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Its a one on one thieves guild campaign.
All races (20 points or below) and all classes allowed. (but i expect if your a kobold or something you well be made fun of or make social stuff more akword. (which would be fine, i like a challenge in role playing.)
Well need to disable traps (somehow.) And have some social skills (Semi political and could be useful for scouting.
Need some ideas.
20 point buy system. Min maxed is OK. Back story is important. (dm wants a good back story)
I believe we are starting at lvl 3. not sure.
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With the Duergar Heretic Inquisitor, with the Heresy Inquisition, you will likely want to choose Irori.
This will give you access to the Wisdom in the Flesh, which you can use to use Wisdom for Stealth.
Conversion Inquisition is another option, that will give no bonus to stealth, but allow you to use wisdom for all your social skills.
With the focus on wisdom, you will have very high Sense Motive, and Perception, the most used skill in the game.
You can choose another god, if that suites your taste.
Alchemist.
That is all.
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ask your GM if you can take the trapfinder trait (which if he is smart he wont since it was specifically designed for an AP and seriuosly upsets balance when not used in that context). If you are allowed to take it then go anything you want with a disable device skill.
Trapfinding is overrated, at best.
If needed, there is a spell that straight up gives you the ability.
There is no likelihood of any upset in balance, whatsoever.
Fetchling rogue 2 / evolutionist summoner X (maybe master summoner)
trap finding
evasion
big pump in skills from 2 rogue levels
small eidolon can be made into a great scout
have the eidolon take the additional traits feat so it can take the trapfinding trait to also be able to disable magical traps
You will have decent charisma for social context
Has some attractive spells that are not noisy
Then if a fight breaks out, dismiss the scout eidolon and start spamming summoned monsters to bury the guards or whoever.
Run like a rabbit and hide like a snake.
The summoned monsters will leave behind no bodies or evidence to trace back to you.
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A very rough build here:
Duergar Inquisitor 3
N Medium humanoid (dwarf)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +2 shield, +1 Dex)
hp 30 (3d8+6)
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +6; +2 bonus vs. spells and spell-like abilities
Immune paralysis, phantasms, poison; Resist duergar immunities
Weakness light sensitivity
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee heavy shield bash +1 (1d6+3) and
masterwork longspear +6 (1d8+4/×3) and
net +1 () and
unarmed strike +5 (1d3+3)
Ranged composite shortbow +3 (1d6/×3)
Spell-Like Abilities
At will—detect alignment
1/day—enlarge person (self only) (DC 8), invisibility (self only)
Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 3rd; concentration +6):
1st (4/day)—divine favor, expeditious retreat, shield of faith, true strike
0 (at will)—acid splash, brand (DC 13), detect magic, read magic, resistance, stabilize
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 4
Base Atk +2; CMB +5; CMD 16 (20 vs. bull rush, 20 vs. trip)
Feats Enforcer, Improved Unarmed Strike, Nightmare Fist, Precise Strike
Traits armor expert, trap finder, wisdom in the flesh
Skills Acrobatics +2 (+4 while in magical darkness, -2 jump), Bluff +14 (+24 to lie, +19 to feint, 9 to pass a hidden message), Diplomacy +7, Disable Device +8, Disguise +1, Escape Artist +2, Intimidate +10 (+12 while in magical darkness), Knowledge (arcana) +4, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (local) +1, Perception +7, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +4, Stealth +18, Survival +7 (+8 to track); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth
Languages Common, Dwarven, Undercommon
SQ attached, domains (conversion inquisition), hide tracks, judgement 1/day), judgement of escape, solo tactics, teamwork feat, track
Combat Gear oil of darkness, shadowcloy flask; Other Gear masterwork kilted lamellar (leather) armor, shield spikes darkwood heavy wooden shield, arrows (20), blunt arrows (20), masterwork longspear, net, composite shortbow, mask of stony demeanor, muleback cords, backpack, masterwork, darklight lantern, holy symbol, wooden, masterwork tool, shinobi shozoku, thieves' tools, masterwork, 34 GP
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Special Abilities
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Armor Expert -1 Armor check penalty.
