So I have did a true Assassin Ninja and it was fun. But other than backstabbing there wasn't a ton to do. After I slayed Irencius, I got bored of him.

So...my next project. Its going to make a Kensai/Thief. 100% legit. I will level him 25 Kensai, 27 Thief, which is possible by the way.

Sure, he won't be a "true" ninja in that he will kick ass in melee as well. But...I find it incredibly frustrating that with a pure assassin kit I can only put one point in weapon proficiency. I mean, ninjas should be able to master or at least specialize in a weapon? Shouldn't they? Anyhow, I'll be labeled a power gamer I'm sure, and I'm fine with that because...I bust my ass going through from level 1 thief with an inactive 25 levels Kensai Kit all the way to level 26 to activate it and do it legit, well than I can brag all I want and flaunt my character as far as I'm concerned. :)

He will be a show off character more than anything. The only thing I'm gonna "tweak" is his appearance, I'm going to make him have a Shadow Thief.

His name: Dax the Dark Ninja

Appearance: Shadow Thief (because they look so cool!)

I've used that name several times, but this is the last time I use it. I've been hosting alot of MP games lately and I'm going to solo him as much as possible and hope other players come in and help out, and use Minsc occassionally. I want legits only. And I don't allow importation of items (sorry) because people abuse this bringing rings of gaxx, Crom Faeyr, etc. And when they leave I can't get rid of the rings of gaxx! And the fact they hog all the kills and I'm more or less just background furniture... :)

I will buy you items, and don't be afraid to use all my money if you want to, to get good items.

I wrote this message hoping some of you will help me along this tough project on multi-player. It will be hardcore, and incredibly frustrating journey to have to work so hard to activate my Kensai kit. But I can do it, I know.

Anyhow Dax's journey starts tonight.

Room name: The Adventures of Dax the Dark Ninja and his band of immortal side kicks. Legits only.

Is this a dumb idea? Is it to ambitious? Anyhow, I love this game. Character Projects are so fun, but adding extra challenges along the way make it even sweeter at the end.

Why 25 levels of Kensai? 11-13 levels should be more than enough for the weapon proficiencies that you want, and if you take 25 levels, it will be a LONG time before you can benefit from those levels again...

Just my two bits.

Thats the whole point though. The very, very long time before I can use my Kensai kit would make it extremely challenging. Not to mention, I would get extra thaco, Kai abilities, and other Kensai bonuses with the final character.

I wanted to do something different. I can't wait...

There is no benefit to L25 Kensai. You get no extra THAC0, once you reach L20. No real increase to HP after L9/10. Why not stick to L20, for the amazing THAC0 and have your kensai kit enabled a bit sooner. You will still have an amazing challenge on your hands.

Still, I have to say, its kinda cool with all that combat abilities around... :cool:

Levels 25/27, 25/27... erm, dualclass seems useless here. Multiclass would be my way to end this matter. Dualclass is good for 9/37 builds and the like.

the kensai still get the damage bonus.

so a level 25\27 kensai\theif would actually punch more damage than a level 13\xx one.

besides, he want to roleplay hehe, not powergame :p

i say you should try it out :)

If you are going to take him past 13, you may as well go all the way to 25. You're first HLA is at lvl 20, so get a few fighter HLA's before dual-classing.

I guess if anyone spend half his life improving his fighting skills then he could not just put that experience aside and start a new career. I just can't imagine a roleplayed Kensai 25 Thief 1. No one can be so undedicated.

Well, of course dual classing rules make no sense at all realisticaly. I mean, your character might starts an an assassin, but he cant just simply forget all that he's learned. No sense at all. If it were a mage it could be understood, that he simply doesnt use his magic until he fells like his skills in another profession have advanced as far as his magery.

My advice:
Go with 25/27, or whatever you want to. What matters more is your interpretation of the character you've built. If you want a ninja and feel like this character's the closest you can get to it, then by all means, do not sacrifice that for gaining a little more power. Sure, it may be more powerful, but the game is so much more fun, when you really know who you're playing and who he is.

Sure, he won't be a "true" ninja in that he will kick ass in melee as well. But...I find it incredibly frustrating that with a pure assassin kit I can only put one point in weapon proficiency. I mean, ninjas should be able to master or at least specialize in a weapon? Shouldn't they? Ninjas don't belong in the game -- wrong genre. I know, I know. I sound like a broken record, right? Anyway, since the game doesn't have a ninja class, you shouldn't be surprised that the rules aren't written with ninjas in mind.

I say dump the kensai. Yes, I'm biased agaisnt them, but hear me out. Take some levels in something that will give you decent ranged weapon skills, like generic archer (with the mod), or fighter. Assassins shouldn't be on the front lines. I don't know much about ninjas, but don't they sometimes like to throw stuff? If they are anthing like assassins, they should be hiding behind stuff waiting for the optimum sneaky and deadly attack.

Archers can fire off a round, duck behind a corner, hide again, etc. Archers use the same armor as assassins. Archers have stealth, so you can spend your thieving points on something else. And archers get the same bonuses with ranged weapons that kensais get in melee.

Hm... as I understand Ninjas, they should be able to specialize in a weapon... provided that weapon is a wakizashi, a short sword, or darts. Ninjas are most definately NOT melee characters; they're more of a strike from the shadows, cut your throat, melt back in sort of deal. They'd use poison and such tactics; the assassin kit is actually a pretty good representation of what a Ninja would be like in BG2. A kensai wouldn't be a terribly good roleplaying choice for a ninja, as a kensai would be focused on using a sword, and a longsword would be too bulky and difficult to conceal for a ninja style assassin, and would impede movement too much. Really, the pure Assassin is as close to a ninja as you're going to get. Maybe you could use shadowkeeper to simulate the weapon proficiency bonuses, as I agree, a ninja would be more then proficient in particular weapon types. But a Kensai is more the equivalent of a samurai, and a samurai/ninja is as much of a contradiction as you can get... sort of like a paladin/assassin.

Of course, it's your game. If you want to make a berserker/theif and say he's Carl the Crazy Ninja, then that's fine. Whenever he sees his target, he just goes MAD with his lust to kill them! Think of the possiblities. I've just read a little bit about ancient oriental culture, and that's how I understand ninjas to be.