Gestalt Warmage/Rogue?

[Whiplord]

I keep hearing people say Warmage is essentially a pseudo archer, which set me thinking. If you focused on spells with RTAs, then wouldn't sneak attack dice apply?

The combination seems rather interesting. Obviously you could substitute any other class with sneak attack progression in place of rogue, but I just listed that for this example.

How do you think this would work? Obviously it wouldn't be the build to end all builds, but it might be fun to play.

[Zincorium]

I keep hearing people say Warmage is essentially a pseudo archer, which set me thinking. If you focused on spells with RTAs, then wouldn't sneak attack dice apply?

The combination seems rather interesting. Obviously you could substitute any other class with sneak attack progression in place of rogue, but I just listed that for this example.

How do you think this would work? Obviously it wouldn't be the build to end all builds, but it might be fun to play.

It would indeed work...to a point. Both are skilled in light armor, use intelligence, dex and charisma, and neither has another high requirement. But...

You're basing your entire build on an intersection of the weakest strategies available to each class: attack roll spells for a warmage and ranged sneak attack for a rogue.

It won't be pointless in battle, but on the other hand it's not going to be all that effective. Warmages have a much harder time getting the spells that make a ranged sneak attack possible than almost any other spellcaster, by which I mean things like blur, invisibility, etc. Since you can't flank or feint, you'll hardly ever get to add your sneak attack damage unless you win initiative. The big stuff, like fireball, won't use it at all.

Combos simply aren't fun unless you get to use them most battles. However, you do still cover the trapfinding/lock unpicking role for the party and you do have blasty spells (which suck in a relative way to the spells you aren't getting).

[deadseashoals]

You'd be better off as a scout, since a warmage lacks the spells needed to utilize ranged sneak attack in any round beyond the first (blink, greater invisibility). You'd also get an upgrade to your hit die, and you'd have a nice set of class abilities, at the cost of a few d6 on your precision damage.

[Jasdoif]

You could use the eclectic learning variant (in PHB2) to pick up greater invisibility at level 11.

Your real problem, however, is that you only get sneak attack once (or twice if you can manage a quickened spell) per turn; even with a spell that has multiple rays the sneak-attack-for-spells rules say you can only get sneak attack once.