Beginner seeks help - INT based Skill Expert

[Kno3dl]

Hello there!
To plan some builds I asked for helped in these forums and received a great amount of assistance!

So here I am for my third character concept:

I'd like to play a rogue, that excels in Skills. Therefore I want a high amount of INT. I am willing to purchase the Harper Agent Enhancement tree, so I can work with INT on hit and damage.

For attacking, I really like to be melee here. To improve skills I need to use the Mechanic enhancement tree (next to the Harper tree) and I know it focuses on ranged attacks. Is it possible to get the sweet Skills stuff out of the mechanic and not waste too much into the range improvements? At some point it seems I am forced to pick enhancements, that improve my range combat.

Regarding melee: How exactly does the INT to hit and damage work? Do i get 1.5x INT damage on a 2HW for example? I'm open to every melee combat style, be it Dual-Wield, Single Weapon or 2-Handed-Weapon or even 1H + Shield.
Regarding throwing weapons: Can they be used effectively without feat investments? Like to attack with them until an enemy reaches me and then swap to melee combat? This way I would use the range improvements a bit.

Then I want to work with Use Magic Device. Seems to be always helpful, especially in solo play as a rogue.
For race I'm eyeing the Dwarf, but I'm not sure, if the -2 CHA gimps me. As it seems, Bluff is also important to Sneak Attack and like I said before, I want to play with Use Magic Device. Gnomes look great, too. It would be fine for me to buy access to that race.
If there are any other good uses of Races (except Aasimars, Dragonborns, Halflings and Humans) and maybe their Enhancement tree, I am all ears.
Also I'm open to multiclass concepts.

Please share your thoughts and suggestions with me!
Greetings and thanks in advance!
Kno3dl

[Tom116]

Hello there!
To plan some builds I asked for helped in these forums and received a great amount of assistance!

So here I am for my third character concept:

I'd like to play a rogue, that excels in Skills. Therefore I want a high amount of INT. I am willing to purchase the Harper Agent Enhancement tree, so I can work with INT on hit and damage.

For attacking, I really like to be melee here. To improve skills I need to use the Mechanic enhancement tree (next to the Harper tree) and I know it focuses on ranged attacks. Is it possible to get the sweet Skills stuff out of the mechanic and not waste too much into the range improvements? At some point it seems I am forced to pick enhancements, that improve my range combat.

Regarding melee: How exactly does the INT to hit and damage work? Do i get 1.5x INT damage on a 2HW for example? I'm open to every melee combat style, be it Dual-Wield, Single Weapon or 2-Handed-Weapon or even 1H + Shield.
Regarding throwing weapons: Can they be used effectively without feat investments? Like to attack with them until an enemy reaches me and then swap to melee combat? This way I would use the range improvements a bit.

Then I want to work with Use Magic Device. Seems to be always helpful, especially in solo play as a rogue.
For race I'm eyeing the Dwarf, but I'm not sure, if the -2 CHA gimps me. As it seems, Bluff is also important to Sneak Attack and like I said before, I want to play with Use Magic Device. Gnomes look great, too. It would be fine for me to buy access to that race.
If there are any other good uses of Races (except Aasimars, Dragonborns, Halflings and Humans) and maybe their Enhancement tree, I am all ears.
Also I'm open to multiclass concepts.

Please share your thoughts and suggestions with me!
Greetings and thanks in advance!
Kno3dl

Hi and Welcome!

With Harper, the Int to hit/damage is definitely doable. The rogue that comes to mind with Int based builds is the mechanic, but any type can do it. Assassins used to have to choose between Int Based for Assassinate DC or Dex based for damage, so it wasn't even uncommon to go Int based prior to the rogue update. Generally now Assassins go Dex based to get more AP's for Vistani, but that's not required :)

Realistically going Int based your skills on a rogue should be fine (The Int-based skills especially), but if you would like then you could certainly take some of the low-hanging fruit there. 4 AP's gets you either +3 to Search, Spot, and Listen or Disable Device, Open Lock, and Repair. Another 3 gets you there other option previously mentioned (or 1 AP to get +1 to the other skills and reach the required amount of AP for T2), and once you can reach Tier 2 enhancements with any combination of those two you can spend 3 AP for a Skills Boost. This does seem like it's a little bit overkill though :)

Yes, Int to damage (or any stat for that matter) applies the same bonuses as Str in regards to specific fighting styles. Keep in mind that you do need a base stat (Including tomes) of 17 Str for the full Two-Handed line or 17 Dex for the Two-Weapon line.

