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take one:
seeking feedback. most have been changed, a few combined or dropped from advanced status, others are stolen, and a couple are original.
talents in italics are unchanged, though included so as to be exhaustive (though i did not delve into the ultimate combat book...)
As a rogue gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes. Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels of rogue attained after 2nd level. A rogue cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Strike talents, marked with an asterisk, add effects to a rogue's sneak attack. Normally only one strike talent can be applied to an individual attack and the decision must be made before the attack roll is made.
Assault Leader* (Ex): When the rogue misses with an attack on a flanked opponent, she can designate a single ally who is also flanking the target that her attack missed. That ally can make a single melee attack against the opponent as an immediate action.
Befuddling Strike* (Ex): When the rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, that opponent takes a penalty on attack rolls for 1d4 rounds.
Bleeding Attack* (Ex): Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Camouflage (Ex): A rogue with this talent can craft simple but effective camouflage from the surrounding foliage. to prepare the camouflage, but once she does, it is good for the rest of the day or until the wearer fails a saving throw against an area effect spell that deals fire, cold, or acid damage, whichever comes first. While within terrain that matches the foliage used to make the camouflage, . This ability cannot be used in areas without natural foliage.
Canny Observer (Ex):
Charmer (Ex):
Coax Information (Ex):
(Ex): A rogue with this talent can use the Escape Artist skill to break a grapple as a move action. If she successfully breaks a grapple, for 1 round she may apply her sneak attack damage dice to her next attack against that same foe. (RG)
Combat Swipe (Ex): A rogue who selects this talent gains Improved Steal as a bonus feat
Combat Trick: A rogue that selects this talent may select any bonus combat feat she qualifies for (see Feats).
Cunning Trigger (Ex): A rogue with this talent can use a swift action to set off any trap within 30 feet that she constructed
Deadly Cocktail (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply two doses of poison to a weapon at once. These can be separate poisons, in which case they both affect the target individually, or two doses of the same toxin, in which case the poisons' frequency is extended by 50% and the save DC increases by +2. This talent is an exception to the rule that injury poisons can only be delivered one dose at a time.
(Ex): A rogue who selects this talent gains Improved Dirty Trick as a bonus feat and may use her full rogue level in place of her base attack bonus when calculating her CMB. If she is fighting with at least one free hand, as a full-round action, the rogue may make a single attack at her highest bonus. If this attack hits she may immediately follow it up with a dirty trick maneuver made against the same foe as a free action.
Distracting Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this talent can make sneak attacks with subtle flourishes that disorient and distract her enemy. When she hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, she can forgo the additional damage to cause the creature to become flat-footed against one target of her choosing until the beginning of her next turn. The rogue cannot designate herself as the creature gaining the benefit of this talent. Creatures with uncanny dodge are immune to distracting attack.
Expert Leaper (Ex): When making jump checks, the rogue is always considered to have a running start. Whenever the rogue deliberately falls, a DC 15 Acrobatics check allows her to ignore the first 20 feet fallen (instead of the first 10 feet),
Fast Fingers (Ex):
Fast Getaway (Ex): After successfully making a sneak attack, or a Sleight of Hand check , a rogue with this talent can spend a move action to take the withdraw action. She can move no more than her speed during this movement.
Fast Picks: (see Quick Disable)
Fast Stealth (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move at full speed using the Stealth skill without penalty.
Fast Tumble (Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses Acrobatics to move at full speed through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity, the DC of the Acrobatics check does not increase by 10.
Follow Clues: (see Canny Observer)
Finesse Rogue (Ex): A rogue that selects this talent gains Weapon Finesse as bonus feats.
Frugal Trapsmith (Ex): When a rogue with this talent constructs a mechanical trap, she only pays 75% of the normal cost.
Guileful Polyglot (Ex):
Hard to Fool (Ex):
Honeyed Words (Ex):
Lasting Poison (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon in such a way that it is effective for two successful attacks instead of one. The poison has a reduced effect, however, and saves made against the poison receive a +2 circumstance bonus. Applying poison in this way requires a full-round action, or a standard action if the rogue has the swift poison talent.
Ledge Walker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move along narrow surfaces at full speed using the Acrobatics skill without penalty. In addition, a rogue with this talent is not considered flat-footed when using Acrobatics to move along narrow surfaces
(Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses Acrobatics to evade attacks of opportunity, for 1 round she may apply her sneak attack damage dice to her next attack against that same foe. (RG)
(Ex): The rogue gains low-light vision, seeing twice as far as an ordinary human in dim light.
Magic, Major (Sp):
Magic, Minor (Sp):
(Sp): A rogue with this talent gains the ability to cast two 1st-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. These spells can be cast three times per day in any combination as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this ability is equal to the rogue's level. The save DC for this spell is 11 + the rogue's Charisma modifier. The rogue must have a Charisma of at least 11 to select this talent. A rogue must have the minor magic rogue talent before choosing this talent.
Master of Disguise (Ex):
Nimble Climber: (see Ledge Walker)
Offensive Defense* (Ex): When a rogue with this talent hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, the rogue gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each sneak attack die rolled for 1 round
Peerless Maneuver (Ex):
Positioning Attack (Ex):
Powerful Sneak* (Ex):
Quick Disable (Ex): It takes a rogue with this ability half the normal amount of time to use the Disable Device skill to disarm traps
Quick Disguise: (see Master of Disguise)
Quick Trapsmith (Ex): As a full-round action, a rogue with this talent can set a simple trap with a CR no greater than 1/2 her rogue level. To do this, she must purchase the components, spend the required time constructing the trap in advance, and have its components at hand. The type of trap that can be constructed in this way is subject to DM discretion.
Resiliency (Ex): These temporary hit points last for 1 minute. If her hit points drop below 0 again due to the loss of these temporary hit points, she falls unconscious and is dying as normal.
Rogue Crawl (Ex): While prone, a rogue with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A rogue with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling.
Slow Reactions* (Ex): Opponents damaged by the rogue's sneak attack can't make opportunity attacks for 1 round.
Snap Shot (Ex): A rogue with this talent may treat her initiative roll as a 20 for a surprise round, regardless of her initiative, but she may only take an attack action with a ranged weapon. Her normal initiative roll is used in subsequent rounds. If two or more rogues possess this talent, their initiative determines the order in which they act, but they all go before any other creature. If a rogue is prevented from acting in the surprise round, this talent has no effect.
Sniper's Eye (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply her sneak attack damage on ranged attacks targeting foes within 30 feet that benefit from concealment. Foes with total concealment are still immune.
Stand Up (Ex): A rogue with this ability can stand up from a prone position as a free action.
Stealthy Sniper (Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses the Stealth skill to snipe, she only suffers a –10 penalty on the Stealth check, instead of –20.
Strong Impression (Ex):
Surprise Attack (Ex): During the surprise round, opponents are always considered flat-footed to a rogue with this ability, even if they have already acted.
Survivalist (Ex):
Swift Poison (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon as a move action, instead of a standard action.
Thoughtful Reexamining (Ex): A rogue with this talent can reroll an , Knowledge, Sense Motive, or Perception skill check to try to gain new or better information from the roll. This reroll can be made any time during the same day as the original check.
Trap Spotter (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent comes within 10 feet of a trap, she receives an immediate Perception skill check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the GM.
(Ex): A rogue with this talent can use the Bluff skill with a ranged weapon to Feint against a foe within 30 feet of her. (RG)
Weapon Training: A rogue that selects this talent gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat.
I quite like some of these ideas, though I'm not sure about balance. Some of the default talents are underpowered and others are just not interesting, but that's the problem with trying to produce so many options for such a thematically varied class.
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i sat down one evening and whipped these out. it was a creative burst which produced mixed results. looking back now, several strike me as too good, though i am overall happy with the results.
i am strongly considering retracting the design principle i set out that divorced all rogue talents from a pool ability as a way to balance them in terms of resource management. i am still firmly repelled by the X/day mechanic. it seems tacky to me, with the additional bookkeeping adding to the nuisance. additional bookkeeping should come from treasure hoards only! but, as several talents (as written above) are too strong, i think using a single X/day pool mechanic is a good compromise. for those that aren't going to use a Streetwise Pool of some kind, just grant your rogue a Ki Pool and based off of the Ninja class.
given that, i am further strongly considering re-organizing the rogue talents into three functional categories:
1) Strike Talents (with an asterisk, triggered via sneak attack)
2) Streetwise Talents (with a point cost)
3) Stunt Talents (all the rest)
also, it is worth noting that i will be using an ability (called Skill Execution) to replace all the "roll two dice with this skill X/day" talents - if you wanted to reinstate that ability with a rogue talent, i suggest doing so with a single talent that lets you pick a single skill each use - you could call such a talent "Skill Finesse".
biggest 'too good' offenders above are Charmer, Coax Information, and Strong Impression. any ideas? - (aside from just saying "this ability work like a Charm/Zone of Truth/Cause Fear spell..."). these might become my first Streetwise talents (along with Resiliency).
some other recent changes:
Combat Trick - A rogue that selects this talent may select any bonus combat feat she qualifies for (see Feats). She does not have to meet the feat's prerequisites if she chooses one from the following list: Dodge, Far Shot, , Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, , Improved Trip, Mobility, Nimble Moves, or Precise Shot.
Combat Swipe (Ex) -
Dirty Trickster (Ex):
Positioning Attack (Ex):
...
Fast Fingers (Ex):
Peerless Maneuver (Ex):
Powerful Sneak* (Ex): A rogue with this talent may use her sneak attacks to bypass one point of damage reduction .
finally, i was considering making a series of 'craft talents' that allows the rogue to use her Disable Device to do things such as construct traps, create alchemical items, brew potions, and refine poisons.
thoughts?
