Need advise from certified thiefs
Soido
Member Posts: 338
Although I have already installed Elden Ring in anticipation of the coming DLC (rumor is February-March), I have decided until then to make ONE FINAL attempt at ironmaning BG1+SoD with a thief. I will relax this in BG2 since it is unrealistic to beat BG2 without ever playing it before in my case. But it is very realistic to do it in BG1 as I already have done it with a barb.
It will be bounty hunter half-ling with an evil party. Dorn, Kagain, Edwin, Viconia, and the last member is yet to be decided between Shar-Teel and Coran. Shar-Teel would be a good fit to the other 2 main fighters since as a thief I will be quite underdeveloped for a long time so three fighters need to compensate for power. Coran is not a true evil but hey I welcome in my party dudes who refuse to accept parental responsibilities and hides from his pregnant wife chasing instead wyverns in the woods. Plus he is arguably the highest dps character in BG1 with his bow.
I have two questions from any certified thief
How exactly does one lower his reputation at will ? I know you can kill innocent but that takes too much points sometimes whopping negative 11. I plan to actually take advantage of shopping prices so I need to be able to lower my reputation moderately not to lose a team member and to be able to easily go to max 20 at least 2 times in the course of the game for shopping weapons and supplies. I heard if you beat (but not kill) someone in public you will get moderate minus 2 but this does not work for some reason even inside a tavern brawl. Getting caught stealing also doesn't reduce my reputation. What am I doing wrong ?
Second question is about weapon proficiency. While a thief gets 12 pips in the span of the whole saga, actually it is only scarce 5 pips by the start of BG2.
So I am thinking
- xbows
- scimitar
- quarterstaff
- dagger
- short sword
But short sword overlaps with scimitar as both of these have + 1 APR later in BG2. So maybe better pick up long sword proficiency instead of ?
Durlag Tower is hard without Coran, if I chose Shar-Teel. Because Coran maxes Find Traps at max level. But I can actually use Safana at low level, she maxes her Find Traps and Open Locks (a potion might help plenty of them )at earlier level than Coran. So Safana can simply disarm all traps (under invisibility from Edwin), and then take her out of the party, bring her level by level down Durlag as 7th member for scouting only, no problem. But why go through this complication when I can just take Coran all the way.
Shar-Teel also would be instrumental in dealing with Kourag since if you attempt him after Durlag you get the + 3 long swords in which she naturally specializes. But so does Coran.
It will be bounty hunter half-ling with an evil party. Dorn, Kagain, Edwin, Viconia, and the last member is yet to be decided between Shar-Teel and Coran. Shar-Teel would be a good fit to the other 2 main fighters since as a thief I will be quite underdeveloped for a long time so three fighters need to compensate for power. Coran is not a true evil but hey I welcome in my party dudes who refuse to accept parental responsibilities and hides from his pregnant wife chasing instead wyverns in the woods. Plus he is arguably the highest dps character in BG1 with his bow.
I have two questions from any certified thief
How exactly does one lower his reputation at will ? I know you can kill innocent but that takes too much points sometimes whopping negative 11. I plan to actually take advantage of shopping prices so I need to be able to lower my reputation moderately not to lose a team member and to be able to easily go to max 20 at least 2 times in the course of the game for shopping weapons and supplies. I heard if you beat (but not kill) someone in public you will get moderate minus 2 but this does not work for some reason even inside a tavern brawl. Getting caught stealing also doesn't reduce my reputation. What am I doing wrong ?
Second question is about weapon proficiency. While a thief gets 12 pips in the span of the whole saga, actually it is only scarce 5 pips by the start of BG2.
So I am thinking
- xbows
- scimitar
- quarterstaff
- dagger
- short sword
But short sword overlaps with scimitar as both of these have + 1 APR later in BG2. So maybe better pick up long sword proficiency instead of ?
Durlag Tower is hard without Coran, if I chose Shar-Teel. Because Coran maxes Find Traps at max level. But I can actually use Safana at low level, she maxes her Find Traps and Open Locks (a potion might help plenty of them )at earlier level than Coran. So Safana can simply disarm all traps (under invisibility from Edwin), and then take her out of the party, bring her level by level down Durlag as 7th member for scouting only, no problem. But why go through this complication when I can just take Coran all the way.
Shar-Teel also would be instrumental in dealing with Kourag since if you attempt him after Durlag you get the + 3 long swords in which she naturally specializes. But so does Coran.
Post edited by Soido on
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Comments
You don't get the option to lower reputation at will until the middle of BG2 with Slayer form. If you're aiming for mostly high rep with some evil companions, you kind of have to live with those wild swings. Or carefully manage the quest-based penalties.
Now, there are mods that offer other options for lowering rep. Tweaks Anthology has a component that adds bards you can pay to lower your reputation, for one.
Perhaps I have to get caught stealing from a chest so that the cops arrive ? Been a while I got caught looking in peoples drawers and chests...if I remember they ask you to hand over the stolen items and only then reputation drops slightly. Yet sometimes the flaming fists turn outright hostile and I need to run. No reputation penalty results.
The Flaming Fist enforcers you get in most areas will not accept a bribe; all responses result in them going hostile, and a -1 rep penalty at 9+. They're the only ones that the reputation penalty applies for.
The Amnish soldiers you get in Nashkel will accept a sufficient bribe.
The Halfling Enforcers in Gullykin can't be bribed.
The Guard Enforcers in some private establishments are easily bribed.
The Watchers in Candlekeep will either take all of your gold or go hostile.
And are you modding so your thief can have more than 1 pip in TWF? If less than 2 pips, I never dual wield. I think SWS or THS give you more.
And yes, I find short sword and scimitar sort of redundant, especially of you have dagger and use the throwing daggers in BG2 in melee.
Bounty Hunters are more interesting and excel at all thieving
Nope. You can't do everything. For example you can't place special snares.
For example, here is one advise to you as a starter. Try not becoming breakfast to hungry wolves and bears on your way to Nashkel Mines. And stay clear from central roads where kobolds and thiefs roam.