Not sure if I remember this correctly, but wasn't victory the one NPC where you could actually shift her alignment?
Not quite.
You can turn Sarevok Chaotic Good
Viconia's alignment could shift, however, to True Neutral. She still worships Shar, however, which is presumably the central issue she has with Rasaad's quest, since he's usually fighting Shar worshippers. She will go along with most of his SoA quest.
Except the end, where if you determine to fight the Sharrans she will leave your party. If you are trying to escape and fight them anyway she will stick with you.
Weird, she stayed in my party. She complained at the end, but stuck with the party.
It really matters what alignment you are playing and what the makeup of the rest of the party is.
Jaheira is an excellent Druid and she makes a really solid front liner. If you need the flexibility, that is the way to go.
On the other hand, if you are replete with front liners, Aerie makes the perfect combination of Cleric and Wizard which, when coupled with Contingencies, can be extremely formidable. You just have to deal with her annoying personality.
I am not a huge fan of either Cernd or Anomen, but both have their strengths (ish) and would serve you well also.
Not sure if I remember this correctly, but wasn't victory the one NPC where you could actually shift her alignment?
Not quite.
You can turn Sarevok Chaotic Good
Viconia's alignment could shift, however, to True Neutral. She still worships Shar, however, which is presumably the central issue she has with Rasaad's quest, since he's usually fighting Shar worshippers. She will go along with most of his SoA quest.
Except the end, where if you determine to fight the Sharrans she will leave your party. If you are trying to escape and fight them anyway she will stick with you.
Weird, she stayed in my party. She complained at the end, but stuck with the party.
Can I ask how quickly you exited the building? She stayed with me, but while I was looting the place before leaving she just upped and left the party. It seemed like she was on some sort of timer that detects whether you're 'hanging around' or trying to get the hell out ASAP.
What we really need... is for us to get a new Cleric a la Baeloth in BG:EE. Ideally a pure cleric that doesn't get on peoples nerves. Preferably Neutral so they can go with anyone.
I mean it makes logical sense, I just hadn't heard about it. Does it only occur if you take her on his quest or is it just in general?
It happens when you go to the 'Clearing' section on the world map. You get ambushed by some people looking to kill Rasaad and you are forced to either pick Rasaad or Viconia
I was not forced to do either. They just outright attacked me and neither Viconia nor Rasaad made me choose. You sure its not based on the outcome of Rasaad's quest line in SoA?
I'm seriously about to give up hope on the fanbase of this game if 27% are non-jokingly voting for Anomen. I'm sorry to be so rude about it but he and Haer'Dalis are the two worst NPC's in the game as far as usability. I'd take Mazzy over either of them any day for pete's sake.
Ranking: 1. Aerie (with Robes of Vecna) 2. Cernd (better spellcaster)/Jaheira (better survivability spellcaster 3. Anomen (terrible spells, more of a wanna-be fighter/illusionist gnome pc)
Anomen has an abrasive personality, but he's a very solid Cleric. Especially if you do the good route and upgrade his stats. He loses out on a few early level spells compared to VIconia, but this is BG2, you don't need that 6th cure light wound stuffing up your memorized spells list. He gets the same amount of high level spells as Viconia and he is a good 2nd tier tank if you give him gloves of dex and prebuff.
Anomen has an abrasive personality, but he's a very solid Cleric./blockquote> Powergaming. Anomen has a very funny interaction with Jan (everyone has a funny interaction with Jan!), and well, his personalty sucks, but he is a great tank/cleric, he can use lots of spells to max out STR at 25 and, well, he is a killer in ToB, mostly with the FoA. He gets so OP that you might not have to worry about his personalty.
A shame this conflict, they got along pretty well during the entire BG:EE saga, Soa apparently had no problems and Viconia isn't truly evil in heart (so much that she change in ToB her alignment), she just play the role of the Hard Chick to make people respect her based on her bravado.
Really a shame this conflict, i thought of Rasaad interaction with viconia as something inteligent, he's an person of enlightment and reason, he should see through Viconia's carapace. Well, another obvious NPC conflict confirmated then... unfortunally.
