Garrick is the only one on the list who I see frequently bashed on this forum, and I often find him useful to have around in my playthroughs so I choose him.
It was generally a bad choice to make the late game NPCs all thieves (with the exception of Quayle). If a fighter/ranger or divine caster was in their place, I think these NPCs would not suffer nearly as much from their late game status.
100% true. But, atleast Alora has the fact that she's got the most thief points in the game and has a constant luck bonus and Tiax has his cleric and summon powers. Skie just has mediocre stats and poorly distributed thieving skills. She really brings nothing to the party that others cant do better
My vote right now goes to Eldoth, who tends to be overlooked both because he is a bard and he isn't available until Chapter 4. As others have noted about bards, with their use of wands and scrolls they become nearly on par with mages as spellcasters, for all practical purposes. Mages can of course memorize more spells, and then will have higher level spells at their disposal. But for the bread-and-butter spells the bard can fulfill that function just as well. A wand of paralyzation is a really powerful item, for example. What with wands of Sleep, Fear, and Paralyzation you've got the three core disabling spell effects covered.
For me, the reason that Eldoth gets the nod (slightly) over Garrick is for his special ability to create poisoned arrows. Poison damage is great for interrupting enemy spellcasters. Shutting down enemy spellcasters is, for me, the single most important ability in the game.
Now that said, when Garrick is equipped with the Light Crossbow of Speed and Hasted (either via the spell or a speed potion), you may be surprised at the results. And when the bolts are bolts of biting, so much the better since they will deliver 30 points of poison damage over 15 seconds, again interrupting spellcasting. (Bolts of biting are hard to come by and expensive, however.)
Eldoth is paired with Skie, and that is a potential nuisance. I also like Garrick's whimsical lines just a little more than Eldoth's slick conman schtick.
I dunno, it's a tough call for me between Eldoth and Garrick, but those poisoned arrows of Eldoth's provide a nice edge and they're free.
@element - I can accept Alora's skill distribution as a "specialized" thief. She's the one thief who can pickpocket Drizzt reliably, depending only on her self-picked skills. If you run a charname thief or have Montaron to cover traps, locks and backstab, she's an alright ranged NPC and has her own thieving niche. Skie's stats aren't really that bad - she has 18 dex - and she can, at least with potions - do trap duty. So yeah, not stellar, and you can only get her with Eldoth. Skie is neutral and it sucks for good aligned parties - or even evil parties with Shar-Teel - that Eldoth is a must just to get her, even if you kill or lock him in right after. It's not a quest you can quickly do and forget; you have to finish Cloakwood first. That's way more hoops to jump through than getting Dynaheir. Her location can be reached whenever you decide to. With Skie, no such luck. I don't think Skie is a bad thief, she's just not worth all the trouble - and there are tons of thieves to pick from. If she was the only kitted thief or had extraordinary stats or a personal weapon... maybe.
@Lemernis - Rasaad is only weak in BG1. He's a powerhouse in BG2, that's why I didn't list him. Looking at both polls, I'd say he's the counterpart to Baeloth. Baeloth isn't "overrated", he really is ridicolously powerful. Rasaad isn't "underrated", he just has a class that comes into full bloom on higher levels.
That's the thing though at level 4 Alora has 100 pickpocket and 95 lock pick which is plenty. but still has higher points then Skie in every other aspect except disarm traps and move silently on which they are equal. At level 6 Alora has higher disarm traps at 50 as opposed to skies 40 and only falls behind on stealth (45 and 40 vs 55 and 50). On top of this Alora has better AC and her bonus plus 2 to luck is ridiculous (especially as it effects her to hit and damage rolls). All Skie really has over Alora is hp and carrying capacity, Skie just has no real point beyond Eldoths quest.
personally id say Alora is the best 'thief' in the EE a couple of levels into traps and she has everything covered
non evil 'pure' mage (forget the thieving you need someone else) who isn't as good as imoen so no one wants her.... except you can get her early, and she usually has much more xp by the time you pick imoen up, so will always be a level or two ahead.
Exactly my feelings about her.
IMO, people focus too much on her insufficient thieving skills and overlook the fact that she is simply one helluva powerful mage - plus, as a dual class, she's a mage who can use non-mage weapons and wear elven chainmail. I know most people say that they only keep her until they get Imoen back, but I prefer to keep them both in my party, since Nalia is usually a couple levels higher like you said, plus BG2 is much more magic-oriented than BG1.
