Swashbuckler/Cleric
Soloing the game with this character is much tougher than with a Fighter/Mage/Thief. This one requires the utmost luck, skill, and strategy to survive. Do not hesitate to "run and fight another day," literally. Make use of every single available resource and ability. Above all, of course, have fun, and try not to get too frustrated!

Starting Class: Neutral Good Human Swashbuckler, dual to Cleric on level 10

Starting stats were: 18 str, 18 dex, 16 con, 10 int, 18 wis, 13 cha: I got a good roll on my 3rd try, otherwise, the charisma or intelligence could be lowered to fit a lesser total score

Starting skills were: 2 slots in 2-weapon, 1 in sling, 1 in club (I obviously wanted to choose weapons the cleric could use, so as to not waste any slots)

As far as thieving skills go, I raised Open locks and Find/Disarm Traps to 100 each, and dumped the remaining points into Set Snares (brought it up to 55, I think)

The Irenicus Dungeon was quite the challenge. I had to make use of rest/set snares and vampiric touch (I was lucky and received one casting of this, and one of Draw Upon Holy Might as special abilities) in order to defeat some of the tougher critters (the lesser Clay Golems, the Cambion, and the Otygue). Getting to level 10 to dual-class did not take very long at all. I had the necessary experience to do so after destroying 2 of the mephit portals in the second part of the dungeon, and I did so immediately. From there on out, in order to break locks, I casted Draw Upon Holy Might, and forced them, and just stepped through traps and took the damage.

After escaping, I had to find a few quests that didn't require any thieving abilities. First, I defeated the goons on the second floor of the Den of Seven Vales by luring downstairs one by one into waiting summoned skeletons, and then casting hold person on them. This netted me some good xp, as well as full plate and warhammer +1. Following that, I did the Circus Tent quest, the Copper Coronet quest, the Skinner Murder quest, and the Mae'Var quest. The only difficulty I had in any of those was assassinating the mage for Edwin. I casted sanctuary in order to bypass the mephits and golems and get directly to the mage.

At this point, I was close to reaching level 11 and regaining my Swashbuckler skills. I had received enough money from Renal (for killing Mae'Var) to buy the Balduran Shield, figuring the Eyeless Cult quest would be simple, offering loads of XP. However, I got the level after dispatching the bandit party in the sewers.

This is where I am currently. From here on out, I'm sure things will be much more manageable, yet still quite the challenge. I have an idea of how I would be able to deal with every part of the game, but whether or not it will work remains to be seen. If anyone has any specific questions, you may email me at mercuryali@email.com. Otherwise, enjoy!

*I put the thieving skill points earned from making levels 9 & 10 into set snares, raising it to 100 (with 5 leftover into pick pockets). The weapon proficiencies I gained from cleric went into mace, warhammer, flail, and sword+shield style.

More information added after initial posting:

- Backstabbing IS possible with the cleric/thief (or swashbuckler/cleric) using the staff mace, which is quite possibly the most bizarre weapon in the game (a one handed quarterstaff that can be used to backstab). The earliest I found it was from Haz in Chaper 3 since Xzar does NOT drop one as listed (he drops the Staff Spear +2). However, sanctuary can't be used to replace hiding in shadows for backstab (even though invisibility can).

- Cleric/thieves have major problems with thac0 in the early/mid game, which is compounded by their lack of weapon specialization. This makes them weak in open combat, and their backstab doesn't connect nearly as consistently as that of a fighter/thief. Strength enhancement spells help ameliorate this problem somewhat until assembling Crom Faeyr after the return from the Underdark and also by using items like the Helm of Balduran and Gauntlets of Weapon Skill/Expertise. Hold person can also help a great deal against humanoid opponents early on, but it's not reliable since enemies save against it more and more frequently as the game progresses.

- Because cleric/thieves have problems with thac0 and open combat, they have to use other combinations to dispatch enemies. Sanctuary/blade barrier, protection from evil/gate, and firestorm/closed door will all work against crowds depending on the circumstances, while traps basically finish all of the major boss fights before they even happen.

- Multiclass cleric/thieves have problems with mages and liches that a dual-class thief/cleric doesn't, because multiclass clerics can't reach level 15 to use skeleton warriors as shock troops against mages without running into the exp cap (and regular skeletons don't have nearly the same hp/resistances). Many times it's possible to either trap beforehand or lure the mage(s) into traps, but sometimes one just has to get creative. Doing the Twisted Rune with my little gnome was... interesting.

- Being evil helps a ton, since it allows you to use Human Flesh +5 after killing Adalon with traps. The bonus to saves and magic resistance is a real boon late in the game, and that armor does not disable your thieving skills when worn.

Playing this combination forces the player to find all sorts of indirect solutions to problems and can sometimes be tedious, since it's impossible to brute force things most of the time (such as by putting up protection spells, charging into battle, and activating kai). I hope these tips are useful.

Submitted by: Simonides and DaShiv