BG1 - I can't really list my options as if I had my way I'd take Xzar without Monty & Khalid without Jaheira (but then I'd lose their banters, which I rather like), though I could always get one of them killed I suppose . Plus, the thing is, I'm just not as attached to BG1 as I am to 2, though on balance I'd say I like the 'evil' NPCs slightly more in BG1.
BG2, I'm currently running with...
1. Keldorn 2. Anomen 3. Valygar 4. Aerie 5. Jan
And this is turning out to be one of my favourite combos. I ditched Yoshi pretty early on and took Nalia for my thief but when she
was imprisoned by Isaea
I picked up Jan and decided to keep him around because he makes me laugh and he's a far better thief/mage than Nals - plus he doesn't whine on about 'Helping the needy' when you're trying to liberate her home for her; in fact when you can help him out he's really grateful and it's all rather sad and sweet.
I picked up Valygar to do his sphere and I may still swap him back to Jaheira for RPing reasons, though I'm in no rush.
I always take Ano & Aerie, Aerie because she's just adorable and I like her interactions with Keldorn and Valygar, plus her class combo is a winner. Ano I take because he's an excellent tank and no one deals with undead better than him. I rather like his quest and the romance too but TBH I'm playing the through the Keldorn one right now and it's so well put together it wipes the floor with Ano's just a bit.
Quayle is superb in BG 1! With mods you can get him early in the game at thr Carnival. He has a machine gun full of spells and I think he is funny too. I have played through with him as my only mage in a good party, playing Imoen as single class thief. This way you won`t get the highest spells , if I am correct, but you can give Imoen a kit which gives a cool new experience. For an evil party I recommend picking up Tiax in Beregost. Super funny npc and very powerful as well. The stats of Quayle are very misleading. For his intelligence you can raise it one point in High Hedge with an item bought from the wizzard. His low wisdom is hardly of concern, for he will get sufficient cleric spells. Couple him with the amazing Yeslick and have Jaheira for OP priest power. The only problem is really his lower levels (from Quayle) when he is a glass canon. When he gets his boots of avoidance all is more as ok and he will become maybe even your best party member in the SCS 1 mod.
I played the game quite a few times, but I never used all the NPC`s in BG1. I did in BG2 and I don`t think there are really "bad" NPC`s. With love you can make them all very useful. Combinations depend on your Protagonist class and alignment. In my last playthrough I had the much despised Cernd in my group and to my suprise he was ridiculously powerful. You must have the mod that corrects the shape shifter though. In the early stages of the SoA he is a formidable tank that rarely will catch a scratch. Oh yes and Jan Jansen is fantastic, later with Hear Dalis too. This game is still amazing!
If we are talking about personalities... BG1:EE best: 1. Minsc - nothing really to say here. Best NPC in all senses. 2. Xan - actually a unique NPC. Number 2 NPC in BG. A great guy. 3. Jaheira - in my first playthrough she was my favourite NPC. Because of her picture, voiceset (accent), class or her playful form of communication with the "slave driver". She is a great girl herself and a real friend. If you ask me who is your real friend in the BG saga? Like Allister in DAO. Jaheira is the answer. 4. Montaron - this is a great example of an evil halfling, small but not helpless and with attitude. Bingo! His relationship with his partner (not friend) Xzar is awesome and very vitally. 5. Shar-Teel - a evil fighter feminist girl. We have seen many examples of such character in movies and sometimes in real life. Not all of them are actually male haters, but they compete with them. She has the most intriguing story in BG1, sadly without an outcome. Wish she could continue the adventures in BG2 or a mod though. 6. Eldoth - hmmm. Few people like Eldoth. But the fact is that he is the only REAL bard in the whole BG saga. Yes, he is evil, but who said that all bards are nice? Maybe some people don't know real bards in real life? Most of them are prowlers and prigs and selfish. Rich brides, blackmail, poisons, adventures. Keep in mind that most of the famous poets and bards were rowdy drunkards. Garrick compared to Eldoth is a teeny musician on a harvest carnival.
BG1:EE worst: 1. Branwen - yes she is a good cleric, actually the only cleric for a good team, but she is hollow. No banters, no comments? Personally I like her and use her a lot as a cleric in my team, but something isn't right. Neutral is not beeing completely quiet without any opinion. She is not the worst number 1 NPC in BG, rather a disappointment... 2. Khalid - a complete misfortune. He supposed to be some kind of a introvert person, but as a result we've got a stuttering clown. Thanks God he's dead. 3. Kagain - evil dwarf. Strange, because he doesn't look like evil at all, just mumbling under his breath... Great evil warrior, but completely silent, like a cat. Nerves of steel? 4. Rasaad - the new NPCs are linear and empty. Neera and Dorn still have intriguing stories. But their characters are strange. What about Rasaad? He intended to be a well written NPC, interesting one. But as a result a swab has more temper, emotions than Rasaad. And yes, dear devs, beeing a monk means not to be a swab. Epic fail. I feel sorry for female gamers if Rasaad will be a romance option. Prepare a silver bullet for yourself. 5. Alora - to be honest, Alora act like a real teenage halfling - nerdy, happy, feeble and 24\7 fun. But I hate her
BG2 best: 1. Jaheira - the best romance option, sarcasm, her accent, strong will, great tank, druid and pretty. Sometimes she reminds me of my ex-gf... 2. Edwin - well, thats how I imagine an evil wizard, not a crazy one. He isn't so malicious after all. Edwina is a masterpiece Really interesting to play. 3. Viconia - the only NPC I worried about. Completely different NPCs in BG1 and in BG2. Her story is a drama. And yes... her portrait She's that kind of a independent and sovereign girl, but attractive, but hard to swallow. Interesting to play. 4. Anomen - I understand why many people hate him. He is real. I won't be surpsised if his character was copied from one of the devs Only romance option for females? Too cruel. I noticed, that female gamers get not the best representative of the males in various games (paladin in NWN2, strange virgin guy with a bow in DA2, Alister in DAO). Why Valygar is not romanceble for girls? Anomen is disgusting? But very well written! Like a real person. 5. Sarevok - The most charismatic guy in the whole saga. Really nothing about him to say, but it was a big surprise having him as a NPC in TOB. Playing with him in a party made me really proud, that I have such a brother next to me. Sarevok himself! Tremble other bhaalspawns! And he is very charismatic indeed.
