Rank the NPCs!

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Warriors (10):
Ajantis
Coran
Jaheira
Kagain
Khalid
Kivan
Minsc
Montaron
Shar-Teel
Yeslick

Wizards (6):
Dynaheir
Edwin
Imoen (popular dual)
Quayle
Xan
Xzar

Priests (7):
Branwen
Faldorn
Jaheira
Quayle
Tiax
Viconia
Yeslick

Thieves (7):
Alora
Coran
Imoen
Montaron
Safana
Skie
Tiax

Bards/Multis (8):
Coran
Eldoth
Garrick
Jaheira
Montaron
Quayle
Tiax
Yeslick

Stats are here; rank away...

 

Whee!

No reason for that, but I do like the opportunity to order things...

Warriors:
Kagain - w. Bracers o' DEX, a walking barrel of HP. Sit your archers behind him and watch the slaughter. Even better, if you keep him at the apex of the party, only he should get hit. With regen, you can reduce the # of healing spells you need to memorise, which ups the offensive value of your cleric/druid.
Ajantis - less HPs, no regen, also needs the bracers.
Kivan - lethal with bow or Halberd, but lacks HPs.
Coran - similar in use to Kivan, but is available later, has less HPs and levels slower. Bonus +++ in Bows & 20 DEX is awesome, though, as is backstab.
Shar-teel - High STR & DEX, shame about the HPs...
Khalid - Nice HPs, reasonable DEX... But 15 STR? The GoOP are available too late to really compensate for that deficency, when nothing else is really good enough to make him stand out.
Minsc - Big strength, limited comedy value, but absolutely nothing else to write home about. Berserk is much more likely to get him or you killed than actually do any good. Lacks both DEX & CON, making him of little use as a pure tank.

Arcane Casters:
Imoen - Dual at lvl 2, and you'll get her before anyone (apart from Xzar), and can choose whatever specialisation you want. Also, she can use a bow competently when she's not spell-slinging. Not to mention the ability to Stealth, cast, Stealth... Not as much magery as Edwin, but the tactical flexibility pushes her into the #1 slot and she's not even a mage to start off with!
Edwin - extra slots and easily the most useful specialisation, too. But is a pain "on the march" owing to a lack of missile proficiency & poor DEX giving him nothing worthwhile to do after spells run out (which still happens at low levels, even with all his castings per day).
Xan - Can't cast MM, Fireball or Web. Can cast just about every other useful buff & disabler, though. Nice DEX, but there's no way he actually has 16 CHA - just read his damned Bio!
Xzar - Mad as a box of frogs. Loses MI, which can make him much more difficult to keep alive than any of the other wizards, even Xan. Is lower mainly because I like Illusion. Call it "Sneaksman's instinct".
Dynaheir - loses two schools of magery (Conjuration, Enchantment) and consequently a lot of good spells. There's no way that one lone Slow Poison per day compensates for that.
Garrick - handy back-up to a specialist mage, and as a bard can use some decent weapons.
Quayle - Multiclass, therefore levels slowly: he can't ever get lvl 5 spells w/o an XP cap remover. Is more annoying than a bad case of crabs.
Eldoth - Utter bobbins. Whack DEX for a rogue class (personally, I think BioWare just cocked up and got STR & DEX mixed up), and is available late. But that's not the worst - he makes you go hunting for Skie too. And by 'eck, she's a PITA.

Priests:
Branwen - joint best WIS, is pure caster therefore levels quicker and her special ability adds significantly to her THAC0, which is very handy.
Viconia - O.K., her MR is a double-edged sword, but it's hella useful at times. High DEX makes her a half-way useful slinger (which is what clerics spend 80% of the time doing). Low STR is a problem for armour choices until late game, and her WIS isn't quite up there with Branwen.
Jaheira - most useful as a healer because of her ability to reach "Specialised" with three proficiency groups, and thus help the fighters deal damage too. Being multiclass doesn't hurt her too badly because Druid levels quickly enough that she's not too far behind an equivalent pure cleric.
Faldorn - Attack of the Cloakwood syndrome! Is available only too late for my tastes, although as a pure druid she does level quickly. The problem is that Druids just don't get as useful a spell set as Clerics, missing out on stuff like Command and Animate Dead, both of which I use all the time.
Yeslick - Again, a victim of the Cloakwood late show. Is probably actually the most powerful cleric at endgame, the problem is how long it takes him to get there as an F/C. Dispel is a useful special ability, though, and it's probably still worth it. I just don't like having to wait too long for my key NPCs. He's also a Bracers of DEX hog.
Tiax - the latest available NPC, also multiclass but not really very useful compared to the above clerics.
Quayle - late appearance & crap WIS.

Sneaksmen (& women. )
Safana - not the highest DEX, but skill points where it most counts (Traps & locks) make her useful to pick up whenever. Can also dual to a mage with the right Tome, but that happens too late to be of note really. Nice CHA if your party leader is less physically attractive than a drug-test victim.
Imoen - Max DEX, and you get her early. Not suitable as a backstabber owing to poor strength, but is very good as a lock, trap and bow kind of girl. Can add some magic to the mix, too.
Montaron - Excellent backstabber, available early and can use Drizzt's chain. The ability to choose where the majority of thief points go is arguably the most important factor when choosing a sneaksman in BG...
Shar-Teel - can dual-class to thief, and make an awesome backstabber owing to stacking of proficency bonuses and the multiplier, as well as being able to choose exactly where to apportion skills. Under-rated by the majority, and possibly even me...
Coran - Yes, he's an awesome bowman. Yes, his stealth score is ridiculous. But painful memories persist of his fragility and relative inflexibility with skills; in TotSC, I found that his trap disarming just couldn't cut it, and the thieve's maze was very painful too. Bring him as an archer and backstabber (but beware his low HPs!), but as a main utility thief? I just couldn't get him to cut the mustard, because I couldn't choose where the majority of his points went.
Alora - would be soo good if you could get her early. But you can't.
Tiax - Sanctuary is supremely useful. A shame he's crap in every other way, then...
Skie - maybe not as crap skills-wise as Tiax, but you have to bring Eldoth too, and he's monumentally wank. Not to mention she's very, very annoying.

 

I haven't played enough to attempt an authortative ranking--awesome job, Magpie--so I'll confine myself to a couple of comments.

Ajantis--I had him in a party for a couple of weeks (taking him early in the game, as quick as I could get there), by which time he'd earned 1%--yes, that's 1%--of the party's experience. Perhaps I was unlucky, or didn't use him properly; many others speak well of him.

Shar-Teel as a thief--A strong second to Magpie's comment. I'm trying her in this role for the first time, and early results are impressive.

Edwin--May or may not be the best wizard in the game, but he's definitely the most annoying and obnoxious. Like having someone continually sticking pins in you.

