Best way to play a thief?
Damorath
Member Posts: 2
I've played through the original games many times, but always end up playing as fighter, paladin, wizard or a combination of these three.
For EE I want to try out something new. I'm going with a thief, probably focusing on backstabbing and keeping an npc around for finding traps and stuff. But how should I go about this? Ideally I'd like to play something like kensai dualed to thief once BG2:EE arrives. That would just be me playing another fighter in BG:EE though. any ideas for fun combinations? How much will I gimp myself if I decide to multiclass from the beginning instead? And is fighter always the best class to dual from or multi with?
Thanks in advance
For EE I want to try out something new. I'm going with a thief, probably focusing on backstabbing and keeping an npc around for finding traps and stuff. But how should I go about this? Ideally I'd like to play something like kensai dualed to thief once BG2:EE arrives. That would just be me playing another fighter in BG:EE though. any ideas for fun combinations? How much will I gimp myself if I decide to multiclass from the beginning instead? And is fighter always the best class to dual from or multi with?
Thanks in advance
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Comments
It's really up to you and how you want to role play. You might as well go with an Assassin kit to spice things up with stabbing.
My favorite thief kit is in fact the Swashie, but that has NO backstabs, so I guess that's a no-no.
Bounty hunters could be useful but you'd have to put extra points on setting snares, otherwise no bonus gained from them.
Finally, dual classes - Kensai (9 or 13) > Thief is awesome enough to make you laugh throughout the game, but that would mean no thief in BG1 (we don't know the cap yet, true). Priest of (NAME) (9) > Thief is also a great stabber.
Ultimately, the best in-game stabber is in fact Assassin (24) > Cleric. But that's a HARD class to develop.
Mage/Thief can also spice things up as a multi-class. some nice spells can make you stab better too!
Berserker (9 or 13) > Thief also gets some nasty bonuses truly.
So yeah, it's pretty much on what you'd like to play the most. I guess a straight away thief or kitted thief can be a good idea for starts. If you have played multies or dual classes several times now, consider planning those too!
Anyway, a fighter/thief dualed at level 7 is viable in a BG+TotSC playthrough, and will work well to continue in BG2, the main drawback being the weak period spent in the dual zone. You also won't get all the benefits of the fighter levels at 7 - some would argue 9 or 13 is a better place to dual with a kensai in mind (at 13 you get all the warrior attack increases and benefit more from their frequent proficiency points), but that would indeed mean spending all of BG1 as a fighter. I prefer level 7 myself as I always play through the games as a trilogy.
If you really want to optimize this kind of build it also involves saving up the thief levels (ie, dualling and then not leveling up until you have enough exp to hit fighterlevel+1), which allows you to place the proficiency points after getting your warrior proficiencies back.
As for a fighter/thief multi, it's quite a well-balanced multiclass. The main drawbacks are no weapon mastery access (can be changed with a mod), less HP and the backstab multiplier increasing more slowly, but on the other hand you won't have to go through a period of weakness where your party needs to protect you, and you'll get access to two HLA tables eventually. As multiclasses get HLA:s earlier, you won't have to wait any longer for the kensai+Use Any Item combo which is the main power increase for this class setup.
Especially take note of section 500 on traps. Excellent info.
Thanks for the link though, much appreciated, definitely didn't know about the snare secrets
What I really want to know is if there are any combinations that are on par with the Kensai/thief dualled for backstabbing? Perhaps some kind of multiclass? Cleric/thief or mage/thief maybe? How much will I really be giving up? The Illusionist/thief especially sounds interesting. Or how about playing BG:EE as a some kind of a thief, and then dualing to something else once I get into the second game?
oops just read the last...ignore everything I said
Thieves come in three forms:
1. Dual wield: Swashbuckler kit. First get proficiency in a sword and then go for two-weapon style. Avoid stealth - you can't backstab anyway. You can also avoid bows if you want. Develop Set Traps as an off skill. Dual wield starts off mediocre but quickly becomes awesome around level 8. You will need high STR/DEX/CON as you'll be in melee all the time.
2. Stealth/Backstab: Go true class, Bounty Hunter, or Assassin. Develop Move Silently/Hide in Shadows slightly and supplement that with items which increase stealth. Stock up on invisibility potions. Basically, in any big battle, be concealed at all times. Go for the casters first. High STR/DEX/CON are again a must.
3. Set Traps/Use Arrows: Great for all Thief kits, best for Bounty Hunter. Powerful & fun strategy. Set traps and lure enemies into them. The traps do insane damage and penetrate multiple resistances. Setting traps before resting is a surefire way to protect yourself from surprises....and a great way to power level. Only High DEX/CON are required - you're unlikely to be in melee.
You'll want DEX 18 and CON 16 for all builds. If you're planning a dual class, you'll need a 17 in an off stat (like WIS, STR, or INT). Be careful about dual-classing to cleric: edged weapons become inaccessible!
For one thing you won't need to spend a whole game as a fighter when you actually, in the first place, wanted to be a thief (when dualing) and after that waiting for the POSSIBLE BG 2:EE for who knows how long.
Secondly you won't be as weak in combat as pure class thieves tend to be. You will have a lot more flexibility with weapons, just remember you can only backstab with the ones that a thief can use.
Thirdly you will eventually get the HLAs for both classes. This, imo, makes the multiclass superior to any dual class combinations.
With all that said, the thief kits are all worthwhile, but kind of limited. And from a pure power perspective, thief/mage is the most powerful, after fighter/thief. And if you're feeling kinky you could pull a Tiax and be a cleric/thief.
For a non-backstabber I'm partial to swashbucklers. Their THAC0 & AC bonuses really mount up over time, and they progress really fast as a pure class. They miss out on HP and number of attacks to an extent but their THAC0 is often better than a similar XP fighter. They also get whirlwind attack as an HLA, but not greater.
It's quite an effort to scout and change armor and fight etc. - so I only recommend it for small groups (or MP).
That is true about Dwarves having better saving throws and more HP, but elves give you +1 Thaco to Bows and Longswords at the start of the game which can be huge. Especially if your Fighter/Thief is primarily ranged weapon user. While the Archer kit would be better for damage at that point yes, the Fighter/Thief allows you to put points into find traps and pick locks rather than stealth.
Entirely agreed on nigh-invulverable dwarves though. Those litttle feckers are tough.