Which NPC has the most personality?

semiticgoddess

This might not be your favorite character--just the one you find most interesting, compelling, developed, or in some other way appealing.

DJKajuru

I'm sorry, but I honestly think that they all do - unless you mean "which npc would get the miss congeniality crown" , then I would vote for Imoen .

Tresset

There are many layers that make up the enigma that is Jan Jansen. Of all the characters he seems to have the most stuff going on with him.

Empyrial

For all the reasons everyone ever has already said, I like Anomen and his problematic past and character growth. I find him a compelling if jerk-ish character.

Nonnahswriter

You didn't include Minsc and Boo!?

DragonKing

Vi is the truth.

joluv

DragonKing said:

Vi is the truth.

Gallowglass

One of the best aspects of the BG series (or at least BG2), is that numerous characters have quite a complex story, both backstory and/or questline, about which you find out more as you proceed. This draws us into the story and makes us feel involved, it gives each of those characters some life and distinct personality.

I voted Jaheira because I find the difficulties in her relationship with the Harpers, played out in her questline, to be quite a compelling story, plus she has some other backstory elements (e.g. Baron Ployer) which also have in-game consequences. Our involvement in her personal story brings it alive to me, more so than in the case of those characters whose personal story is simply told to us without becoming relevant to the action in which we're participating. Also, if the protagonist pursues the romance with Jaheira, then the ups and downs in that additional story seem to me to reflect quite well the turmoil in her life caused by her questline with the Harpers. She thus comes across to me as a pretty believable person - hectoring, heroic, troubled, determined, doubtful, caring ... probably the most realistically complex character I've ever met in a game, with plausible motives and goals and difficulties, rather than a mere one-dimensional caricature.

Nevertheless, there are also other characters for whom I might have voted.

For example, I might have voted for Rasaad if he were included in the poll, since I find his story easily the most gripping of the EE characters. We can see that his motivations and attitudes are somewhat influenced by the events in his questline, he acquires more complexity and nuance as he discovers that life isn't as black-and-white as he originally thought, there's some actual character development over the course of the story. Fine work.

Also, in spite of the fact that most of Jan's story is conveyed by his endless anecdotes which aren't connected to the action, nevertheless the episode which is played out in his personal quest, even though small, suddenly puts the character in a whole different light and makes him seem much more like a "real person" who has a life and feelings behind the scenes of the game. That's quite effective writing.

I'd give Keldorn an honourable mention, too. Even though in many ways he's a stereotype, the writing (and some particularly good voice-acting) manage to convey a fairly strong sense of personality beyond the stereotype - a very dedicated professional, but getting tired and longing to have more time for his family, yet still driven onward by his faith and duty. That's also pretty effective.

Anomen starts off as a boastful jerk, but develops quite significantly. If you succeed in his personal quest, he eventually sees the error of his ways, and tries to develop some humility and be less obnoxious, although he still wouldn't win a popularity contest. There's a little more development if the protagonist is in a romance with Anomen, as the romance story causes him to face some of his issues. So Anomen definitely has personality, albeit a personality which many players clearly don't like. I'm surprised he's not in the poll.

semiticgoddess

@Gallowglass: There's only room for 10 options in polls, including the "other" category. I just guessed what I thought would be the most common answers and chose 9 of them.

Kamigoroshi

Demogorgon has the most personalities hands down!
The fact that Aameul and Hethradiah, his two heads, both possess distinct egos makes him win the race with ease. Also, tentacles.

Grum

I said Keldorn, though I almost went korgan.

He is pious, righteous, sincere...also racist (against drow), conflicted between duty and family, and has moral struggles. And through it all he's a boss.

Lezard_Valeth

I picked Jaheira, although I don't see why she's attracted to Khalid.

Dorn's good too.

Skatan

I picked Jan as I think his personal quest shows how he uses humour to hide his true, inner emotions. I think most of us has met a person just like that in real life, in school or at work. They laugh, cheer and make jokes, but they are like clowns; showing the world a happy face, but on the inside there is turmoil.

I take my hat of for @gallowglass, as I think he/she wrote an excellent summary of many NPC's and I concur wholeheartedly.

JuliusBorisov

Anomen.

I so often saw people complaining about him on every BG-related forum.

"If it makes you *feel* something against or for him, it tells he was good written". I agree with these words by @CrevsDaak from https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/32338/bg1-npc-personas-vs-bg2-npc-personalities and this is why I choose him in this poll.

DragonKing

@joluv
You must suffer.

joluv

jesterdesu

Minsc is my favourite but Xzar and Monty are also really well written. Playing through with just charname and Imoen has lately given me more time for her bg1 char... The bg2 one is a bit whiney.

