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From Candlekeep to Suldanessellar... and beyond
Facts, figures, and stories from the Baldur's Gate trilogy
What is Baldur's Gate?
Baldur's Gate is a series of role-playing games based on the 2nd edition rules of Advanced Dungeons
& Dragons. It is a city on the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms. It is an entire
fantasy world to explore and conquer. It is THREE of the best computer games ever
created. Baldur's Gate is also a great place to spend a few months of your life.
About this page...
This webpage is devoted to my personal experiences playing Baldur's Gate and its sequels.
Some useful information creeps in from time to time, but if you are primarily looking for a walkthrough
or editing utilities or custom portraits and sounds, you can find those at the links on the left side of
the page. If you decide to stick around here, it will be to read my stories and perhaps become
motivated to play Baldur's Gate again as a new character, or to buy the game and explore the Sword
Coast for the first time. Either way, I hope you enjoy the visit.
Orcin's NPC Party - Sword Coast Adventures
A first-level fighter begins his journey in Candlekeep
Orcin
Imoen
Jaheira
Khalid
Minsc
Dynaheir
My first trip through the Sword Coast was led by Orcin, a human NG fighter. I initially attempted
to include each NPC of good or neutral alignment that I met, even if only for a brief time. Khalid
and Jaheira accompanied me to Nashkel, and together we solved the crisis in the mines. However,
we soon agreed that I should follow my own path, and I replaced them with Kivan and Branwen in an
attempt to improve the party's offense. I later regretted this decision from a role-playing standpoint,
because I had nagging doubts about ditching the people that Gorion had suggested to be my guardians.
I have since concluded that the most logical path for the story has the main character and Imoen meeting
with Jaheira and Khalid, and being accompanied by them for the entire game. Thus, I decided to
play BG again with a NG fighter protaganist and the party alignment shown above, because this is the
"assumed" party that begins BGII: Shadows of Amn. I was also glad that this BGII "storyline party"
included Minsc, because he is my favorite NPC from either game. Dynaheir was certainly a capable
mage, and rounded out the party nicely.
Garrick deserves honorable mention here, as he was in the party all the way to character level 4 (until I
rescued Dynaheir). He came in pretty handy to cast spells from scrolls and wands, and turned out to
be a better NPC than I had earlier believed. The trick to using Khalid effectively is to ALWAYS have
him equipped with a bow, since he will not run from battle as an archer like he does with a melee weapon
equipped. And the trick to playing an entire game with Jaheira is to turn the sound off :-). Of
course, I had no idea at the time just how involved my character would become with her later.
Since I had already played BG twice, I felt that I should be able to complete the game with a minimum of
re-loads, and then only for a main character death (i.e. party members must be resurrected). I stuck
to this plan pretty well, although an unlucky string of bad save rolls led to several main character deaths at
the hands of the early assasins. I did manage to complete most of the tough battles (including the
Bandit Camp tent, Degrodel's guards, Iron Throne HQ, Sarevok, Demonknight) in one take with no deaths,
but Aec'Letec still took multiple tries to conquer without losing someone to a permanent death (usually me).
My battle with Sarevok was quite interesting, as I took a unique approach to the opening few rounds and
finished with a standard tactic. I wrote a little story about it, which I will present now. You may
want to skip the next few paragraphs (down to the data table) if you have not finished BGI and don't want to
know anything about the ending.
Orcin's Final Battle with Sarevok
The entire Sword Coast is buzzing with the news of Sarevok's defeat at the hands of his heroic
sibling. Recently, reknowned reporter Volothamp Geddarm met with with Orcin and his party at
The Blade and Stars Inn to hear the tale. Elminster himself was present as well, primarily out
of respect for his old friend, Gorion, but also to ensure that Volo did not take unfair advantage of his
young guests. So pull up a chair yourself, and hear their story.
The party was battle weary as they reached the temple, and decided to rest after Orcin had spared
Tamako's life. All of their spells now available, they entered Sarevok's lair and made further
preparations including consuming some of their potions. Orcin cast Detect Evil, and confirmed that
Sarevok was accompanied by three followers.
Orcin, Imoen, and Dynaheir approached the podium on the left side of the emblem, while the other party
members equipped their ranged weapons and assumed a defensive position near the entrance.
Imoen disarmed two traps, drank a Potion of Invisibility, and then moved to the podium to reveal the
enemy. This action triggered dialog with Sarevok, and caused Samej to cast Dimension Door.
He appeared next to the rest of the party - a fatal mistake. Samej failed to get off a second spell,
and quickly died in a hail of arrows and bullets. One down, three to go.