Most characters (with a couple exceptions) won't be able to take everything you'd want to be able to do well in both ranged and melee combat. However, you can still do some damage throwing things when needed. This is especially true if you use daggers + throwing daggers using the Vistani enhancement tree. I don't think you'll need to go so deep into the Mechanic tree such that you'll need to take any ranged enhancements to progress though :)

UMD is a fantastic skill, and a staple for nearly every build out there. I agree you should max out your ranks in it, though eventually you'll reach a point where you'll have over 100% chance to succeed so I wouldn't bother taking the mechanic enhancement for that. You get full ranks since it's a class skill for rogue, and that will be more than enough for what UMD needs. Ship buffs will also help, if you are in a guild.

Dwarf is fine if you like it, the +2 Con can definitely be handy and they do get a racial bonus to search. Gnome also works fine. May I ask why not Human/Halfling though? Both are free and have benefits for rogues. It's fine if you prefer another race, but human gets +1 feat and +1 skill point per level, and halfling gets extra sneak dice as well as an option to take the Dragonmark of Healing. As long as you aren't going Strength based, I would lean towards Gnome over Dwarf. The +2 to search can be handy but you'll be Int based so you'll have lots of that anyways. Gnomes gets a +2 to your primary stat, and there's the permanent blur if you wanted to grab it too. That being said, Dwarf is still a strong option if you want to :)

Going mainly (if not pure) rogue melee I would suggest either doing an Assassin (great single target dps, instakill, but requires something else getting the agro generally) or Acrobat (some AoE, less sneak attack dependant, more mobility/defense but less dps) since those are the two enhancement trees available to you. Going Acrobat also has good synergy with Monk's Henshin Mystic if you went that way. If you go staff build, do not pick gnome unless you have a pretty solid Str tome as you'll need 17 Str (effectively 19 with Gnome's -2 Str) without items to get most of the Two Handed Fighting line.

Assassin might be tricky to run solo (especially since stealth has been a bit off for a while, not working very well), so I would lean towards Acrobat. If you have monk, that would be great to multiclass into, something like 14/6 so you can get 3 cores and much of the Henshin tree. Iirc, Gnome costs more TP than Monk and as an acrobat you wouldn't want that Str penalty, so even if you don't own it that's a possibility :)

[Kno3dl]

I would definetly buy Vistani, but I can't outside these expensive bundles. So that's sadly not an option.

The permanent Blur really seems nice. Does it mean, 20% of the time, enemies aren't gonna hit me? That's some solid defenses. Otherwise Dwarfs seem defensive in general with their CON and +HP.

Even though Monk isn't that expensive, I totally don't want to mix it with rogue. Quarterstaff doesn't convince me, either.

What would be good melee options for a Dwarf and Gnome? If I dont like to reach the STR and DEX for TWF and THF, maybe SWF is an option then? Getting Balance high enough shouldn't be a problem. Maybe get a cool Racial Weapon, that my Race is proficient with (or the Multiclassing gives me) and improve it in their Racial Enhancement tree?

EDIT: Oh and I have a question about Spell Point (costs):
When I'm not a caster class, do I get Spell Points via Enhancements like Magical Endurance? Also, what if Enhancements like Know the Angles costs Spell Points to activate, but I don't have any, because I'm not a caster?
Also does my Spell Power affect stuff I cast via Use Magic Device?

[Tom116]

I would definetly buy Vistani, but I can't outside these expensive bundles. So that's sadly not an option.

The permanent Blur really seems nice. Does it mean, 20% of the time, enemies aren't gonna hit me? That's some solid defenses. Otherwise Dwarfs seem defensive in general with their CON and +HP.

Even though Monk isn't that expensive, I totally don't want to mix it with rogue. Quarterstaff doesn't convince me, either.

