The Kensai Thief - wow!
djarvinen
'Kensai-Thief' would do. Start as a Kensai fighter, then dual her at a
later level to a Thief.
Omigosh... was she one wicked Thief. I love kits!
Anyway, it is rather longish so I put it on a web page:
http://www.proaxis.com/~jarvinen/games/bg/KensaiThief.html
Comments are welcome. Criticisms? Uh... er... maybe.
--
"Those are my principles. And if you don't like those, I have others."
---Grouch Marx
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
jb
"djarvinen" <djar...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8spoep$8n4$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
monk
this just an assumption? They did changes in BG2 that limited cheapness in
backstab mode. For example, a character who drinks a strength potion before
backstabbing, will not have strength modification bonus for that backstab,
it just calculates your original strength - not the modified strength. It
said so on the BG2 board by one of the developers.
Second of all, as far as I know, it doesn't help to ditch NPCs when you get
out of the first dungeon. You all get the same experience points. There
are 2 kinds of experience gain in BG2: The first one is "Party receive so
much points." and the second one is "Minsc receives 34,000 exp points,
Jaheira receives 34,000 exp points, Korgan received 34,000 experience
points... etc." - it's an individual reward thing. In other words, you just
screwed Minsc and Jaheira and having them leave did not allocat more points
to your share.
As far as I know, a half-orc assassin is still the best backstabber in the
game. At level 20, he can do 7X backstab damage, half-orc tops at 19 STR,
so add those bonus damage X7. If that is not enough to kill that person,
his poison acts 3X faster at level 15, that means 30 additional damage in
less than 10 seconds. A mage who is poisoned can NEVER EVER get a spell
off... but then again, 7X backstab with a 19 STR and a shortsword of
backstabbing will make him totally dead anyway. Assassins also gain +1 to
hit and +1 damage bonus. Multiply those by 7 again. His minimum damage is
enough to kill a mage. His minimum damage plus poison is enough to kill
almost anyone (except dragons and the big weird ones) in the game.
A level 9/10 kensai/thief is equal to a level 12 Assassin (30k short)
experience points-wise. Don't get me wrong, your kensai/thief looks
awesome, but what I'm saying is... for backstabbing, assassins are still the
king :) They are the only class that has 2 ass on their name and ends with
a sin... you know they're badasses.
Todd Rose
of invisibility. With a +2 Katana he backstabs for 70pts average (5x
damage). I've seen him hit for over 120 on a critical hit's. Not too
many baddies can take this.
-- Todd
DrGonzo
"monk" <mo...@here.com> wrote in message
news:8sqhme$ct0$1...@central.server.swt.edu...
Try an elf Stalker with 19 Strength and weapon specialisation in a long
sword... it is damned hard to miss with fighter THACO, Strength Bonus, + 1
to hit with LS for elves, specialisation to hit bonus plus any magic weapon
bonus.... while the backstab mulitplier is not as high... the follow up
attacks and the fighter HP make a great character to play.
WiCkdULL
-8 thaco on main hand and -4 on offhand.. 4 attacks per round
Serafin Nunez
"Be born then, gasp wind, screech at the surgeon's slap, seek manhood, taste a
little of godhood, feel pain, give birth, stuggle a little while, succumb.
(Dying, leave quietly by the rear exit, please.)"-A Canticle for Leibowitz
Phil
monk <mo...@here.com> wrote in message
news:8sqhme$ct0$1...@central.server.swt.edu...
> Are you sure about getting full backstab damage when in kai mode?
Or is
> this just an assumption? They did changes in BG2 that limited
cheapness in
> backstab mode. For example, a character who drinks a strength
potion before
> backstabbing, will not have strength modification bonus for that
backstab,
> it just calculates your original strength - not the modified
strength. It
> said so on the BG2 board by one of the developers.
>
Is that right? Sounds a very cheap trick, if I do say so myself. The
point of the strength enhancing potions was to alter one's original
form for a short period, to grant bonuses to all strength modified
actions. Is it just me who thinks that increasing strength befoe
backstabbing is a viable tactic? Oh, and do you know if this rule
applies to spells such as Strength, which modify a characters'
strength score? Bah humbug, this has put me off the fighter/thief as
a viable multi class combination now.
