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The characters of the original Baldur's Gate are even more diverse, if
less interactive, than those of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. There is also a much
larger chance that you will be able to create an entirely evil or entirely
neutral party without too much trouble, something that is nearly
impossible in the sequel. Needless to say, there are a lot of characters in this
game. This page will tell you who they are, what they can do, and where to
find them.
The characters:
Separating Pairs
Customizing Portraits
GOOD ALIGNMENT:
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Ajantis
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Alora
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Coran
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Dynaheir
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Imoen
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Khalid
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Kivan
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Minsc
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Yeslick
NEUTRAL ALIGNMENT:
-
Branwen
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Faldorn
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Garrick
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Jaheira
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Quayle
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Safana
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Skie
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Xan
EVIL ALIGNMENT:
-
Edwin
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Eldoth
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Kagain
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Montaron
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Shar-Teel
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Tiax
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Viconia
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Xzar
PARTY IDEAS:
- The BG2 Party
- My Choice Party
- Evil Party
- Femme Fatale
- Madmen on Parade
- The Rangers
There are a few characters in Baldur's Gate that will only work in pairs.
These are Xzar and Montaron, Khalid and Jaheira, Minsc and Dynaheir, and
Eldoth and Skie. Separation of these pairs can be done if you REALLY want
only one of the two... but they won't like it. Anyway, here's how to do it:
First, find a comfortable, totally empty building somewhere (like a
random house in Beregost with nothing important inside). Stick the NPC that you want to ditch inside the
building, all alone. Leave the rest of your party outside. Then use the
Reform Party screen to boot them out. When they try to come talk to you and
remove their partner from your group, they'll be stuck in whatever building
you left them in. So you'll keep one half of the pair and the other will be
stuck in the house. If you ever enter the house, however, the other
character will talk to you and take his/her partner back.
Think Safana has a great voice but needs a better face? Think Viconia's
portrait looks totally whacked-out and prefer the far prettier BG2 version?
ME TOO! Well, now you can do something about it! Just follow these steps:
1: Create new portraits for the character you wish to change, using the
normal BG2 portrait sizes (one large and one small). Now save them as
bitmaps with the appropriate character's name and S or L on the end for
Small and Large. (Viconia for example, would be VICONIAL.BMP and
VICONIAS.BMP)
2: Move these files into your game's OVERRIDE folder. That's all there is to
it! Next time you play, your new portrait should show up in place of their
old one!
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AJANTIS
"We follow the righteous path; the path of Helm."Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Paladin
Alignment: Lawful Good
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 13
Charisma: 17
What I think of him:
Ajantis is a paladin, a member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant
Heart, and a total zealot. He's a good warrior, and pretty useful, but
all he wants to do is good. Nothing else is of interest to him. I'd keep
him around though if you're a good guy.
Where to find him:
Once you get to the Friendly Arm Inn, head straight north until you get
to a the farms (looks like a barn and tilled fields on your map). Follow
the road for a ways and you'll find Ajantis standing next to a tree.
He'll walk up and ask if you're a friend or a foe (much like Anomen will
do in Baldur's Gate II). Of course, if you want him, answer friend.
Side-Quests:
I don't think he has any.
Interaction:
Any evil or chaotic character: Ajantis will not like them, and maybe
even try to kill them. |
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ALORA
"C'mon people now, smile on your brother. Everybody get together, try to
love one another, right now!"Gender: Female
Race: Halfling
Class: Thief
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 10
What I think of her:
This annoying, cheesy little pink-haired halfling is an okay thief, with
her 19 dex, if you can stand how disgustingly cheerful she is all the
time. She makes Kaylee look like Xan. But her 19
dexterity makes her a great thief. Too bad you can only get her late in
the game, so you don't get to assign most of her skill points yourself.
Just make sure to give her a ranged weapon, because her strength and
constitution are abysmal, making her a terrible fighter.
Where you find her:
Alora can be found trying to rob the Hall of Wonders at night. Tell her
you'll keep a lookout for her, and then stand around a while before
talking to her again. She'll join up. You can then use her to loot the
place clean.
Side-Quests:
Besides standing watch for her in the Hall of Wonders... nothing that I
know of.
Interaction:
Any evil person: Alora will try to make them more happy and less mean.
Xan: Alora's exact opposite. She will try to cheer him up to, but also
be disturbed at how miserable he always is.
Edwin: Of all the evil party members, Alora tries particularly hard to
cheer up Edwin, for some reason. She seems to like him... and strangely
enough, he returns the sentiment.
Garrick: Alora likes music, so she likes the ever-friendly and naive
Garrick also.
Minsc: Alora thinks Boo is adorable. |
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CORAN
"The storm is always preferable to the calm. You can't live
without a little adventure."Gender: Male
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Fighter / Thief (Multi-Classed)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 16
What I think of him:
Coran's the epitome of a cocky adventurer type, but I think he's
annoying and looks stupid. However, his outstandingly high dexterity
makes him a fantastic archer and thief, except that you're probably
going to get him kinda late in the game, so you can't set up many of his thief
points yourself.
Where you find him:
After you've taken out the Bandit Camp, start exploring the Cloakwood
Forest. Coran will be standing on a bridge in the third or fourth
section. He'll approach you and ask for your help. Say yes if you want
him.
