If im going to be soloing an assassin, should i go with single weapon fighting style or two weapon fighting style? Im baseing the character off of a character ive played in other games such as everquest who was a rogue, duel wielding would be cool, but at early proficiency levels it will actually hurt my fighting abilities. And since i can only put one point into each at the beginning im going to go with one in long swords, short swords, and daggers as well... any objections or reasons for other selections? Any input would help thanks.

yeh, you'll only ever get one star in dual wielding so you'll be stuck with -2 and -4 to THACO iirc - not good with your rogue THACO like you say - single weapon style will double your chance of critical hits too and help your AC a bit

weapon choices sound fine - i can think of a more powerful sword type if you know where to look but nothing drastic - a couple of enemies need blunt weapons (club or staff might do you alright here) but you can always take them down with traps - you'll want a missile weapon with a high rate of fire to make the most of poison weapon and to snipe from a distance and break groups up so you can backstab them individually

do you have TOB installed?

enjoy

[ 03-03-2004, 04:24 AM: Message edited by: Armen ]

Theres nothing more I can say, I think Armen coverd everything, but if you looking to do insane amounts of damage put a prof in Katanas since you can backstab with 'em. If your looking to have a bow I would go for Tansheron's Bow its a +3 weapon and it fires phantom arrows so you dont have to have arrows, and when you get further into the game try and pick up the short bow of Gesen it too dosent need ammo.

Hope this helps

<span style="color: lightblue">If you're planning on pure roleplaying, I would say loose the longwords - they are rather conspicuous, not realy what an Assasin would use. Short swords are noticably sneakier, and can kill more quickly than a dagger - in my mind, the perfect assasin weapon.
I would say you should single wield - you want to kill quickly, you want to avoid large amounts of combat if you can - meaning, your offhand should be used to keep the target quiet while you slip a blade into their back.
I would argue against ranged weapons - an assasin, in my mind, should be up close and personal - they would select their target carefully, and let them know that they are about to die, instill fear in them, while not letting anyone around know. A ranged weapon does not let the victim know what is coming a few seconds before they die. When I think "Assasin", I see the murderer who snaekily pulls his victims away, gags them with one hand, and silently kills them with the weapon in the other hand - and is long gone before anyone realises what has happened.

I tend to think long swords have the best variety. Single wielding means you can have a shortbow in your other quickweapon slot. Put proficiencies in this order: Long sword, shortbow, single weapon style, staff, 2-handed weapon style.

A strong case can also be made FOR assassins using bows. The assassin's job is to kill the target, it doesn't need to be a slit throat, and particularly if the target is well accompanied, a bow helps break up groups of people. I often use a tactic of hiding just on the edge of view of a group, firing an arrow then pulling back and hiding again. You will find that usually only the creatures that were in your field of view will give chase, and if you position yourself right, this means one target at a time. Once you've lured your target away on his own, you drop in behind him and, switching to your bladed weapon, cleave him apart.

For an assassin, dont poison the blade at times like this... poison the arrow. That way it will give the poison time to work and weaken your target, allowing you to finish him off in melee with a single backstab. Alternatively if it's a group of low level creatures, target many different creatures while your poison lasts in a system of fire and retreat (Parthian tactics). This way you weaken many targets at once, run and hide from them all while your poison works its magic, then come out and finish them one at a time. And of all things, the single most valuable possession for a thief is Boots of Speed. Even in a party, my thief always gets first selection of speed enhancing equipment.

Short swords. In a certain plcace there is a short sword with no speed factor.


certain place is - spoilers


Plane prison where haer dalis is being kept.

The Rogue Rebalancing mod moves rogues closer to the PnP versions and allows you to put 3* in dual-wielding I believe (and just dual wielding)...so together with that and maybe 1* in short swords you're well on your way. Then I would go for one star in dagger and then one in short bow as you level up.

Readme http://www.gamesector.co.yu/avenger/doc/apack.txt and download location http://www.gamesector.co.yu/avenger/files/aPack.exe (500k)

[ 03-03-2004, 09:33 AM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

I believe that sword also gives an extra APR, though it doesnt state it in the Item Description...

from whateveryone is saying im thinking of sticking with single weapon style throughout the whole game. I know i want to go with short bow, but im still confused as to which weapons i should go with. i know EVENTUALLY ill find an awesome weapon of any weapon kind, but as a soloing character, and one that isnt a pure toe to toe fighter i would like something that is powerful and relatively easy to come by.

Bah you actually made me unlurk.

What I am going to say will most likely be considered heresy.

For an Assassin, forget longswords and katanas.

Shortswords, daggers, and darts are where it's at.

Shortswords and daggers are an Assassin's best friend.

