I'm going to start my Jade Regent tonight and have a player joining us at the last minute. I haven't finished reading the whole AP (real life was way to real lately) and so wasn't sure if I should provide any advice on types of rogue that are good versus aren't. I was hoping that folks on here might have some advice on if Rogue is going to be a class that sees a lot of use in the adventure.
In parts 1 and 2 I can see several areas where having a scout would be excellent. Part 2 features a lot of sections that having a Rogue character can really expand upon I felt.
Any advice for my player? Thanks much for replies.
A Rogue will do as well in this AP as any. I would say that it is bit trap heavy as far as such things go, and there isn't a heavy emphasis on Constructs or Oozes or anything else that totally fouls Sneak Attack. There are even a few situations where uncommon skills like Disguise might come in very useful, though likely not more than once or twice in the path. There will be the standard Rogue issues, but if you don't find those to be an issue normally they won't be especially noticeable here.
If you are open to homebrew, there is a good opportunity to give the Rogue a little boost in Part 2. There are some Ninja instructional materials, which you might use to give your player a proper ki pool and some ninja-esque weapon proficiencies. Besides being interesting and thematic, it will make the Rogue a bit more viable at high levels and perhaps let some of the exotic weapons that pop up in the path see some use. I would think it is at least worth considering.
Thanks very much for the reply Mort. Very informative, and exactly what I was looking for. I just didn't want to have him come along with any sort of rogue build and find that so much of it might be of little use in the long run.
Barator, you or your player might quickly glance at the Jade Regent Player's Guide as well, and see what it suggests for rogues. They usual have good advice.
Here, I saved you the trouble -
From Jade Regent Player's Guide - for rogues
Recommendations: Rogues of all varieties will be of
great use to a caravan of adventurers, and those seeking
wealth need no better reason to join an expedition than
the promise of untold riches. Common rogue archetypes
that would be particularly helpful in the trek out of
Varisia are the acrobat, burglar, and scout, while useful
skills to place ranks in include Knowledge (local), Sense
Motive, and Stealth.