The party waited for the web traps to clear, and then Dynaheir summoned a group of six Gnoll Elite.
The Gnolls moved to the right of the podium, attracting the attention of Sarevok. Imoen and Dynaheir
retreated to the rear, while Orcin moved forward. Tazok and Angelo appeared next to Sarevok, and
Orcin used his Nymph's Cloak to cast Charm on Angelo. The spell worked, and Angelo was ordered
to attack Sarevok. Orcin retreated to the party's position with Tazok in hot pursuit. Sarevok
was kept busy with Gnolls and the now-hostile Angelo, and was finally forced to kill Angelo in
self-defense. Two down, two to go.
Tazok crossed the emblem right behind Orcin, but was stopped in his tracks by a volley of arrows from Minsc,
Khalid, and Imoen. Jaheira was busy healing Orcin's wounds from his initial contact with the enemy,
but she was not needed at this point in the battle. Tazok never got close enough to do any damage,
and the odds were now heavily stacked in the party's favor. Three down, one to go.
A quite dangerous Sarevok was now charging toward the party, but he was met by two packs of summoned
wolves. The animals kept Sarevok at bay while the party's ranged attackers opened fire from a safe
distance. Sarevok was unable to free himself from the large group of attackers, and an Arrow of
Piercing fired by Khalid finished him seconds later. The battle was won, Sarevok was defeated, and
the Sword Coast was saved.
The table below summarizes the party's stats after also completing the expansion areas from Tales of the
Sword Coast. My daughter claims this chart is an example of the horrible things that can be conjured
up with a Summon Spreadsheet spell (level 4 - no saving throw). Volo fell asleep before he finished
reading it, but perhaps you will be more interested. (Or more sober! - Elminster)
Orcin's NPC Party - Sword Coast Adventures
Status:
This party has completed Baldur's Gate I and Tales of the Sword Coast.
Name: Orcin
Class: Fighter
Race: Human
Align: NG
CLVL: 8
XPts: 161k
Name: Imoen
Class: Thief
Race: Human
Align: NG
CLVL: 10
XPts: 161k
Note: Attributes and stats shown using primary equipment and first weapon listed. All six tomes
given to main character and included in attributes shown above.
Orcin wins WeaponMaster 1999!
While resting up from his adventures and waiting for Shadows of Amn, Orcin was invited to participate
in a dueling tournament. Now Orcin was never one to shy away from battle, so we accepted.
A short time later, Rypien (Keith Stevens) sent along this report on the results of the toe-to-toe
"WeaponMaster" event.
"Right from the start I was impressed with Orcin, and I was betting on him to be in the finals.
Orcin dominated his early-round opponents including one of the big guns, Trylip (a dwarf fighter from
Argentina). Trylip had been dominating his opponents with his power and flaming sword, yet
Orcin (in a prolonged battle) achieved victory. Orcin was then pitted against Druss the Legend
and, while Druss had been using his axe and 18+ strength to crush his opponents, Orcin once again
showed his class by overwhelming Druss (one hit took 40 points damage!!!!)."
"In the semi-final, Orcin was up against Rypien, a fighter/thief, and although they had sparred before
this was a brand new kettle of fish. Rypien got in the first hit, but the fight went downhill from
there and was soon over. So the final consisted of two great warriors left standing from among
56 contestants... Orcin and BerPsycho, a fighter using the Cursed Two-Handed Sword of Berserking.
BerPsycho's creator (Jason Vardy) was on hand to witness the carnage... an easy victory for Orcin."
After the match, Orcin received a congratulatory e-mail from BerPsycho himself. The message
was translated by Sinister, BerPsycho's mage companion, who is the only one that understands the rare
gutteral language used by BerPsycho. The message went something like this: "Pain is good losing
is bad orcin is good i will be back to taste his blood!" Errr... thank you, BerPsycho (I think?).
Although Orcin lost in the quarter-finals in Weaponmaster 2000, he still managed to gain revenge on
his opponent (who eventually took third place) in a exhibition held later on before a packed house.
Orcin is now retired from dueling (Jaheira won't allow it :-), but his legend lives on at Samolian's
Baldur's Gate Arena.
Orcin's NPC Party - Shadows Of Amn
The adventure continues with our party separated and in trouble from the start
Orcin
Imoen
Jaheira
Minsc
Sir Anomen
Nalia
The party emerged from Irenicus' initial dungeon, and immediately began the effort to accumulate funds
and recruit party members needed to replace Khalid and Dynaheir. Yoshimo, a fellow prison escapee,
remained with the group as my thief throughout chapter 2 (a very long time :-). Upon entering the
Copper Coronet, we were approached by Nalia, a young lady with a problem. The party traveled to
her family home and saved it from invasion, with Orcin becoming Lord of the manor as a result.