--
Phil
(Remove 'your.inhibitions' to reply)
Read the alt.games.baldurs-gate Usage Guidelines:
www.demonspawn.net/bg/usage.htm
monk
bonus damage does not apply until AFTER the multiplier backtab calculation.
So a half-orc thief with 19 STR will have to add the +7 damage bonus from
strength after he multiply his weapon damage X 5.
The best backstabber is still an assassin. Poison & x7 multiplier is just
unbeatable.
As for fighter/thief, I personally think a level 10 berserker dual into a
thief is the best choice. You won't take down big targets with one
backstab, unlike assassins, but you can finish them off with your dual wield
and longsword mastery and berserker mode turned on. As far as I know,
Kensai can't wear armor.
"Phil" <ph...@your.inhibitions.gledson.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8sv37g$mq3$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
Phil
> Dunno. But another factor you should consider also is that your
strength
> bonus damage does not apply until AFTER the multiplier backtab
calculation.
> So a half-orc thief with 19 STR will have to add the +7 damage bonus
from
> strength after he multiply his weapon damage X 5.
So let's say our half orc is wielding a normal longsword, with one
proficiency (no bonuses or penalties to hit or damage). He gets the
1d8 damage, the +3 to hit bnus from his strength. Now his backstab at
5X would be 5d8, or 5-40 points. After making that calculation, the
computer then adds another 7 points for his +7 to damage ability from
the 19 strength, meaning the total damage is 12-47. Is all this right
so far? Because if that is the case, then the maximum backstab
multiplier possibe would be the half orc with 19 strength, wielding
the best longsword (I'm don't know if katanas count for backstab
bonuses), which is at least a +3 model, ignoring special bonuses
against certain types of enemies. So we would have 1d8+3 X7 (the 7X
backstab is the highest a thief can reach, right?), giving 28-77
damage. We then add the +7 to hit bonus from the 19 strength, giving
us 35-84 damage possible from one backstab. Well, that pretty much
sucks, since I was getting backstabs above 100 points in BG using
potions of cloud giant strength to give me 24 strength (+6 to hit/+12
to damage), and using a +2 longsword (Varscona, with the +1 cold
damage). I think I'll stick with the fighter option and just charge
forwards and duke it out man to man, face to face. The benefits of
being a sneaky blighter aren't worth the risk of missing out on
killing that enemy mage with one shot. Or I could just use a monk.
> The best backstabber is still an assassin. Poison & x7 multiplier
is just
> unbeatable.
> As for fighter/thief, I personally think a level 10 berserker dual
into a
> thief is the best choice. You won't take down big targets with one
> backstab, unlike assassins, but you can finish them off with your
dual wield
> and longsword mastery and berserker mode turned on. As far as I
know,
> Kensai can't wear armor.
As I said, I want backstab as a clean and efficient way of killing an
enemy with one shot. Getting engaged in combat isn't what I'm after,
especially if I'm going mage hunting, since they could get off a
contingency spell and whack up stoneskin and some other protection
spells, making the once easy bait into a very dangerous fight,
especially since I've just blown my cover and am at the mercy of the
mage and any of his buddies who may be in the area.
BTW, you're right with the kensai not being able to wear armour.
However, a kensai/mage can wear a mage robe, giving him a big boost to
his AC that way.
Wesley Martin
i heard that you can now use ANY sword type??
or is it just shorts and daggers like usual
jb <j...@ibm.net> wrote in message
news:on_H5.3967$U5.4...@news1.rdc1.sdca.home.com...
> i rolled one too. with the 4x backstab, it rocks!
>
>
> "djarvinen" <djar...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
> news:8spoep$8n4$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> > Based on some recent postings, I decided to check out how well a
> > 'Kensai-Thief' would do. Start as a Kensai fighter, then dual her at a
> > later level to a Thief.
> >
> > Omigosh... was she one wicked Thief. I love kits!
> >
> > Anyway, it is rather longish so I put it on a web page:
> >
> > http://www.proaxis.com/~jarvinen/games/bg/KensaiThief.html
> >
> > Comments are welcome. Criticisms? Uh... er... maybe.
> >
Georgethe4
> what is the limit on backstab weps
> i heard that you can now use ANY sword type??
> or is it just shorts and daggers like usual
As far as I know, you can backstab with any melee weapon useable by a thief, so
long swords and short swords would be OK, but katanas, bastard swords and two
handed swords would not work.
