None are more beautiful than Tiax, lest he make them beautiful without their face. Tiax is as he does; Cyric said he'd find himself in jail, but 'tis for a good reason. We were destined to meet here, you and Tiax, for you are his guide to ascension.
Tiax is better than you, gaining 2 wisdom and 1 dexterity, blessed by great Cyric.
Tiax cares not for your party members or their lesser gods, but that feeble smart guy's elf will regret being raised by him, even if Tiax must wear her skull back to him and then build a throne with his.
Tiax cannot stand knights and wants to squash them. Tiax has no time for romance or quests, he's too busy waiting to rule to be bothered. If you want to deal with the lawmen who chase great Tiax, then surely you can add the rewards to his coffers.
Tiax is a chosen rogue and priest, and boom, he'll rule! Tiax cares not about your dealings with false Bhaal. He's too busy ruling for Cyric to care. Surely meeting Cyric himself would make the almighty Tiax even stronger.
So let's talk about one of my favorite NPCs from BG1 that isn't playable.
Brage, the man with the cursed sword. Brage was a man from the Nashkel guard who came into possession of a Berserking Greatsword +3 and killed friends and family alike. You can kill him for a bounty or bring him to the Temple of Helm if you solve his riddle.
His stats are surprisingly respectable:
18/83 Str 11 Dex 17 Con 12 Int 8 Wis 13 Chr Alignment: CN
At the temple, he turned to Helm, and became an upstanding lawman.
Stories have reached his ear that the sword has gone missing! This has brought him to Waukeen's Promenade where he finds the drunks upstairs which likely killed everyone who just got out of the dungeon/circus tent.
Brage wants the sword back to keep it out of the wrong hands. After procuring it through a bloody battle, Brage will mention that he wants to destroy it, and that a powerful smith may be required.
Bringing it to Cromwell, he says he'd never want to destroy something so powerful, but he thinks he has a way to contain the curse... and make it stronger. The ingredients may leave the sword talking NONSTOP!
You need Lilracor, The Cursed Sword of Berserking, The Flame of the North, 1 Remove Curse Scroll, a Scroll of Magic Missiles and 10k gold.
You also don't need Brage in the party to get the reward.
Brage is mostly quiet and contemplative. He'll stay out of most conflicts but sees much to hate in Sarevok and Korgan due to their willful bloodlust. Keldorn will recognize Brage from rumors up north, but since he's a cool guy when not dealing with Viconia, he's willing to let Brage's actions speak for themselves
@Dazzu I really like the idea of Brage. I really think Brage will speak up aroudn quest that involve saving innocent's as another way of redemption and forgiving himself for killing his friends and family.
I always wanted Kagain to return, but not as a joinable NPC. I imagine he took his earnings from adventuring on the Sword Coast (with you or without you) and opened up a shop either in Waukeen's Promenade or Trademeet. It would be fun if you ask him to join you, but her refuses. "There ain't much money in adventurin', kid."
I... well I'm actually going to try to mod up some of my ideas from here: most importantly Kagain, Monty and Shar-teel. I need something less evil and more magical to balance this array of brawn, though. Maybe Garrick? Most of the other npcs already transferred have big name mods attached and I'd rather not attempt to try to step on toes, no matter how differently I'd handle things with a few npcs.
My plans would be... well, I'll keep it in spoilers.
Kagain would be top choice. As I've mentioned before, he's at Trademeet, honing himself as a Dwarven Defender.
His new Stat spread is as follows:
18/68 12 20 16 11 8
Axe **** Flail * (** at 12) Crossbow * (** at 9)
This means you can find a nice home for those beautiful flails and outclass any barbarian.
Kagain is shrewd as a businessman. He knows that to be good and wealthy, you sometimes need to pretend to be good to get wealthy. For this reason, while he might complain, he won't outright leave at his normal breaking point unless you stay poor too long. He knows that good business is founded on a seemingly welcoming demeanor with happy subordinates and Slaves are less valuable than underpaid workers who are less likely to rally in revolt.