Side-Quests:
Coran will only stay with you if you help him go wyvern hunting. When
you're in the fourth section of the Cloakwood Forest, there will be a
small mountain with a cave in it somewhere in the center of the area.
Enter the cave to find a HUGE dead wyvern, a heap of carcasses that it
had been eating on, and several large and small wyvern children flying
around their mother's rotting corpse. Once you kill them and take their
heads, Coran will remain in your party contentedly.
Interactions:
Safana: Coran will flirt endlessly with Safana if you keep them together. Safana
mostly ignores his advances, but if he dies she seems to regret it. |
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DYNAHEIR
"Who are thou to touch me like you know me? Watch thee where thy place
thy pointer..."Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Mage (Invoker)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 12
What I think of her:
Dynaheir has an annoying accent, but she's a very good mage. She is an
invoker, my favorite kind, so she can cast spells like Magic Missile and
Fireball a lot. Not to mention she has a decent constitution. She also has a special ability to slow
poison that is rather useful, as it clears up some of your cleric or
druid's spell slots for better spells. All in all, she's really the best
good-aligned mage.
Where to find her:
Walk down the streets of Nashkel and you'll meet Minsc the insane
ranger. He'll ask you to save his witch, Dynaheir. The Gnoll Stronghold
will be added to your map. Travel there and you'll find Dynaheir in one
of the building's bloody corpse-pits.
Side-Quests:
She doesn't have any.
Interactions:
Minsc: One of the game's many duo characters, Minsc and Dynaheir sort of
go together. You can't really have one without the other... but that's
okay, as they're both useful.
Edwin: The evil conjurer Edwin wants to kill the goodly invoker Dynaheir,
though he won't say why. You can actually get them both to travel with
you if you play your cards right, but they'll still hate each other. |
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IMOEN
"Do you wanna tell me a story about trollops and plug-tails? Pleeeease?"Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Thief
Alignment: Neutral Good
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 16
What I think of her:
I've never really liked Imoen, but she is
actually very useful. You get her right when you start, so you can pick
all of her thieving skills yourself (open locks, my favorite, is hardly
ever chosen by the other NPC thieves). Give her a bow, as she is not
very strong. Also, since she's a human with a high intelligence, you can
dual-class her to a mage... one wonders if the game designers planned it
this way, especially when you play BG2.
Where to find her:
You'll meet her almost immediately in Candlekeep, but she can't join
yet. Once you leave, however, she'll come to you and ask to join. You
can't really refuse her, and trust me, you don't want to... yet.
Side-Quests:
Imoen will stick around almost no matter what you do.
Interactions:
Evil people: Umm, she doesn't like evil people... Not much to say here.
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KHALID
"If at first I d-don't succeed... the wife w-won't let me forget."Gender: Male
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Fighter
Alignment: Neutral Good
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 9
What I think of him:
He's a whimpering little coward and has pretty lousy stats. His only
redeeming quality is Jaheira...
Where to find him:
As your foster-father Gorion tells you, "If we ever become seperated, it
is imperative that you make your way to the Friendly Arm Inn. There, you
will meet Khalid and Jaheira. They have long been my friends, and you
can trust them." Just do what he says.
Side-Quests:
Well, both Jaheira and Khalid are Harpers, and they're on some kind of a
mission. Take them south to Nashkel and talk to the mayor guy there as
soon as possible. Then they'll be satisfied and stick around. Basically,
just follow the main plot.
Interactions:
Jaheira: She's Khalid's wife, and he's terrified of her. Typical married
relationship, from what I've seen. If you boot one of them out of the
party, the other one will leave too.
Xzar and Montaron: These two villains are members of the Zhentarim, the
enemies of the Harpers. Jaheira and Khalid will suspect something and
eventually fight them... and usually win, too. So don't keep all four
around for too long, unless you really want to see them kill each other. |
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KIVAN
"My need for revenge gives me the strength to go on."Gender: Male
Race: Elf
Class: Ranger
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: 18/12
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 8
What I think of him:
Kivan is one of my favorite characters, easily one of the best in the
game. He makes a decent in-fighter and
a great archer as well. I had him shooting a bow in my party, and he had
the most kills in the party by FAR.
Where to find him:
When you get to Beregost, go southwest until you find the High Hedge.
Kivan is hanging out somewhere in the northeast corner of the map. Talk
to him and agree to help him.
Side-Quests:
He wants to kill some bandits to avenge his lost love. Take out Tazok's
operations by razing the bandit camp and slaughtering its inhabitants.
Then Kivan is satisfied.
Interactions:
Viconia: Hmm... Kivan is an goodly elf and Viconia is an evil drow. They
hate each other. But one almost gets the feeling that they actually feel
attracted to one another... |
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MINSC
"Your words are as sharp as my blade, though not half as shiny. Ooohh...
shiny!"Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Ranger (that can go berserk)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: 18/93
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 6
Charisma: 9
What I think of him:
The signature character of the Baldur's Gate series, Minsc is an insane
ranger with a hamster animal companion named Boo. Minsc is a definite
hero-type, enjoying nothing more than "Buttkicking for goodness!" as he
says. He's more like a barbarian than a ranger, really, especially with
his berserk ability. If you're a goodguy, don't forget to grab him.
