I have access to all PF books, no 3rd edition books, and I'd prefer to stick to the core races. I'm aiming for something none of my friends have done before, which is a rogue-esq mage. I know it's not optimal going the multiclass-into-Arcane Trickster Route, but I'll go with it if it's the only real route for such a thing.
To more define the character I'm envisioning, here's a bit about him:
- Born in a city now controlled completely by undead
- Clerical forces betrayed his parents, so he's resorting to arcana as an alternate source of magic
- Escaped undead city through the efforts of a rogue mage guild
- Is now attempting to escape undead search parties (said parties have a means of scrying him)
Any tips?
Edit: I'd like to focus upon sorcerer or wizard builds. Other classes like the magus, bard, and witch are...okay, but I'd prefer the first two more so. If the wizard can be done, that'd be even better.
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If you want something a bit more combat effective... how about a magus/rogue or magus/ninja? I have a PC going Arcane Trickster from magus/ninja, although that's a bit more MAD than you may prefer, but the Ki point boosts are nice. In either case, human, half-elf, and elf are my preferred core race choices
If you go this route, please get the Magical Knack trait so your caster level for spells doesn't trail off too badly.
There are two other possibilities:
Sandman Bard: You get spells, sneaky spell options, and you can actually single class into Arcane Trickster, although you'll have to wait until after level 10 for that.
Vivisectionist Alchemist: A stretch, but hear me out. In your case, instead of studying living anatomies, you studied that of undead creatures to find weakpoints. And your unusual studies are why the clerical forces betrayed your parents. Alchemy covers the magic part fairly well, and sneak attack goodness! Assuming this is a home game, you could play that well.
EDIT:
Seeing your edit... how about transmuter wizard/vivisectionist? Alchemy and spells from wizard both use Int for the stat, and can use the transmuter Physical Enhancement to further beef up a desired physical stat. Just use the alchemy to get some decent self buffs and keep your wizard spells for other purposes. Still see the Magical Knack request above.
That or sorcerer/ninja. The use of Cha as a primary stat is nice synergy, and halfling would be pretty awesome in that regard.
Also, what's the stat arrangement, point buy or have you rolled some already?
Can you be a bit more specific with what you want out of a rogue mage? Depending on your desires i'd go some kind of bard or alchemist before I did an arcane trickster. Multiclassing in pathfinder is almost never worth it.
So what exactly do you want to be able to do as a rogue mage? WHat kind of spells do you want? How combat capable do you want to be? Stuff like that will help a lot in offering you suggestions.
How about Rogue 3/Diviner 1/Arcane Trickster 10/Diviner 6?
If you take the Scryer subschool you get a 3rd level SLA which qualifies you to start taking Arcane Trickster at level 5. I really think this kind of character can be fun to play, an apprentice wizard really, who adds heaping helpings of rogue. Ranged touch attacks are your friend here, as you can sneak attack with spells like Acid Splash. I played a similar build once and I hated not getting arcane trickster until 9th, this way is fast enough to let you do the rogue job well and the mage job ok to start and well by the end.
If you don't mind waiting until 7th level to take your first level of AT, the Sleepless Detective PrC can get you in with only two levels of casting lost (Rogue 1/ SD 1/ Wiz 4. Alternatively, go in with a race with a 2nd-level SLA, and take it with 3 levels of rogue, and 1 of wizard. My preference (I almost ran an arcane trickster, had most of the build lined up) is wizard and rogue, sorc and ninja do get the Cha synergy, but it's really a mater of choice. The things I've suggested work with either methods. In fact, the Sleepless Detective method is even more appealing for a Sorc, because even with the lost casting levels, you'll eventually get 9th level spells, if your campaign goes that high.
I think a good question here is, what do you consider "Rogue-esque"? If you mean sneak attack, trapfinding, et all; then take the Arcane Trickster route.
If you're thinking Stealth and Sleight of Hand, then a straight-up Illusionist with the right set of skills can do the job and then some; especially with Use Magic Device for scrolls of Hide from Undead and the sort. (( As a side note, Pragmatic Activator beats out Dangerously Curious if you plan to ever have an Int above 4... ))
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If you're thinking Stealth and Sleight of Hand, then a straight-up Illusionist with the right set of skills can do the job and then some; especially with Use Magic Device for scrolls of Hide from Undead and the sort. (( As a side note, Pragmatic Activator beats out Dangerously Curious if you plan to ever have an Int above 4... ))
This. Or, if you really care about Disable Device a Seeker Sorcerer might be more your speed. Again, with a Trait for Stealth and decent Dex and Int.