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how about:
Charmer (Ex): Through sheer force of personality, a rogue with this talent can use Diplomacy to influence a nonplayer character's attitude as a full-round action, but only to shift their attitude by a single step (usually from hostile to unfriendly) - the target is allowed a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + the rogue's level + her Charisma modifier) 1 round later to shake the effect. This is a language-dependent charm effect. If the rogue spends at least 1 minute or longer using Diplomacy to influence, any attitude shift generally lasts for 1d12 hours (instead of 1d4). Finally, a rogue using Diplomacy whose request was refused may retry after 24 hours has passed, but only once per request.
Coax Information (Ex): Through sheer force of personality, when a rogue with this talent uses Diplomacy or Intimidate to request or force information from a nonplayer character, that character is unable to deliberately or intentionally lie to the rogue unless they succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + the rogue's level + her Charisma modifier) per attempted deception. This is a language-dependent compulsion effect. The rogue is allowed an opposed Sense Motive versus Bluff check to detect each deception, and may add half her rogue level as an insight bonus to this check.
Guileful Polyglot (Ex): A rogue with this ability can learn to speak an additional number of languages equal to her Charisma bonus (minimum 1). She can decipher spoken languages using the Linguistics skill in a similar way to deciphering written languages (using the same DCs) - a successful check allows her to communicate with a creature with whom she has no languages in common for 1 minute at a basic level. She can use language-dependent abilities upon creatures that she does not share a language with, so long as the creature has a language. When socializing with a nonplayer character while speaking in their native tongue for the first time, the rogue may add a +1 circumstance bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks, as well any opposed Charisma checks or saving throws DCs made using non-magical language-dependent abilities or effects.
Strong Impression (Ex): Through sheer force of personality, when a rogue with this talent uses Intimidate to force an opponent to act friendly, he instead acts helpful if he fails a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + the rogue's level + her Charisma modifier). When the rogue uses Intimidate to demoralize a foe who is already shaken, if he then fails a Will saving throw (same DC), he becomes frightened for 1 round in addition to the standard effects. Both of these effects are language-dependent fear effects.
Survivalist (Ex): A rogue with this talent may add her Intelligence modifier to her Survival skill checks, may use the Heal skill to administer long-term care to herself, and gains the Endurance feat.
Not bad, I particularly like what you've done with "Guileful Polyglot". Here's a re-write I'll be using for rogues in the future:
With a skill like Linguistics, it seems only natural to make literacy dependent on having ranks in that skill, i.e you speak all your normal languages, but without ranks in Linguistics (say, one for automatic languages and one per other spoken language), you would be illiterate.
That would then alter this talent to be "You can speak and read your starting languages and one language per rank in Linguistics". (Normal: You must choose to either speak or read one language per rank in Linguistics.)
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Detect Magic i like your adjustments to Polyglot.
here are some updates:
Charmer, Coax Information, Strong Impression: DC changed to 10 + 1/2 rogue level + Cha. this was a clerical error. also i am going to add the 'mind-affecting' descriptor to them.
Combat Trick: added Rapid Shot to list of prerequisite-bypassing feats.
Fast Fingers (Ex): A rogue with this talent may draw and stow small items (such as an alchemical item, a dagger, potion, scroll, or wand) from her person as a free action. When she uses Sleight of Hand to lift a small object from a person or palm a coin-sized object under observation, her victim takes a -5 penalty to their Perception check. Finally, the rogue halves the penalty to use Sleight of Hand as a move action.
Guileful Polyglot (Ex): A rogue with this talent learns to speak two languages for each rank she has in the Linguistics skill, rather than just one. Whether or not she is trained in Linguistics, she can use the skill to decipher spoken languages in the same way as for deciphering written languages (DC 20 for basic communication, DC 25 for everyday topics and conversation, and DC 30 for more complex subjects). She can use language-dependent abilities upon creatures that do not share a language with her, so long as the creature has a language. When socializing with a creature in it's native tongue, the rogue may add a +1 bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks, as well any opposed Charisma checks and saving throw DCs involved using language-dependent abilities.
Thoughtful Reexamining (Ex): A rogue with this talent can reroll an Appraise, Heal, Knowledge, Sense Motive, or Perception skill check to try to gain new or better information from the roll. The rogue must first spend 1 hour in silent thought while she replays the events in her mind. If this succeeds, she may retroactively retry a number of checks equal to her Intelligence modifier (minimum one). For each day that has passed since the check was originally made, she takes a cumulative -5 penalty on her reroll. Each check may only be retried once. Using this ability causes the rogue to become fatigued for 1 hour.
next, from ultimate combat (unchanged talents are not reproduced below):
Deft Palm (Ex): A rogue with this talent can make a Sleight of Hand check to conceal a weapon while holding it in plain sight, even while she is being observed. In addition, she may draw a concealed weapon as a swift action and she gains the Quickdraw feat.
Esoteric Scholar (Ex): A rogue with this talent adds half her rogue level to all Knowledge and Spellcraft skill checks.
Getaway Artist (Ex): A rogue with this talent adds half her rogue level as a morale bonus to all driving checks and to all skill checks made as part of a chase.
Hold Breath (Ex): A rogue with this talent increases the number of rounds she can hold her breath by two. At 5th level, and again every five rogue levels thereafter, she may increase this factor by one, until at 20th level she can hold her breath six times as long as normal. Further, she gains a +4 bonus to all Constitution checks made to hold her breath.
Iron Guts (Ex): A rogue with this talent becomes impervious to the sickened condition. Any effect that would cause her to become nauseated make her sickened instead. She gains a +4 bonus to saving throws to resist these kinds of effects, as well as on Fortitude saves made against ingested poisons.
Ki Pool (Su): A rogue gains a ki pool equal to her Wisdom modifier (minimum 0). These points replenish after 8 hours of rest. She may spend one ki point as a swift action to gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC for one round. This talent allows the rogue to take ninja tricks that are powered by ki (see Ninja Trick).
Rope Master (Ex): A rogue with this talent can use a lassoed rope to make a grapple maneuver with a range increment of 10 feet, provided she has sufficient rope. Instead of her normal grapple options, she may drag or entangle her foe, taking a +5 to do so if her foe does not break her grapple. Dragging her foe works just like the combat maneuver, except that it is a full-round action and the rogue may choose to stay put or take a 5-foot step. Entangling works like a pin, except that the rogue can drop the rope as a free action to end the grapple at any time. Ranged penalties apply to both dragging and entangling. Finally, a rogue can use rope to tie up a foe as a full-round action without penalty (see Grappling), and may substitute her Escape Artist bonus for her CMB when determining the DC to bind him.
Strong Stroke (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a swim speed equal to half her land speed.
Terrain Mastery (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a favored terrain as the ranger ability of the same name. At 5th level, and again every 5 levels thereafter, her favored terrain bonuses rise by +1, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level. A rogue must have the survivalist rogue talent before selecting this ability. She may select this talent multiple times, each time gaining a new favored terrain.
Underhanded* (Ex): If a rogue with this talent makes a sneak attack during the surprise round using a concealed weapon that her opponent didn't know about, she does not have to roll sneak attack damage, and the sneak attack deals maximum damage.
Wall Scramble (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a climb speed equal to half her land speed.
finally, after teetering back and forth a bit, i have decided to keep rogue talents totally divorced from any kind of pool mechanic while still remaining committed to avoiding the 'X/day ability' pitfall. we can let the trick-sy ninja do the ki thing. that way, although i intend to use my streetwise pool for my rogue, one needn't have to have a pool to enjoy the rogue talents here.
cheers!
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Strike Talents (changes in ):
Befuddling Strike* (Ex): When the rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, that opponent takes a penalty on attack rolls
Bleeding Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess. (Detect Magic)
Distracting Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this talent can make sneak attacks with subtle flourishes that disorient and distract her enemy. When she hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, she can forgo to cause the creature to become flat-footed against one target of her choosing until the beginning of her next turn. The rogue cannot designate herself as the creature gaining the benefit of this talent. Creatures with uncanny dodge are immune to distracting attack.
Ki Block* (Su): A rogue with this talent can prevent a creature from using its . Whenever the rogue deals sneak attack damage, the target must make a Will save . The DC of this save is 10 + 1/2 the rogue's level + the rogue's Charisma modifier.
Offensive Defense* (Ex): When a rogue with this talent hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, the rogue gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each sneak attack die rolled for one round.
Positioning Attack* (Ex):
Powerful Sneak* (Ex):
Pressure Points* (Su): A rogue with this talent can strike at an opponent's vital pressure points, causing weakness and intense pain. Whenever the rogue deals sneak attack damage, she also deals 1 point of Strength or Dexterity damage, decided by the rogue. . Unlike normal ability damage, . Each successful check heals 1 point of damage caused by this talent, . The rogue receives a +10 insight bonus on this Heal check.
Slow Reactions* (Ex): Opponents damaged by the rogue's sneak attack can't make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
Underhanded* (Ex): a rogue with this talent makes a sneak attack during the surprise round using a concealed weapon,
Your Befuddling Strike changes are awesome. I take it ^^
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Ninja Tricks
Unchanged Tricks (all ki):
Acrobatic Master
Choking Bomb
Darkvision
Feather Fall
Flurry of Stars
Ki Charge ()
Poison Bomb
Shadow Clone
Smoke Bomb ()
Sudden Disguise
Vanishing Trick
Ventriloquism
Changed Tricks:
Unarmed Combat Mastery (Su): A ninja with this trick gains the unarmed damage and ki strike abilities of a monk of equal level to her ninja level (see Monk). Levels between the two classes for these abilities stack.
(no longer a master trick)
Forgotten Trick (Ex): A ninja with this ability can recall one trick taught to her by her ancient masters. When she uses this ability, she selects one ninja trick (not a master trick or rogue talent) that she does not know and can use that ninja trick for a number of rounds equal to her level. She must pay any ki costs associated with the trick as normal. Using this ability expends .
