Only Thieves Party

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Hi all, I'm new to this forum.

I'd like to play IW 2 with an only Thieves party.
Something like the Guild of the Shadow Thieves of Baldur's Gate.

Well, the problem is that I've always played with BG I & II, and IW 1, which followed AD&D rules of the 2nd edition and not the 3rd one.

So, can anyone suggest me how to make a nice and balanced party like this?

Cheers!

 

Unfourtunately pure rogues are not very poweful in 3E, they need tons of micromanagement to be effective. An all-rogue party will be very weak so try multi-classing them!

Definitely get a fighter or barbarian /rogue, a specialist wizard/rogue, and a cleric or druid/rogue, and only have one pure rogue at max (he will be the weakest though)

Get human or halfling to avoid MC XP penalty, or the corresponding class's favourite race. (moon elf for a wizard/rogue, wildelf for a sorcerer/rogue etc.)

If you want multiclass, (which you should) avoid sub-races with level adjustment. MCing is hard to be effective, and with a level adjustment it will be painfull!

Clerics are for healing which is needed badly in the later stages of the game, fighter/barbarian adds big HP, THAC0, no err..I mean, base attack bonus (BAB), and the ability to wear better armors/use bigger weapons effectively.

Definitely get an arcane caster, improved invisibility will make all of your party to a sneak attack frenzy! Summonings will save your butt countless times. Other more volatile spells are always useful to kill critters with ease.

Or get a bard? They have fairly useful spells for a rogue's life!

Do not put all of your skills in thievery areas though. Definitely, one must search traps (priest with good wisdom) one must specialise in disarming them, other must unlock stuff, pickpocket is next to useless though. You may consider giving every rogue hide/move silently though if you like sneak attacks. Obviously, give casters caster skills like concentration, spell focus etc.

Get rogue feats like hamstring, evasion etc. they help.

Hope I could help you?

 

First of all, thx for your suggestions.

I was thinking about a all-human party.

So should I start with 6 Thieves and then multiclass them in Wizard/Cleric/Fighter/Bard/Barbarian, keeping a solo-Thief?

In IW1 or BG usually I used 2 tankers, 1 caster, 1 healer, 1 archer and 1 thief.

But when should I start multiclassing-them?

 

That depends. For casters, ASAP. You want those spells as quickly as possible! If you feel like you need evasion too (and it's not as useful as in NWN) then take the 2nd rogue level after you've got most of your spells. For the tanks, two in combo can be quite effective with rogue levels. Just have them attack whoever's attacking the other one (if you see what I mean ) and the extra sneak attack damage should be most impressive. Don't overlook non-human races, they can be very useful for keeping a low number of levels in their favoured class while advancing two others. I bet a Dwarven Fighter(4)/Rogue(x)/Barbarian(x) would be badass . Just keep the Rogue and Barb levels within 1 level of each other.

Also - and this is important - don't be afraid of ECL races! Drow in particular are awesome. A Drow Rogue(1)/Enchanter has become a staple in my parties. This guy can actually handle all your trap & lock worries because of his huge INT score. Gotta love the cross-class skills.

I'd also think seriously about replacing the archer character with another spellchucker (probably a sorc). Missile weapons just aren't that important in IWD2, at least not in comparison to Arcane blasting.

The major advantage you will have, though, is that you should be able to hide all your characters. This can be a serious bonus, played correctly, really allowing you to pick when to kick things off. Also, don't forget that hit & run is always fun! With a Monk of the Old Order/Rogue, or Fighter/Barbarian/Rogue with Dash for the extra speed, nothing will be able to catch you. Just Sneak Attack to kick things off, then run back to the party with all their summons & spells.

 

Do not limit yourself to humans. The use of other races will help make better charecters.
No one can compare to a DG when trying to make a high AC shield. A DG Rogue[1]/Monk[1]/Fighter[2]/Illusionist[x] will work wonders as one.
A high level rogue with 4 fighter levels for mastery in his stabbing weapon of choice (melee only) or a barbarian who decided to sneak around fights to get stronger or an elven bard/mage who hides to get away from danger are all possibilities.

If Rogue is not to be the main class then stop at level 1 or 2. Take care to pick races who will not get an XP penalty. But don't worry about the ECL penalty. By the time you get to Chapter 3 you will find that they are worth it.

 

Pure class or multi?

If multi, you can try rogue/cleric(Mask) -- nice combo, rogue/ranger (perfect blend), rogue/fighter(4) -- can't go wrong with this one, rogue(2+)/wizard. Perhaps some other two if you want. Tieflings make good rogues, so do halfings. Can't go wrong with elves for dexterity if you feel like it. Perhaps a half-orc for the biggest thug.

 

I was going for a solo-Human party because I'd like a party like the Shadow Thieves of BG.
However, 1 or 2 characters of other races could fit as well.

My idea was multiclassing them, but my main doubt is when should I do it, and how much lvl of Thief should I develop.

 

^That is your choice to made, however get casters high levels so they cast more powerful and more.