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NPC as real life friend?

BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
edited April 2014 in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
The Candlekeep High thread made me wonder: if you could pick one NPC to be your real life friend, who would it be?

Personally I'd go with Dynaheir in BG1 and Cernd in BG2.
Dynaheir is intelligent, exotic, polite and has a clever sense of humour. Most people seem to find Cernd boring, but I like how laidback he is compared to almost all other NPCs.

Honorable mentions: Coran, and Imoen but she (understandably) changes a bit too much for my liking in BG2.
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Comments

  • winterswinters Member Posts: 252
    Hard one. BG1: Dynaheir, Kivan and (maybe) Xan. Why distanced, intelligent people um elves have to be so awfully depressing? BG2: Valygar, Haer'Dalis and definitely not Aerie or Nalia. Let's not even mention The Ultimate Annoymen.

    (I just noticed that I need more (not chaotic and not depressed) neutral-aligned spellcaster NPCs in my life.)

    EEdition: Rasaad. He might be theoretically pretty extreme when it comes to alignment which I personally don't like and usually can't stand, but his Wisdom and background totally makes up for that. Neera pisses me off, I'd probably start to yell at Dorn during first few minutes after meeting him and end up dead seconds later, Mr B might be fun to have around - again, for first five minutes, Hexxat - no idea. She seems so awfully incomplete as a person, guess why.
    Also, I like animals in general, ehe.

    The ultimate Forgotten Realms example of the type of people I usually get along with is Khelben Arunsun.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    jackjack said:

    Oh Xzar definitely. Two right nutters wandering the Earth. He is the Yin to my Yang.

    Xzar is fantastic. His reaction when you accept his potion and then decline his company is golden. But I wonder whether he'd be want to my friend. He might consider me "insufferably benevolent" at times.

    @winters, interesting choices, not the most cheerful people (except for Haer'Dalis).
    I also like Rasaad's personality in BGEE btw.
  • CoutelierCoutelier Member Posts: 1,282
    Imoen and Aerie... no surprises there. Both lovely little-sister types, with one outgoing, fun and silly and the other quiet, sweet and nice, and both eminently huggable.

    Not Xan; I get depressed enough thinking about where this world is going as it is. Although I might hang around with Jan and we can tell stories and make stuff. I like making stuff; it calms me down.

  • SCARY_WIZARDSCARY_WIZARD Member Posts: 1,438
    I'd probably most get along with Imoen. I don't know what'd happen when you bring my catty tendencies into the equation...
  • enqenqenqenq Member Posts: 499
    Yoshimo. But maybe he's not so cool without the geas?

    If I can be more-than-friends I choose Nalia.
  • FinaLfrontFinaLfront Member Posts: 260
    I love threads like these.

    Xan and Xzar are definitely my favorites. In a RL situation I would pick Xan over Xzar, purely for self preservation reasons. "I know dragons with feet like rabbits 'tis true i swear!"

    For BG2, my favorite character has to be Viconia:
    1. She is hot as hell
    2. I like to work for affections, which is why I like feral cats over domestic cats
    3. She is one of the funniest NPCs

    In all honestly, I'd probably get put off quick with someone like her IRL, but "Male, fetch me something to eat!" would not be it.
  • badbromancebadbromance Member Posts: 238
    Quartz said:

    badbromance said:

    Hmm Safana maybe?

    Helm yeah!

    mmmmm Safana :)
    Mmmmm ....

    ... Might have to pick her up in my unkitted Bard play through.

    Ah yeah it's happening!
  • winterswinters Member Posts: 252
    @Blackraven, cheerful is seriously overrated. I value calm, composed, inspiring, reliable and intelligent, both when it comes to friends and acquaintances. I can get cheerful by turning on TV (if I had one) or on youtube, but usually I don't, so.
    jacobtan said:

    Valygar. I can trust him to speak truth to me (like he told Mazzy about overcompensating for her small size), he does not condemn even evil people like Sarevok and Korgan out of hand, and even when he has his prejudices, he is not closed to changing his beliefs.

    Yes, exactly this!
    meagloth said:

    You know, probably xan. I was thinking about him earlier, and I don't think he's actually depressed, like people say. It's the stats. He has 16 charisma, and combined with a mages 17 int, I don't think he's exactly what he looks from afar. I'm pretty sure if you got to know him he wouldn't be all pissy and Whiney like the VoiceOver makes him out to be.

