Ideal roleplay character?

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Is thier such a thing as a perfect character to dit into the backround and storyline of growing up in Candlekeep?

I think that thier isn't any definate answer to this since thier would be so many different major factors as well as hundereds of smaller ones like personal influences and role models for that, and the PC's gender would likely also play a role in it, I am sorry if this sounds sexist to anyone but men and women all have too large a differance in builds and sizes to have the exact same strength constitution and Dexterity, but this does not mean that women can't be fighters and men can't be theives.
Than the other obvious factor would be the race of the character, it is hard to imagine a half-orc for example been a mage or a halfling been a fighter.

But for arguments sake lets say you're a human male, and had a normal childhood and spent an equal amount of time doing things that the majority of kids and teens (I'm assuming that when you start your somewhere between 18-20) do at that time whatever it is, what class and stats do you think the character would have

 

The logical race is human, since your parentage doesn't actually allow anything else really. But it would suck if you couldn't choose other races.
And probably one of the good alignments, because of the influence of Gorion and others in your upbringing.

 

Yes but your forgetting the influence of your Bhaal blood as well.

 

Which we start to see brought out in BG2 with things like the dream sequences and slayer transformations. I'm not sure it has any bearing on alignment as such.

 

Sim did you ever play the original BG? I should probably have posted this in the BG form but oh well.

Anyway you do get dreams in the original BG game and I'm not sure if I remember correctly but the narrative you get at the beggining refers to having dreams, but I'm probably wrong their.

Theirs also not so good close influences to you like that Dwarf Ularant, could play a role in alingment, and whats to say the only part of the taint that influences you is the dreams part? the taint is in your blood and is pure evil it could have spread like a virus if it wasn't for Gorions influence keeping you from been outcasted, and I know that in Candlekeep it was probably common knowledge about your lineage because it mentions it on the letter from "E" you find on Gorions corpse, and seeing as Jaheira and Khalid are such close associates, it's likley they also knew.

 

Right, but I'm saying that the taint is manifested subtly: in the dreams and so on, rather than alignment. Also bear in mind that you can gain "good" Bhaalspawn abilities if you're of good alignment...weird, no?

 

I think the race obviously has to be human. Anything else, and you'd have realised you didn't fit in far sooner.

Class? Difficult to say because as you grow up in a peaceful library it's not likely you'd have chosen any class. Sure, you might have got into a few fights but this doesn't make you a fighter, or you might have stolen a few things but this doesn't necessarily make you a thief either. Likewise you might also have knowledge of a few spells but you wouldn't really be a mage because, growing up in a peaceful location like that, you'd have no need.

As for strength and dexterity being equal for both men and women? You're right. It just isn't the way things are in the real world. Men are naturally physically stronger than women and while there are exceptions (as there are to every rule), it applies 99% of the time. But any attempt to introduce such a rule - whereby, say, female characters start with a penalty of -2 strength - would lead to a massive fuss being kicked up by practically every woman playing the game on the grounds that it was sexist and demeaning.

Actually, dexterity *could* be equal for both sexes, and indeed a few women might be more dextrous than men. But I think at the end of the day, it's one area that's probably better left untouched.

 

Well theirs this guy (forgot the name) that instructs in fighting, theirs Tethoril and of course Gorion who can teach magic, theirs a temple for Clerics, theirs getting into mischief and playing pranks with Imoen for theiving, and Bards are a mix of the whole lot, plus their is the Library to get all of their knowledge from, and with Candlekeep been isolated as it is you could have always gone out the gates for a while ranging.

And I think that about covers it.

 

In the many times I've played the game, Ulrant was a human - not a dwarf.

Onto the question though. Yes, I agree that human would be the most logical class, but being that most people living in Candlekeep are very educated, it's not like none of them would never have heard or seen members of other races. I think that an elf, half-elf, or halfling would have been readily accepted into the community. There would be no problem with a dwarf either. In fact, there's a dwarf that already lives in Candlekeep - can't remember his name but he asks you to kill the rats in the building. So perhaps it would be strange if you were say, a half-orc, other races certainly would still "fit in".

