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The NPCs of Mask of the Betrayer
Location: Gann can be found in the prison.
Gannayev is a somewhat conceited Hagspawn Spirit Shaman. His class allows him powers that will prove very useful against the Telthor spirits, elementals and incorporeal undead that will often dog your steps. Being the sorcerous version of the Druid will also mean that his spellcasting power will be considerable. Aside from this, the question becomes how to use him when he doesn’t need to cast spells or use spiritual powers. Many people think of him as not a candidate for melee combat and prefer to use him as an archer since his feat selection favours use of the Shortbow. This is viable, but not the only way to go. The fact that he has the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat opens up interesting possibilities. My favourite setup with him was to buy the Naught Katana. I then enchanted it to inflict 4d6 acid damage on top of the negative energy damage the blade already inflicted. Putting a shield in Gann’s other hand, and enchanting his Belt of Agility to provide a Strength bonus as well, Gann was truly a bona fide warrior. Gann’s personality is rather complex so gaining influence can be elusive. A number of reliable ways include flattery, avoiding suggestions that he is personally responsible for certain unfortunate outcomes, and indulging his desire for vengeance against some of his ‘relatives’.
Location: Kaelyn can be found in the first level of the Death God’s Vault.
Kaelyn is a Half Celestial Cleric of Ilmater. Her particular interpretation of Ilmater’s dogma reflects a passionate disenchantment that she has developed with her former patron, Kelemvor, and a newfound desire to tear down a keystone of the cosmos, the Wall of the Faithless. Keep in mind that if you want to keep Kaelyn to the very end, you must commit yourself to her cause. If you make a critical choice near the end that she does not like, siding against the Crusade to tear down the Wall, she will abandon you and then attack you afterwards. This also means accepting Araman as a substitute. She is definitely up to healing the party of pretty much anything and casting buffers and dishing out the odd offensive spell. A common misconception is that she can’t hack it in melee. She won’t approach the overwhelming force of Okku in this regard, but she can still be credible in this regard. A workable setup I found was to use Spirit Essences on Faraneyth’s Redemption and have her wear it. Items like an enchanted Adamantine Fullplate and the Bone Dancer’s Ring were sugar on top. Acts of compassion and displaying sympathy for the Crusade to tear down the Wall of the Faithless are sure ways to gain influence with her.
Location: Okku becomes a joinable companion after the conclusion of Act II.
Okku was formerly a Paragon Bear who now exists as an especially powerful Telthor animal spirit. He awakens in response to you inheriting a curse that is threatening to his fellow Telthor spirits and becomes determined to end it, whether that means helping you as a comrade or ending your life. His role will be a simple one, tear down one opponent at a time with his claws and teeth. And he’s very good at it, especially once his natural weapons take on adamantine properties at higher levels. He can equip an amulet and rings, so you can’t go wrong with an Amulet of Natural Armor and a Ring of Regeneration to enhance his front line prowess. Staying in his good graces, and even keeping him as a companion, depends in large part on exercising control over your newfound hunger.
Note that recruiting Okku rules out the possibility of recruiting One of Many. One or the other but not both.
Location: One of Many can be recruited in the second level of the Death God’s Vault.
Recruiting One of Many requires you to have devoured Okku and bringing his husk to the Vault. One of Many will basically be a conglomeration of evil spirits finding ‘embodiment’ within the husk. As the term One of Many suggests, one spirit will be the dominant personality on behalf of the others. In the beginning, it is:
The Child – This is the spirit of a psychopathic young boy who, despite his youth, was perfectly capable of murder by arson and torture. He’s a Rogue who can disarm traps and open doors for you, and can dish out truly horrific damage on a sneak attack.
If your influence with One of Many is 25 or higher, you can convince One of Many to allow a different personality to emerge and become dominant. Another one is:
The Brute – This is the spirit of an Orc warrior with an extremely savage bloodlust and indiscriminate propensity towards bloodshed and brutality. If you make this change, One of Many’s class changes to Barbarian.
If you can find a woman known as the Sleeper and allow One of Many to devour her, you can also change to:
The Sleeper – When this personality becomes dominant, One of Many’s class changes to Warlock.
Whichever class One of Many takes on, its regeneration and ability to score bonus magic energy damage on melee attacks increases with each level. This makes One of Many a very powerful and versatile NPC companion, but not one without drawbacks. First off, it cannot equip items due to its incorporeal state. Second, healing spells will damage it so using Mass Heal for example can prove quite awkward. Spells that inflict negative energy damage like Harm will heal it however. Another drawback is that spell buffers cast on One of Many will expire after a very brief duration. One of Many is a potent ally if you’re prepared to live with the drawbacks. Gaining influence with One of Many involves performing acts of cruelty and indulging its desire to devour and assimilate the life force of other beings.
Location: Safiya will join you at the beginning of Mask of the Betrayer.
Safiya is a Red Wizard with rather 'intimate' connnections to other players to the story that she's barely aware of. I tended to avoid taking Safiya on during my runs through Mask of the Betrayer. She is definitely a powerful spellcaster, but I personally found her spell selection questionable and unable to do anything about it. For example, she can never learn Mirror Image which I regard as a constant defensive staple even during epic level campaigns. Secondly, the spirit hunger that you have to contend with can limit your opportunities to rest, and Safiya has to recharge her spells to stay credible since she can easily get overwhelmed during melee combat. For those of you needing to fill both arcane spellcaster and thieving gaps, Safiya certainly commends herself since Khaji, her familiar, provides a workable thief as well. Displaying affinities for the arcane and being sensitive towards her circumstances as a Red Wizard, with all its attendant burdens and intrigues, are reliable routes to to gaining influence with her. She is also a romantic option for male characters.
Location: He will join you at the Supplicants’ Gate if you side against the Crusade with the result that Kaelyn leaves you.
Araman is for most of the time an antagonist to the story due to the kinship he shares with your ultimate enemy. If he does join you, he’ll be primarily a Wizard with about 10 Cleric levels as well.
*Important Note*
For those of you intent on playing this game solo, it is possible to obtain the essences of each of the NPCs (except Araman) if you use either Devour Spirit or Devour Soul on them as a killing blow. You can combine the essences of Gann, Kaelyn, Safiya, and either Okku or One of Many through the use of Mold Spirit to produce the Amulet of Betrayal Personified.
