I have never had issue developing Khalid into a valuable member of the party when I wanted to. To anyone who can't: You suck at Baldur's Gate.
That's pretty much true of other NPCs with less than uber stats as well, or classes or kits that are deemed to be weak.
I mean, I get that it's a matter of taste as to how powerful and effective one wishes characters to be. But it's possible to beat the game soloing any class with commoner stats. How enjoyable a challenge that is is a separate (and fair) question.
I only use him as an archer but even then there are much more better (both power and character wise) characters than him. Kivan, Minsc (comes with better company) or even Koran. Hell, even Monty is a better "ranger" than him with a sling...
And Gauntles of Ogre Power/Dexterity or cursed girdle kind of stuff make any NPC viable. Even Rashaad become good after showering him in phat loot..
I quite like Khalid, especially for all the faults of him as an NPC. His low morale is quite a unique trait and makes things quite challenging at times. The only downside is how his banters are largely directed towards Jaheira, who is quite irritating in BG1.
I think if he wasn't linked to Jaheira people would be more fond of him.
Is he the bestest fighter he could possibly be, a killing machine of unmatched skill who leaves a bloody trail wherever he goes?
No.
Is he a good enough fighter for the game? For sure. Sword and shield, he's a good tank. He's a fairly decent archer. In this playthrough, he's not lost morale once (possibly due to my PC's charisma - 14/15). I have him currently using Varscona as his main weapon, with a +1 medium shield and Ankheg armour, with Mastery in longswords, and he's consistently chunking whatever he comes across. With the gauntlets of ogre power, he'll be even better.
I'm not so keen on Jahiera, but with another set of Ankheg armour, shield and the gauntlets of dexterity, she makes a fairly good tank to keep the worst of the heat off Khalid in close combat, and between the two of them, they can keep all of the enemy off my archers and mages. Between them, the precision fire of my bow-wielding characters and a mage, most enemies don't stand a chance.
They're definitely a viable pair, and anyone who says otherwise simply isn't using them properly.
I quite like him. I never roleplayed to min-max anyway, and the characters I most fondly remember from my pnp days were the ones with the quirky personality.
I've always liked Khalid. I've never found him all that annoying and his interactions with Jaheria and the other NPC's are amusing in my opinion. He can be developed into a really effective fighter too. I don't get why people hate him so much.
I think most people hate him because he feels far more cowardly then many other companions in the game since most others you barely notice how often their moral breaks, but with him it happens a bit more often.
In my own opinion, i rather don't mind him, he's a straight fighter who usually has the best thaco of my group. And character wise he ends up becoming rather bro teir to my eyes
Khalid with 18/00 str becomes a monster in this game. Being an elf, with +hit on long swords dual wielding them at higher lvl's turns him into a stuttering Ginsu master. Or with his relatively high dex/con he's just as good being a meat shield. too bad the devs didn't give him just one extra point in Str to justify keeping him around until you get some new gloves for him.
He became a statistic in Durlag's last night (I'm doing it way out of sequence for a challenge), and the relief when I replaced him with Kirvan was palpable; and that was just Jaheira...
There's no mystery here, it's all a matter of personal taste.
Stats-wise, Khalid is a perfectly viable character, in fact better than several others. (There again, every NPC in the game is actually usable if you really want to use them, because the devs didn't waste time building NPCs who were completely unusable.)
Surely the reason he's the most widely-disliked NPC (and I'm sure that he is!) must be that many of us (including myself) find his whiny voice and cowardly personality very irritating. Obviously not everyone finds him annoying, so those people can take Khalid in their parties and will probably find him pretty useful, which is fine for them. The rest of us just want to see the back of him as fast as possible.
I'd boot Khalid and grab Yeslick instead, but sadly I said no without realizing I could never get him again
so very sads. honestly, the only reason I have him is because of his wife being my healer. I think i'd rather go Yeslick and ajantis instead of those two for my tank and healer after listening to the two of them >.<
so very sads. honestly, the only reason I have him is because of his wife being my healer. I think i'd rather go Yeslick and ajantis instead of those two for my tank and healer after listening to the two of them >.<</p>
Aja is pretty cool, but requires 2 items as well to be king But thanks to the 30 minute quest of *erm* the monk, that'd be only a minor problem. I think I dropped that stupid fighter in the hut in Friendly Arms Inn..maybe he is doing 'well' with the widow in there :>
Khalid... I'm not a fan of him, but okay, he can be made useful. the problem is the one he's attached to at the hip, who generally gets a shallow grave in my games next to Ajantis, just to resurrect in BG2 once again, and torment me with her passive-aggressive, douchy attitude...
long story short, I really do fucking despise Jaheira.
