Brainstorming Companion Character Ideas

[injurai]

​

Kaeral, a former priestess of Berath that has been forcibly placed in fampyric form by a sociopathic animancer seeking revenge for causing the loss of his research. She is entrapped by a collar that forces her to serve the various humiliating whims of her new master, and prevents her from seeking her own demise. The destruction of Caed Nua has temporarily left her free of the animancers control (for reasons unknown), and now she seeks a noble ending to her miserable life in a place far from her home.

 

Is she romancable? Eh... it might get a bit weird.

 

Collars are so hot right now

[Osvir]

"Find Falanroed, the dragonslayer"

​

​And depending on which choice you took in Pillars 1, she'd either be the dragonslayer she is, or simply the host for the Master Below.

 

[Ninjamestari]

Kaeral, a former priestess of Berath that has been forcibly placed in fampyric form by a sociopathic animancer seeking revenge for causing the loss of his research. She is entrapped by a collar that forces her to serve the various humiliating whims of her new master, and prevents her from seeking her own demise. The destruction of Caed Nua has temporarily left her free of the animancers control (for reasons unknown), and now she seeks a noble ending to her miserable life in a place far from her home.

 

Is she romancable? Eh... it might get a bit weird.

 

Am I being an **** if I'd like to put that collar back on her before accepting her into my party? :D

 

Seriously, a weird romance is worth a thousand ordinary ones

[LuccA]

I have strong reasons to believe it will be a pale elf.

 

First of all, it is the only PoE exclusive subrace that haven't been covered yet in both games. Counting both games, I think we already have island and coastal aumaua, hearth and wild orlan, a boreal dwarf, ocean and savannah folk and a godlike. I know there was no mountain dwarfs either, but that's more like a different name for regular dwarfs (like meadow folk and wood elves).

 

Second, The White that Wends is south, right? Maybe it is somewhat close to the Deadfire Archipelago.

 

By the lore, pale elves seem to be known as isolated and with cold, stoic personalities. I would love to see the narrative designers explore that, maybe a pale elf that is naturally cold and uptight, but has a hidden sense of humour and a drive to try and be more open and expressive than his peers, I don't know...   

[Messier-31]

I have strong reasons to believe it will be a pale elf.

 

That would mean there is no dwarf compapnion whatsoever.

 

I declare shenanigans 

 

#teammalemountaindwarf

Edited February 7, 2017 by Messier-31

[Andraste]

I, too, hope that the unrevealed companion is a mountain dwarf. (Sagani is one of my favourites and I hope we get to travel to Massuk and meet her family in POE2, but we've already had a Boreal dwarf companion so it's time for a change.)

 

Now, for an eighth companion stretch goal, I would like to see a female pale elf or another godlike. (Or a female pale elf who is a godlike, I guess.)

[Blades of Vanatar]

Remember there will be expansions so there will be more than 8 NPCs.

 

Dwarven Skaldlike Chanter would be interesting. Possibly with a peg leg or hook that can act as a non-removable 2nd weapon.

[injurai]

Will there be expansions? I mean, I suppose I'm hoping so. They are probably a good return on investment. But I don't recall hearing any word on those yet.

[gibonez]

All I want is more evil characters. It really is far too hard to form a party of evil characters in most CRPGS.

 

An Anti paladin such as the blackguard Dorn from the enhanced edition of Baldurs gate 2.

[blotter]

 Remember there will be expansions so there will be more than 8 NPCs.

 

 

I hope you're right, but it's worth noting that they could easily make an expansion without adding new NPCs to the roster.

 

I'd be interested in having a matured Wicht barbarian/cipher (or maybe druid with the shapeshifter subclass) as one of the NPCs. The ones we met in the original game were way too feral for that to work, but they occupy an interesting space in the Vessel continuum: they aren't technically undead and the full course of their development has yet to be observed. Perhaps they develop increasing levels of sentience as they progress through their teens and into early adulthood, or perhaps the ending of Waidwen's Legacy triggered changes in the course of their development.

Especially if you returned the souls of the hollowborn to their original bodies, but even the other options could potentially disrupt the Wichts' internal dynamics enough to have unpredictable effects on them over the years to come.

It could provide a callback to the Legacy, an opportunity to explore the implications of your endgame decisions, and offer a unique perspective on the events of the first game.

