who is the coolest NPC?

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@Ivellos: Check my edited post... Hope it sheds some light on why i think she is the Best Addition.

 

I'm an experienced player (so are you).
The real power is Korgan. Maybe another NPC could defeat him (but you're pulling the strings), but who's gonna be the most useful for the party? Who's gonna handle beholders, illithids, and liches, including Kangaxx? Jaheira? Come on! The evil dwarf does it all by himself. Korgan has the "berserk" ability, the best parade against imprisonment.
As he levels up, his saving throws are "powergaming" style, nothing can reach him.
I give him the best equipment (but no strength enhancer) and he becomes a real killing machine.
Keldorn, this racist prig, needs items you can normally have only very late in the game, to become "overbalanced", until that he's only useful for his "true sight" and "dispell magic" abilities, Korgan is effective right from the beginning.
Edwin is cool, and what happens with him is very fun. Apparently, Bioware liked him very much. But the Staff of the Magi isn't available until late, and the Robe of Vecna is cheesy and not included in the normal game.
I like Vic very much, but I wonder now, after several games, if she's not overrated. Her MR is chancy. Generally, she brings little to the party.
Maybe Jaheira is underrated, she's a convincing fighter, but give her Str 19, with sling + club+3. And a druid.
Imoen is the best addition, because she's a competent thief (you need no other one) and wizard.

 

Coolest (is that even a word? coldest? most cool?): Cernd. The guy's a nice passive, stand-offish caring down-to-earth guy. His personality and speech is a reflection of his 18 wisdom score. And the fact that this all turnes around when he shapechanges into a greater-werewolf and becomes a feral killing machine. Keep him at the back of the party with iron skins on and run like crazy when things start attacking him. Cast his druid spells like crazy, try to disable enemies (especially spellcasters). If you're losing on the front lines shapechange and give him room.

Best addition: I always find the warrior classes the best addition to a party. They're the ones with the battlecrys going off "Blood and glory, now ye' DIE!" So I'd have to say Korgan with his insane CON ability and the fact that you can make him a ranged and melee bastard of fury if you give him Axe of Unyielding, K'logarath, Runehammer/Crom Faeyr and keep Dwarven Thrower (super handy with boots of speed in the fire-giant lair, I took on all the giants with Korgan alone just running around hiffing the hammer at them doing insane damage 2D4 +3 +8 +Str bonus). Korgan is always there to save my mage when he's under attack and hits hard disrupting enemy spellcasters if you give him a steady support of breach spells.

Underrated: Aerie. Bag 'o tricks. Give her robe of Vecna (sp?) and amulet of power and she'll heal you faster than anything. Sometimes in the later games when my front-line is falling I cast timestop, Improved Alacrity and go on a healing spree. She's the best thing for a melee-heavy party if you just make her a healer/dispeller.

Overrated: Minsc. Not actually that good of a warrior. The only thing he has over Keldorn is his STR and DEX yet you'll be using equipment to boost those anyway (dex gloves for Keldorn are a must) and Minsc ain't that handy in a spell-battle always failing his saves vs. charm and confusion (this strong party member is especially useful when he's ATTACKING MY CLERIC!). Keldorn just out-does him in every way. Boo is cute, fuzzy but not actually that useful... he takes up a quickslot damnit!

 

"Underrated: Cernd. (Maybe not in vanilla SoA, but with the Ease-of-Use mod, he's THE TANK!)"

absolutely - he becomes a proper greater werewolf like he originally should have been

although i think his ability to cast spells while being in wolf form makes him overpowered

another underrated charater =
mazzy - machine gun, wizard disrupter and heals herself when necessary - fast, good melee ability and only 3 foot!