[3.5] Build advice: Trickster mage... as a Sorcerer

[AvatarZero]

Intelligence is pretty much the best casting stat, right? You get more skill points every level, instead of a flat bonus to some skills and your Will save or... a flat bonus to some skills. If you wanted to play an Arcane Trickster or an Unseen Seer you'd definitely want to grab more skill points while avoiding MAD by picking a casting class based on Intelligence, a Wizard or possibly a Beguiler.

Still, I'm wondering: could a person make a skillful sneaky character out of a Sorcerer? Could they be as good as an INT-based caster? Which spells are useful enough to be worth spending a precious Spells Known slot on?

[Critical]

If I'd wanted a skilled sorcerer so badly, I'd probably pick up Nymph's Kiss feat, be a human and have, like, 12-14 int, that should cover everything needed.

[Fouredged Sword]

That requires exalted good though, and that can be a damper for the best anti NPC pranks.

[Eldariel]

Could they be as good as an INT-based caster?

They can never be as good, obviously, but they can come close. I'd like to point out this is an excellent use for Venerable Dragonwrought Kobolds.

[Kylarra]

They can never be as good, obviously, but they can come close. I'd like to point out this is an excellent use for Venerable Dragonwrought Kobolds.

They're old, egotistical and angry!

[AvatarZero]

If I'd wanted a skilled sorcerer so badly, I'd probably pick up Nymph's Kiss feat, be a human and have, like, 12-14 int, that should cover everything needed.

That's a good one. It'd give you the equivalent of an 18 for INT, and you can never have too many skill points. Mutually exclusive with the next suggestion, though.

They can never be as good, obviously, but they can come close. I'd like to point out this is an excellent use for Venerable Dragonwrought Kobolds.

That's the one with no penalties for aging and the web enhancement that gets you a level of caster progression back, right? So you could be a Rogue1/Sorcerer4/UnseenSeer without losing any caster progression? (Assuming you have a way round the cross class skill requirements, such as that Chaotic Mind feat from Dragon magazine.)

I wonder how important charisma is for this sort of caster. You'd probably be using spells that require attack rolls instead of saves to take advantage of your sneak attack.

[Eldariel]

That's the one with no penalties for aging and the web enhancement that gets you a level of caster progression back, right? So you could be a Rogue1/Sorcerer4/UnseenSeer without losing any caster progression? (Assuming you have a way round the cross class skill requirements, such as that Chaotic Mind feat from Dragon magazine.)

Yes. You can also go a bit further with Loredrake & al. but I suggest against that.

I wonder how important charisma is for this sort of caster. You'd probably be using spells that require attack rolls instead of saves to take advantage of your sneak attack.

Many of the skills you're interested in depend on Cha. Also, you're locking out a large section of spells like Charm Person/Dominate Person/Glitterdust/etc. that can be very, very powerful and sometimes, especially early on, you may need to take a more traditional controller role as you don't invest enough in the Rogue-stuff to be a good pure Rogue yet, and the spells are more potent anyways.

Oh, and bonus slots never hurt anyone. In short, yes, you could be a good Sorc with less Cha but Cha vastly increases your options including the one thing you get over Wizards (spells with Cha-checks).