You should talke in consideration also this, - Sarevok killed one of the strongest mages, just look at Elminster, where do you think Gorion comes from, also sarevok back in time was a bhaal, he comes back in tob but he is no bhaal anymore and still, what if he did not lose to CHARNAME. - Viconia comes from an hard and competity society to live in where she has to learn to fight and kill at early age, like dritz she refuses her culture and she run away to live an hard life, losing against a brat hard to think so. She could lose against Keldon because he is a full class, i mean the half classes they always lacks. Would Jen win against Edwin? That's about.
What do you mean Gorion was eliminater? They just knew each other. And what do you mean he was a bhaal? A bhaalspawn? That's nothing too special...especially considering irenicus stole the soul of one of the most powerful bhaalspawn and took its powers for himself.
And for Vic vs Anomen...dual class isn't a half class. It's vastly superior to single class. For a pittance of xp Anomen gets more apr and grand mastery. Every powergamer abuses dual classing because it is so vastly superior to single classing. "Half class" might only lack for multi classing. Even a lvl 3 fighter dualed to cleric is going to be VASTLY superior to a single class cleric. It's basically no xp at all for most of the fighter perks
And if you want to look at background, Vic grew up as a priestess in a rough society. Anomen grew up as a soldier, a knight, a field commander. Unlike Vic he led soldiers in the field. Unlike Vic he had already fought Giants. He earned his fighter levels. He learned how to fight and kill with his own hands. Vic learned how to scheme, plot, and make sacrifices. She learned how to be a cleric. And when she runs away she ends up fleeing from a single flaming fist officer and begs a stranger for help. Around that time Anomen was still leading soldiers of the order into combat. Fluff and stats there is no contest, Anomen wins.
Jan v Edwin
If Jan can make use of his traps then he will likely win. If not, Edwin has the edge in a magical duel. If Edwin levels up faster and gets lvl 9 spells first like time stop and improved alacrity then he will probably win
You should talke in consideration also this, - Sarevok killed one of the strongest mages, just look at Elminster, where do you think Gorion comes from, also sarevok back in time was a bhaal, he comes back in tob but he is no bhaal anymore and still, what if he did not lose to CHARNAME. - Viconia comes from an hard and competity society to live in where she has to learn to fight and kill at early age, like dritz she refuses her culture and she run away to live an hard life, losing against a brat hard to think so. She could lose against Keldon because he is a full class, i mean the half classes they always lacks. Would Jen win against Edwin? That's about.
Since Gorion did not drop a Timestop, shapechange into an Iron Golem and smash Sarevok to death I cannot pretend that Gorion was a strong mage, or even top tier. Gorion was well respected, and well connected, he was not an archmage due to being the member of the same organisation as Elminster any more than Jaheira was.
Viconia is a cleric. Fanfiction aside, Viconia's capabilities in combat are set in stone. She starts at level 5, she has low strength, low constitution, one attack per round, and she gets a few extra spells per day. And remember that this is the D&Dverse, many, many characters have to learn to fight and kill at an early age.
Anomen is a fighter. He has seven levels worth of murder and combat experience learning how to optimally stab people with a spear, then another eight levels learning how to be the most useful type of cleric. He attacks twice as often as Viconia, hits more often, hits harder, wears better armour, wields heavier weapons, can take a punch better, and is immune to several of Viconia's damaging abilities by virtue of his neutrality. He is a mere 64,000 Exp behind Viconia in terms of being a cleric, which is less than a single cleric level by the time you can even meet him, and the only time there is even the vaguest hint of a difference is at 8000000 Exp Viconia becomes a level 40 Cleric, while Anomen continues to be level 39, resulting in exactly no benefits outside of dispel magic. "Purity" does not automatically equate with "power", particularly where dual classing is concerned.
Jan vs. Edwin
Edwin has a well known, inescapable Achilles Heel. He cannot cast Divination spells, Jan casts Invisibility and moves out of the way, Detect Illusions away Edwin's Mirror Images, casts Mislead after moving out of sight, then chunks him with a backstab. Edwin's only hope is to spam enough AOE spells or Dispel Magics to catch the gnome, something hugely in Jan's favour since Edwin would face wherever he was targeting. And that's if Jan did not layer seven Snares to deal significantly more than Edwin's max HP before the confrontation took place.
No idea what you're really talking about there, but just find it amusing that you keep referencing Crom Faeyr as a major difference in Viconia's favour, when not only can Anomen uae that too but he is/will be a grandmaster in it.
Someone here does not know that not only weapons give magic defend, there isn't just the 50% sword, there are many more, as there are many more armors and amulets that keep totally safe from any kind of magic, leave alone helms boots abilities and much more, like wands to remove any magic spell, fighter can use spells too, immunity to charm, fear, how about scrolls? There are tons of stuff made to defeng against magic. I bet your mage is always behind the group, and if there is an ambush he is the first one who has to run away, still belive mage are stronger than fighter, lol really.
* Fighters: GREAT at low levels * Mages: WEAK at low levels * Monks: SUPER WEAK at low levels
* Fighters: AVERAGE at high levels * Mages: STRONG at high levels * Monks: GODLY at high levels
High level mages: * Time stop (6 rounds. High level wizards can cast this, then alacrity, and then time stop again. Yes, high level wizards are very strong, much stronger than BG's AI lets them behave) * Contingency (auto put all spell protections up, including spell immunity- Abjuration, making Carmosyr unable to dispel) * Improved Alacrity (instant cast spells) * Lower Resistance (When cast upon a target creature, this spell will lower the magic resistance of this creature by 10% +1% per level of the caster. There is no saving throw vs. this spell and magic resistance is ignored. A mage of Irinicus' level, for example, would reduce MR by 39% with this) * Greater Malison (-4 to all saving throws, can cast this multiple times to destroy a fighter's save vs magic) * A disabling spell if desired, such as chaos. One saved throw and the fighter wanders around like an idiot while the wizard keeps casting after time stop wears off * Disintergrate (Upon casting this spell at another creature, a thin green ray is shot out. Upon contact, the creature must make a saving throw vs spells or be transformed into dust. This transformation is instantaneous and irreversible. There is also a good chance that this will destroy some if not all of the items that the creature is carrying.)
A lvl 29 fighter has a save vs magic of 6. So a 6+ on a d20 saves.
Irenicus casts time stop. Improved Alacrity. Lower Resistance (removing all fighter spell resistance). Greater Malison. Greater Malison. Time Stop again. Great Malison (yes, he has the spell slots for this, and yes, they stack. Disintegrate.
This reduces the fighter's save vs magic from being a 6+ to being an 18+. On a d20. Fail and die immediately.
I totally agree with you but some of these aren't exactly accurate (though it doesn't change much to the fact that Mages/Sorcerers can roll over Fighters with no difficulty).
-Monks aren't that powerful at high levels. Sure they are strong, but a decently build Fighter should beat him while Mages will toy with him.
-Time Stop only lasts for 3 rounds, not 6. You can get a 6 rounds lasting Time Stop but you need to cast the Wish spell for that and get the correct option.
-Improved Alacrity only removes the pause between two spells, but does not increase casting speed.
-Lower Resistance is capped at level 20 like others spells so it will decrease someone's Magic Resistance by 30% at max level.
-Greater Malison doesn't stack.
