Author Topic: Playing BG as the opposite sex (Read 18237 times)

Xiao · « **Reply #50 on:** March 15, 2005, 12:31:40 PM »

I forgot Cernd earlier - he abandons his pregnant wife!

Keldorn and Anomen both, I think, suffer from overabundance of "honor" as the Order promotes it (or at least per their interpretations of it). Keldorn can conceivably end up killing his wife's lover and imprisoning his wife, even though he's away from home (geez, he was in the same city!) for months at a time or more and brushes off her pleas - before her big admission - by merely saying he has his duties to attend to. When did he have time to father two kids? Strong "swimmers" and good cycle timing with his few "conjugal visits" home, or should Maria be glad there are no DNA tests? Anomen similarly feels honorbound to avenge his sister's murder, and I suspect similar thoughts go into his reasoning when he's arguing with Keldorn. Both of them are very proud men who are also warriors, and their stubbornness misleads them.

I might conceivably have less of a problem with the argument between Keldorn and Anomen than I would with Keldorn actually agreeing to continue adventuring with you after he reconciles with his wife - and then even if he helps defeat Irenicus with you, surely he shouldn't be sticking around for ToB! Poor Maria...

SeanFan · « **Reply #51 on:** March 15, 2005, 01:18:32 PM »

Quote from: Kismet on March 15, 2005, 11:57:34 AM

He actually does attack Aerie. You can, however, stop that fight; it's not a scripted hands-off fight like the Anomen/Keldorn one is. And, as for "brutal murderer," everytime I've had the Keldorn/Anomen fight it's been Keldorn that kills Anomen.

Keldorn killed Anomen in my game too. Of course, that might be because the Flail of Ages got moved to the PCs inventory when Anomen left the party, so he had to fight Keldorn with his fists.

Finelines · « **Reply #52 on:** March 15, 2005, 01:23:20 PM »

I know I'm partly to blame but why does this feel like it's gone off topic?

Ashara · « **Reply #53 on:** March 15, 2005, 04:35:03 PM »

I forgot Cernd earlier - he abandons his pregnant wife!

Cernd does NOT abandon his pregnant wife. He divorces Galia, leaves her all that he owns and moves to the grove. Galia, on another hand conceals that she is pregnant (or does not know at the time of their separation). Neither she attempts to contact him. Instead she choses to give the child and herself to a wealthy noble. Since Cernd has much gray in his hair, I think that marriage lasted long enough without producing a yearly crop of babies for him not to entertain the idea of 'what if she is?!' Presented with the baby, Cernd do not hesitate to take care of him as best as he could manage. So we are not talking Coran here, who leaves Briel and Namara to fend for themselves.

Xiao · « **Reply #54 on:** March 15, 2005, 05:34:09 PM »

Ah, OK, thanks for the correction. I've barely had him in my party and have never done that quest. Either I was conflating him with Coran, or misremembering something I read.

Ashara · « **Reply #55 on:** March 16, 2005, 05:10:53 PM »

I know that majority of people would diasgree, but Cernd is well-worth of having in the party. He is just a pleasent character... so stable, so wise and a great druid; Ah, heh, can't wait to collect him this time around

Eral · « **Reply #56 on:** March 16, 2005, 05:49:58 PM »

Apologies to Silk/Finelines for further off-topicking.

Ashara, you like Cernd? I don't think I have ever heard anyone say that. I liked his dialogue - he is calm - but I found his battle skills difficult to utilise properly (Step 1- everyone fire their slings and arrows and spells. Step 2- Minsc and other fighter draw big swords and go hit enemy.) IIRC Cernd doesn't have ranged weapons and he kept getting killed when I sent him in as a beast. This was not satisfying - I like for everybody to at least throw stones. (I had my doubts about Minsc when I first met him because he had no ranged weapons.) Add to this the relentless tragedy of his story and Cernd was in my party a grand total of once.

Ashara · « **Reply #57 on:** March 16, 2005, 06:15:30 PM »

Well, I know I am in the minority

I actually do not find his story tragic - Galia's is, but the core of the situation itself seems so much more mundaine than say Valygar's or Aerie's or Anomen's. Plus Cernd does not emphasise his guilt or loss. He seems to cope on his own.

Cernd is a spell-machine (with his wisdom and pure class), and a great healer. Once the guy levels up sufficiently his greater werewolf is very powerful. So what I do is use up his every spell/sling-throwing and then shapeshift him in the greater werewolf... until it's time to go sleep.