Where to find him:
He's just standing idly around in the streets of Nashkel. He wants you
to save his witch, Dynaheir. Agree to do so. The Gnoll Stronghold will
be added to your map. Make your way there and save her. Do NOT delay
unless you want Minsc to go crazy... or, well, crazier.
Side-Quests:
Like I said, save Dynaheir from the Gnoll Stronghold. That's about it.
Interactions:
Dynaheir: If you have Minsc, you're going to get Dynaheir. The two of
them are a pair and must stay together. If she dies, Minsc totally flips
out.
Edwin: The evil conjurer Edwin wants to kill the goodly invoker Dynaheir,
though he won't say why. You can actually get Minsc, Dynaheir, and Edwin
to travel together, but they won't get along too well.
Garrick: Minsc will encourage Garrick to keep playing, because Boo
enjoys his music. |
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YESLICK
"You dig sixteen tons, and what do you get? Another day older... and
deeper in debt."Gender: Male
Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter / Cleric (Multi-Classed)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 10
What I think of him:
I don't really like Yeslick. He has a weird name, and his stats aren't
great either. But those are just my opinions. He's actually a somewhat
decent fighter and cleric with a special "dispel magic" ability he can
use. Not a bad cleric for a goodguy party, though I still prefer Branwen
or Viconia myself. Still, every party needs a dwarf...
Where to find him:
After clearing out the Nashkel mines, you'll have to clear out the
bandit camp. After clearing out the bandit camp, you'll have to explore
Cloakwood. After exploring Cloakwood, you'll get to the Cloakwood mines,
Sarevok's backup supply of good, un-poisoned iron. Deep in the Cloakwood
mines, you'll find Yeslick waiting near the jail cells. It seems that he
helped found the mines, and he would like to help you free them from the
clutches of Sarevok's minions.
Side-Quests:
Just keep going the way you're going, and help clear the badguys out of
his mine.
Interactions:
Kagain: The good dwarf and the evil dwarf will not get along.
Personally, I prefer Kagain. |
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BRANWEN
"'Tis better to die on your feet than live on your knees."Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Cleric
Alignment: True Neutral
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 13
What I think of her:
Branwen is my favorite cleric, but I would recommend
improving her strength somehow (tomes, gauntlets of ogre power, etc.). She also has a special ability:
she can
call upon a spiritual hammer a few times per day without actually
casting a spell to do it. It's kind of useful in combat but nothing
excellent. I prefer Branwen over Yeslick though.
Where to find her:
When you get to Nashkel in the south, you can go directly to the east
and reach the carnival tents. Explore around until you see a petrified
woman. A nearby gnome will sell you a stone to flesh scroll to free the
petrified woman, though at a rip-off price. I would recommend checking
out the other stores in the city of Nashkel first. Once you cast Stone
to Flesh on Branwen the statue, just walk up to her and talk. She will
be grateful and pledge her service to you.
Side-Quests:
Turns out she was petrified by one of the game's main villain mages, and
would like to seek revenge. But basically you just have to fight badguys. Branwen is a cleric of Tempus, god of battles, and she likes
to fight. Interactions:
Strong warriors: Branwen respects all hardy warrior-types in your group.
Shar-Teel: As a fellow female warrior, Branwen appreciates Shar-Teel's
presence, despite her temperament. |
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FALDORN
"Why must man always despoil the Oak Father's gifts? Man is the least
grateful of Nature's children."Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Druid (actually a Shadow Druid)
Alignment: True Neutral
Strength: 12
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 15
What I think of her:
Druids never seem to be able to really stick to their title of "true
neutral." Jaheira is actually good, not neutral... and Faldorn is
actually evil. Faldorn is a Shadow Druid, a member of a darker order of
Druids that defend nature at all costs. They'll kill you for so much as
stepping on a leaf or disturbing an anthill. Faldorn will work with you
though, to fight for nature's greater good. She's a bit loony though,
and her stats stink. She can, however, summon a dread wolf as a special
ability. It's useful, but nothing great.
Where to find her:
In Cloakwood, you'll notice one area of the forest is suffering from a
particularly bad infestation of Druids for this time of year. Keep
looking and you'll find a big tree that serves as a headquarters for the
Druid leader. To the south of that structure is a little patch of
standing stones. Faldorn is there, waiting for you to talk to her.
Side-Quests:
She wants you to free her forest, Cloakwood. Duh, you were going to do that anyway. Interactions:
Jaheira: One druid is nice, the other is mean. The two don't like each
other, and I believe Faldorn will eventually try to attack Jaheira
(foolish, since she and Khalid can take down Faldorn easily). |
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GARRICK
"Brave brave Sir Garrick, Sir Garrick led the way! Brave brave Sir
Garrick, Sir Garrick ran away!"Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Bard
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 15
What I think of him:
I like the idea of bards, but when put into the battlefield they just
never seem to perform well... pun intended. Garrick is no exception. His
stats contain nothing exceptional, and his abilities match. When
fighting, it's usually best to keep him at the back, singing his song.