It's hardly fair to say that a level 29 Fighter has a save vs spells of 6. It is his baseline save versus spells but with the correct items he should have below 0, and that's considering he isn't a Shorty.
Time Stop isn't that strong for single classes Mages or Sorcerers as it only buys you 3 rounds of casting, which is exactly what Chain Contingency does except it is cast instantly which is pretty huge considering your buffs wear out during Time Stop. If you cast PfMW then Time Stop, at the end of the Time Stop your PfMW spell will be over, effectively protecting you only 1 round. Time Stop is ridiculously strong if you use any kind of physical attacks like Shapeshifting into an Illithid or if you are some kind of Fighter/Mage, etc.
A Mage can protect himself from every traps a Thief can use with Mirror Image / Stoneskin, including Spike Traps thanks to Protection from Magical Energy, a level 6 spell, 100% resistance) and doesn't suffer elemental damages from magical weapons as long as he is affected by PfMW or Mantle, Improved Mantle, Absolute Immunity.
A full cleric is like an holy fighter, he can use most of the fighter weapons, armors, and has many spells, if Viconia silence him then we are going to have a full cleric against a middle fighter. Add also the innate magic defense she has, so anomen spells wont work that much.
Because Viconia is a full cleric she is stronger than anomen. It is true that her stats are not so good, but by canon she will use like the most of the cleric an hammer, give her the 25 hammer, it will allow her to use armors, and spells.
As i said anomen is a troublemaker, he has no honor, threats everybody bad includind CHARNAME, if anomen will be accepter by the order he wont change his actions, Viconia will, and she will result one of the most powerfull.
Anoman was not accepted yet, so his fights were not at the same level of the others fighting for the order, he was a second class. Viconia was already an hight cleric, yes she started at level 5 but that was in BG1, anomen shows up in BG2 where Viconia is already level 10, so i would not make this an issue, if you keep Viconia from BG1 she will go to BG2 level 12 or so. The 25 hammer, one piece comes from BG1 and anomen is not there, so do not pretend to give him that hammer, he could not make it.
Jan and Edwin was just to put it this way, Jan has 2 classes but low level, edwin has one class but high level. Those who have 2 classes need more time to level comparated to those who have one class, but there is something called cap, so a 2 classes will be no match for a pure class because they will be always lower. He can spot Jan anytime but yes this does not mean edwin will win, but he has much more chances.
Wrong. A full cleric is a cleric. They get 1 APR a round, they do not get specialisation, they do not hit as easily. A level 7 fighter is a warrior. He gets 1.5 APR a round, does get specialisation and Grand Mastery and attack more often as a result, and he's also a full cleric, because 64000 Exp doesn't change anything.
And Wrong. Anomen's starting level, like Viconia's, is based on CHARNAME's level when he meets them, met at the same time, they will have similar starting levels, given the same amount of Exp, Anomen will always be superior.
And wrong, Anomen is not accepted into the Radiant Heart based on his combat performance, Anomen can easily still be a squire after tanking and slaying Firkraag single handed, they have their own views on what's necessary to qualify.
And wrong. Anomen's fundamental basic personality can and does change post test. He gains six points of wisdom to make him Viconia's equal in spellcasting and becomes Lawful Good, meaning there is a fundamental change in his behaviour, this can be seen by following his romance each way and seeing the difference in his outlook. Also suggesting he has no honour is inaccurate, pre-test and success-test, he's big on honour, though honour is largely irrelevant.
And wrong again. The Crom Faeyr cannot be made from BG1 only items, nor are Gauntlets of Ogre Strength unique, multiple such gauntlets exist and there's no reason, fluff text aside, to assume that the gauntlets of ogre strength somehow found their way from Baldur's Gate to Amn.
Anomen is a Fighter. He gets more attacks, he does get specialisation, and he does hit harder. He can not only benefit more from Cleric buffs, two items - Gauntlets of Dexterity and a strength belt, and he's a DUHM away from 25/24/22 physical stats.
Viconia starts with silence? Fine, DUHM casts in 2 instead of 5, he closes and stomps. Viconia can use Crom Faeyr all she likes, he can use Storm Star +3 solely with DUHM deal just as much damage, hit far more often, and attack two and a half times more frequently. He is simply mechanically superior to her when it comes to combat, her only advantage is MR which doesn't matter to a self-buffing spell caster.
Both get time to pre-buff? Knight wins. Start naked? Knight wins. Start out far apart? Knight whips out the sling, in which he is specialised, and knight wins anyway. Short of failing a save he will typically make, on a spell he will typically disrupt, Anomen will beat Viconia every time without ever needing to cast a single spell on her, because clerics aren't great offensive spellcasters and aren't great melee attackers, while Anomen sure as anything is.
And finally... Wrong. Jan has two classes, but he is by no means "weaker" than Edwin, because he has two classes. At 3e6 Exp, Jan and Edwin both get HLAs. Edwin has to select planetar if he wants to live, because he has no way of countering invisibility otherwise apart from Gate, which doesn't work since protection from evil is also a level 1 spell. So he sees Jan, he summons the Planetar....
And the planetar just sits there, because Jan already ran away while invisible.
Edwin goes to find him? Eat 7d8+7 snare damage per snare. Edwin has 68 HP max at level 18, two snares kills him. So he has to waste more spells summoning chaff to deal with potential snares that may or may not have been set. Meanwhile Jan takes a turn to drink a potion of turnip tea, giving him a +1 Morale Bonus at trolling Conjurers. Edwin can devote all four level 9 spells he gets to Planetars until.... Misled Jan breaches Edwin. Edwin casts a Horrid Wilting where Jan was standing - No effect. Jan is either not there, cast Spell Immunity beforehand, or is now already next to Edwin, his breath tickling Edwin's lower back...
Or is he there at all? High level mage combat is rocket tag, and Edwin can't aim his rockets while Jan sure as anything can.
Oh wait! There's Jan! Spell battle ensues! Finally Edwin's superior magical arsenal gets the better of him and Jan falls... Except it was a Projected Image. Jan's still drinking turnip tea safely outside of the battlefield, he had a contingency: helpless set to cast invisibility as soon as he cast a projected image, so he's still totally fine and undetectable, several rounds away from Edwin, and has used one of his two level seven spells to wreck through a bunch of Edwin's.
Can Edwin use Project Image or Simulacrum? Nope. Jan destroys them purely by looking at them too hard. He can't turn invisible, because Jan can see through invisibility without wasting a spell slot, with no way of preventing it. Only mislead has any chance of working, and even then, only so long as Edwin manages to get the image out of Jan's sight and keep it that way.
And what was Jan's HLA? Who knows? Maybe it's an HLA trap, maybe it's UAI. If it's a trap, then that Projected Image probably laid it. Somewhere. Paranoid yet?
By the time the fight ends, it's an exhausted Edwin jumping at shadows, because the moment he lets his guard down may be the moment that he takes a minimum 50 damage backstab from the murdergnome... And then he's suddenly attacked from every side. Jan cast Invisibility 10' onto a bunch of summoned monkeys who are now in position and tearing him apart and now he's standing outside the circle of monsters casting Magic Missiles at Edwin, who finally manages to cast a Finger of Death at the gnome...
