My is Faren. He's a well written character, well voiced, mechanically useful (fighter dualed thief) and a joy to have in the party romanced or not.
can you elaborate more on why he's so great?
Well as I said in my original post, Faren is well written. He interjects believably and even argues with other npcs when he's romancing you, especially if they try to initiate romance flavored chat. His voice acting is done very well and his voice is generally pleasing to hear.
Mechanically, as a fighter dualed thief, he has excellent combat skills and can reach grand mastery. He also serves as a thief for either good or evil parties (he's neutral) that continues to advance as a thief and can reach UAI opening up his gearing options tremendously. I like having a thief that keeps getting skill points. Sure there's a point where you have enough but I like doing things like having uber HS/MS or PP once the basics like OL or FT are maxed at 100.
Overall he just seems like a great character to have around. He has a great starting point and the typical interaction with Bodhi that the other romances has so he feels like he's meant to be part of the game.
I can't say it enough, Keldorn's romance is really really good, well paced, well thought out and adds some nice content even if you don't want to romance him. I think I'll give the Nalia romance a try on my next playthrough.
Is there really a Keldorn romance??? Better find a Scroll of Sildenafil...
Why does this surprise everyone whenever I mention it? I'm curious, seriously, how old do you all actually think Keldorn is? (Bearing in mind he has young / teenage daughters, a wife who is not yet grey and he himself isn't completely grey or that wrinkled in his portrait, I think the shadows under his eyes age him somewhat but he's more scarred than wrinkled). It's also worth remembering that all three vanilla female romances are elves or half elves and far older than Charname.
For me, it's not an age thing at all, it's a paladin who already is married with kids kind of thing. I'm sure the mod takes that into consideration, but he just seems utterly unromanceable to me because of the family. But then again, I'm the kind of person that gets really uncomfortable over the Imoen romance mod...
I can't say it enough, Keldorn's romance is really really good, well paced, well thought out and adds some nice content even if you don't want to romance him. I think I'll give the Nalia romance a try on my next playthrough.
Is there really a Keldorn romance??? Better find a Scroll of Sildenafil...
Why does this surprise everyone whenever I mention it? I'm curious, seriously, how old do you all actually think Keldorn is? (Bearing in mind he has young / teenage daughters, a wife who is not yet grey and he himself isn't completely grey or that wrinkled in his portrait, I think the shadows under his eyes age him somewhat but he's more scarred than wrinkled). It's also worth remembering that all three vanilla female romances are elves or half elves and far older than Charname.
For me, it's not an age thing at all, it's a paladin who already is married with kids kind of thing. I'm sure the mod takes that into consideration, but he just seems utterly unromanceable to me because of the family.
Me too, to be honest, there's no way I'd play a mod where the PC was in any way responsible an NPC's new found single status, especially a character in the mould of Keldorn. That's why I like this particular mod as you get to make the right choices to have any chance of the romance even starting, and then it's a long process that makes sense in the context of the setup. But that's the beauty of mods, they're not necessarily to everyone's taste so you don't need to have it as part of your story. There are actually two Keldorn mods but I'm not sure where the other one is up to in the development stage, and, from what I've gleaned, the beginning of the romance is not handled in the same way.
I can't say it enough, Keldorn's romance is really really good, well paced, well thought out and adds some nice content even if you don't want to romance him. I think I'll give the Nalia romance a try on my next playthrough.
Is there really a Keldorn romance??? Better find a Scroll of Sildenafil...
Why does this surprise everyone whenever I mention it? I'm curious, seriously, how old do you all actually think Keldorn is? (Bearing in mind he has young / teenage daughters, a wife who is not yet grey and he himself isn't completely grey or that wrinkled in his portrait, I think the shadows under his eyes age him somewhat but he's more scarred than wrinkled). It's also worth remembering that all three vanilla female romances are elves or half elves and far older than Charname.
I never thought of it that way. Is Aerie really older though?
Given how long elves live I'm guessing the age they reach sexual maturity is a fair bit later than humans do - I can only find anecdotal evidence online so if someone wants to correct me here feel free - so, yeah, I think she's older in physical terms even if she comes across as the baby sister in worldly experience terms.
Just realized though that you can make an elf charname who reaches sexual maturity at least by SoA, so I don't think that really means much about Aerie.
Yeah, but Charname seems to obey different ageing laws than most of whatever race s/he happens to be part of, so I don't think the same applies to others.
@Eudaemonium I had no idea. I guess its a Bhaalspawn thing. Thanks!
From Ed Greenwood "I don’t think demihumans are sexually mature when they stop looking like children; I believe achieving puberty takes at least another 80 years, and possibly as much as 120."
