on this talk of the roles of the ladies my favorite kind is definitely a rogue. quick, badass and good in a straight up fight. I wouldn't protect someone over gender ever, and feel a sense of equality. i also like the warriors which is what I had to deal with in BG because none really fit my sense of rogue where they are in a hooded suit and all stealthy. in skyrim I might duplicate the nightingale for a companion so I can have a rogue by my side. in general I want them to be able to stand in combat though. no damsel in distress or that instantly changes my view on them. I like Tali in Mass Effect for many reasons, including just her opening season. she shows she can handle herself when she sees through the trap and tosses a grenade and escapes. I don't think she even needed my rescue she even joins despite being technically not yet an adult nor having much combat experience, but that shows a lot of bravery.
I also tend to save games a lot. But that's a holdover from my early experience of playing games on PC, like Daggerfall and the first two Fallouts and them all tending to crash a lot.
I don't like to break up my team too often. I imagine characters getting used to each other and their foibles, learning each others strengths and weaknesses over time and becoming a team, so I don't like to disrupt it by constantly changing party members. Although I do try to try all the NPC's throughout different playthroughs, the NPC's I can never are Imoen and Aerie. Imoen is obviously the first NPC you meet, and is like a sister regardless. Apart from Yoshimo, Aerie's the first new NPC you're likely to meet in BG2, so I've always kept them both. They both fit the little sister role extremely well, and it's hard to imagine them not having a very good sisterly relationship themselves since they are actually quite alike in some ways, whilst being distinct from each other as well. They're a very good match. Generally, once I've filled up the first five positions in the party I'll just rotate the last one until I've done all that character's quests etc.
I am a bit selfish in that I tend to give my own character the best equipment, then pass everything else around. Since I rarely play as a mage, Aerie does get the pick of all that though. And the reflection shield should obviously always be standard gear for her.
If I play evil I always end up being polite and generally nice because often if you decline monetary quest rewards you get more xp, and frankly for the most part xp is better. So all my evil characters are smooth talking lawful evil who by all outward appearances are noble and good but are really just looking after themselves. Also if it doesn't give a reputation loss it dies, sorry clerics of lathander and talos.
- absolutely never play as _pure_ spellcaster. in any game. this means NO to sorcerers, mage specialists, clerics. dual or multi is OK. I just need to my char been able to hit enemies with stuff and be good with it. - hoarding potions, and wands, but using them occasionally, especially if I have a spare copy. - almost never pre-buff. its OK, when i talk to firkraag that i will come back later and then i go out of sight, buff myself and return, but when i am supposed to be attacked by eg. Samia that means no pre-buffs.
- i cannot finish a run if i don't play solo. Groups are so slow. Sometime i try to play with npc to try to enjoy the interractions but it just does not work for me so i end up playing solo again - despite playing only no reload, i spend my time quicksaving (old habits...) - i used to play only duals (pre tob), then multi (post tob). Now i avoid them both as they are OP.
Maybe it's Oob, Boo's evil twin with a tiny goatee
He is a gerbil who refuses to eat crackers. He has to be super lawful evil. He has to have 0 charisma, since unlike Boo he is not cute (though the mini goatee will make it quite difficult to resist the urge to pet him and cuddle against his fur). He would also need to be Edwin's unwanted familiar. "Filthy rodent! Why do you pester me??? (one day.... one day..)"
I also tend to assign specific party members to carry specific gear. Mage carries all scrolls, Cleric carries all potions, Fighter/Paladin carries all weapons & armor, Thief carries gems & jewelry, etc.
I usually do this, but my current Bad Blade doesn't trust any of the reprobates she travels with, so her current inventory has: Familar, Bag of Holding, Bag of Holding, Dragomir's Respite, Scroll Case, Scroll Case, Gem Bag, Gem Bag, Potion Case, Ammo Belt.
I'll be damned if Korgan or Edwin is going to get rich at *my*expense! They're always after me lucky charms...