Meyahi

Almost voted Edwin but went with Keldorn.
He best represents the internal struggles of what would be a very boring archetype (paladin). Compare that to Saerileth and you will understand.
I'm not criticizing the mod, while she may be extremely stereotypical, she is 15 years old after all. It's just that her character doesn't apppeal to me.

I thought about Jaheira but she is way too patronizing to be bearable. It is the kind of person I would have hated. I'd pick Aerie or Anomen over her any day of the week.

Gallowglass

But @Meyahi - if you find Jaheira "way too patronizing to be bearable ... the kind of person I would have hated", then you're obviously seeing quite a lot of personality in her. The poll isn't asking whether you like the character's personality, it's asking which character conveys the most personality.

bob_veng

jaheira has the most meat on her, she's a really believable character. you may not like her very much but it's hard not to care for her.

also: yoshimo (a pretty developed character imo; also kinda forces you to care about him) and annoyman (most roleplayish and consequential personal quest)

Meyahi

Gallowglass said:

But @Meyahi - if you find Jaheira "way too patronizing to be bearable ... the kind of person I would have hated", then you're obviously seeing quite a lot of personality in her. The poll isn't asking whether you like the character's personality, it's asking which character conveys the most personality.

I just can't believe anyone would even want to travel with her and much less marry her.
"Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure?"
"Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure?"
"Nature's servant awaits."
"Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure?"
"Nature's servant awaits."
"Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure?"
"Nature's servant awaits."
How annoying is that?

DragonKing

Imeon and safana has more meat than Jaheira in bg1... And I actually like Jaheira. In BG 2, of course she is chock full of meaty goodness, she is a romance character after all, she still comes second to Vi though.

elminster

This poll reminds me of a time way back...

Gallowglass

elminster said:

This poll reminds me of a time way back...

... when Auntie Patty (they called her that because she was round and rather flat, on account of arguing with an ogre one night, over who got the last turnip on Cousin Kylie's stall. He threatened to flatten her with his mullet, which she thought was a bluff because ogres don't usually go fishing, but it turned out he meant mallet. Ogres, not the brightest turnips in the brewery.) ... where was I ... oh yes, when Auntie Patty went adventuring and asked her companions which of King Ziog IV Agrarian's guards was the easiest to get past so that she could rob the King. He was king of the Allrock Isles, you know, where these adventurers were at the time (for reasons too long to explain just now), which wasn't a very sensible place for him to be king of, on account of him being an agrarian, so his scheme to keep the peasantry busy yielded plenty of employment but very little production to pay for it (which was why Auntie Patty was in a hurry to rob him, before all his treasure was wasted). But anyway, Auntie Patty polled her companions about the guards, and her companions all voted for Sergeant Privy (who was called that because he was always away from his post), because he seemed like an easy-going sort (which isn't necessarily the same thing as being easy to go past, but they didn't realise that). So Auntie Patty went loitering near the Palace one night, watching for Sergeant Privy to come on duty, and when he came out, sure enough he soon snuck off again. However, it turned out that every time he snuck off, he set Private Parts (he was called that ever since his watch was found in pieces, although it was never clear whether that was his time-piece or his guard-squad) to watch in his place, who had been a friend of Auntie Patty's ever since her former husband Golodon had had an infamously unfortunate accident. So as soon as Patty tried to stroll on in while Sergeant Privy was away, she was caught by her Private Parts, which must have been painful ... er ... on account of them being friends, you understand. Now where was I going with this? Oh, yes, well, the Sergeant heard the hullabaloo and came running back from what he called the reading room, but he was still trying to buckle his greaves as he ran, and if you've ever done that then you'll know that it's remarkably hard to run with your hands holding the backs of your calves, so he tripped in a jumble and banged his head and knocked himself cold, so his Private Parts took the chance to let Auntie Patty go for old times' sake. She ran off back to her companions, and gave them all a right what-for over voting for quite the wrong character because they'd misunderstood the point of the question.

Yelocessej

I enjoy Yoshimo immensely. The writers did such a great job fleshing him out as a positive Type A personality, yet very mysterious and somewhat sinister at the same time. His story arc is great, he's such a tragic character and very endearing. It's hard to imagine NOT keeping him in the party. He gets along with everybody, but not without pushing buttons. He's really great, and not to mention a convenient way to introduce some Kara-Tur lore into the campaign.

Gallowglass

Yelocessej said:

He gets along with everybody ...

... although only just barely with Haer'Dalis, but they don't quite come to blows (SFAIK).

But yes, I agree that Yoshimo has a well-drawn personality, he's a worthy inclusion in the poll.