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Right, I'm about to start playing BG2 again after many months of wandering between these new fangled games I think it's time for a bit of olde(ish) skool action and have decided that I want to play with the classes and characters that I haven't experienced much before.

I am going with a Blade as my PC with a party made up of Viconia, Anomen, Edwin and Yoshimo/Imoen.

At this point I would like to make it clear that this is not a "do I have a good party?" thread- I know it's a good party because it's the one I want to use. If you do want to comment on my party feel free to do so but don't take offence if I simply ignore your suggestions

Now, to my question- looking at my party I am in need of a tank and a female one as I like to keep a balanced party. The problem is that the only female warrior in BG2 are Jaheira and Mazzy, both of whom I have already used to death in previous games. So, I was thinking simply about making a new female NPC- or at least making a multiplayer party of two characters then improting into single palyer. But what to make her? A straight fighter? An Inquisitor? Or should I go dual or multi class?

Any advice or suggestions about this would be greatly appreciated as would any advice on existing NPC's (Ive checked the sticky but no luck).

What about Chloe? Kensai demi-god, with a lot of good dialog, and relationships possible. She's tough, even somewhat overpowered (IMO), but would make a fine tank.

If you want a female tank but do not wish to take Mazzy or Jaheira, then an NPC mod would probably be best for you. There's nothing wrong with creating your own second character, but she won't have any dialogue. An NPC mod might not be "perfect" for you in every way, but if you enjoy her dialogue and think she's an interesting character, that might make up for any deficiencies.

I've enjoyed playing with Saerileth (a Cavalier) and I think it's an excellent mod. But the sound quality might annoy you, and you have to act like a Lawful Good character to keep her happy. She is the Chosen of Tyr, and she acts like the holy servant of a god in nearly every way. Her stats don't look great at first glance, but even a Paladin with lame stats is a force to be reckoned with, and if you equip her properly, she'll be a powerhouse (Carsomyr, Girdle of Giant Strength, Gauntlets of Dexterity, Helm of Balduran, etc.). In one of my games, I converted her to an Inquisitor.

There are also other mods with female tanks, but I haven't tried them. Yasreana (a Drow Fighter) might suit you, but she was made by the same people who made Saerileth, so again, sound quality might be an issue. Valen (a vampire) and Chloe (a Kensai) seem to be quite popular, but from what I've read, they are too overpowered for my taste. (Chloe's prologue makes her sound like a swaggering character who can kill every enemy you meet with one hit.) There might be other female NPC tanks available, but I'm not familiar with them. Keto (a Bard) and Tashia (a Sorceress) are good mods (Keto is the best mod of all, in my opinion), but they probably don't suit your needs.

If you don't mind to install mods... you could try :

- Saerileth (Paladin - Cavalier)
- Chloe (Fighter - Kensai)
- Yasraena (Fighter)
- Kitanya (Fighter - Wizard Slayer)

Just do a quick google search on : " *Mod.NPC.Name.Here* Baldur's Gate 2 Mod " ... and you'll find these 4 girls pretty fast.

In my humble opinion, Saerileth is the best for roleplaying, while Chloe and Yasraena are more for powergamers. Kitanya is a good mix between the 2.

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If you mind to install mods, here's my only advice :

Why don't you make (as a PC) a Female fighter (plain, kitted, multiclassed or dual-classed) and take along Haer'Dalis (Blade). This option will give you both a Blade and a female frontliner, as you wished.

EDIT : VonDondu is faster than me

Thanks for all of your advice guys.

I have actually managed to find all of the NPC you've mentioned and I think I'm going to go with Kitanya as he will give me a new character and a new class to pla around with. To be honest I'm not sure abou the others- Saerileth seems too much of a spoiled brat, Chloe seems over powerfull (though the Imoen romance seems interesting) and as for Yasraena, well I think one Drow woman's enough for any man.

Anyways, thanks again guys.

[QUOTE=the_limey]To be honest I'm not sure abou the others- Saerileth seems too much of a spoiled brat...[/QUOTE]
I'm not sure what gave you that impression. She's certainly a woman of principle, but I don't think that makes her a "spoiled brat". She's actually a very humble person, but she IS a Paladin, and she always speaks out for Tyr.

