NPCs You Enjoy
Stasis_Sword
Member Posts: 91
I would like to have a discussion on which NPCs people enjoy from a dialog/story standpoint, completely ignoring gameplay mechanics. Who do you find funny? Or intriguing? Or annoying? Also please include a brief summary of why.
Some potential categories for discussion:
Favorite NPCs
Least Favorite NPCs
Favorite Romance
Favorite Pairs/Groups
Favorite Parties You've Used
Some potential categories for discussion:
Favorite NPCs
Least Favorite NPCs
Favorite Romance
Favorite Pairs/Groups
Favorite Parties You've Used
0
Comments
For companions I really like Aerie, Branwen, Viconia, Keldorn, Neera (BG1 at least, not played with her in sequel yet) and solely for his interactions with others, Jan. I feel Faldorn is a lot of lost potential for a Neutral Evil mirror to Jaheira's Neutral Good (record screen can say what it wants, that's what they are) and Yoshimo seems to be a whole lot of cut content as well.
Aerie is mechanically awesome what with being a cleric/mage and thus having all the magix, is very pleasant and has a decent story. Branwen has amazing voice acting, is a cleric which is always good, and an interesting backstory which sadly has no hook to Tranzig's appearance in the game. I don't really think I need to list why Viconia is awesome, heh. Keldorn is a well-made character in all ways he can be, the only flaw being that he leaves the party when a spesific choice is made in his quest, the most reasonable choice imo. Neera, apart from a couple occasions where she's a snotty brat that could use a claymore through her head, is amusing, pleasant and brings a refreshing element of change and surprise to fights.
Minsc is quite funny in conversations but gets really old in his selection/order confirmation sounds. Quayle is, most likely as intended, incredibly annoying and I'm a bit disappointed he wasn't still gender-changed and chunked when I came across him in BGII. Nalia can also be exceptionally annoying; "How are we helping the less fortunate trudging around in here?"... Sheesh, you tell me princess, it's YOUR DAMN HOME we're clearing of monsters here.
As for non-companions, I always liked Elvenbead Firehair Firebead Elvenhair apart from his atrocious name. Comes across as an uncle-type person I think. Just about all the red wizards you come across also tend to be quite funny in some way, at least if you have Edwin along for the encounters.
Oh, almost forgot. Garrick. He's a lot of lost potential imo. Great character portrait, decent voiceacting but completely devoid of character after the initial quest with Silke.
I also like Jaheira and Viconia. They're consistently characterised, develop over time, have their own story arcs with plot elements and can both be joinable NPCs throughout the Baldur's Gate Saga. Both have complex and conflicted elements to their stories but they avoid being whiny (this is vital). Many of the other characters who you can have through BG1, SOA and TOB are either under-developed in parts (Imoen) or too comic-relief focused to be fully sympathetic (Minsc and Edwin).
Edwin because Edwina. Also a good voice.
Korgan because he's flat-out hilarious, same goes for Jan.
ToB companion, again the voice helps, and a rich backstory makes him even better.
Minsc… His best feature is Boo, but I just can't take him along anymore. Once was enough. I did enjoy several non-companion NPCs' reactions to him. I guess I'm neutral about him.
I initially could not stand Anomen, though I enjoy dragging him down off his high horse, and anyone who provokes such a strong reaction is by definition well-written, if you ask me. So I'm neutral, if not indifferent there too.
Imoen has always irritated me, even more so than Nalia, which is saying something. Between the two of them, they make my ears bleed.
In BG2 Jan Jansen is probably the all-time favourite. Minsc is still enjoyable but loses out a bit since he doesn't have his own quest. Viconia is also great since she is fleshed out a bit to more than "Male, fetch me something to drink" from BG1.
I've also recently discovered how good Haer'Dalis is and so I'm actually using him (when I was young and play the original BG2 I could be bothered with the micro-management he requires) and thus I have found out how funny he can be.
Keldorn and Sarevok are also great characters and I'll have to see which one I chose for my ToB playthrough.
The winner though, is not a joinable NPC but the lovable-hateable swashbuckler/mage Saemon Havarian. I love the fact that he actually does help the PC even though it seems like he's a jerk. Fantastic!
