Hello forum folks! I'm here to enlist the help of you all in a skill monkey/"ninja" ratfolk rogue. I intend on doing an unchained rogue ratfolk, possibly move into shadow dancer. My group is starting at lvl 5 moving into our first AP rise of the rune lords. I went vexing dodger unchained rogue, and plan on climbing and terrorizing my opponents from atop them. Is there a "best build" for this type of idea? Ill be two weapon fighting with a custom created weapon, short sword and a ratfolk tailblade.
The custom weapon will be a double weapon, used in one hand so only ever using one end at a time, but it's mainly for flavor from an image I'm using as inspiration. It's a 1h spear for one end and a flail with the trip feature on the other.
I like it. My two main conerns would be accuracy and will save. Make sure you are keepimg resources (feats, talents, gear, whatever) dedicated to tose two and you should be good.
The tail blade feels like a bonus prize for ratty rogues, just another shot at sweet sneak attack dice.
Yeah, I'll be going with a dex build, all the weapons fit into the dex to hit zone. The ratfolk tailblade is a great way to sneak in extra damage, with it being a secondary natural attack. Looks like extra sneak attack damage to me.
If you can team with another ratfolk character, you'll have a racial ability that allows you to occupy the same square, and count as flanking with each other when you do. Flanking being one of the conditions that allows you to sneak attack, obviously.
I recently played a ratfolk DEX-based TWF ranger, teamed with my wife's ratfolk rogue. We got a lot of mileage out of the racial swarming ability. She mostly relied on her Sharpclaw natural attacks + SA damage; her tailblade didn't get a lot of play. We took Outflank and Precise Strike as teamwork feats. I eventually picked up Two-Weapon Rend, which is great.
Two weapon rend, ive not considered this until now. I'm trying to con one of my party members into joining my ratfolk cult, but we shall see. Hes pretty hung up on being an archer. We currently have a staff wielding monk, heavy weapon fighter, archer slayer, dmpc healer, and my ratfolk unchained vexing dodger
If you, sadly, have to play a lone rat, take a look at cheek pouches.
Cheek pouches you say. Never heard of it, I'll have to check it out.
Two weapon rend, ive not considered this until now. I'm trying to con one of my party members into joining my ratfolk cult, but we shall see. Hes pretty hung up on being an archer.
Is he under the impression that ratfolk can't be archers? :)
No, I get it: flanking requires a melee attack.
As soon as he picks up Snap Shot, which I assume he'd planned on already if he wants to focus on a ranged weapon, he threatens squares within 5'. Your GM may have to decide whether that should satisfy the conditions for flanking.
A tailblade would also fix the flanking issue.
Ratfolk Swarming would cover the issue, as long as we share a square we flank, but I don't think anyone is biting this bullet.
If you're left as the lone ratfolk in your party you could take the Scurrying Swarmer feat from Dirty Tactics Toolbox. It allows you to use your swarming trait with any ally that's your size or one size larger. It also allows you to benefit from any Teamwork feats you have as if the ally whose space you share also had the teamwork feat.
Ratfolk Swarming would cover the issue, as long as we share a square we flank, but I don't think anyone is biting this bullet.
Take the Scurrying Swarmer feat from Dirty Tactics Toolbox, and you can use the Swarming ability with any willing ally of your size or 1 larger. As an added bonus, it also counts them as having all of your Teamwork feats, much like Solo Tactics.
Multiclassing with 3 levels of Snakebite Striker Brawler grants both a moving feint and Brawler's Flurry, and you can take Two-Weapon Feint and Improved TWF off of Brawler's Flurry (like with a Ranger Style Feat, they just only work while using the Brawler feature). Assuming your created weapon qualifies as a 'close' weapon or a 'Monk' weapon suitable for close combat, Brawler's Flurry means you can wield either end of it for any of your TWF attacks.