[ April 04, 2006, 06:18: Message edited by: Cernak ]

 

My rankings:

WARRIORS
1. Kagain - Regen is an incredible advantage in BG1, and with the Gauntlets of DEX he is the best tank you can find. Not even his being evil or his comments about elves can keep him from this spot.
2. Kivan - Best archer in the game (save the PC), and can do a decent job in melee with his high STR and DEX. Though if you're counting on him being your only tank, I'd get the Tome of CON for him pronto.
3. Coran - Great archer, and does very good with a backstab and run.
4. Ajantis - Pretty good tank with the addition of paladin abilities. Can also do very well with a bow if you get him early. His incompatibility with evil NPCs means he won't fit into some parties, but I don't think that should hurt his ranking.
5. Montaron - Same as Coran, but with less archer ability and more backstabbing ability. It balances fairly well, but his being evil hurts him (unlike Kagain).
6. Khalid - Very well-rounded fighter who can do everything with equal facility. He can tank, he can shoot, he can do pretty much anything you ask of him.
7. Shar-Teel - Very good STR & DEX make her a good tank even without CON. Lack of archer ability (at least at first) hurts her a bit, as well as her constant b*tching about men, even when what she's talking about has nothing to do with them.
8. Yeslick - Decent warrior, but nothing to write home about since he 'needs' the Gauntlets of DEX to be truly good. Really comes into his own with his other abilities.
9. Minsc - Great STR, but nothing else. Likely to get himself killed against you if you accidentally talk to him before you're ready or without knowledge that anything other than parroting his "booting evil" will enrage him.
10. Jaheira - Fighter abilities are crap on a crutch. Limited weapon choices in a game where swords and bows (and one hammer) are the best combined with no DEX make me wonder what they were smoking. Like Yeslick, her true power comes from her other class.

WIZARDS
1. Edwin - Divination is almost worthless in BG1 (the lone exception being Identify), and the extra spells from his amulet trump everyone else.
2. Imoen - For flexibility in player choice of specialty, as well as being the only caster who won't draw any attention from an area spell thanks to her stealth ability.
3. Xzar - Awesome personality & good DEX, plus can actually MM.
4. Xan - Would be tied for Xzar due to just as awesome personality & identical DEX, but he can't cast MM. Good in his own way, but...
5. Dynaheir - No Melf's Acid Arrow or Monster Summoning? Boo says you are not worthy of the boot!
6. Quayle - Crap, crap, crap. Low DEX (other stats are crap too), annoying personality, late appearance, multi-classed Illusionist...need I go on?

PRIESTS
1. Branwen - 16 WIS. Good cleric with decent DEX and CON, can even tank if you like.
2. Yeslick - 16 WIS. The only reason he isn't at the number one spot is his low DEX. His late appearance is more than offset by the extra Dispel Magic, which is *perfect* against Davaeorn's protections, making him just another mage. Continues to help in other mage battles when you can't hit fast enough.
3. Faldorn - 16 WIS. Best druid, but gets hurt by her other abilities (low DEX, no CON or STR) and appearing so late.
4. Viconia - 15 WIS. MR is a big bonus, plus great DEX for slinging, but being evil and the rep hit severly limit her usefulness almost to only evil parties (especially when considering the alternatives). Can tank with the GoOP, but really, who can't? (Answer: low DEX characters.)
P.S. Would be much improved with 18 WIS.
5. Jaheira - 14 WIS. A better druid than a fighter (by far), is only good when considered all around.
6. Tiax - 13 WIS. So late, with a relatively poor WIS. Good DEX & CON don't make up for it, I'm afraid, but give him the GoOP and he can smash your enemies as a tank.
7. Quayle - 10 WIS. Abominable. Why is he even a cleric? He really would have done much better as an I/T than an I/C.

THIEVES
1. Imoen - 18 DEX. Such a great utility thief, and your sister to boot! She is THE thief.
2. Montaron - 17 DEX, halfling. Good DEX and great backstabbing. Plus you can get him so early you'll wonder if Daylight Savings Time has played a trick on your clock.
3. Coran - 20 DEX, elf. Exceptional DEX and great abilities to backstab and shoot. Runs the gamut but you must get to him quickly to lay out his skills as you need them.
4. Safana - 17 DEX. Gotten early, she's a hassle to keep since you can't take on the sirines and flesh golems yet; gotten late, she's no longer worth it. The bottom line is that Imoen is quite simply better, but the hassle can end up being worth it to dual Imoen over.
5. Alora - 19 DEX, halfling. Great thieving skills as a max DEX halfling, but a shame you don't get to pick how they're used. The best of the BGC (Baldur's Gate City) thieves provided you haven't changed her from her inital Bioware skill progression in the wrong way.

6. Tiax - 16 DEX, gnome. About the same worthiness as Skie, but not nearly as annoying.
7. Skie - 18 DEX. I shudder to think who would actually would want to take this whining piece of sh!t.

BARDS/MULTIS (in the same category since the bard is essentially a cross between fighter, mage, and thief)
1. Yeslick - He seems to be destined to wield Bassilus' hammer with the Gauntlets of DEX, and is a wonderful cleric. It's a crime that he's not available earlier.
2 & 3. Coran & Montaron - Neither has a clear edge with all the countering advantages, but it just goes to show you: Fighter/Thieves rock. \m/
4. Jaheira - Becomes adequate only when looking at her as a whole. Typically requires some thievery against Drizzt to give her a halfway-decent weapon. Also requires the Gauntlets of DEX...unless of course she already had 17 DEX.
5. Tiax - Equip him with the GoOP and a good weapon and I guarantee he will surprise you.
6. Garrick - Good DEX, a jovial personality, and good memories of my first playthrough. Proper bards shouldn't have such crappy INT, though.
7. Quayle - Crap as a wizard, crappier as a cleric. Absolutely nothing to recommend him.
8. Eldoth - Royally screwed up. Makes poison arrows but can't use a bow at third level (can take the proficiency at fourth or he'll have it if you pick him up at fifth). No DEX, but high STR. And still crap INT on a bard! Plus he saddles you with Skie!!! What more could they possibly do to make him worse? Oh right, he's in Cloakwood. *sighs heavily*
EDIT: And did I mention that Eldoth's evil?
EDIT2: And that Skie isn't? Seriously, WTF?

[ April 04, 2006, 05:21: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

The only good thing about Eldoth&Skie combination is that you can blackmail her father for 1000gp every three days. But then, by the time you get to the Big City you have loads of gold already. (:

 

I sort the characters according to their usefulness at the cap (161,000 XP) when dualed at the optimal moment and when using the happy party and MaxHP mod.

Warriors:

1.Yeslick (He can summon skeleton armies)
2.Coran
3.Montaron
4.Shar-Teel (can be dualclassed to do more than plain fighting)
5.Jaheira (can cast healing spells)
6.Kagain
7.Khalid (you are wrong Felinoid, with *** in bow he's a better archer than Kivan)
8.Kivan
9.Ajantis
10.Minsc

Wizards:

1.Imoen
2.Dynaheir
3.Xzar
4.Xan
5.Quayle (positon 2 if you have a pure mage in your party)
6.Edwin (having to pay everytime for identifying is annoying, if you have another bard/mage in your party he climbs up to position 3.)

