As DM, I expect this campaign to have many undead, constructs, and elementals, but an appropriate Knowledge check by a party member will allow crits and sneak attack to work on it. (See house rules for more details.)
The only other confirmed party member is a healer/buffer Cleric. I realize I don't -need- a Cleric to heal, but he wanted to be the healer.
As I feel totally confused on optimizing this type of character, I seek your optimization advice.
Ansalon, the Shadow of Vertigo - Human Rogue1/Cleric1/Barbarian1/Rogue+1/Swordsage1/?
14/16/14/14/12/8
1: Able Learner, {Murky-Eyed}, Practiced Initiator*, {Shaky}, TWF, Weapon Finesse
2: [Improved Initiative], [Travel Devotion]
3: Shadow Blade, [Pounce], [Whirling Frenzy]
4: [Evasion]
5: [Weapon Focus: Shadow Hand]
Skills to Max
Athletics (Balance & Tumble)
Disable Device
Hide
Listen
Move Silently
Spot
Search
Maneuvers
5: Burning Blade (DW), Distracting Ember (DW), Moment of Perfect Mind (DM), Shadow Blade Technique (SH), Shadow Jaunt (SH), Sudden Leap (TC)
Stances
5: Child of Shadow (SH)
*Practiced Initiator requires 4 Martial Lore ranks and treats your full HD as initiator levels for the purpose of maneuvers known and IL-based effects, like Burning Blade.
House Rules
Character Creation
General
-We start at level 1 (ECL1) with 20 experience points and a 32 point buy. All material allowed pending DM discretion. No infinite or nearly infinite loops.
Age
-You can be any age that's at least the human equivalent to a teen, but if you take any mental bonuses from aging, you also take the appropriate penalties.
Alignment
-We aren't using alignment. Alignment-specific spells like detect evil or holy word don't exist. Abilities, items, and classes requiring a specific alignment probably exist in some altered form. We'll talk should you be concerned.
Classes
General
-No favored classes or XP penalty for multiclassing.
-Classes use fractional BAB.
Cleric
-We're using the Turn Undead Level Check variant from Unearthed Arcana.
Rogue
-Sneak attack damage (and similar abilities like a Scout's skirmish) function in areas of low light and concealment, but not total cover or concealment.
-An appropriate Knowledge check against a creature normally immune to crits (undead, elementals, constructs, etc.) allows you to identify weak points and perform critical hits and sneak attacks. The DC is 5 + the DC needed to identify the creature. Such knowledge can be communicated, like telling an ally, "Aim for the vampire's chest!" or "Hit the top-right swirly thing on the fire elemental!" Typically, learning a creature's weak points applies to all creatures of that type, allowing someone who knows the weak point on a vampire to strike other vampires in that region with sneak attacks and critical hits.
For a typical 5HD wraith, the Knowledge (religion) DC to identify it is 15 and the DC needed to find and communicate its vulerable points is 20.
Swordsage
-Your WIS bonus to AC also applies when unarmored.
Wizard
-Abrupt Jaunt uses a swift action, not an immediate action.
Creatures
General
-Intelligent (non-mindless) undead, constructs, and other creatures can be affected by mind-affecting effects like charm monster or heroism.
Feats
General
-These feats are banned! Divine Metamagic, Persistent Spell, Sanctum Spell.
-Normal and greater turning attempts can be used to fuel divine feats like Sacred Boost.
-Touch range spells are also legal targets for Persistent Spell.
Changed Feats
-A feat that gives +2 to two skills like Alertness also gives you training in those skills.
-Combat Expertise is no longer limited to 5 BAB. Instead, it works with any BAB.
-Dodge gives +1 dodge AC against all targets. Abilities affecting the specified Dodge target are instead applied to a target of your choice.
-Skill Focus gives +5 to a chosen skill and this skill is always treated as a class skill. You are also considered trained in that skill.
-Shadow Blade has no prereqs.
-Improved Critical also automatically confirms all criticals with that weapon.
-Toughness instead grants +1 HP per current or future level or hit die.
-Weapon Finesse has no prereqs.
-Weapon Focus grants +1 accuracy with a specific weapon +1 more per 4 points of BAB. Greater Weapon Focus improves this to +1 per 2 BAB. Epic Weapon Focus increases this to +1 per BAB.
-Weapon Specialization grants +1 damage with a specific weapon +1 more per 4 points of BAB. Greater Weapon Specialization improves this to +1 per 2 BAB. Weapon Supremacy and Epic Weapon Focus increases this to +1 per BAB.
