[Imrahil]

Name: Hubelpot Beta 1.0
Characteristics: N Male Human Druid (Village Druid or Totemic Druid)
Str: 12 Dex: 8 Con: 10 Int: 10 Wis: 14 Cha: 13
Equipment: Horn of Herne the Hunted (grants Sanctuary & summons an "army" of bunnies)
Personality: B
Hubelpot is not your typical adventurer - he's a vegetable merchant who gets in a bit of a bind & travels with the PC. He sees the world through a commoner's eyes & is a bit intimidated by the powerful figures he meets while adventuring. His banters are very well done & entertaining (the Hedgehog Song is worth the download by itself), but he's missing interjections at this point. His quest is a nice addition & makes use of some previously unused characters in the game.
Implementation: C
Hubelpot's in his initial Beta release, but still fairly well done. There's a number of spelling & punctuation errors, but no real bugs (in the SoA part). Some of the dialogues don't appear due to a GLOBALS/LOCALS problem, & the Village Druid kit doesn't get HLA's. The lack of interjections is noticeable.
Power: C+
Hubelpot starts off at level 1, which means you'll need to babysit him a bit initially. The optional Village Druid kit has some nice, but not exceptional, abilities, & doesn't get HLA's. If you choose not to install the Village Druid kit, Hubelpot will be a Totemic Druid instead (& will get HLA's).
Ease: A-
Hubelpot is working in Enge's Shop in Waukeen's Promenade when you first meet him, so he can be added right after Chateau Irenicus.
ToB: Yes (basic - although there's some bugs with this part in the current release)
Overall: C+
Very entertaining & worth playing for his personality. Beta version 2 is seemingly on hold, but if it ever gets done it will clear up some of the problems & add more content, at which point he'll probably deserve a higher grade.


Name: Kiara 1.4 (ReadMe says 1.3, but file is 1.4)
Characteristics: NE Female Human Monk
Str: 14 Dex: 17 Con: 12 Int: 15 Wis: 10 Cha: 16
Equipment: Osan's Monk Robe (+10% MR, +1 AC, +1 ST), Ring of Protection +2, Boots of Stealth
Personality: B
Kiara is an Evil Monk from Kara-Tur (although her default portrait doesn't look very appropriate) who was captured by slavers & brought to Amn. She has her own little prophecy to fulfill which fuels most of her dialogues. Her history & the grudge she bears for one of the ToB characters is the most interesting aspect of her personality. She'll urge the PC to take the Evil paths through the game, for reasons that are revealed throughout the course of her banters. She is romanceable (for Good Male PC's) & has some very explicit love scenes (described in over-the-top detail through use of the Epilogue screen).
Implementation: C-
You'll never mistake Kiara for a Bioware NPC. Bugs, dialogue loops, a horrible lack of proof-reading, & the graphic love scenes all scream "MOD content". Once KiaraRomanceActive reaches 2, if you try to flirt with her, it says "TO BE DEVELOPED - NOT FUNCTIONAL -". The slaver who captured her is extremely overpowered in your first meeting, & the second time you meet him you can get some way-too-powerful ToB-level loot which duplicates numerous unique items (& his cronies show up even if you don't have Kiara in the party). If you're playing an Evil PC, Kiara & Zaiya don't even appear in the game & if you're Good you have to do certain quests before traveling to Spellhold or they'll leave. The linearity of it all makes it feel more like the PC is a supporting character in Kiara's story rather than the other way around.
Power: B-
Kiara is a little weak throughout much of SoA, but makes an effective flank attacker. Her custom script, while impressive, will waste a lot of her abilities you'd rather save for important fights (you can turn it off by talking to her, though). Once she hits higher levels, she becomes a strong member of the party.
Ease: C+
You have to rescue Zaiya, then jump through a few hoops (including a couple of battles that are a little tough for straight-out-of-Chateau Irenicus-level parties) to rescue her from a slaver in the Government District, at which point she'll join up.
ToB: No
Overall: C+
The Kiara-Zaiya MOD needs a lot of work, but adds a lot of good content. It adds a few nice twists to the game, but is far from polished.


