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Which Cleric (NPC) do you prefer?

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  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    Viconia and Branwen, definitely! Both are strong women with interesting backstories and personalities. And battlecries s2
    Aerakar
  • butteredsoulbutteredsoul Member Posts: 168
    I always found Yeslick (int 7) and Branwen (int 9) a bit too articulate for their intelligence scores.
    StummvonBordwehrQuartzDharius
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    9 is pretty average intelligence. If you picked any rando out of the street they'd have 9 or 10 in all their ability scores. I think Branwen talks about how you'd expect her too.

    7int is legit stupid though. Never toyed around with Yeslick too much but I wouldn't expect a 7 int character to be articulate at all.

    Minsc is of course the go to example for a stupid person, with his 8 intelligence, but it's worth noting that he probably is significantly less articulate than you'd expect an 8 intelligence person to be, because he's foreign and this isn't his first language. His companion Dynaheir has 17 intelligence but she also has trouble with the language. They both, presumably, are more articulate in their home tongue.
    ThacoBell
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    I RPed a half-ogre once that had 5 or 6 int, as well as low cha, and I assumed he had a brutally truncated vocab to reflect his int, and he'd regularly do some pretty dumb stuff.

    I dunno, iirc Yeslick is sane and coherent, but doesn't seem very bright, being easily tricked by the Iron Throne.
    Chronicler
  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    DreadKhan wrote: »
    I RPed a half-ogre once that had 5 or 6 int, as well as low cha, and I assumed he had a brutally truncated vocab to reflect his int, and he'd regularly do some pretty dumb stuff.

    I dunno, iirc Yeslick is sane and coherent, but doesn't seem very bright, being easily tricked by the Iron Throne.

    His 7 Intelligence isn’t just for show.
    DreadKhan
  • Gatekeep3rGatekeep3r Member Posts: 123
    edited May 2019
    Didn't INT score involve the way your character speaks in NWN?
    Quartz
  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    In the original NWN campaign, there were a few instances where a low-intelligence character had different dialogue lines. However there is very, very little role-playing in NWN compared to a game like Fallout which was legendary for its low-INT dialogue options.
    ThacoBell
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Arcanum also has dialogue for low int.
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    Yeslick is the strongest from a purely mechanical basis, I think. His three dispels are enough to deal with magic battles in vanilla. F/C is a great combo at 161k. He is also perfect for dex gloves+big-fisted belt, and 17 con shorty saves are nothing to sneeze at, especially paired with the cleric save table.

    I can see an argument in the alternative for Tiax, but he requires a bit of micromanagement, which I prefer to do only for CHARNAME.

    Branwen is probably the one I prefer the most, as you can get her early, and the NPC project really did well with her, imo. She is a bit more fun to have around than Yeslick. I like to keeper her to a multi fighter/cleric since I think it fit her ethos. I haven't tried the tempus kit yet, but early access to HP will help her a ton, I think. Chaos of battle looks really powerful

    Viconia is fine, I just prefer not to fiddle with reputation. MR can be really good if you design your tactics around her when needed, but still not reliable enough to pass muster, unless you're reloading a fair bit.
  • MorkfelMorkfel Member Posts: 27
    edited May 2019
    The bestest Cleric can only be acquire via cheating. First of all you need to level Minsc to level 7 so he gets most of his hitpoints from his Ranger class, then forcibly slap the
    Helmet of Opposite Alignment
    on his head (although that part is mostly for kicks), use EEKeeper or whathaveyou to increase his Wisdom to 17, then dual class him to Cleric. If you feel bad about the cheating and don't want all those bonus spells from high Wisdom, just cheat it back down after dual classing.

    Voila! You have the most powerful Cleric in BG. Especially if you could get him to 8+ as a cleric. Because he could dual wield all the blunt weapons and have extra hitpoints and attacks from his ranger levels. Then as a higher level cleric he can cast DUHM and some other super-enhancetory divine magic to make himself a juggernaut of butt-kickery. (But not for goodness.)