His most useful ability is his extremely high Lore; he can identify
almost any item just by looking at it. Just put it in his inventory and
right-click to inspect it.
Where to find him:
Garrick is standing in front of an inn in the very center of Beregost,
right behind the big obelisk thing. Talk to him and accept his job.
He'll take you to Silke, who wants you to kill a mob of thieves for her.
It turns out that the thieves aren't trying to kill her though, but
actually doing a job for her. So tell her you won't hurt them. Then kill
her. The thieves will thank and reward you, and Garrick will then join
you. He won't join if you helped Silke... even though he was working for
her a minute ago...
Side-Quests:
Just kill Silke. That's it. Interactions:
Eldoth and Skie: I don't know what would inspire you to keep TWO bards
around, but, if you do, you'll find that Eldoth and Garrick fight over
Skie, the little thief girl, if you have them all in the party
simultaneously. Garrick tries to convince Skie that Eldoth doesn't
really care for her.
Minsc, Alora, and a few others: Will enjoy Garrick's music and ask him
to play more often. It would seem that he's more skilled than his brief
cameos in Baldur's Gate II lead one to believe. |
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JAHEIRA
"You are amusing... in a 'what the hell is wrong with you'
kind of way."Gender: Female
Race: Half-elf
Class: Fighter / Druid
Alignment: True Neutral
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 15
What I think of her:
Jaheira is sort of one of the main characters of the Baldur's Gate
series, and you can have a romance with her in BG2... so if you care,
you can keep her around for that reason. She's a decent fighter and a
decent druid, but not excellent at either one...
Where to find her:
As your foster-father Gorion tells you, "If we ever become seperated, it
is imperative that you make your way to the Friendly Arm Inn. There, you
will meet Khalid and Jaheira. They have long been my friends, and you
can trust them." Just do what he says.
Side-Quests:
Jaheira and Khalid want to meet Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor of Nashkel.
Since you're going to have to talk to him anyway, just make your way
down there and do it. Also, when you get to Baldur's Gate, some old
Harper guy tells you to keep Jaheira safe, because he cares for her. He
doesn't really help much though. Interactions:
Khalid: He's Jaheira's husband. While the two of them don't really seem
to love each other that much, they do care for one another and will not
be separated.
Xzar and Montaron: These two villains are members of the Zhentarim, the
enemies of the Harpers. Jaheira and Khalid will suspect something and
eventually fight them... and usually win, too. So don't keep all four
around for too long, unless you really want to see them kill each other.
Faldorn: Jaheira and Faldorn do not share the same Druidic views, and
they don't like each other at all. |
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QUAYLE
"Oh yeah? Well, I've got more smarts in my little finger than
you've got in your little finger! No, wait a minute..."Gender: Male
Race: Gnome
Class: Cleric / Mage (Illusionist)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 6
What I think of him:
Quayle has the special ability to turn invisible at will a few times per
day, but that is the only thing good about him. Otherwise, this possible
parody of a certain politician named Dan is one of
the WORST characters in the whole game! His strength is the PITS so that
he can barely carry the shield and helmet you can give him. His
constitution is terrible, so he dies very quickly. He is as ugly as a
rotten ghoul. And, finally, he is a cleric with wisdom of TEN. His
dexterity is not the best in the world either, and his intelligence may
be good, but he is only a multi-classed illusionist, so he doesn't get
many spells anyway. Add to all that that he is a complete madman that
thinks he's the smartest person in the world and you've got perhaps the worst NPC ever.
Unless you're trying to make the game as difficult for yourself as
possible with the worst possible fixer-up of a party, avoid Quayle.
Where to find him:
Once you free the Cloakwood mines, you can then cross the bridge that
leads to the great city of Baldur's Gate. You'll find Quayle waiting for
you on the road across the other side of the bridge. You can't miss him.
Side-Quests:
As Tuco's brother says in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: "Just keep
going the way you are going. And may God have mercy on your soul." (if
you keep this loser Quayle around, that is) Interactions:
Tiax: It's the case of one mad gnome against another. Quayle thinks he's
the smartest guy in the world and Tiax thinks that he's destined to RULE
the world, so they don't like each other and you probably won't like
them either, since they're both pretty much useless. |
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SAFANA
"When I'm good I'm very, very good. But when I'm bad... I'm better."Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Thief
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 17
What I think of her:
Safana is my favorite thief. She's actually not as good as some of the
others, since a few of them have higher stats... but Safana's seductive
slyness is preferable to Imoen's childish ignorance any day. Also, if
you head south quickly enough, you can get Safana early in the game so
you can assign her thieving skills to what you want them to be as she
levels up. Oh, and Safana has a "charming" special ability. I think she
also can use spears, unlike any other thief, but I could be wrong about
that. The best thing about Safana is her voice and the things she says,
but her portrait really isn't that pretty. If I were you, I'd use my
portrait customization method at the top of this page if you keep her
around.
Where to find her:
Walk along the Sword Coat down south of Candlekeep until you come to a
place that has a big lighthouse. She'll be somewhere in that area.
She'll ask for your help. Say yes.
