Rouge

Dark Sun offers a world of intrigue, manipulation, secret deals, and subtle treachery—in short, a rogue’s playground. Rather than eking out their living at the borders of society, many Athasian rogues dominate the action in many of the most powerful political factions in the Seven Cities: the Noble Houses, the templars, and the Merchant Houses. Often rogues themselves, the wealthy and powerful deploy lesser rogues as pawns in their endless games of acquisition, espionage, and deceit. Individual rogues run the gamut of Athasian society, from the street rats of the cities to the vagabonds of the outlands, to the prosperous and respectable dune traders, to the low‐ranking templars that search their caravans at the gates. Accomplished rogues are often sought by the nobility as agents, and can earn both wealth and honor in such positions—or earn a quick death should they be caught contemplating treachery against their masters.

## Making a Rogue

A rogue can’t stand up face to face with a mul warrior as well as a fighter or gladiator can. With his cunning and your various skills, however, he excels at taking the slightest opportunity and turning to his advantage. His ability to slip under the notice of an observer makes him a capable lone hunter, but his greatest strength are found through interaction with allies and foes, inside or outside, a battle—he can use his enemy`s slightest distraction to deliver a lethal blow, or ensure his party`s safe passage through a templar patrol.

**Races**: Elves, half‐elves, and humans take to the rogue’s skills and lifestyle with the greatest ease. Halflings, dwarves, and muls, while not commonly rogues, adapt to the class remarkably well when they take to it. Thri‐kreen, pterrans, and aarakocra are usually quite adverse to the rogue class, and tend to do poorly. Halfgiant rogues are unheard of except as fictional figures in comical tales around the fireside.

**Alignment**: Athasian rogues follow opportunity rather than ideals, but as many of them are lawful as chaotic. Lawful rogues tend to seek security and advancement in the service of nobles or in the ranks of the templars.

## Class Features

An Athasian Rogue has the following class features:

### Class Skills

Add Use Psionic Device (Cha) to the rogue's class skills and remove Swim (Str)

### Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Add the bard’s friend, garrote, small macahuitl, tonfa, widow’s knife, and wrist razor to the rogues weapon proficiencies.

### Rogue Talents

An Athasian rogue may seleect from the following Rogue Talents in addition to the talents listed in the Core Rulebook.

* *Dune Trader*: You gain +4 competence bonus to Diplomacy checks with regard to buying or selling goods.
* *Esoteric Scholar (Ex)*: Once a day, a rogue with this talent may attempt a Knowledge check, even when she is not trained in that Knowledge skill.
* *False Vulnerability (Ex)*: While lying prone, you are not as helpless as you appear. Opponents do not get +4 to hit you while you are prone, and you can “kip up,” or leap from a prone position as a free action. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when standing up. If this ability is used with a feint action, you get a +4 circumstance bonus to your opposed Bluff roll.
* *Looter’s Luck (Ex)*: You can use your Appraise skill to instinctively identify the most valuable item in a pile of loot as a move action. The DC for this accomplishment is DC 10 + the number of items in the selection. If you cannot see the items that you are choosing from (e.g. you are trying to pickpocket someone), then a full‐round action is required, and the DC rises to 15 + the number of items.
* *Notoriety*: The fame of your exploits precedes you in the Seven Cities; you gain +4 to all Intimidate and Bluff checks. Adventurers seek your fellowship; you receive a +4 to your Leadership score if you have the Leadership feat.
* *Silver Tongue (Ex)*: Your constant dealing with others gives you a keen sense of how to make them believe your lies. You may attempt a retry of the Bluff skill, but with a –5 penalty. This ability also gives you a +2 bonus to your Disguise skill.

