Assassin / Sorc

[born]

Hi folks.

Been a while since I last dug out my BG2 discs, and I feel like trying something a bit different this time around. I've seen people writing about using some mods/hacks to change the allowed multiclasses/dual classes. I should mention that I have shadowkeeper, bu no other patches, mods or bonus material installed.

Could one of you familiar with these techniques explain to me how to allow myself to play the aforementioned character, the Assassin / Sorc? I'd prefer it to be a multiclass version, with elf as race.

Thank you for your help and I hope it wont be too hard to so since I have absolutely no experience with these kind of alterations, so with this in mind please try to explain it in a way that even a retarded chimpanzee could follow.

Cheers - Born

[Daianara]

Hi Born. I usually play with a sorceress in RPG's and lately I've been wondering if I can multiclass it with anything. Well, not really, the sorceress is great on her own. As for what you want to do, I can't say I remember an assassin class in BG2. Ok, it's been over a year since I've played so maybe that's why.

[born]

Hi Daianara.

I'm quite sure that there is a assassin kit for the thief class in BG2, but normally you can't use kits when multiclassing. Also, normally the sorc ( in BG2 at least) can't be multiclassed or dualclassed at all.

What I'm looking for is some tweaking from someone who knows a way around this problem

[VonDondu]

UserUnfriendly suggested the only plausible way I know to make a character who has Sorcerer-like abilities: create a spellcaster (such as Mage/Assassin--a multiclass kit can be created with Shadowkeeper) and use a Rest spell to update your spellbook whenever you want to cast a spell you don't have memorized. I created and uploaded two versions of a Rest spell for him to use, and you can find them in an old message thread if you do a search. Since its use is only limited by your own restraint, the potential for abuse is enormous, so it's not a very elegant solution, in my opinion. It's up to you to give spells to your character on the "Sorcerer schedule" and limit yourself to about five or six Rest spells before you actually rest for the day. But due to limitations in the game engine, I don't think there's any way to "hack" a true multiclass Sorcerer.

[born]

Ahh, okay. Shame. I guess I'll have to go with a mage / assassin then, I wont be able to restrain myself with the rest spells, so it'll probably ruin my fun

Thank you for the response, and I'll see if I can figure out how to do the custom Assassin kit in shadowkeeper. Will I get the +1 dmg and THAC0 when using the shadowkeeper to adjust the thief into an assassin?
I better go check. Again thanks!

[Ian Kognitow]

Through Shadowkeeper you could alternatively just go with a sorceror and give it traps and the poison weapon ability in its innate abilities. I'm pretty sure you can hack in the Thac0 bonus under the affects section, though in just looking at it quickly it seems like it may be confusing figuring out what the right ID is for it. The downside is that I don't think there's any way to allow backstabbing, but if you're having to dual class the assassin, the multiplier probably won't be that big anyway. I guess you couldn't use a bow either but, still, poisoned Melf's are quite fun, and even if you just use a sling, I kind of like the notion of hurling poisoned rocks at people.

[born]

I'll go with the multiclass option, so I'd like to keep the backstabbing. Seeing that sorc is pretty much ruled out, I think I'll go with an Illusionist, fits well with the spells I've planned on using most and the character as a whole.
Could someone verify that the innate +1 dmg/THAC0 from the assassin kit is being integrated when added thru' the shadowkeeper and not the normal character creator? Like kensai or swashbuckler AC / THAC0 bonus etc.

Thank you for your help guys.

[VonDondu]

Frankly, an Assassin/Sorcerer doesn't really appeal to me, because I'd rather just play a Sorcerer. For that matter, if I want to play a backstabbing character, I'd rather play a Fighter/Thief, who has a better chance to hit and who can use High Level Abilities from the Warrior pool in Throne of Bhaal. So to help you, we need to know what your goals are.

I think the question is, how do you want to use your spellcasting abilities if you play a Mage/Assassin? I don't know what sort of advantages you're trying to gain by creating a Sorcerer/Assassin. If you boost the number of spells you can cast (e.g., two extra spells per level), would that help? Whether you play a Mage or a Sorcerer, you'll probably use the same spells over and over, so having to memorize spells in advance instead of choosing them on the spur of the moment wouldn't be much of a disadvantage. I imagine you'd like to use a lot of buffing spells (Stoneskin, Mirror Image, Tenser's Transformation, etc.). Some of the spells I like the most such as Project Image aren't useful for a melee character. But maybe you'd like to use certain kinds of disabling spells creatively, such as Sleep, Web, Emotion, etc. to make your enemies vulnerable. Imprisonment/Spike Traps/Freedom is a great combination.

