Favorite NPCs: I like Edwin most because he is the Sheldon Cooper of Baldurs Gate. My other favorites are Korgan, Minsc, Montaron, Xzar. They are all awesome characters by their funny nature.
Least Favorite NPCs: My least favorite NPCs are Khalid, Aerie, Ajantis, Hear'Dalis, Viconia, Dynaheir, Eldoth, Garrick. Most of the time they have annoying stuff to say.
Favorite Romance: Jaheira because of the story around it and she is one of the females i respect most. Why she has feelings for a stupid boring and stumbling half-elf is still a mystery for me.
Favorite Pair: I can't decide between Xzar and Montaron or Minsc and Boo. I think these are both very good pairs ;-).
Favorite Party BG1: Montaron, Xzar, Edwin, Shar-Teel, Minsc Favorite Party BG2: Edwin, Minsc, Imoen, Korgan, Jaheira
Poor Cernd. He's so boring he doesn't even end up on people's least favorite lists. Because honestly, what is there to hate? He's just there, making bad metaphors. Not worth the time to care about.
@JLee Just as an aside, Garrick is not misquoting when he says "Music has charms to soothe the savage breast." In fact, other people have often misquoted it as "beast".
@JLee Just as an aside, Garrick is not misquoting when he says "Music has charms to soothe the savage breast." In fact, other people have often misquoted it as "beast".
Well now don't I feel like an uncultured brute! Thank you for clarifying that. I never know what I'll learn on this board!
I'll tell you who doesn't have the most interesting quest: Anomen.
Designing a quest so that you can never win is just a pain. It's a total Shaggy Dog Story, to quote TV Tropes. No matter what, you and Anomen are wrong. There's no way to be right on that quest path: he shows mercy, and that guy killed his sister, he kills that guy, and someone else killed his sister. Argh.
Honestly, Dorn, Rasaad, Neera, and Hexett probably have the most interesting personal quests, because they're so long and full of so much stuff to do.
Anomen's quest is more about staying true to the vows and restrictions of his Knightly Order than anything else though @Twani. The Alignment system is meant to challenge characters and sometimes present them with dilemmas. His quest actually does this quite well.
It's a bit of a Kobayashi Maru scenario (2009 flavour)- you cannot get a perfect or even good outcome. By giving up on his chance at revenge and alienating him from his father you make Anomen a slightly better person and a bit less of a jerk.
I actually find his quest interesting and well designed because there is not a perfect way to complete it. It feels almost a bit like something from Planescape: Torment. Which is a good thing.
Nothing in my world is as good as something from Planescape: Torment! Nothing!
Or to be blunt: I like bittersweet. I love bittersweet. But in my heroic fantasy romance (which is, at that point, my only option- Anomen was all gals had for quite a while), I don't need a suddenly bittersweet Shaggy Dog Story inserted inbetween my 'be wooed by arrogant jerk with a heart of gold' quest. It didn't seem to go with Anomen's story. On the other hand, if it was in Valygar or Viconia's story, I'd be all for it, because both of their lives are basically Shaggy Dog Stories. But Anomen? It seemed out of place.
Well, the only characters I can't stand near are Aerie (I ever kill her unless I'm playing good, through I have to use her one day so maybe I change my mind.....) and Minsc, many people love him, BUT I DO NOT!! Mwahaha I'm a hipster (which is a lie since I cannot be Caged, categorized nor controlled), he is like TOO dumb, he is even more Lawful Stupid than Ajantis (a guy I sympathize with) and he cannot control himself. Then, my favorites are Jan Jansen, Haer'Dalis, Sarevok (as a NPC from ToB), Neera, Keldorn, Mazzy, Kivan, Coran, Tiax and Xzar.
I'm telling you guys, if you play a female character, download the Romantic Encounters mod at gibberlings3 and install the Valygar romance parts for SOA and TOB. It's quite sweet, and he even grows a personality rather then just being a combination of 'magic bad rawr' 'i r godless ranger wee'! It's an amazing transformation.
Of course, if you're male, you're still SOL. Hm. Valygar friendship mod?
...Everyone needs a friendship mod, says I. Especially Boo.
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 apart from his atrocious name. Comes across as an uncle-type person I think.