But it's another projected image. God dammit, Jan. The Projected Image managed to cast one last spell at Edwin before dying... Spook x2 on a Minor Spell Sequencer. As Jan's an illusionist, Edwin saves vs. spell at -8, fluffs one of his saves and starts running in helpless terror for 18 seconds...
Straight into three Spike Traps, 60D6 damage, no save.
Level 18 or level 30, it simply does. not. matter. Jan will wreck Edwin, because there's a lot more to combat than raw level, and a lot more to combat than improved alacrity, timestop and short term mantles and spell immunity casts.
@Pantalion so you are saying a cleric sucks, but anomen here and anomen there, also, anomen here anomen there, is a cleric, he is only level 7 fighter, not low for BG1 but totally ridicule for BG2, Viconia is THE ONLY cleric you find, so leave alone the spell abilities, she will be always 7 levels ahead, it means she can cast a pit fighter when he is still learning level 5 spells. Viconia as cleric has also 2 more dices meaning she will learn casts much faster. Let's leave alone if he will be accepted or not, when you meet him he is not yet accepted and Viconia was already an hight cleric. What if he never gets accepted, that is an option it can happen you should know.
If you think he will win fine, i think Viconia will beat the brat back to his estate, and if Viconia was in both BG1 and BG2 there must be a reason.
Also it's not true if CHARNAME has a certain level, those who join CHARNAME will be the same level, so like i said leave level alone because it's not an issue.
The level btw an half class and a pure class it does matter instead, because edwin as pure mage will have much less chances to see his cast interrupted, but like i said he only has chances against jan, if he was fighing against nalia no doubt he would win.
Wrong, I'm saying a pure cleric sucks compared to a non-pure one.
And wrong, yet again. As @FinneousPJ says, Viconia will never be seven levels ahead of Anomen. Anomen will be 64,000 Exp behind her. When she hits level 22, he will hit level 22 64,000 Exp later. And outside of that exact 64,000 Exp window, where Anomen still has a good chance of winning despite Viconia having an HLA and he not, they are neck and neck on a spellcasting front.
In exchange for being 64,000 Exp behind her, Anomen will have +0.5 APR, start out specialised in Warhammers, Maces and Slings for another +0.5 APR while attacking with either of those, and gets three more proficiency pips to get Grand Mastery by the SoA cap for another +0.5 APR.
So for the cost of a few extra minutes walking around Turning random monsters in a crypt, Anomen attacks twice as often as Viconia, 2.5 times later on. He has the same base THAC0 as she does, but gets bonuses to hit and damage from specialisation that she can't. He has the same number of cleric levels as she does, except he has seven fighter levels that can give him full bonus HP from a buffed constitution, where she can at most improve by 18 HP.
It doesn't matter if Anomen ever gets accepted or not, the difference of a few low level spells when Clerics end up with 9/day normally is irrelevant.
And currently, I don't believe that Spell disruption is based on level, nor is it relevant. Edwin is a decent party mage, and good against mooks, but he is not particularly good at facing off against another mage. It isn't because he's being pinged for damage that he can't win, it's that he has zero capacity for dealing with another mage who isn't a necromancer. He'll be reduced to spamming Glitterdust hoping to get lucky, and when a mage needs to get lucky to survive, that's a dead mage.
So for the record:
Edwin vs Nalia? Nalia gains levels just as fast as he does, and has no barred school. Invisibility tactics apply in full force. Edwin vs Imoen? Imoen gains levels just as fast as he does, and has no barred school. Invisibility tactics apply in full force. Edwin vs Neera? Neera gains levels just as fast as he does, and has no barred school. She's also a wild mage. Asides from the tiny chance her first spell goes wonky in a surge, if she can escape visual range via invisibility then she NRD a Shapechange, cast True Sight, use her level 9 spell on timestop, and eat his brains. Neera getting level 9 spells for the cost of level 1 spells is pretty significant. Of course all that's irrelevant because she can also NRD a chain contingency giving her one heck of a handshake. Edwin vs Aerie? Aerie has more spells than Edwin does, can buff herself to become more or less immortal, and still gets invisibility, and her Implosion can one-shot him if he gets unlucky, as well as setting her up for a free round to cast whatever. It's a much, much more even match-up between the other casters (and Jan and Aerie have a far tougher time dealing with the high level dispels, chain contingencies and time stops the other three get much earlier, though it's still very possible either will take a win), Edwin, despite his additional spell slots, suffers too much from being unable to put them to good use.
Wrong. Again. Not liking Anomen's personality does not change the fundamental facts that he is mechanically superior to Viconia, and this mechanical superiority does not go away, and however much you write of it, your fanfiction does not become logic, nor even match the lore correctly.
Anomen is born into a noble family with an abusive father, managed to, despite having no support from anyone but his mother, qualify for a squirehood in the Radiant Heart despite lacking the usually mandatory support, and by the time you meet him, at his lowest level, he is a blooded veteran warrior of at least one major military campaign, who joins you of his own volition to fight for adventure and glory, and stays at your side with no benefit to himself but gits and shiggles.
Viconia was born into a noble family of drow, who fled her cushy life because she couldn't handle her responsibilities as a priestess, escaped the underdark and when you first meet her was running for her life from a single Flaming Fist Mercenary, who has a very good chance of killing her if you don't help. She joins you because she needs you to keep her safe.
Both are deeply flawed individuals, Both can get a bit better if given time and understanding. Their personality traits have little bearing on the outcome of a confrontation however, because Anomen is better at murder than she is.
He is, at absolute lowest level, a 7/8 Fighter-> Cleric, with 3/3/3/2 spells, 2 APR with a mace, sling, or warhammer, and a 14 base THAC0.
How much military campaigning did he take to reach that level? About as much as CHARNAME's crew, potentially including Viconia, took to save Baldur's Gate, since that's about how much Exp he needed.
How much "surviving Drow society" does Viconia have under her belt before she flees?
Five levels worth. She is not a high level warrior, and she never, ever claims to be a high priestess so I've no idea where you pulled that out of. In fact, she's lower level than the guy tending Ust Natha's bar, so it's ludicrous to suggest she was fighting against beholders, flayers or any other A-tier enemy in the underdark. To be fair, neither were many of the civilians of Ust Natha. Only their military, high level types spent much time outside of the safety of the city. She is not one of them.
And when you meet her a second time she has been captured by an angry mob and needs saving again. This means she could not successfully escape an angry mob of low level commoners and a few cultists of Beshaba, and for a second time she only survives because CHARNAME saves her, and she joins, yet again, because she needs you to keep her safe.
Even if Viconia shows up at level 12, she'll have a base 14 THAC0, 8/7/6/4/2/2 spells, and she'll still have a worse chance to hit, less HP, and trouble using most of her gear while dealing less damage per hit. She has a much better chance of getting lucky with a Save or Suck, but despite getting 4 level, 800,000 Exp "raging fanboy" advantage for her many achievement of "getting tied to a stake", Anomen's still only a Sanctuary/Buff combo away from beating her in a physical altercation.
And whether they're iconic or not is irrelevant. Aerie doesn't need to have stronger spells than Edwin, she just needs to use the spells that Edwin cannot counter, something which is true at any point after she has level 2 spells. Edwin is like Superman. He has a ton of power, oh so much power, oh goodness look at that power... But just like Superman, kryptonite is everywhere, and there's nothing stopping Aerie from making use of it.
