NPC Reviews

[Domi]

Well, I thought it was too early for that, but after a small discussion at PPG/IW, I figure, it could be an interesting topic. Basically, here is a place for you to place your reviews regarding any NPC in the mod (or a number of them) based on what you have seen. I am starting it with Domi's outlook on NPCs in V7 and their future expansions in V8 and Phase III. I guess I would try to keep only reviews in this thread, and discussion can be done separately for the ease of reading The format of the reviews is 'free-style', but Imrahil had done a good setup on Iron Works; I am quoting him here:

 

Characteristics - Race, class, stats, etc.

 

Personality - A measure of how interesting the character is, as well as how they react to encounters & other NPC's.

 

Implementation - How "smoothly" the character is integrated into the game. If you can obviously tell this isn't a Bioware NPC, the character gets a low grade (I hope the creators of the One Day NPC's will forgive me for low grades here - they are what they are, after all). Bugs will also factor into this category.

 

Power - How well does the character survive in combat? A PC Sorcerer would probably be an A+ here, while Thieves generally suffer a bit.

 

Ease of Recruiting - How difficult is it to get the character into the party? The ToB NPC would obviously get an F in this category. 

 

Overall Rating - Taking everything into account, how much would I recommend using the NPC in question. This isn't an average of the previous scores, though, as the whole can be better (or worse) than the sum of the parts.

[Domi]

DISCLAIMER: I am obviously bias, subjective etc, but on another hand I have seen it all more often than anyone else, I suppose. Take it with a grain of salt and add your own opinions at ease. And of course the 'will I have NPC in the party' category is my very personal and intimate thing - and yes, some of the NPCs for whom I like the writing a LOT will still fall in the no-no category).

 

 

All BG1NPC come in V7 with the following standard features: at least 20 banters initiated and at least 1 dialogue with the PC; Edwin, Viconia and Quayle do not have interjections, but will in V8. All NPCs have their player-initiated dialogues, which replace the old ‘has nothing to say to you’ thinggy. Warning: does not work for Coran (pulls hair on her head)

 

Please note that 'ease of recruitment' category in my overview includes also how difficult to recruit NPC (ie urgent quests or problems with recruiting), not just his location

 

1) Kivan - beyond contest in my eyes, I adore him, but since I have to work for other NPCs... well, I had to stop - I guess I will let myself run wild once I can restart working on Kivan of Shilmista. He has a fair amount of banter with both PC and NPCs, but I tried to stay within ‘strong and silent’ type parameters, trying not to exceed what people had for the other characters. My favorite banters are with Xan and Branwen. He (mia culpa) has much more ‘female only’ options than ‘male only’ options in his PC dialogues that are fairly extensive and long-winded. His interjections are mostly centered around bandit camp and various females in distress. His quest is very small and almost insignificant, since it was written in the days back when we were commanded to do ‘small encounters’ and I had no chance to return to it since...

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Absolutely

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: medium (quest)

 

 

2) Faldorn - my absolute favorite BG1NPC I wrote for. She has loads of banter and quite a few interjections. She is perky and has a rude and ready sense of humor. Very rarely she is serious. My favorite banters are those with Jaheira, Garrick and Coran. She is not exactly what some expect her to be - a grim maniacal killer - so you may be disappointed. Her quest is going to be involved and for people who like puzzles.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Often

Power: sufficient to excellent (depending on kit)

Ease of recruitment: difficult (Chapter 4)

 

3) Coran - he is charming and relatively funny with quick wit. Obviously, has a full set of banters; my favorite are with Imoen and Jaheira. In the interjection phase there are a few instances where his chaotic nature might well irritate the player. In fact many things about him are designed to irritate and endear him to the player at the same time. Darn, he still has some bugs, that I *hope* will be fixed in V8. The most annoying are connected with romance - his flirts will not work and there is a problem with him rejoining after he left in the end of the good romance. His romance is really complex, rotating around Brielbara’s baby and PC’s ability to play the seduction game. I think that his chaotic-neutral version (if baby is rejected) is less likable, but truer to what most people seem to think about him. His second quest takes place in Firewine ruins and is funny, but females romancing might be irked... er again.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Often

Power: good to excellent

Ease of recruitment: difficult (Chapter 4, quest)

 

4) Dynaheir - I had a lot of trouble writing her in the beginning and it may show in her banters. Her interjections are not as numerous as I wanted them to be. I think her main interesting point, and what I feel is the best made about the character is her romance. I truly like it now that I reread it before coding. It makes sense and it is relatively smart with an interesting twist - though a bit melodramatic (but I tend to lean that way if not slapped on the wrist often enough).

