I still haven't got far into BG2EE but Rasaad seems to have improved a LOT in terms of not being one dimensional bore. Really looking forward to what he has to offer.
From what I've seen until now (and based on some personal preference), I choose Neera.
I love them all. That said, if I had to pick I'd probably go with Rasaad just because I think he makes for a very compelling companion in a good-aligned party. I like that he's complex and doesn't mind discussing his views/values. Very well-written.
That makes me feel sad. I'm not a massive fan of Rasaad, but I thought his SoA appearance was a massive step up from BG1 (where I did think he was pretty dull).
Neera is probably my least favourite in BG2. Her quest-line is entertaining, but I just don't like her character much. I find it kinda weird how liked she is. That said, I had the same issue with Merrill from DA2 and Tali from ME, who I find to be similar character types.
I like Rasaad very much. It is the monk class I can't my head around. I wonder if his class puts off many others as well? I have fixed the problem for myself by EEKeepering him into a Cleric in my game.
I dislike Monks, but I dislike Neera's annoying personality much more. I haven't even played Rasaad's BG1EE quest and only once had him in my party (and not all the way either, ditched him for Quayle or so, I think), but it's not his nor the writers' fault that monks aren't that awesome in BG1 or that I'm no fan of the class. So I wouldn't vote him as "worst", just as "least interesting to me" (due to not playing good parties, mostly).
I wonder if his class puts off many others as well?
Well, if it's about low level Monks I tend to agree, but I really love them in BG2 and the general idea of a class that doesn't have to rely on equipment or magic to be epic.
I just hate how he outruns everyone. I set his script to cautious and just imagine Benny Hill music playing as he sprints back and forth all over the map. Total chaos.
I will not vote until I've played with them all. Which may be some time given how long it takes me to complete a run through the game. I will say however that I really enjoyed Neera in the first game. @jackjack I find myself wondering how everyone else with boots of speed compare to Rasaad without.
I like all of them except Hexxat who I honestly do not like in the slightest and is probably my least favourite npc of the series but that wasn't an option so I chose Neera as I like her a little more I think that the rest
@shawne : That's good to hear, but how the bloody hell am I supposed to access this supposed depth of character if you can't justify having the guy in your party unless you're Chaotic Stupid? Literally the only way to pick him up is to say, "Yep let's kill this Paladin just because it sounds fun and your master commands it!" That pretty much restricts picking him up only with Chaotic Evil characters with a low Wisdom.
I wonder if his class puts off many others as well?
It certainly does for me. I played with him some in BG:EE just for the sake of his character, and I rather liked him. He actually fit in to the game to some extent as opposed to all the rest of the NPCs. But I personally find Monks to be terribly boring. However this is exactly why I can't really pass judgement on the guy in BGII:EE, I haven't even talked to him yet.
Considering that more than once in the game Paladins can attempt to murder you or party members, not for having committed any crime, but just because your reputation is low (which can happen for non-crime related reasons) or because a party member happens to be evil, then I think you could justify a pretty healthy dislike for them. Or at least take the "preemptive self-defence" tactic.
(Disclaimer: I'm speaking in generalities, I haven't recruited Dorn in BGII yet.)
@shawne : That's good to hear, but how the bloody hell am I supposed to access this supposed depth of character if you can't justify having the guy in your party unless you're Chaotic Stupid? Literally the only way to pick him up is to say, "Yep let's kill this Paladin just because it sounds fun and your master commands it!" That pretty much restricts picking him up only with Chaotic Evil characters with a low Wisdom.
How is your failure of imagination the fault of the game? I don't have that problem: my character is Neutral Evil, which means - per the manual - "they have no compunctions about harming others to get what they want, but neither will they go out of their way to cause carnage or mayhem when they see no direct benefit to it."
In this case, the direct benefit (and the justification) is obvious:
1. Dorn would be a very useful member of my team. 2. He won't come with me until he finishes the mission Ur-Gothoz gave him. 3. I already know he's a blackguard, which means his powers are conditional upon his obedience to his patron. 4. I'm not crazy about paladins anyway. 5. If I have to spill some blood to get what I want, that's fine - wouldn't be the first time.
