Creating New Rogue Character Need Advice [Archive] - Wizards Community

Creating New Rogue Character Need Advice [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Jackpot556
04-09-07, 05:42 PM Hi everyone this is my first post. I have put a lot of thought into what I want my next character to be. After studying the manuals for a while the three classes that appeal to me are rogue, fighter, and barbarian. In the DM's Manual the prestige class of assassin was neat too.

I essentially want a character that is stealthy and versatile so they are decent in combat to. I think multiclassing in these three will do that. But I am not sure. What I am aiming for is a type of character that has the same style as like Richard Riddick from Pitch Black. Haha what would he look like as a d&d character I wonder.

Anyways the one problem I ran into is that the rogue, barbarian, and assassin all have the uncanny dodge feat and it seemed to me like multiclassing as all three would cripple me because the fact that the feat of uncanny dodge is something given to each of those classes to bring balance to that character class... but when multiclassing that is essentially something that doesnt stack. What I am saying is I will be like Lvl 3 Barb / and Lvl 2 Rogue and after lvling both classes up the uncanny dodge feat I got from both classes isnt helping more as compared to if i just got it from one.

Anyways though that was basically my question and whether I had the right idea for the kind of character I am going for or not.

Thanks,

Jackpot
trickydevl666
04-09-07, 09:36 PM well, I am pretty sure that this is the wrong board for that, but just to help you out if you already have uncanny dodge, when you get it again via class feature it becomes improved uncanny dodge according to the 3.5 PHB. Also, it would have to be Barb 2/ Rogue 4 to have that (one level after barb, two before rogue) And although it doesn't say, I believe you could ask your DM if you get it a 3rd time, because of assassin, you could ask your DM to give you a bonus feat that you meat the prereqs for. If you want a build or anything, it belongs on the Character optimization boards. This is for giving roleplay advice. Let the optimizers do the number crunching ^_^
Westbound
04-10-07, 03:09 AM Personally, I haven't had much use for the Assassin Prestige Class. Sure, it's nice to drop foes fast when you do a Sneak Attack, particularly when they aren't aware of you at all, but that really doesn't happen too often in most situations that DMs present you with.

Rogues sort of face a dilemma. They're one of the few classes that can operate and thrive when separated from the party. With ranks in Move Silently and Hide (my group has combined this as "Stealth") you should be able to venture ahead of a party and scout for threats, be they traps or enemies. This would be a very prudent thing to do - if the party would allow it more often, and if more Rogue players insisted on doing so.

In gaming group after gaming group that I've talked with and played with, there is a hard rule - never separate the party. This rule is there because of an acute, warranted paranoia that the DM will ruthlessly murder an isolated character by ganging up on him. Also, most DMs do not want to feel as though he's giving all the attention to one player, and have the rest of the table sit around and shoot the bull.

Of course, there are lots of ways to remedy this. For one, don't let the Rogue go alone. Send the Monk or the Ranger, or both, along with him. They have access to the same stealth skills as the Rogue, so they could back him up in case he gets into trouble. The Wizard or Sorcerer could follow the Rogue with an Arcane Eye or a fast, preferably flying familiar if he's brave, and that could help to relay information to the rest of the group.

It's good that you're also thinking about other classes if your intention is to be a better combatant. If you've decided that you're primary role in a group is that of a stealthy thief (what I like to call Burglar), having something to fall back on in case of trouble is prudent.

But don't get enticed with the notion of being a "jack-of-all-trades." That may sound good, but being too diversified in your abilities means you're not going to be very good at any of them, and in the higher levels this could be an issue. If you're L15 and you cannot possibly disarm a trap with a DC of 30 or 35, you're worthless, no matter how good you can swing a sword or pick a pocket. Locating and disarming traps is something not many other characters can do without magic, and is the main reason your Rogue is running around with fighters, wizards, and clerics in a dark dungeon with treasure to be had.

"But I can Sneak Attack someone!" The Fighter and Wizard type characters won't really be impressed. It's cool to do, but it's nothing that can't be duplicated or surpassed by a dogged, front-row fighter or a Wizard/Sorcerer spell. Poisons? That's nice too, but you'll rarely use it, even if you coat your arrows with it. Most DMs don't want to give their players access to the good poisons, you know, the ones that can kill you instantly if you fail your save, because they'll overpower the party. "Make your save, Mr. Beholder!" Even the ones that merely paralyze you will overpower the group.

If your DM has a plan in mind for you to apply the traits of an Assassin, then by all means take it.
DarkflameX
04-10-07, 02:19 PM i would say drop fighter all together. fighters rely on heavy armor, and that gets in the way with the barbarian and the rouge.
if you ask me i think fighters are almost pointless at higher levels, so i avoid them altogether unless you plan on taking a prestige class for him.

anyway i think a barbarian rouge could make a really cool combo
Jackpot556
04-10-07, 04:00 PM Yeah ok so Rogue / Barb is probably the way to go. Thanks for all the help guys sorry if some things in my post didn't belong in this thread :confused: .
Blackguard1001
04-22-07, 11:21 PM "I essentially want a character that is stealthy and versatile so they are decent in combat to."

Basically barbarian levels are nice for even more combat ability but rogue by itself is already decent in combat.

