questions

[flounder]

I tried it with a dualled Bounty Hunter (14), Mage (24) and you are correct sir, it gave me the "unusable for backstab" or something like that, message.

[Cuchulain82]

The game designers must have anticipated the cheese potential (a weapon that makes you invisible that you can use to backstab ) and made the SoM unsuitable for backstabbing.

[Erenor]

Originally Posted by Cuchulain82

The game designers must have anticipated the cheese potential (a weapon that makes you invisible that you can use to backstab ) and made the SoM unsuitable for backstabbing.

That would be just like them. Making exceptions to their own rules...

[Nimiety]

Although, interestingly, you can equip the SoM and melee with it - you will stay invisible until you hit the opponent - then requip it, and stay invisible again... I was clearing out the 4th level of Watcher's Keep with that method... use the SoM to go invisible, then run to a corner away from prying eyes to go stealth, then sneak back behind a mind flayer and whack him with the staff of rhyn and immediately switch back to the SoM.

And yes, it's quite gouda-esque...

[Phantom Lord]

The real strength of SoM is pretty well demonstrated in imp Twisted Rune. It's Spell Trap and Invisibility abilities give you perfect cover. The former owner fooled me quite well with that.

For backstab, the high damage staves (Rhynn, Ram or Elementals with item mod) are the way to go. You'll probably have 100%+ Hide in Shadows / Move Silent at that level anyway, so Nimitieys strategy works perfect.

[VonDondu]

Originally Posted by Cuchulain82

The game designers must have anticipated the cheese potential (a weapon that makes you invisible that you can use to backstab ) and made the SoM unsuitable for backstabbing.

I don't think it has anything to do with "cheese potential". The reason why Thieves can't use the Staff of the Magi as a backstabbing weapon (not even Mage/Thieves) is simply due to the way that usability flags work. The game engine allows a single-class or multi-class Thief to backstab with any melee weapon that a single-class Thief can use, or in other words, with any weapon that has a usability flag for single-class Thieves. (Even a two handed sword would be suitable for backstab if it were flagged for single-class Thieves.) The Staff of the Magi does not have a usability flag for single-class Thieves; so no one can use it as a backstabbing weapon. Apparently, there just wasn't any way for the game designers to make it suitable for backstabbing without making it usable by all Thieves.

Use Any Item adds an Effect to the character that allows him or her to use any item in the game regardless of usability flags. Use Any Item does not add new usability flags to every item in the game. So even if the game designers wanted to allow Thieves to backstab with the Staff of the Magi (or any other weapon not flagged for Thieves), they couldn't do it without rewriting the game engine (or changing the way that usability flags work).

If I wanted to permit a single-class or multi-class Thief to use the Staff of the Magi as a backstabbing weapon, I would edit the item and add a usability flag for single-class Thieves. Just to show you that it can be done, I have attached an edited version of the Staff of the Magi that is flagged for Thieves, Fighter/Thieves, and Cleric/Thieves in addition to all of the classes for which it was originally flagged (all single-class Mages and multi-class Mages). These simple changes make it suitable for backstabbing. The problem is that non-Mages can use it even if they don't have the Use Any Item ability, and there's just no way around that. And of course, it might be super cheesy. Use it at your own risk.