Priests:

1.Quayle
2.Tiax
3.Yeslick
4.Branwen
5.Viconia (every second healing spell cast on her will fail)
6.Faldorn
7.Jaheira

Thieves:

1.Tiax
2.Coran
3.Montaron
4.Shar-Teel
5.Imoen (is far better as mage)
6.Alora
7.Skie
8.Safana

Bards/Multis

1.Quayle
2.Tiax
3.Yeslick
4.Coran
5.Montaron
6.Jaheira
7.Garrick
8.Eldoth

 

Yes, at end-game Khalid can become slightly better than Kivan starts (assuming equal levels), but considering the game as a whole, I still think Kivan is better. Normally I wouldn't have responded to this, since an argument over who ranks who where is not at all what I want, but invoking my name wasn't wise.

P.S. I can understand thinking of Quayle as a good mage or multi (though I don't share that opinion), but how in the world can you say a multi with 10 WIS has the best priest abilities? Can we at least get an explanation?

P.P.S. @everyone: TotSC (or possibly its patch ) eliminates the bug of MR affecting healing spells. Keep that in mind when talking about Viconia.

 

I believe it's the patch; I've definitely seen MR block healing in TotSC before, but that was on my old, old computer before I had this inter-web thingummy.

I've never seen it since, so I assume that downloading the patch made the difference.

Yeah, me too. And some explanation of Tiax as the best thief (seriously, WTF?) would be nice too. I don't know if I'd rate Sanctuary that highly...

 

About Khalid/Kivan: When you get Kivan Khalid is nearly level3 and will get his second star. Kivan is only slightly better with bow until Khalid reaches level6.
Khalid has even +1 thac0,+1 damage and +1/2 APR compared to Kivan 11,000 XP long.

About MR affecting healing spells:
This is not a bug. It is clearly stated in the manual.
Are you sure that the TotSC patch "fixes" this ? Maybe it's just a mod you've installed.

I sorted the characters about their usefulness at 161,000 XP.

The difference between cleric7 and cleric8 isn't big, no gain in THAC0 and saving throws.

If a cleric has 10 or 16 wis isn't that important. The difference are only 4 low level spells.
"A has higher WIS than B, so A is a better cleric than B" is an often used but wrong conclusion since other things are more important.

A priest who can cast spells like magic missile, mirror image, strength, ... is more useful than a priest who can only cast cleric spells. So Quayle is my number 1.

Tiax is the only thief who can summon his own undead army, his high HP don't hurt either, so he is the most useful thief.

 

Um, where do you think Kivan is? You can get Kivan right after Gorion's death by going straight south to High Hedge. And even taking the obvious path up to FAI and down to Beregost first, I have never gotten 4000XP (or even 3000XP) for everyone before getting Kivan.

*Buzz* Wrong. At fourth level (11,000XP), Kivan with a composite long bow +1 has THAC0 12, damage 1d6+3, and 5/2 ApR. Khalid with the same bow has THAC0 14, damage 1d6+3, and 5/2 ApR. The only difference is THAC0 and that belongs to Kivan. Remember, Kivan has higher DEX and the elven +1 attack bonus with bows. And he starts with two stars in bows.

EDIT: Wait, you were talking about the 11,000 XP gap between when they gain their seventh level, weren't you? And I bet you're factoring the third star in there as well. Okay, nevermind.

Do you have any idea how many things even the manual got wrong? And I have never found any reason to mod BG1 (with the exception of EoU's stacking).

Oh. Well if you were going to do it that way, why didn't you just put them all into one big list? Why sort them into my categories if you were going to judge them by things outside of the categories? Seems rather pointless.

Hello boys and girls, can we say "spells"?
The difference between 7 and 8 is a 3rd level spell and a 4th level spell (as well as higher casting level). That's ten more skeletons for your undead army and a second CSW or Free Action. Worth noting, but I'll agree that it's not quite as good as the extra skills from the other class, if that's what you're getting at.

In BG2, no, they're not worth a lot; many people swear by Anomen even without the WIS boost for that very reason. But we're talking about BG1 here, where spell slots are sparse, regeneration is for dwarves, and saving throws are fairly high. Now, I'm not saying it's the only factor, but it is a big one at low levels. (1 spell versus 3, then 2 versus 4, then 3 versus 7, etc.) Maybe not as much at endgame, but IMO endgame is the least important part of the game, and not really an adequate point for comparison.

EDIT:
Plus, by endgame you should have gotten up to three WIS tomes; now where did those go? You may write off the difference between 10 and 16, but surely you're not foolish enough to write off the difference between 13 and 19, or even 16 and 19, since you value first and second level spells so little.

[ April 06, 2006, 03:34: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

Well, I said above that I wouldn't attempt to rank the NPC's because I hadn't played enough. But to get this thread back to its topic--great idea, Fel--here's my ranking of the NPC's I have played:

Fighters:

Kivan: Great archer with enough strength to melee.
Kagain: Using him now for the first time, but a formidable tank with GofDex, and a good shot too with Crossbow of Speed.
Khalid: Mr. All-Around. Not great, but a very solid choice.
Minsc: I suppose many first timers, as I did, think, when finding Minsc, that they've found the uber-tank. He's not that, but I don't propose to downgrade him to the bottom of the list out of disillusionment. I don't think any party is weakened by having Minsc.
Jaheira: A solid fighter who becomes very good if you get the +3 Scimitar from Drizzt.
Coran: Great archer, but he comes so late that it's difficult to fit him into the party.
Yeslick: Fighting is not where his main virues lie. Although he is solid, but not standout.
Ajantis: This guy couldn't kill his grandmother if she were tied to a chair in the kitchen. Sorry. Others hae probably had a better experience.
Montaran: He looked great charging the ankheg with a short sword and no armor.

Mages:

Imoen: Easily the best mage in the game.
Dynahair: Took her into BG when computer crashed, but she did just fine up to then.
Xan: Playing him now. Good but challenging probably sums it up.
Xzar: Tried him and liked him, but unfortunately for him, had Jaheira in the party.
Edwin: Annoying and obnoxious. Don't care how good he is.

Priests:

Yeslick: He comes late, but he's great. Definitely worth making room for.
Branwen: Purely as a priest, probably the best choice, but her inablility to specialize in weapons puts her behind Yeslick.
Jaheira: In third because Druid spells aren't as good as priest spells.
Viconia: She looked good for the little time I had her, but, as with Xzar/Jaheira, I had Kivan in the same party. I'd try her again.

Thieves:

Imoen, Safana, and Shar-teel: I don't think there's much to choose
between these three. Immy is prob-
ably the best pure thief, Shar-Teel
certainly the best backstabber. The
fact that Safana comes relatively late
really makes no difference.
Coran: Powerful, but he just comes too late, and his abilities have been put in the wrong places. Make an effort to get him early, or take him as an archer.
Montaron: He looked great charging the ankheg.

Bard:

Garrick: Supernumerary number one. But if you want a real Bard, generate your own.

