Character Advice/Direction/Suggestions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Character Advice/Direction/Suggestions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Azrah
11-10-06, 01:55 PM Hey All :) Yay! My first post!

I'm really new to D&D (my friends would never let me play it when I was younger :P) and just recently got started. I've developed my character and would like to get some ideas on directions he could take, skills that might be useful that I hadn't thought of, etc., etc... I think he's a pretty good character (even though he's the first one I've ever rolled), so I want him to be as good as he can be - without the Army.

I'm not exactly sure what is needed as far as stats, so I'll just list everything pertinant. Thanks everyone, great forum! :)

Azrah
LN Hobbit
3rd Lev. Rogue / 1st Level Monk

STR - 14
DEX - 18
CON - 13
INT - 14
WIS - 16
CHA - 10

HP - 20
AC - 18
BA - +2

Skills:
Balance: 10
Blluff: 5
Climb: 8
Diplomacy: 2
Disable Device: 3
Disguise: 4
Escape Artist: 10
Handle Animal: 2
Hide: 10
Intimidate: 2
Jump: 8
Listen: 9
Move Silently: 12
Open Lock: 7
Profession - Locksmith: 7
Search: 6
Sleight of Hand: 8
Spot: 10
Tumble: 11
Use Rope: 9

Feats:
Stealthy
Acrobatic
Stunning Fist
Improved Unarmed Strike

Once again, thanks for any feedback!
leather_book_wizard
11-10-06, 01:58 PM They're called halflings,not hobbits.You got some good ability scores there,don'tcha?
MerrikCale
11-10-06, 02:00 PM Welcome aboard.

They are called halflings. Little something called copyright infringement. Of course, thats not stopping you from calling them hobbits.
Azrah
11-10-06, 02:08 PM They're called halflings,not hobbits.You got some good ability scores there,don'tcha?

Yeah, sorry, a name my DM's in the habit of using - says "Halfling" is derogatory... *shakes head*

:)

Well, I know my DEX is good, from this I can be pretty much invisible from what I've seen. Since I am already sneaky and agile, what else should I work on? I became a Monk to help my actual fighting abilities and, at last level-up, added +1 to my CON to eventually help with my mediocre HPs.

Any advice? Btw - fast response! I just posted this!

Thanks all!
Puca
11-10-06, 02:29 PM Look at the Ascetic Rogue feat from CAdv for your level-six feat. It lets your monk levels improve some of your rogue abilities and vice versa. As I recall, it will also let you freely multiclass.

With your small size and great Wis and Dex, you can look to really working on having a great AC.

Bracers of Armor or a friendly wizard to cast Mage Armor on you regularly is a good way to go. (Or you can invest ranks in UMD and get a wand of it yourself.) Boosting your two AC-helpful stats and all that, pushing that AC up, is going to be a good route to being a deadly combatant. (It doesnt increase damage, but if you get hit less often than your opponents, youll outlast them. Plus, you hit points arent great so youll really want to avoid getting hit.)

Keep your Tumble skill going for a little while more, and youre going to do well rolling into position to flank opponents and deliver SA damage with all the blows in your flurry.
leather_book_wizard
11-10-06, 02:42 PM I've been having luck with the dice lately,too.I rolled an 18 for my wizards Intelligence yesterday.:D
Azrah
11-10-06, 03:03 PM Look at the Ascetic Rogue feat from CAdv for your level-six feat.

What is this? It's not in the PH1 is it? I've never heard of it before... Pardon me, but what is "CAdv"?

Look at the Ascetic Rogue feat from CAdv for your level-six feat. It lets your monk levels improve some of your rogue abilities and vice versa. As I recall, it will also let you freely multiclass.

Yeah, my DM kinda nerf'd the rules about Monk MultiClassing: Once I level up again in my Rogue class, he will not let me level up in my Monk class anymore. However, I won't get that 20% XP penalty... So I am VERY interested in this feat :)

Bracers of Armor or a friendly wizard to cast Mage Armor on you regularly is a good way to go. (Or you can invest ranks in UMD and get a wand of it yourself.)

Now that sounds sweet :)

Keep your Tumble skill going for a little while more, and youre going to do well rolling into position to flank opponents and deliver SA damage with all the blows in your flurry.

