Rogue
Signalling for her companions to wait, a halfling creeps forward through the dungeon hall. She presses an ear to the door, then pulls out a set of tools and picks the lock in the blink of an eye. Then she disappears into the shadows as her fighter friend moves forward to kick the door open.
A human lurks in the shadows of an alley while his accomplice prepares for her part in the ambush. When their target—a notorious slaver—passes the alleyway, the accomplice cries out, the slaver comes to investigate, and the assassin’s blade cuts his throat before he can make a sound.
Suppressing a giggle, a gnome waggles her fingers and magically lifts the key ring from the guard’s belt. In a moment, the keys are in her hand, the cell door is open, and she and her companions are free to make their escape. Rogues rely on skill, stealth, and their foes’ vulnerabilities to get the upper hand in any situation. They have a knack for finding the solution to just about any problem, demonstrating a resourcefulness and versatility that is the cornerstone of any successful adventuring party.
Skill and Precision
Rogues devote as much effort to mastering the use of a variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters can match. Many rogues focus on stealth and deception, while others refine the skills that help them in a dungeon environment, such as climbing, finding and disarming traps, and opening locks. When it comes to combat, rogues prioritize cunning over brute strength. A rogue would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than w ear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for avoiding danger, and a few learn magical tricks to supplement their other abilities.
A Shady Living
Every town and city has its share of rogues. Most of them live up to the worst stereotypes of the class, making a living as burglars, assassins, cutpurses, and con artists. Often, these scoundrels are organized into thieves’ guilds or crime families. Plenty of rogues operate independently, but even they sometimes recruit apprentices to help them in their scams and heists. A few rogues make an honest living as locksmiths, investigators, or exterminators, which can be a dangerous job in a world where dire rats—and wererats—haunt the sewers.
As adventurers, rogues fall on both sides of the law. Some are hardened criminals who decide to seek their fortune in treasure hoards, while others take up a life of adventure to escape from the law. Some have learned and perfected their skills with the explicit purpose of infiltrating ancient ruins and hidden crypts in search of treasure.
Creating a Rogue
As you create your rogue character, consider the character’s relationship to the law. Do you have a criminal past—or present? A re you on the run from the law or from an angry thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal?
What was the trigger that led you away from your previous life? Did a great con or heist gone terribly wrong cause you to re-evaluate your career? Maybe you were lucky and a successful robbery gave you the coin you needed to escape the squalor of your life. Did wanderlust finally call you away from your home? Perhaps you suddenly found yourself cut off from your family or your mentor, and you had to find a new means of support. Or maybe you made a new friend—another member of your adventuring party—who showed you new possibilities for earning a living and employing your particular talents.
Quick Build
You can make a rogue quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score. Make Intelligence your next-highest if you want to excel at Investigation or plan to take up the Arcane Trickster archetype. Choose Charisma instead if you plan to emphasize deception and social interaction or take up the Swashbuckler archetype. Second, choose the charlatan or criminal background.
The Rogue
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Sneak Attack |
Strike Techniques Known |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Expertise, Sneak Attack, Thieves’ Cant | 1d6 | – |
| 2nd | +2 | Cunning Action, Strike Techniques | 1d6 | 1 |
| 3rd | +2 | Roguish Archetype | 2d6 | 2 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d6 | 2 |
| 5th | +3 | Uncanny Dodge | 3d6 | 2 |
| 6th | +3 | Improved Expertise | 3d6 | 2 |
| 7th | +3 | Evasion | 4d6 | 2 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4d6 | 2 |
| 9th | +4 | Roguish Archetype Feature | 5d6 | 3 |
| 10th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5d6 | 3 |
| 11th | +4 | Reliable Talent | 6d6 | 3 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 6d6 | 3 |
| 13th | +5 | Roguish Archetype Feature | 7d6 | 3 |
| 14th | +5 | Blindsense | 7d6 | 3 |
| 15th | +5 | Slippery Mind | 8d6 | 3 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 8d6 | 3 |
| 17th | +6 | Roguish Archetype Feature | 9d6 | 4 |
| 18th | +6 | Elusive | 9d6 | 4 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 10d6 | 4 |
| 20th | +6 | Stroke of Luck | 10d6 | 4 |
Class Features
As an rogue, you gain the following class features.
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
- Armour: Light armour, bucklers
- 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
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a rapier, or (b) a shortsword
- (a) a a shortbow and a 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 armour, two daggers, and thieves’ tools
Alternatively, you can purchase your starting equipment with a starting wealth of 4d4 x 10gp.
