I actually thought Imoen was pretty annoying in BG1, but in 2 she kind of grew on me., which is understandable since she grew a personality :P Yoshimo is definitely a favourite, and switching him out for Imoen when the time comes just seems like a natural fit for the story.
I adore Rasaad, everything about that character is perfect great story, great quest, and the romance is adorable.
Neera, much like Imoen, became much more likeable in BG2. She's matured a bit but still amusing, I can totally see her and my charname being magical BFFs.
Jan is a given, he's just awesome Keldorn is the perfect mix of maturity and badassery. Anomen is obnoxious sometimes but still a well-done interesting character, plus his fighter/cleric kit is a perfect fit for the groups I usually run.
From BG1... Khalid was actually a favourite He just always seemed like a big stuttering sweetie, and he made an awesome tank.
There are a bunch of characters I'd like to play with more but they usually just don't fit well with the party composition I prefer: Aerie, Edwin, Viconia most notably.
I'll always have a soft spot for all of my original party; Keldorn, Minsc (and Boo!), Jahiera, Imoen and Edwin. Not entirely sure how I persauded Edwin and Minsc not to kill each other mind you.
Initially I found Aerie a bit too angsty, but on reflection... she's been abducted, enslaved and maimed. If anything, its worse than what happened to CHARNAME and Imoen.
On a difference note; I still remember being absolutely floored by Yoshimo's betrayal in that first playthrough. I really, really wanted to tear that bastard apart. Then learning about the geas... whole thing was brilliantly done. Learning that David Gaidar intended Yoshimo to be Tamoko's little brother just made the whole thing even more bittersweet.
Finally, I offer someone who hasn't been mentioned yet; Jon Irenicus. Envy, Greed, Wrath and Pride.
@CrevsDaak: Exactly how is Valygar badly written? I'm really curious to know.
Anyone else who is of the same opinion: please, do share your thoughts.
I think we have to accept that hardly anything in games like this is actually well written, if you set a high standard. It almost comes with the terrain; I once read Salvatore's original Icewind Dale trilogy and was of the opinion that literature doesn't get much worse than that. For chrissakes, there were problems in his command of the English language (!), not to mention the characters or the story.
Having said that, I do enjoy much of BG2 in terms of writing, and I don't see how Valygar sticks out as a piece of bad writing. That's why I'm very curious about this.
@xzar_monty I never liked his story, it made me laugh of how idiot he was instead of mking me sad, other characters have much more depth and are written in a much better way.
@CrevsDaak: You're not explaining anything. In what sense was he an idiot? In what sense do the others have depth and are better written?
Korgan, for instance, doesn't have any depth whatsoever. Nor is he meant to have, I'd say. He's a fine character, don't get me wrong, but there's no depth at all, just a very prominent violent streak and an extremely simplistic "let's kill it first and not ask questions later" attitude. The same goes for Minsc, although his attitude is, obviously, different from Korgan's. Neither of them has any capacity at all to reflect upon any of their actions. With Valygar, the questioning of his entire world-view begins during and especially after the Planar Sphere quest.
Anomen begins as an extremely simplistic character with almost no depth, but things don't necessarily end that way. Jan is a bag of tricks who I greatly enjoy, but even he is simply a collection of tricks, there's no soul. And I don't mean that depth is necessarily something dark, as it is in Valygar's case. Just look at Mazzy.
@CrevsDaak: Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but since you wish to take part in a discussion, it is only reasonable to expect that you'd be able to say why you think the way you do.
Anyone can easily say that so-and-so is or isn't good or interesting or an idiot (as you said of Valygar) or whatever, but that doesn't lead anywhere and doesn't help anyone. But oh well, let's drop this then.
Anyone else of the opinion that Valygar is poorly written (in comparison to other NPCs)? I don't think he is.
It would be great, for instance, if Jan actually had some depth. If there were a discussion with another NPC where he, for a change, is actually serious, and he is not taken seriously because he's been crying wolf (although in another sense) for so long. Maybe there even is such a discussion, but I haven't seen it. (And I do like Jan an awful lot - the stuff they've written for him is hilarious.)
@xzar_monty I really do not wish to take part in a discussion nor ever wished so, and I cannot express my thoughts in words, the language seems incomplete for such things.
I'd like to make a brief shout out to some of the better mod NPCs I've tried out:
Kelsey: A NG Human Sorcerer NPC (who somehow has a half-elf avatar) for BG2 The creator does a good job of making an interesting and powerful NPC who is not too "unique" that he feels out of place nor too powerful to make your character seem puny and insignificant by comparison. He has a romance that seems okay from what I've seen (haven't gotten far) but the coolest thing is that he romances Imoen, which I think is great and adds a lot to both his character and Imoen's (she needed more material). He has some interesting encounters as well.
