To me, Xzar & Montaron are as canon as Minsc and Dynaheir, but in an evil BG1 party. It's a pity their story in BG2 doesn't have another end. I would very much like to see another chapter about a mad necromancer and a bloody halfling. They are my favourite pair from BG1. And this comes from the dwarfs fan!
I agree. Xzar and Montaron left the party in a rushed and bad way. Their interest in the child of Bhaal and the Zhentarim interest in the Sword Coast vanished all of sudden. Nah. This is something that needs improvement, because it is not good as it is.
I'd have voted for Xan and Alora, if that had been an option, since I always pick them up as a couple, to see one bicker about the others attitude.
But forced to choose, I pick Xan, because he's closer to what I'd be like as a character. no, joking aside, it's the blade that made me choose him (I'm a sucker for burning swords).
My honorable mentions go to the incredibly popular Shar-Teel, who, if starting as a dual-class (though some people might complain about that...) could fill the void that is the thief spot for evil parties. As much as Safana is trying to be cynical, she'll never feel evil to me.
Yeah, Xzar and Montaron shouldn't leave since they appear in BGII (sorta). Go team evil!
Really missed Yeslick (the Fi/Cl) dwarf - not much in the way of personality just an awesome character in combat. He went back to his destroyed clan, why? You draining the water by yourself?
I could also go with the evil regenerating dwarf fighter (can't remember his name but he was damn useful once you upped his strength with an item). It's not like he had anywhere else to go he abandons his shop in BG1. There are no evil/neutral fighters in SD
I'd trade them for Khalid (who died before I could recruit him anyway in my game because of a bug) and Rasaad (who is not useful till his fists are magic weapons).
I'm currently playing as a Priest of Lathander, and it dawned on me that there were no good or neutral aligned, pure clerics to be found. It's a good thing my PC was a cleric, or else I'd only have Viconia as an option.
Branwen would be the most obvious solution for a dearth of clerics, and would be perfect for good or neutral aligned parties. At the very least, the overly discussed Mizhena should probably have been Branwen, if Branwen is to not be a playable NPC. Branwen was considered an outcast since she was a female cleric of Tempus, although I think that was based upon her culture and not religious dogma. Regardless, we have two female clerics of Tempus that may be considered unusual for gender related reasons, although those reasons are different.
What gets me is that for whatever reason, they created a female cleric of Tempus to be the camp healer, but it was not Branwen. It would have been a better send off for a BG1 character that did not return for BG2.
Really missed Yeslick (the Fi/Cl) dwarf - not much in the way of personality just an awesome character in combat. He went back to his destroyed clan, why? You draining the water by yourself?
Lol. I imagined Yeslick drawing the water and I laughed. A LOT.
In this forum, when you open a pool, you can select max 10 options. For this reason, I did not include Imoen, Tiax, Skie, Coran and Garrick because they still have a cameo or an important rule in the game, while all the other NPCs just left in a bad and rushed way and you have no chance to meet them again or know something about their fate.
As for Ajantis, I cannot include him due to the max 10 options, but I am going to edit the OP.
I choose Alora, really like her in BG1 tho she was neglected because of her late appearance in the game, and I would really want to see more of her, and beside why they put Safana as the "main" thief, not everyone like her and she is kinda the only option at the beginning till Glint show up and he is a multiclass, I like Glint I really do but I don't really need a cleric when I usually playing one, I like me a pure thief that isn't Safana.
Also I would have like to see another front liner to choose from maybe Yeslick that again like Alora show up late, while I don't really need his cleric skills he is a fighter and it always good to have another option if I choose not to go with a cleric myself.
As for evil parties yeah there is a lack of character also but I don't care really as I'm not playing evil nor do I like the evils NPC's much.
Kivan whould have being nice to see, so what if there is Corwin
@Philhelm is right they should have bring Branwen as the cleric camp if they already gone and made a female cleric of Tempus.
I'm currently playing as a Priest of Lathander, and it dawned on me [...]
I see what you did there!
As for me, I would have liked to have more dwarven muscles around. As I have already stated elsewhere on these forumsfora, Kagain would fit well to have as a companion, because he's a profiteer above all, and where there is a war there is profit to be gained. Yeslik on the other hand, was supposed to go back to the Cloakwood mines and reopen/re-establish his clan. But war, war never changes. War cripples commerce, and a newly liberated mine would have a very hard time to thrive with a war on its doorsteps.
