + Boots of Avoidance + Large Sheild +4 v.s Missles + Gauntlets of Dex + Full Plate on my paladin. Whats that archers you have arrows of detonation and biting that's nice.
I usually turn it in (eventually) for the same completionist reasons others have mentioned... albeit reluctantly. I'll usually hold on to it as I head down to Nashkel, etc., and only return it once I'd be heading back toward the FAI anyway. Given how arrow-happy the kobolds and bandits are, it comes in handy.
Now that EE has included a duplicate, though, I've gone from returning it 95% of the time to 100%.
My ranger runs in to the oger while exsploring the wilds, never meet the true owener since he does not care about the upper floors of the frendly arm inn.
If Charname is Good alignment, keeping the Belt is not a problem to RP- IMO, because Jaheira-Khalid almost certainly have met Unshey earlier while waiting and know about the Ogre and the Belts and just how valuable they can be to Charname. Jaheira has no problem deciding Unshey's need for the Belt of Piercing is near zero compared to Charname, almost as if Nature itself were interceding.
So Charname never meets Unshey or knows of his Quest, even though Imoen encounters Landrin and Nobelman. The Adventure with the Pantaloons cracks up Imoen so much that she hurries back downstairs laughing uncontrollably and the rest of the Upstairs is unexplored...
If I'm evil, I tell the guy to shove it and take the belt for myself. If I'm good, I never speak to the guy in the first place. Ignorance is bliss, or in this case, not-having-my-mage-peppered-with-arrows-of-fire is bliss.
IMHO it's the best belt in the game. Packs of Kobold Commandos, Bandits, Skeletons, Hobgoblins, etc. all can deal serious damage at ranged to low level characters. It's useful throughout the game as a default belt for surviving ambushes and can easily be swapped out for the more appropriate (bluntness/golden) girdle if need be.
@Rann But, seriously, I'm curious. Do enumerate these justifications of yours.
Oops... heh heh, this was just me being stupid. I thought we were talking about a different NPC (the one who pick-pockets you all the time in the inn in Beregost, not the one at Friendly Arms Inn), How embarrassing...
@Rann Ah, well, no harm done. Except to that pocket picking halfling. Good riddance, I say. There isn't a constable in the world that would hold it against you, especially with all the banditry going on lately.
It's got to the point I never even saw the NPC in the first place, nor would I feel beholden to return it if I did (even as a Lawful Good character, the rule of ownership is that you have won the belt from an ogre in combat, and another character is offering to buy it from you for paltry Exp and a few gold pieces, total bum deal).
As it is, ranged weapons, either yours or your enemies, are the most dangerous in BG1, and piercing/ranged weapons are extremely common (including early game gnasties), and if you're indulging in a spot of archery yourself, the only two things you need to worry about are spells and missiles, and the latter is far, far more common.
This belt is without fail one of the most useful items to be wearing when inevitably ambushed by ten bow wielding bandits whilst travelling alone at level 1, which somehow happens to me with alarming frequency. Until the last few chapters, it's one of the neatest belts to have.
I always return it. It's what my charname would do. . -c . Now if I ever played like, a chaotic neutral person who didn't give a shit or something, then it might be a different story.
Comments
If I do happen to talk to him again and he rudely steals the belt from my waist, then I teach him the error of his ways.
But, seriously, I'm curious. Do enumerate these justifications of yours.
Now that EE has included a duplicate, though, I've gone from returning it 95% of the time to 100%.
So Charname never meets Unshey or knows of his Quest, even though Imoen encounters Landrin and Nobelman. The Adventure with the Pantaloons cracks up Imoen so much that she hurries back downstairs laughing uncontrollably and the rest of the Upstairs is unexplored...
If I'm evil, I tell the guy to shove it and take the belt for myself. If I'm good, I never speak to the guy in the first place. Ignorance is bliss, or in this case, not-having-my-mage-peppered-with-arrows-of-fire is bliss.
IMHO it's the best belt in the game. Packs of Kobold Commandos, Bandits, Skeletons, Hobgoblins, etc. all can deal serious damage at ranged to low level characters. It's useful throughout the game as a default belt for surviving ambushes and can easily be swapped out for the more appropriate (bluntness/golden) girdle if need be.
20 years cooped up in a library surrounded by old men chanting phophecies of doom can turn anyone 50 shades darker.
Ah, well, no harm done. Except to that pocket picking halfling. Good riddance, I say. There isn't a constable in the world that would hold it against you, especially with all the banditry going on lately.
As it is, ranged weapons, either yours or your enemies, are the most dangerous in BG1, and piercing/ranged weapons are extremely common (including early game gnasties), and if you're indulging in a spot of archery yourself, the only two things you need to worry about are spells and missiles, and the latter is far, far more common.
This belt is without fail one of the most useful items to be wearing when inevitably ambushed by ten bow wielding bandits whilst travelling alone at level 1, which somehow happens to me with alarming frequency. Until the last few chapters, it's one of the neatest belts to have.
...The OTHER belt is much more fun, anyway.