Now onto class. The most obvious would be bard, without question. You would have had a diverse education in Candlekeep, and no doubt you would have read lots of books, and even learned how to play a musical instrument. So bard makes the most sense.

Other possibilities: There would be no shortage of clerics or fighters to be your teacher in Candlekeep. Similarly, Gorion could have taught you to be a mage.

Also, Candlekeep is in a wilderness area, so the idea of being a druid or a ranger makes perfect sense as well.

More remote possibilities: Everything else. Imoen is a thief, although it's never really stated how she learned to pick pockets or pick locks - who taught her? Barbarian seems kind of far-fetched, as does monk. I suppose you could make a sorcerer fit, but Bhaal wasn't a sorcerer, so it doesn't make sense that you'd be a sorcerer just because you were a Bhaalspawn. Paladin seems a bit of a reach as well. While you certainly would have heard of them, and even met some while growing up, I don't see how you would get the necessary training to become one.

I think that covers all the major classes.

 

I think this comes to a matter of opinion pretty much. To me there seems to be no problems at all with the Charname being of elven or dwarven origin. Now half-orc, that'd be weird in such an inbred place.

Still, since Gorion was so highly respected and you became an outcast anyway right after he died, I don't think it's an issue at all which race you were. You would have been accepted in any case for the duration of Gorion's life (assuming your behaviour wasn't completely out of line, and nothing ever said it was), and you obviously were cast out in any case right after it.

And since the Bhaal taint in you was 'hidden' before the dramatics of Gorion's death, there is nothing to prove that you or anyone around you would've marked something strange about your persona before then.

The only actual minor problem I can come up with concerning your race, is the aging. As I recall, Bhaal was preparing for his death quite ahead of time, so he might've bred Charname some 50-80 years before. Still, most evidence suggests that you did grow up at the same time with Imoen. And even if the 100 or so age of adulthood with elves is more a custom than reality (physically at least they reach adult size and potential far sooner than that), I still seem to remember that only 20 years for an elf is so little it's practically the same as an early teenager for a human. For someone so young mentally and physically to make their way so well after all that happens, is hardly to be expected.

As for the class, any one of them is possible. Especially because of Gorion's knowledge and power of influence, it's perfectly legitimate to assume that he would've supported you whichever direction your natural talents and desire would've put you on. Afterall, making an obviously physical character a mage against their will would've been complete stupidity, knowing the prophecy and your place in it. While some classes are of course more likely options than others, basically any one of them are possible (though I must admit, a Barbarian seems extremely unlikely, as it basically assumes you live in wilderness).

So, anything is possible. But as the topic said (which I'm glad to read as far as now into my story ), the question is about the most ideal roleplay character. Even for this there are several. But I would go with a mage, sorcerer or a bard, of any race, and of good alignment.

And then 2 sidenotes. There, is there. Not thier, or their. It's there.

As another, yes I agree that the stats should differ depending on the sex/race combination. It's a studied and proven fact that a man is designed to be physically capable of feats of strength, durability and dexterity surpassing a woman. Any woman to ever get to strength 17(-18/xx), would be so filled with testosterones and other "male hormones" they'd not only look like a man, but get severe physical and mental trauma over it as well. And still not reach the maxim a male can reach, as their bodies just couldn't possibly support it. And don't apologize for being sexist, only those who are that themselves mistake this for being a form of chauvinism. I'm so sick of this "equality means being completely alike", trend anyway. If it was me, I'd put the point lost from strength to wisdom, as females seem to have that more than most males.

 

Funny, I think it's the other way around. Basically, no matter what class you take, you are, in part, a sorcerer. A sorcerer is thought to have the blood of a dragon, or even to be a dragon in human form, or some other similar idea. Well, even better, you have the blood of a god. Notice that you gain *innate* special abilities... a sorcerer is the same, he has an innate control of magic.

But you don't actually have the powers of a sorcerer, as you don't get any abilities until later, and even then, you only get a few. So while you are indeed a sort of sorcerer, that shouldn't be your class.

