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Losing Rep Without Being a Dick

crawlkillcrawlkill Member Posts: 71
in Archive (General Discussion)
Heya, board. I'm thinking of running a good party with a couple evil characters in it, if only because I've never played with any of 'em before. Only problem is that I'm not willing to randomly murder people to keep my rep from going over 18. Is there anywhere you can safely lose rep without going on a killing spree? Like, maybe a vendor you can steal from who then calls guards you can bribe, with an attendant rep loss?
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Comments

  • EidolonEidolon Member Posts: 99
    You are going to have more problems than just reputation when you mix good and evil NPCs (I'm not saying it cannot be done by the way). Some NPCs don't like each other all that much like Edwin and Minsc for example, and there's plenty more.
  • shawneshawne Member Posts: 3,239
    Some quests have "evil" solutions that don't require you to descend to the depths of depravity necessary for, say, "Planescape Torment". :) I played an all-evil party and kept my Reputation at a comfortable 7-9 (low enough for evil NPC approval, high enough to keep the Flaming Fist from harassing you at every turn).
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    Shush nay-sayers. Mixed parties rock. All you have to do is avoid the very, very select few explosive combos (such as Edwin and Minsc), and you're good.
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    Isn't being a dick what an evil alignment is all about?

    Have your evil characters do evil things, handle quests in evil ways, and generally be the vile little sods they are, earn that hatred.
  • CommunardCommunard Member Posts: 556
    In Baldur's Gate you can sometimes lose reputation for being rude or asking to be paid for doing your job, so I wouldn't worry about it...
  • RapscallionRapscallion Member Posts: 81
    Well I was intending to run a good party, but I picked up Dorn and Viconia and each gave me -2 to reputation, so I think I'm sitting at around 9 now :/
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    When dorn joins you get -2 rep
    When viconia joins you get -2 rep
    Generally some quests have evil solutions which give -1 rep

    Some supposedly good aligned npcs are assholes and attack you unless you can talk your way out of it - these guys are only nominally good or neutral, since harassing and attacking people just walking by is an inherently chaotic evil action. A certain flaming fist mercenary and a paladin in bg spring to mind as examples of this.
  • Tie_FighterTie_Fighter Member Posts: 41
    High charisma helps, doesn't it? On the leader, that is.

    Anyway, in the realms what evil characters do is mostly steal and kill, so it's pretty difficult to lose rep other than that. But you do lose points from having Viconia and Dorn join you, so that's two "free" minus points right there.
  • crawlkillcrawlkill Member Posts: 71
    Oh right, that Flaming Fist mercenary asshole. -6 rep for defending yourself against false accusations even if you surrender!!!
  • SullaSulla Member Posts: 72
    I talked my way out of that fight. Unfortunately, I am running into the same problem you are. I am playing an evil party, but too many of the options in dialogue are out of character. There are plenty of classical "evil" characters who have standards and class. Some of the most powerful villains are very polite. Can you imagine Lord Vader speaking like a common ruffian or robbing some peasant 200 of his coin? Such acts would be beneath him. He might kill you without a second thought or "alter the deal", but he would do so politely.
  • StarcypherStarcypher Member Posts: 9
    Thought you could lose rep by reforming party and rehiring viconia every once in a while not sure if it has been changed will test
  • glenn3eglenn3e Member Posts: 8
    You get back the 2 rep if you kick her out now.
  • DinsdalePiranhaDinsdalePiranha Member Posts: 419
    iirc, go into house, hit commoner in face with fist, run like hell. or did this only work in BG2?
    alternative: use tweak pack to make 'em shut up, or that's what I did anyway - hearing "herp derp why you no be evil" for the hundredth time can get on anybody's nerves. most of them should understand the whole villain with good publicity thing. didn't try it out on BGEE currently though, but it supposedly works here too.
  • MechaliburMechalibur Member Posts: 265
    Quartz said:

    Shush nay-sayers. Mixed parties rock. All you have to do is avoid the very, very select few explosive combos (such as Edwin and Minsc), and you're good.

    Why would I want to avoid that? I enjoy watching my party fight itself for supremacy.
  • kilroy_was_herekilroy_was_here Member Posts: 455
    I remember there was some mod that added bards in taverns/inns. Just like you could donate money to churches to raise your rep, you could pay the bard to make up tales about how scary you were to lower it. Can't remember the name of the mod though...
  • crawlkillcrawlkill Member Posts: 71
    That'd be handy. And make sense. And be an opportunity for some hilarious terrified bard dialogue at really low reps. Never ran into that mod myself, though.
  • rdarkenrdarken Member Posts: 660
    crawlkill said:

    Oh right, that Flaming Fist mercenary asshole. -6 rep for defending yourself against false accusations even if you surrender!!!

    This happened to me for the first time ever last night. Product of low CHA. Loaded, spoke to him with someone else, no attacks.
  • ScofieldScofield Member Posts: 119
    @kilroy_was_here It is part of the "BG1 NPC Project" mod.

    "The BG1NPC Project: Bardic Reputation Adjustment
    This component places three Bards in three inns scattered on the Sword Coast. Each can be hired to spread your fearsome reputation around, decreasing your reputation. The amount of money this costs is dependent on your current reputation. This allows players to manipulate reputation both upwards through temple donations, and downwards through the spread of rumors (for those of us who hate killing an innocent just to keep neutral NPCs happy)."