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes

Power: good to excellent

Ease of recruitment: medium (quest)

 

5) Xan - It was love at the second sight. I did not like the character until I talked for a while with Than, and collected some material for him; then I became seriously intrigued. As a result, his talks with PC are rather informative, while banters thoughtful. I like the ones with Jaheira and Tiax the most. His quests and interjections are relatively involved, and his main Quest will be connected to Moonblade.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Often

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: medium (Nashkel mines)

 

6) Shar-Teel - I did a fair bit of writing for Shar-Teel recently, adding a more extensive series of dialogue for male PC with low rep, high CHR and high STR, where I used Turkish smashing backstory for Shar-Teel. It helped to break away from 1-dimensionality of the character. One of the hardest blows to the project was Turkish Delight’s disappearance before he evens started working seriously on Shar-Teel. I still mourn it. The talks were finished as a group effort, with Cliffette helping to edit them, but they still lean one way - that of the ‘I hate males’. I like her banters with Viconia and Eldoth/Skie. Her quest will be not for the weak of heart, I think.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: medium (quest)

 

7) Jaheira - I have to say that initial version of banters was weak imo, but Kish helped with editing bringing them to an acceptable level. My favorite banters are those with Khalid and Imoen. What is really really good about Jaheira is her interjection set. Not only it is huge, but it is also very involved. You can see the love Theodur has for the character and the love he would like the character to bestow on Charname. She is still no nonsense and will give you a piece of her mind, but at times, I think she is a bit too accepting of player’s decisions. Her quest is quite complex and takes place in the rather dull Cloakwood area, which is most definitely a plus.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: easy

 

Khalid will surprise you. Hendryk developed a rather soft and wise personality, though very quiet, which is understandable - my only criticism there will be ‘more, please!’ My favorite dialogue for Khalid will be with Kivan and Montaron. It is rather sad that Khalid has very little in the ways of interjections and no quest.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: medium

Ease of recruitment: easy

 

9) Imoen was a collaborative effort between Blucher and Jinnai; some of her interjections were thrown in while testing on suggestions from b-testers and yours truly. She is very teenagerish in this rendition, and bit of a prima donna; depending on wether you like it or not you will like her in BG1NPC or not. She has a lot of banter and numerous dialogues with the PC. I would like to especially note her dialogue after PC dream - so far nobody but her does it. One of her best bits, I think is her dialogue on Gorions’ grave. My favorite sequence for Imoen is by far her dialogues with Xan in Baldur’s Gate. Her interjections are not as numerous as you would have expected, but they are bunched together where it counts - in the beginning of the game and in Candlekeep. Jinnai is working on more and her quest falls short of epic only by a fingernail. In short, if you let it, BG1 will become an Imoen experience.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: super-easy

 

10) Xzar has great writing and the most complex interjection out of them all. I have to say that the Undersellar will never be the same again. His personality is undeniably evil and undeniably mad, but you can feel the intelligence in this madness. It is funny and touching by turns. My absolutely favorite banter is that with Imoen about jelly drops and the one with Khalid. If you have seen it, you will know what I mean His quest will serve to drive the most patient player to his toes. It can be used for training in having kids, because wanting is so much more important than having... but very funny if you relax a bit and do not have to test it over and over again! Or if you give in to every one of Xzar’s desires

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Rarely

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: easy (quest)

 

11) Montaron - my biggest problem with Monty was that being an ESL I cannot understand him well enough, with his masterfully done accent and vocabulary. He is fairly quiet, as befit an assassin and have a very logical way of behaving. His interjection with Endar Sai is priceless. My favorite banter of his is with Dynaheir. He has no quest, but all Xzar’s encounters have him participating.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: easy (quest)

 

12) Garrick - the way banters are done - thorough and with skill, I can only sigh that there is but one dialogue with PC and that a bit too generic. The voice is very much unlike anyone elses’ and he thankfully did not turn into Imoen in breeches. I’d love to have seen more discussion about his past and Silke however. Garrick has a stunning amount of interjections and a nice well-rounded sidequest in Nashkel Carnival and Ulcaster ruins. My favorite banters for Garrick are that with Skie and Xan.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: medium (quest)

 

