the "most liked" party with the "real" you (either playthrough or challenge)
Lemernis
Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
@Blackraven's thread NPC as real life friend? got me thinking about assembling my 'most liked' party which for me includes Imoen, Khalid, Garrick, Neera, and Dynaheir. @Blackraven's thread asks us to consider who we would like best personality-wise if the characters were translated into real life. But I'm sort of taking that and putting it back into the game world as a party to adventure with. They may not be the most effective NPCs I could gather to survive. But they are the ones whose company I think I would enjoy the most.
In the same spirit, I think I would play as close as I could to real life identity and stats, just to add to the challenge.
So in a way, the challenge here is honesty: The personalities you honestly like best regardless of how effective they are in the game or answer practical needs, and honesty with yourself re: the best match of race/class for your personality and RL ability scores.
There is the issue of having to separate forced-paired NPCs (I've got two of them). But I started a thread here to explore satisfying ways of doing that.
This could be done as a no-reload challenge, actually. It could be for either BGEE or BG2EE. You could rank the NPCs according to personal likability for you as personalities. Then if one dies you can a) just keep going without them, or b) if you want to replace them you'd have to follow your ranked list. So let's say no resurrections to add to the challenge. In order to put the challenge on an equal footing to start, you have to fill a party of six. If you're going to do it as a challenge, you should post your ranked list of 'most liked' before starting. (You're on the honor system to rank according to whose personality you really and truly like best, independent of how strong a contributor the characters are.) After deciding on the six NPCs you like best, you can assemble them in any order in-game.
Addendum: After some more reflection about this I'll offer three versions of the competition. See the blockquote below:
So my BGEE game would be
CG human (half-elf?) Cleric/Mage*
Abilities... I dunno, highest on Int and (I'd like to think) Wis, maybe slightly above average Str and Con, else-wise normal.
Imoen
Khalid
Garrick
Neera
Dynaheir
So it's really not too bad. That's a fairly balanced party, actually. Only one meleer is the biggest problem. I'd have to use lots of summons. But I think I could actually get pretty far with that lot.
If you do want to take this up as a challenge feel free to metagame and cheese to your heart's content. And then please post how far you made it in what number of days. Otherwise please just share what your party would be, including what PC class/stats might mirror the IRL you.
By the way when this thread has run its course in General, I'll move it to Challenges and Playthroughs. But I'd at least enjoy seeing what others' parties would look like, and General is the place to get the most participation.
* IRL-wise I don't think I can quite justify half-elf, although in-game I'd certainly prefer multi-class to dual-class.
In the same spirit, I think I would play as close as I could to real life identity and stats, just to add to the challenge.
So in a way, the challenge here is honesty: The personalities you honestly like best regardless of how effective they are in the game or answer practical needs, and honesty with yourself re: the best match of race/class for your personality and RL ability scores.
There is the issue of having to separate forced-paired NPCs (I've got two of them). But I started a thread here to explore satisfying ways of doing that.
This could be done as a no-reload challenge, actually. It could be for either BGEE or BG2EE. You could rank the NPCs according to personal likability for you as personalities. Then if one dies you can a) just keep going without them, or b) if you want to replace them you'd have to follow your ranked list. So let's say no resurrections to add to the challenge. In order to put the challenge on an equal footing to start, you have to fill a party of six. If you're going to do it as a challenge, you should post your ranked list of 'most liked' before starting. (You're on the honor system to rank according to whose personality you really and truly like best, independent of how strong a contributor the characters are.) After deciding on the six NPCs you like best, you can assemble them in any order in-game.
Addendum: After some more reflection about this I'll offer three versions of the competition. See the blockquote below:
No-reload Challenge RulesNote that you're only reloading in the case of a PC death or technical glitch, which means that you must accept HP for level-ups and spell scribing results.
- Core difficulty is recommended; if you use otherwise please specify
- there are three versions for the competition:
1) strict no-reload (technical glitch only) with no resurrection
2) minimal reload/no res: PC death or technical glitch only, with no resurrection
3) minimal reload plus limited resurrections with the number of NPC resurrections for characters (e.g., 1 res per NPC; or maybe 3 resurrections total for all NPCs, etc.) decided by you. (The latter creates subcategories then for 1 res allowed, or 2 reses, etc.)