Name: Kindrek 2.1
Characteristics: CE Male Roc (basically a Half-Orc) Berserker
Str: 20 Dex: 16 Con: 18 Int: 15 Wis: 10 Cha: 10
Equipment: Disruptor (Halberd, Dispels on hit), all inventory slots filled & unremoveable
Personality: B
Kindrek is from another dimension & hates magic. You'll hear a LOT about the latter but not much on the former. There's relatively few banters, but he does have a lot of good interjections, sometimes producing some less than desirable (from the party's point of view) effects. He hates wizards & will go hostile if you take a single-classed mage into the party. The voicing is well done & is very menacing. Be careful about giving him magic items to hold - he won't like it much.
Implementation: C
Having all his inventory slots filled by unremoveable items can get kind of irritating & makes him stand out as a MOD. Kindrek is completely immune to magic (both good & bad), & he's from another world, but none of this is really explained. He would occasionally go hostile on me even if I didn't have a single-classed mage in the party. He won't even appear in the game if the PC is any kind of mage/sorcerer (which is a definite downside to me - the game world shouldn't change based on CHARNAME's characteristics - if you choose to be a Mage, then Kindrek should just leave or attack). He doesn't have a lot to say & has pretty much no interaction with the PC. You can run into a near game-killing bug during Spellhold, but if you find yourself with a paralyzed Kindrek after The Dream, you can use ShadowKeeper to remove the Hold effects.
Power: B+
Being completely immune to magic (& Time Stop!) seems like he'd get an A+, but the downsides (immune to beneficial spells, can't be resurrected, no way to protect him from level drain) balance that out to some degree. He does regenerate slowly, however, & he can drink potions (if you pause the game while doing so). Since you can't customize his equipment, you'll have no use for extra proficiency slots or items (& his AC will never get better than -1). Aside from that, he's a powerful fighter & will make short work of most mages & liches (just keep him away from the rest of the undead).
Ease: B
As long as you aren't playing a (single/multi/dual-classed) mage, Kindrek can easily be picked up at the City Gates.
ToB: Yes (basic)
Overall: C+
A fairly interesting NPC who could use some more depth. He severely limits your choices of character & NPC's, though. The immunity to magic & filled inventory slots may mean he's not for everyone (pure power-gamers might rate him higher than I did, pure role-players a bit lower), but overall Kindrek's fun to try out. His latest version may have removed the problem with having Kindrek paralyzed after The Dream in Spellhold.


Name: Kivan 2.0
Characteristics: CG Male Elf Archer (Ranger)
Str: 18/21 Dex: 17 Con: 14 Int: 10 Wis: 16 Cha: 8
Equipment: Composite Long Bow, Studded Leather, Spear, 0 arrows
Personality: B-
Kivan has returned from BGI, searching for the PC. He's a bit more moody & melancholy than you might remember him from BGI, but he's hoping to re-unite with his lost love Deheriana (or perhaps romance a female PC). He doesn't comment on much, but has some nice banters with Aerie, Jan, & Cernd. If you're playing a male PC (or a female who's not interested in the romance), he has a decent little conversation with Demin that can result in the party meeting Deheriana.
Implementation: C
Kivan has no voicing & little to say to most NPC's. There's a few grammatical errors & he has no Hell dialogue. The responses for the PC are almost too generic, meaning an Elf PC has the opportunity to disparage Elves in general. He's a quiet, reserved character, but that's not really an excuse for him not talking much. The Deheriana-Demin encounter is not done well, IMO, lacking a good range of responses & being generally confusing if you don't take what I assume to be the author's preferred path.
Power: B
Archers are a fairly powerful class & Kivan is no exception. He'll devastate enemies from the back lines, especially if you keep him equipped with a supply of normal arrows to handle pesky mages. If you are over-matched, though, Kivan won't be able to bail the party out, & like all Archers is not much help in melee combat.
Ease: A-
Kivan approaches you in Waukeen's Promenade, generally in front of the Circus Tent (although he'll come find you if you go to one of the inns), so you can "reunite" with him shortly after Chateau Irenicus.
ToB: No
Overall: C+
Kivan is decent, but not exceptional. He needs voicing, a bunch of interjections, & more banters to make him truly interesting, but he's fairly enjoyable to have around & will help out most parties. If you intend to romance him, his dialogues are more worthwhile, but if not, he's sort of dull. [note: Kivan does have a separate downloadable soundset, which I completely missed, & might enhance your enjoyment of him]