Often in the past I didn't even think about taking him because he comes too late. Because his stats are meh. Because his "smart" thing is irritating. But in my recent runs I've changed my mind completely.
There's simply no other NPC in BG1 that combines a mage and a cleric in one person from the start. The focus on magic in the 1st part of the game is not so big as it is in BG2, so I think that 1.5 clerics and 1.5 mages are enough for a party in BG1. You get both "halves" with Quayle and you get them good. +1 to arcane spells per level because of him having a kit. A quick ability to become invisible in any dangerous moment. A solid cleric progression that nearly matches a progression of a pure cleric. Shorty bonuses.
His lack of WIS can be compensated by arcane spells. And you don't need to spend a tome and wait to regain cleric abilities if compared with Xzar.
Cleric/mage multiclass is a powerful combination and with Quayle in the party you're solidly covered in the spells department.
Agreed, I've always thought Quayle was underrated as well - even if I find his personality intolerable.
Does anyone else think that Khalid is also underrated? He's certainly bashed a lot. (Partly from resentment that he is forced-paired with one of the only immediately available healers, I suspect.) But he's actually a formidable swordsman. Myself, I don't see morale failures with him any more than any other NPC whose life is hanging by a thread. (And I almost never see him in that condition, so no failures at all to speak of, actually.) I like his personality--he's a mensch.
Does anyone else think that Khalid is also underrated? He's certainly bashed a lot. (Partly from resentment that he is forced-paired with one of the only immediately available healers, I suspect.) But he's actually a formidable swordsman. Myself, I don't see morale failures with him any more than any other NPC whose life is hanging by a thread. (And I almost never see him in that condition, so no failures at all to speak of, actually.) I like his personality--he's a mensch.
Khalid gets more crap than he deserves for sure but he's not good either. He's average. Give him decent gear and he does a decent job, but not a great or even good one. That's my experience at least. I use him as a shield/longsword fighter though, maybe he works better if utilized like an archer or something? But yeah, he's nothing special be it good or bad.
I think Khalid is more on the popular side due to his status as "canon party member". People may rant about his (supposed) frequent moral failure, but that's more an urban legend than anything. I don't have Khalid in my parties often or for very long - my only reason to take him and Jaheira is if I want to see the fight with the Zhents - but in the short time, on low levels, he goes ankheg hunting with me (well, more being hunted by them on the way to Ajantis...) and I've only ever seen him panic once.
I suspect the people who say he often panics don't actually use him - maybe because they fear he'll run in every fight. The people who actually take him along don't see it as a problem (or just rarely see it happen), and I assume that's a rather large group. The canon party is popular, so a lot people have Khalid and don't underrate him based on his voice set. I don't think his stats and profs are seen as bad.
Just one more point re: Khalid. I once tracked the number of kills Minsc and Khalid got in a canon party, using them as the only two frontliners; and by chapter five (? somewhere around there) Khalid actually had substantially more kills. It makes sense, because as a Fighter he gets more APR due to more profs in... what is it now? Bastard Sword in EE? Whereas Minsc as a Ranger doesn't get more than two. Honestly, he didn't require more healing than Minsc either, best I can recall. Not sure if weapon speed actually plays out in terms of beating the opponent to the punch, but a two-handed sword is slower than a bastard sword. If IIRC, I put them both in comparable armor, using respective +1 weapons; and of course Khalid used a large shield. I kept Khalid out of the fray until Minsc joined the party.*
Now, as we know, Khalid is not a killing machine on the order of Kivan or Coran (bows rule in BG1). Nor is he on Dorn's level as a damage dealer. And no one else measures up to Kagain as a tank. But I do think it is significant that he actually performed better than Minsc, who is probably the most popular meleer.
Maybe others will have a different result. I wasn't out to prove Khalid better than Minsc, just curious to see.
* I guess alternatively to test this one might create a cleric-something PC, take Imoen, and CLUA Minsc and Khalid just outside of Candlekeep.
