CRB Rogue Suggestions

[Reynard Loxley]

Hello, I'm very new to D&D and creating my first character (joining an in progress party). I'm playing as a Gnome (-2 Str and +2 Con) and the party needs a rogue so that's what I'm going for. We use the 32 point buy system for ability points and I'll be starting out at level 3.

I've been told the level progression is extremely slow (they've been playing for a year and are half way to level 4), so this will affect my decisions as well.

My current plan is to take Rogue 1-3 to get sneak attack x2, but I'm not sure if I want to stay Rog the whole time or dip into other classes (Bard and Ranger are my higher candidates). I plan to have a Riding Dog as a companion as well.

I'm limited to the resources available, I can only use the Players Handbook (1st only) and the Dungeon Master's Guide (1st only).

This is my current ability spread including racial traits is this:

Strength 13
Dexterity 15
Constitution 10
Intelligence 16
Wisdom 8
Charisma 14

I'm not overly happy about it but I'm attempting to get max skills as possible while still being decent with attacks and keep my charisma up enough for social situations (Bluff etc).

My current feats are Two Weapon Fighting and nothing (I'm thinking a skill bonus feat).

Any suggestions you can all offer would be greatly appreciated, thank you for taking the time to read!

EDIT: To clarify for those confused, I'm in a D&D 3.5 campaign.

[Psyren]

Your post is a bit confusing - You say "CRB" which is a Pathfinder term, but then you reference the PHB and DMG, which are D&D 3.5 terms - which game are you playing?

[BowStreetRunner]

Your post is a bit confusing - You say "CRB" which is a Pathfinder term, but then you reference the PHB and DMG, which are D&D 3.5 terms - which game are you playing?
While the Core Rulebook is the name of the core Pathfinder rulebook, I think here the OP is using it to refer to core rulebooks from 3.5. Most experienced 3.5 players would have titled the thread "Core Rogue Suggestions".

...My current plan is to take Rogue 1-3 to get sneak attack x2, but I'm not sure if I want to stay Rog the whole time or dip into other classes (Bard and Ranger are my higher candidates). I plan to have a Riding Dog as a companion as well...My current feats are Two Weapon Fighting and nothing (I'm thinking a skill bonus feat)....
I think it's important to determine exactly what it is you are trying to get from dipping into Bard or Ranger - especially if it is going to be a long time before you see another level. You mentioned the riding dog and this won't appear until Ranger 4, by which time you are going to have at least a 7th level character if you start with Rogue 1-3. The other common reason to dip Ranger is for Two Weapon Fighting (TWF) which appears at Ranger 2. So for instance if you wanted to make a TWF build to attempt to maximize the damage you deal when Sneak Attacking you might go Rogue 1 / Ranger 1-2 off the start to pick up TWF and then drop back into Rogue from there. If this is the direction you are going you could even look into picking up Weapon Finesse and taking a lower Strength.

[Reynard Loxley]

Your post is a bit confusing - You say "CRB" which is a Pathfinder term, but then you reference the PHB and DMG, which are D&D 3.5 terms - which game are you playing?

There's my new player showing (I've been playing for 1 month, VERY new).

I'm in a 3.5 campaign and we call it a core rules only (PHB and DMG).

[Curmudgeon]

With Core rulebooks only you've got very limited options for your Rogue. The most effective way to improve your capabilities would be with the Shadowdancer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/shadowdancer.htm) prestige class. The earliest you can enter that would be level 8, but you'd need Combat Reflexes, Dodge, and Mobility feats. So I'd suggest trading Two-Weapon Fighting for Combat Reflexes. Get in the habit of using any cover or concealment to Hide whenever possible. If enemies don't see you, they can walk right by and give you an attack of opportunity; and because you're unseen, you add sneak attack damage.