Shattered Kingdoms

Ok, I realise it is meant to be a brutal skill and a game changer. That is fine.

However, twice now I have been one hit (or close enough 100% down to 2%) killed by a dual backstab through the following prayers: Magical Vestments, Armor, Bless and the second time was through protect evil when the backstabber was a dark aura. Admittedly the char is an elf and I assume a cold iron weapon was used.

Now, my char was wearing 4 water armor and 1 energy piece of armor. Not brilliantly equipped i will cede but not completely poorly.

Am I missing something? Obviously if you are planning to attack sanctuary is pointless to have up...

Bless is not a defensive spell. It won't debuff BS damage.

Armor only helps with evasion, not with debuff to damage either.

Sanc would help some.

It sounds like you're playing a priest. I'm surprised that both times you weren't one-shot. You got lucky if it only dropped you to 2%.

Backstab is meant to be a one-shot, and it works well that way.

You can try keeping your pulse racing by doing something aggro, keep a pet behind you or use mirror image. Keeping sanc up also helps.

Both the spells 'protection' and 'sanctuary' will reduce incoming damage significantly.

I am 90% certain that 'magical vestment' does not help water armor unfortunately.

We can also initiate an attack and keep sanctuary with holy word.

Put something behind you, or keep your pulse racing. Set your wimpy higher than normal. Always hold sanctuary. Try to get scrolls of mirror image. Quaff stone skin. Quaff ironguard.

If you allow yourself to be backstabbed when you don't have sanctuary, stone skin, or mirror image up, you are supposed to die. None of the countermeasures you listed are especially useful, except for protection. Rogues would be terrible if they couldn't even one-shot a pretty much unprepared priest. The rogue you were facing is probably a newbie if dual backstab only brought you to 2%. Frenzy gs and cold-iron weaponry should allow him to one-shot you without the second backstab if you do not have sanctuary up.

I like watching rogues BS barbs. Now that's entertainment!

deserves a double post.

Hah. Deserves a triple post!

Suicide by CS!

Keep wimpy at around 50% so prevent the second backstab from landing. You will flee to safety unless they follow you, or the flee fails.