That's not to say his evil side won't show... don't worry, he'll get under lots of skin, but less as a murderer and more as an outright sleazeball. He also don't like elves. He won't want a lady that has any elf genetics. Humans he's okay with, even half (or full) orcs are okay with his libido.
His views on party members are as such.
Aerie: Kagain has little beef with Aerie. She's a bit whiny and frail, and he'll mock her for it, but he sees a business prospect in her as a circus performer. He also knows not to piss off someone so loaded with magic who'll work for so little.
Anomen: This guy is stupid, zealous and a bulge of knightly muscle... Kagain sees a viable, viable sucker worthy of ripping off. In turn, Anomen does not like Kagain because he's a greedy drunkard much like his father.
Cernd: The guy becomes slovenly dog with flees and humps trees. Bad for business, and in a sense, Kagain only tolerates him because he frees Trademeet up for business.
Dorn: They see each other as fierce warriors who've sold their souls to an evil power, but both feel that the go[l]d they live for is the wrong way to attain their greatest power. In a sense, they'll get along, but mostly the way two dudes who can't agree which Star Trek generation is better.
Edwin: Two manipulators are at each other's throat. They tolerate their combat synergy more than anything else.
Haer'Dalis: Actors are overdramatic, melodramatic and most importantly, underpaid. In a sense, Kagain sees no reason to like theater or actors and their starving artist lifestyle, but if he could get him to help sell his mercenary business... then again, this is the demon blooded, CN guy who loves destruction, so the potential for repairs have Kagain conflicted.
Hexxat: Undead, unnatural... Kagain just wants business, and if Hexxat can plunder underground riches and gold, then he's all for it!
Imoen: She's a true thief and pickpocket. He'll never leave his guard down around her, but he trusts her goody nature to keep from stealing from him.
Jaheira: Bitch, bitch, bitch! Nature vs. City here. Kagain has no love for Jaheira's balance nature bordering on true communism, and Jaheira just thinks he's a disgusting waste of party space. No violence, just heavy tension.
Jan: A fellow salesman with a ton of tales. They'll get along just fine, even if the stories are beyond Kagain's belief.
Keldorn: Knights are stuffy, boring and stick up their... not Keldorn! Keldorn's an alright guy to the greedy Dwarf. They tolerate, though Keldorn less so than the reverse since him faking altruism to reap rewards is not something Paladins appreciate.
Mazzy: In Kagain's mind, she's an attractive woman, but a little too charitable. He thinks she wastes her potential clashing swords rather than cutting purses for him. Lady Fentan doesn't find that amusing.
Minsc: Minsc is dumber than his hamster companion, and Kagain is fine with it. With the right manipulation, he'll turn Minsc into the free dumb muscle he'd need for business.
Neera: She's loony! The worst kind of CN foil to an LE sleaze. They won't be friends, and Wild magic just annoys.
Nalia: Violent! More than anything else, do NOT directly give money away in front of Kagain unless it's an investment akin to running your stronghold. Beggars do not DESERVE the money, because Kagain's words "We earnsd it areselves!" The violence can be stopped and won't occur in ToB, but keep DeArnise away from beggars.
Rassad: Monks have too much want for nothing: no equipment, cash, food, ale. In a sense, Kagain is fine with this, provided he doesn't want to give any of his away.
Valygar: A mage hunter is alright by him. In truth, they have little to say to each other. So little to say that there's a goddamn banter about it... two more in ToB.
Viconia: Drow are bad news. They're a good way to scare customers or worse, make them talk about that blowhard Drizz't. He just wants her to stand away to not ruin his 'upstanding' image.
Yoshimo: Dislike. Kagain knows when someone has the mark of a yesman, and Yoshi has it in spades! He's a yesman who can't say no, a terrible employee.
For crossmod, if I go that route... I'm not even sure I'm reading into all characters right.