Other NPCs from the original game also might have interest in fighting for/against the crusade.
Ajantis for example, could have been sent by his superiors to investigate the righteousness of the crusade. He doesn't shine for intelligence, so I'd say he could have been fooled by the false promise of Caelan Argent. This would open the opportunity of finding him inside the crusaders' camp, eventually leading to the option of convincing him of the foolishness of the crusade and joining your party to make things right.
Montaron and Xzar: as others stated, it seems unlikely the Zhantarim suddenly loose interest in the Sword Coast. It is even less likely that they would lose the opportunity to get a foothold in Baldur's Gate or surrounding areas following the chaos brought by the crusade. Zhentil keep has always had plans to increase its area of influence; on the one hand, the crusade offers exactly that opportunity because lawful forces in the area are engaged elsewhere; on the other hand, the powers behind the crusade might become another power to be reckoned with, and that alone might be reason enough to sabotage their schemes. I'd see the duo either trying to sneak in the camp to gather more information on the crusade, or actively trying to sabotage their gains from the outside.
Edit: my Latin grammar teacher called, she was pissed at "forums" in lieu of "fora".
@Axl_Krow I did not forget him. In the OP I clearly stated that I did not include in the pool Imoen, Tiax, Skie, Coran and Garrick because they still have a cameo or an important rule in the game, while all the other NPCs just vanished.
You are correct, Branwen would be a good carry over with obvious banter with Mizhena. A cleric of Tempus leaves you when you go to war. Really? You're fired Branwen
Branwen would be the most obvious solution for a dearth of clerics, and would be perfect for good or neutral aligned parties. At the very least, the overly discussed Mizhena should probably have been Branwen, if Branwen is to not be a playable NPC. Branwen was considered an outcast since she was a female cleric of Tempus, although I think that was based upon her culture and not religious dogma. Regardless, we have two female clerics of Tempus that may be considered unusual for gender related reasons, although those reasons are different.
What gets me is that for whatever reason, they created a female cleric of Tempus to be the camp healer, but it was not Branwen. It would have been a better send off for a BG1 character that did not return for BG2.
@decado No, I am not. As I said, I had to do it because of the 10 options limit. I like dwarves. In fact, I think Yeslick would fit well in SOD. There is a quest where I thought I would have met him. Sadly, he was not there
SoD doesn't really have a great tank character. Also, I feel like the fact that Caelar's crusade is destroying trade routes gives a reasons for a greedy, evil character like Kagain to actually align with heroes. We all need trade, even evil dwarves.
I actually like Yeslick too, so this is an appropriate answer
I always liked Ajantis, but considering his fate in Shadows of Amn, I think it was better for him to not be involved (to explain his absence). I lik eXzar and Monty, but for the same reason its more in line with their Shadows of Amn storyline to be absent from SoD. Also THANK GOD they did not include Quayle.
I honestly think it was a bad idea to include Safana due to her SoA storyline, and would have preferred Alora. Alora is probably my second favorite option, or Branwen
Three characters I like very much, but did not vote for
Xan: He was sent to the Sword Coast to investigate the turmoil. It makes sense that he went back to Evereska (wherever the hell that is) to report to his bosses. I like the mod that adds him to SoA, but he'd have to at least tell his superiors what happened before returning to travel with the Bhaalspawn.
Kivan: He got his revenge on Tazok, and by respondeat superior, Sarevok. He now should go mourn his beloved Dehariana and try to find peace. I imagine him riding off into the sunset, like the Clint Eastwood cowboy his character paid homage to, and then maybe retire somewhere as a ranger.
Yeslick: In my head canon, he is currently opening up the mines with all the former slaves. Rather than use forced labor, they own the mines themselves as a joint venture, and are helping Baldur's Gate get back on its feet after the Iron Crisis. Yeslick, of course, is the foreman and the healer. The weapons being sold by the merchants in the Flaming Fist are produced with iron from Yeslick's mine
@Aedan You left out Ajantis on your poll as well as the listing of the left-out NPCs. May I ask why?
