D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 Rogue PC building help

[Tessarael]

In my opinion, the best feats in order are:
3) Iron Will
2) Two Weapon Defense
5) Improved Critical (short sword)

+1 AC is nice, but you don't have major AC problems. The Will save is where you're lacking, so improve that first. Some extra damage is always nice.

In my opinion, the feats not worth taking are:
1) Skill Focus (Use Magic Device)
4) Combat Expertise and later Improved Feint

Your Use Magic Device will continue to rise with each level. You're making good use of it now, no need to get a feat that gives it a temporary boost that won't be much use later.

Combat Expertise and Improved Feint are relatively weak feats. Improved Feint isn't worth it versus most opponents - they get to add their BAB to their Sense Motive check opposing your Bluff check to feint.

 

[Lord Morte]

Iron Will would be my choice. A poor Will save can be a nightmare, so anything to alleivate it would be good. However, if you can talk your helpful party spell-casters into casting something like remove fear or owl's wisdom on you, you'll get the same benefit some of the time.

Combat Expertise is a good choice, especially when combined with that divine favour spell you mentioned. +3 AC, +3 dmg isn't to be sneezed at, but unless you're planning to take some of the other feats on the chain it may not be worthwhile.

Improved Feint could be fairly helpful and I'd trade four or so 1d6+x attacks with increasingly poor attack bonuses for one big 7d6+x at your highest. Using it would be a gamble, but against an opponent with no ranks in Sense Motive you'd probably have an even chance and the pay-off is pretty big. Oh, yeah... you do know that favoured enemy bonuses apply to Bluff?

Consider the other Combat Expertise chain feats as well. Improved Disarm and Improved Trip are both good when combined with Two-Weapon Fighting, as you can use your second high bonus attack with them. Up for disarming the BBEG's wand o' power and using it against him?

If you want a defensive feat but aren't interested in the chain feats, take Two-Weapon Defense. Actually, in that case take Improved Crit later as it is very valuable with the multiple attacks of Two-Weapon Fighting. Each time you roll the dice is another chance to get a crit.

You sound like you're doing very well with Use Magic Device, so I wouldn't recommend Skill Focus in this case.

 

[Orm]

From those feats you mentioned Iron Will is your best friend.
Have you ever considered some other feats? Like Imroved Initiative (possible extra sneak damage in the surprise round) or Quick Draw+Flick Of The Wrist (one extra sneak attack per opponent/combat without the need to feint) or Weapon Focus Short Sword?

Orm

 

[GlassJaw]

What are your other feats?

 

[F5]

Iron Will would be my choice. A poor Will save can be a nightmare, so anything to alleivate it would be good. However, if you can talk your helpful party spell-casters into casting something like remove fear or owl's wisdom on you, you'll get the same benefit some of the time.

...or all of the above. If you get a +2 from Iron Will, +2 from a buddy's Owl's Wisdom, and maybe an extra +2 from a cloak of resistance, your will save gets boosted up into respectable levels. Because the will save really is your achilles heel at this level. And with just the +2 from Iron Will, you'll still fail that DC 20 save more often than you'll make it.

Another option VS targeted will save spells at 12th level is to make sure you're not a target (total cover, hiding, etc). How's your Bluff skill, for creating a diversion to Hide? Skill Focus: bluff would counteract the penalties you take for your 8 cha, but would be useless if your bluff skill is pretty high already (since you just have to beat an observers' sense motive roll, which for most melee opponents is going to be pretty low)

 

[Nail]

I understand the "low magic" part of your game world, but: boy-howdy, do you need a cloak of resistance +3. Big time.

 

[Marimmar@Home]

Hi, I will definitely take Iron Will for my Rogue's 12th level Feat. When the opportunity presents itself I will try to get my hands on a better Cloak of Resistance than my Rogue possesses right now (+1) but currently there's nothing I can do about it.
Although it looks like we're having a low magic setting, it's not true, all our characters are equipped with way more magic items than the DMG suggests. It's just that every DM was annoyed that magic items they distributed all got sold for customs.

I already took Improved Initiative but cannot get access to Flick of the Wrist; it's neither in the Core nor in the FRCS so it's not eligible. (We use the FRCS but not the PGttR since all our spell slingers vetoed against updating Spell Casting Prodigy )

As for Disarming and Tripping, I'm not a big fan of either since my weapons are light and my Str is low (14) so I won't get much use out of them.

~Marimmar

 

[Thanee]

Combat Expertise and Improved Feint are relatively weak feats. Improved Feint isn't worth it versus most opponents - they get to add their BAB to their Sense Motive check opposing your Bluff check to feint.

Combat Expertise is weak?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

(We use the FRCS but not the PGttR since all our spell slingers vetoed against updating Spell Casting Prodigy )

LOL

You know, you can use the PGtF and just replace the Spellcasting Prodigy feat with the 3.0 version!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Marimmar]

Combat Expertise is weak?

Bye
Thanee

I guess he just means the Improved Feint part to which I agree mostly. If my rogue wouldn't play around with Two Weapon Fighting and had some more Charisma, I'd think otherwise but as it is, it's not really worth it. Combat Expertise all by itself is always interesting to take but that will be something for the future.

~Marimmar