Strong evidence that boo is indeed a giant space hamster

taltamir

Giant space hamsters exist in spelljammer
http://lost.spelljammer.org/ShatteredFractine/critters/monsters/hamsterg.html

When you are in Ust Natha there is a quest to kill a beholder
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/Walkthrough2/SoA/chapter-5/quests/ust-natha-kill-beholder.php

You are informed this behold is a captain of a spelljammer ship!

So, apparently BG is some combo of spelljammer and Faerun.

XerxesV

In 1999 my brother lied to me and said you could eventually grow Boo to giant-size and he would follow you sadly it never worked out.

Tetraploid

Well of course he is indeed a miniature giant space hamster. Minsc and Boo would not lie to me!

Corvino

Of course Boo is a Miniature Giant Space Hamster! Who else would tell Minsc all those long words?

rdarken

Isn't there reference to giant space hamsters in one of the NWN games? And also in Mass Effect.

Battlehamster

There is nothing to see here.
Move along.

Corvino

You can get a hamster with Boo's coloration for your cabin in Mass Effect, which makes the Boo "squeek" when interacted with. He's not giant, but he's most definitely in space.

Jarrakul

Well, the one in Mass Effect wouldn't be giant anyway, since Boo's miniature. :P

The problem with the OP's theory is that miniature giant space hamsters aren't intelligent and can't talk (according to one of the 2E Spelljammer monster books, miniature giant space hamsters are indistinguishable from normal hamsters in all statistical respects, including intelligence). Boo, if taken at face value, is actually far too special to be a miniature giant space hamster. So we're left with the less exciting, and kind of sad, explanation. Minsc is actually reasonably smart, but he suffers from schizophrenia combined with some substantial self-esteem issues surrounding his own intelligence (possibly due to Dynaheir constantly talking about how smart she is and stereotypes regarding dumb muscle). Whenever Minsc gets a good idea, his subconscious filters it through one of his auditory hallucinations to reconcile the idea with his unintelligent self-image. At some point, since his grasp on reality is tenuous due to his schizophrenia, he attributed one of those hallucinations to a nearby hamster, and has since clung to that idea as though his world depended on it (because, in fact, it does).

But that's no fun, so here's a "better" theory: Boo is actually a hamster, but he's Elminster's familiar. The giant space hamster thing is a bluff meant to throw you off the trail of the real truth. You see, Elminster likes to manipulate things from the sidelines, rather than becoming directly involved, and in this case he sent his familiar to manipulate events for him. Boo really is giving Minsc ideas, possibly with magical suggestions included, and Minsc potentially attacking you in BG1 is because the entire Dynaheir situation is a secret test of character on Elminster's part. If you won't help her, that tells Boo that there's too much potential for you to become evil and fulfill the prophesy, so Boo has Minsc attack you. If you do help, Boo maneuvers Minsc into a position where they can keep an eye on you in case you turn evil after all.

Alkalurops

Or maybe...

Wait for it...

Boo is a Bhaalspawn.
Think about it. Bhaal mated with nearly every species, right? And who's there at every major event in the games, from Sarevok's Death to Amelyssan at the mana forge?
How can Minsc possibly force his jail open after days, perhaps weeks of starvation? Where does he get the strength?
Why does the ending cinematic of Shadows of Amn show 7 people at the table? We only know 5 Bhaalspawn and Amelyssan who brought them together. So who's our mystery 7th?
And what of Minsc's epilogue? Legend has it Minsc & Boo are up amongst the stars, where the Gods live.

Yes, truly there can only be one explanation...

meagloth

@alkalurops if this is true does boo go all in at balthazars cat? Does every Bhaalspawn have a bhaalspawn companion, you though minsc's boo? Is there a whole level to the game we had no idea existed!?

Corvino

Maybe Minsc is Boo's animal companion...