Honestly, I think its mostly an oversight. The timeline is, I think, largely written with a human or at most half-elf protagonist in mind, because the others make little sense (half-orc works: they actually reach physical maturity at around 14). 'Bhaalspawn thing' is pretty much the only way to reconcile the timeline, especially with some of the Bhaalspawn present in ToB, about which there are numerous fanon theories regarding how they can exist (Bhaal spawned them way, way before the time of troubles being a popular one).
Has anyone actually given the Isra mod in bg2 a try? I've currently got her installed, but if the general view is that it's perfectly skippable, i might as well just go with Aerie.
I'm currently going for my last playthrough of BG2 for a while as i've been burning that candle in both ends, and it'd be a shame to end up with the Isra romance and send Aerie on her way if it turns out that it's crap.
Also; Are there any De'Arnise romances that have ToB content? I'm a bit confused about that.
As for other favorite romances.. hm. I dunno.
I kind of liked Tashia, although i never finished any of those few runs. But the initial stuff (SoA part) was good. I really liked both Amber and Fade, but since they don't have ToB content i find them entirely dissatisfactory and pointless now. Saerileth is alright. The fact that she butts into just about every part of the game is actually something i like. Why would a romantic partner stfu about all of these things anyway? Would your RL wife stand idly by and mind her own business as you kill someone just because you can? Other then that, there's maybe a bit much of that teenage drama llama thing going. And as someone mentioned earlier, the voice acting/sound quality is so painfully horrible she's best played without a soundset.
I typically don't get too far in mod romances... I remember Amber being okay, if rather long and low-key. I seriously couldn't tell if I was romancing her or not, for awhile.
The most interesting thing Amber did was allowing you to romance her with someone other than CHARNAME. Not only this allows you to try two romance mods at once, but I find it fits the low key tone of the romance best.
I typically don't get too far in mod romances... I remember Amber being okay, if rather long and low-key. I seriously couldn't tell if I was romancing her or not, for awhile.
The most interesting thing Amber did was allowing you to romance her with someone other than CHARNAME. Not only this allows you to try two romance mods at once, but I find it fits the low key tone of the romance best.
I didn't even know that. Now Minsc can finally make use of those massive biceps.
Saerileth is alright. The fact that she butts into just about every part of the game is actually something i like. Why would a romantic partner stfu about all of these things anyway? Would your RL wife stand idly by and mind her own business as you kill someone just because you can?
That is a valid point but there is a point where it becomes excessive and she seems to be more integral to the story than the Bhaalspawn.
de'Arnise Romance. I am colored by my adoration of Grey DeLisle, and my adoration for Magic-User/Thieves (or Thief -> Magic-Users~), but it's a nice mod.
I really hate Saerileth. At first I was like yay another Paladin. But when I met her she gave off this stalker vibe and not even a good stalker vibe. Plus her whole romance thing felt very rushed and made me feel very uncomfortable. Not to mention you can't finish the shadow thief quest with her in the party. Plus her attributes and very mediocre. It's impossible for her to be a decent front line fighter that a Paladin should be.
I'll second? third? whatever we're up to the sentiment about the BG1NPC Dynaheir romance. I actually helped beta test that component way back when, and I really enjoyed both doing so and playing it for "real". I felt like it really found her voice.
Tashia has always been another of my favorites. Keep in mind, though, that she was originally written more than ten years ago, and that even the updated "Remix" versions are getting somewhat older now - as such, the style of the dialogues and the quest design does not always fit with more recent mods and such. I have also occasionally encountered technical problems with some of her content, so be cautious.
I really enjoyed both Sarah and Tyris Flare. The concept for the latter mod sounds like it would be jarring at first, but I felt it was handled pretty well.
More recently, I really liked the BG2 Branwen mod by @Kulyok . Again, I think it finds the character's voice really well. Plus if you read the dialogue and script files, you can learn a lot about modding.
I'll second? third? whatever we're up to the sentiment about the BG1NPC Dynaheir romance. I actually helped beta test that component way back when, and I really enjoyed both doing so and playing it for "real". I felt like it really found her voice.
Very much this. In my opinion it's one of the places where the BG1 NPC Project is basically indistinguishable from or even better than the official content.
Saerileth is alright. The fact that she butts into just about every part of the game is actually something i like. Why would a romantic partner stfu about all of these things anyway? Would your RL wife stand idly by and mind her own business as you kill someone just because you can?
That is a valid point but there is a point where it becomes excessive and she seems to be more integral to the story than the Bhaalspawn.
It never felt that way to me, but so what even if it had? What does it matter who the story focus on more, as lon as it is an enjjoyable story? I really liked the Disney fairy tale like tone she brought to the game, it was a nice change of pace.
