New DDO Player Rogue questions

[freglick01]

Ok here is the deal me and 2 RL friends are starting up DDO. They are playing a fighter and cleric and me a rogue. I want to be able to find and disarm any trap or locate any hidden door we come across when we are running elites. I am assuming DPS will still be ok since I will be going with dex based and getting weapon finnesse. Not sure if I will duel TWF or not. Can you get the sneak attack damage using a bow ?

I am going to be getting a VIP membership so was going to use Drow for the innate stat buffs and will be cheating a little and getting the 32 point buy from the DDO store. I have read somewere you can not do 32 point buy on a Drow anyone know if this is true ?

I read some post were people went 1st level of rogue then rest Ranger if you are wanting to go TWF would this still be viable and be able to get our little group thru any trap and secret door we come across even in elites.

Any other advise the rogue experts can give me would be great and appreciated.

[Durion]

Ok here is the deal me and 2 RL friends are starting up DDO. They are playing a fighter and cleric and me a rogue. I want to be able to find and disarm any trap or locate any hidden door we come across when we are running elites. I am assuming DPS will still be ok since I will be going with dex based and getting weapon finnesse. Not sure if I will duel TWF or not. Can you get the sneak attack damage using a bow ?

I am going to be getting a VIP membership so was going to use Drow for the innate stat buffs and will be cheating a little and getting the 32 point buy from the DDO store. I have read somewere you can not do 32 point buy on a Drow anyone know if this is true ?

I read some post were people went 1st level of rogue then rest Ranger if you are wanting to go TWF would this still be viable and be able to get our little group thru any trap and secret door we come across even in elites.

Any other advise the rogue experts can give me would be great and appreciated.

I'm not an "expert" (my join date is too old for that), but I'll contribute a few tid-bits for you to ponder.

My first recommendation that screamed NO at me was going bow. I would recommend 2 weapon fighting IF you're going pure rogue. If you stay a pure rogue, your DPS will be insane with you sneak attack. If you are going to be primarily playing with your 2 friends, allow your fighter buddy to get aggro then go to town.

As far as race, I would recommend Halfling. There is nothing wrong with Drow, but your racial bonus' mesh better with the class/race. Going VIP, you can all start with toons to learn the game, gather enough favor to unlock 32 pt builds, then reroll.

You can take just a level or 2 of rogue then cross class, but PERSONALLY (meaning what I like, not what he HAS to do), I prefer pure rogue. Cross classing, you can still take enough points in your rogue class skills to get (with bonus items) most traps. However, doing this, you'll lose alot of your sneak attack bonus'.

Just one last thought, not sure how long or how far you plan on going, but just an FYI, I play an Assassin, so in Epic's, I have low/no chance of disarming traps. You, from what I understand, will have to head the Mechanic path to be able to get those.

Hope this helps, just some personal thoughts. The good thing about DDO, there are alot of different paths you can follow creating your characters. There are no static builds here. There is a DDO character planner (can someone link that for me?) that you may want to check out. Multi-class if thats your cup of tea, but be careful doing it, you can kill a toon with the click of a button. Know what you want and determine how you're going to get there before you do it. Multi-classing can create some badass toons, but it can destroy them as well.

[elgranmago13]

You still have to unlock drow, even if you are a vip. And 32 point build will have no effect on them as they are a special 28 point build that starts with some higher stats.

Halflings are one of the most played weapon finesse rogue builds as they get a bonus to Dex and some bonus' to sneak attack dmg. Definately go 2 weapon fighting, and I wouldn't focus too much on mechanic skills.

Link to a good thread on a starting Rogue (or any starting char for that matter):
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=232660

[elgranmago13]

Actually, what sounds really fun to me, if all 3 of you are going VIP you could all go warforged, swap the cleric for a wizard, and then you could be a high strength WF rogue. If you don't really want to be the trapster and want to dps, you could have the wiz go for a rogue splash (lots of posts on the forum for these, and they can get nearly any trap in the game without too much effort, just make sure they are done right: ie rogue lvl first). That would leave you free to make another dps build.