I agree with Aldeth, a bard would be very likely. You live in a huge library, so I doubt you'd have any reason to become a plain fighter. Mage, maybe, because of Gorion. And mages read like crazy. Cleric, same deal.

But you grew up listening to Gorion's tales and legends, and you would very likely pick up some magical skills from him, and as far as fighting goes, you practice, but not so much because there's no strict discipline to train. You'd be a jack of all trades and master of none, exactly what the description of a bard says. Living in a library, surrounded constantly by such a wealth of knowledge, you'd pick up skills in every domain.

Oh, and:

LMAO, I was wondering if anyone was going to point that out.

 

Spoliers:

First of all, if I remember correctly you MUST be human, since you were born to Gorion's wife. Now, we have no proof that she was human, but it seems likely.

End Spoilers

Now, for the class, anyone who made a claim about class based on wilderness location, or the possibility of wandering outside Candlekeep, I just want to know how on earth you managed to get all those $5000 books to getback in the city repeatedly. . .

In my mind, you can only logically play as:

Fighter: There are plenty of watchers, who would be happy to teach you.

Mage: Gorion is a mage, as are some of your tutors. There are tons of books, some of which must be magical tomes.

Thief: Immy is a thief. Don't know why, don't care (cause she's so damn annoying in BG1). She could easliy have brought you up to lvl 1 as a thief.

Sorceror: The argument that you naturally manifest some spells is an excellent one, in my mind. If some, why not more.

Bard: As said before, lots of books = lots of lore. But if you learned to play your instrument from reading a book, then it must not be very pleasent to listen to you. . .

Classes that DO NOT work:

Druid: You can never go out into the wilderness, since you can't come back into cnadlekeep without a 5000 gp book. That kills druid.

Ranger: Same as druid.

Barbarian: Make NO sense. Barbarians are uncultured savage warriors. How that comes out of a library full of sages is beyond me. . .

Cleric: The only clerics in Candlekeep are priests of Oghma. You state several times throughout the game that you think they're weird, so why would you have spent your childhood with them? Even if you are a cleric, what god would accept a Bhaal spawn anyway?

Classes that MAY be plausible:

Monk: Con - There are no monks in Candlekeep, so who trained you?
Pro - I suppose you could have read books and modelled yourself after the philosophies of some monkish order.

Now, for kits that don't make sense. I'll just list them, but if anyone wants a justification, I'll provide it.

Fighter: All are fine

Mage: All are fine

Thief: Swashbuckler works well
Assassin is ridiculous
Bounty hunter simply doesn't make sense.

Bard: Skald and Jester definilty work.
Blade is questionable. I suppose you could have a natural affinity for swords and knives, and then practice with them ceaslessly.

All other classes are unacceptable, hence their kits are too.

 

Hmm, I guess I can imagine justifying any class/race combination. Maybe that's bec I try not to take the game mechanics super-literally from an RP perspective. Maybe this comes from OD&D PnP campaigns I used to play when younger, which are of course totally restrictive in class/race options (all elves are F/M, etc.) We played OD&D bec the combat rules were so fast and easy, and bec there were so many great modules, but still tried to roleplay variations into the basic classes (i.e. characters who were fighters or thieves on paper, but conceived of as barbarians or monks in RP). Imagining a certain blurring between classes, even when the game mechanics remained the same, made it alot more fun. To pull this back on topic (sorry for the digression), I could imagine that, for example, a character in candlekeep mostly trained by clerics of oghma but with a strong intuitive attachment to nature could end up as a druid, or that a budding thief with an evil bent could end up as an assassin, even without the pre-level-one professional training. From an RP perspective, RPG characters are all assumed to have alot of knowledge and experience which cannot be fully covered by RPG game mechanics, and in PnP at least, this provides alot of the fun. I would imagine this is the same in BG1-2.

 

Excuse me???! You were??? SPOILER: Your mother was some sort of evil cleric of Bhaal right? You meet her in ToB in your pocket plane as a part of one of your trials... Right? Or have I gone completely loopy??

