Halfling Rogue/Ranger trapmonkey

[Hitoshirezu]

I'm trying to figure out if I should go rogue or ranger first along with my starting build I've never cross classed before so this is uncharted territory for me. I don't want my first cross class to make me not wanna do it again so I figured I'd ask if anyone had some advice on a good build for this. I'm open to changes though I'd like to be stay a rogue but would be willing to be a rogue monk instead of a rogue ranger. Halfling is debatable. I'd also like to be ranged so any ideas? Also I have the 32 point build

[AbyssalMage]

I'm trying to figure out if I should go rogue or ranger first along with my starting build I've never cross classed before so this is uncharted territory for me. I don't want my first cross class to make me not wanna do it again so I figured I'd ask if anyone had some advice on a good build for this. I'm open to changes though I'd like to be stay a rogue but would be willing to be a rogue monk instead of a rogue ranger. Halfling is debatable. I'd also like to be ranged so any ideas? Also I have the 32 point build

If you are wanting a range build I would go ranger on a first life. It will give you more flexibility with all of the granted feats so you can melee and range without sacrifice. 18/1/1 Ranger/Rogue/Fighter(or Monk) is a standard build. Thanks to the enhancement pass you could go as deep as 11/6/3 Ranger/Monk/Rogue although you lose out on some self healing. Another option would be 15/4/1 Ranger/Monk(or fighter)/Rogue which I think allows you to have CSW as a spell for some self healing.

I would go Human for the extra feat, +1 Skills/level, Dragon Mark, and complimentary action boosts and go strength based.

Elf would be my second option thanks to the racial enhancements to both Rapiers and Bows; strong choices for your requirements on a first life.

Going 11+ Ranger only require you to take PBS and IC:Range freeing up all of your other feats to personalize the build. Others can help you flesh out feats if you go 11+ Ranger :)

[Enguebert]

I'm trying to figure out if I should go rogue or ranger first along with my starting build I've never cross classed before so this is uncharted territory for me. I don't want my first cross class to make me not wanna do it again so I figured I'd ask if anyone had some advice on a good build for this. I'm open to changes though I'd like to be stay a rogue but would be willing to be a rogue monk instead of a rogue ranger. Halfling is debatable. I'd also like to be ranged so any ideas? Also I have the 32 point build

You should first ask yourself WHY you want to multiclass
Write down on a paper what you want from class A and what you want from class B. Write also what is "nice to have" but not mandatory for your play
And also write what you lose by multiclassing

If you only want some skills from rogue, going level 1 rogue then ranger X work fine (and you can even add 1 level of fighter later, as there are no difference between ranger 18 and ranger 19)

Rogue1/Ranger18 is like a ranger with disarm traps. Works fine because ranger has lot of skill points and Hide & Move Silently as class skill. With 10 INT, you can max Hide, MS, search & disarm. If you want open lock or UMD, you need more int

[Clatterfist]

For a Rogue / Ranger, your first level should be taken in Rogue. This is because you get four times as many skill points at first level and rogue gives you more skill points and the ability to spend them in your key trapping skills at a favourable rate.

Figuring out the amount of Intelligence you'll need before starting is also important for Rogue multiclasses, but Rangers do better here than just about anyone else. You only need 10 Int to be able to keep Hide, Move Silently, Search, Spot and Disable maximised on a non-human; you'll want more than 10 Int anyway because it's the key stat for Search and Disable. 14 Intelligence would be enough to let you keep Open Lock maximised as well, and 16 Intelligence or human would give you an extra point to spread around into things like jump and balance to get some basic proficiency there, or maybe heal. Note that you'll have some spare points from your rogue level(s), so you've got some inherent leeway anyway. If you take more Rogue levels than Ranger then you'll have a healthy supply of skill points no matter what you do.

With a trapper Ranger, you can go for as little as 1 Rogue level if you want; you'll get Evasion eventually anyway. A two weapon fighter Rogue/Ranger would be well served by taking at least 18 Ranger levels for serious Tempest bonuses, but as you say you'd like to play more of a ranged style you've got a lot more freedom. Rogue mechanics favour crossbows and you could use some elements from Deepwood Stalker to support that: you might consider a Rogue 14 / Ranger 6 type of a split, taking Tier 5 mechanic and Deepwood Stalker's Sniper Shot: Intelligence would be your damage stat. If you'd rather pursue archery then you're looking at some combination of Deepwood Sniper and/or Arcane Archer, with whatever Rogue extras you think could be useful (eg, extra sneak attack from Assassin), and Strength would be your default damage stat. Playing an Elf would give you the option to eventually make it Dexterity instead, which is arguably more attractive.

If you plan on self-healing with Ranger magic then remember to take enough Wisdom to support that - 14, or less with tomes, and either the Concentration skill or the Quicken Spell feat, possibly both. If you won't have enough Ranger levels to be good at that, then you'll need to take the Use Magical Device skill, so be sure to budget for that. (You may want UMD anyway, but you'll need it for sure if you can't self-heal with magic).

