Skill rank conundrum

[Deadline]

So, I was trying to best figure out how to squeeze the following levels into a 20-level build:

3 Swashbuckler/3 Cleric/4 Assassin/10 Black Flame Zealot

But the problem I'm running into is with the required skill ranks for Assassin.

4 ranks of disguise is do-able cross-class, so that isn't an issue. The trick is getting 8 ranks in Hide and 8 Ranks in Move Silently with 3 levels of Swashbuckler and 3 levels of Cleric. The Trickery Domain adds Hide and Disguise to your class skills, so that part is covered, but the question then becomes how to get Move Silent as a class skill for either Swashbuckler or Cleric?

Thoughts?

[nedz]

Able Learner feat or the Trickery Domain

Ed: Halfling domain, Trickery gives Hide

[eggs]

Here (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6832.0)'s a thread about adding class skills. You could also probably hit something like Seeker of the Misty Isle or Halfling Whistler at ECL 6 for the last second rank-bump.

And this doesn't directly address your build, but Deathstalker of Bhal from Dragon #322 and Strifeleader from Faiths and Pantheons have easier prerequisites for a divine caster, and can muster higher save DCs (DoB gets 2*level to DC, Sl gets full casting an a +4 DC bump as a capstone).

[Cog]

Able Learner feat or the Trickery Domain

Ed: Halfling domain, Trickery gives Hide

Not according to the Spell Compendium version of the domain. Is there a more recent one?

[Deadline]

Able Learner feat or the Trickery Domain

Ed: Halfling domain, Trickery gives Hide

Able learner doesn't help, as it doesn't make a skill into a class skill (needed to get to 8 ranks by level 6). I noted Trickery works to get Hide in the OP. The trick is just how to get Move Silently as a class skill with nothing but 3 levels of Swashbuckler and 3 levels of Cleric.

I'll look into those two prestige classes, but the hope was to utilize the stacking Death Attack DC from Assassin and Black Flame Zealot.

[Toliudar]

Without going into Eberron stuff, the Draconic Heritage (green) feat seems to be your best bet.

[Deadline]

Without going into Eberron stuff, the Draconic Heritage (green) feat seems to be your best bet.

That feat requires a level of Sorcerer, doesn't it? If so, that doesn't work. Also, Eberron stuff is fine.

It occurs to me that I should be very specific about what I'm trying to achieve here:

By 6th level I would like to have:

Swashbuckler's Insightful Strike
2nd level Divine spells without early entry cheese
4 Ranks Disguise (easy to do with cross class ranks)
8 Ranks Hide (easy to do with Trickery Domain)
8 Ranks Move Silently (this is the hard part)

[LTwerewolf]

That feat requires a level of Sorcerer, doesn't it? If so, that doesn't work. Also, Eberron stuff is fine.

Dragontouched feat.

[Deadline]

Ah, so it's do-able for a two-feat tax. Hmm. That will eat all feats for a Human up to 6th level without flaws, and a 9th level character can manage it, so that makes this do-able.

Is there any way to get that skill without burning 2 feats on it?

[LTwerewolf]

Ah, so it's do-able for a two-feat tax. Hmm. That will eat all feats for a Human up to 6th level without flaws, and a 9th level character can manage it, so that makes this do-able.

Is there any way to get that skill without burning 2 feats on it?

I recall the dragontouched races as counting as having it, but I don't recall the source. That makes silverbrow human a great choice.

[Deadline]

True. It looks like it is also do-able with the Skill Knowledge feat from Unearthed Arcana.

Here I was hoping there was a cleric domain that granted Move Silently as a class skill. Oh well.

[LTwerewolf]

True. It looks like it is also do-able with the Skill Knowledge feat from Unearthed Arcana.

Here I was hoping there was a cleric domain that granted Move Silently as a class skill. Oh well.

It's better that there are other ways to do it, that means you free up your domains for more important things, like limited wish or anyspell.

[nedz]

Not according to the Spell Compendium version of the domain. Is there a more recent one?

Ah, mis-read the domain power :smallredface:

[Cog]

Do you need to be human? Nedz's suggestion reminded me that there is an Initiate feat for halflings - Initiate of Arvoreen from Champions of Valor - that does add Move Silently, and if you start out as a strongheart halfling you don't lose the human bonus feat.

[Deadline]

Do you need to be human? Nedz's suggestion reminded me that there is an Initiate feat for halflings - Initiate of Arvoreen from Champions of Valor - that does add Move Silently, and if you start out as a strongheart halfling you don't lose the human bonus feat.

Nice, I'll add that to the list of entrance possibilities. Thanks.

[nedz]

There are several options with Druid, are you set on Cleric ?

Nightbringer Initiate ( Faiths of Eberron, p. 147)
Halfling Druid Substitution Levels (RW, p 157)


Or Mystic Ranger ?

[Deadline]

There are several options with Druid, are you set on Cleric ?

Nightbringer Initiate ( Faiths of Eberron, p. 147)
Halfling Druid Substitution Levels (RW, p 157)


Or Mystic Ranger ?

I'm not set on Cleric, but then that means finding a way to make Hide a class skill as well, not just Move Silently. Also, I'm pretty dead set on getting 2nd level divine spells with no more than 3 levels invested in the divine class, which seems to me to eliminate anything that isn't a full caster (cleric, druid, archivist, etc.).

[nedz]

All three of the above options give you Hide and Move Silently as class skills. They also give you Level 2 Divine spells.

Mystic Ranger is Dragon Magazine though, and so may not be acceptable.

[mattie_p]

How set are you on swashbuckler 3? The only thing you get at that level is Insightful strike (basically int to damage). One easy way to get that (and get hide as a class skill) is Factotum 1 - requires an inspiration point for the damage, but there it is.

[Deadline]

Interesting. Black Flame Zealot requires 8 ranks of Knowledge: Religion, which Druid doesn't get, so that creates a new potential problem.

I hadn't thought of Factotum, but I don't have the book it's in (Dungeonscape, right?). How many Inspiration points do you get per day?

[mattie_p]

At level 1, you get 2 per encounter. Can increase that number with font of inspiration (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070606). Factotum gets know-rel as well, if it matters. Actually, they get every skill as a class skill.

[nedz]

Interesting. Black Flame Zealot requires 8 ranks of Knowledge: Religion, which Druid doesn't get, so that creates a new potential problem.

The Education feat will fix this.
Available in :-


Player's Guide to Faerûn, p. 38
Eberron Campaign Setting, p. 52
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, p. 34