Guide:Stealth fighting
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Purpose[edit | edit source]
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
and her 
out of turn-based combat in Act One - Picking off
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
in Act Three - Picking off
associates, and possibly Viconia herself, prior to a turn-based fight with her in the House of Grief - Picking off
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
This guide assumes the party has a minimum level of 3.
Desired things[edit | edit source]
Classes[edit | edit source]
“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 
, four skill proficiencies, ability to select 
in stealth at level 1, acquisition of 
at level 11, and their 
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.
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Some of the below conditions are best obtained obtained from casting by another party member due to their 
requirements (yet also see equipment below):
and, when available, its 
variant[1]
for moments where a little extra help can make all the difference
or the 
variant of 
- The
cantrip is very useful for crowd control[2]
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In total, the below items add 
and an average of +18 to all stealth checks (not including Dexterity)
Leather Armour +1 or better versions, once they become available, for their +1 to stealth checks
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).[3]
Gloomstrand Shield if the wielder is proficient with shields, useful for its +1 to stealth
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 (via 
cast by another party member)
Smuggler's Ring +2 to stealth (can replace the Shapeshifter's Boon Ring after its benefits are applied)
Nimblefinger Gloves +2 to Dexterity if the wearer is a gnome or 
as one[4]
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Assassin's Shortsword useful for non-halflings until The Graceful Cloth is available for its advantage to stealth checks
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[5]
Titanstring Bow if one's odds to hit are high enough, useful in conjunction with 
Elixir of Hill Giant Strength or 
Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength. When used together with a 20 dexterity, these items can add up to 13 damage (5 from dex, 8 from str), plus whatever and other sources may apply.- The Dead Shot once available, useful when weighing the opportunity cost of chance-to-hit versus average damage applied, especially when used in conjunction with the
ability of the Sharpshooter feat
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- With apologies to
, Lightfoot Halflings are a logical choice for stealth fighting in Honour Mode due to their on checks and saves against 
, as well as 
to greatly reduce critical failures. They can be hired from 
as early as level 3. 
is helpful for its +2 to hit
can be useful where failure has particularly unfortunate results or, conversely, success is deemed essential[6]- and
eliminate low ground penalties and allow the sniper to add +10 damage once their attack probabilities are high enough for their chosen targets 
: 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[7]
Other items[edit | edit source]
Potions of Invisibility can be consumed with only a Bonus Action as needed
Methods, Tactics and Reasoning[edit | edit source]
Most of the time, 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 
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, in dexterity or stealth checks, and certain spells and abilities such as 
."
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 damage to apply with ranged attacks while avoiding the possibility of starting formal combat, all ranged attacks must be done while 
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 opponents at their weapon's maximum normal range, typically with respectable (if not excellent) chances of hitting, while successfully maintaining stealth and / or 
until their chosen foes are . 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.
Consequences[edit | edit source]
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.
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Actions with the
Invisibleflag can be performed without this Stealth check. They also do not increase the Stealth check DC of subsequent actions.- Outside of Honour mode, the DC of maintaining (greater) invisibility scales linearly:
- In Honour mode, the DC scales quadratically:
- If one plans to use greater invisibility while in honour mode, it's advisable to have this spell re-cast after perhaps 3 to 4 attacks to avoid unwanted spell failure in what could become dire circumstances.
- ↑ It is difficult to overstate the utility of Minor Illusion for luring and / or distracting foes to more secluded areas to rob or kill desired targets, making a single level in Bard an attractive option, especially in Honour Mode, where
is quite helpful.
- ↑ The +2 Dexterity from The Graceful Cloth stacks with the same from the Mirror of Loss, raising the wearer's from 18 to 22.
- ↑ The +2 Dexterity from Nimblefinger Glove stacks with the same from the Mirror of Loss, raising the wearer's from 20 to 24.
- ↑ Once the user has a high enough attack value, other headwear such as
Covert Cowl may be more useful than the +1 to hit from the 
Marksmanship Hat.
- ↑ As a level 11 rogue / level 1 fighter is a strong combination once the player character attains level 12, such a build will have 3 feats. It is suggested the player consider these three for such a build: Ability Improvement (to bring Dex from 17 to 19) Sharpshooter (for sniper firepower), and either Athlete (to bring Dex to 20) or Lucky (if playing in Honour mode, in which case base Dex should be 16, not 17). Such a build is not intended for the purposes of this guide to be used in regular turn-based combat, where
would otherwise be essential in Honour Mode.
- ↑ While exceptions surely exist to this rule of thumb, it's usually a good idea to maximize sneak attack damage to speed up the already slow process of sniper-killing. A level 11 Thief/ level 1 Fighter with the archery fighting style makes for a good level 12 combo, as does a level 11 Thief / level 1 Bard.