Attached (Holy Symbol) If your attachment is threatened, -1 Will & -2 save vs. fear
Darkvision (120 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Detect Alignment (At will) (Sp) Detect chaos, evil, good, or law at will.
Duergar Immunities +2 racial bonus to save vs. Spells and Spell-Like effects.
Enforcer If you deal nonlethal damage with a melee weapon, make a free Intimidate check to demoralize.
Hide Tracks (Ex) Creatures attempting to track you take a -5 penalty.
Immunity to Paralysis You are immune to paralysis.
Immunity to Phantasms You are immune to Phantasms.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Inquisitor Domain (Conversion Inquisition) Deities: Any deity.
Granted Powers: You are a powerful persuader. A honeyed tongue empowered by divine argumentation sways the indifferent and adversarial to your side.
Judgement (1/day) (Su) Variable bonuses increase as the combat continues.
Judgement of Sacred Escape (Su) When hit foe with melee/ranged attack, can create diversion to hide.
Light Sensitivity (Ex) Dazzled as long as remain in bright light.
Nightmare Fist While fighting in magical darkness, you deal +2 damage
Precise Strike +1d6 precision damage for melee attacks if you and an ally with this feat flank the same target.
Solo Tactics (Ex) Count Teamwork feats as if your allies had the same ones.
Teamwork Feat (change 3/day) Swap your most recent Teamwork feat for another
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Trap Finder Use Disable Device to disarm magic traps, like a rogue.
Wisdom in the Flesh (Stealth) Stealth becomes a Wisdom-based, class skill.
Muleback cords, Mask of Stony Demeanor
Could use some fine tuning, but gives you a general idea.
The Guild Assassin (Not just trained as an Assassin, bred for it)
Race: Fetchling (Gloom Shimmer and Subtle Manipulator Alternate Racial Traits)
Class: Ninja (Bandit Archetype)
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STR: 12
DEX: 16 (18 after racial adjustment) [1st and 2nd Ability Score increase]
CON: 13 [5th Ability Score increase]
INT: 10
WIS: 12 (10 after racial adjustment)
CHA: 13 (15 after racial adjustment) [3rd and 4th Ability Score increase]
Traits: Trapfinding / Axe to Grind
Level / Feats / Tricks:
1. Feat: Skill Focus (Disguise)
2. Trick: Rogue Talent - Finesse Rogue
3. Feat: Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Silver Tongue)
4. Trick: Vanishing Trick
5. Feat: Blind Fight
6. Trick: Rogue Talent - Minor Magic (Ghost Sounds)
7. Feat: Combat Expertise
8. Trick: Rogue Talent - Major Magic (Icicle Dagger)
9. Feat: Moonlight Stalker
10. Trick: Assassinate
11. Feat: Improved Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Mind Reader)
12. Trick: Invisible Blade
13. Feat: Improved Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Hide Aura)
14. Trick: Shadow Clone
15. Feat: Moonlight Stalker Feint
16. Trick: Shadow Split
17. Feat: Greater Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Alter Self)
18. Trick: Feat - Improved Feint
19. Feat: Moonlight Stalker Master
20. Trick: Rogue Talent - Underhanded (or whatever else floats your boat)
A few magic items you will definitely want for this build:
Boots of Speed
Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath
Sword of Subtlety
Hat of Disguise
If you like this I will post more about equipment, tactics, and such later. Basically though, the idea is that this guy is capable of going it alone. He would even be fine disguising himself as an aristocrat, going in without armor or weapons, carrying out an assassination, and getting out alive.
IF staying in the same city, finally find a good use for Urban Ranger and the otherwise silly Favored Community ability. Love the idea of the archetype... dislike implementation. Could be quite good though in this situation. use a weapon two handed and power attacking, probably a la Treantmonk switch hitter.
It dose seem intersting, can you explain your feat and trick choice?
Certainly, this guy was built around Dex and Cha being your main focuses. Fetchling, Ninja, Bandit, Eldritch Heritage, and Underhanded all utilize Charisma. From there it's a matter of building someone who fits your criteria:
Its a one on one thieves guild campaign.
