POLL: Who is the most intelligent NPC in BG Series?

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Who is the most intelligent NPC in BG Series?

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 38 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Who is the most intelligent NPC in BG Series? (38 votes.)

Who is the most intelligent NPC in BG Series? (Choose 1)
* Elminster - 71% (27)
* Irenicus - 5% (2)
* Kangaxx - 13% (5)
* Saemon - 11% (4)

 

Hmm, well, there's two real participants for this contest. Elminster and Kangaxx. Seeing both of them are (or should be, in case of Kangaxx) godly wizards of terrible might, their intelligence is unquestionable. The question remains: which one is more?
As for Irenicus and Saemon: While I in no way doubt Irenicus' intelligence, I still think Elminster and Kangaxx are more. As for our little muggler, he's intelligent also, but not as much as Irenicus is.
Hmmh... My vote goes for Elminster, althought it could just as well be Kangaxx.

 

Elminster - he's working for the winning cause

 

CHARNAME.

I would put Kangaxx and Elminster tied for intelligence. Elminster would have a higher wisdom though.

What about Vecna?

 

Vecna's dead for all I know

 

Well I fought Vecna's Shade, and he was not that smart. Vanilla Irenicus is smart, but still kinda dump. The final show-down is soooo empty.

'I can kick peoples a**es in cut-scenes with my uber powerful and weirdly potent never ending, never resistable spells, but I will just turn into a pathetic Slayer and try to hit you in melee for this last battle!' you GOTTA be kidding. Nuff I said.

But, Improved JonBon is...smart indeed. Clever, willy, and with a sense of humor too!

Anyway. Looking into game mechanics and CRE files. Suprisingly, Saemon has only 9 INT, despite him being a sorte mage/thief combination, possibly a dual-class. I guess the game designers just did not want to think too much about it, and gave him normal INT, just like the %90 of all remaining monsters. He has 16 STR, DEX and suprising 18 CON and 13 CHA though.

Ugh, Elven war sages have 19 INT and 19 WIS! Suure they were such a pain in the neck!

Even a ghast has 16 INT AND 18/00 STR? Come ooon! Game designers were out of their minds or they did roll for some of the monster's stats.

Jon Bon has 18 INT, 18 WIS, his stats are the very same as Elminster (direct-copy) IIRC.

Kangaxx the lich has 18 INT, and 16 WIS. Demi-lich form has the very same scores.

So guess what? It seems Elven war sages are the smartest and wisest! That is, if you can trust Monster CRE files.

 

According to those same CRE files, Irenicus occasionally pops in as a Good character - some of his CRE files ARE direct-copy of Elminster's. The morale of the story being that CRE files are to be taken with a grain of salt

 

Uncle El. Why? I haven't been able to kill him yet.

 

^Now that is a great reason to vote if any. I will vote for Elminster too!

 

Kangaxx isn't so much super intelligent as long lived. Any Mage with the drive could do what he has. not with intelligence but shere perserverence at their craft.

Saemon is not so much really smart as quick witted. Notice that his worst tricks in the game generally seem to be last minute ideas simply to get himself out of trouble. Not any real super genious planning. He's more thief than anything. think fast and not necessarily smart.

While Irenicus is somewhat well thought out he's not somebody that is doing something through superior intellect either. He's just another case of somebody who lived long enough to craft plans over life times and all we're doing is seeing the results of his planning to get what he wants. Which is a plot that any over persevering mage could find a way to enact.

Now Eleminster is a guy who has done Wise and Smart. He's been manipulating you since the Beginning of BG and it's working out the way that he has wanted. He's managed to make himself long lived without becoming undead or being an elf. It takes massive intelligence and wisdom to word those wishes just right as any player with a twisted dm can tell you. But as far as the BG series is concerned the writers have added him in in such a way that he shows up for a moment. Says something minimalistic that the games turn into powerfully profound for what your going through what little he shows up at all. And in BG1 it turns into a big ole thing of where he shows you your true inner self depending on how you answer the questions.

