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Characters you think don't match their alignment.

Going through my second full playthrough of Baldur's Gate, I'm starting to notice certain things about characters that don't quite fit their character sheet. Like Jaheira, for instance. She strikes me very strongly of at least Neutral Good. I swear the only reason she's listed as True Neutral is because it's hardcoded into the game that Druids must be of a True Neutral alignment, as per 2nd Edition.

Garrick also doesn't strike me as particularly chaotic either. He definitely seems more True Neutral to me than Jaheira does.

Who are the characters you feel don't quite match the alignment listed on their character sheet?

Comments

  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    Shar-Teel treads the line between Chaotic Neutral and Chaotic Evil in my opinion. She is certainly vitriolic but considering her stance on men she actually gives a surprising amount of leeway, only killing Eldoth (who very much deserves what he gets) and even plays fair when duelling. If she's evil she's at worst on the gray end of the morality scale.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164

    Shar-Teel treads the line between Chaotic Neutral and Chaotic Evil in my opinion. She is certainly vitriolic but considering her stance on men she actually gives a surprising amount of leeway, only killing Eldoth (who very much deserves what he gets) and even plays fair when duelling. If she's evil she's at worst on the gray end of the morality scale.

    Going around randomly challenging people to duels, simply for the love of violence, and saying "I love bloodshed" when clicked on seem pretty Chaotic Evil to me.
  • EnialusMeliamneEnialusMeliamne Member Posts: 399
    edited April 2016

    Going through my second full playthrough of Baldur's Gate, I'm starting to notice certain things about characters that don't quite fit their character sheet. Like Jaheira, for instance. She strikes me very strongly of at least Neutral Good. I swear the only reason she's listed as True Neutral is because it's hardcoded into the game that Druids must be of a True Neutral alignment, as per 2nd Edition.

    Garrick also doesn't strike me as particularly chaotic either. He definitely seems more True Neutral to me than Jaheira does.

    Who are the characters you feel don't quite match the alignment listed on their character sheet?

    I agree with you about Jaheira. In fact, many others had the same opinion, so much so that Gibberlings 3 rolled her alignment shifting to Neutral Good via their BG and BG2 Tweaks mod. EDIT: I don't know if the alignment change ported over to the EE tweaks. Can anyone answer that? gibberlings3.net/bg2tweaks/npc.php

  • ZansoZanso Member Posts: 136
    I actually think Jaheira is True Neutral. Read these and make your own opinion:
    http://easydamus.com/trueneutral.html
    http://easydamus.com/neutralgood.html
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    edited April 2016
    I just want to say: I HATE the True Neutral alignment. The obnoxious hipsters of the Forgotten Realms.
  • ZansoZanso Member Posts: 136
    edited April 2016
    @Jarrakul Even evil characters can think that slavery is bad (referring to Ployer). Korgan thinks child slavery is unacceptable. However the biggest difference with the alignments (at least to me) are the attitude towards people.

    If a person sees a group of farmers being attacked by other group of people, what would the person do according to their alignment? I see it this way: evil character wouldn't help if there wasn't any gain to themselves (money, fame, etc.) and the risk of death was low. Neutral would help if the risk of death to themselves (or friends) wasn't too high or the farmers would be the neutral person's good friends. Good person would help either way: no matter how high the risk of death (within reason ofc, no suicides) and even if the good person didn't know the farmers.

    In Jaheira's case, I can see her saying that farmers were "destroying the nature" or it wasn't worth getting involved (two equal groups fighting) or anything like that, and not help them. Of course I can also see her going to their help, but that's neutral, measuring the situation and sometimes helping and sometimes not. I am starting to ramble :smiley:
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    elminster said:

    It's also worth noting there are a mix of situations where Jaheira will intervene and where she won't. For instance I believe you can kill hendak, side with Firkraag, or side with bodhi and she won't leave your party.

    @elminster
    I think that has much more to do with her having traveled with you so long and her sense of obligation toward Gorion. I think she and Imoen both have a higher tolerance for your... "activities"... than other characters that is born out of a sense of loyalty as opposed to moral indifference.
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    I think at very least, anoment should start off as true neutral rather than chaotic neutral. Possible even lawful neutral, given how devoted he is to (his interpretation of) the radiant heart

    Edwin should be neutral evil, he works for maevar in the thieves guild then betrays them later. Steals the nether scroll, etc

  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    ajwz said:

    I think at very least, anoment should start off as true neutral rather than chaotic neutral. Possible even lawful neutral, given how devoted he is to (his interpretation of) the radiant heart

    Anomen is lawful neutral to begin with. If you mean after he loses his knighthood, he pretty much hates the Order.
    ajwz said:

    Edwin should be neutral evil, he works for maevar in the thieves guild then betrays them later. Steals the nether scroll, etc

    I would argue there are no real 'laws' applied in either case. Mae'Var was conspiring against his superiors and Edwin knows this, so technically he's just acting in the guild's best interests and regarding the nether scroll - in his defense the lich attacked him.
  • SharGuidesMyHandSharGuidesMyHand Member Posts: 2,580

    I've raised this issue a few times in the past, and even started my own thread on the subject here: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/38925/npc-alignments-that-you-disagree-with/p1

    In a nutshell, here's a list of what I think certain NPCs' alignments should be (actual alignments are in parentheses for reference):

    Jaheira (TN) - NG
    Garrick (CN) - NG
    Coran (CG) - CN
    Alora (CG) - CN
    Minsc (NG in BG1) - CN
    Safana (CN) - NE
    Viconia (NE) - CN
    Branwen (TN) - NG

    For anyone who may be interested in my reasoning, click on the link to the other thread.

  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164


    Garrick (CN) - NG

    imho Garrick doesn't have the judgment to make logical ethical distinctions, as evidenced by his reaction to Silke.
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