[quote]Originally posted by Timber Loftis:
[QB]Viconia gets holy smite(good version) as WELL AS unholy blight (evil version) as spell choices!! You dont HAVE to use unholy blight, its just an option because she's evil.

Gangrell, your mention of equipment for Viconia works against you, because guess what? ;) Anomen can wear them too! And more! Did you know Anomen can use Warrior-Only equipment, but *GASP!* Viconia cannot!

Awwww... ... [img]tongue.gif[/img] ;) [img]tongue.gif[/img]

The only combat bonus that Viconia has is her 65% Magic Resistance, but this is where I start mentioning the Cloak of Mirroring. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Combat-wise, Viconia has no chance in Hell to defeat Anomen. Whatever Viconia can do, Anomen can do better and more.

Well... except maybe the procreation part. *cough*

Both are obnoxious when you first get to know them, but both improve as you plod along in the game. For Viconia, just talk to her nicely as you go along. For Anomen, have Keldorn to join the party as well.

[ADD] Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something. Regarding the number of level 7 spell slots. Guess what? Anomen gets the same amount as Viconia in the end, with or without ToB. :D [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[ 02-28-2003, 01:25 AM: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

Oh My! what have i started! i'll just be leaving now!...*whistle*

And that, my good friend, is exactly why the Helm of Opposite Alignment was not included in the game.

You're just not going to give up until I bring him into my party are you Dundee? For one, I can put up with Keldorn, because he is actually cool and makes an awesome tank for a paladin, but I just don't like Anomen, and I don't care about stats like I've said for the 3rd time now [img]tongue.gif[/img] If you have enough muscle, Vinconia is perfect for the party, plus and I know you're going to say he can too, but she can use Crom Faeyr too so it's all good.

Nah, I would never force anybody to use a particular NPC. Even I do not use Anomen on a regular basis, as he does not usually fit in my party ideas.

However, and I stress on the however, it does make me roll my eyes whenever people claim that Viconia is a better Cleric than Anomen( power-wise, not personality), because this is simply not true.

Both of them are good Clerics( no irony intended), but Anomen is the more powerful one. To have either in your party is fine, and the only thing you should really consider is whether you prefer Viconia or Anomen from a roleplaying perspective.

I do not claim to be a fan of Anomen, but I am compelled to defend him against comments which will give others the wrong impression about him.

Is this true? Maybe I misremember. Even if it is, there is still a concern - holy smite hurts Viconia as well as other evils.

IIRC, both Anomen and Viconia get all 4 of the Alignment spells: Holy Smite, Holy Word, Unholy Blight, and Unholy Word. This is due to the (potential) alignment-shifting that they do, and Neutral Clerics get all 4 of those spells anyway.

pcgiant, you are of course 100% correct about the Helm of Opposite Alignment not being in the game, but I strongly suspect the real reason it wasn't carried over into BG2 is because it would have meant writing a completely reversed personality for every single helmet-wearing NPC in the game. Can you imagine a Lawful Evil Minsc who can't stand animals and just wants to read books all day? Not to mention what it could do to the romances. I once considered bringing the Helm back into the game via a MOD, but dropped the idea for this very reason.

Yeah, good point, Six.

But wouldn't it be soooo fun to have polar opposites of each NPC?