Here is the first draft of my new guide, "A Guide To Stealth: Sneaky 101". I haven't posted it anywhere else yet.
It's meant as a strategy guide for stealthy TTRPG characters, with an emphasis on 1e pathfinder unchained rogues. However, the guide can be used for much more than that, with lots of ideas and tips for playing at the table as a whole.
Unlike a lot of other Treantmonk-style color-coded guides, I generally refrained from talking about specific options that require you to narrow down your build, such as feats, traits, class abilities, etc. Obviously there are several worthy exceptions to this.
This is for a few reasons. The first is that there is a lot of material to cover there, so that will likely be added in a later draft. The second reason is that I don't want this guide to be a "you HAVE TO compromise your entire character's build to do X", although you certainly can. So I covered stuff that doesn't require drastic build changes first, then worked from there.
Plus, a lot of people are already familiar with how various class features and feats work.
TL;DR:
Please read this new guide and give me some feedback.
For rogues I prefer alchemical items over scrolls and wands a lot of the time. They're naturally quieter/stealthier to use and don't require a skill check for a non-caster to use. Of course in many games it can be hard to get a dozen deodorizers, a tunnel creeper and a stagnant air sack - magicmart isn't in as many games as some optimisers like to think.
Sleight of hand is one of those skills where the cost of failure is often high enough that you max it or GTFO. Usually the latter.
Lead is heavy. Not heavy like stone, not even heavy like iron/steel, heavy like gold. Trying to wear head-to-toe lead plating would be worse than full plate armor. If you're trying to do something with lead dust, that's not solid lead and may not be enough to block scrying - also you'd be a walking toxic waste hazard. Lead plating is for dungeons not adventurers, mostly. Nondetection, misdirection and friends are better ways to deal with scrying.
For rogues I prefer alchemical items over scrolls and wands a lot of the time. They're naturally quieter/stealthier to use and don't require a skill check for a non-caster to use. Of course in many games it can be hard to get a dozen deodorizers, a tunnel creeper and a stagnant air sack - magicmart isn't in as many games as some optimisers like to think.
These are excellent points. I largely forgot about alchemical items. Will add them in some time. Mind telling me some of your favorite/unorthodox ones?
I also agree with the fact that players shouldn't come to expect magicmart.
However, basic alchemical items do not suffer from this problem because they can be made by anyone who has skill ranks in alchemy. No magicmart required, except for the really extravagant stuff. Crafting obviously opens a whole new can of worms, but that is manageable.
Sleight of hand is one of those skills where the cost of failure is often high enough that you max it or GTFO. Usually the latter.
Agreed, I'll add the "all-or-nothing" factor in the description.
Lead is heavy. Not heavy like stone, not even heavy like iron/steel, heavy like gold. Trying to wear head-to-toe lead plating would be worse than full plate armor. If you're trying to do something with lead dust, that's not solid lead and may not be enough to block scrying - also you'd be a walking toxic waste hazard. Lead plating is for dungeons not adventurers, mostly. Nondetection, misdirection and friends are better ways to deal with scrying.
The amount of lead needed to block divination is only a thin sheet.
You're not making clothing out of lead. You're putting lead foil in-between the fabrics of a coat or cloak. The increase in weight would be noticeable, but not crippling. The risks of lead poisoning is vaguely referenced in the guide.
Of course, there are no rules pertaining to modifying equipment like this, so if your table/DM doesn't like it, so be it.
But from a purely pragmatic viewpoint, making the fantasy version of a tin-foil hat isn't unreasonable. Lead weighs 65% percent more than tin. So imagine stuffing a layer of tinfoil between the layers of a jacket, and then putting another half layer in.
Not saying that lead foil is easy to get in a high fantasy setting, but you have options, with "Fabricate" being the first one to come to mind.
Unless you're older than Gygax 'tin' foil that you've seen is made of aluminium. The thinnest lead sheets that hang together well & that you can make will be thicker than that (2mm?) with classical, medieval, or renaissance tech too, and I doubt the fabricate spell does better than period tech - it's faster rather than better IMO.
The toxic waste reference was to using lead dust. If you're using solid sheets then there are unlikely to be consequences.
Sure, if your GM's OK with a lead foil wrap working & being practical to wear that's good. I just see it as being more like making a suit of armor out of gold for game effects, though of course much cheaper.
Anyway, some items I like for roguish characters.
Tunnel creeper: 280 gp, tunnel 10' thru wood, rock or earth quietly in 10 minutes.
Stagnant fog sack: 80 gp for nonmagic obscuring mist.
Tracking powder: 30 gp for 10 uses. +10 to track.
Adhesive strip: 5 gp; duct tape.
Silence dust: 60 gp, quiets things within 15' for 1 minute - doesn't interfere with spellcasting.
Tanglefoot bag: 50 gp, stop someone chasing you + combat uses. Also available as a 20 gp arrow with a weaker effect.
Lead just isn't mechanically strong enough to hold together if you want it flexible enough to be a cloak. You might be able to cover a suit of armour with it - electroplating should work - but full coverage like that means full plate which isn't going to help your stealth efforts very much. And even at 0.5mm thick, which is "thin" by any reasonable standard, you'll need about 3m2 = 1.5 litres = 17kg (40 lbs) of lead.
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You already mentioned some of theses but,
The teamwork feat stealth synergy is fantastic if you want to sneak as a group. Or give it to your animal companion or familiar.
Dampen presence lets you hide from blindsense/sight
Boots of the Soft Step let you hide from tremorsense. Levitation or flying is another/better way to avoid tremorsense.
