78 replies to this topic

[Jinnai]

I think i remember hearing from someone offical, I think it was Skip Williams but I don't want to quote him, that although dwarves, elves and half-elves live much longer, they do grow up in their early years much more rapidly. Its only when they hit puberty they slow down. I think they made that distinction because people pointed out how odd several things would be, such as someone staying as a newborn for close to 75 years as an elf, etc. It still takes a bit longer, but they said not much. Besides even in nature where species develop from youth very rapidly to keep from being a burden on their parents.

That would still however mean Imoen would also be physically older than the pc still.

Now I'm imagining a poor, unfortunate elf, having to go through a puberty that lasts 80 years or so.

Maybe longer. The inital stages of puberty would go by faster because as mentioned it is at this time that the aging process would slow down much more.

[Archmage Silver]

I think that BioTeam just made her to be a mage because it fit into the game since the cowled weaklings had to capture her for using magic and so on blah bla....

[Alandrea]

I personally preferred Imoen as a theif. I wish they'd just given her the innate ability to cast magic missile. It would have still fit with the plot and could even have been a gift from daddy.

[Koyasha]

I've noticed a lot of people seem to have a tendency to regard non-humans as 'slow to grow up', but this tends not to be the case if you look through official AD&D stories, novels, etc. There are a few obscure examples I can probably think of given a few minutes, but the most obvious example that comes to mind is from R.A. Salvatore's books. Read Homeland, and you'll note that Drizzt and other Dark Elves grow up at the same rate as humans, perhaps just a shade slower. By the time they're 25, they're in Tier Breche and all grown up. Drizzt himself is less than 100 in 1372 DR. From this and other writings about other elven types, it's obvious that the starting age of Elves as 100+ is simply because of 'typical Elven upbringing'. They learn lots and lots of stuff that is unrelated to their class; elvish history, music, dance, etc. And spend a good deal of time just....being lazy and sitting about, from one point of view, but the entire concept is different for an elf.

Even if the PC is an elf, they are still quite young. It doesn't seem like Bhaal foresaw the Time of Troubles over 100 years in the past. Plus the obvious fact that Gorion rescued them... Even as a mage, he wouldn't be that old. The mages who are are few and powerful. And that Sarevok was a child at the same time as the PC, and he's human. So many little things make it obvious that all races grow up reasonably fast, it's just their cultures that 'normally' stop them from adventuring early on. How they grow up also partly defines their state of mind...so I don't see characters thinking or acting 'young' if they're raised by humans and around humans.

[LordKableNikon]

I think imoen should of been a bard but that is just me.

[Stone Wolf]

Well, to go back on topic briefly...

I'd suggest that as she moved about the world and saw all the suffering, she decided that she could do more to help people if she knew magic. She's is Good after all. She might already have known that she has the aptitude from her time in Candlekeep.

Alternately, she might have decided that it would be easier to steal stuff if she knew magic. That does freeze her Thief levels, but maybe nobody explained the dual-classing rules to her.

[Jinnai]

Even if the PC is an elf, they are still quite young. It doesn't seem like Bhaal foresaw the Time of Troubles over 100 years in the past.

He did according to Bioware. That is the whole basis behind the story and why he created progeny.
No one knows how he saw the future, how he came to the world and kept his powers when none of the other gods could outside avatars, nor what his final itention was.
On a sidenote, it is also a mystery how Bane came back.

[Asynca]

My 0.02c:

Imoen learnt how to be a thief out of necessity in Candlekeep. It's naughty (and therefore fun), it cured boredom, it got her what she wanted and out of things she didn't want...

But now that need is gone.

She's bright, magic probably comes very easily to her. I CAN'T see her swatting over a book and spending a lot of time studying - as if she'd waste her time Probably she picked up a scroll, thought "Hey, I can remember /that/!" and it went from there.

Alternatively, (and also in a way that strokes my charname's ego) she absolutely adores Charname. My charname is a mage, perhaps she thought she'd give it a shot as well.

As for the plot device argument - there are much simpler ways to get arrested by the cowled wizards that changing her whole career. I think the more likely argument is the Bioware thought that people would prefer her to be a Mage (and at least, in my case, they were absolutely right).

[Lord Kain]

Bioware intended to have Imoen become a mage, plain and simple if you compare her stats to other NPC's in the 1st baldur's gate she has by far the best stats and even in BG2 her stats are awsome. And in most cases she'd have better scores in the 1st baldur's gate then the PC.

I also think Bioware planed for Imoen to be a fellow bhaalspawn. She's a character who will stand by yourside no matter what path you take.

Why did Imoen become a mage? liky so she could help her friend the PC no matter what he/she needs. As a thief the best she could do was open a locked, disable some traps and maybe pick pocket a few items. She lacked the strength have much of an effect with a backstab and a spell caster can open doors and set of traps with summoned monsters.

[Kellen]

I always thought of Immy getting her mage powers rather like a sorcerer. She learned that she had a gift for magic and began practicing that. I also always matched her hair to her changing to a mage somehow, probably a spell gone wrong(or maybe a spell gone very right )

[Kellen]

Sarevok could duel to a mage and thief because he had 17 Dex and Int...

[Discordia]

the most logical reason to me is simply that she could. but thats game mechanics.

personally i liked the bg1 npc banter mod wherein she picks up tarneshs spell book and is studying therein throughout your campaign and even creating an artifact called imoens spellbook i think it casts master thievery which is pretty good if you dual her to mage because thusly she has a way to improve her usually (or in the endgame) rather menial thieving skills...hopefully this isnt taken away upon the transition to bg2 which i havent tried yet...with this mod that is...but luckily there is shadowkeeper.

anyway...her interest in magic is made quite clear therein, which as a mod if course not canonical but gets you a nice background as to the whys of her becoming a mage.
interest combined with the possibility of doing so usually leads to results...