I tend to stick with these characters for story. I think Baldur's Gate strongly guides you towards these characters (arguably BG1 forces Imoen on you, but you can boot her whenever you wish).
Plus, more importantly, I find these characters interesting and entertaining. They may not make the best thieves or as good mages as say Edwin, but they're serviceable and also fun to have around.
Imoen is a must for my good party, her thief skills are far better than Nalias. I only wish I could steal her ring, it'd be great for characters who can use any item. That's her only bonus in my mind and I'd rather she wore the ring of wizardry & the ring of accuracy (if that was it's name). She is instead in dire need of the ring of lock-picks & the ring of trap-detection but she can't wear both!
Imoen is fine until TOB and then she gets the master harpers necklace.
Imoen is a perfectly viable thief for opening chests and disarming traps for the entire saga, just so you know. There are only a handful of traps/chests she can't get past with use of Potion of Master Thievery.
Yes, because I bring those around with me all the time.
Actually no, the poll just sucks. Sorry Stark, but srsly? I don't care that I can't romance them, but they're both annoying as Hell. I love Imoen in BG1 though.
Neither I find them both very annoying and I have Edwin as Mage. I also don't really see the evil/good perspective being an issue here. While I play an evil party I tend to take good characters along for the ride as well like Keldorn (which is usually a quite hilarious ride) whom I really like. I just think Edwin is a much better and engaging NPC than those two faceless girls.
I sometimes change Imoen to a plain Bard via the Level 1 NPCs mod, as I feel that is actually a better fit for her personality. I've never given her a kit but she might make an impressive Blade.
Like Quartz I do not find her nearly as endearing in BG2 as she was in BG1. But as for me, I have to stick with the kid and rescue her.
Not a fan of Nalia's personality. The device of a morality play about class difference drives the character a little too transparently for my taste.
I sometimes change Imoen to a plain Bard via the Level 1 NPCs mod, as I feel that is actually a better fit for her personality. I've never given her a kit but she might make an impressive Blade.
I love the idea of Imoen as a Bard. That had never occurred to me. I'll have to try that sometime.
Imoen is a perfectly viable thief for opening chests and disarming traps for the entire saga, just so you know. There are only a handful of traps/chests she can't get past with use of Potion of Master Thievery.
Yes, because I bring those around with me all the time.
Actually no, the poll just sucks. Sorry Stark, but srsly? I don't care that I can't romance them, but they're both annoying as Hell. I love Imoen in BG1 though.
@Quartz You're right. I should definitely have left the romancing bit out of the last option (or at least provided another option for people who don't like Imoen or Nalia)
I also love BG1 Imoen and hate the way she is changed and turned into a plot device in BG2.
hah It's getting serious, I was just making light of the options. Edwin does trump Imoen but I do enjoy playing good or evil parties (in BG2, less frequently in BG1).
Anyhow, seriously. I've been a Nalia fan since day one, which puts me in a fairly painful minority, but I don't really care. Yeah, early on she's not that great at trying to help people, but her heart is in the right place and that is more then a lot of people can manage.
(Also, I know I'm a little rusty since it has been a year or two since I last played, but isn't Nalia straight up superior to Imoen statistically? Having more thief levels technically disadvantages Imoen since neither is high enough level to not really need Mastery Thievery pots to matter, and thus Nalia has a level advantage as a mage, which is all that really matters. That, and the De'arnise Signet Ring is fairly rocking?)
Nalia only because Imoen's interaction after her kidnap has been done quite poorly - she has very few banters after she is united with your party. Her silence has always bothered me and that's why I usually take her along and use Nalia or Jan as my rogue instead.
I'd use them more often, but since I'm one of those players who likes picking good options often, and rarely if ever am I evil for the sake of being evil (i.e. reducing rep so Viconia or Edwin don't leave). Furthermore, as a good character and/or an elf rather often, being with a red wizard of thay or a drow doesn't work really well for either.
I might be more likely to consider them for some characters if they gave me a method outside the BG Tweak pack to lower my rep without going "HEY INNOCENT STAB STAB STAB"
You DO realise romancing Imoen is leaning towards incest, right? She's also a Bhaalspawn, afterall, so you practically share the same blood on your father's side.
You DO realise romancing Imoen is leaning towards incest, right? She's also a Bhaalspawn, afterall, so you practically share the same blood on your father's side.
I've honestly never felt any romantic tension between Imoen and CHARNAME. That said I fail to see the downside of making a demigod baby. I'm thinking the more godblood a kid can get the better.
I voted Nalia, though not for the reason your poll says.
I prefer Nalia because: 1. She spends much more time in my party in the early stages of BG2, which means I get to develop her the way I want, plus admittedly I get a bit attached to her. 2. Her Signet ring, which grants some big bonuses, which is especially significant for someone with limited armor options. 3. Her greater strength, which may not grant a bonus per say, but allows her to carry more weight, which is convenient. 4. Her associated quests, which are among my favorites in the game. Plus, if I play as a fighter or barbarian, I get to take over her stronghold, which adds a whole new dimension to the game.