They worship antithetical deities. The conflict between them is more about the conflict between opposing cosmic forces than any personal alignment issues. It doesn't *matter* that Viconia 'isn't truly evil' (whatever that means), even if she turns Neutral she is still a Sharran. Why would a Sharran work with a Selunite monk to fight other Sharrans? The seems it could have some rather massive implications with regards to her clerical powers.
I'm seriously about to give up hope on the fanbase of this game if 27% are non-jokingly voting for Anomen. I'm sorry to be so rude about it but he and Haer'Dalis are the two worst NPC's in the game as far as usability.
You should be sorry!
I can sort of understand the Anomen hate ... but I still love him. But bashing Haer'Dalis in my thread!!? show some respect!
To be perfectly objective I think at my stage of the game in ToB, Hexxat is the worst by far. Her only use is traps and when a raging pack of fire giants storms your party she may as well pull up a lawn chair and get a bowl of popcorn
Not sure if I remember this correctly, but wasn't victory the one NPC where you could actually shift her alignment?
Not quite.
You can turn Sarevok Chaotic Good
Viconia's alignment could shift, however, to True Neutral. She still worships Shar, however, which is presumably the central issue she has with Rasaad's quest, since he's usually fighting Shar worshippers. She will go along with most of his SoA quest.
Except the end, where if you determine to fight the Sharrans she will leave your party. If you are trying to escape and fight them anyway she will stick with you.
Weird, she stayed in my party. She complained at the end, but stuck with the party.
Can I ask how quickly you exited the building? She stayed with me, but while I was looting the place before leaving she just upped and left the party. It seemed like she was on some sort of timer that detects whether you're 'hanging around' or trying to get the hell out ASAP.
I looted everyone, and even slept there. She said she was surely damned in Shar's eyes, but didn't leave..
I'm seriously about to give up hope on the fanbase of this game if 27% are non-jokingly voting for Anomen. I'm sorry to be so rude about it but he and Haer'Dalis are the two worst NPC's in the game as far as usability.
You should be sorry!
I can sort of understand the Anomen hate ... but I still love him. But bashing Haer'Dalis in my thread!!? show some respect!
To be perfectly objective I think at my stage of the game in ToB, Hexxat is the worst by far. Her only use is traps and when a raging pack of fire giants storms your party she may as well pull up a lawn chair and get a bowl of popcorn
People has this costume of mix personal feelings with functional resources @EnterHaerDalis.
Anomen is one of the best NPCs in the game from powerhouse perspective, You need maybe learn to use him @Remenissions.
I need help deciding who will replace her.. I'm considering Druids also
I don't think it's entirely fair to compare clerics and druids - while they obviously have a lot of overlap, they both have some unique abilities that set them apart from each other. Personally, I'd recommend having at least one of each in your party.
Practically speaking, Jaheira should be able to satisfy all of your druid needs, and she can be a darn good fighter too - give her that +4 staff (I forget its name) and something to boost her strength, and she becomes an offensive machine.
If you're only going to have one cleric in your party, I'd recommend Anomen over Aerie. Aerie is a great backup spellcaster (especially if you give her the Robe of Vecna), but as a multiclass, she levels up slower than a pure cleric like Anomen. Anomen is also a decent tank, and as others have noted, he's an even better cleric if you follow the "good" path and complete his quest properly.
I'm seriously about to give up hope on the fanbase of this game if 27% are non-jokingly voting for Anomen. I'm sorry to be so rude about it but he and Haer'Dalis are the two worst NPC's in the game as far as usability.
If you pick up Anomen when you first come across him in the Copper Coronet, he's likely to be at a lower level and I agree, he is weak-ish then. But if you wait a little while before picking him up, he starts out at a higher level and is one of the better NPCs in the game IMO, even before completing his quest. Also (possibly due to a bug?), he's able to get more than just 2 pips in any weapon that he can use.
I've played with him all the way through SoA and ToB as I have with all other NPC's and most complete custom npc mods I've been able to find.
Unlike most, I actually do my research before stating an opinion.