Bg2 worst: 1. HaerDalis - he doesn't sounds like a tiefling and he doesn't sounds like a bard. It's not about his bard class, personally I like bards. But HaerDalis could be a simple elven fighter with no loss to his story and realationships, or his love triangle. Coran from BG1 could do the same, not beeing a bard and a tiefling. 2. Mazzy - a really wasted opportunity. Why we like halflings? For their nature. I clearly see how the devs wanted a paladin girl, a pretty one for sure, but due the lack of halflings, they just edited the race, but not the character. She is a good fighter, she has a great picture and great voiceset.. And the worst thing - she is a human in a halfling skin. 3. Valygar - the greatest wasted opportunity in BG2. Valygar could be one of the best NPCs in the game, great class, nice stats, interesting quest, nice pic (Vin Diesel?). But somehow this NPC turned to be hollow. Maybe he would be the greatest NPC in BG2 if he got a romance (only with a female charname ofc). 4. Cernd - pfff. Just compare Jaheira and Cernd. Or Faldorn. I'm not sure if he's really a druid. A really strange guy. And completelly useless NPC. Cernd and his son? A druid, a natures servant. What the F... is he doing? I maybe could understand him if we were here in Russia. But... 5. Nalia - nothing bad here. She is just a simple girl. Nothing more. I question myself - why she is a mage? Skie in BG1 fits her role better, than Nalia.
Если уж Федор Михалыч Д. не смог описать загадочную русскую душу в своих произведениях, то мне подавно это не удастся в двух предложениях и на англ языке Одним словом - загадка.
If we are talking about personalities... BG1:EE best: 1. Minsc - nothing really to say here. Best NPC in all senses. 2. Xan - actually a unique NPC. Number 2 NPC in BG. A great guy. 3. Jaheira - in my first playthrough she was my favourite NPC. Because of her picture, voiceset (accent), class or her playful form of communication with the "slave driver". She is a great girl herself and a real friend. If you ask me who is your real friend in the BG saga? Like Allister in DAO. Jaheira is the answer. 4. Montaron - this is a great example of an evil halfling, small but not helpless and with attitude. Bingo! His relationship with his partner (not friend) Xzar is awesome and very vitally. 5. Shar-Teel - a evil fighter feminist girl. We have seen many examples of such character in movies and sometimes in real life. Not all of them are actually male haters, but they compete with them. She has the most intriguing story in BG1, sadly without an outcome. Wish she could continue the adventures in BG2 or a mod though. 6. Eldoth - hmmm. Few people like Eldoth. But the fact is that he is the only REAL bard in the whole BG saga. Yes, he is evil, but who said that all bards are nice? Maybe some people don't know real bards in real life? Most of them are prowlers and prigs and selfish. Rich brides, blackmail, poisons, adventures. Keep in mind that most of the famous poets and bards were rowdy drunkards. Garrick compared to Eldoth is a teeny musician on a harvest carnival.
BG1:EE worst: 1. Branwen - yes she is a good cleric, actually the only cleric for a good team, but she is hollow. No banters, no comments? Personally I like her and use her a lot as a cleric in my team, but something isn't right. Neutral is not beeing completely quiet without any opinion. She is not the worst number 1 NPC in BG, rather a disappointment... 2. Khalid - a complete misfortune. He supposed to be some kind of a introvert person, but as a result we've got a stuttering clown. Thanks God he's dead. 3. Kagain - evil dwarf. Strange, because he doesn't look like evil at all, just mumbling under his breath... Great evil warrior, but completely silent, like a cat. Nerves of steel? 4. Rasaad - the new NPCs are linear and empty. Neera and Dorn still have intriguing stories. But their characters are strange. What about Rasaad? He intended to be a well written NPC, interesting one. But as a result a swab has more temper, emotions than Rasaad. And yes, dear devs, beeing a monk means not to be a swab. Epic fail. I feel sorry for female gamers if Rasaad will be a romance option. Prepare a silver bullet for yourself. 5. Alora - to be honest, Alora act like a real teenage halfling - nerdy, happy, feeble and 24\7 fun. But I hate her
BG2 best: 1. Jaheira - the best romance option, sarcasm, her accent, strong will, great tank, druid and pretty. Sometimes she reminds me of my ex-gf... 2. Edwin - well, thats how I imagine an evil wizard, not a crazy one. He isn't so malicious after all. Edwina is a masterpiece Really interesting to play. 3. Viconia - the only NPC I worried about. Completely different NPCs in BG1 and in BG2. Her story is a drama. And yes... her portrait She's that kind of a independent and sovereign girl, but attractive, but hard to swallow. Interesting to play. 4. Anomen - I understand why many people hate him. He is real. I won't be surpsised if his character was copied from one of the devs Only romance option for females? Too cruel. I noticed, that female gamers get not the best representative of the males in various games (paladin in NWN2, strange virgin guy with a bow in DA2, Alister in DAO). Why Valygar is not romanceble for girls? Anomen is disgusting? But very well written! Like a real person. 5. Sarevok - The most charismatic guy in the whole saga. Really nothing about him to say, but it was a big surprise having him as a NPC in TOB. Playing with him in a party made me really proud, that I have such a brother next to me. Sarevok himself! Tremble other bhaalspawns! And he is very charismatic indeed.
Bg2 worst: 1. HaerDalis - he doesn't sounds like a tiefling and he doesn't sounds like a bard. It's not about his bard class, personally I like bards. But HaerDalis could be a simple elven fighter with no loss to his story and realationships, or his love triangle. Coran from BG1 could do the same, not beeing a bard and a tiefling. 2. Mazzy - a really wasted opportunity. Why we like halflings? For their nature. I clearly see how the devs wanted a paladin girl, a pretty one for sure, but due the lack of halflings, they just edited the race, but not the character. She is a good fighter, she has a great picture and great voiceset.. And the worst thing - she is a human in a halfling skin. 3. Valygar - the greatest wasted opportunity in BG2. Valygar could be one of the best NPCs in the game, great class, nice stats, interesting quest, nice pic (Vin Diesel?). But somehow this NPC turned to be hollow. Maybe he would be the greatest NPC in BG2 if he got a romance (only with a female charname ofc). 4. Cernd - pfff. Just compare Jaheira and Cernd. Or Faldorn. I'm not sure if he's really a druid. A really strange guy. And completelly useless NPC. Cernd and his son? A druid, a natures servant. What the F... is he doing? I maybe could understand him if we were here in Russia. But... 5. Nalia - nothing bad here. She is just a simple girl. Nothing more. I question myself - why she is a mage? Skie in BG1 fits her role better, than Nalia.