There, you see? Nothing Chaotic Stupid about that thought process. Again, this really sounds like you didn't even bother going past Dorn's first quest, which means your opinion on this subject is very poorly-informed. Which doesn't mean you're not still entitled to it, but why continue this discussion if you're going to insist on sticking to your partial knowledge?
@shawne I've tried role-playing evil characters who are genuinely pretty f***ed up and it's felt incredibly forced, so I stick to intelligent evil characters now. And your reasoning is totally fine for your character but honestly I'd have a hard time playing such a character. My current evil character tries his best to keep his head low. Hell I probably won't rescue Viconia either; once again, it's a cocky, bold move, although in that case it's at least justice and not over-the-top pointless bloodshed, so props original devs.
My real point is that with both Dorn and Hexxat your character has to be at least a little insane to actually justify picking either of them up ... especially Hexxat.
Lul some vampire just killed my party member, I should recruit her. I know I can because she has a picture and (for iPad users) I bought her and stuff LOLZ
Seriously what ever happened to immersion and subtlety. Out the window I guess.
Your point that I am under-informed however is entirely legitimate (and very true!). I will continue to play through Dorn's quest, however much I have to force myself to do so, and hopefully I will enjoy it more as time goes on. If it's good, then I suppose I will have to always just pretend that first part didn't happen (just like how in BG1 I pretend Imoen doesn't exist, because otherwise you have to have a very particular type of character to justify booting her out), and stuff. I rather value my immersion and having to break it time and time again is upsetting, that's all.
Long story short I enjoy characters who I can sympathize with in some manner, they "strike a chord" as it were. Even the ones I have very little in common with, I can often find some aspect of their personality I can understand and appreciate. Khalid's confidence issues. Xan's feeling of hopelessness. Jaheira sticking up for what she believes in and loves, even when it's sometimes too far. Kagain's laziness. Viconia's ... I don't even know how to sum it all up, she is a really deep character. Edwin's elitism. Hell I even sympathize with Anomen. Lots of people run around saying he's a terrible character just because they don't like him, and they get away with it, but apparently I'm the spawn of Satan for being thus far uninterested in Dorn. Cool stuff. Y'all hold Overhaul in a bit too high of esteem, I think. Over-glorified modders and fan-fic writers. They're pretty decent, but I personally don't believe them to be professionals.
So, what exactly about Edwin's "To get me to join you, you must track down and murder an innocent woman you've never met and who has no ability to realistically defend herself, and BTW, I'm not even going to pay you to do it but just basically demand you do it because I'm telling you to" quest is better than Dorn and Hexxat? How do you justify that one to your non-puppy-kicking-evil characters, since you said you can sympathise with him?
Edit: Oh, and Trent Oster was the co-founder of Bioware (and one of the original Baldur's Gate devs), so you have a pretty odd definition of what constitutes a "professional" versus an "over-glorified modder". He's not the only guy with Beamdog with a fairly enviable industry resume, either.
Well said, @Ayiekie! I hadn't even considered the parallels to Edwin's "request" in BG1...
@Quartz: This is my problem with your previous comments - you evaluated the game based solely on your inability to step outside the limits of your RP comfort zone. And there wouldn't be anything wrong with that, except 1) no one's forcing you to take Dorn or Hexxat, 2) rather than admit that you can't seem to figure out how to roleplay evil characters, you chose to lay the blame on "terrible writing", and 3) by your own admission, you don't even want to play with these characters.
I mean, did it occur to you at any point that Evil characters
wouldn't care about Clara in the first place, and would recruit Hexxat because she's more powerful, and having her on your side means you are more powerful?
And finally, your estimation of Beamdog's qualifications is - surprise surprise - wildly inaccurate.
@Quartz totally agree. Anomnomnomen is a great NPC. It's a pity I can't keep him in my evil party.
Neera wins the run. Rasaad is an outsider. Am I right when I say Neera is leading the poll, because Dorn in BG2EE getting worse? Like a disappointment or some thing.
