Race for Rogue - which is best ?

[thecasualoblivion]

I would suggest Drow and Halfling over all other Rogue races. They have the perfect stat array for Artful Dodger(the best of the Rogue builds), and have very synergistic racial features. Halflings are mobile and hard to kill, while Drow excel at producing their own combat advantage. After Drow/Halfling, we have Eladrin, Elves, and Humans. Elves are probably the best of these, as you can dump Cha and go Brutal Scoundrel with good Wis and perception. They get a really sexy feat out of martial power too. Eladrin's teleport is nice on a Rogue, and the extra skill isn't anything to sneeze at. Humans are an underrated Rogue race. The extra at-will isn't wasted on a Rogue, and the +1 to Fort/Ref/Will is very nice, as are human feats and the extra skill. Rogues aren't terribly stat intensive, so you don't get burned by the lack of the second +2.

Out of the PHB/FRPG/Dragon races:

1. Halfling--The standard
2. Drow--Almost as good as Halflings, and more powerful on offense
3. Elf--Sneaky Accuracy from Martial Power is teh sex
4. Human--Very underrated, and can do Artful and Brutal equally well
5. Eladrin--Teleportation is nice, and you should take advantage of the mobility to go Brutal
6. Tiefling--Artful Dodger maxes Cha so Infernal Wrath is nasty.
7. Half-Elf--Pretty solid at Artful Dodger, and the +2 Con isn't wasted
8. Gnoll--Not a fan of this race in general
9. Genasi--Earthsoul=combat advantage, and you benefit from multiple manifestations as well
10. Dragonborn--bonuses to both secondary stats, but the Race isn't really built for Rogue
11. Minotaur--Minotaurs make for fine Acrobatic chargers, as strange as that sounds
12. Warforged--Well, you'll be tough to kill...
13. Dwarf--5 speed sucks, and overall the Dwarf doesn't serve Rogues well.

 

[unan oranis]

in defence of dragonborn rogues:

throwing a minor action breath weapon thats got a very high chance of hitting *someone* on a turn you missed using your backstab damage is really great... happens almost every encounter in my group.

plus you can upgrade to lowlight vision if you like for the sneaking, not too bad at all.

 

[Tony Vargas]

One candidate for 'best' brutal rogue, out of the MM: Bugbear. Racial bonus to STR & DEX, plus /all/ thier racial abilities dovetail nicely with the brutal rogue.


Dragonborn have high STR & DEX, both secondaries for the Rogue, so they're potentiall good rogues. A 'balanced' rogue isn't exactly awe-inspiring, but a Brutal Rogue with a good CHA as well as STR and Sly Flurish with a sneak attack does about as much damage as you could hope for.

Halflings are ideal Artful Dodgers, of course.

Elves make good, perceptive rogues - but better rangers.

Eladrin rogues suffer from a redundant INT bonus. It's nice not being a dumb rogue, I guess, but you really get just about nothing for it - stat-wise, you might as well be human.

Tiefling Rogues make good Artful Dodgers, with thier racial bonuses to CHA, stealth & bluff (and attack bonuses, which are always handy for a striker), but INT is still redundant.

 

[Victim]

I like Elf; I'm more fond of brutal rogues than Artful ones. You get Dex to boost your primary stat. Since you don't need CHA much as an brutal rogue, going with Wis to make use of the racial bonus has its advantages even for a rogue. Higher WIS -> perception (with a racial bonus too) will lead to a character better at dealing with traps, secret doors and ambushes. Improved speed and ability to shift makes it easier to flank without inviting OA. And since rogues tend to make few, but highly damaging, attacks, elven accuracy is pure gold - a ranger tends to spread out its damage between several attack rolls, making the power somewhat less effective.

For the Artful Dodger, both Halfling or Drow make an excellent choice.

As usual, Humans are up there, especially since rogues have good at wills.

 

[Gruns]

The corect answer is of course Dwarf.
Dwarf > all

 

[jaelis]

throwing a minor action breath weapon thats got a very high chance of hitting *someone* on a turn you missed using your backstab damage is really great... happens almost every encounter in my group.

Since you can't get sneak attack damage on your breath weapon, what makes this particularly useful?

 

[On Puget Sound]

I cant quite get used to the concept of a Brutal Scoundrel Halfling pushing people about and knocing them down, do they have any penalties for their small size.

ie. I cant imagine a halfling knocking a Titan on its back

There are ways to manipulate larger opponents that don't rely on muscling them around. My halfling rogue likes to duck under his big foe's reach and jab at various tender parts that are about eye level to a halfling, causing the enemy to scamper away in momentary panic. Or sometimes he'll whack the point of the enemy's elbow (the "funnybone" spot) with his dagger hilt, sending a shock of pain that causes the target to reel back uncontrollably. Or advance with such casual confidence that his foe takes a few steps back to reassess the combat. All 3 of these are "positioning strike" or a similar power.