Rogue

### Variants

Aerialist rogues, assassins, bards, brawny rogues, cutthroat rogues, thieves, trickster rogues

**Rogues** were versatile masters of stealth, combat, and various skillful tricks. Where other adventurers had the power to defeat their enemies, rogues used their wits and their natural resourcefulness to exploit their foes' vulnerabilities as well as to lead their allies safely through dangerous environments, disarming traps and opening locks along the way.

## Culture

Rogues were an incredibly diverse group, including burglars, assassins, and con artists as well as more lawfully employed persons, like locksmiths, investigators, exterminators, or treasure hunters. To a large extent, the criminal sort of rogue was considered more typical and both thieves' and assassins' guilds were found widely throughout the world, some of which were incredibly powerful. Regardless of their specific occupation, rogues shared a common affinity for cunning and daring feats of skill, as well as for getting into things others would rather be left unfound or unopened. Rogues of all sorts were resourceful and adaptable, having what could be called a “sixth sense” for avoiding peril, which helped them get out of the dangerous situations they often found themselves in.

Rogues chose their daring lifestyle for a variety of reasons. Some were driven by profit. Others hoped for fame as well as (or instead of) fortune. A few were simply daredevils seeking the thrill of a real challenge. Because of these traits, rogues, although found on both sides of the law and equally as likely to serve good as evil, were often wary of lawfully aligned paladins.

Most rogues were primarily self-taught or learned their skills from a teacher, often a more experienced rogue. These more experienced rogues recruited apprentices as assistants in various jobs and schemes, allowing their students to develop their skills. Partings between mentor and student were rarely clean, however, and as a general rule rogues felt little camaraderie with other rogues unless they were part of the same guild. In fact, most rogues tended to view one another with even greater suspicion than they did non-rogues and most partnerships were short-lived.

## Abilities

Rogues were deadly but somewhat vulnerable front line combatants, preferring to strike from the shadows and dart back into them, either excelling at ranged or light melee attacks. All in all, in combat the rogue remained more interested in supporting teammates through the harassment of enemies — and slipping around to sneak attack — than in standing up to an opponent directly, as reflected in their choice of armor, which was typically leather or lighter. Some rogues played against this stereotype however and engaged in more brutal attacks, though still lacking the sheer combat endurance possessed by fighters, paladins, or swordmages. Rogues of all kinds were particularly skilled when wielding daggers or shuriken or when they had the opportunity to strike first.

The greatest value of rogues lay in the fact that they were the handymen. Without pure battle or magical power, a rogue could contribute in ways as varied as disarming traps, scouting enemies, and persuading possible allies, using their wealth of skills. And while rogues were more physically fragile than most other adventurers, many possessed an ability to avoid danger that could seem uncannily supernatural at times. Similarly, the mind of a rogue could be described as “slippery” and many rogues were infuriatingly difficult to charm or enchant.

## Rogue traditions

Though all rogues retained training in stealth and the art of getting where they weren't supposed to be, many also had a varying degree of other skills. These skills were often dependent on the precise training of the rogue in question and most adhered, though not necessarily wholly, to one of the following martial traditions.

Core Classes
Ardent • Avenger • Barbarian • Bard • Battlemind • Bushi • Cleric • Druid • Fighter • Invoker • Monk • Paladin • Psion • Ranger • **Rogue** • Runepriest • Samurai • Seeker • Shaman • Sorcerer • Spellscarred • Swordmage • Warden • Warlock • Warlord • Wizard

**Rogues**
Assassin • Bard • Thief

Warriors
Barbarian • Crusader • Fighter (Bushi • Eldritch Knight • Slayer) • Hexblade • Ninja • Paladin • Ranger (Hunter • Scout) • **Rogue** (Thief) • Skald • Warblade • Warlord • Warrior