Loccke's Rogue Guide
From DDO Compendium
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The first thing i have to state is this. This guide is intended for pure or mostly pure rogues. While i have nothing against splash rogues, there are far too many types for me to cover in this simple guide. And if you have any arguments, feel free to write your own. If you don't like my advice, don't use my advice.
Now, that being said, unlike most classes that have to focus in one direction, a rogue really can have it all! With a little hard work and careful consideration, you can really reach your full potential.
Contents |
Ability Scores
To start, we have to do the basics. Stats, or attribute scores, should be weighed carefully. There are no "dump stats" in the rogue profession.
- Strength: This doesn't have to be sky high, but at least a 10. Face it, some times you aren't going to get your sneak attack, and you need SOMETHING for damage. Personally, i'd say 10 and rely on items if you want it further.
- Dexterity: This can't be overstated. Likely you're going to be using finessable weapons, and taking the Weapon Finesse Feat, and every point of dexterity adds to your attack. This is especially true of halfling/elf/drow rogues and their racial enhancements. It also helps you dodge out of the way of some very painful circumstances sometimes
- Constitution: A good solid con score is pretty important. More hitpoints and fort saves help shore up a couple of major weaknesses for rogues. With even a lowly 12 con, you can get an 18 by end game easily enough!
Intelligence: Skills Skills Skills!!! The more intelligent you are, the better your searching and disabling will be!
- Wisdom: Ah yes, the other achilles heel of the rogue, the dreaded will save. With the upcoming Slippery Mind ability, your will save can now be useful. Try to shore this score up with items, especially if you don't put starting stats in it, though i recommend at least a 10 to start.
- Charisma: Every self-sufficient rogue needs UMD (Use Magic Device). The more charismatic you are, the more self-sufficient you are!
Skills
Your skills are pretty much preordained, unfortunately. Every rogue needs some stealth and trapsmithing ability. Also, tumble and UMD are very important as well. Given the limited selection of skills, and the vast number of skill points you will receive, this shouldn't be a problem. And though it is often overlooked, spot is a valuable addition to your abilities.
Gear
Equipment almost defines a rogue. You should strive to have the best skill boosting items you can find/loot/buy. If you are new, or just plain broke, find a fellow friendly rogue. We often have gear to pass down. On that note, it is common for rogues to wear RR (Race Required) gear, so make sure your UMD is up to snuff. The reason for this is simple. RR gear can be worn 2 levels earlier than normal, so your 11th level rogue can wear +13 search goggles, giving you an advantage to the 11th level rogue who is stuck wearing +11 search goggles that aren't RR. This holds true for many weapons and armor, as well.
On that note, a rogue should carry wands and scrolls. Personally, i find Raise Dead scrolls invaluable, though somewhat unwieldy. However, Stoneskin scrolls are relatively cheap, easy to use, and give you effectively +70 HP! Wands of Remove _______ such as blindness, poison, curse, and disease are also good investments. In the heat of battle, its hard for a cleric to get rid of that mummy rot. When you can take care of it yourself, without much delay, you're strengthening the party as a whole. Also, a wand of Cure ______ Wounds is much cheaper than 50 Potions of Cure _______ Wounds! Keep a few potions handy for emergencies, since they are quicker, and don't fail, but for the bulk of your self healing, use your wands.
Enhancements
For the most part, enhancements will greatly vary. However, you should invest significantly in the search enhancements, and to a lesser degree the other trapsmithing enhancements. For further detail on specifics, feel free to direct any questions to me in a PM, email, or in-game.
Playstyle
Two of the biggest concerns you hear about rogues are: A) they are only good for traps, and nothing else; and B) they get too much aggro in combat, and die too quickly. This is chiefly due not to a weakness in the class, but a weakness in the player. You, as a rogue, must learn restraint. Why charge into battle ahead of everyone? So you can get first swing, and never get a sneak attack? Hold back a moment, and then unleash hell. Don't strike to hurt, make sure when you enter combat, nothing survives long enough to strike back. Don't attack every monster in a crowd. Hit one, but hit him well. And as always, stoneskin, blur, and self healing go a long way!
BUT, if you are only good for traps, then you might as well still be carrying your starter weapons. You chose that role, it is not forced upon you. While your standing in back waiting for the next trap, the real hero rogue is feeding some poor orc a taste of true steel!
Way of the Mechanic
Basic Guide to the Mechanic Rogue
A rogue following the way of the mechanic has much to offer. There are no traps that they cannot undo. There are no secrets that they cannot reveal. (Hm, sidetrack. Why do reveal and unveil mean the same thing?) They are highly specialized in the trapsmithing arts, but suffer in other respects. Though this may seem to be tantalizing at first, I don't personally recommend this path. You can be a perfectly viable trapsmith without focusing so strictly on it. However, i will offer some advice for those gluttons for punishment.
