Quest and Npc

DragonKing

So, here is a question for you all, how do you complete quest with specific PC connected to them? For example fighting the shadow lord with Mazzy or Animal troubles with Cernd? This is what always irked me about some rpgs like bg2, due to the depths of the characters, I find myself debating who to sit out so I can run specific quest with npc directly connected to them especially when you're running heavy weightted groups. (Mines currently, PC- Damage based sorcerers with secondary support spells, Minsc- meatshield and physical damage, Jaheira, secondary tank/secondary support, Neera- utility mage, Aerie- Primary support and Healer, and Yoshimo- Imeon's spot warmer and range damage.)

So, do you ever substitute members of you primary team when doing quest that has specific companions connected to it.

Lord_Tansheron

None of those quests actually require you to take the characters associated with it along. You can finish the quest without them just the same, all you're missing out on is a bit of dialog. You will get the same reward and can finish the same quests, regardless of who is in your party. Shadow Dungeon without Mazzy, Druid Grove without Cern - all no problem.

I suppose the exception is the Planar Sphere, which does require Valygar to be present in order for the door to open - but only for that, not to finish it. Also, he doesn't, uh, technically have to be, uh, alive. Or in your party. Technically.

There are NPC-specific quests however that you cannot do without the NPC in question; those won't even start unless you have that NPC in your party though, so you're not missing out on anything, really. They're personal quests, often involving the NPCs family etc. and I don't think any of them offers a reward you would be using on any character other than the specific NPC so again, nothing lost.

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DragonKing

Lord_Tansheron said:

None of those quests actually require you to take the characters associated with it along. You can finish the quest without them just the same, all you're missing out on is a bit of dialog.

I know this, and that's the point. I'm asking do people just -boom- complete the quest or actually do the quest with the npc that is connected to it. This isn't a question.of "what's gained or losy," but the flavor of how you choose to do it. Some people who aren't trying to powergame it to death may switch out characters for every quest that had a npc that's connected to it.

Note to self, try the above on a future play through lmao.

typo_tilly said:

Usually I drop the muscle for the quest and make up for it by blasting extra spells.

Alternatively, you can keep a core party of 5 with a temporary 6th slot.

I was actually thinking about this, 6 is too mainstream anyways.

DJKajuru

I usually take four permanent companions and leave an emp´ty slot for Mazzy, Cernd, Valygar and whatever NPC's that have a specific quest. I also leave it available for ToB , for spoilerish reasons.

KidCarnival

My core party was always just 5 in BG2, since an all evil party was not possible before EE. I still don't find it a viable roleplay party, because I don't think Edwin and Viconia would be too keen to have Dorn draw unneccessary attention, so if I go with them, I'm more inclined to fill the ranks with neutrals or even good aligned NPCs. It doesn't feel like switching and parking, just a natural progression that the small core group picks up people to see if they get along. Chances are (especially for my low charisma priest) that there will be a party conflict on the horizon and everyone agrees to disagree and go seperate ways after a quest.

DragonKing

KidCarnival said:

My core party was always just 5 in BG2, since an all evil party was not possible before EE. I still don't find it a viable roleplay party, because I don't think Edwin and Viconia would be too keen to have Dorn draw unneccessary attention, so if I go with them, I'm more inclined to fill the ranks with neutrals or even good aligned NPCs. It doesn't feel like switching and parking, just a natural progression that the small core group picks up people to see if they get along. Chances are (especially for my low charisma priest) that there will be a party conflict on the horizon and everyone agrees to disagree and go seperate ways after a quest.

I actually like this, I might do this with my chaotic evil mage right now since its still in the first dungeon.

Gallowglass

@DragonKing - yes, I regularly do exactly what you're asking: swap in a quest-related NPC to do that quest. For roleplaying flavour, I prefer to do these quests with the relevant NPC in my party (such as Cernd for the Druid Grove quests, Mazzy for the Temple Ruins, etc.) regardless of whether it's actually essential to take that NPC. Nevertheless, I'm not entirely rigid about this - I will occasionally proceed without the relevant NPC, if there's some strong reason not to take that NPC at that time.

Conveniently facilitating this style of play, there are a couple of NPCs whom it is positively advantageous to recruit fairly late - Cernd and (especially) Haer'Dalis. Therefore, if I happen to want either of those in my long-term party, then in the earlier stages that's a slot which I can freely use to rotate through other NPCs while doing their quests. Even when I don't want either of them, I quite often have someone holding a space for Imoen, so again that's a slot through which I can rotate other NPCs without sacrificing the development of my long-term team.