RP and Character Selection

[Kerneth]

While I realize from a playability standpoint it is pure necessity, does anyone else find it slightly un-RPish to choose certain races/classes in this game?

I mean, you're supposed to have been raised from a baby by Gorion, hard to imagine Gorion living long enough to raise an elven or dwarven baby *grin*

Harder still to imagine him raising the kid to be a Barbarian or Assassin.

On the other hand, the classes/races are what makes the game fun, so the slight lack of...erm...realism isn't really a good term...is no biggie.

On the other hand, I find myself preferring the "internal powers" classes to the "external powers" ones. Learning to harness your bhaal essence as a Monk, Kensai, Berserker, or Sorceror makes more sense than being a cleric or paladin. Can't imagine Helm or Torm accepting a bhaalspawn into his paladinhood [img]smile.gif[/img]

Comments?

[Dundee Slaytern]

Over at the BlackIsle boards, it has been debated that the main character should either be a male Human Cleric or Mage.

[Alisttair]

In my opinion, it should be a human sorcerer, because sorceror powers is an innate ability and in its description it says that it might be because they have the blood of gods in them, and that is the case in BG, the blood of bhaal, so sorcerer is the one that makes the absolute most sense in my opinion.

[Morgan_Corbesant]

in that case, all of bhaals children would be sorcerors, and the game would suck. i think its awesome, and thus the replay value, that you can pick from all the classes and races that you can. i mean, if all i could be was a male human cleric or mage, i would NEVER have even considered buying the game in the first place.

[Alisttair]

Yeah that's the main thing that makes the game awesome. Deversity.

[Legolas]

I haven't read anything on the BI forums in quite a while, so I've probably missed that discussion.

But I was told dwarves and elves in the Forgotten Realms age just like any other race, and that their longevity only kicks in after they're fully grown.
Also, there's no real reason the main character couldn't be a bard, as it is said you've heard many tales of adventure, you have studied books, and probably books of magic and your best friend Imoen is bound to have shown you a number of pickpocketing tricks. Add a talent for music and there you go.

Fighter classes are indeed a little unlikely, and so are evil alignments. Druids are out of the question, and so are monks. After all, you didn't get out much and you hardly know how to fight as BG1 begins.

But who knows what you were doing while you were skipping lessons back at candlekeep?

[Zuvio]

Wait a minute, RPG stands for Role Playing Game.YOU get to play a role YOU desire. Thats the point. Take the Final Fanatsy series. They say thats a role playing game, but I rather think of those game as simple adventure games. YOU dont get to decide anything, except for how you hard you die or win. The story in BG revolves around the present events, history is only a minor factor. If history were THAT important and should be followed at all times and be integer, BG would be a movie or a adventure game (i think of an adventuregame as a movie in which you are the DVD-player [img]smile.gif[/img] ). So I think its logical to be all you can (want to) be in BG.

[Helspanth]

I had trouble with that concept too.
IMHO the protagonist was meant to be either human or half elf.
In the realms elves reach maturity at about 100 yrs!!!!
Also "outdoor" classes are unacceptable.Not a chance that you could be a druid after spending your youth in Candlekeep!!!
The most logical again IMHO class is either mage/sorcerer or fighter.

[Sir Exxon]

Well, it does seem a bit strange, but just think, how many people do you think would have bought the game if you couldnt chose your own class and race?
I think BioWare made the game with so many choices of class and race partly because it would draw lots of people to it. If you look on e.g. Darkstone, where you can only choose between Fighter, Rogue, Mage and Priest, you will see that there are sold many more copies of BG2.
So I think that all the variation is mainly because of two things:
-to draw people to the game, and
-to make a better gaming-experience.

[Morgeruat]

as far as reality, Barbarians are out, as are druids, ranger skills could have been learned from the guards in town, as could fighter skills, clerics, kits included from bg2 would make sense, as a spawn of a god, (playing good) you would worship Lathander for a chance to repent of the bloodletting that occurs in your wake as a Bhaalspawn, and Lathander would accept such a cleric, if a paladin of him the same would apply, other gods would sponsor such a Paladin for their own reasons, as at the end of TOB you can become a greater force for good and law than would ever be possible on faerun, evil gods would likely hesitate if they considered your destiny and what you could become, as they wouldn't want the competition.

Candlekeep has enough diversity inside it to justify most classes, monks would be hard, but I'm sure there are one or two fighting monks there, there are enough generic monks there that it should makes sense.

Thief skills of any kit (or the true class itself) would be hard to pick up, but If Imoen can do it so can the PC.

As far as the age of the Character the Bhaalspawn essence could very likely speed the maturity and developement of any race of PC, from Elf, to Dwarf, Gnome or any other race, plus it makes a convenient excuse to have Imoen be the same age and a childhood companion of the main character.