D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Rogue / Wizard Build

[shijin83]

Hi guys,

i saw some very interesting builds around here and was wondering wether someone has some tipps for a rogue / mage build using only WotC rulebooks.
My character is a halfling (either strongheart or lightfoot) that spent some time as a rogue / assassin in the streets of some city, but is now devoted to the arcane studies.
The campaign will start with Level 8 characters and I am wondering how many levels of rogue to take and what talents / skills. Considering I won't be able to advance anymore as a rogue and would like to start with 3-4 lvl of wizard i would like to get as much out of the rogue levels as possible.


Thank you very much for your help.

Best regards

Filias Farrunner

 

[Runestar]

Consider rogue1/wiz4/unseen seer all the way.

Unseen seer is a prc in complete mage. It does impose a small caster lv penalty, so you will probably want practiced spellcaster (complete arcane) to offset that.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Consider rogue1/wiz4/unseen seer all the way.

Unseen seer is a prc in complete mage. It does impose a small caster lv penalty, so you will probably want practiced spellcaster (complete arcane) to offset that.

You can also use Unseen Seer for a few levels (I like 5, so you only lose 1 CL and get all day Nondetection along with 2d6 sneak attack, but it can be much fewer levels than that if you want) until you meet the CL requirements for Arcane Trickster. Worse skill points, but better sneak attack progression.

Also, Unseen Seer requires 8 ranks in several rogue skills. You absolutely want Rogue at level 1, it gets more hp to be maximized and WAY more skill points to apply the x4 level 1 modifier to. Which means you're going to need at least one more rogue level at ECL 5 if you don't want to spend obscene amounts of skill points with your Wizard levels on them (the Able Learner feat works too, but why waste a feat?). Rogue 2 gives Evasion, handy in its own right. You might even want to go to 3 for another SA dice, though that's probably not worth the CL loss.

I think I like "Feat Rogue" 1 / Wizard 3 / Feat Rogue +1 / Unseen Seer X for a build. Since the rogue levels would onl be giving you +1d6 sneak attack anyway, losing it for two fighter feats (you get them with fighter's progression, so levels 1 and 2) is a very good trade and your SA from Unseen Seer and later on Arcane Trickster can still be respectable.

And consider specializing for more spells per day. Divination has a lot of nice spells for rogues at low levels in Spell Compendium and only requires sacrificing a single school.

 

[Dandu]

Some people like Master of the Unseen Hand. I don't remember much about it, other than the fact that it focuses on Telekinesis.

Spellwarped Sniper's another popular one.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Considering I won't be able to advance anymore as a rogue and would like to start with 3-4 lvl of wizard i would like to get as much out of the rogue levels as possible.

This statement puzzles me- what do you mean you won't be able to advance anymore as a rogue?

Besides that...I'd look into things like one or more of the Force-related PrCls- Force Missile Mage, Argent Savant- because the nature of their abilities could come in handy for a rogue/wiz. And if I went that particular direction, I'd probably take the Reserve feats Blade of Force and Invisible Needle. They'd get you bonuses to your Force spells and a force based at-will attack.

 

[Andion Isurand]

Unseen Seer reduces your CL in all other schools besides Divination (which gets a bonus) if you keep progressing in it... making it less than ideal past level two in my book.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Unseen Seer reduces your CL in all other schools besides Divination (which gets a bonus) if you keep progressing in it... making it less than ideal past level two in my book.

Well, since you multiclassed to get in anyway most likely, if you have the Practiced Spellcaster feat, that gives up to +4 CL and covers you slightly. So if you went in with 2 Rogue levels, you could go up to level 8 in the class without actually losing any effective caster levels, for example.

 

[Particle_Man]

Arcane Trickster is a possibility, right in the DMG.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Arcane Trickster is a possibility, right in the DMG.

Yes, I mentioned it, as did others. It requires +2d6 SA and some caster levels though, making it a somewhat painful multiclass before you can get it. Unseen Seer, Spellwarp Sniper (the ranged touch sneak attack bonus it grants may not qualify for AT, though...), and possibly other wizard/rogue multiclass prestige classes allow earlier entry. So you can build up on the sneak attack and the caster levels simultaneuously for a few levels and then go into AT>