Guide:Stealth fighting

Purpose

 Stealth can be used to shape, ease, and - in many cases - avoid formal turn-based combat. This is typically accomplished through crowd control and object placement to either eliminate foes or enfeeble them to a state of near total defeat. Although stealth-based fighting has utility in many situations and at all difficulty levels, it is of particular use in Honour mode, where (for example) certain mistakes, bad rolls, or unforeseen events can lead to a Game Over.

Some examples of stealth-based fighting making things easier with Bosses include:

• Picking off the  Phase Spider Matriarch and her  minions out of turn-based combat in Act One
• Picking off  Flind's companions, and possibly Flind herself, out of turn-based combat in Act One
• Prepping for the first fight with Ketheric Thorm on the rooftop of Moonrise Towers in Act Two
• Killing Ketheric and his allies in the Mind Flayer Colony in preparation for the fight with the Apostle of Myrkul
• Avoiding a formal turn-based fight with Lorroakan by sniper shooting him to death in Act Three
• Picking off  Viconia's associates, and possibly Viconia herself, prior to a turn-based fight with her in the House of Grief
• Picking off  Gortash's associates, and possibly Gortash himself, prior to a turn-based fight with him in his office on the top floor of Wyrm's Rock Fortress
• Picking off  Cazador's minions in his dungeon

This guide assumes the party has a minimum level of 3.

Desired things

Classes

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With stealth, skill, and uncanny reflexes, rogues' versatility lets them get the upper hand in almost any situation.

„

While any Rogue class is well suited for stealth fighting due to their typically high  Dexterity, four skill proficiencies, ability to select  Expertise in stealth at level 1, acquisition of  Reliable Talent at level 11, and their  sneak attack ability, thieves are usually the best overall choice due their additional  Bonus Action at level 3, allowing for greater flexibility and control of the field in turn-based mode.

Conditions and related spells

First and foremost  Advantage is of paramount importance for stealth fighting out of combat. This is because, as duly noted on the stealth page, if a player character attacks while hiding: the character's Stealth check to remain unnoticed has  Disadvantage by default and can be cancelled out by any source of  Advantage for the check. So, if you've ever felt like stealth-based attacks have been stacked against you this may be why.

The methods to acquire advantage and other below conditions are best obtained obtained from casting by another party member due to their  Concentration requirements (yet also see equipment below):

•  Blessing of the Trickster or the  Cat's Grace variant of  Enhance Ability for  Advantage on stealth checks while  hiding; as this requires  Concentration it is best cast by another party member (e.g.,  Shadowheart)
•  Invisibility and, when available, its  Greater Invisibility variant
•  Pass Without Trace is highly useful for its +10 to stealth, at least until the party obtain the  Ring of Shadows in Act Two; as this also requires concentration and close proximity to the stealth fighter, the player character may be better off once level 4 and higher in reserving 3 levels as a Trickery Domain cleric to cast it on themselves
• Although this requires a College of Valour Bard in the active party,  Combat Inspiration can be useful for moments where a little extra help can make all the difference
•  Bless
• The  Minor Illusion cantrip, for crowd control

Armour and related stealth items

In total, the below items add  Advantage and an average of +18 to all stealth checks (not including Dexterity)

• Boots of Speed - useful for lower level rogues for their potential  Bonus Action boost to movement
• The Deathstalker Mantle - useful for free  invisibility in certain circumstances (only available in Dark Urge playthroughs)
• Gloomstrand Shield - if the wielder is proficient with shields, useful for its +1 to stealth
• The Graceful Cloth - recommended for non-halflings above other armours once available due to advantage on Dex checks and its +2 to Dex (up to 20)
• Leather Armour +1 or better versions, once they become available, for their +1 to stealth checks
• Nimblefinger Gloves - +2 to Dexterity if the wearer is a gnome or  disguised as one
• Ring of Shadows - for the +10 stealth to its wearer (requires concentration)
• Shapeshifter's Boon Ring - for +1d4 to all skill checks
• Silver Pendant - +1d4 to all skill checks (once the Ring of Shadows is acquired, its  Bless must be cast by another party member)
• Smuggler's Ring - +2 to stealth (can replace the Shapeshifter's Boon Ring after its benefits are applied)

Weapons and related items

Amoung other benefits, the below items can add up to +5 to the chance to critically hit (rolling 15 or higher on a d20)

• Assassin's Shortsword - useful for non-halflings until The Graceful Cloth is available for its advantage to stealth checks
• Bloodthirst - preferred in the second hand over the Gloomstrand Shield once available for its bonus to critically hit
• Bonespike Gloves - preferred once available for dealing with enemies resistant to piercing damage (e.g.,  Steel Watchers)
• Knife of the Undermountain King - preferred once available for its bonus to (critically) hit and the user has The Graceful Cloth, no longer needing the Assassin's Shortsword
• Marksmanship Hat - for +1 to hit
• Punch-Drunk Bastard - useful for (ranged) attacks with  Advantage if not hiding (e.g., already in combat and  Bonus Actions have been used)
• Sarevok's Horned Helmet - preferred over other helmets once available for its boost to critically hit and immunity to  Frightened
• Shade-Slayer Cloak - preferred once available for its boost to critically hit while hiding (probably most of the time)

Which bow should you use?

