Re-Optimizing My Dead Lesser Drow Rogue/Ranger

[Bartmanhomer]

So anyway a long time ago I was playing PBP in this forum and my character Eric Spade got killed by a blob. He was a very useless character and a few players hated him for how useless he was. Here's his character sheet: https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1025339 So my idea is to focus his melee and ranged attacks unless someone else has a much better idea.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Drop the Ranger levels and go Wilderness Rogue (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogueVariantWilderness Rogue) with Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a). Or drop the Rogue levels and go Ranger with the Trap Expert ACF in Dungeonscape, still take Wild Cohort because it's good, and consider the Wildshape (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger) variant and/or Mystic Ranger.

[Bartmanhomer]

Drop the Ranger levels and go Wilderness Rogue (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogueVariantWilderness Rogue) with Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a). Or drop the Rogue levels and go Ranger with the Trap Expert ACF in Dungeonscape, still take Wild Cohort because it's good, and consider the Wildshape (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger) variant and/or Mystic Ranger.
Cool. Thank you.

[Tvtyrant]

So anyway a long time ago I was playing PBP in this forum and my character Eric Spade got killed by a blob. He was a very useless character and a few players hated him for how useless he was. Here's his character sheet: https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1025339 So my idea is to focus his melee and ranged attacks unless someone else has a much better idea.

What about the character did not perform well? What do you want them to be able to do? What is the feeling you want the character to give off/ wjat are the none-negotiable character traits?

My first thought is why are they a ranger/rogue and not a Swordsage (Tome of Battle) or a Psychic Rogue?

[Bartmanhomer]

What about the character did not perform well? What do you want them to be able to do? What is the feeling you want the character to give off/ wjat are the none-negotiable character traits?

My first thought is why are they a ranger/rogue and not a Swordsage (Tome of Battle) or a Psychic Rogue?

I didn't know that a rogue/ranger with that capability would stink that bad. I should have make my character either a Swordsage or Psychic Rogue.

[Tvtyrant]

I didn't know that a rogue/ranger with that capability would stink that bad. I should have make my character either a Swordsage or Psychic Rogue.

I would like to know more about what you want the character to be able to do, so I can help you.

Also what exactly the character didn't do well that you wanted it to.

[Bartmanhomer]

I would like to know more about what you want the character to be able to do, so I can help you.

Also what exactly the character didn't do well that you wanted it to.

Being very useful for his skills and combat. He keeps getting damaged and lacks saves throws. I want my character to be very useful in melee and ranged and causing less damaged in melee and get successful saving throws.

[Tvtyrant]

Being very useful for his skills and combat. He keeps getting damaged and lacks saves throws. I want my character to be very useful in melee and ranged and causing less damaged in melee and get successful saving throws.

Okay, so the first issue is you have split your focus between melee and ranged and your stats between strength and dex. You also have medium int and medium con and okay wisdom.

My suggestion is ditching either ranged or melee. This saves you on feats, and focuses your build. Of the two melee is easier to optimize, requiring less investment for the same or better damage.

The feat Craven deals an extra 1 damage per level if you have SA, so that immediately pulls your damage up. Weapon finesse will let you use dex to hit on melee, so you can dump strength and hit more often. Since dex is high your AC will be better, and reflex save, and to hit in both melee and range.

If you play a Swordsage you get dex and wisdom to AC, so you can drop your int a bit and add more wisdom to get much better saves and AC. It also means you don't need to concentrate on TWF or natural attacks as your strikes are your primary attack form. You also get Wisdom to Damage with one discipline, which for you will be Shadowhand or Dancing Mongoose. The latter is a multi attacking discipline the former is ninja stuff.

So that is one possibility. Another is to play a Factotum, which lets you use inspiration to add int to just about everything. AC, Saves, To-Hit, etc. You use as a bonus on dex and strength skill checks as well. If you play a factotum you are free to max strength and wear heavy armor without consequence, but you still get sneak attack using cunning strike. The int to hit means you can power attack okay as well if you prefer that. More complicated in some ways then the Swordsage.