On a side note, I don't agree that Nalia's personality is entirely "unlikable." When you think about it, she was a young, wealthy, attractive girl who had access to all of life's comforts and could've easily lived hidden away from all the dangers of the world, but instead, CHOOSES to put her life on the line fighting evil in the slums of the city (and KNOWING full well the risk, since her mother died the same way). Despite her flaws and "snottiness," I think on the whole, her character is actually quite admirable.
Imoen is a perfectly viable thief for opening chests and disarming traps for the entire saga, just so you know. There are only a handful of traps/chests she can't get past with use of Potion of Master Thievery.
Yes, because I bring those around with me all the time.
If you're utilizing Imoen, you really should. Just from the ones I looted from chests and battles, I always had plenty and never had to go purchase some of my own.
Fun thing to do with Nalia is give her the ring of Fire Resistance/Fire Control, drop another spell that adds fire resist on top of it and then us her as bait. Drop fire spells on top of her and it'll melt what you're fighting as well as HEAL her because damage to someone with 101%> resist of any type actually gets healed.
Both Nalia and Imoen have the same total stats. Imoen has more hp from the thief class, but Nalia can carry heavier stuffs in her backpack and comes with her family ring 50% fire resistance. With the ring of lockpicking and the ring of danger sense, Nalia does equally well as Imoen in thief stuffs.
Personally, I prefer Jan as he levels up in his thief skills. He has funny interactions with the other NPCs too.
Edit: On a side note, has anyone acted evil by killing the soldier guarding Nalia's aunt (Nalia was absent in the party). My party then avoided Nalia's aunt as she turned hostile (avoid the reputation hit). When I finished the quest and went out to meet Nalia, she attacked and killed her aunt. So much for being family.
I don't like either of them a lot either really but I think Nalia had the potential to be interesting. In ToB she seems a lot more confident and makes a few questionable comments that seem to suggest that her high level magic ability is going to her head slightly. It didn't really go anywhere but I think that it would be a really interesting angle to explore. She also isn't forced on you unlike Imoen so I guess I prefer Nalia.
My choice is to definitely keep Imoen in the party, even if Nalia comes alone as well on occasion. It doesn't make any sense story-wise to ditch Imoen, even less than in BG1. Also, Nalia always keeps her stupid ring that prevents me outfitting her with something better. Imoen has all slots free after the Spellhold, which means more than half of all subquests are still left and a huge amount of mainquests too. And Imoen has high dexterity, so she has potential at using bows as well.
Once again there was no "other" option for us folks that refuse to be forced into a niche that doesn't fit our answers - whats up with that? I think they should add a non-removable "other" option to the polls formatting... [grins]
I almost always take Imoen during the times she is available altho as I recall Nalia with fewer thief levels has the potential to be as good if not a wee bit better mage by the end.
In spite of that I am still somewhat disappointed with the way Imoen was handled for BG2 - I didn't like that she was forced into a multi-class nor that she was forced into the plot line in such a major way.
As for Nalia well her personality (or lack thereof) does provide a little comic relief for the first hour or so she is in your party but eventually I usually want to feed her to the next monster we come across so I haven't really used her very extensively - and never as a thief replacement of any sort.
Absolutely Imoen. First of all, because "She was with me at the start and she'll be there until the end." I would never let my little sister behind, she was even in my "evil" team with Edwin and Viconia. The story just has less meaning without her in the party. Stat-wise they are basically equal I think. Nalia can carry a bit more stuff, Imoen has a bit more lore, but their INT, DEX and CON are the same, so... the other 3 are dump stats for mages and thiefs anyway (STR is good for thiefs, but you are not likely to use them as main backstab damage dealers...). As a thief however, Imoen is vastly superior. You are not going to do much pick pocketing anyway, but Imoen's lock opening skill is much better.
Imoen: Open Doors: 95 Find Traps: 85 Pick Pockets: 25 Move Silently: 30 Hide In Shadows: 25 Detect Illusion: 0 Set Traps: 5 Backstab: 3x
Nalia: Open Doors: 60 Find Traps: 80 Pick Pockets: 35 Move Silently: 20 Hide In Shadows: 15 Detect Illusion: 0 Set Traps: 5 Backstab: 2x
If you equip Imoen with the thieving skill bonus items and have some potion of master thievery with you, I don't think you will have any problem. With Nalia, I'm not so sure... And if buffed (potion, luck spell), even Imoen can steal some stuff.
I enjoy both characters, there is an emotional attachment to Imoen, and Nalia has the best sidequest and some interesting dialogue. They really should have made Nalia romanceable though, I think that she is the one person the protag would be LIKELY to romance in that situation
I don't like Nalia - personally I'm a good guy, but her over the top goodness just makes me wanna puke. Question time! I always perceived Imoen as a thief, never used her as a mage. Someone said that she is second best after Edwin - what say you? I'm thinking about giving her a go as my main spellcaster and thief at the same time. Thanks for feedback.
Comments
Plus, more importantly, I find these characters interesting and entertaining. They may not make the best thieves or as good mages as say Edwin, but they're serviceable and also fun to have around.