Translation: "I like Viconia. I like fighters. I don't want a discussion about who would win in a fight. I want people to agree with me about how great Viconia and fighters and and I want people to accept my fanfic."
It's cute how you move from "But Viconia has Magic Resistance and clerics are great fighters!" and "But elemental damage!" to "Numbers are meaningless". But even though an RPG is a story justified by mechanics, as I've pointed out multiple times, your "story" is just as flawed.
Verifiable plot fact: Anomen has fought against Hill Giants. He mentions it several times, and mentions marching on campaigns, and that he has served the Radiant Heart for years.
Non-verifiable: Viconia has fought against Beholders, Mind Flayers and abominations man has never seen.
Lorewise, this has no basis. She's from the noble house DeVir and is a female in the priesthood. She is not an expendable male, her family most certainly had slaves, and it's clear that she's a fairly junior cleric of Lloth - this was her first baby sacrifice, after all, and she fluffed it. You don't get far in the Lloth's priesthood without a solid foundation of dead babies.
Verifiable plot fact: Viconia gets in trouble multiple times, once with the Flaming Fist, once with a group of farmers, once with a group of cultists, once with a fat merchant's entourage,..
Lorewise, someone who can take on a Mindflayer or Kuo-Toa and win reliably can take on a Flaming Fist Mercenary or a small group of townsfolk. She can't, therefore she can't, simple. As a drow she is clearly familiar with those things, much like surface elves might be familiar with ogres, gnolls, dragons and wyverns, but she's from Menzoberranzan, a vast Drow city, she's as likely to have fought a Beholder as the priest of Lathander in Athkatla is to have fought a dragon - it's not her job.
So we have a priest of Helm who converted after being a trained soldier, a giant-slayer who has years of experience adventuring and fighting against the forces of evil and who decides to go adventuring with a group of guys for no other reason than because they asked him nicely.
And we have a cleric of Shar who is not a trained soldier, who lives in hiding above ground where her drow magic resistance would fade due to being outside of the underdark, who is constantly imperilled and who joins CHARNAME's company because she wants protection.
Anomen is kind of a jerk. I've no particular attachment to him either way, though I've grown to appreciate some of his redeeming features after being subjected to his romance. He is, however, a giant-slaying badass. This is well supported in his plot - He talks about being a giant-slaying badass and his time serving in the army - and by mechanics.
Viconia is kind of a jerk as well. I've equally little attachment to her either way, though she's a lot less loony when she's not in a romance. She is not particularly badass. This is well supported in her plot - where she needs frequent, repeated, rescuing - and by mechanics.
Anomen talks about his fight when he was not in the order, in easy words he was talking about the order fight and he was not part of it, yet he was making fun of CHARNAME fights. Viconia will lead you and tell about creatures she has fought. Really as i said this discussion with you is over.
Regards.
Yeah, no. If you want to stop talking, then stop talking. Arguing/speaking nonsense then claiming that the discussion is over isn't going to work, because I'm just going to keep calling you on your nonsense until you either concede the point or stop contesting it.
So!
Anomen: Actual dialogue entries.
Anomen: Ugh. These pathetic skirmishes of ours aren't worth the time I spend cleaning my weapons after the battle. Ah, the Order's campaign against the Hillgnasher giants, now that brought the blood up!
CHARNAME: You served in campaigns against the giants?
Anomen: Aye, and a bloody campaign it was. I slew twenty of the beasts during that scorching summer.
CHARNAME: Twenty giants, Anomen? I find that hard to believe. You are very arrogant.
Anomen: Arrogant or extremely competent. Believe what you wish; my tale is true.
Anomen: En route, we were attacked by a wyvern. Overcome with fear, the battle plans that had been drilled into my compatriots fell apart as the first man was killed by the beast's claws... It would have been a veritable slaughter had I not kept my wits about me... I jumped on its back and impaled it through the spine with my spear.
Anomen: There's precious little to tell, although my few adventures have been glorious indeed. The path to knighthood is a long one, however... hence the need for my travels. But a few of my deeds have reached the ears of bards. Battle is commonplace enough throughout Amn, and the Order has fielded its army many times in recent years. Most recently, however... let me think... I was with our men when the orcs came down into the Ommlur Hills once again. In great numbers, they are a force to fear... but individually, they are no match for a warrior. I myself was able to fight through many of them alone and take the head of one of their foul chieftains.
CHARNAME: Cool beans.
As for Anomen insulting you, that widely bandied about idea that he's a misogynist?
Anomen: But I speak too much of my own deeds. One would think me preoccupied with pride. I would not blame you were you not interested in hearing tales of my prowess, truly.
I am interested in hearing something of yours, however, my lady. I have been told a little of your deeds in the Sword Coast, albeit they do sound quite fanciful and exaggerated.
CHARNAME: Lolnope, they're true.
Anomen: Hmph. I find it hard to believe that one woman alone could have performed such deeds. Perhaps you are not aware of the scope of the tales that I have been told.
Yes, he's just put his foot in his mouth, but the scope of the tales he has been told are intentionally left vague. And is he intentionally being sexist? Check a few of his available responses:
"Well, of course you had fellow companions who aided you then as now. And together you performed deeds as great as those I hope to accomplish in your service." "A wondrous thing, indeed. Perhaps you will tell me more, , as we walk... I would hear more of these former companions of yours and your valiant tales of the Sword Coast."
The problem is, of course, that he only has this conversation with female charnames. If he said "Hmph. I find it hard to believe that one man alone could have performed such deeds. Perhaps you are not aware of the scope of the tales that I have been told."
Literally nobody would have batted an eye, the dialogue option making it about gender would never have come up, and the guy does, for most CHARNAMEs, have a point - that CHARNAME didn't do it alone, and even for soloers, some of the stories about CHARNAME have been hinted to be somewhat... fanciful.
So yeah, Anomen: Kind of a thoughtless, conceited jerk who says something stupid, but you can call him on it and he'll actually apologise the next time he speaks to you.
And let's check out Viconia's mad feats:
She has a mad awesome ice burn with nearly every single NPC. Seriously, some of them are so good I don't want to spoil them.
Viconia: It's ordained by custom that thinning the familial herd should be exercised. Killing or maiming your siblings is as commonplace as bearing children. I had fourteen sisters, and each one was more of a danger and a rival than the next. Most of them perished young... many by my own hand. - Kill count: Siblings.
Viconia: I split the coffin lid and let the earth in. I clawed to the surface, and pain did not slow me... I would not let weakness deter me from vengeance.
Viconia: Jiscanan, the younger son, left to use the outhouse. I jammed a stake in the door, trapping him inside. Then I set the building aflame. - Kill count: One younger "farmer's son", via arson.
Viconia: Roran came running, yelling to Funnard. As he stood helpless before the flames, I wrapped a garrote around his neck... - Kill count: One "farmer", via badass assassination.
Viconia: By this time, the elder son, Funnard, returned with a bucket from the well to find his father's corpse and his brother a smoldering ember.
Viconia: He dropped to his knees in shock, which afforded me a height advantage as I caved his head with a miner's mallet. - Kill count: One "farmer's elder son", via surprise attack.
