Build Advice: Genius Gadgeteer

[Everyman]

I'm getting my gaming group back together (after nearly a 9 month hiatus) to run what I am calling a "scoundrel campaign". To get the idea of what we're aiming at its...well...take Indiana Jones, Prince of Persia (Playstation trilogy), Pirates of the Carribean and Girl Genius (webcomic) and mix'em together.

My loving wife has decided to play a rogue with a focus on the Craft skill, specifically in Alchemy and Trapmaking. There's some homebrew going on here with what she can make, such as waiving the spellcasting requirement for alchemy and allowing for more potent traps and items by increasing the Craft DC. It's a concept that sounds fun and looks good. Yes, I'm aware that Craft is not a well-supported skill for the game. Hence the homebrew.

She's not the kind of person who likes looking through all the rulebooks for what she wants, and her concept is relying almost entirely on skill checks right now. That said, would you all mind making some suggestions for feats, items or classes that would help with the following?

1) Better at using alchemic items in combat (Both alchemy feats in the PHBII are being considered)
2) Better at making traps/Suggestions for on-the-fly booby traps
3) Tactics on how to best use splash weapons in combat (assume that the damage can/will go up as she increases the DC of the check (+10 Craft DC to increase damage or duration)
4) Alternate ways of fighting that are that are reliable for a character that has a lower BAB than normal. The more gadget-y, the better.

I've already made my suggestions to her, but would appreciate your feedback as well. Please note that she does NOT want to become a spellcaster

Potential Build: Human Rogue 5 / Combat Trapsmith 5
Str 10, Dex 16, Con 14, Wis 11, Int 18, Cha 13

Books allowed: PHB and PHB II, Complete Adventurer, Complete Scoundrel, Swashbuckler from Complete Warrior, Spell Compendium (per approval).

Feats may come from other sources than the above, per approval.
Items may come from most any source, if I can find it (assume I can't unless you really, really think it'll help the concept)

[Optimystik]

Go Artificer, they build all kinds of toys.

[paddyfool]

2) Better at making traps/Suggestions for on-the-fly booby traps

Well, you could always rewatch Predator or RotJ for some nice wildernessy traps, although they're not too on-the-fly. Likewise, I'm sure there must be stuff in the A-team, although it's been a long time since I've watched that.

3) Tactics on how to best use splash weapons in combat (assume that the damage can/will go up as she increases the DC of the check (+10 Craft DC to increase damage or duration)

Get the party tank elemental immunity to whatever element you prefer for your alchemical concoctions, or you won't be able to use them too well when enemies get up close and personal.

4) Alternate ways of fighting that are that are reliable for a character that has a lower BAB than normal. The more gadget-y, the better.

Skill checks require no BAB (UMD, Intimidate, Bluff, etc.; I particularly like the combo of Intimidate & traps, to threaten enemies with death traps that may or may not be there, or Bluff & traps along similar lines). Of course, UMD gets a little close to being a caster, but it's really not the same thematically. Also, UMD'ing a wand with a touch attack spell makes a lot of opponents much easier to hit. Alternatively, you could go halfling rather than human for a net +2 to hit with thrown weapons (+1 size, +1 racial), which again makes hitting easy.

I'm really not an expert, but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of this thread, since I've a rogue at the moment who's maxing Craft(trapmaking).

[Everyman]

Go Artificer, they build all kinds of toys.

Sadly, it isn't an option as I don't own any Eberron material. I admit it'd be perfect, but unless WotC put the rules for being an artificer somewhere on the web, its out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Well, you could always rewatch Predator or RotJ for some nice wildernessy traps, although they're not too on-the-fly. Likewise, I'm sure there must be stuff in the A-team, although it's been a long time since I've watched that.).

That's not a half-bad idea. Though, the idea of convincing my wife to watch Predator when even I have trouble watching it seems painful. Still, there's plenty of "tricksy" anime in our collection. Might convince her to rewatch some episodes...

Get the party tank elemental immunity to whatever element you prefer for your alchemical concoctions, or you won't be able to use them too well when enemies get up close and personal.).

This I have warned her about. I don't think it'll be the end of the world if she occasionally pings the party tank, though. I know this guy. He loves his Constitution score. Also, she seems more inclined to use well-placed thunderstones and tanglefoot bags than do direct damage. We'll see how that pans out.

Skill checks require no BAB (UMD, Intimidate, Bluff, etc.; I particularly like the combo of Intimidate & traps, to threaten enemies with death traps that may or may not be there, or Bluff & traps along similar lines). Of course, UMD gets a little close to being a caster, but it's really not the same thematically. Also, UMD'ing a wand with a touch attack spell makes a lot of opponents much easier to hit.

Ah, wands. I should remind her about those (and how sneak attack works with anything requiring an attack roll).

Alternatively, you could go halfling rather than human for a net +2 to hit with thrown weapons (+1 size, +1 racial), which again makes hitting easy.

Sadly, my dear wife has a...loathing for halflings. I suspect it has something to do with an old friend of hers and this ring he had.

I'm really not an expert, but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of this thread, since I've a rogue at the moment who's maxing Craft(trapmaking).

If anything cool happens, I'll make sure to post it somewhere on the site.

[JeminiZero]

Sadly, it isn't an option as I don't own any Eberron material. I admit it'd be perfect, but unless WotC put the rules for being an artificer somewhere on the web, its out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Alternate suggestion: Play a Warlock, but give her Imbue Items earlier on. Also consider adding certain trap spells (Glyph of Warding and Explosive Runes come to mind) to be on her invocation list, with a limit on number of traps that can be put out at any one time (maybe 1 +1 per 4 invoker levels).

[Zaq]

If you want to use Combat Trapsmith, rework the save DCs to scale with your Craft ranks, because they utterly suck otherwise.

That said, I think the CT is a fantastic class idea, horribly implemented. If you're happy to dive into homebrew, I think that you should keep working with it, give it some new capabilities, and keep expanding what it can do.

There are a few good magical ways of making insta-traps that you could use for inspiration. If you don't want to go magical, then don't actually use them, but you can base your abilities on them. Off the top of my head, there's Create Trap (RotD), Earthbound Spell (PHB2, and it arguably combines very well with Invisible Spell), and a few actual spells from PHB2 (Explosive Rune Field, Scattering Trap, and so on). There's plenty more out there, but those are just what I can think of with my books closed.

If you do go for a trapster, have some way (either on your character or on a friend) to shove your enemies around. Surrounding your enemy with traps that will ruin his day if he moves: cool. Forcing him to move anyway: cooler.

[Everyman]

I have been tinkering with the idea of making the DCs based off the Craft check. Maybe something like "Save DC = Craft (trapmaking) result minus 5". However, I'm not too worried about the saving throws. She's planning on taking Ability Focus for CT's trap ability, and I'm allowing her to apply that to all the traps she makes with it. Add in her perfect 18 Intelligence score and headband of intellect and...well...she'll be fine. My group isn't known for their optimization anyway. I've learned how to work with that.

The idea of giving her someway to create magic traps via someother process is intriguing though. Maybe something like a magic drawing board, which drains XP to fabricate whatever she can draw. I know she really doesn't care if anything is magical, though. She's the kind of person who can and will justify someway to make a mundane version of something fantastic, and enjoy it all the same.