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I have seen all types of Rogues in PFS, from the skill-heavy diplomat to the trapper to the combat expert. They can be just as varied as Wizards and Clerics and Fighters.
That being said...
Although traps in Pathfinder aren't much of a threat, singe they generally happen out of combat and you can almost always heal whatever damages you before you move on, your party will breathe a sigh of relief if you show up to a table with a Rogue that hasn't switched out Trapfinding via an archetype, and even more so if you have the Trap Spotter Rogue Talent.
My Rogue now has a +42 Trap Spotter and a +36 Disable Device. When I show up, everyone knows they don't have to worry about traps.
My social skills, on the other hand...
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I'm with nosig on this one (one of each). I enjoy the PFS gamestyle as I can create and run several characters to 12 (and then go it again with another set.)
Righty - trap spotter (disable from 30') arcane trickster / impersonator
Nightmare - dual knife (archtype) killer commoner (buys back TrapFinding)
Scaramanaga - ranged (pistol) ninja noble (no TrapFinding)
in the works - Byron
I will however, disagree with Nefreet, there are a couple of scenarios where traps (or trap like encounters) are inherently deadly and not just something to spend CLW wand charges upon. Its certainly not the majority of scenarios.
I have not gone the bow route. Thrown weapons with 20' range increments are sufficient for my builds. I don't find many scenarios where range (greater than 20) matters much.
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I will however, disagree with Nefreet, there are a couple of scenarios where traps (or trap like encounters) are inherently deadly and not just something to spend CLW wand charges upon. Its certainly not the majority of scenarios.
No disagreement.
That's why I used words such as "generally" and "almost always" ;-)
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My rogue is a bitey half-orc reach fighter with accelerated drinker, who used his first Rogue Talent to learn to use a Fouchard.
Stealth.
Chug.
20' reach, 10' threatened area with bite.
Attack from cover/flank for 2d8+8+Sneak Attack.
I've also picked up Fleet and slippers of Feather Step. Because moving 35' with a 20' reach and Combat Reflexes and ignoring difficult terrain makes it MUCH EASIER to find a flanking buddy...
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I haven't gotten very far with my Rogue, but she's a Dwarf Sanctified Rogue/Swashbuckler who earns the nickname "Fiddler Crab" by dual-wielding a heavy pick and a light pick. Think of her as Norgerber's sarcastic, cynical retort to Paladins (complete with the highly cool Secret Knowledge trait available to Norgerber-worshipers). She's a professional thief with all the skills for which that vocation calls (as well as a cloak of elvenkind she was able to acquire from a Chronicle), but in combat, her fighting style is as much akin to that of a warrior as a Rogue, in spite of being a single-class Rogue. As it stands, I intend to acquire Medium Armor Proficiency for her 3rd-level feat (the better to expand on the "crab" motif, as well as enable her to put her Slow and Steady ability to use), then take the Ki Pool Rogue Talent at 4th-level, then either Extra Rogue Talent - Ninja Trick (Vanishing Trick) as her 5th-level feat, or take that as her 6th-level Rogue Talent and take Extra Ki as her 5th-level feat - or maybe I'll only wind up taking one, two, or none of those. I'm also interested in Minor Magic (probably detect poison, ghost sound, haunted fey aspect, or mage hand) and Major Magic (probably shield, infernal healing, or jump), as well as tricks like Fast Fingers and Hard to Fool, and Trap Spotter, as well as the second Combat Trick Talent she's entitled to as a Swashbuckler, and eventually achieving a Dexterity high enough to take Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (perhaps what that second Combat Trick Talent will be for). To recap: A rabid psycho-killer type in combat and skilled thief outside of it with a modicum of supernatural powers to aid in both.
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I've a lot of good luck with this sort of skeleton for a build, and combining multiple specialties. I've gotten one of these sorts of characters to 11th and the other is now 19th, so rogues can't be as bad as the boards seem to believe.
As for "style..." high-Dex, good-Int, good-Cha, let the bruisers charge in front while the rogue slips in and and lays down a nasty debilitating strike where and when she wants. Then brush yourself off and greet the NPCs with a smile, because the murderhobos have had their fun and now it's your turn.
-Matt
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My rogue, who has been pretty fun to play, is based on two-weapon fighting (to take maximum advantage of sneak attack). He has two-weapon defense, and now, at level 10, has improved 2WF, and 2 weapon feint. Level 11 he'll get improved 2W feint. He can get his AC up to 36, I believe, thanks to Offensive Defense, Combat Expertise, and Fighting Defensively (though he still has to hit with a +10 after flanking).
