Thieves

Explore the Thief class in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. Learn about class features, kits like Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Shadowdancer, and Swashbuckler, and their unique abilities and strategies.

Thief Class Features:

1. Armor & Equipment: Can only wear non-metallic armor and equip bucklers.
2. Weapon Proficiencies: Proficient with long swords, short swords, katanas, scimitars, daggers, clubs, quarterstaffs, darts, crossbows, shortbows, and slings. Can take one proficiency point in any fighting style.
3. Thief Skills: Invest 25 points per level (40 at level 1) into Thief skills.
4. Backstab: Can perform a backstab attack when armed with a thief weapon, dealing significantly more damage under specific conditions.
5. Set Traps: Can set increasingly powerful snares.
6. Hit Points: 6 HP/level for the first ten levels, then 2 HP/level.
7. Alignment: Cannot be Lawful Good.
8. Dual-Class Attribute: Dexterity.

Thief Kits:

• Assassin: Trades Thief skills for combat prowess. Gains +1 THAC0 and damage, x6 backstab at level 17, x7 at level 21, and Poison Weapon ability (once per 4 levels). Distributes only 15 points per level to Thief skills. Best suited for single-class play or dual-classing from Swashbuckler.
• Bounty Hunter: Focuses on trap setting. Gains +15% to Set Traps, an additional special snare per day (increasingly powerful effects like Slow, Hold, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, Maze), but distributes only 20 points per level to Thief skills. Generally considered the weakest Thief kit.
• Shadowdancer: Emphasizes stealth. Gains +10% to Hide In Shadows and Move Silently, Hide in Plain Sight ability, Shadowstep (temporary invulnerability/free movement), +1 to saving throws. Distributes only 20 points per level to Thief skills, cannot use Set Trap, and has a reduced backstab multiplier (max 4x). Alignment cannot be Lawful. Offers unique abilities like Spirit Form, Shadow Maze, and Shadow Twin. Excellent for dual-classing into Fighter.
• Swashbuckler: Focuses on direct combat. Gains +1 AC (increasing with level), +1 THAC0 and damage (increasing with level), can specialize in Thief weapons, and can take three points in Two-Weapon Style. Cannot backstab. A decent kit for dual-classing, but often outclassed by Fighter/Thief multiclass.

General Strategy:

• Thieves are crucial for overcoming environmental obstacles like traps and locked doors.
• Single-classed Thieves are fragile and rely heavily on their backstab ability for damage output.
• Multiclassing (especially Fighter/Mage/Thief) or dual-classing from Thief provides significant advantages in survivability and overall effectiveness.
• Kits offer specialized playstyles, with Assassin and Shadowdancer being strong contenders for specific builds, while Bounty Hunter is generally less recommended.
• Swashbucklers excel in direct combat but lack the backstab potential of other Thief types.