Arcane Trickster's Sneak Attack

[FANGO]

Well...you do have 5th level casting ability, but you're no longer as good at being a rogue or a sor/wiz as you would have been otherwise, and especially in the case of spellcasting classes, having lower progression can really hinder a character. So that's why I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing anyway. Besides, you are losing things with this prc...skill points, possibly some class skills (which i haven't checked for, though), many cool rogue abilities, medium bab, wizard bonus feats, familiar progression (people say this doesn't mean much, but familiars can be really really helpful when used well), and you need to take the prerequisites which you may or may not have taken to begin with, all to gain just a little extra sneak attack damage and the ability to pick pockets at a distance.

Personally, I don't think it's a very imbalancing thing to give them the extra +2d6 sneak attack...but like I said I wasn't aware of any errata, but apparently since there is then oh well.

 

[Dark Dragon]

Well...you do have 5th level casting ability, but you're no longer as good at being a rogue or a sor/wiz as you would have been otherwise, and especially in the case of spellcasting classes, having lower progression can really hinder a character.

Er - not in case of the AT. Each level gained in that PrC means his casting abilities rise a level. To fullify the skill requirements (Escape Artist, Disable Device, Decipher Script each 7 ranks, Knowledge Arcana 4 ranks) the char takes his first three levels as a rogue to bring the EA, DD and DS to 6 ranks, and spends the other points for whatever. The following 5 levels he'll take Sor/Wiz (or Brd 6 lvls), rising the required skills to 7 or 4 and getting a level 3 spell at last. At level 9, the char takes his 1st level as an AT, gaining a sneak attack damage of +5d6 (2d from the rogue and 3d from the AT) PLUS spell casting ability of a lvl 6 mage...too much IMO.

So that's why I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing anyway. Besides, you are losing things with this prc...skill points, possibly some class skills (which i haven't checked for, though), many cool rogue abilities, medium bab, wizard bonus feats, familiar progression (people say this doesn't mean much, but familiars can be really really helpful when used well), and you need to take the prerequisites which you may or may not have taken to begin with, all to gain just a little extra sneak attack damage and the ability to pick pockets at a distance.

Personally, I don't think it's a very imbalancing thing to give them the extra +2d6 sneak attack...but like I said I wasn't aware of any errata, but apparently since there is then oh well.

Right, if choosing a PrC, you'll loose some ability progression of the base class, but you'll gain something from the prc. The abilities of the AT are not only pick pockets but also to deliver sneak attacks from a distance (impromtu sneak attack, and sneak attacks with rays!) and open locks / remove traps from a secure place. Not to mention his growing sor/wiz spellcasting ability and sneak attack damage.
There's an errata for the AT on the WotC-page, FAQ-site.

 

[FANGO]

Somehow, I don't see how being a 6th level caster and a 9th level caster are equal ;-)

Yes, you do lose ability progression when taking the prereqs for the prc, and you are no longer as good at roguing or sor/wizing as a single classed character would be (and btw, the prereqs are 5 levels wiz, 6 levels sorc or 7 levels bard with a good cha score).

The impromptu sneak attack and range legerdemain abilities, to me, are nice and all, but don't seem like they're something to complain about balance-wise. I really think that the prereqs and such are pretty balanced with what you get in the class as it's written in tome and blood, and that there wasn't a huge need to bump them down...but, like I said, oh well, I guess them's the breaks.

 

[IceBear]

Irrelevant

 

[Jack Haggerty]

To fullify the skill requirements (Escape Artist, Disable Device, Decipher Script each 7 ranks, Knowledge Arcana 4 ranks) the char takes his first three levels as a rogue to bring the EA, DD and DS to 6 ranks, and spends the other points for whatever. The following 5 levels he'll take Sor/Wiz (or Brd 6 lvls), rising the required skills to 7 or 4 and getting a level 3 spell at last.

Not quite. Decipher Script is a Rogue/Bard exclusive skill. You'll need to be either a Rogue 4/Wizard 5, a Rogue 4/Sorcerer 6, or a Rogue 3/Bard 7 to meet the requirements.

Right now I'm considering this PrC for my halfling Rogue/Abjurer.

 

[Ysgarran]

Not quite. Decipher Script is a Rogue/Bard exclusive skill. You'll need to be either a Rogue 4/Wizard 5, a Rogue 4/Sorcerer 6, or a Rogue 3/Bard 7 to meet the requirements.

This is one of the items that I think makes the Arcane Trickster balanced. No other WotC prestige class has a min. requirement of 9 levels before you can take it. If you could take this prestige class at 5 level, then the balance question would be much more an issue.

Take a 4 Rogue/5 Wizard/4 Arcane Trickster.

Is he really more powerfull than a 13 level wizard or 13 level Rogue? I would say the AT has more versatility but not really any more powerfull.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

And he's probably about as useful as a say, a Rogue 7/Wizard 6, but in a different way...

An Arcane Trickster is all about style, as should most PrCs be.

 

[Damror]

Clearly, the 3d6 sneak attack is 1d6 higher than the 2d6 sneak attack requirement to become an arcane trickster.

Its not really a typo in the sense of a wrong key stroke. Its just not as clear as it should be.

 

[Little_Buddha]

It's not a typo so much as a continuity error. It's not at all clear because it doesn't follow the agreed patterns for presenting PrC sneak attack progression (witness Song&Silence or the Assassin in the DMG).

 

[Son of Kyuss]

The fastest route for Arcane Trickster is the following

Rogue level 3
Wizard (or Specialized School) level 5 with : Cosmopolitan: Decipher Script, you need this for the ranks without taking the extra level in rogue as required normally. Neat eh?

Ranged sneak touch attacks rule.