(only tricks with ki costs are 'tricks' now, and as this works on only 'tricks' and not 'talents', i lowered the cost. bad idea? it is still twice as costly...)
...
Tricks changed to Talents (and corresponding shifts):
Hidden Weapons (Ex): In addition, she can draw hidden weapons as a action, and she gains the Quickdraw feat.
Deft Palm: (see Hidden Weapons)
High Jumper (Ex): When a rogue with this talent makes a high jump, the DC for that jump is half the normal DC.
Expert Leaper (Ex): When making jump checks, the rogue is always considered to have a running start. Whenever the rogue deliberately falls, a DC 15 Acrobatics check allows her to ignore the first 20 feet fallen (instead of the first 10 feet).
Slow Metabolism (Ex):
Hold Breath: (see Slow Metabolism)
Undetected Sabotage (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent uses Disable Device to sabotage or disable a device, she can make a Stealth check with a bonus equal to her level. Anyone who inspects the device does not notice the sabotage and assumes the object works unless he beats the rogue's check with an opposed skill check.
Wall Climber: (see Wall Scramble)
Wall Scramble (Ex):
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Maneuver Talents:
(is the premise too good? allowing a skill check to sub in for a CMB attack roll once per foe per day?)
Combat Swipe (Ex):
(Ex): A rogue with this talent may substitute her Bluff bonus for her CMB when performing a dirty trick combat maneuver. She must wait 24 hours before using this ability against the same foe (using her regular CMB as normal for consecutive attempts).
(Ex): A rogue with this talent may substitute her Acrobatics bonus for her CMB when performing a reposition combat maneuver. She must wait 24 hours before using this ability against the same foe (using her regular CMB as normal for consecutive attempts).
...
(or how about the 'once per foe per day' concept? i am seeking an alternate to the X/day model)
Assault Leader (Ex): When the rogue misses with an attack on a flanked opponent, she can designate a single ally who is also flanking the target that her attack missed. That ally can make a single melee attack against the opponent as an immediate action.
...
(or how about positing the preparation time to control the pace of an otherwise unlimited ability?)
Thoughtful Reexamining (Ex): A rogue with this talent can reroll an Appraise, Heal, Knowledge, Sense Motive, or Perception skill check to try to gain new or better information from the roll.
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(should the following abilities be changed to flat 10 feet vs half land speed?)
Strong Stroke (Ex):
Wall Scramble (Ex):
...
finally Sniper Talents - are these too good?
Deadly Range (Ex): A rogue with this talent increases by 10 feet,
Sniper's Eye (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply her sneak attack damage on ranged attacks that benefit from concealment. Foes with total concealment are still immune
Stealthy Sniper (Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses the Stealth skill to snipe, she only suffers a –10 penalty on the Stealth check, instead of –20. (no longer an advanced talent)
(Ex): A rogue with this talent can use the Bluff skill to feint with a ranged weapon against a foe within her point blank range (normally 30 feet). (Rogue Glory)
...
feedback appreciated.
Trick Shot remind me of something ^^ Good idea for the name.
Stealthy Sniper change was necessary to open viable sniping to early level rogue.
I really like the «focus» aspect of deadly range and sniper eye. Very flavourful. However, why targeting CMD ?
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easy to remember. i know that larger targets ought to be easier to hit, but, i figger i wouldn't try to reinvent the wheel. the other option was like 15 + CR or something like that. i wanted the DC to scale with monster difficulty in the abstract, and at a slightly more-than-linear rate, which CMD does.
for the same reason, it ought to be easier to tumble through the legs of larger creatures, and yet we face the same issue.
Trick Shot is straight copied out of Rogue Glory book. i like the name too.
I see we had the same idea for the progression of the Magic rogue talent ^^. It is kinda obvious and having one level 2 spell is useful.
Gotta look through the rest.
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It occurs to me that Paizo's general philosophy is generally to reward players for staying with the same character class instead of dipping. With that in mind, how about allowing for a progression based on the total number of rogue talents you have? Frex, you take something relatively putzy like Weapon Training. If you have Weapon Training and, say, two other rogue talents--doesn't matter which, just that you're at least a Rog6--you get Weapon Specialization (maybe restrict it to flanking attacks). Do the same thing with the Magic, x talents, though that might be kind of tough; e.g., if you have Minor Magic and at least two or three other rogue talents, you get Moderate Magic as well. If you have Moderate Magic and at least one advanced talent, you get Major Magic.
I'd have to think about what else you could get, but this way you're rewarding a character for taking many levels in rogue, and also giving them more talents. It'll tend to make them stack up a little better against urban rangers and archaeologists.
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Karuth,
i am appropriating an idea of yours here, because my original 'cowboy' idea above was downright silly:
Rope Master (Ex): A rogue with this ability can move at her normal speed when climbing rope on a Climb check,
...
John Woodford,
you make an excellent point, as i consider it good design to discourage 'dipping' directly by encouraging class loyalty. however a character can take 2 levels in rogue and then keep getting the 'extra talent' feat so the cause is lost.
to address this very concern, i am basically trying to have the talents draw synergetic interaction from the rogue's other strengths. primarily this is her other class features (notably sneak attack) and using skill substitutions (she has 8 skill points).
and though i see your point about re-writing the talents to scale with rogue level rather than just character level, i think a different way to address the same problem is to let the urban ranger and archeologist have their fun, and bring the rogue up to their level. this was the main concern behind the streetwise pool, exploitation, and skill execution proposals (still in progress - your feedback is appreciated).
cheers!
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stemming from ideas in my exploitation thread, how about:
(* = strike talents aka 'talents that modify a sneak attack')
Combat Swipe* (Ex) - A rogue who scores a sneak attack against her foe may immediately attempt a steal combat maneuver as a swift action. If she succeeds she may choose to inflict an additional amount of damage equal to her Intelligence modifier as a secondary effect.
Dirty Trickster* (Ex) - A rogue who scores a sneak attack against her foe may immediately attempt a dirty trick combat maneuver as a swift action. If she succeeds she may choose to inflict an additional amount of damage equal to her Intelligence modifier as a secondary effect.
Fancy Footwork* (Ex) - A rogue who scores a sneak attack against her foe may immediately attempt a reposition combat maneuver as a swift action. If she succeeds she may choose to inflict an additional amount of damage equal to her Intelligence modifier as a secondary effect.
(bear in mind the corresponding 'improved (maneuver)' feats will be available via the Combat Trick talent, amended to be re-takeable)
Question:
should these strike talent effects be free actions? i consider them powerful so to play it safe i costed them as swift actions (compare with strike talents above)...
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thanks Lemmy!
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Black Market Connections (Ex):
Deadly Cocktail (Ex):
Getaway Artist (Ex):
Lasting Poison (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon in such a way that it is effective for two successful attacks instead of one. The poison has a reduced effect, however, and saves made against the poison receive a +2 circumstance bonus. Applying poison in this way requires a full-round action, or a action if the rogue has the swift poison talent.
Poison Use (Ex): A rogue with this talent is trained in the use of poison and cannot accidentally poison herself when applying poison to a weapon.
Rogue Crawl (Ex): While prone, a rogue with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A rogue with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling.
Stand Up (Ex): (see Rogue Crawl)
Swift Poison (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon as a action, instead of a standard action.
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also, from above, i am striking Dirty Trickster and Fancy Footwork from existence, and modifying Combat Swipe into a strike talent as follows:
Combat Swipe* (Ex):
...
(master list re-post pending... thanks all for ideas/input!)
cheers.
I like a lot of these tweaks, and am still reading through a number of them.
The only one I didn't like so far is the change to Honeyed Words. The original was nice, you just couldn't use it often enough. Your version seems to actually weaken it as I don't know how often you're always going to have circumstance (not circumstantial) bonuses or penalties to Bluff--great if you do, but it seems to rely on others to buff you up.
I'd almost rather go with just a half-class level bonus (like trapfinding) to Bluff. You can decide whether it would apply to feint or not (and if it doesn't apply to feint, then there should be a bluff-feint related one that does).
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Master Talent List (take 2):
denotes changes from standard talents
italics means ex-advanced talent now basic
Basic Strike Talents:
Befuddling Strike* (Ex): When the rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, that opponent takes a penalty on attack rolls
Bleeding Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Combat Swipe* (Ex):
Distracting Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this talent can make sneak attacks with subtle flourishes that disorient and distract her enemy. When she hits her target with a to cause the target to become flat-footed relative to one ally until the beginning of her next turn. The rogue cannot designate herself as an ally gaining the benefit of this talent. Creatures with uncanny dodge are immune to distracting attack.
Ki Block* (Su): A rogue with this talent can prevent a creature from using its . Whenever the rogue deals sneak attack damage, the target must make a Will save . The DC of this save is 10 + 1/2 the rogue's level + the rogue's Charisma modifier.
Offensive Defense* (Ex): When a rogue with this talent hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, the rogue gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each sneak attack die rolled for one round.
Positioning Attack* (Ex):
Powerful Sneak* (Ex):
Pressure Points* (Su): A rogue with this talent can strike at an opponent's vital pressure points, causing weakness and intense pain. Whenever the rogue deals sneak attack damage, she also deals 1 point of Strength or Dexterity damage, decided by the rogue. . Unlike normal ability damage, . Each successful check heals 1 point of damage caused by this talent, . The rogue receives a +10 insight bonus on this Heal check.
Slow Reactions* (Ex): Opponents damaged by the rogue's sneak attack can't make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
Underhanded* (Ex): a rogue with this talent makes a sneak attack during the surprise round using a concealed weapon or unarmed strike,
Basic Talents:
Assault Leader (Ex): When the rogue misses with an attack on a flanked opponent, she can designate a single ally who is also flanking the target that her attack missed. That ally can make a single melee attack against the opponent as an immediate action.