Two statements I love love love
Firebead Elvenhair (you dyslexic raccoon!) is like my favorite character ever. Whenever I hear "it's a-haaard to find... decent folk nowadays" I just think of him as the Bhaalspawn's grumpy uncle (reminds me of Uncle Owen from Star Wars). He's so much cooler than Tethtoril (that guy is lame). I always imagine him as charnames new mentor if he's a wizard, and I visit him regularly when I'm in Beregost (I drop off books in his room so he can read). He's a level 11 wizard with high wisdom. I'd have loved to have him as a party member in BG2 or at least as a cameo (owns a library, gives you valuable items if you bring him rare books found only in crazy places like Watcher's Keep or the Underdark)
I also find it hilarious that he has a young elven woman sleeping in his bed upstairs... he's like the Hugh Heffner of Candlekeep
I found that Nalia line particularly annoying when she says it in her Keep. I'm like, damn, I'll just leave then. She also said it when I was freeing the slaves. Bah... silly girl.
@booinyoureyes I always picture him as a crotchety old man who, if I let him, would spend the entire game guilting me into doing free chores for him, despite the fact that he's clearly capable of getting around on his own. One of my favorite NPCs.
I always feel a little bad when Firebead gives me that book and says he thinks I'll enjoy it, because we all know I'm going to stuff it in the nearest crate as soon as I leave his house. If I'm in a hurry I just drop it right then and there... whoops, slipped through my fingers... anyways, gotta go!
He gives you a copy of the Dead Three, doesn't he? He probably is aware of your Bhaalspawn heritage, which makes him interesting (unless that's just a fantastic coincidence, and what would the fun be of that?). Would be nice to be able to go back and talk to him about it- "So, yo, I'm a Bhaalspawn, any ideas what Gorion would have wanted me to do about it?"
I always feel a little bad when Firebead gives me that book and says he thinks I'll enjoy it, because we all know I'm going to stuff it in the nearest crate as soon as I leave his house. If I'm in a hurry I just drop it right then and there... whoops, slipped through my fingers... anyways, gotta go!
You mean you don't have a scroll case dedicated solely toward your book collection? I always wanted to spend a couple hours reading them all in order just to get a better idea about the world, but it's just too daunting a task and hard to find the time for. I had posted once that if you collect enough books you should get some bonuses to your lore score. I think its a fun idea, and a good way to make a part of the game that is often overlooked pretty interesting. Now, only if the game could somehow know that you actually read them... o.0 Helm sees all
Easy... closed book tests! Random questions about lore from any of the books you claimed to have read. If you get it right, you gain lore, if you get it wrong, you suffer Helm's wrath for trying to deceive him. Maybe a lightning bolt. :P
In BG1, I don't really have any great favourites. Generally, I stick with the canon party, since they're convenient to get and relatively powerful.
BG2 though... OK, yeah. First up, Aerie. She's adorable and I really like her romance. I think it's the epitome of sweet. Less fond of the ToB segment, but it's still as fairytale as romances go.
Yes, she has issues. But if you get tired of hearing about those issues, then you brought it on yourself. You get tons of opportunities to tell her that you aren't terribly interested in her lifestory and issues. Probably my favourite NPC, and one of the earliest ones that I pick up.
Then there's Jan. For me, a playthrough just isn't complete without Jan. His personal quest is one of the more... gritty ones, in a terribly realistic fashion. The fact that he can get Thief HLA's just makes him even better.
Viconia is up next. Honestly, I really like her character most of the time (Except in her really, really asshole-ish moments). She's got interesting stats and racial abilities, she's a really good cleric and her romance is great. If it wasn't for that terrible, terrible epilogue to her romance quest, she'd be on the same tier as Aerie for me.
Then there's Valygar, who I know many people find dull. I mainly think he's pretty cool because of how he utterly RIPS into the elves when you find out about Irenicus. He also get's a few nice lines in ToB, especially if you've romanced Aerie. On top of that, he's a formidable melee bruiser with a healthy collection of spells.
Sarevok always get's a spot. He's basically the most horrifically powerful fighter in the game without any magical assistance, barring a very powerful CHARNAME. His Cain and Abel schtick with CHARNAME is great, and I like the way that they almost do feel like brothers towards the very end.
I always feel a little bad when Firebead gives me that book and says he thinks I'll enjoy it, because we all know I'm going to stuff it in the nearest crate as soon as I leave his house. If I'm in a hurry I just drop it right then and there... whoops, slipped through my fingers... anyways, gotta go!