Viconia: I had four husbands during my life in the Underdark... before the fall of House DeVir. I killed each one. Three for sport and one for infidelity with my sister. - Kill count: Lowly male husbands and her sister, again via arson:
Viconia: I caught them together and bound them where they lay. I soaked them in lamp oil and flammable moss and set them ablaze.
Viconia: Do not be a wael... a fool. I enjoyed it well enough; I killed for sport and necessity, but I took no pleasure in sacrifice solely to satiate her endless desire. - Kill count: Helpless sacrificial victims for Lolth.
Viconia: I knew that my queen would indeed be pleased by one of her daughters being offered to her. I fought grandly, killing many of the males... but it was futile. - Kill count: Male servants of her own house come to sacrifice her.
Viconia, after describing Kuo Toa and Mind Flayers: Feh. These things are known to all drow, easily. I am sure there is equally much you could tell me about surface creatures. - Kill count: Nope. She actually says to stay away from the water to avoid Kuo Toa because to fight with one is to flirt with death.
Viconia: My house insisted on the head of a holy warrior, so I brought my matron mother the head of one Khilgind Sigandulba, a priest of some cult and man-about-the-frontier. He thought me a beggar seeking guidance. He was surprised when he learned I was drow, but not as much as when I used his own holy mace to cave his forehead. - Kill count: A holy man who was about to help her as a beggar.
Rescues:
Viconia: I would have died, in fact, were it not for... if it were not for my brother. My poor, foolish brother. Valas... - Rescued from: Being sacrificed. She technically gets her brother killed, but doesn't actually kill him or anything.
Viconia: A group of goln—you call them goblins—tried to seal my fate, but a human merchant came in his caravan, and his guards scattered them. - Rescued from: Goblins. She later kills the human merchant via excessive schtoinking, from which I imagine Anomen is safe.
One of many examples of her enlightened egalitarianism:
Viconia: The male is only present for servicing the female's needs, and for procreation or recreation, depending upon your disposition.
End kill count actually justified by text and not made up by somebody with poor reading comprehension:
Anomen: 20 giants, various orcs and thier chieftan, and a solo'd wyvern.
Viconia: Some drow, some sacrificial victims who were brought before her for murdering, some farmers, and a merchant via snoo snoo.
The vast majority of Viconia's kills were the helpless, the unsuspecting, and non-combatants. She's not a warrior, she's a prickly hostile amoral survivor with no compunctions against murder. The only time she speaks of a straight up fight is when she's fighting against drow males set to capture her for sacrifice of whom she killed "many" before being overwhelmed by the people actively working to try and take her alive. And when she fled the underdark... She needed rescuing from a group of goblins. Yeah.
All of the kills Anomen refers to were feats of martial expertise. Hill Giants may not be the toughest giants out there, but that makes it more, not less, likely that he actually was telling the truth about fighting and beating them multiple times, since that's actually very possible for a level 6-7 fighter to accomplish, particularly leading a team. Wyverns may not be dragons, but he charged in and beat it all the same. Orcs may not be super impressive, but they're sure as anything tougher than Goblins and he won.
Ignoring mechanics and focusing solely on feats and lore, Viconia has a tiny sliver of hope if she manages to surprise Anomen, though considering the man is a trained warrior who wears a helmet, not a great chance. Otherwise she's at such a massive disadvantage, since she's constantly getting beaten by peasants, farmers, cultists, goblins and the like, that she'd have a better chance of killing him via heart attack.
So yeah, on every single possible metric, Anomen wins. Your only chance now is to claim that he's a liar, despite having no evidence of that fact and all of his feats being pretty possible for a level 7-8 character.
@LoveViconia , I can't help but notice that in your post comparing Anomen's and Viconia's dialogues in the spoiler tags, you suddenly write your interjections and arguments in perfect, flawless, English, although none of your other posts shows such an ability.
@Pantalion , whoops, you're right. Mea culpa. Not sure how I made such a bad mistake. Careless error, I guess.
EDIT: Lol, I'd really better stop posting in this thread and go to bed. I'm "feeding the trolls", unintentionally. They're all very good at what they do. I'd say they cast "Chaos" at twice their level, with an innate save penalty of twice their level.
Comments
And what do you mean he was a bhaal? A bhaalspawn? That's nothing too special...especially considering irenicus stole the soul of one of the most powerful bhaalspawn and took its powers for himself.
And for Vic vs Anomen...dual class isn't a half class. It's vastly superior to single class. For a pittance of xp Anomen gets more apr and grand mastery. Every powergamer abuses dual classing because it is so vastly superior to single classing. "Half class" might only lack for multi classing. Even a lvl 3 fighter dualed to cleric is going to be VASTLY superior to a single class cleric. It's basically no xp at all for most of the fighter perks
And if you want to look at background, Vic grew up as a priestess in a rough society. Anomen grew up as a soldier, a knight, a field commander. Unlike Vic he led soldiers in the field. Unlike Vic he had already fought Giants. He earned his fighter levels. He learned how to fight and kill with his own hands. Vic learned how to scheme, plot, and make sacrifices. She learned how to be a cleric. And when she runs away she ends up fleeing from a single flaming fist officer and begs a stranger for help. Around that time Anomen was still leading soldiers of the order into combat. Fluff and stats there is no contest, Anomen wins.
Jan v Edwin
If Jan can make use of his traps then he will likely win. If not, Edwin has the edge in a magical duel. If Edwin levels up faster and gets lvl 9 spells first like time stop and improved alacrity then he will probably win
Viconia is a cleric. Fanfiction aside, Viconia's capabilities in combat are set in stone. She starts at level 5, she has low strength, low constitution, one attack per round, and she gets a few extra spells per day. And remember that this is the D&Dverse, many, many characters have to learn to fight and kill at an early age.
Anomen is a fighter. He has seven levels worth of murder and combat experience learning how to optimally stab people with a spear, then another eight levels learning how to be the most useful type of cleric. He attacks twice as often as Viconia, hits more often, hits harder, wears better armour, wields heavier weapons, can take a punch better, and is immune to several of Viconia's damaging abilities by virtue of his neutrality. He is a mere 64,000 Exp behind Viconia in terms of being a cleric, which is less than a single cleric level by the time you can even meet him, and the only time there is even the vaguest hint of a difference is at 8000000 Exp Viconia becomes a level 40 Cleric, while Anomen continues to be level 39, resulting in exactly no benefits outside of dispel magic. "Purity" does not automatically equate with "power", particularly where dual classing is concerned.
Jan vs. Edwin
Edwin has a well known, inescapable Achilles Heel. He cannot cast Divination spells, Jan casts Invisibility and moves out of the way, Detect Illusions away Edwin's Mirror Images, casts Mislead after moving out of sight, then chunks him with a backstab. Edwin's only hope is to spam enough AOE spells or Dispel Magics to catch the gnome, something hugely in Jan's favour since Edwin would face wherever he was targeting. And that's if Jan did not layer seven Snares to deal significantly more than Edwin's max HP before the confrontation took place.
Hammer of Thunderbolts is in the illithid lair in the Athkatla Sewers.
The Crom Faeyr instructions are on the shadow dragon in the Umar Hills.
Gauntlets of Ogre Power are in the Planar Sphere.
Girdle of Frost Giant Strength is in the kuo-toa lair in the Underdark.
-Monks aren't that powerful at high levels. Sure they are strong, but a decently build Fighter should beat him while Mages will toy with him.