@Quartz: This is my problem with your previous comments - you evaluated the game based solely on your inability to step outside the limits of your RP comfort zone. And there wouldn't be anything wrong with that, except 1) no one's forcing you to take Dorn or Hexxat, 2) rather than admit that you can't seem to figure out how to roleplay evil characters, you chose to lay the blame on "terrible writing", and 3) by your own admission, you don't even want to play with these characters.
Well, that's a bit harsh, I think. I would rather assume the problem lies more in familiarity. You've known Edwin for 14 years, his stuff in BG2 is beloved, you sort of gloss over the fact that he is an murderous monster who doesn't even pretend not to be one.
Generally speaking, I'd agree with @Quartz that well-written evil characters should have more believable motivations for what they do than "I'm evil, so kicking puppies is rad". But how many of the original BG evil companions actually pass that test?
If we're going to compare to Dorn, most of the evil characters fail to be less morally reprehensible. I mean, there are a few evil companions who wouldn't take a demon's deal of "Kill an arbitrary number of innocent people, and in return I will grant you the power to realise all your dreams", but Edwin most certainly isn't one of them.
Viconia is, but to be honest, Viconia isn't really well-written as an "evil" character because she does precious little (in BG1) to actually justify that she is evil other than "it's on her character sheet" and "she complains when your reputation rises". Her surprise and dismay at how people don't accept and judge her for who she is rather than her race (while contrasting amusingly with her own cultural misandry) doesn't help.
(Of course, I'd also argue that trying to kill a random stranger who has done you no harm because they're of an "evil race" also disqualifies you from having a good alignment, particularly when everyone and their dog knows about Drizzt.)
@Ayiekie what about Sarevok? Xzar and Montaron are good examples of evil characters. Wish they would be availible in BG2 ( Eldoth is one of the best evil characters in BG1. Shar-Teel is nice too. Wish they had more banters...
I love Xzar, but neither he nor Montaron are great examples of reasonable evil characters with realistic motivations who could not be believably written to slaughter swaths of innocent people for power (or money, or because they were annoying). Same goes for Shar-teel, and Eldoth is arguable (if he wouldn't, I'd say it's really more because it isn't his style than because of moral qualms).
Generally speaking, I'd agree with @Quartz that well-written evil characters should have more believable motivations for what they do than "I'm evil, so kicking puppies is rad". But how many of the original BG evil companions actually pass that test?
I agree with the principle as well, but BG1 characters just weren't written like that. I mean, it goes both ways: what's Ajantis' motivation for being a paladin beyond "I'm good, so saving puppies is rad"? What's is it that drives Dynaheir?
If that was all we had to go on, then sure, Dorn would seem just as one-dimensional as the rest of them. But there's a lot more to him (and to all the new NPCs, really) than that in BG2:EE, so I think it's kind of a disservice to make that comparison.
Now normally, I would continue to debate with you guys, because it's interesting to talk about a game we all love. But I keep trying with each post to keep things civil, to defuse the bomb set in the last post, only to feel like I'm being personally attacked for like, the third time now. I'm done, guys. If you want to talk like civil beings as to why I'm wrong, great. But seriously, I keep trying to make it non-personal and yet people seem determined to insinuate that I'm an incompetent moron.
@Ayiekie made some good points so I'm leaving on that note. The familiarity concept certainly has a lot to do with MY issue (that you guys are feeling the need to take VERY personally despite this being an opinion thread), but on top of it I think the new NPCs stick out like a sore thumb.
On a side note, I'd like to point out that said evil character didn't pick up Edwin either.
I'm aware of Trent Oster's qualifications but he's ONE guy. It was also clear to me from many of his posts that he seemed to prefer BGII over BG1, instead of loving them both as they are *different* games rather than an upgrade. So I don't particularly like him.
Yeah, I realised my first post was kind of snippy, but I tried to moderate myself after that. Sorry 'bout that.
Insofar as Beamdog goes, though, they've also got Cameron Tofer, who was a lead programmer for Bioware and also worked for Namco. You don't have to like what they did for new material - that's your opinion, and that's cool - I just have to object to calling them "over-glorified modders and fanfic writers". They're professionals in the business, not recently ascended fans. I'll grant their QA leaves something to be desired, but that's true of Bioware too, and let's not even talk about Obsidian.