13) Alora - she is exactly what you expect her to be, with the exception of her banters with Korgan. She is cheerful, and lively. My favorite banters are with Skie and Imoen. Her interjections are not very numerous, but well-placed in the city of Baldur’s Gate, where you find her. There is a possibility that Nightmare will write her quests taking place around BG and connected with her family. Unfortunately, all attempts to find a romance writer for her that I engage in sporadically failed.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: super-difficult (Baldur's Gate, quest)

 

14) Ajantis - a long suffering paladin, who changed hands a few times, and finally ended with Seifer and Jastey holding a joint custody. As a result his banter is more ceremonial, while his romance is more friendly; Not entirely impossible, but I’d like to see more coordination on that part. My favorite banters are with Viconia. His interjections are very well done, numerous and placed throughout the game, even where you’d normally won’t have Ajantis (Beregost) for an impatient player - a number of which eager to romance the knight I foresee. One thing about his interjections though, is that they force the player’s choice on a number of occasions. It will be welcome by some and frowned upon by the others.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: medium

 

15) Branwen - one character who turned out not quite the way one would expect. She is not an epic heroine, but rather a down to earth, healthy and strong woman. Once you get used to that discrepancy (if you do have it the way I did), the set grows on you. My favorite banters are with Tiax. It is fast paced, and rather humorous. Her interjections are numerous and well-placed; The definite highlight is the fight with Tranzig. Jolyth took over romance writing and to my eye it falls rather well with the original banter set. It is perhaps too heavy on ‘descriptive’ element, but majority of people do not mind that. The quest is pending and is promising.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: medium (quest)

 

16) Minsc - everyone think that they can write Minsc. Let me tell you that it is not true. I find Aurelius version a very good compromise between comic relief and an endearing character. It is a departure from BG2 Minsc (he is smarter) - but it is on the spot with what BioWARE intended (he grew worth because of Dynaheir’s death). He is definetly not to be pitied and have an air of blunt uncomplicated goodness about him. My favorite banters are with Jaheira, Khalid and Edwin. Interjections are very well done, and the highlight is the one when you try to recruit Edwin. No quest so far.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: easy (quest)

 

17) Yeslick - a wonderful set, for a very original NPC. Tancred drows heavily on Yeslick’s advanced age and quite successfully, creating a very believable good-humored, yet fierce dwarven character with a weakness for telling good ol’ stories. My favorite banters - Garrick and Imoen. Interjections are centered against Cloakwood mines, and a highlight will be the one with Rieltar. Tancred promises a quest and I am trying to hold him to his word

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: difficult (Chapter 4)

 

18) Tiax has an amazingly big and variable set for such an obvious one-idea wonder. The backstory suggested by Turkish Delight changes him in quite a multi-faceted character, which will come across in his quest. Favorite banters - Imoen. Andyr took the character over, so with his track record of 100+ interjections per character it is to be expected that his unfortunately small interjection set will grow substantially.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: good

Ease of recruitment: super-difficult (Baldur's Gate)

 

19) Quayle lucked out after being czarless for a time, and surprisingly ended up with a comprehensive set, even if we did not have czar’s guidance when writing talks for him with other NPCs, thanks to Andyr’s attention to what had been written previously. You cannot mistake him for anything but a comic relief, but it’s an honest comic relief not masquerading to be anything else. Favorite banters - with Garrick. He at present has no interjections but will have the set made in a relatively near future.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: medium

Ease of recruitment: super-difficult (Baldur's Gate)

 

20) Viconia - good luck to anyone to write Viconia that would satisfy my taste. Even BioWARE’s does not. But, my wretched tastes aside, Viconia has a good set of banters, relatively numerous talks with PC. My favorite banters - with Kivan. Her huge interjections set is just in and will be included in V8. Her quest is promising to be a kick-ass from what was suggested earlier.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: medium

Ease of recruitment: medium (quest)

 

21) Kagain - very well rounded personality; he is a pure profiteer and you cannot go around it. Huge plus is that he is very unlike Korgan form BG2. Favorite banters - with Eldoth. His interjection set is very small, and again - the only critique is please, more! He has a recently submitted quest that makes use of a lose end in the game. A very big lose end.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: easy

 

22) Eldoth - Again, a kid that changed hands, but Hendryk devoutly corrected the previously written banters and edited the set for consistency, so there is not issues of split voice. And the voice is ended up as rather cunning and sophisticated. Highlight is of course his relationship with Skie and those are my favorite banters. His interjections are well placed in Baldur’s Gate and the must see interjection is in the FAI - go try to buy something having Eldoth in the party

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: medium

Ease of recruitment: difficult (Chapter 4, quest)

