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How can Aerie be a cleric/mage being an elf?

ifupaulineifupauline Member Posts: 405
in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
Everything is in the title.
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  • joluvjoluv Member Posts: 2,137
    Several of the NPCs have some property that's forbidden for PCs. For example, Jan can use crossbows as an I/T, Dorn's a Half-Orc Paladin, and Coran has three pips in longbows as a F/T.
  • joluvjoluv Member Posts: 2,137
    bengoshi said:

    Actually, there's nothing wrong in mages/thieves (including gnome illusionists/thieves) using crossbows. You can make such a charname without restrictions.

    Oh! I got confused about this the other day. I thought they could, but the Baldur's Gate Wiki has all crossbows marked as unusable by Thieves. Since I almost never use crossbows, I assumed I was wrong. This is what I get for trusting that dumb site...
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    Thieves can use light crossbows, but not heavy, right? Or has that changed? I never use heavy xbows on any char outside of IWD, so I haven't actually tried this. Tried a google search, but the result was ambivalent on how EE handles this.
  • joluvjoluv Member Posts: 2,137
    That's right, @Skatan. Having learned my lesson, I just checked it in BG2EE.
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    @joluv and @bengoshi, I browse this place mainly from work, so kinda hard to check in-game ;)
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  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    And she's just that awesome. :wink:
  • atcDaveatcDave Member Posts: 2,636
    This is definitely in keeping with the spirit of 2E rules; exceptions and special cases abound.

    As a DM in PnP I'll often allow special characters if the player can give me a good story behind it. Class/race rules are more of a starting point.
    Its a little more problematic in a CRPG, the computer is less flexible. But I see the many variations among NPCs as acknowledging the game's eclectic origins.
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  • moody_magemoody_mage Member Posts: 2,054
    Areloa elf... amazing!
  • RedWizardRedWizard Member Posts: 242
    My guess is that npcs have special abilities to keep them unique and also because they don't tend to have extremely powergamed stats as one can make CHARNAME.
  • KurumiKurumi Member Posts: 520
    Calmar said:

    bengoshi said:



    Haer'Dalis's 2 pips in Short Swords (not available for a bard)

    Haer'Dalis is proficient with swords because he is a member of the Doomguard, a planar faction from Sigil whose members are proficient with swords (according to the rules of the Planescape setting).
    Yup.. true that.. here's the text..

    Doomguard
    Benefits. The Doomguard is very military in organization and outlook. All members are trained to fight with a sword, gaining a +1 to attack rolls when wielding one. Those bashers normally denied the use of swords can use one without penalty, but they must abide by all other restrictions of their class.

    Source: Planescape Campaign Setting

    Everything decays.
    We're just here to help it along.
    - Factol Pentar of the Doomguard
  • atcDaveatcDave Member Posts: 2,636
    DJKajuru said:

    atcDave said:

    This is definitely in keeping with the spirit of 2E rules; exceptions and special cases abound.

    As a DM in PnP I'll often allow special characters if the player can give me a good story behind it. Class/race rules are more of a starting point.
    Its a little more problematic in a CRPG, the computer is less flexible. But I see the many variations among NPCs as acknowledging the game's eclectic origins.

    "DM, can I be an avariel?"
    "No, winged characters will unbalance the adventure."
    "Can I be an elven cleric/mage?"
    "You can be a half elf c/m"
    "Oh... alright. But Avariels can be cleric/mages, right? What If I'm an Avariel who had lost her wings . That way I can be a non flying elven cleric/mage!"
    "Um...you got me this time."
    Hmmm, well, I can't see being that much of a pushover. If the player wants a non-standard character I would make them work harder for it than that. Aerie sheds a lot of tears over her condition, the PC better be prepared to play it!
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    atcDave said:



    Hmmm, well, I can't see being that much of a pushover. If the player wants a non-standard character I would make them work harder for it than that. Aerie sheds a lot of tears over her condition, the PC better be prepared to play it!

    FinneousPJ said:

    @DJKajuru @Supposedly most BG NPCs are based on the team's PnP characters, so you may well be right :)

    Indeed for both of you. However, I prefer to imagine that they developed Aerie as if she were a character from a book , with flaws and goals, rather than a rpg character.
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    DJKajuru said:

    atcDave said:



    Hmmm, well, I can't see being that much of a pushover. If the player wants a non-standard character I would make them work harder for it than that. Aerie sheds a lot of tears over her condition, the PC better be prepared to play it!

    FinneousPJ said:

    @DJKajuru @Supposedly most BG NPCs are based on the team's PnP characters, so you may well be right :)

    Indeed for both of you. However, I prefer to imagine that they developed Aerie as if she were a character from a book , with flaws and goals, rather than a rpg character.
    And an RPG character can't have flaws and goals...why?
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited October 2015
    @Nonnahswriter , rpg characters can and MUST have flaws and goals. I just meant that players are not *obliged* to do it because it's a game.

    Fiction writers , on the other hand, follow a few steps in order to make their characters interesting, and one of those steps is "what my character wants more than anything else" and "what my character fears more than anything else" .

    Aerie could have been just a cool cleric/mage , but instead she wants to have her wings back more than anything else in the world, and at the same she fears that the fact that she'll have to accept her life the way it is today. That's surely good writing, and that's why I compared her to a book character.
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    edited October 2015
    DJKajuru said:

    @Nonnahswriter , rpg characters can and MUST have flaws and goals. I just meant that players are not *obliged* to do it because it's a game.

    Fiction writers , on the other hand, follow a few steps in order to make their characters interesting, and one of those steps is "what my character wants more than anything else" and "what my character fears more than anything else" .

    Aerie could have been just a cool cleric/mage , but instead she wants to have her wings back more than anything else in the world, and at the same she fears that the fact that she'll have to accept her life the way it is today. That's surely good writing, and that's why I compared her to a book character.

    I understand. Just from the way you first worded it, you made it sound like RPG characters were somehow inferior to book characters. Which is a silly idea, since it all depends on the creative skill of the writer and/or player who creates said character, not the medium in which the character exists.

    I probably read too much into it though. Sorry. Pardon the rant. ^_^;;
  • DragonKingDragonKing Member Posts: 1,979
    MAGIC!
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    edited October 2015
    Dynaheir can slow poison
    Safana can charm
    Tiax can summon ghast
    Faldorn can summon wolves
    Eldoth can create poison arrows
    Yeslick can dispel
    Quayle has an extra invisibility
    Baeloth has extra spells in his book
    Imoen is awesome
    Alora is lucky
    Garrick can ...suck?

    Anyway, bg1 npcs have a lot of these little bonus abilities. Feels like they used players's option:skills and powers rulebook that is aptly dubbed 2,5th edition
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