Who would best round out this party? *SPOILERS*
Bejogo
Member Posts: 38
(For TL;DR version, please skip to the very bottom of this post)
Morality in the Forgotten Realms is a lot more black-and-white than it is in our own world, but even a dedicated hunter of evil should be able to see that there is still a touch of grey.
This is the premise for what is to be my first ever playthrough of BG2 as a Paladin. As an avowed hunter of evil, PC Pally knows the difference between immutable evil—such as that of demons, chromatic dragons or the undead—and circumstantial evil, which is what infects the hearts of most 'evil' mortals. If good mortals can be corrupted, then it stands to reason that evil mortals can be rehabilitated.
This M.O. in mind, here are the five party members upon which I have settled:
1. PC PALLY (Undead Hunter): Both lawful good and lawful nice, PC Pally saves his martial exertions for the truly irredeemable. If he is to resort to violence against mortals, it is when there is no other choice. His attitude will pay off when, after months of patience and emotionally conflicting rumpy-pumpy, he finds some capacity for goodness in the heart of...
2. VICONIA: Love interest, redemption case number 1 and best divine caster in the game who isn't an irritating minge. Anomen's getting nowhere near this party, mostly because the first person to talk to him will be...
3. KORGAN: I rarely have Korgan in my party, because I rarely play evil characters. However, I love the psychotic little bastard, and honestly think one can get more dramatic mileage out of him in a good party—especially one that also includes...
4. MAZZY: Commander Halfpard is a one-woman army. She also has a great relationship with Korgan, responding to his constant harassment with unwavering grace. Eventually, she encourages him to mellow out a tiny bit. (I always felt it rather daft that this sub-plot wasn't accompanied by an alignment change, so at this point in the game I will use EEKeeper to change Korgan's alignment to Chaotic Neutral).
5A. NALIA: I'd like to take care of my thieving and arcane needs in one character. Nalia fits the bill insofar as she'd be more likely to find her way into the fold; would a Paladin, even a soft-hearted one, really cover for...
5B. ...JAN? He's the more entertaining choice, and neatly rounds out Team Shorty to boot. But I'm not really sure a Lawful Good character wouldn't turn him in for trying to flog illegal contraband.
6. ...? You, the reader, decide!
I've taken care of all my needs—melee, archery, arcane casting, divine casting and thievery—and would like someone interesting to round out the group. I'm looking for someone who has good banter and interactions with the party members I have chosen, but this person needn't necessarily be the most effective combatant. I also reckon I'll replace them with
So purely for the purposes of Shadows of Amn, whom do you lovely people think will be the best person to round out my party?
There are but three 'rules' I am keen to follow:
1) No Jaheira. I always play with Jaheira.
2) No more arcane casters. I usually play caster-heavy parties, and I'd like to challenge myself by not having more than one person who can stop time and alter the fabric of reality.
3) Please feel free to break either of the above rules if you feel the character you have in mind has enough going for them.
TL;DR version:
1. CHARNAME (Undead Hunter)
2. Viconia
3. Korgan
4. Mazzy
5. Nalia / Jan
6. ...?
Who is the most interesting NPC in terms of banter and party interactions to round this party out for SoA?
Cheers!
Morality in the Forgotten Realms is a lot more black-and-white than it is in our own world, but even a dedicated hunter of evil should be able to see that there is still a touch of grey.
This is the premise for what is to be my first ever playthrough of BG2 as a Paladin. As an avowed hunter of evil, PC Pally knows the difference between immutable evil—such as that of demons, chromatic dragons or the undead—and circumstantial evil, which is what infects the hearts of most 'evil' mortals. If good mortals can be corrupted, then it stands to reason that evil mortals can be rehabilitated.
This M.O. in mind, here are the five party members upon which I have settled:
1. PC PALLY (Undead Hunter): Both lawful good and lawful nice, PC Pally saves his martial exertions for the truly irredeemable. If he is to resort to violence against mortals, it is when there is no other choice. His attitude will pay off when, after months of patience and emotionally conflicting rumpy-pumpy, he finds some capacity for goodness in the heart of...
2. VICONIA: Love interest, redemption case number 1 and best divine caster in the game who isn't an irritating minge. Anomen's getting nowhere near this party, mostly because the first person to talk to him will be...
3. KORGAN: I rarely have Korgan in my party, because I rarely play evil characters. However, I love the psychotic little bastard, and honestly think one can get more dramatic mileage out of him in a good party—especially one that also includes...
4. MAZZY: Commander Halfpard is a one-woman army. She also has a great relationship with Korgan, responding to his constant harassment with unwavering grace. Eventually, she encourages him to mellow out a tiny bit. (I always felt it rather daft that this sub-plot wasn't accompanied by an alignment change, so at this point in the game I will use EEKeeper to change Korgan's alignment to Chaotic Neutral).
5A. NALIA: I'd like to take care of my thieving and arcane needs in one character. Nalia fits the bill insofar as she'd be more likely to find her way into the fold; would a Paladin, even a soft-hearted one, really cover for...
