On a more serious note, I hope that our little goblin is super misunderstood and marked as "evil" for consorting with spirits despite hopefully being something like Chaotic Neutral.
On a more serious note, I hope that our little goblin is super misunderstood and marked as "evil" for consorting with spirits despite hopefully being something like Chaotic Neutral.
Eh, CN is probably Glint's thing; Evil should have at least one new NPC, especially since they're already stuck with a designated CN thief in Safana...
We know nothing except race, class and name. Right now, I can only say that I do not like Captain Schael Corwin portrait, while M’Khiin Grubdoubler and Glint Gardnersonson seem to have a good potential - I look forward to hear M’Khiin's voice.
Most likely I will vote later when/if Beamdog reveals more details about them
@Aedan we do know a little more than that actually, but not much. They have posted brief background on www.siegeofdragonspear.com which I will add to the original post now
Several people seem to have got the idea from somewhere that Voghiln is a Dwarf, but (in both BP2 and BG2ee) Voghiln is a Human. (And he's a big guy, hence "... the Vast", so if he were a Dwarf, then he'd be a Giant Dwarf, which seems rather oxymoronic.)
Yeah, that's my bad - I got him mixed up with elminster's character, Daran Highhammer. Voghiln is definitely human.
Drat! I actually got the idea of him being adwarf from shawne on the "All you wanted to know" thread.
Maybe Voghiln the Vast is a dwarf but just really.... vast.... so he looks human.
I'm interested in the shaman kit. I don't really care if she's a goblin. Hells, a two-headed duck that barks the word 'chimichanga' backwards would have been just as viable to me.
Archer captain because I'd love to hear from a Flaming Fist mercenary I'm kinda hoping she's like Adeline from Dragon Age II, awkward as hell but always got your back. If not. that's cool too- my fem archer could use a tanker archer, and I'm hoping to roll a good male party more focused on two-handed weapons or magecraft.
It'll be her or the goblin for a bit. I dunno. I have to fit them with my alignment so far.
Least interesting is the goblin. We have already had a tiefling a half orc and a vampire. I don't really need more strange minorities. But of course I will try them all and hopefully be pleasantly surprised that she blend in beautiful with the game (Minsc must have something funny to say about her). And also it will give some more possibilities for the evil runs.
I wouldn't include Dorn on that list. Half-Orcs are a playable race.
I'm kind of mixed on the strange minorities. For Aerie and Viconia, it plays a significant role in making their backstories interesting and unique. Baeloth was originally made for the Black Pits and his race was obvious and fitting. Haer'Dalis is arguably inappropriate, but I thought it was done rather tastefully.
Hexxat is the one who really just screams "let's do some crazy rule-breaking stuff and hope it captures peoples' attention." Hopefully M'Khiin isn't the same story.
Goblins are a bit different to those. They are all more powerful than the standard player races. Goblins are less powerful. Low stats, no special abilities, no shorty saves.
Goblins are a bit different to those. They are all more powerful than the standard player races. Goblins are less powerful. Low stats, no special abilities, no shorty saves.
You're assuming adherence to the letter of the D&D rulebook - by those rules, Viconia would've lost her Magic Resistance during her years on the surface, and Coran wouldn't have as many points in the bow proficiency as he does. Some flexibility is possible when it comes to party members, especially if M'Khiin needs to meet Team Evil's standards.
@gangler: I think the emphasis is more that it's very rare to have a goblinoid companion in D&D RPGs - Deekin Scalesinger's the only other one I can think of.
I expect the goblin with have good stats for her race, but it seens unlikey that she will have any signifcant "goblin powers" wether or not the rule book is rigerously followed.
Sure, of course, they're not usually companions, but they're around. It's not like when we've gotta come up with some story about a Drow ended up in our neck of the woods.
No, but you'd have to explain why a female goblin would be out on her own, communing with spirits - her kind usually stick together.
As far as special abilities are concerned, they did say that infravision would be very important in Siege of Dragonspear. However, when it comes to something like infravision I feel like "very important" can mean anything from "vital" to "actually useful for the first time ever"
I think there are enough Goblins that "usually" isn't really an issue. Humans "usually" stick together, but there's enough humans hanging around that nobody bats an eye when you find a human alone out in the woods.