So you don't play well, i'm sorry to say. With at minimum more than 20 runs with Anomen in party (Not all until ToB end, but all completed SoA, LG sometimes but mostly of them CN) i can say that Anomen is a tool of destruction when "proper used". Point what you do not agree cos i'm going to list below what make Anomen a good tank.
Dual class with previous fighter class level 4:
1° - This meant Anomen got all the constitution fighter bonus hitpoints even in some priest levels (which make of him a tanker unlike Aerie and Viconia). 2° - Also means he can go for grand mastery in any weapon of his choice unlike multi-class cleric/fighter (his advantage against Jaheira, whom by another side have access to HLAs for both classes). 3° - A better Thac0 than the average cleric.
His stats sum are low? Yes, he has a sum of 71/72 in stats which is a very low number for BG2 NPCs, HOWEVER, he has those stats in the right place. being a fighter/cleric dual class, every time he buff himself in constitution, he GET THE HP bonus as a fighter of the raised constitution. With Gaunlets of Dexterity that must go to him for an decent playthrough he become a very complete character.
Wisdom 12 isn't problematic, it's suffice to avoid spell failure and wisdom affects only the number of extra cast spells you get from level 1 to 4. While in viconia comparison that's something, for the later game it's not a huge problem. If you get him Lawful Good he will go for 16 wisdom (which i don't normally cos i prefer CN Anomen).
My final set with him for ToB begin normally is:
Head: Helm of Balduran or Vhailor's Helm Glove: Gloves of Dexterity Necklace: Amulet of Power or Sensate Amulet Armor: Armor of the Hart or Red Dragon Scales or normal Full Plate Mail Ring 1: Ring of Earth Control Ring 2: Ring of Gaax or Ring of Protection +2 Cloak: Cloak of Mirroring or Cloak of the Sewers or Cloak of Protection +2 (to soon become improved). Boots: Boots of speed or boots of ethrealness Belt: Belt of Inertial Barrier or one of the +3 AC specific Girdles.
Weapon: Crom Faeyr Shield: Sentinel (shield of Balduran when needed)
With this set (and their variants) i NEVER had any problem in ToB.
@SharGuidesMyHand, never liked mazzy much, her stats aren't too problematic but neither she excel in anything. 18 dex means a decent AC and 16 con give her a decent hp pool. 15 Str can be solved with Strengh buff items as the girdles of giant, ogre gloves and to end being a halfling the saves are a bit better than the average...
BUT 5 proficiency points in short sword really fuck the character.
Also Viconia and Anomen are technically pure Clerics, since Anomen's Fighter levels are a thing of the past.
I meant one that is sneakily inserted as an Easter Egg. But Viconia is evil which makes it hard to take her in a good party and with certain characters and Anomen is... Anomen.
Success!Anomen has 16 Wis, and even Failure!Anomen is perfectly serviceable, especially at high levels where the bonus spells from up to 18 Wis make less difference. His personality leaves a fair bit to be desired but from a power gaming perspective he's pretty fantastic. He's probably better than Aerie if you want a pure cleric due to her slower leveling, and he's an excellent front liner.
I never thought I'd ever be defending Anomen, but there you go! XD
I'm going to go with Cernd. He is a pretty decent healer, just make sure to save a slot for Iron Skins.
I only have two problems with Assnomen Anomen. One, he illegally dual-classed into cleric, aka he starts out with 12 wisdom, then when you go the good route, he only gains four more wisdom, which is still too low for him to legally dual-class into a cleric. Two, his personality is bad. Really bad.
Comments
Jaheira is an excellent Druid and she makes a really solid front liner. If you need the flexibility, that is the way to go.
On the other hand, if you are replete with front liners, Aerie makes the perfect combination of Cleric and Wizard which, when coupled with Contingencies, can be extremely formidable. You just have to deal with her annoying personality.
I am not a huge fan of either Cernd or Anomen, but both have their strengths (ish) and would serve you well also.
Also Viconia and Anomen are technically pure Clerics, since Anomen's Fighter levels are a thing of the past.