Rogue/Ranger is a solid multiclass split so it should serve you well, and I wish you the best of luck.

[ReaperAlexEU]

I'm trying to figure out if I should go rogue or ranger first along with my starting build I've never cross classed before so this is uncharted territory for me. I don't want my first cross class to make me not wanna do it again so I figured I'd ask if anyone had some advice on a good build for this. I'm open to changes though I'd like to be stay a rogue but would be willing to be a rogue monk instead of a rogue ranger. Halfling is debatable. I'd also like to be ranged so any ideas? Also I have the 32 point build

general rule of thumb with any class mix is you take lvl1 in the class that gets the most skill points.

anyway, if you fancy ranged combat and a halfling mixed with rogue abilities, why not make a mechanic? unless you want a bow the repeating crossbow is a very good weapon in the hands of a mechanic. even better is the synergy between the mechanic and the assassin which will give you a reliable insta-kill ability for normal content (can work for epic elites but that will need some serious investment). my halfling was a pure mechanic in the old system but now mixes the two class trees together for a great result.

32 point first life halfling mechassassin

highlights are great alpha strike during levelup with repeaters, insta kill ability that is end game viable, self healing via UMD, very varied combat style with the mix of melee for insta kill and repeaters for ranged, close range shooting nets massive sneak attack damage, this can be applied to all mobs in a line! oh, can also do traps.

stats

str 10
dex 17 (needs lvl up or tome, 2 for heroic, 4 if continuing into epic. tome is ideal as it means more points for INT)
con 12/14
int 16 (main lvl up here, this boosts DPS and insta-kill, oh, also traps)
wis 8
cha 12/14

str is raised for hauling loot, can be lowered in epics when you have tome+gear
con vs cha, more cha = earlier self healing, can reduce in epics when UMD has matured

for a 28pt build take 12 con and 10 char

feats

1 point blank shot
3 exotic: heavy repeater (swap to rapid reload at lvl12)
6 precision
9 precise shot
12 imp crit: ranged
15 imp precise shot (req DEX 19)
18 toughness OR insightful reflex (hp vs reflex save if INT is higher than DEX)
21 imp sneak attack (req 21 DEX)
24 combat archery (req 21 DEX)
26 ???
27 ??? (haste? rapid shot? item vs feat)
28 doubleshot (needs primal destinies)

skills

balance
bluff
disable device
hide
jump
move silently
open lock
search
spot
tumble
umd

enhancements

mechanic
core 1-4

tier 1
mechanics rank 3
awareness rank 1
xbow training

tier 2
wand mastery rank 3
xbow training

tier 3
umd tier 3
int

tier 4
int

assassin
all cores

tier 1
sneak attack training
stealthy rank 3

tier 2
venomed blades rank 3
sneak attack training

tier 3
critical accuracy rank 3
shadow dagger rank 3
sneak attack training
int

tier 4
critical damage rank 3
killer rank 3
sneak attack training
int

tier 5
assassinate
measure rank 3

acrobat
core 1

tier 1
faster sneaking rank 3

halfling
core to even out DEX


milestones + tips

hit the market and buy pots of foxes cunning, hit house J and buy pots of heroism, use these if you can't find a trap, normally elite will be a pain like that. also if you have a higher lvl character pass down some +5 thieves tools for elites that are over your level. every odd level check AH for better goggles for each of your trap skills: search, disable, spot.

1 grab mechanic core 1, use great xbow, you'll get offered one in korthos
3 grab exotic heavy repeater
6 grab mechanic core 3, can now use all exotic xbows. focus on house D favour to unlock returning bolts and larger quivers
9 start ditching newbie gear for +4 stat items
10 for twinking paralyser = immortality mode! oh and you get improved evasion
12 swap exotic heavy repeater out, grab mechanic core 4, can still use all exotic xbows. you can do a quiz quest in the market for a free feat swap
14 should be able to get assassinate, though you will need to scrimp and save to make it fit. this is your insta-kill and can hit 2 targets at once with practice. enhancements to work on next are measure the foe and faster sneaking, after that is all the INT enhancements. grab a dagger with a high enchantment bonus for use with assassinate. remember, swap to the dagger, drop into stealth then assassinate. that is the easiest way to make it work. also turn envenomed blades off, that is bugged with assassinate and will make you fail on a mob that is not fighting.
15 imp precise shot = rail gun mode! should also be able to find +6 stat items
16 you neeeeed the doublecross bow. doublecross box = god mode!
18 depends on your INT vs DEX, if INT is a lot higher and you want that bonus to your saves grab insightful reflexes, else grab toughness (or even rapid shot if defences are fine)
20+ look into reincarnating, there are a few options to optimise the build at higher levels. for a destiny shadow dancer is a no-brainer, +6 assassinate DC to be picked up almost instantly.

keep an eye out for mabar event and the cove event, both are worth farming. marbar nets a +5 INT tome and cove has the nice trinket with +2 stacking to INT and +20 to spot and search, also gives true seeing.