Just starting out, Arbanes is very powerful. It casts hast and makes you immune to hold person. Short Sword of Backstabbing gives you a raw +3 to hit. Which you need. Backstabbing and poison is no good if you can't connect. There is Kundane, it has a zero speed factor and an extra APR. Ilbratha is a young Assassin's best friend. Mirror Image is a life saver. For punching through tough foes with good AC, Cutthroat is a nice +4 short sword. It's also very damaging.

Daggers is where the fun begins. Pixie Prick. Nothing like backstabbing somebody with a poisoned dagger. They fall down to take a nap, blissfully unaware of the venom burning their blood. They never wake up. Stilleto of Demarchess is a cruel weapon. It stuns. Backstab somebody, and watch them die as they look at you pitifully, unable to do anything, frozen in place. Firetooth. Powerful throwing dagger. Can be used with the Buckler +1 to improve your AC if it's needed and still provides a powerful ranged attack. With poison, it's very icky. There is a +4 dagger, Boneblade, which is good if you need to bottom out your THAC0 to hit something.

Darts. High rate of fire and some of them are just plain nasty. Darts of stunning and wounding are fantastic with poison weapon.

While bows and crossbows are fun and fine and good, and bolts and arrows of biting are great, you get a lot more mileage out of other weapons. Like it or not, there are occasions when you get bite off more then you can chew or get ambushed. Being able to use a shield, in particular, the Buckler +1 is a valuable asset, and, two handed weapons prevent that. Darts are a better delivery system for poison. Or Firetooth. And in SoA, with few exceptions (Staff of Striking for example) all of the best backstabbing weapons are single handed.

Relurk

Personally, I think darts are a life saver for low-level assassins. Incredible rate of fire, combined with the poison ability, cannot be overstated. For melee combat (preferably through backstabbing), I prefer short swords and daggers from a purely role-playing perspective. I think this makes the game much more interesting, than going after katanas or long swords.

I like using a Bow for an Assassin. Why? 1 ApR for a single weapon bites. It really does. I can't go one-on-one with Alamas in the Copper Coronet if I'm trying to melee him.

I suppose that Darts would be nicer, but Tuigan's Bow +1 gives an Assassin 3 ApR, which Darts give automatically. Use that for most fights, and Tansheron's for the rest.

I personally don't hold much stock in shields. I mean, wear the Girdle of Piercing/Belt of Inertial Barrier and you won't get hit that much by piercing. What about the rest? You should be able to avoid most of them and hit 'n run using the Boots of Speed. Not to mention that you'll probably outlast most archers if you keep on Poisoning your bow and keep on moving away from the melee fighters.

I went with a elf assassin, ended up with a roll of 86, max dex, max str and like 16 con, with 10 int and wis and 13 or maybe 14 cha. I went with single weapon style, short swords, long swords and short bows. Using the short sword +1 you get almost right off the bat.

When i get outside what should i try to get weapon wise? And next time i get a chance to put a point into a weapon, should i put another in something i already have, or something like say Katanas?

unfortunately, as a pure class thief you only ever get to put one star per weapon type - anything you pick can be useful depending on how you play it - i'm resisting spoiling you on specific weapons but i'd want a blunt weapon in there (club or staff)

Quarterstaff! Clubs are for dualwielding Fighter/Druids. [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Personally... my starting proficiencies for a solo Assassin will be,

1) Long Sword
2) Shortbow
3) Quarterstaff

~

Level 12: Single Weapon Style
Level 16: Two-Handed Weapon Style
Level 20: Katana
Level 24+: Anything

You can postpone the Katana proficiency for later, because it will be some time before your solo Assassin can use(read, obtain) the useful Katana.

Early in the game, you can get your hands on a +3 enchanted Long Sword, a Shortbow with 3 ApR, and a +4 enchanted Quarterstaff. Consider your weapon options settled for Chapter 2-3. ;)

Single Weapon Style is for the Long Sword. Two-Handed Weapon Style is for the Quarterstaff. Neither applies to the Shortbow.

Later on, you can lay your hands on a +3 enchanted Shortbow that shoots +3 enchanted phantom arrows. This is very good for Iron/Adamantite Golems.

PRIORITY ITEM NUMBER ONE: BOOTS OF SPEED.

Make plans to get your grubby greedy hands on these babies by level 12. They are very vital to tactical retreats, hit and runs and outright survival.

It is not advisable for a solo Assassin to do De'Arnise Keep early in the game. The trolls will do you in, and I am speaking about the default version. Stay the Hell away from the Keep until you either max out your level or you are in Chapter 6, if you have Improved Torgal installed.

Speed is your friend.

