Ruffian v2.6

With their backs against a wall,
some rogues may favor staying
alive over being scrupulous.
Indulging this crooked outlook
starts one on the path of the Ruffian.
It is a walk of life shared by Thieves’ Guild enforcers, street brawlers, untrained scoundrels, and anyone incorrigible, desperate or resourceful enough to decide that attacking an enemy’s groin counts as ‘fair play.’ Quick wits, versatility in action and a laissez-faire attitude help Ruffians to shine in a skirmish, as well as corral strangers in the social world.

Quick-Witted Crook

Upon reaching 3rd level and selecting this archetype, you gain proficiency in improvised weapons and a skill of your choice, and treat improvised weapons and your unarmed strikes as finesse weapons.

Dirty Fighting

When you select this archetype at 3rd level, you abandon your scruples and double down on scrappiness. You learn how to perform a Cheap Shot, as well as one other Dirty Tactic (listed below), and learn an additional Dirty Tactic at levels 6, 9, 13 and 17.

Using a Dirty Tactic requires you to sacrifice a set number of dice rolls from a successful melee-range Sneak Attack (after which any remaining d6s are rolled for damage). You can execute the Dirty Tactic on any creature within 5 feet of you, but you cannot use more than 1 Dirty Tactic per Sneak Attack.

Your Dirty Tactics may force a creature to make a saving throw. If so, the DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity or Strength modifier (whichever is higher).

 



Rogue Archetype: Ruffianv2.5. By Jaek










After
spending
the required
dice rolls for a
Dirty Tactic, you
can spend additional
rolls equal to that Dirty Tactic’s
cost to impose disadvantage on its
victim's saving throw. If the tactic succeeds, you can then spend additional d6s to augment your Dirty Tactic's effects (independent of any d6s already spent), with specific costs for each Dirty Tactic . For example, for the Hamstring tactic, spending additional rolls increases its movement speed reduction by 10 per 1d6 spent.

Bully

Starting at 9th level, you abandon any reservations you had about strong-arming even the innocent. You now ignore disadvantage on your Charisma (Intimidation) checks, and if your check would benefit from more than one source of advantage, it gains +5.

Fool me once...

At 13th level, you can better adapt to enemy strategies that you've unsuccessfully outsmarted. Whenever you fail a Dexterity, Wisdom or Intelligence saving throw that is triggered by an enemy ability, you gain advantage on your next saving throw against that same ability.

Expert Miscreant

By 17th level, you have mastered every dirty trick in the book. Twice per combat, if a creature succeeds on their saving throw against your Dirty Tactic, you can activate a new (different) Dirty Tactic against them as part of that action (spending the same amount of d6s you spent on the first, even if the new tactic would consume less).


Dirty Tactics

  • Blind (costs 2d6). You attempt to blind an enemy by any means necessary, forcing them to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be unable to see anything farther away than 5 feet until the start of your next turn. An individual enemy cannot be 'blinded' in this way more than once per minute. Spending 3d6 extra causes victims to instead be Blinded.

  • Cheap Shot (costs 2d6). You attempt to hit an enemy in a sensitive area, forcing them to succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the beginning of your next turn. An individual enemy cannot be incapacitated in this way more than once per minute. Spending 4d6 extra causes victims to instead be Stunned.

  • Hamstring (costs 1d6). You attempt to hobble an enemy, forcing them to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or have their hamstring sliced. If they fail, you reduce their movement by 10 feet and prevent them from using the Dash action until the end of their next turn, or until they are healed magically. If the victim’s movement would otherwise become 0, they also are made prone. By succeeding on a Medicine check against your Dirty Tactic DC as an action, the enemy or one of its allies can remove the effects of this ability. Spending additional dice rolls increases this slow by 10 per 1d6 spent.

  • Lewd Act (costs 1d6). You attempt to unnerve an enemy
    by performing a lewd act (e.g. spitting on them),
    forcing them to succeed on a Wisdom saving
    throw or be unable to make reactions
    until the start of your next turn. Spending 2d6
    extra causes victims to be unable to make
    reactions until the end of your next turn.

  • Throat Smash (costs 1d6). You attempt to crush an enemy’s windpipe, forcing them to succeed on a Strength saving throw or suffer disadvantage on their Constitution saving throws until the start of your next turn. An individual enemy cannot be 'silenced' in this way more than once per minute. Spending 2d6 extra causes victims to also be unable to speak or use any breath-related abilities.

  • Vicious Wound (costs 1d6). You forgo a direct assault and try to cause an enemy greater long-term harm, leaving them bleeding for 1 minute or until they are healed magically. At the start of each of their turns during that period, the victim takes 2 damage. By succeeding on a Medicine check against your Dirty Tactic DC as an action, the enemy or one of its allies can stem the bleeding. Spending additional dice rolls increases this damage by +2 per 1d6 spent.
Rogue Archetype: Ruffianv2.5. By Jaek
Credits
 

 

Changelog

v2.6

  • Uploaded to Reddit wee
  • Changed wording of Blind to be in line with Shadow Arrow
  • Nerfed cooldowns on Dirty Tactics - once per minute on each affected enemy
  • Changed sub-heading styles, changed font of Dirty Tactics
  • Moved finesse weapon-unarmed strike to level 3
  • Changed base effect of Throat Smash to disadvantage on Constitution saving throws
  • Changed medicine DC for Vicious Wound and Hamstring to be equal to Dirty Tactic DC

v2.5

  • Added more BR spaces for wrapping around images
  • Changed Dirty Tactic mechanics - no longer spend more d6s for higher DC
  • Changed Dirty Tactic mechanics - spend d6s to trigger a bonus effect or impose disadvantage (variant costs)
  • Changed Blind mechanic to '10 feet of sight and disadvantage on attack rolls' (blind as extra effect)
  • Changed Throat Smash to 'unable to speak clearly' (inability to use breath ability or speak as extra effect)

v2.4

  • Migrated to GM Binder
  • Renamed Archetype: 'Ruffian' (formerly Scoundrel, then Scumbag)
Rogue Archetype: Ruffianv2.5. By Jaek

v2.3

  • Added blended backgrounds!
  • Changed the name of 'Opportunist Extraordinaire' to 'Expert Miscreant'
  • Replaced 'silenced' with 'unable to speak' for Throat Smash
  • Changed Dirty Tactics' mechanics such that increasing the DC occurs before enemy saving throws
  • Removed 'back allies' in the opening blurb
  • Added additional credits for new images

v2.2

  • Removed Intimidation proficiency from 'Bully', added +5 to check on advantage.
  • Changed 'stunned' to 'incapacitated' for Cheap Shot.
  • Added fluff to first sentence of 'Bully.'

v2.1

  • Renamed and reworked 'Gang Up' into 'Fool Me Once' - saving throw advantage against save which you previously failed
  • Renamed and reworked 'Coup De Grace' into 'Opportunist Extraordinaire' - activate a different Dirty Tactic if the one you used fails.
  • Small fluff changes in opening text

v2.0

  • Added a changelog!
Rogue Archetype: Ruffianv2.5. By Jaek