This left Orcin in a position of feeling responsible for Nalia, and she remained with the party serving as a
capable mage replacement for Dynaheir.
Several other characters drifted in and out of the party during chapter 2, most notably Valygar and Keldorn,
but the party finally settled on Anomen as a permanent member for his abilities as a cleric. The
emotional ties of the party were strong, and Orcin eventually became the replacement for Khalid as far as
Jaheira was concerned. This plot twist was somewhat surprising to me considering Jaheira's attitude
and role from the original game. I hope I wasn't just catching her on the rebound!
While playing the game with this party, I was primarily focused on the excellent plot of the game and not so
much on "power-gaming". That said, this party proved to be quite effective offensively. As you
can see from the chart below, the party depended on the melee power of Orcin and Minsc, who combined
for 64% of the kills and 73% of the experience value. The spellcasters in the group were mainly used
to buff and support the fighters, summon some fodder, remove enemy melee protections, and then finally
attack with ranged weapons and/or magic if required. My favorite spells to use in offense were Insect
Plague (Jaheira), Flame Strike (wands), Bolt of Glory (Anomen), and of course, Abu-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
(Nalia). Three Sunrays per day also came in quite handy against undead.
Orcin was resistant or immune to virtually everything with his array of equipment, and I could solo Beholders,
Golems, and small groups of melee attackers quite easily. My opinion on the toughest group of opponents
in the game were the Mind Flayers in the Underdark - I had multiple reloads there! The Twisted Rune
party receives honorable mention as a tough group battle. My favorite single battle has to be Kangaax
the Demi-Lich. I'm glad Nalia had Project Image memorized and two Protection From Magic scrolls in
her quick slot.
Orcin's NPC Party - Shadows of Amn
Status:
This party has completed BGII: Shadows of Amn
Name: Orcin
Class: Fighter
Race: Human
Align: NG
CLVL: 21
XPts: 3.42M
Name: Imoen
Class: Mage/Thief
Race: Human
Align: NG
CLVL: 16/7
XPts: 2.46M
Note: Attributes and stats shown using current equipment and first weapon listed.
Orcin's NPC Party - Throne of Bhaal
Orcin, a heroic and legendary fighter, searches for his final destiny
Please check back (story and stats coming someday?).
Sir Orcin's Created Party
A full Baldur's Gate party without NPC's played in single-player fashion
Sir Orcin
Kenard
Ariel
Rowan
Sykes
Zeratul
This party was conceived for my second time through the game, because I had many ideas for
characters and this option got them all in a game. Each character in the party was
"pre-generated" and imported via the multiplayer option, after which I transferred the saved game
file to single player. (For instructions on this technique, continue reading.) I used the
stats of the "average" BG NPC as a guide for each character class, so as not to make the party too
strong and spoil the challenge. I also used a custom portrait for each, and custom voice sets
for Sir Orcin, Sykes, and Zeratul.
My main character in this party is a Paladin, which dictates that the party's actions are lawful and
that all of the character's alignments are some degree of good. I prefer to play the game
as a hero anyway, so I did not have any trouble adapting to the role. The party was able
to buy from the shops at a high discount with a reputation of 20 and a leader charisma of 18.
I was careful to spread the wealth among my party, even though BG does not restrict the number
of magical items that a Paladin can use. I also gave one of the six tomes found in the game
to each party member depending upon their prime attribute.
I had the party members "join" in different areas, in order to provide some interest and challenge to
the early part of the game. Ariel and Zeratul, cast as two of Sir Orcin's childhood friends, arrived
with Imoen on the morning after Gorion's death. Imoen traveled with the party to the Friendly
Arm Inn, where she decided to stay behind and ply her trade as a barmaid. Sir Orcin was able to
"recruit" another thief, Sykes, at the Inn along with a cleric, Rowan. We met up with the last
member, Kenard, in the area around High Hedge. In Nashkel, Kenard and Zeratul left the party
for a time so that Sir Orcin could aid a Ranger named Minsc in completing his quest. The two
created characters rejoined after Minsc and Dynaheir departed back in Nashkel.
