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existence, and this excellent Feat gives you, in effect, the better of two saving throw rolls against every mind-affecting attack.

CRIPPLING STRIKE.  There is a pretty large gap between the two Feats above and this one, but this one will deal two points of Strength damage to the bad guy on every sneak attack.  By the time it becomes available, though, anything that you
CAN sneak attack probably won't live long enough for you to notice their
Strength going down.  Most useful against non-undead, non-construct "bosses."

SKILL MASTERY.  Another large gap, then this Feat.  The main purpose to this one is to allow you to loot chests while your so-called allies are otherwise engaged in combat with whatever is guarding the chests.  As such, it is only really useful in multiplayer games, and then only for Rogues with less-than-stellar ethics that don't care if they're not invited back to play with this particular group.  ;-)

OPPORTUNIST.  Gives you a +4 to hit when making attacks of opportunity.  Rogues only get -- at best -- one attack of opportunity a round.  You do the math.
This is a MUCH better Feat in full on 3rd Edition D&D rules, by the by.

DEFENSIVE ROLL.  On a successful Reflex save, allows you to cut in half damage that would ordinarily kill you.  If you're a Rogue engaged closely enough with something that can do enough damage to you to make this Feat worthwhile (other than things where Improved Evasion is of help), you DESERVE to be dead.  ;-)



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6.0 MULTICLASSING
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Let's settle one thing right from the outset: there is absolutely no reason, whatsoever, that you should be a 20th level Rogue.  There.  Feel better?  I've given you permission to multiclass.  You're going to multiclass.  Get used to the idea.  ;-)

Unlike most of the other classes, Rogues get no particular benefit from being ultrahigh level in their own class.  Some rather specialized Feats become available at 10th level, but as I've already pointed out, many of these Feats are of extremely limited use.  Once you've gained Improved Evasion and Slippery
Mind (at 13th level, when your sneak attack also becomes a towering +7d6 per use), there really isn't that much point to continuing in your Rogue career.
There are no traps and no locks in single-player NWN that won't fall to a well- played 13th level Rogue, and the remaining Feats and Rogue bonuses go to areas that are either of limited use or no use at all (bonuses to Reflex save when working with traps?  Hello?).  And another seven levels of Rogue will only add an average 10 points of damage to your sneak attacks.  At best, venture no higher than a 15th level Rogue, which makes your sneak attack +8d6 but more importantly, gives you a third attack.

There is much MORE benefit to playing a Rogue multiclassed with something compatible than becoming an ultrahigh level Rogue.  And guess what: nearly every other class is compatible with being a Rogue.  ;-)  One important point, however: when multiclassing with Rogues, it is CRITICAL, absolutely VITAL, that you start the game as a level 1 Rogue.  Neverwinter Nights only gives you your
32+(4*INT bonus) skill points if you START the game as a Level 1 Rogue.  You are
NOT going to be happy if you take another class first, select Level 1 Rogue as your second class, and receive only a handful of skill points to apply to the various Rogue skills above.


6.1 THE OTHER TYPES OF ROGUES
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With all of that said, let's look at the other classes for their benefits to
Rogue multiclassing.

BARBARAIAN
Below average multiclassing option.  While happily non-Lawful, Barbarians and
Rogues share many common special abilities, giving this class little use as a multiclassing option.  An enraged Rogue is a contradiction in terms, Rogues already receive the exact same Dodge bonuses, a 10% increase in movement speed is not particularly impressive, and there are other classes that give you martial weapon and medium armor proficiency.  The exception is the Half-Orc
Level 16/4 Barbarian/Rogue, and one should note the order I put those classes in.  Whoever writes the Barbarian Guide should cover this option.  ;-)  I WILL note that Barbarian/Rogues should start as Level 1 Rogues and multiclass to
Barbarian later, so they get the full benefit of Level 1 Rogue Skill points.

BARD
Above average multiclassing option.  Again non-lawful, Bards feature shield and medium armor proficiency, as well as Charisma-based arcane spell-casting.  They also gain Lore bonuses and Bardic music.  Gunship type Rogues do very well as
Bards, able to initiate Bardic music during the first round, and rely on bow- fire sneak attacks and spells thereafter.  In addition, Bards feature the best range of Rogue-friendly spells, from curing wounds to creature summoning to
Invisibility and ability score enhancements.  Finally, Bards add the Taunt and
Discipline Skills to the already impressive Rogue Skill mix.  It's an excellent choice.  Seriously consider a long-term career goal of 15th level Rogue, 5th level Bard or even 13th / 7th.  To get there, run your character to Level 5
Rogue, then add all your Bard levels, then finish running up your Rogue levels.