[AbyssalMage]

For a Rogue / Ranger, your first level should be taken in Rogue. This is because you get four times as many skill points at first level and rogue gives you more skill points and the ability to spend them in your key trapping skills at a favourable rate.
Sound advice. I take this as granted but a first time player may not know.


Figuring out the amount of Intelligence you'll need before starting is also important for Rogue multiclasses, but Rangers do better here than just about anyone else. You only need 10 Int to be able to keep Hide, Move Silently, Search, Spot and Disable maximised on a non-human; you'll want more than 10 Int anyway because it's the key stat for Search and Disable. 14 Intelligence would be enough to let you keep Open Lock maximised as well, and 16 Intelligence or human would give you an extra point to spread around into things like jump and balance to get some basic proficiency there, or maybe heal. Note that you'll have some spare points from your rogue level(s), so you've got some inherent leeway anyway. If you take more Rogue levels than Ranger then you'll have a healthy supply of skill points no matter what you do.
There is no reason to raise Hide and Move Silently unless it is for flavor. Heal (if you go heavy Ranger), UMD, and Balance are more useful. If you are going for flavor, disregard.

Correct me if I am wrong but even assassinate would be useless on a deeply splashed rogue. Assassinate DC is 10 + Rogue Level + Int correct and melee only so Hide/Sneak is still for flavor mostly.

p.s. yes I know you can use Hide/Sneak in quests to bypass most encounters but Invisibility accomplishes the same thing once you understand NPC "sight."


With a trapper Ranger, you can go for as little as 1 Rogue level if you want; you'll get Evasion eventually anyway. A two weapon fighter Rogue/Ranger would be well served by taking at least 18 Ranger levels for serious Tempest bonuses, but as you say you'd like to play more of a ranged style you've got a lot more freedom. Rogue mechanics favour crossbows and you could use some elements from Deepwood Stalker to support that: you might consider a Rogue 14 / Ranger 6 type of a split, taking Tier 5 mechanic and Deepwood Stalker's Sniper Shot: Intelligence would be your damage stat. If you'd rather pursue archery then you're looking at some combination of Deepwood Sniper and/or Arcane Archer, with whatever Rogue extras you think could be useful (eg, extra sneak attack from Assassin), and Strength would be your default damage stat. Playing an Elf would give you the option to eventually make it Dexterity instead, which is arguably more attractive.
Thanks to the enhancement pass this is very viable. I favored the Ranger for the auto granted feats but a WF 8/6/6 Artificer/Ranger/Rogue is a build that gained attention after the Enhancement pass and meets all of the OP requirements.

To the OP, deeply splashed Rogue/Artificer work very well as you only have to concern themselves with three stats, Dex (Feat pre-req.'s), Int (damage), and Con. A pure WF Artificer accomplishes the same thing but no evasion unless you choose it in ED's (tier 5 ability so no twisting).


If you plan on self-healing with Ranger magic then remember to take enough Wisdom to support that - 14, or less with tomes, and either the Concentration skill or the Quicken Spell feat, possibly both. If you won't have enough Ranger levels to be good at that, then you'll need to take the Use Magical Device skill, so be sure to budget for that. (You may want UMD anyway, but you'll need it for sure if you can't self-heal with magic).
Wisdom is a dump stat on Rangers unless you are building for exploiter which was made obsolete with the AC pass during U15 (?, MotU). 8 Wis (Base) + 6 (Item) = 14 which will cast all ranger spells.

+3 Wisdom is Min lvl 3. You cannot cast spells on a Ranger until level 4. You also have the Ranger Enhancement Tree to assist you on pumping your Wisdom up until you find +Wisdom gear. This makes Wisdom a true dump stat on Rangers. Place the points into Int, Con, Str, Dex, or even Chr (for UMD. But this would be the absolute last choice).


Rogue/Ranger is a solid multiclass split so it should serve you well, and I wish you the best of luck.
:) :) :)

[droid327]

I'm currently building towards a 14 Rgr/6 Rogue. Mine is TWF, but its easy enough to switch Tempest over to AA/DWS if you want. That's my standard recommendation for new players/the most "foolproof" build I can think of for first-lifers.

I love ranged chars too, but most ranged builds are still really gimped right now. If you want a viable pure ranged char, you're either going WF Artificer, or Monkcher. 6 Rgr/6 Monk/8 Rogue would be one way to go, you'd have full ranged power (Monk gives you 10k Stars), and still keep your Roguey goodness like trapping, UMD for heals, and Uncanny Dodge clicky. Halfling would give you Dragonmarks for heals, too.

I really would suggest the Tempest, though...I'm building one, its awesome. So much Dodge through the Tempest tree, and Improved Evasion, plus a clicky for even more Dodge - you look like the last big fight scene in Serenity :) And Exposing Strike + rogue and ranger sneak die work really nicely.