Haplok

Well, if its Turn Based, the Recovery / Initiative is rather moot. But one attack per round? Ugh.

That's correct. You want Shadowing Beyond for action economy efficient stealth attacks in Turn Based mode. So better make sure to have that Devil of Caroc Breastplate. A non-bloodmage at least can use Empower to squeeze some extra uses. That or Arkemyr's Brilliant Departure spell for CC/debuffing.

Well, an Assassin pairs exceptionally well with (non-cipher) casters in Turn Based. They really benefit from +25 Accuracy, +4 Pen and +50 Crit damage on their aoe spells. With one wizard spell its even possible to maintain stealth while Crowd-Controlling and debuffing enemies. And they have very large active toolkits... Not sure if that is what you wanted, though.

I kind of disagree with that (gasp!). On PotD, before Heartbeat Drumming, IMO Swift Flurry with good Accuracy is still better then Lightning Strikes (when melee, SF doesn't work on ranged attacks, duh). Although it depends on your priorities, of course. And party composition/roles, I guess. LS will be better vs bosses and small groups of tough foes. But its usually the squishy enemy casters and rangers that give me the most pain - and Swift Flurry is strictly better vs those.

Monk is really great at this: he can stun a lot with Stunning Surge and, perhaps more importantly, the dangerous robe-wearers tend to have lowish Deflection -> lots of crits -> lots of bonus attacks from Swift Flurry / Heartbeat Drumming procs. This can be a monk multiclass too! Often the enemy casters would instantly "explode" when my monk reached them. Even nicer when he gets Flagellant's Path, as often the initial full attack from the ability + SF/HBD procs from it were enough to kill enemy ranged chars. So you end up zig-zaging trough the battlefield, leaving corpses behind. I've tried this with a shadowdancer (so considerably more damage per hit, I suppose), but it also worked great with a Helwalker/Ascendant Transcendent, particularly after getting Seeker's Fang rapier. Even if the initial onslaught didn't kill an enemy, he was typically affected with a fatal Raw DOT, that'd kill him few seconds later - and my char was free to move to the next target. An alternative to that is to have a strong ranged single-target eliminator on your own. Maia Scout with the Red Hand would be very good for this.

IMO no speed boosts will compensate mostly loosing Swift Flurry / Heartbeat Drumming chains of (animation-less) attacks - triggered on crits.

I've fought that too. Particularly that I don't like babysitting characters other then my main char. Until I've tried using him as SC. Oh boy, did his value go up. Getting better spells faster is a great boon. Eventually getting the absolutely best spells is even better. Plus I've set up buffing routines, so he's not even that squishy. You mention using summoned weapons. Well, as a hand-off filler when I don't feel like controlling his nuking, no other summoned weapon comes close to the usefulness of Cadebald's Blackbow. Passively terrifying remote enemies with bouncing arrows with a damage component attached? Yes, please!

Yeah, Kitchen Stove Thunderous Report is frankly ridiculous. Even if enemies survive the attack, they'll be Dazed and far less dangerous.

Furyshaper Barbarian could push the enemy debuffing even further.

For CC Accuracy an Assassin multiclass is cool. Vanish with Arkemyr's Brilliant Departure and enjoy +25 Accuracy for your spells as long as you remain in stealth (and CC spells don't break this variant of stealth - unless they also have a damage component).

I'm VERY much into number crunching and builds. Yet I could never even remotely consider the Blood Pool or the Gift of the Machine bonuses. They are really tiny and inconsequential, while carrying a heavy burden indeed. Indeed, maybe if they were more substantial, like the DoC BP....

If you've solved Gorecci trough combat prior to visiting the Digsite, then its actually quite an achievment. It much easier once you return to Port Maje. Then again, also the Excavation Site isn't exactly easy. Or the skellies in the training area there. But after that its mostly smooth sailing....

Enemies in areas do seem to have "level ceilings", so you can still grossly overlevel some areas/content even with full scaling active. But the higher level areas remain a threat.

Don't think there is another item that could provide all of them. When you look for individual ones, there are some items. Like the Brilliant cloak... or the Slayer's Axe.

It is the most universal rogue subclass. A no-brainer for nearly all builds. But for certain builds not only the already mentioned Streefighter, but also Assassin (particularly for offensive casters) and even Debonaire (maybe with a cipher?) can offer a lot as well. The vanilla class is the least interesting here, by far.

Well, Trickster IS pretty great. That is unless you're willing to exploit broken Streetfighter speed and damage, that's even more broken. Or a monk... oh, wait. WotEP has its uses and gimmicks, where its very nice indeed. But for me it fails as a primary damage weapon. Its base damage is just too low. So I wouldn't exactly call it phenomenal. Just very interesting.