Black Market Connections (Ex):
Camouflage (Ex): A rogue with this talent can craft simple but effective camouflage from the surrounding foliage. The rogue needs to prepare the camouflage, but once she does, it is good for the rest of the day or until the wearer fails a saving throw against an area effect spell that deals fire, cold, or acid damage; whichever comes first. While within terrain that matches the foliage used to make the camouflage, the rogue . This ability cannot be used in areas without natural foliage.
Canny Observer (Ex):
Charmer (Ex):
Coax Information (Ex):
Combat Trick: A rogue that selects this talent may select any bonus combat feat she qualifies for (see Feats).
Convincing Lie (Ex): When a rogue with this talent lies, she creates fabrications so convincing that others treat them as truth. When a rogue with this talent successfully uses the Bluff skill to convince someone that what she is saying is true, if that individual is questioned later about the statement or story, that person uses the rogue's Bluff skill modifier to convince the questioner, rather than his own. If his Bluff skill modifier is better than the rogue's, the individual can use his own modifier and gain a +2 bonus on any check to convince others of the lie. This effect lasts for a number of days equal to 1/2 the rogue's level + the rogue's Charisma modifier.
Cunning Trigger (Ex): A rogue with this talent can use a swift action to set off any trap within 30 feet that she constructed
Deadly Cocktail (Ex):
Deadly Range (Ex):
Deft Palm: (see Hidden Weapons)
Esoteric Scholar (Ex): , and can attempt knowledge checks untrained.
Expert Leaper (Ex): When making jump checks, the rogue is always considered to have a running start. Whenever the rogue deliberately falls, a DC 15 Acrobatics check allows her to ignore the first 20 feet fallen (instead of the first 10 feet).
Fast Fingers (Ex):
Fast Getaway (Ex): After successfully making a sneak attack or Sleight of Hand check, a rogue with this talent can spend a move action to take the withdraw action. She can move no more than her speed during this movement.
Fast Picks: (see Quick Disable)
Fast Stealth (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move at full speed using the Stealth skill without penalty.
Fast Tumble (Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses Acrobatics to move at full speed through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity, the DC of the Acrobatics check does not increase by 10.
Follow Clues: (see Canny Observer)
Finesse Rogue (Ex):
Firearm Training: A rogue with this talent gains Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms).
Frugal Trapsmith (Ex): When a rogue with this talent constructs a mechanical trap, she only pays 75% of the normal cost.
Getaway Artist (Ex):
Grit (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains the Amateur Gunslinger feat and one grit feat of her choice. She must fulfill the prerequisites of the grit feat in order to choose it. A rogue must have the firearm training talent before choosing this one.
Guileful Polyglot (Ex):
Hard to Fool (Ex):
Hidden Weapons (Ex): In addition, she can draw hidden weapons as a action, and she gains the Quickdraw feat.
High Jumper (Ex): When a rogue with this talent makes a high jump, the DC for that jump is half the normal DC.
Hold Breath: (see Slow Metabolism)
Honeyed Words (Ex): A rogue with this ability doubles all circumstantial bonuses made when using the Bluff skill to lie or fool another person. She may use her Bluff skill in place of her Diplomacy skill to influence the attitudes of others.
Iron Guts (Ex):
Ki Pool (Su):
Lasting Poison (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon in such a way that it is effective for two successful attacks instead of one. The poison has a reduced effect, however, and saves made against the poison receive a +2 circumstance bonus. Applying poison in this way requires a full-round action, or a action if the rogue has the swift poison talent.
Ledge Walker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move along narrow surfaces at full speed using the Acrobatics skill without penalty,
(Ex): The rogue gains low-light vision, seeing twice as far as an ordinary human in dim light.
Magic, Major (Sp):
(Sp):
Magic, Minor (Sp):
Master of Disguise (Ex):
Nimble Climber: (see Ledge Walker)
Ninja Trick: A rogue with this talent can choose a trick from the ninja trick list. The rogue can choose but cannot use tricks that require ki points, unless she has a ki pool. A rogue can pick this talent more than once.
Peerless Maneuver (Ex):
Poison Use (Ex): A rogue with this talent is trained in the use of poison and cannot accidentally poison herself when applying poison to a weapon.
Quick Disable (Ex): It takes a rogue with this ability half the normal amount of time to disable a trap using the Disable Device skill (minimum 1 round).
Quick Disguise: (see Master of Disguise)
Quick Trapsmith (Ex): As a full-round action, a rogue with this talent can set a simple trap with a CR no greater than 1/2 her rogue level. To do this, she must purchase the components, spend the required time constructing the trap in advance, and have its components at hand. The type of trap that can be constructed in this way is subject to DM discretion.
Resiliency (Ex): When she is broguht down to 0 hit points or fewer, she may grant herself a number of temporary hit points equal to her rogue level as an immediate action, which last for 1 minute. If her hit points drop below 0 again due to the loss of these temporary hit points, she falls unconscious and is dying as normal.
Rogue Crawl (Ex): While prone, a rogue with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A rogue with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling.
Rope Master (Ex): A rogue with this ability can move at her normal speed when climbing rope on a Climb check,
Slow Metabolism (Ex):
Snap Shot (Ex): A rogue with this talent may treat her initiative roll as a 20 for a surprise round, regardless of her initiative, but she may only take an attack action with a ranged weapon. Her normal initiative roll is used in subsequent rounds. If two or more rogues possess this talent, their initiative determines the order in which they act, but they all go before any other creature. If a rogue is prevented from acting in the surprise round, this talent has no effect.
Sniper's Eye (Ex):
Stand Up (Ex): (see Rogue Crawl)
Stealthy Sniper (Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses the Stealth skill to snipe, she only suffers a –10 penalty on the Stealth check, instead of –20.
Strong Impression (Ex):
Strong Stroke (Ex):
Surprise Attack (Ex): During the surprise round, opponents are always considered flat-footed to a rogue with this ability, even if they have already acted.
Survivalist (Ex):
Swift Poison (Ex): action, instead of a standard action.[/ooc]
Terrain Mastery (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a favored terrain as the ranger ability of the same name.
Thoughtful Reexamining (Ex): A rogue with this talent can reroll an Appraise, Heal, Knowledge, Sense Motive, or Perception skill check to try to gain new or better information from the roll.
Trap Spotter (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent comes within 10 feet of a trap, she receives an immediate Perception skill check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the DM.
(Ex): A rogue with this talent can use the Bluff skill to feint with a ranged weapon against a foe within her point blank range (normally 30 feet). (Rogue Glory)
Undetected Sabotage (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent uses Disable Device to sabotage or disable a device,
Wall Scramble (Ex):
Wall Climber: (see Wall Scramble)
Weapon Training:
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DeathQuaker,
Honeyed Words, as written above, allows the rogue to gain a +10 to convince an impaired/drunk person, a +10 to convince a person who wants to believe you, and a +20 if you have compelling proof (and these all stack)! with a little creativity and preparation, lying quickly becomes full-proof for a rogue with this talent. also, as Bluff can now be used to sway attitudes, it can conceivably be used to create the conditions of the target 'wanting' to believe you. if anything, i am worried that it is now too good! and yes, feinting is totally divorced from it. see Combat Trick to pick up Improved Feint bypassing prerequisites...
Also, i have replanted the whole 'roll twice 1/day (+1/5 levels) take best' skill mechanic into another class feature proposal i call Skill Execution, fyi. If you wanted to restore it as a talent, call it 'Skill Finesse' and let it choose any single skill to feature each time you take it.
thanks for your input.
cheers.
You don't seem to have noted if any of them are advanced talents or not.
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two minor changes. would you take these now?
Rogue Crawl (Ex): While prone, a rogue with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A rogue with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling.
Stand Up (Ex): A rogue with this talent may stand up from prone attacks of opportunity from foes who threaten her.
also, arguably the most thematic rogue combat maneuver:
Combat Swipe (Ex): A rogue with this talent may substitute her Sleight of Hand skill bonus in for her CMB when performing a steal combat maneuver.
Dotting.
There are very nice! I might even invest feats in rogue talents with these.
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continuing refinement. changes from above in . (note: above versions are already distinct from the book versions)
Strike Talents:
Befuddling Strike* (Ex): When the rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, that opponent takes a penalty on attack rolls and concentration checks equal to the rogue's Charisma bonus (minimum 1) for a number of rounds equal to the rogue's number of sneak attack dice. Once a creature has been the target of a befuddling strike, that creature is immune to that rogue's befuddling strike for 24 hours.
Bleeding Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue's sneak attack (e.g., 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Combat Swipe* (Ex): may immediately perform a steal combat maneuver as a free action against that same foe, and may use her Sleight of Hand skill bonus in place of her CMB bonus to do so.
Offensive Defense* (Ex): hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, the rogue gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each sneak attack die rolled for one round.
Underhanded* (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent makes a sneak attack during the surprise round using a concealed weapon, an unarmed strike, she automatically maximizes her sneak attack damage dice. A rogue using this ability to deal subdual damage suffers no penalty on her attack roll.
...
cheers
Uff... There's a lot to type here... -.-'
First, let me say that the is kinda annoying to read. I was going to comment on each talent individually, but they are too spread out on several posts. Consider creating a googledoc for easier editing and viewing.
I'd gladly review them if the update versions of each talent could all be easily found in the same place without having to check latter posts for updates.
Let me see... Some changes seem like they either ain't enough to make a difference, being just slightly less situational than the normal talents. Many talents are still too specific. This makes them needless complicated and harder for players to remember when to use them. Try simple, general bonuses instead of highly specific ones.
Cunning Trigger is still way too situational. It's very easy for a whole campaign goes on without this talent ever coming into play. Same goes for Fast Fingers.
OTOH, a few talents seem to go too far on the other direction.
Survivalist basically giving Rogues all of a Ranger's class features steps too much on another class' toes. Finesse Rogue is not bad, but I honestly think that getting to add Dex to both attack and damage rolls should cost more than a single feat/talent.