Cool, cool
George IV
Georgethe4
>> Another factor you should consider also is that your strength...
>> does not apply until AFTER the multiplier backtab calculation.
>> from strength after he multiply his weapon damage X 5...
< nicely explanation of calculations snipped for brevity >
> Is all this right so far?
That's the way I understand it.
> If that is the case, then the maximum backstab...
> possible would be the half orc with 19 strength, wielding
> the best longsword (I'm don't know if katanas count for
> backstab bonuses)
I don't think so, inasmuch as they are not a thief weapon.
> which is at least a +3 model...
> So we would have 1d8+3 X7... giving 28-77
> damage. We then add the +7 to hit bonus from the 19 strength, giving
> us 35-84 damage possible from one backstab. Well, that pretty much
> sucks, since I was getting backstabs above 100 points in BG...
35-84 is still a lot of damage, but I see where you're coming from.
> The benefits of being a sneaky blighter
> aren't worth the risk of missing out on killing that
> enemy mage with one shot. Or I could just use a monk.
Following the same logic as yourself, I have pretty much decided that a monk is
a better mage killer than a backstabbing fighter/thief.
>> The best backstabber is still an assassin. Poison & x7 multiplier
>> is just unbeatable.
Haven't tried one of these yet? How bad are the penalties to his thief skills?
> I want backstab as a clean and efficient way of killing an
> enemy with one shot...
> especially if I'm going mage hunting, since they could get off
> a contingency spell...
> making the once easy bait into a very dangerous fight,
> especially since I've just blown my cover and am at the mercy of
> the mage and any of his buddies who may be in the area.
> Phil
It's not all gravy you know, Phil.
Cool, cool
George IV
Todd Rose
--Todd
Phil
Georgethe4 <georg...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001024151741...@ng-fi1.aol.com...
> Previously,
>
> > If that is the case, then the maximum backstab...
> > possible would be the half orc with 19 strength, wielding
> > the best longsword (I'm don't know if katanas count for
> > backstab bonuses)
>
> I don't think so, inasmuch as they are not a thief weapon.
But I think thieves can use them. Yoshimo can, at least. However,
I've not experimented backstabbing with anyone yet, so I'll wait until
my next run through the game (circa May 2003).
> > which is at least a +3 model...
> > So we would have 1d8+3 X7... giving 28-77
> > damage. We then add the +7 to hit bonus from the 19 strength,
giving
> > us 35-84 damage possible from one backstab. Well, that pretty
much
> > sucks, since I was getting backstabs above 100 points in BG...
>
> 35-84 is still a lot of damage, but I see where you're coming from.
84 is enough to take down all but the most evil of mages, but 35 is
just enough to injure them and then leave you standing there with a
big sign saying "Bite me!". As I say, it is a big drop from backstabs
of 100+ in BG1.
> > The benefits of being a sneaky blighter
> > aren't worth the risk of missing out on killing that
> > enemy mage with one shot. Or I could just use a monk.
>
> Following the same logic as yourself, I have pretty much decided
that a monk is
> a better mage killer than a backstabbing fighter/thief.
Yes, the monk sounds a real mage killer. Magic resistant, and I saw
one post claiming they killed a dragon with quivering palm, one shot,
no mess. Plus the innate hasting ability of the monk means he will
attack quickly and hit hard. He only suffers from a poorer THAC0 than
say, a fighter dualled to thief.
> > I want backstab as a clean and efficient way of killing an
> > enemy with one shot...
> > especially if I'm going mage hunting, since they could get off
> > a contingency spell...
> > making the once easy bait into a very dangerous fight,
> > especially since I've just blown my cover and am at the mercy of
> > the mage and any of his buddies who may be in the area.
> > Phil
>
> It's not all gravy you know, Phil.
> Cool, cool
> George IV
Dammit, I want munchkinism and I want it now! ;-). It's all about
maximum hurtage with minimum risk, and hitting a mage for 20 or so
points of damage is taking a big risk (because, as we all know, mages
in BG2 have at least 21 hitpoints). Come to think of it, what the
devil is Power Word:Sleep doing in BG2 if it only affects creatures
with under 20 hitpoints? I can send a dog to sleep, yippee. But
that's another story.
Georgethe4
>>> I don't know if katanas count for
>>> backstab bonuses.