CLERIC
Average multiclassing option.  Rogues have a tendency toward the lowest Wisdom scores, making the on-paper choice of a Cleric an odd one.  However, by minimizing the Strength and Constitution scores of one's character and placing those points on Wisdom, suddenly the Rogue/Cleric becomes an excellent multi- pronged support character.  Able to cast spells with no fear of arcane spell failure, turn undead, and cure wounds, the normal Cleric benefits are enhanced by the Rogue combination.  Trickery, Travel, and Magic are excellent domains for
Rogue/Clerics, as are Earth and Sun.  Clerics enjoy the best bonuses against
Rogue-killing mind-affecting spells.  Sanctuary, maligned by "real" Clerics, is the ultimate sneak attack prelude, and non-healing Clerical spells include summoning, ability enhancements, Darkness, and Silence.  At 7th level, a Wizard- class direct damage spell becomes available.  A 13th level Rogue, 7th level
Cleric will be a welcome addition to any party.  To get there, run your character to Level 5 Rogue, then add all your Cleric levels, then finish running up your Rogue levels.

DRUID
Below average multiclassing option.  Druids add medium armor, shield proficiency, and divine spell-casting to a Rogue character, as well as a few interesting supernatural abilities, including +4 to Hide and Move Silently checks in wilderness areas at Level 3.  Druids also add an excellent assortment of animal companions, particularly the Dire Wolf and Panther, two absolutely outstanding distractions for the Rogue sneak attack.  At Level 5, Wild Shape becomes available (though with some somewhat unimpressive form choices).  The primary drawback to the Druid class as a multiclassing option is the relatively non-Rogue-friendly spell mix, which doesn't really hit its stride until the
Druid achieves Level 7.  As a result, the best Rogue/Druids will be those of equal or nearly equal level, say 10th level Rogue, 10th level Druid.  The low levels will be rather frustrating, however, with the character having to rest often and hang back from the main fight.  There are better multiclassing choices.

FIGHTER
Average multiclassing option.  Of real interest only to Thuggish Rogues, for these types, the Rogue/Fighter multiclassing option is vital.  Fighters add heavier armor, shields, and martial weapons to the Rogue mix, but even more important are the higher hit points made available, higher attack bonuses, and the Fighter bonus Feats.  The attack bonuses, in particular, improve the likelihood that a sneak attack will find its target.  A true Thuggish Rogue will be happiest at a slightly higher Fighter level than Rogue level.  The typical end-of-career path for this type is a Level 8 Rogue, Level 12 Fighter (to get the six bonus Fighter Feats and three attacks per round) or a Level 10 Rogue,
Level 10 Fighter (to get the Improved Evasion or Slippery Mind Rogue bonus
Feat).  Even a Level 8 Rogue has little difficulty with all but the very rarest locks and traps in single-player NWN and three sneak attacks per round can quickly destroy even the nastiest bad guy.  Similar to the Barbarian and Monk, a 16th Level Fighter can also benefit from four Levels of Rogue Skills, but I will leave this combination to whomever writes the Fighter guide (if I don't do it myself ;-) ).

MONK
Below average multiclassing option.  The primary benefit to Monk multiclassing are the free non-weapon attack Feats gained at Levels 1 and 2 (Unarmed Strike,
Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Deflect Arrows), the "Flurry of Blows" ability gained at first level, kama weapon proficiency, and the Monk movement speed bonus.  Flurry of Blows is of use because it adds an extra sneak attack opportunity per round, and many "small" sneak attacks are better than one big one.  Multiclass Rogue/Monks must have a Wisdom of at least 10 (because Monks receive their Wisdom bonus to their armor class) and also gain access to many interesting Monk-only magic items.  However, because most of the true benefits of being a Monk only become effective at the highest Monk levels, there is little point to gaining more than a few Monk levels.  A 16th level Rogue, 4th level Monk will do well.  Interestingly, though, a Level 16/4 Monk/Rogue will do even better.  Sadly, Monks are Lawful, but see the notes below regarding... ahem... Rogue/Paladins.

PALADIN
Below average multiclassing option.  This seemingly laughable combination is not
QUITE as ridiculous in NWN as it would be in a true 3rd Edition D&D game.  The primary reason is that I've played single-player NWN for a hundred plus hours and not once have I seen any action change my character's Lawful/Chaotic bent.
There is therefore no reason why a Rogue/Paladin couldn't cheerfully rob any unguarded chest or take other extremely non-Lawful actions.  In addition, adding only a few Paladin levels gives the Rogue his or her Charisma bonus as a saving throw modifier, a weak undead turning ability, immunity to disease and fear, and the ability to remove disease from another once per day.  Paladins also add martial weapons, medium armor, and shields to the Rogue mix, as well as the
Discipline and Taunt (!) skills.  There are definitely better choices, but a
Level 17/3 Rogue/Paladin will be amusing and unusual.

