Vangalius
2014-02-24, 12:08 PM
I am going to be joining a Pathfinder game that is pirate themed with emerging firearms. The other 3 players are doing a fetchling Summoner, a dwarven Oracle (knowledge based is what I was told), and a goblin Pistolero Gunslinger. I was thinking I could fulfill a rogue role – scouting, being a skill monkey, and sneak attacking.
For a concept, I really want to include some sort of magic/supernatural aspect to the character, and because I never get to play with guns, I’d like to incorporate them as well. I realize this is probably going to be sub-optimal overall since it’s not tightly focused, but I’d like to optimize within this framework as best I can.
This is my first Pathfinder game ever, and I stopped playing 3.5 when my primary group moved to D&D 4th ed. So based on some internet research and ZERO PF experience, I’m thinking a couple of general ideas might work.
Ninja – the Ki pool and ninja tricks seem magical enough for the concept. I was thinking of adding Scout on top of it for more sneak attack opportunities. I’m thinking I might be a squishy melee target here, so I thought going for mobility instead of trying to go TWF and full attacks would be better. Not sure how best to integrate guns here. Maybe a 1 level dip in Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger? Then just look for opportunities where I can sneak attack within 20 ft to get a touch attack against someone with no Dex to AC. But mainly rely on a wakizashi.
Wizard/Rogue/Arcane Trickster – We’ve got two full casters already, so I think I can afford to dilute my spell casting with this and focus on just spells to augment stealth and provide more/better sneak attack. Not sure if this would be less or more survivable than ninja if I get targeted. Also not sure about firearms. Rogue talent for firearm training? Don’t know if firing the gun will happen a lot, though.
Sorcerer/Ninja/Arcane Trickster – Similar to above, but obviously less flexible. I like spontaneous casting, and keeping the spells known focused on self-buff stealth/defense with some spells to add sneak attack to might work alright. Same thing with guns here, I guess? Just get proficiency via feat or using a ninja trick to get the rogue talent (but vanishing trick seems like the best trick to get so feat probably).
Spellslinger/Rogue/Arcane Trickster – Like normal wizard/rogue/AT build, but obviously way more restrictive. But it seems super-flavorful and keeps the gunplay more at the fore, which I like. Since I’m not playing full wizard anyway, I could just focus on blasting and stealth, right?
5. Something else I didn’t consider?
So how would you rank these options generally, from best to worst, in regards to the typical rogue skills/stealth role, and also how they would perform as a damage dealer in combat?
For a concept, I really want to include some sort of magic/supernatural aspect to the character, and because I never get to play with guns, I’d like to incorporate them as well. I realize this is probably going to be sub-optimal overall since it’s not tightly focused, but I’d like to optimize within this framework as best I can.
This is my first Pathfinder game ever, and I stopped playing 3.5 when my primary group moved to D&D 4th ed. So based on some internet research and ZERO PF experience, I’m thinking a couple of general ideas might work.
Ninja – the Ki pool and ninja tricks seem magical enough for the concept. I was thinking of adding Scout on top of it for more sneak attack opportunities. I’m thinking I might be a squishy melee target here, so I thought going for mobility instead of trying to go TWF and full attacks would be better. Not sure how best to integrate guns here. Maybe a 1 level dip in Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger? Then just look for opportunities where I can sneak attack within 20 ft to get a touch attack against someone with no Dex to AC. But mainly rely on a wakizashi.
Wizard/Rogue/Arcane Trickster – We’ve got two full casters already, so I think I can afford to dilute my spell casting with this and focus on just spells to augment stealth and provide more/better sneak attack. Not sure if this would be less or more survivable than ninja if I get targeted. Also not sure about firearms. Rogue talent for firearm training? Don’t know if firing the gun will happen a lot, though.
Sorcerer/Ninja/Arcane Trickster – Similar to above, but obviously less flexible. I like spontaneous casting, and keeping the spells known focused on self-buff stealth/defense with some spells to add sneak attack to might work alright. Same thing with guns here, I guess? Just get proficiency via feat or using a ninja trick to get the rogue talent (but vanishing trick seems like the best trick to get so feat probably).
Spellslinger/Rogue/Arcane Trickster – Like normal wizard/rogue/AT build, but obviously way more restrictive. But it seems super-flavorful and keeps the gunplay more at the fore, which I like. Since I’m not playing full wizard anyway, I could just focus on blasting and stealth, right?
5. Something else I didn’t consider?
So how would you rank these options generally, from best to worst, in regards to the typical rogue skills/stealth role, and also how they would perform as a damage dealer in combat?