"backstabbing" weapons question

[Lalangamena]

1) is backstabbing off hand weapons good for rogues?

2) does the bonus affect the main hand also or just the off hand? ( which means only 40% to try hit at all? )

3) does it make sence to use dagger in main hand for finesse rogue? (if for example its dagger vs rapier but rapier is somekind of regular bonus like +3 flaming and the dagger is "of the backstabbing +3/+5)

i understand there is a difference between "leveling" and epics, so currently i am leveling :)

ty

[JollySwagMan]

1) is backstabbing off hand weapons good for rogues?

2) does the bonus affect the main hand also or just the off hand? ( which means only 40% to try hit at all? )

3) does it make sence to use dagger in main hand for finesse rogue? (if for example its dagger vs rapier but rapier is somekind of regular bonus like +3 flaming and the dagger is "of the backstabbing +3/+5)

i understand there is a difference between "leveling" and epics, so currently i am leveling :)

ty

1. They can be useful, but there are a few non-weapon items that have sneak attack effects as well:

http://ddowiki.com/page/Unique_item_sets#Nimble_Hand
http://ddowiki.com/page/Goggles_of_Intuition
http://ddowiki.com/page/Ring_of_Venom
http://ddowiki.com/page/Backstabber%27s_Gloves
http://ddowiki.com/page/Tharne%27s_Goggles
http://ddowiki.com/page/Brawling_Gloves_%28Level_4%29%28Tier_2%29
various grades of Brawling Gloves, all the way up to:
http://ddowiki.com/page/Epic_Brawling_Gloves_%28Tier_3%29

Ideally you'd want to have the sneak attack bonus on another item so that your weapon has more effects. I'd highly recommend Deception.

2. It affects both hands (as with the non-weapon items).
Other effects that help attacks made with each hand:
Seeker, tactics bonus items such as Vertigo, Shatter and Stunning (however the 3% chance of a stunning weapon to cause a stun on its own is specific to the weapon)

3. It depends on the weapon, however as a general rule you'd want the highest damaging weapon in the main hand (eg. rapier in main, shortsword in offhand). If your attack bonus is high enough, you might be able to ignore the penalty for using a non-light weapon in the offhand, or take the Oversized Two Weapon Fighting feat. Khopeshes are a popular choice for forum builds, so some players swear by the Khopesh proficiency and Oversized TWF feats. However you mentioned that you are levelling - as such, I wouldn't worry about trying to focus on Khopeshes and taking extra feats to help hit with them, as Khopeshes are notoriously expensive for new players to specialise in. A solid main hand weapon and a light weapon for offhand will do the trick just fine.

[Lalangamena]

ty vm :) +1