-Time Stop only lasts for 3 rounds, not 6. You can get a 6 rounds lasting Time Stop but you need to cast the Wish spell for that and get the correct option.
-Improved Alacrity only removes the pause between two spells, but does not increase casting speed.
-Lower Resistance is capped at level 20 like others spells so it will decrease someone's Magic Resistance by 30% at max level.
-Greater Malison doesn't stack.
It's hardly fair to say that a level 29 Fighter has a save vs spells of 6. It is his baseline save versus spells but with the correct items he should have below 0, and that's considering he isn't a Shorty.
Time Stop isn't that strong for single classes Mages or Sorcerers as it only buys you 3 rounds of casting, which is exactly what Chain Contingency does except it is cast instantly which is pretty huge considering your buffs wear out during Time Stop. If you cast PfMW then Time Stop, at the end of the Time Stop your PfMW spell will be over, effectively protecting you only 1 round. Time Stop is ridiculously strong if you use any kind of physical attacks like Shapeshifting into an Illithid or if you are some kind of Fighter/Mage, etc.
A Mage can protect himself from every traps a Thief can use with Mirror Image / Stoneskin, including Spike Traps thanks to Protection from Magical Energy, a level 6 spell, 100% resistance) and doesn't suffer elemental damages from magical weapons as long as he is affected by PfMW or Mantle, Improved Mantle, Absolute Immunity.
And Wrong. Anomen's starting level, like Viconia's, is based on CHARNAME's level when he meets them, met at the same time, they will have similar starting levels, given the same amount of Exp, Anomen will always be superior.
And wrong, Anomen is not accepted into the Radiant Heart based on his combat performance, Anomen can easily still be a squire after tanking and slaying Firkraag single handed, they have their own views on what's necessary to qualify.
And wrong. Anomen's fundamental basic personality can and does change post test. He gains six points of wisdom to make him Viconia's equal in spellcasting and becomes Lawful Good, meaning there is a fundamental change in his behaviour, this can be seen by following his romance each way and seeing the difference in his outlook. Also suggesting he has no honour is inaccurate, pre-test and success-test, he's big on honour, though honour is largely irrelevant.
And wrong again. The Crom Faeyr cannot be made from BG1 only items, nor are Gauntlets of Ogre Strength unique, multiple such gauntlets exist and there's no reason, fluff text aside, to assume that the gauntlets of ogre strength somehow found their way from Baldur's Gate to Amn.
Anomen is a Fighter. He gets more attacks, he does get specialisation, and he does hit harder. He can not only benefit more from Cleric buffs, two items - Gauntlets of Dexterity and a strength belt, and he's a DUHM away from 25/24/22 physical stats.
Viconia starts with silence? Fine, DUHM casts in 2 instead of 5, he closes and stomps. Viconia can use Crom Faeyr all she likes, he can use Storm Star +3 solely with DUHM deal just as much damage, hit far more often, and attack two and a half times more frequently. He is simply mechanically superior to her when it comes to combat, her only advantage is MR which doesn't matter to a self-buffing spell caster.
Both get time to pre-buff? Knight wins. Start naked? Knight wins. Start out far apart? Knight whips out the sling, in which he is specialised, and knight wins anyway. Short of failing a save he will typically make, on a spell he will typically disrupt, Anomen will beat Viconia every time without ever needing to cast a single spell on her, because clerics aren't great offensive spellcasters and aren't great melee attackers, while Anomen sure as anything is.
And finally... Wrong. Jan has two classes, but he is by no means "weaker" than Edwin, because he has two classes. At 3e6 Exp, Jan and Edwin both get HLAs. Edwin has to select planetar if he wants to live, because he has no way of countering invisibility otherwise apart from Gate, which doesn't work since protection from evil is also a level 1 spell. So he sees Jan, he summons the Planetar....
And the planetar just sits there, because Jan already ran away while invisible.
Edwin goes to find him? Eat 7d8+7 snare damage per snare. Edwin has 68 HP max at level 18, two snares kills him. So he has to waste more spells summoning chaff to deal with potential snares that may or may not have been set. Meanwhile Jan takes a turn to drink a potion of turnip tea, giving him a +1 Morale Bonus at trolling Conjurers. Edwin can devote all four level 9 spells he gets to Planetars until.... Misled Jan breaches Edwin. Edwin casts a Horrid Wilting where Jan was standing - No effect. Jan is either not there, cast Spell Immunity beforehand, or is now already next to Edwin, his breath tickling Edwin's lower back...
Or is he there at all? High level mage combat is rocket tag, and Edwin can't aim his rockets while Jan sure as anything can.
Oh wait! There's Jan! Spell battle ensues! Finally Edwin's superior magical arsenal gets the better of him and Jan falls... Except it was a Projected Image. Jan's still drinking turnip tea safely outside of the battlefield, he had a contingency: helpless set to cast invisibility as soon as he cast a projected image, so he's still totally fine and undetectable, several rounds away from Edwin, and has used one of his two level seven spells to wreck through a bunch of Edwin's.
Can Edwin use Project Image or Simulacrum? Nope. Jan destroys them purely by looking at them too hard. He can't turn invisible, because Jan can see through invisibility without wasting a spell slot, with no way of preventing it. Only mislead has any chance of working, and even then, only so long as Edwin manages to get the image out of Jan's sight and keep it that way.
And what was Jan's HLA? Who knows? Maybe it's an HLA trap, maybe it's UAI. If it's a trap, then that Projected Image probably laid it. Somewhere. Paranoid yet?
By the time the fight ends, it's an exhausted Edwin jumping at shadows, because the moment he lets his guard down may be the moment that he takes a minimum 50 damage backstab from the murdergnome... And then he's suddenly attacked from every side. Jan cast Invisibility 10' onto a bunch of summoned monkeys who are now in position and tearing him apart and now he's standing outside the circle of monsters casting Magic Missiles at Edwin, who finally manages to cast a Finger of Death at the gnome...
But it's another projected image. God dammit, Jan. The Projected Image managed to cast one last spell at Edwin before dying... Spook x2 on a Minor Spell Sequencer. As Jan's an illusionist, Edwin saves vs. spell at -8, fluffs one of his saves and starts running in helpless terror for 18 seconds...
Straight into three Spike Traps, 60D6 damage, no save.
Level 18 or level 30, it simply does. not. matter. Jan will wreck Edwin, because there's a lot more to combat than raw level, and a lot more to combat than improved alacrity, timestop and short term mantles and spell immunity casts.
BG1 versions.
And wrong, yet again. As @FinneousPJ says, Viconia will never be seven levels ahead of Anomen. Anomen will be 64,000 Exp behind her. When she hits level 22, he will hit level 22 64,000 Exp later. And outside of that exact 64,000 Exp window, where Anomen still has a good chance of winning despite Viconia having an HLA and he not, they are neck and neck on a spellcasting front.
In exchange for being 64,000 Exp behind her, Anomen will have +0.5 APR, start out specialised in Warhammers, Maces and Slings for another +0.5 APR while attacking with either of those, and gets three more proficiency pips to get Grand Mastery by the SoA cap for another +0.5 APR.
