Skill 36 Thief ability

[Cheese]

The current format where we occasionally retain hide after a nonfatal backstab attempt doesn't really do much. Most thieves have hide stacked after a backstab to minimize time we're visible.

Instead, what I would like to see is that at level 36, thieves gain the ability to hide w/o it costing them a round. IE Lagless hide, heck, even if it's occasional(not all hides would be a free action), it would be a great useful skill ability for thieves. Also as the current skill bonus is pretty useless due to thieves stacking hide after backstab, we'd continue to function as we've always done(scared of being seen) and on occasion/all the time, we'd get a free action in(as the current skill would do if it wasn't for the fact instead most of us sit there going dang it, now i'm stuck here cuz "You're already hiding!")

[shaddeth]

I agree that having hide be instantaneous at high level makes total sense. For the reasons you listed. A beefed up or extended version of the quirk "Quick Shadow"?

[Migam]

You mean zero round hide always available? Zero round would give me back backstabbing which would be nice as it is the hardest one-time thief attack but I can hardly use past Mormar except in a large party to avoid being targeted and if you take the damage of one hit and figured it's 2 rounds, it's really 1/2 per round and makes BS even more useless unless it's a fast round alt. For all that we have crap hp and have to gear for agi til huge, hide takes too long to work. Waiting for QS to trigger on RB/Dozens or throw gets frustrating and seeing that it must be while onhex, not much chance I can since I'd kill the bait that keeps crit there or have to come vis and hope to live. Right now, it's all about tripletier and load up on hp regen stuff, playing gila monster. And even that's an issue when you can't hide onhex in sdc3 or lava city lairs roam so forget solo play.

I'd take any of these

1) If zero round hide is "too much", maybe Brad should make a triggered tier that prevents hide from breaking for 50 rounds, small chance to get it, let it happen instead of that keep-your-hide then once you see it's on, you backstab like mad knowing that non-fatal, away from wall, nothing will break that hide. It's not a huge game changer since the chance is so small anyway and with triple tiers you can have many dying slowly anyway, I just wanna feel steel in my hand beyond holding killer ss for agi or leeching weap skill. I mean, no lie, sickcaves is exp/skill express for thieves if you don't mind waiting on regen but beyond thievery gains, not much melee gains unless you get em down to near dead and charge like mad, hoping for QS to kick in.
For ppl who don't want to be hidden for 50 rounds for whatever reason, ClickOn... ClickOff.

2) Make RB/Dozens party-friendly so you can use it onhex while party is the bait. I mean MA-AA safe. Again, not a huge game-changer seeing I have to wait 40 or 50 rounds just to use it and wait.
While you're at it, if party is supposed to be safe from party targeting, please fix this. If my FM burns a zoo, barb targets and kills it. If my barb kills a party member, his hug is worthless if they don't hug back... the crosshairs are gone but he's still targeting without the hugback. If an e/e player is in party with a pally, forget critsort enable or else, splat/scream to a maxstrike.

3) If my Dozens can't trigger a QS BS offhex, then it's not "really" a physical attack, is it? Could you kill damage reflect on it then so don't go splat in sickcaves or when hunting essence? I also question how throw is damage reflect when it's supposed to be a returning weap; it shouldn't reflect back. Just don't change it so throw onhex stops triggering QS Just make the reflect from RB/Dozens/Throw do 0 damage.