 

23) Skie - a nice set even if a bit out of character - it may appear that Skie is bard rather than a thief from it. The interjection set is top-notch and well-placed. There are a couple of nice additional encounters and Skie’s relationships with Eldoth and Garrick are well worth exploring. Favorite banters are with Eldoth, Quayle and Garrick. Quest, unfortunately, appears to be abandoned

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: medium

Ease of recruitment: super-difficult (Baldur's Gate, quest)

 

24) Safana - a well crafted set of banters, with a well-defined personality. She is quite roguish, adventerous and smooth - all that you are expecting her to be. An interesting twist comes up in conversation with Edwin. Also, there is a nice conceptual idea that Safana connectes herself with sirines. My favorite banters are the ones with Garrick and Edwin. The interjection set is very small, and the quest is not currently in works. I sincerely hope that Kiki can return back to finishing it one of these days. To a disappointment of many a player no romance for Safana is planned.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: medium

Ease of recruitment: difficult (quest)

 

25) Edwin - it is one of those sets that I love to death, but will not play with the character. It is extremely funny and unlike BG has very little silliness in it. Some will take it amiss, but some might enjoy it. My favorite banters are with Eldoth, Viconia and Faldorn. The interjection set is extensive and have some nasty comments - so no cute and fluffy Edwin here; He will also show interest in courtesans. Merja is currently being actively seduced into writing his Thay-politics-heavy quest to explain why he is chased by Red Wizards in BG2.

 

Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No

Power: excellent

Ease of recruitment: easy (quest)

[Kulyok]

As I've seen it all, I can't help but write my opinion, as well. Hear me!

For simplicity, I used this system of marks: A, B, C; A being the best. I am biased, of course; actually, I’ve made an effort to be as subjective as possible: I’ve been giving marks, considering my perceptions of the said NPC’s, and my playing style, and these alone. If you notice that an NPC got “C†in “Fits with my view of the NPCâ€Â, that means the NPC is one of my favorites.

 

All characteristics (race, stats, etc) can be found here:

http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=1327

 

1) Ajantis – formal, gallant, elaborate. One might even say he is somewhat stiff and preachy with Evil and Neutral NPC, but, on the other hand, it is banters with Montaron, Kagain and Viconia that add to his character the most. His in-game line “There is but good and evil. I suspect you are of the latter†is implemented perfectly – he is as courteous and well-meaning with Khalid or Kivan as he is dismissive and snappy towards his less scrupulous companions.

PC should beware of his set of interactions – these are monstrously huge, so, if you do not want a paladin watch your every step, have a spell of silence ready, though I doubt it’ll help. His style, as I said, is rather formal – I no longer see the naïve, laughing boy within. This boy is hopelessly buried beneath all these layers of armour and righteousness – though the romance may well dig something up! Fits with my view of the NPC: B

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

2) Alora - a large, halfling-shaped piece of sugar that made my teeth hurt time and again. Her banters with Edwin are incredibly well-written; if you are intending to play with her, taking the Red Wizard along is a flat-out necessity. She is also keen on making friends with Imoen and Skie, though she will try to cheer up each and every NPC you take to the party.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: C

 

3) Branwen - a very interesting persona; she turned out not like I imagined her to be, to be honest. Wise to the point of sage, hearty to the point of robust, seductive to the point of... um, just take Minsc to the party, and you'll see what I mean.

Her banters with Khalid, Ajantis and Kivan are very realistic, Xzar's and Yeslick's - very funny.

Fits with my view of the NPC: B

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

4) Coran – here, the word seducer is an understatement. I actually started to create my PC’s with low charisma to avoid his romantic attentions. Alas, there is no way to shut him up, save kicking him out of the party – and even this will not stop the romance. He also has a crush on Safana, though I prefer his banters with Jaheira and Dynaheir – it is amusing to see him receiving a reprimand. His Chaotic Good personality (his daughter’s quest resolved in a ‘good’ way) is somewhat annoying, but his Chaotic Neutral personality is both tempting and realistic. Coran’s relationship with Briel is well fleshed out, especially if his romance is afoot, and now, PC may either “steer him to the path of Light and Responsibilityâ€Â, or tell him everything she thinks about Briel and her bastard.