Can you really trust them though? Can you? They knew Gorion was heading from Candlekeep to the Friendly Arm Inn, and coincidentally Gorion died in an ambush on his way there. Then when you meet up with them at the Friendly Arm Inn... where you "happen" to run into an assassin... they immediately press you into heading toward Nashkel mines. On your way there with these two supposed friends of Gorion, there are several attempts on your life, by people who not only know your name, but what you look like and where you will be. Coincidence, all of it, I'm sure. If you put off heading that way, Jaheira grows angry, pushy and impatient and insists that you not delay your trip. She's too crafty to murder you outright and has a reputation to maintain. Then when you grow in power, her husband conveniently ends up dead and she starts making the moves on you. Are these really people you can trust and put your faith in?
Wow! I haven't really thought of it that way. Makes me not want to have those two around on my current playthrough.
In a way it is quite true...the Harpers actually did send Jaheria and Khalid to keep an eye on you and determine if you were a threat (Gorion had asked them for help regarding you since Candlekeep wasn't safe anymore) (in addition to their other problem, counter whatever the Zhents were up to (who the Throne was framing for the iron shortage)). Urging you to help with the Naskel investigation was just to get a measure of you, though afterward they found that it and you were connected and stuck around.
I don't know...while the whole thing with Khalid later does seem cruel, most druids are actually like that. Death is just part of the cycle of life and shouldn't be toyed with needlessly..and lets face it..when Irenicus decides to thoroughly rape you body and soul...well.....it might be a bit hard to raise you. (hell Yoshimo's soul can't even go to the afterlife or be raised until that Geas is broken...makes you wonder what he actually did to Khalid to create enough suffering and death to wake up Imeon's essence, seeing how Jaheria cuts her off before she can go into any real details.)
Comments
I have never had issue developing Khalid into a valuable member of the party when I wanted to. To anyone who can't: You suck at Baldur's Gate.
I mean, I get that it's a matter of taste as to how powerful and effective one wishes characters to be. But it's possible to beat the game soloing any class with commoner stats. How enjoyable a challenge that is is a separate (and fair) question.
And Gauntles of Ogre Power/Dexterity or cursed girdle kind of stuff make any NPC viable. Even Rashaad become good after showering him in phat loot..
I think if he wasn't linked to Jaheira people would be more fond of him.
Is he the bestest fighter he could possibly be, a killing machine of unmatched skill who leaves a bloody trail wherever he goes?
No.
Is he a good enough fighter for the game? For sure. Sword and shield, he's a good tank. He's a fairly decent archer. In this playthrough, he's not lost morale once (possibly due to my PC's charisma - 14/15). I have him currently using Varscona as his main weapon, with a +1 medium shield and Ankheg armour, with Mastery in longswords, and he's consistently chunking whatever he comes across. With the gauntlets of ogre power, he'll be even better.
I'm not so keen on Jahiera, but with another set of Ankheg armour, shield and the gauntlets of dexterity, she makes a fairly good tank to keep the worst of the heat off Khalid in close combat, and between the two of them, they can keep all of the enemy off my archers and mages. Between them, the precision fire of my bow-wielding characters and a mage, most enemies don't stand a chance.
They're definitely a viable pair, and anyone who says otherwise simply isn't using them properly.
Solid NPC. 7/10, would use again.
I hate Jaheira.
In my own opinion, i rather don't mind him, he's a straight fighter who usually has the best thaco of my group. And character wise he ends up becoming rather bro teir to my eyes
Stats-wise, Khalid is a perfectly viable character, in fact better than several others. (There again, every NPC in the game is actually usable if you really want to use them, because the devs didn't waste time building NPCs who were completely unusable.)
Surely the reason he's the most widely-disliked NPC (and I'm sure that he is!) must be that many of us (including myself) find his whiny voice and cowardly personality very irritating. Obviously not everyone finds him annoying, so those people can take Khalid in their parties and will probably find him pretty useful, which is fine for them. The rest of us just want to see the back of him as fast as possible.
so very sads. honestly, the only reason I have him is because of his wife being my healer. I think i'd rather go Yeslick and ajantis instead of those two for my tank and healer after listening to the two of them >.<
I think I dropped that stupid fighter in the hut in Friendly Arms Inn..maybe he is doing 'well' with the widow in there :>
long story short, I really do fucking despise Jaheira.
I don't know...while the whole thing with Khalid later does seem cruel, most druids are actually like that. Death is just part of the cycle of life and shouldn't be toyed with needlessly..and lets face it..when Irenicus decides to thoroughly rape you body and soul...well.....it might be a bit hard to raise you. (hell Yoshimo's soul can't even go to the afterlife or be raised until that Geas is broken...makes you wonder what he actually did to Khalid to create enough suffering and death to wake up Imeon's essence, seeing how Jaheria cuts her off before she can go into any real details.)