My thief-mage with a strength of 8, no magical enhancements and the blade of roses could regularly do anything up to 100+ backstab damage. For large groups she would cast emotion, no save, leaving them vulnerable to backstabbing and other spells. Few humanoids can survive one x5 backstab so a fighter thieve' strike s is often total overkill. Yet a thief mage is far more versatile and doesn't have to rely on other mages to help them. Mages weak, they dominate the game. Think of all the humanoid encounters you fought. Which enemy gave you the most trouble? Bet it was a mage. Why do you think Irenicus was a mage? I don't count the impossible to kill assassins in the guild as they were fixed. Even 1st level spells are devastating with higher level mages. Chromatic Orb turns enemies to stone. My 'weak' mage/thief used it in Kangaax, before turning him to dust with one blow. Maybe you prefer a fighter/thief, but they are not much better than a mage/thief in h-to-h combat as they are delicate due to low HP's and poor armour. After the backstab they are vulnerable to other enemies, whereas a mage/thief can disappear or just disable them all first. Plus stoneskin, immunities etc mean they are far safer in the thick of it than your fighter/thief. Then there is always Tenser's transformation.
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