To many build options!!.....intput needed.

[bmw]

Ive been reading the forums on Rogue buils and all the diffrent types but am still somewhat divided.

Lets face it rogues are or should be used for disabling/scouting/stealth/open locks.....etc..........and doing some damage.

Getting up higher in levels you will be needed for these things. Im looking to have good rogue with the primary purpose of disabling most trap on elite while still being able to do some damage as well.

Considering I have never rolled a rogue I could really use so stat/feat and enhancement advise.

BTW I would be rolling a DROW rogue

[sigtrent]

It's actualy really easy to make a good drow rogue. Follow a few easy steps and you can't go wrong...

#1. Have at least 14 Int, for a drow 16 might be nice since its cheap.
#2. You don't need 20 dex, 18 max, 16 is actualy fine unless you want to be pure finesse, then go for 18.
#3. Try to muster 12 con if you can, don't go less than 10, it really sucks doing lots of damage with sneak attacks only to get annihalated in one hit. Non drow I like 14 but 10/12 is workable.
#4. Don't totaly gimp out your Str. 14 is a nice number for most rogues, 16 if you want to invest in it a bit more.
#5. If you want to be a UMD master, grab some charisma.

Skills should be no problem, if you are a pure rogue or even if you splash a few levels of whatever, you will still have tons of skill points to spread around. Feats are changeable so its not a big deal either. Drow rogues generaly don't need to take feats to help their rogue skills. Focus UMD might help with that since it is hard to boost. Enhancments can be changed at the drop of a hat so play around and see what you like.

Drow is by far the easiest race to make rogues with, you almost can't go wrong.

[mikal05]

I made a Drow Rogue myself, and although I cannot recall off-hand my exact stats (currently at work and no even s'posed to be on these forums) I can offer an overview of what I did.

My idea was to make a Skill based rogue that was also 'capable' when it comes to fighting.

Went with a high Dex and decent Int/Cha. Going 12 Rogue/ 2 Ranger.

Grabbed the 2 levels of ranger for Proficiencies and Two-Weapon Fighting. Grabbed Weapon Finesse and wield 2 light weapons pretty efficiently. =) Actually find I am many times at the top of the kill lists in mid-level quests so far. Rest of the Feats went to Skill improvements.

Overall I am decent in a fight, and very good at my rogue skills. Easy to make and level.

[Snike]

Lets face it rogues are or should be used for disabling/scouting/stealth/open locks.....etc..........and doing some damage.

I wouldn't say "some". You can build a great DPS build and still be able to handle 95% of the trap smithing duties in the game. IMO trapsmithing is what gets you invited to a group, kicking arse is what will get you reinvited. People know quests and unfortunately know which quests they don't need a rogue to complete it. If you just do the trapsmithing without planning out some other niche, you may end up feeling disappointed later on.

You can be decent at rogue skills and still get by. Aka don't have to scarafice everything to be a trapsmith.

[Snike]

It's actualy really easy to make a good drow rogue. Follow a few easy steps and you can't go wrong...

#1. Have at least 14 Int, for a drow 16 might be nice since its cheap.
#2. You don't need 20 dex, 18 max, 16 is actualy fine unless you want to be pure finesse, then go for 18.
#3. Try to muster 12 con if you can, don't go less than 10, it really sucks doing lots of damage with sneak attacks only to get annihalated in one hit. Non drow I like 14 but 10/12 is workable.
#4. Don't totaly gimp out your Str. 14 is a nice number for most rogues, 16 if you want to invest in it a bit more.
#5. If you want to be a UMD master, grab some charisma.

Skills should be no problem, if you are a pure rogue or even if you splash a few levels of whatever, you will still have tons of skill points to spread around. Feats are changeable so its not a big deal either. Drow rogues generaly don't need to take feats to help their rogue skills. Focus UMD might help with that since it is hard to boost. Enhancments can be changed at the drop of a hat so play around and see what you like.

Drow is by far the easiest race to make rogues with, you almost can't go wrong.

All great advise. Especially about the INT, CON, and DEX. Depending on how you are going to set up your melee feats STR is debatable.

[tc12]

Even finesse and sword-n-board instead of 2wf, and a Drow rogue build with the above advise will still do very good melee. Often I see a party like this: 1 cleric, 2 casters, 2 melee-types and an LFM up for one more melee - fighter/barb/pal. Often I click join and get accepted right away with my Drow rogue11/fighter3 (very similar to the rogue12/ranger2 recommendations above). My kills end up similar to the other melee types, and that's just with average items -- I don't have special raid loot or +6s & tomes for every stat.

My point is just that a lot of parties get it that a rogue fills the melee role quite well as long as there's already 2 fighter/barb/pal types already. One caveat though: Do stay out of parties that don't have at least 2 characters that can take melee agro though. For example 1 cleric, 1 casters, 1 tank and 2 of ranged ranger, rogue or bard or second caster. In that case I know there will be times I end up with more 1:1 melee than I'd like.

With 1:1 melee all of the worst happens: you're getting hit with primary agro when your AC and HP don't warrant it. AND you're doing little damage without flanking. That 1:1 means quick death or minimally a cleric wasting a LOT of resources keeping you up.

Instead when you flank off another melee type, whether or not you pull agro is of little consequence. Even if you do, with your flank damage on top of another melee character beating on it, it's going down fast enough not to be of concern most of the time.

Lastly, as for 2WF vs. sword-n-board. If it's your first rogue, I'd suggest the latter. You'll still do plenty of damage, while pulling less agro and maintaining a higher AC for when you do. (BTW, that's what I save my uncanny dodge uses for is the times I'll likely get some Boss agro.) And it gives you more feat flexibility -- while the first level of 2WF is granted at ranger2 you'll need to use your 9th level feat for greater 2WF.

2WF is just not worth it IMHO if you're not maintaining the maximum progression of off-hand to main-hand swings. Which means you're also reserving your cap-increased 15th level feat for Greater 2WF, as that's when your BAB will be 11th to use it. If you're committed to 2WF it rocks for damage output for sure, just be aware of the more difficult agro management of it and also plan for the feat constraints.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

TC