Laying Traps before you sleep in the open is a good idea. Spread them evenly so that they will not all end up hitting the same target. This is not cheese. This is good roleplay.

Speed is your friend.

Learn to hit and run. As an Assassin, you have access to one of the most potent H&R tools, Poison Weapon.

Speed is your friend.

When you have mastered hitting and running with ranged weapons. Learn to backstab and run. Do this only after you have been hasted(Boots of Speed, Oil of Speed, etc...).

Speed is your friend.

Repeat to yourself before each game session, "I am not a tank. I am an assassin. I cannot melee like a hero. I must be a sneaky bastard who likes to weaken his enemies with poison and backstab with weapons or destroy them with traps."

Speed is your friend.

Use Any Item means you can use the MoD+2; and shields, oh yeah... no more stinking bucklers; and helmets... ...

Finally... Speed is your friend.

Hmmm...I've been lurking on this thread since it was posted, and I've seen quite a few really good suggestions for playing a solo assassin. I'm playing a solo sorcerer through all 3 games (i.e. BGTutu; it was hard at first but now I'm destroying everything in my path), but after finishing that character I'm planning on soloing a thief. I was thinking about either an assassin or a swashbuckler, and this is leaning me towards assassin (some really good tactics involving weapon selections, poison weapon, etc.).

jeez - and there was me trying to be a little bit subtle ;)

Actually, for a roleplaying Assassin, I'd suggest a Club for a blunt weapon--you can't hide a Quarterstaff on your person, no matter what you do (unless you're also in disguise as an octagenarian or something....)

"Alms... alms for the poor. Oh look! A birdie behind you."

*WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!*

"Alms... alms for the poor."

I havent been able to play alot, and finally got out of the first dungeon. Im level 11, or was it 12 already, and being able to poison arrows is amazing. I can see how some bigger fights are going to be harder down the line just because i dont have access to powerful buffing or debuffing spells and im not a pure fighter, but for the most part a solo assassin is ALOT of fun, and challenging.

Any tips on bigger fights down the line and possible tactics would rock.

It all depends on the situation. Different fights will naturally demand different tactics. There are some common sense guidelines though,

1) Divide & Conquer

As a soloist, being outnumbered is a constant reality. When you face multiple opponents, it is best to try and split them up. Sneak up until only one can see you, then lure him away from his party and lay down the smackdown on him mano-a-mano.

If you have enough space to maneveur, lure him away at least one screen away, go stealth, and backstab him. Rinse and repeat. Corners will be your friend, as they readily block the enemy's line of sight.

2) I Drink, Therefore I Can

Remember those potions you were always saving for a rainy day? Do you still recall how they always seem to collect a new layer of dust each time you do an inventory check?

Well, now that you are soloing, potions become a very vital part of your combat prowness. To name a few, Potions of Defense will boost your AC by a very significant factor, since it sets your base AC at 0. Not until ToB will you find Leather Armour that can beat this.

Potions of Clarity will tide you over until you get Use Any Item and the Shield of Harmony.

Oils of Speed will be your ace card until you obtain your Boots of Speed.

Potions of Invisibility are ALWAYS a lifesaver. Keep at least two with you at all times.

When you get Use Any Item, warrior potions will be available to you, and you can really boost your HP and THAC0 with them.

3) Thieves Have No Honour

When all else fails. Traps. Lots of them.

4) Better It Than Me.

Always remember the golden mantra. A hit on a summon, is a hit not on you.

ADD] Speaking of summons... my memory is a bit fuzzy on this one, but I believe the Air Elemental from the Staff of Air Control is immuned to Normal Weapons. This immunity is very potent, and will enable you to steamroll through a lot of quests with little to no difficulty.

[ 03-05-2004, 10:49 AM: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

Don't forget, the Short Sword of Backstabbing has a 0 Speed Factor as well.

this may seem like a silly question, but does a backstabbing assassin really give a flying F$^%& about having 0 speed factor ? I always see people going on about short swords and "oh get Kundane, it has 0 speed". ..... who cares ? you hide, you hit, you run, repeat. zero schmero... in fact...

Hindo's Doom +3: D10 +3, spd 1, cast greater restoration
Hindo's Doom +4: D10 +4, spd 0, cast greater restoration, 10% MR, immune to death magic
Celestial Fury: dont even get me started

Then there's heaps of long swords that have good damage, great effects and maybe they have slower speed factors but I'd prefer to have 1 hit and make it a good one. Remember, assassins get up to x7 for a backstab. just the extra 2 damage from a longsword x7 = 14 difference right there. Who cares if it hits 3/15 of a second later ?

Totally depends on your move silently. If it's low, you'll be unhidden before you strike, but seeing this is an assassin, it will NOT be low. [img]smile.gif[/img]