Whether it’s picking locks, disarming deadly traps, or delivering death upon your enemies in silence, DDO allows the rogue to shine. This is my version of a rogue build, based on my own personal taste and the options DDO gives me.
Character Creation:
I decided to create a dual-wielding shadow stalker. I start off with 8 points in every attribute which is modified by my race. I selected Halfling because they are small and agile. By selecting Halfling, I gain the following bonuses:
+2 to Dexterity: By far the most important rogue stat.
+1 size bonus to Armor Class: Halflings are small and therefore harder to hit.
+4 on Hide checks: Rogues are masters of the shadows and the +4 bonus is a nice deal for a new character.
+2 morale bonus on saves vs. fear.
+2 bonus on Listen checks: A keen ear is important for a rogue.
+1 on all saves: Who wouldn’t benefit from this?
+1 to Jump and Move Silently checks: Move Silently is the one we are most interested in.
I get a -2 on my Strength score by choosing Halfling because they’re small, but that can be adjusted as you will see during the point buy allocation.
Point buy:
I get 28 points to distribute between the 6 ability scores which right now look like this…
STR 6
DEX 10
CON 8
INT 8
WIS 8
CHA 8
When I build a rogue I list my stats in order of importance as follows: Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength, Charisma, Constitution, and finally Wisdom. Why? Dexterity is the primary ability score for rogues, intelligence gives a rogue extra skill points, and Strength for damage potency. All the rest are a matter of taste.
Point buy is a topic that could be written up as another guide entirely. In order to save space, I will just show you how I construct my starting rogue:
STR 14 +2 – Extra damage, ’nuff said!
DEX 16 +3 – The most important rogue stat
CON 10 +0 – If your enemy is dead before they can hit you, who needs extra hit points?
INT 14 +2 – An extra 8 skill points at creation, +2 extra per level
WIS 10 +0 – A dump stat for a rogue
CHA 10 +0 – While important in some builds, less important in this one
Here you see a rogue that has no negatives, a great Dex score, and good Intelligence and Strength. At levels 4 and 8, I will get a single point to disperse between my scores. I would choose Dexterity to get maximum bonuses out of that crucial stat.
This selection of ability scores gives my Halfling rogue a starting collection of saves as follows…
Fortitude +0
Reflex +5
Will +0
The Reflex is great, Fortitude and Will obviously aren’t but at least they aren’t negative. They will improve slowly as you level.
Skill selection:
Skills are what make the rogue class. No other class gets as many skill points or class skills to work with. Because of the +2 INT bonus, my rogue will have a whopping 40 points to spend in skills.
While some players choose to throw points into everything they can, I don’t. Because 4 is the max we can put into a skill at creation, I choose 10 skills and max them. I feel it is better to be excellent in some things than mediocre in all.
These are the skills I chose for this rogue build and their modified scores with bonuses and points allocated:
Balance 7 – Get up quicker when knocked down
Bluff 6 – Allows you to trick enemies to get sneak attacks
Disable Device 6 – Traps? With this they will be no problem
Hide 11 – Halfling rogues are masters of the shadows
Listen 6 – Nothing sneaks up on a rogue
Move Silently 8 – Important when it’s you doing the sneaking
Open Locks 7 – Locked doors and chests will pose no problem for you
Search 6 – For finding traps before they spring on you
Spot 4 – A passive skill that will indicate a trap before you search
Tumble 7 – In combat, rogues are dexterous and hard to catch
Feat Selection:
Halfling rogues get only one feat at character creation, so it is important to choose wisely. Throughout your rogue’s career in DDO you will gain 4 feats total. In this build I am concentrating on two-weapon combat for potent sneak attacks, so these are the ones I would choose in order of level.
Level 1 Two-Weapon Fighting
An extra weapon in hand means more damage output
Level 3 Weapon Finesse
Weapon finesse allows you to use your dexterity bonus on attack rolls with certain weapons. Excellent for rogues with average strength scores
Level 6 Two-Weapon Defense
Adds a +1 to AC when wielding dual weapons
Level 9 Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
Gain a second off-hand attack; make sure that by level 8 you have raised your dexterity at least one point to 17 to take this feat
By building my rogue this way, I have constructed a lean, mean, two-weapon fighting machine capable of eliminating enemies and retreating back into the darkness before he is even noticed. Be sure to use lighter weapons such as rapiers and short swords. Take care to avoid direct confrontations when you can. And for those times when a face-off is inevitable, learn proficiency in the use of tumble. It will save your life.
This is not the only way to build a rogue, nor will I claim it’s the best way, but it has been a successful build for me and my play style. I hope this guide will spawn ideas of your own for that perfect rogue you’ve been dying to play in DDO.
Andyy98's Blog 
Posted on August 13, 2010
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