Who exactly is Gorion's ward?
mrdeluxe
Member Posts: 98
I was listening to the Baldur's Gate soundtrack the other day (yes, I'm that nerdy) and listening to theme-after-theme game me this impression of Baldur's Gate not as a game where you explore (and exploit) game mechanics and class combinations in order to create an extremely powerful player-character, but rather as a novel: an epic story.
This made me wonder how the hero of such story should be?
Considering the whole saga, who is the adopted child of Gorion, spawn of Bhaal Lord of Murder?
Man or Woman? Human, Elf, Half-Elf or Halfling even? A Fighter, a Mage, a Bard? What would made more sense and, perhaps more importantly (considering it from a storytelling point of view) what would fit better from an archetypal perspective? What should be the quintessential protagonist for the Baldur's Gate story?
What do you think? Which classes and/or combinations of race/class/party members even feel the most fleshed out, complete, when playing this game from start to finish?
This made me wonder how the hero of such story should be?
Considering the whole saga, who is the adopted child of Gorion, spawn of Bhaal Lord of Murder?
Man or Woman? Human, Elf, Half-Elf or Halfling even? A Fighter, a Mage, a Bard? What would made more sense and, perhaps more importantly (considering it from a storytelling point of view) what would fit better from an archetypal perspective? What should be the quintessential protagonist for the Baldur's Gate story?
What do you think? Which classes and/or combinations of race/class/party members even feel the most fleshed out, complete, when playing this game from start to finish?
2
Comments
I was disturbed to discover that there was a stupid book written about the game which is officially considered canon, where a Fighter was the protagonist. I refuse to believe such non-sense and pretend I never saw such blasphemous lines.
I think the Bhaalspawn is whoever your character is, though Bhaal is the Lord of Murder, and you grew up with Gorion at Candlekeep, so a few classes/races makes a bit more sense than others.
Most Sense:
1) Sorcerer
2) Mage
3) Assassin
Least Sense: (No particular order)
1) Druid
2) Barbarian
3) Paladin
I also find it hard to imagine Charname as a dwarf, halfling or gnome.
My 'main' character I've been playing is a female elven sorceress, which is what seems right to me. Doesn't mean my character is less right than a male human fighter or a halfling thief. I've played others, but she pretty much fits what I'd consider my head-canon
I mean, technically there is a 'canon' with the novels but those aren't really well received around here :P
My personal choice is a male Neutral Good human sorcerer. The male part is less definite, though Imoen's dialogue to me feels like it is directed towards a brother. Anyway, being human means no shenanigans regarding the timeline of the plot (since an elf really shouldn't be capable of venturing out at age ~20), and sorcerer to me neatly encompasses the idea of an unknown power rising within oneself. And I'll say Neutral Good, because the epic story seems to work better in my mind as a tale of resisting an evil taint than it would as a tale of being consumed by one's heritage.
Basically a copy of Bhaal. Like if you want to pretend that CHARNAME is Bhaal reincarnated.
And really, there's no official Gorion's Ward in the games (not counting Abdel from the novels).
Even a Paladin makes sense. You get martial training, there are priests around and the deity is up to you.
Druid can also make sense since the Harpers have Druid members and Gorion is a good friend of the Harpers.
Barbarian probably makes the least sense since the concept of a warrior that channels his rage is best represented with a Berserker. Though in EE, you have the explanation of how an Uthgardt Barbarian came to Candlekeep and taught you their wild ways.
I'm not just considering what classes make sense in the story. In fact, one could argue for most of them (Barbarian's still a stretch, though…). I'm talking about the whole narrative of Baldur's Gate.
Considering story, there are a few a main points that I feel fit better in how the game/games is/are written:
1 - Male protagonist.
This is mostly due to the fact that the romance options for a male PC are much richer than the the ones for female characters (however I haven't tried Hexxat, and kudos for the female-only choice, but I would love to see some other interesting options such as Valygar and even (why not?) Dorn).