- your PC must as closely as possible match the real you including race (in spirit) and ability scores; choose the class or kit that best captures your personality/identity
- you must start by filling a party of six with the personalities you like best of all
- you may assemble the starting party in any order you like
- it's okay to Ctrl+Y an unwanted member of a NPC pair, park them somewhere, get them killed (eg, CLUA a cursed protection scroll that petrifies and have them use it), or to use a global variable to avoid the quest associated with the other member of the pair; see here. Note however that you may need the other member of the pair later, so it would probably be wisest to "park" them somewhere! If speaking to a NPC might have them disappear if you don't take them, then you may not want to do that until you're ready.
- for the versions with no resurrection, when a NPC dies:
- should a NPC die you may carry on without filling slot, or
- you may fill the slot in order of your most liked backup personalities (preferably, post the ranked order of backup personalities according to likability before starting the game)
So my BGEE game would be
CG human (half-elf?) Cleric/Mage*
Abilities... I dunno, highest on Int and (I'd like to think) Wis, maybe slightly above average Str and Con, else-wise normal.
Imoen
Khalid
Garrick
Neera
Dynaheir
So it's really not too bad. That's a fairly balanced party, actually. Only one meleer is the biggest problem. I'd have to use lots of summons. But I think I could actually get pretty far with that lot.
If you do want to take this up as a challenge feel free to metagame and cheese to your heart's content. And then please post how far you made it in what number of days. Otherwise please just share what your party would be, including what PC class/stats might mirror the IRL you.
By the way when this thread has run its course in General, I'll move it to Challenges and Playthroughs. But I'd at least enjoy seeing what others' parties would look like, and General is the place to get the most participation.
* IRL-wise I don't think I can quite justify half-elf, although in-game I'd certainly prefer multi-class to dual-class.
Post edited by Lemernis on
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Comments
And Khalid and especially Jaheira, because in BG1 the bhaalspawn really does need that far more experienced mother-figure to help them out and guide through the crazy world they've found themselves in. Jaheira is the stern parent though, and Khalid is the one you go to when you really want money or a present because you know they're softer and more likely to give in, even if you've been bad.
And Minsc, because you need a clown in the party. And Dynaheir, because I'm always attracted to intelligent women. Of course, we'll have words about all the thees and thous and try to get her to talk like an actual human being, eventually...
And... wait, that's just the canon BG1 party, isn't it? Well, I suppose I do tend to stay loyal to NPC's I meet early on and not change things unless I have to. Obviously, the longer time your group spends together, the more of a bond I feel we all have. Better they'll work as a team... can't just be all about me changing things willy nilly. There's no 'I' in team. There is actually a 'me', but that's probably besides the point.
In BG2 you obviously lose Khalid and Dynaheir. Aerie naturally replaces the later, because again she's one of the first you meet, she obviously helps Minsc a lot when he gets depressed, even if she then gets depressed herself. Obviously her circus means she's used to roughing it already, does a lot of chores like washing, cleaning and repairing clothes, looking after props... but we're not just using her to do all that. The bhaalspawn was inexperienced in BG1, but now he/she can pass on their experience to her. Aerie, if not romanced, I think is the best choice to fill the little sister role left by Imoen. Just that Aerie is harder working and better behaved. Although when together, Imoen will probably spend much of her time trying to undo all that and help Aerie get back in touch with her inner Chiktikka.
Now, the last slot in BG2 I usually rotate with all the other NPC's just to do their quests. But if I have to choose one... probably Mazzy. Imoen and Aerie have magic covered, Jaheira and Aerie capable of doing all the healing I need, Imoen is perfectly capable of taking care of locks and traps which are the thief skills you really need. So I think I need another fighter type, and Mazzy has the most devastating headbutt I've ever seen.
I picked my class mainly on the basis of stats and interests.