All races (20 points or below) and all classes allowed. (but i expect if your a kobold or something you well be made fun of or make social stuff more akword. (which would be fine, i like a challenge in role playing.)
Well need to disable traps (somehow.) And have some social skills (Semi political and could be useful for scouting.
Need some ideas.
20 point buy system. Min maxed is OK. Back story is important. (dm wants a good back story)
I believe we are starting at lvl 3. not sure.
I take One on One thieves guild campaign to mean you are going solo in a game of intrigue, spies, assassinations, and general sneakiness. This guy should be able to thrive in that type of campaign.
Fetchling is within the 20 point racial point limit and provides a lot of really nice abilities: +2 Dex/Cha, Darkvision, Lowlight Vision, Shadowblending, Displacement 2x/day, memory Lapse, and Plane Shift.
The traits I picked allow you to disable mundane and magical traps and give you a slight combat edge in a game where you are solo. +1 to damage any time you are the only guy threatening your target.
The build will do well in Social, Political, and Scouting situations. Obviously the high Charisma and Ninja skill points provide plenty of support to these situations and there are other aspects I'll explain further down.
As for back story, there are a lot of ways you could go with this but "bred for assassination" is a pretty good angle to go with for a Fetchling with Rakshasa blood.
If you do get to start at level 3 you will already have the Silver Tongued Rakshasa ability too, which will further support your Social and Political situations.
Like why eldritch haritiage?
Because it works well with a high Charisma Fetchling Ninja/Bandit. Also when you read the Rakshasa abilities you will see that between Race, Class, and Heritage this character could easily become an epic assassin.
Silver Tongue (Su): At 1st level, you can draw upon your outsider heritage to spin amazingly convincing lies. Activating this ability is a swift action. You gain a +5 bonus on one Bluff check made to convince another of the truth of your words (similar to using glibness). If a magical effect is used against you that would detect your lies or force you to speak the truth, the user of the effect must succeed on a caster level check (DC 10 + your sorcerer level) to succeed. Failure means the effect does not detect your lies or force you to speak only the truth. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Awesome ability for social situations, even under duress of truth magic. You will be able to do it 5 times per day at level 3.
Mind Reader (Sp): At 3rd level, you can read minds as a spell-like ability. This ability acts like detect thoughts, except it lasts only 1 round, you use it on a single target as a standard action, and if the target fails its Will save, you gain information as if you had concentrated on it for 3 rounds. You may use this ability once per day at 3rd level and one additional time per day for every four sorcerer levels you possess beyond 3rd, up to five times per day at 20th level.
Another awesome spy/social/political support ability. Also allows you potential access to guarded areas. I picture this guy rolling up to a guarded door, the type you have to know some pass phrase to gain access to, and just reading the guard's mind to see what phrase he is waiting to hear. Or getting close to some political figure and reading thoughts to gain blackmail leverage. Something along those lines. Also when you take Greater Eldritch Heritage the -2 to your effective Sorcerer level goes away so you will be able to do this the full 5 times per day at level 20.
Hide Aura (Sp): At 9th level, you can conceal yourself from prying magic. This ability acts like a constant nondetection spell cast upon yourself. You can end or restore this protection as a move action.
I hope I don't have to explain why a constant nondetection spell would be awesome for a thief or assassin.
Alter Self (Sp): At 15th level, you can change your shape into that of any humanoid at will. This ability acts like alter self, except you may remain in a chosen form as long as you want.
Again, I probably shouldn't have to explain why being able to shapeshift at will into other races/people is awesome for this character concept. Plus, you add a Hat of Disguise, and Nondetection to the mix and you have a guy that can't be found and can be anyone he wants at any time he wants.
Besides the obvious, you can sneak into a castle, assassinate the lord then Alter Self/Hat of Disguise to look like him and walk unhindered right out the front door. The possibilities are quite vast for this combination of abilities.
Why minor/major magic?