I also feel like the Imoen kid sister dynamic is better suited with a big brother, but that might just be my own male-centric prejudice.
2- Jaheira and Minsc.
They need to be the main companions of CHARNAME, and the start of BG2 is much more poignant if we had Khalid and Dynaheir in our party during most of BG1, as well… If the game could be smart enough to change our companions in the beginning of BG2 based on our choices during BG1 that would be a different matter…
3 - Aerie
This will probably be a controversial one, but I think Aerie needs to be part of the party. Not necessarily the romance interest of CHARNAME, but at least be there in order to create a romance triangle in the story. Why Aerie instead of Viconia, for example? Well, Aerie is part-mage, which we need until getting Imoen back, and because Aerie can be Minsc's witch, complementing his own story rather nicely.
I disagree that the Bhaalspawn would be an assassin. I know Bhaal as a god would be well represented by this class for sure, but generally speaking the games favor the good path, so imho the Bhaalspawn would be more heroic and good-aligned.
As for what DOESN'T fit... I'd say
-Barbarian (no tribes live in libraries as far as I know)
-kitted monks (too exotic for the upbringing)
-Evil Cleric (yeah, I'm sure your Harper dad would just love raising a priest of Talos!)
-Really, any Kitted Cleric (you wouldn't be a cleric of bhaal, but I'd feel like divine favor would be hard to come by if you are the progeny of a god, despite the Drow woman from ToB)
-Druid kits (Avenger? Too much of an eco-terrorist for Candlekeep. Totemic? He represents the spirit of Bhaal already, too crowded to rep an animal spirit as well. Shapeshifter? Come on now!)
-Wizard Slayer (the child of a god who was raised by a wizard can't use magical items...bah)
-Skald (I know its in the "North" but its not exactly Norway. See Barbarian)
Paladins may be hard to justify as well, though I'd say a Cavalier may fit, simply because I view it more as a classic Galahad-type knight (I know, paladins are NOT knights per se, but the similarities here are too hard to resist). Kensai may also be awkward, but if you just view it as a plain sword-saint without the Eastern flavor maybe it wouldn't be too out of place.
Arcane magic really fits in here, due to the upbringing. Being raised by Gorion in Candlekeep with my boy Firebead nearby kinda makes arcane use pretty likely. However, I view the Bhaalspawn as having a fighter class there as well. Sarevok obviously had a natural gift for melee and Bhaal himself was mostly a dangerous dagger user.
I'd say a Fighter/Mage human or half-elf would be fitting.
Human and half-elf because of the timeline where he begins his adventure. For a Human the berserker kit may fit in with the whole "Bhaal Bloodlust Grrrr" dynamic.
I'd say male is slightly more likely, just due to the fact that Jaheira is a canon party member from way back in the first game and the only romance choice for a good character from the first game (ok, thats arguable with Viconia, but Ja would be a better fit for a heroic figure). Another kit thaw would fit nicely (though I've never really played it) would be a stalker. It would fit in a not-quite-rural-but-not-exactly-NYC type place like Candlekeep, and it is as close to an Assassin as you can get while still being generally a heroic character.
Ironically I had the most fun playing a LG Female Undead Hunter romancing Anomen. This is why the game is awesome!
I played BG 2 blind and Aerie and Anomen are the two I picked up naturally roleplaying a good character. Aerie is right outside the dungeon, as I ask around to find out where I am, I learn that something's gone wrong in the circus and a child's lost his mother. Naturally my brave hero ventures within to find Aerie.
Lost in a big city, I am told to go to the Copper Coronet to find jobs, and Anomen eagerly asks if I am an enemy of evil, or words to that effect. I also like how Anomen is like a rough diamond as a character. He seems more fitting in the company of a young Charname, with whom they might share a rivalry, as opposed to Keldorn, who would naturally be more of a mentor figure and leader, and outshine Charname in some ways.