Ranking:
1. Aerie (with Robes of Vecna)
2. Cernd (better spellcaster)/Jaheira (better survivability spellcaster
3. Anomen (terrible spells, more of a wanna-be fighter/illusionist gnome pc)
(also Haer'Dalis and Anomen are good but I don't care about them)
Really a shame this conflict, i thought of Rasaad interaction with viconia as something inteligent, he's an person of enlightment and reason, he should see through Viconia's carapace. Well, another obvious NPC conflict confirmated then... unfortunally.
I can sort of understand the Anomen hate ... but I still love him. But bashing Haer'Dalis in my thread!!? show some respect!
To be perfectly objective I think at my stage of the game in ToB, Hexxat is the worst by far. Her only use is traps and when a raging pack of fire giants storms your party she may as well pull up a lawn chair and get a bowl of popcorn
Anomen is one of the best NPCs in the game from powerhouse perspective, You need maybe learn to use him @Remenissions.
Practically speaking, Jaheira should be able to satisfy all of your druid needs, and she can be a darn good fighter too - give her that +4 staff (I forget its name) and something to boost her strength, and she becomes an offensive machine.
If you're only going to have one cleric in your party, I'd recommend Anomen over Aerie. Aerie is a great backup spellcaster (especially if you give her the Robe of Vecna), but as a multiclass, she levels up slower than a pure cleric like Anomen. Anomen is also a decent tank, and as others have noted, he's an even better cleric if you follow the "good" path and complete his quest properly.
Unlike most, I actually do my research before stating an opinion.
Dual class with previous fighter class level 4:
1° - This meant Anomen got all the constitution fighter bonus hitpoints even in some priest levels (which make of him a tanker unlike Aerie and Viconia).
2° - Also means he can go for grand mastery in any weapon of his choice unlike multi-class cleric/fighter (his advantage against Jaheira, whom by another side have access to HLAs for both classes).
3° - A better Thac0 than the average cleric.
His stats sum are low? Yes, he has a sum of 71/72 in stats which is a very low number for BG2 NPCs, HOWEVER, he has those stats in the right place. being a fighter/cleric dual class, every time he buff himself in constitution, he GET THE HP bonus as a fighter of the raised constitution.
With Gaunlets of Dexterity that must go to him for an decent playthrough he become a very complete character.
Wisdom 12 isn't problematic, it's suffice to avoid spell failure and wisdom affects only the number of extra cast spells you get from level 1 to 4. While in viconia comparison that's something, for the later game it's not a huge problem. If you get him Lawful Good he will go for 16 wisdom (which i don't normally cos i prefer CN Anomen).
My final set with him for ToB begin normally is:
Head: Helm of Balduran or Vhailor's Helm
Glove: Gloves of Dexterity
Necklace: Amulet of Power or Sensate Amulet
Armor: Armor of the Hart or Red Dragon Scales or normal Full Plate Mail
Ring 1: Ring of Earth Control
Ring 2: Ring of Gaax or Ring of Protection +2
Cloak: Cloak of Mirroring or Cloak of the Sewers or Cloak of Protection +2 (to soon become improved).
Boots: Boots of speed or boots of ethrealness
Belt: Belt of Inertial Barrier or one of the +3 AC specific Girdles.
Weapon: Crom Faeyr
Shield: Sentinel (shield of Balduran when needed)
With this set (and their variants) i NEVER had any problem in ToB.
@SharGuidesMyHand, never liked mazzy much, her stats aren't too problematic but neither she excel in anything. 18 dex means a decent AC and 16 con give her a decent hp pool. 15 Str can be solved with Strengh buff items as the girdles of giant, ogre gloves and to end being a halfling the saves are a bit better than the average...
BUT 5 proficiency points in short sword really fuck the character.
I never thought I'd ever be defending Anomen, but there you go! XD
I only have two problems with Assnomen Anomen. One, he illegally dual-classed into cleric, aka he starts out with 12 wisdom, then when you go the good route, he only gains four more wisdom, which is still too low for him to legally dual-class into a cleric. Two, his personality is bad. Really bad.