Angelo: A TN Human Fighter 7-->Mage X for BG2 Sarevok's lackey from the first game returns! Shar-Teel's daddy is a fun, well voiced mod NPC that has an interesting background. I find it fun to find characters from BG1 in the second game. If you recruit Sarevok, you can see some fun sparks fly and some interesting outcomes (especially if Sarevok is redeemed). He is half Kara-Turan so has fun interaction with Yoshimo (they mock people who dual-wield katanas) and has b/w 2-5 banters with each NPC, especially interesting with returning characters like Minsc, Jaheira, Imoen, Edwin, etc. His stats are very solid yet not overpowered. The romance I have yet to complete entirely, but it is interesting in that your PC has to be the one who initiates. A welcomed change, imo.
Finch: A NG Gnome Cleric (only for BG1) Awesome gnome librarian! Priest of Deneir, the Scribe of Oghma and a deity of knowledge, scholars and maps. She is fun and well voiced in my opinion (very fitting for a gnome nerd!), though some may find her annoying. I think she is awesome, and I often make her into a Cleric/Illusionist. She has fun quests to find knowledge/books for a library in Beregost and she has some fun interactions with my favorite minor NPC Firebead Elvenhair.
Ninde: A NE Human Necromancer for BG2 Cool evil NPC. From a wealthy noble family but had a dark side and is now on the run. She has a bit of a sense of entitlement, so you can imagine her like an evil death-obsessed version of Paris Hilton. She has a great portrait, intriguing sound-set and different personality. She has a romance, and it is interesting. She is very manipulative and feels like a rich-girl slumming so it makes her a fine addition to the game. Imagine and anti-Nalia.
Xan: LN Enchanter or Sorcerer (lets you choose) for BG2 You know who he is. Come on. He's awesome. New voice-set which isn't too bad (but not as good as the original of course). He has an interesting romance option, a fun quest, and good interactions. I took him as a sorcerer and he is incredible in my game. I find him well-written, with a good romance that isn't as cheesy as it could have been. He is a Debby-Downer but you can *maybe* cheer him up a bit! Fun if you have him with Kelsey, since they actually fight for your characters affection! Like the Bioware NPCs they will force you to choose (unless you choose not to install this portion)
so... my best friend who happens to be a ginger (only chaotic evil person I allow in party, sorry Dorn) just shared the most insightful image I have ever seen on facebook.
I'd like to make a brief shout out to some of the better mod NPCs I've tried out:
Kelsey: A NG Human Sorcerer NPC (who somehow has a half-elf avatar) for BG2 The creator does a good job of making an interesting and powerful NPC who is not too "unique" that he feels out of place nor too powerful to make your character seem puny and insignificant by comparison. He has a romance that seems okay from what I've seen (haven't gotten far) but the coolest thing is that he romances Imoen, which I think is great and adds a lot to both his character and Imoen's (she needed more material). He has some interesting encounters as well.
Agreed. I tried out Kelsey this time around and his Imoen romance component in TOB was a pleasant surprise. Imoen is basically the deuteragonist of the series and she could always use more material, particularly some lovin for her own. I would also recommend Back to Brynnlaw as a mod for more Imoen content.
@Tedronai, @booinyoureyes: The Kelsey / Imoen romance is a good idea, and much of the material is nicely done, but in the end they overdo it by quite a bit. For instance, the epilogues are just terrible and completely overblown.
As far as mod NPCs are concerned, Kelsey is the best I've seen. I haven't tried many, and most I've abandoned straight away.
Comments
Aerie best romance. 10/10
Keldorn 9/10.
Favorite party? Mainchar, keldorn and aerie
I adore Rasaad, everything about that character is perfect
Neera, much like Imoen, became much more likeable in BG2. She's matured a bit but still amusing, I can totally see her and my charname being magical BFFs.
Jan is a given, he's just awesome
From BG1... Khalid was actually a favourite
There are a bunch of characters I'd like to play with more but they usually just don't fit well with the party composition I prefer: Aerie, Edwin, Viconia most notably.
Initially I found Aerie a bit too angsty, but on reflection... she's been abducted, enslaved and maimed. If anything, its worse than what happened to CHARNAME and Imoen.
On a difference note; I still remember being absolutely floored by Yoshimo's betrayal in that first playthrough. I really, really wanted to tear that bastard apart. Then learning about the geas... whole thing was brilliantly done. Learning that David Gaidar intended Yoshimo to be Tamoko's little brother just made the whole thing even more bittersweet.
Finally, I offer someone who hasn't been mentioned yet; Jon Irenicus. Envy, Greed, Wrath and Pride.
Anyone else who is of the same opinion: please, do share your thoughts.
I think we have to accept that hardly anything in games like this is actually well written, if you set a high standard. It almost comes with the terrain; I once read Salvatore's original Icewind Dale trilogy and was of the opinion that literature doesn't get much worse than that. For chrissakes, there were problems in his command of the English language (!), not to mention the characters or the story.
