What are Charname's "actual" stats? In your opinion?
Fionordequester
Member Posts: 41
Obviously, there's not really a right answer... Buuut, I obsess on head-canon, and have a lot of free time at the moment, so, here's my spiel.
Each version of this game, and BG2, have "pre-built" Charnames. All of them are consistent on a few things:
1) Charname is a Human Male named Abdel Adrian.
2) Abdel is always a single-class Fighter.
3) He's always either Neutral Good or Chaotic Good
4) He specs Long Swords & Shields in every one of these, except for the OG Tales of the Sword Coast
But, his stat distribution varies wildly; So by looking at all those, the steam achievements, how he speaks, and how others interact with him... I think the stats that make the most "sense" for him are as follows:
Class:
Berserker (and realistically duals into Mage at LVL 9)
Alignment:
Chaotic Good > Neutral Good (he goes from Chaotic to Neutral as he matures)
Stats:
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 18
Total: 95 (just like Sarevok)
Specs:
Long Swords: 2
Shields: 2
Why Chaotic Good to Neutral Good?
Abdel was apparently a difficult child, according to Arkushule (in the Lighthouse area)... Plus, he's also good friends with Imoen, who is a literal Thief. Nonetheless, he becomes a pretty chill, introspective, and law-abiding guy by the end. He even becomes a respected statesman in Baldur's Gate (as the leader of the Flaming Fist)! So, he can comfortably live life as a respected authority figure.
Why Berserker?
It's literally a straight upgrade from vanilla Fighter--at least for the hack 'n slasher he seems to be. It ties in nicely with his Bhaalspawn blood, too.
He's probably not a Barbarian either--otherwise he wouldn't have been able to Grandmaster in Long Swords. Besides, Candlekeep would have frowned on those.
Why 18 Charisma?
First of all, it's mandatory for the best Candlekeep quest rewards (unless you cast Friends)... But more than that, the dude is a natural leader that makes friends everywhere he goes—no matter what their race or alignment. And, apparently, he's so ridiculously persuasive, that he can literally talk
That's...a pretty massive swing in alignment, especially considering all it took was a few conversations, and a bit of time traveling together.
Charisma is his real superpower. He inspires loyalty, respect, love, and absolute trust from those he leads into battle—that is what ultimately leads him to victory.
Good thing, too, because...
Why 17 Strength & Dexterity, with 15 Constitution?
Well, he's no slouch... But, there are plenty who are stronger, faster, taller, and/or scarier. Look no further than Sarevok...
Strength: 18/00
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 15
Total: 95
He soundly beats Abdel at base. The only way Abdel gets any kind of edge is through every Stat Tome in the game... And even then, it could go either way.
You can tell that at a glance, too. Carbos, for example, takes one look at him and says...
"Pretty face, but I don't see what the fuss is about."
And while Abdel makes plenty of friends, there's also many who size him up and think "yeah, I can take him".
Still, 15 Constitution is perfectly respectable—in fact, it's enough to get the "Colossus" achievement (150 HP), so long as Abdel uses the Constitution Tome at some point. So, he's got enough, at least.
Why 12 Wisdom?
It gets bumped up to 15 via the Wisdom Tomes—the bare minimum requirement for clearing every Wisdom check in BG2 (Wisdom has a minor effect on Dialogue choices in a few places).
So, Abdel isn't perfect. He's young, he's untested, he can lose his temper... He's not quite a Paladin just yet. But all that gets better with age and experience. And, even his worst is still miles better than Sarevok's best.
Why 16 Intelligence?
Well...This is probably the most debatable one. None of the official sources ever put him as anything but a Fighter... But in my head, he "realistically" Duals into Mage at some point after beating Sarevok. Why?
Because Abdel is a thinker. He's such a thinker, in fact, that he literally journals regarding all the different chores he does at Candlekeep. Yes, he has a diary—an extensive one covering all his different quests and exploits (even the minor ones).
He talks with eloquence and wit, too--just look at his amazing dialogue options throughout the game. So while he may prefer swords to magic, he's no dullard at all. As such, he eventually realizes there's only so many foes you can beat just by whacking them upside the head.
He's also going to notice, at some point, that he's hit a wall. Yes, he's run out of HD rolls. He got the "Grandmaster" achievement in Long Swords and can go no further. He's decked out with the best weapons and armor in all the Sword Coast, and can find no more...
That's upsetting... Because even with all that, it still took him and 5 others to defeat Sarevok's band... Something Gorion nearly did all by himself (at least in Classic Baldur's Gate).
Then, Abdel gets
just -
isn't -
enough.
So...as boring and stuffy as those old books and scrolls are... As much as Abdel preferred the hack-n-slash approach...
He needs to bite the bullet; He needs to follow Imoen's lead. Because, if nothing else, fighting is a helluva lot easier when you have Stoneskin to replace regular armor, Mirror Images to distract people, magic & lightning to shoot out your fingertips, and literal invisibility to turn the tides.
Oh, and he still needs the "Loremaster" trophy (100 Lore) before BG2... So there's that.
So that's it—that's my spiel. And if you're curious, these are the base stats he ends up with by the end of ToB (assuming good choices in the tests and no Deck of Many Things RNG)...
