Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - Straight Rogue or mix with fighter or ranger?

Magness · 09-21-2003, 09:28 PM

Bozo, a "fighter" need not be thought of as a heavily armored tank. Think of a fighter-rogue as being similar to a BG2 swashbuckler, a rogue with improved fighting abilities at the expense of more advanced rogue-ish skills. How much improved fighting ability you want is proportional to the amount of rogue-ish ability you are willing to lose.

A fighter-rogue (a ftr 6/rogue 10 is a nice mix) is a very solid character. It will be capable of being very decent in the rogue skills and as a warrior, but don't expect a fighter/rogue to be the equivalent of a full blown tank. They can be nice light fighters (what I call a DEX based warrior that wears light armor and tends to use stealth, bow, and weapon-finessed melee). If you take at least 4 levels of fighter, the one specific thing that you'll be able to get is that 3rd point in weapons skills. Is it worth going with fighter-rogue over a ranger-rogue? It's kind of a matter of style.

Ranger-rogues are also solid rogue multiclass characters. Think of them as being a bit like BG2 "stalkers". Whereas fighter-rogues get few additional feats, ranger-rogues get access to a ranger's skills and spellcasting. However, ranger spellcasters for a R/R is not really worth the trouble. Not enough levels of ranger to make a difference. The primary benefit of a ranger-rogue is access to the ranger skills. This means access to the stealth skills, search, and wilderness lore. If you manage your skill points properly, a ranger-rogue is every bit as good a rogue as a pure rogue in terms of skills. Taking the first level of ranger will give you access to the free virtual dual wielding ranger ability. This is a fairly nice ability for any rogue, since well-built rogues tend to be low to medium STR and very high DEX and such charcters, when combined with weapon finesse, are perfect for dual wielding.

Ranger-rogues and fighter-rogues have a couple of things in common. Both will gain HP and BAB at a lightly improved rate over a pure rogue.

How many levels of Rogue? How capable with the rogue skills do you want to be? A rogue 10/fighter (or ranger) 6 (assuming a party of 6 and ending up at 16 levels) is a very capable rogue. A 50/50 mix is manageable, although there will be a couple of tougher traps later in the game that you may fail to disarm.

09-21-2003, 09:28 PM	#4
Magness Quintesson Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Manchester, NH, USA Posts: 1,025	Bozo, a "fighter" need not be thought of as a heavily armored tank. Think of a fighter-rogue as being similar to a BG2 swashbuckler, a rogue with improved fighting abilities at the expense of more advanced rogue-ish skills. How much improved fighting ability you want is proportional to the amount of rogue-ish ability you are willing to lose. A fighter-rogue (a ftr 6/rogue 10 is a nice mix) is a very solid character. It will be capable of being very decent in the rogue skills and as a warrior, but don't expect a fighter/rogue to be the equivalent of a full blown tank. They can be nice light fighters (what I call a DEX based warrior that wears light armor and tends to use stealth, bow, and weapon-finessed melee). If you take at least 4 levels of fighter, the one specific thing that you'll be able to get is that 3rd point in weapons skills. Is it worth going with fighter-rogue over a ranger-rogue? It's kind of a matter of style. Ranger-rogues are also solid rogue multiclass characters. Think of them as being a bit like BG2 "stalkers". Whereas fighter-rogues get few additional feats, ranger-rogues get access to a ranger's skills and spellcasting. However, ranger spellcasters for a R/R is not really worth the trouble. Not enough levels of ranger to make a difference. The primary benefit of a ranger-rogue is access to the ranger skills. This means access to the stealth skills, search, and wilderness lore. If you manage your skill points properly, a ranger-rogue is every bit as good a rogue as a pure rogue in terms of skills. Taking the first level of ranger will give you access to the free virtual dual wielding ranger ability. This is a fairly nice ability for any rogue, since well-built rogues tend to be low to medium STR and very high DEX and such charcters, when combined with weapon finesse, are perfect for dual wielding. Ranger-rogues and fighter-rogues have a couple of things in common. Both will gain HP and BAB at a lightly improved rate over a pure rogue. How many levels of Rogue? How capable with the rogue skills do you want to be? A rogue 10/fighter (or ranger) 6 (assuming a party of 6 and ending up at 16 levels) is a very capable rogue. A 50/50 mix is manageable, although there will be a couple of tougher traps later in the game that you may fail to disarm.