Well, I roughly agree, but ... in the lore, goblins seem to have more defined sex roles than (contemporary Western liberal) humans do. Female goblins are expected to stay at home, in groups, and breed almost continuously (which is why there are lots of goblins around, in spite of their violent society), so finding a female goblin making her own way in the world outside is at least a little odd.
Nevertheless, "deciding that she doesn't want such a restricted life" offers an easy narrative hook on which to hang her back-story ... although perhaps that might look too much like a contemporary Western liberal hook, rather than a lore-consistent FR perspective.
None of these characters truly sound appealing but I will have to make an effort to play with M'khiin as I'm sure she will have interesting interactions throughout the story.
I think this is also one of the places where the lore gives a bit more wiggle room for this sort of stuff though.
Goblins aren't like The Drow, where there is an exact known number of Drow cities with known Drow cultures.
There are countless Goblin tribes. They're set up so you can pretty much just make up a new Goblin tribe and put it wherever anytime you need your heroes to kill some goblins. There's a tribe of goblins tending Jon Ironicus's library. There's a tribe of goblins worshiping The Wild Mage Adoy, which isn't recorded anywhere as one of the Goblin Religions. It's not necessarily lorebreaking for any goblin culture to deviate from what's laid out in "The Lore".
Yes, fair points, I'll accept that there's enough wiggle room for ... well, probably whatever the writers have in mind.
Still during BG 1 you find out what you are as well. It makes it easier to understand other outcasts whether it's an uncommon race, class, or a minority in another way.
Being alone in the wilderness all of a sudden with no friends and absolutely no knowledge of the world of Faerun might make you seek companions in unlikely places.
Can someone fill me in on Voghiln the Vast's role in BP2? I've never played it.
In BP2, your party has a choice of various gladiator NPCs who can be hired at various stages to fight alongside you (as neutrals, blue-circled but fighting on your side, not as party members), and who have various other interactions with the party between fights. Voghiln the Vast is one of these gladiators.
I think there are enough Goblins that "usually" isn't really an issue. Humans "usually" stick together, but there's enough humans hanging around that nobody bats an eye when you find a human alone out in the woods.
Well, I roughly agree, but ... in the lore, goblins seem to have more defined sex roles than (contemporary Western liberal) humans do. Female goblins are expected to stay at home, in groups, and breed almost continuously (which is why there are lots of goblins around, in spite of their violent society), so finding a female goblin making her own way in the world outside is at least a little odd.
Nevertheless, "deciding that she doesn't want such a restricted life" offers an easy narrative hook on which to hang her back-story ... although perhaps that might look too much like a contemporary Western liberal hook, rather than a lore-consistent FR perspective.
Beamdog is real guilty of that one. I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed.
Comments
Now who do you vote for?
Maybe Voghiln the Vast is a dwarf but just really.... vast.... so he looks human.
Joking aside I'll keep my vote the same. Simply be cause he will be a non-useless bard.
I'm kinda hoping she's like Adeline from Dragon Age II, awkward as hell but always got your back.
It'll be her or the goblin for a bit. I dunno. I have to fit them with my alignment so far.
Aerie (Avariel)
Viconia, Baeloth (Drow)
Haer'Dalis (Tiefling)
Hexxat (Vampire [Human?])
I wouldn't include Dorn on that list. Half-Orcs are a playable race.
I'm kind of mixed on the strange minorities. For Aerie and Viconia, it plays a significant role in making their backstories interesting and unique. Baeloth was originally made for the Black Pits and his race was obvious and fitting. Haer'Dalis is arguably inappropriate, but I thought it was done rather tastefully.
Hexxat is the one who really just screams "let's do some crazy rule-breaking stuff and hope it captures peoples' attention." Hopefully M'Khiin isn't the same story.
Nevertheless, "deciding that she doesn't want such a restricted life" offers an easy narrative hook on which to hang her back-story ... although perhaps that might look too much like a contemporary Western liberal hook, rather than a lore-consistent FR perspective.
Being alone in the wilderness all of a sudden with no friends and absolutely no knowledge of the world of Faerun might make you seek companions in unlikely places.
At least that's how I play my charnames.