Dampening Ointment lets you hide from lifesense.
Pass without trace is a handy long lasting buff
Hide from animals and hide from undead can be situationally very useful.
Impenetrable Veil is a 9th level spell that lets you hide from anything.
Anyway, some items I like for roguish characters
Added these.
For your list of Skills, I didn't see you mention Disguise. Being good at looking like you belong there can be perfect for infiltrating a position. You mention Disguise as a Technique, but not as a Relevant Skill.
I believe it did mention it in the skill list, near the top.
You already mentioned some of theses but,
The teamwork feat stealth synergy is fantastic if you want to sneak as a group. Or give it to your animal companion or familiar.
Dampen presence lets you hide from blindsense/sight
I will be covering feats and class abilities soon, but Dampen Presence is probably the best of them all.
A lot of high level monsters have blindsense/sight, so the feat basically lets you keep stealth relevant at high levels with certain creatures.
Boots of the Soft Step let you hide from tremorsense. Levitation or flying is another/better way to avoid tremorsense.
Dampening Ointment lets you hide from lifesense.
Pass without trace is a handy long lasting buff
Hide from animals and hide from undead can be situationally very useful.
Impenetrable Veil is a 9th level spell that lets you hide from anything.
These have all been added.
Lead just isn't mechanically strong enough to hold together if you want it flexible enough to be a cloak.
The electroplating is a good idea, but the main idea behind this is sandwiching a layer of lead between layers of leather/cloth, not making the entire coat out of it.
I do not have any engineering prowess, so something may not be feasible with this idea.
Ultimately, this is meant to give you a fighting chance with some stealth checks that would normally be auto-fails, not as a hard counter. Even if full body coverage is not feasible, you at least want torso coverage where you keep magic items and whatnot.
Of course, this is all entirely within the realm of DM discretion.
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The Message spell is very useful for maintaining communication with the rest of the party.
Except that it's a set DC25 perception to hear you when you use message. So once you get into higher levels, this spell will ruin your stealth.
Telepathic bond is the higher level version.
Message can be dangerous. It's essentially the same thing as your cell phone ringing while you are trying to hide.
I will definitely add this to the guide, but with the following caveat:
Message poses little risk if the sneak is the one using it, since they can start a conversation while away from enemies.
Consider that Message is not just a means to communicate with your allies, you can use it on your enemies as well, and there is no saving throw allowed to block the message. If your "Stealth Guide" includes ways & means to clear the way, e.g. to have a guard leave a certain area less guarded, use Message for secret Intimidate (or similar) checks. Making a single person hear constant dark whispering in Aklo (or other fiendish languages) might just work to have that person feel Shaken and thereby reducing their Perception by -2.
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The colors are very context sensitive: “Perform (Riddles)” may seem like a useless skill, but a certain famous Halfling Rogue used it to get the major artifact of his universe, and save his life.
That "thief" got it by finding it on the floor. The riddles saved his life, allowing him to keep it.
H: Homework
Be a good Rogue. Do your homework. Know your techniques. Prepare your tools and buffs.
I would also add: Know your character's abilities and equipment.
If you are spending your valuable spotlight time looking up info, you are wasting everyone's time with boring stuff. If you know your abilities, then you can use them and keep everyone at the table entertained.Climb: For most characters, this skill is an OK investment.
I would add that at mid to high levels, you won't be using this because you are flying.
Fly: Flight is important, ...
Different magic gives different bonuses, and can be a problem if you need to count on it. Additionally, if you want to hover, you need to either get a feat, of up your skill enough to automatically do it even after penalties. That means 16 or higher effective skill.
Linguistics: Each rank spent here gives you a free language. Alternatively, you can instead learn how to read lip movements, ...
Reading lips is also quite useful if you are within a silence spell. If you use the Irriseni Mirror Sight spell, this gets around its major limitation.
Use Magic Device: ...
Remember: UMD Wand needs 20 to use, so getting your skill to 19 means you can always use that CLW wand. You can get away with less, if you get a Wand Key Ring for 3,000 gp to help (+10) with one spell on wands.
Blend and Overlook ... Disguise
Under the list of spells, there are several disguise spells. Disguise self, and a number of other spells give a +10 to disguise, but rarely stack. One often overlooked is Vocal Alteration which gives an untyped +10 to disguise.
Fog Cloud/Stinking Cloud
Add Cloud of Seasickness which makes sickened instead of nauseated.
Silence
This has a BIG downside. It can affect your own party's casters. Be sure you co-ordinate with them before using this.
Darkness/Concealment
The usability goes up if you [and preferably your party also] can see while you enemy cannot.
Illusions
Best to check with the GM beforehand on how he runs illusions. That way you won't waste time trying to use them in a way the GM doesn't allow.
Flight
Flying also makes you a high priority target. Unless everyone is flying. Don't forget this.
The Table Of Opposing Senses
You don't have "See in Darkness". Demons and the like can see even in greater darkness.
Also, dragons have "Dragon Sight"."Detect Magic" is easily defeated. It takes 3 rounds to pinpoint, so if you don't stand still for 3 rounds, they cannot find you.
"Keen Scent" is a more powerful version of "Scent".
Location, Location, Location (Also Terrain)
Slippers of spider climb lets you walk along walls and ceilings. Thus avoiding pit traps and many ground alarms. Also great for crossing that chasm if there is a wall or ceiling available for you to take a rope across.
/cevah
One more minor magic item of note: dust of tracelessness, aka retroactive pass without trace.