Adrian: Adrian hates elves and can craft magic things. Kagain finds his hate for half his heritage odd, but loves the idea of selling magic items.
Arath: Something about Arath rubs Kagain the wrong way. It might be that Kagain feels that Arath just can't ignore his dwarven visage of perfection, but he's not sure. That issue will be resolved fairly easily, but he's still a tree hugger, the anti-gold!
Coran: An elf with a charm for the ladies. Kagain just wonders if he can use that charm to make business sales, even if it means whoring out Coran... and completely within his will since he'll sex every woman anyway.
Dace: A wily thief? No dice for Kagain. His funds will be extinguished long before he gets a word in.
Kelsey: A merchant and an accountant? Kagain sees potential for this magical being... so much potential, especially for a cheap accountant (16 Int doesn't mean "I can math!") Kelsey finds his business practices far too unethical.
Keto: More performer bards! Bah! What a waste of profit potential!
Kivan: Not only does Kivan act like such an elf, he won't shut up about it as far as Kagain is concerned. "What is ya, an elf encyclopedia? I don'ts know averything about Dwarves! I'd likes ya more if there was elf stuff ya actually DIDN'T know!" In turn, all the wrong Dwarven Stereotypes about dwarves make Kivan angry. There might be blood, even a romantic conflict.
Nephele: Despite her age and many children, Kagain wouldn't mind having some halfling. The sentiment is, of course, zero percent shared on her end.
Ninde: A nobility manipulator. Kagain just wonders how many pockets she's deep into, and wonders if she'll try her hand on his.
Tiax: Tiax is Tiax. He's insane, but if he's godtouched, then Kagain wants him workin' for him! Tiax of course barely even serves his own god, so there'll be tension if Tiax even remembers what that is.
Xan: The whining, the crying, the suicidal thoughts. Kagain will be off a wall, and Xan knows it. He hates the rigid actions of the burly dwarf and might complain EXTRA hard to tick him off.
Tsujatha, Chloe, Yasraena: 1 Million dollars in unmarked bills directly to my doorstep!
Saerileth: Make that 2 million... if you do, I can at least CONSIDER, but if I'm to sell my soul and dignity...
Do note if I misrepresent your mod, I do appologize.
Hmm, it's awkward to talk about things when you're talking to yourself, not that I mind talking to myself, but I'd rather not have to wait 2-3 days to avoid seemingly like a double poster.
I've always wanted Xzar AND Monty back. They wouldn't have to be paired like before, even get seperate quests that leave an option to ditch one "painlessly" (like Keldorn), i.e. Monty gets an offer to join a thief guild, or Xzar may decide to devote more time to his studies and settle down.
Xzar would get a minor stat boost in wisdom, and come already dualed to cleric (see my old, dusty postings about why he makes so much sense as a "godless cleric" who researches faith in a scientific manner, to further his understanding of death). His other stats are perfectly fine; he's already one of the stronger BG1 NPCs with great strength and dex for a mage. Xzar would in some ways become the chaotic evil counterpart to Aerie, though trading limited mage abilities for faster cleric progression. He'd be a utility caster at best (dualed at 6), but be able to pick up the slack for Edwin and his missing low level utility. Xzar and Edwin as evil casters make a damn powerful duo already, so to limit the convenience, they'd share a quest. Edwin wants to kill the lich and take the Netherscroll... Xzar wants to take the lich at the sacrifice of the Netherscroll. You could only do the quest of one - for the XP boost - with no way around it. If you grant the boost to Edwin, Xzar will stick around in hopes Edwin achieves lichdom (and, being a bit delusional, Xzar believes he can then claim him as study object). If you grant the boost to Xzar (his boost being a "Summon Lesser Lich" ability), Edwin will stick around and try to trick Xzar's lich into giving up the scroll. The character development here will go a long way, especially for Edwin. Xzar is already a rather friendly guy, but if he has the scroll, Edwin will - badly - try to be nice and charming and make Xzar think of him as a friend in order to get the scroll (Edwin isn't one to follow through with threats of fireballing or stabbing party members...). If Montaron is present, Edwin may either try to befriend Montaron to find out what makes Xzar trust him (and learn to backstab, which will naturally go wrong), or hold back with his attempts to kill Xzar out of fear that Monty WILL follow through with his threats.
