I ask this because I have seen people divided on Gale as a character. More times than not, he is seen either as a narcissistic, dishonest man who only wishes to rob you of magical items or he is charming and witty who has been trying to face the consequences of decisions made by a folly, younger self. Recently, I have seen people make him out to be the former, pointing to how (if you romance him) he withhold his secret because telling Tav before because he suspects that he would not be able to sleep with them and how he appeals to Tav's good nature to benefit only himself. On the other hand, people have also found him to be rather charming and witty (if a bit cheesy at times), stating that he is trying to come to terms and rectify the mistake he made that brought about the situation he finds himself in.

I find myself in the latter camp. Haven't gotten around to romancing Gale myself, but I have watched enough videos about all of the characters to achieve a decent image of who they are (though that method is flawed in its own ways). I have forged a friendship with Gale in almost every playthrough and I feel he is genuinely a good person (while still suffering from his inflated ego after being a prodigy all his life). The way he reacts to your actions indicates that he is empathetic and wishes to help others when they are in trouble, especially when it comes to children. He also is reflective and regretful, as demonstrated during the romance when he fails to cast a spell he could once do with ease. When you persuade him to open up, he comes out and states to you that he has been abandoned by Mystra and he is struggling with this new reality of his. Moving to when he reveals his alarming truth, I can only think about what he might be thinking at that moment. He recognizes that he did something immensely dangerous and stupid (agreeing with you if you state as much) and he has burned badly by his first love. In my mind (and I can certainly relate to him in a way), he is simply trying to protect himself and opening up is a sign of trust, honesty, and willingness to be vulnerable. He doesn't want to hurt people if he can help it and will isolate himself to make sure that no one else suffers for his mistake. If you reject him, the sadness and defection on his face is all too visible for us to see and the elation/relief in his voice when you don't reject him is palpable. As far as I can tell, he is no narcissist. In my mind, he is far too empathetic, open to criticism, and (at times) self-degrading. If anything, he is too much of a romantic for his own good.

But enough ranting from me; what do you all think? I'm curious to hear what my fellow players think about our magical ally.

Last edited by DiscountCanadian; 27/03/21 09:30 PM.