Side-Quests:
If you read her bio, you discover that Safana was once a pirate. It
turns out that she knows the final resting place of some pirate
treasure, and she wants some "strong men like yourselves" to help her
get it. Walk along the shore until you find a wrecked pirate ship. There
is a cave somewhere nearby. Careful! There are some very tough Flesh
Golems inside, guarding the booty. Either take them out or sneak past
them to find the hidden stash of loot. Raid it, and Safana will
say she's happy. She'll then stay forever. Interactions:
Coran: He'll flirt shamelessly with Safana, but she'll spurn his
advances (and well she should, since he's a stupid-looking freak). She
seems to regret it if he dies, however.
Other strong men: Safana will also flirt with other strong men in the
group, asking them to massage her feet and such. Minsc responds with, "I
take no offense from your comments. You just don't understand the
relationship I have with Boo." |
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SKIE
"I'm soooo bored... Let's go shopping!"Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Thief
Alignment: True Neutral
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 8
Charisma: 13
What I think of her:
As the feisty daughter of a nobleman, Skie is naive and extremely
annoying, since she's used to being pampered (her lines include "I broke
a nail!" "I mussed my hair!" "I have a cold!" and "I have a headache!".
Seriously. Add to this the fact that her stats aren't all that great and
you get her REALLY late in the game, so you can't choose most of her
theif skills yourself... and well, she's just not worth having around.
Where to find her:
First, you have to pick up Eldoth the evil bard guy in Cloakwood. Then,
once Baldur's Gate is open for you, head to Entar Silvershield's estate
in the Northwest section of the city. Skie is on the upper floor,
primping in her bedroom. If Eldoth is with you, she'll join up.
Otherwise, she'll think you're there to assassinate or kidnap her, and
she'll run away.
Side-Quests:
See Eldoth. That's about it, really. Interactions:
Eldoth: Skie loves Eldoth, though she is oblivious to the fact that he
doesn't love her in return. He's really just using her and will probably
discard her at the first opportunity.
Garrick: Garrick sees past Eldoth's false love for Skie and tries to win
her with his songs... but he just can't seem to convince her... |
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XAN
"We delude ourselves to think that our pitiable band will stand up to
our enemies. Why not save the effort and just lie down and die?"Gender: Male
Race: Elf
Class: Mage (Enchanter)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 16
What I think of him:
Xan is the only Lawful Neutral character in the game. He is a very
depressed elven mage with a flaming blue moonblade sword that only he
can use. The moonblade is cool, but his constitution is the PITS so he
isn't a very good in-fighter. I would like Xan if it weren't for his
terrible constitution and the fact that he's an Enchanter (which means
he can't cast Evocation spells like Magic Missile, Fireball, and
Lightning Bolt... the best spells in the game!), but as it is, he isn't all that great. He's kind of
funny though.
Where to find him:
Just clear out the Nashkel Mines. When you get to Mulahey and kill him,
you'll find Xan's moonblade in a nearby chest. Xan himself is in a back
room of the cave, waiting for you. If you refuse to let him join, he
disappears forever.
Side-Quests:
He just wants you to free him from Mulahey. Interactions:
Ajantis: Xan is depressingly disillusioned about life. He knows how
pointless Ajantis's altruistic goals are and calls him "our resident
suicide-monger" who "lives in a black and white world."
Eldoth: Xan utterly despises Eldoth, the evil manipulative bard. The
only time Xan expresses joy is if Eldoth bites it while he's in your
party. |
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EDWIN
"Elminster this... Elminster that... Give ME two thousand years and a
pointy hat, and I'll kick his arse!"Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Mage (Conjurer)
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 10
What I think of him:
Edwin is the best pure-class mage in Baldur's Gate. He makes Dynaheir
and Xan look like petty hedge wizards. He has 18 intelligence and an
amulet that adds lots of extra spell slots. He's a bit of an oddball,
but he is the only evil guy with a suitably evil-looking portrait. If
you're evil (or neutral or maybe even good) get him. Just keep him away
from the battle at all times, because he has very low strength and
dexterity. You'll want to get him some bracers of AC quickly.
Where to find him:
He's standing on the bridge that crosses the river running through
Nashkel. Agree to help him kill Dynaheir and he'll join up.
Side-Quests:
He wants you to kill Minsc's witch, Dynaheir. She's waiting for you in
the Gnoll stronghold, in one of their bloody corpse pits. Go in there,
talk to her, and kill her. Edwin will give you a reward... his services
as a mage.
NOTE: Strangely enough, there are some sound files deep in the game that
have Edwin saying things like "I be not much help to you... I just go
and sit with me pretties... and watch them sparkle!" Just like the
madman Naljeir Skal in Spellhold in Baldur's Gate II! But I have no idea
how to get Edwin to say these things. If someone finds some minor quest
in the game where Edwin gets turned into an idiot or something and says
these things, please e-mail me and let me know. Interactions:
Minsc and Dynaheir: If you manage to get them all in your party at the
same time, Minsc and Dynaheir won't get along too well with Edwin, who
wanted to kill both of them.