First of all, I reload tons of times. Even if I win. If a fight doesn't go in a way that's at least acceptable to me, then I reload. If anyone dies? That's a reload. Someone does something annoying, like getting confused and chasing a squishier character around for the entire battle? That's a reload. Enemy uses ability that I don't want to have to deal with, like level drain? Reload!
Also, my main character always get's first pick of all the best gear available, though that's common sense, since CHARNAME tends to be somewhat min-maxed and the most powerful and potentially versatile character in the game.
I've never created a min/max'd Charname, spread gear evenly amongst the party, if anything prioritising companions, and never reload unless absolutely necessary. I even tried to press on after loosing 4 party members to Imprisonment, and having no idea how/if I could rescue them.
I don't min/max charname completely, but I do make sure he is never overshadowed by any NPC (Edwin is tough, that jerk). Usually I cluaconsole in the stat tomes from the first game (though i hate them!) to ensure my PC is better, though I give the intelligence one to Imoen always.
I also reload all the time! Especially for the same reasons @onestep said, but always if there is an unsatisfactory conclusion to a fight from a story-perspective (ie Nalia doesn't melf's acid arrow Tor-Gal, Imoen doesn't kill Bodhi, Kivan Tazok, Branwen Tranzig, Mazzy the Shadow King... you get the point!)
I tend to quicksave and reload before important conversations. Mostly to be able to try out all the different responses to see witch one is the funniest. When I drop of NPCs I like I usually let them keep some good loot if no-one else needs it. I usually don't steal from poor people and I almost never hoard loot. Instead of picking up every bow and +1 weapon in the game I just give myself some gold and be done with it. However, I do tend to keep the cooler magical items as my personal trophies.
I am a pack rat. I collect all unique weapons and armor and store them somewhere (in the barrel outside the Jovial Juggler in BG, at my stronghold in SoA). Once I get bags of holding the equipment moves into the bags, then the majority of it gets stored in my pocket plane in ToB, where it is organized by type and bonus.
I am a pack rat. I collect all unique weapons and armor and store them somewhere (in the barrel outside the Jovial Juggler in BG, at my stronghold in SoA). Once I get bags of holding the equipment moves into the bags, then the majority of it gets stored in my pocket plane in ToB, where it is organized by type and bonus.
When i play evil parties, i can't be evil just because the option is there, it must lead to a roleplay sick sense of fun, profit or a longer road interest, otherwise even as evil i don't pick the option. Either i never easy low my reputation, to have a bad reputation i have to work on it, so only evil quests to allow me get bad reputation, so if i kill an innocent by mistake i normally reload to not cheat my bad reputation work.
I have the intent of rewrite some of the evil options of the game to make them give party XP making them worth to take over the good options.
The deep gnomes comes in mind, no way an evil party would prefer to fight a balor instead of just taking the light gem from the idiot gnome's with the big mouth, another example is Adalon, 79.000 party XP (if i'm not wrong) for the good option, 64.000 normal xp for killing Adalon... something too much wrong there.
I am a pack rat. I collect all unique weapons and armor and store them somewhere (in the barrel outside the Jovial Juggler in BG, at my stronghold in SoA). Once I get bags of holding the equipment moves into the bags, then the majority of it gets stored in my pocket plane in ToB, where it is organized by type and bonus.
I cannot sell any unique items, I always hold on to them even if none of my characters are proficient with them. I mean what If I decide to change my party up and don't have that +2 halberd?
I am a pack rat. I collect all unique weapons and armor and store them somewhere (in the barrel outside the Jovial Juggler in BG, at my stronghold in SoA). Once I get bags of holding the equipment moves into the bags, then the majority of it gets stored in my pocket plane in ToB, where it is organized by type and bonus.
I cannot sell any unique items, I always hold on to them even if none of my characters are proficient with them. I mean what If I decide to change my party up and don't have that +2 halberd?
I mean, who actually uses bastard swords, anyway?
Charname: "But... But the Kondar! It's got bonuses against shapeshifters!!"
So?
Charname: "So... So it could come in handy!"
