Ajantis Ilvastarr

"We follow the righteous path, the path of Helm." Ajantis Ilvastarr is a Lawful Good human paladin and a possible companion in the first Baldur's Gate. He also has a cameo in Baldur's Gate II. As a paladin with good strength and constitution, Ajantis makes for a good front-line combatant & tank and also a good party leader, thanks to his high charisma. He is a great addition to any good aligned party.

Ajantis is the only paladin - a paladin of Helm, that is - companion in the original game and a member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart. He originally hails from Waterdeep and is Keldorn's squire. On a quest to fight the bandits and put an end to their operations, he traveled to the region, in hopes of proving his worth as a paladin.

Baldur's Gate
Ajantis has come to the region to fight the bandits and prove his worth to the Order, hoping it will earn him knighthood.

Location
He can be found in the area north of the Friendly Arm Inn, standing on the road south of the fishing village. If dismissed from the party, he will wait wherever the player left him.

Statistics
Ajantis' level, skills and equipment upon initially picking him up scale according to the average party level. He will either be level 2, 4 or 6.

 Recruited at  level 2   (his minimum) he has 20 HP, and has already missed out 4 HP (according to his class as well as Constitution he should have 24). He comes equipped with   chain mail,   helmet ,   medium shield  and   bastard sword. He has Weapon Proficiencies in:
 * Bastard Sword ++
 * Two-handed Sword +
 * Longbow +

His Special Abilities at level 2 are:
 * Turn Undead Level: 0 (not yet active)
 * Lay on Hands Amount: 4 (x1)
 * Detect Evil (x5)
 * Protection From Evil (x2)

When recruited at level 6 he has 45 hp, and has missed out a whopping 27 HP out of a possible 72. If you failed to get him when he's level 2 you may as well use him as Ankheg food.

At level 6 he has the Weapon Proficiencies: This is a rather poor skill set, as the Bastard Sword that he initially specialized in, and comes equipped with, is a one-handed weapon. It is far better to recruit him early, both to maximize his hp and to better manage his proficiencies. In Enhanced Edition, you can choose how to spend the experience points of Ajantis if he's under-leveled when he first joins. The max XP he can have is 32,000.
 * Bastard Sword ++
 * Two-handed Sword ++
 * Longbow +
 * Two-Handed Weapon Style +

Next to  Safana,  Ajantis' Charisma of 17 is the highest of any companion in the game, making him an excellent leader for good-aligned parties to gain store discounts and favourable Reaction adjustments.

Relationships

 * Ajantis will eventually attack any of the evil party members.
 * Ajantis despises Dorn Il-Khan and if he joins the party, Ajantis will leave. However, if Ajantis joins the party after Dorn, Dorn will not leave. They will still eventually fight though.

In-game biography
"When asked about his past, Ajantis announces that he is a squire-paladin of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and that he enforces the power and discipline of Helm. He belongs to the noble family of Ilvastarr in Waterdeep, and studied swordplay under such as Myrmith Splendon. His skill and devotion apparently brought him to the attention of the paladin Keldorn, one of the most respected of the order, who decided to take Ajantis under his wing as a squire. Recently Ajantis has asked for the honor of becoming a full-fledged member of the order. To accomplish this he has traveled to the Sword Coast, in order to curtail the increased humanoid activities in the region. If he succeeds in his quest the order will vote on his eligibility for membership. He seems utterly devoted to his mission."

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
In Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Ajantis has a short appearance in the quest Journey to the Windspear Hills. When the player first enters the Windspear Hills, a group of monsters will attack the party. Once they lay dead on the ground, it is revealed that they were actually a group of paladins of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, disguised by a spell from  Lord Jierdan Firkraag. If Anomen or Keldorn are in the party, they will identify their leader as Ajantis.

Personality
Ajantis is a hot-headed do-gooder who senses evil everywhere and is rather quick to jump to conclusions. He is determined and dutiful and not afraid to die for the greater good. But he also rather naive and sees the world in only black and white. Furthermore, he is a gentleman and will make sure people behave when women are around.

Trivia

 * Ajantis' portrait is based on BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka.
 * He is also one of the main characters of the 1998 promotional Baldur's Gate comic.