BUT BUT... I loved Alistair in DAO ;_; he was THE epitome of the perfect romance for me! WTB MORE npc's like Alistair not less! He's dreamy ^_^
And yes. There was a topic here about friendship. Can't find it. Can't use the search option here at all ))
Still, who where your friends in real life if all the NPC were real people? No matter if I were good or evil alignet my friends were: 1. Jaheira - I can trust her. My fathers friend. 2. Shar-Teel - she is very responsible and faithful, if you can be her friend. 3. Minsc - if I'd met him in real life - it would be strange But he is honest and openminded. I can't say the same about Dynaheir. 4. Khalid - I know )) But he is faithful and I can trust him. 5. Imoen - she is my sister after all... 6. Kagain - "the most loyal people are those who can be bought for money" (c)
Keep distance from them: 1. Montaron - to have an open mind he is the most dangerous party member. Don't know what to expect. 2. Eldoth - he would use you and sell you with the best opportunity. 3. Garrick - he is a naive idiot. It is very hard to make good relationships with such spineless people. You deffinately can't trust them. They does not keep thier mouth shut, can't keep secretcs etc. Your worst friend is your best enemy. 4. Viconia - let's be honest. If you meet a hooded dark elf with a dagger on the street, what would you do first? 5. Ajantis - it's only comfortable to play along with paladins in video games, but in the reality it's damn hard to all do the right things, what he thinks is right. Do something wrong or say some shit about his God and he will attack you with his holy sword, no matter friend or foe 6. HaerDalis - should I really say why you don't want this guy in your party in RL?
Definitely have to change one of my original votes and give one to Alora. Her improved Rabbit's foot has helped, but so has her proficiency point in dual wielding. She doesn't have a lot of health but man having her dual wielding Drizzt's scimitars (having herself stolen them off him asap) just looks badass.
So my top 5 for BG1 would be
1. Imoen (you basically can't go wrong with her) 2. Alora 3. Dorn 4. Baeloth (sorry Edwin) 5. Viconia
Best: 1. Xan. Just, perfect 2. Khalid. Don't know why, but I really liked him. One of the best. Never liked jaheria though. Bg2 should be he other way around. 3. Bealoth. He is the voice of my voicemail. 4. Edwin. 5. Minsc and boo.
Tiax gets an honorable mention, and I've been playing with coran recently, and he is just kind of, fun to be around. I don't really know why. He's sneaking up there.
Worst: Dynaheir. Just, meh. Safana. Annoying. Jaheria. Never liked her. Quail. Like, wtf? Faldorn. Maybe she's not all bad, but I've played bg my whole life and just found her a week ago. Just that one no one's ever heard of.
Just gonna throw this out there as food for thought: I totally appreciate those people who like Anomen has good character development and stuff. That's fair enough, that's fine, and I agree that characters that dynamically develop with exposure to your protagonist in games are interesting.
Yet can we all take the time to consider that Anomen tells Mazzy to shut up and keep out of his way, calling her a false knight, when she tries to advise him not to be so proud. I'm fairly certain the exact line is "Shut your worthless mouth wench" and then something about threatening to run Jaheira through when everybody's favourite druidess disapproves of his opinion that the thief in the Sea's Bounty that Mae'var wants killed deserves to be murdered for his crimes.
And then you convince him to not murder a noble out of cold blood, he's all wise, benevolent and gentle-minded? Yeah right. Going from excessively - unrealistically arrogant to humbled, pious just because he didn't stab one guy seems wildly out of touch with believable character development. I mean.. Viconia and Korgan aren't threatening to murder every character who doesn't share their point of view because they don't share their point of view (okay, Edwin's sorta scheming to do something along those lines but he's under no illusions that he is an honourable gent).
Just had to get that off my chest. Peace and love and all that
Top Imoen! She's a cutie and gives direction to the game. Without her, I'd just be a bum wandering the world looking for more things to kill. I couldn't care less about whatever Irenicus wants so she's my link to the story. Competent, too - she has incredible stats befitting her heritage and her class brings utility to just about any party.
Jan Jansen! What can I say? His stories are a blast and he's the best comic relief in the game. Comes with awesome gear and is an amazing thief; his initial high score in Detect Illusions is a lifesaver and he's the only thief who can keep raising his skills.
Viconia! The sexy dark elf with a mysterious history. She's an interesting anti-hero because you take an active hand in her development. Despite being a pure cleric she's very useful because of her magic resistance; you can hit 100% very easily and use her as a weapon against mages, or if you screw the pooch and the rest of your party gets paralyzed/feared/chaosed/killed she can fix that too, even if she complains about it. Folt xund!
Coran! This guy must be the hackmaster that Lilarcor was talking about. Illegal dex, illegal HP, illegal proficiencies, and illegally good looks (his words, not mine). He's the dashing rogue that any party needs, and the best damn archer in the game.
Montaron! This guy kicks ass. He has good combat stats and he's available right from the start. Surprisingly tanky and a backstabbing machine. If you want something dead, he can make it happen. He has some awesome lines too, and he and his partner Xzar are great fun to have around. Damn those Harpers...
Dorn! He's a fearless leader and the baddest dude around. I love his voice and his lines are amazing. If I wasn't using him I'd use his sounds for charname. Oh, and he's a freaking juggernaut and turns just about anything into flying chunks of meat. Poison weapon is one of my favorite skills as well, and the fact that it comes on this god of war is just icing on the cake.
Bottom Rasaad. I'm sorry, but he just... sucks. It's not even because monks suck - okay, it is, but I also find him really boring. He's obnoxious enough already as LG and while he's supposedly against violence, he has no problem bending his principles and beating the crap out of someone when it suits him. Also, because I like Viconia, I find wiping out a temple of Shar rather distasteful especially since the monks are so weak it's like slaughtering commoners. I usually sneak in and steal the belt, then ditch Rasaad at the entrance to the temple. Let's see how much he wants revenge now that we aren't here to carry him. Maybe he'll finally convert to Shar and become less useless. I do like his voice and portrait, though.
Kagain. He has 20 constitution. That's it. He doesn't die, but all that means is he'll still be alive when the rest of the party is dead. Likely as not he'll just loot the bodies and run rather than raise us. After all, he gave up pretty fast looking for that caravan. All he does in a fight is stand there and not die. I've met rocks that were more useful. As a feature request, I'd like for Dorn to be able to wear him as a shield.
Minsc. I know, he's iconic and he has Boo, and I feel kind of bad for including him. But his lines get old quickly and he's just so one-dimensional. He's merely okay as a fighter but doesn't have kickass dispels or anything. For comic relief Jan is much more entertaining.
Yoshimo. I find him annoying because he seems rather stereotyped and out of place. I didn't trust him from the start and... well, we all know how that turned out. He's a pure thief which means he's largely useless in combat, and there are better choices if you need someone to disarm traps.
Xan. Too bad Silence 15' keeps him from casting spells. I do kind of like him as long as he's not part of the team, so I usually give him his moonblade and send him on his way. Not a bad guy as long as I'm not the one dealing with him.
