Feats for Ranger 1/Rogue X and other "down the road" feats

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I have searched multiple forums and walkthroughs and none of them seem to suggest good feats for players to take after the starting feats(if they even mention those).

Specifically for my needs is what to take for a Ranger 1/Rogue X after say level 6. I mean, I always take dodge and weapon finesse when able, but that combo cant do specialization so what are good feats to take? For a rogue is it really dodge, finesse, then work on saving throws? I did note that I was able to get the heretic's bane feat which seems like a good one with all the clerics/druids you have to fight. Are the rogue specific ones(arterial strike, envenom weapon, crippling strike, etc) really as bad as they appear??

 

Rapid shot is more powerful than dodge and weapon finesse together.
Improved critical is a nice feat, dirty fighting doesn't look bad either.
Envenom weapon is quite powerful, you can do additional damage without disadvantage.

 

Apart from dodge and weapon finesse there are a few feats that can or should be taken:

Should be taken:
Rapid shot - great for most people and especially rogues. You can't always sneak attack so you sometimes have to stay in the back.
Improved critical - More useful on tanks but still good on rogues.
Expertise - very useful to survive when your rogue gets stuck in battle. Don't turn it on before the sneak attacks though.

Can be taken but not important:
Dirty fighting - can be somewhat useful.
Power Attack + Cleave - more useful on pure fighter-types.
Blind-fight - Seems bad but has actually saved my decoy quite a few times.
Luck of Heroes - If you're allowed to take this it is the best of the saving throw skills.
Other saving throw skills - quite good way to spend your skills.
dash - can get you out of trouble

Of the rogue specific feats Improved evasion and Slippery mind and both good and especially the first can be a good life-saver on ocasional bad reflex-rolls.
The other ones have little or no use.

 

Weapon Finesse is a must. This the first feat to be taken for a Ranger.
Focus Small Blades is the second.
After that in a suggested order: Dodge, Power Attack, Cleave (only one rank), Slippery Mind, Improved Evasion, Improved Critical, Heretics Bane.
I would avoid saving throws feats. A ranger/rogue should be able to get Evasion and Improved Evasion with ease and those are more than enough.

I for one, don't like Ranger/Rogues. They look good on paper, but you need too many of their attributes raised to be useful. Better go for a single class Ranger and keep the Rogue levels for some other character, like the bard for example. Bards/Rogues are great characters.

 

What are the advantageous abilities of the bard/rogue?? Keep in mind that the char is supposed to be mainly a rogue/backstabber. Basically I use the Ranger class to get TWF and Ambidexterity.

Also, I do use the Rogue as an archer, but only in tight quarters. In open space, the rogue goes around to the back after firing an arrow or two(and letting the other guys get some licks in) and starts Sneak Attacking.

Would the Rapid Shot feat be useful for wiz/sorc as well, since I use them as archers unless some spells are needed?

Finally, is there a website/program where you can run thru a progression and test out builds??

 

Bards and rogues are from the same category. In IWD2, there is no backstab. There's only sneak attack and only applies against enemies engaged against other people than the rogue. If you really want the rogue as a frontline fighter, then you better take fighter/rogue (they get extra feats so that would make up for TWF and ambidexterity). For a rogue specialized on skills a bard/rogue is perfect. Just take a human or a tiefling and go for maximum Int. With lots of skill points they can remove even the most difficult traps, unlock any door and use skills like bluff, diplomacy or intimidate with ease. Not to mention that if you want to take envenom weapon feat, a bard has alchemy as a class skill. You can also take 2-3 points from Wis when creating a character. A bard/rogue does not need Wis.

As for Wizard/Sorcerer, if you take an elf, you can use them as archers. Rapid Shot however, is not absolutely necessary, especially at low levels. Wizards and sorcerers have very low BAB so a -2 is going to be dreadful. You also have to be careful to put high enough Dex. There are some very good bracers that add 4 to AC and let you cast spells like Horrid Wilting, but they reduce Dex with 2, so they might make Rapid Shot impossible unless you use Cat's Grace constantly.

 

If you don't use a crossbow rapid shot is always advantageous, it's as good ambidexterity and 2-weapon fighting together without getting crippled to lousy 1-handed weapons.
A heavy crossbow does twice as much damage per attack as the bows you get early on, but you don't get extra attacks at higher level like with all other weapons. So the more attacks per round a character gets, the worse crossbows get. Since mages get extra attacks the slowest they are the best candidates for using crossbows which don't benefit from rapid shot.

Your build won't work well in IWD2. Monsters turn towards the closest enemy, short sword range is very close, closer than the other party members (except monks maybe). You can't sneak attack a monster facing you.
IWD2 isn't BG2, there aren't any spells or items which set strength to a certain value or 1-handers which are nearly as good as 2-handers.
In IWD2 you cripple both the chance to do sneak attack damage and the damage output by choosing a small blade low strength build for your rogue.

 

You just ruined the game by explaning how it works!

 

I'm soooo sorry !

 

Bah, a poor implementation of a class defining ability if thats the case.

I can get off a lot of backstabs, though alot of times they go after the rogue before I can even get into position. Heh. Its like, "ROGUE BS, must stop it!!"

 

If you don't know what feats to take, you can always take the ones that improve your saves or similar. That's always more useful than a half-hearted weapon focus. Since Finesse types typically have a high Attack Bonus (their Dexterity is higher than the typical warrior's Strength), Expertise or Power Attack aren't so off. Power Attack may be useful when dealing with damage reduction or poorly armoured foes. Expertise as Mudde said - when you need to survive and it's getting difficult. Improved Criticals are a must. If you dual-wield and use the same type of weapon in either hand, you may as well help your combat chances by getting a +1 on every hand - and remember the off-hand attack is at a high Attack Bonus, just a little less than your primary attack and more than your second attack with the first hand. Since your Dexterity will likely be in the stars, get yourself Rapid Shot and Point Blank Shot. Bows do more damage that small piercing weapons.

 

There is no Point Blank Shot in IWD2. You're confusing it with Precise Shot.
This ain't NWN.