how to develop imoen?

BALDURPLAYER · Post by **BALDURPLAYER** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:10 pm

she levels up what thieving ability should i boost? i have no idea where to start.

Curry · Post by **Curry** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:40 pm

It doesn't really matter, thieving skills are pretty useless. I'd go for Detect Traps and Open Locks.

drktmplar · Post by **drktmplar** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:15 am

Why are theiving skills useless? Okay, picking locks and stuff, yes, but disarm traps? I'm very concerned about playing a solo sorc and getting killed by traps in Nashkel.

Curry · Post by **Curry** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:30 am

The thieving skills in BG are Open Locks, Stealth, Find Traps and Pick Pockets. Yes, the most useful ones are Open Locks and Find Traps but you can still do just great without them.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:30 pm

The following contains spoilers:

I think you're taking what happens in BG2 into account aren't you Curry? To call thieving skill useless in general, is quite frankly, ludicrous! Calling stealth useless is quite frankly mind boggling!

Spoiler

In BG2 she gets turned into a (badly) dual-classed mage/thief, with skills poorly distributed. Unfortunately they wreck her even if you've carefully dual classed her yourself. You can of course undo the damage with Shadow Keeper.

For any other thief of course the skills are far from useless, even for her Open Lock and Find Traps are very useful.

Curry · Post by **Curry** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:47 pm

Uhh, I was talking about the skills in BG1. Those skills are useful only if you're soloing, but since he was asking what to do with Imoen I assume he's gonna have a full party. In that case you can just make your tanks take the hit from traps, you can bash doors open, you don't have to use stealth and so on.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:23 pm

As you seem to think thieves are useless why not just suggest he leaves her behind of dual classes her into a mage straight away?

Simply put drktmplar you hvae two options either use her entirely as a thief in BG1 or, at some point dual class her into a Mage/Thief.

If you intend to do the former, and she's going to be your only thief, then the first priorities IMO are lock picking and trap detection/removal until they are 80 or higher, then move onto stealth. Pick pockets can be useful, but not really worth spending skill points on in BG1, you can usually get away with potions.

If you intend dual classing her then you'll need to either use the dumb dwarf approach* (set the traps off and take the consequences) and use knock or hire another thief. Again 80 is enough to get by with in BG1 on lockpicking and F/RT, with BG2 in mind more wouldn't hurt. The alternative is to consider how tough it is to disrupt a mage's spell casting if you don't know they're there, if that attracts you then concentrate on stealth.

*I should point out that that is a well used saying I (and my friends) use (dumb dwarves being the best trap fodder), not a poke at anyone!

Curry · Post by **Curry** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:27 pm

galraen wrote:As you seem to think thieves are useless why not just suggest he leaves her behind

Imoen is a good archer

mcgregor · Post by **mcgregor** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:56 pm

imoen may be a good archer, but probably not as good as coran or kivan. minsc and shar-teel can also be good archers. all of these can use better bows than imoen (possibly not coran, can't remember the rules for multiclass, but he has a much better dex anyway). there is no reason to keep imoen as opposed to any of these (and possibly more) just to use her as an archer. but if you take into account the thieving skills she becomes more useful - disabling traps is very helpful right up to the last fight. so imeon is more than just a good(ish) archer.

as for duelling her to a mage, this can be useful. i have always been of the belief that mages arn't really that powerful in BG1, however, and that thiefs are the more powerful class, so i leave her be. i never take more than one mage (whereas in BG2 i take at least 2)

mcgregor

Klorox · Post by **Klorox** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:41 pm

Gal, I completely disagree with your spoilers, as that's what I do with her in BG1 when powergaming, but that's a discussion for another time/place.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:20 pm

Klorox wrote:Gal, I completely disagree with your spoilers, as that's what I do with her in BG1 when powergaming, but that's a discussion for another time/place.

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