One of her anecdotes really impressed me. Tyr once sent her to fight a demon that she had no chance of defeating. If you ask her whether she thought she had a chance, she says no. If you ask her why she went on a suicide mission like that, she says that she had faith in Tyr and she believed he would protect her. (It gives the impression that Tyr was testing her.) Needless to say, Tyr protected her. That's why she fights for him--not because she thinks that she is something special, but because she is his devoted servant.

I also like the line she uses when her weapon has no effect: "Impervious to my blows thou may be, but not to justice." I've never really liked Paladins all that much, but it's actually refreshing to see an unswaying character who isn't high and mighty or full of herself.

On the other hand, Tyr is not modest, and he's not gentle, so anything Saerileth does in his name tends to be extreme.

She's actually fun to romance. Instead of coming to your character with her problems like the other NPCs, she makes meaningful gestures of affection, and they aren't cheesy. To me, that sets her apart.

[QUOTE=VonDondu]She's actually fun to romance. Instead of coming to your character with her problems like the other NPCs, she makes meaningful gestures of affection, and they aren't cheesy. To me, that sets her apart.[/QUOTE]
That sounds rather refreshing. But I assume that, since Limey has Viconia and Edwin he is planning on playing an evil party where a Paladin would be somewhat out of place. Of course, if Anomen passes his test that would be another story, but I am thinking the prognosis doesn't look favorable.

[QUOTE=JackOfClubs]I assume that, since Limey has Viconia and Edwin he is planning on playing an evil party where a Paladin would be somewhat out of place... [/QUOTE]
Even players who have Good-aligned parties like to have Edwin in them, and I've heard many other players talk about playing a Paladin who romances Viconia, so I know better than to make an assumption like that. Limey did ask whether his sixth party member should be an Inquisitor (among other things), so it was evident that he would be open to a Paladin NPC.

However, I did warn him that if he added Saerileth to his party, his own character would have to act like a Lawful Good character if he didn't want Saerileth to leave the party. For example, she refuses to kill Rayic Gethras at Edwin's request, and if you do so, she calls you a "villain" and leaves the party. Completing Renal Bloodscalp's quest and taking over Mae'Var's guild is pretty much out of the question. Saerileth is the type of person who would accept torture and death rather than commit an evil act to save her own hide. (She has been captured and tortured while in the service of Tyr, but she does not regret it.) She expects the same of you.

I didn't even think about siding with Bodhi or having my character sleep with Phaere. I don't think a Paladin would be willing to help the Shadow Thieves become stronger, either. It makes me wonder why the authors of the mod did not rewrite Chapter Three so you don't have to work for the Shadow Thieves OR Bodhi. Perhaps the Radiant Heart could help you get to Spellhold after you prove your worth by destroying BOTH of the evil guilds for some sort of just cause--rescuing innocent prisoners from Bodhi and preventing assassinations and robberies by the Shadow Thieves, for example. That's what I would have done. I also would have rewritten Bodhi's dialogue to where it made sense, which would be very presumptuous, but that's just me.

Maybe I could write a mod for a mod. It would be in the same spirit as Redemption, which is a mod that was written to accompany Ascension. I was thinking about writing another mod to accompany Redemption. After you help Irenicus redeem himself and get his life back, he turns on you and tries to use the Tree of Life to make himself a god yet again. I can't see any other way for it to end.

@VonDondu- by "spoiled brat" I meant that she seems wont to start paddying if she doesn't get her own way. Though as you say she is a Paladin and as such will be opposed to any outright evil act, it is this fanatical narrowmindedness I dislike. Keldorn is the same, he despises Viconia purely for being a drow, yet believes that the PC- the child of the God of Murder no less- is redeemable. When ever (I role-play a Paladin (either in CRPG or pnp) I try to retain an openmind- something Saerileth seems unable or unwilling to do. For my current party this is most definately not the way I wish to go- perhaps a future party may include her- perhaps a party made up entirely of Paladins and good priests...

As for my party's alignment going for mostly good, with the occasional "grey" activity thrown in. For example, this time I think I may just kill Valygar and haul his body to the sphere- something which may or may not prove difficult with Kitanya.