Well I'd mention Minsc in general, but of course he's effective AND fun. I guess Neera is more for comic value, her usefulness is limited.
I also enjoy playing pretty marginal/useless PCs sometimes. Especially makes me laugh in ToB when you have this fearsome reputation, with the wimpiest level 24 character of all time...
I shadowkeep a 100 % useless skull in Xzar's quickslot #1 after killing the first skeletons in High Hedge. It's his wise friend and stays there for the entire game. It's not like Minsc is the only one who can have a friend blocking a slot.
Who else does things that are less than the best strategy and far from power gaming, just for entertainment/RP sake?
I like to play Coran with a shock of red hair contrasted with the dark Shadow Armor. He looks very dashing that way, so most of the time he plays without a helmet. Also, Branwen with short blonde hair and a new portrait to match. She doesn't get helmeted much either. Neera, I love to play her without her mage robe, and the garments underneath all white so she looks delicate, ethereal and other worldy. She's a roll of the dice away from being a spirit anyway. Also, I enjoy ordering her to walk about ten feet and hearing her say "Watch this."
@franco - I also sometimes can't bring myself to put an ugly helmet on some of the NPCs, like Viconia or Branwen. Tanks, like Minsc, Dorn or Kagain - sure. But everyone else, sans fighters...nooooo!
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I also enjoy playing pretty marginal/useless PCs sometimes. Especially makes me laugh in ToB when you have this fearsome reputation, with the wimpiest level 24 character of all time...