Has Anyone Dual'd an Assassin at LVL 21?

RPGguy · Post by **RPGguy** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:28 am

I guess the point is to get the x7 backstab (LVL 21, 2.42 million XP) and then dual into a fighter to load up on proficiencies and improved THAC0. But that is one brutal chunk of downtime (3.25 million XP). Obviously I would be starting as an Assassin in BG1tutu.

I don't mind being a frail little field general for a long span. It would be an interesting role playing perspective. I just suspect that I would be getting my thieving skills back in ToB where a good chunk of the baddies are stoneskinned or immune to backstab regardless.

So I am wondering if anyone has ever tried this and how they felt about the experience.

PS. The assassin's 'poison' ability really isn't a consideration for me.

Stworca · Post by **Stworca** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:01 am

Wait.. You want to dual the assassin at lvl 21? Meaning that You'll start from zero and get assassin skills back at fighter lvl 21?

Unless you play solo, or plan or grinding the random spawns - drop the idea

RPGguy · Post by **RPGguy** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:09 am

Stworca wrote:Wait.. You want to dual the assassin at lvl 21? Meaning that You'll start from zero and get assassin skills back at fighter lvl 21?

Ya, thought it might be an interesting challenge. Ideally, would like to start as a fighter but you can't dual into a kit.

Unless you play solo, or plan or grinding the random spawns - drop the idea

oh, I don't doubt that this is probably good advise...but have you ever tried something similar?

Stworca · Post by **Stworca** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:15 am

I dualed a wizzard to a warrior at 24. In order to unlock wizzard class before Melissan fight (with ascension ofcourse) i had to grind trash mobs in duergar tunnels (Sendai Enclave)

It sure as hell was fun to play a lvl.. 4 warrior in Hell. But i had a party to back him up.

Ode to a Grasshopper · Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:35 am

RPGguy wrote:Ya, thought it might be an interesting challenge. Ideally, would like to start as a fighter but you can't dual into a kit.

You can if you start with a vanilla fighter and screw around with Shadowkeeper just after you dual-class.

Hamster ranger · Post by **Hamster ranger** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:33 pm

You can go into the woods and kill boars.

RPGguy · Post by **RPGguy** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:55 pm

Hamster ranger wrote:You can go into the woods and kill boars.

haha, no thanks. I don't play WoW but I have a feeling that's the reference.

Definitely have no interest in harvesting XP, or using SK.

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:31 pm

That was my first dual class and honestly, it's not worth it. You're better off doing either an Assassin/Mage or a Thief/Mage multiclass and backstabbing as an Iron Golem instead. Much more damage that way and a bit lighter on you should you choose the dual class option.

RPGguy · Post by **RPGguy** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:23 am

Okay, thanks guys. Have scrapped the idea. I think I am just going to run a pure Assassin.

I just played a party with Jan and got the experience of backstabbing with the iron golem. While it was exhilarating when you hit, I find that iron golem's extremely large footmark made negotiating most map areas difficult, especially in the heat of battle with many people/creatures running around all over the place. The pathfinding under such circumstances is problematic to say the least. Also, the iron golem's THAC0 seems inferior to the thief in his true form with say...the Staff of the Ram. But agree, the damage output when you do manage a backstab was insane.

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:30 pm

A pure Assassin is also very powerful, utilizing hit and run tactics, but the thing that makes him a real killer is the fact that he can interrupt animations by stacking his Poison Weapon ability. With this, depending on how many times you apply it, their damage animation will display so often that they will have trouble moving and attacking.

RPGguy · Post by **RPGguy** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:58 pm

Crenshinibon wrote:A pure Assassin is also very powerful, utilizing hit and run tactics, but the thing that makes him a real killer is the fact that he can interrupt animations by stacking his Poison Weapon ability. With this, depending on how many times you apply it, their damage animation will display so often that they will have trouble moving and attacking.

I could have sworn that the kit description for that class said that poison attacks don't stack. But I believe you 100%

Honestly, I was expecting 'poison' to work reliably throughout BG1 + ToSc, but just occasionally when I got to SoA and almost never in ToB, due the increasing difficulty with 'save or else' spells/attacks

Kind of like what happens with Celestial Fury when you progress through the game. It just stops working after a while.