Uh how do you backstab? I never played as a Theif before and I dont really know how. Also Im creating a new Theif assasin character. What should I put most of my points in? Hiding In shadows?

Didnt know either until Memnoch told me yesterday. First you got to be invisble or hide in shadows. Then you have to move behind your enemy and attack. Its quite easy, but the effect is enormous. I use the Celestial Fury and the Daystar (SoA) to backstab, and I got damage between 100 and 200....

It's generally believed that you need plenty Hide in Shadows skill to backstab successfully. But amazingly, that's not really true!

There are several ways to become unseen - potions of Invisibility, items that cast invisibility, the Invisibility spell, the Mass Invisibility spell and the Improved Invisibility spell. Once unseen you can go ahead and maneuver into position for backstabbing. And invisibility doesn't fail like hiding can.

What you REALLY need is Move Silently. A very high skill here can allow you a long time before you become "uncloaked", eg, when you strike. Because of the low THAC0 of the assassin class, you need as many tries as you can get to ensure a hit on your swing, and once you succeed while hidden, it counts as a backstab. Boost this skill up as high as you can.

I would strongly reccomend that you go lightly on boosting Hide. Get yourself stealthy armour and boots, and cloaks. Items like the Mercykiller ring are good.
They'll make up a decent level to help this skill. Focus instead on Move Silent, and setting Traps. Traps rock.

Thanks A lot guys. Im gonna go create my Chaotic Evil assasin now! So Im gonna put most of my points into move silently and set traps.

Don't go over a hundred points with move silently or set traps. Find traps and open locks are a must too. Nothing more annoying than getting blasted by wail of the banshee traps, or not being able to open a chest. Even a fighter with 25 STR can't open some chests!



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Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I just don't have to listen.
http://train.missouri.org/~prestons/.../flamedrag.gif

Don't go over a hundred points with move silently or set traps. Find traps and open locks are a must too. Nothing more annoying than getting blasted by wail of the banshee traps, or not being able to open a chest. Even a fighter with 25 STR can't open some chests!



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Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I just don't have to listen.
http://train.missouri.org/~prestons/.../flamedrag.gif

I'd agree about leaving the Set Traps skill around 80-90, but my assassin has a Move Silent of close to 200. I can swing 2-3 times before coming out of shadows.

Of course, this puts a real shortage of points in the other thiefly areas. But an assassin isn't a minesweeper, that's a job for a generalist thief. I play multiplayer with two thieves, one generalist and one assassin. Dualled a kensai to a thief at lv9, and compared that mix directly with the Assassin pure class.

NAturally the Kensai Thief was far more useful generally.