Shattered Kingdoms

Right! But Ardith is saying that rogues do too much damage. If BS/Circle damage is wimped, I think it should still be able to nearly instakill casters.

Etherealform and invis are not even close to adequate measures to keep you from getting backstabbed. Mirror image is getting close, but there are ways around it, as Ardith mentioned.

I agree with the last statement by Stratford btw.

A sorceror with mirror image up and a pet behind him should not die to a rogue unless he is nailed into place with taunt as well.

There is a lag between when backstab lands and when you can circle. It's about equivalent to the lag after a cleave. If a rogue opens with a backstab to your store bought pet you walk away if you don't feel like dealing with him. Although I'd suggest running. You can also charm some barb NPC with counterstrike and keep him behind you if it's really an issue. Most rogues can't go ethereal, especially if you hoarde one of their only easily accessable ways to get that way. So you should be safe in ethereal form unless you stick around taunting them and give them time to go and collect said object.

That was funny when I did that.

Blinding rogues shuts them down completely as well you know.

Rogues can't circle if you trip them either...reach weapons people. And before you even whine about sorcs not having trip or reach weapon...charms do. Triple petrification scrolls are also nasty.

cept for when backstab goes past mi!

Haha, Baldric beat me to it. Apparently Cannibal forgot that rogues get scrolls.

Sorcs are the easiest caster class to survive against rogues with, though, with necros being almost as easy and warlocks being dead-last (But of course that's par for warlocks).

It wouldn't be so bad if stone skin wasn't a useless buff.

apparently you didn't read my post if you thought I had forgotten that rogues get scrolls

I keep seeing circle stab 'once per round' being mentioned.. Which isn't completely accurate every 3rd or 4th round the delay will roll over, never paid close enough attention to count it.

As far as high AC classes are concerned, most of them are well stocked on heal vials, which can easily keep up with the circle stabs. If rogues are your highest concern buy a pet with reach, komodo from sage tower for example. Not the best pet I know but it would buy you enough time to escape at the very least if you survived the backstabs. Which I would suggest escaping cause a rogue won't hesitate to flee, most people die at this point by trying to be a tough guy. Come back more prepared and that's how you beat a rogue, doesn't take much. If you are the agressor against a rogue and prepared correctly the only way they'll have a chance is if they dirt kick you. Which is one thing stone skin is useful for (ardith). Also there are probably better candidates for reaching pets that I don't know about.

It's not as if rogues can go around constantly using haste and gs either, which are the main two factors of what allows a rogue to kill so easily. It's about proper planning and a rogue is supposed to have that advantage if they're the aggressor.

Blind, dirt kicking, mirror image, anything with reach, there are plenty of ways to disable a rogue. And each class has one or more of those things at their disposal. Though I'm sure there's something I'm overlooking that will get pointed out to me.

With certain pills being sold in places, it actually is easy for a rogue to go around carrying haste, gstr and frenzy. They just pop one, walk in and rawr. Enough said, not only that, they also have access to scrolls so it's very viable for those buffs to be available at all times.

Edit: Potions of true sight should be completely unacceptable. Some buffs should simply be limited in use and the only way a true sight potion should be available is by the one quest that gives it as a reward. There are so many buffs available through pills potions and scrolls anymore, it's ridiculous. Who needs sorcs when half their skillset is sold through wands and scrolls?