GameBanshee Forums

My people:

Paladin - 2HS/XBow.

Minsk - 'coz he's a good bloke. Give him a good magical longbow for 3 attacks per round - take care of enemy spellcasters.

Jaheira - For the Druid spells, fighting ability, excellent AC as well as for the rich plot. Her "Summon Woodland Being" seems to be overlooked by others. The Nymph she summons has excellent spells, including mass cure.

Anomen - Destroys/Turns undead + good spells and good fighter. Buy him the Sling of Seeking (adds STR bonus to damage) and he's a sensational ranged-weapon expert. Go for the warhammer.

Jan - The only choice if you want a thief, with the gloves and ring of lockpicking and a couple of levels his skills are excellent. Buy him the Bracers of AC3 for use in combat. Give him a ring of Inv + Cloak of Non-detection for real sneakery. Plus he's a back-up mage of distinction. And fun.

Imoen - Plot.

Okay, just MHO. Only small roleplaying bias with exception of Jan.

Aerie- Great spell machine. Never runs out of spells with selection of Cleric and Mage. Good Wis and Int. Low HPs, though.

Anomen- Horrible Wis for a Cleric (untill quest is completed properly). Decent fighter, though, when factor in cleric spells.

Cernd- if you don't use Keldorn, give Gauntlets of Dex to Cernd. He has great Wis for druid/priest. Gets along with everyone. Good bracers (AC3) and gauntlets of Dex, loads of darts, and he's awfully good.

Edwin- don't like him, cuz he's evil, but he is the best mage in the game. Great spell selection. Doesn't mix with Minsc, though.

Haer'Dalis- didn't like him all that much. Too low HPs for fighting, too few spells. He needs the Girdle of Fortitude badly! Used right, he could be awesome. I just don't use him right, I guess. Looks cool, though.

Imoen- Great mage. Okay thief. So close to story line you almost have to use her.

Jaheira- uhhh, didn't like her. Not great fighter, pretty good Druid. Good tank, with ironskins. Most people keep her around for a tank and for insect plague. There are better tanks, and one spell isn't enough to keep her, no matter how good the spell. Great battle crys, though. Gets along with everyone, for the most part.

Jan- no comment. Never played him. Don't like techno-roleplaying. Decent thief and mage.

Keldorn- best fighter in game, properly equipped. Needs Gauntlets of Dex, and Carsomyr, and he rocks! Great personality.

Korgan- great fighter all around, but I didn't like personality. Can't use Azuredge, one of best axes in the game.

Mazzy- best archer in the game. Give her short bow of Gesen or Tansheron, oe even Tuigian bow, and she rules! Pretty solid fighter.

Minsc- Cover your nose, Boo! Nuff said! Great tank, good fighter. Especially dual-wielding blunt weapons.

Nalia- Good mage, bad thief. Gets along with most. Kinda whiney.

Valygar- Needs Shadow dragon armor, then he rocks. Good archer. Great stealth and can backstab, but not with his katana, for some reason.

Viconia- Best cleric in game. Hands down. A must, but doesn't mix with Keldorn, so take your pick.

Yoshimo- well, I won't spoil it. Good thief. Best in game by far, while he's with you.

I went to great lengths to get Valygar back into my party because of some damned glitch in my game and now all i see is people bashing him. How come y'all think hes so bad? Even with Celestial Fury you think he sucks? I had a very difficult time deciding wether using Minsc dual wielding the Equalizer and the Daystar or single wielding the Vorpal Blade, or Valygar with the Celestial Fury and the Sentinal Shield or possibly another Katana. I picked Valygar but I am starting to wonder if maybe that was a bad mistake. Don't you think that maybe Celestial Fury makes up for Valygar's other deficiencies? Plus hes good at hiding in shadows and backstabbing with Celestial Fury is nice.

Again, give Valygar the shadow dragon armor, and he's solid! Very good choice! Celestial Fury only makes him better.

Aerie - best allround spellcaster, hands down. Low intelligence can be cancelled via potions. However, she whines too much.

Anomen - Good fighter, medium cleric. When properly equipped, he can be quite a tank. However, he talks too much nonsense.

Cernd - Let him join my party once and thought he sucks (especially when compared to Jaheira).

Edwin - spell powerhouse par excellence and a must-have for one of the funnier quests.

Haer'Dalis - quite decent, great lore and not too bad as fighter. Good allrounder. However, he picks on Aerie too much.