In BG1, Khalid and Jaheria are two of my favorites. You can actually hear and see how much they care for each other and love each other, and it's sweet. Xan and Branwen are my two favorite romance options respectively (Xan, I love the slow build up and the devotion he shows for the female elf that goes even beyond death, depending on your path, and Branwen I love how she remains strong and resolute throughout, even at the end when she makes her choice), and even if you take the romances away, they're both good characters. Xan is always good for a smile, and Branwen has a great hook to her (I've always thought of her as being my female CHARNAME's BFF- so glad Kuylok made a Branwen NPC mod for BGII, now I can keep her through the whole saga!). Faldorn, though, is probably my favorite NPC. I so wish there was a well developed mod where you could talk her down in BGII and she could join your party. I know there is one mod out there where you can join her side and lay waste to Trademeet; I haven't played it yet, but I have high hopes for it. Also, I'm that strange, probably only person in the universe, who occasionally uses Tiax in her parties. I just find him and his 'Cyric granted visions' extremely amusing. Glad Kuylok made a BGII mod for him, too. (Kuylok also made the Xan mod, and a Coran mod, as well as two chapter six quest mods. Kuylok is awesome.)
BGII? Yoshimo, ah, Yoshimo. Breaking my heart with every betrayal, that's our Yoshimo. There's a Yoshimo romance mod I want to try just to break my heart even more... it follows the same story as the game, just you get to romance Yoshimo before you get your heart broken. What fun! When I'm in the mood for a happier story, Haer'Dalis is also fun: there's a romance mod for him, too, but it sadly cuts out the Aerie triangle (I want to be in a love triangle with Aerie!). I love his blade-ness, and I love his way of calling everyone bird names (or hound).
Valygar gets my vote for most underdeveloped character that could have been fascinating. There's an almost romance with him in the Romantic Encounters mod (which, hey, Kuylok officiates over... I'm just heaping on the praise here, aren't I?) that screams 'I am bittersweet' all over it. Sarevok is my bro, and I'm fond of the Sarevok Friendship mod (haven't tried the romance with him, because, well, bro). Jaheria and Minsc, I personally don't play with anymore- but that's only because I've played with them so often. I still feel like they're CHARNAME's most loyal friends and partners through it all, the people she (or he) can rely on no matter what.
Aerie and Anomen I think are two of the best characters in the game, simply for how they're written and how they evolve in story. That doesn't mean I like them- I sometimes find Aerie a bit whiny and too focused on the past, and Anomen a bit of a braggart and also too focused on the past, but I think the way they're written overall makes them fantastic characters. (The fact that both of them are extremely powerful helps, too.) Mazzy I adore, especially with her friendship mod, and I find her interactions with Valygar fifteen times of adorable (as well as her cut from the game banter where she confesses to Valygar that she could never move on yet because Patrick is still in her mind heartbreaking). Keldorn is a fun, awesome example of a true paladin- as long as one keeps him away from Viconia.
Edwin is probably my favorite evil character, as there's just so much about him to be explored. I'd like to see an Edwin friendship mod- see how that goes. Or at least a 'Edwin mutual assurance you won't betray each other in the next few weeks mod', which might be as close as you can get.
Baeloth also amuses me. I wish there was more banter with him.
Dorn is a complete crazy, and yet somehow I find him intriguing. I don't like his romance, though, our his epilogues. I think he should have a seperate epilogue for a Bhaalspawn who ascends. Bah. Maybe one day I'll write one.
Rasaad is surprisingly adorable at times. Not sure if he'd really be the type I'd go after, but geez, for someone devoted fully to revenge, he's probably the nicest guy you'd find.
Least favorite NPCs? I always hate doing that, because inevitably, my least favorite is going to be someone's favorite and I don't want to offend anyone. Um, I've said it before, but I hate BGII Jaheria's romance, even though I like Jaheria (whose name I will never spell write... Jaheira, Jaheira...). I think BG1's regular Ajantis is incredibly one-note and boring (though jatsey and the NPC project did a lot for him). Faldorn without the BG1NPC project is pretty one note, too. Shar-Teel, as well, though her BGNPC romance is interesting (if so not for me). I have a love to hate with Eldoth, which probably means I like him when it comes down to it, but he's so... slimy and gross and ick and makes every part of me that is female flinch away shuddering. I haven't been convinced by Neera or Hexxet so far, though I'm very happy to see a lesbian romance... I'll have to try playing her romance to completion. Quayle is possibly the most annoying NPC in existance. I don't think Nalia is quite written enough to justify her sudden personality change in TOB- I wish there was more conversations with her so you could actually see her changing rather then suddenly go in to the expansion and suddenly find she's turned in to an upright witch. Viconia, I'm split with. I like her story, generally, and I like her personality, and in theory, I like her romance- I think it's actually a good example of the 'bad girl trying to push you away but falling in love despite herself' trope, and I like redeeming her. But there are just a few aspects of her romance that turn her in to someone who seems like she's lost all her mind and backbone, and I don't like that, as I count Vicky as one of the stronger female characters in the game. Um... I think that's it.