Neera. Stuck-up little half-breed! I carried your annoying ass through half the game, despite you torching the party several times by "accident", and you have the nerve to dismiss my help? Apparently you're your own one-woman army, so good luck with the Red Wizards. And hand over that gem bag!
Just gonna throw this out there as food for thought: I totally appreciate those people who like Anomen has good character development and stuff. That's fair enough, that's fine, and I agree that characters that dynamically develop with exposure to your protagonist in games are interesting.
Yet can we all take the time to consider that Anomen tells Mazzy to shut up and keep out of his way, calling her a false knight, when she tries to advise him not to be so proud. I'm fairly certain the exact line is "Shut your worthless mouth wench"
Anomen: "In truth when the order sees my work I'll no longer need to travel with lowly folk such as you there halfling."
Mazzy: "It does not befit an inspiring knight to speak in such a manner."
Anomen: "Never will I heed a lowly halfling! Hold your tongue lest I cut it from your cursed mouth"
@elminster Thank you! How or where did you pull that? Exactly my point about Anomen. He's not just misguided, he is an absolutely and utter ass!
sidenote: I did poorly phrase that which you have quoted. he actually tells Jahiera to "shut [her] worthless mouth", and the successive threat that I had mentioned in my original comment. But thanks for adding fuel to fire: any evidence to back up my AnomenMustDie argument is welcome, and thankfully there is plenty of it. :P
@recklessheart IIRC sorcerers.net has a file that contains the text of all NPC banters, though only the ones which crop up spontaneously as opposed to conversations regarding quests.
When I first played BG back in the beginning of the century, I was primarily concerned with getting the strongest party together to kick the most butt. This time through, I want to spend more time with as many NPCs as deserve it.
Who are your fav 5 NPCs to travel with, and who are your least fav 5?
Their effectiveness in game matters, but I am more concerned with who had a good quest, has good interparty dialogue, and who you look forward to traveling with again. I also want to know who you think the coolest party combos are.
(you can certainly have more than a top or bottom 5, I am just throwing out a number to get the ball rolling.)
I am familiar with CRPG mechanics enough to be confident I can succeed without concerns for party strength, and I know some of you on here know every little bit about this game, so this is a good opportunity for you to school some of us on some hidden gems in this game.
I've said plenty about this in other threads, but... I'll start fresh here. BG1(+EE) is what I am familiar with so I'm keeping it to that.
BEST
1. Minsc. Love him or hate him, he has a way of making things explode into chunks. Between his funny dialogue and his obviously useful stats, Minsc has been on more of my teams than I care to count.
2. Xan. Speaking of funny dialogue, I often can't resist putting Xan into the party. If you are the sort of player who normally loads up mages with damage spells, picking Xan can teach you a lot about how to debuff enemies and bolster your allies instead of using the mage like a crappy archer for most of the game.
3. Branwen. Don't you love someone who is enthusiastic about their work? Branwen has the spirit of adventure about her while not making demands of you ethically one way or the other. I love her accent and she can play tank when needed, she's definitely in the running for best divine caster in BG1 (Viconia is not as badass here as she is in BG2).
4. Safana. You need a thief, you want more dialogue than Imoen has to give (and maybe less annoying dialogue too), so you turn to Safana. She cracks me up with her over-the-top seductress act, and sometimes she genuinely sounds sexy ("When I'm good, I'm very very good; but, when I'm bad? I'm *better.*"). If you get to her soon enough she can be shaped into whatever kind of thief you need from pretty early in the game.
5. Jaheira. Recently I've been experimenting more with Coran, but until I am sold for sure I have to admit that Jaheira can wear a lot of different hats in the party and I have used her in many, many games. Her dialogue runs a fine line for me between being irritating and being funny, but between that and her usefulness in a number of different roles she often makes the cut.
Honorable mention: Tiax may have the best dialogue in the whole game, but he isn't as useful. Xzar has great dialogue and is actually quite useful. Alora ranks up there too on dialogue and usefulness, but suffers from being a late-game thief even though she is the best in the game points-wise.
WORST
1. Eldoth. Anything bad you could ever level at Garrick can be leveled to a greater degree at Eldoth. He's a jerk, he's a misogynist, since he's in the Cloakwood he can't help you through a big part of the game, he's less customizable (he's level 5 when you meet him so you miss out on his level 4 weapon proficiency slot), and he's no better at learning spells than Garrick. I prefer Garrick's Dex for ranged combat to Eldoth's marginally better Str and Con.
2. Quayle. Oh, he's plenty useful. He has oodles of spells at his disposal so he can fill in for divine or arcane casting. I just *don't like him.*
3. Montaron. Same story as Quayle: Montaron can be both a capable thief and a competent fighter and is deadly both at backstabbing or with a sling in his hand. I can't stand him though. "Oh, you want to kill me in my sleep? I'll just kill you here in broad daylight then."
4. Faldorn. I would list Skie here, but I've never even USED her before so that wouldn't be fair. I was just unimpressed with Faldorn, a kind of disappointment with everything about her.
5. Garrick. Yes, he's pretty terrible in terms of effectiveness (although he's not bad with longbow proficiency and Deadshot +2 if no one else in the party can use it). I want to like Garrick, he has nice (if slightly bland) dialogue and he can be an identifying machine for you. He just doesn't pull his weight in the party.
Honorable mention: Rasaad is pretty bad in the first game but I like his dialogue and his quest line, he's a nice guy. Skie has a strike against her being a late-game thief who has spent so many points already, and she just isn't as good as Alora (or probably Imoen either; if you could get Skie early maybe she could compete with Safana in terms of effectiveness). Tiax is even worse as thief abilities go, so he's kinda like a half-ass cleric (yes, Tiax gets honorable mention in best AND worst because Tiax rules all!).
Favs Viconia, Imoen, Ajantis, Jaheira Love to see them set on fire: All the rest especially enema aka anomen, cernd the tree hugging whinner, and on general principle edwin though after he gets turned into a women
Just have to say all the Quayle haters have been playing him wrong. He is one serious arse-kicker. If you give him the Ring of Wizardry and the Ring of Holiness he can cast around 30 spells before resting. He can wear a helmet and a shield, and even the elven chain mail, while still casting, so he's much less squishy than any other mage. He can cast evocation, conjuration, and enchantment, so you get all the heavy hitter spells. He can use ALL the wands in the game.
Power-gaming aside, he is also one of the funniest NPCs - "You grunted?" never gets old!
My only complaint about Quayle is that I always have to rush the first 4 chapters so I can pick him up as low level as possible to control his HP a bit more. But that has actually given me the chance to experiment with more of the Chapter 5 NPCs in general, which has been fun.
