Scout/Ranger/Human Paragon Skillmonkey
Goose-
That is good timing; I was playing around with character concepts over the last few days for a new Eberron game, and wanted to make an unusual character to fit the "thief" role in the party. I came up with a Scout/Ranger/Human Paragon which uses Able Learner and the Human Paragon's Adaptive Learning ability to fulfill all the classic "thief" skills without any rogue levels. It is posted fully in the spoiler box below, built with 25 point buy (+1 Dex at level 4). It is level 5, but here would be my recommendations for its level 6:
6 Ranger 2 +1 BAB Combat Style (Rapid Shot); Feat (Swift Hunter)
[sblock]“Tricky” Diik, Thief of Sharn CR5
Male human scout 3/ranger 1/human paragon 1
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Listen +6, Spot +6
Languages Common, Quori
Action Points: 7
AC 18, touch 15, flatfooted 18; Expeditious Dodge, skirmish, uncanny dodge
(+3 Dex, +5 armor)
hp 46 (5 HD)
Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +3
Spd 40 ft. (8 squares)
Melee +1 longsword +4 (1d8+1/19-20/x2)
Ranged +1 composite longbow +7 (1d8+1/20/x3 70’) or +1 composite longbow +8 (1d8+2/20/x3) with Point Blank Shot
Base Atk +3; Grp +3
Atk Options favored enemy (humanoids [elves]) +2, Point Blank Shot, skirmish (+1d6, +1 AC or +3 AC with Expeditious Dodge)
Special Actions Track +10, trapfinding +7, wild empathy +0 (magical beasts -4)
Combat Gear potions of cure light wounds (2), potions of shield of faith +3 (2)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 8
SQ adaptive learning (Open Lock), battle fortitude +1, trackless step
Feats Able Learner, Expeditious Dodge, Point Blank Shot b, Track b
Skills Balance +3*, Disable Device +10, Hide +8*, Jump +10*, Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +6, Move Silently +8*, Open Lock +11, Search +7, Spot +6, Survival +7 (aboveground +9) (Track +11), Tumble +10*
* -2 Armor Check penalty
Possessions combat gear plus +1 longsword, +1 composite longbow, arrows (40), masterwork chain shirt, masterwork thieves’ tools, 50’ rope, grappling hook, flint & steel, torches (3), rations
Quote:
“Anything you can do, I can do better—I can do everything better than you.”
Tactics:
“Tricky” Diik is a classic jack-of-all-trades (although he does not like the term; after all, “trades” implies work, which he would rather avoid). He fights like a fighter-archer, has nature skills like a ranger, and thieving abilities of a rogue. He is a lazy, good-for-nothing selfish bastard—but with a heart of gold.
Feats:
ABLE LEARNER [RACIAL]
You have a great aptitude for learning.
Prerequisites: Human or doppelganger.
Benefit: All skill ranks cost 1 skill point for you to purchase, even if the skill is cross-classed for you. The maximum number of ranks you can purchase in a cross-class skill remains the same.
This feat does not affect the skill point cost to learn a language or to gain literacy (for a barbarian or other illiterate character).
Normal: Cross-class skills cost 2 skill points per rank.
Special: This feat may only be taken at 1st level.
EXPEDITIOUS DODGE
You’re good at avoiding attacks while moving quickly.
Prerequisite: Dex 13.
Benefit: When you move 40 feet or more in a single turn, you gain a +2 dodge bonus to your Armor Class until the beginning of your next turn.
Special: Expeditious Dodge can be used in place of the Dodge feat to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other special ability.
A fighter may select Expeditious Dodge as one of his fighter bonus feats.
POINT BLANK SHOT
Benefit: You get a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at ranges of up to 30 feet.
Special: A fighter may select Point Blank Shot as one of his fighter bonus feats.
TRACK
Benefit: To find tracks or to follow them for 1 mile requires a successful Survival check. You must make another Survival check every time the tracks become difficult to follow.
You move at half your normal speed (or at your normal speed with a –5 penalty on the check, or at up to twice your normal speed with a –20 penalty on the check). The DC depends on the surface and the prevailing conditions.
Normal: Without this feat, you can use the Survival skill to find tracks, but you can follow them only if the DC for the task is 10 or lower. Alternatively, you can use the Search skill to find a footprint or similar sign of a creature’s passage using the DCs given above, but you can’t use Search to follow tracks, even if someone else has already found them.
Special: A ranger automatically has Track as a bonus feat. He need not select it.
This feat does not allow you to find or follow the tracks made by a subject of a pass without trace spell.
Class Abilities:
Battle Fortitude (Ex): At 2nd level, a scout gains a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves and initiative checks. A scout loses this bonus when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 3rd level, a scout gains an enhancement bonus to his speed. A scout in medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.
Favored Enemy (Ex): At 1st level, a ranger may select a type of creature from among those given on Table: Ranger Favored Enemies. The ranger gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures.
At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table. In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by 2.
Skirmish (Ex): A scout deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on all attacks he makes during any round in which he moves at least 10 feet away from where he was at the start of his turn. The extra damage applies only to attacks made after the scout has moved at least 10 feet. The skirmish ability cannot be used while mounted. The extra damage only applies against living creatures that have a discernible anatomy. At 3rd level, a scout gains a +1 competence bonus to Armor Class during any round in which he moves at least 10 feet. The bonus applies as soon as the scout has moved 10 feet, and lasts until the start of his next turn. A scout loses this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, a scout retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a scout already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
Trackless Step (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a scout leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.
Track: A ranger gains Track as a bonus feat.
Trapfinding (Ex): A scout can use the Search skill to find traps with Search DCs higher than 20, and the Disable Device skill to disarm magical traps.
Wild Empathy (Ex): A ranger can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The ranger rolls 1d20 and adds his ranger level and his Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the ranger and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. The ranger can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a –4 penalty on the check.
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