(I've heard from Imoen too many times to like her anymore, but I don't think I'll ever be able to hate her.)
Do you want to hear about mods? I could recommend a ton of good mods, both male and female romances and characters. I like mods. >.>
A lot of my favorite parties thus rely on mods, so... hm. Not going there without permission.
Wow, I've written a lot.
Minsc used to be a must in both/all games but he just gets on my nerves nowadays, and I tend to dump him at first opportunity.
The BG experience just isn't the same without Jaheira - I've dumped her in my current BG1 run, and I'm not sure I can finish the game without her. Have never tried to get rid of her in BG2.
I can see how Jan may get on people's nerves, but I find him consistently hilarious. I think it's great that his character has been developed around the new NPCs I've tried (have only really tried Neera and Rasaad - he and Neera just crack me up.
I find myself repeatedly thinking "you sanctimonious bastard!" when playing Anomen pre-trial, but I like him surprisingly much after his trial. I find his going after Neera when turned down romantically by CHARNAME just hilarious (I've not used him in ToB in the EE version, so don't know if the Anomen-Neera romance continues there).
I really like Rasaad, but his romance is kind of conflicting in that he's is, sometimes, just on the edge of being annoying in his need for constant reassurance (haven't finished the ToB romance so don't know about that part of it). I'm thinking of trying him out in just-friends capacity during my next run.
Mazzy well shes superbly voiced again a Halfling and a female fighter something I always liked the idea of in fantasy settings. Her storyline is touching and realy makes you support her, shes loyal, valiant and realy makes you feel like shes 'the best of us'. shes a good friend to charname if he wants it and unlike just about every other character she has little ulterior motive other then just wanting to help out and do good she tolerates flak from others and always takes it in her stride. The fact she doesn't waver in her ideals even knowing they may be forever unobtainable is admirable. She ultimately aspires to be a paladin but really it is most of the paladins you meet that should aspire to be like her. Her epilogue is also my favourite I think.
Viconia voiced by one of my all time favourite videogame VAs. Viconia is excellent she has a compelling backstory and despite being at times cruel and spiteful she is understandable and easy to sympathise with her growth across the story is well executed and her romance arc with a good aligned character is really well done. She displays both a great strength and vulnerability that makes her a compelling character to me she also managers to workequaly well in any alignment party.
My least favourate npc is hexxat by a mile its all been said before so ill keep it brief. Shes exotic in every way which makes her feel forced. Her intro is horrible for RP, She feels like a gimmick, shes a completely unlikeable person, she breaks about half the existing characters(druids cooperating with Hexxat is just laughable imo) She was the only lesbian making both homosexual character evil which sucks and her portrait stands out like a sore thumb
Id also put in a shout out for Neera and Rasaad. I realy like Neera as a character its refreshing to have a chaotic neutral character that actually feels like a chaotic neutral character and she gives good insight into a class that was entirely unrepresented before the EE i've only played bg2EE once but I realy like her and she partnered up with my bard better then I could have hoped they felt like the perfect pairing. I can understand that's shes probably an acquired taste but I guess she just suits me very nicely. Rasaads odd because I like him a lot as a character I just don't like him as a class plus a lot like keldorn I prefer it when I complete his quest line then leave him at the appropriate point.
crikey that was a long post i had to stop myself befor it got out of hand I didn't even mention Keldorn or Yoshimo.
Boo is the best. I get sick of Minsc after so many playthroughs, but I take him anyway. Just doesn't feel the same without him.
Armored Figure: Great link to the story, really awesome moment when he appeared in TOB, and a great great great Vin Diesel badass voice. I like redemption stories too.
Keldorn: best straight-faced LG Paladin ever made. He lacks the stupid arrogance that most of these type of characters are unfortunately portrayed as having.