 

As Lace already said, your mother is a priestess of Bhaal. AFAIK, Gorion didn't have a wife. The note you get in his room said that Charname's mother was Gorion's friend, and on occassion, lover. While this does suggest human, it does not necessitate it. She could have also (reasonably) been a elf or half-elf, so in addition to human, there would be no problem with you being an elf or a half-elf. As for the other races, perhaps Gorion had a thing for gnomes, dwarves, halflings, and half-orcs. Kind of gross, but I suppose the anatomies would still work.

That would have been me who stated that. I still contend that you could have left the city and come back whenever you damn well pleased, because you were Gorion's foster child, and Gorion lived there. As has been stated, your presence was tolerated because of Gorion, and thus, they weren't going to turn away Gorion's child just because he went out of the keep for a few hours. The 5000 gp book entry fee is for VISITORS of Candlekeep, not residents. After Gorion's death, without his influence to let you in and out of the keep, you were SOL, and couldn't get back in.

As an aside - I think the people that lived there could leave and come back as they pleased. Are you telling me that Priests of Ohgma and the Speakers (of which there were dozens) were all raised there, or all came by 5000 gp books? Are all those fighters also Candlekeep natives, or were hired because they had an extremely valuable book? Probably not. Also, as the merchant, I imagine Winthrop must travel outside of Candlekeep at times as well. And the higher ups - people like Gorion and Ulruant could probably also come and go as they pleased because no one would dare stop them. Which is why - as Gorion's child - you could do the same.

 

Am I the only one who thinks that Candlekeep is filled with monks?

I always thought those little guys standing around and offering "advice", the bookkeepers, the chanters, etc. were monks. Isn't Candlekeep some kind of monastery?

I can't verify right now, but I could swear that this is mentioned explicitely in the game...

 

You need to be an human because in the prologue of Baldur's Gate 1, it say that you passed your first 20 years of life in candlekeep. If I recall correctly, elfs are like 180 years old when they reach aduldhood.

 

I've always seen the PC to be a human, elf or half-elf Fighter/Thief or Thief dualing to fighter at later stages possessing a chaotic-good alignment.

This is because Imoen is your closest friend and you obviously spent the most time with her. Growing up with monks would lead to obvious boredom for a child so praticial jokes and pranks would become your method of entertainment - thus thief. However the PC is also the child of the god of murder and will possess vicious thoughts - no matter how well he/she hides them. This will lead to his/her fighter characteristics. As a human the PC would develop them later in his/her adventure realising to put these vicious impulses to use.

 

Lawfer, who ever said that you reached adulthood? You lived your first 20 years there. Period.

In your own quote:

Notice how even you didn't say that you were an adult? You lived 20 years. Therefore, in terms of what the prologue tells you, the player character can be any race. Now, actually in-game stuff is a different story maybe.

About your mother...

Spoiler

We learned quite clearly in TOB that your mother, Alianna, was an evil priestess of Bhaal, and the story of Gorion being friends with her wasn't the true story. He and the Harpers, or whoever, discovered the location of some children of Bhaal, and stormed it. [Insert crazy magical battle here]. He could save but one, in his own words. So he took you. Though it does seem that they kinda forgot about how Imoen got there. Of course, she could have come from somewhere else. Sarevok was at the same place as you, but escaped on his own. If I'm wrong about any of this, please correct me, but I think I have it straight.

And Candlekeep isn't a monastery per se, at least not in the sense of a religious monastery. It's a library. One that occupies an entire village. (I hesitate to call it a city, because it simply isn't). I believe the monks you speak of, the ones in green that think they're teaching you something, are called tutors in the game.

[Oooh, Eye of the Lynx!!]

 

Well I was wrong. What I was trying to say is that it say that you passed your first 20 years of life in candlekeep and I don't see a 20 years old elf going on adventure. I don't really know how old elf are after 20 years but I think they are still childrens. Anyway, I was wrong when I was saying that charname could only be an human because he could be an half-orc or something like that. Elves, dwarfs and halfing would be too young. Maybe I'm wrong though