If I made an 'official Baldur's Gate TV series', the core party would be the same as in my blind playthrough, and other characters will feature in cameos related to their areas, like Nalia for her keep, Valygar for the Planar Sphere, Mazzy for Trademeet/Shadow Dungeon etc... and Keldorn would occasionally come to the rescue when Anomen loses his way or the party face a particularly perilous threat.
As you answered I was writing that having Imoen, Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc and Dynaheir in the first game, and Imoen, Jaheira, Minsc and Aerie in the second one (rotating NPCs in the 6th slot until ToB), who would fit best in this team?
The character should start off small, modest and weak, in order to make sense to have Jaheira and Khalid as protectors, but by the beginning of BG2, he/she should have showed him or herself as a true leader "Where to now, fearless leader?".
His nature should make him a natural fighter, while his nurture would give him the knowledge of magic (I would image that the sons in Faerûn would chose their father's profession).
Fighter/Mage fills all checkboxes, even down to the choice of Stronghold, where I think D'Arnise is the one that fits best in the storyline…
Although, as you say, the one that fits best is not necessarily the one that makes for the funnest play through. Anyone who has played with Edwin on their party can attest to that (and my personal favourite romance is Viconia's).
1. The circus is basically everyone's first quest. She's there as soon as you "get me outta this hell hole" with Irenicus
2. She has a link to a BG1 character with Quayle as her daddy
3. She has the other good romance path, and is a viable alternative to Jaheira, and perhaps even more fitting for the reasons @mrdeluxe mentioned
4. Its cool how pumped Minsc is when she becomes his witch, and Minsc is clearly as canon as they come, along with Jaheira and Imoen
5. Her class kinda fills in the gap with Jaheira, Minsc and Imoen/Yoshimo, who are imho the characters the game really really really wants you to take. A cleric is missing with the decidedly canon characters, and with Imoen gone extra magic is clearly useful.
@Heindrich1988 I can see why Anomen/Nalia might be considered canon, since they both call out to you in the first major hub you find in Athkatla. Nalia's keep is a great first quest, and the way she is like Imoen junior fits.
I'd also argue the character most likely to be "canon" along with Minsc, Jaheira, Imoen and Yoshimo (plus Khalid and Dynaheir) would be Sarevok. Mostly because he was always there in every game in some fashion, he is the only new TOB character, he is so linked to charname and to the Bhaalspawn plot and finally the super duper plot railroading in ToB heavily implies that he was meant to be with you.
And if there was a Baldur's Gate TV series (one can dream), we wouldn't have the 6-person party restriction. Heck, even the fellowship of the ring had more people than that!
For BG1 story: Xan with the mines, Branwen with Tranzig, Kivan with Tazok, Edwin as a loveable antogonist with Minsc/Dyni, Yeslick with the other mines. Viconia would appear for quite a few episodes too imo.
For BG2 story: Keldorn with Unseeying Eye and Windspear, Anomen with Windspear and his personal story, Haer-Dalis with Planar Prison, Nalia with the Keep, Edwin with Mae-Var, Viconia would also appear imo (the episode of every show that has the "can't we all just get along and see past our differences" message), Valygar with his sphere and outlaw story, Cernd with Trademeet, Mazzy with Umar, Korgan... somewhere
Basically all those quests would be one-three episodes each, and they'd be special guest stars who appear for their own quest. The can-you-trust-Valygar story is a classic tv style plotline. They can all appear and be canon, joining the main cast for a few adventures, but the consistent canon *party* would be people with strong reasons to stay with Charname (linked to his dad like Jaheira, grew up as an adventurer with him like Minsc and Imoen, linked to Irenicus like Im, Ja, Minsc and Yoshimo, a romantic interest like Ja/Aerie or linked to the Bhaalspawn lore like Sarevok)
What made things even more interesting for me personally was that my Fighter/Mage, due to non-powergaming stats, was actually not any stronger than Anomen, and so there could feasibly be some jealousy and resentment that this headstrong young warrior just strolls into the party and tries to seize a prominent role, threatening his status as the 'special one'. Thankfully Anomen never tried to hit on Aerie, that would have posed a major RP problem. lol
Oh yeah, in Spellhold, without intending to, Anomen and Charname ended up fighting each other twice. The first time Anomen got dominated by an Illithid, the second time Charname turned into the slayer and lost control. I hadn't planned it, and just thought it was so fitting that on both occasions, it was those two who ended up scrapping it out. They were very evenly matched as well.
