POLL: The BG Canon PC Poll

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Who do you think is the best candidate for Child of Bhaal, in terms of 1) Sex, 2) Race; 3) Class; 4) Alignment; and 5) Endgame choice?

In this poll, only the unmodded games (BG, SoA, and ToB) are considered Canon, and only a complete sequential runthrough of all three games is considered the Canon experience of the game. Thus, only the races and classes available in BG are given as choices. Kits are also considered Canon, as all of the choices that go with importing a game from BG to SoA are considered part of Canon.

Use any of the evidence you get from the games themselves -- from legends to dialogs, and from Candlekeep to Pocket Plane -- to make your selections.

Also, for the uninitiated: Question 5 is a spoiler!

[ July 04, 2005, 01:18: Message edited by: Bion ]

Poll Information
This poll contains 5 question(s). 87 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: The BG Canon PC Poll (87 votes.)

What sex is the Child of Bhaal? (Choose 1)
* Female - 15% (13)
* Male - 85% (74)

What race is the Child of Bhaal? (Choose 1)
* Dwarf - 0% (0)
* Elf - 15% (13)
* Gnome - 1% (1)
* Half-Elf - 18% (16)
* Halfling - 1% (1)
* Human - 64% (56)

What class is the Child of Bhaal? (Choose 1)
* Bard (or kit) - 6% (5)
* Cleric (or kit) - 2% (2)
* Druid (or kit) - 1% (1)
* Fighter (or kit) - 24% (21)
* Mage (or kit) - 17% (15)
* Paladin (or kit) - 3% (3)
* Ranger (or kit) - 0% (0)
* Thief (or kit) - 3% (3)
* Cleric/Mage (multi- or dual-class) - 1% (1)
* Cleric/Thief (multi- or dual-class) - 0% (0)
* Fighter/Cleric (multi- or dual-class) - 0% (0)
* Fighter/Druid (multi- or dual-class) - 1% (1)
* Fighter/Mage (multi- or dual-class) - 18% (16)
* Fighter/Thief (multi- or dual-class) - 8% (7)
* Mage/Thief (multi- or dual-class) - 3% (3)
* Ranger/Cleric (multi- or dual-class) - 2% (2)
* Fighter/Mage/Cleric (multi-class) - 1% (1)
* Fighter/Mage/Thief (multi-class) - 7% (6)

What alignment is the Child of Bhaal? (Choose 1)
* Chaotic Evil - 6% (5)
* Chaotic Good - 32% (28)
* Chaotic Neutral - 14% (12)
* Lawful Evil - 1% (1)
* Lawful Good - 5% (4)
* Lawful Neutral - 3% (3)
* Neutral Evil - 2% (2)
* Neutral Good - 29% (25)
* True Neutral - 8% (7)

What endgame choice does the Child of Bhaal make? (Choose 1)
* The Child of Bhaal gives up the taint and remains mortal - 57% (50)
* The Child of Bhaal embraces immortality as an evil god - 9% (8)
* The Child of Bhaal embraces immortality as a good or neutral god - 33% (29)

 

I voted in the following order:

1. Gender: Male (But really I think this could go either way, considering there is only the difference of one chromosone. Also, males and females in the realms are considered equal in all respects.)

2. Race: Human (It fits the proper time frame for age, since BGI started in Candlekeep started some twenty years after Bhaal had his fun. Any of the other races, IMHO, would not have reached maturity by the time.)

3. Class: Fighter/Mage/Thief (Growing up in Candlekeep I think would have given the Bhaalspawn a nice mesh of skills, soem of fighter, mage and thief, with fighter being the foremost. I ruled out being a cleric, or paladin because I could never allow myself to believe that another deity would allow the child of Bhaal to serve under him/her. I also believe that ranger and druid are out since the Bhaalspawn grew up within Candlekeep. Isuppose bard could be an option, but I think that the child of a god of murder wouldn't have many happy things to sing about.)

4. Alignment: Chaotic Good (Judging by his actions in BGI, ie, preventing war and defeating Sarevok, and also by the games idea for a defult party, ie, Minsc, Jaheria, Imoen, Khalid and Dynahier, that the Bhaalspawn would be good in nature. But having the taint of Bhaal would cause a little turmoil, so I put down chaotic.)

5. Endgame Choice: The Child of Bhaal gives up the taint and remains mortal (This one was tough, but by using my previous answer to back up my claim, I would think that his good part would prevent him from becoming an evil god, and his chaotic would allow him to see the adventure in being mortal instead of becoming so allmighty good or neutral god.)

@ Bion: You might want to put down a spoiler warning for those who may not have finished the game yet.

 

Heh, thanks Jaguar.

 

1) Male (see Jaguar's answer)

2) Human (again Jaguar)

3) Fighter/Mage - because of being human he couldn't multi-class if he could I would pick Fighter/mage/thief.

4)Chaotic Good (again Jaguar)

5) Engame choice was a hard one for me. I picked becoming a good or neutral good. A chaotic good person might think they could do a lot for humanity by doing this.

