What is so bad about the cloak of resistance? You are considering a 8,000 gp item that'll give you +1 on one save. A cloak of resistance +3 costs just slightly more at 9,000 gp and gets you +3 on all saves.
Iron Will and Improved Iron Will are a good way, but it takes one or two feats to do that. Otherwise, the rogue talent that lets you reroll will saves a round later will help you as well (can't remember what's it called). With those three you have +2 Will, one daily immediate reroll, and a reroll every time you fail an initial save, but one round later.
Chances will improve.
Iron Will and Improved Iron Will are a good way, but it takes one or two feats to do that. Otherwise, the rogue talent that lets you reroll will saves a round later will help you as well (can't remember what's it called). With those three you have +2 Will, one daily immediate reroll, and a reroll every time you fail an initial save, but one round later.
Chances will improve.
Slippery Mind, available at 10th level.
Cloaks of Resistance are good. And stat boosters for WIS and CON will help too.
Boost items are the easiest way to get your saves up. If you're not against level dips then 2 levels of cleric or druid get you +3 to fort and will saves.
Boost items are the easiest way to get your saves up. If you're not against level dips then 2 levels of cleric or druid get you +3 to fort and will saves.
Those classes will help the saves, but will hurt your BAB with the +0 at 1st level. If you're going to do a two-level dip, and can justify it in-game, then Paladin is your best bet. +3 Fort and Will, AND divine grace for your saves, plus all the side benefits (martial weapons, smite, detect evil, lay on hands). Smells slightly cheesy to have a Rogue/Paladin, but it's not against the rules if you can pull it off. Definitely run by your DM though, some might consider sneak attacks to be dishonorable.
Edit: Of course, if you're playing a right bastard, an Anti-Paladin/Rogue mixes just fine...
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Other than a Cloak of Resistance, what are my options?
These are probably not allowed in organized play, but just as an FYI:
Character Customization by Throwing Dice Games has options that allow you to move any save progression from Bad to Good.
There's also this feat from Genius Guide to Feats of Battle:
"Avoid the Arcane (Combat)
Your fast reaction time often allows you to duck magic effects.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Lightning Reflexes, no caster level.
Benefit: Once per round, when targeted by a spell or effect that allows a Fortitude save or a Will save, you can instead make a Reflex saving throw. You may use the ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Dexterity bonus.
Special: If you have this feat and gain a caster level, you may immediately decide to permanently forgo any spellcasting ability and retain this feat. If you do not make this decision this feat is lost, and cannot be replaced."
That feat is quite ridiculous. Is there any reason for a rogue not to have it, if the DM allows?
The primary defense against such attacks (as was pointed out) is simply not to be a target of such attacks. You are a rogue. Be sneaky and unseen.
I'll grant that this is not optimal advice, and that clearly there are many times you cannot prevent being targeted by such attacks.
I can empathize as well. I had a 3.5 human assassin who had a will save in the mid teens of a whole +3. (Wis was a poor stat due to needing high Int for assassin spells and high Cha for feinting and social skills, and did not have access to any resistance boosting items.)
The other ways listed of boosting these saves are valid as well:
1. a resistance item (cloak of resistance)
2. a stat boosting item or spell (Owls Wisdom nets a +2 to Will saves)
3. racial bonuses (dwarf's hardy trait, elf's resistance to enchantments, etc.)
4. class feature bonuses (monk's still mind, paladin's divine grace)
5. cross-classing (adding levels in a class with better saves), although prestige classing for save bonuses is now a thing of the past.
6. Feats (Iron Will, Great Fort, etc.)
7. Spells (resistance, protection from evil, protection from spells, etc.)
I'll grant that aside from magic items, none of these are the easiest to come by once the character has been made. For instance, its hard for a CN human rogue to pick up racial or class bonuses to saves.
However, a rogue can make great use of magic items, particularly with a good UMD skill. Wands and potions can help a lot here, as well as scrolls, to make use of spells to boost saves or defenses.
Another thing to consider is immunities/resistances to attacks. For instance, a necklace of adaptation will prevent the need to make Fort saves vs inhaled poisons. Protection from evil will suppress the effects of failed will saves vs certain enchantments cast by evil creatures.
Also, as was mentioned, certain class features will help with saves, such as Slippery mind.
Saves for rogues can be tough. They are the only class who has neither Fort nor Will as a good save, and neither Con or Wis is a primary stat for Rogues; thus, they are typically hurting in this category. Its nice to have the awesome Ref save due to good Ref save bonus and typically high Dex and evasion, but a failed Ref save is usually a lot less harmful than a failed Fort or Will save.
You can also seek aid from your companions. They may be able to provide you with spells or items to help your poor saves.
Finally, the only other advice I can offer is to play 'smart.' Stay hidden and dont rush right in at the first sign of trouble, analyze your opponents and their attacks, make use of terrain for cover and concealment, things like that. A dumb rogue is a dead rogue, so it falls on you to be clever about such things.
Boost items are the easiest way to get your saves up. If you're not against level dips then 2 levels of cleric or druid get you +3 to fort and will saves.Those classes will help the saves, but will hurt your BAB with the +0 at 1st level. If you're going to do a two-level dip, and can justify it in-game, then Paladin is your best bet. +3 Fort and Will, AND divine grace for your saves, plus all the side benefits (martial weapons, smite, detect evil, lay on hands). Smells slightly cheesy to have a Rogue/Paladin, but it's not against the rules if you can pull it off. Definitely run by your DM though, some might consider sneak attacks to be dishonorable.