Yeah, I realised my first post was kind of snippy, but I tried to moderate myself after that. Sorry 'bout that.
Insofar as Beamdog goes, though, they've also got Cameron Tofer, who was a lead programmer for Bioware and also worked for Namco. You don't have to like what they did for new material - that's your opinion, and that's cool - I just have to object to calling them "over-glorified modders and fanfic writers". They're professionals in the business, not recently ascended fans. I'll grant their QA leaves something to be desired, but that's true of Bioware too, and let's not even talk about Obsidian.
No problem. Thank you.
Mmm indeedy, I like Cameron Tofer. As I recall he was pretty passionate about not letting BGII art style bleed into BG1 when they did BG:EE. I'm pretty shocked that they actually did the opposite, what with BG1 paper dolls being in BGII:EE. (seriously, wth?)
It's cool objecting to that part. I realize I'm generalizing to a certain degree, and I was painting with a pretty broad (and harsh) brush. I get pissed when people act like these guys are infallible, then I over-react, and then pretty soon I find myself fighting fire with fire which is a total waste of time.
My opinion on BioWare is incredibly mixed and I honestly don't know enough about them to pass judgement. But let's just say that as someone who grew up on Sonic games, Baldur's Gate, and a few others, when it was announced they'd make a Sonic RPG I just about flipped. Annnnd to be honest it really wasn't that great.
Oh, and if you don't mind, I'd like to revisit your point on Edwin, which is an excellent one, btw; It's left vague and not entirely explained, but my understanding personally is that Edwin is a Thayvian Wizard who got banished 'cuz he's a dick. (Maybe I think this because 1. his BG1 biography kind of entertains such an idea, and 2. Pomab from Icewind Dale seems very very similar to him) At which point he wants to kill Dynaheir to try and prove himself or some such. His motivation is essentially that he's a tool, he really is a tool. I love his personality. He's an elitist but he knows he has to lick boots a little to get to high places, and he is certainly a power-monger. That's my take on Edwin. He's alright in BG1, and damn excellent in BGII. It's a real shame you can't crack him open a bit and start a friendship or some such. (Ala Alora in BG1!) To me he doesn't seem all that bad, except that he holds very little value for human life which is genuinely ****ed up and probably that alone gets him his Lawful Evil alignment. They should've expanded upon him even more, definitely a very interesting and believable character.
Well, I'm evil and I have to say that: It's amusing to see how good alignet BG fans are trying to judge evil game characters. First of all, my favourite evil NPC in the AD&D wolrd is the ranger guy from NWN2 Bishop. In my opinion he is a good example of an evil alignet person. Secondly, I have really nothing to say about Dorn in BG2 (haven't finished BG2 yet). Sometimes he act like a teenager in my understanding. And you should keep in in mind, that evil characters are much more difficultier to keep in one group, they need a realy strong motivation or clearly benefits. And his motivation to stay with the group is strange... Viconia. She isn't evil. She is more like a scratch-cat + her not good and unfriendly experience in this world. She was raised in a fascistic environment. And she's a cleric, religious fanatic of some sort. Understandable and it's a pity even for an evil charname. Would I rescue her beeing an evil guy? OF COURSE I would. Have you seen her portrait? Even if I were a good guy I would rescue her even faster LOL. I think, I am more motivated to keep her by me, than she is Korgan. He is ok. He's a grave-digger, bounty hunter and a murderer. Very simple. But still I would better understand his motivation if I pay him some coins for his aid in my party, like a mercenary to hire. In that case he would be more loyal to the person who pays him for his skills. Yes, a very poor personality, but a realistic one in he was a real mercenary to hire and I paid him 2000 coins per week InGame. Sarevok. 100% understandable motivation. I would do just the same things step by step if I would Sarevok in TOB. Nothing really to say here. Edwin. As I said before - he is a great example of an evil alignet wizard, not malicious, but himself on his mind. He's not that master super wizard who want's to rule the whole world or enslave all girls in town. No, he's just mean, greedy and mild evil so to say. I can clearly imagine such a mage type. What about BG1 NPCs. Who can I mention here. It's hard to describe them, because due the lack of the info and banters. As I've already said Eldoth is the best example of an evil bard in BG1. Like a real life person. His motivation is clear and very pretty Xzar and Montaron are both really fine with their personalities as I can understand. Their motivation is crystall clear. Shar-Teel. Well, I wish she were in BG2. A very interesting character. Evil or not, but she's some kind of a amazon. Her motivation in my group would be 200% understandable if my Charname is a female, no matter good or evil alignet. In other case it's a little bit strange. Game pattern nothing more.