[Bartmanhomer]

Okay, so the first issue is you have split your focus between melee and ranged and your stats between strength and dex. You also have medium int and medium con and okay wisdom.

My suggestion is ditching either ranged or melee. This saves you on feats, and focuses your build. Of the two melee is easier to optimize, requiring less investment for the same or better damage.

The feat Craven deals an extra 1 damage per level if you have SA, so that immediately pulls your damage up. Weapon finesse will let you use dex to hit on melee, so you can dump strength and hit more often. Since dex is high your AC will be better, and reflex save, and to hit in both melee and range.

If you play a Swordsage you get dex and wisdom to AC, so you can drop your int a bit and add more wisdom to get much better saves and AC. It also means you don't need to concentrate on TWF or natural attacks as your strikes are your primary attack form. You also get Wisdom to Damage with one discipline, which for you will be Shadowhand or Dancing Mongoose. The latter is a multi attacking discipline the former is ninja stuff.

Sweet! Thank you. :smile:

[Tvtyrant]

Sweet! Thank you. :smile:

You are welcome!

My suggestion on stats is Dex 18, strength 10, con 14, int 10, wisdom 16, charisma 8. Your AC goes up to 21, attack goes up by 2, damage in melee goes up a little, wisdom save goes up, and your strikes should make your damage better (you will probably be rapier and short sword.)

[Bartmanhomer]

You are welcome!

My suggestion on stats is Dex 18, strength 10, con 14, int 10, wisdom 16, charisma 8. Your AC goes up to 21, attack goes up by 2, damage in melee goes up a little, wisdom save goes up, and your strikes should make your damage better (you will probably be rapier and short sword.)

Yay! I should definitely look for the Swordsage Handbook for more information. :biggrin:

[Anthrowhale]

For another approach, a cloistered cleric can easily make a tier 1 skill-monkey and a tier-1 fighter without to much trouble. Something like Rogue 1/Cloistered Cleric 4/Shadowbane Stalker 3/Cleric 12 using your domains to get access to whatever desired skills you want can be pretty effective. At level 9, you qualify for Sacred Outlaw giving you full sneak attack.

Through choice of domains, the cleric skill list expands to:
Appraise, Autohypnosis, Bluff, Concentraion, Craft (All), Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Gather Information, Knowledge (All), Profession (All), Psicraft, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival
so choose which skills you want and take the appropriate domains.

Furthermore, as an elf you can take Aereni focus to provide any other class skill as well.

And as a cleric, you can use Guidance of the Avatar, Divine Insight, Surge of Fortune, and possibly Improvisation (accessed via the spell domain) to make epic skill checks.

For being a fighter, use Knowledge Devotion with high knowledge skill checks to get a substantial bonus to hit and damage, Anyspell[Heroics] for fighter feats (later enhanced via Triadspell), and Divine Metamagic[Persistent Spell] for a few personal buffs.

[Bartmanhomer]

For another approach, a cloistered cleric can easily make a tier 1 skill-monkey and a tier-1 fighter without to much trouble. Something like Rogue 1/Cloistered Cleric 4/Shadowbane Stalker 3/Cleric 12 using your domains to get access to whatever desired skills you want can be pretty effective. At level 9, you qualify for Sacred Outlaw giving you full sneak attack.

Through choice of domains, the cleric skill list expands to:
Appraise, Autohypnosis, Bluff, Concentraion, Craft (All), Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Gather Information, Knowledge (All), Profession (All), Psicraft, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival
so choose which skills you want and take the appropriate domains.

Furthermore, as an elf you can take Aereni focus to provide any other class skill as well.

And as a cleric, you can use Guidance of the Avatar, Divine Insight, Surge of Fortune, and possibly Improvisation (accessed via the spell domain) to make epic skill checks.

For being a fighter, use Knowledge Devotion with high knowledge skill checks to get a substantial bonus to hit and damage, Anyspell[Heroics] for fighter feats (later enhanced via Triadspell), and Divine Metamagic[Persistent Spell] for a few personal buffs.

That's something to consider but my character is more like a thief plus he doesn't believe a deity that he wants to associates with.