 

Fighters:
1.Kagain. With or without the Gauntlets of Dex this guy is a tank. Without a second tank give him the Gauntlet's. You won't be disappointed unless your playing a mostly good party and he breaks his morale since he's evil. I've walked away from the computer and just let him kill a couple times against very minor enemies.(note Can Grand Master)
2.Kivan- This guy damn near is with bows what Kagain is to combat when combined with the fact that he is so simple to get at the beginning of the game your never going to be higher than level 2. Most things you can shoot down before they become a real threat to his hitpoints.
3. Ajantis- his powers as a Paladin can't be just brushed aside. In a game with limited healing available. Particularly at lower levels. He can indeed help out a party. Works great with two tanks without Gauntlets of Dex. With them he is formidable.
4.Coran- This guy is forth sadly for two reasons. He's multi-class. Limiting his insane potential between the elven bonus and 3 bow proficiencies. Also you get him so late. If you could get into cloakwood earlier on the first map is doable and this guy would outclass Everybody but Kagain with his power in bows combined with his thief skills that you would get to choose.
5. Shar Teel- while she can be gotten earlier she's on a very dangerous map and requires certain characters in the party or made as a PC to get. She is dual classable into a formidable character of potential. she's also evil though and takes mindful play. If you dual Class her she could concievably rate in Ajantis place.(Note Can Grand Master)
6.Yeslik- A Dwarf and a multiclass. A useful multiclass even but he's gotten so late. One of his saving graces is his Dispel magic. And quite a valuable one at that.
7.Khalid- Well Rounded yes. Single class fighter yes. But totally unimpressive without focus on building him up specifically either in a particular type of weapon or bows. but he is gotten early on so he is easy to default to and is very simple and straight forward. Another Detriment from a totally RP standpoint is he's part of a pair of NPC's.(Can Grand Master but still...)
8.Montaran- Multiclass that is well rounded but doesn't quite live up to either of his classes. But like Khalid he can be picked up early and focused on a bit to be made better.
9.Jaheira- She doesn't quite work as a healer. She isn't that great as a druid. Being multi-class holds her fighting back. I think even her BG2 form would look down on this one. Another problem from a strictly role playing standpoint is that she is part of a pair of NPC's. The fact that you also have to kill Drizzt for a decent weapon tempts me to rate her lower but some like to kill him. More power to you.
10.Minsc- At first glance he looks great. A Ranger with the highest NPC strength in the game. However that's where he ends. His Berserking is a detriment. He's severely weakened if you want to use his stealth. Boo is not really a bonus no matter how you look at it. He also Initiates things into a pair of NPC's and is the most unforgiving if you take too long. This is on top of his personality being the most limited and very annoying. While some may call this disenchantment with him talking. I would like to point out that I don't really care for him in BG2 either. The only way to make him useful at all is to turn him into a Barbarian. That would probably take Tutu and a mod. He should rightfully be a Barbarian anyway.

Wizards:
1.Xzar:Yes he's evil but he's like Kagain. Gotten early. The Fewest restrictions for any of the straight wizard NPC's. Damned good at what he does and the couple of useful spells he loses aren't as needed in BG1. Mirror Image is an extremely small loss as easy as it is to protect mages just in party position. the small number of ambushes and the fact that it cannot be cast on others. Depending on your style his weaknesses don't even have to be overcome. He also has the best overall stats. But he is evil. watch your rep.
2.Imoen- When dual Classed you can get full power out of your mage and still have some decently formidable thief levels on her. ending up in a level 7 thief and level 8 mage. This also means her hitpoints are the most formidable for a mage as well.
3.Xan- Xan at first glance might seem bad just because he can't cast fireball but there are enough wands for fireball and Magic missile that can make up for it. He also gets a unique weapon that gives him certain advantages. With his weaknesses easy to circumvent and his low hitpoints easy to protect he easily grabs up the second spot. His personality is actually kind of refreshing though can be annoying.
4.Dynaheir- Interchangable with Xan but placed here because her stats are slightly lower even though her hitpoints are slightly higher. Her lack of summoning is easily overcome with wands as well. While technically she is part of an NPC pair she can be taken alone and Minsc left standing like a tree in Nashkel. She is also a little out of the way to get where as Xan is straight on the storyline path.
5.Quayle. Multiclass. Very Late in the game. Insane. He's best if you end up with a chunked char and just want to fill space while finishing the game. Mage/Clerics just don't really live up to their potential in BG2.
6.Edwin- Some will like him for their love of him in BG2. Some will rave about his extra spell slots. He's weaker in BG1 than he was in BG2(in fact all that made the switch are weaker in BG1). His Weaknesses are serious though. With the limited levels and thus very limited lore in the case of our dear Edwin. Making up his weakness costs a lot of money or An Entire character slot devoted to another mage or a Bard such as Garrick or Eldoth. The Spell slots do not make up for it. his stats are also overall the lowest of any of the Wizard characters even though he has the highest intelligence. There aren't enough items in different slots in the game to make him truely viable even though all the NPC's in BG1 are fully playable.

Priests
1.branwen- Despite her complaining she's easily gotten. One of the first true clerics. Ties for the highest unmodified wisdom and those extra spells are useful. She can be a little annoying to useful but she is a powerful cleric with a good special ability that makes her a good support combatant.
2.Viconia- Second Highest Dexterity in the game. 50% magic resistance, A Damned good cleric. Yes she's evil but between her possible AC as well as her magic resistance her hitpoints are not an actual liability. Like Branwen she is decent in support but requires the GoOP to do so.
3.Yeslick. Rated primarily because of his lateness in a game. He could possibly rate higher than Viconia depending on how early you get him for his fighter levels. Though he is multi-classed. His special ability is good and he certain rates no lower than the top 3. If you get tired of Branwen's attitude he's a good one to switch to.
4.Faldorn. Also gotten late. Pure druid so she would require the Ankheg plate for some real AC. But she does summon a dreadwolf. She ties for the highest Wisdom and is another to consider to replace Branwen if her attitude gets hold. But being a druid holds her back a little. She also requires you to take out Drizzt for a good weapon.
5.Jaheira- Again. She's a druid and a multi-class. She holds herself back. Requires you to kill Drizzt for a good weapon and her druid powers just don't put her in a good realm as far as clerical powers go given her limitations.
6.Tiax- Very Late in the game. Insane. Multi-class. Second worst wisdom score. He summons a ghast. So what.
7.Quayle. Multi-class and on top of that. As a Cleric he's useless. He's also gotten very late in the game. Make yourself happy. have Kivan or Coran shoot him in the head.

