Can someone please help me with backstab?

Remove all ads!

I have 2 chars which should be able to backstab, yet I have no clue how to use this skill, anyone know how to use it?

[ December 07, 2003, 07:45: Message edited by: Blackthorne TA ]

 

1. Use a melee weapon a thief can have profiency in (can't remember them all)

2. Click the "Hide in shadows" button (looks like a face with one side being inverted color from the other) or cast an invisibility spell on him.

3. Move the character behind an enemy, still hidden in shadows (or invisible)

4. Attack the enemy.

 

Make sure that your thief doesn't attack until he's behind the enemy - if party AI is on and you aren't careful your thief will attack as soon as he is standing close to an enemy (and not necessarily backstab).

If your backstabber is a thief make sure that he has a lot of points in 'hide in shadows' and 'move silently'. The better he is in these skills, the more 'free' attacks he gets before coming out of the shadows (and with his lousy THAC0 the thief needs a few extra swings).

All melee weapons a thief can use can be used to backstab: long swords, short swords, katanas, daggers, scimitars/ninja-tos/wakizashis, clubs and staves.
There are exceptions however: Valygar's katana (since it's coded as only usable by Valygar a thief can't use it and it can't be used for backstabbing). A thief/mage can't backstab with the Staff of the Magi (since only mages can use it...). I can't remember if there are more exceptions?

 

Wow... I never really knew how to do that either, now that I read this. Makes improved invisibility a lot more useful... and now I have more skills to pour points into other than Detect Traps and Pick Locks...

 

I only recently discovered how to do this properly myself.

Chunking someone's mage before they manage to get a spell off is extremely satisfying.

 

A thief who is STR boosted up to the eye balls and has a decent Thac0 (a lá my Kensai/Thief - also Kai ability means maximum damage ) can easily inflict 100+ damage with a backstab.

This is the reason why many 'important' or tough wizards (like Mekrath - he comes to mind) in the game have a permanent Stoneskin, until you dispel it .

 

How about Stalkers? Do they have the same weapon proficiencies as thiefs do? They do have the backstab ability also. Valygar with improved Celestial Fury backstabbing an enemy mage is EXTREMELY satisfying.
It is possible to get infinite backstabs by going into sneak mode after successful backstab and then backstabbing again. It is (nearly)impossible to go into sneak mode while enemy can see you, so you will have to be quick to enter sneak mode while you are still invisible after backstab.

@ Morsmorde:
I just stabbed Tolgerias to death while in planar sphere. I never would have had the chance to beat them without my thief.

EDIT: Has someone succesfully backstabbed someone while going invisible with staff of magi and then switched weapon before backstab? I've tried a few times, but never have I succeeded.

 

Stalkers can backstab with thief-allowed weapons. This is cheasy since they already have better thaco and their backstab modifier is higher than what it should be officially.

Concerning the staff of the Magi, I don't think it is possible since the game probably sets your invisible flag on false when you de-equip the staff. You'll have to backstab with the staff I'm afraid, no switching weapons.

 

That means no backstabbing allowed, since the staff can not be backstabbed with. How about if I go invisible with the staff, then go into the sneak mode (is it possible while enemies are in sight but you are invisible to them because of the staff?) then go and backstab someone with other weapons?

 

Yup... as soon as you see any enemy you cannot hide again once they've seen you.

*shakes head* Anytime thief backstabs he only attacks once. The animation shows a few swings before that though. I suggest you enable combat rolls show - so you can see when does he really attack.

AFAIK Improved Invisibility does not allow you infinite backstabs. It'd be foolish if it would. Anyway, as soon as you attack/cast an offensive spell you get "sighted" by the enemy and attacked. So no free backstabs.

Have you tried this?
AFAIK you cant. Your invisibility gets canceled as soon as you hit (or miss ). At least i've never done it.

 

A fun thing is to cast Mislead with a mage/thief and just go backstabberriffic. Or so I've heard, yet another thing I haven't gotten to making (yet)

 

"Stalkers can backstab with thief-allowed weapons. This is cheasy since they already have better thaco and their backstab modifier is higher than what it should be officially."

How exactly is this cheesy? Should stalkers only be allowed to backstab with daggers, and with a -4 to their chance to hit?! And AFAIK, the backstab multiplier for stalkers is always one step lower than it would be for a thief of equal level (thief gets triple damage, stalker gets double; thief gets quadruple, stalker gets triple, etc.)

 

*slams head against wall* The more points you have in Hide in Shadows / More Silently, the longer it will take to step out of the shadows, though. This can also be quite useful. But I stand corrected.

Stalkers' backstab multiplier according to level:
1-8: x1
9-16: x2
+17: x3
But the Stalker's backstab multiplier reaches x3 already at level 9 - IIRC... Anyways, the backstab multiplier for Stalkers is buggy (and kinda cheesy). Don't know if this has been fixed though...

[ December 09, 2003, 09:00: Message edited by: Victor Eremita ]

 

@ Victor

It hasn't been fixed, except maybe in mods. I'm playing with ToB installed and the latest official patch and it still is as cheesy as it originally was. But hey, I don't complain, it makes the Stalker my second favorite class, Berserker remaining the first.

 

@ gothmog:
I'm not sure 'bout that. I _think_ it might have worked for me once or twice. It might have been IWD2 or NWN, or BG2. Can't be absolutely sure.

Since this one happens, it should be possible to go into sneak mode again after backstab.

 

Even funner is to get someone like Jan to cast Polymorph self, then cast Mislead, then use the Polymorph Special Abilities to turn into a Black bear.

Now you have a Backstabbing Black Bear who can backstab 4 times per round...the Mislead spell keeps him backstabbing.

In regards to going into Stealth mode when enemies can see you...the way it works is the other way around, i.e. if your thief can see the enemy he won't be able to 'hide in shadows'. If your thief is blinded and hence cannot see very far, you can hide in shadows while you are virtually next to an enemy.

 

Doesn't blindness give a penalty on attack rolls?

 

@Meatdog

Yes. But it also decreases your character's range of sight - and as long as you can't see your enemy, you can hide in the shadows (just stay there until the THAC0 penalty is gone). And backstab.

 

And how do you blind your Thief?