View source for DC and Master Thief Abilities, etc. - ID: 1579

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'''This topic was started by rayres on 06/08/2019, 03:32:19'''

<div class="postinfo">Post by rayres on 06/08/2019, 03:32:19</div>

I have been playing for a little bit now and am wondering the direction I should focus my stats on if I want to play the expansion.  I am thinking of making my hunter a DC.  I would need to keep him in the front row, though, as I have 3 casters.  Will he be able to survive, i.e. will his AC be low enough?  I had thought about making my thief a DC, but I don't want to endlessly grind to get to master thief 99%.  What does a master thief do that a regular rogue can't?<br/>
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Thanks.<br/>
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Rob

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<div class="postinfo">Post by Visstar on 06/08/2019, 16:41:29</div>

That's not an easy question to answer. If you do some research, you'll find a lot of differing opinions on who makes the best DC and what classes are better than others. My personal opinion is that you are better off in the long run with a warrior rather than a hunter, because eventually you'll start running into creatures who cannot be critically hit, and the multiple attacks of a warrior (as well as the greater hit points) seemed better to me. I turned my warrior into a DC and equipped him with the Staff of Storms, and he hits for 10-20,000 HP per round when he decides on melee over a spell. However, opinions vary, and there are ardent supporters of the hunter here as well.<br/>
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One rather prominent poster here (wizardz, I believe) advocated for making your thief your first DC, but only after reaching 99% of master thief ability. There's something to be said for this, but as you noted, it will take a lo-o-o-o-ong time to get to 99%. Fortunately, you don't really need to get to 99% to get the benefits of a master thief. At around 13% or so, master thieves start hiding automatically at the beginning of combat, allowing them to attack from hiding the first round, or stay hidden and avoid damage completely when facing really tough foes. I sometimes leave my thief hidden in the shadows throughout melee, healing other characters when needed using a healing potion or using a Safetywand if things get out of control. And as they progress, thieves get better and better at opening locks, so eventually they can open even open chests with 10 locks. But past that, I don't believe they gain any new abilities, just incremental improvements like hiding at 30', then 40', etc.<br/>
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There is a drawback to having a DC in the front ranks, as you surmised: the armor class. DCs lose access to a lot of the best armor. On the plus side, by the time you convert someone to DC, you are gaining tons of XP in combat, and your DC will gain levels (and therefore HP and SP) quite rapidly. Mine has an AC of only -25, but has 1225 HP. For this reason, I would concentrate on constitution and intelligence for any character who will become a DC. (Dexterity is also important, of course, for the AC.) There is some decent armor for DCs, including Cap of Resolution, Runed Sorcerer's Hood, and Runed Spellwoven Robe (which can have a nice rune put on it). There's also the shield ring, though you would probably want to go with a Force Ring. And don't forget about a Bandit's Brassard!

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