Edit:
Oh yeah, in terms of literature, too many characters loses focus. Tolkien kinda solved the problem by breaking up the Fellowship fairly soon, and most of the 2nd and 3rd books are several parallel stories involving the members of the broken fellowship.
I wouldn't want many more than 6 characters anyway, even if the restriction was removed. Also roleplay wise, I can see Mazzy joining the party and becoming a fulltime core party member, but I'd imagine that Keldorn would have other duties as a senior member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart.
Anything can work classwise but I'm biased towards fighters and mages since those seem the most likely given the NPC's around Candlekeep. Classes that I think don't make sense:
Anything that relies on divine power- Clerics, Paladins (including Blackguards), and Druids mainly. (Rangers fit here too, but you could justify this somewhat.) I think that it's explicitly stated in the games that the gods are unable to interfere in the fates of the Bhaalspawn, so having a god directly grant power to Charname doesn't really make sense. I've seen some people defend this by interpreting the divine power from coming within Charname (or from Bhaal somehow), but to really make this work you would have to turn off all of your class abilities for the second half of Shadows of Amn. This isn't to say that you can't play this way, I just think it requires the most explanation.
Classes that imply a cultural heritage that Charname would not reasonably have in Candlekeep- Monks, Barbarians, and Skalds fit here but there may be others I'm missing. These are more plausible than divine classes (maybe Charname just read lots of books about Monks and studied martial arts) but are still not very likely. Kitted Monks are pretty much right out.
As far as party members, I have my own ideas about how I would like a story told. I think that if a narrative were written the author would have to adapt heavily around the fact that things that work in a video game just won't work in other mediums. I would probably largely ignore the full playable cast of each game and stick with the bare minimums. In Throne of Bhaal especially I would strip down the companions to perhaps Imoen and Sarevok only. I imagine this limited focus would probably not be very popular with fans of the game but I think it's what I'd like to see.
As far as limiting the cast, it depends entirely on the medium and the length of the piece. In a film series for release in cinema the cast shouldn't be too expansive. For a television series though, whether it be something along the lines of Legend of the Seeker or a more lighthearted Game of Thrones, I think having the canon BG1 party (with Minsc and Dynaheir maybe in a more limited role) and just Yoshimo, Jaheira and Minsc and later Jaheira, Minsc and Imoen as mainstays would work fine. Other characters would show up intermittently and not be central cast members. Of course Sarevok will be the major addition later on.
I just wanted to say that this is a very interesting discussion, and it's given me a lot of ideas! I haven't done much planning for writing out the second game, as there are so many different characters and plotlines that it's difficult to focus the story. >_>;; I wasn't even sure if I'd include Aerie at first, but thanks to @mrdeluxe and @booinyoureyes, I may just have to. Minsc needs his witch! And Charname needs a love triangle!! >:D
Charname: "Oh no... I don't really need two girls fighting over me, do I? I'd like to keep all my limbs, if you don't mind..."
me: "Hey, at least I haven't brought in Viconia. Yet."
Ahem. Anyway. Feel free to carry on~!
See, funny thing about how we see ourselves and our gender- unlike most of the guys in the thread who saw Imoen's interaction as perfect for a big brother, I thought Imoen's interactions as perfect for a big sister. To me, the Bhaalspawn will always be female, because: I'm female, I generally play female characters, and this sort of story has been done a dozen times with male protagonists so it's nice to actually see it as a female. However, tradition shows that fantasy authors usually in general pander towards their male audience (unless it's romantic fantasy) and men do read more (non romantic fantasy) books then woman do, so it seems likely that that the character would be male, even though I'd prefer her female.