Having said that, I do enjoy much of BG2 in terms of writing, and I don't see how Valygar sticks out as a piece of bad writing. That's why I'm very curious about this.
Korgan, for instance, doesn't have any depth whatsoever. Nor is he meant to have, I'd say. He's a fine character, don't get me wrong, but there's no depth at all, just a very prominent violent streak and an extremely simplistic "let's kill it first and not ask questions later" attitude. The same goes for Minsc, although his attitude is, obviously, different from Korgan's. Neither of them has any capacity at all to reflect upon any of their actions. With Valygar, the questioning of his entire world-view begins during and especially after the Planar Sphere quest.
Anomen begins as an extremely simplistic character with almost no depth, but things don't necessarily end that way. Jan is a bag of tricks who I greatly enjoy, but even he is simply a collection of tricks, there's no soul. And I don't mean that depth is necessarily something dark, as it is in Valygar's case. Just look at Mazzy.
Anyone can easily say that so-and-so is or isn't good or interesting or an idiot (as you said of Valygar) or whatever, but that doesn't lead anywhere and doesn't help anyone. But oh well, let's drop this then.
Anyone else of the opinion that Valygar is poorly written (in comparison to other NPCs)? I don't think he is.
It would be great, for instance, if Jan actually had some depth. If there were a discussion with another NPC where he, for a change, is actually serious, and he is not taken seriously because he's been crying wolf (although in another sense) for so long. Maybe there even is such a discussion, but I haven't seen it. (And I do like Jan an awful lot - the stuff they've written for him is hilarious.)
Kelsey: A NG Human Sorcerer NPC (who somehow has a half-elf avatar) for BG2
The creator does a good job of making an interesting and powerful NPC who is not too "unique" that he feels out of place nor too powerful to make your character seem puny and insignificant by comparison. He has a romance that seems okay from what I've seen (haven't gotten far) but the coolest thing is that he romances Imoen, which I think is great and adds a lot to both his character and Imoen's (she needed more material). He has some interesting encounters as well.
Angelo: A TN Human Fighter 7-->Mage X for BG2
Sarevok's lackey from the first game returns! Shar-Teel's daddy is a fun, well voiced mod NPC that has an interesting background. I find it fun to find characters from BG1 in the second game. If you recruit Sarevok, you can see some fun sparks fly and some interesting outcomes (especially if Sarevok is redeemed). He is half Kara-Turan so has fun interaction with Yoshimo (they mock people who dual-wield katanas) and has b/w 2-5 banters with each NPC, especially interesting with returning characters like Minsc, Jaheira, Imoen, Edwin, etc. His stats are very solid yet not overpowered. The romance I have yet to complete entirely, but it is interesting in that your PC has to be the one who initiates. A welcomed change, imo.
Finch: A NG Gnome Cleric (only for BG1)
Awesome gnome librarian! Priest of Deneir, the Scribe of Oghma and a deity of knowledge, scholars and maps. She is fun and well voiced in my opinion (very fitting for a gnome nerd!), though some may find her annoying. I think she is awesome, and I often make her into a Cleric/Illusionist. She has fun quests to find knowledge/books for a library in Beregost and she has some fun interactions with my favorite minor NPC Firebead Elvenhair.
Ninde: A NE Human Necromancer for BG2
Cool evil NPC. From a wealthy noble family but had a dark side and is now on the run. She has a bit of a sense of entitlement, so you can imagine her like an evil death-obsessed version of Paris Hilton. She has a great portrait, intriguing sound-set and different personality. She has a romance, and it is interesting. She is very manipulative and feels like a rich-girl slumming so it makes her a fine addition to the game. Imagine and anti-Nalia.
Xan: LN Enchanter or Sorcerer (lets you choose) for BG2
You know who he is. Come on. He's awesome. New voice-set which isn't too bad (but not as good as the original of course). He has an interesting romance option, a fun quest, and good interactions. I took him as a sorcerer and he is incredible in my game. I find him well-written, with a good romance that isn't as cheesy as it could have been. He is a Debby-Downer but you can *maybe* cheer him up a bit! Fun if you have him with Kelsey, since they actually fight for your characters affection! Like the Bioware NPCs they will force you to choose (unless you choose not to install this portion)
so... my best friend who happens to be a ginger (only chaotic evil person I allow in party, sorry Dorn) just shared the most insightful image I have ever seen on facebook.
Truth exposed 0.o
Agreed. I tried out Kelsey this time around and his Imoen romance component in TOB was a pleasant surprise. Imoen is basically the deuteragonist of the series and she could always use more material, particularly some lovin for her own. I would also recommend Back to Brynnlaw as a mod for more Imoen content.
As far as mod NPCs are concerned, Kelsey is the best I've seen. I haven't tried many, and most I've abandoned straight away.