Aerie: You have to love a kind-hearted character that does no wrong. People say she's whinny, but hey, if I cut off your appendages I'm pretty sure you'd be a pissy bitch too!!!!!!
Anomen: Hoo-boy. The anti-Imoen, anti-Aerie and especially anti-Keldorn. While I love those three characters for being respectively lightheartedly adventurous in the face of danger and pain , kinder than your girl next door despite personal tragedies and humbly heroic despite conflicting duties, I also equally like Anomen for being overly uptight, abrasive and mean-spirited and not in the least bit humble about his heroic career. He's like a successful surgeon or fighter pilot: you need to be confident if you want to succeed in a high-stress evironment, and if you're not, you better fake it. His (fake) confidence and character flaws are the product of a stressful lifestyle and he is seriously trying to over-compensate for his piss-poor father. He is an interesting character because he can somewhat grow out of this, but its mostly his flaws that make him unique (but not loveable).
Edwin: The awesome asshole. The fact that his such a idiot savant, so powerful and intelligent yet completely unsuccessful, make his antics hilarious.
Jaheira: A character that managed to be a female badass without being a mary sue. Textbook example of how strong women should be written. Great voice acting, well-written romance (despite some... milfy shit going on) and an interesting backstory that is really linked to the Bhaalspawn.
Yoshimo: Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?????????? Stupid Bioware. He's so freakin' awesome. I don't even have to explain, he's just got so much swag its absurd. LIke Imoen I've NEVER not had him in my party. I tried but every time I reached that dungeon where you have to dance on a pin to beat the boss, every other NPC was just too incapable. His voice, his class, his dialogue, his... style... just too much. The way his story ends just makes you want him back even more. I recommend the Tortured Souls mod for him, though it's not perfect.
PS: I hear amazing things about Viconia... but amazingly enough I've never had her! Will correct this problem soon.
He and Viconia are the only two evil characters I tend to bring along; Viconia because she's got so much (changeable) baggage, and Korgan because he's so brilliantly written. (Also, because his "evil" quests don't involve doing patently evil things.
Honestly I can't think of an NPC I've never enjoyed. Okay, admittedly I've never played with Cernd much, but I'm sure if I took him along and got to know him really well there would be... something.
Best explanation: Alora pick-pocketed Drizzt!
Favourite NPC is easily Aerie. From a memorable first encounter, to picking up a scared, shy, uncertain young thing, who then demonstrates extraordinary courage and compassion, given everything she's been through, and develops into a confident and yet still cute and love-able young woman. I love how she's respectful, polite almost a fault and 'nice' most of the time, but yet will stand up for herself and her principles when push comes to shove. I love how she positively glows in ToB, like a flower in full bloom. The change in her character is most apparent during the ...
Instantly she turns from the scared young girl constantly seeking reassurance and support, to the one who is supporting Charname and offering him comfort, support and encouragement, at a time when he is uncertain how things will turn out.
The NPC I really wish was better developed is Imoen. I like her a lot as is, but given how central she is to the plot, it is a shame that we have only a very superficial understanding of what Imoen has been through.
I know she was supposed to have died in Spellhold (man... as if early SoA wasn't grim enough), and thus lacks character development and banters. But I wish her experience was fleshed out properly.
I have the Imoen Friendship mod installed. It adds nine dialogues, though most are in TOB (I think I've only experienced 2 of them, and I am about to face Irenicus in Hell...
It might fill in the blanks pretty well, and I'll let you know what I think when I complete it.
IIRC, in BG1 Alaundo said in no uncertain terms that all the Bhaalspawn would slaughter each other until only one was left. I guess they changed it at some point, but the first time I played through BG2 I was dreading the moment that I would have to kill my sister. I'm kind of glad I didn't have to, but at the same time I'm kind of disappointed that it didn't come down to that. I think it would have been a much more interesting conclusion to ToB if you and Imoen slaughtered every other Bhaalspawn together, and then you have to come to terms with the fact that according to the prophecy one of you must die. Maybe she loses control and Bhaal takes over her body, or maybe it turns out she's been eyeing the Throne the whole time, or maybe you somehow find a way to finally break the prophecy and end the bloodshed.