    Bullseye. Not sure if you have a way to do this, but go check out his Polish voicing. Like @iuventas, I'd probably hate with him immense passion if English one was the first and only I've heard. The alternative changes completely the impression he makes, not pissy and whiney but simply melancholic and overthinking everything (and coming to not the best of conclusions, but he's an intelligent guy, isn't he?)
  • Demonoid_LimewireDemonoid_Limewire Member Posts: 424
    Imoen... I always wanted a sister myself. And imoen in game, is pretty much attached to us, loving, caring, considerate, faithful, trusting and trustworthy, minus dependable, but this is not necessarily bad... Imoen for me, please!
  • CalmarCalmar Member Posts: 688
    I'd pick Minsc. He might be a bit silly, but he's funny, reliable and he likes animals.

    And why isn't this thread a poll? Everything has to be a poll! :D
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    edited April 2014
    Hmm. For BG1 the ones that would probably be both easiest to get along with and likeable--for me--would be Imoen, Garrick, Dynaheir, Khalid, and Neera. That's my first tier. I know Khalid lacks confidence but not in a whiny way; and it is all the more endearing because he quietly rises to the occasion in spite of it. Neera is just coping with the whole wild surges thing, and is kind of crazy mixed up cool to me. I like her. Imoen is adorable. I share @Blackraven's assessment of Dynaheir. Garrick is naive but he has a good heart and would make me laugh a lot (unintentionally at times, but all the better).

    Second tier have issues of one sort of another that make it more of a challenge (again for me, YMMV): Minsc, Coran, Kivan, Xan, and Yeslick. Minsc I'd be worried about what he'd do all the time. Similarly, Coran would likely do things that run afoul of the law. Kivan isn't exactly friendly. I hate to say it, but although Yeslick is a total mensch there's a good chance he would bore me with endless stories about his clan. If Xan is a Richard Lewis type who's pessimistic in an endearing and whimsical way then he moves to tier one; but if not he's tier two.

    For BG2... and it's been quite a while since I played it... Yoshimo seems to have the makings of a good friend (outside of the geas). Maybe Haer'Dalis too. But the Tiefling energy would give Haer'Dalis a weird sort of vibe; he might just be too "out there." Keldorn, Cernd, Mazzy and Valygar all have potential but for some reason I don't find any of them strongly likeable. Sadly, Imoen becomes rather angst-ridden, although the bond would of course be there.

    As we know Viconia is redeemable; but how could you trust someone like that, who is in fact so bitter and evil by disposition?
    Post edited by Lemernis on
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    Definately second Valygar - good heart, but not naive.
    I also like Jaheira - thats someone you can discuss politics with, caring and outspoken... hmm, but Jaheira is also my secret crush, so just friendship might be difficult.
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    And Mazzy! Even though Im afraid id be overawed by her awesomeness to establish a close friendship :)
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    edited April 2014
    Actually going from what I identified above, I might one day have a BGEE go with my 'most liked' party. I guess then in the same spirit, for the PC I'd play the class that most matches me and with approximate real life stats.

    I'd have to separate Khalid and Dynaheir from Jaheira and Minsc, respectively; but in a relatively satisfying way if I could... I'll discuss that in a separate thread here.
    Post edited by Lemernis on
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    @winters‌ i can't find a YouTube of xan's polish voice, unfortunately. If you could produce something of the sort I would watch it. I know you don't like xan's English voice acting, but I think it's fine. It's his character, in bg1 there's really only three things that let you guess personality. Portrait, Voice, and What little they actually say. I actually love xan's voice. I don't actually find it pissy and Whiney like I said earlier, but I know a lot of people do. I have actually assimilated some of his lines into my own vocabulary, much to my friends amusement at first, but know it's involuntary for me and annoying to my friends:P ever sense bg I haven't been able to say "whatever" or "shiny! (Ones)" the same.
  • winterswinters Member Posts: 252
    meagloth said:

    @winters‌ i can't find a YouTube of xan's polish voice, unfortunately. If you could produce something of the sort I would watch it. I know you don't like xan's English voice acting, but I think it's fine. It's his character, in bg1 there's really only three things that let you guess personality. Portrait, Voice, and What little they actually say. I actually love xan's voice. I don't actually find it pissy and Whiney like I said earlier, but I know a lot of people do. I have actually assimilated some of his lines into my own vocabulary, much to my friends amusement at first, but know it's involuntary for me and annoying to my friends:P ever sense bg I haven't been able to say "whatever" or "shiny! (Ones)" the same.

    The voice makes *huge* difference, especially that I'm more than a bit obsessed with voiceovers :P Anyway, I've found an ancient BGT install on my equally ancient laptop and managed to extract some stuff, so, here, Polish Xan.
  • iuventasiuventas Member Posts: 95
    @winters‌, I actually extracted a bunch of these after we talked about it the first time, so @meagloth‌ - there you go, http://w306.wrzuta.pl/audio/89bDiMHDUjv/baldur_s_gate_xan (clicking on "Aktywność i opis" underneath will show you which line is which).
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