Think i messed up my char

[deathknight1728]

im starting to wonder if i made the right skill choices in book 1. I am level 3 and spent most of my stat points in dexterity and speed. I am a rogue and i tagged these skills-

1 Dodge
2 Pick Locks
3 Skullduggery
4 Spot Hidden
5 Short Blades

I have no doubt that dodge will get better as time goes on and the same can be said for short blades. However, skullduggery and spot hidden seem like a lot just to disarm traps. I only get 3 skill points per level, how am i supposed to work on all of them? Shouldnt you get 5 or 4 skill points instead of 3. I cant wear armor either as there are no one around with the books to learn it. I really dont want to restart the game, can someone give me some advice on what to put points into. I dont need any help with stats, just skill points.

I might have to restart, I wish i could buy back my points. The only reason i took the pair was that i wanted to play as a canonical rogue.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Rogue is really the toughest character type to play successfully in either Book I or Book II as it is very skill dependent, which you've discovered is extremely limiting. Your ability to spot hidden items is a combination of your Perception and your Spot Hidden skill. If you didn't get a good Perception roll on the roll you selected to play, that could be problematic. Similarly your ability to disarm traps also involves Concentration. To give yourself the best chance with a Rogue, you want to start with pretty high stats all around. You can keep rerolling if you decide to create a new character until you get really good stats. All is not lost, though. Just made more complicated. You really need to focus on combat tactics and using terrain and anything else you can get your hands on. Also, you can wear any armor, you just lose the first point of protection from the first piece.

[deathknight1728]

Ok kreador. I just got an awesome roll. I am set on dodge, short blades, pick locks, and armor light. I am however not sure which skill to get of the two-hide or move silently? I am not sure which would be better. Hide makes you invisible, but only when you are near darkness. Move silently on the other hand allows me to sneak up on people from behind. That might not be bad. I am leaning on move silently, which to your experience is more worth it?

[Randomizer]

Rogues really need more levels than any other class to be effective with all the skills they need. Concentrate on building up your weapon skill so you can kill things quickly. By the middle of the game you can start improving your rogue skills and take advantage of them.

In book 1 only a little Hide in Shadows goes a long way to avoiding being seen.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Hide in Shadows in Book I, as Randomizer mentions, is EXTREMELY powerful. More so than Dodge or Move Silently. With the armor, don't worry beyond the first point. It can be helpful in not making noise while wearing armor, but there are more effective ways to get that result.

And more than anything, have fun.

[Painted Lady]

If you are new to Eschalon, you might not be aware of the way the games are designed.

You really, really want to get good at one thing rather than sticking 1 point into this skill and 1 point into that skill. Put your points into your blade in the beginning. After you get good enough that you can survive close encounters you need to add a ranged weapon - either Fire Dart or Bows will work.

[deathknight1728]

If you are new to Eschalon, you might not be aware of the way the games are designed.

You really, really want to get good at one thing rather than sticking 1 point into this skill and 1 point into that skill. Put your points into your blade in the beginning. After you get good enough that you can survive close encounters you need to add a ranged weapon - either Fire Dart or Bows will work.

Thanks for the info. I decided to go with dodge, pick locks, armor light (just 1 point), Allout with short blades and when i can spare a point I will put some into survival. Survival is actually a cool skill for my character. It really elevates how fast i get back health and the save vs. toxins and disease is awesome since this char is not a warrior type fighter with high strength and endurance.

I really dont want to go with a ranged weapon, im sure that the developers intended for you to use whatever you can to defeat your foes, but i am not a powergamer. I think that without wasting points in spot hidden and skullduggery (which should just be 1 skill!!), i will be able to defeat my foes with the above skills.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

About 1/3 into the game, you'll find the person who can train you in ranged combat if you change your mind. I have fun occasionally playing characters with no ranged combat (or only ranged combat). By the way, Spot Hidden (and/or a high Perception) is good for finding more than just traps.

[Painted Lady]

I really dont want to go with a ranged weapon, im sure that the developers intended for you to use whatever you can to defeat your foes, but i am not a powergamer. I think that without wasting points in spot hidden and skullduggery (which should just be 1 skill!!), i will be able to defeat my foes with the above skills.

I will be interested to see how this build works for you. There are some points in the game where the bad guys all have ranged weapons. I suppose you can rush them with your sword in hand. It won't be possible to sneak around all of them. It's definitely the hardest character to play. Good luck!

[Kreador Freeaxe]

I really dont want to go with a ranged weapon, im sure that the developers intended for you to use whatever you can to defeat your foes, but i am not a powergamer. I think that without wasting points in spot hidden and skullduggery (which should just be 1 skill!!), i will be able to defeat my foes with the above skills.

I will be interested to see how this build works for you. There are some points in the game where the bad guys all have ranged weapons. I suppose you can rush them with your sword in hand. It won't be possible to sneak around all of them. It's definitely the hardest character to play. Good luck!

If he gets good with hide-in-shadows and attacks at night, the ranged foes aren't such a problem. It's the ones that you don't want to be up-close-and-personal with when you kill them. Occasional use of demon oil can help with that in some cases.

[Painted Lady]

If he gets good with hide-in-shadows and attacks at night, the ranged foes aren't such a problem. It's the ones that you don't want to be up-close-and-personal with when you kill them. Occasional use of demon oil can help with that in some cases.

Well, without posting any spoilers, let's just say he's been warned there are going to be challenges ahead!