But I'm not a thief in real life. I mean, the odd torrent download but only for things that I couldn't buy anyway... honestly. Haven't had a fight since I left school either...
A bard would probably be the closest match to the real me, just because I have a variety of interests so would see myself as being a generalist. Can't sing at all... does that matter? I can act and if I must, read poems. Mostly average stats though, apart from INT/WIS which may be above average based on test scores etc. Don't know about charisma... people tell me I'm okay looking when I actually bother, but they might just be being nice. Or want me to get my hair cut more often.
Although I think the last one of those quiz things I did had me as a ranger/mage, because I like to go for long walks.
I think someone who has a sort of poetic sensibility about life, and loves stories (or gossip), books, lore, writing, visiting exotic lands, etc., in such a world would be a bard.
As far as I know not all bards in FR are involved in the performance arts. Look at Volo.
In SoA, I'd ditch Imoen (I am not that sentimental) immediately after freeing her and end up without a thief since Yoshimo is stupid, but I still like him enough to keep him for awhile. Next party combination would include Valygar, Haer'Dalis, Rasaad and Dorn who I'd kick out around 2/3 of the game, when his writing spirals down in almost amusingly tragic way. Then I'd take Keldorn, just because. Sarevok, obviously, in ToB, if this random bunch would survive for so long by some impossible accident.
Xan
Imoen
Rasaad
Arie(I'd probably accidentally end up romancing her, even in real life :P)
Probably Garrick, the party foppish bard.
Because, you know, who needs hit points or fighting ability anyway?
i'd say i'd get along best with
imoen (best friend/little sister)
branwen (strong tough woman)
khalid (gentle nice guy)
xan (reflective sort of mage)
coran (charming sort of ladykiller)
charname would be a tief/mage or a bard. i can't remember coran or branwen's intelligence scores, but i think all the party members have above-average intelligence or wisdom.
in bg2 i'd go for
haer'dalis
hexxat (she doesn't strike me as evil at all, but she is quite intriguing)
imoen (i'd leave a slot open til we get her back)
eventually sarevok (as stated by someone in the other thread, seems like a guy who has your back)
probably valygar or mazzy for lack of a better choice
I would probably have to stick with Imoen throughout the trilogy. She is my oldest friend and although she can be very annoying, she does nothing that really warrants dismissal. I would encourage her to dual-class to a mage though.
I would go with Jaheira, because Jaheira is my favorite NPC (My ex-wife actually was jealous of Jaheira years ago- when she would hear me playing BG in my home office at night) and because Fighter-Druid is a good class (until that long wait for level 14). Unfortunately this means that I would have to suffer Khalid´s company as well at least until Irenicus kills him. Khalid is likeable enough, but if I were in a fight for my life, as charname is, Khalid is about the last person in the whole trilogy I would want covering me in a fight with Garrik a close 2nd.
I would take Viconia because I am a fool for women such as her.
To finish the group for BGI, I would probably take Safana because I am a sucker for women like her (at least until Imoen gets her rogue abilities back), then I would probably go with Kivan for a scout and more reliable warrior than Khalid.
For BGII, Imoen, Viconia, and Jaheira. I would definitely take Valygar, as he is a cool customer and someone I could count on in a fight.
Because of the power of magic, I would probably end up with Jan Jansen, because he is funny and likeable. Nalia and Aeria are both annoying in their own ways: Aerie with her incessant whining about her wings and Nalia with her desire to be naive and snooty (she could be otherwise, but she clearly chooses not to be). I could never trust Edwin if I were in a fight for my life.
Me, the CN Jester, charismatic, reasonably intelligent, worldly but naive, quick, sickly/asthmatic, able to lift nothing heavier than a wet duck.
Xzar
Coran
Viconia
Kagain
Safana
BG2:
Me with some tomes
Xzar, (yeah I said it)
Viconia
Yoshimo -> Sarevok
Jan
Haer'Dalis
D&D quizzes always tend to put me as a half-elf sorcerer of CG or CN alignment. I'd go CN (but still generally does the good thing in the very end), as I'm totally going to become a crazy cat lady when I get old (I have four of the brats now, and I spoil them dearly). I'd have decent enough CHA, INT, and WIS, okay DEX, and absolutely dismal CON and STR. I like, six points dismal. Save for when drinking, when my CON mysteriously raises to 16 for the purpose of seeing how long it takes to get drunk.