I am not trying to change your mind or anything, just pointing out you have that option as well...and am quite jealous that you got your friends to play too . Plus, I am very bored at work.

[gavagai]

I want to be able to find and disarm any trap or locate any hidden door we come across when we are running elites.

Luckily, that should be pretty easy on any rogue build; for a starter build, a 12 or 14 INT is the highest you'll need to go. [More experienced players with more gear can get by with 8INT.] So you don't have to "spec" for traps to be effective.

Trapsmithing is more about equipment and preparation than build. You'll want to fill your hotbars with specialized rogue equipment (+x Spot, +x Search, +x Disable Device, +x INT) that you can swap in at a moment's notice. You'll want (eventually) to load up on Heroism potions (+2 skill bonus) and Greater Heroism scrolls (+4), or find clickable items granting those spells. You'll also want to rack up your Free Agents favor so you can buy magical thieves tools that give you even more bonuses to Open Locks and Disable Device.

It is common for rogues to take the Mechanic PrE during the lower levels (6-12, since Assassin and Acrobat aren't very good until then) for an extra boost to their trap skills while they are still collecting gear and cash for all the skill-boosting potions/scrolls.

I am assuming DPS will still be ok since I will be going with dex based and getting weapon finnesse. Not sure if I will duel TWF or not.

Rogues get most of their damage from Sneak Attacking -- which doesn't require that you be actually sneaking. You only need to attack an enemy that is attacking someone else. So tell your fighter friend to get the monsters attention either by running in the room first, or by using Intimidate.

But you should still aim to have at least a 12 Strength. Useful for carrying things, and protection in case an enemy Wizard drains your strength by 10 points. Eventually, with a 13 STRENGTH you can consider getting Power Attack to increase your damage.

Can you get the sneak attack damage using a bow ?

Only at a very close distance. I wouldn't recommend using bow, since it requires ALOT of feats to use decently, and even then it does really poor damage. Even with sneak attack.

Going Two Weapon Fighting gives you many many more sneak attacks than any other combat method, so its the favored one for most rogues.

I am going to be getting a VIP membership so was going to use Drow for the innate stat buffs and will be cheating a little and getting the 32 point buy from the DDO store. I have read somewere you can not do 32 point buy on a Drow anyone know if this is true ?

This is true. All Drow are 28-point buys, but are considered 32-point characters due to their bonuses (+2Dex, +2INT, +2 CHA, -2CON). So getting 32 point characters will mean your Drow will still have the 28 point buy.

I read some post were people went 1st level of rogue then rest Ranger if you are wanting to go TWF would this still be viable and be able to get our little group thru any trap and secret door we come across even in elites.

Its very easy to multiclass with 1 or 2 rogue levels and have good trap skills. There is no "best" for 99% of the games traps; each build has its own flavors.

13+ Rogue: Maxed trap skills and lots of other skills, Improved Evasion (1/2 damage from traps and many spells when you FAIL a saving throw, no damage when you do), high sneak attack bonuses, skill mastery, Crippling Strike.

18Wizard/2Rogue: Maxed trap skills with an extremely high INT to boost Search and Disable Device, high level wizard spells (though they sacrifice 2 Wizard levels, which lowers their spell penetration and can be a pain in endgame content), high reflex saves (with the feat Insightful Reflexes), Evasion (not improved evasion; full damage if reflex save fails).

18 Ranger/1Rogue/1Monk: Highly versatile melee toon, can have maxed trap skills with enough INT, evasion, high AC, decent buffs -- but no sneak attack, so really relies on Strength more.

Very rough picture there, but hope that helps.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

I want to be able to find and disarm any trap or locate any hidden door we come across when we are running elites.

With the exception of one L13 quest on elite and one L20 Epic quest, you will be able to locate and disarm any trap and find any door without any real work - this should not be the focus of your rogue.