Montresor_SP

On the Traveling Wilburys' second album Volume Three, Bob Dylan played under the pseudonym Boo Wilbury. Bob Dylan is definitely a normal-sized giant and some of his music is out of this world; i.e, from space. Coincidence? I think not!

taltamir

Jarrakul said:

The problem with the OP's theory is that miniature giant space hamsters aren't intelligent and can't talk

Option 1:
He has been shrunk down, then bound as a familiar. His mage died, leaving him sentient, with natural armor, and unable to talk (familiars don't gain the ability to talk to others who aren't their master at level 1)

Option 2:
He is minsk's magically bound animal companion (ranger ability) which changes a being from a beast to a magical beast and among other things, makes them sapient.

Alkalurops said:

Or maybe...

Wait for it...

Boo is a Bhaalspawn.
Think about it. Bhaal mated with nearly every species, right?

There is a hilarious scene in ToB where you run across a party of bhaalspawn of unusual species...
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/Walkthrough2/ToB/chapter-8/areas/marching-mountains.php

walkthrough said:

Here will be a Chicken Bhaalspawn called Chinchilla who can cast spells, a Xvart Bhaalspawn called Toop the Brave, a Goblin Bhaalspawn called Tibbit, and a Kobold Bhaalspawn called Merlinious. Ole' Bhaal sure got around!

I personally thought that the "Chinchilla" bhaalspawn looked more like a rabbit than a chicken

Jarrakul

I'm pretty sure the chinchilla Bhaalspawn is a chinchilla. But I'm pretty sure you're right that he/she used a rabbit image.

Edwin_Odesseiron

I was deceived by the title of this thread. "STRONG evidence." Yes, right.

Corvino

Shush @Edwin_Odesseiron, grab a tinfoil hat and join in the conspiracy theory party.

Night_Watch

d(^_^)b


also, an awesome t-shirt
http://www.zazzle.com/miniature_giant_space_hamster_tee_shirt-235222723249113939

LordInsane

taltamir said:

So, apparently BG is some combo of spelljammer and Faerun.

Well, Baldur's Gate is a Forgotten Realms game. BG might have veered from canon in other ways, but at the time it was clear that there's spelljamming about in Faerûn. I wouldn't call it combo, really - actual spelljamming never shows up in BG, just references to it.

taltamir

LordInsane said:

taltamir said:

So, apparently BG is some combo of spelljammer and Faerun.

Well, Baldur's Gate is a Forgotten Realms game. BG might have veered from canon in other ways, but at the time it was clear that there's spelljamming about in Faerûn. I wouldn't call it combo, really - actual spelljamming never shows up in BG, just references to it.

It is more than a reference when you are waiting at the spelljamming docks in ust nisa to ambush a beholder captain as soon as he exists his spelljammer ship.
Just because you never get to board the ship itself doesn't make it a "reference".

JediMindTrix

There are Githyanki as well using a Spelljammer vessel, though they were traveling the Astral Plane when it was damaged.

LadyRhian

Spelljammer was supposed to interact with all the other different settings in the TSR company. Spelljammer had a reference guide called "Realmspace" which involved the Moons/moonlets of Selune. And yes, there are Giant Space Hamsters in Spelljammer- the Gnomes use them to power their ships. Hammerships, I think they are called. The only three settings that couldn't be accessed were Ravenloft, Dark Sun and Mystara (which used the D&D Cyclopedia rules).

And Minsc is a Ranger. No need to make Boo some kind of agent or Bhaalspawn- Minsc can speak with him because he is a Ranger. Though considering Minsc has taken a mighty blow to the head, the fact that Minsc can only cast spells with the "help" of Boo make it obvious that some of Boo's intelligence and abilities probably do come from some second personality in Minsc's mind.

CoryNewb

What if boo was one of us?

CutlassJack

Thanks @CoryNewb. Now I've got that song stuck in my head again.

DancingBugbear

LadyRhian said:

Though considering Minsc has taken a mighty blow to the head, the fact that Minsc can only cast spells with the "help" of Boo make it obvious that some of Boo's intelligence and abilities probably do come from some second personality in Minsc's mind.