Thieves (A note here. Most of the thieves usefulness is getting them as at low a level as you can.)
1.Imoen- Thieves are not all about backstabbing. BG1 has a vast ammount of uses for them and she is one of the better ones for the pure thief characters. Combined with the fact that her thief skills are the most customizable, Outmatched only by making your own thief, as well as being able to attain a decent thief level and still dual class into a mage of good level as well. She is the top slot.
2.Montaran- Good thief. Decent combination multi-class but still a multi. Massively customizable in his thief skills because you get him at level one. He's part of an NPC duo though. But at least it's with the best mage in the game.
3.Coran-Another Fighter Thief. Highest Dexterity. 3 bow proficiency's making him an excellent archer. Thief skills are dependant on how you use your thief but he's late in the game and you have to rush to customize him.
4.Safana- Relatively easy to get. Can get her early on and customize her more. Depending on when the flesh golems can be a tough undertaking though. Specially with the Siren's guarding the entrance. Has the power to charm animals. Usefulness of that is up to you.
5.Skie- A good thief but again she's very late in the game. Takes aquiring another character to get her. and lacks a lot of the customization to thief skills that really make thieves useful.
6.Tiax- Another one very late in the game. A multi-class and one of the worst in his other class there is. Sanctuary just doesn't make him a good enough thief. Take him if you have a hole and you want to listen to his ranting but he gets old.
7. Alora- The worst character in the game. Gotten Very late in the game. Only gotten through a quest. The game would have been better off without her. Her high dexterity doesn't even work in her favor. Take her only if your doing say only little people.

Bards
1.Garrick- The early point which you can get him is his only real advantage of Eldoth. They both have spread stats at about the same average level. Garrick might have a little higher lore value as well.
2.Eldoth- Can't get until Cloakwood. Might have a little lower lore value. His stupid arrows that only he can use.

Multi's. Multli's unlike in BG2 are inherently a little weaker because of the XP cap. The Right Duals or single players are at an advantage with their more specialized way of doing things.
1.Coran- Damned good at what he does and that is a good thing. Some might hold his thief skills against him but that's personal issues with how you use the skills.
2.Montaran- Good Combination, Gotten early so you control his abilities a bit more. Can't quite match Coran with a bow but you will be happier with the thief ability spread that you control. Could be interchangable with Coran.
3.Yeslick- Another nice and useful combination for a multi-class. A good special ability. Gotten kind of Late since he's in the cloakwood mines.
4.Jaheira- She holds herself back more than she makes herself useful. She's part of an NPC pairing and she requires you to kill Drizzt to get her a good weapon. She's gotten early but that's not really an advantage because if you don't take her the first time she's gone forever.
5.Tiax- He's not that good at one of his multi-classes. He's held back in another because you don't get to really customize it and he's gotten very late in the game. If you got a hole late in the game that you don't care what fills it. Listen to him babble for a while. you probably won't do it more than once.
6.Quayle- Gotten very late in the game. Annoying. Totally worthless at one of his multi-class classes. Shoot him in the head with a good archer. You'll feel better.


As an additional note i marked a few of them with being evil because they are good enough they could be wanted to take all the time and their Evilness is not so much a detriment as something to seriously be watched out for in how you do things so you don't lose them or get your party attacked or something.

 

The healing spells affecting MR was made on purpose, probably for balancing reasons. I wouldn't call an implementation made on purpose a bug.
The fact that this was changed later because of popular demand still doesn't make this a bug.

Because you asked for it. Now be a nice kitty and say thank you.

I recently made an earthshaking discovery:
You can push the rest button. Afterwards your spells are refreshed. The battles just don't last long enough to run out of spells.
It's makes no sense comparing 10 wis Quayle with 16 wis Branwen as level 1 characters since you won't meet Quayle as level 1 character.

It's fairer that way.
The game start is even worse for comparison since you won't find some NPCs before chapter5.

To my PC of course. Do you think I would waste them on someone infidel who would leave me alone just because of the public opinion ?

 

No, the fact that it never should have been made that way in the first place makes it a bug (I'm talking 2e rules; what a surprise ), as well as the fact that it was made that way not for balance but because it required less coding. Making it deflect spells was the first step, but they neglected the second step of implementing the voluntary failure of MR. Not a bug by exact definition, perhaps, but clearly a failing.

No I didn't. I did not ask for any particular format; I simply provided one the one that I was going to use, which you could follow or not as you wished, mostly as a means to show classes (the stats page was linked as an afterthought to keep faulty information from filtering in). My only instruction was to "Rank the NPCs!" Other people saw that and tweaked my format to suit their own tastes, but you didn't, and that's what lead to the confusion. So I'm not about to thank you for derailing the thread.

You may rest after Carbos and Shank, but I don't (I'm sure you don't either, but hyperbole is fun); it's called realism. I only rest when my characters are fatigued, and in some battle-heavy areas like dungeons or BGC you don't have the travel time to fatigue them. But though I may not agree with your methods, that's not what this thread is about. As the golems beneath Durlag's Tower say, "Your answer satisfies."

You're right, comparing level one characters is just as unfair as comparing end-game characters; that's why I do neither. I think it's better to compare them over the entire course of the game, and I have to say it looks like the majority of the posters so far agree.

Well, I'd say the game start is worse for comparison since you don't get anyone before Chapter One, but that's just me being a smart-a$$. And I dare say that it's not fair to ignore those low-level contributions by early characters. The game is a tapestry, looking at the fringe doesn't give you much insight.

Of course. But if you're not a priest, then you are wasting them, even more than if you gave them to a BG1 character who wouldn't have them later in BG2. And if you are a priest...what need have you for other priests? I'm sure 21 WIS will get you more than enough spells, especially if you rest after every battle. The only two reasons I can think of to have another priest in the party are spheres of influence (cleric spells vs. druid spells) and multiple healing during battle (if one spell at a time isn't enough). But this is getting a bit too much off-topic for even my tastes.

Make your own lists in your own way (though preferably with character expositions like everyone else to avoid confusion as to why they're where they are) and stop this other nonsense. If you really want to discuss/argue in depth the various benefits and hindrances of NPCs, feel free to start another thread. If you want to post your rankings and reasons free of judgement, this is the place to do it. And if you want to put up just numbers and names without any justification (even just something like "Boo is cute" or "Tiax WILL rule!" works ), expect to be asked. Your reasoning may not seem so obvious to the rest of us.

EDIT: ||
See? .\/ Wordiness has its advantages.

[ April 07, 2006, 06:12: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

First of all, let me stress that I will consider neither personality/alignment of the NPCs nor if you can pick them up before, in or after Cloakwood. Any half-decent player can rush through the Nashkel mines, the bandit camp and Cloakwood without major problems, so you can add even Tiax, Skie, Alora or Yeslick early enough to play with them through 90% of BG1.

Like kmonster did, I sort the NPCs by usefulness at 161,000 XP. I'll try to factor all abilities and skills into the evaluation. So, for example my "best" priest won't necessarily be the cleric with the highest wisdom or most spell slots. Furthermore I use BG1-TUTU instead of classic BG1 which has an impact on some choices, but I'll try to point that out.


