There's a simpler solution. 1. Kick Dorn and Viconia from party simultaneously 2. Reputation rises to 20. 3. Baeloth leaves. 4. Baeloth rejoins lowering rep to 18. 5. Invite Dorn and Viconia lowering rep to 14.
Simple; Kill a solo citizen and then go to a temple and pay to raise your rep to whatever level you feel most comfortable with. You should have more than enough cash by now.
If you don't have the cash there should be some 'good' small tasks that, as an evil party you (presumably) haven't done. I always like to keep a couple of rep points up my sleeve just in case (returning the son's body to the farmer in the Ankheg field, rescuing the girl's cat from the waterfall and saving the dryad's tree from the woodcutters are some easy ones that spring to mind).
If you don't have the cash there should be some 'good' small tasks that, as an evil party you (presumably) haven't done. I always like to keep a couple of rep points up my sleeve just in case (returning the son's body to the farmer in the Ankheg field, rescuing the girl's cat from the waterfall and saving the dryad's tree from the woodcutters are some easy ones that spring to mind).
Returning the body of Farmer Brun's son (Nathan) to him isn't what grants +REP, it's speaking to Farmer Brun again (after returning the body) and giving him some money (-100gp, +1000xp, +1 REP). But yes, if playing Evil or mixed-alignment, I always leave it to near the end before speaking to him again, then only do so if I can afford the +REP.
Also, whatever alignment I'm playing, I leave it to near the end before speaking to Officer Vai without a Bandit Scalp in my inventory, because doing so (after Chapter 3) causes her to grant +1000xp +1 REP and then depart permanently. No-one else pays so much for Bandit Scalps, so it's worthwhile keeping her around until you've sold her all the Scalps you might collect in later Chapters. Then if we're all Good/Neutral we'll go see Vai and complete the quest, but if any of the party are Evil then it depends whether we can afford to take the +REP without mutiny.
Other than holding those two +REP points up my sleeve for later, when I'm playing Evil or mixed-alignment, I avoid a lot of the side-quests which grant +REP until Chapter 5, because once you've got access to BG City there are several quests which you can choose to play in a -REP way, and thereby control your REP up and down more easily.
Examples:
1) You can kill Petrine's cat, and then either report directly to Petrine (-1 REP), or report first to Bheren (-1 REP) and then Petrine (another -1 REP).
2) You can blackmail Areana up to 4 times (-1 REP each time).
3) You can extort money from Sarah (-2 REP).
4) You can deliver Abela to Ramazith, then fight your way up Ramazith's tower and kill him, leaving Abela just standing near where Ramazith was; you can then speak to Abela and give her a threatening reply (-5 REP), but she just teleports away (so you don't actually attack her).
Together these give you controllable quest options for up to -13 REP even without needing to attack neutrals or play insult-the-guards-and-run-away.
There are also a couple of places outside the city where there are -REP quest options.
Examples:
1) You can take Mr Colquetle's family amulet back to him, but refuse to hand it over (-1 REP).
2) You can demand a reward for rescuing Tamah from petrification (-1 REP).
Thus that's quest options for -15 REP altogether. I've always found that more than sufficient when I need to slough some REP. But if even that isn't enough, well, just go murder someone!
Having taken several -REP hits, then you can go back outside the city and complete some of the +REP quests which you've left aside. Thus far I've always found it feasible to end up with exactly the REP I want to have.
If you're fast and properly positioned, you can kill Abela before she has the chance to teleport away, but that dings you for killing an innocent on top of the -Rep you get for threatening her, so it's a rather drastic drop.
Comments
1. Kick Dorn and Viconia from party simultaneously
2. Reputation rises to 20.
3. Baeloth leaves.
4. Baeloth rejoins lowering rep to 18.
5. Invite Dorn and Viconia lowering rep to 14.
Repeat as necessary.
Kill a solo citizen and then go to a temple and pay to raise your rep to whatever level you feel most comfortable with.
You should have more than enough cash by now.
Also, whatever alignment I'm playing, I leave it to near the end before speaking to Officer Vai without a Bandit Scalp in my inventory, because doing so (after Chapter 3) causes her to grant +1000xp +1 REP and then depart permanently. No-one else pays so much for Bandit Scalps, so it's worthwhile keeping her around until you've sold her all the Scalps you might collect in later Chapters. Then if we're all Good/Neutral we'll go see Vai and complete the quest, but if any of the party are Evil then it depends whether we can afford to take the +REP without mutiny.
Other than holding those two +REP points up my sleeve for later, when I'm playing Evil or mixed-alignment, I avoid a lot of the side-quests which grant +REP until Chapter 5, because once you've got access to BG City there are several quests which you can choose to play in a -REP way, and thereby control your REP up and down more easily.
Examples:
1) You can kill Petrine's cat, and then either report directly to Petrine (-1 REP), or report first to Bheren (-1 REP) and then Petrine (another -1 REP).
2) You can blackmail Areana up to 4 times (-1 REP each time).
3) You can extort money from Sarah (-2 REP).
4) You can deliver Abela to Ramazith, then fight your way up Ramazith's tower and kill him, leaving Abela just standing near where Ramazith was; you can then speak to Abela and give her a threatening reply (-5 REP), but she just teleports away (so you don't actually attack her).
Together these give you controllable quest options for up to -13 REP even without needing to attack neutrals or play insult-the-guards-and-run-away.
There are also a couple of places outside the city where there are -REP quest options.
Examples:
1) You can take Mr Colquetle's family amulet back to him, but refuse to hand it over (-1 REP).
2) You can demand a reward for rescuing Tamah from petrification (-1 REP).
Thus that's quest options for -15 REP altogether. I've always found that more than sufficient when I need to slough some REP. But if even that isn't enough, well, just go murder someone!
Having taken several -REP hits, then you can go back outside the city and complete some of the +REP quests which you've left aside. Thus far I've always found it feasible to end up with exactly the REP I want to have.
If you talk twice with the man and say the right things, he will summons some guards. Maybe 5 or 6.
Usually I use the sleep spell on them and kill one of them. I keep the rest alive for later for when I need to drop my rep again.