neverwinter nights A Dance with Rogues: The Promiscuous Paladin Build Guide

[Roarke]

 

So, you’ve tried the infamous Neverwinter Nights module, A Dance with Rogues by Valine/2acornupper.

(If you haven't tried it yet, maybe read my quick start guide?)

And now you’re wondering what other kind of character builds you can make for another playthrough.

Well, you can try an optimized build for rogues like leveling into fighter and blackguard. Rogue builds
like The Blackguard Executioner by Orion might work well for you.

But what if you wanted something a bit more unwieldy and somewhat situational?

 

I present to you a character build I made specifically for A Dance with Rogues:

 

The Promiscuous Paladin

 

Being Roguish Paladin in Betancuria is very difficult.
You can’t steal from the innocent. You can open any lock you want but god forbid you take what’s inside.

I just wanted a new pair of high heels...
 

You also can't take a vengeful stance against certain enemies. Paladins can’t be cold-blooded murderers.

But he was getting paid to collaborate with sadistic bastards...

 

Doing so will destroy your ability to gain levels in the Paladin class. You’re primary way of
leveling will still be opening locks and removing traps. Just don’t steal anything from innocent
people and never fight against the locals.

It’s unfortunate, but even though you’re unable
to be a murderous thief, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.
 

 

Before we get into the leveling guide, it’s time to introduce Inez Renfri, our character for this
build. She’s a big-breasted babe with a rather ironic name.

All she needs now are bunny ears and a tail.

inezrenfri.bicinezrenfri.txt
Here’s her level 1 character sheet and journal entries if you want to use them. Both of these go into
your <user>/Documents/Neverwinter Nights/local vault folder.

 

This Princess isn’t exactly pure.

Inez (ee-NEHS, Spanish form of Agnes, meaning “chaste”)

Birds of a feather, kindred spirits, partners in crime, etc.

 

And she may be naive but she certainly doesn’t collude with demons.

Renfri (REN-free, Scots Gaelic origin, meaning warrior of darkness)

Pfft. Stupid demon can't even speak right.

 

She’s got a wanton thirst that can’t be quenched and her only concern is the friends
she’s making down at the docks; none of those sailors practice safe sex.

Let's have some fun and make gold while we're at it!

 

Luckily, the first level into Paladin gives her many feats, including one very beneficial to a
promiscuous Princess.

So, you’re telling me I’m allowed to use nearly any weapon and armor I want? And I’m immune to disease?
 

That’s right. Take a level in Paladin and your Princess won’t get an STD no matter how hard she tries.

Heh... "But".

 

Being a Paladin also means she adds her charisma ability bonus to all saving throws. The
module forces you to set your charisma at 14 or higher, so why not let it work for you?
We’ll also be putting ranks into Discipline. This Princess may be lacking in willpower, but
she’s disciplined when it counts.

Worth it?

 

You’ll receive bonus exp for passing some skill checks during dialogue and Discipline is one
that comes up a bit often. So, let’s make sure we have enough to beat the highest one.

Nice try... SLUT! (The irony is not lost on me.)

 

This build’s primary attribute is strength. This Princess is gonna have muscle, if she hits
anything that doesn’t have large damage reduction, it’s gonna feel the pain.

Yo holy shit! HE DEAD!

 

This build’s primary weapon is the greatsword. There are many weapons you’re allowed to use
as a Paladin, some like the greataxe will hit harder. There’s just many more different
greatswords for you to play with. A sword and board build would’ve been nice, if the shields
didn’t give you a penalty to your thief skills. You could equip one as you start fighting but
that much is already a hassle. The armor class bonus (AC) from using a shield isn’t worth it
when you constantly need to sneak around.

Just a few of the best greatswords you can "acquire".

 

There are local hot greatswords in your area that want to meet you! CLICK HERE NOW!

 

This build’s primary armor type is light or medium armor. Heavy armor is nice and there’s
special armor you can find underneath the castle, but the penalties for using one are too great
for a thief. Low penalty medium armor works best and much later you’ll find a really nice light
armor from Hyath’s temple to complement your sneaking skills.

