Benefiting from Romances

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I've played through this game a few times now and done all the romances (even Anomen's. I guess I must be a masochist at heart) and was just wondering if you benefit from the romances in any way, shape or form.

I remember reading somewhere that if you romance Jaheira, you get some kind of bonus from it in the form of her Harper Pin (or, rather, *she* gets the bonus).

Which left me wondering if you get some kind of benefit from romancing Aerie, Viconia or Anomen. And if you *do* get a benefit, what sort? I'd imagine Aerie would gain spellcasting abilities, Anomen would be better at smiting evil (and maybe a bit less pompous now he's found true love) and Viconia would have improved clerical abilities.

[ February 15, 2004, 07:03: Message edited by: Beren ]

 

You get to chance Viconia's alignment to Neutral, but I think that's about it.

 

You get a kid out of the Aerie romance.

I was thinking that kid has to have some powers. I mean he's the child of a Bhaalspawn and an Avariel. If you keep your destiny he becomes the child of the god of murder, and if the genetics are right he ends up with wings.

Even still if you become mortal and he doesn't get the wings his father is still an insanley powerful being along with his mother, and that has to rub off on the child in someway.

 

Romance adds spices to your Godly life.

 

So the only romance which actually yields something positive towards the game is the Jaheira romance? Seems strange that romancing the other three doesn't give you anything aside from a warm feeling inside that you've done the right thing.

 

Romance slows you down in the game, unless you use some console commands.

Viconia De'vir

Or alleast she say's something roughly along those lines in ToB, and tbh I kind of agree that it can be a weakness at times.

 

I don't think it works that way.
I mean, when you become the new god of murder, all the Bhaalessence is gone. This means you have to kill your own child in order to take over the job.
And when you don't become god of murder all the Bhaalessence is gone from the world, this would include your child.
Meaning that the child always dies, so it's not very useful or anything.

Yeah, but she's so cute

 

If you convince Anomen not to take revenge, he passes his knighthood test and gains some new abilities: he becomes lawful good and his wisdom changes to 16.

 

@ Nocturnal Nomad

And where does it ever say the child receives any of your godly heritage to begin with? Afterall, there's a high chance the child would only get the genes from your mortal side.

Besides that, somehow I don't think it goes with the Baldur's Gate *feeling* that Solar would just slaughter your child no matter what happened. That any possible God's essence would be released from the child like it was from Imoen, seems a far more likely option.

Aside from all this though, I still have to wonder about the increasing amount of "what do I get out of this" topics here. I'll throw a random number of 10 topics I've seen within the last week or two that concentrate on powergaming aspects such as which class is more powerful, which NPC's give most profit, which organization has most stuff and exp to offer (in regards to Shadow Thieves vs Vampires), etc. But this romance thing, although acceptable as a question from a curious mind, is by far the most rediculous one. Obviously the "warm feeling of having done the right thing" is the point of it. Sure, I'd like some more plot content throughout the game and in the end to support the immersiveness of these romances, but stuff? Who cares about that? The entire idea of a romance offering powergaming opportunities is ludicrous, at best.

 

I'd hardly call it ludricrous. I thought it was a perfectly reasonable question to ask: what do I gain from the romances from a game-playing point of view?

I've played the game through a dozen times or more and taken each romance at least twice but the point of them has been something I've always wondered about. Are you supposed to gain something positive from them - like an XP bonus for seeing them through to the end - or is the warm glow all you get out of it?

 

Both the Harper Pin and Anomen's 16 wisdom can be obtained without romancing them.

There are absolutely no benefits to romancing except in a roleplaying/immersion sense. If you download and install my item pack, you get a pretty nice ring out of the Anomen romance, though.

 

@Foradasthar

I kinda responded to Benanthalin's idea that your child has some sort of power. So your first argument is not relevant in this case (you've got a point though).

And as for your second point, it's indeed possible that they release the taint from his blood. But why didn't they do this with the other Bhaalspawn when they were children? There might be some explanation for this, but I can't come up with it. And furthermore the Solar are pretty impartial and getting rid of the Bhaaltaint is kinda high on their agenda. I don't think killing the child is so unlikely.

But hey, I never liked Aerie anyway

 

what does the pin thingy do?

 

It could be like glitch in the system though. Something that not even Alundo could see coming, I mean a known Bhaalspwan having a child. That theory is reaching your correct, but what about the other one.

A child born to two proven adventurers, ones just an unbelievablly powered whatever class you chose, while the mother is a mega powered Mage/Cleric who is also an avariel. So even without the Bhaal essance you still the "My skills while rub off on my spawn" theory.

 

The pin gives a couple of resistances IIRC - don't hold me to it though.

about the Aerie Child
*may contain a spoiler or nine* - Half-Avariel children very rarely have wings, and if they do they are useless and usually deformed or very small. The Bhaal essence isn't neccessarily passed through the bloodline. And looking at Sarevok - when he died he lost the essence - seeing how injured Aerie often gets, the child probably will be born simular to minsc the amount of times it will have died because Aerie is injured or dead herself - therefor - lost essence. But we can also presume if the baby survives fairly normally the essence is removed - like when Imoen gives up her essence at the end

 

The pin makes Jaheira immune to the Magic Missile spell.

 

Y'all forgets that if you do the Viconia romance you get a kick-ass mace and a good armor.

 

I've played out the Aerie romance and I don't ever remember getting a kid.

???

 

I remember playing the Viconia romance (and even did the dirty with her) but I don't remember any armour or a mace out of it. I guess it depends on the dialogue choices I made. Maybe I wasn't quite as lovey-dovey as I should have been...

 

To get the baby you have to play through the whole romance through SoA and ToB

To get the armour and Mace you must have had Viconia tracked down by the handmaidens and the yochlol. They are on the corpses.

Not sure if there is armour though...