Relative Power of Three Builds

[falloutimperial]

Hello. I will be playing a rogue in an upcoming game, and am considering different builds to make sure that the one I select will match that of my fellow players in power, without being too powerful or too weak. I would really appreciate some help in telling which are more powerful than others. The one I'll go with is not necessarily to most powerful.

The game will start at level five and most likely end around ten. The setting is a fantasy medieval equivalent of Gotham, and I'm mostly interested in sneak attack and skill points. I'm almost certainly going to be taking Dodge and Mobility.

Of course, I'm considering rogue X.
I'm also considering rogue 7/ dread commando X.
I'd have more sneak attack damage with a build like rogue 5/ sneak attack thug fighter 1/ assassin 1/ dread commando X.
I could enter dread commando earlier with rogue 3/ sneak attack thug fighter 2/ spellthief 1/ dread commando X.

How do these stand, relative to each other?

[Extra Anchovies]

If you're dipping for sneak attack and want plenty of skill points, I recommend the Psychic Rogue (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723b) if it is available. It generally gives more for a dip than Spellthief does. Access to psionic feats is of particular value (Up the Walls is a nice mobility boost, for example).

Dread Commando is... interesting. Sudden Strike is a fairly unimpressive class feature unless you can guarantee a means of denying Dex to AC (such as a wand of grease). If you have access to that sort of thing, Rogue/Dread Commando is probably better than Rogue in a game that doesn't go past level 10.

The third build is probably the best. It's usually not worth taking rogue past 5, unless you really want that extra point of trap sense :smalltongue: Also the Assassin dip is good; having access to spells means there's a good number of useful wands you won't need to make UMD checks for.

The fourth build probably isn't worth it. Losing some skill points and eating the dead level from SA Thug 2 gets you a fourth level of Dread Commando, which is... Armored Ease 4 and Stealthy Movement. If you need to be really sneaky, it could be worth it, but you can probably get more from another class.

[Username.]

I cannot second the Psychic Rogue choice enough. If looking at the Psychic Rogue writeup gave you polio, I still would recommend it.

Mobility is grantable from an armor enhancement. Save a feat with gold.

Consider using the ToB alternative Dodge. Dodge is. . . bad, as are its alternatives, so your mileage may vary. Also consider the Incarnum alternative Dodge. That one is likely better, since the Essentia you get could be used elsewhere (like with metapsionics to be used with Psychic Rogue).

Consider, also, the Uncanny Trickster from Complete Scoundrel, which can advance other classes while giving you toys.

And if your power level is simply too low, Beguiler is right there. . . but it sounds like rogue is party-appropriate, so full casting shouldn't be necessary.