Alora: For some strange reason, Edwin really takes to this cheerful
little halfling. He'll even go so far as to swear to protect her! |
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ELDOTH
"There is no good or evil, only the charming! ... and the tedious..."Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Bard
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 16
What I think of him:
Eldoth has the strange special ability to create poisoned arrows... even
though he lacks the dexterity to actually use them. He's another
mediocre bard, rather like Garrick. Some of his stats are better, others
worse (he's a better fighter than Garrick and with slightly higher
Charisma, but can't identify things as easily). I can't really see any
reason to get him in the group. Just avoid him.
Where to find him:
He's in the third section of Cloakwood somewhere. I'm not sure exactly.
Just agree to help him and he'll join.
Side-Quests:
He wants you to "rescue" (almost like kidnap) Skie from her father, the
noble Entar Silversheild in Baldur's Gate. Read Skie's character info on
this page for more information. Interactions:
Skie: Eldoth seems to like Skie well enough, but since he's evil one
gets the feeling (especially if you read his bio) that he is just using
her and will eventually discard her.
Garrick: Eldoth and Garrick will fight over Skie.
Shar-Teel and Xan: Both of these characters absolutely LOATHE Eldoth,
and will greatly enjoy watching him die. |
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KAGAIN
"Gold runs the world, kid. Faster you learn that, the better life'll
treat ya."Gender: Male
Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 20
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 8
What I think of him:
Kagain is one of my favorite characters. He is an evil, greedy dwarven
mercenary. He's not quite as fun as Korgan in BG2, but he'll do. One
almost wonders if the two of them are related in some way. Anyway,
Kagain is great fighter. He can swing an axe well enough and has
twenty constitution and can regenerate health. He'll slowly heal while
standing or walking around with the game unpaused, and he'll also heal
while traveling or resting. Saves a lot of money in health potions and
healing spells! Just watch out for his rather low dexterity. Oh,
and Kagain has a shiny gold helmet with wings on it. If you're, say,
making a Valkyrie-like character (something I always love to do), you
might want to pick him up just long enough to steal his helmet.
Where to find him:
It's hard to find Kagain, and I didn't even know he existed for a long
time. When you get to Beregost, there is a building right beside, and to
the northeast of, Feldepost's Inn. Since it is turned away from you, you
have to search an unseen wall for the door. Once you find it, go inside.
There's Kagain, in his shop, wearing his shiny gold helmet. Agree to
help him and he'll join.
Side-Quests:
He wants you to find a caravan that was attacked by bandits. Don't even
try, as you can't do it. Instead, just take Kagain to the road directly
south of the Friendly Arm Inn and he'll suddenly give up his search, but
agree to stay with you anyway. Interactions:
Yeslick: The good dwarf and the bad dwarf don't get along. No big
surprise there. |
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MONTARON
"Do ye truly want yer last words to be so stupid?"Gender: Male
Race: Halfling
Class: Fighter / Thief
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 13
Charisma: 9
What I think of him:
Montaron, or Monty, actually isn't half bad for a surly evil halfling
(who acts and sounds much more like a dwarf...).
His stats are okay and, as a fighter/thief with a good stealth score for
hiding in the shadows, he can be an effective scout with a great
backstab bonus when striking while hidden. As far as other thieving
skills like picking locks, detecting traps, and picking pockets go,
however, you're better off with pure-class thief, because they get more
skill points.
Where to find him:
You should find Montaron and Xzar almost as soon as you start the game.
After you leave Candlekeep and Imoen joins up, keep following the road
to the east and up, and Xzar and Monty should be standing next to a
signpost. Talk to Xzar and they'll start ranting at you. They, just like
Khalid and Jaheira, want you to go south to Nashkel... although for more
evil reasons, of course.
Side-Quests:
Just head south toward Nashkel and talk to Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor
there. There's no need to rush and you'll be heading that way anyway, as
it is part of the main plot. Also, if you keep Montaron and Xzar
(he's necessary) until
Baldur's Gate, then you can talk to the Zhentarim in the upstairs
portion of the magic shop there. There's not much to it though. Interactions:
Xzar: The mad wizard and his evil halfling pet are a team. They stick together at all times.
Khalid and Jaheira: Keep both pairs of agents (Harpers and Zhents)
around together and they'll eventually start a fight. |
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SHAR-TEEL
"You are such a funny man! That's why I'm going to kill you last."Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Fighter
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Strength: 18/58
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 11
What I think of her:
Shar-Teel is a decent fighter, except for one small problem... Her
constitution STINKS. Pretty surprising for such a hard-ass woman. Try
increasing her Con with any tomes you find and you should have an okay
fighter... if you can stand an ugly, evil she-male who hates all men,
that is.
Where to find her:
When you're in Beregost, head east and you'll reach a temple of
Lathander. Keep heading east and exploring like crazy and you'll find
Shar-Teel just standing next to a tree. Talk to her and she'll engage in
a duel with your "strongest male fighter." Strangely enough, this means
that she wont join an all-female party, despite the fact that she's a
female chauvinist, so to speak. I'm not sure how the game chooses who
your strongest male fighter is, but it does somehow, and the fight
starts. Beat her with just that one person and she'll agree to join up.
Side-Quests:
None that I know of. Interactions:
Eldoth: Shar-Teel hates this cocky male bard. He thinks he's the
greatest thing that ever hit the world, and, well, she thinks the same
thing of herself. But she
hates for a MAN to think so!