Just have to say all the Quayle haters have been playing him wrong. He is one serious arse-kicker. If you give him the Ring of Wizardry and the Ring of Holiness he can cast around 30 spells before resting. He can wear a helmet and a shield, and even the elven chain mail, while still casting, so he's much less squishy than any other mage. He can cast evocation, conjuration, and enchantment, so you get all the heavy hitter spells. He can use ALL the wands in the game.
Power-gaming aside, he is also one of the funniest NPCs - "You grunted?" never gets old!
My only complaint about Quayle is that I always have to rush the first 4 chapters so I can pick him up as low level as possible to control his HP a bit more. But that has actually given me the chance to experiment with more of the Chapter 5 NPCs in general, which has been fun.
Isn't there a mod that puts him on the Nashkel Carnival or other side of the bridge? I know Eldoth and Skie aren't relocated, but I thought the other late game NPCs were placed into the first chapter maps.
Just have to say all the Quayle haters have been playing him wrong. He is one serious arse-kicker. If you give him the Ring of Wizardry and the Ring of Holiness he can cast around 30 spells before resting. He can wear a helmet and a shield, and even the elven chain mail, while still casting, so he's much less squishy than any other mage. He can cast evocation, conjuration, and enchantment, so you get all the heavy hitter spells. He can use ALL the wands in the game.
Power-gaming aside, he is also one of the funniest NPCs - "You grunted?" never gets old!
My only complaint about Quayle is that I always have to rush the first 4 chapters so I can pick him up as low level as possible to control his HP a bit more. But that has actually given me the chance to experiment with more of the Chapter 5 NPCs in general, which has been fun.
Isn't there a mod that puts him on the Nashkel Carnival or other side of the bridge? I know Eldoth and Skie aren't relocated, but I thought the other late game NPCs were placed into the first chapter maps.
Well that would be different. I might actually try using Faldorn again, or Yeslick, if they were easier to get to.
Best (in BG1 I judge the character of NPC according to NPC Project)
1) Imoen. She is my best friend (in BG1) and sister (BG2), she is dependable, cheerful, likes pink color.
2) Coran. As he says (in NPC project), we vagabonds must stick togother. Masculine version of Imoen in some respects, cheerful, optimistic, immature. Archetype of adventure. And perfect archer.
3) Jaheira. Yes, she is a bit bossy, but she is very reliable and caring. I just like her. And in ToB she becomes one of the strongest NPC.
4) Jan. Garrulous, irritating, crazy. But I like his ability to mock proud and self-important characters. I´ve found him much more intelligent than he pretends to be. And some of his subversive stories are funny.
5) Kagain. He doesn´t pretend anything. And even if he is evil, I think that he wouldn´t betray me. (I think that the lawful neutral aligment would suit him more.)
+ honorable mention: Yoshimo. Unfortunately we all know how it will end. Shame.
Worst
1) Minsc. I really don´t think that someone is funny when he is just stupid and simpleminded.
2) Keldorn. I don´t like him because of his racist attitude to Viconia.
3) Ajantis. I just don´t like paladins. I have nothnig specific against him, I merely think that he is boring.
4) Valygar. Again. Boring.
5) I can´t decide. Candidates: Quayle (irritating and not funny like Jan), Aerie, Dynaheira (boring), Haer´Dalis (tiresome after a while), Branwen (super boring).
Since I'm in the middle (ok, more close to the end) of my xth BG1 saga, I want to voice my opinion.
1) Imoen. What I want to say is even her weaknesses are a charm. Making her scouting ahead of the tanks is perhaps myt fav moment in the D&D spirit. And for the search and destroy missions, so good to drop and pick her again. As soon as I buy the shadow armor, I change her colors to black. 2) Kivan: The strongest character in the earlier chapter, he is damn deadly. My first parties always included 5 bows, and he was the leader. Not so useful after chapter 5, but I guess I am as loyal as he is. 3) Coran: I never used him until now, but I must say, the guy has DEX 20 (respect! And charisma, and good looking, and...) 4) Minsc: Weird and strong. Imagine how hard it was to make him die (because I wanted to keep Dyn) to make room for Coran. 5) Very hard to say. I like Yeslick because he is a healer at least as good as Jaheira (with more interesting personal powers) but a bug make me kill hit fairly early. I honestky like Ajantis, but between him and Minsc, the choice is easily made. I'm only 50% a Dynaheir fan, but I just hate characters able to handle only once weapon. Dyn, with a sling +1, venom blade, Kazgaroth claw and the wolf cloak until chapter 7 is soooo pleasant. And she can help with weight, while her story is sooo romantic!
* Lame ones Montaron, Xan (how come, a such awsome charater with only one weapon??) Khalid (so good to make him die) Every character with on ly one weapon slot Gnomes and halfings, because I play Dwarf, and since they are not able to carry a lot, it's a loss of money!
Comments
1. Imoen (BG1)
2. Alora
3. Edwin
4. Kagain
5. Shar-Teel
Bottom 5
1. Imoen (BG2)
2. Safana
3. Cernd
4. Korgan
5. Valygar
BG1 - I can't really list my options as if I had my way I'd take Xzar without Monty & Khalid without Jaheira (but then I'd lose their banters, which I rather like), though I could always get one of them killed I suppose
BG2, I'm currently running with...
1. Keldorn
2. Anomen
3. Valygar
4. Aerie
5. Jan
And this is turning out to be one of my favourite combos. I ditched Yoshi pretty early on and took Nalia for my thief but when she
I picked up Valygar to do his sphere and I may still swap him back to Jaheira for RPing reasons, though I'm in no rush.
I always take Ano & Aerie, Aerie because she's just adorable and I like her interactions with Keldorn and Valygar, plus her class combo is a winner. Ano I take because he's an excellent tank and no one deals with undead better than him. I rather like his quest and the romance too but TBH I'm playing the through the Keldorn one right now and it's so well put together it wipes the floor with Ano's just a bit.
He has a machine gun full of spells and I think he is funny too.
I have played through with him as my only mage in a good party, playing Imoen as single class thief.
This way you won`t get the highest spells , if I am correct, but you can give Imoen a kit which gives a cool new experience.
For an evil party I recommend picking up Tiax in Beregost. Super funny npc and very powerful as well.
The stats of Quayle are very misleading. For his intelligence you can raise it one point in High Hedge with an item bought from the wizzard. His low wisdom is hardly of concern, for he will get sufficient cleric spells.
Couple him with the amazing Yeslick and have Jaheira for OP priest power.
The only problem is really his lower levels (from Quayle) when he is a glass canon.
When he gets his boots of avoidance all is more as ok and he will become maybe even your best party member in the SCS 1 mod.