Item Creation
-There are no slot affinities nor extra costs for using an unaffiliated slot.
Feats
-Item creation feats are condensed into Craft Construct (mechanical creatures and wondrous architecture), Craft Consumable (wands, potions, scrolls, staves, and item with a total number of charges), Craft Continual (arms, armor, wondrous items, and any item that is always on or has a number of charges per day/week/etc.), and Artisan feats (reduce crafting costs). Classes like Artificer or Wizard that get feats like Scribe Scroll or Craft Wondrous Item still are only able to make types of items allowed by their class.
Items
General
These items are banned! Candle of Invocation, Thought Bottle.
Armor & Shields
-Soulfire is a +5 property.
Weapons
-The Spellblade property instead grants unbeatable spell resistance against a certain spell. Spells that don't check SR are unaffected.
Maneuvers
-Iron Heart Surge's effect should instead read as such: "When affected by a non-instantaneous mind-affecting effect such as charm monster or dominate person; or movement-impairing effect like being grappled or being stuck on a patch of grease, you can activate Iron Heart Surge to end one such effect on you. For example, you would no longer be charmed or dominated, your grappler would lose its hold on you, or you could move freely in that patch of grease until you left it.
You can do this even when not in control of your actions or when you can't move, but you must be conscious to activate Iron Heart Surge.
Finally, when using Iron Heart Surge, you gain +2 morale accuracy until the end of your next turn."
-Sudden Leap has no prerequisites.
-White Raven Tactics can’t be used on yourself.
Movement
Flight
-All directly upward movement costs double. Moving directly upward with Clumsy maneuverability instead costs quadruple, and with Perfect costs single.
-All directly downward movement (diving, falling) costs half. Free falling costs nothing and you may move up to 750' per round.
-To remain airborne, a creature with Clumsy or Poor maneuverability requires a move action moving fully forward, Average requires only half forward distance, and Good or Perfect requires no forward movement, allowing hovering. A creature with the Hover feat has no minimum forward distance.
Races
-These races are banned! Warforged.
-The overwhelming majority of elves in Xeen are gray elves. Gray elves are like standard elves from Player's Handbook but also have +2 INT and -2 STR.
-Half-elves also receive bonus skill points (as human) and longbow/shortbow/rapier/longsword proficiencies (as elf). Half-elf stats are otherwise as normal.
-Half-orcs also receive bonus skill points (as human) and rage 1/day (as orc). Regardless, half-orcs are +2 STR and either -2 INT or -2 CHA as the player chooses. Half-orc stats are otherwise as normal.
-Kobolds are -2 STR and +2 CHA and aren't light-sensitive. Their stats are otherwise as normal.
-Orcs are able to rage once per day as a Barbarian. This rage stacks with Barbarian rage and similar abilities, and can be swapped for rage variants like whirling frenzy. Also, orcs get +4 STR and -2 to two mental stats (INT, WIS, CHA) of your choice. Finally, orcs aren’t light sensitive. Orc stats are otherwise as normal.
Skills
-All classes get a minimum of 4+INT mod skill points per level.
-Normally, all skills have a max rank of a creature's hit dice+3.
-Disable Device also affects locks. There is no skill Open Lock.
-Climb, Jump, and Swim are folded into one skill, Athletics. Each rank in Athletics is a rank in Climb, Jump, and Swim.
-Balance and Tumble are folded into one skill, Acrobatics. Each rank in Acrobatics is a rank in Balance and Tumble.
Spells
General
-Material components with a trivial cost aren't needed to cast spells.
-These spells are banned! alter self, astral projection, celerity, disjunction, draconic polymorph, genesis, polymorph, polymorph any object, shapechange, wraithstrike.
-Any creature called such as with gate or planar binding requires at least 1 minute before it can start to call another creature.
Changed Spells
-Break enchantment also affects feeblemind.
-Dispel magic when targeted against a creature or an object is all or nothing. If it overcomes the effect with the highest caster level, it dispels everything; else, it does nothing.
-Inflict spells have no saves.
-Foresight’s range is personal or touch and its effect is thus: “The subject of this spell is immune to surprise attacks (meaning he can act in surprise rounds) and is never flat-footed. Additionally, he receives +2 AC and Reflex. Finally, once per round, he may reroll any d20 or damage roll. This reroll can be used with other abilities that affect rolls, like the granted power of the Luck domain, and a roll can be rerolled so long as the roller has the ability to do so.”