It also depends on what equipment or feats you want.Feats such as TWF or Telling Blow are good for starters.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jackpot556 04-09-07, 05:42 PM	Hi everyone this is my first post. I have put a lot of thought into what I want my next character to be. After studying the manuals for a while the three classes that appeal to me are rogue, fighter, and barbarian. In the DM's Manual the prestige class of assassin was neat too. I essentially want a character that is stealthy and versatile so they are decent in combat to. I think multiclassing in these three will do that. But I am not sure. What I am aiming for is a type of character that has the same style as like Richard Riddick from Pitch Black. Haha what would he look like as a d&d character I wonder. Anyways the one problem I ran into is that the rogue, barbarian, and assassin all have the uncanny dodge feat and it seemed to me like multiclassing as all three would cripple me because the fact that the feat of uncanny dodge is something given to each of those classes to bring balance to that character class... but when multiclassing that is essentially something that doesnt stack. What I am saying is I will be like Lvl 3 Barb / and Lvl 2 Rogue and after lvling both classes up the uncanny dodge feat I got from both classes isnt helping more as compared to if i just got it from one. Anyways though that was basically my question and whether I had the right idea for the kind of character I am going for or not. Thanks, Jackpot
trickydevl666 04-09-07, 09:36 PM	well, I am pretty sure that this is the wrong board for that, but just to help you out if you already have uncanny dodge, when you get it again via class feature it becomes improved uncanny dodge according to the 3.5 PHB. Also, it would have to be Barb 2/ Rogue 4 to have that (one level after barb, two before rogue) And although it doesn't say, I believe you could ask your DM if you get it a 3rd time, because of assassin, you could ask your DM to give you a bonus feat that you meat the prereqs for. If you want a build or anything, it belongs on the Character optimization boards. This is for giving roleplay advice. Let the optimizers do the number crunching ^_^
Westbound 04-10-07, 03:09 AM	Personally, I haven't had much use for the Assassin Prestige Class. Sure, it's nice to drop foes fast when you do a Sneak Attack, particularly when they aren't aware of you at all, but that really doesn't happen too often in most situations that DMs present you with. Rogues sort of face a dilemma. They're one of the few classes that can operate and thrive when separated from the party. With ranks in Move Silently and Hide (my group has combined this as "Stealth") you should be able to venture ahead of a party and scout for threats, be they traps or enemies. This would be a very prudent thing to do - if the party would allow it more often, and if more Rogue players insisted on doing so. In gaming group after gaming group that I've talked with and played with, there is a hard rule - never separate the party. This rule is there because of an acute, warranted paranoia that the DM will ruthlessly murder an isolated character by ganging up on him. Also, most DMs do not want to feel as though he's giving all the attention to one player, and have the rest of the table sit around and shoot the bull. Of course, there are lots of ways to remedy this. For one, don't let the Rogue go alone. Send the Monk or the Ranger, or both, along with him. They have access to the same stealth skills as the Rogue, so they could back him up in case he gets into trouble. The Wizard or Sorcerer could follow the Rogue with an Arcane Eye or a fast, preferably flying familiar if he's brave, and that could help to relay information to the rest of the group. It's good that you're also thinking about other classes if your intention is to be a better combatant. If you've decided that you're primary role in a group is that of a stealthy thief (what I like to call Burglar), having something to fall back on in case of trouble is prudent. But don't get enticed with the notion of being a "jack-of-all-trades." That may sound good, but being too diversified in your abilities means you're not going to be very good at any of them, and in the higher levels this could be an issue. If you're L15 and you cannot possibly disarm a trap with a DC of 30 or 35, you're worthless, no matter how good you can swing a sword or pick a pocket. Locating and disarming traps is something not many other characters can do without magic, and is the main reason your Rogue is running around with fighters, wizards, and clerics in a dark dungeon with treasure to be had. "But I can Sneak Attack someone!" The Fighter and Wizard type characters won't really be impressed. It's cool to do, but it's nothing that can't be duplicated or surpassed by a dogged, front-row fighter or a Wizard/Sorcerer spell. Poisons? That's nice too, but you'll rarely use it, even if you coat your arrows with it. Most DMs don't want to give their players access to the good poisons, you know, the ones that can kill you instantly if you fail your save, because they'll overpower the party. "Make your save, Mr. Beholder!" Even the ones that merely paralyze you will overpower the group. If your DM has a plan in mind for you to apply the traits of an Assassin, then by all means take it.
DarkflameX 04-10-07, 02:19 PM	i would say drop fighter all together. fighters rely on heavy armor, and that gets in the way with the barbarian and the rouge. if you ask me i think fighters are almost pointless at higher levels, so i avoid them altogether unless you plan on taking a prestige class for him. anyway i think a barbarian rouge could make a really cool combo
Jackpot556 04-10-07, 04:00 PM	Yeah ok so Rogue / Barb is probably the way to go. Thanks for all the help guys sorry if some things in my post didn't belong in this thread :confused: .
Blackguard1001 04-22-07, 11:21 PM	"I essentially want a character that is stealthy and versatile so they are decent in combat to." Basically barbarian levels are nice for even more combat ability but rogue by itself is already decent in combat. It also depends on what equipment or feats you want.Feats such as TWF or Telling Blow are good for starters.