I'll just repeat the suggestion of you writing down the talents in a googledoc or similar format. This way it's much easier for you to update the list and for us to view it.
Dot it and I'll comment on each revised talent you shared.
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soon i will recompile my list, incorporating all the changes made over the months. maybe even get around to that googledoc.
but first, what about this idea (changes in ):
:
As a rogue gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes. Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels of rogue attained after 2nd level. A rogue cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Strike talents, marked with an asterisk, add effects to a rogue's sneak attack. Normally only one strike talent can be applied to an individual attack and the decision must be made before the attack roll is made.
is two dice fair?
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Scout and Investigator Talents:
Camouflage (Ex): A rogue with this talent can craft simple but effective camouflage from the surrounding foliage. The rogue needs to prepare the camouflage, but once she does, it is good for the rest of the day or until the wearer fails a saving throw against an area effect spell that deals fire, cold, or acid damage; whichever comes first. While within terrain that matches the foliage used to make the camouflage, the rogue . This ability cannot be used in areas without natural foliage.
Canny Observer (Ex): to hear the details of a conversation or to find concealed or secret objects (including doors and traps) .
Follow Clues: A rogue with this talent can use Perception to follow tracks as per the Survival skill.
Hard to Fool (Ex):
Survivalist (Ex): A rogue with this talent
Another step closer to that "rainzax rogue" complete write-up? ;)
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yes. soon to compile a version 2 list of completely reworked (basic) rogue talents, from core to advanced players guide to ultimate combat, including no-ki (mundane) ninja tricks.
i wish i had your formatting skills though. your stuff looks like it's pages torn straight out the rulebook. per Lemmy's request, the 'blueish text' will be removed for ease of reading - changes from the old talents are upthread anyhow, in the blueish, so it's on record.
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new talents!:
Crack Shot
Using a ranged weapon the rogue may attempt a feint against her target using her Perception skill (instead of Bluff). This is a move action. She may feint out to point blank range (usually 30 feet). If she keeps one hand free while doing so, she may instead feint as a swift action.
Flick of the Wrist
Using a light melee weapon the rogue may attempt a feint against her target using her Sleight of Hand skill (instead of Bluff). This is a move action. If the light weapon is also a thrown weapon, she may feint out to point blank range (usually 30 feet). If she keeps one hand free while doing so, she may instead feint as a swift action.
Swordplay
The rogue gains Improved Feint as a bonus feat. If she is using a one-handed piercing or slashing weapon while keeping the other hand free, she may instead feint as a swift action.
...
also what to you guys think of this:
Rogue Talents
As a rogue gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes. Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels of rogue attained after 2nd level. A rogue cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Rogue talents with an asterisk (*) are called strike talents because they modify a rogue's sneak attack by adding a secondary effect to it. A rogue may normally only use one strike talent per sneak attack. However, if she knows multiple strike talents, she may trade out two sneak attack dice (2d6) for each additional strike talent she wishes to layer into a single attack. This cannot reduce the number of sneak attack dice to zero. She must always declare which strike talents she is using before making a sneak attack.
As an optional rule, a rogue with the cunning ability may expend one use of it to gain the knowledge of one strike talent she doesn't ordinarily know for 1 round. This is a swift action. For that round, she may use that talent for any number of sneak attacks she makes.
The concepts of the first three are great. I have criticism though. Its arguable how much better or worse a talent should be compared to a feat, but what I am seeing in each of these talents looks like possibly two feats and a trait. A trait to swap the skill used, a feat to feint as a move action, and a feat to feint as a swift.
Gaining Improved Feint through a talent is a great idea. I'm surprised it didn't exist before. But I would leave it as just the feat, because in a round about way its two feats right? Combat expertise isn't used much, so skipping the feat is pretty close to having and not using it.
Swapping the skill used for feint probably isn't worth an entire talent itself, but throwing in move action seems like too much, in my opinion. Perhaps swapping the skill and gaining bonus to feinting with it?
Finally, feinting as a swift action could easily be talent all by itself. It could read something like "the rogue can feint as a swift action if doing so would normally require a move action. If she feint as a move or standard action, she gains a +2 to the check."
I'm undecided of trading out SA dice to gains extra SA talents, but I like the branching out you've done with cunning.
I just allow multiple * talents to apply if you have them. After all, it's not as though any of them are individually all that powerful, and if you've done all the work to get an SA you might as well get a reward for it.
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feinting
first, my line of comparison is drawn with rage powers or discoveries, not feats, in terms of balancing. thus, the general concept 'worth a feat and then some' is something i'm comfortable with.
all three allow feinting as a move action. this is what Improved Feint does. also, all three only allow access to the 'swift' function by requiring the rogue to adopt a tactic that is typically sub-par, if thematic (for Crack Shot, no bow 'n arrows, for Flick of Wrist, no TWFing, for Swordplay, no shields or greatswords, etc...). Thus, even if not using the thematic options (Hand X-bow, Dagger, Rapier, respectively), there is still wriggle room to make these feats useful for other (more optimal) styles. But, being thematic (and consequently sub-par) gets a little boost.
to me switching the skill from Bluff is neither here nor there. Bluff is a versatile skill. outsourcing it to Sleight of Hand is no contest. I could see the concern with Perception (don't forget range penalties!), but, all-in-all, i think viable (even mobile) feinting should be much easier access for a rogue. thus, at the cost of one talent.
two dice for strike talents
what is neat here is that the rogue dead-BAB levels (5/9/13/17) are enriched by allowing at those levels the option of stacking on yet another strike talent (3d6/5d6/7d6/9d6 aka 2/3/4/5 talents) at the cost of 2 dice each. many of the talents have effects calculated based on SA dice rolled, remember, so those will be in reduced effect. so, the question is, do the talents that don't interact with number of SA dice (like Slow Reactions, for example) lend themselves to breaking the game if allowed to stack with one another?
the basic premise here is to try to use a vehicle that already exists (Sneak Attack) to increase the battlefield control utility potential of the rogue.
further, do you think carte blanche for cunning with strike talents is overboard? i figure that cunning is 'expensive' enough to make the decision a tactically difficult one.
Using cunning to temporarily gain a talent? I guess there is a precedence for it in some specific classes and abilities, but I feel it could also exist as a rogue talent.
If you think perception for feint is a little better than the other skills. Then deny the benefit to melee attacks.
I really like what you've been doing. I was just showing my friend (who generally plays casters with a malicious leaning) a few of your talents and he mentioned wanting to play a rogue now. Now I'm debating on copy/pasting them now or waiting until you make a doc yourself.
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UsagiTaicho,
you've forced my hand (early).
take three:
Strike Talents:
Rogue talents with an asterisk (*) are called strike talents because they modify a rogue's sneak attack by adding a secondary effect to it. A rogue may normally only use one strike talent per sneak attack. However, if she knows multiple strike talents, she may trade out two sneak attack dice (2d6) for each additional strike talent she wishes to layer into a single attack. This cannot reduce the number of sneak attack dice to zero. She must always declare which strike talents she is using before making a sneak attack.
As an optional rule, a rogue with the cunning ability may expend one use of it to gain the knowledge of one strike talent she doesn't ordinarily know for 1 round. This is a swift action. For that round, she may use that talent for any number of sneak attacks she makes.
Befuddling Strike* (Ex): When the rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, that opponent takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and concentration checks for a number of rounds equal to the rogue's number of sneak attack dice. This penalty increases by -1 for every five rogue levels she possesses.
Bleeding Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue's sneak attack (e.g., 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a Heal check with a DC equal to 10 + the number of sneak attack dice rolled + her Intelligence modifier, or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Combat Swipe* (Ex): A rogue with a free hand who deals sneak attack damage to an adjacent opponent may immediately perform a steal combat maneuver as a free action against that same foe, taking a bonus to her CMB roll equal to the number of sneak attack dice rolled.
Distracting Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this talent can make sneak attacks with subtle flourishes that disorient and distract her enemy. When she hits her target with a sneak attack, she may forgo her extra damage dice to cause the target to become flat-footed until the beginning of her next turn relative to one ally, plus up to one additional ally for every 5 rogue levels she attains. Selected allies are granted a circumstance bonus to the next attack made against the common foe equal to the number of foregone sneak attack dice. The rogue cannot designate herself as an ally gaining the benefit of this talent.
Ki Block* (Su): A rogue with this talent can prevent a creature from using its supernatural abilities. Whenever the rogue deals sneak attack damage, the target must make a Will save or have all of it's supernatural abilities temporarily suppressed for 1 round. The DC of this save is 10 + the number of sneak attack dice rolled + the rogue's Charisma modifier. The creature may still activate such abilities as normal, but they have no effect until after the suppression lifts. A rogue must have the ki pool rogue talent or class feature before taking ki block.
Offensive Defense* (Ex): A rogue with this talent exploits pockets in her foes' defenses to bolster her own. Whenever she hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, the rogue gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each sneak attack die rolled for one round. This bonus does not stack with itself.
Positioning Attack* (Ex): Once per round, when a rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, she may immediately move up to 5 feet per dice rolled through that foe's threatened or occupied area as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity from that foe. Finally, until the end of her next turn, any reposition maneuvers she attempts against the same foe are granted a +1 to CMB for every 5 feet she moved this way.
Powerful Sneak* (Ex): A rogue with this talent may use her sneak attacks to bypass one point of damage reduction per sneak attack dice she rolls.
Pressure Points* (Su): A rogue with this talent can strike at an opponent's vital pressure points, causing weakness and intense pain. Whenever the rogue deals sneak attack damage, she also deals 1 point of Strength or Dexterity damage, decided by the rogue. This is a pain effect. Unlike normal ability damage, this damage can be healed as a standard action with a friendly Heal check (DC 10 + number of sneak attack dice rolled + her Charisma modifier). Each successful check heals 1 point of damage caused by this talent, plus 1 point for every 5 by which the Heal check exceeds the DC. The rogue receives a +10 insight bonus on this Heal check. A rogue must have the ki pool rogue talent or class feature before taking pressure points.
