As the subject asks I have a Rogue level eight that am very unsure of direction wise. I had first started out with the idea of taking levels of Assassin then jumped to Shadow Dancer.I am now just confused on what kind of build I should make. I also looked at the third party class Shadow Assassin.
My feats currently are:
Skill Focus(Perception)[Half-Elf feat]
Weapon Finesse
Dodge
Extra Rouge Talent
Mobility
Combat Reflexes
Rogue Talents:
Trap Spotter
Ki Pool – 7 Ki
Vanishing Trick
Fast Stealth
Combat Trick
Some help with a build would be greatly appreciated. I would like a Assassin type character but do not think the Assassin class has a lot going for it with abilities.
No
The assassin is not really good at it's job. You would be better off using other classes to kill people.
Have you looked at Duelist? Not exactly an assassin, but I see you're not the TWF type of rogue. 2 or more levels of that and 2 or more levels of Shadow Dancer, however you mix it up, would give you some nice features, and wouldn't hurt your saves or BAB, either.
I agree that the Assassin is disappointing.
Just a thought.
Shadowdancer will probably be good for you, since you already seem to have the pre-reqs. I'd recommend waiting until Rogue 10 so you can access Advanced Talents, though. Opportunist is amazing, and Crippling Strike combined with your shadow's strength damage can cripple enemy offense.
I think rangers can be built to give that Assassin feel and still be a good all round character.
Thanks for the advice. I wished I had outlined what I had wanted better. I may just take the levels and Shadow Dancer and ignore Assassin. More advice is always welcomed.
A few casters levels could add some flair.
Levels in which caster class?
Vivisectionist (Sneak attack stacks with rogue, gain bonus to fort save, gain some useful discoveries. gain CLW wand use, gain buffing extracts and mutagens to help you.)
1 level of Cleric (+2 to To shore up your bad saves, gain CLW wand use, the travel domain, and possibly darkness via seperatist., the second provides an additional +1 to bad saves and not much else)
1 level of monk (Bonus to all 3 saves, a bunch of feats, an extra weapon option or few, ability to benefit from a monk's robe, the second snags an extra feat, certain archtype abilities, and an additional +1 to all saves)
1 level of kensai Magus (+2 to bad saves, +1 to AC when wearing a Haramaki, ability to combine true strike or shield with a full attack or improve your weapon. second level provides +1 to both bad saves and an extra attack at a -2 penalty by spellstriking/spell combating arcane mark.)
I would advise taking one level (or more) in fighter. You get an automatic bonus feat and become profecient with all weapons and armor. You don't have to go with a prestiege class unless you are bored with just being a Rogue.
If you go the magic user route then you will be way behind the eight ball when it comes to spells and power of them. Does your group lack any classes that you could combine your Rogue with?
We have a infernal bloodline sorcerer. He is our only arcane spell caster at the moment. We have a fighter, ninja, inquisitor, ranger and anti paladin.
I like the idea of the kensai magus. Maybe taking 10 of rogue and 5 of both kensai magus and shadow dancer. My only problem with fighter is that I'm still trying to go with the assassin concept.
Vivisectionist is a corner class of a corner class, and other than sneak attack, it does little for a rogue.
Alex the Rogue offers better advice. It seems you're bored just being a rogue. You can get tougher by taking a level in a full BAB class like Fighter or Urban Ranger, or Duelist, as I suggested, or try to become magical with a caster class or Vivisectionist. Can you lose BAB?
To assassinate, you must be: A) hard to detect, and B) do serious damage to your target, on your terms, in one round, and finish it in one more.
Assassins, however they roll, aren't really good at being part of an adventuring party, unless the party is built to support an assassin. The classic assassin works alone, and takes jobs that offer good rewards for little risk. They move carefully and strike at the most opportune moment. They'll abandon a task if they think it won't go as planned, and try again later.
Real world assassins aren't really all that different from PF assassins, as far as how they'd operate. They want to kill their target quickly and permanently, and leave no evidence of themselves, or whoever else is involved. They'd rather die than get caught and interrogated. That could follow them into their next life, whatever it is.
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Levels in which caster class?
Maybe Witch? I'm currently playing a Rogue/Witch and having a blast. You'd want to stay away from the usual hexes and focus on the ones that don't have saves: Prehensile Hair, Fly, Tongues, Disguise, etc.
For that matter, a few levels of White-Haired Witch might be even better, since Hexes aren't the point of a quick Witch dip.
That is definitely a interesting build. Grapple with some hair and then attack? Sounds fun to play and different that is for sure.
Expert. I think you are right what a assassin is meant to do and that being in a group is odd. I simply want my character if ever alone to be able to do what a assassin does. Such as do a lot of damage, be able to sneak into places with her social graces or sneaking skills. I suppose I just really want to be a bit more versatile then what I have at the moment and I'm not sure which path to take to do that. All your advice is helping though.
My only problem with fighter is that I'm still trying to go with the assassin concept
Just wanted to speak to this point. Your class name does not define your character. taking levels of the assassin class does not give you jobs to go kill people for a living.
Flipping that, levels in fighter does not prevent you from taking shadowy jobs to go kill people for a living. All the classes do, is grant specific things your character is good at. Say you wanted to be an assassin who is excellent with most weapons? Fighter dips are wonderful.
Just saying.
I know this. The fighter class while giving me more BaB and bonus feats it would not increase my sneak attack damage or damage for finesse weapons unless I invest heavy into a Rogue/Fighter build.
Classes such as shadow dancer, assassin, and even magus would increase my damage out put and versatility at the cost of some rogue abilites and possibly BaB. I want a class that adds to my current class while giving versatility.
I simply asked for advice on which builds do this and so far I have gotten a lot of great advice and hints that have helped a lot.
cleric for 1 level? it shores up your fortitude and will saves, with a seperatist, you can take the travel and darkness domains, you get CLW wand use without rolling, you can gain a handful of low level buffs, a bit of channel for out of battle healing (not very practical in combat for you). you can make a case to your DM for sneak healing (acupuncture). the big reasons are the save bonuses, wand use, 10 foot speed increase and blind fight.