What would be good melee options for a Dwarf and Gnome? If I dont like to reach the STR and DEX for TWF and THF, maybe SWF is an option then? Getting Balance high enough shouldn't be a problem. Maybe get a cool Racial Weapon, that my Race is proficient with (or the Multiclassing gives me) and improve it in their Racial Enhancement tree?

EDIT: Oh and I have a question about Spell Point (costs):
When I'm not a caster class, do I get Spell Points via Enhancements like Magical Endurance? Also, what if Enhancements like Know the Angles costs Spell Points to activate, but I don't have any, because I'm not a caster?
Also does my Spell Power affect stuff I cast via Use Magic Device?

Fair enough, though I'd suggest the cheapest bundle + elite on all the non-raids to unlock it rather than getting the super expensive ones if you ever want to pick it up :)

It is, but at the same time there is a decent amount of gear in the teen+ levels that has it. Also Blur wands with UMD are doable too. It's an option, but not the only one, for that effect.

SWF could definitely work. Gnome gets bonuses with the racial weapons (light hammers, light maces, light picks, shortswords, shortbows, light crossbows, and light repeating crossbows), so that plus the 3rd core from the kensei tree (6 fighter needed) would get you some nice bonuses to any of those weapons. Would not recommend light (non-repeating) crossbows ever because they are not so great, but any other options are fine. You would need a fair bit of dex to do the ranged feats for the repeater/shortbow though, so maybe one of the melee weapons? Dagger with SWF in Assassin works too, without the fighter splash :)

Yes, you can still get spellpoints through enhancements. Magical Training is a feat that gives you a pool of spellpoints and regenerating spellpoints when you run very low, anyone can take it and it's granted to casters automatically :)

Your own personal spellpower does not effect item clickies/wands, no. Only any effects on the item itself does that unfortunately.

[unbongwah]

INT-based melee rogue -> go play slarden's Assassin build (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/470028-A-Legendary-Elite-Int-Based-Assassin-Build). It hasn't been updated for Vistani yet, but since you don't own it, that doesn't matter. The biggest challenge is meeting the DEX pre-reqs for all your feats; you need DEX 21 by epic levels to take Improved Sneak Attack.

Of course, if you multiclass and have big enough tomes, you can make anything work, even a CON-based dwarven rogue using greataxes (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/488363-The-Kundarak-Brigade-(TYWA-Builds)?p=6052962&viewfull=1#post6052962). :cool:

[Kno3dl]

Yes, you can still get spellpoints through enhancements. Magical Training is a feat that gives you a pool of spellpoints and regenerating spellpoints when you run very low, anyone can take it and it's granted to casters automatically :)

Your own personal spellpower does not effect item clickies/wands, no. Only any effects on the item itself does that unfortunately.

So I can cast Know the Angles, if I take Magical Endurance? Otherwise I can't, because rogues have no spell points their own otherwise?

What exactly is the advantage or synergy with dagger and Assassin? Aren't kukris just better than daggers? Also when I use INT anyhow, the DEX scaling seems unnessesary.
It seems, that the damage tools in the Assassin tree works with any melee weapon or am I wrong?

What would be the best weapon for SWF...
... that I get with feat investments/multiclassing?
... that I get for free via class/race proficiencies?

[unbongwah]

So I can cast Know the Angles, if I take Magical Endurance? Otherwise I can't, because rogues have no spell points their own otherwise?
Remember that spell points from gear work fine on a rogue. So you can just equip a Wizardry item; you don't need the Magical Training feat or to spend APs on Magical Endurance. Though of course if you want extra SPs, feel free to do so.

What exactly is the advantage or synergy with dagger and Assassin? Aren't kukris just better than daggers?
The crit bonuses from Assassin (Knife Specialization + Lethality) plus the relevant Improved Critical feat gives regular daggers & kukris the same crit threat range: 15-20/x4. However, there are a lot more named daggers (http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Daggers) than kukris (http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Kukris), some of which are clearly meant for Assassins (e.g., Assassin's Kiss (http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Assassin%27s_Kiss)). So unless you plan to use only crafted / lootgen weapons, you will eventually gravitate towards daggers on an Assassin; especially if you plan to unlock Vistani someday.

