![]() It’s a nice respectable choice that will serve you well.īlue : Amazing. Red : NPCs will laugh at you for taking this. I’ll be using what, at this point, appears to be the default ranking system of the forums I’ve tried to err on the side of over-explaining how individual choices contribute to the rogue’s combat options (since this is a guide, after all) so hopefully this guide is informative enough to make up for my stream of consciousness ramblings. However, Pathfinder rogues have a unique and idiosyncratic fighting style, which ends to demand more strategy and planning from their players than most other classes. Mechanically it can be done, and without even sacrificing the clever, agile, underhanded fighter vibe that makes the class so alluring. The goal of this guide is to find a viable, useful, and unique niche for the rogue given the constraints listed above. So, at the time of writing this, here’s the state of play: Rogues are medium BAB skirmishers with two bad saves, situational damage potential, and an increasingly superfluous position as the team trap spotter. The few good archetypes (Thug, Rake, Scout) are so good that, for optimization purposes, they should be taken almost every time, regardless of theme or build. Most talents are useless, and while rogues have a lot of archetypes, most are absolutely terrible. Further compounding the problem is that while everyone else got all these fun toys, the rogue really just didn’t. The developers’ decision to mutilate the rogue and distribute the bloody remains between several other classes means that rogues currently suffer from an identity crisis. Then there are archetypes like Archaeologist, Seeker Sorcerer, Vivisectionist, and Trapper Ranger, which were able to pick up some of the rogue’s most iconic abilities, like Sneak Attack, Rogue Talents, and Trapfinding, while still having some of their own tricks. ![]() So while you’re still the master of skills, the monopoly has been broken. It means that every party won’t have one person who’s browbeaten into playing a rogue just so the group can fill that role. These skill consolidations and changes in the way class skills work, mean it’s no longer as onerous for other classes to pick up some roguish skills. In 3.5, where skills like Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock, Disable Device, Balance, Tumble, Search, and Spot all existed, a highly skilled character was all but necessary in most parties. ![]() The second problem, even more worrying than the fact that rogues fight like a one-man Charge of the Light Brigade, is that the role rogues once held out of combat is becoming redundant. So basically, it’s your job in combat to run up to an unaware enemy, protected only by light armor, middling HP, and pure swagger, and shiv them until they notice you. ![]() Sneak Attack virtually demands entering melee, but medium BAB, and poor Fort and Will saves, Light Armor proficiency and talents for Finesse fighting and positioning further indicate the rogue is primarily designed as a mobile skirmisher and flanker. First, consider the chassis of the class. The rogue is currently the most maligned class in Pathfinder, and not without reason. Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. If you’re reading this, it’s presumably either because you’re considering playing a rogue, you want to laugh at people considering playing a rogue, or you have a distressing amount of free time. Why are there so many words here: an Introduction to the Guide Gentlemen, assassins, ladies of the night, Never Tell Me the Odds: A Pathfinder Guide to the Rogue
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