So I say that Eleminster has it hands down.

 

Elminster is long lived because he is a Chosen of Mystra, not due to any wish spell he cast. Sorry for the -ness.

 

I'm not sure you can say Elminster is even Intellegent. He has lived forever, so he's very Wise. But like mentioned above, he is a chosen of Mystra. If I remember the books right, he wasn't even a Wizard. More of a sorceror/cleric after she had her way with him. Now of course he's just a plain bad-a**. To sum up my point, he's probably just read everything ever written and remembers it, kinda like the internet

 

Well I don't know much about D&D, but it says in the ring of gaxx description that it took a "cadre of Netheril mages" to bring Kangaxx down even BEFORE undeath honed his power. Weren't netheril mages like ultra-uber powerful? He would have to be super super super smart to be undefeatable even by them.

 

That's not very true. He's a demi-lich...you have to gave some intellegence, and a little wisdom to get you that far...but you don't *have* to be "super super super smart" to be powerfull. Any amount of mages would go down fast if the demi-lich you're facing has an unlimited supply of 'Imprison' spells.

Elminster gets my vote. He is intellegent to boot, and wiser still. He's one of only a few people you can't kill in the entire BG series. Not even the CTRL +Y cheat can kill him!

 

He is a mage of sorts. I forget what kind. But he knows more about magic than just about anybody. And Mystra must be busy whispering in his ear constantly with all he knows. I would say his wisdom comes with age but not his intelligence and he's outsmarted more than his fair share in his time. His ammount of magical skill in second edition also takes a great deal of intelligence.


As for Liche's and Demi Liches. Any wizard with the propper spells and level with the guts to face the possible failure can turn themselves into a liche. If you want to be a real freak do it to yourself when your of good alignment. I can only imagine a demi liche is an extention of that. Either way in table top these things are notoriously hard to kill and more than one has lost it's body to eventually come back worse than they were. Realistically by the rules of such things the Liche's that you kill in the game should be reappearing in Athlatka in time because you don't destroy their philacrity.

Damn us for unleashing Kangaxx. But it's somebody elses problem later.

 

Elminster is a very off-limits character pen&paper wise. IIRC he is an excessive dual-class, he has cleric, thief, fighter levels and now is an arch-magi. True that he has lived long, and according to AD&D rules, as the chaarcters age, they lose STR DEX and CON but gain INT and WIS. So, rules-wise, he can be very smart and wise indeed! And since Mystra has chosen him, I don't think he succumbs to the neagative effects of aging.

In the books he is generally a really annoying character, everybody loves and respects him as he is 'good' but one must always be careful as he is rather 'chaotic'. So much for that.

Demi-liches are so notoriıously hard to kill in PnP, and they are even deadlier, they do not use 'Imprisonment' spells, they just steal your soul as your body dissolves into nothing! You know this means real trouble, it will be too hard for you to come back! Your friends should first kill the Demi-lich, take its teeth in which he stores souls, then they must find appropriate ways and a body for you to return back. (reincarnate, wish, or your clone will do, ressurection is useless now.)

 

It is true that demilitches are deadly, but Elmister is still the "most" intelligent.

Naturally my vote matched that opinion.

 

I voted Elminster largely because of my P&P experience, but also because something always seems to go wrong with Irenicus' and Saemon's plans, whether it's relying on a vampire to kill you or giving away a sacred sword without disappearing soon afterwards.

Kangaxx can't be that smart if he was broken and imprisoned, anyway.

 

Yeah that kind of does include the idea that he was outsmarted by the mortal wizards doesn't it? So power clearly does not equate to vast intelligence for him.

 

Most intelligent NPC? Firkraag. Not necessarily the most powerful, but his intelligence is unquestioned (except in battle ). His plans actually work. Even Elminster can be thwarted.