The armor check penalty from heavy armor will be the death of you.

 

There’s a lot of equipment required for this build. This Princess is gonna struggle getting her
levels in Rogue unless she has enough ranks in pick pocket, open lock, search, and disable trap.

You will need to gamble at the Family Hideout to win enough gold to buy your starting equipment.
 

Here’s a list of starting gear for your convenience.

Greater Gloves of the Rogue
Greater Silent Slippers
Yance’s Ring
A couple of different lockpicks and healing items

A couple of lore potions to identify items
Greatsword +1 (weapon shop at Betancuria West, Merchant's Quarter)
Hatori’s Leather Armor or low penalty medium armor
 

The next list should be your endgame gear.

Bracers of Dexterity +3
Boots of the Elvenkind
Nymph Cloak +3
Pia’s Ring (Romance or Friendship)
Ironskin Ring
Amulet of the Master
Belt of Hill Giant Strength
General Sigerthur’s Greatsword or Dana’s Greatsword (taken politely from her inventory)
Assassin’s Waistcoat

 

Extra Recommendation

In Game Options, under Ruleset, activate Always Roll Max Hitpoints on Level Up to avoid getting stuck with a character with low health.
 

And finally, here’s the leveling guide:
 

Spoiler

Level 1-14
Rogue (8), Paladin (5), Shadowdancer (1), Human
Lawful Good only
 

STR: 15 (18)
DEX: 14
CON: 15
WIS: 8
INT: 10
CHA: 14
 

1. Rogue (1)
Disable Trap - 4
Hide - 4
Move Silently - 4
Open Lock - 4
Persuade - 4
Pick Pocket - 4
Search - 4
Set Trap - 4
Tumble - 4
Feats - Dodge, Skill Focus (Discipline)
We won’t be using Bluff since some of its dialogue options will incur a chaotic penalty, but we
will add a few ranks later for gambling purposes. We’ll get Skill Focus in Discipline because this
build will not give you many chances to add ranks into it. We’ll also get Dodge to help you in
combat and also as a prerequisite for the Shadowdancer prestige class. That Hide in Plain
Sight feat is too good to ignore.
 

 

2. Paladin (1)
Discipline - 3
Feats - Paladin 1 feats
The first rank in Paladin. This includes many bonus feats for you to play with. Lay on Hands
won’t be very strong but it will come in handy when you’re desperate for healing.

 

3. Paladin (2)
Discipline - 2
Taunt - 1
Feats - Paladin 2 feats, Mobility
This level in Paladin should be attained before Lesson 4. Only 2 ranks in Discipline this time.
Your strength ability bonus will help you get to 10 ranks total. One rank in Taunt for now, this
will be much more useful later. We’ll get Mobility to obtain the Shadowdancer class later. Smite
Evil works well on most enemies and Aura of Courage will help you resist fear spells and auras.
At this point in the module, you still shouldn’t be doing too much fighting. Instead, make your
way to the Family Hideout and gamble until you have enough for the Greater Gloves of the
Rogue and Greater Silent Slippers. You won’t be getting another level in Paladin for a while.

 

4. Rogue (2)
Ability Increase - STR +1
Disable Trap - 1
Hide - 1
Move Silently - 1
Open Lock - 1
Persuade - 1
Pick Pocket - 1
Search - 1
Set Trap - 1
Tumble - 1
Feats - Rogue 2 feat
This is the last time we’ll add a rank into Set Trap. You should be able to place most traps
without much difficulty. Also, we’ll add ranks into Tumble only when we can get at least 5 during a
level up. That bonus AC is uncapped and we could use any we can get without the penalty to thieving.