This would leave Edwin's quest intact if people want him as mage, gives the chance for developing the character if they also take Xzar and possibly Montaron, and it would be fun if Xzar - the eternal second - would finally have something Edwin desperately wants, but can't get with his usual methods (as cleric, Xzar can protect himself quite efficiently even from a mage like Edwin).
Eldoth would return with... a dirgesinger kit?! Yep. He's a liar. He claims he saw his one true love Skie murdered and could do nothing to save her. Ever since, he profits from people feeling sorry for the heartbroken poet in mourning. He tells a sad tale to charname, not without subtly hinting at charname's part in the tale ("If it wasn't for you, Skie might still be alive" subtle). This will naturally get rather awkward when Skie returns as a neutral aligned Shadowdancer, who is quite alive and well. At this point, charname can make a choice - call Eldoth out on his bullshit (though he fakes relief and surprise), ditch him and have Skie join instead. Or praise his genius idea to profit on people's empathy, and encourage him to keep up the act (and actually kill Skie). You could not have both in the same party. Eldoth would get the stat boost in dex (to use his longbow prof and poison arrow, finally making him the archer he was obviously supposed to be), Skie would get hers in int and con (her dex is already fine) to reflect she was smarter than Eldoth this time (or at least learned from the past) and got tougher.
The quest here would naturally be their confrontation. If siding with Eldoth, Skie would get support by a group of fellow shadowdancers you have to fight. If siding with her, Eldoth would just run and Skie would get a quest of her own (as opposed to being the "prize" like in BG1), maybe dealing with an old grudge against the people who - that much is true - ambushed her and Eldoth (Eldoth ran then, too, and never expected Skie to live, though he suspected she might be taken prisoner or charm her way out).
I would have liked to see Coran as a joinable character in BG2. His stats were already powerful. There aren't many thieve types in BG2. I've always liked his voice set a lot. He says things like "Luck be a Lady" and he whistles like a bird when he attacks.
Gonna have to disagree about the Zhent's being a duo, even a separable one. One of them being either dead or incapable would be an excellent source of character development, even if the development isn't a sense of "I miss him" and is more indifference.
To this end, Monty feels like the better character, since he actually understands the world around him like a normal person, even if a bit lonely about it. There's also the fact that he'd be far stronger than a single class mage who can't use Blur, or any of the image spells... although to be fair, he could probably be a wish source. I suppose he would get a stat buff, including 1 int and 1... Dex or wisdom... both? I suppose a dual class Necro/cleric or necro/thief could work, but again, the loss of Illusion magic REALLY works against the thief and the Cleric has plenty of necromancy as is with lots of instant death, some Skeleton making. There's also the fact that he's not Edwin and will never BE Edwin.
Monty on the other hand has little competition. He's a Halfling with good con, dex and strength, useful for a combat based multi. Heck, with +1 to those stats, he could be at 17/18/16, which is the same spread as Valygar and Yoshimo... but unlike the ranger, he can take an extra Illithid strike and his extra saves don't need to be restated.
He'd also be interesting as a Sling Specialist thief instead of a usually preferred missile, even if it is a halfling specialty. Axe, Short Sword and Slings were his BG1 weapons, and they all play out interestingly in this game.
Xzar is too insane to probably be a romance in good taste/logic/etc, but Monty could work. Sure he has the desire to backstab (and you should use that skill while you can,) but he probably has enough sense to follow his hormones correctly and even develop empathy for someone if needed.
Plus we know his body is fresh and intact enough to be revived.