I'd really like to do a small Cernd's expansion adding more banter, interjections and talks with PC for BG2 one day - one of those projects I never got to. So far I sated my cernd's soft spot by writing tons of banter between him and my adored, dotted upon, tenderly beloved elf.

discharger12 · « **Reply #58 on:** March 16, 2005, 08:33:16 PM »

I agree with Ashara, once Cernd levels up the werewolf shapeshift is great. Usually I just take him just for that, besides the banter.

Gay Lord · « **Reply #59 on:** March 17, 2005, 07:24:07 AM »

Even though I LOVE druids (a small but proud minority), I don't like how they're handled in the BG series (or 2E for that matter). Many of the spells that made them great in 1E are shared with the cleric in 2E, greatly reducing their value.

Druids like Jaheira and Cernd just don't do it for me. In BG1, J gets no wis bonus, so I get a cleric who can handle more healing spells. While call lt. is somewhat useful, it isn't all that great, and their shapeshift is worthless imo. In BG1, there were no magic clubs or scimitars for J to get, leaving her weak offensively, even with the fighter half. In BG2, there are better fighters, and better priests.

At what level does Cernd become useful? Is this with or without the mod that affects shapeshifter druids? What spells/weapons do you generally use to make them useful? Aside from insect plague, I can't think of anything really hot about druids (as they're presented in the game).

Ghreyfain · « **Reply #60 on:** March 17, 2005, 09:41:33 AM »

IWD druids, however, are pretty kick ass. G3 will, one of these days, be working on a Druid Remix, as I understand.

Ashara · « **Reply #61 on:** March 17, 2005, 09:45:15 AM »

Sling and his own staff of the High Forest. I think if you shapeshift him while he is holding it, he keeps regenerating. No, I do not use any mods except for Kivan on my game right now. And I have never used any mod that modified kits, abilities, tweaked anything etc. I do not remeber at wich level Cernd gets a great werewolf, actually, but I take him along anyway so it does not matter.

I generally use a lot of healing, ironskins, various protections (fire/cold), sometimes flame scimitars, insects, animals etc. Whatever suits my purpose atm. I always have both druid and cleric in my party to be able to maximize my spells.

I guess, if I really was worrying about his ability to kill, I would have changed him into a totemic druid - the same way I use Faldorn in BG1 - it is a lovely kit with a good summoning ability.

irenicus · « **Reply #62 on:** March 17, 2005, 10:18:44 AM »

i dont even have a guy in my team, so the only dissapointing one is Nalia, because shes just an Imoen clone, if you think about it

Western Paladin · « **Reply #63 on:** March 27, 2005, 04:27:59 AM »

Quote

Ashara, you like Cernd? I don't think I have ever heard anyone say that.

Well, you're hearing me say it now.

Werewolves are very, very cool (it's too bad there are no vampire characters (no, Valen doesn't count)) and I find Cernd's personality infinitely preferable to Jaheira, including his better quotes. Cernd says "A bird in the hand gathers no moss . . . or something." Jaheira says "Oh Santiago, you've been such a comfort to me these past days - oh, I've said too much!". Every five minutes. And then her romance variable goes haywire, the game crashes, and I have to defragment my C drive. In battle, you've gotta use Cernd like you use Edwin: hang back and smash the enemy with spells. Once he gets a few Greater Werewolf changes per day, he can hold his own as a support fighter (obviously he's never going to be Minsc or Korgan in this regard).

As far as I can tell, Jaheira is preferred mainly because 1) for the romance with the "sultry" (pronounced "whiny") older woman (I don't care about this at all - the romances do nothing for me and I've come by extension to think they're stupid), and 2) because she's a decent fighter as well as a druid. But Cernd can cast Insect Plague, Iron Skins, Defensive Harmony, and - if you're patient enough to hang on until the end of Throne of Bhaal - Summon Dark Planetar just as well as Jaheira can.

Gay Lord · « **Reply #64 on:** March 28, 2005, 08:14:26 PM »

Don't you mean Deva, and not Planetar?

Neffra · « **Reply #65 on:** March 29, 2005, 01:49:46 PM »

Female player. Can and have played both sexes and switch between them easily and readily and also avidly play same sex romances as well. The key here is fantasy. It's not fantasy if you can't immerse yourself fully and explore all avenues.

But that said, I do realize not all people can do that. I just find it a shame because it's really nice to try something you might never do in RL.