 

5. Rogue (3)
Bluff - 2
Disable Trap - 1
Hide - 1
Move Silently - 1
Open Lock - 1
Persuade - 1
Pick Pocket - 1
Search - 1
Feats - Rogue 3 feats
We’ll put 2 ranks into Bluff to help us gamble better. It will come in handy for some skill checks.
You can increase this skill by wearing high heels and visiting the beauty parlor. Try doing this
right before you meet Shander Ogderman, the magician in Betancuria West. Get that exp
bonus for bluffing and persuading.

 

6. Rogue (4)
Disable Trap - 2
Hide - 1
Move Silently -1
Open Lock - 2
Persuade - 1
Pick Pocket - 1
Search - 1
Feats - Weapon Focus (greatsword)
There’s plenty of greatswords to be found in the module. A Greatsword +1 can be bought in
Betancuria West. You can still use other weapons but you won’t get as good an attack bonus
without using a large sword.

 

7. Rogue (5)
Hide - 3
Move Silently - 1
Tumble - 5
Feats - Rogue 5 feat
This will be the last time we’ll add ranks into Hide and Move Silently. It should be enough for
the Shadowdancer class. Your various types of equipment will make up for loss of Move
Silently ranks when you wear high heels and the 5 ranks in Tumble will give you another bonus to
AC. At this point you’ll be desperate for more thief skills. Head back to the Family Hideout
and gamble until you have enough for the Amulet of the Master.

Buy this amulet before going on The Golden Chalice quest to get max exp rewards.

 

8. Rogue (6)
Ability Increase - STR +1
Disable Trap - 2
Open Lock - 2
Persuade - 3
Pick Pocket - 1
Search - 1
Feats - Rogue 6 feat
We won’t get the Shadowdancer class yet. We're still desperate for more Disable Trap, Open
Lock, and Persuade ranks.

 

9. Paladin (3)
Taunt - 3
Feats - Paladin 3 feats, Knockdown
Around this point, you should’ve been to the Dhorn Barracks and stolen their hard earned gold
from the finance office. This will give you a minimum penalty of 15 chaotic points but you should still
be able to take levels in Paladin. If not, check the F.A.Q. below. Use that gold to gamble and earn enough to buy the Ironskin
Ring. It’s a very good item for dealing with enemies above your level. And with more ranks in
Taunt, you can lower the enemy’s AC to a max of -6. Then, use Knockdown to trip them and hit
them harder.

Special note: Successful Knockdown strikes will give you a +4 attack bonus to enemies on the ground and your
Rogue sneak attack will give you extra damage since it counts as the enemy being flat-footed.
Use Taunt and Knockdown often.

 

10. Shadowdancer (1)
Persuade - 3
Pick Pocket - 2
Search - 2
Feats - Shadowdancer feat
Hide in Plain Sight (HiPS) is such an awesome feat. At the push of a button, you can disappear from sight even when
being watched. In combat, you’ll have to disengage before attempting to hide. It’s a very useful
feat to run away from a fight. Once the enemy loses track of you, sneak back in and attempt
another surprise attack. Try starting the fight with Knockdown to get more chances to sneak
attack.

 

11. Rogue (7)
Disable Trap - 3
Open Lock - 2
Pick Pocket - 2
Search - 2
Feats - Rogue 7 feat
By now, you should’ve realized that Rogue classes excel in hit-and-hide tactics and the
Shadowdancer guarantees a stealth attack with its HiPS feat. However, Rogues are weak
against anything that resists sneak and crit attacks. By taking levels in Paladin and focusing on
a strength build, you’re able to take on enemies that a Rogue can’t fight without help. You’re
now quite literally an independent Princess.

 

12. Paladin (4)
Ability Increase - STR +1
Taunt - 3
Feats - Improved Critical (greatsword)
Improved critical works very well with a Keen weapon, such as General Sigerthur’s Greatsword.
Without Keen, you need to do an attack roll of 17-20 to deal critical damage. With Keen, your
requirement for critical damage is an attack roll of 15-20. By using Knockdown on a regular
enemy, you can stack sneak and critical attacks for some serious damage. It’s very satisfying
to see those damage numbers after all the Princess has been through.
 