This is a well-balanced party with plenty of offensive firepower. I primarily use Ariel (Fighter/Thief)
and Kenard (Ranger) as archers, and Sir Orcin takes the point with a sword and shield. For close
range fighting, all three wield melee weapons making a formidable front line. Sykes (Thief) typically
uses a bow, and occasionally "sneaks" in a backstab. Rowan (Cleric) and Zeratul (Mage) usually
concentrate on magic first, and use their slings when the situation is in hand or the opponent is weak.
This was a much easier game for me than my first, and I missed the interaction of the NPC's. But
for the power-gamer, this is definitely a great way to play Baldur's Gate.
Play your own created party - step by step instructions
My most frequently received e-mail question is... "How do I create a party of my own characters to play
Baldur's Gate?" I guess this is confusing to most people, since the manual doesn't really tell you
how to do it. This small text file called createdparty.txt
contains detailed instructions, and you can download and print the file if you need to refer to it while you
are setting up the game. The instructions work for both Baldur's Gate and BGII: Shadows of Amn.
The manuals do offer some help with using the multi-player functions starting on page 29 (for BGI) or page 40
(for BG2), and it might help to read that section first.
Orcaun's Alternative NPC Party
A chaotic mage and his new friends clean up the Sword Coast
Orcaun
Ajantis
Kivan
Xan
Coran
Yeslick
Since this was to be my fourth (and final) trip through the Sword Coast, I didn't really anticipate any
surprises from the quests and battles. So, in order to provide variety, I was determined to use
different NPC's this time around. I also wanted the challenge of trying to lead my party with a
mage, and that proved difficult indeed in the early going. I played Orcaun as Chaotic Good to
allow for some different responses in the quests as well.
Orcaun really didn't see the need to carry some kid from Candlekeep along, and ditched Imoen at the
earliest opportunity (FAI). The friends that Gorion had mentioned seemed a bit pushy too, so
Orcaun told them he would make his own way. Having ignored Xzar and Montaron on the road
earlier (he didn't trust their looks), Orcaun suddenly found himself alone! Mages are rarely seen
adventuring without a few strong fighters, so Orcaun asked around at the Inn until he learned of a
Paladin that could be found nearby. Orcaun and Ajantis became friends right away, and they
went on (carefully) to Beregost together. A few rounds of drinks in the local bars yielded the
location of a Ranger near High Hedge who had a grudge against bandits. Orcaun wanted to
shop at the nearby mage's house anyway, so Kivan was added to the group and the three of them
traveled on to Nashkel.
Orcaun rescued a cleric at the local carnival, and she accompanied the group into the mines. The
party then met and rescued Xan, and he quickly became one of my favorite characters (whatever).
Orcaun's group gained a bit more experience and advanced the plot line very quickly, postponing most
of the side quests until later. The intent was to reach Coran as early as possible (in order to avoid
his late-game weakness in Find Traps skill level), and I found him as a level 3/3. Orcaun now felt
quite comfortable with Ajantis and the two strong archers, but Branwen was beginning to get on his nerves
and she seemed to distract Coran as well ;-). So the party swapped her for Yeslick during the
Cloakwood mines quest (No, I didn't leave her at the bottom to drown... sheesh!).
The party finished Cloakwood as level 4-5 characters, and spent a lot of time catching up on some much
needed experience. Most areas outside Baldur's Gate were quite easy with the combination of the
two best archers in the game and two powerful mages. I skipped a lot of the minor quests in the city,
but I still managed to max out most of the characters by the end of the game. This party was a lot
of fun as the personalities and alignments seemed to mesh perfectly. I made a note of the party's
statistics at the point Coran joined the party, so I could answer for myself once and for all: "Who's better,
Kivan or Coran?". Kivan had better stats for the game, but during the time that they were in the party
together Coran "outkilled" Kivan by 421 to 364. At the time Coran joined, Kivan had 44% of the
party's XP value (the party was only at 17k XP), but by the end they were almost even. So I would
say that Coran is a slightly better archer (but he is obviously a MUCH better "womanizer" :-).
Baldur's Gate Resources
Additional items to help beginners through Baldur's Gate I
I have prepared a walkthrough of the first game with a guide to the path that you must take, but very few
plot and battle spoilers. It is called the BG Executive Summary Walkthrough. There is also
a table showing the NPC's and their attributes. These resources are available via links in the left
column of this page. I will also provide a link to an excellent annoted map of the city of BG itself,
courtesy of Aragorn (Jon FD) and hosted by
Cyberjag. For more Baldur's Gate
resources, use my links section in the left column to find GameBanshee and Planet Baldur's Gate.
This Baldur's Gate WebRing site is owned and operated by
Orcin.
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