Your suggestions for an RPing party...

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Having played through BG2 a lot of times, only concentrating on the powergaming aspect of the game, I must say that I'm kinda starved for some serious RPing. So I figured I'd start up a game with a character who was based on me in real life, a Blade. (Okay, so I don't fight so well in real life! )

The point is, I wanted to take along the full cast, and have a party with the maximum possible banter. It'd be a good party, with the PC being Neutral Good, but I wouldn't be averse to taking evil characters along.

So, I'd appreciate it if people could leave behind their suggestions for a good, fun, RPing party.

 

Don't ask about that from us, since you will just get rather biased replies (Like, in case of Beren, it would be probably just you and Jaheira)

Choose those characters you like the most.

 

I wanted some party recommendations for the best banter, best NPC development via quests etc. Basically something fun.

There's Nalia's quests regarding her father's funeral and all, there's Anomen and the murder and his knighting, there's Edwin and the Nether Scroll ( ) etc etc.

Jan's a hoot, Anomen is annoying, Nalia is whiny, Keldorn needs a wedgie, Imoen might just give it to him... you get the idea.

I've finished the game enough times to know it backwards, but I wanted to really enjoy the game, you know...without worrying about why I was doing less than 25 damage per hit with Minsc...

 

I'm not really sure what roleplaying is exactly. I've always had the theory that it was the exact opposite of powergaming where instead of making as powerful a character as possible, which could probably be called rping considering your a half god, you create someone weaker and more average a character, there's more I'm sure but that's all I could think of.

 

I think RPing is thinking about what your character would do, alignment and personality wise, before acting, whereas powergaming is just choosing the route to make you the most powerful-most XP, best items, etc.

For example, no paladin would travel with Korgan or Edwin, but a powergamer would use them to provide the most powerful examples of their class in the party.

 

You know, i kinda like a party that really interacts with one another.
So, if you want the party with a good assortmant of banters, I would suggest a mixed party of good, neutral and evil.
Try this.
-Viconia
-Haer'dalis
-Jahiera
-Yoshi
-jan

 

I agree with Sparhawk, although RP-ing also occurs to me as playing a character given history, personality, stats and restrictions, and sticking to that.
Incidentally RP-ing a Bard can also mean powergaming it.

Anyway, you should select the NPC's you like the most above everything, and try to fit them into your story.
If you're playing a Blade who likes making stories out of everything, for example, you can take Jan. If your Blade's interested in discovering Drow culture, you can bring Viccy. You can even bring Edwin along, and justify this by presuming you are trying to learn magic and mage tactics first hand (you have to justify your completely ridiculous lore, for one), and since your good you can just say you're doing this for a good cause.
Present choices won't matter if you have good goals in the long run as long as you don't stray too far from your alignment.
You can even bring along an ever-changing party, so you can experience everything.
Perfectly justifiable. But that's the beauty of being a Bard. You are supposed to be the jack-of-all trades, and a master of none, who learns a bit from everything that comes your way. You can be anything from a singer to a wanderer bent on soaking up on as much knowledge (or lore) as you can to a weapon-collector. You can even be all three.

 

I've found Jan, Minsc, and Korgan to all have some great banter. Korgan will have arguments with any NPC there is.

If you're not in a rush, play a party with Korgan & Aerie, and Viconia & Keldorn. Add in Haer-Dalis, and make sure you're romancing Aerie for a real hoot!

 

So far, I've come up with this...

PC: That would be me, i.e, I'm roleplaying myself...and I ditched the Blade for a F/M, more in character.

Jan (the BEST banters, ever!)
Imoen (my sister after all, plus some of her banters are real funny)
Jaheira (romance)
Minsc (best ever)

sixth slot is open...any suggestions for banter? Haer'Dalis would'nt really fit into the party...coz Blades are very powerful, no doubt about that, but they need tons of micromanagement, which I don't have much patience for.

I was thinking an extra tank wouldn't go amiss...Korgan might be nice, or perhaps Mazzy or even Valygar. What kind of banters do Mazzy or Valygar have? I know there's some thing between the two of them, but if only one of them is in the party...help guys?

 

Too bad you couldn't have taken a Blade, although since you're taking a party along the micromanagement you have to do will be overwhelming.

You'd need a character with good AC and offense for that slot. Preferably with some divine-magic aptitude. Anomen would probably make that slot count more than any other character... and he gives very good banter, stubborness and arrogance aside.

