Best Thief possible

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I'm very frustrated with thieves, they're necessary for a goodparty but always lack in actual combat abilities (only backstabbing, which, unless you have an AI script that does it automatically, becomes boring and tedious). The best thief I've been able to come up with is a halfing fighter/thief, but he's still pretty crappy. Valen (downloadable NPC), was terrific, but only because of her claws that level drain. Please tell me all your thief ideas. It's sort of personal quest for the most powerful combat thief retaining backstab and sufficient thief abilities.

 

Well, if you don't mind being quite seriously cheesy then traps can be very strong indeed... almost too strong, in fact. A few traps can dish out a lot of death, and can make some tough fights much easier

 

Actually, I had pretty good success with my very first protagonist – a swashbuckler dualled to a fighter. I dualled right away, but you could also wait until level 10 for the additional bonuses to AC, damage and thac0, plus extra thieving points. With this character, you essentially get a fighter (somewhat beefed up for the swashbuckler bonuses) with some basic thieving abilities for picking locks and detecting and disarming traps. The main downside is that you will have fewer hitpoints. But if you are looking for a basic utility thief, this is a good way to go.

 

Well he said he wanted a thief that could retain backstabbing. The best option you've already done, a mc Fighter/Thief. They're quite unreal once you get them high enough, what level did you get him to? An Elf specializing in long swords and single weapon style (double the critical hits, more critical hit backstabs which can easily hit over 120 damage by lvl 10/12 or so). Then you get traps of course, like someone said above, very powerful. Get the Shadow Dragon Armor and Boots of Speed and you can do plenty of damage. Just stick with the multi, if anything you'll be disappointed because he's too powerful.

 

I also think the way to go is multi class fighter thief. Take halfling if you want slightly better thievery. Take dwarf if you want slightly better HP. If you're short of thieving points, you could carry the appropriate rings along in a gem bag, and of course there's potions of perception/master thievery.

You could even play evil and get the human flesh, but I don't remember if that is better or worse than the shadow dragon mail.

 

Depends on how you plan on using your thief. The advantages of Shadow Dragon armor are that it has an AC that is two better than the human flesh armor and acid resistance (though acid resistance is pretty irrelevant imo). The Human flesh armor on the other hand has the advantages of a great +4 saving throws, magic resistance of 20%, and a hidden +20 to move silently. So, which is better depends on how you plan on using the thief as the only reason to use the dragon armor is for the +2 AC but that may not be crucial, YMMV. EDIT - oh, by far the most decisive factor in choosing between the two imo is that the shadow armor is a cool looking black and the human flesh is an awful looking pink color. 'Ooh, look at me! I'm the devious, neutral evil assassin..... in pink armor?' Blech, no thanks.

As far as THE strongest melee thief goes I agree that a multiclass f/t is very good however its true strength isn't found unless you play TOB and get 23 HLA. Likewise the kensai>thief. For SOA, I'd say some type of a dual class. Looks like you want melee power so a thief>fighter or fighter>thief would probably pack the most punch. You might consider a thief>mage too though (though there are plenty of those around) as a fun dual class.

Again, this is only considering SOA and not TOB.

 

Well, depending on what you want, a thief can be a weak character, but that's why he/she is a thief, and not a fighter. If you really wanted strong combat bonuses use a fighter, but if you want thief skills plus, use a multiclass. A swashbuckler is almost a fighter/thief, and get s good ac, but for good offence, go with the multiclass or dual to fighter when thieving skills are satisfactory.

 

If what you like in a thief is backstabbing, the way to go is the assassin. Equip him with the Boots of Speed and hit-and-run raids will deal massive amounts of damage while still keeping you unharmed. You are going to miss out on some other thief features due to the reduced number of ability points you will get, though.

 

MC Fighter/Thief is clearly the way to go.

My preferred set-up for playing evil is F/T, Edwin, Korgan and Viconia. A four-character party that is exceptionally strong and able to handle anything.

 

I used a Kensai dualled to a thief at level 12 and my record backstab was 240 points using the +4 short sword in Watcher's Keep. I loved that little guy.... <sniff!>

I am now trying to slog through as a Ranger/Druid keeping a party of 3 or less, which is a fun change.

 

Nobody is promoting Thief/Specialist Mage, and I am curious why. Seems they both complement each well. Biggest drawback is armor and THACO, which can be made up for with magic. They are some many strategies possible with this combination (thiefing, traps, protection magic, wands, etc.)Also reduces dependicies on other classes.

I am thinking about dual classing a thief to conjurer at ninth level. All really need to complement the party is front line fighters/archers and a healer.

 

And just how are you gonna do that? It's not possible with an un-modded game or IIRC a modded game...

 

For me, even if I could choose a Ranger/Druid, I'd take a Ranger/Cleric instead. The R/C gets all the druid spells anyway, since access to priest spells (cleric and druid) is based on the cleric's level, and ignores the ranger level. The only problem with the R/C is the blunt weapon limitation, but that's not a big deal anyway IMHO. (Sorry for getting off-topic here.)

Going waaay back to my first post in this thread, I suggested a utility thief because, even though Thewl said he wanted to be able to backstab, he also seemed to indicate that he was tired of it, so I was suggesting a different route he could take.

 

Depending on how much effort you are willing to put into backstabbing a thief/illusionist can be very powerful, using both spells to hide and swapping between a backstab weapon and Staff of the Magi, once you have it, to get more than one backstab where needed, and avoid taking damage at the same time.

 

A buffed uo Jan of course. Create your own gnome thief/illusionist wiht 19 in intelligence, 18 in dexterity, 15 in constitution and buff up you wisdom after that for the limited wish spell.

 

Thewl,

I'm thinking of taking a dual-class berserker/thief on my next run through BG][.

The berserker half gives fairly decent combat ability with some *very* nice (short term) immunities. The thief half is free to develop the appropriate skill levels and fine tune weapon skills.

Aeger's Hide is a good (though heavy) often overlooked option for armor that can be purchased as soon as enough money is available

 

I find backstabing in BGII is too tedious to bother about, before battle I cant be stuffed and during battle with invisibility the opponent is usually surrounded an inpossible to get in close enough.

I doo it heaps more in 3e D&D as I feel I have more time and to use my charactor to its fullest potential.
the battles seem to be less one sided in D&D

 

While backstabbing can at times be tedious it is very useful and having a hidden thief (or stalker as i normally have.) It allows you without prior knowledge or use of guides to find out what is ahead of you, and plan a good approach for your attack, and using poison on a backstab can disable enemy mages before they can get too many spells in, and will continue to damage them after thier usual protection contingency kicks in.

 

I usually have my thief use invisibility (potion, ring or spell) and search for traps at the same time. If enemies are spotted you can then plan your battle strategy better. I also have my thief carry potions of explosion for just such occasions.

 

@smr49

I didn't think it was possible to have a Ranger/Druid either.

@ Stump

I don't think that works. I don't think any thief can dual into a specialist mage. Also the only multi-class allowed specialist is if you play a gnome, and then you could only be an illusionist, not a conjuror.