Imoen - Never kept her in my party as Jan is a better thief and his mage abilities are good enough when you reach spellhold.

Jaheira - Quite decent fighter and some of the best spells in the game (fire elementals, insects and so on).

Jan - very good combination between thieving and magic abilities. Like him better than Imoen / Nalia.

Keldorn - THE man when equipped with str / dex items.

Korgan - Bad weapon specialization (axes), but I like his interaction with certain NPC's (in a no-good party). Can be a very good tank.

Mazzy - machine gun archer.

Minsc - One of the most funny characters, I like his dialogues, he fits to Liarcor the best and can take quite a punch.

Nalia - I just think she's annoying.

Valgyar - Not too bad, but I find other characters more useful and less fragile.

Viconia - Hottest romance, great cleric.

Yoshimo - Very good thief, but...

Cernd seems to be getting a bit of a pasting as an NPC, much like Jahiera did in BGI. He's in my party at the moment and looks as if he could stay for another series! He mostly does what he's told and is not as opinionated as Miss J, meaning he does as he's told so I like him!

Gregorio


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Is there a problem?

Aerie - amazing mage/cleric, she works well as both and provided long rang muscle with a sling and magic missiles.

Anomen - take a pole, shove it up your ass and still he is more up-himself.

Cernd - if you have Jaheira he's just a downgrade version

Edwin - Amazing mage, has SOOO many more spells than me

Haer'Dalis - all bards are useless

Imoen - not as good a s Jan, plus is missing for half the game

Jaheira - reasonable back up for Minsc, Animal Summoning III is a must have

Jan - amazing thief, best there is

Keldorn - damn good sword, so he's there by default

Korgan - Did not use him.

Mazzy - Did not use her.

Minsc - best fighter, if you use him from the beginning he's priceless, plus is a great warrior for any mage

Nalia - same as Jan, just a worse model

Valygar - never used him

Viconia - nothing special, VERY evil

Yoshimo - TRAITOR, DIE DIE DIE

Kieran_Frost

see I always liked Valygar. Whenever I used him (with shadow dragon armor) he was unstoppable against pretty much anything (cept those damn illithids).

Im sorry Rapier but droping Minsc in a good party is no good Why? Minsc is really funny great fighter does alot of damage has a lot of HP and has BOO!

My party:
-Anomen excelent cleric didnt try Viconia (evil)
-Mazzy good in long range and close combat but limited to short bows and short swords
-Nalia sucks as a thief but really good mage in later levels 15th 16th
-Jaheira dont like much besides her insect plague but is a good fighter
-Minsc of course a great friend since the 1st BG excelent dialogues "Go for the eyes Boo go for the eyes"

Im sorry but it was not Rapier who said that droped Minsc it was other guy i just saw the wrong name

Ok, before I rate them all my current favorite mix is: (Though I have played through will every NPC)

Me - Half-Elf Fighter/Mage: 212 hps with Tensor's Transformation. Add stoneskin, Spirit Armor and Robe of Venca. You get the picture.

Jaheira - Perfect compliment to my Fighter/Mage. Nice range of spells, powerful fighter, wisest NPC in the game. Plus she puts out.

Haer'Dalis - Don't knock him. Biggest problem is low hps. Fixed with girdle of constitution. Good back up fighter with Stoneskin, good back-up mage.

Aerie - Spell slinger and healer. Armed with a +3 sling she holds her own in the back and chucks spells when I need em. Most traumitized of all NPCs, she will cry at times.

Viconia - The cleric of cleics. Her powers are unmatched. She's evil, but I think she has a conscience. VERY Loyal in any case.

Imoen - My sister. Do to real life reasons, I cannot ever leave my sister behind. She's a good theif with a few toys, and a good mage.

Mazzy - Good fighter, very rightous

Valygar - Good Ranger, not as good a tank as other's you can use though

Keldorn - Excellent Fighter, made better with some of the uber equipment avaible. However he's a racist and kills Viconia for no reason

Minsc - Great fighter, but let's face facts he's a few cards short of a deck.

Yoshimo - Best thief around, nice traps. Not handy enough in a general fight to justify though. I prefer dual-class theives.

Jan - Neat character, funny dialogue. Useful as a thief and mage, but Imoen is better.

Korgan - Good straight-up fighter, has alot of hate in him though

Nalia - Spoiled brat. Jaheira says so.

Anomen - Good cleric. He DESTROYS undead, which I like more than control. But comon, if it's a choice between him and Viconia...

