Character Actions

The basic actions you perform in the Realms are simple: wander the landscape, speak with the denizens, and occasionally swing a sword.

Movement

There is one constant movement rate in Baldur's Gate. Characters move more quickly while under the effects of a Haste spell or while wearing certain magical equipment.

You can group-select characters and move them in various formations — formation details are covered in The Sword Coast Survival Guide.

Dialogue

Killing everything you meet eventually causes problems:

• You'll never finish the quests if there's no one left to talk to.
• Your reputation will fall to the point where every guard attacks you on sight — and you will not survive that.

Sometimes the best response is to talk — casual conversation, hardball negotiation, jovial rumour-swapping, or intimidating threats. Help often appears in the most surprising forms, so it pays to take the time to talk.

Fighting

Sooner or later your characters must fight. The real skill lies in knowing when to fight, when to talk, and when to run. Combat mechanics are detailed under Combat.

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Source: bgee/original_manuals/baldurs_gate_1_ee_mastering_melee_and_magic.pdf — "Character Actions" section.