Are thief abilities preferred in BG?

Pr0jectseph

Hi,

I am playing the game for the first time, and am wanting to carry over a character I play in BG1:EE, to BG2:EE.
So preferably I'd like something useful throughout both games.

Ideally I'd like to play as a thief/Sorcerer multiclass. But it seems I can't. And most multiclass options seem too plain. And I don't wish to play human.
And I don't wish to play a mage.

Now I'm wondering, if I just say "screw it" and play a sorcerer, am I going to miss out on heaps of content as I can't unlock chests/doors and pickpocket etc.

Bit lost on what to do. Will I meet characters that can fill the role of a thief for me? Should I even bother with a thief myself?

A bit lost here.

Thanks!


--also--
Does Int affect spell dmg? Or since a sorcerer learns spells naturally, can you place stats in other areas?

Ryofu

previously there was no pure single class thief you could use the whole game. now with Hexxat there is one, however she is evil so she might not fit well in a good party

Pr0jectseph

Ryofu said:

previously there was no pure single class thief you could use the whole game. now with Hexxat there is one, however she is evil so she might not fit well in a good party

Soz, but didn't really answer my q's. Still uncertain of things.

Fafnir

There's plenty of available thieves in both games, so don't worry about having to cover the skills yourself.
Sorcerers don't need Int - nor any other stat, technically speaking.

Mind you, the fact that you don't need a thief doesn't mean that covering the role yourself isn't fun. Thief multiclasses are among my favorite playthroughs.

moody_mage

There are plenty of available NPC thief based classes in both games so no content missed because of that.

Int does not affect spell damage, nor does any other stat. Damage ranges for spells are in the spell descriptions. Your stats have zero impact on that damage.

Pr0jectseph

Wow thanks for the heads up. appreciated.

Time4Tiddy

Assuming you team up with the first NPC who is available to you as a party member, you will never be without a thief in your party except for the prologue in BG:EE. Once you have that thief, you can swap out for other thieves you come across. The biggest issue is that not all thieves are created equal, so a thief you pick up later may not have trained as much in open locks or find traps. It's helpful to stock up on potions of master thievery, potions of perception, and potions of power when you find them. They can turn any thief into a solid locksmith and trap detector for a long duration.

As far as your overarching question, yes, it's nearly critical to have a thief in your party for the entire game. You'll encounter traps before the end of Chapter Two, and they get more common and more deadly as you go. You'll miss out on a LOT of loot if you can't open chests, but nothing that will prevent you from progressing in the game.

BG:EE gives you 7 thief NPCs available throughout the game (some are multi-classed), BG2:EE gives you 5 thieves, two of which are dual-classed and WILL need potions to perform fully, since they have stopped their thief progression.