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 18 (assuming no exploit in "Test of Selfishness")
Constitution: 17
Intellect: 18
Wisdom: 17
Charisma: 21
Total: 110
Thoughts? If you've read even half of this xD?
Each version of this game, and BG2, have "pre-built" Charnames. All of them are consistent on a few things:
1) Charname is a Human Male named Abdel Adrian.
2) Abdel is always a single-class Fighter.
3) He's always either Neutral Good or Chaotic Good
4) He specs Long Swords & Shields in every one of these, except for the OG Tales of the Sword Coast
But, his stat distribution varies wildly; So by looking at all those, the steam achievements, how he speaks, and how others interact with him... I think the stats that make the most "sense" for him are as follows:
Class:
Berserker (and realistically duals into Mage at LVL 9)
Alignment:
Chaotic Good > Neutral Good (he goes from Chaotic to Neutral as he matures)
Stats:
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 18
Total: 95 (just like Sarevok)
Specs:
Long Swords: 2
Shields: 2
Why Chaotic Good to Neutral Good?
Abdel was apparently a difficult child, according to Arkushule (in the Lighthouse area)... Plus, he's also good friends with Imoen, who is a literal Thief. Nonetheless, he becomes a pretty chill, introspective, and law-abiding guy by the end. He even becomes a respected statesman in Baldur's Gate (as the leader of the Flaming Fist)! So, he can comfortably live life as a respected authority figure.
Why Berserker?
It's literally a straight upgrade from vanilla Fighter--at least for the hack 'n slasher he seems to be. It ties in nicely with his Bhaalspawn blood, too.
He's probably not a Barbarian either--otherwise he wouldn't have been able to Grandmaster in Long Swords. Besides, Candlekeep would have frowned on those.
Why 18 Charisma?
First of all, it's mandatory for the best Candlekeep quest rewards (unless you cast Friends)... But more than that, the dude is a natural leader that makes friends everywhere he goes—no matter what their race or alignment. And, apparently, he's so ridiculously persuasive, that he can literally talk
Sarevok himself
into going from Chaotic Evil to Chaotic Good.That's...a pretty massive swing in alignment, especially considering all it took was a few conversations, and a bit of time traveling together.
Charisma is his real superpower. He inspires loyalty, respect, love, and absolute trust from those he leads into battle—that is what ultimately leads him to victory.
Good thing, too, because...
Why 17 Strength & Dexterity, with 15 Constitution?
Well, he's no slouch... But, there are plenty who are stronger, faster, taller, and/or scarier. Look no further than Sarevok...
Strength: 18/00
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 15
Total: 95
He soundly beats Abdel at base. The only way Abdel gets any kind of edge is through every Stat Tome in the game... And even then, it could go either way.
You can tell that at a glance, too. Carbos, for example, takes one look at him and says...
"Pretty face, but I don't see what the fuss is about."
And while Abdel makes plenty of friends, there's also many who size him up and think "yeah, I can take him".
Still, 15 Constitution is perfectly respectable—in fact, it's enough to get the "Colossus" achievement (150 HP), so long as Abdel uses the Constitution Tome at some point. So, he's got enough, at least.
Why 12 Wisdom?
It gets bumped up to 15 via the Wisdom Tomes—the bare minimum requirement for clearing every Wisdom check in BG2 (Wisdom has a minor effect on Dialogue choices in a few places).
So, Abdel isn't perfect. He's young, he's untested, he can lose his temper... He's not quite a Paladin just yet. But all that gets better with age and experience. And, even his worst is still miles better than Sarevok's best.
Why 16 Intelligence?
Well...This is probably the most debatable one. None of the official sources ever put him as anything but a Fighter... But in my head, he "realistically" Duals into Mage at some point after beating Sarevok. Why?
Because Abdel is a thinker. He's such a thinker, in fact, that he literally journals regarding all the different chores he does at Candlekeep. Yes, he has a diary—an extensive one covering all his different quests and exploits (even the minor ones).
He talks with eloquence and wit, too--just look at his amazing dialogue options throughout the game. So while he may prefer swords to magic, he's no dullard at all. As such, he eventually realizes there's only so many foes you can beat just by whacking them upside the head.
He's also going to notice, at some point, that he's hit a wall. Yes, he's run out of HD rolls. He got the "Grandmaster" achievement in Long Swords and can go no further. He's decked out with the best weapons and armor in all the Sword Coast, and can find no more...
That's upsetting... Because even with all that, it still took him and 5 others to defeat Sarevok's band... Something Gorion nearly did all by himself (at least in Classic Baldur's Gate).
Then, Abdel gets
pwned and experimented on by Irenicus
. He starts meeting liches. He's squaring up to literal dragons. The writing is on the wall... Basic swordplay -just -
isn't -
enough.
So...as boring and stuffy as those old books and scrolls are... As much as Abdel preferred the hack-n-slash approach...
He needs to bite the bullet; He needs to follow Imoen's lead. Because, if nothing else, fighting is a helluva lot easier when you have Stoneskin to replace regular armor, Mirror Images to distract people, magic & lightning to shoot out your fingertips, and literal invisibility to turn the tides.