Not every arcane caster HAS to be Edwin. I like Edwin as much as the next evil player, but I also like Xzar and I can also understand not wanting Edwin around every single time you play the game. That goes for every NPC, actually, it just gets boring after a while. Not every NPC HAS to be romancable. I do think Jan is one of the best written and most complex NPCs. He has no romance. Keldorn has good writing, also no romance. There are enough romances, if not too many. Would Monty REALLY be a viable romance option anyway? He's a sociopath. Dorn already used up all there was to use for that trope. It's nothing I'd like to see repeated; his BG2 writing is awful.
I'm not saying Monty shouldn't be revivable and joinable. I'm just saying Xzar would fit in just as good, if not better (BG2 being magic orientied, a caster with access to utility arcane and high level divine magic goes a long way, see Aerie).
Comments
Tiax is better than you, gaining 2 wisdom and 1 dexterity, blessed by great Cyric.
Tiax cares not for your party members or their lesser gods, but that feeble smart guy's elf will regret being raised by him, even if Tiax must wear her skull back to him and then build a throne with his.
Tiax cannot stand knights and wants to squash them. Tiax has no time for romance or quests, he's too busy waiting to rule to be bothered. If you want to deal with the lawmen who chase great Tiax, then surely you can add the rewards to his coffers.
Tiax is a chosen rogue and priest, and boom, he'll rule! Tiax cares not about your dealings with false Bhaal. He's too busy ruling for Cyric to care. Surely meeting Cyric himself would make the almighty Tiax even stronger.
Brage, the man with the cursed sword. Brage was a man from the Nashkel guard who came into possession of a Berserking Greatsword +3 and killed friends and family alike. You can kill him for a bounty or bring him to the Temple of Helm if you solve his riddle.
His stats are surprisingly respectable:
18/83 Str
11 Dex
17 Con
12 Int
8 Wis
13 Chr
Alignment: CN
At the temple, he turned to Helm, and became an upstanding lawman.
Stories have reached his ear that the sword has gone missing! This has brought him to Waukeen's Promenade where he finds the drunks upstairs which likely killed everyone who just got out of the dungeon/circus tent.
Brage wants the sword back to keep it out of the wrong hands. After procuring it through a bloody battle, Brage will mention that he wants to destroy it, and that a powerful smith may be required.
Bringing it to Cromwell, he says he'd never want to destroy something so powerful, but he thinks he has a way to contain the curse... and make it stronger. The ingredients may leave the sword talking NONSTOP!
You need Lilracor, The Cursed Sword of Berserking, The Flame of the North, 1 Remove Curse Scroll, a Scroll of Magic Missiles and 10k gold.
You also don't need Brage in the party to get the reward.
Brage is mostly quiet and contemplative. He'll stay out of most conflicts but sees much to hate in Sarevok and Korgan due to their willful bloodlust. Keldorn will recognize Brage from rumors up north, but since he's a cool guy when not dealing with Viconia, he's willing to let Brage's actions speak for themselves
It would be fun if you ask him to join you, but her refuses. "There ain't much money in adventurin', kid."
Kagain got better things to do!
You need to marry her to bed her, and to do that you would have to do a several heists to get the stuff she wants (wedding dress, cake etc)
My plans would be... well, I'll keep it in spoilers.
Kagain would be top choice. As I've mentioned before, he's at Trademeet, honing himself as a Dwarven Defender.
His new Stat spread is as follows:
18/68 12 20 16 11 8
Axe ****
Flail * (** at 12)
Crossbow * (** at 9)
This means you can find a nice home for those beautiful flails and outclass any barbarian.
Kagain is shrewd as a businessman. He knows that to be good and wealthy, you sometimes need to pretend to be good to get wealthy. For this reason, while he might complain, he won't outright leave at his normal breaking point unless you stay poor too long. He knows that good business is founded on a seemingly welcoming demeanor with happy subordinates and Slaves are less valuable than underpaid workers who are less likely to rally in revolt.