Going to second Kolokotroni, it would be helpful to know exactly what you're looking for, considering with the topic title my first thought was "Use Mage Hand to flip skirts?" I'm guessing that's not the type of rogue you're looking for though.
Is it possible to combine rays with sneak attacks? If so, how?
I value stealth and diplomacy moreso than divination spells, for spells that do what stealth and diplomacy do come at far later levels than I'd like, and wasting a spell slot for something I could do more easily seems rather...pointless to me.
You don't need a fireball to take out goblins. Craft (alchemy) gives you molitovs. You don't need magic missles to take down an ogre. Grab a bow, and kite him to death. If he runs faster than you, a sufficient longstrider will do just fine. Still, if you need a decent obstacle in a moment's notice, and you're higher level, a wall of stone works wonders. For everything else, there's always a simple answer. I'd like a character that allows me to think outside of the box rather than resorting to spells all day and every day.
If I need a weapon, and someone else unfriendly has what I need, I want a means of getting it. If someone has knowledge that I need, I want the ability to get it. All the while, with the least amount of spell use possible. I'm in a campaign where my character is running away from magical people, and if he's caught using magical stuff, said magical people will have an easier time hunting him down. Does this make things a little clearer?
After reviewing my before posted comment on this thread, I proceeded to forcefully plant my face on my desk and wonder why I even said it. I'm going with a Sniper 3/Wizard 3 into Arcane Trickster, and then going from there. Sorry for the obvious brain fart in all of this.
I don't believe it can. Pulling from the PRD, Sneak Attack works when you make an attack when someone is either denied their Dex bonus or flanked. The key word is "attack" by the combat section of the core rule book, an "attack" is a melee attack, unarmed attack, ranged attack, or natural attack.
Basically, if you've got a chance to crit, it's an attack, otherwise, no dice.
But on that note, there is a possibility to mix spells and sneak attacks in a Magus. They get spell strike, where basically they can charge a spell into a melee attack. Not Ray-Sneak Attacks, but you could end up mixing sneak attacks with spells via this route, so it's a possibility.
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I don't believe it can. Pulling from the PRD, Sneak Attack works when you make an attack when someone is either denied their Dex bonus or flanked. The key word is "attack" by the combat section of the core rule book, an "attack" is a melee attack, unarmed attack, ranged attack, or natural attack.
Basically, if you've got a chance to crit, it's an attack, otherwise, no dice.
Assuming you're answering the question of can you add sneak attack damage to rays. You can add precision dice because rays are ranged touch attacks.
I stand doubly corrected then, carry on people!
If you don't mind waiting until 7th level to take your first level of AT, the Sleepless Detective PrC can get you in with only two levels of casting lost (Rogue 1/ SD 1/ Wiz 4. Alternatively, go in with a race with a 2nd-level SLA, and take it with 3 levels of rogue, and 1 of wizard. My preference (I almost ran an arcane trickster, had most of the build lined up) is wizard and rogue, sorc and ninja do get the Cha synergy, but it's really a mater of choice. The things I've suggested work with either methods. In fact, the Sleepless Detective method is even more appealing for a Sorc, because even with the lost casting levels, you'll eventually get 9th level spells, if your campaign goes that high.
Oh my god...I love you. I'm sorry for skim reading past this. I feel so horrible. I will DEFINITELY be using this.
My roll set (since I previously rolled) is this:
13, 13, 13, 13, 15, 17
I haven't placed the scores anywhere, but I feel the 17 will go into Dex, and the 15 will go into Int.
I've been doing some searching, and here are the races who fill the 2nd-Level+ SLA category:
Half-Elf w/ Drow Blood (Darkness)
Aasimar (varies)
Tiefling (varies)
Duergar (surprisingly)
Half-Elf and Aasimar seem like the better bets, but tiefling and duergar also seem functional. What are your guys' thoughts?
I recognize the futility of going with a SLA race with the above build, but for discussions sake, it's worth a few words.
Edit: it seems I forgot to mention which build I'm going with. I like the sleepless detective prc build, and look forward to using it.