>> I don't think so, inasmuch as they are not a thief weapon.
> But I think thieves can use them. Yoshimo can, at least.
You're right! When playing around with character creation, I noted that katanas
ARE a thief weapon, contrary to what I indicated earlier. (More leftover
knowledge from first editions rules. Didn't have katanas in FE, so obviously no
katanas for thieves.)
I don't see why a backstab with a katana should be disallowed. (This doesn't
mean it won't be, but why would they include it in the thief's arsenal if he
can't backstab with it?)
> However, I've not
> experimented backstabbing with anyone yet...
I haven't either, but I may real soon. :-) But probably not with a katana.
There's a lot of good longswords out there and I hate to think of them all
going to waste. Probably the best choice of weapon for a thief in this game
would be long sword, even if you can backstab with katanas, of which I'm not
sure. None of the NPCs seem to specialize in long swords. None of the ones I
wanted, anyway.
>>> The benefits of being a sneaky blighter
>>> aren't worth the risk of missing out on killing that
>>> enemy mage with one shot. Or I could just use a monk.
>> Following the same logic as yourself, I have pretty much
>> decided that a monk is a better
>> mage killer than a backstabbing fighter/thief.
> Yes, the monk sounds a real mage killer. Magic resistant, and I
> saw one post claiming they killed a dragon with quivering palm...
> Dammit, I want munchkinism and I want it now! ;-).
Kind of torn between a mage/thief, a fighter/mage and a monk. For the first
two, I can transfer a character over from BG, where I had the benefits of
tomes, as well as from the fact that either I was just plain lucky in BG, or
it's tougher to roll up an incredible set of stats in BG2. Monks look good, but
it's hard to give up on those 19s in key abilities.
Cool, cool
George IV
Derville
> > But I think thieves can use them. Yoshimo can, at least.
>
> You're right! When playing around with character creation, I noted
that katanas
> ARE a thief weapon, contrary to what I indicated earlier. (More
leftover
> knowledge from first editions rules. Didn't have katanas in FE, so
obviously no
> katanas for thieves.)
> I don't see why a backstab with a katana should be disallowed. (This
doesn't
> mean it won't be, but why would they include it in the thief's
arsenal if he
> can't backstab with it?)
Dunno. Thieves can use staves, and they can't backstab with them.
I'm not sure if all one handed thief weapons are backstab capable (I'd
look silly backstabing with a hammer - I'd just have to crack them on
the top of the head ;-)).
> > However, I've not
> > experimented backstabbing with anyone yet...
>
> I haven't either, but I may real soon. :-) But probably not with a
katana.
> There's a lot of good longswords out there and I hate to think of
them all
> going to waste. Probably the best choice of weapon for a thief in
this game
> would be long sword, even if you can backstab with katanas, of which
I'm not
> sure. None of the NPCs seem to specialize in long swords. None of
the ones I
> wanted, anyway.
I've been struggling to find any decent long swords in Athkatla.
Daystar is great, if a bit specialised in its usage, and there's the
blade of roses, but other than that you're stuck with the +1 variety.
And still no sign of Varscona, much to my dismay. Katanas are
adequately catered for in two words: "Celestial Fury". Sadly, I've
got nobody in my group with katana proficiency. Still, life's not too
bad at the minute. I've just blown 30,000GP at Ribald's making my
team into a lumbering juggernaut o' death (I hope).
> > Yes, the monk sounds a real mage killer. Magic resistant, and I
> > saw one post claiming they killed a dragon with quivering palm...
> > Dammit, I want munchkinism and I want it now! ;-).
>
> Kind of torn between a mage/thief, a fighter/mage and a monk. For
the first
> two, I can transfer a character over from BG, where I had the
benefits of
> tomes, as well as from the fact that either I was just plain lucky
in BG, or
> it's tougher to roll up an incredible set of stats in BG2. Monks
look good, but
> it's hard to give up on those 19s in key abilities.
> Cool, cool
> George IV
Monks are restricted in terms of race to human, elf and half elf,
right? Shame, I wouldn't mind a half orc monk ;-). I'd probably
recommend against monk for the first run through, since they sound to
be fairly weak until about level 14, when their magic resistance kicks
in. After that they look like they become lethal, but it may be a
struggle to get them that far.
--
P.