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 o f 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.
Strike Techniques
Also at 2nd level, your quickness with the blade has allowed you ways of inhibiting your enemies when you get the drop on them. You know one strike technique from the list at the end of the class description, gaining additional techniques as shown in the Strike Techniques Known column of the rogue table.
When you would deal sneak attack damage to a creature on your turn, you can choose to subtract any number of dice from your sneak attack roll, then choose one strike technique you know. The target creature suffers the technique's effects based on the number of dice sacrificed from your sneak attack.
You may use your strike techniques a number of times equal to your Intelligence or Charisma modifier, regaining all expended uses on a short or long rest.
Some of your techniques require your target to make a saving throw to resist the discipline’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
- Technique save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence or Charisma modifier (your choice).
Roguish Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you emulate in the exercise of your rogue abilities: Thief, Assassin, Swashbuckler, or Arcane Trickster, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your archetype choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.
Ability Score Improvement
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.
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.
Evasion
Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a 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 take 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.
Roguish 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
You hone your skills in the larcenous arts. Burglars, bandits, cutpurses, and other criminals typically follow this archetype, but so do rogues who prefer to think of themselves as professional treasure seekers, explorers, delvers, and investigators. In addition to improving your agility and stealth, you learn skills useful for delving into ancient ruins, reading unfamiliar languages, and using magic items you normally couldn’t employ.
Fast Hands
Starting at 3rd level, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, use your thieves’ tools to disarm a trap or open a lock, or take the Use an Object action.
Second-Story Work
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the ability to climb faster than normal; you gain a climb speed equal to your normal walking speed.
In addition, when you make a running jump, the distance you cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Misdirecting Strikes
Starting at 9th level, you can use your natural speed and agility to throw off your opponents aim with their strikes, rendering you very hard to hit.
Once per turn, when you deal damage with a weapon attack against a creature; that creature must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus) or have disadvantage on their next attack roll.
Brilliant Escape
By 13th level, you can use your quick reflexes and fast footwork to escape from all danger. When you use your Uncanny Dodge feature, you can move up to half your speed as part of your reaction. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Additionally, you have advantage on ability checks and saving throws against being grappled or restrained.
Thief’s Reflexes
When you reach 17th level, you have become adept at laying ambushes and quickly escaping danger. You can take two turns during the first round of any combat. You take your first turn at your normal initiative and your second turn at your initiative minus 10. You can’t use this feature when you are surprised.
Assassin
You focus your training on the grim art of death. Those who adhere to this archetype are diverse: hired killers, spies, bounty hunters, and even specially anointed priests trained to exterminate the enemies of their deity. Stealth, poison, and disguise help you eliminate your foes with deadly efficiency.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the disguise kit and the poisoner’s kit.
Assassinate
Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies. You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.
Infiltration Expertise
Starting at 9th level, you can unfailingly create false identities for yourself. You must spend seven days and 25gp to establish the history, profession, and affiliations for an identity. You can’t establish an identity that belongs to someone else. For example, you might acquire appropriate clothing, letters of introduction, and official looking certification to establish yourself as a member of a trading house from a remote city so you can insinuate yourself into the company of other wealthy merchants.
Thereafter, if you adopt the new identity as a disguise, other creatures believe you to be that person until given an obvious reason not to.
Impostor
At 13th level, you gain the ability to unerringly mimic another person’s speech, writing, and behaviour. You must spend at least three hours studying these three components of the person’s behaviour, listening to speech, examining handwriting, and observing mannerisms.
Your ruse is indiscernible to the casual observer. If a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) check you make to avoid detection.
Death Strike
Starting at 17th level, you become a master of instant death. When you attack and hit a creature that is surprised, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, double the damage of your attack against the creature.
Swashbuckler
You focus your training on the art of the blade, relying on speed, elegance, and charisma in equal parts. While other warriors are brutes clad in heavy armour, your method of fighting looks more like performance. Rakes, duellists, and pirates typically follow this archetype. A swashbuckler excels in single combat, and can fight with two weapons while safely darting away from an opponent. Swashbucklers are especially talented at making difficult manoeuvres to escape enemies or attack from an unexpected direction.
Fancy Footwork
Starting at 3rd level, you are a continuous blur of motion in battle as you dart in, attack, and slip away to safety. During your turn, if you make a melee attack against a creature, that creature cannot make attacks of opportunity against you for the rest of the turn.
