I notice a lot of people on this forum don't use a dedicated rogue.
Is this because the locks & traps are not very serious in this game?
My rogue is currently level 14. What is the max level rogue that is required to open the toughest locks & disarm the toughest traps in the game?

what i did, rightly or wrongly was after 14th level, due to the fact that he seemed to find all traps going was to then multi-class him to a bard. And that,so far, seems to be working well.

You mean, what is the minimum level for a rogue to open any lock in the game? Level 1. Seriously, with one level and 20 INT+20 DEX, you have a high enough initial skill with a high enough bonus to unlock anything. There may be some tricky parts, but you just need to store a few master thievery potions. (note, he may start messing up more in HoF, so maybe 2 levels of rogue).

I have never found a use for a pure rogue before, and only grudgingly take one level of it for certain locks and traps that are necessary to disarm to continue the game.

Personally speaking, a nice class is a rogue1/ranger1/paladin2/mage male drow. Since it starts with 20 INT and DEX, you have enough rogueage for the game, along with a powerful mage that can dual wield daggers effectively and is immune to fear.

I don't think that's a legal build. Unless I am mistaken, you are restricted to THREE classes.

I ended up converting my rogue to a mage after she had reached level 20. Probably waited a little too long for the switch but her scouting ability (hide in shadows) and backstab at level 20 were simply awesome. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I don't think that's a legal build. Unless I am mistaken, you are restricted to THREE classes.

I ended up converting my rogue to a mage after she had reached level 20. Probably waited a little too long for the switch but her scouting ability (hide in shadows) and backstab at level 20 were simply awesome. [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]You are mistaken (don't mess with the mad multiclasser ;) ) Believe me, I've made that character twice before.

As long as classes other than the favored class are within 1 level of each other, there is no xp penalty or restriction.

Why take a pure class rogue? Except for the unlock and the other less used skills, you get a backstabber! With Hamstring! And Arterial Strike! And Crippling Strike! And a load of damage! Personally, except for a spell barrage, I have found that an Improved Invisible rogue killing off the most powerfull enemy mage is the best way to start a battle. I just love rogues.
@ Marty: Please make 4 more posts :D The beast is right down the block!

I haven't been gathering those particular feats, but I will now.
The question is now after getting those feats is it worth going any further as a rogue?
ie how many skill points in unlocking are required for the toughest lock?

As I said above, with high initial stats a level one rogue will have enough skill points to unlock anything. However, BoB takes the rogue idea in a new direction, using it as a tactical fighter. I don't do that (I prefer 1 or 2 tanks covering mages with mass destrucion spells), but if you place the rogue in a backup melee spot then they can be devastating. I suppose that, once you get all those feats, it may be a good idea to switch your rogue over to fighter or some other melee class.

Well, yeah, trading in 2d6 backstab damage for 2 extra feats and Weapon Specialisation is a fair trade. Oh, and I forgot , the targeting reticule thing. Best target for fireballs, Delayed Blasts and whatnot in the game, synchro with serial Imp Invisible backstab.
Random Orc: Takes 143 fire damage from Random Spellcaster.
Random Rogue: Evades effects from Delayed Blast Fireball.
:D

I tried the invisible rogue taking out the mage trick early in the game. It didn't work for me at the time because he got mobbed couldn't fight his way out of it.
If I multiclass him as a fighter he could end up as one formidable dude.