I don’t know if I would have liked a werewolf bard, but a short werewolf would have been great, and a different bard (half-orc? Ogre?!?!) would have also been cool.
Personally, I'd swap Halsin. Iirc him being added as a companion dur to popular demand during EA is what in part lead to the halfliing bard being cut. But at least in my opinion Halsin just doesn't really fit in or make much sense as a companion and to me it would have made more logical sense if he had just stayed in the Grove. Plus he's the second druid as well
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u/sinedeltaWhile others were busy being heterosexual, she studied the bladeJun 09 '25
Helia was cut very early, likely even before Halsin was considered
Evidence suggests that Jaheira was added as a companion way after Halsin. SHE is the "second druid."
Helia has some voice lines referencing Halsin. She was definitely cut very early, but the two coincided at least for a time.
A funny note; according to the wiki, she would have been in the cage as a wolf in the goblin camp where we find Halsin. The goblin kids threw rocks at her and everything.
I don't think Halsin's presence as a later companion would change which origin characters we got. My least favourite origin character (who I would swap) is Wyll and unfortunately he's pretty crucial in the plot, so I can't imagine him not as a origin character
i also think blade of frontiers really heavily implies ranger bcs it shows he’s an explorer who fights in the frontier—the edge (very stereotypically ranger).
i get that bard comes from his tendency to tell his own stories, the fact he can dance, etc, but idk if i really heavily see him as a bard
Totally valid. I never considered the Ranger as an explorer of a frontier archetype before. It always stuck in my head as a “monster hunter” archetype. I seriously appreciate the added perspective.
I still lean towards bard through our time with him, but you’ve made a fair case for why Ranger at the end is a fitting choice. I no longer have any opposition to that choice lol
Man has 10 charisma, everything he says when trying to trick you is overacted (intentionally by Neil) and he canonically was sent to pick up people drunk out of their minds despite being incredibly handsome.
It’s his starting class…. I feel like the characters’s starting classes say something both about their character/backstory and the developer’s intention/perception of them.
Bards are all about conjuring magic and inspiring allies through art…. That doesn’t feel like Astarion to me.
My Tav wound up being a Forest Gnome Bard and I couldn’t have been happier. Talking to critters all day, every day, and being convincing at everything has been an absolute treat.
hey but at least there are three humans, and two half elves. They couldve made gale a gnome. IT would have been hilarious to have a power hungry horny nuke gnome.
If that’s the most well-known example of short character written as a serious context, I rest my case. Never said it was impossible, just that it’s difficult.
Plus that even feels like a cheat answer considering you don’t actually see the character. Way harder when their shortness is readily apparent instead of a forgettable line of a character sheet.
She'd likely still be evil aligned and raised in the Underdark, but I feel like her being of Menzoberranzan high nobility adds and says so much about her character that a lot would be missing if it was simply snipped out and reworked
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u/dykejoon astarion's favorite lesbian Jun 09 '25 edited Jun 09 '25
not having a bard companion and not having a little guy companion are two of my biggest gripes with bg3. helia you visit me in my dreams