26 replies to this topic

[Illegitimus]

It seems to me that having both Isabela/Aveline or Fenris/Anders on friendship potentially harms the player's RP. This makes your Hawke seem like a rather undefined individual.

Yes, yes, I'm aware that the approval system can be easily manipulated if you know how to do it. That's not the point. The problem is how the game treats the friendship and rivalry duality.

Friend!Isabela talks about how she likes the fact that you don't mind getting your hands dirty. Meanwhile, what pleases Aveline is helping keep the order without breaking the law. Rival!Anders literally believes you support the templars and friendship with Fenris requires not exposing him too much to your pro mage activities.

Do you see how glaring the inconsistency becomes in Hawke's character by pleasing either of these opposite duos?

 

I don't find it to be very inconsistent to refrain from inviting Aveline along when when I'm committing burglaries or bribing city officials.  It's just being considerate enough to not want to put my friend in awkward positions.  

[springacres]

I don't find it to be very inconsistent to refrain from inviting Aveline along when when I'm committing burglaries or bribing city officials.  It's just being considerate enough to not want to put my friend in awkward positions.  

Is it bad that this actually never occurred to me before?  But you're absolutely right on this one.  Aveline's honest, but hobbled by Kirkwall's power vacuum.  Even when Viscount Dumar is alive, he's at best an ineffectual ruler.  Officials like Jeven and Meredith hold the real power in Kirkwall, and once Aveline takes over as guard captain, she's still hobbled - in part by her association with Hawke & Co., in part by her inability to touch certain other criminals because of their social status (see, e.g., Gascard DuPuis and Magistrate Vanard - I know the latter is in Act 1, but still.)