Class? It's not in the original Baldur's Gate, but I think sorcerer suits the Bhaalspawn the best. Raised by an archmage, but coming to the Art by the quirk in their blood and the mix of fate that makes them, well, a Bhaalspawn. Really, you could argue almost any class, though. Well... druid or ranger might be a bit more difficult. I get the feeling the Bhaalspawn wasn't allowed outside the Keep walls that often.
Canon party as we know it in BG1: Minsc, Dyna, Jaheria, Khalid, Imoen. Canon party in BG2? I would guess CHARNAME, Aerie, Anomen, Jaheria, Minsc, Yoshimo->Imoen. If CHARNAME is female, Aerie gets dumped for Sarevok in TOB: if CHARNAME is male, Anomen gets dumped. (Though it would make more sense to dump Minsc, as honestly, I think Aerie, Anomen, and Sarevok are a lot more well-developed then Minsc, who remains entertaining, but somewhat one note through the whole series.) I'd prefer a story where all sorts of companions were picked up and dropped, though, and CHARNAME traveled with almost everyone. But that's how I imagine the canon party would go. I think for male CHARNAME, despite what certain books would have you believe, Aerie is more of a 'canon'ish love interest then Jaheria- Aerie fits almost every trope of Standard Fantasy Heroine more then Jaheria does (this is not meant to be a slight on either woman, both who I think are strong and lovely and awesome I'm glad to see characterized the way they are).
I'm guessing like the novel, canon Bhaalspawn turns down the essence at the end and remains mortal. Because one can't upset that status quo. Gasp.
Or better yet: have some NPCs die in the final battle. I usually let Haer'Dalis kick the bucket… "At last, oblivion!"
I also wished that there were more "temporary" NPCs. Some, like Keldorn, who you had to convince to stay with the party, otherwise they went back to their lives.
@Twani
That's exactly what I did in my first blind playthrough. Initially it was unintended, and later it developed into a tradition.
My first quest out of Athkatla was the D'Arnise Keep, which sounded time-urgent. When I got there I was worried that I might miss out on important stuff if I didn't have Nalia with me, so I dropped Anomen (took a heavy blow from a giant troll in the courtyard, went back to Copper Coronet to recuperate) and did the D'Arnise Keep with Nalia.
Next outing was to the Umar Hills, where Charname found Valygar. He could hardly justify killing the man after hearing his story, and so agreed to investigate the Planar Sphere with him. That meant dropping Minsc since Valygar is also a Ranger (kinda). And so it went on, Keldorn for the Unseeing Eye and Planar Prison (stumbled into that one unexpectedly whilst looking for Unseeing Eye), Mazzy for Shadow Dungeon and all the Trademeet stuff etc etc... I even had Cernd for a bit!
In the end it all worked out great for roleplay, cos I lost 4 core party members (Minsc, Jaheira, Aerie and Imoen) to Imprisonment in Watcher's Keep, and ended up needing to call on Keldorn, Mazzy, Valygar and Nalia through the Pocket Plane, and it was nice that Charname already had history with all of them, almost like them repaying him a favour.
I think Imoen is probably fantastically written, honestly. If I look at her and see 'younger sister who a big sister needs to take care of', while guys are looking at her and thinking 'younger sister who a big brother needs to take care of'- then, well, she's catered to two groups, and catered to them well. Cheers, Imoen! May you always be getting the better of your big sis/big bro.
