Behold my player character from the Shadows of Undrentide campaign. As you can tell from his bright red leather armour, he’s a stealth specialist who likes to keeps a low profile. And nothing says “low profile” like an eyepatch in matching red, eh?
(And while I’m on the subject of questionable fashion sense, what’s with that Half-Orc henchman? Has he not been told disco outfits are no longer in vogue?)
It’s a bit tough playing as a Rogue. I like the tactical options available to a master of shadows — is there anything more satisfying than luring a large group of foes to several traps laid in succession? — but close-quartered battles with multiple foes tend to preclude the use of subtle tactics and my poor Rogue is usually left flailing ineffectually away with his short sword before his inevitable demise.
And there are few crutches in SoU compared to the original NWN campaign. The teleport-to-safety option in SoU was removed at the end of the first chapter and there were enough limitations that players were discouraged from abusing it even when it was available.
In addition to that, you can’t rest wherever and whenever you like. You have to find yourself a secure resting area away from enemies and those secure areas take a while to locate. Plan on spending a lot of time walking around with festering wounds while playing this game.
Fortunately, the Rogue’s ability to use scrolls and magical items is a great equaliser. My level 7 Rogue initially had a lot of problems facing a Manticore in a straight fight even with a Dwarven cleric by his side. After several failed attempts, I dug through my stash of scrolls, gave Bigby’s Interposing Hand a go and was grateful when the spell pretty much won the battle for me.