• Titanstring Bow - if your assassin's odds to hit are high enough, this bow is highly useful in conjunction with  Elixir of Hill Giant Strength or  Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength; when used together with a 20 dexterity, these items give up to an additional 13 damage (5 from dex, 8 from str), plus whatever  sneak attack and other sources may apply.
• The Dead Shot - useful for its boost to (critically) hit

At Level 11, with a staggering 26 Strength (a +8 modifier), the math heavily favors the Titanstring Bow for raw damage, though The Dead Shot offers a 'safety net' for accuracy.

Here's the breakdown of how these two coveted bows compare for a Rogue’s single, high-stakes Sneak Attack.

The Damage Comparison

Assuming your stealth fighter has at least a 20 Dexterity (+5) and is Level 11 (6d6 Sneak Attack), the average damage per hit is as follows:

Feature	Titanstring Bow	The Dead Shot
Base Damage	1d8+1	1d8+2
Ability Modifiers	+5 (Dex) and +8 (Str)	+5 (Dex)
Sneak Attack	6d6 (Avg. 21)	6d6 (Avg. 21)
Average Total	39.5 Damage	32.5 Damage

With 26 Strength, the Titanstring Bow provides a flat +7 damage advantage on every single hit. Because flat damage modifiers (like the Titanstring's Strength bonus) do not double on critical hits, the gap remains consistent unless you are fishing exclusively for critical hits.

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Why "The Dead Shot" is Tempting

While the Titanstring wins on paper for damage, The Dead Shot excels in two areas that are vital for Rogues:

1. Keen Shot: This doubles your Proficiency Bonus (+4 at Level 11) to Attack Rolls. This essentially gives you a +4 bonus to hit, making it nearly impossible to miss.
2. Improved Critical: It reduces the roll needed for a critical hit by 1. Since a Rogue’s 6d6 Sneak Attack dice do double on a critical hit, a crit with The Dead Shot deals an extra 1d8+6d6 (avg. 25.5) damage compared to a normal hit.

The likely winner: Titanstring Bow

Despite the accuracy of The Dead Shot, the Titanstring Bow is the better choice for a Level 11 Rogue with 26 Strength for one main reason:  Advantage.

As a Rogue, you should almost always be attacking with Advantage (via  Cunning Action: Hide). When you have Advantage, the +4 accuracy bonus from The Dead Shot becomes less significant because your "to-hit" chance is likely already 90%+.

The Titanstring's guaranteed +8 damage from Strength is simply too much to pass up, especially since it applies to every arrow. The extra +5% crit chance from The Dead Shot is still subject to RNG. This can be expressed as: 21*.05, or only an average of +1 extra damage per arrow over time.

Marksman's Tip: If you are using the Sharpshooter feat (−5 to hit, +10 damage), depending on your opponent's AC, the extra accuracy from The Dead Shot might actually be better to ensure your 6d6 Sneak Attack actually lands. Without Sharpshooter, the stealth fighter should probably stick to Titanstring.

Races, feats and related abilities

You too can have a halfling hireling assassin in your party. Kill with a smile.

•  Astarion is the logical choice to start with for stealth fighting due to his  Happy condition. However once the character's stealth ability gets high enough and / or if one is concerned about critical failures (especially stealing in Honour mode), Lightfoot Halflings eventually make more sense due to their  Halfling Luck passive. This is likely at level 4, once the PC can be a level 1 thief and level 3 Trickery Domain cleric for their +10 to stealth from  Pass Without Trace. Lightfoot halflings also get  Advantage on  Stealth checks and saves against  fear. They can be hired from  Withers as early as level 3.
  • And yet, once the party is level 11 and  Reliable Talent is available, Astarion once again becomes the clear favorite as an assassin since he can no longer roll lower than a 10 on stealth checks, eliminating the chance to critically fail and what would otherwise be a salient factor in choosing a lightfoot halfling.
•  Archery - is helpful for its +2 to hit
•  Lucky - can be useful where failure has particularly unfortunate results or, conversely, success is deemed essential
•  Sharpshooter: All In and  Sharpshooter: Low Ground eliminate low ground penalties and allow the sniper to add +10 damage once their attack probabilities are high enough for their chosen targets
•  Sneak Attack (Ranged) - their average added damage of +3.5 at every odd level is the main reason high-level Rogues are likely of more utility than other classes while stealth fighting out of proper turn-based combat

Other items

• Potions of Invisibility - can be consumed with only a  Bonus Action as needed

Methods, tactics and reasoning

The edge of the normal range where a sneak attack can be made.