Cernd - Powerful druid, master of summoning REALLY powerful allies

Edwin - Great mage, but he's a wizard of Thay. I hate those guys.

Personal Favorite - Jaheira. She really shines on the frontlines and gets the job done. I can finish most fights with just her and my F/M.

what exactly is wrong with valygar? I liked him...he was a good ranged supporter, and has that intense personality which I find simply irresistable. maybe it's just me?

Yeah I like Valygar too, and with proper equipment he is a good tank. I like his personality and story. Plus, he is great when combined to Jan. Jan disarms traps, Valygar scouts and backstabs. Playin the second time through and my posse is: me, half-elf priest of Helm, Minsc, Jan, Valygar, Keldorn and, of course, Jaheira! I've done all of the quests before the Underdark except Kangaxx and I'm doing fine.

Robin Hood

Whats up with Minsc anyway? I hate him more than anyone else, besides he isnt a great fighter, there are 4 things that raises strength in the game above his, if you have a fighter with lower str use them. Minsc has great str, but his HP isnt great compared to the better tanks. He has berzerkering, but he usually ends up attacking my own characters with it. Not even in my good party he was included, he sucks.

Korgan, Viconia and Edwin are the best of what they do, Jan works well too, as a backupmage, and to search for traps/pick locks.

Too bad evil parties have a hard time finding fighters, jaheria would work i guess, but...

Aerie - Spell powerhouse, HP problem can be fixed with green Ioun Stone and Girdle of Fortitude.

Anomen - Decent cleric, can get Grand Mastery in any clerical weapon, annoying personality though.

Cernd - Underwhelming.

Edwin - Best mage, but evil. Several NPC's may try to kill him, but he does have a hilarious subplot.

Haer'Dalis - Jack-of-all trades, and has romance script of his own.

Imoen - Great Mage, Good Thief, plus she gets bonus spells.

Jaheira - Good fighter/druid. Her Insect plague and fire elementals are indispensible.

Jan - Good illusionist/thief. If you're patient, allocate points to trap-setting and give him Mercy Killer ring, his traps can be quite devastating past lvl 12. He's a great back-up mage. He's also your comic relief.

Keldorn - Give him gauntlets of dexterity, Carsomyr +5 and cloak of mirroring, and get out of his way. I relied heavily on his Dispel Magic and True Sight abilities.

Korgan - Outstanding fighter, esp. with Frostreaver axe and Crom Faeyr, but is evil and picks on Aerie. (I fixed that one game with helm of opposite alignment, tee hee!)

Mazzy - Two words: Gesen Bow.

Minsc - Great Ranger.

Nalia - Weak thief, annoying personality. OK mage, save your 7+ lvl spell scrolls and give them to Imoen when you get her back

Valygar - Give him Celestial Fury. This is the guy you do your backstabbing with.

Viconia - Best cleric, give her one of those giant-strength girdles. For extra fun, use her and a good cleric to turn Undead at the same time.

Yoshimo - The only pure-class thief in the game but he doesn't stick around.




[This message has been edited by Sojourner (edited 03-27-2001).]

Heh. Saumerez, you may have been hoping to powerplay off everybody's unified suggestions for the best NPCs, but as you can see, there's no unified view at all. I'm reminded of Magic: The Gathering, and attempts made years ago by players to rate the "value" of individual cards. It couldn't be done; not only were the individual perceptions of players completely different, but single cards gained or lost when in combination with other cards.

So my recommendation (rather than a list, though I'm on my fourth game play-through) is to focus less on individual NPCs, and more on building a balanced party in which everybody plays to their teammates' strengths, and covers for their weaknesses. Hope that helps.

First of all, I'd like to say that all of the NPCs are good when played in the right manner and equipped with the right armour, weapons etc. The challenge is to build a party with as few weaknesses as possible. In the end, it all comes down to personal preferences.

Aerie - A good compromise. Excellent if, and only if, you like this multiclass. I usually equip her with the Staff of Magi. That way she is almost "untouchable", making sure I can always access both magical and clerial spells even under pressure. The romance is a bit lame; hope it improves with ToB.

Anomen - Highly underrated. A very good cleric. Equipped with Gauntlets of Dex he's an acceptable fighter, too. I currently use him as my only fighter, letting him dual wield FoA and DoE.

Cernd - Also underrated. Have him throw druid spells from the back and as soon as he gets close to the melee, switch over to (greater) werewolf. High wisdom and good starting equipement. Has to wear the Bracers of AC 3.