There's soooo much potential for drama there, and IMO they really dropped the ball by not capitalizing on it. She's a Bhaalspawn you grew up with, your closest friend and enemy. Would you kill your best friend in order to claim the throne? Would you kill her to stop her from claiming it? Can you trust her enough to find a way to subvert the prophecy? Would you give up your chance at immortality to save her life? Would you even sacrifice your own life along with hers to stop Bhaal's ascension? The stage is set for a fantastic ending, with much more interesting moral dilemmas than the ones at the end of SoA.
You know how I joke about the Baldur's Gate novels not actually existing? The second movie actually doesn't exist in the Highlander lore! Dead serious!
The second movie contradicts the first... the third contradicts the second and the first...alternative timelines/retcons suck until they are also retconed (by the fourth movie!)
Just watch 1, show, then 4 and you have the real saga. The show stars the relative of the immortal guy from the movies and the fourth movie has them both team up... but the whole tagline of the universe is... "There can be only one!"
edit: oh just read your edit, gotcha
Back on topic, I really like the guys who have a full character arc: Yoshimo, Viconia & Anomen(especially) are the best for me... Really feels like they have their own story going on, rather than just being bit-part players in someone else's story. They influence and are influenced by the Bhaalspawn. Some of the others feel like they drift into his/her wake and out again without really changing. In particular, some of their quests feel like little blips in the road. This includes some of my absolute favourite companions like Korgan, Jan, Edwin & even Minsc.
Might not be a popular perspective, but there it is.
I'd also add Jaheira and Aerie (if they were romanced) to that group of NPCs with a full character arc. Imoen... should have been but feels somewhat incomplete.
Yeah, they do develop properly, although they are slightly too romance-centric. I know Viconia's full redemption is also linked to her romance, but even I'd rate her slightly higher due to what happens when you bring her out of the underdark (romance or not)... There's a real sense of her gratitude towards the Bhaalspawn that is very rewarding.
(Edit: I can't comment on all if the EE NPCs, as I've only played with Dorn & Hexxat so far.)
thump up: Alora, Baeloth, Dynaheir, Hear'Dalis, Imoen, Jaheira, Jan, Khalid, Minsc and Viconia
disappointed in: Ajantis, Coran, Shar-Teel, Valygar, Wilson, Xan and Yoshimo
indifferent to: Branwen, Cernd, Garrick, Kagain, Korgan, Mazzy, Montaron, Quayle, Sarevok and Xzar
can't stand the sight of: Aerie, Anomen, Dorn, Edwin, Eldoth, Hexxat, Safana and Tiax
It wasn't always this way, but there you have it…
Least favourite has to be Cernd. Terrible character playing a terrible class.
Others, well I've used most of the Good/Neutral characters at one time or another. In BG1 they don't have a lot of personality developed, so I'm happy to just take whoever I need. Except maybe Xan, his moaning gets old really fast. I really like Neera, she's fun, and as well crafted a neutral character as I've ever seen.
In BG2 personality becomes a much bigger deal. I really like Aerie, Keldorn and Mazzy (I wish I felt like I needed Mazzy more often). I tolerate Nalia, Jaheira and even Anomen. I like Yoshimo as a limited/doomed sort. Again I really enjoy Neera too, well crafted charactrer.
Since interaction is relatively minimized in BG1, I'll just mention a couple of NPCs whose dialogs routinely make me smile.
Branwen: I like her back story and how she is very complimentary of Kivan. "By Valkur's strapping buttocks!"
Garrick: I know most people hate him, but I find him very amusing. He's a bad bard just starting out. He's friendly and (mis)quotes poetry all the time. "Music soothes the savage breast" and "Brave, brave Sir Garrick"
are some of my favorites.
BG2:
Jan: As others have said, he is hilarious and very effective as well. He has great dialog with almost every NPC. The game is a dull, gray place without him along.
Mazzy: She is exactly who I would want by my side in RL if this went down. I love her personality and her voice acting is excellent.
Keldorn: As others above have stated, his character is a terrific interpretation of LG. He is the epitome of a good group leader. "I shall do everything in my power to keep this group safe and on the path of right."
Edwin: A well written jerk who gets his comeuppance.
I used to love Minsc in both games, but, sadly, I've brought him along in so many games that his lines are like nails on a chalkboard by now. I'm sure after a break, I'll rediscover his charm.
The most frustrating character to me is Valygar. I love his class and want to bring him along, but his personality is kind of a buzz kill, especially if charname is a mage.