Georgethe4
>> I don't see why a backstab with a katana should be disallowed...
>> can't backstab with it?
> Dunno. Thieves can use staves, and they can't backstab with them.
I've heard this before, but registered a backstab last night with a +1
quarterstaff.
Cool, cool
George IV
Tom Schipper
> Daystar is great, if a bit specialised in its usage, and there's the
> blade of roses, but other than that you're stuck with the +1 variety.
> And still no sign of Varscona, much to my dismay. Katanas are
> adequately catered for in two words: "Celestial Fury". Sadly, I've
> got nobody in my group with katana proficiency. Still, life's not too
> bad at the minute. I've just blown 30,000GP at Ribald's making my
> team into a lumbering juggernaut o' death (I hope).
I finally found Varscona...by the time I did I had better equipment.
> > > Yes, the monk sounds a real mage killer. Magic resistant, and I
> > > saw one post claiming they killed a dragon with quivering palm...
> > > Dammit, I want munchkinism and I want it now! ;-).
I'm playing a monk my second time thorugh. Yes, they can insta-kill dragons
(about a 1 in 3 shot). They get an insane number of attacks and they seem
to act as if proficient in any weapon regardless of whether they actually
are or not. I'm having a hard time deciding between the Sword of Balduran,
Scarlett Ninja-To, and Celestial Fury. As my magic resistance approaches
100% without the Sword of Balduran I'll probably lean more toward the other
2. Celestial Fury is way cool, but the Scarlett Ninja-To extra attack is
very nice and the poison effectively keeps a spellcaster from casting
anything for 2 rounds, as well as killing trolls and doing lot of extra
damage.
> > it's tougher to roll up an incredible set of stats in BG2. Monks
> look good, but
> > it's hard to give up on those 19s in key abilities.
18 vs 19 dex isn't a big difference since it's only missile Thac0 and monks
don't generally use missile weapons. Anything over 16 Con is overkill for a
monk since they don't get the fighter hp bonuses. 18 to 19 Str makes a much
bigger difference, but Ribald has a girdle that fixes that.
> Monks are restricted in terms of race to human, elf and half elf,
> right? Shame, I wouldn't mind a half orc monk ;-). I'd probably
> recommend against monk for the first run through, since they sound to
> be fairly weak until about level 14, when their magic resistance kicks
> in. After that they look like they become lethal, but it may be a
> struggle to get them that far.
I think Monks have to be human...not 100% sure. Monks may be tricky until
you can get out of the first dungeon and get some money. Then get them the
Bracers of AC3 as a crutch and they're basically fighter/theif until their
specials start kicking in. Even at low level stunning blow is great in
one-on-one combat. About level 12 they no longer need the bracers and their
number of attacks starts going up. At level 13 they get the quivering palm.
Level 14 is magic resistance...
My level 16 monk now has a natural AC -4 (-9 with equipment), Thac0 -3 and
7/2 attacks (9/2 with the Scarlett Ninja-To). He has 63% magic resistance
or 73% with the Sword of Balduran. He moves like he has boots of speed. He
can detect traps and hide in shadows, use any 1-h bladed weapon
proficiently, use cleric scrolls, do stunning blows and quivering palm...and
he still has 5 levels to go during which he'll gain 15% magic resist, -2 AC,
another attack, and -5 Thac0
By the time he gets the Slayer, going slayer will have absolutely no
advantage for him.
Druids are probably the opposite extreme. They're good until level 13 then
everyone starts leaving them in the dust.
Atlus Seven
>that katanas
>> ARE a thief weapon, contrary to what I indicated earlier. (More
>leftover
>> knowledge from first editions rules. Didn't have katanas in FE, so
>obviously no
>> katanas for thieves.)
>> I don't see why a backstab with a katana should be disallowed. (This
>doesn't
>> mean it won't be, but why would they include it in the thief's
>arsenal if he
>> can't backstab with it?)
From experience, I can tell you that you CAN indeed backstab with a Katana. Do
it all the time with my Assassin. Hit one time with a 98 damage backstab.
>Monks are restricted in terms of race to human, elf and half elf,
>right?
Human only.
Smooth like Reggie Miller in an airborne freeze-frame......
....Funky like the Kung-Fu that can put you to shame. =D
Derville
Tom Schipper <NStsch...@home.net> wrote in message
news:R4HK5.131858$g6.61...@news2.rdc2.tx.home.com...