1. Lower Might will make your spells do a little less damage, but the difference isn't that big. And not all spells deal damage in the first place. I recommend middling Might, something like 10-12 (14 max with Blessing). Basically max Con and Per, what's left into Int. Probably dump Res (although maybe not if playing an Arcane Knight). 2. Other then support from party healers (druid is nice for stacking multiple regenerative aoe effects), level 2 Concelhauts's Corrosive Siphon is absolutely great for a Blood Mage. I was frankly amazed how much health I could leech from a group of enemies. Of course, this is less effective vs singular/tiny groups of tougher foes. Depending on your build, you can also take advantage of some other mechanics/equipment. Steel Garrote Paladin multiclass with Whispers of the Endless Paths (with Offensive Parry enchantment) could also passively leech health from enemies when riposting their attacks. For my Assassin multiclass I've had great success with (admittedly late game) Engoliero de Espirs estoc, which does aoe Ghost Blades cone strike whenever you kill an enemy (also with spells!) and that can be enchanted to return full damage dealt as health. Since it benefits from weapon enchantment bonuses, sneak attacks, deathblows (and can benefit from Deltro's Cage lash too!), it was a mighty effect on a rogue indeed, often causing whole death cascade chains. Like here: 3. Personally my picks would be: -> Pure Bloodmage for most magic power, including the high level spells (might need more party support then the other options... then again people probably solo the game with one, so...). -> Spellblade Assassin for the sweet +25 Accuracy, +4 Pen and +50% Crit damage from Stealth (and you should have nearly 50% crit conversion + high Accuracy when attacking from Stealth - so many normal crits too). Also for the safety the stealth brings... and nice combo potential with certain weapons, such as the Engolier de Espirs mentioned above -> Steel Garrote Arcane Knight for maximum survivability. Extreme Armor Rating, self heals, passive life leech from WotEP Offensive Parry ripostes. 10% Fire lash on spells from Eternal Devotion is nice also. A fighter multiclass would be better for a "gish" type mage IMO - who buffs and uses his weapons more then spells (due to nice active attack abilities, particularly Clear Out) - but using weapons on a caster is kinda inefficient in TB IMO. Even if that weapon were the summoned Citzal's Lance with its aoe attacks. 4. Difficulty? Well, I played only upscaled PotD. Your mileage may vary, also depending on your build and party composition. Items? Well, if your intention is to use nukes, I strongly recommend getting Deltro's Cage helmet. It's often over 100% increase in damage per spell (at least on an Assassin, after self-crit, slightly less for other classes - also doesn't work quite as well on enemies resistant to shock). Spells would largely depend on build. If you go for an Assassin build, I strongly recommend the ray spells... and Ninagauth's Teachings grimoire as primary (with very important Ninagauth's Death Ray - indispensable vs high AR enemies and Shadowflame - a paralyzing opener that often might as well end the encounter with the bonus 25 Accuracy from Assassination). The damage of rays is "compressed" in TB into 3 (most of them) ticks, resulting in very high line damage applied 3 times per cast and if you stay our of enemy view cone, the initial blast may not even break your stealth (the 2nd will, but applying +25% ACC and +50% crit damage twice sure is nice). Avoid delayed blast spells and multi-projectile spells as such (they tend to break stealth before doing much). Later Ninagauth's Freezing Pillar (sadly extremly loud and nearly always breaks stealth) and Minoletta's Precisely Piercing Burst (highest damage point blank aoe spell) are the main damage spells. Also pick nearly ALL Free Action buffs. They are all useful, even if their duration does not seem attractive at first (but it scales with Power Level, so they last pretty long pretty soon). Chilling Fog is fantastic in the beginning of the game (and stays useful to trigger sneak attacks/Deathblows). Grease is very nice vs some low Reflex enemies, like ettins or trolls, as it effectively stunlocks them (but maybe get another grimoire with that, not really worth the pick long-term). Shadowing Beyond is key for Free Action stealth mode (but spam Free Action Blood Sacrifice to recover spell slots first, it breaks stealth). Devil of Caroc Breastplate very recommended, as its +1 use of Stealth most of the game. Assassin Slippers on the other hand are extremely difficult to take advantage of due to the short effect, usually expiring before your next cast - not really needed (but sometimes can trigger before the 3rd ray trigger for example). Stack equipment and abilities with +crit chance. Power of Money, eventually 3rd Eye Pendant, use Merciless Gaze, Dirty Fighting, eventually Uncanny Luck (at least with the CP patch, might not be worth it otherwise). Other builds could focus more on other spells (like multi-missile). I guess buffing would still be potent. Party its largely up to you. But I've enjoyed the company of: -> Sorceror (druid/wizard) Fassina - lots of spells for every occasion, including the nice aoe lasting regen effects and huge Armor boosts vs pierce, shock and some other. -> Herald Pallegina - lots of extra bodies from animated weapons, extra healing/support,+40% damage to enemies in small aoe from Inspiring Beacon - for a duration!, I've also had her use morningstars with modal to debuff enemy Fortitude Then I've also had Eder as a Riposte swashbuckler (with Tuotilo's Palm shield with modal) and Maya as single target/Interrupt/buff disabling specialist Scout with the Red Hand arquebus with modal (only weapon that fires twice per round in TB!). Takedown Combo with Ishiza was also nice to occasionally deal +100% damage with 1 spell to some enemy (difficult to control when there are multiple aoe pulses firing).