That's not to say his evil side won't show... don't worry, he'll get under lots of skin, but less as a murderer and more as an outright sleazeball. He also don't like elves. He won't want a lady that has any elf genetics. Humans he's okay with, even half (or full) orcs are okay with his libido.
His views on party members are as such.
Aerie: Kagain has little beef with Aerie. She's a bit whiny and frail, and he'll mock her for it, but he sees a business prospect in her as a circus performer. He also knows not to piss off someone so loaded with magic who'll work for so little.
Anomen: This guy is stupid, zealous and a bulge of knightly muscle... Kagain sees a viable, viable sucker worthy of ripping off. In turn, Anomen does not like Kagain because he's a greedy drunkard much like his father.
Cernd: The guy becomes slovenly dog with flees and humps trees. Bad for business, and in a sense, Kagain only tolerates him because he frees Trademeet up for business.
Dorn: They see each other as fierce warriors who've sold their souls to an evil power, but both feel that the go[l]d they live for is the wrong way to attain their greatest power. In a sense, they'll get along, but mostly the way two dudes who can't agree which Star Trek generation is better.
Edwin: Two manipulators are at each other's throat. They tolerate their combat synergy more than anything else.
Haer'Dalis: Actors are overdramatic, melodramatic and most importantly, underpaid. In a sense, Kagain sees no reason to like theater or actors and their starving artist lifestyle, but if he could get him to help sell his mercenary business... then again, this is the demon blooded, CN guy who loves destruction, so the potential for repairs have Kagain conflicted.
Hexxat: Undead, unnatural... Kagain just wants business, and if Hexxat can plunder underground riches and gold, then he's all for it!
Imoen: She's a true thief and pickpocket. He'll never leave his guard down around her, but he trusts her goody nature to keep from stealing from him.
Jaheira: Bitch, bitch, bitch! Nature vs. City here. Kagain has no love for Jaheira's balance nature bordering on true communism, and Jaheira just thinks he's a disgusting waste of party space. No violence, just heavy tension.
Jan: A fellow salesman with a ton of tales. They'll get along just fine, even if the stories are beyond Kagain's belief.
Keldorn: Knights are stuffy, boring and stick up their... not Keldorn! Keldorn's an alright guy to the greedy Dwarf. They tolerate, though Keldorn less so than the reverse since him faking altruism to reap rewards is not something Paladins appreciate.
Mazzy: In Kagain's mind, she's an attractive woman, but a little too charitable. He thinks she wastes her potential clashing swords rather than cutting purses for him. Lady Fentan doesn't find that amusing.
Minsc: Minsc is dumber than his hamster companion, and Kagain is fine with it. With the right manipulation, he'll turn Minsc into the free dumb muscle he'd need for business.
Neera: She's loony! The worst kind of CN foil to an LE sleaze. They won't be friends, and Wild magic just annoys.
Nalia: Violent! More than anything else, do NOT directly give money away in front of Kagain unless it's an investment akin to running your stronghold. Beggars do not DESERVE the money, because Kagain's words "We earnsd it areselves!" The violence can be stopped and won't occur in ToB, but keep DeArnise away from beggars.
Rassad: Monks have too much want for nothing: no equipment, cash, food, ale. In a sense, Kagain is fine with this, provided he doesn't want to give any of his away.
Valygar: A mage hunter is alright by him. In truth, they have little to say to each other. So little to say that there's a goddamn banter about it... two more in ToB.
Viconia: Drow are bad news. They're a good way to scare customers or worse, make them talk about that blowhard Drizz't. He just wants her to stand away to not ruin his 'upstanding' image.
Yoshimo: Dislike. Kagain knows when someone has the mark of a yesman, and Yoshi has it in spades! He's a yesman who can't say no, a terrible employee.
For crossmod, if I go that route... I'm not even sure I'm reading into all characters right.
