TGDB.net - Game news, cheats, solutions, walkthroughs, trainers, saved games and much more!

========================================
Neverwinter Nights Rogue Character Guide
By Ross Glenn, rogue@jestertrek.com
========================================

---------------------
0.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS
---------------------
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Wherein Rogue advantages and disadvantages are laid bare.
1.1 Personality
1.2 Advantages
1.3 Disadvantages
1.4 Rogue Types

2.0 RACES
Everyone's a Rogue, but some people are better at it than others.

3.0 ABILITY SCORES
Why Dexterity is not the only game in town.

4.0 SKILLS
The bread-and-butter of the Rogue... no matter what type ye be.
4.1 Critical Skills
4.2 General Skills
4.3 Worthless Skills

5.0 FEATS
Decide what kind of Rogue you want FIRST, then pick your Feats.
5.1 Rogue Types and their Feats
5.2 General Rogue Feats
5.3 Feats to Avoid
5.4 Rogue-Specific Feats

6.0 MULTICLASSING
Why in Olidammara's name would you want to be a 20th level Rogue?
6.1 The Other Types of Rogues
6.2 Multi-Multiclass Rogues

7.0 HENCHMEN
Elven Cleric love and other dangers of the henchman trade.

8.0 ITEMS AND MAGIC
Don't get married to any given item. That's not what Rogues do.
8.1 Armor
8.2 Other Clothing (Cloaks, Boots, Belts, Gloves)
8.3 Jewelry (Rings and Necklaces)
8.4 Helms and Shields
8.5 Weapons
8.6 Miscellaneous Magic

9.0 TACTICS
Rogues have a name for allies that stand and fight: meat shields.
9.1 In-Town Tactics
9.2 Scouting Tactics
9.3 Combat Tactics
9.4 After the Fight
9.5 Multiplayer Tactics

10.0 TIPS FOR NWN SINGLE-PLAYER
Play Rogue-style, or let the best things in life pass you by.
10.1 Prelude
10.2 Chapter One
10.3 Chapter Two
10.4 Chapter Three
10.5 Chapter Four

11.0 CREDITS AND MISCELLANY
The little people I stepped on to get-- ::coughs:: Never mind.
11.1 Credit Where Credit is Due
11.2 Rogue Guide Locations
11.3 Troy Scotter's Experience Point Discovery (tm)
11.4 Revision History



----------------
1.0 INTRODUCTION
----------------
First off, let's get something straight. It's Rogue. It's not spy, or
assassin, or diplomat, or politician (though all of those people are Rogues).
And for Olidammara's sake, it certainly isn't thief or cutpurse or swindler...
not if you want to keep drawing air. It's Rogue, with a capital 'R'. Don't
let
me catch those other phrases passing your lips.

For verily, there are many types of Rogues. There are the street-toughs that
can stand toe-to-toe with the fighting classes, wielding blade and axe in ways
that no mere Fighter would ever dream of doing. There are stalking in-fighters
who slip out from the dark, produce daggers and darts from nowhere, leaving only
a dying scream in their wake. There are snipers striking from ambush -- your
only warning a streak of light through the air, coming from somewhere vaguely
"over there" before an arrow shaft buries itself in your throat. And there are
sweet-talking artists of the con and dodge, who have no need to see your blood
if they can talk you from your gold or slip it from your pockets unseen.

Rogues are the first person asked to join the party and the last person in the
party given trust. Is that fair, I ask you? Rogues are the first ones into
harm's way and the last ones out. Fighters and Barbarians and Monks might claim
to be the ones on the front lines... but look in the direction they're charging.
See that dark shape attacking from ambush? That's the party's Rogue they're
charging toward. The Rogue's already been where they stand. Wizards and
Sorcerers wax poetic about the power of their spells, but spell-casters fall
faster before Rogues than any other class. Clerics and Druids babble about the
glories of their faith, but the brooch that holds their robes closed was taken
from a chest whose traps were disabled by a Rogue, its lock picked by a Rogue
because -- let's be honest -- their janitors don't do windows and their gods
don't do chests.

So show a little respect, understood? Don't worry. I'll stay loyal... just as
long as I'm well paid.


1.1 PERSONALITY
---------------
As you can see from the Introduction, it takes a certain kind of personality to
make a good Rogue. That means you've got to be willing to play the game,
whether Neverwinter Nights or 3rd Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons in
general, with a certain flair, a certain style. If you're timid, you would not
make a good Rogue. Scared to die? Play a Cleric. Want to stare death in the
face? Play a Fighter. A good Rogue is practical, charming, and sure of himself
and his own abilities... to a point. Pilots have an expression: "90% of a good
landing is the set-up." Rogues are the set-up characters in this game, telling
the party where danger lies, what the danger is, and what the danger had for
breakfast this morning... and in some cases, that the danger is already dead, or
disabled, or unlocked. If you're not willing to take the lead, well... not
everyone is good enough to be a Rogue.

Before you create your Rogue character, decide what type of Rogue you want to
play. Rogues are the most versatile characters in both NWN and 3rd Edition D&D.
There are "Thuggish" Rogues that are just a step removed from front-line
Fighters, and there are Rogue spell-casters that are just a step removed from
the party's Wizard. Examine your playing style carefully and plan out your
career as a Rogue well in advance. Rogues are all about evaluating the rewards
versus the downside risk and taking the practical, considered action. If you're
going to play a Rogue, you should be, too.