You mean you don't have a scroll case dedicated solely toward your book collection? I always wanted to spend a couple hours reading them all in order just to get a better idea about the world, but it's just too daunting a task and hard to find the time for. I had posted once that if you collect enough books you should get some bonuses to your lore score. I think its a fun idea, and a good way to make a part of the game that is often overlooked pretty interesting. Now, only if the game could somehow know that you actually read them... o.0 Helm sees all
yeah, that was a neat idea. It'd be cool if reading the books opened up some new conversation options as well... like reading up on Helm and having sufficient wisdom/cha might let you talk your way out of what happens at Windspear Hills. When I played Morrowind I read all the lore books and some of them were really interesting! I've only read a couple of the BG ones, mostly the ones that seemed relevant to my quest.
I always wanted to spend a couple hours reading them all in order just to get a better idea about the world, but it's just too daunting a task and hard to find the time for.
I've actually read a... I'm not going to say majority, but a big amount of the books in BG. Also Morrowind. Unlike my brother though who actually can claim to have read the majority of the books in both games. The library and book store in Vivec was a freaking treasure trove to him :P
I always wanted to spend a couple hours reading them all in order just to get a better idea about the world, but it's just too daunting a task and hard to find the time for.
I've actually read a... I'm not going to say majority, but a big amount of the books in BG. Also Morrowind. Unlike my brother though who actually can claim to have read the majority of the books in both games. The library and book store in Vivec was a freaking treasure trove to him :P
Finding the books in Morrowind and reading them in game is a pain, but someone exported them all to FAQ. I remember reading through them one summer and they were pretty fun/interesting short stories. One of my favorite ended: "Finding a body in the water in Vivec was not in itself noteworthy, but the subject that they discussed over many bottles of flin was how did it happen that he drowned with two potions of water breathing in his hands."
You mean you don't have a scroll case dedicated solely toward your book collection?
YOU CAN PUT BOOKS IN SCROLL CASES!?!
On topic:
The NPCs I enjoy the most are Khalid, Branwen, Ajantis and Xan in BG, and Keldorn, Haer'Dalis and Yoshimo in SoA. I also the enjoy Sarevok. Of the Enhanced NPCs, I most enjoy Rasaad and Baeloth.
And even if I'm the only one, I will admit to sort of enjoying Cernd. I like to leave him shapeshifted when I go into towns and pretend that the reason why everyone pays no attention to the fact that there's a naked werewolf in my party is that he's just that uninteresting. He's the most boring werewolf ever, and that's what's great about him.
Comments
Least Favorite NPCs: My least favorite NPCs are Khalid, Aerie, Ajantis, Hear'Dalis, Viconia, Dynaheir, Eldoth, Garrick. Most of the time they have annoying stuff to say.
Favorite Romance: Jaheira because of the story around it and she is one of the females i respect most. Why she has feelings for a stupid boring and stumbling half-elf is still a mystery for me.
Favorite Pair: I can't decide between Xzar and Montaron or Minsc and Boo. I think these are both very good pairs ;-).
Favorite Party BG1: Montaron, Xzar, Edwin, Shar-Teel, Minsc
Favorite Party BG2: Edwin, Minsc, Imoen, Korgan, Jaheira
My most favorite characters have to be Aerie and Jan. Followed by Keldorn and Mazzy if playing good and Viconia if not.
Minsc is only bearable once. Boy does it get old quickly.
Nalia and Edwin are so annoying that I never take the latter despite his amazing capacities.
Just as an aside, Garrick is not misquoting when he says "Music has charms to soothe the savage breast." In fact, other people have often misquoted it as "beast".
Which characters have the most interesting personal quests?
Designing a quest so that you can never win is just a pain. It's a total Shaggy Dog Story, to quote TV Tropes. No matter what, you and Anomen are wrong. There's no way to be right on that quest path: he shows mercy, and that guy killed his sister, he kills that guy, and someone else killed his sister. Argh.
Honestly, Dorn, Rasaad, Neera, and Hexett probably have the most interesting personal quests, because they're so long and full of so much stuff to do.
It's a bit of a Kobayashi Maru scenario (2009 flavour)- you cannot get a perfect or even good outcome. By giving up on his chance at revenge and alienating him from his father you make Anomen a slightly better person and a bit less of a jerk.
I actually find his quest interesting and well designed because there is not a perfect way to complete it. It feels almost a bit like something from Planescape: Torment. Which is a good thing.