It seems, that the damage tools in the Assassin tree works with any melee weapon or am I wrong?
Most do, but notice that Knife Specialization only applies to daggers and kukris; the extra crit damage outweighs the lower base damage and that's what makes them the best choice for pure Assassins - particularly once you factor in all those Assassin-friendly daggers I just pointed out.

[Tom116]

So I can cast Know the Angles, if I take Magical Endurance? Otherwise I can't, because rogues have no spell points their own otherwise?

What exactly is the advantage or synergy with dagger and Assassin? Aren't kukris just better than daggers? Also when I use INT anyhow, the DEX scaling seems unnessesary.
It seems, that the damage tools in the Assassin tree works with any melee weapon or am I wrong?

What would be the best weapon for SWF...
... that I get with feat investments/multiclassing?
... that I get for free via class/race proficiencies?

You can either way (assuming you have spellpoints from enhancements, items, and/or epic destinies), however Magical Training gives your character 80 spellpoints and Echoes of Power (http://ddowiki.com/page/Echoes_of_Power) which allows you to recast Know the Angles even if you run out of spellpoints through a passive regeneration. +5% spell crit chance too, but that's irrelevant here :)

Unbongwah already mentioned it, but he's exactly right; with assassin enhancements, Daggers end up the same as Kukris so it comes down to whatever item you have handy. The extra crits for them specifically also beats out the larger base damage from other weapons.

With handaxe, you could do 9 Rogue/5 Bard/6 Fighter (Taking T5 Swashbuckler and the 3rd core from Kensei) which gives you a very solid weapon with SWF + Swashbuckling. You'd be playing more like a Swashbuckler though, rather than a rogue. This applies to any weapon applicable with swashbuckling, but handaxe can get benefits from both Kensei crit multiplier bonuses and the Swashbuckler crit range bonus.

Race enhancements generally don't do enough for a weapon on their own, so you'd want a class that complements the weapon. For example, Gnome gives bonuses to a handful of weapons. The +to hit and damage is great, but the extra range doesn't stack with the extra range that class trees give.

[TueNictGut]

Hey i tried to follow your ideas with this build.
I only have build for heroics here...
It is a real jack of all trades, build with no tomes in mind and follows your wishes. Its very flexible but sacrifices a bit in melee dmg.
It offers:
- a frontloaded ranged option especially good in the first lvls with the basic feats Point blank, rapid shot and precise shot.
Great crossbow and light repeater(which is great at the beginning) with +20meters pointblank and Sneak attack range.
you can ditch imp feint (which is awesome for a melee Rogue though) or precision for rapid reload or imp crit ranged to further improve ranged if u like
- stacking faster sneaking from assassin and dws. you will sneak faster then any pure Rogue, very fun with assassinate
- bonus on skills to even out the lack of equipment and tomes, mechanic+2 and skillboost, +1 to all skills from Roguefeat
- skillboost and wand and scroll mastery for umd
- damage boost for repeater and haste boost for melee
- all the damage and assassinate from the assassintree except the capstone
- lots of attacks to play with : Imp feint and Shiv to bluff enemies, tendon slice to slow and then tumble backwards and kill with a crossbow. Tanglefoot slow grenade, and poison strike to enhance your damage and reduce that of the enemies. oh and execute is fun sometimes too.
in the first lvls maybe try infernoshot from aa its very nice damage with a repeater at the start as it triggers 3 times instead of one and the last 2 hits triggerd the burning effect too, when i last tried. also try thunderstone (it in fact blinds) and or shadow dagger to blind enemies, which allows sneakattacks

you can switch the enhancements to your desires ofc. Just try out what you like most.
generally magical traps are very great to have for example but as u dont have any trap pieces collected yet i didnt take it. And if you dont like faster sneaking and recognize that you dont need skillboost (nice with umd too btw) or hasteboost you can go deeper in mechanic or harper
you can take magical training with 4 ap from aa tree btw.

Of course slardens pure build is better in damage and assassinate and is very well build in general. this one has a better ranged option and the very fun faster sneaking and generaly offers lots of options to try out.
That said throwing daggers get the critbonus of knifespec of tier5 assassin, so you can always use them as a mediocre ranged option instead.