Name: Krondor Beta 0.37
Characteristics: LG Male Dwarf Priest of Helm
Str: 18/00 Dex: 16 Con: 15 Int: 13 Wis: 18 Cha: 10
Equipment: Ankheg Plate, War Hammer +1, Helm of Brilliance, Boots of Speed, other minor items
Personality: B
Krondor is a surly but good-natured Dwarf who's fun to have around. He has an animal companion (Wolfie, a Worg) who factors into several of his dialogues. He encourages the PC to take the Good path in any quest, acting much like Keldorn or Mazzy. He has a heavy accent & is a bit gruff, but very likeable. Unfortunately, you never get to find out about his history, such as how'd he meet Wolfie, where they're from, why'd they come to the Umar Hills, etc.
Implementation: C-
Spelling & punctuation errors abound ("By Clanagins Hammer!", "Mighty convient...", "your barborous tounge"), even in his biography & his own name sometimes. His portrait isn't really in the Bioware style & is a little colorless (although, on the plus side, Wolfie has his own portrait). Wolfie is re-summoned when entering a new area, which is a nice touch, but easily broken (if Krondor is Protected from Magic or if the party is sequestered - by Irenicus, for example), which can result in "losing" Wolfie. If Wolfie is dead or "lost", DON'T REST! You might get hung in cutscene mode, which is supposed to lead to "how to resurrect Wolfie", but doesn't always work - instead, CreateCreature("KR_WW") to bring back Wolfie. Krondor's voice is nice, but he sounds a little like he's under water. Sometimes, actions are conveyed through parenthetical comments (a la Planescape), but sometimes not, to a confusing effect. Strength 18/00 is impossible for a Cleric. When he reaches level 25, he receives a Holy Symbol of Helm, which he can't use.
Power: B
Krondor is an imposing Cleric, able to Tank quite well if needed. Once you upgrade his Hammer (via the Umar Hills quest + a visit to Cromwell), Krondor & Wolfie are a force to be reckoned with.
Ease: B
Krondor & Wolfie are located in the Umar Hills, just southwest of Madulf & northwest of the valuable chicken. He'll force-talk you if you go near him, then you'll need to convince him to stay with you (easily done) after completing the Umar Hills quest.
ToB: No
Overall: C+
A very fun & well done NPC with 2 major drawbacks: proof-reading & the Wolfie problem. If you can ignore the grammatical errors (many of which can be put down to his dialect) & don't mind CLUA'ing in Wolfie if he ever dies or vanishes, Krondor is a worthwhile NPC.


Name: Silver Star Beta 1.92
Characteristics: NE Female Elf Assassin (basically)
Str: 14 Dex: 19 Con: 7 Int: 16 Wis: 6 Cha: 14
Equipment: Cryblade - a sentient Short Sword with unknown abilities (she doesn't start with it, but Frennedan in Chateau Irenicus is holding it)
Personality: A
This kid is... demented. Plain & simple - I was fascinated by her. She's so naively Evil (without being malicious - more like a child pulling the wings off of bugs) - Silver is perfect for Evil parties, but your Good ones may feel the need to keep her around just to keep from turning her loose on the countryside. She has some really good banters with Aerie, but doesn't speak up much past the mid-game (for reasons that are apparent if you check out the forums on her website). Make sure you have her talk to Salvanas in the Copper Coronet, the gravedigger in the Buried Alive quest, & Neeber in Trademeet.
Implementation: C
Silver has very, very minimal voicing (an occasional noise or two, but no lines are actually voiced) & there's some capitalization issues right of the bat (with the Dryads) that drag her down. She uses the anachronistic term "cool", which is a bit out of place with a D&D character. If you don't recruit her or boot her out, she'll wait at the City Gates, but you can receive dialogue as if you were still in Chateau Irenicus when you encounter her there. I encountered (a few times, so it wasn't isolated) a weird bug where you'd be walking along without SS in your party & suddenly she'd initiate dialogue, all the way from the Gates, even if you weren't there. I'd highly suggest not recruiting Haer Dalis' - she's supposed to eventually get into a duel with him, but they immediately got stuck in a dialogue loop if I had them in the same party & she was still stuck in it even if I kicked Haer or her out. Some NPC's in the game seem to "expect" Silver Star to be a party member, which can break some dialogue if you don't have her. She has no Tree of Life or Hell dialogue.
Power: C
Silver's more geared towards Hiding & Backstabbing than being a traditional Thief, & while that may hurt her in the usefulness department, she can actually be quite capable in battle, as long as you don't try to Tank with her, of course. Still, she's a Thief, so she only gets a "C" for Power.
Ease: A+
I guess you could miss her (you have to open the door to the North of your starting cage), but she's marginally easier to add than Jaheira, even.
ToB: No
Overall: C+
Although worthwhile as she is, I really hope Silver Star gets the work she deserves. She's morbidly fascinating & I've taken her along several times on the off chance I've missed a banter. Check out the forums on her to see the future plans for her.