    I guess this is only really relevant if you're using EET to play as a trilogy so there's no level cap. ;)
    Skatanlolien
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,669
    @Morkfel Minsc as a cleric is... something I really never thought about. (I just checked the date, it's not 1st April :D )

    I voted Yeslick because I like him best, as a character. Viconia is evil, Branwen didn't appreciate the deeds of my CG fighter (go whine somewhere else about reputation, Branwen, you're welcome for the de-petrification by the way), and Quayle and Tiax... no. Only problem is that Yeslick is so late in the game.
    StummvonBordwehr
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    I mean, by that same trade you could edit Imoen into a fighter/cleric multiclass with 25 in every stat and grandmastery in every weapon and now she's the best cleric. Funny how that works.
    Raduziellolien
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    jastey wrote: »

    I voted Yeslick because I like him best, as a character. Viconia is evil, Branwen didn't appreciate the deeds of my CG fighter (go whine somewhere else about reputation, Branwen, you're welcome for the de-petrification by the way), and Quayle and Tiax... no. Only problem is that Yeslick is so late in the game.

    Interesting. I wonder why branwen doesn't complain in my current playthrough (20 Rep). I didn't install any tweak component that alters npc complaints/ fighting/leaving, because balancing the different npc interactions is part of the fun for me. Perhaps because I'm most of the way through her NPCProject romance, and maybe that tweaks her behavior in some way.

    I was genuinely curious as to why she wasn't giving her "These are not..." interjections, and is in fact giving her "strong warriors" affirmations.

    Something must be borked on my end. I'm going to grab an evil npc and see if they complain before leaving. I think I just didn't want to think about it, since it is nice not to have folks complaining. :D
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,669
    @Deucetipher My experiences were with Tutu back in the days. Or maybe even original BG1. So maybe this has changed in the EEs? Anyway, she just gave her uncontent voiced line from time to time, and when I let her go she was unfriendly. At least my PC saw it that way and was quite offended. Sometimes it's the first impressions that last the longest.
    Deucetipher
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    IIRC, in vanilla BG1, neutral npcs would complain at high rep. Jaheria did it too.
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    I can see an argument in the alternative for Tiax, but he requires a bit of micromanagement, which I prefer to do only for CHARNAME.
    That statement is real damn relatable.
    Yeslick is the strongest from a purely mechanical basis, I think. His three dispels are enough to deal with magic battles in vanilla. F/C is a great combo at 161k. He is also perfect for dex gloves+big-fisted belt, and 17 con shorty saves are nothing to sneeze at, especially paired with the cleric save table.
    Absolutely. Yeslick is the strongest cleric in BG1.
  • Gatekeep3rGatekeep3r Member Posts: 123
    ..which is probably why you conveniently meet him 10 minutes before the battle with Daevorn who is pre-buffed and pretty scary the first time.
    Quartz
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    If I recall there's also some sort of potion of magic protection in that mine somewhere that trivializes the battle.

    First time you play of course you save it for a special occasion but these days I always just drink it. It really is a pretty tough battle and there'll be more potions later.
  • Gatekeep3rGatekeep3r Member Posts: 123
    Lightning bolts everywhere! :)
  • Gatekeep3rGatekeep3r Member Posts: 123
    Completely agree with Raduziel. Tiax's Ghast is epic. Any monster that relies on charm (poor sirenes) gets butchered and he's immune to basilisk petrification gaze.
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    edited May 2019
    @Raduziel
    Raduziel wrote: »
    4) 16 Dex. Not bad for a multiclass Thief.
    16 Dexterity is the worst Dex of any Thief in BG1 actually.
    Alora: 19 Dex -- Coran: 20 Dex -- Imoen: 18 Dex -- Montaron: 17 Dex -- Safana: 17 Dex -- Skie: 18 Dex
    Raduziel wrote: »
    7) He has the best special ability among all the NPCs - all the other abilities can be reproduced through spells, but Summon Ghast is quite unique. As an undead, the Ghast can tank many disabling spells without breaking a sweat and being able to paralyze an opponent is also a good feature.
    Let's not forget Faldorn's Dread Wolf, but the Ghast is definitely better.

