Favourite NPC constellation

Ajantis · Post by **Ajantis** » Tue Dec 12, 2000 9:16 am

Jan? Worth it but only before you picpoket all the items you need. After that, dispatch him and get another potential NPC in.

Hazim ibn Gorion · Post by **Hazim ibn Gorion** » Tue Dec 12, 2000 1:14 pm

I've said it before and I'll say it again: a thief is a luxury in BGII, nice to have but not really necessary. What do you need him for, really? Find traps? Imoen and Nalia can both do that just fine, especially once you have the ring of danger sense. Open locks? Knock or bashing (esp. with Crom Faeyr). Stealth and backstab? Check out Valygar with Shadow Dragon Scale and Celes. Fury. All the other theif skills are just bells and whistles.

Nighthawk · Post by **Nighthawk** » Tue Dec 12, 2000 2:59 pm

The best NPC's depend on whether you're looking for interesting interparty interactions or just effectiveness.

The party I made my speed run with was highly effective. I completed the game in 24 days with them (Including all the stronghold quests - can anyone beat that?) and they were able to simply run up to the black dragon and beat his head in...no spells or special tactics needed and no forged equipment (no forging keeps the time down):

1. Kensai
2. Keldorn (a must unless you're playing a paladin)
3. Valygar
4. Jahiera (Viconia is interesting from a personality standpoint, but I think Jahiera is the best in overall combat effectiveness. You can compensate for Vic's Str but not her con.)
5. Nalia (IMO all the mage and all the thief you need)
6. Floater: Yoshi->Mazzy->Cernd->Yoshi->Imoen

Personality
1. whatever
2. Jahiera
3. Viconia->Anomen->Jan->Cernd?
4. Keldorn
5. Minsc
6. Edwin->Aerie->Yoshi->Imoen

When Minsc kills Edwin, replace him with Yoshi. When Keldorn kills Viconia, replace her with Anomen. Fail Anomen's quest and when he kills Aerie replace her with Yoshi, dump him (I think he leaves) and replace him with Jan. When Yoshi turns traitor, replace him with Imoen. If Minsc eventually kills Jan, replace him with Cernd.

Anyone know of other inter-character conflicts that lead to duels? Did I get all these right?

Otherwise, use the patch to enable multiple romances and do:

1. Barbarian
2. Viconia
3. Jahiera
4. Aerie
5. Nalia
6. Imoen

getsleepy · Post by **getsleepy** » Tue Dec 12, 2000 3:41 pm

Picklock is probably one of the most important skills in the game if some rules are set correctly. Bashing sure does the job. However, if I remember correctly, bashing will destroy part of the items inside the chest. Knock is useful too but it waste your 2nd level spell slot which you can use for other good 2nd level spells, like gliterdust(blind and expose invisi creatures), vocalize, blur, or mirror image.

Find traps skill determine how fast and how far you can detect traps. Since we can always reload, this skill is no longer that important anymore... Find trap skill also determines how good you can disarm traps. Supposely near the end of the game, most traps can only be disarm by a high skill in find traps... It doesn't. This also makes this skill not that important.

Effect of master theivery potion can be stack up and very easy to come by... This makes spending points in picpocketing pretty useless...

Rules of BG2 really set back the importance of a good theif. Imagine you can't reload (maybe in NWN), then someone who can detect traps far and fast will be really useful.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Tue Dec 12, 2000 4:39 pm

Nighthawk is their anyway to stop Minsc from hacking Edwin to pieces?With out throwing one of them out of my party.

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(I would betray the world before i let the world betray me.) Cao Cao 192 a.d.

Jarius · Post by **Jarius** » Tue Dec 12, 2000 9:58 pm

I think- MINSC, JAHEIRA, VICONIA, MAZZY, and AIRIE

this gives you 3 CLERICS- lots of healing power and good spells, and on mage- Mazzy is a great archer with that bow, Minsc kicks ass with LILACOR, and I am a barbarian- give viconic a girdle of hill giant strength and she can use plate mail- and stick her with a mace and shield- Jaheira with a scimitar- and you do a good job mopping up

flinfman · Post by **flinfman** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 2:08 am

Currently I'm a monk but in my previous game I was a barbarian. Here's my current party and I'm seriously smiting ass with it:

Monk
Keldorn
Viconia
Jan
Mazzy
Minsc

Mazzy is so dang cool I'm stunned I made it through the first time without her. My first party was this:

Barbarian
Minsc
Jaheria
Aerie
Nalia
Valgar
-I had some trouble with this party at times because it was missing a truly awesome second fighter, but it all depends on what you're going for when you play.

Rail · Post by **Rail** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 2:54 am

I've found a group that really works well for me.
Me (Monk)
Keldorn
Minsc
Aerie (w/ Mauler +2, 18 STR, great with tenser's trans.)
Nalia
Imoen

This gives three solid fighters (Keldorn with Carsomyr and Minsc with Dragon's Breath +4 or dual-wielding maces. My monk is, well... a monk. Nuff said.)and three mages- great firepower for lots of different strategies. The only drawback is that Aerie is my only cleric. Later in the game, I don't seem to be using the healing spells I used earlier, but this frees up clerics to memorize other useful spells and makes them far more fun than the healing machines they seem to be at the start.

Omar · Post by **Omar** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 5:47 am

Minsc and Edwin started to fight each other too,while in my party,but....Edwin won!!!
A rather strange thing happened during the fight: Minsc's blue circle turned in a red one when he was almost dead/badly injured and he started to attack Viconia who was standing closest to him.

Maurice · Post by **Maurice** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 6:49 am

Nighthawk: "and no forged equipment (no forging keeps the time down)"

Forge away to your heart's desire. While the explanation says it'll take a day to forge such an item, that time is not really added to your total. The time before forging and after it, is the SAME! You don't loose a day ...

I consider this a minor bug, but one that doesn't seem to have much impact at all.

Nighthawk · Post by **Nighthawk** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 12:30 pm

Weasel: I'm not sure. Keeping your alignment carefully neutral might help but it may just be time dependent.

Maurice: Thanks for the tip.

Hex92 · Post by **Hex92** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 12:48 pm

I like to go heavy on spell casters.
PC:Ranger dual wield longswords or hammers
NPCs:
Minsc---just traded him in for Keldorn tho
Jan
Viconia
Nalia
Aerie

I haven't played with Keldorn long enough to really get a feel for what he is like. I gave him the guantlets of Dex. So he should be decent. With that much spell casting power you only need 2 fighters. And when they aren't casting spells they put out a good barrage of missle weapons.

I had Yoshimo (instead of Jan) in the party, but some people on this message board don't give enough warning when they are going to throw out a spoiler.

So I decided to cut him loose so all that experience wouldn't be wasted.

Hex92

The Nutless One · Post by **The Nutless One** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 7:51 pm

EVIL ALL THE WAY ! Muhahahhahahaha !

Well mostly, I take Me (Chaotic Evil Assasin), Edwin, Viconia, Korgan, Haer'dalis, Floater. The core party, is nigh on unstoppable, Korgan mauling everything sight, when he's dualing Crom Faeyr and Frostreaver, using red dragon scale, RoP +2, and RoFireControl, Cloak of Sewers, and Viconia using Mauler's arm and dual Gaxx's and whatever else was available, Edwin, just needs his vecna. Haer'Dalis was fun, but ultimately, he's the one guy in the party, that has all the spells targetted at him. He was just poetic cannon fodder. I beat the game in 25 days, with this party. The floater was usually Imoen, or Jan, but Jan's long stories tend to get annoying after awhile.

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I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter