I just finished playing a while with my war machine of death ranger/cleric (iron skins and heal, end of story), but am bored of running through battles untouched while mashing everything with the flail of ages (in TOB this thing is sick) and crom.
So I going to run a thief through the game for the first time, thinking of the usual candidates (swash, f/t, f/m/t), but really want to try something different and focus on the thieving part.
Question is, a regular thief seems to get so many damn skill points that all skills will eventually go way over 100%. I was wondering for each thief skill, who knows what the effective max is?
For example, open locks, could you ever possibly need more than 100%. I've read mixed things about whether they actually implemented penalities for armor, but even so, what other penalties could apply?
I've heard about penalities for hiding in shadows in day light and such, but never seen them quantified.
I'm a stickler for numbers, so I want to make sure there is a point to my extra theif skills past about level 20.
Any specifics? Thanks!!!
Max Thief Skills?
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Screaming Johny
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It depends on what maximum you mean. I have heard that if you go over 250 the skill starts back at 0. Thinking link a computer nerd, I am guessing it is a binary number stored in one byte where anything over 255 would be the new number-255.
As far as gameplay goes I usually target my skills to go to 100 naturally. With the items that boost I have never been unable to disarm a trap or open a lock. The effective skills are about 125 with the item. After I am at 100 I just gradually increase skills 5 per level. It doesn't seem to have any effect though. As my skills are always uber high in TOB, I haven't ever had a problem with the skill levels in TOB.
If you don't want the theif skills too high, play an assasin. At only 15 per level getting to 100 in each takes quite a while. I would suggest being a fighter assasin though. Even if you dual-class from fighter at level 7.
As far as gameplay goes I usually target my skills to go to 100 naturally. With the items that boost I have never been unable to disarm a trap or open a lock. The effective skills are about 125 with the item. After I am at 100 I just gradually increase skills 5 per level. It doesn't seem to have any effect though. As my skills are always uber high in TOB, I haven't ever had a problem with the skill levels in TOB.
If you don't want the theif skills too high, play an assasin. At only 15 per level getting to 100 in each takes quite a while. I would suggest being a fighter assasin though. Even if you dual-class from fighter at level 7.
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Etherial
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Ah, the immortal question of Thief skills and what they mean...
As most of you prolly know, each point represents the percentage of success your thief has of doing those things. A number of 50 to Trap Setting means your thief has a 50% chance to set/disarm a trap. Meaning, of course, that a full half of all attempts at trap setting/disarming will work, and half will be wasted/blow up in your face.
This poses the question, "Why go over 100% success rate?" Well, in the game there are gameplay variables, situation varaibles, amor penalties, not to mention some lovely variables that aren't readily apparent.
Armor penalties are pretty straight forward. You put on Elven or Drow chain mail, or most kinds of chain mail that is Theif applicable, you take some minor broad spectrum hits to your success rates in thieving. The reason for this is because then your PC relys on how nimble your hands are, how fast your arms can take your hands, and other such agile things... Draping your body in heavy chain mail isn't that good. It will keep you safe, but it will slow you down a bit.
Gameplay variables are a bit trickier, they rely on the time of day, where you are standing, what kind of NCP's are around you, are their enemies about? For an example, in the Aventurer's Mart your Pick Pocketing ability takes a huge slam to it's rate of success because there is a guard present. You also have a much lower success rate at stealing things from the pockets of thieves. The reasons for that are obvious, you need sharp eyes to pick a pocket, the exact same skill needed to thwart pick pocketing. Hidng in shadows is lowered during daytime, duh. You can't hide in shadows successfully when an enemy can see you (Try hiding in a shadows with a friend, one of you pretend that your the monster. You'll see why...).
Situation Varbiables are rarer and even trickier, probably applicable to the lich's trap. The trap has a passive pentalty because A) it is magical, and B) it is probably very old thus tempermental in its inner workings, and C) your thief prolly doesn't think like a Lich and so might have a bit of trouble understanding how it entirely works. Reason C is also probably applicable to the Troll-set trap in the De'Arnise keep, and your Thief doesn't think like Troll... Also, detection of illusions is affected by the spell level of the illusion used in determining the success rate of dispelling the illusuion each round.
Because of all that, going over 100 isn't really a matter of "Meh, it'll always works so who cares..." But more of a, "Okay, I already have 100%, but what if..." kind of context.
That's all I have to say (Thank God!).
As most of you prolly know, each point represents the percentage of success your thief has of doing those things. A number of 50 to Trap Setting means your thief has a 50% chance to set/disarm a trap. Meaning, of course, that a full half of all attempts at trap setting/disarming will work, and half will be wasted/blow up in your face.
This poses the question, "Why go over 100% success rate?" Well, in the game there are gameplay variables, situation varaibles, amor penalties, not to mention some lovely variables that aren't readily apparent.
Armor penalties are pretty straight forward. You put on Elven or Drow chain mail, or most kinds of chain mail that is Theif applicable, you take some minor broad spectrum hits to your success rates in thieving. The reason for this is because then your PC relys on how nimble your hands are, how fast your arms can take your hands, and other such agile things... Draping your body in heavy chain mail isn't that good. It will keep you safe, but it will slow you down a bit.
Gameplay variables are a bit trickier, they rely on the time of day, where you are standing, what kind of NCP's are around you, are their enemies about? For an example, in the Aventurer's Mart your Pick Pocketing ability takes a huge slam to it's rate of success because there is a guard present. You also have a much lower success rate at stealing things from the pockets of thieves. The reasons for that are obvious, you need sharp eyes to pick a pocket, the exact same skill needed to thwart pick pocketing. Hidng in shadows is lowered during daytime, duh. You can't hide in shadows successfully when an enemy can see you (Try hiding in a shadows with a friend, one of you pretend that your the monster. You'll see why...).
Situation Varbiables are rarer and even trickier, probably applicable to the lich's trap. The trap has a passive pentalty because A) it is magical, and B) it is probably very old thus tempermental in its inner workings, and C) your thief prolly doesn't think like a Lich and so might have a bit of trouble understanding how it entirely works. Reason C is also probably applicable to the Troll-set trap in the De'Arnise keep, and your Thief doesn't think like Troll... Also, detection of illusions is affected by the spell level of the illusion used in determining the success rate of dispelling the illusuion each round.
Because of all that, going over 100 isn't really a matter of "Meh, it'll always works so who cares..." But more of a, "Okay, I already have 100%, but what if..." kind of context.
That's all I have to say (Thank God!).
Itch. It itches to feel you cleave to the song of my mettle,
to yield and surrender in nearly every way;
if not in all the important ways.
~No One Important
to yield and surrender in nearly every way;
if not in all the important ways.
~No One Important