Seeking Template Feedback (Siege)

[Accolon]

Hi all!

I've recently returned to UO after something like an 8 year hiatus, and spending my first week back on a production shard convinced me to make the move to Siege. Needless to say, it has been a long time since I've played a thief.

The template I've landed on is:
100 Hiding
120 Stealth
120 Stealing
100 Snooping
120 Wrestle (bringing back the disarm thief baby)
120 Ninja
070 Resist
Now that's where this template goes foggy on me. Will 70 resist be at all useful? OR is 100 resist necessary?
750 skill points is explained via shadow dancer leggings (name?) that add +40 to skills and my 710 skill cap.

A variation of this template I am also considering has 100 alchemy worked in -- in place of resist. Which means I need to free up 30 full skill points. I was thinking 10 from stealing and 20 from ninja.

 

[Sweeney]

Unless you're a faction thief (or paranoid about reveals/tracking) you'll only need 75 stealth.

 

[Touzoko]

Not sure if that low resist would be worth it. Perhasp the points would be better spent in poison, meditation, or magery?

 

[Accolon]

Thank you for the replies Sweeney and Touzoko. I've decided to drop stealth a bit, making room for 100 alchemy.
Another quick question -- if you don't mind..
What stats are you guys generally rolling with? High Int/Str with low dex?

 

[Shh!]

Hi all!

I've recently returned to UO after something like an 8 year hiatus, and spending my first week back on a production shard convinced me to make the move to Siege. Needless to say, it has been a long time since I've played a thief.

The template I've landed on is:
100 Hiding
120 Stealth
120 Stealing
100 Snooping
120 Wrestle (bringing back the disarm thief baby)
120 Ninja
070 Resist
Now that's where this template goes foggy on me. Will 70 resist be at all useful? OR is 100 resist necessary?
750 skill points is explained via shadow dancer leggings (name?) that add +40 to skills and my 710 skill cap.

A variation of this template I am also considering has 100 alchemy worked in -- in place of resist. Which means I need to free up 30 full skill points. I was thinking 10 from stealing and 20 from ninja.

Just a couple thoughts:

1) You'll be disappointed with 120 wrestle. Most people on Siege run with Siege blessed weps. Awful lot of skill points just to disarm and not steal.

2) 120 ninja isn't being used to its full potential without a weapon skill or magery (for a mage weapon).

3) You'll miss magery. Heading everywhere on foot sucks.

These are just some of the things I've learned in the process of building my character here. Do with as you will

 

[Touzoko]

Although you cannot disarm steal, I have used wrestling with great effect just to disarm a dexxer, or deliver a handy stun punch for a safer get-away. Sometimes they don't even realize that they are empty handed. I have never had occasion to do so, but am also told that you can deliver a death strike with wrestling, and that it can freak out the mark for a moment thinking he is under attack, which is all a good thief needs.
I walked everywhere for years, and it did indeed get old. I have magery stoned twice, at 40 (with a crystalline ring I may gate with scrolls) and at 120 for a different sort of template.

 

[Accolon]

I also usually travel by foot all the time. It can get old but it's even easier now that moongates open a menu instead of teleporting you to a city based on the phase of the moon. And while wrestle wont utilize ninja to its full potential, adding a weapon skill still wouldn't make me strong enough to go toe-toe with a skilled opponent (assuming here since I haven't been back long enough to test my theories). But we'll see, it's never too late to change a template if it's not to my taste.

a note:
It is disappointing news that everyone blesses their weapons, but it makes sense that that is the item of choice. I'm hoping imbuing fixes this issue... wait that brings up a good question. Since imbued items can't be insured on production shards, will they not be able to receive the siege blessing?

 

[Touzoko]

Thats' a very good question. Sadly, I do not have an answer yet. I will attempt to get one.
When i do carry a weapon skill, it is normally fencing. You don't need tactics for either special move. One is poisoning, the other is shadow strike, which will hide you. It is a great move, when you can't hide, and the timer for smoke bombs hasn't been met yet.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Accolon there is a misunderstanding here somewhere. Imbuing has no impact on insurance rules, the only thing you can't do with imbued items is use powder of fortification on them.

 

[Maj]

When i do carry a weapon skill, it is normally fencing. You don't need tactics for either special move. One is poisoning, the other is shadow strike, which will hide you. It is a great move, when you can't hide, and the timer for smoke bombs hasn't been met yet.

I have a Legendary swords Necro Bushido thats been collecting dust. I tried using the weapon specials using a fencing weapon and I got the message saying I needed so and so amount of tactics to do the move.

When you say you don't need tactics, is that because you have ninjitsu on your template? I've just got back into playing UO so I'm kinda behind on a lot of the changes too.

 

[Touzoko]

On most specials you do need tactics. But with shadow strike you dont (but you will need hiding and stealth) and you will not need tactics to poison.
If you have wrestling, you will not need tactics for stun punch or disarm.

 

[Accolon]

@Petra Fyde: Ohh yaa *face palm* ...I do remember that being the case now that you mention it. I knew there was something about imbuing that made items not so permanent like everything else. However, not being able to use that power on their weapons might convince some players to use the Siege blessing on something other than their precious weapons.

 

[Touzoko]

The condition you are thinking of is fortification. You can repair them, but when they are gone, they are gone.

 

[Cruxshadow]

If you are a mage with no fencing skill and have a mage wep dagger, can you use shadow strike? or do you actually need weapon skill for this to work, assuming you have the required hiding skill for SS?

 

[Touzoko]

you will need weapon skill for any special