Edited February 7, 2017 by blotter

[Ninjamestari]

I definitely wouldn't say no to a female elf. I think I've had enough of feminine elf-men and masculine warrior-women to last a life time. Every single game, book, film and TV show is filled with them. A good traditional beautiful elf-maiden, preferably a wizard or priest, would fit my party perfectly. The challenge of being an intellectual woman aren't really explored that well in fiction usually, and a wizard would do well for that role. Powerful, inquisitive and intuitive, but also fragile, frightened and vulnerable with the dichotomy between her feminine desires and instincts that drive her towards nurturing and caring and the dire circumstances combined with her powerful abilities that push her towards violent confrontations.

 

Now add her, the beefcake Paladin I was hoping for in my first post and Trusty Eder who, if I've understood correctly, is making a comeback, and my party is only one person short. Unless of course fortune truly smiles upon us and we actually get to keep our six person parties.

 

One type of character that I haven't had the pleasure of having in my party very often is a calculating, charismatic, cold-hearted psychopath. I don't mean the "I kill puppies and eat babies" kinda psychopath that just likes to see suffering, but more a driven person with an agenda who doesn't really care who gets in his way. I like how Kane is portrayed in the original Command and Conquer, that commanding presence with hardly any emotion getting through. These types of characters are typically the villains, I know, but it'd be interesting to have one as a party member. You'd never be quite sure if you'll ever wake up again when you press that "camp" button with him in your party.

[jones092201]

Male dwarf hadn't gotten much love (exception verric, da2 inquisition) in quite a while. Wouldn't mind a dwarf who wasn't the stereotypical drunken braggart ( or, if he was, really go for it)...

Love to see a dwarf with a deeply arcane storyline-- like a chanter searching the death song of his people, and is highly summon based, replacing all regular chanter summons with spirits of his ancestors

- if you've been watching Taboo, by any chance, that's what I'm thinking

Tom hardy dwarf style

Minus the invest

Maybe

 

...

..

.

 

Okay, no dwarf incest

[jones092201]

All I want is more evil characters. It really is far too hard to form a party of evil characters in most CRPGS.

 

An Anti paladin such as the blackguard Dorn from the enhanced edition of Baldurs gate 2.

 

 

Good point- I don't usually play evil characters but I like having them in the world, and having to interact with them.

[injurai]

^^^ To various things above:

​

​Yeah, not enough exploration of male dwarves beyond what as become their own stereotypes recently. Talk about type casting. Kind of frustrating.

​

​A certain kind of feminine archetype has for what feels like a good 8 years has also been on the way out. Which is basically whatever female elves tend to be. It would be nice actually seeing an old school female elf, and then actually writing her well. As opposed to acting like giving a women a ballet body is somehow revolting. Which is probably why people don't even attempt elves these days without turning them into something entirely different. So I'd very much like a killer she-elf to kick things up a notch. She'd probably make a great counter-part to that new female Aumuaua that I'm assuming we are getting given the official art.

​

​As far as evil characters. I don't want my companions to be too evil. Maybe cold and calculating. The Sherlock Holmes style benevolent sociopath. But I'd rather the truly deplorable evil to be left for the player character.

[Ninjamestari]

I wasn't talking strictly about an evil character, but rather the unpredictable kind that you really can't tell whether you can trust them even though you also really want to trust them. The kind of calculating psychopath that manipulates you to see their side of things and makes you hope that if you are useful and loyal to them, they'll be loyal to you in turn. The kind of character with such personality that you yearn for their approval, even though you're unsure of their true intentions and can't really get rid of that nagging feeling that they would betray you in a heartbeat if they deemed it beneficial to their goals. The kind that will treat you with kindness and respect as long as you're useful, ignores you if you're not and coldly disposes of you if you stand in their way.

[Micamo]

I wasn't talking strictly about an evil character, but rather the unpredictable kind that you really can't tell whether you can trust them even though you also really want to trust them. The kind of calculating psychopath that manipulates you to see their side of things and makes you hope that if you are useful and loyal to them, they'll be loyal to you in turn. The kind of character with such personality that you yearn for their approval, even though you're unsure of their true intentions and can't really get rid of that nagging feeling that they would betray you in a heartbeat if they deemed it beneficial to their goals. The kind that will treat you with kindness and respect as long as you're useful, ignores you if you're not and coldly disposes of you if you stand in their way.

