Alright, so I'm going through the game again, this time as a lawful-evil mage. Which NPCs and party formations do you recommend? I'd like to get a balanced fighter/spellcaster party, with everyone being of evil alignment. This is the first time I'm playing this way, so I'm totally clueless as to the most effective NPCs/parties.

Thanks for any suggestions [img]smile.gif[/img]

Look at this Thread:

The Evil NPC's

Thanks, Lord. I had checked that thread already, but I wanted people to share some evil-party experiences too. I have a list of all the NPCs and where they can be found, but I was also angling for some compatibility and effectivity input as well [img]smile.gif[/img]

Well then:

Edwin: main spellcaster
Kaigan: fighter/tank
Shar Teel: Back up fighter
Viconia: Cleric
Safana: thief. She's chaotic neutral, but she'll do with an evil party ;)
and most important of all, your NPC: I'd suggest a fighter since having just 2 fighters doesn't always seem like enough.

Arledrian:
Which NPCs and party formations do you recommend?

Typically something that fits the character's personality, storyline, or (most frequently) some other theme. All-one-class themes are fun. A party of the mentally unstable could be a hoot. All-one-race is an option for Humans and Elves. All-midgets is quite amusing. All-guys, all-gals, all-lawful, all-chaotic, outdoorsy folk, eco-terrorists, snobs, etc.

This is the first time I'm playing this way, so I'm totally clueless as to the most effective NPCs/parties.

Playing with evil NPCS is no different from playing with good NPCs when it comes to combat: They get the job done either way. What they do and why they do it is what separates them.

That said, anyone can play the "most effective" party. Everyone eventually gets to "Armored Figure," but not everyone will play out the story you craft for your character. That's what a roleplaying game is all about.

That's my RPing plug for the week. Ta,
-Lem

You might have also realized that most of the evil characters are stronger/better than the good ones because the game was created to be played through with a good party. This makes playing evil more difficult, therefore, the evil characters are often better.

Are they?????

I don't think so

[img]graemlins/greenbounce.gif[/img]
Insane

I've just gone through the game with an evil party, and its not particularly difficult. In fact, it's quite fun killing the cocky arseholes and taking occasional rep hit.

Plenty of gold in BG1 to 'buy' rep increases in temples.

Anyway, my party was solid with:

Montaron and Xzar.

Monty was used as a tank character throughout the game, and he is suprisingly good in that role. Xzar is a decent enough spellcaster and they have some nice banters with each other.

Viconia.

Good looking. Drow and thoroughly EVIL!!! I like it. She is also a nice cleric to have on your team. If you arent interested in Viconia for some reason, Branwen will fill in nicely.

Shar Teel or Kagain.

Good tanks/front line fighters. Of the two, I'd prefer Shar Teel if given the choice because of her superior strength.

This leaves you short a thief, but there are LOADS of neutral thieves in the game who should suffice. I think Safana has Dexterity 20, so she is ok to use :D

The abilities you get when you rest are dependant on your reputation, so if you want cure light wounds over ghost touch (or whatever) just pay money into a temple until your rep hits 10.

And kill anyone who irritates you, consequences arent as important for the evil players.

True, but Kaigan's superior constitution (20) allows him to regenerate hitpoints.

Are you sure about this? I've never realized this before. I've always gotten cure light wounds, then slow poison, and then draw upon holy might.

Excellent, thank you Lemmy, Dace, and Lord. I'm going with Kagain, Viconia, Shar-Teel, Edwin, and Safana.

InsaneBane - I find that the evil NPCs in BG I are either really good, or really bad - there's no middle ground. Shar-Teel, Edwin and Kagain rock, while Tiax, Quayle and Eldoth completely stink.

Lord - I never really thought about some of the evil NPCs being really good due to an evil party having a tougher time in terms of roleplay/gameplay. Thanks for the insight. I believe your special abilities are alignment-related, and not reputation-based. If you're evil, I think you get skills like 'Ghoul Touch' and 'Larloch's Minor Drain,' as opposed to 'Cure Light Wounds' and 'Slow Poison,' but I could be wrong.