I sort of prefer that, too. Keldorn has a family to take care of. And, honestly, so do Anomen and Valygar, in their own ways- they're both nobles, basically the only remaining family (Anomen's father is a drunk- he doesn't count in my rulebook) and both have their own standards to set and their own family to reform, as much as Valygar might want to avoid that duty. In the same way, Jaheria has a Harper Hold that now lacks any coherent leader, Mazzy has a younger sister, Yoshimo even if you have a mod to make him stick around has probably gotten enough revenge for his sister, Edwin is once again on the rise to power, so forth.
I think ToB leaves CHARNAME with a good opportunity to restock. They have Jaheria/Aerie/Viconia/Anomen/Neera/Dorn/Rasaad/Mod NPC of Awesome by their side, and of course Imoen. They get Sarevok. Then they have three NPC's of their choice, no matter what their NPCs made as decisions in BG2, to take. Personally, for instance, I like leaving Rasaad with his temple at the end of his BG2 quest, but I have no problem retaking him in ToB. It's the final moments, and I like starting CHARNAME with somewhat of a blank state.
@Heindrich1988
I like to do that, too. I don't know if you know of the Xan and Kivan mods (one at Pocketplane Group, the other at Gibberlings 3), but they're good mods for BG2. So what I had was an elven ranger, who kept those two with her (and later, Kivan's wife- no matter what PC I play, I never feel like I'm quite good enough for Kivan, considering how lovely his beloved is).
But I think she traveled with every other NPC, if only for a short while. She save Viconia from fanatics, and brought her some glory on the surface. She raided Korgan's tomb, and found the 'nether scroll' (cough, cough) for Edwin. She's saved Mazzy's sister, united Keldorn's family, and helped Anomen on his test. She restructured the harper hold for Jaheria, braved the planer prison for Haer'Dalis, helped Jan's dear ex-lover, and... you know. So forth, so what. I like to think she traveled a bit with every NPC included in the game, and helped them a tiny bit on their travels. That was, obviously with the ranger bit, a good aligned NPC, but I think it could work with a neutral one. Travel with everyone, influence them in small ways, then say goodbye with them.
(SCS is notablely hard if you go with a group not prepared for it, though. Boo! Or maybe yay. Haven't decided.)
I played blind, so I didn't know where to find everyone, and I also didn't bother with anyone evil, or anything that involved questionable activities. I even didn't bother solving the Bridge District murders cos it seemed like something for law enforcement to deal with, not a Bhaalspawn hero with bigger stuff to fry!
I like how the core game is not so hard that the missed xp becomes a big problem. It's challenging, there's difficulty spikes, but on the whole, I can learn it on the fly, playing blind.
As for the good companions...I'm just sick of Minsc. That's because I overplayed him in my first umpteen run-throughs, but I'm just tired of him. For her part, Jaheira has some fantastic quests in chapter 2, but the problem is that she, well, sucks. Insect plague aside, druids are terrible, particularly if they take twice as long as pure druids to level.
As for the PC, I've no problem with him or her being a monk. Perhaps it would help to think of it as Candlekeep's scriptorium rather than its library, but monks, or at least European monks, pretty much live in libraries. (Yes yes I know, different sort of monk but still.)
That said, I almost always roll a sorcerer or, moreso lately, a wild mage. The idea of a young student of magic orphaned and forced to flee before his training was complete, with all this unchanneled divine power flowing through his veins and seeking release, seems to fit the script quite nicely.
*Don't get me wrong, I think the new evil NPCs are innovative and fun, and that wedding scene has some hilarious dialogue options. In fact, the only thing that drives me nuts about the new kids is the boneheaded decision to make Neera CN. She whinges about assassinating Rayic Gethras, for example, and not even Keldorn does that.
Here's my two penn'orth:
Gender: I typically play as male (male plays as male - big shock), as others have said, the relationship with Imoen has big bro harmonics that I can really easily relate to. (But this is one of the few choices that I think has the widest grey area.
Race: I lean towards human or half-elf, on the basis that I think the early game leaves open the possibility that Gorion could actually be the biological father as an extra element of mystery.