5B. ...JAN? He's the more entertaining choice, and neatly rounds out Team Shorty to boot. But I'm not really sure a Lawful Good character wouldn't turn him in for trying to flog illegal contraband.
6. ...? You, the reader, decide!
I've taken care of all my needs—melee, archery, arcane casting, divine casting and thievery—and would like someone interesting to round out the group. I'm looking for someone who has good banter and interactions with the party members I have chosen, but this person needn't necessarily be the most effective combatant. I also reckon I'll replace them with
Sarevok
in Throne of Bhaal, as his own possible redemption fits with this concept perfectly.
So purely for the purposes of Shadows of Amn, whom do you lovely people think will be the best person to round out my party?
There are but three 'rules' I am keen to follow:
1) No Jaheira. I always play with Jaheira.
2) No more arcane casters. I usually play caster-heavy parties, and I'd like to challenge myself by not having more than one person who can stop time and alter the fabric of reality.
3) Please feel free to break either of the above rules if you feel the character you have in mind has enough going for them.
TL;DR version:
1. CHARNAME (Undead Hunter)
2. Viconia
3. Korgan
4. Mazzy
5. Nalia / Jan
6. ...?
Who is the most interesting NPC in terms of banter and party interactions to round this party out for SoA?
Cheers!
Post edited by Bejogo on
0
Comments
I would make your party:
1.) CHARNAME
2.) Viconia
3.) Korgan
4.) Mazzy
5.) Jan
6.) Haer'Dalis
That would be both interesting, cover all fronts and you'll have some fun banters.
Valygar does have some interesting banter with Mazzy but other than that he doesn't say much and i wouldn't take him in a party that has 3 fighters already (Mazzy, CHARNAME, Korgan).
Edwin is another choice you can take, but you already got Jan for magic and Haer'Dalis can help out with arcane magic and be an awesome tank and fighter.
I also like the idea of a temperamental troupe of hucksters, psychopaths and morally-affronted white knights constantly at loggerheads while Tim Robbins from High Fidelity just meditates in the middle of it all and occasionally chips in with some bollocks about trees. Edwin is a character I almost never play. Like Dorn in the Enhanced Edition, only a dedicated 'evil party' can really have him—I just can't see a good-aligned party doing the necessary quest, at least not in its entirety (and certainly not in the way you'd need to do it to be able to recruit Edwin). It's a shame, as he's a riot.
Thanks everyone for your input so far.
It'd be a viable solution to take both Jan and Nalia, they work together quite well and Jan is especially good for lively banter. (In that case, if I wanted to swap someone out in ToB to make room for you-know-who, then I'd drop either Korgan or Mazzy at that point ... probably Korgan, in fact, since Mazzy is more versatile.)
If you really want to use only a single arcane caster and yet have adequate thieving skills in the same character, then your best answer is neither of these: take Imoen as #5 instead, who is a better Thief than Nalia and a better Mage than Jan. (You could take along Jan until you rescue Imoen, to get his banter.)
If you take Imoen as #5, then I'd recommend Cernd as #6. People often think he's a weak character, and that's true when you first meet him in SoA, but he turns into both a decent fighter for SoA (when he gets his Greater Werewolf form at level 13, probably mid-SoA) and a decent divine caster for ToB (when he gets loads of extra spells at level 15, probably late-SoA or early-ToB). (In that case, since he's better for late-game, I wouldn't swap him out for you-know-who, again I'd look at swapping Korgan or Mazzy.)
He has a lot of interesting banter and is rich in dialogue without entering party conflicts. If for some reason at some point you are not able to use him anymore, saving Imoen can replace him as your thief. This is much more suitable scenario than just taking Jan. Any good Paladin will rescue and keep close their childhood closest person.
For your 6th slot I would take Neera ot Nalia, as both fit your purpose. You can help both being a Pally and based on their behavior he will decide which fits best.
1. Charname (Blackguard)
2. Korgan
3. Jaheira
4. Viconia
5. Edwin
6. Aerie
(Korgan and Aerie have kept from fighting with each other, which is great. Also, notice that I'm not using a thief at all this play-through.)
I'd definitely go with Jan. His personality is great.
Keldorn wouldn't be bad if he could somehow get along with Viconia. Aerie is annoying and whiny which adds a different type of personality to the party.
If all else fails, go with Wilson. Wilson would make a fun character to have in the group.
Unless you roleplay that Imoen dies in Spellhold, it's hard to justify abandoning her after you discover that she is dying.
But to answer your question, perhaps Minsc would be suitable for your party. He is a righteous kicker of evil butts, yet fair too (Jump on my sword while you can evil, I won't be as gentle!). He also has a lot of fun banter with both Nalia and Jan, so whatever you decide there, he'll fit nicely (With nalia especially if you consider the redemption theme).
Cernd would also be a nice option for the above mentioned reasons.
I agree with those who have said that Imoen should be in the party. I had intended to take her with me out of Spellhold and leave her in the safety of the Radiant Heart, but I think the PC would probably keep her alongside him.
As it stands, I reckon I'll have Jan as my thief/mage, to be replaced with Imoen following her release, and Cernd as my sixth member for the duration of Shadows of Amn.