Branwen: This warrior-cleric respects Shar-Teel as a fellow strong
female fighter. |
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TIAX
"Tiax does as ye will. But one day... BOOM! He rules! Heheheh..."Gender: Male
Race: Gnome
Class: Cleric / Thief
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 9
What I think of him:
Tiax is thoroughly convinced that someday he is going to rule the world.
He is the other crazy, slightly funny, but TOTALLY USELESS gnome
character in this game. He is only SLIGHTLY better than Quayle, but his
wisdom is still not good at ALL for a cleric, and his dexterity isn't
exactly the best a thief can have either. For some reason, Tiax can
summon a Ghast at will as a special ability, which is actually his only
useful ability. Of course, he IS good for a laugh... "Tiax moves! Make way!"
But eventually his ranting can get kind of tiresome. "Did Tiax
mention he was going to rule? 'Tis inevitable..." I actually
solo-played (no party members) through Baldur's Gate once using a
re-made version of Tiax as my main character.
Where to find him:
Once you enter Baldur's Gate, head straight west a few areas until you
find the Flaming Fist compound. Tiax will be raving on the side of the
road there. "You! Tiax would speak at ye, for 'tis destined to be so..."
Side-Quests:
Just help him achieve world domination. "The sun DARES to make Tiax
squint! One day... revenge shall be his!" Interactions:
Quayle: The gnome who thinks he is the smartest living thing in the
Realms and the gnome who is positive that he is destined to rule the
world absolutely HATE each other. "Ye cup-shot mutton-head! Tiax
will slap ya silly! When he rules." |
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VICONIA
"I'll go where you wish, so long as you keep me from your accursed
sun."Gender: Female
Race: Dark Elf (Drow)
Class: Cleric
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 14
What I think of her:
Viconia suffers from relatively low wisdom, very low strength, and ABYSMALLY low constitution. As it is, she has more dexterity
(give her a sling!) and
intelligence than anything else. I would recommend someone like Branwen
over her. As a Drow, though, she does have a natural fifty percent
resistance to magic. This is good in some ways and bad in others, but
mostly good I think. You might want to keep her around if you intend to
follow her romance in Baldur's Gate II. I recommend using my method at
the top of this page to override her portrait with her BG2 one though.
Where to find her:
There is a patch of forest near the Friendly Arm Inn called Peldvale.
Explore the areas around the Inn until you find one with that name
written under it on your map. Viconia is hanging out there. Explore the
area until she approaches and asks for your help. Then a Flaming Fist
guard approaches and tries to kill her. Kill him to save her, and then Viconia will join up with you... which lowers your reputation by two for
having a Drow in your party.
Side-Quests:
Just save her from the Flaming Fist zealot. Interactions:
Kivan: The good moon elf and the bad dark elf will verbally abuse each
other, though the player may wonder if they're actually attracted to one
another... |
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XZAR
"Tell us a story, Monty. Something with... bears, and gold!"Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Mage (Necromancer)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 10
What I think of him:
Among all of the many insane characters in Baldur's Gate, Xzar is
perhaps the most insane of all... in case you couldn't tell from his
portrait over there. He says completely random things in different tones
of voice all the time, often indicates that he is a cannibal (even going
so far as to quote Silence of the Lambs), and gets very angry if
you turn out to be a nice guy. As a character, he's a decent necromancer
with 17 intelligence and okay stats. He and Monty are somewhat useful.
Still, as far as evil mages go, you are better off with Edwin.
Where to find him:
You should find Montaron and Xzar almost as soon as you start the game.
After you leave Candlekeep and Imoen joins up, keep following the road
to the east and up, and Xzar and Monty should be standing next to a
signpost. Talk to Xzar and they'll start ranting at you. They, just like
Khalid and Jaheira, want you to go south to Nashkel... although for more
evil reasons, of course.
Side-Quests:
Just talk to Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor of Nashkel to the
south. You can take your time about this, since you'll have to talk to
him anyway... because he's part of the main plot. Also, if you still
have Xzar around when you reach the city of Baldur's Gate, the
mages in the upstairs room of the Sorcerous Sundries will talk
peacefully with you... though you get more of a reward for killing them. Interactions:
Montaron: Monty and Xzar are a team, and don't want to be separated.
Khalid and Jaheira: As I have said before, if you have all four
characters, Monty and Xzar and Khalid and Jaheira, they'll eventually
kill each other. |
Note that you don't actually HAVE to fill up your whole party. Although I
personally prefer it this way, as I find controlling all six people more
enjoyable... there are some advantages to leaving a few slots empty. The
main one is that all remaining party members will level up faster, since
they don't have to split the XP between so many characters. This also
applies if you're crazy enough to try to solo the game (which I did once as
a remake of Tiax).
THE BG2 PARTY:
This is the party that Baldur's Gate II assumes you had with you when you finished
the original Baldur's Gate. They are the ones that get captured along with you in Jon Irenicus's dungeon at the beginning of BG2.
Incidentally, this is also one of the best possible party combinations for a
goodguy main character.
- Imoen
- Jaheira
- Khalid
- Minsc
- Dynaheir
MY CHOICE PARTY:
This is my favorite party combination! Largely because they are my favorite
characters, also because they work great together.