I'm glad someone thinks of Ajantis! :-)
Not that I exactly recruit and keep him as honourably as our paladin would deserve: when my party fills up, I usually get Khalid killed so I can rather keep Ajantis in his stead. Good thing paladins cannot read minds - he'd be outraged! And then I drop him for Kivan later, ever so often, but at least not always.
I think I like the character as much as I do, because the voice actor is so perfectly playing to the type: the righteous character that is almost a little naïve in his assurance that there is good and evil, and nothing gray in-between.
the righteous character that is almost a little naïve in his assurance that there is good and evil, and nothing gray in-between.
That actually annoys me about him. If your reputation is 9 (because you have not yet done enough to have higher rep), then he keeps complaining about "the direction" of your party. "B****, I'm lawful evil!", CHARNAME wants to yell (but cannot...for reasons).
Note: I usually play a lawful evil character with a good reputation. In general, my character has no problem with any party member, although my tendency is towards a party that is not specifically evil or good. Usually I have a good mix of the two alignment spectrums balanced by neutral NPCs.
SO... Right now, Shar-Teel leads the pool, followed by Yeslick, Xan, Xzar & Montaron. Branwen and Kivan got a good amount of votes as well. No love for Eldoth and Quayle
I went with Xzar and Monteran just because I feel that the the complete lack of an evil thief was bad. The two theives available do nothing but complain about being in a low rep group.
Yes. I dont know if its a response I gave to her but my evil party came in with a very low rep and after taking in two drow and a goblin she has done nothing but complain about the low rep. I had this on multiplayer which is now glitched so I dont know how long her complaints will last, if she leaves, etc. but shes getting on my nerves and I am debating replacing her with an extra custom character once multiplayer is fixed
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But forced to choose, I pick Xan, because he's closer to what I'd be like as a character.
My honorable mentions go to the incredibly popular Shar-Teel, who, if starting as a dual-class (though some people might complain about that...) could fill the void that is the thief spot for evil parties. As much as Safana is trying to be cynical, she'll never feel evil to me.
Really missed Yeslick (the Fi/Cl) dwarf - not much in the way of personality just an awesome character in combat. He went back to his destroyed clan, why? You draining the water by yourself?
I could also go with the evil regenerating dwarf fighter (can't remember his name but he was damn useful once you upped his strength with an item). It's not like he had anywhere else to go he abandons his shop in BG1. There are no evil/neutral fighters in SD
I'd trade them for Khalid (who died before I could recruit him anyway in my game because of a bug) and Rasaad (who is not useful till his fists are magic weapons).
Branwen would be the most obvious solution for a dearth of clerics, and would be perfect for good or neutral aligned parties. At the very least, the overly discussed Mizhena should probably have been Branwen, if Branwen is to not be a playable NPC. Branwen was considered an outcast since she was a female cleric of Tempus, although I think that was based upon her culture and not religious dogma. Regardless, we have two female clerics of Tempus that may be considered unusual for gender related reasons, although those reasons are different.
What gets me is that for whatever reason, they created a female cleric of Tempus to be the camp healer, but it was not Branwen. It would have been a better send off for a BG1 character that did not return for BG2.
Hi!
In this forum, when you open a pool, you can select max 10 options. For this reason, I did not include Imoen, Tiax, Skie, Coran and Garrick because they still have a cameo or an important rule in the game, while all the other NPCs just left in a bad and rushed way and you have no chance to meet them again or know something about their fate.
As for Ajantis, I cannot include him due to the max 10 options, but I am going to edit the OP.
Also I would have like to see another front liner to choose from maybe Yeslick that again like Alora show up late, while I don't really need his cleric skills he is a fighter and it always good to have another option if I choose not to go with a cleric myself.
As for evil parties yeah there is a lack of character also but I don't care really as I'm not playing evil nor do I like the evils NPC's much.
Kivan whould have being nice to see, so what if there is Corwin
@Philhelm is right they should have bring Branwen as the cleric camp if they already gone and made a female cleric of Tempus.
Yes, you remember well
As for me, I would have liked to have more dwarven muscles around. As I have already stated elsewhere on these
forumsfora, Kagain would fit well to have as a companion, because he's a profiteer above all, and where there is a war there is profit to be gained. Yeslik on the other hand, was supposed to go back to the Cloakwood mines and reopen/re-establish his clan. But war, war never changes. War cripples commerce, and a newly liberated mine would have a very hard time to thrive with a war on its doorsteps.Other NPCs from the original game also might have interest in fighting for/against the crusade.
