Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 belkkor Dec 20, 2009 17:13:01	Title speaks... I want a Sneak Attack Caster (not necessarily Sorc) But I DO want arcane. Psionics is not allowed in my game. lvl 8-10 build, 38 Ability buy. I do have a lvl 8 wizard I could start working with... Well he's 3rd lvl Half-Elf Paragon, 3rd lvl Elf Paragon, 2nd lvl Wizard.
#2 taisharshaidar Dec 20, 2009 18:44:16	Its easily possible, the Arcane trickster PRC is in the DMG.  It sounds like what you want. As for optimization, off the top of my head, Rogue 1/ Spell Thief 1 / wiz 5/ Arcane trickster 3 should meet all the Prerequisites and only lose 2 caster levels.  If you want to stack on the sneak attacks you could go Rogue 1/ Spell thief 1/ SA Fighter 1/ sorcerer 3 / Arcane Trickster 4.   Now this only works if you stack on some hardcore Cheese, use a venerable Dragonwraught Kolbold and take the loredrake and greater draconic rite of passage.  Loredrake is a path any dragon can take, so if your DM doesn’t consider a Dragonwraught Kolbold a dragon then it doesn’t work.  But if he allows it then you get 2 full sorcerer caster levels, plus 1 from the rite of passage.  Another way you could go is stick with the Rogue 1/ Spell Thief 1 / SA Fighter 1/ wiz 5/ arcane trickster 2.  Take the fighter feat variant wizard and take Martial Study (any shadow maneuver), Martial Stance (Assassin Stance).  This gives 6d6 SA plus 4th level spells.
#3 gorfnad_the_shiznit Dec 20, 2009 19:03:29	Look into Unseen Seer  from Complete Mage. Unseen Seer's Advanced Learning feature will net you the spell Hunters Eye from Player's Handbook II which will give you +1d6 sneak attack/ 3CL. Arcane Trickster is okay but Unseen Seer is potentially better. Spellwarp Sniper from Complete Scoundrel is great for blasting sneak attacking casters.A level of Spellthief + Master Spellthief feat means casting in light armor for sorcs or wizs. Craven is also a great feat for sneak attackers in general. Spellthief 1/ Sorc 4/Unseen Seer 2/ Spellwarp Sniper 5/ Arcane Trickster or Unseen Seer 8 Spellthief 1/ Wiz 4/ Unseen Seer 2/ Spellwarp Sniper 5/ Arcane Trickster or Unseen seer 8
#4 waazraath Dec 21, 2009 4:40:00	I'd go binder/anima mage for a build like this... with the loss of one casterlevel (binder) and some levels wizard/anima mage you can get 3d6 sneak attack and 3d6 sudden strike, and extra free meta magic so you can twin/repeat/split/quicken your rays for a lot of extra damage. For the spells, check out melf's unicorn arrow (up to 5 attacks per casting, so up to 5 sneak attacks per casting, no save, no SR, ranged touch) and scorching ray (up to 3 attacks). For more spells, items & feats click here  or here
#5 krypta4 Dec 21, 2009 22:23:05	I believe there was a WotC FAQ that said that sneak attack damage can only be added on the first hit from a spell, not all hits.
#6 gorfnad_the_shiznit Dec 22, 2009 2:40:26	I believe there was a WotC FAQ that said that sneak attack damage can only be added on the first hit from a spell, not all hits. Correct. Rules of the Game: All About Sneak Attacks Part 4
#7 waazraath Dec 22, 2009 3:10:53	Mhhh, that sux... makes the whole concept of raycasting with sneak attack a whole less appealing =/
#8 waazraath Dec 22, 2009 8:21:38	Mhhh, thinking about this a bit more... when the attack is considered a 'volley' or more attacks that are part of one attack (spell), SA is dealt only once. That rules out scorching ray, melfs unicorn arrow and split ray uses, but as far as I see: - quicken spell = new spell - twin spell = two different spells - repeat spell = new spell - rod of many wands = 3 seperate spells That would mean that it's still possible to shoot 5 rays with the rod of many wands and a quickened twinned spell, for (at lvl 20) 100 damage from craven, 5x let's say 16d6 sneak attack damage, with bonusses, and 5 x spell damage. Not as impressive as I thought it was, but still enough to kill most stuff.
docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYJ8xA3-UAMkZ... jetstrike3000 Dec 27, 2009 18:08:55	Arcane Rogues Rogue 3/Fighter 1/Wizard 1/Daggerspell Mage 10/Arcane Trickster 4/Spellsword 1 Rogue 1/Wizard 4/Daggerspell Mage 10/Arcane Trickster 4/Wizard +1 (illumian) Rogue 1/Wizard 1/Human Paragon 3/Daggerspell Mage 10/Arcane Trickster 4/Wizard +1 Rogue 1/Wizard 4/Daggerspell Mage 5/Arcane Trickster 10 Rogue 1/Ex-Paladin 1/Blackguard 10/Nar Demonbinder 2/Arcane Trickster 4/Spellsword 2 You might also look at beguilers  docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYJ8xA3-UAMkZ...
#10 gorfnad_the_shiznit Dec 28, 2009 1:32:52	Here's a nice handbook for you to look at as well. Sneak Attacking Spellcasters
#11 clayq Dec 30, 2009 6:25:42	Unseen Seer + What ever that ranger spell is that gives CL/3 sneak damage....
#12 dandu Dec 31, 2009 10:45:34	Mhhh, that sux... makes the whole concept of raycasting with sneak attack a whole less appealing =/ Just keep in mind that the FAQ is not RAW and you should be happy.
#13 waazraath Dec 31, 2009 12:46:32	Mhhh, that sux... makes the whole concept of raycasting with sneak attack a whole less appealing =/ Just keep in mind that the FAQ is not RAW and you should be happy. Thnx, but I checked out some books and RAW is quite clear on this as well, see p86 from complete arcane... it explicitly states the same as the FAQ (and gives an example with scorching ray, from which only the first of the 3 rays gets damage from SA and point blank shot. I understand it from a balance point of view, then again, it really are different attacks, at will even against different targets, so besides balance issues I don't see the logic of it. Ow well, nevertheless, I'm still quite happy Best wishes for the new year to all u optimizers!