Is my rogue not useful in this configuration?

[Maidhc O Casain]

3) Roleplaying
Silly me: I invested ranks in roleplaying skills and ability points into a decent Charisma. Instead, the DM prefers to "roleplay" these types of interactions - which is fine - but it means that the Cha 8 Wizard is just as effective in roleplaying encounters as my Cha 16 Rogue/Bard with maxed ranks in Diplomacy, Bluff, and Perform (acting).

(Emphasis mine)

Not if you're really role-playing. The player of that 8 CHA wizard ought to be role-playing the 8. If he's not, the GM should be taking steps to enforce it - after all, he's the one insisting (rightly, IMO) on the role-play.

 

[hippononymous]

Sounds like your DM isn't paying attention to his players or giving you any opportunities to shine. I dealt with this when I first started playing D&D and didn't have an optimized fighter in an all caster group. I got my ass handed to me by high AC, high BAB monsters that didn't have any SR or magical DR, and always went straight for the tank. I wasn't given any help but rather made fun of for being a wimpy fighter.

The experience nearly turned me off from D&D all together. I ended up leaving the group to become a DM for a group of friends, and since then have learned that, as a DM, talking to the players about what they like and don't like, what they want more of and want less of, is an effective way of making sure everyone has fun and feels like they're contributing to the group.

I think the best thing to do in your situation would be to talk to your DM outside of the game and let him know that you feel useless. Don't outright ask him to switch up the module, just relay your frustrations. If he's a good DM - not to blow smoke up my own ass - he'll consider your frustrations and make changes that will give you opportunities to shine.

But don't feel bad when you fail skill checks and set off traps or mess up Diplomacy checks. I don't know how your group reacts to failed checks, but in the group I play in, we have the most fun dealing with traps that set off or NPCs that get pissed off from bad Diplomacy checks. It adds a bit of flavor, too. So unless you're with a bunch of dickheads, don't feel bad when you fail play along with it. No character, in my opinion, should be so perfect that they make all their checks.

 

[pawsplay]

3) Roleplaying
Silly me: I invested ranks in roleplaying skills and ability points into a decent Charisma. Instead, the DM prefers to "roleplay" these types of interactions - which is fine - but it means that the Cha 8 Wizard is just as effective in roleplaying encounters as my Cha 16 Rogue/Bard with maxed ranks in Diplomacy, Bluff, and Perform (acting).

The GM is using talking only to resolve those encounters, I hope he is having the NPCs respond to you each according to your ostensible persuasive abilities.

 

[hippononymous]

He probably isn't. I'd give the other players' character sheets a look. If they're not putting points into Diplomacy, I'd go ahead and switch out the skill points and allocate them into skill checks your DM prefers.