I played the game quite a few times, but I never used all the NPC`s in BG1. I did in BG2 and I don`t think there are really "bad" NPC`s. With love you can make them all very useful.
Combinations depend on your Protagonist class and alignment.
In my last playthrough I had the much despised Cernd in my group and to my suprise he was ridiculously powerful. You must have the mod that corrects the shape shifter though. In the early stages of the SoA he is a formidable tank that rarely will catch a scratch.
Oh yes and Jan Jansen is fantastic, later with Hear Dalis too.
This game is still amazing!
BG1:EE best:
1. Minsc - nothing really to say here. Best NPC in all senses.
2. Xan - actually a unique NPC. Number 2 NPC in BG. A great guy.
3. Jaheira - in my first playthrough she was my favourite NPC. Because of her picture, voiceset (accent), class or her playful form of communication with the "slave driver". She is a great girl herself and a real friend. If you ask me who is your real friend in the BG saga? Like Allister in DAO. Jaheira is the answer.
4. Montaron - this is a great example of an evil halfling, small but not helpless and with attitude. Bingo! His relationship with his partner (not friend) Xzar is awesome and very vitally.
5. Shar-Teel - a evil fighter feminist girl. We have seen many examples of such character in movies and sometimes in real life. Not all of them are actually male haters, but they compete with them. She has the most intriguing story in BG1, sadly without an outcome. Wish she could continue the adventures in BG2 or a mod though.
6. Eldoth - hmmm. Few people like Eldoth. But the fact is that he is the only REAL bard in the whole BG saga. Yes, he is evil, but who said that all bards are nice? Maybe some people don't know real bards in real life? Most of them are prowlers and prigs and selfish. Rich brides, blackmail, poisons, adventures. Keep in mind that most of the famous poets and bards were rowdy drunkards.
Garrick compared to Eldoth is a teeny musician on a harvest carnival.
BG1:EE worst:
1. Branwen - yes she is a good cleric, actually the only cleric for a good team, but she is hollow. No banters, no comments? Personally I like her and use her a lot as a cleric in my team, but something isn't right. Neutral is not beeing completely quiet without any opinion. She is not the worst number 1 NPC in BG, rather a disappointment...
2. Khalid - a complete misfortune. He supposed to be some kind of a introvert person, but as a result we've got a stuttering clown. Thanks God he's dead.
3. Kagain - evil dwarf. Strange, because he doesn't look like evil at all, just mumbling under his breath... Great evil warrior, but completely silent, like a cat. Nerves of steel?
4. Rasaad - the new NPCs are linear and empty. Neera and Dorn still have intriguing stories. But their characters are strange. What about Rasaad? He intended to be a well written NPC, interesting one. But as a result a swab has more temper, emotions than Rasaad. And yes, dear devs, beeing a monk means not to be a swab. Epic fail. I feel sorry for female gamers if Rasaad will be a romance option. Prepare a silver bullet for yourself.
5. Alora - to be honest, Alora act like a real teenage halfling - nerdy, happy, feeble and 24\7 fun. But I hate her
BG2 best:
1. Jaheira - the best romance option, sarcasm, her accent, strong will, great tank, druid and pretty. Sometimes she reminds me of my ex-gf...
2. Edwin - well, thats how I imagine an evil wizard, not a crazy one. He isn't so malicious after all. Edwina is a masterpiece
3. Viconia - the only NPC I worried about. Completely different NPCs in BG1 and in BG2. Her story is a drama. And yes... her portrait
4. Anomen - I understand why many people hate him. He is real. I won't be surpsised if his character was copied from one of the devs
Anomen is disgusting? But very well written! Like a real person.
5. Sarevok - The most charismatic guy in the whole saga. Really nothing about him to say, but it was a big surprise having him as a NPC in TOB. Playing with him in a party made me really proud, that I have such a brother next to me. Sarevok himself! Tremble other bhaalspawns! And he is very charismatic indeed.
Bg2 worst:
1. HaerDalis - he doesn't sounds like a tiefling and he doesn't sounds like a bard. It's not about his bard class, personally I like bards. But HaerDalis could be a simple elven fighter with no loss to his story and realationships, or his love triangle. Coran from BG1 could do the same, not beeing a bard and a tiefling.
2. Mazzy - a really wasted opportunity. Why we like halflings? For their nature. I clearly see how the devs wanted a paladin girl, a pretty one for sure, but due the lack of halflings, they just edited the race, but not the character. She is a good fighter, she has a great picture and great voiceset.. And the worst thing - she is a human in a halfling skin.
3. Valygar - the greatest wasted opportunity in BG2. Valygar could be one of the best NPCs in the game, great class, nice stats, interesting quest, nice pic (Vin Diesel?). But somehow this NPC turned to be hollow. Maybe he would be the greatest NPC in BG2 if he got a romance (only with a female charname ofc).
4. Cernd - pfff. Just compare Jaheira and Cernd. Or Faldorn. I'm not sure if he's really a druid. A really strange guy. And completelly useless NPC. Cernd and his son? A druid, a natures servant. What the F... is he doing? I maybe could understand him if we were here in Russia. But...
5. Nalia - nothing bad here. She is just a simple girl. Nothing more. I question myself - why she is a mage? Skie in BG1 fits her role better, than Nalia.
but is there really anything wrong with Russia, eh?)))
Одним словом - загадка.
Still, who where your friends in real life if all the NPC were real people?
No matter if I were good or evil alignet my friends were:
1. Jaheira - I can trust her. My fathers friend.
2. Shar-Teel - she is very responsible and faithful, if you can be her friend.
3. Minsc - if I'd met him in real life - it would be strange
4. Khalid - I know
5. Imoen - she is my sister after all...
6. Kagain - "the most loyal people are those who can be bought for money" (c)
Keep distance from them:
1. Montaron - to have an open mind he is the most dangerous party member. Don't know what to expect.
2. Eldoth - he would use you and sell you with the best opportunity.
3. Garrick - he is a naive idiot. It is very hard to make good relationships with such spineless people. You deffinately can't trust them. They does not keep thier mouth shut, can't keep secretcs etc. Your worst friend is your best enemy.
4. Viconia - let's be honest. If you meet a hooded dark elf with a dagger on the street, what would you do first?
5. Ajantis - it's only comfortable to play along with paladins in video games, but in the reality it's damn hard to all do the right things, what he thinks is right. Do something wrong or say some shit about his God and he will attack you with his holy sword, no matter friend or foe
6. HaerDalis - should I really say why you don't want this guy in your party in RL?
1. Imoen
2. Sarevok
3. Jaheira
4. Xzar
5. Montaron
Baldurs Gate ToS
1. Imoen
2. Khalid
3. Jaheira
4. Xzar
5. Montaron
Baldurs Gate 2 SoA
1. Imoen
2. Jaheira
3. Minsc
4. Edwin
5. Yoshimo
Baldurs Gate 2 ToB
1. Imoen
2. Sarevok
3. Jaheira
4. Edwin
5. Viconia
As far as worst teams go... anyone that's not on my list.