Heh, I've already done this a couple of times :) Actually, one time, pretty smooth-like: Had a goblin on a Warg coming toward me, with a pit in between us. As the Warg jumped over the pit, I jumped up, bounced off a tree on the side, slit his throat as he passed, and landed on the other side behind him. I was happy. And that was before I got my Monk class :)

Excellent! Thanks!
pinkbunny
11-10-06, 03:08 PM Cadv is Complete Adventurer

and, needed for all monks, is a monk's belt, get it...
Puca
11-10-06, 03:23 PM What is this? It's not in the PH1 is it? I've never heard of it before... Pardon me, but what is "CAdv"?Sorry, that is the common abbreviation of Complete Adventurer.

Yeah, my DM kinda nerf'd the rules about Monk MultiClassing: Once I level up again in my Rogue class, he will not let me level up in my Monk class anymore. However, I won't get that 20% XP penalty... So I am VERY interested in this feat :)That is actually a RAW (Rules as Written) wackiness that relates to the monk class. You dont have to worry about xp penalties because rogue is your races "favored class."

Now that sounds sweet :)You can wear light armor, but you lose your Wis bonus to AC. So, get magical armor bonuses from another source. Add +1 for your small size. Take feats like Dodge. All these things stack with each other. It gives you a good place to begin thinking about where to improve things when you get the resources to do so.

Heh, I've already done this a couple of times :) There are a lot of other ways to set up opportunities to get SA damage, but I think flanking is going to be your best bet. But also remember attacking from hiding. Use thrown weapons since you get a bonus to hit with them.

Actually, as a monk, you have proficiency with shuriken, so you dont even need the Quick Draw feat to make multiple attacks per round with them.

When going ranged, work with a caster to get Reduce Person cast on you: Increases your Dex, AC, and to-hit as well as your ability to hide. And, it has no effect on the SA damage you can dish out.
JasonOrlandoHawk
11-10-06, 10:40 PM Tumble is definately your friend with this character, as well as Hide and Move Silently. Do everything you can to bump these stats. I would suggest Boots of Elvenkind and a Cloak of Elvenkind as soon as you can get your hands on them. They are 2,500gp/each (in DMG), and they give you a +5 bonus on Move
Silently and Hide Checks, respectively.

Also, I don't know how many ranks you have in Jump, but if you get 5 ranks, you get a +2 synergy bonus on Tumble checks.

Look into thrown weapons. A halfling w/o thrown weapons is a halfling that's bound to lose.

One last thing, if you take the Ascetic Rogue feat from Complete Adventurer, and use it to improve your Rogue levels, there is one skill you MUST get: Use Magic Device.

Use Magic Device is the greatest Rogue skill ever. Fighting a powerful Lich that is immune to your Rogue/Monk power combos? Just carry a scroll of Undeath to Death and USE MAGIC DEVICE!!!! Use Magic Device can save your Rogue's tail end like no other skill in the game!
Azrah
11-11-06, 01:11 PM Thanks for your help everyone, this gives me some direction and some items to keep my eye out for.

I'm going to ask if I can use the Ascetic Rogue feat, but I don't think my DM has Complete Adventurer, so he may not allow it.

I hadn't really thought about the UMD skill, but after what everyone says, it definitely sounds like a must-have. It occured to me that even if I find some great wand, I dont' knwo how to use the thing... I found a crystal ball earlier that I gave to our wizard... I wish I hadn't just leveled up. Dah! ;)

I've got a sling but, aside from a crossbow, I have no other ranged weapons - and just a dagger for melee fighting. Oh, and my fists, which work pretty well. I've been fairly successful at hiding and sneaking and getting close, then making a close-encounter kill and I like the assasination aspect of that, but I don't like the idea of getting up close and personal with some huge BBEG, so I need to pick up something else to add to my repetoir.

But alas, we are in the middle of the woods and I am about to do some recon to find an entrance into a heavily-guarded mining town... so, unless I find something inside, I won't be able to purchase anything until we get back to the main town. We've actually got a pretty good group together: a human ranger, a halfling rogue (me), a dwarf fighter, a half-orc barabrian, and a half-elf wizard. Pretty well-rounded I think...