@Jaguar, I voted before reading your post.

 

Everything Jaguar said is correct.

But the class of the child of Bhaal is fighter.
A plain one

 

1) Male. It's 50-50, but if Bane had any control at all, I think he would have tried to make all of his children in his own image (or at least as many as he could).

2) Human. I think either human or half-elf is possible, but human is more likely.

3) Mage. Gorion was the PC's mentor; he learned everything from the old man.

4) NG. Again Gorion's influence (and little Imy's as well).

5) Give up the taint. More than anything, I think the PC would be tired of all the fighting, and would simply want the whole ordeal to be over.

 

1) Male - This is an aesthetic choice and does not affect your attributes in any fashion & Looks better in armor setup than a female protagonist.
2) Elf - resistances/infravision and from an RP perspective i can be a particular subrace and add the known bonuses for it. I was under the impression Bhaal went with one of each race/species, since Sarevok is human you can't/shouldn't be.
3) Fighter/Mage - studied the arcane magics at the feet of gorion and martial combat from the watchers.
4) Neutral Good - follow the side of good but does what he feels is right.
5) Become a good god

 

Most of the time, yeah. My personal favorite, though, is the human female T/F paperdoll from BG1 in Shadow Armor.

He "spawned a score of mortal progeny". He had to have done it with more than just one of each species. The impression I got was that he 'spawned' with at least one of each species.

 

I voted just like Felinoid...

Though as a product of the Times of Troubles I would go with the Wild Mage kit!

 

1) Female - can use her charms to have her evil ways

2) Hafling - actually a fir bolg which is a smiliar but is a magical faerie.

3) Bard/druid - In Ireland the Christians feared the bards and druids as they were very chrasmatic and extremely persuasive and could easily make people go to war.

4)Chaotic Evil - No Hollywood endings for me!

5)Evil God - raining hellfire on all disbelievers!

 

I started replying to the questions and realised I was drawing an idealised picture of Sarevok - Male Human Fighter(kit - dualled to Thief or Mage) - NG - mortal.

The next best choice would be:
Male - Just coz I like Viconia
HalfElf - I think a halfelf would reach maturity at a rate comparable to humans and then just stop growing.
Fighter/Mage - Gorion and that dwarf would make sure of that.
NG - Imoen's influence
Mortal - I dont think he is very happy with taking that kind of responsibility. Remember he could possibly have taken control over Sarevok's empire had he so wished. Instead he turns over the rule to the old idiots and does not even demand anything.

 

@Shrikant: That's quite a good remark you make! Although I remember that Sarevok was becoming so self-centered that his empire was already crumbling when Charname chased him through the labyrinth, am I mistaken? Anyway, you're quite right, he/she could have taken over anytime, that's something to ponder on.

 

I voted exactly the same as Felinoid. Male because the romances in BG2 obviously favor a male PC. Human because it makes the most sense time-wise (could be half-elf, I suppose). Mage because of Gorion. NG because of the PC's upbringing, and it seems that a whole lot of dialog choices adhere most to NG. Mortal because your character had desitiny thrust upon him/her, and would most likely wish to be done with it all.

 

1) Female: Bhaal may have seen his own death, but Tymora had her bit 'o fun as well. Sex could be either really but I like females.

2) Human: The time frame was the biggest factor. The other race are slow to age, though a half-elf is just as believeable imo.

3) Ranger/Cleric: Going against the flow, I know. Other tutors were there as well, making most classes good choices. I picked the cleric part since most of the time I roleplay clerics. Imoen would've been hassling me a little too often and the only way of escape was to hang out in the temple of Oghma. The ranger bit comes later, after leaving Candlekeep, and I'm forced to live off the land and fend for myself (being gold-poor and all).

4) Chaotic Good: Good influences from my teachers and a tiny bit of stubborness developed through those haunting dreams - You *Will* Learn. I don't think so, Dad. You aren't the boss of me!

5) Mortal: My basic idea is to be left alone. I want a 'normal' life without assassins jumping me at every inn and tavern I step into. I hate seeing the fear of me in people's faces and the whispers that follow me wherever I go. That, and this hunky, Amnish cleric of the Radiant Heart has got my biological clock tickin' away.

 

1)Male
Game is Designed for it.
2)Human
Most common Bhaalspawn.
3)Mage
Gorion is mage, Imoen is mage......
4)CG
I don't know why.
5)Mortal
I don't know.

 

1.male
2.human
3.fighter
4.CG
5.mortal

 

I think the Child of Bhaal should be male, if only because Imoen is female - this way they make a rounded pair of "children" for Gorion, and I feel that starting with a brother and sister is preferred in a lot of storylines. (Actually, two brothers is just as common, but that's not possible for us. ) For race I voted human, though I feel he could, from a flavor point of view, just as easily be a half-elf or even an elf.

