Ple-Sen
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Not always. For example, Gula in Serberia wasn't overpowered, although she was a decent support character – the team relied heavily on other characters. But in Lungwort, yes, although NG+ also played a significant role there.
Added 9 minutes later
If I'm running the game, by the way, I was thinking of giving the characters a choice of a couple of abstract ideals instead of specific beliefs/philosophies, which could already be worship of a deity from their homeland, a branch of a major religion, a personal preference for certain aspects of the practiced faith, or simply a life philosophy. In my opinion, beliefs in their current form limit both RP (where there may often not be a suitable option, or a "neutral" option practically has no advantages, while someone else gets a ton of unique content in addition to being better from a gameplay perspective) and flexibility from a gameplay point of view.
Added 9 minutes later
If I'm running the game, by the way, I was thinking of giving the characters a choice of a couple of abstract ideals instead of specific beliefs/philosophies, which could already be worship of a deity from their homeland, a branch of a major religion, a personal preference for certain aspects of the practiced faith, or simply a life philosophy. In my opinion, beliefs in their current form limit both RP (where there may often not be a suitable option, or a "neutral" option practically has no advantages, while someone else gets a ton of unique content in addition to being better from a gameplay perspective) and flexibility from a gameplay point of view.