Minsc

A slightly insane character in the Baldur's Gate RPG who you can have join your party. He believes that a hamster that he carries around with him named Boo is actually from outer space and talks to him. He has some of the funniest lines in the whole game...

"GO FOR THE EYES, BOO! GO FOR THE EYES!"
"DEATH TO YOU ALL!" (even when there's only one minor enemy)

Other notables...

• "Come closer, so that my hamster may have a better look at you." (which is funny because hamsters are nearsighted)
• "You point, I punch."
• "Adventure, excitement, this is the life, eh Boo?"

I'm not sure if I got the exact quotes there, but he says the first when you meet him, the second when you're directing him, and the third when you have good rep and you're just standing around. Oh yeah, and Boo is a miniature giant space hamster, which is slightly more funny than just being from space.

Minsc is a ranger on a mission to save Dynaheir, who's been captured by gnolls. My affinity for fighters, clerics, and druids forced me to save Dynaheir, so Minsc would stay with me, and then let her get killed, so I could get back that Paladin (you know, the Helm paladin).

Baldur's Gate II character who was also with you in the original Baldur's Gate. As the other writeups have pointed out - Minsc is loopy: but he's also a damn fine tank who wields two handed swords.

Of course, if you're a fighter type who wields two handed swords, he's more or less pointless - seeing as how one of the most important aspects of party dynamics in BGII is making certain there are no weapon competitions going on. Best to stick to one person in the party wielding a given weapon type - that makes things much easier as you never have to have party members wielding inferior devices at a given time.

And yes, Minsc doesn't have the stats to be a ranger - but he's had a head injury in his past, give him a break.

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Stats:
Strength: 18/93
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 6
Charisma: 9

Race: Human
Class: Ranger
Alignment: Chaotic Good

Here are some more choice Minsc-isms:

'I need aid soon, lest my hamster become an orphan.'
'I must get help - Boo is yet too young to avenge me.'
Both when badly injured.

'We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!'
'Boo says - What?
'Butt-kicking for goodness!'
'Evil lurking around every corner - careful not to step in any.'

By the way, Minsc revives the old Gold Box series tradition of naming characters after towns and cities in the west of the former USSR - being named after Minsk, of course. The ones that spring to my mind are Vilnius and Klaipeda, but there were others.

Update: It must be the former Eastern Bloc - I just found a reference to a character called Belgrade.