WARRIORS

1. Coran (STR 14, DEX 20, CON 12) - I have to humbly disagree with the others: No other than Coran is the best bowman in a game in which archery rules the battlefield. If you are playing unmodded, that is. Oh, and a great thief, too.
2. Shar-Teel, Fighter/Thief-Dual 7/8 (STR 18/58, DEX 17, CON 9) - Dualing Shar-Teel makes a good fighter even better. Can achieve grandmastery in long swords and three proficiency points in two weapon style OR four proficiency points in long bow. Either way she's a killing machine. Her rather low hit points are her only weakness.
3. Kivan (STR 18/12, DEX 17, CON 14) - Another great archer. In case you use BG1-TUTU and assigned the Archer-kit to him, move him to the top of the list.
4. Kagain (STR 16, DEX 12, CON 20) - Best tank in the game with awesome hit points, saving throws and regeneration who can take more pain than any other. Use him as a meat shield while the rest of your party fires arrows or casts spells from a safe distance.
5. Montaron (STR 16, DEX 17, CON 15) - Probably the most flexible all-rounder in the game. Good archer, backstabber, tank, thief and supportive fighter, but not the best in each field.
6. Yeslick (STR 15, DEX 12, CON 17) - No impressing stats, but with the Gauntlets of Dexterity he's a rock-solid tank with additional cleric spells.
7. Shar-Teel, Fighter (STR 18/58, DEX 17, CON 9) - She isn't as useful when she isn't dualed, but nonetheless pure class-Shar-Teel is still one of the best archers and supportive fighters.
8. Khalid (STR 15, DEX 16, CON 17) - His well-rounded stats make Khalid useful as archer, tank and even main damage-dealer alike (with the Gauntlets of Ogre-Power). Should be rated higher if you use classic BG1 since he starts with one proficiency point in long bow then.
9. Jaheira (STR 15, DEX 14, CON 17) - See Yeslick, but Jaheira has the disadvantage of being a druid with much worse spell selection instead of a cleric. Very limited choice of weapons, too, but there are enough viable options for her (Drizzt's scimitar+3, Dagger of Venom or even darts).
10. Ajantis (STR 17, DEX 13, CON 16) - Great saving throws as a paladin, but needs the GoD to become a decent tank. There are better options.
11. Minsc (STR 18/93, DEX 15, DEX 15) - Highest strength of all fighters, but well, that's it. Unspectacular.


MAGES

1. Edwin - Has more spell slots (6/5/5/4/3) than the other mages and only misses out on Divination-spells. No Identify, big deal... And remember that his initial quantity-advantage becomes even bigger while wearing two Rings of Wizardry. Actually, I'm pretty surprised that so many other players rate him much lower.
2. Imoen, Thief/Mage-Dual 6/9 - Less spell slots (4/3/3/2/1), but no opposing school. More hit points due to high CON and thief-career, good armor class and the ability to use short bows (and even hit sometimes...). Oh, and combining stealth with fireballs is always most enjoyable.
3. Quayle - Sure, a Cleric/Mage or rather Cleric/Illusionist in BG1 isn't the demigod we are used to in BG2, but still very versatile and useful. As an Illusionist Quayle's mage spells aren't exactly scarce (5/4/3/2), but he has neither access to Necromancy-spells (Larloch's Minor Drain, Horror, Skull Trap, Vampiric Touch) nor to level 5-spells. At least in my opinion his cleric spells make up for it.
4. Dynaheir - Decent number of spell slots (5/4/4/3/2) and hit points for a mage, but crappy DEX. Her innate ability (Slow Poison) can be of use now and then. Using TUTU she only misses out on Enchantment/Charm (Charm Person, Friends, Sleep, Dire Charm, Emotion: Hopelessness, Greater Malison), but not on Conjuration like in old school-BG1. Should be rated lower in pure BG1 and could be rated higher if dualed (using tomes).
5. Xzar - Good DEX and enough spell slots (5/4/4/3/2), but his low CON and lack of Illusion-spells (Blindness, Spook, Blur, Invisibility, Mirror Image) make him the most fragile mage in the game who can easily get killed by a stray arrow or two. Could be rated higher if dualed (using tomes).
6. Xan - Sigh, hopeless... Has the usual high quantity of spells typical for a specialist mage (5/4/4/3/2), but a lot of the most popular spell choices aren't available since they belong to Invocation/Evocation-school (Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, Agannazar's Scorcher, Stinking Cloud, Web, Fireball, Melf's Minute Meteors, Cloudkill). His Moonblade is a nice gimmick, but sending frail Xan into melee is utterly ineffective and risky. Bioware probably should have made him a fighter/mage.


THIEVES

1. Shar-Teel, Fighter/Thief-Dual 7/8 (DEX 17) - As said before she can reach grandmastery, at least in TUTU. Therefore, she's the best backstabber in the game. And you have full control of the allocation of her thief skills
2. Montaron (DEX 17) - Gets the halfling-bonuses and his backstabs, especially equipped with the Gauntlets of Ogre-Power, almost rival those of Shar-Teel.
3. Coran (DEX 20) - In unmodded BG1 he'd be on par with Monty as a thief, in TUTU the allocation of his proficiency points makes it harder for him to become a great backstabber.
4. Imoen, Thief/Mage-Dual 6/9 (DEX 18) - Though she has great stats (DEX 18, CON 16), pure class-thieves are probably the weakest class in BG1, so her true advantage is that she can be dualed to a more powerful class (mage) to make her worthwhile.
5. Tiax (DEX 16) - Though not as useful as a Fighter/Thief or Mage/Thief Tiax as Cleric/Thief is much more versatile than pure thieves and offers the opportunity for some interesting strategies. His innate ability to summon a ghast is potent.
6. Imoen, Thief (DEX 18) - Everyone seems to love precious little Imoen, but let's face it: Even a thief with very good stats is still just a thief - and therefore rather weak in comparism.
7. Alora (DEX 19) - Though she gets high bonuses to her thieving skills because of race and high DEX, Alora's low CON makes her inferior to Imoen.
8. Skie (DEX 18) - Well, everything Skie can do, Imoen can do better, at least a little bit. I can't think of any reason to use Skie instead of Imoen.
9. Safana (DEX 17) - An even worse Imoen-clone except for her high CHA and useless Charm Animal-ability. Could be rated higher if dualed (using tomes).


PRIESTS

1. Yeslick (WIS 16) - Good fighting skills, high wisdom and a great innate ability (Dispel Magic) put him on top of the list.
2. Quayle (WIS 10) - Sure, if we disregard his mage-spells, he is a shame of a cleric. But a bad cleric who is able to cast Magic Missile, Mirror Image, Fireball, Haste and so on is still a lot more dangerous than a decent cleric who can't.
3. Jaheira (WIS 14) - Compensates the flaw of being a druid by being a much better fighter than the pure-class priests.
4. Tiax (WIS 13) - Only Quayle has less priest spells, so you get a substandard thief and a substandard cleric combined in one megalomaniac gnome. Still this adds up to a surprisingly interesting NPC who can become quite effective if you use him in the right way.
5. Viconia (WIS 15) - Useful magic resistance, great dexterity, solid wisdom, but will still mostly throw rocks at gibberlings from a distance. Though it is debatable, equipping her with the GoOP would probably be a waste in my opinion.
6. Branwen (WIS 16) - Yes, having high WIS she's a very solid cleric, too, but lacks any worthwhile features (e.g. DEX 19 and 50% magic resistance like a certain drow...) to stand out.
7. Faldorn (WIS 16) - The only NPC-priest who can cast level 5-spells! Great, that means a selection of four rather pointless spells in classic BG1 and even Ironskins and Insect Plague offered by BG1-TUTU aren't as useful as in BG2. Personally, I prefer the worst cleric to the best druid in BG1. Oh, and her physical stats are abysmal and the armor restrictions annoying.