I'm summoned! But.... A lot of good info has been posted here during that last 1 hour that... I can't really add that much. Usually I prefer Turn Based as well. Deadfire is kinda an exception. Too many important mechanics have been... truncated. Dex and attack speed (therefore also weapon speed) has very little importance. Stuff like wearing heavy armor or using slow attack mode stances (like axe Bleeding Cuts, arquebus aimed shots, shield stances and such), which have very serious trade-offs in RTwP, are basically free no-brainers in Turn Based. Also using 10 Free Action powers, while the enemies stay frozen, waiting for their turn... So I really prefer RTwP here, the mechanics are way more... intricate, balanced and make more sense. Really shows how lazy this side project has been. The devs COULD HAVE went for individual rounds based on personal initiative and time cost of each action and have a GREAT TB system on their hands. Instead they sticked to the "1 action per round" paradigm - for some weird reason (except for the FA - again, unlimited for some weird reason). Well, there is one use case where I find TB, well, fun at least (if not balanced at all). That is playing a dedicated caster. Wizard certainly fits the bill, although it could also be a Druid or a Priest. TB action economy is VERY generous for those. Particularly for a Wizard, who has all those Free Action buffs. Ciphers would be much worse, although Boeroer already provided some suggestions how to circumvent this and what builds could work well. Ultimate TB build? Must be some kind of wizard. I like Blood Mages. The fact that Blood Sacrifice is a Free Action is neat. Can buff himself to the max in a single round... and still have all his spell slots back in round 1. Pure would be strong. I played a Spellblade Bloodmage/Assassin multiclass and that was neat too, due to the massive bonuses to Accuracy, PEN and Critical damage he gets from stealth (works for aoe spells). Also despite the seeming frailty, was often in stealth/untargettable before finishing his cast (Shadowing Beyond is a Free Action too), so not that easy to kill in regular fights too. For nuking I certainly recommend Deltro's Cage helm (and hitting yourself with Chain Lightning, earlier Jolting Touch), its quite the game changer. Even moreso with an Assasination self-crit for a 130% shock lash on your spells. Avoid the rare spell multiplication effects then, though (like from silk shoes.. or Evoker subclass). Self afflicting yourself with 2 of those then... ouch. Died a few times like this. For a Bloodmage do max your Con, it will be handy. Also Per and high Int. No need to push Might high. And play human, you can control when you're Blooded (which should usually happen on round 1). Dex plays a minor role. It does reduce the time between you initiating a cast and finishing (so reduces then window when you can be interrupted), but you can still only cast 1 normal spell every round. And enemy Initiative seems to be very close to each other most of the time, with very little variation in most enemy groups (all move one after another, usually), so its of limited help. They will all execute their Standard actions anyway between your start of cast and before you finish your cast. So could be good to start casting AFTER they move. Note you CANNOT change your aoe target in TB mode for some reason. So enemies might (and will) move out of range after you start the cast - unless you start it after their movement. Single attacks are generally a waste of time in TB IMO. Either play a caster OR maybe a riposte specialist (probably with the Community Patch and chance to Riposte on Graze). Normal martials just don't do enough per action IMO. I guess a monk with Swift Flurry/Heartbeat Drumming spamming 5+ attacks per round could still work... No idea about the console release.

Wouldn't Furyshaper Barbarian be a good fit here?

Well, having 2 strikes with every attack sure is nifty. But in practice I'm not sure it beats the crit rate boost provided by, for example, a rapier with modal (Ranning's Wrath +29 Accuracy), maybe further boosted by Scordeo's Edge Adaptive (up to +20 Acc).

It attacks in a cone, so with good Int it can hit multiple targets at once. Also can distribute some Soulblade Soul Annihilation damage between multiple targets. The other thing is its Offensive Parry enchantment, which gives a 100% riposte on enemy miss. This allows, for example, passively gain Focus for Ciphers, leech life for Steel Garrote Paladins. Can also Daze enemies with another enchantment, possibly passively with OP (making them much less dangerous). Would be excellent on a Steel Garrote/Bloodmage, for example. It has a PEN boost. Also its 1/encounter ability, Run-Trough boasts one of the highest base damages - good for one Assasination Backstab. But all this requires specific builds to be effective/shine. As a general-use greatsword, it is indeed not very good, deals too little single-target damage.

Druid buffs: Woodskin and Form of the Delemgan offer respectively +5/+6 Shock AR (aoe). If you don't have a druid, maybe you can use a scroll?

In Turn Based mode at least the bonus did not persist between fights. It did last a while after the combat ended, but not too long AFAIR.

Like has been said, nukes are nice to get rid of them. If you cast a nice aoe, you may even kill some enemies in the process. They have considerable HP, so high level high damage nukes are nice... or lasting effects, like the Freezing Pillar.

I'm afraid not. First effect that ticks (such as Chillfog - or another ray pulse) would kinda "waste" the Assassinate (particularly in case of relatively weak effects per tick, like Chillfog). Note Chillfog is still pretty great for a Turn Based BM/Assassin in the early game. It has good range and entire mobs of the weaker enemies with no cold resist can either be killed or greatly weakened (plus blinded) from the initial activation from stealth (with +25 Acc, +50% critical bonus, +30% Overpen bonus).