Rogue (Class)

Thieves, assassins, and all manners of scoundrels in between, rouges live in the underbelly of society. They can either be working as a part of a crime circle or syndicate, or they can be individuals trying to get by in a harsh world.

## **Quick Build Tips**

You should make Dexterity your highest ability score. The second highest should either be Intelligence or Charisma depending on whether or not you want to focus on Investigation or Deception and social interaction respectively.

## **Traits**

### **Hit Points**

* **Hit Dice:** 1d8 per rogue level
* **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 8 + your Constitution modifier
* **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per rogue level after 1st

### **Proficiencies**

* **Armor:** Light armor
* **Weapons:** Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
* **Tools:** Thieves’ tools
* **Saving Throws:** Dexterity, Intelligence
* **Skills:** Choose four from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

### **Starting Equipment**

* (a) a rapier OR (b) a shortsword
* (a) a shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows OR (b) a shortsword
* (a) a burglar’s pack, (b) a dungeoneer’s pack, OR (c) an explorer’s pack
* Leather armor, two daggers, and thieves’ tools
* OR starting gold of 4d4 x 10 gp

## **Features**

### **Expertise**

At 1st level, choose two of your skill
proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency
with thieves’ tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability
check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 6th level, you can choose two more of your proficiencies (in skills or with thieves’ tools) to gain this benefit.

### **Sneak Attack**

Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike
subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an
extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have
advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.

The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue table.

### **Thieves’ Cant**

During your rogue training you learned thieves’
cant, a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide
messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that
knows thieves’ cant understands such messages. It takes four times
longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly.
In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to
 convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or
the territory of a thieves’ guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether
the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for
thieves on the run.

### **Cunning Action**

Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and
agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action
on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take
the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

### **Roguish Archetype**

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you
emulate in the exercise of your rogue abilities: Thief, detailed at the
end of the class description, or one from another source. Your archetype
 choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.

### **Ability Score Improvement or Feat**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th,
 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your
choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.
 As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

### **Uncanny Dodge**

Starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you
can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the
attack’s damage against you.

### **Expertise**

At 6th level, choose two more of your skill
proficiencies, or one more of your skill proficiencies and your
proficiency with thieves’ tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for
any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

### **Evasion**

Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as an ancient red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell.
 When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity
 saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if
you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

### **Reliable Talent**

By 11th level, you have refined your chosen
skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability
check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll
 of 9 or lower as a 10.

### **Blindsense**

Starting at 14th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.

### **Slippery Mind**

By 15th level, you have acquired greater mental strength. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

### **Elusive**

Beginning at 18th level, you are so evasive that
attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has
advantage against you while you aren’t incapacitated.

### **Stroke of Luck**

At 20th level, you have an uncanny knack for
succeeding when you need to. If your attack misses a target within
range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an
ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

## **Archetypes**

Rogues have many features in common, including their emphasis on perfecting their skills, their precise and deadly approach to combat, and their increasingly quick reflexes. But different rogues steer those talents in varying directions, embodied by the rogue archetypes. Your choice of archetype is a reflection of your focus—not necessarily an indication of your chosen profession, but a description of your preferred techniques.

* Thief = self explanatory
* Assassin = again, self explanatory
* Arcane Trickster
* Inquisitive = like a spy, but self-serving
* Mastermind = criminal mastermind
* Scout = sneaky spy
* Swashbuckler = a fancy fighter