Balancing a party - interaction wanted

[Xanthul]

Hello all,

I am about to start BG2 with a cleric/mage and I am trying to find a fun, interactive party (no PC romance needed) to run BG2 + ToB. This is what I have so far:

Xanthul - cleric/mage
Yoshi / Imoen (not gonna get rid of my sister!)
Mazzy (never tried her and I read she rocks both fighting and talking)

I think I have enough cleric, mage and thief power in there so the remaining locations would probably be tanks. I would like to leave a spot open during BG2 to do all the NPC quests that I have never done (Cernd, Anomen, Haer'Dalis). This spot would later be filled with the ToB NPC. Which 2 of the following should I take for maximum interaction (specially with Mazzy) ?

- Minsc (can be a decent archer to go with Mazzy once I get ToB NPC)
- Keldorn (used him many times already)
- Valygar (used him only briefly)
- Jaheira (I'd prefer not, she annoys me, but I would consider her if recommended)
- Anomen (never tried him, heard he is unbearable)
- Korgan (used many times)

At the moment I think I want Minsc (for the versatility) and Anomen (for the novelty factor), but help me on this one.

Thanks!

[IranicuS]

As I recall is Keldorn and Mazzy quite fun...but that was years ago...Also: Carysomyr for your 50-year old Tank..

And Minsc and Mazzy is fun because Minsc want to give compliments to Mazzy, but she whimps them off.

Korgan and Mazzy, I've heard, also have some tasty conversations.

Clearly one of these above.

And Having Hear'Dalis in your party is always fun and handy! Three magic Missile casters at once. But that just my opinion.

Anomen-->Only with Jan because Jan disses Anomen al the time... So no

Valygar and Jahiera I don't know...

[Kezardin]

Howdy Xanthul,

Minsc is usually good value, regardless of who is in the party, especially with his guardian angel.... er, hamster

For the second slot, perhaps Anomen or Hear'Dalis

Annoyman becomes less so after he passes his test - a great tank.

Hairy Dalice is mouthy like most bards - though not quite as annoying as Grobnar from NWN2

PPG do a banter pack that might add some interest regardless of who you include in the party :

http://www.pocketplane.net/banter

[SixOfSpades]

I know she's your sister, but including Imoen is going to cut down on your banters--she doesn't talk to ANYONE, at least until ToB. Jan, however, has a story for everyone. Just sayin'.

Minsc: As you said, he's pretty versatile, but you've probably used him plenty of times already. I would keep him along only with Unfinished Business installed.

Keldorn: As you said, he's an old standby for you. He's okay, but his banters aren't much to write home about--although I do kind it noteworthy that BG2's only Paladin recites more poetry than BG2's only Bard.

Valygar: He keeps to himself and is tight-lipped, but he's got some good banters with Mazzy, and if you're going to recruit her, he's right in your path anyway. I think you should use him for all the reasons you were thinking of using Minsc--he's everything Minsc is and more, particularly if you haven't really used him yet.

Jaheira: Well, Druids get some great spells in BG2, and she's BG2's only Druid, but if she annoys you, then . . . you might consider taking her just for the quests.

Anomen: I can tolerate Anomen, but find it rather amazing that my party members are able to, especially after his banter with Mazzy. I think you should take him along, just to get the full Anomen experience for yourself. Seriously, even Korgan is more considerate than this guy. (Anomen + a Cleric/Mage might be too much Cleric, though.)

Korgan: Has a particularly good set of Mazzy banters.

With a Cleric/Mage and (probably) Imoen in the party, who cares about Aerie and Nalia?

Jan: The only party member who can make Mazzy lose her cool.

Viconia: I don't think I've ever had her & Mazzy in a party, and I personally find her pretty one-dimensional and unappealing.

Edwin: Ditto, although he is a bit more fun than Viconia--and he has a quest, which Viconia dies not (although she does have a romance).

Haer'Dalis: Hate to break it to you, but he doesn't have any quests. BioWare was going to write him one, but they were pressed for time and it never got done. To date, even Unfinished Business has yet to hammer anything out for him.

[Kyrvias]

Originally Posted by SixOfSpades Jaheira: Well, Druids get some great spells in BG2, and she's BG2's only Druid, but if she annoys you, then . . . you might consider taking her just for the quests.

What about Cernd? Far more annoying than Jaheira, but still a druid.

[SixOfSpades]

Originally Posted by Kyrvias What about Cernd?

Cernd doesn't actually exist as an NPC, he's just a way to beat Faldorn if you don't have Jaheira and aren't a Druid yourself. There is a bug in the game engine that lets you keep him in the party long enough to squeeze his quest for a little EXP, though, so I understand how a lot of people can confuse him with an actual player character.

[ADD] Unless you use the Totemic Cernd mod, which (along with giving him a more balanced kit) I hear raises his stats to the point that you might actually consider bringing him along.

[Kyrvias]

Hmm. I had never known that. Guess you learn something new every day. haha.

[Xanthul]

Hey, thanks everyone for your responses! I really appreciate it. I never knew about Cernd either, thought he was an NPC (the things Six knows huh? ).

With all that you have said in mind, I think I am going to shoot for this:

- Cleric / mage
- Mazzy (yay! heard so many good things)
- Jan Jansen (he annoys me sometimes but I want to see him interact with all the new NPCs that I am going to bring along. Might replace him with Imoen)
- Anomen / Valygar (undecided yet - I find myself not using cleric spells most of the time, so 2 clerics might be a bit of an overkill. Valygar can also use a bow if needed come ToB, so that's another plus. Anomen looks more interactive tho)
- Korgan (will have to keep the rep in check)
- Rotating NPC for quests / ToB NPC

Ah BTW, I also find Viccy a tad boring and one dimensional - plus I already played all romances and while they were entertaining, it's not really something I look forward to playing again.

[ElfBane]

Valygar plus Azuredge,,,,,Lich killer from a distance! I had sooooo much fun just having Val stay back and lob Azuredge over and over till the Lich failed it's save....priceless.