I can't say it enough, Keldorn's romance is really really good, well paced, well thought out and adds some nice content even if you don't want to romance him. I think I'll give the Nalia romance a try on my next playthrough.
Is there really a Keldorn romance??? Better find a Scroll of Sildenafil...
Why does this surprise everyone whenever I mention it? I'm curious, seriously, how old do you all actually think Keldorn is? (Bearing in mind he has young / teenage daughters, a wife who is not yet grey and he himself isn't completely grey or that wrinkled in his portrait, I think the shadows under his eyes age him somewhat but he's more scarred than wrinkled). It's also worth remembering that all three vanilla female romances are elves or half elves and far older than Charname.
Just how old are Viccy, Aerie, and Jaheirra? I've never seen any canon info on their age.
Well, Elves reach sexual maturity at around 80-120, so at least that. Jaheira could obviously be younger due to being a half-elf, but she's probably at least in her late 20s.
Jaheira is almost certainly much older than 20. Consider, she is an "old friend" of Gorion, who spent most of the last 20 years looking after CHARNAME in Candlekeep. His "adventuring days" were clearly before that, and it's likely that was when he met Jaheira and Khalid. Since they are both half-elves, they could easily be several decades old, but almost certainly are at least 45+.
I wouldn't say that it's my favourite, but I find a certain humour in playing through Saerileth romance. Why? Because she's a gently caressing stalker. One of the lovetalks? CHARNAME reaches for his water flask, and Saerileth stops him, telling him that his flask is nearly empty and to drink from hers instead. She's been watching him consistently enough to know the water level in his drinking flask. This is a running thing, where CHARNAME cannot do ANYTHING without Saerileth peering over his shoulder.
The thing I really find funny about the Saerileth romance though, is that it kills all other romances. And by that, I mean that if you progress even SLIGHTLY onto her romance path, then it sets up a global variable that axes even most mod romances.
As for really good romances... I've always wanted to give Tyris Flare a try, since the script in the dialogue files seems solid enough, but CHARNAME in my latest playthrough is already a dualled Fighter/Mage, meaning that Tyris doesn't really fit into the party that well.
Fade and Amber are both interesting and well-done, but lack ToB content. Tashia HAS ToB content, but it's quality is... variable.
I can't say it enough, Keldorn's romance is really really good, well paced, well thought out and adds some nice content even if you don't want to romance him. I think I'll give the Nalia romance a try on my next playthrough.
Is there really a Keldorn romance??? Better find a Scroll of Sildenafil...
Why does this surprise everyone whenever I mention it? I'm curious, seriously, how old do you all actually think Keldorn is? (Bearing in mind he has young / teenage daughters, a wife who is not yet grey and he himself isn't completely grey or that wrinkled in his portrait, I think the shadows under his eyes age him somewhat but he's more scarred than wrinkled). It's also worth remembering that all three vanilla female romances are elves or half elves and far older than Charname.
Just how old are Viccy, Aerie, and Jaheirra? I've never seen any canon info on their age.
Nothing canon. I think Aerie is probably about 50-60 (Avariel mature twice as fast as other elves). Jaheira 40 something (that would make her old enough to have travelled with Gorion.
Viconia is of house De'Vir, which was destroyed when Drizzt was born. So she was a priestess and had already fled the drow city before that happened, which would place her probably about 180 I think.
To be completely honest they are all kinda terrible in their own way, and are all kinda great in their own way. It's hard to say really. I have a soft spot for Nathaniel myself. But in the end it all comes down to personal preference.
To be completely honest they are all kinda terrible in their own way, and are all kinda great in their own way. It's hard to say really. I have a soft spot for Nathaniel myself. But in the end it all comes down to personal preference.
Except for Saerileth. She's terrible.
Saerileth isn't even the worst. That dubious honour goes to Chloe, who is the worst thing ever.
The Saerileth mod at least adds some interesting content, like the third way to Spellhold. And there's tons of amusing ways to screw with Saerileth (Especially if you, ah, screw with Phaere first). I mean seriously. She can literally die from a broken heart. As in, on the spot. That's comedy gold.
Chloe is just terrible, whether you're romancing her or just traveling along with her. Unadulterated crap. Every character it touches is worse off for it, and the authors love of cutscene power is just sickening. It's not even funny how bad it is.
Personally, I think if most people made a list of the top five terrible romance mods Saerileth, and Chloe would be tied for first. Then, possibly, Tsujatha, Yasraena, Solaufein, and 'insertromancemodtheydon'tlike' in any order.
My next favorite romance mod after Kivan, and Arath has to be...Adrian. Mmm, Adrian.
