Wanna start a assasin or t/m

fuzzyelmo23

Hi
Im a new player and i want a a thief for backstabbing...i know the kit assassin is made for that but i wonder if a t/m multiclass can be good for backstabbing....i like the idea to be a mage to mix up my class.

Ogaburan

IMHO a m/t > assassin.
Think you can actually cast invisible.

If you dual classing, why not add a fighter to the mix. As an elf (+1 to long-bows/swords) you can become quite a good archer...

Riolathel

the ability to cast invisibility is not that great of perk.. especially when you consisder that assassins get poison weapon, better backstab modifiers, and the ability to wear leather armor (like shadow armor).

If you have a mage on your team you don't need one to get invis on your backstabber.. plus there are a lot of invis potions in the game

moopy

But M/T will end up with mislead backstabbing cheese in BG2.

Ogaburan

moopy said:

But M/T will end up with mislead backstabbing cheese in BG2.

Are you trying to say backstabbing is a cheesing mechanic?!
:O

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/files/import/i-5460a6100b8007fe7f9644c5fa5340e8-backstab.jpg

TJ_Hooker

Ogaburan said:

moopy said:

But M/T will end up with mislead backstabbing cheese in BG2.

Are you trying to say backstabbing is a cheesing mechanic?!
:O

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/files/import/i-5460a6100b8007fe7f9644c5fa5340e8-backstab.jpg




I think he's referring to backstabbing while using the spell Mislead. The spell grants you un-dispellable invisibility, that re-aplies itself instantly after performing an invisibility-breaking action, as long as the decoy created by the spell remains intact. So you can just stick the decoy somewhere safe and then go around backstabbing everyone repeatedly, staying invisible the whole time.

Murkve

I've not played an Assassin in BG as of yet, but I solo'd one in BGII - very fun class. Challenging to clear some areas, but fun none-the-less.

Your main damage dealer, believe it or not, will be "Poison Weapon". Rarely do you want to engage enemies in combat. Most combats for me were: Stealth:Poison:Backstab:Walk Away:Stealth:Clean-Up. Towards the end of BGII I had to start using traps, but I imagine in BG it's perfectly doable.

ZanathKariashi

I don't really use poison on the BS...you could just use the dagger of venom for that sort of thing. I usually use the poison with darts or the tuigan bow to take out a group of enemies that hit/fade wouldn't work well against pre-boots of speed.

Oxford_Guy

ZanathKariashi said:

I don't really use poison on the BS...you could just use the dagger of venom for that sort of thing. I usually use the poison with darts or the tuigan bow to take out a group of enemies that hit/fade wouldn't work well against pre-boots of speed.

If you're not backstabbing, you might as well use a Blackguard for poison attacks, does the same thing

Kushu

But a Blackguard can't find and disarm traps.

Then again, in BGEE, neither can an assassin.
Those 15 Skillpoint levels hurt a LOT in the early game.

Oxford_Guy

Kushu said:

But a Blackguard can't find and disarm traps.

Then again, in BGEE, neither can an assassin.
Those 15 Skillpoint levels hurt a LOT in the early game.

Tru, though in BG2 a Blackguard will be able to cast Sanctuary on him/herself, enabling poisoned stealth attacks (though not backstabs, nor with the true stealth initial attack THAC0 bonus) against enemy mages etc. as an opener

Qidz

Im quite experienced solo player and i can give you advice;

Start with human assassin with str/dex/con 18. Earn enough experience to achieve level 6 ( only 20k if i remember well).

You will get access to backstab *3 and its enough points to get ~80% in open locks and disarm traps (or 100+ hide and some move silently if you are playing with other thief's in party) and 2 uses of poison.

Poison coating will be your main damage dealer. You can poison you're targets multiple times so be sure, you are using a fast weapon like ... darts! (or better: melf's minute meteors if dual classed to mage)

After dual, when you reach level 7 (reasonable short time) of fighter you should be able to throw 5 darts in one round! You will become a thao of poison I assure you

Light crossbow of speed with additional attack would be best alternative to darts. Special bolts and darts have great mods which improve crowd control.

