Salvaging a Friend's Rogue

[krupintupple]

I have always wondered how ranged rogues are useful. Unless I'm reading SA incorrectly, don't you only get it if the enemy is flat-footed or you're the one creating a flanking situation? How does one achieve that from a distance?

i also think that if people are "denied" their dexterity because they're unaware of you, it's another way to achieve a sneak attack. also popular: those who haven't acted yet in initiative, typically during the opening of a combat. it pays to be a sneaky so and so, sometimes, by interrupting the parley with a sleight of hand'd envenomed dagger.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Getting sneak attack at range IS hard, don't doubt it. While Use Magic Device is handy, oftentime you'll want to be a mage multiclass yourself or have a caster ally to help out ultimately. Ring of Blinking also works, super expensive as it is...

Grease: If they're balancing, they lose dex to AC.
Grappling: Lose Dex to AC. Note that without Improved Precise Shot or similar, you do NOT want to shoot into a grapple, though. Unless it's a situation where you don't mind hitting your "ally," like with an Evard's Black Tentacle spell. Then it's just an annoying 50% failure rate.
Blinking: Makes enemies flatfooted. Later on, Greater Blink (level 5 spell) removes the drawback from the spell entirely.
Going first / surprise rounds: Until an enemy acts, he is flatfooted.
Invisibility / Greater Invis: Unless the enemy can see you somehow (sensing your location with Blindsense or Tremorsense doesn't cut it), he loses dex to AC. Grab the Darkstalker feat (Lords of Madness; no prerequisites) to deal with things that CAN see you while invisible.
Blinding enemies: Basically the last thing, just in reverse. Could also involve fighting in the dark if you have darkvision and they don't, or attacking from outside their vision range but within yours if you have lowlight vision and there's only specific light sources.

So...yeah. Ranged sneak attack is tough to get, and most of the means to get it involve spells. If you can be lucky enough to catch an enemy climbing (unless it has a climb speed listed) or running (unless it has the run feat), you can plink them for sneak attack damage, also.

3.0's Song and Silence had the awesome Quicker Than The Eye feat, to basically always get one ranged sneak attack per round if a full attack SA isn't an option, assuming you make the skill check. I always try and see if the DM will allow that in, as it helps a lot. If not, the PH2 feat Deadeye Shot is sort of similar, but IMO inferior. Instead of a move action to leave the foe flatfooted to your next attack, it makes you ready an action to shoot someone who's just been struck in melee and catch him flatfooted. I don't like having to delay your action like that, there's no guarantee anyone on your side WILL hit in melee the following round, and there's a chance that any who do will kill the target anyway.

 

[Dandu]

Getting sneak attack at range IS hard, don't doubt it. While Use Magic Device is handy, oftentime you'll want to be a mage multiclass yourself or have a caster ally to help out ultimately.

Levels in Chameleon help beautifully at giving you magical abilities.

You can emulate divine casting to get the spell Hunter's Eye, which gives +1d6 sneak attack dice/3 CL.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I like to get Hunter's Eye with Unseen Seer, but yeah, that's nice later on when you have the level 2 spells to spend on it.

 

[Jhaelen]

We are level 6-7, and he has dodge, mobility, weapon focus(rapier), and improved toughness.
[...]
He keeps dying without doing anything useful and is becoming bored. What can be done to salvage his class?

wait, he has Dodge and Mobility but not Spring Attack? No wonder he's dying all the time.

I'd recommend to replace Improved Toughness with Spring Attack. He should also replace Weapon Focus with Acrobatic Strike (PHB2) - it's just way better.

That way he shouldn't have any trouble getting out of the way of harm.

For the future, maybe he should consider multiclassing into scout, since he's typically going to use only a single attack. Complete Scoundrel has the feat to make it worthwhile.

 

[Dandu]

That way he shouldn't have any trouble getting out of the way of harm.

He better have good movement if he's going to rely on Spring Attack to hit and get out of harm's way. Something much better than 30 feet, otherwise the enemy will charge into him and murder the Improved Toughness-less rogue.

 

[Kyros Pyralis]

I have given him the specs for Swashbuckler along with daring outlaw. The DM won't have problems with a few switches in stats/feats, as long as his character isn't completely changed. He's still somewhat skeptical and wants to go for assassin. I've done all that I can, Thank you all for the help.​

 

[Thanael]

I have always wondered how ranged rogues are useful. Unless I'm reading SA incorrectly, don't you only get it if the enemy is flat-footed or you're the one creating a flanking situation? How does one achieve that from a distance?

AFAIU you just need the guy to be flanked by someone.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

For melee, yes. You can't flank with a ranged weapon generally, and the only way I know how to (Arrow Mind) requirs being adjacent to the guy anyway, which kind of makes the ranged aspect self-defeating.