What is a Rogue to do in an undead-heavy campaign?

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Tell your DM to read this story hour:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=779

In it, the Defenders of Daybreak are facing the White Kingdom, composed of and led by ghouls. Lots of undead.

With servants. Often living servants, like the vile gray render aka "thurn". Sometimes ooze servants (d'oh!). Let's not forget the undead have allied with evil outsiders who are not immune to critical hits or sneak attacks - a marilith blackguard is particularly nasty. The players have used plane shift on occasion (and there aren't many undead on most planes, as far as I can tell) and ended up facing such nasty opponents as advanced dire rhinos with the anarchic template.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Take one level in sorcerer.
You now have 8 or 9 ranged sneak attacks on undead (number depends on Cha bonus)

 

[ForceUser]

My players had a similar concern when I told them that my campaign was inspired in part by Ravenloft. I told them not to worry about it. I like it when my players have fun, so if someone plays a rogue I'll make it a point to include things for him to sneak attack.

Talk to your DM and express your concerns. If the main thrust of the campaign is lots of undead-fighting, then maybe you should be flexible and play something else. Alternately, maybe you can convince your DM to include some fights in which you get to use sneak attacks. Be communicative, tell him what you want, and then be ready to adjust if what you want and what he wants differ. After all, it's his campaign.

 

[Rary the Traitor]

Thank you all for the useful advice.

Taking levels of Ranger is, unfortunately, not compatible with my character concept. I had always intended to take a few levels of fighter, and maybe duelist too (although now that I think about it, Precise Strike doesn't work on undead, so that might not be such a good idea). I still want to (mostly) be a Rogue, however, since our party already has a fighter, monk, and ranger.

One thing's for certain, my character is going to behave a lot differently in combat that I had originally thought.

Be the smart one.

I'll try, but the character can only be as smart as the player.

There ARE feats that let you sneak undead.

I'll check the book (got it from Mongooses Ultimate Feats IIRC) if you want the specifics.

Please do!

Take one level in sorcerer.
You now have 8 or 9 ranged sneak attacks on undead (number depends on Cha bonus)

*blink* You mean with Ray of Frost? Does that really work?

 

[Particle_Man]

huh?

Take one level in sorcerer.
You now have 8 or 9 ranged sneak attacks on undead (number depends on Cha bonus)

I can see this giving you multiple ranged touch attacks, but why would it give multiple ranged sneak attacks? Aren't undead immune to criticals, whether from weapon or a spell's ray? Thus, wouldn't undead be immune to sneak attacks, whether from weapon or a spell's ray?

I may have missed something. (Is this a 3.5 thing?) Could you point out a page where spells do critical damage to undead in particular, or where undead lose their immunity to critical hits with respect to spells?

 

[Paragon]

Path of Shadows

Path of Shadows by fantasy flight games ( a very good book and series btw) has rogue feats that allow you to sneak attack various no crit taking creatures i.e. undead, constructs etc. if i remeber correctly you have to take one for each type but it would allow you to do that.
check it out

Paragon

 

[Wippit Guud]

Uh-oh, maybe I went into house rule land... I had thought positive energy could crit undead...

 

[Old One]

Traps, traps and more traps...

I know this may not fit with you concept of a dashing swashbuckler, but I would concentrate your numerous skill points into everything related to traps and trap-making and ways to avoid getting hit (tumbling, balance, climb, etc).

You can scout ahead, locate the undead, set some traps then hurl swashbuckler type insults at them to get them to follow you into the trap(s). Mindless undead (skeletons and zombies) should comply easily...other types (ghouls, ghasts and wights) might be a bit harder to trap, but a combo of your delicate tasty skin and your epithets should serve to bring them to their doom.

Your "dashiness" could come from the clever insults you make up to hurl at them, all with an outrageous french accent..."Zee here, foul creaturez...your father wuz a wightz and your mommy wuz a mummie!"

Hook a rope to the ceiling, swing through and knock them into a pit trap or tumble through their ranks, dropping flaming oil as you as you go. Take some of the feats suggested here, if the DM will let you, to improve your combat effectiveness, but I think you could really build a memorable PC!

~ Old One

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I still want to (mostly) be a Rogue, however, since our party already has a fighter, monk, and ranger.

An undead-heavy campaign without a paladin or cleric?

 

[Dagger75]

First...

Are we all playing the same game?

In the core rules

YOU CAN NOT CRIT UNDEAD!!!!

SINCE YOU CAN NOT CRIT UNDEAD YOU CAN NOT SNEAK ATTACK UNDEAD!!!!!

Now that we got the rules out of the way

Kingdoms of Kalamar has a feat that will allow you crit undead. Its in the Kalamar Players Guide. Unfortunatly I can't post it

If you have your heart set on rogue, be a trap finder, disabler, open lock type of rogue. If no one made a cleric, mabe you should multiclass to cleric. Be a cleric to the god of thieves or the like. I am sure you could find lots of tombs and what not to break into.