Multiclassing?

[Krashmoss]

Hey Guys, I'm new to the game (Bought it 2 days ago) and I would like to know what is the point to mulitclass a character ... I mean, If I start a rogue and I choose to multiclass it with a ranger. Both use dext. But my rogue lvl can't go higher than lvl 15 (since 1 lvl to ranger) so, in end-game, my rogue won't be as good as some1 who went 16 lvl in rogue way. Exemple, if I need crazy lock pickin in a dungeon, I would take in my party a rogue who's 16 lvl in it instead of that rogue who is 15 lvl ... So here my question: Is it worth it to multiclass since multiclassin let you be all around instead of being specced in one thing and do that same thing really good?

Thx for the time

[Hafeal]

It truly depends on what you are trying to do.

Rogues and Rangers multi-class well because they have synergy. If you want some trapsmithing skills, a 14 ranger 2 rogue will do you good. There will be traps and locks in the game you can't get but many that you can - thus needing a true rogue on many quests while fulfilling multiple duties with your character.

:)

[Krashmoss]

Ok but the 2 lvl in rogue class seems pretty useless to me ... I mean, If I'm only lvl 2 in rogue ... does it really worth it? Maybe there's something in game mechanics I don't understand but a lvl 2 rogue (for exemple) multiclassed with a 14 ranger seems that my 2 lvl in rogue are only there to open some minor lock/disarmin a few trap ,... no?

[Impaqt]

Ok but the 2 lvl in rogue class seems pretty useless to me ... I mean, If I'm only lvl 2 in rogue ... does it really worth it? Maybe there's something in game mechanics I don't understand but a lvl 2 rogue (for exemple) multiclassed with a 14 ranger seems that my 2 lvl in rogue are only there to open some minor lock/disarmin a few trap ,... no?


Not at all. D&D 3.5 rules dont penalize much for multiclassing on the SKill Side of things. as long as you have the skill points to allocate you can get just as high a Base Disable device as a "Pure" Rogue.

The DDOWiki has lots of good info, as do the various Guides throughout the forums here. My best advice to you is to understand the mechanics of the game before you attempt any multiclassing at all. This sometimes takes a while to grasp because it is a very intriquet ruleset.

[Krashmoss]

Alright, I'll check that DDowiki. Thx for the comments guys.

[BlackSteel]

trapsmithing is independent of your rogue level. All you need is 1 rogue level you be able level those skills fully ( but at twice the cost) A high int can grant you enough skill points to keep all your abilities relevant, and rangers do well with it b/c they get a base six skills per lvl as is. Your disarming skill takes into account your actual skill level + int modifier + mis. bonuses (moral, comp, luck, +item). So someone with 1 rogue can be just as efficient as someone with 16 rogue. What you do miss out on is rogue enhancements. But very few things in the game will require a true trap monkey.

[Mapa]

I think a very good primer for the character building mechanics are right here in this forum. Sigtrent's Request a Build thread. Most of his builds include the concept behind the build and the process to make it happen. Even if you are not interested in the exact build, it can be very educational. The key to a good well rounded character is knowing what you want to do and then figuring out how to get there. Multiclassing gives you more options but I would still recommend avoiding it until you have been playing a while and see what possibilities are out there.

Good luck and happy hunting.

[wolfy42]

In certain cases you can increase a classes effectivness more by multiclassing then if you went pure.

Rogue/wizards for instance can end up with a higher end game Disarm traps due to the int bonuses from wizard lvl, easy availability of Greater Heroism (self cast) and usually higher base Int as well

Rogue/sorcs often end up with higher Use Magic Device skills for similar reasons.

That is of course if the character is human...since they can get full skill boosts from human versatility.

You can miss out on a few points by not being able to take the rogue specific skill enhancements...but these are expensive anyway past the first 1 or 2 points which you can usually get when multiclassing anyway...and that ends up being the only difference between a pure rogue...and a multiclassed human rogue.

Non-human rogues have a smaller skill action boost bonus.....which can affect many different abilities (UMD/Search/Open Locks/Disarm Traps etc).....so again that can drop your total.

Even without those bonuses quite as high...you often end up able to handle all but the hardest traps in the game (only 1 or two that you could have a problem with). Open locks is fine, and even search generally no problem at all. The traps you can still get...but you have a bigger chance to fail...which can be a problem.

This can often be compensated for though at least partially by having extra feats (wizards get bonus feats at 1/5/10/15....fighters get then at 1/2/4/6/8 etc) allowing your rogue to take skill focus Disarm trap or nimble fingers (or possibly both) something most normal rogues don't need to take.

So yes, you can multiclass and still be a very adequate trap monkey. In fact you only NEED 1 rogue level at all in order to create one. a 15 wizard/1 rogue for instance will be quite fine at rogue abilities throughout the game (1 additional rogue lvl though would snag you evasion...and 3 allows for a bunch of other bonuses.

The halfling wizard 15/rogue 1 build finess baseed can be quite interesting and useful at this point. Full trap monkey abilities....TWF is possible with finess based for melee end game and till then Dragon marks are very useful with Maximize/empower boosting them.

I was thinking of writing up a build for a wizard 13/monk 2/rogue 1 sometime just for kicks....it's a trippy combo that has alot of neat advantages:)