Prestige Classes as Feats: Arcane Trickster

The arcane trickster is a prestige class which I always found to be a little mundane. It only grants two abilities that are interesting, ranged legerdemain and impromptu sneak attack. But it does let you progress with sneak attack and continue to improve many skills available almost exclusively to rogues, making for a fairly effective rogue/wizard build. The following prestige feats assume the character wants to continue leveling as a wizard (or sorcerer) to gain caster levels but continue to improve rogue skills at the same time. As I did with the arcane archer, the feats are also available starting at 6th-level and continue as a five feat progression. Because of this I had to relax the prerequisites a bit so that a rogue 3/wizard 3 would be able to take the first feat in the chain. Since a character wanting to utilize these feats is likely to lack the skill points necessary to keep rogue skills modestly high, I threw in some skill bonuses as well. If a character keeps the skill ranks at the minimum levels required, those skills at least (Decipher Script, Disable Device, and Escape Artist) will continue to be just as good as if the character had maximum ranks. Of course there is nothing keeping the character from having even more ranks than the bare minimum if he has the skill points to spare, so that may open the door for an interesting niche which is highly specialized in some skills.

The higher tier feats might not look all that appealing, but when looking at them, try to bear in mind that they grant extra benefits in addition to their listed benefits by virtue of requiring Arcane Trickster as a prerequisite, namely the extra sneak attack and skill bonuses.

ARCANE TRICKSTER [PRESTIGE]
Prerequisites: Decipher Script 7 ranks, Disable Device 7 ranks, Escape Artist 7 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks, ability to cast mage hand and at least one arcane spell of 2nd-level or higher, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: You gain the ability of ranged legerdemain once per day. You may use this to perform one of the following class skills at a range of 30 feet: Disable Device, Open Lock, or Sleight of Hand. Working at a distance increases the normal skill check DC by 5, and you cannot take 10 on this check. Any object to be manipulated must weigh 5 pounds or less.
You also gain +1d6 sneak attack and +2 to Decipher Script, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Open Lock, Search, and Sleight of Hand.
Special: For each feat you possess which has Arcane Trickster as a prerequisite, you gain +1d6 sneak attack and +2 to Decipher Script, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Open Lock, Search, and Sleight of Hand.

IMPROMPTU SNEAK ATTACK [PRESTIGE]
Prerequisites: Decipher Script 8 ranks, Disable Device 8 ranks, Escape Artist 8 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks, Arcane Trickster, ability to cast mage hand and at least one arcane spell of 3rd-level or higher, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: Once per day you can declare one melee or ranged attack you make to be a sneak attack (the target can be no more than 30 feet distant if the impromptu sneak attack is a ranged attack). The target of an impromptu sneak attack loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, but only against that attack. The power can be used against any target, but creatures that are not subject to critical hits take no extra damage (though they still lose any Dexterity bonus to AC against the attack).
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times.

IMPROVED RANGED LEGERDEMAIN [PRESTIGE]
Prerequisites: Decipher Script 9 ranks, Disable Device 9 ranks, Escape Artist 9 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 6 ranks, Arcane Trickster, Impromptu Sneak Attack, ability to cast mage hand and at least one arcane spell of 5rd-level or higher, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: You gain one additional use of ranged legerdemain per day. You may also now take 10 on this check.

GREATER RANGED LEGERDEMAIN [PRESTIGE]
Prerequisites: Decipher Script 11 ranks, Disable Device 11 ranks, Escape Artist 11 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Arcane Trickster, Impromptu Sneak Attack, Improved Ranged Legerdemain, ability to cast mage hand and at least one arcane spell of 8th-level or higher, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: You gain one additional use of ranged legerdemain per day. Your ranged legerdemain also no longer increases your increases the DC by 5.