Rogue-cleric multiclass

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Over in the "What are your stats?" post, I marked down that in real life I'd be a cleric-rogue multiclass. But cleric-rogue is a peculiarly awkward combination. How would one actually play a cleric-rogue? I assume a powergaming character would take a few rogue levels to pick up some particular skillset - sneaking, speaking, stalking, slipping, whatever - and focus mainly on cleric levels for the spells. But what about a 50-50 split? Or even focusing on rogue with only a few token cleric levels?

My experience is limited to CRPGs, and the only cleric-rogue I can think of is the ill-fated Tiax from BG1. But surely someone on these boards has played a cleric-rogue mix in a PnP session. Any creative ideas about how to mix the two successfully? I'm going to make a cameo in a friend's PnP game next week and I'd like to play a cleric-rogue, but I'm not sure how to manage the mix.

Plus, I want to join Shura's newest post!

 

what are you best at? The faith stuff, or the rogue stuff?

Out from that aspect of the character you should balance the classes. You could just specialize in roguish spells, and it'd fit most wonderfully.
Also depends on the race's favored level.

 

I'd play a human, so I don't have to worry about multiclassing penalties. But for the sake of fun (and my own personality), I think I'll be split fifty-fifty, for at least the first ten levels. That only gets me level three spells, but I'd want to load up on the rogue skills for speaking and sneaking. And five rogue levels would give me the 3D6 sneak attack with Uncanny Dodge and Evasion. But longer-term...I'm not sure. Maybe I'll just see how it flows.

Any roguish spells in particular?

 

Anything that boost or help you sneaking or do roguish stuff, life Find trap, Mist of Obscuring (Or something like that) Bless (better chance of a hit so a better chances of a critical hit) Darkness, Inflict spell, I'm ain't sure if you can sneak with a touch attack though. Anyway Have you considered a god, It depend on DM but normaly DM won't accept a Godless cleric. If your playing with the D&D pantheons (Greyhawk) Olidamara will fit well or maybe Kurell, in Other setting it may depends.

 

Mist of Obscuring and Darkness are great ideas. I'll give my character Blind-Fight to compensate.

Oh, my character would worship the gods of the Copybook Headings, of course!

http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/verse/p3/copybookheadings.html

...the gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

 

The best (overpowered idea) is to get the Trickery Domain so that your skills overlap. You should have decent saves across the board, and fairly good BAB. The best way to utilise your spells is with Invisibility and stealthy spells, and then buff spells like Magic Vestment and Bull's Strength.

You have several disadvantages, one being that you'll pretty much need competent stats all over if you want the sneakiness, high DCs, extra spells, more undead turning, and high enough stats to augment your skills. I think that in 3.5E, Clerics get a lot of stat-boosting spells, so that should help (but not much, because of very short duration).

Also, you'll probably be limited to chain shirt armor (unless you can get a hold of mithral armor), which doesn't help your AC, unless you prepare a nice Magic Vestment and other buff spells (having a Bead of Karma really helps here with that stuff).

Invisibility and Summon Spells (and scrolls of Lesser Planar Ally) with help with sneak attack, but if you can choreograph your tactics with your party well, that won't be necessary.

Rogue/Cleric isn't really the best combo for power, although it must be an interesting concept.

 

Reminds me of this comic I found trying to see what Knights of the Dinner Table was all about (*Warning* the comic uses photographs for each frame. It could take ages to load on dial-up)

 

There's a Prestige Class right up your alley in the Forgotten Realms Camaign Setting. It's called Auspician (combines a lot of rogue skills with +1 cleric caster level). The PrC is based off of worshipping a luck god(dess).

If you're a cleric of the god of thieves, it's a perfect multiclass choice. It also works for very dishonest clerics (think televangelists).

 

If you are a Cleric of Bhaal or Mask then a Cleric/Rouge is perfectly acceptable. But I don't know if you are supposed to post FR dietys in the other thread.