Partially thematic, this guy has a lot of magic coursing through his blood. Partially because I thought it would be an excellent option for any solo character to never be without a decent blade. Ghost sounds is nice, it is a great distraction technique and gets more distracting with level. Icicle Dagger gets more powerful with level as well and gives you the freedom to enter an establishment with literally nothing and still pull off an effective attack. This also goes well with the Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath and the Underhanded skill. You can walk into a political gathering with no weapons or armor, find a quiet place to cast that spell and load your wrist sheath. Then approach your target using all your other abilities and bam Surprise Attack that does max SA damage and can be accompanied by poison and a death attack. But now you are unarmored what do you do? Well you have two uses of Displacement, plenty of Invisibility, Shadow Clone, Shadow Split, and the ability to change your appearance at will... I think you'll make it.
What are your strats/
Well I just explained quite a few of my strategy ideas for this guy. Let me go into the moonlight stalker feats now. These really complement your character very well. You get a +2 to attack rolls and damage any time you have concealment, like when you're attacking from invisibility, greater invisibility, dim light/darkness, or a Minor Cloak of Displacement which I highly recommend you get. You can use Swift actions to Feint against anyone from whom you have concealment, another great reason to have a Minor Cloak of Displacement. Also you have Improved Feint so you get a bonus to the check and can Feint effectively even in situations where you don't have concealment. The third Moonlight feat gives you an extra 10% to any miss chances. That means 30% when using the Minor Cloak of Displacement and 60% when Invisible, in darkness, or in dim light (Fetchling Shadowblend turns 20% from dim light into 50% + 10% for Moonlight feat).
On top of all that miss chance goodness you have Shadow Clone and Shadow Split. Shadow Clone is a mirror image effect, combined with your concealment makes you near impossible to hit. And with Shadow Split you can turn invisible and send a decoy in some random direction. Then change your appearance to look like some random person who wouldn't stick out in whatever setting your in, and walk unscathed away from a high profile assassination, or other intrigue mission.
Oh and the Bandit Archetype, I forgot about that. You will be able to pull of some great Surprise Round attacks with the Ambush ability. Move, Swift action deliver the spring loaded dagger into your hand, and attack getting full Sneak Attack with Underhanded. Oh and when you can you will probably be using a Wakizashi which will crit fairly often, hopefully while you are getting Sneak Attack, allowing you to instill fear in your opponent a number of times per day equal to your Cha bonus, which again is one of your main focuses. Hopefully your GM will let you get your hands on a Sword of Subtlety in the form of a Wakizashi instead of Short Sword.
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In addition to the items I already said you will probably want:
1) A headband of alluring charisma
2) A Cloak of Displacement, Minor. It's possible your GM won't let your Moonlight Stalker stuff function off this item because the description says it functions similarly to the blur spell, but doesn't specifically say it grants Concealment. However, it is made with the Blur spell which gives actual concealment. I would probably let it work if I were GMing a solo game. If the GM doesn't let that combo work just use a wand of Blur, which shouldn't be a problem with a good Charisma.
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I would just avoid having to put all of this extra effort, just to get the PC to work.
Sneak Attack is a poor mechanic, and having to spend every resource, just to get it to work, is a pain.
You are basically getting some big fans of the most famously underpowered class, to make you see it as something worthwhile.
Maybe, you like the struggle, and are a fan of this underdog class, but if you just want something that works, without the hassle, don't do it.
Partially thematic, this guy has a lot of magic coursing through his blood. Partially because I thought it would be an excellent option for any solo character to never be without a decent blade. Ghost sounds is nice, it is a great distraction technique and gets more distracting with level. Icicle Dagger gets more powerful with level as well and gives you the freedom to enter an establishment with literally nothing and still pull off an effective attack. This also goes well with the Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath and the Underhanded skill. You can walk into a political gathering with no weapons or armor, find a quiet place to cast that spell and load your wrist sheath. Then approach your target using all your other abilities and bam Surprise Attack that does max SA damage and can be accompanied by poison and a death attack. But now you are unarmored what do you do? Well you have two uses of Displacement, plenty of Invisibility, Shadow Clone, Shadow Split, and the ability to change your appearance at will... I think you'll make it.