Edwin - The best mage, for sure.

Haer'Dalis - If you know how to play him, he's very good. There is nothing wrong with his stats. It's all up to whether you like bards or not. Prefer to equip him with CF and that other katana from Planscape Torment.

Imoen - The only NPC I haven't really played yet. I always feel bad when leaving her but still feel more attached to my party members than to Imoen. Very good with that extra spells, though.

Jaheira - A compromise again and a very good one at that. However, I'm not very fond of fighter/druids and the romance/quest bug is rather complicated.

Jan - Extremely useful in almost all parties. Great conversations, too. Use spells instead of Hide in Shadows and Move Silently. That way you compensates for Jan getting his thief points slower than a pure thief. Very good starting equipement - I usually keep them during the whole game.

Keldorn - Awesome when equipped with Gauntlets of Dex and Carsomyr. Almost takes the fun out of it...

Korgan - The best figter. I let him use axes and then Crom Fayer.

Mazzy - It's sad people only use her with the short bow. She does very well in melee, too. Good special abilities.

Minsc - Good stats but I actually find him extremely booring. I have really tried but simply can't stand him. Boo is kind of cute, though...

Nalia - The most misunderstood of them all. Nalia is a mage that can use thief weapons. This advantage came with a loss of only 5000 XPS. The use of thief weapons, such as the long sword, comes particularly handy when using Tenser's Transformation. And if you have no thief in your party, Nalia will find all traps for you (equip her with the Ring of Danger Sense). Also, the spell Knock or a Potion of Master Thievery let you open all locks. Not being a specialist, Nalia lacks extra spells. On the other hand, she has no opposition school and she comes with a very good ring on her right hand (+2 bonus to AC and saving throws, 50 % Fire Res).

Valygar - A good ranger. Do not change his armour for the Shadow Dragon Scale. The AC difference of 1 isn't worth it. Let him dual wield CF together with the Corthala Family Blade and you have a hurricane of destruction. Note that CF should be in his right hand since he, for some reason, can't backstab with the family blade.

Viconia - No disadvantage except for not being able to turn undead (instead taking control of them). Put on a girdle of strenght and you can throw her into melee (even better are the Gauntlets of Ogre Power together with the girdle that augments Con). "Nice" romance.

Yoshimo - There is only one single problem with him and we all know what it is... Would otherwise dual him to fighter and letting him dual wield katanas.

[This message has been edited by Astafas (edited 03-28-2001).]

Aerie - hot, multi-class hurts at high levels

Anomen - decent fighter, good cleric as Sir Anomen, unlike other NPCs he has an interesting personality

Cernd - great in greater werewolf form, not so great otherwise

Edwin - incredibly good mage

Haer'Dalis - can be good in combat if you use him correctly, great interaction with other NPCs

Imoen - good enough thief, good mage

Jaheira - whiny, nice backup healer, best romance

Jan - funniest NPC, best thief

Keldorn - best NPC IMO

Korgan - great fighter

Mazzy - archer deluxe, very good

Minsc - got to have him, Boo rules

Nalia - ugly, whiny, sucky

Valygar - good tank, THE guy for Celestial Fury

Viconia - best cleric, hot

Yoshimo - very good thief, didn't deserve such a fate

Gabriel - best character in the game, couldn't do without him...

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The Pope, known in the Realms as Gabriel, is a Proud Member of the Brotherhood of the Woods

OK then, here are my top 5 NPC's.

Edwin: Best mage in the game, yada yada yada.....

Viconia: Best Cleric (Anomens turn dead is better though) boosting magic resistance up to %100 just isnt fair! Possibly the games most powerful NPC IMO.

Keldorn: As has been said, Gauntlets of Dex + Carsomyr = Unstoppable.

Korgan: The games PUREST tank. No fancy spells, just max out his AC, berserk him and send him into the fray. Love his accent too.

Har 'Dalis: An odd choice for some but when used properly he is awesome. Equip with Bladesinger armor, Cuthroat, Zerthblade and Girdle of Frostgiant strengh. Now cast stoneskin, Tensers transformation and HD's unique Offensive Spin and you have a GREAT fighter. Lots of fun to use and an interesting NPC to have in your party.

Does anyone else love HD?!

Viconia - No disadvantage except for not being able to turn undead (instead taking control of them).

Astafas, Viconia will turn undead. I've watched her repeatedly turn many, causing them to flee, as well as getting others to join your side for a while.