Keldorn without a doubt. He is one of the most interesting and well thought NPCs in the BG series. On top of that his epilogue is absolutely amazing and heroic, sacrificing himself to save many:
Mazzy is always in my all good group even up till the end. I might bring Keldorn with me if I don't make a paladin for the main guy in such a group, but he ends up just being "that guy wielding Carsomyr".
I do like Keldorn. I seem to recall a couple of my early BG2 monks liked Keldorn a lot, too. Until they lawfully stripped him of his armor and lawfully kicked him to the curb.
Keldorn is the best to fill in a void in my party, IMHO. I like playing Sorcerer or Conjurer, and in either case, True Sight from Keldorn augments my party perfectly. His character is also pretty well fleshed out.
That said, Ajantis holds a place in my heart for being so close to the beginning. You can get him at the same time as Khalid & Jaheira...either just before or just after...and he starts as a hugely powerful Level 2! (Which, to my Level 1 Conjurer, was incredible in the good ol' days!)
I'm trying to figure out how anyone can like Ajantis over Keldorn.
Yeah, Mazzy and Keldorn is a tough choice (personality wise), but really, Ajantis? He's way to eager, and honestly more than a bit naive and green.
And Keldorn, pure awesome, plus a great personal story and quest. Finally showing that just because your a good guy doesn't mean you can just ignore your home life and expect everything to be hunky dory.
1. If he were here he would mostly just be the rebel vote for those who "don't like Paladins." That's not exactly helpful voting. 2. This poll/thread was made before BG:EE came out. People voting Dorn would've been playing a guessing game, considering they hadn't actually played him yet.
I'm trying to figure out how anyone can like Ajantis over Keldorn.
Yeah, Mazzy and Keldorn is a tough choice (personality wise), but really, Ajantis? He's way to eager, and honestly more than a bit naive and green.
And Keldorn, pure awesome, plus a great personal story and quest. Finally showing that just because your a good guy doesn't mean you can just ignore your home life and expect everything to be hunky dory.
We can't compare Ajantis and Keldorn in that way. Everybody in BG2 has a better quest and story... We can compare their pics, stats, sounsets and personalities... The main thing I don't like about Keldorn is that he's a grandpa. But he has a better kit, not pure paladin, without spells, but powerfull (dispel and true sight), but Ajantis has better dex and all Pal feats and can cast spells (in theory). And the main thing is, that in the BG1 setting he's the 2nd best TANK in the game, and the best good alignet tank. Sooo...
My guess is that Blackguard is a Paladin kit because the UI buttons available to a character are based on their un-kitted class, and Blackguards are suppose dto be able to rebuke undead and cast clerical spells, both of which are buttons Fighters don't have. Not to mention, Blackguard has always been the evil version of the Paladin, so it isn't like this is some weird choice on the part of the developers.
I played a Keldorn, Minsc, Anomen, Imoen/Nalia, Cavalier, Jaheira game into early TOB once and particularly appreciated Keldorn's dialogue, etc. definitely my favorite NPC in BGII.
Ajantis is more fun, by Helm, by Keldorn's story is one of the better ones in BG2. His ending was one of the few times I've genuinely felt sorry for a videogame character.
And no, Poll Lady, wishes aren't horses and Mazzy is no paladin. ;-)
Look at the 3E for even more fun, in the Faerun setting book halflings can become paladin/monks and are the only race that can do so and still gain levels in both. XD
During the Time of Troubles Brandobaris tricked Arvoreen into putting on a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity. So Arvoreen went through a phase, and hi^Her followers, including the Truesword Mazzy, generally respected/reluctantly acknowledged the transitive gender identity.
I thought this was common knowledge. I always thought it was clever for the writers in BG2 to get it right, but then some folks got all worked up and now it's a mess.
*dives into a convenient Dimension Door and makes good his escape*
Thank you for the clarification. Justification for Mazzy being awesome!
Saerileth is a giant bag of dicks. I'd actually like to see a well-crafted NPC mod starring a non-mary sue Undead Hunter, that'd be worth a playthrough. FYI I voted Keldorn. I mean you call him racist but Viconia is totally an evil bitch. Also when 99.9% of a race of elves ARE evil, I think he's just playing the numbers.
I gotta go with Keldorn. It was such fun having to manage and restrain a party composed of Keldorn/Viconia and Minsc/Edwin in a way that didn't result in a inter-party bloodbath.
However, I always included the mod that allowed Mazzy to achieve her Knighthood.