Thanks for the help once again!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Azrah 11-10-06, 01:55 PM	Hey All :) Yay! My first post! I'm really new to D&D (my friends would never let me play it when I was younger :P) and just recently got started. I've developed my character and would like to get some ideas on directions he could take, skills that might be useful that I hadn't thought of, etc., etc... I think he's a pretty good character (even though he's the first one I've ever rolled), so I want him to be as good as he can be - without the Army. I'm not exactly sure what is needed as far as stats, so I'll just list everything pertinant. Thanks everyone, great forum! :) Azrah LN Hobbit 3rd Lev. Rogue / 1st Level Monk STR - 14 DEX - 18 CON - 13 INT - 14 WIS - 16 CHA - 10 HP - 20 AC - 18 BA - +2 Skills: Balance: 10 Blluff: 5 Climb: 8 Diplomacy: 2 Disable Device: 3 Disguise: 4 Escape Artist: 10 Handle Animal: 2 Hide: 10 Intimidate: 2 Jump: 8 Listen: 9 Move Silently: 12 Open Lock: 7 Profession - Locksmith: 7 Search: 6 Sleight of Hand: 8 Spot: 10 Tumble: 11 Use Rope: 9 Feats: Stealthy Acrobatic Stunning Fist Improved Unarmed Strike Once again, thanks for any feedback!
leather_book_wizard 11-10-06, 01:58 PM	They're called halflings,not hobbits.You got some good ability scores there,don'tcha?
MerrikCale 11-10-06, 02:00 PM	Welcome aboard. They are called halflings. Little something called copyright infringement. Of course, thats not stopping you from calling them hobbits.
Azrah 11-10-06, 02:08 PM	They're called halflings,not hobbits.You got some good ability scores there,don'tcha? Yeah, sorry, a name my DM's in the habit of using - says "Halfling" is derogatory... shakes head :) Well, I know my DEX is good, from this I can be pretty much invisible from what I've seen. Since I am already sneaky and agile, what else should I work on? I became a Monk to help my actual fighting abilities and, at last level-up, added +1 to my CON to eventually help with my mediocre HPs. Any advice? Btw - fast response! I just posted this! Thanks all!
Puca 11-10-06, 02:29 PM	Look at the Ascetic Rogue feat from CAdv for your level-six feat. It lets your monk levels improve some of your rogue abilities and vice versa. As I recall, it will also let you freely multiclass. With your small size and great Wis and Dex, you can look to really working on having a great AC. Bracers of Armor or a friendly wizard to cast Mage Armor on you regularly is a good way to go. (Or you can invest ranks in UMD and get a wand of it yourself.) Boosting your two AC-helpful stats and all that, pushing that AC up, is going to be a good route to being a deadly combatant. (It doesnt increase damage, but if you get hit less often than your opponents, youll outlast them. Plus, you hit points arent great so youll really want to avoid getting hit.) Keep your Tumble skill going for a little while more, and youre going to do well rolling into position to flank opponents and deliver SA damage with all the blows in your flurry.
leather_book_wizard 11-10-06, 02:42 PM	I've been having luck with the dice lately,too.I rolled an 18 for my wizards Intelligence yesterday.:D
Azrah 11-10-06, 03:03 PM	Look at the Ascetic Rogue feat from CAdv for your level-six feat. What is this? It's not in the PH1 is it? I've never heard of it before... Pardon me, but what is "CAdv"? Look at the Ascetic Rogue feat from CAdv for your level-six feat. It lets your monk levels improve some of your rogue abilities and vice versa. As I recall, it will also let you freely multiclass. Yeah, my DM kinda nerf'd the rules about Monk MultiClassing: Once I level up again in my Rogue class, he will not let me level up in my Monk class anymore. However, I won't get that 20% XP penalty... So I am VERY interested in this feat :) Bracers of Armor or a friendly wizard to cast Mage Armor on you regularly is a good way to go. (Or you can invest ranks in UMD and get a wand of it yourself.) Now that sounds sweet :) Keep your Tumble skill going for a little while more, and youre going to do well rolling into position to flank opponents and deliver SA damage with all the blows in your flurry. Heh, I've already done this a couple of times :) Actually, one time, pretty smooth-like: Had a goblin on a Warg coming toward me, with a pit in between us. As the Warg jumped over the pit, I jumped up, bounced off a tree on the side, slit his throat as he passed, and landed on the other side behind him. I was happy. And that was before I got my Monk class :) Excellent! Thanks!