A level in barbarian might be more apropos, if your character has an anger management problem. :-)
(+2 to Fort saves, plus a +2 to Fort and Will saves while raging.)
Other than a Cloak of Resistance, what are my options?These are probably not allowed in organized play, but just as an FYI:
Character Customization by Throwing Dice Games has options that allow you to move any save progression from Bad to Good.
There's also this feat from Genius Guide to Feats of Battle:
"Avoid the Arcane (Combat)
Your fast reaction time often allows you to duck magic effects.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Lightning Reflexes, no caster level.
Benefit: Once per round, when targeted by a spell or effect that allows a Fortitude save or a Will save, you can instead make a Reflex saving throw. You may use the ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Dexterity bonus.
Special: If you have this feat and gain a caster level, you may immediately decide to permanently forgo any spellcasting ability and retain this feat. If you do not make this decision this feat is lost, and cannot be replaced."
I was just about to suggest this feat.
I see you mentioned placing an ioun stone in a wayfinder to gain a bonus.
Might I suggest placing a clear spindle ioun stone into a wayfinder to gain the protection from mental control and dominance that protection from evil affords as a permanent bonus?
I'm currently playing a rogue and plan on doing this, and I've taken Iron Will and Improved Iron Will.
What is so bad about the cloak of resistance? You are considering a 8,000 gp item that'll give you +1 on one save. A cloak of resistance +3 costs just slightly more at 9,000 gp and gets you +3 on all saves.
Because there are better cloaks that a rogue will want. A cloak of resistance +1 isn't bad to get off the start but investing too much in cloaks of resistance gets costly in the long run when you know you won't be using it forever.
A certain cracked ioun stone gives +1 competence bonus to saves for 4000
Can't remember color
A slotted clear spindle makes you immune to certain mind effects- see seeker of secrets
Other slotted ioun stones give other +1 bonus to a single save (in addition to stat bump)
Great fortitude!
Various spells too numerous to list via iphone texting
Getting percentage chances to miss helps with some of the direct fort attacks - blur, displacement
I think a fighter level dip or two would be better for albinus, character & featwise
Scrolls or potions or castings of heroism (or good hope)
Additional traits (if chosen carefully) will net you +1 in fort & will
What is so bad about the cloak of resistance? You are considering a 8,000 gp item that'll give you +1 on one save. A cloak of resistance +3 costs just slightly more at 9,000 gp and gets you +3 on all saves.Because there are better cloaks that a rogue will want. A cloak of resistance +1 isn't bad to get off the start but investing too much in cloaks of resistance gets costly in the long run when you know you won't be using it forever.
Um... A +5 cloak of resistance is 25,000gp -- it's one of the cheapest big magical items out there. You can't get a bonus like that for less.
And what other cloak are you going to buy anyways?
If you like being an in your face type rogue, then a fighter levels are a good choice. +2 fort, +1 BAB, bonus feat to spend on iron will.
Cough, cough, Cloak of the Montebank, cough.
I don't know if you can combine them.
Antivenom helps against poison.
Just throwing my hat into the ring here quick-like, but you can 'double-dip' on magical items, creating two items into a single slot, although this does get expensive. For example if the Rogue in question wants the Abilities of a Cloak of Evasion and a Cloak of the Bat, the 'lower cost' item is increased by 50% when added to the gesalt item.
Alternatively, buy yourself a Vest of Resistance. Might be a little more costly than a Cloak, depending upon whether or not the GM accepts the idea and allows it or holds to a more strict "If it's not in a manual I don't want to hear about it!" stance.
Building upon this, you can buy magic items that grant you the effects of a feat so long as the Caster in question has it as well as the appropriate Craft (Magic) feat. A Helm of Telepathy (handy for forward scouts to send information back to their group!) could also grant the Iron Will Feat if the Rogue paid a fair whack of gold for the right caster to make it, which would probably neccessitate the use of Owl's Wisdom in the crafting of the item and the Caster/Crafter having the Feat.
Cough, cough, Cloak of the Montebank, cough.
I don't know if you can combine them.
Antivenom helps against poison.
Why not just a wand of D.Door? Same effect slots remain open. Also I'm not sure it's core anymore (if that matters IIRC/AFB currently).
1 or 2 levels of Cleric or Druid
Both have good Fort and Will and Spells to Help you out.
Pluss Clock of Ress is a Dirt Cheep
Pooh has an excellent idea. Your Rogue is quiet vulnerable to effects that could either take control of his character (Charm, Dominate, etc) or remove him from the fight entirely (Massive Damage, Flesh-to-Stone, etc) so paying for a wand of your choice and giving it to the Cleric makes a great stop-gap until you can get your thieving mitts on something both more permanent and more durable.
Unfortunately, in PFS you don't always have the luxury of a good cleric teammate :)
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At level 8, branch out into the Student of War prestige class(from Seekers of Secrets Companion). You stop gaining sneak attack dice, but a strong will save, full bab, the anticipate ability which allows the character to ignore effects he successfully saved against, like many extraordinary abilities and finally bestows at maximum a +3 insight bonus into ac and all saving throws against attacks from an opponent the student has made a successful knowledge check on.
Oh, plus combat feats and adding Int to AC instead of Dex.
A great PrC that.