Name: Xan (by Talon) Beta
Characteristics: LN Male Elf Enchanter
Str: 12 Dex: 18 Con: 9 Int: 18 Wis: 14 Cha: 17
Equipment: Moonblade (+1 AC, +50% Fire Resistance), Traveller's Robe
Personality: B
Xan is the same depressed character from BGI, spouting amusing pessimism at every turn (for example, when Jaheira gets cursed, he says "Cursed to a slow inevitable death. I do wonder what that reminds me of? Oh yes: life." & as others are shouting battle cries, he yells "Onward! To futility!"). He is a fairly faithful recreation of the NPC all BGI fans would expect, but... there could be more of him. He comments occasionally, but not nearly frequently enough. He only talks to some of the BGII NPC's. His voicing is very well recreated (I assume it's just the same soundset from BGI, although the sound files have to be downloaded separately - without those, he'd probably only rate an overall C or C-).
Implementation: C
There's occasional spelling errors (even in his joining-up dialogue: "I am suprised indeed...") & many punctuation errors. He has no spells memorized initially. He could definitely use more banters & interjections to make him worthwhile. His banters sometimes appear "out of order" - he occasionally responds, then you see the dialogue he's responding to (e.g. Adalon).
Power: C+
As an Enchanter, Xan is severely limited in his spell selection - no Magic Missile, Fire Shield, Contingencies, Fireball, Sequencers, Death Fog, etc. His Moonblade is nice, but next to useless since you really don't want him engaging in combat.
Ease: B+
Xan is easy to recruit by going to the City Gates & looking for him just outside the Crooked Crane.
ToB: No
Overall: C+
A fun & faithful recreation of the BGI NPC. He could certainly use more banters and some proof-reading, though (& to be honest I'd probably have rated him a little lower if he were a brand new NPC rather than a BGI NPC updated for BGII).


Name: Zaiya 1.4 (ReadMe says 1.3, but file is 1.4)
Characteristics: CG Female Half-Elf Wild Mage
Str: 9 Dex: 16 Con: 16 Int: 17 Wis: 15 Cha: 10
Equipment: Ring of Acuity, Mage Robe of Fire Resistance
Personality: B-
Zaiya is a supporting character in the Kiara story, & as such doesn't interact with the PC nearly as much. She suffers from a curse (from her Wild Magic) so she has to be near Kiara at all times. Her back-story is interesting & gives her some nice connections with other NPC's like Aerie & Nalia (although she can mention the Roenalls before Nalia does). She has a few comments about the SoA world, but gets lost in Kiara's shadow.
Implementation: C
Zaiya suffers from the same proof-reading issues that Kiara does (about every other banter/interjection has an error or two), but doesn't have all the other problems (granted, they're from the same MOD, but most of the problems are with the Kiara part). It's a bit puzzling why the slavers let her keep her equipment, though.
Power: B+
Other than the times when she's cursed (when Kiara's not around: initial meeting, if Kiara is kidnapped, etc.), she's as powerful as you'd expect a Wild Mage to be, with an extra spell per level but a small chance of dropping a Fireball at your feet.
Ease: B
Zaiya is being held by the slavers in the Slaver Ship in the Slums, so it's fairly easy to get to her. You just have to be ready to go looking for Kiara right away, though.
ToB: No
Overall: C+
The Kiara-Zaiya MOD needs a lot of work, but adds a lot of good content. It adds a few nice twists to the game, but is far from polished.


