Bluff, RadII in epic, HP item, off hand sword, precision

[SSFWEl]

Sorry this is a bit long but I collected a bunch of questions
I am now a first life lvl 20 pure, finesse-rapier, non-oversized, halfling rogue.

1. I read a lot about the LitII vs. RadII weapons for rogues and I decided to go for a RadII rapier.

That said i have heard from a lot of players, that they hate chasing blinded mobs. (Indeed this is one of the points against Rad made here: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=318567)
This is still the one thing stopping me from being happy with my choice. (My rad is only a tier II. No luck getting the darn larges).
How much is this really an issue?

Keep in mind:
I do not intend to TR soon.
I like doing epics.
I have met/PG shortsward combo for bosses.



2. Should I eventually make an offhand short sword? (This is far future...). I never wield dual rapiers, lacking oversized. But should I be?
Is a GS shortsword a good idea? Because a tier II, I can make with a only little effort getting basic mats.



3. Right now I have bluff that I do not use much. But like my Assassinate, which I have only recently been really practicing and using, this might be a skill I am using wrong:
So: A. How/when should it be used? B. If I LR should I get diplo instead? Many say bluff is useless.



4. HP item: I am making a bracers HP item. I was advised to get radiance guard or smoke (two shards). But I want the Air guard that has the advantage of needing only a single shard, AND gives me + dex skills. The rad does not give dex, but the smoke does. But I already have some of what the smoke gives me in a mabar cloak (non-epic).
Is the Air guard worthwhile?



5. I chose Precision for my last feat. I find it does come in useful vs bosses when I get miss miss miss miss miss...
But should I switch this out for Oversized? Get something else?

Thanks!

[karl_k0ch]

1. Depending on the epic quest; if the party's DPS is good enough and the Mob's HP are low enough, the mobs dont have enough time to dance around before being dead. I'd rather have a solid SA damage output and a 50% miss chance of non-CC'd mobs than the alternative of non-wandering mobs.

2. For a Drow, this can be an option; for a Halfling not so much.

3. I like using bluff occasionally. It's nice in situations to guarantee SA damage against unblindable mobs.

4. Yes, Air guard is great. It's a very good value, and the clickie is very useful.

5. Precision is horrible. Hitting on a 2 is possible against most mobs (requiring some gear, if course), Malicia excluded.
I think that OTWF and possibly PA would be better choices.

[WruntJunior]

1) A RadII is awesome for a rogue, though it is quite expensive. Since epics aren't so much an everything-crowd-controlled event as a "KILL EVERYTHING" event, making sure you get sneak attack definitely helps you kill the trash faster. That being said, learn when to put the RadII away, and it'll go over very well.

2) I like a cove shortsword in my offhand for when I need the buff to my to-hit, but as that's obviously not available right now, I'd honestly say you should be fine with dual rapiers, though getting a good shortsword won't hurt (especially if it has improved destruction or the like). As far as green steel, save your mats for weapons and hp item...and possible eventual umd item.

3) Can't help much, as my rogue doesn't have it at the moment, but I wish I did have a good bluff...I would see myself using it right before assassinating an enemy (to ensure I get sneak attack) or on an enemy that I'm about to start hitting (so I get sneak attack until it's blinded...which is usually 1-2 hits with rapiers).

4) If your hp is sufficient for now (~450 will work on a rogue for a while), make a cheap tier-2 hp item (should be easy enough to get the ingredients for that) until you can make the item you want. For such an item, air is great for the clickie. In the long run, I would definitely plan a radiance guard hp item.

5) If you're using precision, you're taking a huge hit to your damage...you'd be better getting oversized, and learning when to do things like turn off power attack and equip a good light weapon to your offhand (for bosses, generally a cannith-crafted dr breaker or the like...for anything else, a destruction weapon...a guildie particularly likes maladroit of destruction light maces for non-epics, seems like a rather good idea).

[arroyo]

Replying in the order I consider more pertinent:

5. Your to-hit problem can be either gear related, Stat related, or both. Some things you should look for straight on is a high Sneak Attack item (cough-Tharnes-Goggles-cough) and/or craft a Attack Bonus +2/+4 trinket/goggles in the meanwhile (if you don't have enough crafting, look for some help with a Crafter friend). Also make sure you get as much DEX as you can slot/enhance. With this covered, OTWF/Precision shouldn't be needed and then yes, you should have Power Attack instead. Which probably won't be a problem except for a few mobs (cough-Malicia-cough), which can be turned off as needed. PA is a much better option.

2. With issue #5 solved, I don't see any reason to go for a shortsword off-hand. I switched out OTWF a long time ago and, even when dual-wielding DR-Beater Rapiers, I have no problem hitting with PA. For trash mobs, 99% of the time I have an Epic Midnight Greetings on my off-hand, which is a weapon you should be working for if you enjoy epics and Assassinate.

4. Many times when asked for advice, I suggest to craft at least a Tier2 HP Greensteel before even starting a RadII weapon. Nowadays the Rogue HP benchmark you should aim for is 400hp minimum. There's no consensus about which gear slot or GS Tier3 effect is best on a Rogue, for there's so many ways to gear up. IMHO, I regret choosing the cloak slot: though there's not many useful named gear you can throw in there before cap, when you reach Lv20 the amount of good Epic cloaks is overwhelming. Honestly, I like MinII HP GS (Prot+5/HeavyFort) but I admit there so many useful Guards you can craft into your Tier3 GS.