What has been changed: in the mod, Coran was made a worshipper of Hanali Celanil – Elven goddess of love. It was not in the game, and I am normally very touchy about adding surnames/deities/family details to other NPC’s. However, I must say that it worked for me in this case.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: B

 

5) Dynaheir – a very intelligent, dry and well-mannered lady, rather self-sufficient and self-absorbed, much as I imagined her to be. Her banters with Minsc, however, are humorous, and there are quite a few of them. She also has very, very interesting interactions with Xzar, Xan and Edwin – it is indeed a pity that these NPC’s are unlikely to meet in the game, all four being mages. Lady Dyna is at her best when romanced, but even if not, she has much to say. Be prepared for her rich, full, old-fashioned manner of speech... or thou mayest face trouble!

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: B

 

6) Edwin – the Red Wizard supreme. He is truly evil here, oh yes. As he should be: evil, manipulative, creative, dismissive and… well, take him to your party already, simians, what are you waiting for? (Waiting until their computer would crash, thanks to my devious tactics, I’ll wager.) His humor is evident and appealing in nearly all banters, the best being Khalid, Tiax and Alora; but he shines in nearly every setting. I highly recommend taking Alora along: they look incredibly cute together.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

7) Eldoth – a multifaceted personality. Sophisticated, very interested in where the wind is blowing, and somewhat money-oriented. Very interesting banters with Skie, as can be expected, and also a hilarious one with Minsc and Skie in the group. Kagain and Montaron are more than worth mentioning, too, as all three of them are of somewhat mercenary nature. My problem was that he was a bit too blunt in his tactics, and his conversations seemed a tad too sophisticated for my taste; some banters I could not understand to the point of getting a headache – and I do have a university education, Eldoth, darling. You are just sounding complicated to get rid of me, aren’t you? *pouts*

Fits with my view of the NPC: C

Power: C

Ease of Recruiting: C

 

8) Faldorn – who would have thought that she would become such a fantastic source for a comic relief? Lots of her banters are simply hilarious, though unfortunately her backstory did not get me interested. As her in-game portrait suggests, she is very young, and this line was also addressed in her development very well. I’d say she fits in almost any party, but you, defilers of Nature, better not bother at all! Grr!

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: C

 

9) Garrick – easy-going, light-hearted, wide-eyed and eager to please – that’s Garrick alright. He is in love with Skie, as can be expected, and if you take Branwen and Safana along, you might see another… interesting adventure. What I loved especially in his banters was a vast number of interruptions from other party members – Garrick can’t finish a bunter with another NPC without at least two other NPC’s interfering! If you have a spare slot, he’s just the guy. My only problem was a number of modernisms in his texts.

Fits with my view of the NPC: B

Power: C

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

10) Imoen – all the things I abhorred, hated, despised and disliked in in-game Imoen were represented here with amazing accuracy – a job incredibly well done. She’s an awesome number of interactions, banters with both PC and other NPC’s, especially in the beginning stages of the game. Imoen is at her best with “old crowdâ€Â: Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc and Dynaheir.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

11) Jaheira – nosy, nagging, nosy, nagging, and interfering, and giving useless advice(Battling sirines with summoned skeletons? Ha!) at every stop, as well as getting the upper hand in most of the conversations! Oooohhhhhh… My head hurts! But in the same time, when I do not have this insufferable woman in the party, something is missing …

Jaheira has something to say to every NPC, and in most cases, as can be expected, this ‘something’ is not nice, not nice at all. However, she’s got some very tender and tastefully done conversations with Khalid, though her quest implies somewhat she has not always been faithful to her husband – which may explain her later affair with PC in BG2.

Fits with my view of the NPC: B

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

12) Kagain – a mercenary, plain and simple, but with an endearing accent, a bit of somewhat grim humor, and some sharp wit. I have warmed up to him considerably, though, unfortunately, he does not have that many things to say, being a close-mouthed fellow as he is.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

13) Khalid – incredible. What has been done in BG1 NPC was to make Khalid and Jaheira practically a single NPC – without Khalid, Jaheira is a walking harpy, without Jaheira, Khalid is a stuttering shadow – but together, they create, I must admit, a tender, loving, sometimes funny, sometimes overcaring, but overly a very good addition to almost any party. Khalid’s best banters are with Branwen and Safana, and the most romantic ones are with Kivan and Jaheira (naturally!).

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

14) Kivan – ah, Kivan, Kivan… A dream of us female PC’s coming true, for he has many banters, most of which directed at female PC and are veeeery romantic. He has more content than Imoen (gasp!), and much more content than any other NPC, so if you want banters, interjections, banters and banters(and good banters, mind!) I say, go for him. Alas, as other NPC’s do not have that much content, sometimes it may create awkward situations, such as Kivan talking twice more than Edwin (and we know which is more talkative, right?). Kivan has many things to say about his past, his family and his relationship with Deheriana – if PC is willing to listen, of course.

