OK, after about 4 failed attempts to register at IW,I decided to post it here, since the request was initiated by Ghrey - it is a quick review of NPCs from BG1NPCs. I am obviously bias, subjective etc, but on another hand I have seen it all more often than anyone else, I suppose. Take it with a grain of salt and add whatever raitings and oppinions you wish. And of course the 'will I have NPC in the party' category is my very personal and intimate thing - and yes, some of the NPCs for whom I like the writing a LOT will still fall in the no-no category).
Here are the first 12:
All BG1NPC come in V7 with the following standard features: at least 20 banters initiated and at least 1 dialogue with the PC; Edwin, Viconia and Quayle do not have interjections, but will in V8. All NPCs have their player-initiated dialogues, which replace the old ‘has nothing to say to you’ thinggy. Warning: does not work for Coran (pulls hair on her head)
1) Kivan - beyond contest in my eyes, I adore him, but since I have to work for other NPCs... well, I had to stop - I guess I will let myself run wild once I can restart working on Kivan of Shilmista. He has a fair amount of banter with both PC and NPCs, but I tried to stay within ‘strong and silent’ type parameters, trying not to exceed what people had for the other characters. My favorite banters are with Xan and Branwen. He (mia culpa) has much more ‘female only’ options than ‘male only’ options in his PC dialogues that are fairly extensive and long-winded. His interjections are mostly centered around bandit camp and various females in distress. His quest is very small and almost insignificant, since it was written in the days back when we were commanded to do ‘small encounters’ and I had no chance to return to it since...
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Absolutely
2) Faldorn - my absolute favorite BG1NPC I wrote for. She has loads of banter and quite a few interjections. She is perky and has a rude and ready sense of humor. Very rarely she is serious. My favorite banters are those with Jaheira, Garrick and Coran. She is not exactly what some expect her to be - a grim maniacal killer - so you may be disappointed. Her quest is going to be involved and for people who like puzzles.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Often
3) Coran - he is charming and relatively funny with quick wit. Obviously, has a full set of banters; my favorite are with Imoen and Jaheira. In the interjection phase there are a few instances where his chaotic nature might well irritate the player. In fact many things about him are designed to irritate and endear him to the player at the same time. Darn, he still has some bugs, that I *hope* will be fixed in V8. The most annoying are connected with romance - his flirts will not work and there is a problem with him rejoining after he left in the end of the good romance. His romance is really complex, rotating around Brielbara’s baby and PC’s ability to play the seduction game. I think that his chaotic-neutral version (if baby is rejected) is less likable, but truer to what most people seem to think about him. His second quest takes place in Firewine ruins and is funny, but females romancing might be irked... er again.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Often
4) Dynaheir - I had a lot of trouble writing her in the beginning and it may show in her banters. Her interjections are not as numerous as I wanted them to be. I think her main interesting point, and what I feel is the best made about the character is her romance. I truly like it now that I reread it before coding. It makes sense and it is relatively smart with an interesting twist - though a bit melodramatic (but I tend to lean that way if not slapped on the wrist often enough).
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes
5) Xan - It was love at the second sight. I did not like the character until I talked for a while with Than, and collected some material for him; then I became seriously intrigued. As a result, his talks with PC are rather informative, while banters thoughtful. I like the ones with Jaheira and Tiax the most. His quests and interjections are relatively involved, and his main Quest will be connected to Moonblade.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Often
6) Shar-Teel - I did a fair bit of writing for Shar-Teel recently, adding a more extensive series of dialogue for male PC with low rep, high CHR and high STR, where I used Turkish smashing backstory for Shar-Teel. It helped to break away from 1-dimensionality of the character. One of the hardest blows to the project was Turkish Delight’s disappearance before he evens started working seriously on Shar-Teel. I still mourn it. The talks were finished as a group effort, with Cliffette helping to edit them, but they still lean one way - that of the ‘I hate males’. I like her banters with Viconia and Eldoth/Skie. Her quest will be not for the weak of heart, I think.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes
7) Jaheira - I have to say that initial version of banters was weak imo, but Kish helped with editing bringing them to an acceptable level. My favorite banters are those with Khalid and Imoen. What is really really good about Jaheira is her interjection set. Not only it is huge, but it is also very involved. You can see the love Theodur has for the character and the love he would like the character to bestow on Charname. She is still no nonsense and will give you a piece of her mind, but at times, I think she is a bit too accepting of player’s decisions. Her quest is quite complex and takes place in the rather dull Cloakwood area, which is most definitely a plus.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No
Khalid will surprise you. Hendryk developed a rather soft and wise personality, though very quiet, which is understandable - my only criticism there will be ‘more, please!’ My favorite dialogue for Khalid will be with Kivan and Montaron. It is rather sad that Khalid has very little in the ways of interjections and no quest.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No
9) Imoen was a collaborative effort between Blucher and Jinnai; some of her interjections were thrown in while testing on suggestions from b-testers and yours truly. She is very teenagerish in this rendition, and bit of a prima donna; depending on wether you like it or not you will like her in BG1NPC or not. She has a lot of banter and numerous dialogues with the PC. I would like to especially note her dialogue after PC dream - so far nobody but her does it. One of her best bits, I think is her dialogue on Gorions’ grave. My favorite sequence for Imoen is by far her dialogues with Xan in Baldur’s Gate. Her interjections are not as numerous as you would have expected, but they are bunched together where it counts - in the beginning of the game and in Candlekeep. Jinnai is working on more and her quest falls short of epic only by a fingernail. In short, if you let it, BG1 will become an Imoen experience.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No
10) Xzar has great writing and the most complex interjection out of them all. I have to say that the Undersellar will never be the same again. His personality is undeniably evil and undeniably mad, but you can feel the intelligence in this madness. It is funny and touching by turns. My absolutely favorite banter is that with Imoen about jelly drops and the one with Khalid. If you have seen it, you will know what I mean
His quest will serve to drive the most patient player to his toes. It can be used for training in having kids, because wanting is so much more important than having... but very funny if you relax a bit and do not have to test it over and over again! Or if you give in to every one of Xzar’s desires
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Rarely
11) Montaron - my biggest problem with Monty was that being an ESL I cannot understand him well enough, with his masterfully done accent and vocabulary. He is fairly quiet, as befit an assassin and have a very logical way of behaving. His interjection with Endar Sai is priceless. My favorite banter of his is with Dynaheir. He has no quest, but all Xzar’s encounters have him participating.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: No
12) Garrick - the way banters are done - thorough and with skill, I can only sigh that there is but one dialogue with PC and that a bit too generic. The voice is very much unlike anyone elses’ and he thankfully did not turn into Imoen in breeches. I’d love to have seen more discussion about his past and Silke however. Garrick has a stunning amount of interjections and a nice well-rounded sidequest in Nashkel Carnival and Ulcaster ruins. My favorite banters for Garrick are that with Skie and Xan.
Will I have NPC in the party when playing: Sometimes