Adrian: Adrian hates elves and can craft magic things. Kagain finds his hate for half his heritage odd, but loves the idea of selling magic items.
Arath: Something about Arath rubs Kagain the wrong way. It might be that Kagain feels that Arath just can't ignore his dwarven visage of perfection, but he's not sure. That issue will be resolved fairly easily, but he's still a tree hugger, the anti-gold!
Coran: An elf with a charm for the ladies. Kagain just wonders if he can use that charm to make business sales, even if it means whoring out Coran... and completely within his will since he'll sex every woman anyway.
Dace: A wily thief? No dice for Kagain. His funds will be extinguished long before he gets a word in.
Kelsey: A merchant and an accountant? Kagain sees potential for this magical being... so much potential, especially for a cheap accountant (16 Int doesn't mean "I can math!") Kelsey finds his business practices far too unethical.
Keto: More performer bards! Bah! What a waste of profit potential!
Kivan: Not only does Kivan act like such an elf, he won't shut up about it as far as Kagain is concerned. "What is ya, an elf encyclopedia? I don'ts know averything about Dwarves! I'd likes ya more if there was elf stuff ya actually DIDN'T know!" In turn, all the wrong Dwarven Stereotypes about dwarves make Kivan angry. There might be blood, even a romantic conflict.
Nephele: Despite her age and many children, Kagain wouldn't mind having some halfling. The sentiment is, of course, zero percent shared on her end.
Ninde: A nobility manipulator. Kagain just wonders how many pockets she's deep into, and wonders if she'll try her hand on his.
Tiax: Tiax is Tiax. He's insane, but if he's godtouched, then Kagain wants him workin' for him! Tiax of course barely even serves his own god, so there'll be tension if Tiax even remembers what that is.
Xan: The whining, the crying, the suicidal thoughts. Kagain will be off a wall, and Xan knows it. He hates the rigid actions of the burly dwarf and might complain EXTRA hard to tick him off.
Tsujatha, Chloe, Yasraena: 1 Million dollars in unmarked bills directly to my doorstep!
Saerileth: Make that 2 million... if you do, I can at least CONSIDER, but if I'm to sell my soul and dignity...
Do note if I misrepresent your mod, I do appologize.
Either way, I might one day go through with this.
I've always wanted Xzar AND Monty back. They wouldn't have to be paired like before, even get seperate quests that leave an option to ditch one "painlessly" (like Keldorn), i.e. Monty gets an offer to join a thief guild, or Xzar may decide to devote more time to his studies and settle down.
Xzar would get a minor stat boost in wisdom, and come already dualed to cleric (see my old, dusty postings about why he makes so much sense as a "godless cleric" who researches faith in a scientific manner, to further his understanding of death). His other stats are perfectly fine; he's already one of the stronger BG1 NPCs with great strength and dex for a mage. Xzar would in some ways become the chaotic evil counterpart to Aerie, though trading limited mage abilities for faster cleric progression. He'd be a utility caster at best (dualed at 6), but be able to pick up the slack for Edwin and his missing low level utility.
Xzar and Edwin as evil casters make a damn powerful duo already, so to limit the convenience, they'd share a quest. Edwin wants to kill the lich and take the Netherscroll... Xzar wants to take the lich at the sacrifice of the Netherscroll. You could only do the quest of one - for the XP boost - with no way around it. If you grant the boost to Edwin, Xzar will stick around in hopes Edwin achieves lichdom (and, being a bit delusional, Xzar believes he can then claim him as study object). If you grant the boost to Xzar (his boost being a "Summon Lesser Lich" ability), Edwin will stick around and try to trick Xzar's lich into giving up the scroll.
The character development here will go a long way, especially for Edwin. Xzar is already a rather friendly guy, but if he has the scroll, Edwin will - badly - try to be nice and charming and make Xzar think of him as a friend in order to get the scroll (Edwin isn't one to follow through with threats of fireballing or stabbing party members...). If Montaron is present, Edwin may either try to befriend Montaron to find out what makes Xzar trust him (and learn to backstab, which will naturally go wrong), or hold back with his attempts to kill Xzar out of fear that Monty WILL follow through with his threats.