Now, the bad stuff… Changes made to his personality, contrary to the game description: Deheriana is his wife in the mod(‘mate’ in his biography), he worships Shevarash, deity of vengeance, who also hates drow(no mention of Shevarash in the game), and also, he plans to leave Prime Material Plane and enter the afterlife, once Deheriana is avenged. (‘Likely he will not take much pleasure from life until he has revenged the death of his love’ - in the game biography.)

These clashed with my version of him – and not only clashed, but created a Crash, Bang, KA-BOOM!, I fear. However, I still do not play BG1 without Kivan… in fact, right now my PC is going to dance with him amongst the remains of the Bandit Camp, right under the nose of her speechless romantic partner!

Fits with my view of the NPC: C

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

15) Minsc – and Boo. Very Minsc, though sometimes I felt lack of something, but I could not quite put a finger to what it was. You’ll get the best of him with both Dynaheir and Edwin in your group, though I definitely recommend to see Ajantis, Viconia and Xan banters, as well. He is very protective of Dynaheir, as well as can be expected. Other than that – it’s butt-kicking, evil-crushing and good-uphelding all the way. The stuff of legends, right, Boo?

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

16) Montaron – the man has become one of my favourite NPC’s, after I have played the mod. He has been given a good level of character development and backstory, some very realistic and pragmatic interjections into the game, and a very wide range of death threats, as well as can be expected. Xzar and Montaron are still ‘on the knives’ with Khalid and Jaheira, as per the game, but now, Montaron also has a conflict with Kivan – be wary.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

17) Quayle – a comic relief it was, a comic relief it is. Very much like I imagined him, though this Quayle invokes in me a sad smile and a feeling of compassion, rather than outright contempt. Together with Tiax, they make a fine pair. Quayle has some very funny banters with Jaheira, Coran, and Yeslick.

Unfortunately, much as Tiax, Faldorn, Eldoth, Yeslick and Skie, Quayle comes too late in the game to truly appreciate him.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: C

 

18) Safana – manipulative towards almost any man, helpful and supportive towards any woman – Scarlett and Melanie in the same flask. She is gorgeous in male company – a must-have rogue for any male PC. Alas, the only thing she lacks is a number of innuendos towards the said PC. With females, however, I found her a tad repetitive. She has an excellent set of lines towards Khalid, Coran(especially CG Coran), Xzar, Minsc, Quayle – almost any man, except possibly Kivan and PC. These two got unlucky.

Fits with my view of the NPC:

towards males: A

towards females: C

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

19) Shar-Teel – can a woman despise men and be funny and not repetitive about it? Yes, she can! A worthy addition to any party, a well-rounded number of banters and interactions, and a suitable partner for a sufficiently endowed PC, even without a romance in mind. Just take her to the party and press a rest button… but do not blame me if your head gets separated from the rest of your body. Bah, men! Pathetic, the lot of them!

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

20) Skie – no, she is not a Nalia from BG2. She has her own personality, she is well-educated, rich, somewhat spoiled, intelligent, helpless - the kind when the girl herself does not think she is helpless, but oddly endearing just the same, so all males, from Kivan and Garrick to Tiax and Xan, offer her their sympathies. A very nice and touching character, with a wide range of banters, a convincing backstory, and a relationship with Eldoth, obviously. The only thing that put me ill at ease was a small number of “you peasant!†replies. These felt somewhat forced.

Fits with my view of the NPC: B

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: C

 

21) Tiax – if there was a prize for being the most funny character of all times, Minsc would not even come close to holding a candle to Tiax. I’ve been reading his set for over two hours, for I was forced to pause and laugh at almost each and every banter. Show Imoen the door, stow Montaron in a small trunk, bid Coran and Safana goodbye – TIAX RULES ALL! Unfortunately, as you only pick him late in the game, his number of interactions is very small.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: C

 

22) Viconia – rough and shy at the same time, open-minded and open-mouthed. She has a conflict with Kivan, but other NPC’s seem to accept her alright, though there are numerous times when she/they are downright rude – her set is heavy on mutual insults and accusations. However, unlike BG2 Viconia, BG1 Viconia caused no sparks to fly in my soul. She is a decent cleric, and that’s that.

