Does anyone know if the feats Improved Disarm and Greater Disarm still improve the Weapon Snatcher talent for rogues?
Based on the language in Improved and Greater Disarm I would say they do still improve the check made with Weapon Snatcher. They both say they grant bonuses to the "checks made to disarm." It doesn't specify Combat Maneuver check, it just says check made to disarm. The Weapon Snatcher ability simply uses a Sleight of Hand check in place of a Combat Maneuver check.
Skill Focus gives a higher bonus than Deft Hands. The best choice would be Improved Disarm, Skill Focus, and Deft Hands. In that order. But if you have all three that's a +7 bonus before level 10 and a +12 bonus after level 10 (as long as you max out Sleight of Hand). Then if you have another feat to blow you can go with Greater Disarm for a +14 bonus.
Skill Focus gives a higher bonus than Deft Hands. The best choice would be Improved Disarm, Skill Focus, and Deft Hands. In that order. But if you have all three that's a +7 bonus before level 10 and a +12 bonus after level 10 (as long as you max out Sleight of Hand). Then if you have another feat to blow you can go with Greater Disarm for a +14 bonus.
This works out amazingly well. I saw the Weapon Snatcher when I started as a level 1 rogue. These all stack fantastically and the result is a rogue who gets what he/she wants.
Before applying Dex, at level 10, assuming you max SoH to 10 ranks, you get Ranks (10), Training (3), Skill Focus (6), Deft Hands (4) for a total of 23. This is BEFORE Dex bonus, and does not include the +2 for Improved Disarm. My Rogue has a +4 Dex and has Improved Disarm, so at level 10, my CMB for disarm is 23+4+2=29.Another tip: Gloves of Larceny. +5 bonus to, you guessed it, Sleight of hand. That's a +34 before you roll for those who are keeping track.
And you can then pick skill mastery for slight of hand, because who needs to roll when you can just take 10 with a +44 check result.
That or you can take Ninja Tricks Ki Pool and Vanishing Trick to get invisibility, then Greater Vanishing Trick Advanced. Why stop at making your bonus absurd when you can also penalize your opponent by being flat-footed when it suits you best?
Also, if you take a race with the 1/6th rogue talent as their favored class option, then take the Favored Class option from 4th to 10th level, you can take the Ninja Tricks Ki Pool Vanishing Trick. This way, the 1/6th rogue talent hits 6/6 right at 10th level, meaning you can take both Weapon Snatcher (Obviously) -and- Greater Invisibility.I found that taking Fast Learner helped to offset the loss of skill/hp from using the Favored Class option also.