1. The problem of held/dancing mobs sliding due to blindness is something the Devs should have worked on for many Updates now. To make matters worst, also Paralyzing and (Improved) Deception (couch-eMG-cough) may make such mobs move around. Honestly, in most quests it's not a big deal for they don't last enough time anyway. In a few quests, like eDA, I switch my RadII for a Improved Cursespewing + Improved Destruction, but that's all. IMHO, make your RadII ASAP.

3. With gear covered, comes skills and Assassinate. I got both Diplo and Bluff with max-ranks and honestly, they're both situational. In fact, lately I removed Diplo from my Hotbars and resigned it for those pesky NPC chat-checks only. On the other hand, Bluff can be handy for solo and some unblindable mobs, like bosses (specially paired with Deception/ImprDeception). Assassinate is an art, and there's so many ways to face it. I'm adept to the Jump/Sneak-mid-air/Assassinate/Tumble-forward sequence. Choosing the right targets is also part of the Assassinate Art.

[Kinerd]

Bluff can be used to peel a single monster off a pack, which is extremely useful on the relatively infrequent occasions it is useful.

I never made a rad 2 for my rogue and don't miss it, but I only ever play my rogue in groups. For me it's not so much the sliding annoyance as it is that I make it a point not to get aggro anyway.

I wouldn't bother with any guard on a rogue, especially if you're short on larges. No matter which weapon type you end up choosing, the third tier effect dramatically improves something you use dozens of times per fight. You might not see a guard throughout an entire quest. Also, Dex skills only helps you with Open Lock, Balance, Tumble, Hide, and Move Silently. It's probably not worth devoting a GS item to.

[LeLoric]

I use a rad II all the time in epics.

The lower ac and reflex save, sneak attacks for everyone, and 50% miss chance far outweigh the movement they do sometimes.

[ainmosni]

just crafted my first radiance 2 for my ranger and thing's outstanding.

[DragonTroy]

1) Make the Rad II. It is the best freaking thing you could have ever. oh well, they can slide around while dancing or whatever, the sneak attacks kill them faster than without them being blinded and aggro'd on you. and the blindness helps with your to-hit issues as well, especially in epics where half the mobs seem to be dex based with 10 level ups for all of 'em. Rad II= absolute victory

2) with proper gear, your to hit should be fine enough to use 2 rapiers, even with out Oversized. My halfling does the same thing, minus the fact that mine is str-based using khopeshes, but he doesn't even have an really nice gear, so it is possible you would even have a better base to hit than mine.

3) Use bluff. I, for whatever reason, didn't take it, and have regretted it a lot. from talking to NPCs, to pulling one mob away from a group, to preventing the aggro from getting to you, bluff is a powerful tool that should be in every rogue's Bag o Tricks. Diplomacy works in a similar way, it helps to have both

4) I enjoy air guard a lot. You may hear people say "you're a rogue, you shouldn't be getting hit" and while that is a nice thing to try and practice, you simply can't always keep aggro off of you, and it is as simple as that. the air guard can give you 30 seconds of haste, and/or knock the enemy down, both of which can be helpful in finishing off whatever you have aggro'd. Radiance would also be nice, a blind mob is almost always a dead mob when a rogue is around, but air guard is easier to craft, has some nice boost to your sneak skills, as well as open lock and balance, and a much better clicky, with a total of 4.5 minutes of haste. it is a matter of preference i suppose, but for what you have described, go air guard

5) precision isn't a good choice. the thought you had, being able to hit mobs, was a good idea, but there are much better ways to get to to-hit than using up a precious feat and weakening your damage at the same time. if nothing else, get oversized two weapon fighting, but there is probably a better option than that too, Power Attack for example, if you qualify for it.

[sephiroth1084]

A neat trick with Bluff:

1. Bluff monster running at you (aggro'ed on you).
2. Hit Sneak.
3. Assassinate.

It takes some practice, but you can get a lot of monsters (especially casters whose AI has them run at you while casting) to run to you, turn around just before getting you, allowing you to Assassinate them.



It's harder, but you can also occasionally Bluff something you are in melee with, sneak quickly and Assassinate before the Bluff wears off. For this to work, you have to receive the monster's last swing by about the middle of your Bluff animation so it doesn't interrupt your stealth. Not reliable, but when it works, it makes me happy.

[arroyo]

A neat trick with Bluff:

1. Bluff monster running at you (aggro'ed on you).
2. Hit Sneak.
3. Assassinate.

It takes some practice, but you can get a lot of monsters (especially casters whose AI has them run at you while casting) to run to you, turn around just before getting you, allowing you to Assassinate them.

It's harder, but you can also occasionally Bluff something you are in melee with, sneak quickly and Assassinate before the Bluff wears off. For this to work, you have to receive the monster's last swing by about the middle of your Bluff animation so it doesn't interrupt your stealth. Not reliable, but when it works, it makes me happy.

Ok, sharing never hurts. For Vale and above, with teleporting mobs (like Sins of Attrition):

1) Sneak
2) Bluff Orthon/Devil
3) Assassinate
4) ....
5) Profit

It's a bit slow, but with both Bluff and Assassinate at 15sec Cooldowns, it's just like it was meant to be.