[3.5] Help with Rogue Build

[sdhartm]

So, in my current adventure, I am a Rogue 1/Ranger 3. The build has been doing ok, for feats I have Improved Initiative, Rapid Shot and Point Blank Shot. Using a composite Longbow, with a really high Hide, Disable Device, and Move Silently skill check. Been playing the group scout and trap killer(obviously).

I want this character to be better, in combat my role diminishes very quickly. At this point the DM is allowing us to change characters and rebuild them-we are limited to Core books and the Complete Series have been heavily used by other group members.

I want to keep my trapfinding/disabling abilities but my build has not been effective in combat nearly at all. Is there any way to negate this ineffectiveness..?

Group members: 4th level Wizard (battlefield control) 4th level Psion (medium damage dealer/some battlefield control) Barbarian 3/ Fighter 1 (obviously our main damage dealer) Druid 4 (summons just about everything, that is all he does) and a Cleric 4 (buffer spells for the rest of the group).

[Malak'ai]

Retrain your Rogue level into Scout and see if you can take Swift Hunter.
You keep all your sneakiness, but lose your disable device, but you'll still have 8 points/level so cross-classing them should be okay (or take the Jack of All Trades feat if you have a feat slot free). You're Scout and Ranger levels also stack for the likes of Favored Enemy and Skirmish.

[Gray Mage]

Are you set on the rogue class, or any class with trapfinding/disabling is good? Factotum [Dungeonscape] (expecially with a Gnome Quickrazor and use of the iaijutsu focus skill) or Beguiler [PHB II] (more caster-like, can be quite fun if you can be creative with illusions) are some base classes that provide both and can be better at combat. Some multiclassing of Rogue with Swordsage [Tome of Battle] or with Swashbuckler [Complete Warrior, I think] (with the Daring Outlaw feat from Complete Scoundrel) can be effective too.

Edit: If you can convince your DM to at least allow the Penetrating Strike ACF for Rogues from Dungeonscape, you can improve a melee Rogue's abilities.

[DEMON]

Retrain your Rogue level into Scout and see if you can take Swift Hunter.
You keep all your sneakiness, but lose your disable device...

A common misconception I have seen on this board quite often lately. The lack of Disable Device among Scout's class skills has been fixed by official errata.


Page 11: Scout’s Class Skills
Add Disable Device to the scout’s list of class skills.
(This addition fits with the flavor of the class.)

And as far as archery damage goes, you benefit from many attacks and additional damage you get on them.
Off the top of my head, I can think of 2 ACFs for Rogues that might be beneficial to you:
Death's Ruin (Complete Champion) allows you to sneak attack Undead for half the normal damage.
Distracting Attack (PHB2) allows you to sacrifice your sneak attack damage to apply a -5 penalty to AC on your target. This helps you to hit with your iterative attacks (and also helps the rest of your team and you seem to have several melee characters that would benefit from this effect) and can be used even on monsters immune to sneak attacks.

Knowledge Devotion feat (CC) also helps with your damage (and accuracy).
CSc and some other books also have ambush feats that apply other effects to your sneak attacks.

Poison (the Wizard or the Druid might be able to provide it to you for free) never hurts to have, if you can get your hands on it.
When it comes to it, use various special material arrows to overcome damage reduction.

A pity your book selection is so limited, there are some nice arrows and bow improvements in RotW, great archery spells in SpC and CoR (and this book also has probably the best sneak attack related feat there is and the VERY BEST bow enhancement there is) and weapon enhancements in MIC (e.g. Force).