Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

So, my playing around with Warlock, Daggerspell Mage and Shadowdancer got me thinking about even more stealthy options. And there sure are a lot of options and I'm hoping for tips to avoid the pitfalls.

Lets see... First of all, I want HiPS. I want an effective build. I really like skill points. I would favor armed builds over unarmed ones by quite a bit. I will take a look at caster builds but I am not actively looking for one. Being able to stand my ground is a plus.

That out of the way, I am of the understanding that Epic Dodge and Epic Precision are great, but somewhat hard to get (the precision especially).

I'm going to list some classes, initial thoughts on them and then hit submit and go play around with stuff in jegs and nwn2db.

Gear tips also more than welcome.

Potential "entry" classes.
Rogue - standard. Can get Epic Dodge (min lvl 13) or Epic Precision (min 10) or both (min 16)
Monk - could work. Gets Improved Evasion at 9.
Ranger - I see this as a "invest heavily or do not bother" class but Idk. Opens the option for str based twf (and with larger weapons with oversized twf)

Other base classes to note:
Fighter - bonus feats
Swashbuckler - light armored melee, with int based bonus damage
Bard - has lots of skills

Vanilla PRCs
Arcane Trickster - could be a trick to qualify for, not a huge fan
Assassin - looks pretty good. Gets HiPS at level 8 - easy to get into
Shadowdancer - gets HiPS at 1. Can get Epic Dodge (10 levels)
Guild/Shadow Thief - shop discount is cool - easy to get into
Duelist - extra melee power and AC.
Invisible Blade - bleeding wound and AC.

Server PRCs
Dervish, Dread Pirate, Tempest,
Divine Seeker - not great, not awful, easy to get into.
Ghost-Faced Killer for an str build could be interesting
Order of the Bow Initiate - really like this on paper - fire precision arrows at enemy, HiPS away when they get close. Repeat. Sadly am told this is pretty bugged.
Whirling Dervish - for some reason, this appeals to me. Gets Defensive Roll so with Improved Evasion from somewhere, 8 levels of this could get Epic Dodge.
Wilderness Stalker - for a Ranger based build, maybe. Maybe. Probably not even then

Don't forget Tempest. AB, AC and GTWF in 5 levels. Bodyguard, 3 levels for 2d6, high BAB and 10% speed boost.

For an Archer, AA (Elves only) - the +5 to AB helps any sneaker build and Assassin qualifies you for it.

I did look at Tempest but didn't think very highly of it. Still, it does not sound bad at all put that way...

I'm currently looking at Rogue, Assassin, Guild Thief (mainly for the discount) and could probably fit in some Tempest... 9 seems a great cutoff point for Assassin, 3 for Guild Thief (but I'm not 100% set on that). Rogue 16 if I want both Epic Dodge and Precision.

16+9+3 = 28. Looks like Guild Thief has to go. That would leave me with exactly 5 free levels for Tempest. Lets see what this combination looks like.

Something I've put together that I am not quite embarrased to death to show.

*cut*

IRC people pointed out a hundred flaws. But I got a new one from them, this should do okay.

If you wanted to in the Underdark you can do ranger cave stalker for hips. 26/4 will give you cl 30 with practiced spell caster and you'll have HiPS in natural underground areas as well as camouflage which lets you run in stealth.

If you want to go rogue you could go R16/Assassin9/IB5 for epic precision and epic dodge, HiPS and extra ac from your INT. With a Drow or Tiefling being the best race choices. You'll want 16 INT and 25 or higher DEX.

One popular build that works very good is Rogue 16 / Assassin 9 / Invisible Blade 5. Sneaky, plenty of skill points and with a (minor) spellbook. Can qualify for Epic Dodge without problem.

EDIT: Oups, I didn't see chad already suggested this build, sorry for repeating it.

GFK is getting more ghost steps in future updates. When you build a powerful sneak, you realize you don't have to fade to shadow all the time.

Whirling dervish is an awesome PRC for sneak builds. I always take hide and move silently and tumble for the first three skill feats. (or maybe UMD, if I started with rogue).

NeOmega wrote: I always take hide and move silently and tumble for the first three skill feats.

Tumble? What for? Apart from getting 30 ranks for 3 AC, it's not really worth anything beyond 15 skill, is it? Mechanically, I mean. If it's for RP, all well and good!

Mechanically you'd want hide, move silently, umd, spot and/or listen, then pick your rp skills... that's what's great about WD is the few skill focus feats really help flash out any character. Might be fun to play a true thief with SF: Hide, move silently, sleight of hand, disable device, search and spot or something along those lines.