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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mal Malenkirk" data-source="post: 4363092" data-attributes="member: 834">Without getting into the rules anymore and just considering tactics;IMO... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />In the previous rooms, the coffin allowed pretty much at-will cover for ranged stealth purpose for the whole fight.  Some maps are very stealth friendly and there will be more.In the current one, it's harder yet the wall in the middle is rather helpful to gain cover.  Standing at E12 for example gives both LOS and cover against all monsters on the platform.  Heck, right now the boulder can be used for cover from D4 for the same purpose.  I know everyone can see this.  I'm just pointing out that it's not so hard to gain cover options.  Of course if you have to move 3 square to get there, you get -5 to stealth, but a rogue can get an at-will power to cancel that as soon as level 2 (Talking about Fleeting Ghost; a ranged rogue's best friend until they discover Shadow Stride).  Also, Shalimar's quote of Mearls mentioned an amusing fact; The movement that is part of the 'deft strike' at-will power is also part of the attack.  Therefore it can be used to pop out of cover to gain LOS against an enemy and attack him while maintaining stealth until the end of the attack.  Very neat.  Basically you can stand behind pretty much any availbale cover to make your stealth check.  Then, even if your location doesn't have LOS to your indented target, you can use deft strike to pop out 2 square and gain that LOS.  Shoot him and then move back to cover.  Rinse and repeat.Finally, melee is always available to a rogue even if he is focused on range since his powers are all dex based and most allows for both melee and ranged weapon.  So if the map is just too unfriendly for stealth, and it's a DM's right to have a 'killing field' type of Map once in a while, you can switch gears and try for more melee for a while.  We have several powers that can help in that regard; beside the defender's mark, Mal has covering strike and Aelek has several options to help the rogue.  If a defender is sometime forced to throw an axe, it's no big deal if a ranged rogue is sometime forced to use melee.  All in all, combining all those points, I'm sure a concerted effort can keep the sneak attack coming without relying on hiding behind a buddy.  If you miss them once in a while, you catch up to the other striker with additional damage when you do get it.  I know you don't like this argument, but in a five round fight, you can beat Angel's 5D6 of additional potential damage by getting just three sneak opportunity for 6D6.  Scrounge a fourth and your the damage king.</blockquote>

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