Some Gush and Experiences with Alignment

[Artemis Noir]

To those who have not played through the mod, possible spoilers ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

First off, though I have said it elsewhere, I just want to reiterate how much I am enjoying this mod. All of a sudden IWD2 feels alive and akin to BG2 or PS:T.

 

What really strikes me is the way these NPCs, break the mold in many ways:

 

*A Paladin who is not rigid and perennially sanctimonious

*Jaemel, a romance option who (for obvious reasons) is atypical to the norm

*Peony, an unusual romance option for male NPCs, instead of the standard-issue elven maiden

*"Evil" characters who are subtle and complex.. Again, as with Nord, this gets into shades of grey rather than the usual black and white opposition between "Good" and "Evil."

 

It is this last point that especially interests me. I suppose, ultimately, it has to do with how we define "Evil" and "Good." And, I readily admit, I've also been conditioned by some of these predefined stereotypes. So, I am considering my reaction to Salomeya and Rizdaer being categorised as "Evil."

 

Our infamous bard strikes me as more so "Chaotic Neutral," to be honest, while Heathcl... oops.. I meant Rizdaer () seems closer to "True Neutral."

 

Is this because (in the case of Salomeya) I frequently trade in barbs with my friends (though they are in jest), and thus I am inured to insults of this nature? Or, have I been overly subjected to the more typical megalomaniac that is the usual "Evil" NPC? And yes, I realise I'm in contradiction with my last point..

Because, for me, the only truly evil NPC is Diriel.... He would be a supporter of the "Final Solution"...

[Domi]

I'd say that there is plenty in Salomeya's backstory that makes her evil. Incest with her half-brother, political murders, betrayals by the score, open support of slavery, her almost pathalogical need to hurt others. I never saw Salomeya as anything but evil. Her barbs are not well-intended like the barbs between friends. She does want to subject people to a pchycological torture and will not shy away from a physical one, should there have been an option.

 

As for Rizdaer, he is the same brand of evil as Canderous and Sagacious Zu (ie honorable evil, or lawful evil), which is a relatively common version of an attractive evil male character. Well, in my view. Rizdaer's evil alignment comes very strongly (even too strongly for some players!) in his evil epilogues if you allow him to manipulate your PC.

 

Alignments are always a matter of perception. After all, a lot of BioWARE's characters have alternative alignments offered for them by the players.