 

13. Rogue (8)
Tumble - 5
Another bonus to AC thanks to 5 more ranks in Tumble. Save the remaining 4 skill points for
the last level up.
 

 

14. Paladin (5)
Discipline - 3
Taunt - 4
Feats - Paladin 5 feat
This Paladin feat is useless for this module. You can’t summon your mount anywhere in
Betancuria, even outside the city gate. Use this Paladin level to round out your Discipline ranks
and place the remaining skill points into Taunt. With bonus charisma from your gear, it should
be nearly guaranteed to taunt an enemy into lowering their guard. Then, use Knockdown to
make them to feel the true might of your greatsword!

When you get to hell, tell 'em Inez Renfri sent you. And then apologize on my behalf for the inconvenience.

 

 

F.A.Q. and Other Useful Information
 

What’s the purpose of doing such a difficult build?
It’s fun to try something out of the ordinary. Lawful good is an alignment very difficult to
maintain in this module. You can consider this a challenge build for completing A Dance with Rogues.

There are many other builds you can attempt, such as a sorcerer build or a max
constitution build. This one seemed the best reason for trying to keep a good Princess on the
side of the law. Plus, you get to do all the sex encounters without getting diseased.

 

I’ve lost my ability to get levels in Paladin. How do I get it back?
There are many chances to gain lawful points back from being a chaotic thief. Clearing the
wilderness castle, avenging the first friend you made, killing Rick’s gang, going bounty hunting,
and even lawfully beheading a traitor are among the couple of ways to remove chaotic points. As long as
you save before stealing anything, you can strategize which theft you can make and still keep
your Paladin status.
Unfortunately, there aren’t as many chances to get goodie points. As far as I know, major good
actions include refusing the chance to assassinate a rival guild member, attempting to destroy
an evil altar, and saving a female gladiator for the second time in a row. Just be aware of your
actions because once you go evil, there’s no bouncing back.

 

Why greatswords? Couldn’t you get better DPS if you went with a dexterous dual wield build?
Greatswords are great. There’s plenty of greatswords for you to find and they tend to hit hard in
nearly every circumstance. Dual wielding with the proper feats can get more attacks per round
but it struggles against enemies resistant to physical, sneak, and crit attacks. You’ll either rely
on a weapon that does bonus magical damage or something that already hits hard, like a
greatsword. You’re already trying to do sneak/crit attacks, why not try it with a weapon capable
of dealing +40 damage on a single hit?

 

Damn, this dice gambling kinda sucks. Is there any other way to make quick gold?
Not really. Playing lawfully means you can’t steal from the masses but some containers are
considered fair game, such as the coffers in the gladiator arena. Just save before attempting to
steal any item or gold from someone and see what you can get away with. There are also many
places and enemies that have valuable loot which can be sold for a good price. Be sure to
check all over the city for chances gain gold and exp (except for the top floor of the Mage's Academy, it could break the main quest.)

I might also know a not-so-honest way to gain an absurd amount of gold without using console commands, for details check further below.

 

I found the armor below the castle that you mentioned before. Why shouldn’t I use that one?
Heavy armor, no matter which one you find, will give you a massive penalty to thief skills.

The armor you found is also classified as lingerie. It will force you to make constitution saving throws to avoid getting sick in Betancuria’s weather.

And to make matters worse, every Dhorn guard will attempt to arrest you for public indecency.

Good luck sneaking around the streets of Betancuria when you’re dummy thicc and the clap of your
ass cheeks on heavy metal keeps alerting the guards.

 

I like this build but I rather change a few things. Is it possible to be a Paladin with a dexterous build?
Yes, but you’ll have to take the Two-Weapon Fighting and Ambidextrous feats at level one. It’s
also much easier to get ahead of the difficulty curve with high dexterity.

The Shadow of the Celestials by Orion is another Rogue/Paladin build I followed for a different playthrough.

It’s pretty easy to adjust it for A Dance with Rogues.
 