And Dorn. I agree he's strange. Maybe I do not clearly understand what is to be a blackguard. If he already knows that I'm the bhaalchild than I understand his motivation to stay with me, with the strong one. But his banters... ughhh. Let's just say he wants to be my friend or gay lover OMFG! Trying to impress me that way LOL. Personally I think he's stupid like a green pig. And I keep in mind that many evil people like to have good or neutral alignet characters to have them on your side. Like Jaheira or Yoshimo. Can't say the same about Neera.
I have nothing to say about Hexxat. But if I were in a such situation, I really don't care about Clara, but in the same time I won't trust Hexxat in the same minute (give me some strong reasons not to kill you, sexy hexy or use you like a piece of meat and a whore like you used Clara). And more of if I saided Bohdi, I would trust Hexxat even less. I haven't finished BG2 yet, maybe I'll change my mind about Hexxat and Dorn in the future.
Comments
From what I've seen until now (and based on some personal preference), I choose Neera.
As you can see in this poll Rasaad got only 5%...
Neera is probably my least favourite in BG2. Her quest-line is entertaining, but I just don't like her character much. I find it kinda weird how liked she is. That said, I had the same issue with Merrill from DA2 and Tali from ME, who I find to be similar character types.
@jackjack
I find myself wondering how everyone else with boots of speed compare to Rasaad without.
(Disclaimer: I'm speaking in generalities, I haven't recruited Dorn in BGII yet.)
In this case, the direct benefit (and the justification) is obvious:
1. Dorn would be a very useful member of my team.
2. He won't come with me until he finishes the mission Ur-Gothoz gave him.
3. I already know he's a blackguard, which means his powers are conditional upon his obedience to his patron.
4. I'm not crazy about paladins anyway.
5. If I have to spill some blood to get what I want, that's fine - wouldn't be the first time.
There, you see? Nothing Chaotic Stupid about that thought process. Again, this really sounds like you didn't even bother going past Dorn's first quest, which means your opinion on this subject is very poorly-informed. Which doesn't mean you're not still entitled to it, but why continue this discussion if you're going to insist on sticking to your partial knowledge?
My real point is that with both Dorn and Hexxat your character has to be at least a little insane to actually justify picking either of them up ... especially Hexxat.
Seriously what ever happened to immersion and subtlety. Out the window I guess.
Your point that I am under-informed however is entirely legitimate (and very true!). I will continue to play through Dorn's quest, however much I have to force myself to do so, and hopefully I will enjoy it more as time goes on. If it's good, then I suppose I will have to always just pretend that first part didn't happen (just like how in BG1 I pretend Imoen doesn't exist, because otherwise you have to have a very particular type of character to justify booting her out), and stuff. I rather value my immersion and having to break it time and time again is upsetting, that's all.
Long story short I enjoy characters who I can sympathize with in some manner, they "strike a chord" as it were. Even the ones I have very little in common with, I can often find some aspect of their personality I can understand and appreciate. Khalid's confidence issues. Xan's feeling of hopelessness. Jaheira sticking up for what she believes in and loves, even when it's sometimes too far. Kagain's laziness. Viconia's ... I don't even know how to sum it all up, she is a really deep character. Edwin's elitism. Hell I even sympathize with Anomen. Lots of people run around saying he's a terrible character just because they don't like him, and they get away with it, but apparently I'm the spawn of Satan for being thus far uninterested in Dorn. Cool stuff. Y'all hold Overhaul in a bit too high of esteem, I think. Over-glorified modders and fan-fic writers. They're pretty decent, but I personally don't believe them to be professionals.