The Saerileth mod might be underrated just for how much hate it seems to receive. When I tried the mod out several years ago, I actually liked it just because it had a lot of content. Besides if you had already played the game before and were trying out mods for new material, then it does deliver in that aspect with its quests, new areas, alternative quest routes, and Saerileth's romance itself.
Yes, her age is controversial (just pretend she's 18 or older) and her 'pure' attitude can be galling in the gritty world of BG2 but I thought it was worth a download. And for the record, Broken Heart Syndrome actually exists and you can die from it.
And I never tried out Kelsey's romance because I always play male, but his romance component with Imoen in TOB (if you didn't romance him in SoA) is something I'm really liking play out.
Comments
Absolutely no question. Favourite mod NPC, full-stop.
Just realized though that you can make an elf charname who reaches sexual maturity at least by SoA, so I don't think that really means much about Aerie.
From Ed Greenwood "I don’t think demihumans are sexually mature when they stop looking like children; I believe achieving puberty takes at least another 80 years, and possibly as much as 120."
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13383
I'm currently going for my last playthrough of BG2 for a while as i've been burning that candle in both ends, and it'd be a shame to end up with the Isra romance and send Aerie on her way if it turns out that it's crap.
Also; Are there any De'Arnise romances that have ToB content? I'm a bit confused about that.
As for other favorite romances.. hm. I dunno.
I kind of liked Tashia, although i never finished any of those few runs. But the initial stuff (SoA part) was good.
I really liked both Amber and Fade, but since they don't have ToB content i find them entirely dissatisfactory and pointless now.
Saerileth is alright. The fact that she butts into just about every part of the game is actually something i like. Why would a romantic partner stfu about all of these things anyway? Would your RL wife stand idly by and mind her own business as you kill someone just because you can? Other then that, there's maybe a bit much of that teenage drama llama thing going. And as someone mentioned earlier, the voice acting/sound quality is so painfully horrible she's best played without a soundset.
Not only this allows you to try two romance mods at once, but I find it fits the low key tone of the romance best.
"Whooooo wants some?"
Tashia has always been another of my favorites. Keep in mind, though, that she was originally written more than ten years ago, and that even the updated "Remix" versions are getting somewhat older now - as such, the style of the dialogues and the quest design does not always fit with more recent mods and such. I have also occasionally encountered technical problems with some of her content, so be cautious.
I really enjoyed both Sarah and Tyris Flare. The concept for the latter mod sounds like it would be jarring at first, but I felt it was handled pretty well.
More recently, I really liked the BG2 Branwen mod by @Kulyok . Again, I think it finds the character's voice really well. Plus if you read the dialogue and script files, you can learn a lot about modding.
I really liked the Disney fairy tale like tone she brought to the game, it was a nice change of pace.
The thing I really find funny about the Saerileth romance though, is that it kills all other romances. And by that, I mean that if you progress even SLIGHTLY onto her romance path, then it sets up a global variable that axes even most mod romances.
As for really good romances... I've always wanted to give Tyris Flare a try, since the script in the dialogue files seems solid enough, but CHARNAME in my latest playthrough is already a dualled Fighter/Mage, meaning that Tyris doesn't really fit into the party that well.
Fade and Amber are both interesting and well-done, but lack ToB content. Tashia HAS ToB content, but it's quality is... variable.
Viconia is of house De'Vir, which was destroyed when Drizzt was born. So she was a priestess and had already fled the drow city before that happened, which would place her probably about 180 I think.
To be completely honest they are all kinda terrible in their own way, and are all kinda great in their own way. It's hard to say really.
I have a soft spot for Nathaniel myself. But in the end it all comes down to personal preference.
Except for Saerileth. She's terrible.
The Saerileth mod at least adds some interesting content, like the third way to Spellhold. And there's tons of amusing ways to screw with Saerileth (Especially if you, ah, screw with Phaere first). I mean seriously. She can literally die from a broken heart. As in, on the spot. That's comedy gold.
Chloe is just terrible, whether you're romancing her or just traveling along with her. Unadulterated crap. Every character it touches is worse off for it, and the authors love of cutscene power is just sickening. It's not even funny how bad it is.
My next favorite romance mod after Kivan, and Arath has to be...Adrian. Mmm, Adrian.
Yes, her age is controversial (just pretend she's 18 or older) and her 'pure' attitude can be galling in the gritty world of BG2 but I thought it was worth a download. And for the record, Broken Heart Syndrome actually exists and you can die from it.
And I never tried out Kelsey's romance because I always play male, but his romance component with Imoen in TOB (if you didn't romance him in SoA) is something I'm really liking play out.