But this also leads to the question of which abilities you want to use as an Assassin. You won't have a lot of thieving points to distribute, so where do you want to put them? The Staff of the Magi can make you invisible but you can't backstab with it (unless you download the version I created, which you can find in another message thread).

[VonDondu]

I'll go with the multiclass option, so I'd like to keep the backstabbing. Seeing that sorc is pretty much ruled out, I think I'll go with an Illusionist, fits well with the spells I've planned on using most and the character as a whole.

If you mean you're going to create an Illusionist/Thief, that will work, but unfortunately, you can't make an Assassin/Illusionist because you can't give a character more than one kit. The only advantage in having a specialty Mage is the extra spell per level. The easy way to get the same benefit is to use Edwin's Amulet if you don't mind giving up the Amulet of Power. (If you kill him, you should be able to get his amulet--that's my opinion on the subject.)

Could someone verify that the innate +1 dmg/THAC0 from the assassin kit is being integrated when added thru' the shadowkeeper and not the normal character creator? Like kensai or swashbuckler AC / THAC0 bonus etc.

It depends on how you change your character in Shadowkeeper. If all you do is change the kit, you might not get the extra benefits unless you also add a few effects under the "Affects" tab. The easiest way to change a character's class is to set his level and experience to 0 and remove all of his thieving skills, effects, proficiency points, etc. and then level him up inside the game. That way he will automatically get all of the benefits and effects he's supposed to get. I use the CLUAConsole code SetCurrentXP to give his experience back to him, but you can also use Shadowkeeper to raise his experience after you have let him level up to 1st Level inside the game. He can't start with 0 hit points, so you'll have to adjust his hit points with Shadowkeeper when you're through levelling him up, so that's something you can do at the same time you change his experience.

[born]

I'm going for the caster/thief combo simply because I've tried numerous other combinations and I wanted to give that one a go. I know it wont be as an effective backstabber as say a Kensai/Thief, but I can easily live with that. Hack N Slash powerplaying is not my concern this time around, I'm hoping to explore some of the more advanced spellgranted abuses.

Concerning the spellcasting part, I'll go mostly with disabling spells coupled with the needed spells for easy-going. Especially spells serving several purposes and not being dependent on high caster lvl i.e. Spook, Slow, Glitterdust, Feeblemind as well as spells complementing the thief part of the character. Spells like Invisibility, web ( with poisoned arrows from afar, later melee with free action ) Mislead etc.

The reason for sorc instead of a mage was purely RP-wise, but seeing the hazzle with creating it, I've decided to go with a Illusionist/Assassin instead.
Speaking of the Assassin, the reason for taking it over the vanilla thief was for the poison ability and the innate +1 Dmg/THAC0 and again RP.

Hopefully a high start dex and a few levels will allow me to handle all the necessary skills quite early, else I'll have to cover with potions and equipment.

Ooh, and do pass the link concerning your version of the Staff of the Magi, sounds like some good fun

*EDIT* Reading your last post concerning the one-kit-only thing, it seems my plan is crumbling a bit. I have to go with a Illusionist / Thief or an Assassin / Mage then. Probably the Illusionist / Thief, granted some Poison abilities.

Cheers - Born

[VonDondu]

Here's a link to the message where I uploaded a modified version of the Staff of the Magi:

http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/baldu ... post627950

If you read my message, I was being honest when I said I created it just to show it could be done. Honestly, I've never used it for an entire game. I think that backstabbing and going invisible round after round with an unlimited item is cheesy, and it gets boring after a while. But go ahead and use it if you like. In moderation, it's a lot of fun, and it's certainly effective.

[born]

Thank you vonDondu.

I probably wont be using it much, just want to feel the raw gorgonzola power in my hands. I'm sure I'll get my dose of backstabcheese covered with mislead
Good thing about only having the option of a single * in each proficiency means that I should be able to try out most of the interesting weapons out there.

Thank you for your help, it's been of great value.

[Ian Kognitow]

If you're considering the illusionist/thief, it seems worth observing that you can pretty much get that same character with Jan already in the game (and he's certainly not averse to chimpanzees). Might you have more fun playing a class you can't otherwise use? If you're set on backstab capability, perhaps a fighter/mage/thief would be to your liking - hacked to include poison and some extra spell slots as though it were a specialist; and with just a little self-control you could just refuse to copy necromancy spells into the spellbook to better emulate the illusionist. You may find levelling up slow if you're playing with a full party, but as long as you're hacking the character anyway, an exp. bump can always be had here or there.