My locksmith rogue (ranged weapons user) just turned 73 and I'm taking a long look at my skills to evaluate where I want to take them. I don't have any real problem areas that I need to correct, but TPs have always been tight and I'd like to start getting things I might need to get into future hunting grounds and get some secondary skills I've never been able to get. Just to make sure I don't get myself in unintended trouble, I'm hoping a higher level rogue can answer a couple questions:

-At the moment, I have 213 ranks in Stalking and Hiding and am considering leaving it there until cap. I haven't had trouble hiding from or staying hidden from just about anything other then a few undead (which I RARELY hunt... I hate messing with blessed arrows) since he was in his 20's. Is there anything with obscene perception that I'll need to keep up with the S&H training?

-It's my understanding that if you 2x in Ambush, anything over 2x in Perception doesn't count towards ranged AS? I want to leave Perception at my present 207 ranks for the foreseeable future since I can't even remember the last time I missed seeing a trap (at least due to mechanics...), but not if it'll negatively impact my AS.

-How many ranks in Swimming and Climbing do I need to get into every hunting area in the game? I have 17 and 40 ranks respectively at the moment, but I figure it's time to be working them both up now so I never have to think about them again.

Thanks,
Starchitin

A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.

You are well over what you need to spot top level traps and could actually untrain a lot if you wanted to. I think your tripled ranks are actually only helping your DS. I stopped at 144 ranks perception and haven't missed a trap I was checking for since mid 40s (and I reckon that took a fumble roll on a trap close to -480 to miss).

Minotaurs do drop the occasional top level scale trap, (don't stand near a wizard that's using unlock on their mino boxes, they miss them from time to time) so you do need the perception to see them, but its only 30-40 ranks for someone tripled in disarm with 404 at your level.

I did fine doubling S&H up to and past the cap. Sometimes you'll run into things (storm griffins, war griffins, rift crawlers) that you can't hide from reliably, but that's a lot of TPs to save. You can work around it as well, fight some in the open, move a room away and wait for others to enter and blast 'em.

I think 40 and 40 in climbing / swimming should get you in everywhere. That'll get you up to and into the Rift and Nelemar. More swimming will provide defense against some SMR attacks in Nelemar, more climbing will help you get up the threads in the Rift (I think - at the very least it will help you get up and down the mountain).

And upon reading the rest of posts folks have already pointed these things out but I'll hit the post button anyway.