Reverendratbastard · « **Reply #66 on:** March 29, 2005, 02:38:18 PM »

my first m0dded run, just prior to keto-beta-ing, was my second female charname. ranger. trying out kelsey & flirtpack. made him blushy and flustered half a dozen times before he really tried putting on the moves. well done, i said.

my first was an undead hunter who romanced anomen and was quite bored by the whole thing. but i hear tell there's a rose flirt worth the trouble, now that i don't ever have to go vanilla again...

Dellaster · « **Reply #67 on:** March 29, 2005, 03:08:12 PM »

I'm a male player. I can enjoy novels, movies, and TV shows whether or not they have a male or a female protagonist. It's the same for BG. The main character isn't me. I actually lean more towards a female <charname> because I like women and I find that I care what happens to her more than I care what happens to a male <charname>.

My only limitation in choosing my character is that I have to like him or her. That's why I've never played an evil one.

-- Dellaster

SeanFan · « **Reply #68 on:** March 29, 2005, 03:11:18 PM »

Quote from: Neffra on March 29, 2005, 01:49:46 PM

Female player. Can and have played both sexes and switch between them easily and readily and also avidly play same sex romances as well. The key here is fantasy. It's not fantasy if you can't immerse yourself fully and explore all avenues. But that said, I do realize not all people can do that. I just find it a shame because it's really nice to try something you might never do in RL.

You make it sound like there's some sort of moral imperative to "explore all avenues". Needless to say, I disagree. It's not that I *can't* play a male character, (or an evil character, for that matter) I just don't particularly enjoy doing it.

Sorry, but one of the perqs of adulthood is deciding *not* to do a thing even if others decide it'll be good for them.

Silk · « **Reply #69 on:** March 29, 2005, 04:27:47 PM »

I suspect most people play the game as if "this is me". (That's how I do it, anyway.) The best way to play it is to completely roleplay it, to believe it's all actually happening. If you switch genders, then you have to do the same thing.

Ashara · « **Reply #70 on:** March 29, 2005, 04:46:36 PM »

Heya, I am starting my *second* male character. So far I 'cut' through the game, so there had not been any difference, but I just picked up Branwen and Dynaheir, so once the ladies start wooing me I expect the going to get tougher. You can place your bets now on how long I will manage to stick with Helg

belboz · « **Reply #71 on:** April 02, 2005, 08:37:38 PM »

I've only played through SoA 3 times, and only played through ToB 1.9 times (about to finish it the second time), and I just noticed that all three characters I've played (a Mage, a Kensai/Mage, and a Monk) have in fact been male...and my next idea for a character (a Cavalier) is male too.

Not entirely sure why this is...I am in fact male, but I've certainly never had trouble playing female characters in *other* games...I think I've only done it when the choice was forced, though (I've played Valkyries in NetHack, which are always female, and plenty of text adventures with female protagonists, and a not-great but fairly decent graphic adventure called...er...the name escapes me; it was set in two worlds, one fantastic, one sci-fi-ish...anyway, it had a female protagonist too). None of these protagonists bugged me, or even got in the way of my immersion, but I do somehow always seem to choose male protagonists when I have the choice.

Evaine Dian · « **Reply #72 on:** April 03, 2005, 02:27:23 PM »

I played Bg with both female and male characters (to see all the romances), just as any other single player game and I also don't mind games that don't allow you to choose a character (e.g. PST or Gothic).
It drives me nuts, however, when people play characters of the opposite sex in online games. The thought that almost all of the pretty nightelf women "I" meet in WoW are actually guys is pure horror to me.

Shadow Ishtar · « **Reply #73 on:** April 03, 2005, 03:14:28 PM »

I have a strong gender identity. I've never played as anything but a female except in PS:T where I was forced to. I've started male characters in BGII, FO, and FO2, but never finished as them. Even my party in IWD is all females, but that may be more to have a group of world-saving girls than anything else.

Reverendratbastard · « **Reply #74 on:** April 09, 2005, 08:10:27 PM »

Quote from: Evaine Dian on April 03, 2005, 02:27:23 PM

It drives me nuts, however, when people play characters of the opposite sex in online games. The thought that almost all of the pretty nightelf women "I" meet in WoW are actually guys is pure horror to me.

amen, schwester.

i do my best to ignore the bikini bridge-dancers (and spend less time on servers where they occur) and always make my Hair and Markings more distinctive than my figure when playing my [2] NElf women.

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Author Topic: Playing BG as the opposite sex (Read 18237 times)