Slow Reactions* (Ex): Opponents damaged by the rogue's sneak attack loses a number of attacks of opportunity equal to the number of sneak attack dice rolled for 1 round. Any attacks of opportunity made during this time take a -1 penalty per dice rolled as well. Finally, a creature under the effects of a haste spell or effect sees it benefits suppressed for 1 round.
Underhanded* (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent makes a sneak attack during the surprise round using a concealed weapon, an unarmed strike, or from behind the pretense of neutrality or friendship, she automatically maximizes her sneak attack damage dice. A rogue using this ability to deal subdual damage suffers no penalty on her attack roll.
Basic Rogue Talents
Assault Leader (Ex): When the rogue misses with an attack on a flanked opponent, she can designate a single ally who is also flanking the target that her attack missed. That ally can make a single melee attack against the opponent as an immediate action. Once a creature has been the target of the assault leader ability, that creature is immune to that rogue's assault leader ability for 24 hours.
Black Market Connections (Ex): Rogues can use their connections with shady suppliers to obtain items that are not easily acquired without having the right contacts. As a result, she may carry unspecified equipment worth up to 100 gp per rogue level, but weighing no more than a total of 2 pounds per rogue level. This can be any kind of gear that can reasonably fit into a backpack, including potions and scrolls (but not any other sort of magic item). As a move action, the Rogue may dig through her pockets to retrieve an item she specifies at that time, deducting its value from the allocated amount of cost and weight. The rogue can replenish her supply after 8 hours of sleep and 1d4 hours of 'shopping' by spending an equal amount of gold, up to her full allotment.
Camouflage (Ex): A rogue with this talent can craft simple but effective camouflage from the surrounding foliage. The rogue needs 10 minutes and rudimentary materials to prepare the camouflage, but once she does, it is good for the rest of the day or until the wearer fails a saving throw against an area effect spell that deals fire, cold, or acid damage; whichever comes first. While within terrain that matches the foliage used to make the camouflage, the rogue may use her Survival bonus in place of her Stealth skill for herself and all of her camouflaged allies, modified by -2 for each ally camouflaged (not including herself) and by the sum of all armor check penalties of the group. This ability cannot be used in areas without natural foliage.
Canny Observer (Ex): A rogue with this ability may add her Intelligence modifier to her Perception checks. Intentionally searching for a stimulus may be done as a swift action. Distance penalties to hear the details of a conversation or to find concealed or secret objects (including doors and traps) are reduced by half.
Charmer (Ex): Through sheer force of personality, the rogue can use Diplomacy to influence a nonplayer character's attitude as a full-round action, but only to shift their attitude by a single step (usually from hostile to unfriendly) - the target is allowed a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the rogue's level + her Charisma modifier) 1 round later to shake the effect. This is a language-dependent mind-affecting charm effect. A rogue with this talent who spends at least 1 minute or longer using Diplomacy to influence an NPC's attitude generally causes a shift that lasts for 1d12 hours (instead of 1d4). Finally, when using Diplomacy to make a request, a rogue may retry after 24 hours has passed, but only once per request.
Coax Information (Ex): Through sheer force of personality, when a rogue with this talent uses Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate to demand information of a nonplayer character, that character is unable to deliberately or intentionally lie to the rogue unless they succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the rogue's level + her Charisma modifier) per attempted deception. This is a language-dependent mind-affecting compulsion effect. The rogue is allowed an opposed Sense Motive versus Bluff check to detect each successful deception.
Combat Trick: A rogue that selects this talent may select any bonus combat feat she qualifies for (see Feats). She does not have to meet the feat's prerequisites if she chooses one from the following list: Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Far Shot, Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Reposition, Improved Steal, Improved Trip, Mobility, Nimble Moves, Precise Shot, and Rapid Shot.
Convincing Lie (Ex): When a rogue with this talent lies, she creates fabrications so convincing that others treat them as truth. When a rogue with this talent successfully uses the Bluff skill to convince someone that what she is saying is true, if that individual is questioned later about the statement or story, that person uses the rogue's Bluff skill modifier to convince the questioner, rather than his own. If his Bluff skill modifier is better than the rogue's, the individual can use his own modifier and gain a +2 bonus on any check to convince others of the lie. This effect lasts for a number of days equal to 1/2 the rogue's level + the rogue's Charisma modifier.
Cunning Trigger (Ex): A rogue with this talent can use a swift action to set off any trap within 30 feet that she constructed or successfully used Disable Device to study and bypass.
Deadly Cocktail (Ex): The rogue gains a poison pool. She must have the poison use talent before selecting deadly cocktail.
Deadly Range (Ex): A rogue with this talent increases her point blank range by 10 feet, enabling her to deal sneak attack damage at this extended range (40 feet). For every 5 rogue levels she attains, this range increases by another +10 feet, until at 20th level the rogue's 'point blank range' is considered to be 80 feet. Further, by taking a swift action to aim, the rogue bypasses range penalties within her point blank range while using a proficient weapon for 1 round.
Deft Palm: (see Hidden Weapons)
Esoteric Scholar (Ex): A rogue with this talent adds half her rogue level to all Knowledge skill checks, and can attempt knowledge checks untrained.
Expert Leaper (Ex): When making jump checks, the rogue is always considered to have a running start. When she takes a running start prior to jumping, for every 10 feet she runs she gains a +1 bonus to the check up to 1/2 her rogue level. Whenever the rogue deliberately falls, a DC 15 Acrobatics check allows her to ignore the first 20 feet fallen (instead of the first 10 feet). This distance increases by +10 feet for every five rogue levels she possesses (to a maximum of 60 feet at 20th level).
Fast Fingers (Ex): A rogue with this talent may draw small items (such as an alchemical item, a dagger, potion, scroll, shuriken, or wand) from her person as a free action. If she is concealing the item (see Sleight of Hand), she may instead draw it as a swift action. When the rogue succeeds in using Sleight of Hand to palm a coin-sized object under observation, if her victim then fails a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the rogue's level + her Dexterity modifier), he becomes fascinated for 1 round (this is mind-affecting effect which may not be repeated against the same victim the same day). Finally, the rogue suffers only half the usual penalty to use Sleight of Hand as a move action.
Fast Getaway (Ex): After successfully making a sneak attack or Sleight of Hand check, a rogue with this talent can spend a move action to take the withdraw action. She can move no more than her speed during this movement.
Fast Picks: (see Quick Disable)
Fast Stealth (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move at full speed using the Stealth skill without penalty. At 10th level, she may move up to twice her speed without penalty.
Fast Tumble (Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses Acrobatics to move at full speed through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity, the DC of the Acrobatics check does not increase by 10. At 10th level, she may move up to twice her speed without increasing the DC.
Follow Clues: A rogue with this talent gains the Track feat and can use Perception to follow tracks as per the Survival skill.
Finesse Rogue (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a bonus to damage equal to her number of sneak attack dice when using a finesse or ranged weapon. This damage counts as precision damage, does not multiply on a critical hit, and does not stack with sneak attack damage.
Firearm Training: A rogue with this talent gains Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms).
Frugal Trapsmith (Ex): When a rogue with this talent constructs a mechanical trap, she only pays 75% of the normal cost.
Getaway Artist (Ex): A rogue with this talent is hard to pin down. She may attempt to break a grapple as a move action. She may also use a swift (or immediate) action to break a magical effect that impedes her movement or causes the paralyzed, petrified, or staggered conditions using her Escape Artist skill (against the DC of the effect), but only once per effect.
Grit (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains the Amateur Gunslinger feat and one grit feat of her choice. She must fulfill the prerequisites of the grit feat in order to choose it. A rogue must have the firearm training talent before choosing this one.
Guileful Polyglot (Ex): A rogue with this talent learns to speak two languages for each rank she has in the Linguistics skill, rather than just one. Whether or not she is trained in Linguistics, she can use the skill to decipher spoken languages in the same way as for deciphering written languages (DC 20 for basic communication, DC 25 for everyday topics and conversation, and DC 30 for more complex subjects). She can use language-dependent abilities upon creatures that do not share a language with her, so long as the creature has a language. When socializing with a creature in it's native tongue, the rogue may add a +1 bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks, as well any opposed Charisma checks and saving throw DCs involved using language-dependent abilities.
Hard to Fool (Ex): A rogue with this talent may add her Intelligence bonus to her Sense Motive checks, and has the uncanny ability to sense enchantment (see Sense Motive) whenever she passes within 10 feet of a creature under such an effect - even if the creature is using the Disguise skill, or is under an illusion or polymorph spell or effect. This check should be made in secret by the DM. Her suspicions are aroused against all illusions and she is automatically considered to disbelieve their effects. If she makes this saving throw, she may communicate her disbelief to her allies granting them a +8 to their respective saving throws (instead of +4). Finally, a rogue with this ability is immune to the mirror image spell and similar magicks (she always strikes the true caster).
Hidden Weapons (Ex): A rogue with this talent can make a Sleight of Hand check to conceal a weapon while holding it in plain sight, even while she is being observed. Anyone frisking her is not conferred their usual +4 bonus to their Perception check. In addition, she can draw hidden weapons as a swift action, and she gains the Quickdraw feat.
High Jumper (Ex): When a rogue with this talent makes a high jump, the DC for that jump is half the normal DC. A rogue with this talent may also jump as part of a charge. Her jump check must also beat her foe's CMD, or else she loses her attack.
Hold Breath: (see Slow Metabolism)
Honeyed Words (Ex): A rogue with this ability doubles all circumstantial bonuses made when using the Bluff skill to lie or fool another person. She may use her Bluff skill in place of her Diplomacy skill to influence the attitudes of others.