Class: Leaving aside kits, I tend to agree with those who've said that rangers, barbarians, monks, clerics & paladins don't feel right (two of these are my favorite to play btw), and for pretty similar reasons. I can see a path for magic users and fighters, and *maybe* thief by association with early playmate Imoen.
For me though, Bard makes a great deal of sense: spending hours amongst the books, being taught how to fight by the guards, a few spells by Gorion and a bit of sleight of hand from wherever Imoen picked it up. I also really like the idea of a wide-eyed kid listening to Gorion's tales of adventure (with Imoen sneaking out if bed to listen by the door)... Hanging around the Inn to learn a few baudy songs and generally hero worshipping every wanderer to pass through Candlekeep.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9316156/1/BG-EE-Adventures-In-The-Sword-Coast
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9848285/1/BG2-EE-SoA-Shadows-Within
My canon charname is a Lawful Good (in my BG1 fanfic) and later Chaotic Good (in my BG2 fanfic) human male fighter (don't worry, he is far better than the official novel's protagonist!) The reason why I chose him to be a fighter is because as a Bhaalspawn, he is subconsiously interested in fighting, in spilling blood, and wouldn't be interested in being a mage or monk. Also, the reasons why I chose him to be a human is because I can't imagine Gorion being such close friends (to the point of near romantic relationship) with charname's mother if she was a halfling, half-orc, dwarf or gnome. There's also the problem with Charname being an elf or half-elf, given the long lifespan of the races and the short timeline of the events related to the game which fit human and other charname races with short lifespans more than elves and half-elf charnames. In the event where Gorion and his Harper allies save charname and the rest of the Bhaalspawn children (except Sarevok), charname should be a baby so that he won't remember that event at all, and there's the problem with romancing Aerie. I'm planning on my charname romancing either Aerie, Viconia, Neera or Tashia (the modded companion made by modder Lord Ernie), but if I have him romance Aerie, there's no way, as an elf (and possibly a half-elf) for him to get her pregnant. Elves don't reach sexual maturity like humans at the age of 13.
These are the companions my Charname traveled with or met in my BGEE fanfic (Some of them quit the party or died):
Imoen
Montaron
Xzar
Khalid
Jaheira
Neera
Rasaad
Dorn
Xan
Edwin
Minsc
Dynaheir
Safana
Kivan
Viconia
Coran
Yeslick
Ajantis
Quayle
Companions in BG2EE fanfic (some characters like Keldorn and Edwin won't stay forever, and the fanfic isn't complete yet, so some characters have yet to appear)
Imoen
Jaheira
Minsc
Yoshimo
Aerie
Abdel (Yes, I have him in here too, only to retcon out the events of the official novels)
Althirion (a CG rogue classed half-elf character created by one of my friends in DeviantART, "Omega-Killer", who wrote a fanfic unrelated to BG but set in the Forgotten Realms)
Anomen
Korgan
Hexxat
Nalia
Neera
Jan
Viconia
Keldorn
Edwin
Haer'Dalis
Rasaad
Dorn
Tashia
Mazzy
Valygar
Cernd
I guess the only thing I disagree with is Jahiera being terrible... With Belm and a good club (until you get spectral brand or club of detonation), she was easily my best NPC melee damage dealer (with a str belt).
Iron skins and Insect Plague, along with summon fire elementals early on, make her one of the strongest NPCs in my opinion and she can use all of her lower level slots on things like resist fire and cold, and protection from fire.
Armor of Faith and Doom make up level 1 anyway.
All she needs is either an improved haste item or a friendly mage to become a meat grinder, the only other NPC to come even kinda close is Anomen, but he's limited to blunt so no speed weapons, so he has to rely on GWW... not IH + Critical Strikes.
Korgan technically does more damage, same with Mazzy (by a little) but neither of them has Ironskins and Armor of Faith to go with Hardiness so they aren't viable tanks, especially on insane difficulty. They also have a lot less utility to deal with the more difficult enemies such as mages etc.