Hide and the gnome sorcerer

[coyote6]

So, I'm playing a gnome sorcerer in a 3.5e game, and I'm trying to find a way to make Hide a class skill for him. I want to eventually take the Shadowcraft Mage prestige class from Races of Stone, which requires Hide 4. I hate buying cross class skills -- I feel like I'm paying a tax for some dumb reason.

Multiclassing to something that won't increase my sorcerer spellcasting doesn't work for me; the character concept is an semi-illusionist sorcerer in the Age of Worms, so he already feels handicapped enough.

So, is there any way a gnome sorcerer can get Hide as a class skill? There are feats that let you make a skill a class skill, but they all seem to require being human.

I haven't found anything, and haven't been able to come up with any Cunning Plans, so I'm probably going to end up dumping two full levels worth of skill points on a skill I'll never successfully use, so my character can be slightly more interesting than the basic (fairly boring) sorcerer.

Any ideas?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Quick question- have you already started playing or is this just starting up? If its the latter, I believe the Beguiler has Hide as a class skill, so that may be a better starting point.

If not, you might consider checking out DCv1. They have Bloodline Feats that kind of work like Clerical Domains. Each thematically constrained Bloodline Feat lets you add a single spell per level to your list. Some of them restrict you from casting other spells (a PC with the Fire bloodline might not be able to cast Water spells- don't quote me on that, I'm not near my books), some add skills.

Beyond that...I'll have to think a bit.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

UA has a feat to make a skill a class skill. At level 2+, anybody can take Martial Study feat for a Shadow Hand maneuver and along with it gain Hide as a class skill.

The best option if you haven't begun playing yet might be to just play a gnome illusionist. It gets nice racial alternate levels and UA has a variant that gives you extra class skills, including Hide.

 

[coyote6]

Nah, we've been playing for a bit. We are just hitting 7th level, and I think we're on the fourth adventure.

I remembered the beguiler a week or two after we started playing, and have been mentally kicking myself since; beguiler would have been just about perfect for the concept I had.

The gnome does have Penumbral Bloodline, from DCV1, so great minds, etc. Unfortunately, it doesn't give a class skill -- I don't think any of them do. I think additional class skills are from the Sorcerer bloodline ability in Pathfinder -- which are basically modified & expanded versions of the bloodline feat as a class option.

I will check UA for that feat.

 

[coyote6]

Ah-ha! I found the Skill Knowledge feat in UA, and the Martial Study feat in Bo9S, which, taken for Shadow Hand discipline, would give me Hide as a class skill. I think Bo9S was declared forbidden by the DM, but I'll double check just to make sure, as some of the Shadow Hand powers are really quite shadow-rific.

Thanks!

 

[udalrich]

Ah-ha! I found the Skill Knowledge feat in UA, and the Martial Study feat in Bo9S, which, taken for Shadow Hand discipline, would give me Hide as a class skill. I think Bo9S was declared forbidden by the DM, but I'll double check just to make sure, as some of the Shadow Hand powers are really quite shadow-rific.

Thanks!

Even if Bo9S is verboten, a Sorcerer taking the feat once at level 7 is unlikely to be overpowered. Actually, anybody taking that feat once at 7th level is unlikely to be overpowered. It's quite possibly that your DM would let you take that feat (or a modified version that says "you can only take this once").

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

The most "powerful" SH maneuver a mid level Sorc could qualify for would probably be the level 2 to teleport 50 ft as a standard action (Shadow Stride?). I like Cloak of Deception (level 2 also) usually, and it's still useful to get out of jams. But without sneak attack dice and lots of illusion spells already, "till end of turn" greater invisibility is of limited use compared to a 1/encounter "out of grapple" card.

Oh, and don't feel bad about not picking Beguiler. Beguilers can't abuse the Arcane Disciple trick to emulate Miracle.
(I do not reccommend actually doing that if you even get to level 18+, the DM will hate you)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Another thought...take levels in an arcane/stealthy PrCl like the Arcane Trickster class. Hide is a class skill for them, and they advance your spellcasting 1-for-1.

Arcane Trickster :: d20srd.org

The bad news is that you'd have to either spend even more cross-class skill points or multiclass in Rogue (or similar class) in order to qualify.

I don't have my books handy, but I suspect the same is true of other arcane/stealthy/tricky PrCls like the Enlightened Fist.

 

[coyote6]

Yeah, I looked at Arcane Trickster and a couple of other prestige classes. Not a lot of help there, unfortunately.

Y'know, I mostly GMed 3.Xe, and I house-ruled sorcerer really early on, and every PC sorcerer went to a prestige class as soon as they could anyways. I'd forgotten how bland the base class is, aside from spellcasting.

 

[Zanticor]

Hope I'm not to late for this but you just have to look at this:

Specialist Wizard Variants
Specialist Wizard Variants :: d20srd.org

Get Hide as a class skill and at level 5 ad your int to your hide check (+dex of course).

Hiding better then the thief!

Zanticor

Edit: say you wanted a sorcerer. Why? Then this trick does not work. Sorry.