RANGER
Above average multiclassing option.  In particular, Slasher Rogues do VERY well by adding a few Ranger levels, because even a single Ranger level adds
Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting for free, as well as +4 to Hide and Move
Silently checks in wilderness areas.  Rangers also add martial weapons, medium armor, and shields to the mix.  Good hit points are a benefit, as is picking a favored enemy or two.  Even the most diehard "must be Rogue 'til death" Rogues should consider being a 19th level Rogue, 1st level Ranger.  However, a Level
13/7 Rogue/Ranger will be an exceptionally talented figure, adding an animal companion, a small assortment of divine spells, and a second favored enemy.  One cautionary tale about Ranger multiclassing, though.  Instead of a "full-version"
Two Weapon Attack Feat, Rangers get a feat called "Dual Wield," which works only in studded leather armor or less.  The drawback to Rogues, however, is that if you have only Dual Wield, you will never be offered Improved Two Weapon Attack.
Therefore, you should only consider Ranger multiclassing if you can live with this!

SORCEROR
Average multiclassing option.  Sorcerers are Charisma-based arcane spell-casters that add almost nothing to the Rogue weapon mix.  However, adding even a few
Sorcerer levels gives the Rogue/Sorcerer an impressive allotment of low-level spells and more importantly, access to a VERY wide assortment of
Sorcerer/Wizard-only magic items and scrolls without the failure chances of Use
Magic Item.  While overall, the Rogue/Wizard is a better option, if adding only a very few arcane spell-caster levels, Sorcerer isn't a bad call as Sorcerers get more spells at lower levels.  Sorcerers also have the ability to summon a
Panther or Hell Hound as a familiar, both excellent distractions allowing the
Rogue to sneak attack at leisure.  Level 15/5 Rogue/Sorcerer is a good mix.  To get there, run your character to Level 8 Rogue (to get the second attack), then add all your Sorcerer levels, then finish running up your Rogue levels.

WIZARD
Above average (best?) multiclassing option.  For Elves and/or Gunship Rogues, this is the best overall choice.  Adding even a few Wizard levels gives the ability to summon a Panther or Hell Hound familiar, the ability to learn low- level spells from scrolls (giving the Rogue/Wizard a MUCH more diverse base of spells than the Rogue/Sorcerer), and the ability to use the many Sorcerer/Wizard magic items without the failure chances of Use Magic Item.  Five levels of
Wizard also adds the Still Spell metamagic Feat which cancels out arcane spell failure chances for wearing armor while casting combat-related spells (outside of combat, just take the armor OFF, cast, then put it back on).  While 15th level Rogue, 5th level Wizard is a good option, an even better option is actually to put more levels into Wizard than into Rogue.  For instance, a 8th level Rogue, 12th level Wizard has access to 6th level spells directly and 9th
(!) level spells through scrolls.  A Level 8 Rogue has little difficulty with all but the very rarest locks and traps in single-player NWN and a cone of cold followed by a pair of sneak attacks will smash even the nastiest bad guys (especially with a familiar and a summoned creature backing you up!).  And if you can't disable the trap on that chest, you can always toss a Fireball at it...  Rogue/Wizards can also improve their Rogue sneak attacks with an awesome assortment of ability enhancement and defensive spells.


6.2 MULTI-MULTICLASS ROGUES
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Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention that there are a couple of worthwhile double-multiclass options for Rogues.  These tend to be pretty specialized, but very enjoyable character types:

HUMAN/HALF-ELVEN/HALFLING ROGUE/RANGER/ARCANE SPELLCASTER
Half-Elves and Humans may select any character class they like as their favored class, and so long as their other classes do not differ by more than one character level, they will incur no experience point penalties.  Halflings have
Rogues as their favored class.  Therefore, think about starting as a 2nd level
Rogue, then adding one level of Ranger.  Advance to an 8th level Rogue, 1st level Ranger, then add one level of Sorcerer or Wizard (for the familiar and the ability to use Sorcerer/Wizard magic items) or Bard (for the Bardic music, Lore bonuses, and Taunt and Discipline skills).  After that, advance until reaching 3rd level Arcane, 2nd level Ranger, then add Rogue levels until you're a 15th level Rogue.  This character will have up to four (sneak) attacks per round when two-weapon fighting, access to Invisibility and other 2nd level arcane spells, the ability to either use Bardic music or Sorcerer/Wizard magic items with no chance of failure, and at least nine Feats.  However, see above regarding Ranger multiclassing.

HUMAN/HALF-ELVEN/HALFLING ROGUE/MONK/WIZARD
An even odder combination, but one that works in a similar fashion, this character armed with two kamas can make up to five (sneak) attacks per round, a prospect that will strike fear into even the hardiest bad guys.  Advance in