And F/M has very low RP versatility, since you can't quite play him as anything other than an F/M. But I'm sure he'll be more than able to cleave enemies to pieces wherever he goes. The presence of two clerics with powerful summons are available at low levels will help you survive better at earlier levels.

As for the other selections, Valygar will probably have conflict with your NPC with weapons. Korgan will be a pain with only Jaheira as a healer. Keldorn is also a good choice, but you'll also be having healing problems with him unless you rush the gauntlets of dexterity, and before that he'll be attracting hits like a magnet. Mazzy would also make a good choice if only you didn't have too many to heal too early, and she can be very powerful early for the sake of the party. (Stick with short swords, and get the one in Watcher's Keep, or Arbane's Sword)

[ January 24, 2004, 19:29: Message edited by: Scythesong Immortal ]

 

Leave the sixth slot open for people as you do their quests (I.E you take Keldorn on the Unseeing Eye quest, Valygar for the Planar Sphere and so on, then end with Anomen, and either keep him or pick Sarevok when you come to ToB.

 

If you like to watch funny coments between characters try out this (you dont have to have it all through the game..)
Imoen/Yoshimo
Viconia
Jaheira
Edwin
Korgan
Haer dalis
Hear korgan, Edwin, and Viccy argue about Korgans battle techniques, Edwin gettin on Viconia who snubs him, and then comes on to Haer Dalis (+ if you try to romance Jaheira and Viconia at early stage at the same time (be carfeul so you dont make some one left you.. ))

 

how can you have a party that you want to get funny dialouge out of without jan?

 

By taking Minsc, Keldorn, Haer,Kelsey and Yoshimo/Imoen.

Kelsey's talk to Jaheira about motherhood was hillarious, when he brought it up Jaheira thought he was proposing

Typical paranoid Jahiera

 

A point I would like to make: your PC is the 'perfect' role-playing class for Baldur's Gate. Being brought up by Gorion would give your your alignment, being a brat with Imoen would bring on your thieving abilities and your innate Bhaal given physical build would explain your warrior-side.

For a role-playing party the PC would probably take along Keldorn, Yoshimo/Imoen (might be hard at first with no mage if you take Anoman), Minsc, Jaheira and either An(noy)oman or Aerie and *spoiler* drop Keldorn after his run-in with his wife and her 'suitor' to pick up Sarevok later.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. Right now, I'm doing the Umar Hills quest...everyone is at around lvl 11. The party setup is something like this...

Me- Fighter/Mage
Korgan (neat banters, even neater axe choppingness )
Jan (comic relief, the BEST banters in the game)
Jaheira (romance, some nice banters)
Minsc (Jump on my sword while you can Evil! I won't be as gentle! )
Empty slot for Imoen.

@Abomination: I was roleplaying, true, but I wasn't roleplaying the PC in the game, I was roleplaying me and I figured I'd probably hang out with a mixed bunch like the chaps I mentioned so...anyway, I am very happy with the setup so far, thanks a lot guys!

 

I didn´t see a comment from Beren yet Virne. Just aswell, he´d only agree anyway


Personally I like to take along the people I liked in BG1. So Minsc, Jaheira and Imoen. They were with you before and as I see it they are your only friends. A person in your seat would very unlikely just let a bunch of people he just met tag along on his quest. Although, 2 new partymembers is possible. Because they wouldn´t try anything against the 4 of you. So I´d take along 2 others that could fill the void in your party. Probably Aerie and Keldorn since Keldorn make a great tank and since Jaheira and Imoen could use some backup with the spellcasting.

If you look at the romantic part this is a nice party aswell. Minsc and Aerie, You and Jaheria. And I think that Imoen has been longing for a big strong man for a long time now, dont you?

 

Re: Duke

Howabout the following party?:

Protagonist
Jaheira
Imoen
Minsc
Edwin
Viconia

Who needs stinkin' BGII NPCs? Too bad Minsc doesn't get along with Eddie.

 

I didn´t include Edwin and Viconia since they´re evil. And since he wanted a RPing party I didn´t think that he´d go with people with different alignments.
Otherwise that party is truly a nice one.

 

While we are on the topic of role playing, how the hell is it realistic to have romances? people fighting for their lives everyday against powerful enemies in general would be lucky to live for longer then a month before cruel reality hits them, unless the party is exceptionaly skilled and efficient, I fail to see how in such a case anyone would have romantic thoughts at the forefront of the mind at any time at all, unless it's just a brief infatuation or lust.