Int Jack of all Trades
18/2 Rogue/Ranger
Human


Level Order

1. Rogue. . . . . .6. Rogue. . . . . 11. Rogue. . . . . 16. Rogue
2. Ranger. . . . . 7. Rogue . . . . .12. Rogue . . . . .17. Rogue
3. Ranger. . . . . 8. Rogue . . . . .13. Rogue . . . . .18. Rogue
4. Rogue. . . . . .9. Rogue. . . . . 14. Rogue. . . . . 19. Rogue
5. Rogue. . . . . 10. Rogue. . . . . 15. Rogue. . . . . 20. Rogue


Stats
. . . . . . . .32pt . . 34pt. . .Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ----. . .--------
Strength. . . . .8. . . . 8 . . . 4: INT
Dexterity . . . 17. . . .17 . . . 8: INT
Constitution. . 14. . . .13 . . .12: INT
Intelligence. . 17. . . .18 . . .16: INT
Wisdom. . . . . .8. . . . 8 . . .20: INT
Charisma. . . . .8. . . . 8 . . .24: INT
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28: INT

Skills
. . . . .Rg Rn Rn Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg
. . . . . 1. 2 .3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Disable . 4. . . . 3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Open Lo . 4. . . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Search. . 4. 1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spot. . . 4. . .2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Bluff . . 4. . . . 3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Diplo . . 4. . . . . .3 .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Jump. . . . .5. 1 . . 1. 1. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Hide. . . 4. . .2. . .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Move Si . 4. . .2. . .1 .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Tumble. . 4. . . . . .1 .1 .1 .2 .3 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
UMD . . . 4. . . . 3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Concent . 1. 4 .1. . . . . . . . . . 1. 1. 1½ 1½ 1½ 1½ 1½ 1½ 1½ 1½ 2. 22
Balance . 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Swim. . . 2. . .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .48 10 10 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 15


Feats

.1. . . . : Point Blank Shot
.1 Human. : Precise Shot
.3. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
.6. . . . : Improved Feint
.9. . . . : Improved Two Weapon Fighting
12. . . . : Improved Critical: Piercing
15. . . . : Greater Two Weapon Fighting
18. . . . : Precision
21 Epic . :
24 Epic . :
26 Destiny:
27 Epic . :
28 Destiny:
29 Destiny:
30 Epic . :
30 Legend :

12 Rogue. : Improved Evasion
15 Rogue. : Opportunist
18 Rogue. : Skill Mastery

.2 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider


Enhancements (80 AP)

Assassin (39 AP) Knife in the Darkness, Dagger in the Back, Assassin's Trick, Nimbleness, Lethality Poison Strikes: Heartseeker, Shiv I, Sneak Attack Training, Stealthy II
Venomed Blades III, Sneak Attack Training, Damage Boost III
Sneak Attack Training, Intelligence
Killer III, Weakening Strikes, Intelligence
Assassinate, Measure the Foe III, Deadly Strikes, Knife Specialization
Mechanic (13 AP) Arbalester, Tanglefoot, Targeting Sights Sharpshooter, Mechanics II
Wand and Scroll Mastery III, Skill Boost III
Harper Agent (12 AP) Agent of Good I, Intelligence Harper Enchantment, Strategic Combat
Know the Angles III
Strategic Combat
Thief-Acrobat (8 AP) Staff Control Sly Flourish II, Fast Movement
Haste Boost III
Deepwood Stalker (8 AP) Far Shot Stealthy III, Tendon Cut I
Faster Sneaking III

[blerkington]

Some skills in the game are far more useful than others, and as you level up an increasingly large proportion of your skill totals come from gear and buffs rather than the points you've invested in them. It might be worth reading the skills information on DDO Wiki for some additional information about how useful skills are in-game as well as familiarising yourself with the sources of skill bonuses available in the game.

Thanks.

[TueNictGut]

Some skills in the game are far more useful than others, and as you level up an increasingly large proportion of your skill totals come from gear and buffs rather than the points you've invested in them. It might be worth reading the skills information on DDO Wiki for some additional information about how useful skills are in-game as well as familiarising yourself with the sources of skill bonuses available in the game.