However, he's also a pretty decent Face... and does very well on traps (when he can find them).
Stat wise (which are not optimal) STR13, DEX16 (now 20), CON14, INT12 (now 14 w/ headband), WIS10, CHA14. Worked well for me... YMMV.
His attack bonus might be a little low for some, but he does ok. In more than one scenario he's been the primary damage dealer!
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8 Wisdom on a Rogue does sort of feel like it is asking for trouble. Tripping with a 3/4 BaB class also feels like you are asking for trouble a bit. I am sure rogues can be made viable in PPFS, especially given the number of humanoid opponents and its focus on the lower levels but I am a bit dubious about your skeleton. Have you generally played at or under tier? How have out of tier games gone?
Let's see...
I actually played up quite a lot for both of their careers, and never down. I never had any problem tripping things; a menacing flank with high Dex was usually enough, and Gang Up made those happen rather often. Heroism was really helpful for pushing her over the gap between 3/4 and full BAB.
I think the only scenarios I can remember really having trouble in were:
-The 8-9 of Golden Serpent, PaizoCon 2012. I think she was 8th. ACs were just too high, and table was not big on teamwork.
-The final encounter of the 10-11 of Portal of the Sacred Rune, also at PaizoCon 2012, for similar reasons. She was 8th in that one as well.
As for 8 Wisdom... the first iteration of this character had 7, in order to pay for 16 Charisma. I took Iron Will around 9th or so and never had a problem. I think I remember failing a Will save or two from hold person once, during one of the Devil We Knows back in late 2011. The fear of Will saves is overblown on the boards, cloaks of resistance are solid, and by letting the bruisers charge in first, they would be the primary targets of said spells. Is a caster going to provoke AOs to move over to hit the rogue with a color spray, or is he going to catch the Barbarian who is right in his face? Also, fearful players can just buy rerolls and take a lot of the danger out of saving throws. I didn't really see the need to.
Anyways, just stick to your combat fundamentals, don't go too deep on strange and situational tricks, don't sacrifice your attack bonus for Power Attack or Piranha Strike, be careful with Two-Weapon Fighting, remember that heroism is great for you, and you'll be a star in PFS's noncombat situations as well as in combat.
-Matt
P.S. Evasion: Very underrated by the boards, and very helpful in the 5-9 game.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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I think the only scenarios I can remember really having trouble in were:
-The 8-9 of Golden Serpent, PaizoCon 2012. I think she was 8th. ACs were just too high, and table was not big on teamwork.
-The final encounter of the 10-11 of Portal of the Sacred Rune, also at PaizoCon 2012, for similar reasons. She was 8th in that one as well.
This was my table, right? To Matt's credit, I really liked GMing that scenario (one of my favorites) and I pulled no punches on the final fight. His party came out on top in the end, too.
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This was my table, right? To Matt's credit, I really liked GMing that scenario (one of my favorites) and I pulled no punches on the final fight. His party came out on top in the end, too.
Yep, that's the one. There were some great moments in that game,
-Matt
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I love how there's always the snarks when Rogues are mentioned.
Me, I think the class rules. We have a local Elf one who just went into retirement and a ubiquitous Dwarf Scout. Having either of them on the table is a hoot because, unlike the silly low level damage traps, symbols and especially runes can be areal pain. Their shtick isn't limited by slots or rounds per day, it goes great with exploration since Perception is always important and, unlike the rest of the party, Rogues still have skill ranks left after maxing a few key ones.
Having someone who consistently hits for 5d6+etc, or a whole lot more on the rare occasion somebody doesn't break the flank, is a nice bonus as well.
Man, and I used to deride Rogues.
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Their shtick isn't limited by slots or rounds per day, it goes great with exploration since Perception is always important and, unlike the rest of the party, Rogues still have skill ranks left after maxing a few key ones.
Perception is the most important skill in the game. So if the rogue is the only one with ranks in it in the party, you're simply not playing with a decent party.
As a PFS GM, many a rogue has nearly died at my tables from failing perception checks. In my experience, rogues tend to have moderate to lowish perception, except perhaps against traps. It's not uncommon for them to dump wisdom, as they have no more need of wisdom than a fighter does and getting perception as a class skill from traits is pretty common for all classes.
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The fear of Will saves is overblown on the boards,
Except when it isn't. One of the few permanent PFS deaths I've seen was
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The fear of Will saves is overblown on the boards,Except when it isn't. One of the few permanent PFS deaths I've seen was
** spoiler omitted **
And that is fairly situational.
And bad dice rolls are bad dice rolls.