let's bash imoen (need i say it?... spoilers)

[Amergin]

don't get me wrong; i love my half-sister like a... well, like a sister. but i never see her mentioned in any of the "worst npc" lists. here's my nomination.

1. she arrives VERY late. unless you have a "core" party of only 2-3 npc's and pick up extras just for their quests, you've probably got all of your bases covered once you get her.

2. the first time you played you no doubt wasted all those scrolls in irenicus' dungeon by letting her read them, not realizing she was about to leave for the next 3 chapters. then, when you get her back, you've got to be carrying one or two scroll cases of spells if you're planning on her being your primary mage.

3. her theif skills are irrelevant. yoshi is dead and there is no other single-class thief npc, so unless you're replacing yoshi's thieving or subbing nalia out, more than likely you've already got a thief far better.

4. MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT: she has LAME DIALOGUES! considering her importance and relevance to both your character and the plot, she has ZERO interactions with any of the other npc's, and most of what she says to you is rather generic. i've read all the rants about how boring valygar is; well, imoen is at least as bad. even if her class(es) were something i could use, i wouldn't keep her. she is, at best, boring, and at worst, depressing and redundant.

i think the bias in favor of imoen stems largely from the irrational emotional fact of her being "related", though i strongly doubt there's any legitimate genetic kinship but rather a similar "essence" or "spirit". in one of the early dreams where she asks you if you remember saravok, she says something like "he sought your death, and mine". uh, excuse me? there was NOTHING in bg1 to indicate that saravok cared one whit about imoen; nor did elminster, or the harpers, etc etc. this is called revisionism and is almost repulsive.

there's my 2 cents. disagree with me if you dare

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I have to agree about the revisionism, however...

I keep Imoen in my party less because of any irrational sense of kinship, and more out of an irrational sense of nostalgia. Having played BG1 before I got SoA, Imoen has been with me since the very beginning, and I'm simply too sentimental to kick her out now.
She's sorta like a good luck charm, or something.

[Jerome]

I Cant Stand Imoen......Get Jan Instead. Funniest NPC in the game by far

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[The Black Panda]

Ahahah right on that one! His turnip jokes, the stories about his many cousins, the "flesh golem" story he told to Keldorn and the best story about the lobotomized half-orc Amo ahahaha! they will be classics!

[samoza]

She isnt that great but she can be good if you persevere. I dont really use theives like lots of people do, i use a monk to look for traps and imoen is alrite for opening most locks, anything she cant i just cast knock on it. By the end of the game she can cast some pretty good spells and if you have a good aligned party you dont really have much choice for other mages

[Gil-Galad]

Why don't you just go to spellhold BEFORE doing all the sidequests? Just do a few, and you will easily have picked up gold enough to go, and all hostile encounters are set up according to your current level so it will not be that difficult...
Then you get Imoen early in the game and she will be a better addition to your party since she will beat both Aerie, Nalia and Haer'Dalis as mage, and as for her thieving skills, they are good enough to find any trap and open any lock.

[Istaron]

Imoen is weak, she is boring, narcistic and has got a VERY anoying voice.
There are better thieves in the game, and better mages too.
The only reason to have her may be if you are a good aligned character finding Aeries whining too anoying to stand.

I use her only because I liked her for her thieving-skills in BG1 (she was awsome, not dualed or anything) and becuase she is my sibling... if she wouldn't, I would have kicked her out!

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We call him Bobby Corwen

[Laurel]

I agree with Gil-Galad...if you pick up Imoen early on before doing the side quests, she won't really be behind by the end of the game. Also, if you carry her into TOB, she actually has some really good interactions with almost all of the NPC characters. She does get a little annoying sometimes, but not more so than Nalia or Aerie.

[Luther]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Amergin:
in one of the early dreams where she asks you if you remember saravok, she says something like "he sought your death, and mine". uh, excuse me? there was NOTHING in bg1 to indicate that saravok cared one whit about imoen; nor did elminster, or the harpers, etc etc.


In the dreams that you have of Imoen and Irenicus they are not actually representations of Imoen and Irenicus themselves. Rather, they represent the good and bad parts of your soul, so to speak. The Imoen in your dreams is your good side, the willpoer of your benevolent spirit (thus she screams when your soul is sucked out, as your good soul is being sucked out of you) and is personified by you subconsciously as Imoen as she is your oldest good friend (she's the first NPC to join you in BG1 after all). Irenicus is the evil tempting voice of Bhaal, trying to convince you to give in to your selfish side and thus give power to the Lord of Murder. Bhaals' hopes are that he can seduce/intimidate you into letting your will waver so that he can take control himself, and he does this in your dreams by taking the form of your most powerful enemy (so far), Irenicus, and by offering you 'power'. Saravok did seek the death of your good soul (dream imoen) in BG1. Watch through the dreams again with this in mind and it all falls into place (kinda like watching Fight Club for a second time after you know what the whole big twist is).

[Seid]

If you want to get a good mage and thief get Jan. I don't even understand why do you have to go through all that trouble in Spellhold just to free that boring and weak NPC.

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You cannot escape the inevitable.