My party?
~ Khalid is like the perfect father figure, mature and strong, and I certainly don't think he's a coward. (No coward would gain the interest of a woman like Jaheira.)
~ Rasaad is hopelessly naive at times, and very much needs a friend. I can be hoplessly naive at at times, and always could use a friend. We'd argue the law and chaos bit, but it would always be good nature.
~ Branwen would be the best gal-pal you can unstatuefy (...). We'd hit the bars, talk about guys, and I'd cast magical missile while she spiritual hammered everything to death. We'd totally be the sword and sorcery sisters... well... hammer and sorcery, anyway.
~ Kivan is sweet, quiet, and knows his stuff. Even if that means we rush to our doom at the bandit camp, I'd totally want him by my side.
~ My last slot is hard. Jaheira is like a mother figure. Garrick is such a sweet kid. Imoen may not be my favorite, but she is the childhood friend (and I'd badly need a rogue). Skie would be the rich kid you introduce to the life outside, and she always gets a smile out of me, but I would never touch Eldoth with a ten foot pole so I wouldn't be able to recruit her. I actually like Faldorn a lot. And Coran- well, adventure or nothing! One of those, maybe changing by my CN moods.
BGII is slightly easier. Assuming I'm not using the Branwen and Kivan mods (though I probably would)...
~ Rasaad gets to come again.
~ Jaheira definitely gets a spot this time, as we discuss the loss of a great guy and help ourselves get over him while she looks after my crazy self.
~ Haer'Dalis is a definite go, because he's crazy and lovely and from my favorite setting in the world, and his entropty cheer would add some light-heartedness to the party.
~ Valgyar, as I said in the other thread, would be my ultimate choice for a BFF in the game.
~ Yoshimo is awesome and tragic and I'd really like him... then we'll keep that slot free until we make it to ToB and grab Sarevok, who will be redeemed and totally have your back no matter what the circumstances.
Sorry, Imoen.
Whoever makes it the farthest in the least number of days wins and gets... accolades from the community? Actually it's really just more of an interesting experiment for your own enjoyment than a competition per se. Maybe people can share whatever might have been unusual or challenging about it tactically.
So to restate, the rules are:
- strict no-reload (technical glitch only)
- your PC must as closely as possible match the real you including race (in spirit) and ability scores; choose the class or kit that best captures your personality/identity
- you must start by filling a party of six with the personalities you like best of all
- you may assemble the starting party in any order you like
- it's okay to Ctrl+Y an unwanted member of a NPC pair, park them somewhere, get them killed (eg, CLUA a cursed protection scroll that petrifies and have them use it), or to use a global variable to avoid the quest associated with the other member of the pair; see here. Note however that you may need the other member of the pair later, so it would probably be wisest to "park" them somewhere! If speaking to a NPC might have them disappear if you don't take them, then you may not want to do that until you're ready.
- no resurrection when a NPC dies
- should a NPC die you may carry on without filling slot, or
- you may fill the slot in order of your most liked backup personalities
My starting party (assemble in any order):
CG human Cleric/Mage
Imoen
Khalid
Garrick
Neera
Dynaheir
My backups (ranked according to whose personality I like best), which must be added in this order:
1) Coran
2) Minsc
3) Xan
4) Yeslick
5) Rassaad
6) Branwen
7) Kivan
8) Jaheira
9) Viconia
10) Xzar
11) Safana
12) Ajantis
13) Eldoth
14) Alora
15) Kagain
16) Faldorn
17) Dorn
18) Quayle
19) Skie
20) Edwin
21) Shar-Teel
22) Montaron
23) Tiax
I prefer rangers. So, CHARNAME is a ranger. Although I'm also partial to a multi-class Fighter/Thief.