Iron Guts (Ex): A rogue with this talent becomes impervious to the sickened condition. Any effect that would cause her to become nauseated make her sickened instead. She gains a +4 bonus to saving throws to resist these kinds of effects, as well as on Fortitude saves made against ingested poisons.
Ki Pool (Su): A rogue gains a ki pool equal to her Wisdom modifier (minimum 0). These points replenish after 8 hours of rest. She may spend one ki point as a swift action to gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC for one round. This talent allows the rogue to take ninja tricks that are powered by ki (see Ninja Tricks).
Lasting Poison (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon in such a way that it is effective for two successful attacks instead of one. The poison has a reduced effect, however, and saves made against the poison receive a +2 circumstance bonus. Applying poison in this way requires a full-round action, or a single move action if the rogue has the swift poison talent.
Ledge Walker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move along narrow surfaces at full speed using the Acrobatics skill without penalty, and to retain her Dexterity bonus to AC while balancing or while using the Climb skill. At 10th level, she may move up to twice her speed while balancing without penalty. If a rogue with this ability fails an Acrobatics or Climb check which would cause her to fall, she may immediately make a Reflex save against the same DC to catch herself before she falls - doing so is a free action that leaves her staggered for 1 round if she succeeds.
Magic, Major (Sp): A rogue with this talent chooses either two 1st-level spells or one 2nd-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard list to cast as a spell-like ability. If she chooses 1st-level spells, she may cast them up to three times per day in any combination - if she chooses a 2nd level spell, she may cast it once per day. For every 5 rogue levels she attains, she gains an additional casting per day. The caster level for this ability is equal to the rogue's level. The save DC for this spell is 11 + the rogue's Charisma modifier for a 1st-level spell, or 12 + Charisma for a 2nd-level spell. The rogue must have sufficient a Charisma score (11 or 12 respectively) to select this talent. A rogue must have the minor magic rogue talent before choosing this talent.
Magic, Minor (Sp): A rogue with this talent chooses either three cantrips or one 1st-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard list to cast as a spell-like ability. If she chooses cantrips, she may cast them up to five times a day in any combination - if she chooses a 1st level spell, she may cast it up to three times per day. For every 5 rogue levels she attains, she gains an additional casting per day. The caster level for this ability is equal to the rogue's level. The save DC for this spell is 10 + the rogue's Charisma modifier for a cantrip, or 11 + Charisma for a 1st-level spell. The rogue must have sufficient a Charisma score (10 or 11 respectively) to select this talent.
Nimble Climber: (see Ledge Walker)
Ninja Trick: A rogue with this talent can choose a trick from the ninja trick list. The rogue can choose but cannot use tricks that require ki points, unless she has a ki pool. A rogue can pick this talent more than once.
Peerless Maneuver (Ex): When a rogue provokes an attack of opportunity from failing to move through threatened or occupied squares using her Acrobatics skill, she may substitute her check result for her AC against those attacks.
Poison Use (Ex): A rogue with this talent is trained in the use of poison and cannot accidentally poison herself when applying poison to a weapon.
Quick Disable (Ex): It takes a rogue with this ability half the normal amount of time to disable a trap using the Disable Device skill (minimum 1 round). She can also attempt to open a lock as a standard action.
Quick Disguise: (see Master of Disguise)
Quick Trapsmith (Ex): As a full-round action, a rogue with this talent can set a simple trap with a CR no greater than 1/2 her rogue level. To do this, she must purchase the components, spend the required time constructing the trap in advance, and have its components at hand. The type of trap that can be constructed in this way is subject to DM discretion.
Resiliency (Ex): With a sudden surge of adrenaline, a rogue with this ability can briefly stave off unconsciousness. When she is brought down to 0 hit points or fewer, she may grant herself a number of temporary hit points equal to her rogue level as an immediate action, which last for 1 minute. If her hit points drop below 0 again due to the loss of these temporary hit points, she falls unconscious and is dying as normal. Using this ability causes the rogue to become fatigued for 1 hour.
Rogue Crawl (Ex): While prone, a rogue with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A rogue with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling. Finally, she only suffers half the usual penalties to her attack rolls and AC while fighting from a prone position. If a rogue with this talent also has the stand up talent, she instead suffers no such penalties while prone.
Rope Master (Ex): A rogue with this ability can move at her normal speed when climbing rope on a Climb check, or twice that speed when descending. At 10th level, these modes of movement become double or quadruple, respectively. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC and suffers no penalty to melee attack rolls while climbing or rappelling rope. The rogue may substitute her Escape Artist bonus for her CMB when using rope to tie up her foe. Finally, she gains proficiency with the lasso, net, and bola.
Slow Metabolism (Ex): A rogue with this talent can use a form of autohypnosis to slow her metabolism down by a factor of two. She can hold her breath for twice as long before needing to make Constitution checks, and she doubles the interval between saving throws when poisoned. Taking a standard or full-round action does not reduce the amount of time she can hold her breath. She gains a +2 bonus to her Bluff checks to feign death. At 5th level, and again every five rogue levels thereafter, this factor increases by one and her feign death bonus increases by +2, until at 20th level she can hold her breath and slow effective poison virulence by six times as long, and gains a +10 bonus to feign death.
Snap Shot (Ex): A rogue with this talent may treat her initiative roll as a 20 for a surprise round, regardless of her initiative, but she may only attack with a ranged weapon. Her normal initiative roll is used in subsequent rounds. If two or more rogues possess this talent, their initiative determines the order in which they act, but they all go before any other creature. If a rogue is prevented from acting in the surprise round, this talent has no effect.
Sniper's Eye (Ex): The rogue gains low-light vision. If she already possesses low-light vision or dark vision, her range with that ability is doubled. (see Ambush)
Stand Up (Ex): A rogue with this talent may stand up from prone as a free action without provoking an attacks of opportunity from foes who threaten her. She only suffers half the usual penalties to her attack rolls and AC while fighting from a prone position. If a rogue with this talent also has the rogue crawl talent, she instead suffers no such penalties while prone.
Stealthy Sniper (Ex): When a rogue with this talent uses the Stealth skill to snipe, she only suffers a –10 penalty on the Stealth check, instead of –20.
Strong Impression (Ex): Through sheer force of personality, when the rogue uses Intimidate to force an opponent to act friendly, he instead acts helpful if he fails a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the rogue's level + her Charisma modifier). When the rogue with this talent uses Intimidate to demoralize a foe who is already shaken, if he then fails a Will saving throw (same DC), he becomes frightened for 1 round in addition to the standard effects. Both of these effects are language-dependent mind-affecting fear effects.
Strong Stroke (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a swim speed of (or increases her existing swim speed by) 10 feet. At 10th level, this changes to 20 feet.
Surprise Attack (Ex): During the surprise round, opponents are always considered flat-footed to a rogue with this ability, even if they have already acted. If her foe has uncanny dodge, but his hit dice doesn't exceed the rogue's level, and the rogue has a higher initiative score, she may target him with a sneak attack during the surprise round.
Survivalist (Ex): A rogue with this talent may add her Intelligence modifier to her Heal and Survival skill checks, may use the Heal skill to administer long-term care to herself, and gains the Endurance feat.
Swift Poison (Ex): A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon as a move or swift action (rogue's choice), instead of as a standard action.
Terrain Mastery (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a favored terrain as the ranger ability of the same name, though the favored terrain ability does not increase with her level as the ranger's ability does. A rogue can take this ability multiple times, each time applying it to a new terrain, and granting all other favored terrains a +2 increase to the favored terrain bonus.
Thoughtful Reexamining (Ex): A rogue with this talent can reroll an Appraise, Heal, Knowledge, Sense Motive, or Perception skill check to try to gain new or better information from the roll. The rogue must first spend 1 hour in silent thought while she replays the events in her mind. If she succeeds, she may retroactively retry a number of checks equal to her Intelligence modifier (minimum one). For each day that has passed since the check was originally made, she takes a cumulative -5 penalty on her reroll. Each check may only be retried once. Using this ability causes the rogue to become fatigued for 1 hour.
Trap Spotter (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent comes within 10 feet of a trap, she receives an immediate Perception skill check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the DM.
Undetected Sabotage (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent uses Disable Device to sabotage or disable a device, if she beats the DC by 5 or more, she leaves little or no trace of her tampering. A suspicious party must exceed her Disable Device check by 10 or more in order to detect the sabotage by using either an opposed Disable Device, Knowledge (engineering), or Perception check. If that person possesses this rogue talent also, they gain a +10 competence bonus to make the inspection.
Wall Scramble (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a climb speed of (or increases her existing climb speed by) 10 feet. At 10th level, this changes to 20 feet.
Wall Climber: (see Wall Scramble)
Weapon Training: A rogue that selects this talent gains proficiency with all martial weapons.
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comments welcome!
Holy cow. I didn't realize How many there were. I'm taking them all though.
Cunning Deception (Ex): When the rogue uses Cunning when making a Bluff check to deceive someone or a Liguistics check to create a forgery, the use of Cunning is not lost, if successful.
Cunning Trick (Ex): When the rogue uses Cunning when attempting a Dirty Trick combat maneuver, the use of Cunning is not lost, if successful.
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yeah i wanted to utilize the same titles - because the titles are good - but ratchet up the mechanics to the appropriate power level. i think most of these are way more attractive than feats which was my design goal. they can always be scaled back.
i am curious your inputs on any or all of the changes.
also, nice start to the third type of talent - Cunning Talents. i wanted the rogue talents (and rogue strike talents) to function by themselves independent of any other mechanic. that way they could be imported wholesale or combined with additional variant rogue features mix and match.
for example, i did away with all the "roll twice with skill X" because they seemed under-inspired to me, and could easily be replaced either with an entire system of twice-rolling or with the addition of a simple talent:
Skill Finesse (new rogue talent):
Choose a skill. So long as you have maximum ranks in that skill, you may always roll twice and take the best result on skill checks with that skill. At 10th level, you may instead take 10 with that skill even if circumstances would ordinarily not let you. You may select this talent multiple times, choosing a different skill each time.