So for the cost of a few extra minutes walking around Turning random monsters in a crypt, Anomen attacks twice as often as Viconia, 2.5 times later on. He has the same base THAC0 as she does, but gets bonuses to hit and damage from specialisation that she can't. He has the same number of cleric levels as she does, except he has seven fighter levels that can give him full bonus HP from a buffed constitution, where she can at most improve by 18 HP.
It doesn't matter if Anomen ever gets accepted or not, the difference of a few low level spells when Clerics end up with 9/day normally is irrelevant.
And currently, I don't believe that Spell disruption is based on level, nor is it relevant. Edwin is a decent party mage, and good against mooks, but he is not particularly good at facing off against another mage. It isn't because he's being pinged for damage that he can't win, it's that he has zero capacity for dealing with another mage who isn't a necromancer. He'll be reduced to spamming Glitterdust hoping to get lucky, and when a mage needs to get lucky to survive, that's a dead mage.
So for the record:
Edwin vs Nalia? Nalia gains levels just as fast as he does, and has no barred school. Invisibility tactics apply in full force.
Edwin vs Imoen? Imoen gains levels just as fast as he does, and has no barred school. Invisibility tactics apply in full force.
Edwin vs Neera? Neera gains levels just as fast as he does, and has no barred school. She's also a wild mage. Asides from the tiny chance her first spell goes wonky in a surge, if she can escape visual range via invisibility then she NRD a Shapechange, cast True Sight, use her level 9 spell on timestop, and eat his brains. Neera getting level 9 spells for the cost of level 1 spells is pretty significant. Of course all that's irrelevant because she can also NRD a chain contingency giving her one heck of a handshake.
Edwin vs Aerie? Aerie has more spells than Edwin does, can buff herself to become more or less immortal, and still gets invisibility, and her Implosion can one-shot him if he gets unlucky, as well as setting her up for a free round to cast whatever.
It's a much, much more even match-up between the other casters (and Jan and Aerie have a far tougher time dealing with the high level dispels, chain contingencies and time stops the other three get much earlier, though it's still very possible either will take a win), Edwin, despite his additional spell slots, suffers too much from being unable to put them to good use.
Anomen is born into a noble family with an abusive father, managed to, despite having no support from anyone but his mother, qualify for a squirehood in the Radiant Heart despite lacking the usually mandatory support, and by the time you meet him, at his lowest level, he is a blooded veteran warrior of at least one major military campaign, who joins you of his own volition to fight for adventure and glory, and stays at your side with no benefit to himself but gits and shiggles.
Viconia was born into a noble family of drow, who fled her cushy life because she couldn't handle her responsibilities as a priestess, escaped the underdark and when you first meet her was running for her life from a single Flaming Fist Mercenary, who has a very good chance of killing her if you don't help. She joins you because she needs you to keep her safe.
Both are deeply flawed individuals, Both can get a bit better if given time and understanding. Their personality traits have little bearing on the outcome of a confrontation however, because Anomen is better at murder than she is.
He is, at absolute lowest level, a 7/8 Fighter-> Cleric, with 3/3/3/2 spells, 2 APR with a mace, sling, or warhammer, and a 14 base THAC0.
How much military campaigning did he take to reach that level? About as much as CHARNAME's crew, potentially including Viconia, took to save Baldur's Gate, since that's about how much Exp he needed.
How much "surviving Drow society" does Viconia have under her belt before she flees?
Five levels worth. She is not a high level warrior, and she never, ever claims to be a high priestess so I've no idea where you pulled that out of. In fact, she's lower level than the guy tending Ust Natha's bar, so it's ludicrous to suggest she was fighting against beholders, flayers or any other A-tier enemy in the underdark. To be fair, neither were many of the civilians of Ust Natha. Only their military, high level types spent much time outside of the safety of the city. She is not one of them.
And when you meet her a second time she has been captured by an angry mob and needs saving again. This means she could not successfully escape an angry mob of low level commoners and a few cultists of Beshaba, and for a second time she only survives because CHARNAME saves her, and she joins, yet again, because she needs you to keep her safe.
Even if Viconia shows up at level 12, she'll have a base 14 THAC0, 8/7/6/4/2/2 spells, and she'll still have a worse chance to hit, less HP, and trouble using most of her gear while dealing less damage per hit. She has a much better chance of getting lucky with a Save or Suck, but despite getting 4 level, 800,000 Exp "raging fanboy" advantage for her many achievement of "getting tied to a stake", Anomen's still only a Sanctuary/Buff combo away from beating her in a physical altercation.
And whether they're iconic or not is irrelevant. Aerie doesn't need to have stronger spells than Edwin, she just needs to use the spells that Edwin cannot counter, something which is true at any point after she has level 2 spells. Edwin is like Superman. He has a ton of power, oh so much power, oh goodness look at that power... But just like Superman, kryptonite is everywhere, and there's nothing stopping Aerie from making use of it.
Verifiable plot fact: Anomen has fought against Hill Giants. He mentions it several times, and mentions marching on campaigns, and that he has served the Radiant Heart for years.
Non-verifiable: Viconia has fought against Beholders, Mind Flayers and abominations man has never seen.
Lorewise, this has no basis. She's from the noble house DeVir and is a female in the priesthood. She is not an expendable male, her family most certainly had slaves, and it's clear that she's a fairly junior cleric of Lloth - this was her first baby sacrifice, after all, and she fluffed it. You don't get far in the Lloth's priesthood without a solid foundation of dead babies.
Verifiable plot fact: Viconia gets in trouble multiple times, once with the Flaming Fist, once with a group of farmers, once with a group of cultists, once with a fat merchant's entourage,..
Lorewise, someone who can take on a Mindflayer or Kuo-Toa and win reliably can take on a Flaming Fist Mercenary or a small group of townsfolk. She can't, therefore she can't, simple.
As a drow she is clearly familiar with those things, much like surface elves might be familiar with ogres, gnolls, dragons and wyverns, but she's from Menzoberranzan, a vast Drow city, she's as likely to have fought a Beholder as the priest of Lathander in Athkatla is to have fought a dragon - it's not her job.
So we have a priest of Helm who converted after being a trained soldier, a giant-slayer who has years of experience adventuring and fighting against the forces of evil and who decides to go adventuring with a group of guys for no other reason than because they asked him nicely.
And we have a cleric of Shar who is not a trained soldier, who lives in hiding above ground where her drow magic resistance would fade due to being outside of the underdark, who is constantly imperilled and who joins CHARNAME's company because she wants protection.
Anomen is kind of a jerk. I've no particular attachment to him either way, though I've grown to appreciate some of his redeeming features after being subjected to his romance. He is, however, a giant-slaying badass. This is well supported in his plot - He talks about being a giant-slaying badass and his time serving in the army - and by mechanics.
Viconia is kind of a jerk as well. I've equally little attachment to her either way, though she's a lot less loony when she's not in a romance. She is not particularly badass. This is well supported in her plot - where she needs frequent, repeated, rescuing - and by mechanics.
So!
Anomen: Actual dialogue entries.
CHARNAME: You served in campaigns against the giants?
Anomen: Aye, and a bloody campaign it was. I slew twenty of the beasts during that scorching summer.
CHARNAME: Twenty giants, Anomen? I find that hard to believe. You are very arrogant.
Anomen: Arrogant or extremely competent. Believe what you wish; my tale is true.