-Power word spells affect creatures in the specified HP range with no save. Creatures with more HP have an appropriate save, usually Fortitude or Will.
Misc.
-Expect any effect that produces an infinite or a nearly infinite loop to be banned or drastically changed.
-On all accuracy rolls, rolling a natural 20 then a natural 20 then confirming will automatically slay your target.
-When you have enough experience to level, you need at least 8 continuous hours of sleep to level up.
General
-We start at level 1 (ECL1) with 20 experience points and a 32 point buy. All material allowed pending DM discretion. No infinite or nearly infinite loops.
Age
-You can be any age that's at least the human equivalent to a teen, but if you take any mental bonuses from aging, you also take the appropriate penalties.
Alignment
-We aren't using alignment. Alignment-specific spells like detect evil or holy word don't exist. Abilities, items, and classes requiring a specific alignment probably exist in some altered form. We'll talk should you be concerned.
Classes
General
-No favored classes or XP penalty for multiclassing.
-Classes use fractional BAB.
Cleric
-We're using the Turn Undead Level Check variant from Unearthed Arcana.
Rogue
-Sneak attack damage (and similar abilities like a Scout's skirmish) function in areas of low light and concealment, but not total cover or concealment.
-An appropriate Knowledge check against a creature normally immune to crits (undead, elementals, constructs, etc.) allows you to identify weak points and perform critical hits and sneak attacks. The DC is 5 + the DC needed to identify the creature. Such knowledge can be communicated, like telling an ally, "Aim for the vampire's chest!" or "Hit the top-right swirly thing on the fire elemental!" Typically, learning a creature's weak points applies to all creatures of that type, allowing someone who knows the weak point on a vampire to strike other vampires in that region with sneak attacks and critical hits.
For a typical 5HD wraith, the Knowledge (religion) DC to identify it is 15 and the DC needed to find and communicate its vulerable points is 20.
Swordsage
-Your WIS bonus to AC also applies when unarmored.
Wizard
-Abrupt Jaunt uses a swift action, not an immediate action.
Creatures
General
-Intelligent (non-mindless) undead, constructs, and other creatures can be affected by mind-affecting effects like charm monster or heroism.
Feats
General
-These feats are banned! Divine Metamagic, Persistent Spell, Sanctum Spell.
-Normal and greater turning attempts can be used to fuel divine feats like Sacred Boost.
-Touch range spells are also legal targets for Persistent Spell.
Changed Feats
-A feat that gives +2 to two skills like Alertness also gives you training in those skills.
-Combat Expertise is no longer limited to 5 BAB. Instead, it works with any BAB.
-Dodge gives +1 dodge AC against all targets. Abilities affecting the specified Dodge target are instead applied to a target of your choice.
-Skill Focus gives +5 to a chosen skill and this skill is always treated as a class skill. You are also considered trained in that skill.
-Shadow Blade has no prereqs.
-Improved Critical also automatically confirms all criticals with that weapon.
-Toughness instead grants +1 HP per current or future level or hit die.
-Weapon Finesse has no prereqs.
-Weapon Focus grants +1 accuracy with a specific weapon +1 more per 4 points of BAB. Greater Weapon Focus improves this to +1 per 2 BAB. Epic Weapon Focus increases this to +1 per BAB.
-Weapon Specialization grants +1 damage with a specific weapon +1 more per 4 points of BAB. Greater Weapon Specialization improves this to +1 per 2 BAB. Weapon Supremacy and Epic Weapon Focus increases this to +1 per BAB.
Item Creation
-There are no slot affinities nor extra costs for using an unaffiliated slot.
Feats
-Item creation feats are condensed into Craft Construct (mechanical creatures and wondrous architecture), Craft Consumable (wands, potions, scrolls, staves, and item with a total number of charges), Craft Continual (arms, armor, wondrous items, and any item that is always on or has a number of charges per day/week/etc.), and Artisan feats (reduce crafting costs). Classes like Artificer or Wizard that get feats like Scribe Scroll or Craft Wondrous Item still are only able to make types of items allowed by their class.
Items
General
These items are banned! Candle of Invocation, Thought Bottle.
Armor & Shields
-Soulfire is a +5 property.
Weapons
-The Spellblade property instead grants unbeatable spell resistance against a certain spell. Spells that don't check SR are unaffected.