This would leave Edwin's quest intact if people want him as mage, gives the chance for developing the character if they also take Xzar and possibly Montaron, and it would be fun if Xzar - the eternal second - would finally have something Edwin desperately wants, but can't get with his usual methods (as cleric, Xzar can protect himself quite efficiently even from a mage like Edwin).
Eldoth would return with... a dirgesinger kit?! Yep. He's a liar. He claims he saw his one true love Skie murdered and could do nothing to save her. Ever since, he profits from people feeling sorry for the heartbroken poet in mourning. He tells a sad tale to charname, not without subtly hinting at charname's part in the tale ("If it wasn't for you, Skie might still be alive" subtle). This will naturally get rather awkward when Skie returns as a neutral aligned Shadowdancer, who is quite alive and well. At this point, charname can make a choice - call Eldoth out on his bullshit (though he fakes relief and surprise), ditch him and have Skie join instead. Or praise his genius idea to profit on people's empathy, and encourage him to keep up the act (and actually kill Skie). You could not have both in the same party.
Eldoth would get the stat boost in dex (to use his longbow prof and poison arrow, finally making him the archer he was obviously supposed to be), Skie would get hers in int and con (her dex is already fine) to reflect she was smarter than Eldoth this time (or at least learned from the past) and got tougher.
The quest here would naturally be their confrontation. If siding with Eldoth, Skie would get support by a group of fellow shadowdancers you have to fight. If siding with her, Eldoth would just run and Skie would get a quest of her own (as opposed to being the "prize" like in BG1), maybe dealing with an old grudge against the people who - that much is true - ambushed her and Eldoth (Eldoth ran then, too, and never expected Skie to live, though he suspected she might be taken prisoner or charm her way out).
To this end, Monty feels like the better character, since he actually understands the world around him like a normal person, even if a bit lonely about it. There's also the fact that he'd be far stronger than a single class mage who can't use Blur, or any of the image spells... although to be fair, he could probably be a wish source. I suppose he would get a stat buff, including 1 int and 1... Dex or wisdom... both? I suppose a dual class Necro/cleric or necro/thief could work, but again, the loss of Illusion magic REALLY works against the thief and the Cleric has plenty of necromancy as is with lots of instant death, some Skeleton making. There's also the fact that he's not Edwin and will never BE Edwin.
Monty on the other hand has little competition. He's a Halfling with good con, dex and strength, useful for a combat based multi. Heck, with +1 to those stats, he could be at 17/18/16, which is the same spread as Valygar and Yoshimo... but unlike the ranger, he can take an extra Illithid strike and his extra saves don't need to be restated.
He'd also be interesting as a Sling Specialist thief instead of a usually preferred missile, even if it is a halfling specialty. Axe, Short Sword and Slings were his BG1 weapons, and they all play out interestingly in this game.
Xzar is too insane to probably be a romance in good taste/logic/etc, but Monty could work. Sure he has the desire to backstab (and you should use that skill while you can,) but he probably has enough sense to follow his hormones correctly and even develop empathy for someone if needed.
Plus we know his body is fresh and intact enough to be revived.
I'm also pretty sure that following one's hormones has never involved one iota of sense.
Not every NPC HAS to be romancable. I do think Jan is one of the best written and most complex NPCs. He has no romance. Keldorn has good writing, also no romance. There are enough romances, if not too many. Would Monty REALLY be a viable romance option anyway? He's a sociopath. Dorn already used up all there was to use for that trope. It's nothing I'd like to see repeated; his BG2 writing is awful.
I'm not saying Monty shouldn't be revivable and joinable. I'm just saying Xzar would fit in just as good, if not better (BG2 being magic orientied, a caster with access to utility arcane and high level divine magic goes a long way, see Aerie).