Help Creating a High-level character

[Blkmge]

Well, not exactly high.. level 10 rogue to be exact, focused heavily on being a melee striker and we're using the alternative magic item rules (MIC p228). That means I have a wide assortment of items to play about with. I'm already eyeing a Ring of Blinking (have the feats for it) which would essentially remove 1 level 7 slot.

What other items would you suggest to garb myself in?

[Alleran]

Well, not exactly high.. level 10 rogue to be exact, focused heavily on being a melee striker and we're using the alternative magic item rules (MIC p228). That means I have a wide assortment of items to play about with. I'm already eyeing a Ring of Blinking (have the feats for it) which would essentially remove 1 level 7 slot.

What other items would you suggest to garb myself in?
Do you mean a Rogue, or a Rogue-like character? As in, do you have options for taking prestige classes or the like as long as you have "rogue" as a theme, or do you need to have ten levels of Rogue?

[Blkmge]

Do you mean a Rogue, or a Rogue-like character? As in, do you have options for taking prestige classes or the like as long as you have "rogue" as a theme, or do you need to have ten levels of Rogue?

rogue-like, currently dipped into cleric and swordsage and debating between some fighter dips down the line for bonus feats.

[Rejakor]

What capabilities do you want the character to have? (melee, throwing, lots of damage, sniping, assassination, trapfinding, etc)

How strong do you want them to be for your level? (is your group low op, mid op, high op etc)

[Blkmge]

What capabilities do you want the character to have? (melee, throwing, lots of damage, sniping, assassination, trapfinding, etc)

How strong do you want them to be for your level? (is your group low op, mid op, high op etc)

Lots of damage, currently focusing on iterative attacks (Snap Kick and Flashing Sun for now) and sneak damage. I'd say our group is mid-to-high op as well.

I'm wondering if the Spectral Dagger (p59 MIC) is as overpowered as it seems though. Most BBEG have very low Touch ACs and rogues are generally focused more on hitting to get sneak attack damage. So I'm making a melee touch attack, imparting a handy debuff, negating most of the target's AC and still getting full sneak attack damage on top of it? I'll take two!

[Rejakor]

Spectral Dagger doesn't deal damage. Sneak Attack damage is damage. Thus, it can't deal sneak attack damage, at least RAW.

However, you are a rogue, with maxed out UMD, and rules compendium says wands cast spells as the action the spell takes to cast - so you can grab a wand bracer, a wand of wraithstrike (or six) and go to town casting it as a swift action each round.


I had a lot of success as a melee rogue (blender) with the following build - Rogue 2/Swashbuckler 3(Daring Outlaw Feat)/Hit and Run Fighter 1/Swordsage X with the Shadow Blade feat.

I added Int to damage, 2xdex to damage, and had 5d6 sneak attack (2d6 from Assassin's Stance). I regularly used Burning Blade and Flashing Sun. Craven makes you suck at fear, but you get to add your level to sneak attack damage. There are various items that add to sneak attack damage, if you can afford them.

I was int and dex focused for character reasons, and didn't want to play a factotum, so this worked for me. You may want to dump the swashbuckler in favour of something else that grants sneak attack (ninja, whatever) or more swordsage.

I found that it was so hard to get off melee full attack sneak attacks that a level of Barbarian (spirit lion totem) was necessary for Pounce - you may find this, or not. Mostly the problem was stuff died too fast for me to get a reliable flank or round off.

A dorje of Expansion plus Use Psionic Device is actually a good idea for the reach. And in the DMG there are kusari-gama, exotic one-handed reach weapons that help you melee at a distance as a rogue TWFer.

[Blkmge]

Spectral Dagger doesn't deal damage. Sneak Attack damage is damage. Thus, it can't deal sneak attack damage, at least RAW.
It does do damage - it casts Chill Touch which does 1d6 + 1 strength damage. Touch spells do get sneak attack damage.


However, you are a rogue, with maxed out UMD, and rules compendium says wands cast spells as the action the spell takes to cast - so you can grab a wand bracer, a wand of wraithstrike (or six) and go to town casting it as a swift action each round.


I had a lot of success as a melee rogue (blender) with the following build - Rogue 2/Swashbuckler 3(Daring Outlaw Feat)/Hit and Run Fighter 1/Swordsage X with the Shadow Blade feat.

I added Int to damage, 2xdex to damage, and had 5d6 sneak attack (2d6 from Assassin's Stance). I regularly used Burning Blade and Flashing Sun. Craven makes you suck at fear, but you get to add your level to sneak attack damage. There are various items that add to sneak attack damage, if you can afford them.

I was int and dex focused for character reasons, and didn't want to play a factotum, so this worked for me. You may want to dump the swashbuckler in favour of something else that grants sneak attack (ninja, whatever) or more swordsage.

I found that it was so hard to get off melee full attack sneak attacks that a level of Barbarian (spirit lion totem) was necessary for Pounce - you may find this, or not. Mostly the problem was stuff died too fast for me to get a reliable flank or round off.

A dorje of Expansion plus Use Psionic Device is actually a good idea for the reach. And in the DMG there are kusari-gama, exotic one-handed reach weapons that help you melee at a distance as a rogue TWFer.

hmm.. Good ideas to know. Keep them coming!

[Rejakor]

When you grasp the hilt of a spectral dagger,
a "blade" of ghostly light coalesces into
existence. The weapon has no enhancement
bonus (and can't be imbued with
one). Attacks with a spectral dagger are
treated as touch attacks, but the weapon
does not deal damage normally. Instead,
any target struck by the weapon is affected
by a chill touch spell (Fort DC 11 partial or
Will DC 11 negates; see PH 209). A spectral
dagger fades away if it leaves your hand, so
the weapon can't be used to make ranged
attacks.

Weaponlike spells, as per complete arcane, can totally do sneak attack damage.

Unfortunately, the dagger is not a rogue, and you are not casting the spell. If you were punching someone with a chill touch, you get your sneak attack damage on top of whatever the spell does. However, you're stabbing someone, 'not dealing damage normally', and then they are being 'affected' by a chill touch spell.

Maybe your DM would be okay with it, but that spell doing sneak attack damage would be a houserule.

[Blkmge]

Thanks for the clairification Rejakor!

So I'm guessing wand of wraithstrike for now (mainly for the use on a bigger toughs, most smaller guys won't be so difficult I'm gauging).

Is the Dagger of Defiance/Swordbow still a good combo then?

[Emperor Tippy]

How do you feel about Factotum?

EDIT: And how convoluted can you make your backstory?

Also rolled stats or point buy? And if point buy, how many points?

Any source restrictions? What are the other party members?

[Rejakor]

Light swordbow? Yeah, it's decent. Tie your dagger to your wrist so you can drop it to use the bow and still not lose it on the ground.

[Blkmge]

How do you feel about Factotum?

EDIT: And how convoluted can you make your backstory?

Also rolled stats or point buy? And if point buy, how many points?

Any source restrictions? What are the other party members?

Perhaps I should clarify.. focusing on equipment right now, mostly have the build sussed out with minor tweaks.

And Rejakor, looks like my DM scrapped the spell Wraith strike from his world, citing it was too powerful. So I need to find ways to hit my attacks on BBEG that extend beyond trips - currently thinking a Wand of Quickened True strike. If I'm reading both Snap Kick and Flashing Sun correctly, triggering the wand during my full attack as such:
9/9/24/4
then snap kick/flashing sun would be rolled as 19/14 to hit (Both explicitly state they are attacks rolled at my highest attack roll bonus, which True Strike would be) and they suffer the same -2/-5 for extra attack penalties.