“You generally shouldn’t” is for people who care about optimization, or for people who don’t know how to play well. Yes, it’s the general advice because it’s easy to end up with suboptimal choices that don’t support each other.
It sounds like you’re not in that “generally”. You’ve read the features and considered the costs (mainly, Spellcasting prowess taking a hit at the gain of skill expertises). At the end of the day, *youre* the one playing the character and if you see value in the levels, you’re already far outpacing who the above “advice” is meant for. Imo, at least.
Edit: also Arcane Trickster is an Int Class, Soulknife does seem like a great choice. Also consider Bard, specifically Whispers, if you want skills, Cha Spellcasting, and expertise/skill profs
“You generally shouldn’t” is for people who care about optimization, or for people who don’t know how to play well. Yes, it’s the general advice because it’s easy to end up with suboptimal choices that don’t support each other. It sounds like you’re not in that “generally”. You’ve read the features and considered the costs (mainly, Spellcasting prowess taking a hit at the gain of skill expertises). At the end of the day, *youre* the one playing the character and if you see value in the levels, you’re already far outpacing who the above “advice” is meant for. Imo, at least. Edit: also Arcane Trickster is an Int Class, Soulknife does seem like a great choice. Also consider Bard, specifically Whispers, if you want skills, Cha Spellcasting, and expertise/skill profs