Definitely have to change one of my original votes and give one to Alora. Her improved Rabbit's foot has helped, but so has her proficiency point in dual wielding. She doesn't have a lot of health but man having her dual wielding Drizzt's scimitars (having herself stolen them off him asap) just looks badass.
So my top 5 for BG1 would be
1. Imoen (you basically can't go wrong with her)
2. Alora
3. Dorn
4. Baeloth (sorry Edwin)
5. Viconia
1. Xan. Just, perfect
2. Khalid. Don't know why, but I really liked him. One of the best. Never liked jaheria though. Bg2 should be he other way around.
3. Bealoth. He is the voice of my voicemail.
4. Edwin.
5. Minsc and boo.
Tiax gets an honorable mention, and I've been playing with coran recently, and he is just kind of, fun to be around. I don't really know why. He's sneaking up there.
Worst:
Dynaheir. Just, meh.
Safana. Annoying.
Jaheria. Never liked her.
Quail. Like, wtf?
Faldorn. Maybe she's not all bad, but I've played bg my whole life and just found her a week ago. Just that one no one's ever heard of.
Imoen
Kivan
Coran
Yeslick (gauntlets of dex)
Baeloth
BG2 (utility, banter, and plot):
Mazzy
Yoshimo
Jan
Edwin(a)
Keldorn (w/ str + dex items)
Yet can we all take the time to consider that Anomen tells Mazzy to shut up and keep out of his way, calling her a false knight, when she tries to advise him not to be so proud. I'm fairly certain the exact line is "Shut your worthless mouth wench" and then something about threatening to run Jaheira through when everybody's favourite druidess disapproves of his opinion that the thief in the Sea's Bounty that Mae'var wants killed deserves to be murdered for his crimes.
And then you convince him to not murder a noble out of cold blood, he's all wise, benevolent and gentle-minded? Yeah right. Going from excessively - unrealistically arrogant to humbled, pious just because he didn't stab one guy seems wildly out of touch with believable character development. I mean.. Viconia and Korgan aren't threatening to murder every character who doesn't share their point of view because they don't share their point of view (okay, Edwin's sorta scheming to do something along those lines but he's under no illusions that he is an honourable gent).
Just had to get that off my chest. Peace and love and all that
Imoen! She's a cutie and gives direction to the game. Without her, I'd just be a bum wandering the world looking for more things to kill. I couldn't care less about whatever Irenicus wants so she's my link to the story. Competent, too - she has incredible stats befitting her heritage and her class brings utility to just about any party.
Jan Jansen! What can I say? His stories are a blast and he's the best comic relief in the game. Comes with awesome gear and is an amazing thief; his initial high score in Detect Illusions is a lifesaver and he's the only thief who can keep raising his skills.
Viconia! The sexy dark elf with a mysterious history. She's an interesting anti-hero because you take an active hand in her development. Despite being a pure cleric she's very useful because of her magic resistance; you can hit 100% very easily and use her as a weapon against mages, or if you screw the pooch and the rest of your party gets paralyzed/feared/chaosed/killed she can fix that too, even if she complains about it. Folt xund!
Coran! This guy must be the hackmaster that Lilarcor was talking about. Illegal dex, illegal HP, illegal proficiencies, and illegally good looks (his words, not mine). He's the dashing rogue that any party needs, and the best damn archer in the game.
Montaron! This guy kicks ass. He has good combat stats and he's available right from the start. Surprisingly tanky and a backstabbing machine. If you want something dead, he can make it happen. He has some awesome lines too, and he and his partner Xzar are great fun to have around. Damn those Harpers...
Dorn! He's a fearless leader and the baddest dude around. I love his voice and his lines are amazing. If I wasn't using him I'd use his sounds for charname. Oh, and he's a freaking juggernaut and turns just about anything into flying chunks of meat. Poison weapon is one of my favorite skills as well, and the fact that it comes on this god of war is just icing on the cake.
Bottom
Rasaad. I'm sorry, but he just... sucks. It's not even because monks suck - okay, it is, but I also find him really boring. He's obnoxious enough already as LG and while he's supposedly against violence, he has no problem bending his principles and beating the crap out of someone when it suits him. Also, because I like Viconia, I find wiping out a temple of Shar rather distasteful especially since the monks are so weak it's like slaughtering commoners. I usually sneak in and steal the belt, then ditch Rasaad at the entrance to the temple. Let's see how much he wants revenge now that we aren't here to carry him. Maybe he'll finally convert to Shar and become less useless. I do like his voice and portrait, though.
Kagain. He has 20 constitution. That's it. He doesn't die, but all that means is he'll still be alive when the rest of the party is dead. Likely as not he'll just loot the bodies and run rather than raise us. After all, he gave up pretty fast looking for that caravan. All he does in a fight is stand there and not die. I've met rocks that were more useful. As a feature request, I'd like for Dorn to be able to wear him as a shield.
Minsc. I know, he's iconic and he has Boo, and I feel kind of bad for including him. But his lines get old quickly and he's just so one-dimensional. He's merely okay as a fighter but doesn't have kickass dispels or anything. For comic relief Jan is much more entertaining.
Yoshimo. I find him annoying because he seems rather stereotyped and out of place. I didn't trust him from the start and... well, we all know how that turned out. He's a pure thief which means he's largely useless in combat, and there are better choices if you need someone to disarm traps.
Xan. Too bad Silence 15' keeps him from casting spells. I do kind of like him as long as he's not part of the team, so I usually give him his moonblade and send him on his way. Not a bad guy as long as I'm not the one dealing with him.
Neera. Stuck-up little half-breed! I carried your annoying ass through half the game, despite you torching the party several times by "accident", and you have the nerve to dismiss my help? Apparently you're your own one-woman army, so good luck with the Red Wizards. And hand over that gem bag!
Mazzy: "It does not befit an inspiring knight to speak in such a manner."
Anomen: "Never will I heed a lowly halfling! Hold your tongue lest I cut it from your cursed mouth"
sidenote: I did poorly phrase that which you have quoted. he actually tells Jahiera to "shut [her] worthless mouth", and the successive threat that I had mentioned in my original comment. But thanks for adding fuel to fire: any evidence to back up my AnomenMustDie argument is welcome, and thankfully there is plenty of it. :P
BEST
1. Minsc. Love him or hate him, he has a way of making things explode into chunks. Between his funny dialogue and his obviously useful stats, Minsc has been on more of my teams than I care to count.