  • kilroy_was_herekilroy_was_here Member Posts: 455
    edited November 2012
    @Scofield Yeah, that was it. Now all we have to do it wait for a compatible version to be released. As far as I know that mod has been confirmed NOT compatible right now. Even if you can trick it into installing it doesn't work because files it wants to modify aren't in the right place.
  • ScofieldScofield Member Posts: 119
    Hired Bards spreading horrifying rumors about you. Indeed, this is an awesome idea, I love it!
  • kilroy_was_herekilroy_was_here Member Posts: 455
    It makes sense on multiple levels:

    -gameplaywise it provides a way to lower as well as raise rep using only gold
    -settingwise it works because that would be something bards could be paid to do
    -immersionwise it lets players like @crawlkill let the Sword Coast know 'Hey, I might not be stepping on puppies but I'm still someone you don't want to mess with!'
  • AHFAHF Member Posts: 1,376
    One non-lethal way to lower rep is to get caught stealing and then run away before you actually have to fight anyone. There aren't a ton of ways to lower rep, though.

    With Viconia, the most useful aspect of her rep lowering is when you would otherwise have a 19 or 20 rep. Kick her out and your rep goes to 20. Add her back and you are at 18. That is the only situation where she net lowers your rep.
  • crawlkillcrawlkill Member Posts: 71
    edited November 2012
    AHF said:

    One non-lethal way to lower rep is to get caught stealing and then run away before you actually have to fight anyone. There aren't a ton of ways to lower rep, though.

    With Viconia, the most useful aspect of her rep lowering is when you would otherwise have a 19 or 20 rep. Kick her out and your rep goes to 20. Add her back and you are at 18. That is the only situation where she net lowers your rep.

    Wait, doesn't that mean with Viconia in your party you can just always maintain 18 rep and immediately kick and re-add her if you accidentally gain a point, dropping you back down to 18? Or do evil party members instantly quit/refuse to join when your rep goes above 18?

    So far my strategy has just been to kill the shit out of that Fist mercenary instead of talking him down. Let's face it: He deserved it. -7 rep was hell on my buy prices and was actually enough to put me in Fist patrol spawn territory, but I get it back up to 6 in Nashkel by refusing the 200 gold. I can see this is going to be difficult, though. Hrm.

    Does anyone know if that "party members just don't quit" component of Ease of Use is working?
  • AHFAHF Member Posts: 1,376
    crawlkill said:

    AHF said:

    One non-lethal way to lower rep is to get caught stealing and then run away before you actually have to fight anyone. There aren't a ton of ways to lower rep, though.

    With Viconia, the most useful aspect of her rep lowering is when you would otherwise have a 19 or 20 rep. Kick her out and your rep goes to 20. Add her back and you are at 18. That is the only situation where she net lowers your rep.

    Wait, doesn't that mean with Viconia in your party you can just always maintain 18 rep and immediately kick and re-add her if you accidentally gain a point, dropping you back down to 18? Or do evil party members instantly quit/refuse to join when your rep goes above 18?
    It does mean that Viconia you can always maintain an 18 rep if it works like BG2. She was willing to join with a 20 rep and it brought it back to 18 (which was the limit before she would quit for a decent CHA PC).
  • kilroy_was_herekilroy_was_here Member Posts: 455
    There is a brief delay between you raising your rep to 19 before an evil NPC will leave so you can dismiss/reacquire Viconia in that gap.

    Be aware that if you are playing BG2 this will break your Viconia romance. Once you get pretty far along in the romance (not sure if you have to change her alignment or not) she will eventually stay no matter what your alignment is.
  • crawlkillcrawlkill Member Posts: 71
    Having Viconia not chasing my dick is all to the good. So if this mechanic DOES work this way, I can indeed run a good party with evil characters. Neat. Hopefully it will! Now I regret murdering mister fuckhead mercenary and giving up seven precious points of reputation =<
  • kilroy_was_herekilroy_was_here Member Posts: 455
    @crawlkill Just know that certain NPC combinations in the party at the same time (like having Xzar/Montaron and Khalid/Jahiera) will eventually result in them killing each other regardless of what your reputation is. Having a high CHA character as the party leader can only delay this. It cannot be prevented.
  • csuzwcsuzw Member Posts: 48
    edited November 2012
    Personally I wish there was a way to "fix" your reputation at a specific value. Having to pay or perform contrived actions to keep it at a value that makes sense for your character is ridiculous and mods that just make all NPCs permanently happy don't really cut it either in my opinion.
  • ScofieldScofield Member Posts: 119
    @csuzw From role playing point of view, the idea of hiring bards at certain inns to spread negative rumors about you is still the most convenient way to balance out your reputation in my opinion. Paying the church to raise your rep while hiring bards to lower it makes sense and balances out the game reputation wise.

  • KirkorKirkor Member Posts: 700
    There is assassination quest in Baldur's Gate.
    After you make it, you can blackmail the lady who gave you this quest to give you 500 gold every 2 days. You get -1 rep every time, I think.
    Just kill Drizzt. It's pure profit :)
    I've also killed asshole nobleman at Nashkel Faire. And noone even said anything :)
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