1. If he were here he would mostly just be the rebel vote for those who "don't like Paladins." That's not exactly helpful voting. 2. This poll/thread was made before BG:EE came out. People voting Dorn would've been playing a guessing game, considering they hadn't actually played him yet.
Now that BGEE IS out, someone should see if Dorn is more popular than the goody two-shoes Paladins (and shorty pseudo paladin).
Keldorn, its great to have a cool old dude who don't take no nonsense from nobody.
On the racism thing, he doesn't seem racist to Drizzt, or in the underdark, so I don't think its that.
Viconia is the cleric of an evil god, and thus is inherently, all the time she is alive and being a cleric for Shar, acting to make a powerful force for evil in the realms stronger. Korgan and Edwin, so long as they obey the orders of a good group leader, won't actually do anything evil while they are in the group; as an evil cleric, Viconia advances the cause of evil all the time.
So, in realms terms taking her down is totally justified imo. On the other hand, this basically isn't implemented at all in game, though slaughtering all the Talosians is still pretty tempting.
It's totally Keldorn. Ajantis is pretty much a cardboard version of Anomen - who sucks. Keldorn not only walks the walk and talks the talk, but he's suffered for it. All the more noble.
@Murkve What? Ajantis and Anomen have nothing in common. Ajantis is kind, loyal, naive, dedicated. Anomen is arrogant, potentially violent, conflicted, somewhat... lusty. They're totally different characters.
Yes, they're totally different characters. Totally different people. But to me they both lack maturity. Ajantis is a mere squire - one step up from what Anomen is. In my mind, being a Paladin comes with sacrifice in the name of Honor and Justice. Neither Ajantis nor Anomen have come far enough in their respective professions to experience this - not that it's their fault. I feel like Ajantis will eventually become a Keldorn, but the lack of solid character development in BG as opposed to BG2 leaves the issue open.
Ajantis, Keldorn is too much of an okay dude to leave in sewers writhing in his own innards, but I'd gladly do that to Ajantis, considering he's an asshole. and I did. every time. and, as an added benefit, you can even kill him in BG2 once more. (also to Anomen, but that's a different story - it's a bad manners to ask my CHARNAME whether she's friend or foe, one that tends to end in a lot of teeth all over the floor)
Mazzy of course, Ajantis after that, he is still a naive paladin and makes a good couple with Minsc (NOT THAT WAY!) His fate in BG2 is sad But i always avenge him!
Comments
Aerie: Oh, my wings are gone, and I shall never fly agai-
CHARNAME: Shut up girl.
*Zap*
Aerie: Uh... thanks...?
That said, Ajantis holds a place in my heart for being so close to the beginning. You can get him at the same time as Khalid & Jaheira...either just before or just after...and he starts as a hugely powerful Level 2! (Which, to my Level 1 Conjurer, was incredible in the good ol' days!)
Yeah, Mazzy and Keldorn is a tough choice (personality wise), but really, Ajantis? He's way to eager, and honestly more than a bit naive and green.
And Keldorn, pure awesome, plus a great personal story and quest. Finally showing that just because your a good guy doesn't mean you can just ignore your home life and expect everything to be hunky dory.
1. If he were here he would mostly just be the rebel vote for those who "don't like Paladins." That's not exactly helpful voting.
2. This poll/thread was made before BG:EE came out. People voting Dorn would've been playing a guessing game, considering they hadn't actually played him yet.
We can compare their pics, stats, sounsets and personalities...
The main thing I don't like about Keldorn is that he's a grandpa.
But he has a better kit, not pure paladin, without spells, but powerfull (dispel and true sight), but Ajantis has better dex and all Pal feats and can cast spells (in theory). And the main thing is, that in the BG1 setting he's the 2nd best TANK in the game, and the best good alignet tank. Sooo...
However, I always included the mod that allowed Mazzy to achieve her Knighthood.
On the racism thing, he doesn't seem racist to Drizzt, or in the underdark, so I don't think its that.
Viconia is the cleric of an evil god, and thus is inherently, all the time she is alive and being a cleric for Shar, acting to make a powerful force for evil in the realms stronger. Korgan and Edwin, so long as they obey the orders of a good group leader, won't actually do anything evil while they are in the group; as an evil cleric, Viconia advances the cause of evil all the time.
So, in realms terms taking her down is totally justified imo. On the other hand, this basically isn't implemented at all in game, though slaughtering all the Talosians is still pretty tempting.
His fate in BG2 is sad
he is the real deal
and his end story in ToB was great