The edge of the extended range where a ranged attack can be made. In this case, the disadvantage penalty is slightly more than a -4 to hit and no sneak attack damage will be applied. Note that the edge of extended rage is only slightly further away than the edge of normal range.

In many cases, in the interest of safety and flexibility, sniper-fighting will be the preferred method of dispatching foes. The surprise page explains:

If a character's Stealth is high enough then enemies will sometimes fail to notice them even as their allies are being attacked and killed from a distance. This can even work with Area of Effect spells such as  Fireball as long as the party member casting it remains hidden. The enemies will run around in a desperate search for the party member but be unable to find them. This can be accomplished with a high Dexterity score, Proficiency and Expertise in stealth,  Advantage in dexterity or stealth checks, and certain spells and abilities such as  Pass Without Trace.

With the first two pictures on the right, the reader can see how the range of the attacking character influences how stealth tactics may be used. The first shows a shot at the edge of normal range (preferred) and with the second, one ready at the edge of extended range (when needed).

When sniper-fighting opponents, the goal is to defeat or weaken them in turn-based mode, but out of formal turn-based combat mode. For  sneak attack damage to apply with ranged attacks while avoiding the possibility of starting formal combat, all ranged attacks must be done while  hiding and very near the end range of the ranged weapon's normal range.

Specifically, the High ground rules page states:

A ranged weapon's 'maximum effective range' is its 'normal attack range'. Beyond this, the attacker suffers a 'Target outside normal range' penalty which applies  Disadvantage to the attack roll. Unlike attack range abilities, this effective range is *not* extended by the high ground range extension. It is also measured using the true distance between the attacker and target, not just the horizontal component. Thus, maximum attack range and effective weapon range are equal at level elevations, but diverge when dealing with elevation 'differences'. Practically speaking, this means this penalty is only encountered when extending the attack range with elevation, particularly high ground range extension. Spell attacks do not have a maximum effective range and do not suffer this penalty when attacking beyond normal range.

Acting alone, to the extent that thieves fight sniper-style using the above desired things, they have increasingly good odds of  sneak attacking opponents at their weapon's maximum normal range, typically with respectable (if not excellent) chances of hitting, while successfully maintaining stealth and / or  Greater Invisibility until their chosen foes are  dead. In doing so, the thief is advised to take care to first trim opponents at the periphery of a targeted area with many lines of sight, then work their way in to avoid starting an unwanted fight.

Astarion has numerous buffs for his mission to bring Auntie Ethel to heel before combat.

Example: to the right, a fully buffed level 5 Astarion (1 as rogue, 4 as cleric) has already exposed  Auntie Ethel (he was  Invisible while he did that) and is ready to engage with a base +22 to stealth, making the task a relatively reliable proposition to execute. His +22 bonus is comprised of the following:

• +4 – from an 18  Dexterity
• +2 – from  Smuggler's Ring
• +6 – from  Expertise in stealth
• +10 – from  Pass Without Trace, which he cast on himself

Astarion also receives the following bonuses not shown in the +22 figure:

• +1 – from  Happy
• +1 – from  Hide Armour +2
• +1 to 4 – from  Bless - cast by a second party member, now some distance away
• +1 to 4 – from  Shapeshifter's Boon Ring
•  Advantage – from  Cat's Grace (to negate the  Disadvantage characters normally face while stealth fighting) - cast by the lead player character, also some distance away

Consequences

Constantly stealth-fighting can be a tedious affair. It requires preparation/planning and repetition, as well as careful placement and action far away from the rest of the active party to isolate combat when things go wrong, as they inevitably will (although the goal, of course, is to greatly reduce these odds). It is also considerably riskier in honour mode. Additionally, doing this much of the time will significantly slow the pace of the game, and is considered cheesing by many. Still, the primary goal of making many battles considerably easier, or (by most practical measures) avoiding them altogether, is quite tenable as a result.

In conclusion, if you've read this far, and especially if you're playing in Honour mode, where Larian feels free to throw everything they have at you - and more, the above tactics and equipment are viable paths to victory and - ultimately - golden dice.