 

Well, that’s it. This is not a completely optimized build but it was fun to play around with in the
module. I’ll also make changes according to suggestions in the comments if there’s any. If you
have another build you’ve had fun playing with, post it in the comments or make a new post in the Adult Gaming forum. Thanks for reading!
 

Bonus:
Super Secret Strategy to Earn Lots of Gold
(Don’t look Valine)
 

Spoiler

Step 1

 

Step 2

 

Step 3, then repeat step 2 and 3 as many times as you like

 

Step 4

 

Edited Saturday at 06:14 PM by Roarke

[willhelmcz]

This is incredible! I lay on the floor in laugh for 3+ minutes. I do not even tried any other class then Rogue, expecting it can not work. You are genius!

[kaycem]

This looks like a blast to try! Thanks for sharing ♡

 

On a side note, when does "saving a female gladiator for the second time in a row" appears? I only remember one instance where the princess breaks out one female gladiator from the gladiator basement but that's it. ?

[Roarke]

On 12/24/2023 at 5:25 AM, kaycem said:

This looks like a blast to try! Thanks for sharing ♡

 

On a side note, when does "saving a female gladiator for the second time in a row" appears? I only remember one instance where the princess breaks out one female gladiator from the gladiator basement but that's it. ?

 

The second rescue of the female gladiator can be done after completing the Uncover the Dhorn Spies quest. She can be found in the torture cellar of 1, Acorn Street.

 

Here's a detailed rundown of that part of the quest (multiple quest spoilers):

 

Spoiler

After you break out Cona Krown from the prison, you can follow her to the gladiator barracks where you'll see her arguing with two other gladiators.

 

What? Who got taken?

 

The person she's looking for is a man named Perristan Jarlson. You can question the gladiators after Cona leaves but all you get out of them is that Perristan is being tortured by a Dhorn that likes to cut dicks off (Seriously, wtf is wrong with the Dhorn?). You'll find both Cona and Perristan imprisoned in the torture cellar of 1, Acorn Street.

 

To find out who Perristan is, you must have completed the Nightingale quest first, an early quest where the Princess gets recruited as a sex worker after trying to trade a sexual favor with a beggar. Fino is the name of your recruiter and he decides to pimp you out to multiple clients, including one that gets a little violent. If you didn't get the quest, you'll only miss out on some context for Perristan's involvement with the gladiators.

 

During the Nightingale quest, you also get a brief introduction to Sharita. You might've thought she was one of Fino's girls, but you'll find out she was the previous owner of a bordello and she has new employment with the gladiators. She will remember you.

 

 

Oh, hey girl! Guess who made it out alive?

 

You also get to meet one of the gladiators before the infiltration. If you've also been completing tasks for the Family, then you have met this guy twice.

 

 

Well, well, well...

 

His name is Bort. He was present in one part of the Nightingale quest and he might've been drunk the second time you met him. This time, however, he recognizes those sweet tits. And if you failed to heed Sharita's warning about him, Bort confiscates all your items (don't panic, your items are inside a chest in the gladiator barracks) and drags you to the owner of the gladiator school, Caster Blake, and his bodyguard, Perristan Jarlson.

 

This is where you meet Perristan for the first time and Caster the second time if you got hired as a maid for the other gladiator school. You can also have an optional sex encounter with both of them. Afterwards, you'll get thrown into a prison cell next to Cona, which you both can break out of.

Edited April 27 by Roarke

[kaycem]

I've cleared this mod so many times already, to think there's something I still don't know. More reason to repeat playing! Thanks!

[Roarke]

 

Greatswords are great and this module has a good amount of large swords for the Princess to play with.

Although most Rogues can't handle such a large size, Roguish Paladins can have fun with greatswords all day

and will find it hard to resist its potential for amazing damage.

 

But any respectable Rogue knows that a weapon that easily deals critical damage is as good as any other,

and Rogues love weapons that deal critical damage. Sure, the threat range of a greatsword might not be as nice as a curved kukri,

but what good is a weapon relies on critical attacks to finish someone off?