Just one more point re: Khalid. I once tracked the number of kills Minsc and Khalid got in a canon party, using them as the only two frontliners; and by chapter five (? somewhere around there) Khalid actually had substantially more kills. It makes sense, because as a Fighter he gets more APR due to more profs in... what is it now? Bastard Sword in EE? Whereas Minsc as a Ranger doesn't get more than two. Honestly, he didn't require more healing than Minsc either, best I can recall. Not sure if weapon speed actually plays out in terms of beating the opponent to the punch, but a two-handed sword is slower than a bastard sword. If IIRC, I put them both in comparable armor, using respective +1 weapons; and of course Khalid used a large shield. I kept Khalid out of the fray until Minsc joined the party.*
Now, as we know, Khalid is not a killing machine on the order of Kivan or Coran (bows rule in BG1). Nor is he on Dorn's level as a damage dealer. And no one else measures up to Kagain as a tank. But I do think it is significant that he actually performed better than Minsc, who is probably the most popular meleer.
Maybe others will have a different result. I wasn't out to prove Khalid better than Minsc, just curious to see.
* I guess alternatively to test this one might create a cleric-something PC, take Imoen, and CLUA Minsc and Khalid just outside of Candlekeep.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say Khalid IS better than Minsc, and basing this on my own personal experiences.
During my current playthrough, I replaced Khalid with Minsc once I arrived in Nashkel. For a time, I enjoyed having a high strength NPC in my party. But my enjoyment soon came to a sudden end when the "mighty warrior" Minsc walked into a single kobold arrow and was instantly killed. I never resurrected him, and I eventually invited Khalid back into my party. Once I got him to level 3 and gave him an extra pip in bows, he easily outclassed Minsc. Despite his inferior strength, Khalid ultimately develops into both a better archer and better tank than Minsc, due to his dext and con advantages and ability to master weapons. If it wasn't for Kivan (who is arguably the best NPC in BG1 IMO), I'd probably still have Khalid in my party.
@Lemernis - Rasaad is only weak in BG1. He's a powerhouse in BG2, that's why I didn't list him. Looking at both polls, I'd say he's the counterpart to Baeloth. Baeloth isn't "overrated", he really is ridicolously powerful. Rasaad isn't "underrated", he just has a class that comes into full bloom on higher levels.
Nice to know that Rasaad becomes badass in BG2EE (as we all figured he would back when, from knowledge of the class). One of these days I'll get enough time to finally play BG2EE!
... Khalid ultimately develops into both a better archer and better tank than Minsc, due to his dext and con advantages and ability to master weapons. If it wasn't for Kivan (who is arguably the best NPC in BG1 IMO), I'd probably still have Khalid in my party.
Yeah, strictly for number of kills Kivan is hard to beat. And when you pair him with Coran forget it.
I think Khalid is more on the popular side due to his status as "canon party member". People may rant about his (supposed) frequent moral failure, but that's more an urban legend than anything. I don't have Khalid in my parties often or for very long - my only reason to take him and Jaheira is if I want to see the fight with the Zhents - but in the short time, on low levels, he goes ankheg hunting with me (well, more being hunted by them on the way to Ajantis...) and I've only ever seen him panic once.
I suspect the people who say he often panics don't actually use him - maybe because they fear he'll run in every fight. The people who actually take him along don't see it as a problem (or just rarely see it happen), and I assume that's a rather large group. The canon party is popular, so a lot people have Khalid and don't underrate him based on his voice set. I don't think his stats and profs are seen as bad.
Sorta. Khalid breaks the most because he has HP to withstand dying right away due to being a fighter. So if an enemy lands a good hit on him, he panics. If that hit landed on any other member they'd be dead. A character breaking once during the early levels has people looking for a replacement as soon as possible because there is nothing worse than seeing your tank running away leaving everyone else in a squishy position.
Once he, and everyone else gains some levels, he panics less except in the party being owned to the point of reloading. So it has more to do with it happening once and people being afraid that it'll happen more frequently if he is kept in the party.
Kagain (another high hp character) is another person people complain about breaking but it has more to do with both of these characters being main tanks and taking more damage than anyone else then anything else in the game.
I voted Cernd. Since I like to have jaheira 90 % of bg2 runs in my party, Cernd fits quite well to the our merry bunch. 18 wisdom can't be overlooked and his spell list is quite awesome. one thing which i like about Cernd is that he gets along quite well with others. Furthermore you can easily rationalize parting ways at some point to give room for new party members. However I urge everyone to play bg2 through once with Cernd. It may seem a bit challenging at first due to his poor physical stats, but you can easily find many items to boost his weaknesses.