MULTIS AND BARDS

1. Coran - Absolutely deadly with a bow. Fighter/Thief is a very powerful multiclass in the whole BG-series.
2. Montaron - Same is true for Monty, but as a bowman he isn't fit to hold a candle to Coran.
3. Yeslick - Combines the potential to be one of the best tanks with above-average cleric skills.
4. Quayle - Extremely versatile spellcaster in spite of rather sad stats, totally underrated. Give him a try.
5. Jaheira - Definitely not a bad NPC, but her main problem is that Yeslick is the better choice for almost all parties without another cleric.
6. Tiax - Neither extremely powerful nor weak, this one is for you if you like to think out of the box.
7. Eldoth - Actually bards aren't that bad, really. But both Eldoth and Garrick have hideous stats. Personally, I prefer Eldoth, since his low DEX can be remedied with the Gauntlets of Dexterity.
8. Garrick - See Eldoth.

[ April 07, 2006, 06:25: Message edited by: Ascendency-Down ]

 

any of the pure mages with two rings of wizardry are formidable. Edwin doesn't hold that sole spot. But if you want to rate him highest with his abysmal stats including a dexterity that is no higher than Dynaheir which you bash her for. Sounds like your using a hell of a lot of personal bias and not really a comparison of what they can do.

Also Shar Teel Can Grand master reguardless of TuTu. Two Weapon style doesn't exist in pure BG1. It's not a consideration factor.

Also in Pure BG1 Imoen can be dualed into a specialist mage and ends up with schools of magic she can't learn.

Then again I can play the whole game without archers or the need for any illusion spells at all so I probably look at it real different.

 

@ Starwalker:

Personal bias? You bet, every single one of us plays the game in his or her personal fashion. I'm pretty sure that your ranking reflects your own style of playing, too. The claim to create an objective ranking would be doomed to fail in most cases, barring the comparism of almost similiar NPCs (e.g. Imoen/Skie).

Clearly my evaluation shows that I'm fond of fighters equipped with ranged weapons who - in my judgement - rule BG1. Of course the game can be successfully played with any party and soloed by any class. Having access to archery, certain spells or whatever is no requirement to finish the game, but they make things easier.

Of course you are right that's Edwin's DEX is as crappy as Dynaheir's, but I guess we all are well aware of that. Pure mages in BG1 all have either high DEX and low CON or vice versa. Both Edwin and Dynaheir belong to the latter category. Perhaps that's just me, but when comparing pure mages with rather similiar stats I prefer that one which can cast more spells.
Considering two Rings of Wizardry you can fill Edwin's spellbook with eight more spells (4/1/1/1/1) than Dynaheir's. Furthermore Dynaheir's specialization makes her miss out on spells I care about, even more so in classical BG1. Edwin's doesn't. Money was never an issue for me in BG1, so I really couldn't care less if I have to pay to identify. And yes, that makes him superior - in my eyes. Objective? Far from it! But implying that I'm using "a hell of a lot of personal bias" is not adequate in my opinion.

One last thing, naturally you don't have to consider the differences in the BG1-TUTU-engine since you play classical BG1, but please be so kind to allow me to do so. But alas, I'm absolutely not keen on starting a debate if BG1-TUTU is just an obscure mod or an equal way of playing Baldur's Gate.

 

Hmmm...It's a little tough to do this for two reasons: 1. People like Coran and Kivan are more archers than warriors, and 2. You didn't say if we're only considering their base stats, or stats + equipment.

Anyway, here's what I came up with:

Warriors:

1. Kagain. As Fel rightly points out, regeneration is a huge deal, especially in the early going. Neither his dex or strength is overly good, but you can fix one or the other.

2. Khalid - very good dexterity and constitution, and with the GoOP, he is the most complete fighter in the game. Still, not as good as the ability to regenerate.

3. Kivan - ever so slightly better than Coran, but only because Coran is a dual class, and thus Kivan will have more hitpoints, and will generally be a little bit better with his hit rolls. Also, Kivan is available in Chapter 1, while Coran not until Chapter 4. I don't know if these advantages outweighs Coran's thieving skills, but since we're only comparing fighting ability, I'll take Kivan.

4. Coran - see above - like I said, I think Kivan is only ever so slightly better.

5. Minsc - neither his dex or con is great, but both give out some bonuses. Plus, no other NPC can compete with his +2 to hit, +5 to damage based on his strength, unless they have the GoOP. Great strength and a small dex and con bonus is a little better than the others because you get some bonus for each of the "big three" statistics.

6. Montoron - His high dexterity makes him a little more durable than you'd think. With decent armor he can last quite a while. Also pretty good with missile weapons, a big deal in BG1. GoOP would help a lot.

7. Ajantis - OK strength, decent con, can increase poor dexterity. Nothing fantastic, but solid in every way.

8. Shar-Teel - the biggest drawback is that you really can't do much to improve her. Her weakness is in constitution, and there's no way that you can improve that. Also, both the GoOP and GoD would provide only a modest stat increase, so they could probably be put to better use elsewhere.

9. Yeslick - because of his innate ability of dispel magic, he inches out Jaheira, seeing as how there's nothing particularly great about either of their stength or hitpoints.

10. Jaheira - great character overall, very useful as a healer, but as a fighter - she's better off with a sling.

Wizards:

1. Imoen - extremely useful and can be made a specialist. I usually dual her fairly early (thief level 4). Once she hits level 5, she's very versatile with her weapon choices, and a good dex and con can't be beat. Her high dex also means she probably is your best choice for combat when NOT casting spells, as she should have better hit rolls with missile weapons than any of your other choices.

2. Edwin - nice amulet. With the ring that doubles your first level spells, he'll have EIGHT 1st level spells when he's second level. Only real problem is you won't be spending any of those eight slots on identify, which is a bit of, but not a huge, problem. All in all, divination is probably the least useful set of spells, with only identify being one you'll miss.

3. Xzar - surprisingly playable. You lose illusion spells, which IMO are the 4th most useful bunch, so it's a loss, but not a HUGE loss. Also has the highest combined wisdom/intelligence of the bunch so he can ID a ton of stuff. Altogether, pretty useful.

4. Dynaheir - her low dex isn't that big of a deal considering she shouldn't be getting hit anyway, and her relatively high hitpoints compensate for this somewhat. The real downside is she misses out on enchantment spells, which IMO, are the second most useful class of spells in the game. Can make up for it with items like wands, and Algernon's Cloak.