Fighter or Mage or multiclass of one or both feels right to me. One of the things everyone in every story does when they live in a secluded library fortress is practice swordplay. The other thing is read books of arcane knowledge. Admittedly, I'm not sure I'm entirely neutral. I've already read the novels on the one hand, and I personally enjoy playing spellcaster classes and multiclasses. I feel he should be Neutral Good or Chaotic Good, from what is mentioned of his childhood. (There's lots of journal entries in the prologue of the first game about chafing at the restrictive rules at Candlekeep, for what that's worth.)

For me the last question is somewhat easier. Most of the in-game prompts seem to lead you towards fighting the taint, rejecting godhood, and becoming a normal mortal. In Spellhold, for instance, you have to fight the Sarevok-Bhaal creature, and the Slayer dream after Irenicus flees is creepy and frightening. I think it's significant that the member of the Five with whom you have the most in-depth dialogue, even in the unmodded game, is Balthazar. He's a Lawful Good monk who joined the Five as a ruse to subvert them and prevent Bhaal from returning. And he ends up looking like a tragic hero because the Five used him, and he fell anyway before his quest was complete.

 

Wow, I'm a little surprised that people are so keen on the PC being a mage. There is the fact that Gorion is a mage, and Imoen becomes a mage, but then again, there are a couple dialogues with Imoen where she makes fun of the PC for not having paid as much attention to his/her studies as she did.

Also, if Irenicus was able to use magic means to investigate the PCs Bhaal taint, why is that never an option for the PC, and why is the PC always told s/he is clueless about the extent of his/her power? Why do the quests given in the entire saga seem to describe a PC that is rather, shall we say, physically direct? Why is there so little room given for research and study, as opposed to direct action?

And a minor point yes, but the portraits shipped with the game, both male and female, seem to favor fighter classes. Among the non-NPC portrait options, you have for males 1) a standard blond dude in plate, 2) a bullet-headed brute WWF guy, 3) some random Scottish guy in a funny hat who looks like he spends all time in the pub, 4) a comic dwarf, and 5) an overly-effeminate elf (is this the mage of which you speak?); a menacing half-orc is added in BG2. For girls, IIRC, it's just a female in plate and a non-descript elf.

So it seemed to me that either fighters or thieves were the most likely class (I ended up chosing fighter/thief).

Not that I'd want to influence anyone's voting in the poll, of course...

 

1. Male - I know it works both ways but I usually play male characters since I am male myself.
2. He was an elf, but no ordinary elf he was. The shadow of his heritage had fallen over his childhood and the flame of gods burned in his soul. He was eager to know, eager to be, too eager to remain a child for too long, therefore his mind and body reached maturity long before others of his kind.
3. Knowledge, however, taught him to leave aside his impatious nature, to become more careful and less impulsive, to become wise. Through the lessons of his tutor Gorion he managed to understand the nature of the good forces in the world, while through the wisdom of the books, the legends of old and the lore of the passing travelers he got a glimpse of the essence of evil as well.In the keep of knowledge he managed to learn much about both. The most important thing he learned, however was that the difference between them slowly and unnoticeably fades when the two forces become extreme. Therefore he found his life based both on the two of them and on neither. He learned how to be true neutral.
4. Along with the other lessons, while in the keep he learned something of no less importance - How to defend himself. Gorion knew well the dangers which awaited the boy beyond the walls of the keep as well as that distant but inevitable return of his heritage. He knew the boy was now safe, but he also knew that one day he will no longer be able to protect him especially from himself. That is why the boy had to train both his mind and his body, he had to learn the art of fighting.
With Gorion gone and the return of the heritage's haunt (though yet unknown to him) he felt alone and weak. He had only his mind and his sword as tools to keep himself alive, so slowly, after a long time of adventuring, wisdom and experience in combat, he finaly managed to unite his mind, his body and his weapon into one, thus becomming the most skilled and fearsome fighter of them all - the Kensai.
5.Years after that, when his journey finaly came to an end he once again remembered what he was once thaught in that distant world locked behind the walls of Candlekeep that he used to call home. He knew that his divine essence was more than just a burden which needs to be removed once and for all - there is a place for every god in the pantheon and balance will not be restored as long as the place of Bhaal is vacant. Becoming an evil god of murder, however was not his goal, he did not want to battle anymore and he did not want his reign to end in another chaotic conflict with the opposing forces, like it happened to his father. Therefore he dicided to end the chaos, caused by the prophecy by becoming a god who would forever watch over the balance of the world and never let such events happen again.

A possible story. One of the many.

 

1. Male - The game does seem to be designed for it. Several characters in the game are much more likely to open up to the main character if male (both joinable and non-).

2. Human. Pretty much any other race would still be an infant after only twenty years of life.

3. The dialogues make the most sense if the PC is a fighter (paladin, ranger, and so on) but I always play some sort of mage.

4. Definitely some sort of good alignment. I'd have to go with CG on this one.

5. Either becoming a good god or staying mortal. The game is designed to go either way on this so both are canon.