In addition, on your turn, you may spend a bonus action to attempt a Feint, gaining advantage on your next attack roll against the chosen enemy within 5 feet. To do this, make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested by the enemy's Wisdom (Insight) check, succeeding if your result is higher than theirs.
Toujours l’Audace
At 3rd level, your unmistakable confidence propels you into battle. You add your Charisma modifier to your initiative rolls.
Panache
At 9th level, your charm becomes as sharp and dangerous as your blade. As an action, you can make a Charisma (Persuasion) check contested by a creature’s Wisdom (Insight) check. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language.
If you succeed on the check and the creature is hostile, it must target you with any attacks it makes and cannot willingly move farther away from you. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you move more than 60 feet away from the target.
If you succeed on the check and the creature is not hostile, it is charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed, it regards you as a friendly acquaintance.
Elegant Manoeuvre
You complete difficult manoeuvres with practiced ease. Starting at 13th level, you can use a bonus action to gain advantage on the next Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check you make on your turn.
Master Duellist
At 17th level your mastery of the blade lets you turn failure to success in combat. If you miss with an attack, you can choose to roll the attack again with advantage. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Arcane Trickster
Some rogues enhance their fine-honed skills of stealth and agility with magic, learning tricks of enchantment and illusion. These rogues include pickpockets and burglars, but also pranksters, mischief-makers, and a significant number of adventurers.
Spellcasting
When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the wizard spell list.
Cantrips. You learn three cantrips: mage hand and two other cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn another wizard cantrip of your choice at 10th level.
Spell Slots. The Arcane Trickster Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell charm person and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast charm person using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the enchantment and illusion spells on the wizard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Arcane Trickster Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be an enchantment or illusion spell of your choice, and must be o f a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an enchantment or illusion spell, unless you’re replacing the spell you gained at 8th, 14th, or 20th level.
Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Arcane Trickster Spellcasting
| Level | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4th | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5th | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 6th | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 7th | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 8th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 9th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 11th | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14th | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 15th | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 18th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 19th | 4 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20th | 4 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
- Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
- Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Mage Hand Legerdemain
Starting at 3rd level, when you cast mage hand, you can make the spectral hand invisible, and you can perform the following additional tasks with it:
- You can stow one object the hand is holding in a container worn or carried by another creature.
- You can retrieve an object in a container worn or carried by another creature.
- You can use thieves’ tools to pick locks and disarm traps at range.
You can perform one of these tasks without being noticed by a creature if you succeed on a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested by the creature’s Wisdom (Perception) check.
In addition, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to control the hand.
Magical Ambush
Starting at 9th level, if you are hidden from a creature when you cast a spell on it, the creature has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell this turn.
Versatile Trickster
At 13th level, you gain the ability to distract targets with your mage hand. As a bonus action on your turn, you can designate a creature within 5 feet of the spectral hand created by the spell. Doing so gives you advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the end of the turn.
Spell Thief
At 17th level, you gain the ability to magically steal the knowledge of how to cast a spell from another spellcaster. Immediately after a creature casts a spell that targets you or includes you in its area of effect, you can use your reaction to force the creature to make a saving throw with its spellcasting ability modifier. The DC equals your spell save DC. On a failed save, you negate the spell’s effect against you, and you steal the knowledge of the spell if it is at least 1st level and o f a level you can cast (it doesn’t need to be a wizard spell). For the next 8 hours, you know the spell and can cast it using your spell slots. The creature can’t cast that spell until the 8 hours have passed.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Shadowblade
Some rogues choose to delve into the intricacies of shadow magic, using its unique powers to enhance their skills in stealth and deception. These rogues are a very diverse subset, from simple thieves to hired killers to highly trained bounty hunters. By learning how to separate their shadow from their body, shadow rogues become difficult to catch and even harder to kill.
Shadow Magic
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the umbraturgy cantrip and the duelling shadows cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Severed Shadow
Starting at 3rd level, you can separate your shadow from your body, creating a replica of yourself made out of shadowstuff. This replica looks like a three-dimensional silhouette of yourself, and is completely opaque and solid.
As a bonus action on your turn, you may separate your shadow and then move it up to your speed as part of the same action. The shadow shares your statistics, and can perform all movements that you would be able to, making ability checks as normal. The shadow is susceptible to attacks and shares your AC, and if it takes any damage it immediately disappears.
On subsequent turns until you reunite with your shadow, you may use your bonus action to move it another 30 feet, up to a maximum of 120 feet away from your current location. While your shadow is separated from you, you no longer cast a shadow. As a bonus action on each of your turns, you may choose to teleport to the location of your shadow, reuniting yourself with it.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Deceiving Darkness
Starting at 9th level, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks if you are in dim light or darkness.