- Safana (Sly and sexy, she's your thief. Grab her as quickly as possible to
allot her thief skills yourself. Also, use my method at the top of this page
to give her a more attractive portrait.)
- Kivan (Your ranged character. Give him a composite longbow and he'll
probably end up having the most kills of your whole group. Just be sure to
take him to the bandit camp as quickly as you can.)
- Edwin (As the best one in the whole game, he's obviously your mage.
If you don't want to kill Dynaheir for him, I think you can rescue her
before you ever speak to him and he won't make you do it.)
- Kagain (Grab him once you get to Beregost, and you'll never regret it,
since he makes a fantastic tank. Give his helmet to Branwen though, since
she's the Viking warrior-woman type.)
- Branwen (The healer of your group. Kill Bassilus in the area southwest of Beregost and you can get
her a fantastic warhammer, which goes great with Kagain's helmet.)
EVIL PARTY:
It's fun to be evil, but you'll find it leaves you feeling rather hollow...
not to mention the law hounds you all the time!
- Edwin (Have I mentioned yet that he's the best mage in the entire
game? If you're evil, get him. Alternatively, I suppose you could
keep Xzar around, but I wouldn't recommend it.)
- Montaron (He makes for a great backstabbing little evil thief, but
it's better if you kick out Xzar using my Separating Pairs method at the top
of this page. If you really want to keep them together, keep Xzar instead of
Edwin.)
- Kagain (Your tank, and also your token dwarf character, since every party
should try to have a dwarf or other short type character, or it just
wouldn't seem right.)
- Viconia (Your obvious choice for an evil healer. Give her a sling and keep
her at range, otherwise she'll die.)
- Shar-Teel (If you need another tank, grab Shar-Teel. Alternatively, if
your main character is a fighter-type, you could keep Xzar and Monty
together, or grab someone else... maybe even Tiax.)
FEMME FATALE:
Make a female main character and you can have a party of strong, independent
girls to travel with... and maybe one girl that you'll need to teach
to be strong and independent (Imoen).
- Imoen (Yes, Imoen. She's your party mage. As soon as you can,
dual-class her to Mage so she can be a spellcaster instead of a thief.
You'll have Safana for the thieving.)
- Safana (Manipulates men to do her bidding, using them as tools.
Definitely a feminist. Interestingly, she'll probably still call you "men"
when you meet her. Get her as quickly as possible to allot her stats
yourself.)
- Shar-Teel (Manly and tough; hates all men. Clearly a good member
for an all-female party. Curiously enough though, you can only get her if
you employ a part-time male for her to fight. You can kick him out again
later.)
- Branwen (A warrior-priest of Tempus, and a real-warrior woman. She
has that Viking mentality; always ready to fight or die. Born member of an
all-female group.)
- Viconia (She's a Drow, from a society where females are always
dominant. Sound like she should be in the Femme Fatale to you? Definitely.
Another possible member is Faldorn, but she's kind of gross.)
MADMEN ON PARADE:
The crazy people shall be free! Or rule the world! Or something... In order
to get this party combination though, you must use my method for separating
pairs at the top of this page. Also, due to the fact that most of these
characters are terrible, your game will be a real challenge to complete. But
that's fun too, right?
- Quayle (He thinks he's the most intelligent thing in all the
Realms, though he is constantly proving himself wrong. Give him a sling and
let him be a backup mage and cleric when needed.)
- Tiax (Thinks he's destined to take over the world. No crazy party
would be complete without him. Give him the Gauntlets of Ogre Power if you
intend to let him fight melee. He'll also serve as the party thief, and a
backup cleric. By the way, he can use the Flame Blade spell to backstab.)
- Minsc (Talks to a very small "giant space hamster." Clearly insane,
and also a great tank for this party. If you decide to play an evil group
and are afraid he'll end up quitting, get Shar-Teel instead.)
- Xzar (Perhaps the most insane person in the entire game, he's an
obvious choice for party mage. You might even want to keep Montaron as thief
instead of Tiax, although he's not as crazy or as funny.)
- Faldorn (Not quite as insane as the other members of the group, but
still wacko if you ask me. A good extra bag-of-tricks. Still, this slot can
be open for other less crazy people, like Montaron or Shar-Teel.)
THE RANGERS:
One thing about the original Baldur's Gate that doesn't quite carry over
into BG2... or any other D&D game I've ever played... is just how awesome
archers are. Seriously, they absolutely rule! I played an all-ranged party
once and no melee enemies ever got close enough to hit me. Here are some
good archers if you want to try this:
- Imoen (Dual-class her to mage and give her a shortbow. Now you have
an archer-mage! Just what your all-archer party needs.)
- Kivan (An obvious choice for an archer party. Give him a composite
longbow and a two-handed sword, so he can switch between them if an enemy
gets too close.)
- Coran (He may look like an idiot, but he has 20 stinkin' dexterity.
TWENTY DEX! Get him as quickly as you possibly can.)
- Viconia (You can't have an archer cleric, so an elf cleric with 19
dexterity and wielding a sling is the best you can hope for as party
healer.)
- Anyone else with good dexterity who can use a bow or crossbow. Possibly Garrick or Shar-Teel.
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