Rogue/Ranger currently level 8

[Zagemogga]

I play usually solo (sorry, due to reading quests and taking my time etc.)

This is the 10th time I restarted this char and really like it how it is, just wondering if it is normal not being able to kill that end troll in the Tharashk Arena on normal with a cleric hireling. The problem is probably not the damage (I get him ~50% down before I die) but the hitpoints, I wear a hand made 5 DR/magic chainmail and overall 26+2 AR. That beast hits me with ~40 damage and then makes me dance all the time... this is nearly half my life (92).

The plan is not digital, so here are some stats from the print out:
Race: Drow (love it, stupid shamans with str/dex/con debuffs)
Stat: start -> at level 20
Str: 14 -> 21
Dex: 16 -> 18 +4 Enhancements -> 22
Con: 12 -> 14
Int: 14 (yes, I like disabling traps) -> 16
Wisdom: 14 -> 16
Cha: 10 -> 12

Level 1 -> Rogue
Level 2 -> Ranger
Level 3 -> Rogue
Level 4 -> Ranger
Level 5 -> Rogue
Level 6 -> Ranger
Level 7 -> Rogue
Level 8 -> Ranger
...

skills on level:
balance, spot, search, disabled device (every second level), open locks (every second level), UMD (every second level)
some:
jump, tumble, hide, move silently etc.

Feats, selected so far:
Nimble Fingers, Dodge... (working towards Spring Attack for Ranger Tempest I)

Is that totally gimp? Most quests are fine... I guess I have to wait a few levels to try this one again
I have a fun half-orc barbarian with 60 hit points more ~150 at level 7 and double the front damage with two handed weapons, often hits 80-90 dmg :P I assume he would lay that troll in under a minute, but a single stupid fire traps kills him instantly (stupid orc).

Since I couldn't find many 60/40 Rogue(12) Ranger(8) builds, I want to ask what you think. The typical rogue skills will all be max and Improved Enhancement IV for Disable Device, Open Lock, Search and Spot.

[blerkington]

Hi,

My suggestion is that you deal with his sidekick first, so you only have to face him at the end. Have your cleric distract him with a summon, then kill him at range.

His AI works to your advantage here, because sometimes he will try to range you in return rather than chasing you. Even with his regeneration that is a losing battle for him.

You will find encounters with self healing foes become a little easier when you get manyshot, because you can whittle your enemies down first in melee, then finish them off with some nice burst damage from your bow.

Just on your proposed level split at cap, there may be better options than 12/8. A fairly common split for a rogue/ranger is 13/6 and then 1 of some other class. 13 and 6 are both good break points for rogues and rangers, and you can get some nice stuff by using that last level for a bit of monk, barbarian or fighter.

And I wouldn't bother with spending AP on trap skills. With good gear and buffs you should be able to do traps at level on normal or hard with no problems at all. Similarly, you may find the toughness feat to be more valuable to you in the long run than nimble fingers.

Good luck with it.

[unbongwah]

Typical break points for MCed rgrs is lvls 6/12/18; i.e., Tempest I/II/III. So rgr 8 / rog 12 is considered odd; rog 13 / rgr 6 with a splash of something else or rog 8 / rgr 12 would be more optimal, IMHO.

Also, alternating levels like that is a bit sub-optimal as well; you backload your rgr feats a lot more than if you front-loaded your rgr lvls more. See my Tempest trapmonkey for examples of rog-splashed Tempest III builds.

Beyond that: don't put too much emphasis on trap skills in your build; your gear & buffs will make up the lion's share of your trap skills. More CON and Toughness feat (+enhs) is more useful than high INT & Nimble Fingers feat.