Or to be blunt: I like bittersweet. I love bittersweet. But in my heroic fantasy romance (which is, at that point, my only option- Anomen was all gals had for quite a while), I don't need a suddenly bittersweet Shaggy Dog Story inserted inbetween my 'be wooed by arrogant jerk with a heart of gold' quest. It didn't seem to go with Anomen's story. On the other hand, if it was in Valygar or Viconia's story, I'd be all for it, because both of their lives are basically Shaggy Dog Stories. But Anomen? It seemed out of place.
Then, my favorites are Jan Jansen, Haer'Dalis, Sarevok (as a NPC from ToB), Neera, Keldorn, Mazzy, Kivan, Coran, Tiax and Xzar.
Of course, if you're male, you're still SOL. Hm. Valygar friendship mod?
...Everyone needs a friendship mod, says I. Especially Boo.
(Especially Cernd. Oh, Cernd.)
Firebead Elvenhair (you dyslexic raccoon!) is like my favorite character ever. Whenever I hear "it's a-haaard to find... decent folk nowadays" I just think of him as the Bhaalspawn's grumpy uncle (reminds me of Uncle Owen from Star Wars). He's so much cooler than Tethtoril (that guy is lame).
I always imagine him as charnames new mentor if he's a wizard, and I visit him regularly when I'm in Beregost (I drop off books in his room so he can read). He's a level 11 wizard with high wisdom. I'd have loved to have him as a party member in BG2 or at least as a cameo (owns a library, gives you valuable items if you bring him rare books found only in crazy places like Watcher's Keep or the Underdark)
I also find it hilarious that he has a young elven woman sleeping in his bed upstairs... he's like the Hugh Heffner of Candlekeep
I found that Nalia line particularly annoying when she says it in her Keep. I'm like, damn, I'll just leave then. She also said it when I was freeing the slaves. Bah... silly girl.
I always picture him as a crotchety old man who, if I let him, would spend the entire game guilting me into doing free chores for him, despite the fact that he's clearly capable of getting around on his own. One of my favorite NPCs.
*sits shamefully in corner*
I always wanted to spend a couple hours reading them all in order just to get a better idea about the world, but it's just too daunting a task and hard to find the time for.
I had posted once that if you collect enough books you should get some bonuses to your lore score. I think its a fun idea, and a good way to make a part of the game that is often overlooked pretty interesting. Now, only if the game could somehow know that you actually read them... o.0 Helm sees all
Easy... closed book tests! Random questions about lore from any of the books you claimed to have read. If you get it right, you gain lore, if you get it wrong, you suffer Helm's wrath for trying to deceive him. Maybe a lightning bolt. :P
Earth kids have it easy when it comes to exams.
BG2 though... OK, yeah. First up, Aerie. She's adorable and I really like her romance. I think it's the epitome of sweet. Less fond of the ToB segment, but it's still as fairytale as romances go.
Yes, she has issues. But if you get tired of hearing about those issues, then you brought it on yourself. You get tons of opportunities to tell her that you aren't terribly interested in her lifestory and issues. Probably my favourite NPC, and one of the earliest ones that I pick up.
Then there's Jan. For me, a playthrough just isn't complete without Jan. His personal quest is one of the more... gritty ones, in a terribly realistic fashion. The fact that he can get Thief HLA's just makes him even better.
Viconia is up next. Honestly, I really like her character most of the time (Except in her really, really asshole-ish moments). She's got interesting stats and racial abilities, she's a really good cleric and her romance is great. If it wasn't for that terrible, terrible epilogue to her romance quest, she'd be on the same tier as Aerie for me.
Then there's Valygar, who I know many people find dull. I mainly think he's pretty cool because of how he utterly RIPS into the elves when you find out about Irenicus. He also get's a few nice lines in ToB, especially if you've romanced Aerie. On top of that, he's a formidable melee bruiser with a healthy collection of spells.
Sarevok always get's a spot. He's basically the most horrifically powerful fighter in the game without any magical assistance, barring a very powerful CHARNAME. His Cain and Abel schtick with CHARNAME is great, and I like the way that they almost do feel like brothers towards the very end.
On topic:
The NPCs I enjoy the most are Khalid, Branwen, Ajantis and Xan in BG, and Keldorn, Haer'Dalis and Yoshimo in SoA. I also the enjoy Sarevok. Of the Enhanced NPCs, I most enjoy Rasaad and Baeloth.
And even if I'm the only one, I will admit to sort of enjoying Cernd. I like to leave him shapeshifted when I go into towns and pretend that the reason why everyone pays no attention to the fact that there's a naked werewolf in my party is that he's just that uninteresting. He's the most boring werewolf ever, and that's what's great about him.
-Blue