Name: Bruce (The Cockney Barfighter by Bons) 1.0
Characteristics: CN Male Human Barbarian
Str: 17 Dex: 16 Con: 16 Int: 9 Wis: 9 Cha: 10
Equipment: Broken Glass Bottle (2-6 damage + bleeding)
Personality: B-
A result of the One Day Bruce-athon, this particular Bruce has a very strong accent (making him difficult to understand at times - you might want to turn on the character feedback in the text window) & likes drinkin' & fightin'. He's most interesting when he first joins up, after a nicely done cutscene & some comments from his mom. He has a handful of banters & several interjections, which are entertaining, as is the voicing & the generic (when you click on him or during battle) lines.
Implementation: C
There's not a whole lot of content as far as dialogues & interjections go (compared to the Bioware NPC's), but what's there is very good. He's supposed to have a custom Fist item that levels up with him, but it didn't appear & when I ShadowKeeper'd it in, it crashed the game, but if you didn't know it was supposed to be there you wouldn't really miss it.
Power: B-
Bruce is a knife & club wielding (3 stars in Club, which technically shouldn't be possible) Barbarian who makes a decent Tank. He has a couple of unique special abilities (e.g. Sucker Punch) which are a nice touch.
Ease: A-
Bruce can be found engaged in a bar fight in the Den of the Seven Vales in Waukeen's Promenade & can be enlisted right after Chateau Irenicus.
ToB: Yes (basic)
Overall: C
The accent & generic comments are hilarious (wait til you hear him say "...'cept fat one... Mooo!") & worth keeping him around for that alone, but you might want to take him all the way through at least once just to see his other comments.


Name: Fonick 1.0
Characteristics: LN Male Human Bard (Delusionist)
Str: 11 Dex: 18 Con: 18 Int: 8 Wis: 4 Cha: 5
Equipment: Fonick's Wooden Sword (1-2 dmg), Fonick's Epicopus
Personality: B
Fonick is the world's greatest Bard, as he'll cheerfully tell you. He records "your" adventures in his Epicopus (an Book in a Quick slot), from his own perspective, of course. He has some nicely written banters (1 with each NPC), but not a lot of interaction. His conversations & Epicopus entries are very funny (you can sort of "cheat" & pick him up near the end of the game to see some of his entries without taking him with you through the whole game).
Implementation: C+
What's there is well-written & entertaining, but Fonick doesn't have a lot to say. All spell scrolls are grayed out like he can't use them (possibly due to his Intelligence), but he can scribe an infinite amount of spells, even ones he already has scribed. His banters can occur during combat.
Power: B-
Despite what he may think of himself, Fonick isn't a powerhouse. His Delusionist kit makes him immune to missiles (tomatoes, etc.) & Silence & his Song has a chance of affecting enemies with Emotion or Enfeeblement.
Ease: C+
Once you've completed the Astral Prison quest & cleared the Playhouse, you can return after a day & see Fonick's performance. Help the audience get him off the stage (you might want to bring a Dispel Magic scroll with you) & he'll join up to chronicle your adventures.
ToB: No
Overall: C
Fonick is very entertaining, but doesn't have a lot of content. If you don't want to bring him through the whole game you should still stop by & briefly pick him up towards the end just to read his Epicopus entries.


Name: Ghareth 0.91
Characteristics: LN Male Human Fighter->Mage
Str: 11 Dex: 15 Con: 17 Int: 15 Wis: 11 Cha: 13
Equipment: Longsword +1, Bracers AC 6
Personality: C
Ghareth is a One Day NPC, & despite being head & shoulders above the other One Day-ers, he still lacks the depth of the NPC's ahead of him. He's a former Cowled Wizard who has grown disenchanted with their ironhanded rule & is willing to help the party take them on. The banters he has are very well done, but compared to Minsc, Korgan, etc., he only talks about 25% as much. He has some very interesting interactions with some lesser-used characters though, such as Lady Yuth & the Priest in the Oghma temple. It would be nice to get some exposition, though, after the banters, along the lines of "Sorry about that, CHARNAME, allow me to explain..." Still, a fun & unique NPC to have along. Very well-voiced, btw.
Implementation: C+
If you didn't know he was a MOD, you'd basically just be wondering why he doesn't talk very much. Exposition on his encounters, such as his comment with Tolgerias, would help a lot. (I initially compared the One Day NPC's to BG I NPC's & that was an unfair comment, as Ghareth proves.)
Power: B
Picture Nalia if she had Fighter levels instead of Thief levels. He'd probably rate a little higher, but when you meet him he's only a Fighter (3) -> Mage (4), so it takes a while for him to contribute significantly. At later levels, you can get him up to GM in Crossbows, making him an effective sniper as well as a powerful mage.
Ease: B+
Ghareth can be found at the City Gates & will wait around if you don't feel like picking him up when you first meet him.
ToB: Yes (basic)
Overall: C
An interesting character, but still a One Day NPC. Of the ones I looked at, Ghareth is by far the best, but you can tell the difference between him & the Bioware NPC's or the MOD NPC's who have spent lots of time in development (in terms of interaction with the SoA world, not bugs).


