Do you think Evil gets shafted in BG2 to the detriment of the whole game?

Remove all ads!

I certainly don't want to play as a "psychopathic terrorist", which is why I find the standard "evil" dialog options so poorly done. They seem to be of exactly two varieties: "me kill you" idiotic evil, and "i'll only do it for money" mercenary type evil.

What you call "smart" evil, I see as just erecting an RP justification for doing a bunch of good quests, rather than letting your pre-determined role inform your actions. While obviously an evil character will perhaps want to "play good" every now and again, when you are forced to do it with extreme frequency it loses all its differentiation with being good. What you end up getting is just a standard good run with a few perks thrown in every now and then (like being able to go after CF or having Edwin in your party or whatever). Essentially, it seems like this "smart" evil is just an excuse to play everything in the maximally powergamish way (because you can just do what foreknowledge tells you is the best and if its good say you are "playing good" and if it is bad then that's fine because you are evil), which isn't what I'd like. It certainly doesn't feel in any sense like you are playing in a fundamentally different way when playing evil. Very little changes in the game. That's what's bothersome for me.

I certainly understand the sentiment that the developers only had a limited amount of time and text space and so had to worry less about evil, which is why I think some modmakers looking for a project should do an Evil Improvements mod!

 

Not usually. This, however, is not an example of vigilante justice. This is an example of stopping a mob who worships a Chaotic Evil god (beshaba) from unlawfully burning someone at the stake because of her race. Stopping a group with no lawful authority (a mob led by a priest of Beshaba has no lawful authority) from unjustly burning a drow at the stake just for being drow is not vigilante justice.

 

Hello and good days,

Actually in my opinion, it is not the problem that direct and open evil actions are not rewarded in the game, but that the games options to be evil are too direct.

I remember one instance in the game that if you are a monk you get an option in the dialogues like "(pretend as f you are leaving then quickly turn around and snap his neck)".

They could have inlcuded more of that stuff and monologues as if "(hmm. lets help this puny pompous monkey and see what comes out of it)".

They also could have included (although DnD 2.x does not have intimidate) intimidating and bluffing dialogues.

When you are roleplaying a powerful bhaalspawn and you are evil too, you certainly know of your power and some common adventurers or townsfolk including the "back off beggar" like speaking noblefolk realy makes you mad. You could have options like grabbing him/her from the neck and saying "you will tell me what I need or blah blah blah" or casting a spook like cantrip and command with a mighty wizard voice "like gandalf does to bilbo baggins in the movies"

this would make evil playing more fun because you will not put up with everything.

Thanks.

 

I'd agree with that point but Charname knows that she is a priestess of Shar.

If a serial killer is sentenced to death after being arrested for jaywalking it is certainly odd but in the end most people would agree he deserved the chair.

Viconia is a blood thirsty evil priestess but she claims to repent and to be willing to live in peace. That's what make the decision difficult for a good character (plus there is always the romance, love is always to be found in the most unexpected places lol).

IMO regarding the Beshaba situation it could be construed as evil vs evil, still a LG protagonist would intervene, a LN (like Anomen) wouldn't even care.

I disagree. IMHO RPing evil is going out of the way to make the most of the situation from an evil perspective. How far can one go without getting caught? Think about all the situations you can create in which you can use lines filled with irony. You get to show them.

And of course you will miss out on some quests (the dryads quest for instance is out, there is no incentive to help them) and XPs (especially rewards for quests which are going to be minimal, the "good" way usually gets a lot more XP).

Try holding a party together, it won't be a walk in the park either. I lost Minsc because of a RP choice (the UB Boo quest).

Think about Anomen. Failing the Test is not an improvement for his stats...

I really don't believe that only evil characters get their hands on CF. Sure it involves breaking in and assault but nobody really cares. Do one quest to make your evil character look good in front of the nobles of Athkatla and you're out of character?!

A powergamer would see no advantage in betraying Valygar (unless he wasn't wanted in the party). Would you blame an evil protagonist for using Valygar to unlock the Planar Sphere before delivering him to the Cowled Wizards? There are many justifications for doing so.

A powergamer would take Yoshimo before leaving for Spellhold (dual him to Fighter with proficiencies in useless weapons) kill him and take his heart to get the XP from the temple of Ilmater (after kicking everyone out of the party of course). An evil protagonist may take Yoshi along but he/she will never bring back the heart to lift the curse from his soul. That's losing something like 200K in experience... (without mentioning all the XP Yoshimo took before that). Are you calling that powergaming?

 

Actually, as a LN member of a quasi-police organization, you would think Anomen would one of the first NPC's to step in and stop a group with no jurisdiction from performing an unlawful execution. Your typical LN or LG is going to want to see some due process prior to her arrest and potential execution.....especially if law enforcement is part of his job description.

 

I'd tend to agree (Viconia would get a fair trial and another bonfire right after that) nevertheless the mob is clearly working in the open and in the centre of the city right before the prison as a matter of fact.

I remember the first time I played the game I hesitated before helping Viconia because I wondered if I would have problems with the authorities as well. It's really one of these loose ends in the game.

Anomen's reaction regarding the slavers and Viconia is quite unpalatable. I almost see him as LE. I guess it's all part of his wavering between LE and LG. He is the one character who is still searching for his own place while being convinced that he knows better than anyone else. Actually I found out that Anomen can really fit an evil party. He is so self obsessed that he doesn't care about what is going on around him as long as he gets the attention that he thinks he deserves.

 

Well.....Viconia hasn't actually been caught breaking any Athkatlan laws, so they'd probably have to let her go. That said, if they find evidence of criminal activity sufficient to warrant an execution, I kind of doubt she'd be burned at the stake in a "good" society like Athkatla. If the words of Keldorn are any indication, she'd be hung.

 

Hanging is not so much fun...