i personaly think tht the thief( kit : assaain) is the best chara. in the game latly i have heard other wise and i just want to make sure that im right . . . . i think that the assasin not only has power but is also very versatile ( he is a theif ) he has good hits especially with his x7 backstab and his poison weapon that is hurts an extra 35 damage possibly . . .

but some people still think that there people are sooo much better . . . ( hacked, cheated or other wise not norm character not included ) i have yet to see why they think their one class is soo much better? i know the mage, sorceror, and the cleric or druid can cast spell( the one thing a theif lacks ( unless hes dual) but so.. they can be intrubted during spell.. and if the theif is stealth they cant even hit him with a spell unless if area effect like cloudkill.... and simple resistence can fix tht .!

That is true, but you forget the ultimate power of a multi class Cleric/Mage or just one or the other. Or the power of a fighter/Ranger/Paladin. One class of Bards can cast spells AND has some limited theiving abilities.
I agree with you that the Thief is one of the better classes, but the mage could easily overpower him/her in a conflict.

-Sir G

It's all in how you play the game. If you enjoy an uber powerful backstab, great, but there are other classes out there and if you would try them out, maybe you would see advantages of those classes.

P.S. I enjoy the sorcerer because of the sheer amount of spells (and lack of micro-managing) that you get at higher levels.

But, jack-of-all-trades, a Sorcerer cannot learn new spells unless he levels up which can be quite a disadvantage in some cases. Also, if you have a multi-class Cleric/Mage (my absolute fav), you are pretty much a god by the time you encounter Irenicus. I had a party of me, Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen, Nalia and Keldorn, and we hammerd through the final battle. I had Minscy-Poo and Keldorn blasting away at all of the demons, and the rest of us plummeting spells at good ol' Jonny-Boy. When the demons were dead, all of my people started to attack good ol' Jon, although by the time the demons were dead, Jonny didn't have much left in him.

-Sir G

now i know that you all have a piont in what you play and that it really does depend on how you play your person . . . . put as for the multiclass. i agree that the multi mage/cleric combo has its merits. but also to hit the theif you must be able to see him and spell dont affect a stealthed or invicible creature. now you might say that you can us detect ivvisibility ,but if you have cloak of non-detection it stops that method also when you use area spells if the theif is near you they are useless exept for higher lev. wich only work on the enimies. and the theif can also unlock things...... so. this why i like the theif . now you must addmit that backstqap kicks @$#%...

and if you get belt of barrier and have other magic res. things it can turn the theif into an iffective mage killer . . i would know i beat the game 3 times with my elven assain each time i made a new one from scratch... the 1 thing bad about them is the last boss who is impossible to hit with a B.S. . . . . . i know that over chara. have awsome power ( and i think the sorceror roxks too) . palidins are good bashers . . . and mages are good killers... but the theif can be all of these if used right . . . . . . . not ass good as the originall but more of a " jack-of-all-trades may i say? so this is why the theif ( kit: assasin) is my fav.

The mage/thief is the best combination of them all.

The thief can't be seen only when he is hidden. Whenever he attacks, you can see him and attack him. He can do a lot of damage on a backstab, but later on he is pretty useless as a fighter. And after that thief fails to kill a mage in one shot, he's dead meat, even if you have a belt of inertial barrier and 'magic res. things'. He simply won't be able to hit that mage (mantle, protections, stoneskin). In BG1 a thief rocked, as mages died in one backstab (or one backstab and a normal hit, in case of Davaeorn). In BG2, a thief is there to disarm traps and open locks. (One attack/round sucks badly.) They are fair with a shortbow, though.

It's all how you play. Every class/kit has advantages/disadvantages. If you play the character to their strengths, most are good.
If you really believe that the assassin is the best, why not try soloing one. It could be done. But could you do it?

The thief is the best class because he can backstab and kill archers in one stab.
No wait! The sorcerer is the best class because the backstab wont breach stoneskin.
No wait! The wizardslayer is the best class, becasue he can easily take out mages.
No wait! The barbarian is the best class because he can smash the wizardslayer to bits.
No wait! the archer is the best class because the barbarian is dead before he reaches him.
No wait! The thief is the best class because he can kill the archer in one backstab.

ok ok you piont is taken i see where you comin from...... ill think on it