Whats more - you can backstab for triple damage by using rings and potions of invisibility in full plate mail

Remember that dual TO fighter (not from) is the only way to achieve (very fast by the way) grandmastery proficiency level in game. Pure fighter cant get it in BG1 because of level cap.

guston

If you are new to the game I suggest the fighter/thief multi class. It's a powerful and foolproof combo. See the assassin doesn't get a better back stab multiplier than a regular thief until lv 17. Lv 10 is the highest you are going to get get in BGEE. So if you go the assassin route all that you are getting is +1 to hit and damage and the ability to poison your weapon in exchange for 10 less thief skill points per level up. With a fighter/thief you get more hit points, an extra attack per round, much higher damage/accuracy from extraordinary strength+weapon specialization+fighter THAC0. The extra hit/damage will also make you much better at backstabbing than an assassin. Finally you can drink a potion of cloud giant strength (pure thieves aren't allowed to) and give yourself 24 strength for some super ultra mega back stab damage. It's a powerful and merciful class. Guaranteed not to leave you behind enemy lines with your hands in your pockets because you missed with your back stab attempt and are almost incapable of defending yourself in an honest fight.

cbarchuk

^ Listen to this guy. He's spot on and a fighter/thief multi continues to get more powerful going into BG2 as well as ToB. There simply isn't a better alternative. It's biggest advantage later on is being able to pull from fighter and thief HLA's. This is just awesome sauce. Very strong class from beginning to end.

Edwin

I would like to point out my fascination that the word assassin has two ass's in it.

Quartz

Edwin said:

I would like to point out my fascination that the word assassin has two ass's in it.

treemonkeys

What about the actual assassin kit, is it any good by itself without dual or multi classing?

Madhax

treemonkeys said:

What about the actual assassin kit, is it any good by itself without dual or multi classing?

It's not great in BG1. You'll be hurting badly for thief skillpoints, and the superior backstab multiplier doesn't kick in until higher levels in the sequel. All you have to hold you over until then is a measly +1 to hit and damage.

[Deleted User]

Madhax said:

treemonkeys said:

What about the actual assassin kit, is it any good by itself without dual or multi classing?

It's not great in BG1. You'll be hurting badly for thief skillpoints, and the superior backstab multiplier doesn't kick in until higher levels in the sequel. All you have to hold you over until then is a measly +1 to hit and damage.

And poison weapon, though only a couple uses of that per day.

Pantalion

Assassin: Basically a thief with Poison Weapon and bad skill point progression.

Mage/Thief: Basically a mage with a better THAC0 progression, weapon selection, backstabs and even more utility than usual.

Of the two, the Mage/Thief is hilariously superior, because mages are hilariously superior to thieves in general, and the ability to replace three of the thief skills entirely with spells.

A Mage/Thief can easily enter stealth via a spell; unlike the aforementioned "potions and rings" plan, this is not limited; there are finite charges and finite potions, all of which are better used in emergencies.

A Mage/Thief gets the same backstab progression as the Assassin, but they only get x3 backstab compared to x4 compared to a pure thief of any type, and the assassin hits x6 shortly after the M/T catches up to x5.

Meanwhile however, whilst the Assassin is getting an extra multiplier, a Mage/Thief can produce things like the Black Blade of Disaster to backstab with.

A Mage/Thief can use unique mage weapons which help backstabbing, again, pre-epic, and mage only tools that help in the times you're facing things that are immune to backstabs - which are quite numerous.

Mage/Thief gets the best skill point progression, which more than offsets the fewer levels they receive. Compared to a level 10 Assassin, a level 7/8 mage/thief gets 215 skill points compared to 175; barely enough to max out stealth, and no stealth, no backstabs. Not only does a Mage/Thief get more points, they arguably not even need Hide, Move Silently or Open Lock, meaning more points free for Set Snare, Detect Traps and Detect Illusions.

Moving into BGII, a Mage/Thief closes the gap even further, easily covering all the important skills without trouble, just in case you decided you'd sooner spend your level 2 spell slots on completely disabling your opponents and leaving them helpless, which as a Mage, you can totally do. By ToB, at the Exp cap, your Mage/Thief will have 700+ skill points, your Assassin will have 630 or so.

Mage/Thiefs need poison? They either summon spider minions to apply it, or polymorph into a spider to apply with extreme prejudice.

Mage/Thieves not dealing enough backstab damage? Simulacrum: Enjoy your x10 Backstab multiplier.

Stoneskin? Mage/Thieves get Melf's Minute Meteors, which peel off layers of skins two at a time.

Honestly, if you solely want to be a backstabber you should play the Assassin, as a Mage/Thief, you've got so many other powerful tools at your fingertips in the form of wands, spells and summons that backstabbing is likely to take a backseat, whereas for than the majority of your arsenal.