I am assuming DPS will still be ok since I will be going with dex based and getting weapon finnesse. Not sure if I will duel TWF or not. Can you get the sneak attack damage using a bow ?

DPS should be your focus, at least from L12 on. Finesse is fine, DEFINATELY go TWF (Rapier and shortsword is a good option). You can get sneak damage from a bow if you are very close, but bow fire rate is very slow, buggy, and generally is a bad idea as a primary method of attack.

I am going to be getting a VIP membership so was going to use Drow for the innate stat buffs and will be cheating a little and getting the 32 point buy from the DDO store. I have read somewere you can not do 32 point buy on a Drow anyone know if this is true ?

Drow is not free, but it doesn't take long to unlock 400 favor to get it free if you don't want to pay. You can not upgrade drow to 32 pt.

I read some post were people went 1st level of rogue then rest Ranger if you are wanting to go TWF would this still be viable and be able to get our little group thru any trap and secret door we come across even in elites.

Yes...if you are very careful with your stats and skills. Rogues are lots of fun though... I do recommend you try a pure rogue. You can focus on mechnic stuff at low level when a non twinked player may need the enhancement based trap bonuses, by by L12 you want to be an assassin...its a lot of fun.

[RJBsComputer]

First off, Pure rogue builds are great.

1) The best things you can do for your rogue is to have "up to level" search and spot items on you all the time. Some more experience rogues only but them on when they come to a trap. Trust me, you well get to know where every single trap is at in a quest. Others like to wear the Lenses of Doom(lvl 13). It is a set of glasses that have a spot +11 and search +11 on them.

2) Pure rogues don't have to rely on the disarm or open lock items unless they are up against very high DC traps or locks. Splashed rogues have to have them all the time to do the job of a normal rogue. If you keep your skill set of search, spot, open locks, and disarm traps max out in skill points, you will have no trouble being a rogue at level. When you start to get 2 levels above your level, then you well start having trouble doing your job.

3) If you are going to make a dex build rogue, around 10th level, depending on your armor and gear set, start looking to get rid of your armor that you are wearing and go to clothing. Armor at that level will only brings down our AC. This happens because of the dex bonus cap that armor has.

4) One of the best friends a rogue can have (if not greensteel rapers) is stat damage rapers. The faster you can kill something, the less damage you take.

5) Never get surrounded in a fight. Just like your backstab damage takes down your opponents HPs, they can do the same to you. Rogues do wear a fortification item to help with that problem.

6) Backstabbing means attacking without agro, not attacking from the back. Learn how not to get agro in a fight.

7) Learn how to sneak and when to use it.

8) A rogue only does damage when they make the hit roll. Don't get lost in the side affects of a weapon if you don't have the highest to hit mod on the weapon first.

9) Everyone has a favorite build or a build they think is best. Make a rogue and take him or her up a few levels. Then roll up a new rogue with some adjustments. Be sure to take one up to at less 16th level to get a really good feel for making a rogue. I made 3 rogues and fellowed a path before I found a sweet spot of what I liked to play.

If you are still lost on what to put into your rogue or what way to go, there are 1,000,000 builds posted in the rogue forum. Okay, maybe not a million but it feels like it.

Most of all have fun and don't worry about what other players say about how to build or play your rogue. This is a game after all. =)

[jcTharin]

4) One of the best friends a rogue can have (if not greensteel rapers) is stat damage rapers. The faster you can kill something, the less damage you take.

no, the best friend a rogue can have is a good distraction. preferably your fighter friend.

i really like the idea of an all warforged team. one of the biggest disadvantages of warforged is their healing penalty. and if one of you is a wizard that eliminates that completely.

in every other way warforged are awesome

[freglick01]

Thank you for all the responses gives me some great insight on how to go. Think I will try the pure rogue at first then see were it takes me. Again thank you for all the insight.