Edit: Oh, and Trent Oster was the co-founder of Bioware (and one of the original Baldur's Gate devs), so you have a pretty odd definition of what constitutes a "professional" versus an "over-glorified modder". He's not the only guy with Beamdog with a fairly enviable industry resume, either.
@Quartz: This is my problem with your previous comments - you evaluated the game based solely on your inability to step outside the limits of your RP comfort zone. And there wouldn't be anything wrong with that, except 1) no one's forcing you to take Dorn or Hexxat, 2) rather than admit that you can't seem to figure out how to roleplay evil characters, you chose to lay the blame on "terrible writing", and 3) by your own admission, you don't even want to play with these characters.
I mean, did it occur to you at any point that Evil characters
And finally, your estimation of Beamdog's qualifications is - surprise surprise - wildly inaccurate.
TASTE MY FOOT!
Neera wins the run. Rasaad is an outsider. Am I right when I say Neera is leading the poll, because Dorn in BG2EE getting worse? Like a disappointment or some thing.
Generally speaking, I'd agree with @Quartz that well-written evil characters should have more believable motivations for what they do than "I'm evil, so kicking puppies is rad". But how many of the original BG evil companions actually pass that test?
If we're going to compare to Dorn, most of the evil characters fail to be less morally reprehensible. I mean, there are a few evil companions who wouldn't take a demon's deal of "Kill an arbitrary number of innocent people, and in return I will grant you the power to realise all your dreams", but Edwin most certainly isn't one of them.
Viconia is, but to be honest, Viconia isn't really well-written as an "evil" character because she does precious little (in BG1) to actually justify that she is evil other than "it's on her character sheet" and "she complains when your reputation rises". Her surprise and dismay at how people don't accept and judge her for who she is rather than her race (while contrasting amusingly with her own cultural misandry) doesn't help.
(Of course, I'd also argue that trying to kill a random stranger who has done you no harm because they're of an "evil race" also disqualifies you from having a good alignment, particularly when everyone and their dog knows about Drizzt.)
Xzar and Montaron are good examples of evil characters. Wish they would be availible in BG2 (
Eldoth is one of the best evil characters in BG1.
Shar-Teel is nice too.
Wish they had more banters...
If that was all we had to go on, then sure, Dorn would seem just as one-dimensional as the rest of them. But there's a lot more to him (and to all the new NPCs, really) than that in BG2:EE, so I think it's kind of a disservice to make that comparison.
@Ayiekie made some good points so I'm leaving on that note. The familiarity concept certainly has a lot to do with MY issue (that you guys are feeling the need to take VERY personally despite this being an opinion thread), but on top of it I think the new NPCs stick out like a sore thumb.
On a side note, I'd like to point out that said evil character didn't pick up Edwin either.
I'm aware of Trent Oster's qualifications but he's ONE guy. It was also clear to me from many of his posts that he seemed to prefer BGII over BG1, instead of loving them both as they are *different* games rather than an upgrade. So I don't particularly like him.
Insofar as Beamdog goes, though, they've also got Cameron Tofer, who was a lead programmer for Bioware and also worked for Namco. You don't have to like what they did for new material - that's your opinion, and that's cool - I just have to object to calling them "over-glorified modders and fanfic writers". They're professionals in the business, not recently ascended fans. I'll grant their QA leaves something to be desired, but that's true of Bioware too, and let's not even talk about Obsidian.
Mmm indeedy, I like Cameron Tofer. As I recall he was pretty passionate about not letting BGII art style bleed into BG1 when they did BG:EE. I'm pretty shocked that they actually did the opposite, what with BG1 paper dolls being in BGII:EE. (seriously, wth?)
It's cool objecting to that part. I realize I'm generalizing to a certain degree, and I was painting with a pretty broad (and harsh) brush. I get pissed when people act like these guys are infallible, then I over-react, and then pretty soon I find myself fighting fire with fire which is a total waste of time.
My opinion on BioWare is incredibly mixed and I honestly don't know enough about them to pass judgement. But let's just say that as someone who grew up on Sonic games, Baldur's Gate, and a few others, when it was announced they'd make a Sonic RPG I just about flipped. Annnnd to be honest it really wasn't that great.
