Need help with my rogue's feats

[jgsugden]

Another good feat: quick draw. Archery rogues can get in trouble if they get pinned back with no place to adjust. Quick draw allows you to arm yourself quickly and fight back instead. Also, if your bow is sundered, it will allow you to plug away with thrown missile weapons and still take advantage of many of your 'archery' feats.

Also, if you take a level of fighter/barbarian/etc ... you can do the quick switch to a melee weapon with range.

 

[Rel]

I'd be sorely tempted to go with PBS and then Rapid Shot as soon as possible. But with what you've described, Improved Initiative is probably the way you should go.

If your role in the party is primarily that of a scout, you are not going to be picking fights with large groups of bad guys by yourself. You will more likely attack with the rest of the group (after you sneak back to report your findings) or else try to take down a lone guard by yourself. It is much easier to sneak within 30' of that guard than to get right next to him for a melee attack. Once you initiate combat, your first attack will be a single Sneak Attack on the surprise round. If the guard doesn't die to your first arrow, it is crucial that you take him down with the next one.

Your best bet there is to win initiative so that your second attack is a Sneak Attack as well. If you lose that initiative, he can attack you, he can raise the alarm and you won't get any more Sneak Attacks on him. Therefore heavily stacking the deck in your favor in terms of winning initiative is your best bet, IMHO.

 

[Darklone]

And take Manyshot later.

Manyshot in the surprise round won't make up for several sneak attacks, but with a good bow and acceptable strength it helps as well. Rapid shot sneak attacks if you win Initiative then