Why minor/major magic?
Concerning this point you could also take the Ninja tricks Unarmed Combat Training and Unarmed Combat Master, but you would have to rearrange your tricks a bit. You might be able to get Underhanded sooner if you did that.
I missed the fact that the Improved Feint and Moonlight Stalker Master feats requires a 13 Int so your headband of charisma will also need some Int thrown on it, which by lvl 18 you should be able to afford. Or you can just adjust your ability scores like so:
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STR: 10
DEX: 16 (18 after racial adjustment) [1st and 2nd Ability Score increase]
CON: 12
INT: 13
WIS: 12 (10 after racial adjustment)
CHA: 13 (15 after racial adjustment) [3rd, 4th, and 5th Ability Score increases]
Traits: Trapfinding / Axe to Grind
After thinking about it a little I might rearrange/replace Tricks and Feats like this. If you do you will have the unarmed training which will be more consistent than the Major Magic Icicle Dagger. Also you will get Greater Feint which combined with Moonlight Stalker Feint is pretty nasty, any time you have concealment you can feint as a Swift Action then full attack with Sneak Attack. And I traded Underhanded for Unarmed Combat Mastery which increases unarmed damage.
Level / Feats / Tricks:
1. Feat: Skill Focus (Disguise)
2. Trick: Rogue Talent - Finesse Rogue
3. Feat: Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Silver Tongue)
4. Trick: Vanishing Trick
5. Feat: Blind Fight
6. Trick: Unarmed Combat Training
7. Feat: Combat Expertise
8. Trick: Combat Trick - Improved Feint
9. Feat: Moonlight Stalker
10. Trick: Assassinate
11. Feat: Improved Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Mind Reader)
12. Trick: Invisible Blade
13. Feat: Improved Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Hide Aura)
14. Trick: Shadow Clone
15. Feat: Moonlight Stalker Feint
16. Trick: Feat - Greater Feint
17. Feat: Greater Eldritch Heritage (Rakshasa - Alter Self)
18. Trick: Unarmed Combat Mastery
19. Feat: Moonlight Stalker Master
20. Trick: Shadow Split
This might also be interesting:
The Drow Operative
Race: Drow
Class: 10 levels Ninja (Bandit Archetype) / 10 levels Fighter (Two-Weapon Warrior Archetype)
STR: 14
DEX: 16 (18 after racial adjustment) [1st and 2nd Ability Score increase]
CON: 12 (10 after racial adjustment)
INT: 10
WIS: 12
CHA: 11 (13 after racial adjustment) [3rd, 4th, and 5th Ability Score Increase]
Traits: Trapfinding / Axe to Grind
Level / Feats / Tricks:
1. Feat: Skill Focus (Stealth)
2. Trick: Rogue Talent - Finesse Rogue
3. Feat: Drow Nobility
4. Trick: Vanishing Trick
5. Feat: Improved Drow Nobility
6. Trick: Weapon Training - Wakizashi
7. Feat: Blind Fight
8. Trick: Combat Trick - Improved Blind Fight
9. Feat: Greater Drow Nobility
10. Trick: Feat - Greater Blind Fight
11. Feat: Shadow Strike // Bonus Feat: TWF
12. Bonus Feat: ITWF
13. Feat: Combat Expertise
14. Bonus Feat: Moonlight Stalker
15. Feat: GTWF
16. Bonus Feat: Weapon Specialization (Or Improved Critical)
17. Feat: Critical Focus
18. Bonus Feat: Staggering Critical
19. Feat: Dastardly Finish
20. Bonus Feat: Stunning Critical
I would also double check with your GM to make sure that you are able to take the trapfinding trait. It is in people of the sands but is labeled as a trait that should only be used for the new AP that is coming out. Your GM may not allow it.
My Drow build could easily be redone with the Rogue (bandit) class in place of Ninja. The only thing that would change is Vanishing Trick. The Fetchling would be harder to retool if a GM didn't allow the Trapfinding trait. However, remember anyone can find and disable traps with or without trapfinding, the just can't disable Magical Traps with Disable Device. They would have to have magical support which UMD is more than capable of handling.