So, what Durance was supposed to be? Problem with this kind of character is different players will react SUPER differently to them, and if you try to force the pc to react to them the way you intended them you get the most obnoxious kind of railroading, the kind where the DM forces your character to love his edgy pet character.

 

Also can you people please please send me a portal to your alternate universe where fantasy fiction is dominated by awesome masculine women and the dainty elf lady trope is dead forever? Thanks.

[DCParry]

A Xaurip chanter! What? What are you looking at? It is not a cliche idea and I resent the implication.

 

 

grumble grumble

[jones092201]

Wouldn't mind is iselmyr had her own class- say a rogue- and it functioned like a modal. Only iselmyr wouldn't switch back every time you wanted, and would sometimes lose control or take over control of Aloth if his health got low or he got ko'd'

[Leeuwenhart]

Like Kana gave insight about Aumaua/Rauatai we need a Mountain Dwarf and a Pale Elf too. Highlighting cultures.

 

Heck... we NEEDED that dwarf in White March!

[CottonWolf]

I just want a Vithrak cipher. 

 

"Will help human-creature!"

[Gromnir]

is not a useful query for us. if we were an obsidian writer, we would feel different, but as a player we want the developers to come up with companions we do not expect.  we want companions who surprise us with motivations and growth.  we want companions we did not actual imagine, but in hindsight, after playing the game, we cannot imagine how the game coulda' been made without the companion. 

 

give us what we ask for is doomed.  actual give folks exact what they want and they will hate you for it. make a game with a story and characters who is what is most asked for is gonna result in complaints o' derivative, over-familiar, tired and boring.  give Gromnir exact what he specific asked for is similar doomed, but we avoid such a problem by not asking.  

 

don't give us what we asked for.  make us wonder why we never thought to ask for the characters obsidian made for us in poe2.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[dukeisaac]

Male dwarf hadn't gotten much love (exception verric, da2 inquisition) in quite a while. Wouldn't mind a dwarf who wasn't the stereotypical drunken braggart ( or, if he was, really go for it)...

Love to see a dwarf with a deeply arcane storyline-- like a chanter searching the death song of his people, and is highly summon based, replacing all regular chanter summons with spirits of his ancestors

- if you've been watching Taboo, by any chance, that's what I'm thinking

Tom hardy dwarf style

Minus the invest

Maybe

 

...

..

.

 

Okay, no dwarf incest

Funny you bring up Taboo, the recent lore update made me think exactly of that show. +1 to a male dwarf with a shady background looking to cash into the luminous adra rush...

[Piero]

There are a lot nice ideas that wouldnt work relly well (or maybe just would require a lot of work) for a companion that will be on our side for all the game, but may be be added as temporal companions, maybe they die, leave the party to continue their lives, leave the party to become later our enemies, maybe they where our enemies form the beginning, idk.

[Greensleeve]

 

-snip- 

 

-snip-

 

Also can you people please please send me a portal to your alternate universe where fantasy fiction is dominated by awesome masculine women and the dainty elf lady trope is dead forever? Thanks.

 

 

Dear god, please do send us this portal. The dainty elf lady trope is the ****tiest, boringest, worstest trope in fantasy fiction. Let all women always be Brienne of Tarth or the like. It'd be refreshing as all hell. 

[evilcat]

The Animancer

With cool unique powers using fresh made corpses.

Secondary knack for healing, want to help just ppl great with pichforks.

Not evil at all, cynical good. Practical in action. Would love good fun and drunk, but hardly ever can go offguard.

Definetly dark humor.

Commening in rather pesimmist way, but this could be meta warning for player ("I never meet generous trader before")

Probably chanter since we have other classes.

Probably pale elf since that fits necromancer look (but dwarf would also be unexpected)

Literally wearing bone armour but that is tribe tradicion, it is all one big misconception.

Wandering since home tribe believed that everything bad happens in response to animancer and may got wrong ideas (kill the wicked).

Joining party: questgiver to any dead related quest (sooth raging spirits), dump lore, could help doing quest but player can do without (a bit harder), greatful and interesting in solving soul shattering alive god.

Memorable quote: "Yes i used his corpse, but he wasnt using it at the time, and it dosnt look much worse now."

Edited February 12, 2017 by evilcat