I'm playing around with Archetypes and I found something odd: when making Rogue Arhetypes, virtually all of them do the same thing: trade out trapfinding. With a few exceptions that touch evasion and uncanny dodge, no one seems to touch much else beyond trapfinding and trap-related abilities. So I thought I'd play with archetypes that change up other things and I wanted to get your opinion on them, starting with this one:
There are those rogues who abstain from in-depth studies of killing and instead focus their time studying the elusive art of magic. Street performers, runaways from magical families and simply those with the knack, these rogues study their simple tricks relentlessly. Other, more trained wizards may scoff at these simple magic-users and their street-trained magic, but a street magician knows better. By focusing their practice, these magic-users learn tricks and shortcuts with their few spells their "trained" contemporaries could never master.
A Street Magician gains two less skill points per level than other rogues, but add Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft to their list of trained skills.
A Street Magician does not begin play with light armor proficiency.
A Street Magician does not gain a sneak attack damage increase at 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th or 17th level.
A Street Magician gains the ability to cast Prestidigitation as an at-will spell-like ability. A Street Magician may take the minor magic and major magic rogue talents more than once. The effects do not stack. A Street Magician must select a different spell everytime. Whenever A Street Magician selects minor magic or major magic as a rogue talent, add +1 to the number of uses per day she gains of the selected spell. A Street Magician adds half her rogue level to the DC of her spell-like abilities.
A Street magician may choose the following rogue talent whenever she may choose a new rogue talent:
Focused Study: select one spell-like ability the rogue has obtained from a rogue talent. She may use that spell-like ability one more time per day. A rogue may select this feat more than once. The effects do not stack. Every time selected, a rogue must choose a new spell-like ability.
At 10th level and beyond, a Street Magician gains access to the following Advanced Rogue Talents:
Intensified Magic: By expending two uses of a spell-like ability, a rogue may use that spell-like ability as if under the effects of an Intensified Metamagic feat. Increase the maximum number of damage dice by 5 levels. You must actually have sufficient caster levels to surpass the maximum in order to benefit from this feat.
Greater Magic: Select one spell from the Wizard/Sorcerer 2nd level spell list. The Rogue may use this spell 1/day as a spell-like ability. The DC for this spell is 12 + the Rogue's Intelligence.
Empowered Strike
at 20th level, whenever a Street Magician deals sneak attack damage, they may use one spell-like ability they have as a free action on the target. If a melee or ranged attack is necessary, treat it as automatically confirming the hit, regardless of the method the sneak attack damage was dealt. The target makes their saving throw (if applicable) at a -5.
This ability replaces Master Strike.
Should I care no one's responded yet?
Also just did the reading on Arcane Trickster and realized that while I like the archetype, there's no reason to take it when you can be taking the Arcane Tricster Prestigue class (yes higher DCs, but less sneak attack damage and most other stuff.)
So how about we do the classic (which I was hoping to avoid) and switch out the sneak attack nerfing for... losing trapfinding and trap sense...
In all honesty it looks like you're trying to create some kind bard without the performance abilities, and those archetypes already exist.
I really like the flavor that you're aiming at here. However, the character will probably be underpowered and this lack will get worse as the character gets higher level.
This doesn't have to be a problem, of course. The GM could create adventures around a character with this class and the GM and player(s) could have a blast.
I like the archetype as a class variant, but that won't work at all. I want something not just fun for special games but for all of them.
I think I can do that, though, with a few changes. Off the top of my head: let a Street Magician take 2 first level spells with major magic, having two uses of Greater Magic and maybe having a grand magic where you get one use of a third level spell. Give back the light armor proficiency and skill points. Losing Sneak attack is a big deal, after all.
You're right, though. It does still feel a bit like a bard or arcane trickster with less abilities. I'm not sure what I want to do with it, but I still like the idea and I think it could be fun to play.
Ha, he'll be the spell-caster in an all-rogue party and campaign or something.