Rogues and Shields
- Thread starter SeaJay
- Start date
Noir le Lotus
First Post
StreamOfTheSky
Adventurer
But Mithral Bucklers?
Those are the best friends of every arcanist I've ever played.
The more martially oriented ones have occasionally used mithral twilight heavy shields, though (twilight = 3E special property ot reduce ASF by 10%, stacks w/ mithral, market price of +1 enhancement).
Those are the best friends of every arcanist I've ever played.
The more martially oriented ones have occasionally used mithral twilight heavy shields, though (twilight = 3E special property ot reduce ASF by 10%, stacks w/ mithral, market price of +1 enhancement).
Ramaster
Adventurer
Archers and single weapon rogues can use masterwork bucklers without any problem. The archetypes that suffer are the two-handed weapon user and the dualer (Being the later, probably the best build, damage-wise).
There are three distinct choices when it comes to rogues:
A) Single weapon rogues. These work better with Rapiers (They have the prof, are finessable and score criticals with an 18) and are the ones that gain the benefit of the masterwork bucker. That means that a measly 155 gp increase your AC by +1 at no penalty and another 1k increases it to +2 (On a comparison, the +2 amulet of natural armor costs 8k). As a bonus, since you have a very high dex, you can grab a masterwork bow and snipe with sneak attack on the first rounds of combat, or for RP situations. Elves are great here, giving you the Longbow Prof, +2 DEX and INT at the measly cost of -1 HP per level and FORT saves.
B) Dualer rogues. The ones with the best damage output due to sneak attacks, get hindered by the buckler (-1 penalty for using a weapon and a shield on the same hand) so they are better off staying away from them. On a personal recommendation, if you want a dualer rogue, go Half elf, take ancestral arms as a replacement for skill focus (picking Wakishis, 1d6 18x2, light and finessable) and go crazy. Dump strength (12 or 14, depending on the pointbuy) and start with a 19-20 DEX (depending on the pointbuy, also).
C) Two-handed rogues. Probably second best damage output, make sure to dump DEX. A single lvl of fighter gives you proficiency with the Greatsword and Falchion (two awesome weapons) AND with the heavy armor (plus, good BAB and a bonus feat), so that is a great dip. Scout is a great archetype, since it lets you sneak attack on a charge. They suffer the same problems with the bucklers as the Dualers.
As you can see, the most versatile rogue gets the most benefit from the Masterwork Bucker, the Rapier-Rogue. You'll have one of the best ACs on the game from high dex and two places to sink those sweet sweet (and cheap!) armor enchantments. The Mithrill Chainshirt is your friend here (with a total combined AC of 10, plus enhancements is only overshadowed by the far more expensive, difficult to use and speed lowering Mithrill full plate). The bucker being the second best protection (if you don't count Tower shields, which you shouldn't, since they reduce your attack bonus).
tl;dr
Yes, you can use a masterwork o better buckler with no penalty on certain occasions.
There are three distinct choices when it comes to rogues:
A) Single weapon rogues. These work better with Rapiers (They have the prof, are finessable and score criticals with an 18) and are the ones that gain the benefit of the masterwork bucker. That means that a measly 155 gp increase your AC by +1 at no penalty and another 1k increases it to +2 (On a comparison, the +2 amulet of natural armor costs 8k). As a bonus, since you have a very high dex, you can grab a masterwork bow and snipe with sneak attack on the first rounds of combat, or for RP situations. Elves are great here, giving you the Longbow Prof, +2 DEX and INT at the measly cost of -1 HP per level and FORT saves.
B) Dualer rogues. The ones with the best damage output due to sneak attacks, get hindered by the buckler (-1 penalty for using a weapon and a shield on the same hand) so they are better off staying away from them. On a personal recommendation, if you want a dualer rogue, go Half elf, take ancestral arms as a replacement for skill focus (picking Wakishis, 1d6 18x2, light and finessable) and go crazy. Dump strength (12 or 14, depending on the pointbuy) and start with a 19-20 DEX (depending on the pointbuy, also).
C) Two-handed rogues. Probably second best damage output, make sure to dump DEX. A single lvl of fighter gives you proficiency with the Greatsword and Falchion (two awesome weapons) AND with the heavy armor (plus, good BAB and a bonus feat), so that is a great dip. Scout is a great archetype, since it lets you sneak attack on a charge. They suffer the same problems with the bucklers as the Dualers.
As you can see, the most versatile rogue gets the most benefit from the Masterwork Bucker, the Rapier-Rogue. You'll have one of the best ACs on the game from high dex and two places to sink those sweet sweet (and cheap!) armor enchantments. The Mithrill Chainshirt is your friend here (with a total combined AC of 10, plus enhancements is only overshadowed by the far more expensive, difficult to use and speed lowering Mithrill full plate). The bucker being the second best protection (if you don't count Tower shields, which you shouldn't, since they reduce your attack bonus).
tl;dr
Yes, you can use a masterwork o better buckler with no penalty on certain occasions.
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