[unbongwah]

I don't want you to think you have to start over , but I threw this together for fun:

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.14.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 True Neutral Drow Female
(8 Rogue \ 12 Ranger) 
Hit Points: 266
Spell Points: 140 
BAB: 18\18\23\28\28
Fortitude: 13
Reflex: 20
Will: 5

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    23
Dexterity            16                    22
Constitution         14                    16
Intelligence         12                    12
Wisdom                8                     8
Charisma             10                    10

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 20
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 20
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 20

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               7                    10
Bluff                 0                     2
Concentration         4                    26
Diplomacy             0                     0
Disable Device        5                    24
Haggle                0                     0
Heal                 -1                    -1
Hide                  5                    28
Intimidate            0                     0
Jump                  3                     6
Listen               -1                     1
Move Silently         5                    28
Open Lock             7                    27
Perform               n/a                   n/a
Repair                1                     1
Search                5                    26
Spot                  3                    23
Swim                  3                     6
Tumble                7                    10
Use Magic Device      4                    23

Level 1 (Rogue)
Skill: Balance (+4)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Disable Device (+4)
Skill: Hide (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)
Skill: Open Lock (+4)
Skill: Search (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+4)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+4)
Feat: (Selected) Dodge


Level 2 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+3)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead


Level 3 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 4 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Disable Device (+3)
Skill: Open Lock (+3)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+3)


Level 5 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Search (+2)
Skill: Spot (+1)


Level 6 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mobility


Level 7 (Rogue)
Skill: Disable Device (+3)
Skill: Open Lock (+3)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+3)


Level 8 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Search (+2)
Skill: Spot (+3)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Giant


Level 9 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Spring Attack


Level 10 (Rogue)
Skill: Disable Device (+3)
Skill: Open Lock (+3)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+3)
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost II
Enhancement: Drow Weapon Damage I
Enhancement: Drow Weapon Damage II
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity II
Enhancement: Rogue Subtle Backstabbing I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense I
Enhancement: Ranger Tempest I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Training I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Training II
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity II
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense I
Enhancement: Rogue Wand and Scroll Mastery I


Level 11 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Search (+2)
Skill: Spot (+1)


Level 12 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Piercing Weapons


Level 13 (Rogue)
Skill: Disable Device (+3)
Skill: Open Lock (+3)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+3)


Level 14 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Search (+2)
Skill: Spot (+3)


Level 15 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 16 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Disable Device (+3)
Skill: Open Lock (+3)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+3)


Level 17 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Search (+2)
Skill: Spot (+1)


Level 18 (Ranger)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave


Level 19 (Rogue)
Skill: Disable Device (+3)
Skill: Open Lock (+2)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+3)


Level 20 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Spot (+2)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Enhancement: Rogue Damage Boost I
Enhancement: Rogue Damage Boost II
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost III
Enhancement: Rogue Subtle Backstabbing II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage III
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense II
Enhancement: Ranger Tempest II
Enhancement: Rogue Assassin I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Accuracy I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Training III
Enhancement: Improved Hide I
Enhancement: Improved Hide II
Enhancement: Improved Move Silently I
Enhancement: Improved Move Silently II
Enhancement: Ranger Devotion I
Enhancement: Ranger Devotion II
Enhancement: Ranger Devotion III
Enhancement: Ranger Devotion IV
Enhancement: Rogue Wand and Scroll Mastery II
Enhancement: Rogue Wand and Scroll Mastery III

Epic feats: Great Cleave and Overwhelming Critical

Assassin I can be swapped for Mechanic I; neither is great, frankly, but there are APs to spare on this build. [Acrobat / Tempest is a no-go due to DEX pre-reqs.] Might want to add Bluff and/or Diplo for aggro mgmt; that requires rejiggering skill pts quite a bit, though.

Adding a ftr splash would add feat(s), HPs, & possibly +1 STR enh; but you'd lose W&S Mastery III and Imp Uncanny Dodge, which is more useful than it was before, now that it's on a timer.

[Zagemogga]

Thanks for the suggestions, I really read those and think about it. On the other hand I am so much making progress in crafting and other things like the house of deneith and phiarlan already noted me (the guards at the exit of house of deneith salute if I walk by or I just imagine it ).

There are enough other quests where I can show off with my acrobatic skills like the one with the spies O.o that one jump on the pipes took me ~50 attempts. \blush

With all that looking for perfection one might lose track of the purpose of the game. Bluff is really something I am going to put some more points into for dialogues with NPC...