But nobody has proficiencies in bastard swords anyway, and really, what are the odds that we're gonna run into shapeshifters? It's just wasting space in your pack. I say sell it.
Charname: "But...But... Oh, fine... You're the player, what you say goes."
I am a pack rat. I collect all unique weapons and armor and store them somewhere (in the barrel outside the Jovial Juggler in BG, at my stronghold in SoA). Once I get bags of holding the equipment moves into the bags, then the majority of it gets stored in my pocket plane in ToB, where it is organized by type and bonus.
I cannot sell any unique items, I always hold on to them even if none of my characters are proficient with them. I mean what If I decide to change my party up and don't have that +2 halberd?
Right? Right??
Plus, it's job security. No other adventurers can take my place if I have all the good equipment. AND I can outfit my legion of minions.
@Nonnahswriter in my first run that happened I had it in my inventory until I realized I could sell it to buy the recently discovered by me Party Slayers (Arrows of Detonation, didn't knew they were so damaging), but it had an use, Dorn killed the Greater Werewolf with it (and three critical hits after hundred reloads ). Oh by all the demons of the Abyss >.< That bug!
@Nonnahswriter the Chaos has sent a message for thee, they really wanted to say hello: ~Chaos talks~ hi thr, im CH4O5 itself!!!!!!!!!! YOU'LL OBEY ME NOW!!! Why you're not happy? Look whos here! ME, CHAOS!! Im sure youve realized im InSaNe? No? :D:D INSANITYYYYYYYYYYYYYY, MADNESSSSSS!!!!! L00k what I've d0ne!! TIS MMMMMMMEEEEEEEEH!!!!! ~Chaos shuts up (for now)~
Back OT, I feel bad every time I replace an NPC portrait. It's like I'm saying they're not good-looking enough to hang out with me. So I went back to chinless Coran and strung-out Branwen and manfaced Safana. I did replace the Rasaad portrait but only because it was too hard to see when he needed healing.
@Autequi I'm almost the opposite. I typically replace all of the portraits, though to be fair, I mostly only do so to use high res (210x333) alternatives that still look a lot like the old ones. Hexxat gets an awesome one done by @Isandir Viconia gets a high res BG2 portrait, recolored so she isn't blue. Anomen gets one with uh, dark hair but still has his trademark goatee xD Jan simply gets a high res version Edwin/a gets a high res version of his BG1 portrait Jaheira gets the high res BG1 treatment as well Coran gets one that's for a dwarf but just seems to fit him perfectly Neera gets a fantastic alternate by @Astafas Dorn gets another @Isandir work of art Still looking for one for Haer'Dalis Yoshimo gets an incredible one by…I forget For shame, because her work is amazing Imoen gets chunked.
Comments
I don't like to break up my team too often. I imagine characters getting used to each other and their foibles, learning each others strengths and weaknesses over time and becoming a team, so I don't like to disrupt it by constantly changing party members. Although I do try to try all the NPC's throughout different playthroughs, the NPC's I can never are Imoen and Aerie. Imoen is obviously the first NPC you meet, and is like a sister regardless. Apart from Yoshimo, Aerie's the first new NPC you're likely to meet in BG2, so I've always kept them both. They both fit the little sister role extremely well, and it's hard to imagine them not having a very good sisterly relationship themselves since they are actually quite alike in some ways, whilst being distinct from each other as well. They're a very good match. Generally, once I've filled up the first five positions in the party I'll just rotate the last one until I've done all that character's quests etc.
I am a bit selfish in that I tend to give my own character the best equipment, then pass everything else around. Since I rarely play as a mage, Aerie does get the pick of all that though. And the reflection shield should obviously always be standard gear for her.
- hoarding potions, and wands, but using them occasionally, especially if I have a spare copy.
- almost never pre-buff. its OK, when i talk to firkraag that i will come back later and then i go out of sight, buff myself and return, but when i am supposed to be attacked by eg. Samia that means no pre-buffs.
- despite playing only no reload, i spend my time quicksaving (old habits...)
- i used to play only duals (pre tob), then multi (post tob). Now i avoid them both as they are OP.
