Ive gone back and forth about my favorite and always most different class from game series to game series.

The rogue class is usually for most that don't know, a finesse fighter that usually wields daggers and or light swords, is hard to hit and deals high damage with weapons. That much is certain among rpgs. However, eschalon series isn't like most rpgs as you can play the rogue class much like a fighter, or like a ranger.

I would say that in my opinion, hide in shadows is not really a rogue skill in eschalon series as it doesn't benefit melee as much as it does ranged weapons experts who can take cover and regroup their fighting position.

This is just my take on it-The rogue class in eschalon series is any melee fighter that uses finesse (high speed or dexterity, or even maybe concentration) with a high skill in move silently and deals high damage with melee weapons.

The reason why is that move silently helps melee warriors much more than hide in shadows does. In my case, I've never found a use for hide in shadows as move silently works both in day and night, unlike the former. That and the fact that rogues are better at sneaking through lines of enemies and picking apart the ones that they can take down.

Im sorry if you find my ranting to be inconsequential, but it was meant to be done as I do this for all the series that I like.

So in essence, my take on the rogue in Eschalon series are these traits-

-Extremely High to hit rate and or damage rate with melee weapons(either one or both is good)
-Good skill in move silently
-Usually equipped with swords or daggers (Machetes count too)
-Has high dexterity or other of the finesse attributes (speed or concentration)

I don't think that pick locks is a rogue skill (although it does sound like one). Nor do I think disarming traps is one either. Both of those skills are utility skills. Eschalon is mostly combat based which is why I feel my version of the rogue is meant to be combat focused.

Interesting. I think you really need to make a distinction between Book I and Book II on some of the things.

For instance, in Book I, Hide-In-Shadows was actually over powered. I think it was somewhere in the 20s that the skill made your character essentially invisible at all times, and only a few levels made it a simple matter to hunt at night with impunity and so on, whether with bows or with melee weapons.

Also, in Book I piercing weapons (daggers) were extremely under powered, making them mostly useless.

I do think that a classic thief-type rogue is a possible build, certainly more so in Book I than in Book II, though. I like that these games don't have the sort of hard character designations of a lot of RPGs, allowing everyone to be whatever they want if they can live long enough to build it.

Hide is very good to keep out of sight in book 1, but the problem is you still get found when you hit an enemy when hidden. I played the game with hide at like 5 in book 1 and enemies still hit me after i hit them, if i do at all. The problem is that hide is good to keep out of sight but for me, I much prefer move silently which has saved my hide numerous times.

In book 1, move silently was my most used skill other than weapons due to keeping the ambush lvl much lower. I find that move silently works much better for me as it can really allow you to get through certain areas during the day, that couldnt work with hide unless past 15 skill lvl.

I dont know, maybe its just me, but Ive had very little success with hide and have had more success with move silently at skill lvl 6 in book 1.

Oh and in book 2, move silently is even better than it was because dexterity now affects it.

I guess I still could see hide being useful but i found it was too hard to get to work.

These are my main gripes with it in book 1-

-You need to get divine magic skill learned to fight at all in the dark.
-The divine magic spell cat's eyes still gives you a disadvantage when attacking as the to hit chance is mired.
-What i was saying regarding getting hit and found when attacking in dark
-Since divine magic doesnt work with seeing in the dark, you have to get one skill level of arcane magic and get that higher lvl spell which isnt available in the beginning.

Those are my gripes and mainly they are frustrating because you cant really use the skill hide in combat until mid game.