Name: Horace 1.7
Characteristics: LG Male Skeleton Bone Collector
Str: 17 Dex: 13 Con: 18 Int: 13 Wis: 16 Cha: 9
Equipment: none
Personality: C
Horace is a Skeleton, & as such several NPC's ask him "what's it like?", "what did you do when you were alive?", etc. He's fun to have around, but doesn't seem to talk a whole lot. The banters he does have are fairly worth seeing, if a little verbose occasionally. I wish you got to find out more of his history, though.
Implementation: C-
I had a few crashes while Horace was in the party. Some unexplained & unrepeated, so I'm not positive it was due to Horace. If you equip certain weapons, the game will crash because the .BAM file can't figure out what to do (the ReadMe seems to imply that a list of off-limits weapons is given, but I didn't see any list). If you stick to weapons he can be proficient in, you'll generally be safe (although stay away from the Flame Tongue sword). Occasionally NPC's would try to "speak" (although I should point out that he has no voicing) to Horace when he wasn't even in the party - you just get a pane of dialogue, hit Continue, then it goes away. I was hoping he'd comment about the Trademeet quests, but he didn't.
Power: B
The Bone Collector kit is interesting. The custom HLA's are very well done & seem fairly well-balanced (you can even have him turn into a Bone Golem!). You can equip Horace like a Fighter & have him Tank for you, so he can generally hold his own in combat.
Ease: C
Horace is found in the Trademeet Crypt, meaning you have to do the whole Druid Grove quest to get to him, so he's middle of the road in ease of picking him up (as a side note, if you have Improved Druid Grove installed, his Ease might drop to a D or worse).
ToB: No
Overall: C
Average at best, I'd say. He could use some more banters & you have to be very careful when changing his equipment, but Horace is worth a try if you've gotten bored with the standard NPC's.


Name: Kitanya Beta 6.1
Characteristics: CG Female Elf Wizard Slayer
Str: 16 Dex: 17 Con: 15 Int: 12 Wis: 10 Cha: 19
Equipment: Corellon's Chaotic Blade (+3, +10% MR, immune to Poison, +1 Fire damage), Bringer of Vengeance (Plate +2, +5% MR, Free Action), Mage Slayer Shield (+2, +2 Saving Throws)
Personality: A-
Kitanya is hunting for Irenicus & empathizes with CHARNAME's suffering at his hands. She has a LOT of interjections & banters (really good ones with Aerie, Keldorn, & Jahiera - she does NOT like Edwin, though - some other NPC banters are kind of generic, though). Kitanya will eventually be romanceable (if you set KitanyaRomanceActive to 1 you can even get the flirts), but isn't yet. She has a nice little (Fall-From-Grace-like) feature where you can ask her about her opinion on your other companions (although a couple of them don't work).
Implementation: C
Her voicing varies wildly in quality, from excellent to inaudible to decent but with some background noise. Her .CRE file was based on a PC, so she has Bhaalspawn abilities at the moment. A couple of banters repeat. Sure, she's supposed to be sexy, but there's no real justification for the 19 Charisma. There's a handful of spelling & grammatical errors yet to be cleaned up. When talking to the elf-hater in the Promenade, she uses the phrase "News Flash!" which is a bit out of place. She practically hits you over the head with the idea that Yoshimo might be under a Geas, which is really annoying.
Power: C+
Wizard Slayers have it rough in Baldur's Gate & Kitanya suffers from the same limitations - only magical weapons/armor are allowed, but she does start with some fairly powerful equipment. She doesn't have a lot of hit points & will fall quickly if you try to Tank with her.
Ease: B
Kitanya can be enlisted by traveling to the Umar Hills & visiting the tavern there (she heard about the "witch" problems there & came to help out, which she'll explain to Mazzy).
ToB: No
Overall: C
Nicely done & interesting, with lots of good banter & interjections, but needs a lot of polish at the moment. If the (minor) bugs get cleaned up, the voicing reworked, the banters expanded, & (possibly) the romance implemented, Kitanya could easily move up in the ratings. She's in an open Beta right now, so improvements should be coming up.