5. Xan - terrible idea for a character. By giving him a +3 weapon that only he can use, and by giving him proficiency in nothing other than short swords, they almost force you to put this guy into melee, which is a terrible idea considering he has low hitpoints, even for a mage. Plus, he misses out on evocation spells, which IMO are the most useful in the game. Fortunately, evocation spells are also the class that can be most compensated for with wands. Still wands of MM only fire one, and you'll get up to five if you can actually cast the spell. MM is VERY useful IMO in BG1, especially against enemy wizards to quickly take down the mirror image. Despite how bad I think this character is, that still leaves....

6. Quayle - abysmal. Not a particularly good cleric or mage, and being dual-classed he levels slowly. Loses necromancy spells, and although there aren't many necromancy spells, they are probably spells you probably want to have, so that's a considerable loss. Of course, that's assuming you're actually going to be able to copy anything into your spell book - but stock in whoever manufactures potions of genius. Oh, and he's not available until Chapter 5, when every other choice is available by Chapter 2.

Priests: In terms of priests, the multi-classes are going to have a really hard time competing - they level more slowly, and generally speaking have lower wisdom scores than the single classed counterparts.

1. Viconia - only her low strength holds her back. Very high dex and decent wis. With GoOP she's a great cleric AND she can tank.

2. Branwen - almost as good. Better con, not as good dex. Little bit higher wisdom. Can also tank if you need her to, but again, you'll probably need to get her the GoOP - although not required as in the case of Viconia.

3. Faldorn - this probably surprises some people, but hey, you get 5th level druid spells, and she's the only NPC that gets 5th level spells. Actually the only divine caster that gets divine spell period unless you make a druid PC.

4. Yeslick - only a fair cleric, and not a great fighter, his usefulness really only becomes evident when you consider his classes in combination. GoD almost have to go here, as you're going to want him in the front lines - Dispel magic special ability comes in handy, I'd rank him higher, but you can't get him until the end of Chapter 4.

5. Jaheira - similar to Yeslick in that the advantages only become evident when considering both classes simultaneously. I rank her just below Yeslick because of more weapon restrictions, but like Yeslick if you want her on the front lines, she needs the GoD.

6. Tiax - while Fel had a really good experience with him, I think the only way I would use him like he did is if I was re-creating his party of little people, which I probably will not do. His not being available until Chapter 5 doesn't help him either. Also, he has the second lowest wisdom of the divine casters, with the only one being worse being...

7. Quayle - probably the worst character in the game. Not a good mage or priest. With a wisdom of only 12, he holds the distinction of having the fewest priest spells in the game, and he doesn't even have some ancillary uses like Tiax.

Thieves: I should point out that I think the best thief would be Shar-Teel if you playing evil and dual class her, but of the chocies listed, I'll go with:

1. Imoen - only if you don't decide to make her a mage. You get her early, can completely customize her thief skills, she has great dex and con, and more than adequate for your full time thief.

2. Montoron - Great backstabber, and you get him early enough that you can control is thief point distribution. Part of the problem with getting thieves late is that some of them tend to pump stealth, which isn't essential considering between the Shadow Armor and the Boots of Stealth, you're already at +50.

3. Safana - Timing is critical here, as Fel points out. You have to get her early enough to control her stat distribution, but late enough that you can take on the Sirines and Flesh Golems. Ideally, I like to get her when my characters are right around level 4 - which is also covenient in that's when I like to dual Imoen. If you can time it right, she's almost as good as Imoen.

NOTE: From this point on, none of these choices are suitable as the party's only thief, simply because you don't get them early enough to customize them, and I wouldn't want to go through at least the first 3 if not 4 chapters without a thief.

4. Coran - love him as an NPC, don't like him as a thief. He pumps nearly everything into stealth, which as I said is unecessary, and seeing as how he isn't available until Chapter 4, you can't get him early, and you can't use him as your only thief, as his FT/PL skills won't be developed enough. Great for sniping and useful for backstabbing, just not as useful as the three preceeding him.

NOTE: Now we're really splitting hairs here - none of these are available until Chapter 5, and none of these characters have inherent usefulness like Coran, so we're comparing varying levels of crap IMO.

5. Alora - at least she spreads her thieving skills out decently, and her high dexterity does give her some nice bonuses and she's good with missile weapons. She'd be ranked MUCH higher if you could get her before Chapter 5.

6. Tiax - again - the Fel Plan withstanding, he isn't a very good character, as either a thief or cleric, and combining the two don't have the synergistic positive effect you get with Yeslick and Jaheira.

7. Skie - decent stats, but not available until Chapter 5, and you also have to take Eldoth, which is just downright painful. The only way you'd consider Eldoth is if you were making an all-evil party, but then picking up Skie would ruin it as she isn't evil.

Bards/Multis: Very confused by this grouping, but what the hell.

1. Coran - most useful of the bunch see previous comments

2. Montoron - almost as good - see previous comments.

3. Yeslick - good when considering classes in combination - see above

4. Jaheira - ditto from Yeslick

5. Garrick - Big problem with bards in BG1 is that they don't bring much to the table. The only way you really want a bard in BG1 is if you don't have a mage, which is rare in most parties.

6. Tiax - If I have to say something positive about him, he's better than

7. Quayle - and I take back my previous statement about him being the worst NPC in the game because I forgot about

8. Eldoth - worthless as a bard (with the exception of stength, Garrick is superior in just about every regard), he's not available until Chapter 4, and oh yeah, you get stuck with Skie, meaning you now get TWO worthless characters for the price of one.

 

This will assume a neutral PC -- heroes discount is a big bonus for good characters (and easily makes up for the small benefits the evil NPC's my have).

Warriors: Archers absolutely rule this game. Anyone getting *** or **** in a missile weapon is extremely powerful (no one can get ***** in a missile weapon without cheating).
Coran -- best archer in the game
Khalid
Kagain
Kivan
Ajantis
Minsc
Shar-Teel (would be higher if she started with bows)
Yeslick
Jaheira
Montaron

Wizards: The top three are nearly tied.
Edwin
Dynaheir
Imoen (dual)
Xzar (his dialog is almost enough to make him #1)
Xan
Quayle

Priests:
Branwen
Viconia (again, her dialog would make her #1 to me)
Faldorn
Yeslick
Jaheira
Quayle
Tiax
Note: Quayle and Tiax combined make a decent priest and add A LOT of humor to the game.

Thief: I never have just one thief, one specializing in PP/Stealth and a one good at FT/OL.
Imoen (non-dual)
Montaron
Shar-Teel (dual) -- best backstabber in the game.
Safana (God, I hate her voice)
Coran
Imoen (dual)
Alora
Skie
Tiax

Bards/Multiclass:
Coran
Yeslick
Montaron
Jaheira
Garrick
Eldoth
Tiax
Quayle

Coran, Yeslick and Montaron are simply the best all-around NPC's in the game. I always include at least one of them.

[ April 10, 2006, 21:10: Message edited by: T2Bruno ]

 

Actually I took a lot of my Bias out of it or some of them would be worse listed than they are.

Also I did it only comparing their base stats and listed in certain descriptions about equipment making them even better.

By Aldeth's post clearly I'm not the only one that protects their mages well with ways around most of the Mages weaknesses in spell schools with little trouble.