Nalia is likely overlooked because she is basicly imoen, but with more noble backround. I think she can be a fun character to have in your party untill you pick up imoen. Plus you can easily justify parting ways because she has her a castle to run.
Haer'Dalis. Lots of people on the forum seem to hate him and yes, he's a little... fragile, but after some tinkering with his mage spells I found him to be an absolute engine of destruction at high levels, plus his improved bard song was a great buff in those fights where the "glass" element of his glass cannon style was a problem.
Also I agree with those who said Montaron. In an evil BG1 playthrough, I tend to get Xzar killed at the earliest opportunity and dump him for Edwin, but Monty is a mainstay. Good tough thief and a surprisingly strong fighter, good with a bow or shortsword.
Jaheira gets a mention too, hated by many but one of my favourite characters both story and game wise. In dragon scale, wielding the best staves and beasting casters with insect plague, she's serve me very well indeed.
Khalid starts with Long Sword, if I remember correctly. With Varscona, he has an awesome weapon available very early. Ajantis has Bastard Swords. There is a +1 one in the Beregost Smithy, but other than that, it takes a long time to get him a decent weapon. Ironically, the best Bastard Sword comes from Dorn's quest - and Ajantis will not stay in a party with Dorn. That's even worse than sticking the only bard armor in that quest. Really, what's with Dorn and loot that isn't useful for him, but almost essential to other NPCs?
@KidCarnival You ask me, I'd call it legit to CLUA Albruin and Elven Chain once you get across Wyrm's Crossing, because yes, Dorn's quest getting the best Paladin weapon and Bard armor is freaking ridiculous; especially the former...
Lots of really good discussions about Khalid here. Good to see people being reasonable instead of just bashing away.
Kagain (another high hp character) is another person people complain about breaking but it has more to do with both of these characters being main tanks and taking more damage than anyone else then anything else in the game.
Definitely this. Now that said, I believe there *is* a variable that makes characters go morale failure sooner, is there not? But from what I can tell, it's not as substantial as many would say. As I can recall, Kivan's is of course rather low because he's a badass but I've had him running with his tail between his legs on several occasions.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say Khalid IS better than Minsc, and basing this on my own personal experiences.
During my current playthrough, I replaced Khalid with Minsc once I arrived in Nashkel. For a time, I enjoyed having a high strength NPC in my party. But my enjoyment soon came to a sudden end when the "mighty warrior" Minsc walked into a single kobold arrow and was instantly killed. I never resurrected him, and I eventually invited Khalid back into my party. Once I got him to level 3 and gave him an extra pip in bows, he easily outclassed Minsc. Despite his inferior strength, Khalid ultimately develops into both a better archer and better tank than Minsc, due to his dext and con advantages and ability to master weapons. If it wasn't for Kivan (who is arguably the best NPC in BG1 IMO), I'd probably still have Khalid in my party.
Good stuff; really, I think it's quite obvious that Minsc is going to hit harder than Khalid does in melee combat. ...At first. As you say, Khalid can easily catch up with proficiencies (Mastery is +3 Damage +3 THAC0 vs. Specialization +2 Damage +1 THAC0) if you decide to do that. But more importantly, Khalid has another Dex point over Minsc; and 15->16 and 16->17 Dexterity point jumps are nothing to shake a stick at, as we know -- that single point is +1 AC and +1 Ranged THAC0. More important *still* is that Khalid has two more Constitution points. Both Dexterity and Constitution are arguably more important in melee combat than raw Strength at early levels.
Khalid is certainly more versatile than Minsc. I've also had more success with him overall than Minsc, so I'd be inclined to agree with you that, if you had to lay it down simply, he is indeed "better."
Aaaand yeah, Kivan kicks huge, huge amounts of ass. I would certainly agree he is the best NPC in BG1. Coran might be a better archer but his melee capabilities pale in comparison to Kivan's. I won't lie, in most playthroughs my first stop is High Hedge, not the area between the Friendly Arm Inn and Beregost. :P
Weapons also factor in for Khalid vs Minsc. The best Minsc can get for Mace is Stupifier for a long time - dual wield? Not really. Where Khalid gets Varscona - a +2 with extra cold damage, vs. +1 with stun chance. Which is nice, but damage is damage. Khalid simply makes better use of his better starting proficiencies. Minsc has neither the dex nor the con nor the weapons to effectively dual wield.
