Deathbattle: Jaheria vs Viconia
DragonKing
Member Posts: 1,977
This one strikes me right in the heart, in the left corner we have the ebony goddess herself, Viconia and in the right corner we have the luscious protector of the green mother, Jaheria.
Both are blood lusted, and no charname for miles to stop them from clashing.
Rules...
1. This isn't a discussion of min/maxing stats, or manipulating things that the player can ultimately change (ex. Dueling Sarevok into a mage to give him a advantage). All examples must be based on lore and feats that the character has accomplished (novels and game, this is kind of unfair for one but sue me.)
2. No manipulating items
Now it's time for a elf battle, begin!!!!
Both are blood lusted, and no charname for miles to stop them from clashing.
Rules...
1. This isn't a discussion of min/maxing stats, or manipulating things that the player can ultimately change (ex. Dueling Sarevok into a mage to give him a advantage). All examples must be based on lore and feats that the character has accomplished (novels and game, this is kind of unfair for one but sue me.)
2. No manipulating items
Now it's time for a elf battle, begin!!!!
0
Comments
Jahira goes.. "Kha... Khaalid? NOOOOOO!!!"
Viconia kills Jahria while she screams.
This fight could come down based on the location?
Shar's domain is the darkness, Jaheira's nature, forests.
Jaheira is a bit stronger wears only leather and wielding a wooden stick.
Vic in scale-mail, dexterious , spell resistance and a range of spells Jaheira is susceptible to, has to have the advantage!
Magic - Depends on the location.
Combat Experience - Not enough information.
We don't know that much about Viconias past, at least not her experiences with fighting, we do know that Jaheira is a harper and have had some experience with fighting prior to her joining your party.
I feel like we don't know enough about Viconias abilities from the lore, and some of the things that she tells you in her romance (BG2) are lies, so we're not sure if her story is correct or not. Viconia is also older than Jaheira, so one might draw the conclusion that she has had more experience, but we don't know.
EDIT: Oh, I just understood that the rules of your challenge are that they have to fight with what they're wearing when recruited. Oh well. Might as well have them fight gearless.
Allow me to share with you this quote from my other death battle
Jaheira 1F/1D with a Leather Armor, Quarter Staff, Invicibility potion. She has entangle and 2 healing spells memorized.
Viconia 2C with a chain mail, mace, small shield. She has two healing spells and a command?
Jaheira takes this because of her fighter level and better physical stats, both have the same amount of healing. And take into consideration that Viconia is a level higher than Jahiera. Viconia gets no use from her Magic Resistance as Jaheira has no offensive spells that she will use.
It comes down to Fighter Vs Cleric and 15/14/17 vs 10/19/8. Viconia does not get any more spells than Jaheira, because at the level you recruit them, they only have level 1 spells, and for level 1 spell slots, there is no difference between Jaheiras 14 and Viconias 18.
So they only have 2 healing spells and Viconia have a command spell. Viconias Magic Resistance and bonus wisdom is useless. It will turn into a melee fight, Jaheira have more HP and is better at fighting, the bonus AC Viconia gets, is not enough to make her win. Jaheira will survive a critical, Viconia will die instantly if Jaheira get one.
You have to pick, either initial equipment and it's gameplay, or you focus on lore and it's something different. Viconia wouldn't use a damn mace, she would use a dagger.
The moment you force Initial equipment, it turns into a gameplay thing. It would be much more interesting if you scrapped this and actually focused on the lore. Harper Agent vs Former Drow Priest.
However, these rules are a silly method of comparison, even if you do specify exactly which version of each character is to be compared. Starting equipment is very variable between NPCs, some get pretty good kit while others get nothing at all. It's not remotely a fair comparison to match two characters in their initial kit, if one is found standing in his underwear while the other is found fully armed and armoured.
A fairer comparison rule, IMO, would be to look at the characters when they've reached the XP cap and when they're allowed to be equipped with anything legitimately obtainable in the game. Then you're comparing the maximum capability of X with the maximum capability of Y. Not only is that fairer than the rather random assortment of starting levels and starting equipment, but it's also more useful information (e.g. for planning a party).
Jaheira has to be level 1 when she joins you, but prior to loading up the game, she is a person with accomplishments not charted by levels. Could she have killed a Dragon? No. But she has taken down Baron Ployer, adventured with Gorion, and otherwise achieved many deeds in association with the Harpers. It still strikes me as peculiar that people continue to ask how she would do these things with only 15HP: before you stepped into a mechanical mode of storytelling, she didn't have 15HP. These are all ways to moderate the things that you can achieve in-game. Keep in mind that Jaheira warns one of the other PCs in your party when you are in a forest area of BG2 that while you are walking in 'her domain' (the forest), she can kill them. I think it is Edwin. Mechanically, Jaheira isn't capable of anything more in a forest than in outdoors Athkatla; and Edwin, too, is not impeded in any way. But you have to lean towards the narrative and imagine that Jaheira would, indeed, be much more potent there.
Viconia, similarly, had to survive in the Underdark: how can one do so when the Underdark is a level 10+ adventure setting? Because as a literary, narrative environment, it does not need to take account of Challenge Ratings and XP drops to explain its deadliness or potential. Moving forward from that, the family she murders prior to the events of BG2 raises more questions if you stick to rigidly to the idea of inventory and experience: how come she doesn't have a garrote wire weapon? Are we to assume that she didn't miss any of her attack rolls, and that they all rolled high enough damage scores to one hit kill each man? The character is capable of more than what the engine allows them.
Who would win in a battle between them? I find that very difficult to measure. Drow are exceptionally dangerous, and we can assume Jaheira would be in incredible danger (indeed, setting does matter to dictate the outcome). Personally, I would imagine it to be somewhat like a Nina Williams & Anna Williams Tekken battle, where both women fight with exceptional skill, but ultimately neither can overcome the other one, and they both must walk away.