Oh, and if you don't mind, I'd like to revisit your point on Edwin, which is an excellent one, btw; It's left vague and not entirely explained, but my understanding personally is that Edwin is a Thayvian Wizard who got banished 'cuz he's a dick. (Maybe I think this because 1. his BG1 biography kind of entertains such an idea, and 2. Pomab from Icewind Dale seems very very similar to him) At which point he wants to kill Dynaheir to try and prove himself or some such. His motivation is essentially that he's a tool, he really is a tool. I love his personality. He's an elitist but he knows he has to lick boots a little to get to high places, and he is certainly a power-monger. That's my take on Edwin. He's alright in BG1, and damn excellent in BGII. It's a real shame you can't crack him open a bit and start a friendship or some such. (Ala Alora in BG1!) To me he doesn't seem all that bad, except that he holds very little value for human life which is genuinely ****ed up and probably that alone gets him his Lawful Evil alignment. They should've expanded upon him even more, definitely a very interesting and believable character.
It's amusing to see how good alignet BG fans are trying to judge evil game characters. First of all, my favourite evil NPC in the AD&D wolrd is the ranger guy from NWN2 Bishop. In my opinion he is a good example of an evil alignet person. Secondly, I have really nothing to say about Dorn in BG2 (haven't finished BG2 yet). Sometimes he act like a teenager in my understanding. And you should keep in in mind, that evil characters are much more difficultier to keep in one group, they need a realy strong motivation or clearly benefits. And his motivation to stay with the group is strange...
Viconia. She isn't evil. She is more like a scratch-cat + her not good and unfriendly experience in this world. She was raised in a fascistic environment. And she's a cleric, religious fanatic of some sort. Understandable and it's a pity even for an evil charname. Would I rescue her beeing an evil guy? OF COURSE I would. Have you seen her portrait? Even if I were a good guy I would rescue her even faster LOL. I think, I am more motivated to keep her by me, than she is
Korgan. He is ok. He's a grave-digger, bounty hunter and a murderer. Very simple. But still I would better understand his motivation if I pay him some coins for his aid in my party, like a mercenary to hire. In that case he would be more loyal to the person who pays him for his skills. Yes, a very poor personality, but a realistic one in he was a real mercenary to hire and I paid him 2000 coins per week InGame.
Sarevok. 100% understandable motivation. I would do just the same things step by step if I would Sarevok in TOB. Nothing really to say here.
Edwin. As I said before - he is a great example of an evil alignet wizard, not malicious, but himself on his mind. He's not that master super wizard who want's to rule the whole world or enslave all girls in town. No, he's just mean, greedy and mild evil so to say. I can clearly imagine such a mage type.
What about BG1 NPCs. Who can I mention here. It's hard to describe them, because due the lack of the info and banters.
As I've already said Eldoth is the best example of an evil bard in BG1. Like a real life person. His motivation is clear and very pretty
Xzar and Montaron are both really fine with their personalities as I can understand. Their motivation is crystall clear.
Shar-Teel. Well, I wish she were in BG2. A very interesting character. Evil or not, but she's some kind of a amazon. Her motivation in my group would be 200% understandable if my Charname is a female, no matter good or evil alignet. In other case it's a little bit strange. Game pattern nothing more.
And Dorn. I agree he's strange. Maybe I do not clearly understand what is to be a blackguard. If he already knows that I'm the bhaalchild than I understand his motivation to stay with me, with the strong one. But his banters... ughhh. Let's just say he wants to be my friend or gay lover OMFG! Trying to impress me that way LOL. Personally I think he's stupid like a green pig.
And I keep in mind that many evil people like to have good or neutral alignet characters to have them on your side. Like Jaheira or Yoshimo. Can't say the same about Neera.
I have nothing to say about Hexxat. But if I were in a such situation, I really don't care about Clara, but in the same time I won't trust Hexxat in the same minute (give me some strong reasons not to kill you, sexy hexy or use you like a piece of meat and a whore like you used Clara). And more of if I saided Bohdi, I would trust Hexxat even less. I haven't finished BG2 yet, maybe I'll change my mind about Hexxat and Dorn in the future.