Imoen is a must for my good party, her thief skills are far better than Nalias. I only wish I could steal her ring, it'd be great for characters who can use any item. That's her only bonus in my mind and I'd rather she wore the ring of wizardry & the ring of accuracy (if that was it's name). She is instead in dire need of the ring of lock-picks & the ring of trap-detection but she can't wear both!
Imoen is fine until TOB and then she gets the master harpers necklace.
Like Quartz I do not find her nearly as endearing in BG2 as she was in BG1. But as for me, I have to stick with the kid and rescue her.
Not a fan of Nalia's personality. The device of a morality play about class difference drives the character a little too transparently for my taste.
@Quartz
You're right. I should definitely have left the romancing bit out of the last option (or at least provided another option for people who don't like Imoen or Nalia)
I also love BG1 Imoen and hate the way she is changed and turned into a plot device in BG2.
Fie upon Black Isle for not giving her a romance in the base game (and also for putting her in direct class competition with Imoen).
Fie upon Beamdog for not being allowed to fix that.
Fie upon @Permidion_Stark for calling her snooty.
Anyhow, seriously. I've been a Nalia fan since day one, which puts me in a fairly painful minority, but I don't really care. Yeah, early on she's not that great at trying to help people, but her heart is in the right place and that is more then a lot of people can manage.
(Also, I know I'm a little rusty since it has been a year or two since I last played, but isn't Nalia straight up superior to Imoen statistically? Having more thief levels technically disadvantages Imoen since neither is high enough level to not really need Mastery Thievery pots to matter, and thus Nalia has a level advantage as a mage, which is all that really matters. That, and the De'arnise Signet Ring is fairly rocking?)
I'd use them more often, but since I'm one of those players who likes picking good options often, and rarely if ever am I evil for the sake of being evil (i.e. reducing rep so Viconia or Edwin don't leave). Furthermore, as a good character and/or an elf rather often, being with a red wizard of thay or a drow doesn't work really well for either.
I might be more likely to consider them for some characters if they gave me a method outside the BG Tweak pack to lower my rep without going "HEY INNOCENT STAB STAB STAB"
I prefer Nalia because:
1. She spends much more time in my party in the early stages of BG2, which means I get to develop her the way I want, plus admittedly I get a bit attached to her.
2. Her Signet ring, which grants some big bonuses, which is especially significant for someone with limited armor options.
3. Her greater strength, which may not grant a bonus per say, but allows her to carry more weight, which is convenient.
4. Her associated quests, which are among my favorites in the game. Plus, if I play as a fighter or barbarian, I get to take over her stronghold, which adds a whole new dimension to the game.
If you're utilizing Imoen, you really should. Just from the ones I looted from chests and battles, I always had plenty and never had to go purchase some of my own.
Fun thing to do with Nalia is give her the ring of Fire Resistance/Fire Control, drop another spell that adds fire resist on top of it and then us her as bait. Drop fire spells on top of her and it'll melt what you're fighting as well as HEAL her because damage to someone with 101%> resist of any type actually gets healed.
Personally, I prefer Jan as he levels up in his thief skills. He has funny interactions with the other NPCs too.
Edit: On a side note, has anyone acted evil by killing the soldier guarding Nalia's aunt (Nalia was absent in the party). My party then avoided Nalia's aunt as she turned hostile (avoid the reputation hit). When I finished the quest and went out to meet Nalia, she attacked and killed her aunt. So much for being family.
I almost always take Imoen during the times she is available altho as I recall Nalia with fewer thief levels has the potential to be as good if not a wee bit better mage by the end.
In spite of that I am still somewhat disappointed with the way Imoen was handled for BG2 - I didn't like that she was forced into a multi-class nor that she was forced into the plot line in such a major way.
As for Nalia well her personality (or lack thereof) does provide a little comic relief for the first hour or so she is in your party but eventually I usually want to feed her to the next monster we come across so I haven't really used her very extensively - and never as a thief replacement of any sort.
Stat-wise they are basically equal I think. Nalia can carry a bit more stuff, Imoen has a bit more lore, but their INT, DEX and CON are the same, so... the other 3 are dump stats for mages and thiefs anyway (STR is good for thiefs, but you are not likely to use them as main backstab damage dealers...).
As a thief however, Imoen is vastly superior. You are not going to do much pick pocketing anyway, but Imoen's lock opening skill is much better.
Imoen:
Open Doors: 95
Find Traps: 85
Pick Pockets: 25
Move Silently: 30
Hide In Shadows: 25
Detect Illusion: 0
Set Traps: 5
Backstab: 3x
Nalia:
Open Doors: 60
Find Traps: 80
Pick Pockets: 35
Move Silently: 20
Hide In Shadows: 15
Detect Illusion: 0
Set Traps: 5
Backstab: 2x
If you equip Imoen with the thieving skill bonus items and have some potion of master thievery with you, I don't think you will have any problem. With Nalia, I'm not so sure... And if buffed (potion, luck spell), even Imoen can steal some stuff.