Ajantis for example, could have been sent by his superiors to investigate the righteousness of the crusade. He doesn't shine for intelligence, so I'd say he could have been fooled by the false promise of Caelan Argent. This would open the opportunity of finding him inside the crusaders' camp, eventually leading to the option of convincing him of the foolishness of the crusade and joining your party to make things right.
Montaron and Xzar: as others stated, it seems unlikely the Zhantarim suddenly loose interest in the Sword Coast. It is even less likely that they would lose the opportunity to get a foothold in Baldur's Gate or surrounding areas following the chaos brought by the crusade. Zhentil keep has always had plans to increase its area of influence; on the one hand, the crusade offers exactly that opportunity because lawful forces in the area are engaged elsewhere; on the other hand, the powers behind the crusade might become another power to be reckoned with, and that alone might be reason enough to sabotage their schemes. I'd see the duo either trying to sneak in the camp to gather more information on the crusade, or actively trying to sabotage their gains from the outside.
Edit: my Latin grammar teacher called, she was pissed at "forums" in lieu of "fora".
Poor Garrick.
And really, 3-4 of these should've made the cut.
I did not forget him. In the OP I clearly stated that I did not include in the pool Imoen, Tiax, Skie, Coran and Garrick because they still have a cameo or an important rule in the game, while all the other NPCs just vanished.
I feel you are making some sort of anti-size slur against dwarves by including them both in the same option. For shame...
No, I am not. As I said, I had to do it because of the 10 options limit.
I like dwarves. In fact, I think Yeslick would fit well in SOD. There is a quest where I thought I would have met him. Sadly, he was not there
SoD doesn't really have a great tank character. Also, I feel like the fact that Caelar's crusade is destroying trade routes gives a reasons for a greedy, evil character like Kagain to actually align with heroes. We all need trade, even evil dwarves.
I actually like Yeslick too, so this is an appropriate answer
I always liked Ajantis, but considering his fate in Shadows of Amn, I think it was better for him to not be involved (to explain his absence). I lik eXzar and Monty, but for the same reason its more in line with their Shadows of Amn storyline to be absent from SoD. Also THANK GOD they did not include Quayle.
I honestly think it was a bad idea to include Safana due to her SoA storyline, and would have preferred Alora. Alora is probably my second favorite option, or Branwen
Xan: He was sent to the Sword Coast to investigate the turmoil. It makes sense that he went back to Evereska (wherever the hell that is) to report to his bosses. I like the mod that adds him to SoA, but he'd have to at least tell his superiors what happened before returning to travel with the Bhaalspawn.
Kivan: He got his revenge on Tazok, and by respondeat superior, Sarevok. He now should go mourn his beloved Dehariana and try to find peace. I imagine him riding off into the sunset, like the Clint Eastwood cowboy his character paid homage to, and then maybe retire somewhere as a ranger.
Yeslick: In my head canon, he is currently opening up the mines with all the former slaves. Rather than use forced labor, they own the mines themselves as a joint venture, and are helping Baldur's Gate get back on its feet after the Iron Crisis. Yeslick, of course, is the foreman and the healer. The weapons being sold by the merchants in the Flaming Fist are produced with iron from Yeslick's mine
Not that I exactly recruit and keep him as honourably as our paladin would deserve: when my party fills up, I usually get Khalid killed so I can rather keep Ajantis in his stead. Good thing paladins cannot read minds - he'd be outraged! And then I drop him for Kivan later, ever so often, but at least not always.
I think I like the character as much as I do, because the voice actor is so perfectly playing to the type: the righteous character that is almost a little naïve in his assurance that there is good and evil, and nothing gray in-between.
Note: I usually play a lawful evil character with a good reputation. In general, my character has no problem with any party member, although my tendency is towards a party that is not specifically evil or good. Usually I have a good mix of the two alignment spectrums balanced by neutral NPCs.
Right now, Shar-Teel leads the pool, followed by Yeslick, Xan, Xzar & Montaron.
Branwen and Kivan got a good amount of votes as well.
No love for Eldoth and Quayle
Even Safana?