Anomen: En route, we were attacked by a wyvern. Overcome with fear, the battle plans that had been drilled into my compatriots fell apart as the first man was killed by the beast's claws...
It would have been a veritable slaughter had I not kept my wits about me...
I jumped on its back and impaled it through the spine with my spear.
Anomen: There's precious little to tell, although my few adventures have been glorious indeed. The path to knighthood is a long one, however... hence the need for my travels.
But a few of my deeds have reached the ears of bards. Battle is commonplace enough throughout Amn, and the Order has fielded its army many times in recent years.
Most recently, however... let me think... I was with our men when the orcs came down into the Ommlur Hills once again.
In great numbers, they are a force to fear... but individually, they are no match for a warrior. I myself was able to fight through many of them alone and take the head of one of their foul chieftains.
CHARNAME: Cool beans.
As for Anomen insulting you, that widely bandied about idea that he's a misogynist?
Anomen: But I speak too much of my own deeds. One would think me preoccupied with pride. I would not blame you were you not interested in hearing tales of my prowess, truly.
I am interested in hearing something of yours, however, my lady. I have been told a little of your deeds in the Sword Coast, albeit they do sound quite fanciful and exaggerated.
CHARNAME: Lolnope, they're true.
Anomen: Hmph. I find it hard to believe that one woman alone could have performed such deeds. Perhaps you are not aware of the scope of the tales that I have been told.
Yes, he's just put his foot in his mouth, but the scope of the tales he has been told are intentionally left vague. And is he intentionally being sexist? Check a few of his available responses:
"Well, of course you had fellow companions who aided you then as now. And together you performed deeds as great as those I hope to accomplish in your service."
"A wondrous thing, indeed. Perhaps you will tell me more, , as we walk... I would hear more of these former companions of yours and your valiant tales of the Sword Coast."
The problem is, of course, that he only has this conversation with female charnames. If he said "Hmph. I find it hard to believe that one man alone could have performed such deeds. Perhaps you are not aware of the scope of the tales that I have been told."
Literally nobody would have batted an eye, the dialogue option making it about gender would never have come up, and the guy does, for most CHARNAMEs, have a point - that CHARNAME didn't do it alone, and even for soloers, some of the stories about CHARNAME have been hinted to be somewhat... fanciful.
So yeah, Anomen: Kind of a thoughtless, conceited jerk who says something stupid, but you can call him on it and he'll actually apologise the next time he speaks to you.
And let's check out Viconia's mad feats:
Viconia: It's ordained by custom that thinning the familial herd should be exercised. Killing or maiming your siblings is as commonplace as bearing children.
I had fourteen sisters, and each one was more of a danger and a rival than the next. Most of them perished young... many by my own hand. - Kill count: Siblings.
Viconia: I split the coffin lid and let the earth in. I clawed to the surface, and pain did not slow me... I would not let weakness deter me from vengeance.
Viconia: Jiscanan, the younger son, left to use the outhouse. I jammed a stake in the door, trapping him inside. Then I set the building aflame. - Kill count: One younger "farmer's son", via arson.
Viconia: Roran came running, yelling to Funnard. As he stood helpless before the flames, I wrapped a garrote around his neck... - Kill count: One "farmer", via badass assassination.
Viconia: By this time, the elder son, Funnard, returned with a bucket from the well to find his father's corpse and his brother a smoldering ember.
Viconia: He dropped to his knees in shock, which afforded me a height advantage as I caved his head with a miner's mallet. - Kill count: One "farmer's elder son", via surprise attack.
Viconia: I had four husbands during my life in the Underdark... before the fall of House DeVir. I killed each one. Three for sport and one for infidelity with my sister. - Kill count: Lowly male husbands and her sister, again via arson:
Viconia: I caught them together and bound them where they lay. I soaked them in lamp oil and flammable moss and set them ablaze.
Viconia: Do not be a wael... a fool. I enjoyed it well enough; I killed for sport and necessity, but I took no pleasure in sacrifice solely to satiate her endless desire. - Kill count: Helpless sacrificial victims for Lolth.
Viconia: I knew that my queen would indeed be pleased by one of her daughters being offered to her. I fought grandly, killing many of the males... but it was futile. - Kill count: Male servants of her own house come to sacrifice her.
Viconia, after describing Kuo Toa and Mind Flayers: Feh. These things are known to all drow, easily. I am sure there is equally much you could tell me about surface creatures. - Kill count: Nope. She actually says to stay away from the water to avoid Kuo Toa because to fight with one is to flirt with death.
Viconia: My house insisted on the head of a holy warrior, so I brought my matron mother the head of one Khilgind Sigandulba, a priest of some cult and man-about-the-frontier. He thought me a beggar seeking guidance. He was surprised when he learned I was drow, but not as much as when I used his own holy mace to cave his forehead. - Kill count: A holy man who was about to help her as a beggar.
Rescues:
Viconia: I would have died, in fact, were it not for... if it were not for my brother. My poor, foolish brother. Valas... - Rescued from: Being sacrificed. She technically gets her brother killed, but doesn't actually kill him or anything.
Viconia: A group of goln—you call them goblins—tried to seal my fate, but a human merchant came in his caravan, and his guards scattered them. - Rescued from: Goblins. She later kills the human merchant via excessive schtoinking, from which I imagine Anomen is safe.
One of many examples of her enlightened egalitarianism:
Viconia: The male is only present for servicing the female's needs, and for procreation or recreation, depending upon your disposition.
End kill count actually justified by text and not made up by somebody with poor reading comprehension:
Anomen: 20 giants, various orcs and thier chieftan, and a solo'd wyvern.
Viconia: Some drow, some sacrificial victims who were brought before her for murdering, some farmers, and a merchant via snoo snoo.
The vast majority of Viconia's kills were the helpless, the unsuspecting, and non-combatants. She's not a warrior, she's a prickly hostile amoral survivor with no compunctions against murder. The only time she speaks of a straight up fight is when she's fighting against drow males set to capture her for sacrifice of whom she killed "many" before being overwhelmed by the people actively working to try and take her alive. And when she fled the underdark... She needed rescuing from a group of goblins. Yeah.
All of the kills Anomen refers to were feats of martial expertise. Hill Giants may not be the toughest giants out there, but that makes it more, not less, likely that he actually was telling the truth about fighting and beating them multiple times, since that's actually very possible for a level 6-7 fighter to accomplish, particularly leading a team. Wyverns may not be dragons, but he charged in and beat it all the same. Orcs may not be super impressive, but they're sure as anything tougher than Goblins and he won.
Ignoring mechanics and focusing solely on feats and lore, Viconia has a tiny sliver of hope if she manages to surprise Anomen, though considering the man is a trained warrior who wears a helmet, not a great chance. Otherwise she's at such a massive disadvantage, since she's constantly getting beaten by peasants, farmers, cultists, goblins and the like, that she'd have a better chance of killing him via heart attack.
So yeah, on every single possible metric, Anomen wins. Your only chance now is to claim that he's a liar, despite having no evidence of that fact and all of his feats being pretty possible for a level 7-8 character.
EDIT: Lol, I'd really better stop posting in this thread and go to bed. I'm "feeding the trolls", unintentionally. They're all very good at what they do. I'd say they cast "Chaos" at twice their level, with an innate save penalty of twice their level.