Moorkh

So what do you suggest I should RP off of instead? I'm not looking at min/maxing here as much as a meaningful choice in gameplay that is supported by its mechanics. That's what RPG mechanics are for, no? The guys from BI, Troika and Obsidian have always had a heart for the pacifists among their players' characters, so I kinda expected to see this catered to in the first game they had full creative freedom in, too. I guess I must dig deeper in this question.

Thanks for your replies. Some food for thought. But resolve sounds like the polar opposite of what my Cugel-ess ought to have. She should be flexible, instead, equally of mind, tongue and morals. Mightn't intelligence do the job for liars? Yes, definitely - I'd like to have my Cugel-ess avoid combat altogether, not from any squeamishness or other sentiment but from the simple, logical desire not to put myself into harm's way where not absolutely necessary. So cyphers can pacify their opponents? What, precisely, is that bonus at sneaking? Isn't it the same as monk, cipher and ranger have? I do like the role of thief, in fact I'm rather enamoured with it, but being high dps shouldn't be included in the same sentence, there. My Cugel-ess is no pit figher, no! Shame if every character should be equally well at subterfuge and manipulation, be it a saintly monk, a brawny brute or a madly cackling witch. And unable to advance in their skill at it, too? RPG much? I'm thinking I will at this point just ignore her fighting capabilities altogether aside from a safe knife in the back where opportune. And hex edit her abilities as needed. If game design is trying to cheat me out of playing my char as I should be able to, don't anyone mind me cheating back

I’m at something of a loss here. I like to model my RPG characters after the great Cugel the Clever, a (well, not really) cunning rogue with very mercenary morals, enormous ego, little taste for fighting and a fine-tuned survival instinct. Subterfuge, sleight-of-hand, imposture and plenty of straight-faced lying are my favoured tools, employed with a ready smile and a good if ill-used insight in humanoid/monstrous nature. Just a few hours into my first play-through, it seems to become clear that PoE’s rogue class is not doing much for me. While I can (and do) send my hired fighter into battle in my stead, my “rogue” skills, mechanics and stealth, don’t really come into play in less violent interactions. What is more, they are not at all specific to my class, not, it seems, to my set of abilities (that conspicuously lacks any indication of my prowess - and progress - as a talker and manipulator). Now, I guess any other class should do just as well, then, but which would you recommend to be able to role-play this kind of con artist best? And why? Also, I wonder, will there be a sense of (mechanical) advancement in the game regarding my ability to steal, trick and misdirect? And what abilities should I best focus in as a charisma replacement? While I had consciously ignored much of the beta, I do recall JES emphasising that any play style should be valid - is mine too offbeat, then?