> > I've been struggling to find any decent long swords in Athkatla.
> > Daystar is great, if a bit specialised in its usage, and there's
the
> > blade of roses, but other than that you're stuck with the +1
variety.
> > And still no sign of Varscona, much to my dismay. Katanas are
> > adequately catered for in two words: "Celestial Fury". Sadly,
I've
> > got nobody in my group with katana proficiency. Still, life's not
too
> > bad at the minute. I've just blown 30,000GP at Ribald's making my
> > team into a lumbering juggernaut o' death (I hope).
>
> I finally found Varscona...by the time I did I had better equipment.
So, just to satisfy me, is Varscona in Athkatla, or would I have to
journey outside the city to find it? No explicit spoilers please, as
I'm kind of on a personal quest to find that dratted sword.
> > > > Yes, the monk sounds a real mage killer. Magic resistant, and
I
> > > > saw one post claiming they killed a dragon with quivering
palm...
> > > > Dammit, I want munchkinism and I want it now! ;-).
>
> I'm playing a monk my second time thorugh. Yes, they can insta-kill
dragons
> (about a 1 in 3 shot). They get an insane number of attacks and
they seem
> to act as if proficient in any weapon regardless of whether they
actually
> are or not. I'm having a hard time deciding between the Sword of
Balduran,
> Scarlett Ninja-To, and Celestial Fury. As my magic resistance
approaches
> 100% without the Sword of Balduran I'll probably lean more toward
the other
> 2. Celestial Fury is way cool, but the Scarlett Ninja-To extra
attack is
> very nice and the poison effectively keeps a spellcaster from
casting
> anything for 2 rounds, as well as killing trolls and doing lot of
extra
> damage.
Hehe, sounds like one mean critter. I was thinking of going with a
monk, but the consensus seems to be they have to be treated with kid
gloves until about level 13 or so, when they take over the group and
take down almost everything single-handedly.
> > Monks are restricted in terms of race to human, elf and half elf,
> > right? Shame, I wouldn't mind a half orc monk ;-). I'd probably
> > recommend against monk for the first run through, since they sound
to
> > be fairly weak until about level 14, when their magic resistance
kicks
> > in. After that they look like they become lethal, but it may be a
> > struggle to get them that far.
>
> I think Monks have to be human...not 100% sure. Monks may be tricky
until
> you can get out of the first dungeon and get some money. Then get
them the
> Bracers of AC3 as a crutch and they're basically fighter/theif until
their
> specials start kicking in. Even at low level stunning blow is great
in
> one-on-one combat. About level 12 they no longer need the bracers
and their
> number of attacks starts going up. At level 13 they get the
quivering palm.
> Level 14 is magic resistance...
Apparently they're human only (thanks for that Atlus). Oh, and those
bracers AC3 are a great item. After bumping my rep up to 20 I went on
a spree at Ribald's and have Aerie wearing those bracers now. And is
it just me, or is there a little factory in Amn where a group of gnoes
work in sweat-shop conditions churning out bracers AC6? I must have
sold eight or nine of that item since I started the game.
> Druids are probably the opposite extreme. They're good until level
13 then
> everyone starts leaving them in the dust.
Oh, I don't know about druids. Jaheira being a multi-class is working
out well at the moment, summoning fire elementals and the odd nymph.
Insect plague is great for disrupting spellcasting as well, and give
her a girdle to boost her strength, the staff +4 and a couple of
points in staves or two handed weapon ability, and she really goes to
town on a lot of baddies. Who knows, maybe BG3 will see druids going
to level 15 and above and going on jaunts to various elemental planes.
Might even meet up with The Nameless One ;-)
Derville
Well if that's the case, than the thief has an excellent weapon
available early on in the Staff of Rhyn +4. Hmm, I must try using a
normal thief sometime to see how the whole backstab thing works in
BG2. I can't confirm anything since I'm sans backstab capability at
the moment (I could use Jan, but that would be a bit silly), but
apparently there is a limitation on strength bonuses from giant
strength potions (this is in another thread here, but Ican't remember
the title - something about the assassin, I think). Plus, if a kensai
can dish out 50+ damage per round when dual wielding with kai turned
on, is there really as big a ned for backstab as there was in BG1?