This should probably be updated to include that one feat from Dirty Tactics Toolbox.
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I've been thinking about how to pull off a necromantic sneak attacker, specializing in chill and vampiric touch.
I suppose the big question I've had since this feat was added: given we can theoretically have an arcane trickster who's caster level is on par with a single classed sorcerer, are there any 9th level bad touch builds that will benefit from sneak attack? Does the early access allow us to do anything new?
Conventional wisdom says let your familiar do that for you (if you're a witch or wizard) but some builds may be able to have some fun.
An Unchained Rogue 1/ White-haired Witch 4/ Arcane Trickster X can probably have fun delivering her touch spells at reach (along with a free grapple check). The same can be said for a PC who takes four levels of aberrant sorcerer or five levels of blade adept arcanist (so that they can start burning feats on extra exploits).
I think a teleporting conjuration AT that delivers a touch attack and GTFOs with either the conjuration school ability or the arcanist exploit (or both) would be a pretty fun concept to bring on line.
I skimmed through an Old thread on Wizard/Rogue/AT - which brought me here. I reflected on how much has changed in the last three years...
Unchained Rogue is just so much better at a lot of stuff compared to the regular rogue, that I'm guessing he'd also be the best option now for mix like this, but then I remember the minor and major magic rogue tricks and what not...
When's the last time you saw a rogue-like class mixed with levels in a magic-class and to what success?
Is unchained rogue now definitively the best option, or are there new exciting ways to get the sneak attacks (say brawler, or slayer, or what have you).
Is there a newer version of the guide than this?
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I skimmed through an Old thread on Wizard/Rogue/AT - which brought me here. I reflected on how much has changed in the last three years...
Unchained Rogue is just so much better at a lot of stuff compared to the regular rogue, that I'm guessing he'd also be the best option now for mix like this, but then I remember the minor and major magic rogue tricks and what not...
When's the last time you saw a rogue-like class mixed with levels in a magic-class and to what success?
Is unchained rogue now definitively the best option, or are there new exciting ways to get the sneak attacks (say brawler, or slayer, or what have you).
Is there a newer version of the guide than this?
I always wanted to play one but they had such problems with late development I was fearful to. With Accomplished Sneak Attacker I fret no more - so much that I am currently playing one in an Adventure Path where theorycrafting doesn't matter and survival does.
UnRogue remains the best entry option I believe because it moves closer to what an AT does.
Vivisectionist Alchemist is a good class, but one level of it doesn't do much for us, maybe we can make our own Cure Light Wounds potions. Snakebite Striker Brawler is an interesting class but what is our use for Fighter training or Unarmed Strike? Both of these classes are good for big, tough guys, our AT is likely to be pretty wimpy. Mine has Str 8 and he's also Small for Stealth and the +1 to hit. We don't care about melee damage at all of course so just having enough Str to survive level 1 will do. UnRogue gives us Weapon Finesse so if forced into melee we can hit the enemy, even if we don't hit hard.
These alternate methods trade away Trapfinding which seems a bit self-defeating to me. I want my PC to be good at trapfinding. Sure, your wizardly powers will supersede this eventully, but someone still needs to do it. Away from theorycrafting, in a real game you are playing a rogue for a level and as the party rogue you should deal with traps. you can become the best in the game at it anyway, so why wouldn't you do it? Ranged Legerdemain, 1st level AT power is terrific and we have the ranks and ability to do it. Traps, locks whatever - the AT can disable all that stuff at 30 feet away of safety. Why bother with a spell? As it happens we get plenty anyway.
Stats sit happily with a Rogue level. My PC has Int 20 at level 1, he is built to be a proper Wizard. That means 13 skill ranks at level 1 which makes you the most usefully skilful at level 1 in the party, it's the highest anount of skill ranks any level 1 PC can have in the game without some Aasimar Int 22 nonsense. Lovely skills too, stuff like Stealth, Disable Device, Diplomacy and Perception.
Julix, this is my level breakdown and I think it is pretty optimal for actual play when you have to survive. Maybe theoretical builds can be better, but I know this one works because I play it.
Level 1 UnRogue, feat - Point Blank Shot (great for sniping rogues, remains good with ranged touch attacks)
Level 2-4 Exploiter Wizard. I don't really care too much about schools though I see the point in Admixture Evoker. We are not getting much out of the extra spells for a couple of levels and we won't see the level 8 powers for a long time. Eploiter Wizard allows us to take Potent Magic. My PC is Int 20 and still wants to pump the DC of his spells, Potent Magic gives him +2. His spells land. Feat: Accomplished Sneak Attacker at 3. We get rid of Arcane Bond. I'm not concerned with the bonded item, though a ring would be okay. We won't get to craft our own until much later, it's meh. I am no fan of familiar either, we are sneaky and it just seems a good way to get the familiar killed. It doesn't scale with levels in AT either so you have to spend a feat to improve it or ignore it and take iron Will then Familiar Bond - it just seems more trouble than it is worth. If it isn't going to get killed it'll probably just be a green scorpion who sits in your pocket and gives you that +4 Initiative and Alertness. Pretty good actually, and it's a standard bit of Wizard optimisation, but I prefer the DC boost with Potent magic.
level 5+ Arcane Trickster. Feats to taste - maybe metamagic, maybe Improved Initiative, get Extra Impromtu Sneak attack later, an odd feat and works on the AT class only so may as well give it a shake.
For those who use 3rd party material, DSP's Path of War Expanded has a new Stalker archetype that has sneak attack instead of its usual deadly strike. It also changes its Wisdom base to Intelligence just crying to be paired with Wizard levels.