I'd agree with pretty much all of this. I think a party of misfits can work without a straight man though that archetype definitely makes it work better. Maybe it's forthcoming.
One thing that personally annoys me is the evil characters are so far into chaotic stupid territory I can't see them being played by more than a tiny minority of players. If you only have 9 characters why have 3+ that are almost entirely impossible to work with?
Also having an option to romance Shadowheart when she comes across as a special needs child is pretty creepy.
How in the...How did you come to the conclusion that Shadowheart comes across as a special needs child?
Because that's how she acts at all times? She's a 13 year old goth kid who's really a xx year old half elf and she's just discovered lying and lies like a four year old. She hasn't developed theory of mind yet so she can't think a step ahead to how the other party would respond to the lie or realise how obvious it is. She'll sit there with Shar all over her face saying she didn't take the Shar.
I think you are seriously misjudging that character, first when does she actually lie about anything, she does not tell you everything, but I have not see in any playthrough where she lies. I mean it could have something to do with her memories being wiped? She tends to try and mess with the main character to see how much character he has, like after you have the devil meeting. I don't really see anything "goth" about her at all, and she doesn't broadcast she is even a Shar follower until a few conversations in you finally get it out of her (if you win a dice roll to do so). Usually at the windmill, or if you win the roll in the cave temple near the owlbear.
Not to mention, I think your letting your own preferences jade your view in regards to the companions and the characters when you make comments like "I think a party of misfits can work without a straight man" I mean what the heck does that have anything to do with anything? I think the party is very diverse and has a few characters with varied background. But EVEN IF they did portray her as a "Goth 13 year old", that is a far cry from a special needs child.