What's the opposite of Boo?
Giant Miniature Earth Feline?
I'll be damned if Korgan or Edwin is going to get rich at *my*expense!
They're always after me lucky charms...
ALWAYS
Every fight was so much harder than it was meant to me, and it was all worthless since the "Most powerful enemy slain" never changed from Firkraag
First of all, I reload tons of times. Even if I win. If a fight doesn't go in a way that's at least acceptable to me, then I reload. If anyone dies? That's a reload. Someone does something annoying, like getting confused and chasing a squishier character around for the entire battle? That's a reload. Enemy uses ability that I don't want to have to deal with, like level drain? Reload!
Also, my main character always get's first pick of all the best gear available, though that's common sense, since CHARNAME tends to be somewhat min-maxed and the most powerful and potentially versatile character in the game.
@booinyoureyes
Boo! I found my opposite!
I've never created a min/max'd Charname, spread gear evenly amongst the party, if anything prioritising companions, and never reload unless absolutely necessary. I even tried to press on after loosing 4 party members to Imprisonment, and having no idea how/if I could rescue them.
I also reload all the time! Especially for the same reasons @onestep said, but always if there is an unsatisfactory conclusion to a fight from a story-perspective (ie Nalia doesn't melf's acid arrow Tor-Gal, Imoen doesn't kill Bodhi, Kivan Tazok, Branwen Tranzig, Mazzy the Shadow King... you get the point!)
When I drop of NPCs I like I usually let them keep some good loot if no-one else needs it. I usually don't steal from poor people and I almost never hoard loot. Instead of picking up every bow and +1 weapon in the game I just give myself some gold and be done with it.
However, I do tend to keep the cooler magical items as my personal trophies.
i also don't pick up generic loot after i hit ~50k. i only pick up valuable gems, unique items, and else just what i need to equip the party
And I also ise that barrel
I have the intent of rewrite some of the evil options of the game to make them give party XP making them worth to take over the good options.
The deep gnomes comes in mind, no way an evil party would prefer to fight a balor instead of just taking the light gem from the idiot gnome's with the big mouth, another example is Adalon, 79.000 party XP (if i'm not wrong) for the good option, 64.000 normal xp for killing Adalon... something too much wrong there.
Charname: "But... But the Kondar! It's got bonuses against shapeshifters!!"
So?
Charname: "So... So it could come in handy!"
But nobody has proficiencies in bastard swords anyway, and really, what are the odds that we're gonna run into shapeshifters? It's just wasting space in your pack. I say sell it.
Charname: "But...But... Oh, fine... You're the player, what you say goes."
*hours later*
What do you mean they're all DOPPLEGANGERS!?
Charname: "Ha! I told you it'd come in handy!!"
Plus, it's job security. No other adventurers can take my place if I have all the good equipment. AND I can outfit my legion of minions.
Oh by all the demons of the Abyss >.< That bug!
~Chaos talks~
hi thr,
im CH4O5 itself!!!!!!!!!! YOU'LL OBEY ME NOW!!! Why you're not happy? Look whos here! ME, CHAOS!!
Im sure youve realized im InSaNe? No?
L00k what I've d0ne!! TIS MMMMMMMEEEEEEEEH!!!!!
~Chaos shuts up (for now)~
I'm almost the opposite. I typically replace all of the portraits, though to be fair, I mostly only do so to use high res (210x333) alternatives that still look a lot like the old ones.
Hexxat gets an awesome one done by @Isandir
Viconia gets a high res BG2 portrait, recolored so she isn't blue.
Anomen gets one with uh, dark hair but still has his trademark goatee xD
Jan simply gets a high res version
Edwin/a gets a high res version of his BG1 portrait
Jaheira gets the high res BG1 treatment as well
Coran gets one that's for a dwarf but just seems to fit him perfectly
Neera gets a fantastic alternate by @Astafas
Dorn gets another @Isandir work of art
Still looking for one for Haer'Dalis
Yoshimo gets an incredible one by…I forget
Imoen gets chunked.