Oh, and one more thing: just about every Rogue has a few non-Rogue tricks up
their sleeves, and maybe more than a few. Hate to break it to you, but we
Rogues steal more than gold or magic items. We can steal the abilities of other
classes, too. It's called multiclassing, and any smart Rogue will be into it.
Ready to be a Rogue?


1.2 ADVANTAGES
--------------
- Rogues have, far and away, the most Skills in the game
- Rogues are the most versatile character type in 3rd Edition D&D
- Rogues multiclass well with virtually any other class
- Rogue skills are very valuable at every stage of an adventure
- Rogues are the only class with the ability to launch a sneak attack
- Rogues have the best Reflex saves of any character class
- Rogues usually have the best armor class of any party member
- Rogues can easily use magic items not intended for them
- Rogues get any weapon or item rejected by other party members
- In multiplayer, Rogues can easily swindle other party members


1.3 DISADVANTAGES
-----------------
- Rogues use a relatively paltry d6 for their hit points
- Rogues do not receive very good high-level benefits
- Rogues are generally very susceptible to mind-affecting spells
- Rogues often enter combat alone, isolated, or surrounded
- Ironically, a Rogue in a one-on-one fight will probably lose
- Single class Rogues have no spell-casting ability
- Most Rogues don't have a particularly good choice of weapons
- Rogues are expected to scout ahead of the main body of the party
- Things scouting ahead of the party sometimes get eaten
- In multiplayer, Rogues are easily the least-trusted party members


1.4 ROGUE TYPES
---------------
As I mentioned earlier, there are many types of Rogues. Most of the Rogue types
are a result of their combat styles, and those styles will be discussed more in
the Feats section. However, there are also Rogues defined by their non-combat
styles... Before creating your Rogue, decide which style suits your play the
best.

THUG
A somewhat uncommon type of Rogue, Thugs focus on the weapons and Strength-
training aspects of the class, at the expense of some of the more esoteric Rogue
skills. In Neverwinter Nights, this usually means a loss of Open Locks and
Disable Traps skills in exchange for simply bashing chests open. In 3rd Edition
D&D, the skills sacrificed are usually Hide in Shadows and Move Silently, since
most Thugs don heavier armor than the standard Rogue. This type is a good
choice for players who want to play a Fighter but also want the sneak attack
ability and the high Skill points of a Rogue.

SLASHER
This is a combat-oriented Rogue who accepts and embraces that Dexterity is the
way of the Rogue. This type uses small, light weapons and two-weapon fighting
to maximize the number of sneak attack attempts per round. Slashers are also
noteworthy for their ability to strike from ambush and hit just the targets that
need hitting in a crowded melee. In the full 3rd Edition D&D game, Slashers
have a number of additional special abilities such as tumbling, tightrope
walking, or other ultra physical abilities that can get them into and out of
dangerous situations.

GUNSHIP
The "Gunship" references the military combat helicopters of today, which strike
from the edges of the battle and can change tactics mid-battle with ease.
Gunships are the most versatile of the Rogues, already a versatile class, and
often add spell-casting or other arcane or divine abilities to the Rogue mix.
Gunships are usually the Rogues with the lowest number of hit points and the
worst armor class, but make up for it in mobility, speed, and terrifying combat
capabilities. They can't stand in a fight for long, but they make an impact out
of all proportion to their size for as long as they ARE there.

DIPLOMAT
The diplomatic Rogue often sacrifices physical abilities for Intelligence and
Charisma... the ability to charm people's money or information away from them.
Most useful in the in-town setting, Diplomats often have to hang back once the
actual fight starts. Many diplomatic Rogues multiclass with divine spell-
casting, becoming the ultimate support characters, scouting for danger before
the battle begins and mopping up once the battle is over... but don't expect
much from them in the battle itself. Diplomats are most common in multiplayer
Neverwinter Nights, where they can be quite viable party leaders.

SCOUT
The Scout is an almost clich‚ Rogue, ghosting ahead of the party, clearing traps
and other dangers, mapping out the terrain in advance of the rest of the group.
Proficient in the widest variety of weapons and tactics, Scouts are often the
mechanical geniuses of the party in full 3rd Edition D&D play, divining the
nature of puzzles and artifacts and mysteries, or connecting the dots of a
complex adventure. They are also the mapmakers. Much more common in
multiplayer Neverwinter Nights than in the solo game, a good Scout can do more
than a Cleric to keep a large party alive.


---------
2.0 RACES
---------
"Everyone's a Rogue at heart." -- Ketta, Rogue Trainer, Neverwinter Academy

Ketta spoke truly (RIP, Ketta), but some races make better Rogues than others.
Your choice in Race will be influenced strongly by the type of Rogue you want to
play, but even in the general case, some races are inherently more suited to the
Rogue lifestyle. Being a Rogue is all about evaluating the downside risk to
your decisions, and smart decisions up front will save you from having to
compensate for your bad decision later... Choose wisely!

HUMAN
Average Rogue race. The primary advantage to playing a Human Rogue isn't the
additional initial starting feat but rather the +4 skill points for first level
and +1 skill point per additional level. These can be handy to add that one
last skill (Pick Pockets, Taunt, or Use Magic Item come to mind) that you don't
otherwise have the skill points for. Humans can also multiclass Rogues with the
more unusual classes, such as Cleric. Humans can play two classes and get the
first class for "free" without an experience point penalty for mismatched