Are Rogues useful here?

[Shiek2005]

I made a Fighter last night which i plan to take into Fighter/WM later on, but since thats the class i've played the most on both NWN2 and NWN2 i was thinking of making a Rogue instead which i would probably take into Rogue/Assassin later on, but i'm worried about whether it's worth it or not? are there any locked door or chests that require the Lockpick skill? what traps to disarm?

Thanks!

[Thief Of Navarre]

All chests enemies drop have a chance of being Locking, Im not sure about traps at the moment but their dont appear to be any!

As far being an Assassin there are normally bounties out on people or the odd person who needs someone dead (well PvP'd). I suppose backstabbing will come in useful, especially in a group where laying high AB mobs to the ground quickly is paramount

[mingming]

The main two strengths of rogue classes are their exclusive ability to disarm traps and their high potential damage factor through sneak attack dice. To date, this server has no traps embedded in any of the hunting areas or treasure drops, so that means a rogue player will find his usefulness somewhat limited to being the high damage dealer when partnered with a party melee companion or if he has HIPS to consistently deal sneak solo.

There is however an unfortunate tendency for sneak-fighters (particularly HIPS users) to favor solo play due to the nature of their fighting style. So unless you can find a fellow player whom you can consistently partner with for both RP and hunting, you might inevitably fall into the trap of evolving into a loner character. This can be a potential detriment to having fun and RP if that is something you want for your character.

Someone brought up locks, but unlike Traps which have an inbuilt exclusivity to them (i.e. anyone can try to open locks, but traps of over DC 20 are only bypassed by Rogues) locks are typicall of a low enough DC here that most folks who put a few cross-class points into that skill are able to act as a party lock-picker.

This is not to say that the server might not eventually develop areas and challenges that don't require a rogue's skills, but for now, it might be an unrewarded path.

[DEV Jlf2n]

Not yet really, but they will, especially in the high level zones like Durlags Tower which will be heavily trapped. The plan is to add houses for Rouges to burgal and traps only a skilled thief can disarm. Give us time, and it will come.

[Shiek2005]

Thanks, i've played a HIPS dependent character before but i wasn't planning to take any SD levels on my character, just that if i play a Rogue i want be useful in other aspects (like disarming traps).

Thanks!

[lorgin2003]

i have to go against the grain here. it really depends on what you're using it for, and how you build him/her. for traps and locks, not so much. however, if you make heavy use of stealth mode, like i do, then you can hear all sorts of useful info from people who don't even know they're giving it away.

and as far as damage goes, you really only need 3 things. a high bluff skill, combat expertise, and feint. bam, a sneak attack every time. and don't forget UMD. that skill will save your ass. scrolls are really cheap compared to 1, so you can really rock out the defensive ones. and if you happen to collect a hefty chunk of gold, those flame weapon scrolls put some serious whollop into your swing.

granted, gold is pretty scarce at the moment (unless you don't mind going all genocidal on the wolves) so you have to shop smart. mage armor is your best bet starting out. they go for less than 20 a piece, as does protection from alignment for when you have to deal with one of those nasty mind affecting critters. and if you duel wield, shield scrolls are a very valuable asset. granted, they run a little more, but hey, you get a shield bonus without needing to have a shield and they stack with non-magical shields too. and once blank scrolls come into the shops, and you can fine a willing caster, you can be a full scale beast.

the only problem i've had is that it's taking me a long time to level. your AC won't be that of a fighter type, so you tend to take a beating from the harder monsters. however, if you're really really really patient, you can save up to buy some gear with some damage resistance, to be able to hang. i'm not that patient, so i've been stuck at 12th level since july.

however, if you just get a bow, and a blocker or two, you should be useful no matter how many levels higher the rest of the group is.

[Shiek2005]

Well thats the problem, if i'm just going to be swinging a sword (or maybe a short sword or dagger), shooting arrows or being in "stealth" mode than that doesn't really cut it for me.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about about being in "stealth" mode, but if i play a Rogue i want to be disarming traps and opening locks among the rest of the stuff.

[mingming]

Sept 18, 2008 14:30:26 GMT -5 lorgin2003 said:

i have to go against the grain here. it really depends on what you're using it for, and how you build him/her. for traps and locks, not so much. however, if you make heavy use of stealth mode, like i do, then you can hear all sorts of useful info from people who don't even know they're giving it away.

and as far as damage goes, you really only need 3 things. a high bluff skill, combat expertise, and feint. bam, a sneak attack every time. and don't forget UMD. that skill will save your ass. scrolls are really cheap compared to 1, so you can really rock out the defensive ones. and if you happen to collect a hefty chunk of gold, those flame weapon scrolls put some serious whollop into your swing.

granted, gold is pretty scarce at the moment (unless you don't mind going all genocidal on the wolves) so you have to shop smart. mage armor is your best bet starting out. they go for less than 20 a piece, as does protection from alignment for when you have to deal with one of those nasty mind affecting critters. and if you duel wield, shield scrolls are a very valuable asset. granted, they run a little more, but hey, you get a shield bonus without needing to have a shield and they stack with non-magical shields too. and once blank scrolls come into the shops, and you can fine a willing caster, you can be a full scale beast.

the only problem i've had is that it's taking me a long time to level. your AC won't be that of a fighter type, so you tend to take a beating from the harder monsters. however, if you're really really really patient, you can save up to buy some gear with some damage resistance, to be able to hang. i'm not that patient, so i've been stuck at 12th level since july.

however, if you just get a bow, and a blocker or two, you should be useful no matter how many levels higher the rest of the group is.

The thing is almost none of what you've mentioned is exclusive to rogue. Most of those things can be done just as well by any other class. That's part of why rogues need a trap environment in which they can shine. I'm encouraged by the news of Durlag's Tower though, that's something to look forward to.

[Iceshard]

I ran a Rogue Assassin on SoH, and it turned out to be more fun than my standard cleric types I do. My AC was comprable to most of the fighter/cleric types, I was the richest man on the server and I dealed in anything from Assassinations to information gathering. What made it even more fun was I had a small band of members that I would always party with, and I told the local thieves guild they couldnt afford me (They really couldnt.. asking me what I could do for them.. heh)
But they also had a lot of locked chests (once unlocked they stayed that way till reset though) and traps scattered throughout.. As JLF said, we will be adding in chests and traps EVERYWHERE, we just need to get the full base of areas out and running, then you will see a use for rogues..

My suggestion is hold off on the rogue for now, then make him when the traps and locks are implemented to experience everything fully...itll be worth while.

-Ice

[DM Sir Carnifex]

They don't necessarily even have to be useful. I have a part rogue built for role-playing and not for thieving. It works for me.

[Shiek2005]

Sounds promising