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Advice on thief

cbarchukcbarchuk Member Posts: 322
edited May 2017 in Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Getting ready to start a new runthrough and want to thoroughly try out the 3rd edition sneak attack option. So this character would definitely be in melee regularly operating as more of a combat rogue. What do you think would be better at this role:

Half-Orc dual wielding fighter/thief

or

Half-Orc single wielding pure assassin

or maybe even a

Elven Stalker dual wielding longswords


I'm open to another races. These are just the ones that sounded cool and seemed effective.

Post edited by cbarchuk on

Comments

  • SloaneRangerSloaneRanger Member Posts: 17
    A half-orc with strength 19 can do major damage with a backstab. And half-orcs can get to 19 as a pure rogue. There is no need to be multiclass as a fighter. The game mechanics does NOT allow you to use a missile weapon with dual wielding. This makes switching between missile and melee weapons very awkward. There will be times when you must switch to a missile weapon or else your rogue will just stand there and be stuck full of arrows because he cannot close in to use a melee weapon. For that reason I gave up on dual wielding and 2 handed weapons. There are too many battles where being able to switch to missiles can make a huge difference.
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 6,002
    being a half-orc fighter thief would be alright because thieves still need to be able to hit, to land back stabs, and the thac0 of a thief isn't great, so those fighter levels can help that out a bit
  • YamchaYamcha Member Posts: 486
    SloaneRanger said:

    The game mechanics does NOT allow you to use a missile weapon with dual wielding. This makes switching between missile and melee weapons very awkward..

    Was this only fixed for the BG:EE ?
  • KilivitzKilivitz Member Posts: 1,459
    It's been implemented by patch 2.0. We can only hope the next patch for BG/BG2:EE will also bring IWD from 1.4 to 2.4 or whatever the new version will be.
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    There's no point in having a pure thief in IWD; so the best bet is halforc F/T or a human thief dualled to fighter. Since I am no fan of dualclassing, I prefer the HO F/T choice since as said above, you get THAC0, specialization and APR from the fighter levels making such a thief far superior to any other choice. Having the thief weild a range-weapon, like a quarterstaff, give them the ability to sneak attack from behind your tanks. Twohanded weapon make it easier to switch between ranged and melee as well, so making your F/T also use the messenger of Sseth is a good option if you don't have any other designated longbowman.
  • KilivitzKilivitz Member Posts: 1,459
    Indeed, a pure Thief (even a kitted one) feels like a waste. They're only essential for disarming traps and lockpicking. IWD encounters in general don't favor stealth tactics (and even then you have a Ranger or Sanctuary and Invisibility spells for that).

    What I do nowadays is start with a Human Thief and dual him/her as soon as I can max out Open Locks and Find Traps. If dual-classing isn't your thing, a F/T is also a good alternative.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    If you don't mind giving up sneak attacks/backstabs, a Half-Orc Swashbuckler would be a great choice.
  • WesboiWesboi Member Posts: 403
    I always go halfling F/T for thief needs.
  • Armanz92Armanz92 Member Posts: 53
    edited June 2017
    But why Halfling? RP reasons?
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 6,002
    Armanz92 said:

    But why Halfling? RP reasons?

    well, halflings do get the most thief points out of any other race, plus they have some great saves

  • WesboiWesboi Member Posts: 403
    I've always rolled halfling thieves and in icewind dale they get access to one of the best helms in the game. Which isn't too bad, plus shorty saving throws.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • cbarchukcbarchuk Member Posts: 322
    I ended up going with a half-orc fighter/thief using single weapon style and katanas. What a beast! Just picked up the darkened glory +2 and having him sneak attack has been glorious and useful especially in a 4 man party.
  • cbarchukcbarchuk Member Posts: 322
    edited June 2017
    subtledoctor said:

    I'd go short swords with a Stalker. There are some nice short swords available early on in the game.

    Sad that you can't get Spell Diver and the Sword of Days at the same time... but either one is really nice, and they both pair nicely with the Flaming short sword +1, for theme-appropriate dual-wielding weapons available from very early on.

    A Stalker does sound very cool and thematic. I may sub them out though I think is sneak attack progression is less but he would more than make up for it with dual wielding. :) I would have to turn another character into a thief but I'm a sucker for pure classes.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited June 2017
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
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