I think Minsk has enough personality himself, to not need more. To get to Boo, you'd have to pass a giant hardened mass of tearing rage. You're likely to know less about Boo's whisker, than Minsk's boot heal. If you're a champion level bard, with wisdom and intelligence buffed up to the max, Boo still looks like an ordinary hamster. The only one that saw Boo closely was Jan, and anyone who wanted Boo's comforting, but they were probably stuck in the death throws of terror, or overcome with delight, so that they couldn't check. It seems you're left without any certain way to tell. My tinfoil hat is on layaway, until I have funds not diverted to utilities to tell the precise manner of Boo. If Minsc wants to get giant space hampster capabilities for Boo, he probably could. What's certain, is that Minsc has some conception of giant space hamsters, and he has an animal companion. It's somewhat odd to suppose that a Ranger, animal companion, relationship is the result of a personallity disorder. Maybe you should go through extended sessions of intense introspection.

Alkalurops said:

How can Minsc possibly force his jail open after days, perhaps weeks of starvation? Where does he get the strength?

Some would say that Minsc is tough.

CutlassJack said:

Thanks @CoryNewb. Now I've got that song stuck in my head again.

Just don't read Montresor_SP 's comment. You might have to tear out your hair, while clawing at your ears. Just listen to the Yanavic version of the song, and you'll realise that it's no good, and you don't have to listen to it >AND NEITHER DOES ANYONE AROUND YOU<



Another possible solution?

I'm going to get the delux hat.

Mordeus

Spelljammer and Faerun are connected. There's many 2ed Forgotten Realms sourcebooks that give mention to Spelljammer concepts, although most are fleeting mentions.

For example:

- Elves of Evermeet p88 states that Faerun elves have inherited ships (Starwing aka Ruathimaer) capable of traveling into outerspace from outer planetary vistors.

- Lands of Intrigue p54 lists a region of Tethyr called Skyship's Glade which acts as a landing/trading spot for Halruaan flying ship and spelljammers.

- In the Arcane Age sourcebooks, they detail a race between Netheril and Cormanthyr in developing the first exploration of realmspace. Some Spelljammer elves were once active in the Elven Council.

So the place Spelljammer has in Faerun is akin to that pseudo-documentary series "Ancient Aliens". They were once involved in Faerun affairs in secrecy but have since returned to their homeplanet. So the Faerun setting does allow for the idea that Boo descends from a race of Space Hamsters.

rdarken

I actually don't think Minsc has much personality at all. His banter tends to be all about kicking butts in some way. He's pretty one-dimensional. He only has two emotions: Happy and angry.

taltamir

rdarken said:

I actually don't think Minsc has much personality at all. His banter tends to be all about kicking butts in some way. He's pretty one-dimensional. He only has two emotions: Happy and angry.

people commonly think that is something is good, then it must be good in all things.
Minsk is awesome because he is cool and occasionally funny.
Some extrapolate this to "he is awesome in everything, and has deep engaging personality, and is a well developed character, and has hidden depth, and and and"
When he is an entirely one dimensional character, it just so happens that he is a one dimensional character that works

Alkalurops

I think you're hearing things nobody is saying. Minsc has an engaging personality. Nobody's claiming he has a deep personality. There's a difference between "engaging" and "deep".

taltamir

Alkalurops said:

I think you're hearing things nobody is saying. Minsc has an engaging personality. Nobody's claiming he has a deep personality. There's a difference between "engaging" and "deep".

I misused the word engaging, you are right, he does have an engaging, though shallow, personality

rdarken

Well, maybe I misinterpreted, but when I read someone saying a character has personality, it implies to me that there's substance to the character. Yeah, he does have a personality.

Also, he's annoying.

DancingBugbear

rdarken said:

I actually don't think Minsc has much personality at all. His banter tends to be all about kicking butts in some way. He's pretty one-dimensional. He only has two emotions: Happy and angry.

He's mostly the only one I understand.