I would just avoid having to put all of this extra effort, just to get the PC to work.
Sneak Attack is a poor mechanic, and having to spend every resource, just to get it to work, is a pain.
Yes, it can take some additional forethought to build a solid Rogue. More than that, it requires a lot of tactics and deliberate set up.
You are basically getting some big fans of the most famously underpowered class, to make you see it as something worthwhile.
Maybe, you like the struggle, and are a fan of this underdog class, but if you just want something that works, without the hassle, don't do it.
That's a little dramatic, just because you'd prefer to play/build something else. It can be challenging to play a Rogue/Ninja based character. It just requires forethought, tactics, and deliberate set up and I enjoy that. It's part of how I have fun playing this game. I am definitely not in the camp of "Rogues/Ninjas are broken, just play a Bard or Alchemist because it's easier," nor am I in the camp of, "Rogues are worthless you must be a Bard or Alchemist to be relevant." The only times I have seen Rogue based characters perform poorly, it has been due to the players not the class. I say that based on my own experiences, both as a GM and as a player, and that has nothing to do with optimization; YMMV.
These are some interesting builds.
Do you have any without any Rogue/Ninja levels?
Thanks. I'm sure I could come up with something decent if I weren't so busy being such a hopeless fan of such a famously underpowered class... lol.
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Not everyone wants that kind of challenge, just to play their PC effectively.
It is because the Rogue/Ninja requires so much forethought, challenge, and a constant focus on tactics, just to be an effective, that I don't suggest it.
Maybe, a veteran, who likes the challenge, and has a better understanding of system mastery, will love it, and have a great time.
That's cool.
You simply have to realize, that not everyone is that individual, that enjoys the struggle, of a Rogue/Ninja PC.
Perhaps, I have seen too many new players struggle with their Rogue/Ninja PC, to even get it to do, what they imagined it would do.
Most, just don't realize, that the name of your class does not define your flavor.
Many, are only interested in the "class feature" of writing "Rogue/Ninja" on their character sheet.
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Not everyone wants that kind of challenge, just to play their PC effectively.
Certainly true. Should you be the one to make that choice for them? Should I? Or should they make it themselves? That said, there is no reason you can't share your opinion without being insulting.
It is because the Rogue/Ninja requires so much forethought, challenge, and a constant focus on tactics, just to be an effective, that I don't suggest it.
I have no issue with that at all. However, not suggesting it, even advising against it, is a good deal different than demeaning the suggestion of it or the choice to play it. I defer to those who enjoy playing Bards and Alchemist, those who are more familiar with those characters than I am, to be the ones to post Bard and Alchemist builds. I disagree with the "OMG Rogues are useless just be a Bard" mentality," but if someone finds a Bard or Alchemist is the best way to express their character, go for it, play what you enjoy.
Maybe, a veteran, who likes the challenge, and has a better understanding of system mastery, will love it, and have a great time.
That's cool.
And who said the OP doesn't have the experience and system familiarity to be just fine with the build? And even if he is less experienced and less familiar with the system, a one on one game with the GM seems a perfect arena for both learning and fine tuning. After all, how does one become a veteran and gain system mastery?
You simply have to realize, that not everyone is that individual, that enjoys the struggle, of a Rogue/Ninja PC.
I absolutely realize that. The OP is perfectly free to play one of the Bards, Alchemists, and Inquisitors suggested. You should probably take your own advice and realize that some people do enjoy playing Rogues/Ninjas and you don't need to tell them how stupid you think that is, or correct their "underpowered" decision.
Perhaps, I have seen too many new players struggle with their Rogue/Ninja PC, to even get it to do, what they imagined it would do.
Most, just don't realize, that the name of your class does not define your flavor.
Many, are only interested in the "class feature" of writing "Rogue/Ninja" on their character sheet.
I completely agree with this. I just don't think it's my job to tell a complete stranger on the internet they are too inexperienced or to simple minded to make it work. Especially when they seem interested in playing something like that and are proactive about asking for strategic and tactical advice.