Regardless, basing the characters on personality rather than Xp's or general usefulness -
BG1:
Rasaad
Jaheira
Imoen
Branwen
Dynaheir
BG2:
Jaheira
Rasaad
Mazzy
Imoen
Nalia
Anyway, since I still don't have BG2EE, I'd be playing BGT, which means having to do without Neera and Rasaad, both of whom I actually like a lot.
Top 10 BG1 NPCs (personalitywise):
1. Dynaheir
2. Coran
3. Garrick
4. Khalid
5. Imoen
6. Alora
7. Kivan
8. Xzar
9. Yeslick
10. Viconia
Top 10 BG2:
1. Cernd
2. Valygar
3. CN Anomen
4. Yoshimo
5. Mazzy
6. Jan
7. Nalia
8. Haer'Dalis (never used him long, but I thinks he's good fun)
9. Imoen*
10. Viconia* (Viconia only works for me if I can redeem her)
I would include Coran and Kivan in the second list, if mod NPCs are allowed. The reason is that BG2 hasn't that many joinable NPCs, so I had to include BG2 Imoen (who I only "like" because of BG1 Imoen) and Viconia (who has many things going for her but needs to romanced to be cured of her mercilessness and earn herself a better spot in my ranking).
As to Charname:
I've reluctantly accepted that my forgottens realms alter ego would be a bard. I am or have been a scholar, a teacher, an aspiring visual artist, a lawyer, an editor, and a vendor of merchandise at festivals and fairs, none of these professions for more than a couple of years. Jack of many trades, master of none. I speak a couple of different languages, like reading and have travelled and lived i different countries, so relatively high lore I guess. Would I be a good bard though? Probably not. I guess you guys would even prefer Garrick over me if I were an NPC. I'd go for a 75 roll:
STR 10
DEX 14
CON 9
INT 15
WIS 12
CHA 15
Thanks, I didn't like the answer options to some of the questions, but overall an interesting test. Unfortunately even this test doesn't think too highly of me, statwise...
(I'm surprised by the class as well.)
I'm a
True Neutral Human Druid (4th Level)
Ability Scores:
Strength- 12
Dexterity- 10
Constitution- 12
Intelligence- 14
Wisdom- 13
Charisma- 13
Alignment:
True Neutral- A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.
Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.
Class:
Druids- Druids gain power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. They hate the unnatural, including aberrations or undead, and destroy them where possible. Druids receive divine spells from nature, not the gods, and can gain an array of powers as they gain experience, including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by their traditional oaths, not simply training. A druid's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast.
Profs:
+ Quarterstaff
+ Two-handed Weapon Style
because that is what I think I would actually pick, even as a cleric. At least it will be consistent when I switch to mage.
I had to remember to avoid talking to Xzar and Montaron because I might conceivably need to add one of them later, though the chances of that are remote.
I grabbed the diamond in the tree, naturally.
Unthinkingly, I had spent a casting of Command on Carbos in Candlekeep. So when I got to the FAI I really needed that spell for Tarnesh. Therefore I went outside the fortress all the way to the west parallel to the entrance and rested there to get Command back. And Command did take care of Tarnesh better than I'd hoped. (The guards were supposed to help and they didn't. Thanks guys!)
I removed Jaheira in the house on the west side of FAI. May need her later.
Since I'm metagaming and unabashedly using cheese tactics, for the Silke encounter I went first to High Hedge to get a potion of insulation. Khalid drank it and was ready to take the lightning hit at 50% electrical damage. But it turned out he didn't need it due Imoen's wand of magic missiles disrupting Silke's Lightning Bolt spell. In fact, with Imoen initially backstabbing her, and then using the wand Silke got not a single one of her spells off. Silke succumbed to the third casting of Command. But even before that she was swinging her staff, so she would have fallen anyway.
It's interesting using Khalid without Jaheira. I'm more aware of him as a character in his own right. I'm currently having him swap out the longbow and sword-and-shield in the midst of battle. (Unrealistic, I know.)
