Dual Class Theif?

[Soothsayer]

Hello all!
Whether you remember me or not, I have returned. (I certainly remember alot of you).

Im here because Im playing IWD again, but this time with HoW installed (no ive never done it before).

I have (as always) chosen a 4 person party:

Paladin - Great Swords + Crossbows
Ranger - Large Swords + Bows
Theif - Large Swords + Bows + Daggers
Necromancer - Quaterstaffs

I have set up the theif ready for a dual class to cleric, but im wondering what the best time to do this would be, bearing in mind im planning to go through the addon aswell. Ive just finished the Vale, my theif is at level 6 with backstab x3, I cant remember when he gets x4 or even if its worth waiting for. My other characters will be single class for ever and ever, so when do ppl think I should dual my theif?

Good to be back [img]smile.gif[/img]

-Soothsayer

[ 04-26-2005, 06:24 PM: Message edited by: Soothsayer ]

[Midget Gems]

Soothsayer, I have a little Gnome Cleric/Thief in my party, but I don't use him for backstabbing at all. Mine is a (Level 1) trap & lock specialist, I leave stealth and backstab to Fighter/Thief types. On the plus side a Thief with Sanctuary is really useful, but on the down side the weapon restrictions are prohibitive - a Thief with a club perhaps?

[Soothsayer]

The thing is, Im only set up to dual to a cleric, I have the wisdom you see...I know Ill need a cleric eventually, and a theif will always come in handy. Im just wondering if my theif abilities will be back in time for Yux, especially if I leave it any longer.

Can anyone advise me on this?

Many thanks
-Sooth

[Aerich]

Iirc, backstab is x3 at lvl 4-8, x4 at 9-12, and x5 at 13+. As MG points out, a T/C doesn't do much backstabbing, anyway. Sneak attacks, though - make sure you have sneak attack enabled on the console. A sneak attack is a flanking attack that doesn't require suprise - e.g. the thief is not targeted, attacks an enemy from behind or the side, and doesn't have to be stealthed. With a low DC thief level, the extra damage won't be much, but it's more useful than backstab.

I would dual soon, maybe at lvl 7 - you should be able to get a lvl 8 cleric in time for DE lvl 5, although you may have to 'camp' for XP on DE lvl 3 for a bit. I haven't played on core difficulty for a while, so my XP estimations are a little out of kilter.

The key skill for a thief dualled to cleric is trap removal. Pickpockets is fairly useless in the game beyond Kuldahar, locks can be bashed or Knocked, and the cleric can use the Detect Traps spell. I would recommend having at least 80%-90% in trap removal before dualling. It is the only skill that cannot be replicated by your party (aside from PP, which isn't necessary if you already stripped Kuldahar). You may take a few nasty hits from traps on DE lvl 3, as your mage caster cannot use Mirror Image (necromancy opposition school). A necromancer instead of a general mage or bard makes a good trap removal score even more critical for your party.

[Soothsayer]

Yeah thanks, I waited for theif level 8 before dualling. I (thankfully) had most of my experience percentage on trap removal...wishing now id done more. Things got really hot around the yuan-ti....soo many traps, most of them poisonous....grr. The cleric has levelled up soo fast though, its getting better. Thanks for the advice guys.

-Sooth

[NobleNick]

Soothsayer,

Welcome to HoW. You'll enjoy the upgrade!

Knowing the expansions were ahead of me, I would have tried to hold onto the Thief as long as possible: Thief(11) if the pain was bearable. But the lost levels of Thieving skills shouldn't be a big impediment to your game enjoyment.

--------------------
What's a party,
without a song?
Bards ROCK!
Party On!!

[Soothsayer]

Thanks everyone for the advice

[Azred]

As long as you have the find traps skill at least 90% (or over 100% if at all possible) then you can dual-class the thief whenever you're ready. You can use knock spells on normal locks or stock up on potions of master theivery, which give +40% to open locks.

Backstabbing will never be a major factor in the game, so I wouldn't worry about that. Nevertheless, thieves can use crushing weapons so give them a decent hammer or mace.

I don't normally use thief/clerics, but I generally enjoy thief/fighters.

[Grog]

I'm partial to Cleric/Thieves myself [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Aerich]

The cleric/thief or thief/cleric is a good support character, but I'd never build a party around one. The weapon restrictions are just too unbearable. However, a C/T or T/C (dual or multi class) is a great way to fit thief skills and (extra) cleric skills into your party without "wasting" a character as a pure-class of either class.

It's an odd combination, for sure, from both an RP and gameplay perspective.