Thanks.

Well intbuild you can just train them all and familiarise by trying them :)
For a Rogue the most important are disable search for traps and spot if u dont know them all, umd for healing and buffs and ofc bluff to get in your sneakattacks.
open locks is good to have too, althaugh u normaly dont need it full specced with good gear and dexbuild
move silently and Hide need to be maxed to sneak
jump is nice to have too and need to be higher while sneaking. Tumble is mainly for fun but can be useful with a crossbow to tumble backwards while reloading. it also needs to be higher while sneaking.
Diplomacy is situational useful in grpplay and good to have for optionals in some quests.
Concentration is mainly to avoid you beeing interupted while umd healing. take swim and haggle instead if u like, same for tumble.

Skill boost is nice with umd anytime in heroics. just use it before buffing or use raise dead for +6 umd and you dont waste time and wanduses and can use essential buffs earlier.
That said you dont need it to get all traps on hard and many on elite quests with the normal equipment. As this seems to be your first rogue you most likely lack gear so skillboost can be useful for traps too.
You can alway untrain skillboost and mechanic and the +1 to skills feat (for slippery maybe) if u recognize them useless on the way

[slarden]

INT-based melee rogue -> go play slarden's Assassin build (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/470028-A-Legendary-Elite-Int-Based-Assassin-Build). It hasn't been updated for Vistani yet, but since you don't own it, that doesn't matter. The biggest challenge is meeting the DEX pre-reqs for all your feats; you need DEX 21 by epic levels to take Improved Sneak Attack.

Of course, if you multiclass and have big enough tomes, you can make anything work, even a CON-based dwarven rogue using greataxes (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/488363-The-Kundarak-Brigade-(TYWA-Builds)?p=6052962&viewfull=1#post6052962). :cool:

Thank you for the mention of the build, but I consider that build obsolete. The combination of stealth changes and game changes make it a very sub-optimal build for reaper. The biggest problem new players and casual players face on a melee is lack of hp and defenses. So for someone that considers themselves newer or casual wanting a skill based int melee build I would look at the new artificer tree and think artificer:

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/493839-Early-Look-Artificer-Changes-amp-Renegade-Mastermaker?p=6064551&viewfull=1#post6064551

According to the live Wednesday thingy, they are planning to boost the melee abilities in the tree before it goes live. So one example would be 17 artificer / 3 paladin would be getting 20% hp from artificer, 20% hp from paladin and many interesting racial choices with a 44% hp boost + a nice save bonus already. 15 paladin / 5 arti should be another interesting melee split as you get the crit range/multiplier without enhancement spend. 14 artificer / 3 fighter / 3 bard for swashbuckling with a rune arm and int to damage (with int to hit and kta for only 8 more ap) - so many good choices.

So while I have always loved playing rogue, playing an arti melee will be decidedly better with the new tree.

If you want hp, how about your con based dwarf as a 14 arti / 3 fighter / 3 swashbuckler with axe or hammer with sweet 44% hp bonus on top of con? I think there is enough ap for tier 5 arti, defender tree, swashbuckling with rune arm, dwarf and kta. Maybe even 13 artificer/ 4 fighter / 3 swashbuckler if you can squeeze in the 6 con from stalwart defender. Skills would still be no fail with gear. Self repair with maximize/empower. Otherwise you can go 15 paladin / 5 arti and go positive healing with holy sword and great axe. so many fun possibilities in theory - hopefully they work as well in practice.

[Mellkor]

Consider a Int based Great xbow mechanic. It has most of what you are looking for and addresses the reality of playing an 'assassin' today. (you cant because of the stealth BS that they haven't addressed for years now.) Playing an int based assassin used to be really good!!! But why they fooked us over with the stealth nerfs is a huge mystery. Assassin was very popular for a while, now I almost never see any, and when I do they just complain about broken stealth.

Int based Mechanic will give you the best skills possible for a rogue and one of the best DPS builds available (I often out DPS warlocks). It is what I have moved to after playing INT based and DEX based assassins the last few years.