## Playing a Rogue

Rogues run the gamut of society. Athasian rogues range from gutter snipes who prey upon the merchants and free citizens of the cities to vagabonds who steal what they can from passing caravans or merchant trains. At their best, rogues can be in the employ of the nobility, plying their trade by contract in the name of a royal household, or they can be men or women of principle and honor who steal only from the corrupt and wealthy. There is no thieves’ guild on Athasian cities. However, most Athasians rogues attempt to attract a patron. A patron is a noble or senior templar who will sponsor the rogue and protect him under his house and name. The rogue is then expected to perform certain tasks for his new master in return—including theft, spying, and even assassination.

You might adventure because you desire excitement. Someone with your smarts get bored with ordinary pursuits. Alternatively, you might have set off a life of adventure after your big heist or some political manipulation gone wrong. For some reason, you have to keep moving, and a life of adventure offers you a regular change of scenery.

All seek to exercise their abilities to grow to even greater levels of power. You are clever enough to know that there’s always more to learn. Although you tend to be (dangerously) self‐reliant, you understand the value of having “friends” and allies in your pursuits, so try to not entangle them in your web of lies and trickery until you no longer need them.

### Religion

Although they are as superstitious as the next Athasian, rogues are not known for their devotion or piety. Chaotic rogues tend to get along best with religions associated with elemental air.

### Other Classes

Rogues enjoy working with members of other classes so long as their own skills and are valued and treated with respect. On Athas, rogue is as honorable a profession as any other, and more honorable than some (such as wizard), and they mark for enmity anyone who describes them as a common thief.

### Combat

You are at your best when you catch foes unaware. Use your skills to hide yourself so that you can employ surprise tactics. In melee, move into flanking position or use the Bluff skill to feint in combat and drop a powerful sneak attack.

### Advancement

You should assign your various skills points according to your role in your adventuring group. If the group already has someone who is good at finding traps and sneaking about, boost your ranks in social skills such as Diplomacy and Gather Information. High bonuses in Bluff and Move Silently are a must if you’re going to use your sneak attacks often.

You have many good options for feats, but be sure to take Combat Expertise and Improved Feint to get the most out of your sneak attacks. If you are interested in having a lot of feats, it might be worthwhile to take a level of psychic warrior, since the first level of psychic warrior gives you proficiency with all types of armor, a bonus feat you could use for Combat Expertise or Improved Feint, and a psionic power you could use to boost your rogue skills. If you are the social type, consider becoming a dune trader.

## Rogues on Athas

*“Going on personal experience, my one piece of advice to you is this–never trust anything with pointy ears. It’ll either cheat you or try to eat you.”* ―Marek, human trader

The rogue class gives a player a chance to play the archetypical trickster or scoundrel. Rogues also make great villains. By manipulating NPCs and situations the PCs encounter, or by being employed by a rival noble, an evil rogue can operate behind the scenes and trick the adventurers to his own ends.

### Daily Life

The way a rogue behaves depends largely on his sense of morality. Some think nothing of adopting false identities or working as assassins for their noble patrons in exchange for silver, relying on their skills and charms to get through anything. A few other rogues find themselves driven to use their powers to help people.

### Notables

The human Ramphion is the current leader of the Balican Veiled Alliance and has held the position for thirteen years, managing to rise to his title through sheer force of personality and charisma albeit not being able to cast even the simplest of cantrips. All trade lords are accomplished rogues. Master Sintha Valex is one of those, owner of large warehouses in Tyr. Frequently small quantities of the raw material are “seeming lost” in the warehouse, and end up being sold by Sintha to outgoing caravans to be sold in other cities of the Tablelands.

### Organizations

Rogues don’t organize together, but they often linger around the same places, such as the Bard’s Quarter, the Elven Quarter, or Merchant House’s Emporiums. A rogue joining an organization probably has a specific goal (or target) in mind and rakes a position that best allows him to attain it. A long‐term commitment to such a group rarely appeals to a rogue.

### NPC Reactions

Rogues make a good job about hiding their true motives and identities. Individuals who know about a rogue’s true colors begin with an attitude one step more hostile than normal. Lawful clerics and templars in particular look poorly upon rogues, as does anyone who puts importance in forthrightness.