 

Critical damage is useless when dealing with enemies immune to sneak attacks, and some of those enemies even have damage reduction.

That thin little sword you call a weapon just tickles them. So, if a little sword doesn't get the job done, why not try a bigger sword?

After all, bigger sword means bigger damage and bigger is always better!

 

Here's a list of the biggest and thickest swords available in the module, and where to find them!

 

 

Greatsword +1

Location: Rodor's Weapon Shop, Betancuria West (Merchants' Quarter)

Never forget your first.

 

This greatsword is easy to find and will likely be your only weapon until you find another greatsword.

It's kind of expensive (~2k gold) but it will get you through the entire module with ease.

There's nothing special about this weapon other than its enhancement bonus,

but you can sharpen it at Igor's Smithy if you have spare gold.

 

 

 

General Sigerthur's Greatsword

Location: Cellar of Sigerthur's Fancy House, Betancuria West (Upper District)

Yoink!

 

This greatsword is in possession of the sadistic Dhorn General Kale Sigerthur, one of your assassination targets.

Fortunately for you, he's too busy torturing a man to realize someone can steal from his back pocket.

You'll have to beat a difficulty check of 30, and pray you take his unequipped weapon and not one of his potions.

This greatsword is one of the best weapons in the module and one you'll likely keep until the end.

 

 

 

Captain's Greatsword

Location: Less Ornate Tomb, Temple of Hyath

Christano, why do you have to be such an ass?

 

This greatsword belongs to an undead captain of the guards. It has dual enhancements against chaotic enemies and

can only be used by lawful characters. This weapon is basically a thief killer.

The irony of a Rogue using this greatsword is very amusing.

If you ever decide to betray the Family, this is the weapon you'll want to use against them.

 

 

 

Demon Greatsword

Location: High Priest's Chambers, Temple of Hyath

Ribbed for her pleasure.

 

Hyath sure knows what the Roguish Paladins like.

You can only get this one if you agree to summon him and choose a greatsword as a reward.

It's fully enhanced, does bonus damage to humans, has Keen, has a unique blade shape, and it glows red.

If there's any reason for a Paladin to go the evil route, this weapon would be it.

 

 

 

Greatsword +3

Location: Castias' Room, Castle Crossing

Mine is bigger.

 

Castias Ravenstower has a good greatsword in his inventory which you could take after you save him.

There's nothing particularly impressive about this weapon other than its enhancement.

It's a decent weapon but it's better for Castias to hold on to it.

That guy needs all the help he can get.

 

 

 

Dana's Greatsword

Location: Church Crypt, Castle Crossing

"My greatsword is up here, Princess."

 

Dana has one fancy weapon! You can get this if you agree to help Castias after you save him.

Her greatsword has an enhancement bonus against evil creatures and it glows!

Nothing does righteous smiting like a golden weapon that deals more damage to evildoers.

You can trade her one of your greatswords if you feel bad about taking this one.

 

 

 

Baron Ravenstower's Greatsword

Location: Church Crypt, Castle Crossing

Damn, even Castias is jealous of the Baron's cool sword!

 

The Baron uses a weapon that seems contradicting for his character.

You'd think this chilly greatsword would calm his abrasive and vulgar attitude, but this weapon

is likely a reference to the original location of Castle Crossing. If you're looking for a weapon that deals

bonus magical damage, don't be afraid to take this greatsword.

The Baron owes you for all the trouble he caused you and Pia.

 

 

With all these fancy greatswords available for you to hold, it's a shame you need both hands to grip only one.

Though they may not be quick to deal damage as the smaller weapons, one good thrust will send anyone reeling.

And not many can withstand the might of such a large blade, especially when it sneaks in a critical attack!

Don't forget to visit Igor's Smithy to give you favorite greatsword the care it deserves.

 

Edited Thursday at 01:48 PM by Roarke