2. Xan. Speaking of funny dialogue, I often can't resist putting Xan into the party. If you are the sort of player who normally loads up mages with damage spells, picking Xan can teach you a lot about how to debuff enemies and bolster your allies instead of using the mage like a crappy archer for most of the game.
3. Branwen. Don't you love someone who is enthusiastic about their work? Branwen has the spirit of adventure about her while not making demands of you ethically one way or the other. I love her accent and she can play tank when needed, she's definitely in the running for best divine caster in BG1 (Viconia is not as badass here as she is in BG2).
4. Safana. You need a thief, you want more dialogue than Imoen has to give (and maybe less annoying dialogue too), so you turn to Safana. She cracks me up with her over-the-top seductress act, and sometimes she genuinely sounds sexy ("When I'm good, I'm very very good; but, when I'm bad? I'm *better.*"). If you get to her soon enough she can be shaped into whatever kind of thief you need from pretty early in the game.
5. Jaheira. Recently I've been experimenting more with Coran, but until I am sold for sure I have to admit that Jaheira can wear a lot of different hats in the party and I have used her in many, many games. Her dialogue runs a fine line for me between being irritating and being funny, but between that and her usefulness in a number of different roles she often makes the cut.
Honorable mention: Tiax may have the best dialogue in the whole game, but he isn't as useful. Xzar has great dialogue and is actually quite useful. Alora ranks up there too on dialogue and usefulness, but suffers from being a late-game thief even though she is the best in the game points-wise.
WORST
1. Eldoth. Anything bad you could ever level at Garrick can be leveled to a greater degree at Eldoth. He's a jerk, he's a misogynist, since he's in the Cloakwood he can't help you through a big part of the game, he's less customizable (he's level 5 when you meet him so you miss out on his level 4 weapon proficiency slot), and he's no better at learning spells than Garrick. I prefer Garrick's Dex for ranged combat to Eldoth's marginally better Str and Con.
2. Quayle. Oh, he's plenty useful. He has oodles of spells at his disposal so he can fill in for divine or arcane casting. I just *don't like him.*
3. Montaron. Same story as Quayle: Montaron can be both a capable thief and a competent fighter and is deadly both at backstabbing or with a sling in his hand. I can't stand him though. "Oh, you want to kill me in my sleep? I'll just kill you here in broad daylight then."
4. Faldorn. I would list Skie here, but I've never even USED her before so that wouldn't be fair. I was just unimpressed with Faldorn, a kind of disappointment with everything about her.
5. Garrick. Yes, he's pretty terrible in terms of effectiveness (although he's not bad with longbow proficiency and Deadshot +2 if no one else in the party can use it). I want to like Garrick, he has nice (if slightly bland) dialogue and he can be an identifying machine for you. He just doesn't pull his weight in the party.
Honorable mention: Rasaad is pretty bad in the first game but I like his dialogue and his quest line, he's a nice guy. Skie has a strike against her being a late-game thief who has spent so many points already, and she just isn't as good as Alora (or probably Imoen either; if you could get Skie early maybe she could compete with Safana in terms of effectiveness). Tiax is even worse as thief abilities go, so he's kinda like a half-ass cleric (yes, Tiax gets honorable mention in best AND worst because Tiax rules all!).
Love to see them set on fire: All the rest especially enema aka anomen, cernd the tree hugging whinner, and on general principle edwin though after he gets turned into a women
Power-gaming aside, he is also one of the funniest NPCs - "You grunted?" never gets old!
My only complaint about Quayle is that I always have to rush the first 4 chapters so I can pick him up as low level as possible to control his HP a bit more. But that has actually given me the chance to experiment with more of the Chapter 5 NPCs in general, which has been fun.
1) Imoen. She is my best friend (in BG1) and sister (BG2), she is dependable, cheerful, likes pink color.
2) Coran. As he says (in NPC project), we vagabonds must stick togother. Masculine version of Imoen in some respects, cheerful, optimistic, immature. Archetype of adventure. And perfect archer.
3) Jaheira. Yes, she is a bit bossy, but she is very reliable and caring. I just like her. And in ToB she becomes one of the strongest NPC.
4) Jan. Garrulous, irritating, crazy. But I like his ability to mock proud and self-important characters. I´ve found him much more intelligent than he pretends to be. And some of his subversive stories are funny.
5) Kagain. He doesn´t pretend anything. And even if he is evil, I think that he wouldn´t betray me. (I think that the lawful neutral aligment would suit him more.)
+ honorable mention: Yoshimo. Unfortunately we all know how it will end. Shame.
Worst
1) Minsc. I really don´t think that someone is funny when he is just stupid and simpleminded.
2) Keldorn. I don´t like him because of his racist attitude to Viconia.
3) Ajantis. I just don´t like paladins. I have nothnig specific against him, I merely think that he is boring.
4) Valygar. Again. Boring.
5) I can´t decide. Candidates: Quayle (irritating and not funny like Jan), Aerie, Dynaheira (boring), Haer´Dalis (tiresome after a while), Branwen (super boring).
Since I'm in the middle (ok, more close to the end) of my xth BG1 saga, I want to voice my opinion.
1) Imoen. What I want to say is even her weaknesses are a charm. Making her scouting ahead of the tanks is perhaps myt fav moment in the D&D spirit. And for the search and destroy missions, so good to drop and pick her again. As soon as I buy the shadow armor, I change her colors to black.
2) Kivan: The strongest character in the earlier chapter, he is damn deadly. My first parties always included 5 bows, and he was the leader. Not so useful after chapter 5, but I guess I am as loyal as he is.
3) Coran: I never used him until now, but I must say, the guy has DEX 20 (respect! And charisma, and good looking, and...)
4) Minsc: Weird and strong. Imagine how hard it was to make him die (because I wanted to keep Dyn) to make room for Coran.
5) Very hard to say. I like Yeslick because he is a healer at least as good as Jaheira (with more interesting personal powers) but a bug make me kill hit fairly early. I honestky like Ajantis, but between him and Minsc, the choice is easily made. I'm only 50% a Dynaheir fan, but I just hate characters able to handle only once weapon. Dyn, with a sling +1, venom blade, Kazgaroth claw and the wolf cloak until chapter 7 is soooo pleasant. And she can help with weight, while her story is sooo romantic!
* Lame ones
Montaron,
Xan (how come, a such awsome charater with only one weapon??)
Khalid (so good to make him die)
Every character with on ly one weapon slot
Gnomes and halfings, because I play Dwarf, and since they are not able to carry a lot, it's a loss of money!