Attributes
The mechanic focuses more on intelligence than other rogues. Dexterity is still important, as is constitution, since sometimes you have to move through or stand in a trap to disable it. Charisma is still important for self healing, but wisdom and strength are less so than normal.
Skills
Given the broad scope of rogue skills, this is relatively unchanged.
Gear
Your gear reflects upon you strongly. You must make great strives to have the best skill boosting gear available. Also, your weapons should be more statistic inducing or attribute reducing in nature, over standard damage dealing. As you are less focused on combat, and thus less able to manage and survive aggro, damage dealing weapons may not be in your best interest.
Enhancements
Of course, your enhancements should reflect your mechanic outlook. This leaves little room for much else, however. Your remaining skill points not devoted towards trapsmithing should be directed towards aggro management.
Playstyle
As you are less combat inclined, you must be very careful about selecting your targets. Make sure you select the softer targets, as these are less likely to return the attack after a good volley of sneak attacks. Avoid heavy hitters or fortified foes if at all possible, or at the very least, wait until their aggro is secured by a more capable combatant.
Way of the Assassin
A Guide to the Assassin Rogue
The assassin rogue is your thuggish heavy hitter. With the right choice of weapons, spells and enhancements, the assassin can expect to hit for almost 100 points of damage per hit regularly, and with the addition of two weapon fighting, can fell a foe is moments. This is a very powerful style of play, but it is not without its own risks.
Attributes
Assassins need a strong set of stats to survive. Strength, again, can be a 10 with little problem, as you are relying mainly on your sneak attack for damage. Dexterity and intelligence are important as well, otherwise the assassin is just a fighter with backstab. You must not forsake your trapsmithing, as it is still a viable option even for the non-trapmonkey. Wisdom is fairly important, to prevent you from being neutralized by enemy spellcasters easily, especially with the upcoming Slippery Mind ability. And of course, charisma adds to your independence and makes you less reliant, as well as making you less of a liability to your party members.
Skills
Again, skills are relatively unchanged, but attention should be placed on jump and tumble, as well as diplomacy/bluff. As always, UMD helps survivability.
Gear
Ah yes, the assassin's cloak, full of all sorts of knives and swords. You will probably be carrying more weapons that the fighter and barbarian combined, especially if you dual wield, which i highly recommend. You will have a weapon set for every enemy, in order to maximize the damage you deal in a short time. Remember, though, that you must have restraint, to prevent the enemy from realizing the true threat you are.
Enhancements
Of course, many of your enhancements are dictated by your path, but some attention should nominally be placed on trapsmithing enhancements. Subtle backstabber cannot be overstated. Every rank of it adds to your ability to sneak attack longer, and thus adds to your overall effectiveness.
Playstyle
Patience, young one. You are the elite, the special tactic. Allow the grunts to engage the enemy first. Let them have their few moments of glory. Then leap over the crowd, whirl around and unleash the torrent of hell in the form of your fury of metal on flesh. As you hear the first few bodies hit the floor, and your enemy turn to see what happened, leap back over the crowd to secure yourself against retort. Once they've forgotten their grievance against you, leap back into the fray again to remind them of their place in the world. And don't forget to self-heal/self-buff when applicable.
Way of the Thief-Acrobat
Note:I haven't played with the acrobat line, so i can't make a valid suggestion on these lines, but from the bonuses and whatnot, it doesn't seem to offer very much, other than the ability to jump higher (Jump caps out at 40 anyway) and tumble better (think its what, 35 that gives you frontflip, then after that no benefit?) Perhaps some day i shall try this line out, but until then, I can't offer any true insight on it.
A few other notes
Dual Wielding
Two Weapon fighting may seem enticing at first, but resist the urge. Pick up a magical light shield or buckler, or a mithril heavy shield. You'll suffer no penalties when using it. Once you get around level 6+, you can go ahead and dual wield. But for those first 6 levels, a shield is vital to your survivability.
Other Resources
So i don't have to parrot someone else's advice, here's a link to a great guide:
On Rogue Specialities
Also, to end any controversy on the subject, when I refer to the rogue specialties, and how they affect your character, i do not mean the specialties themselves, but the style that they lend themselves to. True, a mechanic rogue can take enhancements that would increase their DPS and whatnot, and an assassin can take enhancements to improve their acrobatics, etc. I merely reference the archtypes, and simplify them by calling them by the specialty name.
To explain:
- Assassin: Any rogue specializing in DPS, with a minor focus on mobility and traps.
- Mechanic: Any rogue specializing in traps, with a minor focus on DPS and mobility.
- Acrobat: Any rogue specializing in mobility, with a minor focus in DPS and traps.
Any of these specializations can mix and match their abilities to meet their needs, but i simply refer to them as such for gross simplification. Neither myself nor anyone of reason could possibly write a guide that addresses every possible combination, and still have it readable to the common player.
