[...] A Lawful character would never pickpocket...
Lawful doesn't necessary imply following the laws of the land, since laws vary from place-to-place. A lawful character may hold to a strict code, keep her word once given, and place importance on discipline and maintaining an organized society. LN or LE thieves would most likely abide by a guild code that dictates the conditions in which picking pockets is acceptable.
In terms of gameplay, I wish I could use an imp. Tord (Lilly Black) actually uses her Imp quite regularly, and it's not bad once polymorphed into a spider.
As with all of the familiars in BGEE, they've been significantly nerfed from their original forms in BG2. Since the Polymorph Self spell was also nerfed, the spider form no longer has the poison ability, which was the original appeal. I'll admit that the unnerfed Imp in the initial BGEE release was a killing machine at low levels, so I understand why they toned it down a bit .
[...] A Lawful character would never pickpocket...
Lawful doesn't necessary imply following the laws of the land, since laws vary from place-to-place. A lawful character may hold to a strict code, keep her word once given, and place importance on discipline and maintaining an organized society. LN or LE thieves would most likely abide by a guild code that dictates the conditions in which picking pockets is acceptable.
In terms of gameplay, I wish I could use an imp. Tord (Lilly Black) actually uses her Imp quite regularly, and it's not bad once polymorphed into a spider.
As with all of the familiars in BGEE, they've been significantly nerfed from their original forms in BG2. Since the Polymorph Self spell was also nerfed, the spider form no longer has the poison ability, which was the original appeal. I'll admit that the unnerfed Imp in the initial BGEE release was a killing machine at low levels, so I understand why they toned it down a bit .
I suppose you have a point with regards to Lawful. I treat Lawful/Chaotic and Good/Evil with a good deal of nuance when RP'ing my playthroughs. And Alignments can change with experiences and events, which is why my Charname changed from Lawful Good in BG EE to Lawful Neutral in BG 2. (He has just discovered that he is the Son of the God of Murder afterall... lol) I am still fairly early in my first playthrough, and I am quite glad I made the choice cos I feel a bit freer to make some of the tough decisions I have come across already.
With regards to Lilly Black, she is a Charname from a Let's Play series I watched. Actually the LPer used BG Vanilla for his BG 1 playthrough, so didn't use a familiar. Even in BG 2, his Imp seems more useful than my ferret.
Oh yeah I forgot the original point I was going to make. I feel that the Lawful Neutral familiar should be something other than a ferret because pickpocketing should not be the primary utility of a familiar of a Lawful character, regardless of whether said character does resort to such activities.
If you went to the pet shop and was given the choice...
You know you would choose the pet dragon over the goldfish...
Although my goldfish was pretty cool, I called him Wriggle Min, because he wriggled and was quite small (I was about 6 years old)...
Anyway, Wriggle Min ate my brothers goldfish...
Who got upset, and Mom bought three more goldfish for him...
The next two were eaten, and brother named the third one Deadmeat...
It was placed in a separate bowl... Next to my fishes tank first to acclimatise it to the other fish... Get, Wriggle Min used to the fact that it was there...
After a week my fish stopped nutting the glass to get at the other fish...
After 3 weeks the other fish became brave enough to stop hiding behind the rock in its bowl...
After 6 weeks, we put Deadmeat in the tank with Wriggle Min...
...
...
...
...
...
In the morning, all that was left was Deadmeat's eyeless carcass floating in idle circles from the pumps current, a traumatised little brother and one slightly fatter goldfish...
...
I loved that fish...
...
Lookout for my next feature request involving familiars and the inclusion of piranhical goldfish...
I've got to go with the quasit for it's survivability and nice damage. I'd vote for the imp for it's polymorph but I don't like it's 9 HPs. I'd also vote cat for it's awesome scout potential but it's slow movement bug drives me crazy. Quasit by default...
I find the Quasits a lot more lovely since A part in BG2:ToB [Spoiler] Quasits in Wild magic area in Watcher's Keep
They are... I don't know, the are not cute, nor extremely useful, but I like them more than other creatures.
[Spoiler] I especialy liked when one of the summoned a cow (death on target, no save, MR stop it) and killed one of his pals, and they started fighting each other till only one was standing alive, I casted used obe of the Control Circlets (from the Mind Flayers' Lair) and Dire Charmed him, only to have him as a "summon" or more likely "charmed enemy, now friend"(don't kill him now Minsc, don't you!! :P)
Comments
With regards to Lilly Black, she is a Charname from a Let's Play series I watched. Actually the LPer used BG Vanilla for his BG 1 playthrough, so didn't use a familiar. Even in BG 2, his Imp seems more useful than my ferret.
Oh yeah I forgot the original point I was going to make. I feel that the Lawful Neutral familiar should be something other than a ferret because pickpocketing should not be the primary utility of a familiar of a Lawful character, regardless of whether said character does resort to such activities.
I've watched several of his BG1 LP series with Lilly Black, but haven't seen his BG2 ones yet. I'll have to check them out.
A ferret does seems like an odd choice for a LN familiar. I think it was a Brownie for 1st edition (lol). Maybe a lesser Modron would be more fitting?
You know you would choose the pet dragon over the goldfish...
Although my goldfish was pretty cool, I called him Wriggle Min, because he wriggled and was quite small (I was about 6 years old)...
Anyway, Wriggle Min ate my brothers goldfish...
Who got upset, and Mom bought three more goldfish for him...
The next two were eaten, and brother named the third one Deadmeat...
It was placed in a separate bowl... Next to my fishes tank first to acclimatise it to the other fish...
Get, Wriggle Min used to the fact that it was there...
After a week my fish stopped nutting the glass to get at the other fish...
After 3 weeks the other fish became brave enough to stop hiding behind the rock in its bowl...
After 6 weeks, we put Deadmeat in the tank with Wriggle Min...
...
...
...
...
...
In the morning, all that was left was Deadmeat's eyeless carcass floating in idle circles from the pumps current, a traumatised little brother and one slightly fatter goldfish...
...
I loved that fish...
...
Lookout for my next feature request involving familiars and the inclusion of piranhical goldfish...
[Spoiler]
Quasits in Wild magic area in Watcher's Keep
They are... I don't know, the are not cute, nor extremely useful, but I like them more than other creatures.
[Spoiler]
I especialy liked when one of the summoned a cow (death on target, no save, MR stop it) and killed one of his pals, and they started fighting each other till only one was standing alive, I casted used obe of the Control Circlets (from the Mind Flayers' Lair) and Dire Charmed him, only to have him as a "summon" or more likely "charmed enemy, now friend"(don't kill him now Minsc, don't you!! :P)
its kinda fun walking round with a slime familiar
...in my backpack.