pinkbunny 11-10-06, 03:08 PM	Cadv is Complete Adventurer and, needed for all monks, is a monk's belt, get it...
Puca 11-10-06, 03:23 PM	What is this? It's not in the PH1 is it? I've never heard of it before... Pardon me, but what is "CAdv"?Sorry, that is the common abbreviation of Complete Adventurer. Yeah, my DM kinda nerf'd the rules about Monk MultiClassing: Once I level up again in my Rogue class, he will not let me level up in my Monk class anymore. However, I won't get that 20% XP penalty... So I am VERY interested in this feat :)That is actually a RAW (Rules as Written) wackiness that relates to the monk class. You dont have to worry about xp penalties because rogue is your races "favored class." Now that sounds sweet :)You can wear light armor, but you lose your Wis bonus to AC. So, get magical armor bonuses from another source. Add +1 for your small size. Take feats like Dodge. All these things stack with each other. It gives you a good place to begin thinking about where to improve things when you get the resources to do so. Heh, I've already done this a couple of times :) There are a lot of other ways to set up opportunities to get SA damage, but I think flanking is going to be your best bet. But also remember attacking from hiding. Use thrown weapons since you get a bonus to hit with them. Actually, as a monk, you have proficiency with shuriken, so you dont even need the Quick Draw feat to make multiple attacks per round with them. When going ranged, work with a caster to get Reduce Person cast on you: Increases your Dex, AC, and to-hit as well as your ability to hide. And, it has no effect on the SA damage you can dish out.
JasonOrlandoHawk 11-10-06, 10:40 PM	Tumble is definately your friend with this character, as well as Hide and Move Silently. Do everything you can to bump these stats. I would suggest Boots of Elvenkind and a Cloak of Elvenkind as soon as you can get your hands on them. They are 2,500gp/each (in DMG), and they give you a +5 bonus on Move Silently and Hide Checks, respectively. Also, I don't know how many ranks you have in Jump, but if you get 5 ranks, you get a +2 synergy bonus on Tumble checks. Look into thrown weapons. A halfling w/o thrown weapons is a halfling that's bound to lose. One last thing, if you take the Ascetic Rogue feat from Complete Adventurer, and use it to improve your Rogue levels, there is one skill you MUST get: Use Magic Device. Use Magic Device is the greatest Rogue skill ever. Fighting a powerful Lich that is immune to your Rogue/Monk power combos? Just carry a scroll of Undeath to Death and USE MAGIC DEVICE!!!! Use Magic Device can save your Rogue's tail end like no other skill in the game!
Azrah 11-11-06, 01:11 PM	Thanks for your help everyone, this gives me some direction and some items to keep my eye out for. I'm going to ask if I can use the Ascetic Rogue feat, but I don't think my DM has Complete Adventurer, so he may not allow it. I hadn't really thought about the UMD skill, but after what everyone says, it definitely sounds like a must-have. It occured to me that even if I find some great wand, I dont' knwo how to use the thing... I found a crystal ball earlier that I gave to our wizard... I wish I hadn't just leveled up. Dah! ;) I've got a sling but, aside from a crossbow, I have no other ranged weapons - and just a dagger for melee fighting. Oh, and my fists, which work pretty well. I've been fairly successful at hiding and sneaking and getting close, then making a close-encounter kill and I like the assasination aspect of that, but I don't like the idea of getting up close and personal with some huge BBEG, so I need to pick up something else to add to my repetoir. But alas, we are in the middle of the woods and I am about to do some recon to find an entrance into a heavily-guarded mining town... so, unless I find something inside, I won't be able to purchase anything until we get back to the main town. We've actually got a pretty good group together: a human ranger, a halfling rogue (me), a dwarf fighter, a half-orc barabrian, and a half-elf wizard. Pretty well-rounded I think... Thanks for the help once again!