Though, that's just theory. I usually roll with Kagain and either Dorn or Shar-Teel.
@Quartz: I console the Elven Chain after doing Firewine, like a reward from the Gullykin mayor. It's such an annoying quest for so little payout. If I have to console the Elven Chain, it means I don't have Dorn, which means I can't kill the ghosts... so I basically get nothing for a whole lot of annoyance.
@KidCarnival: Hmm, amusingly enough, this makes me think it'd be fun to do a theory crafting thread about "most overpowered BG1 party." That could be amusing. In BGII, you get to high levels and characters stop overshadowing each other so much, but early-mid levels in BG1 it's pretty damn clear who is the boss and who is not.
@Quartz I don't really use him, but why is Kivan so good? He seems sort of average, but maybe I am missing something. Also, I wish I could CLUA in the Dorn quest items without using him but, alas, CLUA is not available on iPad as far as I know, and I only have BGEE for my no-longer working PC and iPad rather than my Mac which has BG2EE. Khalid I find much more useful for the reason you mentioned (Mastery is awesome), and it is so easy to make up for his low starting strength with simple strength spells or a strength item (which they added another one in Rasaad's quest, which wasn't even necessary but put Minsc even further behind IMO).
@Quartz I don't really use him, but why is Kivan so good? He seems sort of average, but maybe I am missing something.
He's both a great tank (due to his high str and dext) and at least the #2 best archer in the game (due to his dext, plus elven bonus for bows). In other words, he's the most versatile pure warrior in the game.
Comments
My vote right now goes to Eldoth, who tends to be overlooked both because he is a bard and he isn't available until Chapter 4. As others have noted about bards, with their use of wands and scrolls they become nearly on par with mages as spellcasters, for all practical purposes. Mages can of course memorize more spells, and then will have higher level spells at their disposal. But for the bread-and-butter spells the bard can fulfill that function just as well. A wand of paralyzation is a really powerful item, for example. What with wands of Sleep, Fear, and Paralyzation you've got the three core disabling spell effects covered.
For me, the reason that Eldoth gets the nod (slightly) over Garrick is for his special ability to create poisoned arrows. Poison damage is great for interrupting enemy spellcasters. Shutting down enemy spellcasters is, for me, the single most important ability in the game.
Now that said, when Garrick is equipped with the Light Crossbow of Speed and Hasted (either via the spell or a speed potion), you may be surprised at the results. And when the bolts are bolts of biting, so much the better since they will deliver 30 points of poison damage over 15 seconds, again interrupting spellcasting. (Bolts of biting are hard to come by and expensive, however.)
Eldoth is paired with Skie, and that is a potential nuisance. I also like Garrick's whimsical lines just a little more than Eldoth's slick conman schtick.
I dunno, it's a tough call for me between Eldoth and Garrick, but those poisoned arrows of Eldoth's provide a nice edge and they're free.
@Lemernis - Rasaad is only weak in BG1. He's a powerhouse in BG2, that's why I didn't list him. Looking at both polls, I'd say he's the counterpart to Baeloth. Baeloth isn't "overrated", he really is ridicolously powerful. Rasaad isn't "underrated", he just has a class that comes into full bloom on higher levels.
personally id say Alora is the best 'thief' in the EE a couple of levels into traps and she has everything covered
IMO, people focus too much on her insufficient thieving skills and overlook the fact that she is simply one helluva powerful mage - plus, as a dual class, she's a mage who can use non-mage weapons and wear elven chainmail. I know most people say that they only keep her until they get Imoen back, but I prefer to keep them both in my party, since Nalia is usually a couple levels higher like you said, plus BG2 is much more magic-oriented than BG1.
I suspect the people who say he often panics don't actually use him - maybe because they fear he'll run in every fight. The people who actually take him along don't see it as a problem (or just rarely see it happen), and I assume that's a rather large group. The canon party is popular, so a lot people have Khalid and don't underrate him based on his voice set. I don't think his stats and profs are seen as bad.
Now, as we know, Khalid is not a killing machine on the order of Kivan or Coran (bows rule in BG1). Nor is he on Dorn's level as a damage dealer. And no one else measures up to Kagain as a tank. But I do think it is significant that he actually performed better than Minsc, who is probably the most popular meleer.
Maybe others will have a different result. I wasn't out to prove Khalid better than Minsc, just curious to see.