Name: Neh'taniel Alpha 2.0
Characteristics: LN Male (Wraith) Elf Judicial Knight
Str: 16 Dex: 14 Con: 13 Int: 11 Wis: 19 Cha: 17
Equipment: Relic Amaunatori (basically a Flame Tongue Sword with some extra abilities - can be upgraded by Cromwell), Full Plate +2, The Sun's Gift (Shield +2 with some extra abilities (minor Healing ability, casts Fire Shield)), Gouged Insignia Ring (unremoveable, no beneficial properties that I noticed)
Personality: B-
Neh'taniel is a long-dead follower of Amaunator who has been at unrest for hundreds of years. His back-story is very intriguing, but he doesn't have a whole lot to say. He'll give you some interesting insights into the temple under the sewers (& his talking sword will give you some interesting insights into Neh'taniel). He has some nice banters with Anomen, Haer Dalis', Jan, Nalia, & Viconia (who he flirts with quite a bit). There's a really nice effect when Adalon casts her illusion on the party, so if you use the No Drow Avatars component of Ease of Use you might want to turn it off while using Neh'taniel.
Implementation: C-
If you upgrade his sword with Cromwell, then try to equip it, the game will crash (corrupted BAM). If you use Item Upgrade, you should install that after Neh'taniel or you won't get the IU options. Several of the banters repeat. He starts off at Level 15 (which, while plausible given his history, is very high on the power scale & can trigger the highest Tactics City Encounters before the rest of your party is ready for them). He has some good unique voicing, but also a lot of generic voicing. He tells you he lacked the spells to get past the Empathic Manifestation, but that can't be right. He has no comments during the Umar Hills quest, which seems odd. He can get permanently Dire Charmed by Bodhi (or even if you run into Tanova in the streets at night) - I could see them exerting some influence over him, but the fact that it never wears off & can't be Dispelled should be changed. No Tree of Life or Hell dialogue hurts his rating as well.
Power: B+
If you can get to Neh't early enough, he makes for a strong addition to any party. The Judicial Knight kit is based on a Paladin, but has some unique abilities, such as True Sight, Burning Hands, Hold Undead, Fire Wraith, etc. He seems rather low on hit points, though, so you probably won't want to use him as a Tank.
Ease: C+
Neh't is located at the entrance to the Temple of Amaunator, in the Unseeing Eye Quest in the sewers below the Temple District. If you have Tactics Always Toughest Spawn installed, that means you have to fight a pack of Beholders to reach him, which isn't easy.
ToB: No
Overall: C
A very original concept & a powerful addition to any party. He's very interesting but needs some fleshing out & bug-fixing.


Name: Alora 1.0
Characteristics: CG Female Halfling Swashbuckler
Str: 12 Dex: 19 Con: 12 Int: 14 Wis: 7 Cha: 15
Equipment: Short Bow +1, Shortsword of Backstabbing, Studded Leather +1, Rabbit's Foot (in ring slot, unremoveable, unknown properties), several potions
Personality: B-
Alora is the most (sickeningly) cheerful person you'll ever meet (was she this happy in BGI? can't recall...). She sees the world through rose-colored lenses & just wants everyone to be as happy as she is. She has a few good interjections, but is kind of short on banter. She doesn't have a lot of voicing, which might be a good thing. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Implementation: C-
There's not much content to Alora. She has a banter with the PC about rescuing Imoen that repeats & still occurs after you rescue Imoen. She has no Tree of Life comments & Salvanas has nothing to say to her.
Power: C+
As a Swashbuckler, Alora is slightly more powerful in combat than a regular Thief, but you'll still want to keep her away from most front-line fighting.
Ease: A-
Alora can be found in the back of the Adventurer's Mart "browsing" around, so she can be added very early in the game.
ToB: No
Overall: C-
Alora is a decent NPC, but her rating suffers from the fact that she's part of the Chosen of Mystra Encounters pack, which I can't really recommend (over-powered items, lack of .BAM's for items, some encounters that don't make a lot of sense) in its present incarnation. Currently it's an all-or-nothing install, so if you want Alora you have to install all the Encounters. If it gets broken into separate components & you can choose to install the portions you want, I'd probably bump her up a bit.


