Help with a concept: charisma-damage rogue

[ILM]

This is mostly a theoretical exercise, but I'd like to keep it in the realm of PO.

I'm just trying to see the abuse I can get up to by combining Maiming strike, lots of sneak attack dice, and the Teflammar Shadowlord's Shadow Pounce ability.

Here's a quick build (hoping it's legal):
Human Swashbuckler 3/Fighter 1/Rogue 1/Swordsage 1/Assassin 7/TeflSL4/Swordsage+1/Unseen Seer1/Invisible Blade1 (with updated prerequisites)

Feat selection:

Hu Dodge
1 swb Finesse, Mobility
2 swb
3 swb Blind-fight
4 Ftr TWF
5 rog
6 SS Weapon focus, Craven (CoR)
7 Ass
8 Ass
9 Ass Spring attack
10 Ass
11 Ass
12 Ass Shadow Blade (ToB)
13 Ass
14 TFL
15 TFL Maiming Strike (EoE)
16 TFL
17 TFL
18 SS Daring Outlaw (CSc)
19 US
20 IB
This nets you 11d6 sneak attack right out the box with Assassin's Stance (12 if you can take a flaw and turn the level of Fighter into the sneak attack variant, which I will assume for the rest of this post), BAB14, and level 8 Assassin casting meaning - it'll be relevant later on - of 4 castings of Dimension Door per day assuming high enough Intelligence.
For general effectiveness he also gets Int and Dex to damage and Craven, because it's that cool.

On to magic items:
- Bracers of the Hunter (SoX)
- Mantle of the Predator (MIC)
- Rogue's Vest (MIC)
- Deadly Precision (+1 equivalent) weapons (MIC)
4 extra dice of sneak attack

You'll also want a pair of Greater Truedeath crystals to sneak attack undead, Greater Destruction Crystals to sneak attack constructs, and since they don't make them in crystals, a wand of Vine Strike to sneak attack plants.

In addition, Gloves of the Balanced Hand gives you Improved TWF. Casting Haste in a previous round gives you another attack, so by my count that's 6 attacks per round.

Finally, you need a way to sneak attack reliably (Ring of Blinking with ghost touch weapons? custom ring of continuous greater blink for 90k, which might be a bit higher on the cheese scale?) and a way to hit with all these attacks. Wraithstrike works but hurts, see below.

So for the moment, you have 6 attacks, each dealing 16d6 in sneak attack (I'm assuming no wands of Hunter's Eye), that you can convert to 8 points of charisma damage. Total 48 charisma damage if everything hits.


Here's where Shadow Pounce comes in:
- boots of swift passage (MIC, 5000 gp): teleport up to 20' as a move action, 5/day
- anklet of translocation (MIC, 1400 gp): teleport up to 10' as a swift action, 2/day
- shadow cloak (DotU, 5500 gp): teleport up to 10' as an immediate action, 3/day
Used on your turn, immediate actions are swift actions.
So in your round, thanks to Shadow Pounce, you can teleport as a swift action, full attack, teleport as a move action, full attack, cast dimension door or shadow jump and full attack. If you're concerned about the per day restrictions, just buy these itemps multiple times.

Three full attacks nets you 144 charisma damage assuming you hit with everything, which is more than enough to down anything. If you need some help hitting (you probably will), you can cast a Wraithstrike as a swift action but that takes you down to two full attacks, only 96 points of charisma damage.


So that's pretty decent. Now how do I make this actually good? :smallbiggrin:

edit: I'm not really familiar with ToB and the maneuvers yet so any relevant stuff from in there would be useful.

[Forged Fury]

Ring of Blinking with ghost touch weapons?
When you blink, you're not just incorporeal, you're extraplanar (ethereal). Check with your DM to see if this will work for you.

[ILM]

When you blink, you're not just incorporeal, you're extraplanar (ethereal). Check with your DM to see if this will work for you.
Good point, I misread. I'll need another trick then.

[Keld Denar]

Another source of a swift action 10' teleport is to take Hidden Talent at 1st level (its 1st only). This gives you one 1st level power, namedly Dimension Hop from CPsi, and 2 PP to manifest it. Next spend 4500g to visit an Earth Node in your backstory, and you'll have an extra 5 PP per day. That means 10' teleports as a swift action up to 7x/day. Not bad.

You can get Mobility from an armor enchant. You should be able to afford +1 Mobility Armor prior to getting into TSL.

There is a weapon enchantment (Deadly Precision?) that gives you +1d6 SA. I don't remember if it only works with that weapon. If it does, you'd need 2 of them. If it doesn't, you need 15 of them. There's also the Rogue's Vest which gives +1d6 SA damage on all attacks.

[ILM]

There is a weapon enchantment (Deadly Precision?) that gives you +1d6 SA. I don't remember if it only works with that weapon. If it does, you'd need 2 of them. If it doesn't, you need 15 of them. There's also the Rogue's Vest which gives +1d6 SA damage on all attacks.
Yeah, I have those in already.


Another source of a swift action 10' teleport is to take Hidden Talent at 1st level (its 1st only). This gives you one 1st level power, namedly Dimension Hop from CPsi, and 2 PP to manifest it. Next spend 4500g to visit an Earth Node in your backstory, and you'll have an extra 5 PP per day. That means 10' teleports as a swift action up to 7x/day. Not bad.
Sure, but I could just buy another Anklet and Cloak for a little under 7k and save a feat (also keep this psionics-free in case the DM doesn't do that). And I could buy them again, and again, and again depending on how long I want to keep this up. Sure, changing equipment in the middle of combat probably isn't going to happen, but if you need to do this more that 5 times per encounter you're probably doing something wrong.

Mobility on the armor might work if the DM allows item-provided feats to qualify. If we're going that route isn't there a blindfold that gives Blind-fight?

[ffone]

The Blindfold of True Darkness (MIC, 9K gp) gants Blindight 30', but you are blind while wearing it (at least you're immune to gaze attacks!) It's a great idea - and as a rogue you DEFINITELY want one, since concealment utterly foils sneak attacks. A foe with Blur or Invis or terrain concealment is one of the worst foes for a rogue; even when you hit you won't add SA damage. The MIC also has items that can negate concealment (Crystal Mask of Insight or something, useable at-will but uses your swift every round you need it) or See Invis for like 3 rounds a day or something (Corsair's Eyepatch?) If you're a rogue and can afford it, get one.

I don't know about Blind-Fight specifically, but Blindsight is much better unless you needed BF for a prereq. As your DM if s/he'll allow your character to wear the blindfold like a headband and then slip it over/off the eyes as needed as a move/swift/free action.

IIRc Drow of the Underdark has a Blindsighted weapon enhancement for 30K. Saved a body slot, and doesn't make you blind, but it's more expensive and requires holding that weapon. It says 'in hand', but if you go that route, ask about putting it on a hands-free weapon like armor spikes or a gnomish quickrazor.

[Ravens_cry]

Good point, I misread. I'll need another trick then.
Yeah, I wondered the same thing, but no, it doesn't work. Incorporeal is, say, a gas or volumetric display, ethereal is being in another universe that is tangentially related to the Prime Material universe.