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cheers
All in all, I think the talents look pretty good. I can comment on some of them that stick out to me.
Black Market Connections
How about a standard action to use? In a sense, the character is magically summonging an item. Also, it may be a nit-pick, but is the GP value automatically added to the pool when she levels up? If she uses GP, then levels up, is the next 100 free? The mechanic here is vague. Not a problem for everyone, but a problem for some.
Fast Fingers
Drawing small items should be a swift action or a once per round free acction.
Follow Clues
Is track a feat? I couldn't find it.
Hidden Weapons
I'm not sure I care for Quick draw being included in this one. I would find it more thematic if it became a swift action to hide a weapon or to draw a hidden weapon.
Stand Up
I think the first sentence alone is worth a talent, although I would make it a swift action, or at least a once per round free action.
Terrain Mastery
You've made this way better than the ranger's ability. When a ranger gets a +2 to a new terrain, only one other terrain also gets a +2.
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agreed.
Black Market Connections (Ex): Rogues can use their connections with shady suppliers to obtain items that are not easily acquired without having the right contacts. As a result, she may carry unspecified equipment worth up to 100 gp per rogue level, but weighing no more than a total of 2 pounds per rogue level. This can be any kind of gear that can reasonably fit into a backpack, including potions and scrolls (but not any other sort of magic item). As a standard action, the Rogue may dig through her pockets to retrieve an item she specifies at that time, deducting its value from the allocated amount of cost and weight. The rogue can replenish her supply after 8 hours of sleep and 1d4 hours of 'shopping' by spending an equal amount of gold, up to her full allotment.
Fast Fingers (Ex): A rogue with this talent may draw small items (such as an alchemical item, a dagger, potion, scroll, shuriken, or wand) from her person as a free action. If she is concealing the item (see Sleight of Hand), she may instead draw it as a swift action. When the rogue succeeds in using Sleight of Hand to palm a coin-sized object under observation, if her victim then fails a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the rogue's level + her Dexterity modifier), he becomes fascinated for 1 round (this is mind-affecting effect which may not be repeated against the same victim the same day). Finally, the rogue suffers only half the usual penalty to use Sleight of Hand as a move action.
Follow Clues (Ex): A rogue with this talent can use Perception to follow tracks as per the Survival skill, even if the DC exceeds 10.
Hidden Weapons (Ex): A rogue with this talent can make a Sleight of Hand check to conceal a weapon while holding it in plain sight, even while she is being observed, as a swift action. Anyone frisking her is not conferred their usual +4 bonus to their Perception check. In addition, she can draw hidden weapons as a swift action.
Stand Up (Ex): A rogue with this talent may stand up from prone as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity from foes who threaten her. She only suffers half the usual penalties to her attack rolls and AC while fighting from a prone position. If a rogue with this talent also has the rogue crawl talent, she instead suffers no such penalties while prone.
Terrain Mastery (Ex): A rogue with this talent gains a favored terrain as the ranger ability of the same name, though the favored terrain ability does not increase with her level as the ranger's ability does. A rogue can take this talent up to one time for every 5 rogue (or ranger) levels she possesses, each time applying it to a new terrain, and granting all other favored terrains a +2 increase to the favored terrain bonus.
i think the Black Market Connections is clear enough. Do you think Terrain Mastery is fair now?
Black Market Connections wasn't terrible the first time around. There is just going to be a certain amount of GM fiat in how it works. Some people are fine with that, others not so much.
Fast Fingers seems strange to me. The point of Slight Of Hand is to not be seen. Why is the person fascinated?
Stand Up seems pretty potent. It seems like two separate talents to me.
Terrain Mastery is still numerically stronger than the ranger ability. Read the ranger ability again.
Black Market Connections (Ex): Rogues can use their connections to obtain a variety of items, and as such always have just the right one on hand. She can carry unspecified equipment worth up to 100 gp per rogue level, but weighing no more than a total of 2 pounds per rogue level. This can be any kind of gear that can reasonably fit into a backpack, including potions and scrolls (but not any other sort of magic item). As a standard action, the Rogue may dig through her pockets to retrieve an item she specifies at that time, deducting its value from the allocated amount of cost and weight. The rogue can replenish her supply after 8 hours of sleep and 1d4 hours of 'shopping' by spending an equal amount of gold, up to her full allotment.
Fast Fingers (Ex): The rogue can perform any use Slight of Hand as a move action, instead of a standard action, without penalty. Furthermore, may a draw small item no larger than her palm from her person as a swift action.
Follow Clues (Ex): A rogue with this talent can follow tracks by making a Perception check in place of Survival, even if the DC exceeds 10.
Hidden Weapons (Ex): As a swift action, a rogue with this talent can draw a hidden weapon or use Sleight of Hand to conceal a weapon, even while she is being observed.
Stand Up (Ex): A rogue with this talent may stand up from prone as a swift action without provoking a attacks of opportunity.
Terrain Mastery (Ex): A rogue with this talent chooses a type of terrain from the ranger's list of favored terrains. She gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when in this terrain. She can choose this talent up to three times. Each additional time she chooses this talent she selects an additional favored terrain, and the skill bonus and initiative bonus in any one favored terrain (including the one just selected, if so desired), increases by +2.
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Charmer (Ex):
I would use "creature" instead of "non-player character". Player characters already can't be affected by Charisma skills.
Combat Trick:
The sentence "She may select this talent up to once every fifth rogue level" doesn't work. How about "She may select this talent once for every five rogue levels she has."Deadly Range (Ex):
I still don't like the term point blank range, but moving on... I would drop the swift action part. Increasing the distance at which SA works is pretty useful (if you can manage to get off a ranged SA). However, the swift action part seems kind of silly considering how few swift uses for swift actions she has available to her. Its a non-issue to spend a swift action.What I suggest is:
The rogue's ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks if her target is within 45 feet, instead of only 30 feet. If the rogue possess the Point Blank Shot feat, she similarly gains it's benefits at ranges up to 45 feet.Then you add an advanced talent that increases the ranges up to 60 feet.
Deft Palm (Ex):
You'll need to spell this out with more detail, because Slight of Hand doesn't include a feint usage. Copy and paste some of the language used in Bluff, and modify it to fit the talent.Esoteric Scholar (Ex):
This is basically copying a bard class feature, right? IMHO its too much.Evasion (Ex):
This is already a class feature, and you don't have archetypes. What gives?
Expert Leaper (Ex):
What is the DC of increasing the distance she can safely fall? If the DC doesn't increase, there doesn't seem to be a need to increase her Acrobatics skill.Fast Getaway (Ex):
After successfully making a sneak attack or Sleight of Hand check, a rogue with this talent can spend a move action to take the withdraw action. She also gains the Run feat.Fast Tumble (Ex):
When a rogue with this talent uses Acrobatics to move at greater than half her speed through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity, the DC of the check does not increase by 10 unless she is running.Honeyed Words (Ex):
Use "creature" in place of "non-player character". Player characters are already immune to charisma skills.Nimble Climber (Ex):
Does the rogue need any talent for climbing before gaining a climb speed?
Peerless Maneuver (Ex):
She can target the opponent with a sneak attack? You'll have to be more clear, such as "she can apply her sneak attack damage to the first successful attack she makes against that enemy or before her next turn."Snap Shot (Ex):
The ban on using a certain action on her turn feels funny. Perhaps "A rogue with this talent can make a ranged attack as an immediate action during a surprise round, if she is capable of acting during the surprise round." A rogue with a weapon already in hand can make the attack before her turn, while a rogue with quick draw can draw and throw on her surprise round turn.Stand Up (Ex):
Swift action would be better.Strong Stroke (Ex):
Does the rogue need any talent for swimming before gaining a swim speed?Swift Poison (Ex):
There is no need to mention that it is player's choice which action to use. By including words like can or may, you have already given the player that choice.Trapfinding (Ex):
This is already a class feature.Weapon Training:
This seems like a huge gains. Normally the only way to gain this is by multi classing. What is the talent gave the Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus feats? Or if it granted proficiency with all martial weapons in a fighter's weapon group?
Charmer, Deft Palm, Fast Getaway, Fast Tumble, Honeyed Words, Peerless Maneuver, Swift Poison - fixed per your suggestions.
Deadly Range - how about +10 (=40), +10 every fifth? i think overall though the rogue's swift options have expanded in my improvements. i'm tempted to keep it.
Esoteric Scholar - why bard not rogue? tell me. uses a precious talent.
Evasion, Trafinding - this rogue is fully compatible with all archetypes (including ninja...)
Expert Leaper - good point. tied directly to the scaling skill DC now. went with +10 feet per +5 DC. so, slower than Slow Fall in theory.
Fast Getaway - took away Run. added swift +10 speed for 1 minute then fatigued 10 minutes. how can a talent called 'fast getaway' not be used for chase scenes? you think the drawback is fair? like the rogue smokes too much...
Nimble Climber, Strong Stroke - i want to keep these single talents. so now it's take 10 and move half your speed. very similar.
Snap Shot - made it an immediate action, clarified drawing, and protected against a triple sneak attack. different eh?
Stand Up - why swift over free? how about 1/round free as a compromise?
Weapon Training - it is a huge gain. but it keeps the rogue loyal. some rogues will pump ST and run around with a greatsword or a bunch of shuriken. that's cool with me. let's let 'em splash monk or fighter without straying from the class. Anybody can get weapon focus that's not special.
changes implemented here.
cheers!
Fadt getaway wasn't supposed to be in that list. My mistake.
Sounds good for stand up.
Awesome!
Have you considered stealing the ranger traps? It's a simple feature, easy to use (compared to the trap section in the CRB, which was written exclusively for the GM) and I never understood why the rogue doesn't have it as a talent in the first place.