It went fine with getting Neera. Since I'm playing super cautious I had Garrick use the Magic Missile scroll dropped by Tarnesh against the Thayan wizard rather than try to scribe it. But hopefully he'll be able to scribe the spell soon enough. Actually, though, come to think of it he doesn't even have a level one slot yet!
The wand of magic missiles is such a godsend early on. I'm going to have to probably sell it and buy it back recharged, before heading into the Nashkel mines.
I'll have to wait to go get get Dynaheir next time. To get to her I may try the stealth approach with potions of invisibility versus fighting my way through all those gnolls. With this tank-lite party--and especially when they are so green--that probably would not end well. I'm trying to avoid deaths, naturally.
Str 14
Dex 10
Con 14
Int 16 17 in order to dual-class
Wis 15
Cha 12
Ability Scores:
Strength- 11
Dexterity- 13
Constitution- 11
Intelligence- 17
Wisdom- 13
Charisma- 15
My party would be very light on fighters, although it has a cleric and a thief. Three mages would be interesting, I suppose. If magic was real and I was a specialist mage, I would probably be a Conjurer, Invoker, Enchanter or Transmuter. It would be cool to be able to create things out of thin air, manipulate elemental forces, alter and control the minds of others, and manipulate reality. It would be tough to choose one I think, maybe a generalist mage is the way to go. Hmmmm....
1. Xan. In real life I surround myself with awkward, oddball people because I think being normal is dull (don't mistake this as a desire for drama though, just quirkiness). Personally I'm a little closer to the Xan side of weird than the Alora side, and I completely dig having intelligent company around to commiserate with.
2. Yeslick. A genuinely nice guy down on his luck who is often underappreciated despite his talent. I could see myself being a loyal friend to Yeslick, and him being equally loyal in turn.
3. Neera. Speaking of weird, I also appreciate intelligent quirky women with emotional baggage (maybe I should be careful not to be too honest). If the romance doesn't work out, maybe we could still be friends.
4. Imoen. Even if she wasn't family, she's a lifelong friend. Sure, your old buddies can irritate you, but you stick with them through thick and thin.
5. Minsc. Much as I appreciate intelligence, sometimes you meet someone who is just plain fun to be around. They might be too loud, a little obnoxious and sometimes get themselves into trouble, but they more than make up for it by being steadfast comrades and lightening the mood.
6. Dynaheir. While I am neutral to her in-game, I have to admit that in real life I would be fast friends with her. Intelligent, insightful and a touch mysterious? Sign me up.
7. Garrick. Like a teenager, he's like a lost puppy, about to make every mistake imaginable, and you wince empathetically as you see those situations coming. How can you abandon him to his fate? He's a bit of a tool, but he's a nice guy and he always has a funny story to tell.
8. Rasaad. Again, a really nice guy, but one who is just a little too focused with his particular hobbies and religion. Rasaad would be the sort of friend that I would meet up with less frequently, but still enjoy his company.
9. Safana. Oh, I know you're not good for me, but somehow I can't seem to take my own advice. Strike her off the list if there's an active romance, because I don't need that kind of temptation and jealousy running around.
10. Alora. You annoy me, yet your cheerfulness is infectious. I can't resist.
11. Khalid. The timidity is annoying (I push him to be more decisive in my own diplomatic way), and the lack of enthusiasm is much worse, but still, I'll have him for a friend.
12. Coran. I won't lie, I'm jealous. Unless he's here as your wingman, he's going to snag all the attention and you'll get dragged into the fallout from his escapades. Despite this, he is still really cool and good at what he does. I want to dislike him, but at heart he is actually a good guy who has your back.
13. Faldorn. Okay, you're a bit too focused and you might want to consider some therapy, but alternate viewpoints are welcome here. Besides, we tend to agree that civilization is destroying the world.
14. Viconia. Fine, bring your manipulative fanatical sexy ass along for the ride. I didn't want drama, but sometimes I befriend people I really shouldn't. Somewhere inside her, I see that she is not as bad as everyone says and has gotten judged unfairly. I'll give her the chance to prove that to me, because I can't turn away someone who is really in need of a friend that the world is out to get.
The rest of you NPCs can bugger off.