As for use any item: I have finished ToB with a thief holding blackrazor on one hand and crom fayr in the off hand, together with gloves that give more attacks per round.
But spike traps killed everything anyway.
And isn't this badass? If Josh Sawyer had designed BG you could forget about UAI and Spike Trap, two of my favorite things in the game.
I can understand your point, but I should add that I remember this char because it was the only time I finished ToB.
There are a few tricks that can kill any enemy in a few seconds which I considered boring after doing it a few times.
Thanks to the HLAs you are a god who destroys everything.
This is one of the reasons why I liked BG1 way more than ToB.
In BG1 every char started weak and got more powerful over time.
In ToB some classes or abilities are gods while others feel totally useless in comparison.
Thats why I think that balance is importent, not in a sense that everyone is equally powerful, but at least all classes should feel viable and not completely useless compared to some others.
To be fair BG1 did one bad thing: It ruined the bard class for me as my bard was the most useless char there, Jack of all trades, master of non
- They can cast spells, but only when naked. Armor prevents casting and only mages can wear robes. Only late in BG2 comes an armor that allows casting.
- They can use most weapons, but they have only 1 attack per round, no specialisation and lower hit chance than warriors. Rogues have the same hit chance but their backstab makes them very useful.
- They can pickpocket. Well, this means the party rogue can spend more points on other skills.
Maybe I should try playing a bard in BG3 to overcome my hatred, they seem quite useful now.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Mad S. Tist 