Fits with my view of the NPC: B

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

23) Xan – this character’s biggest problem is being too popular for his own good. Many BG players have associated themselves with him at some point, and, as a result, everyone seems to have his or her own explanation of his depression, from Khalid and Kagain to Imoen and Safana - my favourite ones being Alora’s, Faldorn’s and Yeslick’s. That does not lead to inconsistencies and logical flaws in the mod per se, but may well drive a devoted fan ballistic just the same. However, for an average player, it’s all there: morose banters, gloomy conversations with PC, sufficient mood and plausible interpretation, with some interesting references to Russian lore and modern culture, and a good amount of content.

Fits with my view of the NPC: C

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: B

 

24) Xzar – absolutely and totally insane. Without a doubt. Take him to any party – his madness will show, grow and sparkle. I cannot say which banter I like best – there is perverted logic, adorable madness, and sheer evil in nearly every of them. That said, his profession(Necromancy) is also very well shown in the mod, and you may even participate in one of his experiments. Oh, and you may finally get rid of that obnoxious dryad with her wretched “wondrous great oak†– now, if you have Xzar in the party, her blood will provide for a nice magical trinket.

Fits with my view of the NPC: A

Power: B

Ease of Recruiting: A

 

25) Yeslick – I am in two minds about him. On one hand, now you cannot keep him in the party, if you do not flood the mines(he insists that you do that) – that strongly clashes with my view of the character. On the other hand, he has deep, wise dialogues, both surprisingly interesting and stunningly in character, and his accent is beyond praise. He has a conflict with Kagain, but other than that, he gets on with other NPC’s quite well.

Fits with my view of the NPC: B

Power: A

Ease of Recruiting: C

[Domi]

in fact, right now my PC is going to dance with him amongst the remains of the Bandit Camp, right under the nose of her speechless romantic partner

 

Hmm... that reminds me to put a no-go on this one if the romances are active

[Theodur]

Sorry, just noticed this.

 

11) Jaheira – nosy, nagging, nosy, nagging, and interfering, and giving useless advice(Battling sirines with summoned skeletons? Ha!) at every stop

 

I'd appreciate an elaboration here. As far as my playing experience proves, this is the safest and most efficient method to kill sirines, since skeletons cannot be charmed.

 

Also, kindly try to remember that Jaheira is not giving the advice to the experienced gamer, she is giving the advice to the still-running-around-in-diapers low level Bhaalspawn.

 

as well as getting the upper hand in most of the conversations!

 

I disagree. Even before I had taken up the role of Jaheira's Czar, I used to occasionally read Htn's Jaheira's banters with other NPC's and was frankly amazed how often the other NPC had the last word in the conversation with Jaheira. Honestly, given that she ends most of her banters in BG2, I thought it was slightly against her character, so I even sought to change a few banters so that she would have the finishing line. In my opinion, she still doesn't have the upper hand often enough.

 

However, she’s got some very tender and tastefully done conversations with Khalid, though her quest implies somewhat she has not always been faithful to her husband – which may explain her later affair with PC in BG2.

 

Ah, that's nonsense, where did you read that? Try to consider that she hasn't always been married to Khalid and might have had other lovers before marrying him.

[Domi]

Ah, that's nonsense, where did you read that?  Try to consider that she hasn't always been married to Khalid and might have had other lovers before marrying him.

 

I'd agree with Theodur here. To me it read as a pre-Khalid affair, with both Jaheira and Beador over it and going with their separate lives but friendly by the time they meet in the quest.

[Kulyok]

*SPOILER WARNING*

 

 

 

As it is relevant to the topic at hand, I will have to include a spoiler here. Sorry. If I may, I would suggest this topic to be split from the original, as the last posts are not NPC reviews by themselves.

 

Now, a spolier:

 

PC: Who is this Beador, Jaheira?

Jaheira: He was a... an old friend of mine. That is all you need to know, <CHARNAME>.

Khalid: I'll advise you n-not to pry any f-further, <CHARNAME>... f-for your own sake.

Jaheira: You are a wise man, Khalid, my love... and this wisdom has served you well.

 

Now, as I see it, Jaheira had a liason with Beador, either before or within the time of her marriage. Jaheira's words "You are a wise man, Khalid" lead me to think that Khalid forgave her for it. Also, always soft and tactful Khalid is bluntly threatening CHARNAME, meaning that the relationship of Jaheira and Beador is not a simple liason of a free woman, but a case of infidelity.

 

So, the dialogue flat out leads me to believe that Jaheira was unfaithful to Khalid.