Oh, and he still needs the "Loremaster" trophy (100 Lore) before BG2... So there's that.
So that's it—that's my spiel. And if you're curious, these are the base stats he ends up with by the end of ToB (assuming good choices in the tests and no Deck of Many Things RNG)...
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 18 (assuming no exploit in "Test of Selfishness")
Constitution: 17
Intellect: 18
Wisdom: 17
Charisma: 21
Total: 110
Thoughts? If you've read even half of this xD?
0
Comments
I mean... The novel (at least the 1st one, as that's what I read) so blatantly and recklessly contradicts the game at every turn that it's pretty much an alternate continuity.
1) Imoen doesn't exist
2) Gorion's not a mage, and dies to a completely set of assailants
3) Abdel's backstory drastically changes (as he's apparently been a mercenary for Baldur's Gate for 8 years, before even starting his journey)
4) Khalid's
5) Abdel's STR (as given in Dragon Magazine) literally breaks the cap (19 STR as a Human Fighter)
6) Sarevok casts lightning from his finger tips
7) Characterizations for major characters vary wildly from the games
And all that's just off the top of my head.
Bard because grow up in a library, maybe got education from Gorion, and there were a lots of books and stories. Also bards are rogues like Imoen so Charname an average guy, who read a lot.
Mage dualled to fighter at lvl 2, because learned from Gorion to become a mage, but when Gorion slaughtered, he just want to save Imoen, and saw that brute force in the wilds is more powerful than magic, so learned fighting from Khalid. (And if you dualled from enchanter, you gain +2 save against enchantments, also this not optimal dual can use all mage wands, scrolls and items, but being a totally viable fighter).
I read some interesting about why paladins is the basic class for first time players, like only paladins not meet any partymember in their stronghold quest etc. https://www.reddit.com/r/baldursgate/comments/mpltt9/which_class_makes_most_sense_rp_wise/
Ofc paladins are perfect antithesis for Sarevok in the first game, like duel of fates.
That actually makes a lot of sense—in fact, I think Fighter/Mage was how I first envisioned Abdel. I'd always make him Half-Elf, just because that was the closest I could get him to being Human while still being able to multi-class. After all, you'd want to be well-versed in both forms of combat, right?
It was only later that I realized a Dual could easily be justified, especially with some imagination.
Paladin was also my very first choice as a young child—just because they had "good guy" written all over them.
We don't get a lot of comments in game about Charnames looks. We have the "pretty face" remark already mentioned, a couple of human kids think Charname look "funny", and Viconia think Charname have
The sort of musculature that makes a woman swoon with desire.
So high STR is definitely there, as are high CHA, reasons already mentioned.
Above average CON and DEX, 14-16 would be logical for a physically fit fighter in his late teens.
Funny looking could mean half-elf, but with a human paperdoll, as elf paperdoll is a bit too sleene and slender to get Viconia's juices flowing.
He is definitely of good alignment, and would aid his comrades no matter what.
Which brings us to class.
Just think about it, would not Charname do just about anything to try and save his childhood friend, Imoen?
Rethorical question, as Charname would obviously do all he could to save her.
So, would he not have joined in when Imoen was flinging magic missiles at Irenicus in Waukeen's promenade if Charname also knew how to use arcane magic?
I believe that he would, why I see a magic user as illogical during that stage of the game.
Not to mention that the only other youth getting educated at Candlekeep at the same time did not know magic when they left Candlekeep, so perfectly viable that Charname did not know any magic either.
Besides, several people hint that Charname was not the best student and used to just skip classes, not very mage-like of him.
But he did get a proper education, so at the very minimum decent WIS and INT would be there.
With all that said, I see Charname as a Human or Half-Elf fighter, that likely dual after Imoen was taken by the Cowled Wizards.
Imoen did a rather seemless transition, nothing says that Charname did not also get educated in the Arcane Arts basically enough to understand the cantrips, and would be able to dual just as easily as Imoen.
Earliest companion to stumble upon after Imoen was taken is in fact a mage, and could aid when Charname decided to fight fire with fire.
As the sheer display of Irenicus effortlessly dispatching both a thief guild and the magic authority of the realm would show a need to learn more than just swing a sword in order to prevail over such a powerful wizard.
This also fits the story of the game, fighter vs fighter in the first, wizard vs wizard in the second. Add the Cowled Wizards coming for you if you use magic and it's even more fitting.
Partying up Aerie as sort of an inexperienced mentor, doing the quest the first companion in the first door at the Copper Coronet gives you a powerful magic book, even if you are not able to read it (very logical to not be able to read magic text as a non-wizard), at first.
Take the Planar Sphere stronghold and you have an immensely viable place to learn and practice magic.
TLDR:
Charname is a fighter that duals to mage early in chapter 2 in Baldur's Gate 2.
Charname have high STR and CHA, above average WIS, INT, DEX and CON.
BG1 start.
STR:17
DEX: 16
CON: 15
INT: 16
WIZ: 11
CHA: 16
BG2 start.
STR:18
DEX: 17
CON: 16
INT: 17
WIZ: 14
CHA: 17