Maneuvers
-Iron Heart Surge's effect should instead read as such: "When affected by a non-instantaneous mind-affecting effect such as charm monster or dominate person; or movement-impairing effect like being grappled or being stuck on a patch of grease, you can activate Iron Heart Surge to end one such effect on you. For example, you would no longer be charmed or dominated, your grappler would lose its hold on you, or you could move freely in that patch of grease until you left it.
You can do this even when not in control of your actions or when you can't move, but you must be conscious to activate Iron Heart Surge.
Finally, when using Iron Heart Surge, you gain +2 morale accuracy until the end of your next turn."
-Sudden Leap has no prerequisites.
-White Raven Tactics can’t be used on yourself.
Movement
Flight
-All directly upward movement costs double. Moving directly upward with Clumsy maneuverability instead costs quadruple, and with Perfect costs single.
-All directly downward movement (diving, falling) costs half. Free falling costs nothing and you may move up to 750' per round.
-To remain airborne, a creature with Clumsy or Poor maneuverability requires a move action moving fully forward, Average requires only half forward distance, and Good or Perfect requires no forward movement, allowing hovering. A creature with the Hover feat has no minimum forward distance.
Races
-These races are banned! Warforged.
-The overwhelming majority of elves in Xeen are gray elves. Gray elves are like standard elves from Player's Handbook but also have +2 INT and -2 STR.
-Half-elves also receive bonus skill points (as human) and longbow/shortbow/rapier/longsword proficiencies (as elf). Half-elf stats are otherwise as normal.
-Half-orcs also receive bonus skill points (as human) and rage 1/day (as orc). Regardless, half-orcs are +2 STR and either -2 INT or -2 CHA as the player chooses. Half-orc stats are otherwise as normal.
-Kobolds are -2 STR and +2 CHA and aren't light-sensitive. Their stats are otherwise as normal.
-Orcs are able to rage once per day as a Barbarian. This rage stacks with Barbarian rage and similar abilities, and can be swapped for rage variants like whirling frenzy. Also, orcs get +4 STR and -2 to two mental stats (INT, WIS, CHA) of your choice. Finally, orcs aren’t light sensitive. Orc stats are otherwise as normal.
Skills
-All classes get a minimum of 4+INT mod skill points per level.
-Normally, all skills have a max rank of a creature's hit dice+3.
-Disable Device also affects locks. There is no skill Open Lock.
-Climb, Jump, and Swim are folded into one skill, Athletics. Each rank in Athletics is a rank in Climb, Jump, and Swim.
-Balance and Tumble are folded into one skill, Acrobatics. Each rank in Acrobatics is a rank in Balance and Tumble.
Spells
General
-Material components with a trivial cost aren't needed to cast spells.
-These spells are banned! alter self, astral projection, celerity, disjunction, draconic polymorph, genesis, polymorph, polymorph any object, shapechange, wraithstrike.
-Any creature called such as with gate or planar binding requires at least 1 minute before it can start to call another creature.
Changed Spells
-Break enchantment also affects feeblemind.
-Dispel magic when targeted against a creature or an object is all or nothing. If it overcomes the effect with the highest caster level, it dispels everything; else, it does nothing.
-Inflict spells have no saves.
-Foresight’s range is personal or touch and its effect is thus: “The subject of this spell is immune to surprise attacks (meaning he can act in surprise rounds) and is never flat-footed. Additionally, he receives +2 AC and Reflex. Finally, once per round, he may reroll any d20 or damage roll. This reroll can be used with other abilities that affect rolls, like the granted power of the Luck domain, and a roll can be rerolled so long as the roller has the ability to do so.”
-Power word spells affect creatures in the specified HP range with no save. Creatures with more HP have an appropriate save, usually Fortitude or Will.
Misc.
-Expect any effect that produces an infinite or a nearly infinite loop to be banned or drastically changed.
-On all accuracy rolls, rolling a natural 20 then a natural 20 then confirming will automatically slay your target.
-When you have enough experience to level, you need at least 8 continuous hours of sleep to level up.
I like these PrCs.
-Skullclan Hunter: Gain immunities and 3d6 SA/9 levels. 6SP/level and easy entry, but Soulfire armor replaces the immunities, which I believe are the best features.
-Nightsong Enforcer: Basically a Rogue with full BAB and minor class features, including Improved Evasion and Opportunist.
-Shadowbane Stalker: 8/10 divine casting and 3d6 SA/9 levels. That's about it.
Edit: Bah.. Ninja..
Why not...Chameleon?
Where is this class again?