3.5 Level 10 Rogue With Limited Sources

[Shriek]

Hello everyone ! Been into d&d for many years on and off, and this is going to be the first time I'll be asking around on the net for build advice :smallsmile:

So me and my buds are gonna start a new game this weekend. The characters will be Level 10, and the stats will be rolled. The allowed sources are;

PHB 1-2,
DMG 1 (and 2 for magical items)
Player's Guide to Faerûn

The director basically wants to keep things simple, since the game will be rp oriented rather than combat. And it's fine by me since I'm not the most well-versed player around when it comes to optimization, especially the more the levels go up. But combat is inevitable, and when sh!t hits the fan it's a good idea to have a character which can contribute rather than be a drag :wink:

I've elected to play a halfling rogue (straight up level 10), but have never played one. And never played above level 8 or 9 IIRC. I've checked out the rogue's handbook@ rpg bot dot net, and from that list my idea around what it's gonna be like is as below:

So basically I'm thinking of a single weapon / single attack your standard run of the mill rogue that just sneak attacks anything it can. Rapier on one hand, a +1 returning dart and a magical +1 buckler on the other. Only one weapon will be used at a given time; obviously not thinking of twf, but should I ? Feat tax is heavy with twf ( twf+improved twf), and you don't get the buckler ac bonus when you attack with your off hand. Right ?

Feats: (Gonna have 4 if I'm not mistaken)

* Luck of Heroes
* Weapon Focus (Rapier)
* Improved Initiative
* Vexing Flanker

Special Abilities:

So at level 10 I get to pick one SA, and man I'm torn between *Crippling Strike and *Opportunist. If I ever get to become 13, sure as hell I'm adding the other. You can make a crippling strike on an aoo though, right ? So they can be used in combination.

Weapons:

* +2 Magical Rapier
* +1 Returning Dart
* Dagger
* Stone :smallredface:
* Throwing hammer ??

Armor:
* +1 or +2 Mithral Chain Shirt. If Dex can go above 22, +4 bracers of armor instead (pricey tho)
* +1 Magical Buckler


Other Magical Items

We'll have plenty of gold (or so I'm told - around 30-40k depending on the roll) so items can make up for some of the deficiencies the character might have. We'll actually have more gold on the side, but can't be spent for items - setting/scenario reasons.

* Gloves of Dex +4
* Bracers of Armor +4
* Ring of Protection +1
* Cloak of Resistance +2 or +3 (should it be a vest of resistance instead, since rogue's vest isn't on the source list? Maybe I'll get a more useful item for the cloak slot if I don't become a corpse:smallbiggrin:)
* Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds
* Boots of speed
* ummm..

Probably not gonna afford half of them:smalleek: lol

Sooo.. That's it ! I think I'm set:smallsmile:

I'm sure there are many things I'm not aware of even within the scope of the available sources, and I'd appreciate any and every suggestion that may make the character more fun / worthwhile to play - and not just from a powerplay perspective !

Thanks in advance :tongue:

[bean illus]

Halfling's size dex and throw bonuses work well together for flanking at distance. Make good scout/spy/etc.

Phb rogues are defined largely by their skill set. Int = 14 ish.
Intimidate is a thing for cha rogues.

[Darrin]

You can hold the rapier in one hand and throw the dart in your other hand. TWF or Rapid Shot would be nearly interchangeable there. (They both give you an extra attack for a -2 attack penalty. TWF doesn't care if the extra attack is ranged or melee.)

And yes, wearing a buckler on your arm incurs a -1 attack penalty if you use that arm to attack. I'm not sure the buckler is worth it here... the "race to zero" nature of D&D combat tends to favor offense over defense.

Given the books you have available, Flask Rogue would be a very strong build. You'd want to take Quickdraw, PB Shot, Rapid Shot, and then maybe Precise Shot/Far Shot/TWF/Grenadier (not sure which would be better). Flask Rogues throw acid flasks, alchemist's fire, and other splash weapons as touch attacks, and so long as you're within 30' and attacking a flatfooted/flanked target, you're getting sneak attack damage on all those flasks.

Likewise, Rapid Shot and TWF works very well together with a Flask Rogue. And with the limited sourcebooks you have available... TWF isn't entirely a terrible idea. The TWF OffHandbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?279079-3-5-The-TWF-OffHandbook) might be worth a perusal.

[Shriek]

Whoa ! Thanks a lot guys ! Those are priceless for me :smallsmile: I'm not too sure tho whether the director will be thrilled to find out that a level 10 rogue can deal 30d6 (gosh lol) damage every round. But throwing acid/fire flasks in the mix when the running gets tough is quite a good interim solution actually:smallsmile:

[Shriek]

Halfling's size dex and throw bonuses work well together for flanking at distance. Make good scout/spy/etc.

Phb rogues are defined largely by their skill set. Int = 14 ish.
Intimidate is a thing for cha rogues.

Flanking at.. distance ?? I must be missing something significant here. Aren't you supposed to be threatening a square in melee to count towards flanking ?

[bean illus]

Flanking at.. distance ?? I must be missing something significant here. Aren't you supposed to be threatening a square in melee to count towards flanking ?


Halfling's size dex and throw bonuses work well together for flanking at distance. Make good scout/spy/etc.

Phb rogues are defined largely by their skill set. Int = 14 ish.
Intimidate is a thing for cha rogues.

Sorry. Phone pad makes me think offbeat to my typing. I meant touch (flask/etc) and/or flanking.

[Shriek]

Ah alright. No worries :smallsmile: Thanks for letting me know !