Name: Covenant 1.0
Characteristics: LE Male Human Fighter
Str: 13 Dex: 8 Con: 14 Int: 14 Wis: 14 Cha: 12
Equipment: Promise (Ninja-to +1 w/ special abilities), Splint +1, Boots of Speed, 2 unique (non-magical) books, various potions
Personality: B-
Covenant is Weimer's entry in Iron Modder 6. As such, he's fairly limited, but is also surprisingly extensive. Covenant has come to the Umar Hills to help rescue the town (but has his own agenda in doing so). He'll offer to help you with the quest, then leaves after it's done. During the quest, though, he's got several interjections, a lot of back-story, & some helpful knowledge & abilities. For best results, have Minsc & Yoshimo in the party, & recruit Mazzy along the way.
Implementation: C-
During the Umar Hills quest, you could easily mistake him for a regular NPC, but he has no real content outside that context. Some of his dialogue choices assume you have certain party members that you might not actually have.
Power: B
Covenant makes for a decent fighter (and, if you use him right, can be the ultimate Tank), but isn't a powerhouse.
Ease: B
Covenant will ask to accompany the party when you speak to the Mayor about the Umar Hills quest.
ToB: No
Overall: C-
A very nicely done, well-developed NPC, but only available during a very limited part of the game. Definitely worth trying out at least once if you want to add some new twists to the Umar Hills quest.


Name: Vanim 1.4
Characteristics: NE Male Half-Elf Assassin
Str: 15 Dex: 18 Con: 12 Int: 14 Wis: 7 Cha: 12
Equipment: Vanim's Ring (undroppable, +5% MR)
Personality: C-
Vanim is kind of bland, in a wannabe Evil kind of way. He doesn't banter much and only takes you on one minor, seemingly irrelevant little assassination that nets you not much more than a 2 point drop in Rep.
Implementation: C-
He doesn't have a voice & his picture seems a little fuzzy for a Bioware NPC. No bugs, but you'll hardly even notice he's there. He implies that he has a second quest, but it appears to be broken & never triggers (he tells you who to talk to, but nothing comes from it).
Power: C
Much like Silver Star, Vanim is more of a Hide & 'Stab kind of Thief, which makes him slightly more useful in combat than a regular Thief.
Ease: B
Vanim can be found in the Temple District, to the south, near one of the statues. He's a little hard to see even if you're looking for him, & won't join if your Rep is too high.
ToB: No
Overall: C-
If you're looking for an Evil Assassin-type character, Silver Star has Vanim beat.


Name: Willie Bruce (The Cockney Barfighter by Nethrin) 1.0
Characteristics: CN Male Human Fighter
Str: 16 Dex: 12 Con: 18 Int: 8 Wis: 6 Cha: 8
Equipment: Willie's Ale (unlimited supply - temporarily sets his Str to 21)
Personality: C+
Willie Bruce is an abrasive barfighter who uses some colorful (but funny) language. The voicing is excellent (although slightly louder than most other NPC's), but there's not a whole lot of content (he's part of the One Day Bruce-athon), although what's there is highly entertaining.
Implementation: C-
Willie Bruce starts off at Level 1, but already has 4 stars in Club (which shouldn't be possible). The language is a little un-Bioware, but nothing too bad. His banters can take place in the middle of combat. I only found one misspelling, but the banter it happens in (Edwin's) tends to repeat.
Power: B-
He's a Fighter who starts off at Level 1, so you'll probably need to shelter him initially. Still, give him a good Club, equip him right, & he'll make a good Tank eventually.
Ease: A-
Willie Bruce will approach the party in the Copper Coronet & offer to join up.
ToB: Yes (basic)
Overall: C-
The entertainment value alone makes trying out Willie Bruce worth it, but there's not a lot to the character & you might be tempted to drop him after a few quests.

[ 04-25-2006, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: Imrahil ]