    I'll add one more to your list:

    9) Sanctuary + Find Traps cheese.
    Raduziel
  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    edited May 2019
    @Quartz

    Alora, Skie, Imoen and Safana are single class Thief.

    Coran's Dex is cheated and both him and Montaron gains a bonus to Dex due to race, a thing Tiax doesn't have.

    Edit: Baby made me publish early.

    And I didn't meant in comparison with other NPCs, but with character stats in general. 16 is a solid number.
    ThacoBell
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    @Raduziel Just saying man, his Dexterity compared to thieves is bad... BUT, if you wanted to say, "not bad for a divine caster in BG1," you'd be right on because most priests in BG1 have crappy Dexterity. (With the obvious exception being Viconia)

    Which, come to think of it, must be another reason why I find myself hating most of the divine casters in BG1... I always wanna run a priest in BG1 and a thief in BGII. The obvious solution seems to be a Cleric/Thief a la Tiax, but I just never enjoy the class for whatever reason. Don't enjoy the weapon restrictions and micromanagement (even though I'm perfectly willing to micromanage other things... idk, man).
    Raduziel
  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    @Quartz Have you ever tried Deities of Faerûn?
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    Xzar is legitimately a really good cleric if you give him a tome of wisdom. If you dual him at the right level he can have more spells than almost any other companion. Pretty much just Quayle and maybe Edwin as competition, and you get him way earlier than Quayle so you don't have to worry about level scaling issues.
    Quartz
  • Very_BigSwordVery_BigSword Member Posts: 222
    edited May 2019
    Chronicler wrote: »
    Xzar is legitimately a really good cleric if you give him a tome of wisdom. If you dual him at the right level he can have more spells than almost any other companion. Pretty much just Quayle and maybe Edwin as competition, and you get him way earlier than Quayle so you don't have to worry about level scaling issues.

    I am running Xzar as a Necro 5/Cleric X dual in my game and he works superbly. With Edwin also in the party and a Jester Charname there are massive options for arcanery and full utilisation of wands. These 3 plus Monty are so strong I don't even need my usual mainstay Tiax for this run. So definitely an upvote for dual classed Xzar here.

    Tiax is the man. If I am not running a "good" group he is all the cleric and all the thief that you need for utility. And summon ghast on top which has already been explained. Shorty saves. His personality is divine.
    Cleric/Thief micro-management tips:
    • Map thieving button to X key!
    • If using scripts go thief controlled to toggle between trap detection and attack enemy easily.
    • If possible balance party to use him as a back liner so he can stay in studded leather or elven chain full time. He can wear heavy armor if justified but swapping is a hassle.

    I run NPC project which moves most NPCs to earlier game locations. Recommended for getting the most out of them and avoiding the continuity/ability mismatch problem. Exceptions are Coran, Faldorn, Yeslick and Skie who make more sense being where they usually are. It is not a big issue to rush through to them and catch up the side maps afterward. It is noticeable that the BG city characters have more than usual to say in Chapters 5-7 content. Running around the city with Skie in chapter 7 for example.
    Raduziel
  • DinoDinDinoDin Member Posts: 1,567
    Branwen easily #1, Viconia #2 for me.

    Branwen is the better tank, Viconia is the better slinger. Branwen wins out for being slightly better in spellcasting and because tankiness is a better role for a cleric than ranged fighter. The +2 war hammer is one of the best weapons in the game, and you can get it fairly early. Toss on some Ankheg shell or full plate and pick the sword+shield style perk on level up, and she's arguably the best non-fighter class tank NPC in the game. And she may, from an overall strategic view of your party, outclass the fighters in the tank role, because she's not losing out on much damage output.

    On a challenge run, like no-reload or limited reload, her extra spell slots are great as well. As they are critical in some of the most dangerous fights -- enemy casters.

    Viconia's magic resistance isn't too great because you won't have her tanking, at least not until you seriously level up and gear up. And even then, turning her into a tank requires a sacrifice of some of the game's unique gear. She's good as a mage-interrupt slinger, because of her high Thac0, but she won't do a lot of damage naturally, with a low strength and one attack per round. She's still solid and easily the #2 IMO.
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