* I guess alternatively to test this one might create a cleric-something PC, take Imoen, and CLUA Minsc and Khalid just outside of Candlekeep.
During my current playthrough, I replaced Khalid with Minsc once I arrived in Nashkel. For a time, I enjoyed having a high strength NPC in my party. But my enjoyment soon came to a sudden end when the "mighty warrior" Minsc walked into a single kobold arrow and was instantly killed. I never resurrected him, and I eventually invited Khalid back into my party. Once I got him to level 3 and gave him an extra pip in bows, he easily outclassed Minsc. Despite his inferior strength, Khalid ultimately develops into both a better archer and better tank than Minsc, due to his dext and con advantages and ability to master weapons. If it wasn't for Kivan (who is arguably the best NPC in BG1 IMO), I'd probably still have Khalid in my party.
A character breaking once during the early levels has people looking for a replacement as soon as possible because there is nothing worse than seeing your tank running away leaving everyone else in a squishy position.
Once he, and everyone else gains some levels, he panics less except in the party being owned to the point of reloading. So it has more to do with it happening once and people being afraid that it'll happen more frequently if he is kept in the party.
Kagain (another high hp character) is another person people complain about breaking but it has more to do with both of these characters being main tanks and taking more damage than anyone else then anything else in the game.
Nalia is likely overlooked because she is basicly imoen, but with more noble backround. I think she can be a fun character to have in your party untill you pick up imoen. Plus you can easily justify parting ways because she has her a castle to run.
Also I agree with those who said Montaron. In an evil BG1 playthrough, I tend to get Xzar killed at the earliest opportunity and dump him for Edwin, but Monty is a mainstay. Good tough thief and a surprisingly strong fighter, good with a bow or shortsword.
Jaheira gets a mention too, hated by many but one of my favourite characters both story and game wise. In dragon scale, wielding the best staves and beasting casters with insect plague, she's serve me very well indeed.
Lots of really good discussions about Khalid here. Good to see people being reasonable instead of just bashing away. Definitely this. Now that said, I believe there *is* a variable that makes characters go morale failure sooner, is there not? But from what I can tell, it's not as substantial as many would say. As I can recall, Kivan's is of course rather low because he's a badass but I've had him running with his tail between his legs on several occasions. Good stuff; really, I think it's quite obvious that Minsc is going to hit harder than Khalid does in melee combat. ...At first. As you say, Khalid can easily catch up with proficiencies (Mastery is +3 Damage +3 THAC0 vs. Specialization +2 Damage +1 THAC0) if you decide to do that. But more importantly, Khalid has another Dex point over Minsc; and 15->16 and 16->17 Dexterity point jumps are nothing to shake a stick at, as we know -- that single point is +1 AC and +1 Ranged THAC0. More important *still* is that Khalid has two more Constitution points. Both Dexterity and Constitution are arguably more important in melee combat than raw Strength at early levels.
Khalid is certainly more versatile than Minsc. I've also had more success with him overall than Minsc, so I'd be inclined to agree with you that, if you had to lay it down simply, he is indeed "better."
Aaaand yeah, Kivan kicks huge, huge amounts of ass. I would certainly agree he is the best NPC in BG1. Coran might be a better archer but his melee capabilities pale in comparison to Kivan's. I won't lie, in most playthroughs my first stop is High Hedge, not the area between the Friendly Arm Inn and Beregost. :P
Though, that's just theory. I usually roll with Kagain and either Dorn or Shar-Teel.
@Quartz: I console the Elven Chain after doing Firewine, like a reward from the Gullykin mayor. It's such an annoying quest for so little payout. If I have to console the Elven Chain, it means I don't have Dorn, which means I can't kill the ghosts... so I basically get nothing for a whole lot of annoyance.
For starters, Kagain, Kivan, and Coran ... LOL
I don't really use him, but why is Kivan so good? He seems sort of average, but maybe I am missing something.
Also, I wish I could CLUA in the Dorn quest items without using him but, alas, CLUA is not available on iPad as far as I know, and I only have BGEE for my no-longer working PC and iPad rather than my Mac which has BG2EE.
Khalid I find much more useful for the reason you mentioned (Mastery is awesome), and it is so easy to make up for his low starting strength with simple strength spells or a strength item (which they added another one in Rasaad's quest, which wasn't even necessary but put Minsc even further behind IMO).