[Domi]

Heh, I simply think that Khalid warns Charname not to annoy Jaheira overmuch (he does it from time to time) with being too nosey about her past. And Jaheira tells Khalid that it is indeed a wise thing, and he presumably had done the same in his own time - did not fish out of Jaheira every kiss she'd given away since the age of 5.

[Kulyok]

So, it all comes down to different interpretation.

[Theodur]

Kulyok, I'm afraid you're not perceiving it the way it was intended, Domi is right.

 

Jaheira's words "You are a wise man, Khalid" lead me to think that Khalid forgave her for it.

 

No, she says those words in appreciation because Khalid senses she does not wish to be interrogated by Charname about this subject.

 

Also, always soft and tactful Khalid is bluntly threatening CHARNAME,

 

I beg your pardon? Bluntly threatening?

 

Here's an example of what I would consider to be blunt threatening: Back off and shut up, you flea-riddled piece of simian flesh, before I cut off your bollocks and feed them to the sharks!

 

"I'll advise you n-not to pry any f-further" is not what I would understand as a blunt threat. It sounds more like a kind advice of a well-meaning mentor.

 

meaning that the relationship of Jaheira and Beador is not a simple liason of a free woman, but a case of infidelity.

 

So, the dialogue flat out leads me to believe that Jaheira was unfaithful to Khalid.

 

I really would like to understand how can you come to this sort of deduction, but I foresee lots of exasperation if I would try to understand - sometimes we just think too differently to understand each other. So I think I'll just better settle with the good old 'we all perceive things differently' explanation.

 

I hope you are not upset/annoyed that I opposed you over this, but considering that you have perceived the whole scene not the way I intended, I felt that it was important of me to explain what the writer's intentions actually were.

[Kulyok]

We've just discussed it in my family, actually; we compared Aerie's case, where some Attic members do not believe with the game designers' interpretation, with this case, where I, as a player, disagree with your opinion as a quest designer. I think these two are similar - no matter how hard the designer tries to carry the idea to the player, if the player sees things differently, he will continue to do so.

[Theodur]

That is certainly true and I agree with every word, but for a small exception: in this case you have the writer himself telling you what his intentions were, whereas I would seriously doubt that any Bioware designer would actually visit some forum and tell some of the posters there that they are reading Aerie's character wrong, wrong, wrong! Their intentions behind each of the NPC's are anyone's guess.

 

Still, the principle is pretty much the same and you certainly have the rights to have your own differing opinion on the scene even if I would tell you that it's not what I intended.

 

After all, these different interpretations can be pretty fun. *wanders off to think about adulteress Jaheira*

[Kulyok]

That is certainly true and I agree with every word, but for a small exception: in this case you have the writer himself telling you what his intentions were, whereas I would seriously doubt that any Bioware designer would actually visit some forum and tell some of the posters there that they are reading Aerie's character wrong, wrong, wrong! Their intentions behind each of the NPC's are anyone's guess.

 

I think you are not exactly correct here; I quote the words of David Gaider, Bioware designer:

 

Originally the Aerie romance gave you the option of turning her into a bird (or keeping her in the party and losing her heart). It was a bittersweet ending. We took it out because there were far too many ways to lose party members at that point already. I think Aerie's absolutely the best character...if you notice, people seem divided on whether they love her or hate her, but everyone reacts pretty strongly to her. What can be a better legacy than that?

 

As I see, he is quite obviously stating what Bioware's intentions were(and incidentally, they do not include portraying Aerie as evil), just as you are stating your intentions here.

 

If you are interested in the source, it is here:

http://www.db-forge.com/print.php?sid=379

[Domi]

After all, these different interpretations can be pretty fun. *wanders off to think about adulteress Jaheira*

 

a bit of ambiguity, while I think it is very faint here - allows for some wiggling room for the player imagination. but it's good to know how it was intended to start with, so thank you for clarifying the point, Theodur.

[Theodur]

As I see, he is quite obviously stating what Bioware's intentions were(and incidentally, they do not include portraying Aerie as evil), just as you are stating your intentions here.

 

Not really. Gaider just tells us about the cut content of Aerie romance and expresses pride that his character has attracted so much attention, both positive and negative.

 

Nowhere do I see him telling just how he intended the character to be perceived, or how the players should perceive Aerie. Of course, the game designer would never say something like 'of course she's intended to be pure and Good and anyone who says otherwise is a Sadistic Puppykicker'. It is in their own interests to allow the players to form their own opinions about the characters.