Shadow Simulacrum
At 13th level, you gain greater control over your shadow. When your shadow is separated from you, you can also have it perform the Help action as part of the bonus action required to move it, and your shadow can also manipulate objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
Master of the Shadows
When you reach 17th level, you have gained ultimate control over your shadow. When you sever your shadow, it can be separated from your current location by up to 500 feet, and you may use your bonus action to switch from using its senses to using your own, or back again. Additionally, you no longer have to complete a short or long rest to use the feature again.
Mastermind
Your focus is on people and on the influence and secrets they have. Many spies, courtiers, and schemers follow this archetype, leading lives of intrigue. Words are your weapons as often as knives or poison, and secrets and favors are some of your favorite treasures.
Master of Intrigue
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the disguise kit, the forgery kit, and one gaming set of your choice. You also learn two languages of your choice.
Additionally, you can unerringly mimic the speech patterns and accent of a creature that you hear speak for at least 1 minute, enabling you to pass yourself off as a native speaker of a particular land, provided that you know the language.
Master of Tactics
Starting at 3rd level, you can use the Help action as a bonus action. Additionally, when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than within 5 feet of you, if the target can see or hear you.
Insightful Manipulator
Starting at 9th level, if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with another creature outside combat, you can learn certain information about its capabilities compared to your own. The DM tells you if the creature is your equal, superior, or inferior in regard to two of the following characteristics of your choice:
- Intelligence score
- Wisdom score
- Charisma score
- Class levels (if any)
At the DM’s option, you might also realize you know a piece of the creature’s history or one of its personality traits, if it has any.
Misdirection
Beginning at 13th level, you can sometimes cause another creature to suffer an attack meant for you. When you are targeted by an attack while a creature within 5 feet of you is granting you cover against that attack, you can use your reaction to have the attack target that creature instead of you.
Soul of Deceit
Starting at 17th level, your thoughts can’t be read by telepathy or other means, unless you allow it. You can present false thoughts by succeeding on a Charisma (Deception) check contested by the mind reader’s Wisdom (Insight) check.
Additionally, no matter what you say, magic that would determine if you are telling the truth indicates you are being truthful if you so choose, and you can’t be compelled to tell the truth by magic.
Scout
You are skilled in stealth and surviving far from the streets of a city, allowing you to scout ahead of your companions during expeditions. Rogues who embrace this archetype are at home in the wilderness and among barbarians and rangers, and many Scouts serve as the eyes and ears of war bands. Ambusher, spy, bounty hunter#these are just a few of the roles that Scouts assume as they range the world.
Skirmishing
Starting at 3rd level, you are difficult to pin down during a fight. You can move up to half your speed as a reaction when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
Survivalist
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Nature and Survival skills if you don’t already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those proficiencies.
Superior Mobility
At 9th level, your walking speed increases by 10 feet. If you have a climbing or swimming speed, this increase applies to that speed as well.
Ambush Master
Starting at 13th level, you excel at leading ambushes and acting first in a fight.
You have advantage on initiative rolls. In addition, the first creature you hit during the first round of a combat becomes easier for you and others to strike; attack rolls against that target have advantage until the start of your next turn.
Sudden Strike
Starting at 17th level, you can strike with deadly speed. If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as a bonus action. This attack can benefit from your Sneak Attack even if you have already used it this turn, but you can’t use your Sneak Attack against the same target more than once in a turn.
Shinobi
While many rogues have a reputation for self-interest, the shinobi does not aspire to material gain for its own sake. Instead, these insular zealots look to liberate the populace from the oppression of evil. They borrow religious knowledge from the traditions of old to assemble piecemeal mystical practices that they pass from generation to generation within their secretive clans. Much of their ritual symbolizes the fundamental truth that all the forces of the universe are united against evil, and their fight against this evil often draws them far from their homelands and into the wider lands.
As a shinobi, you are ever looking inward in an attempt to purify your heart and build a divine spark within you. You are comfortable striking out at evil from the shadows, for you know that it will not rest and it will not respect the dictates and laws of civilized society. Ultimately, you are willing to sacrifice yourself to advance the cause of your kin and clan as you look to purge evil wherever it may take root.
Ninjitsu Arts
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn the foundational arts of the shinobi, including specialized fighting techniques and unique skills. Your long and high jump distances are doubled, and you can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to your Constitution score. You also learn the control flame cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the spell.
Additionally, the dagger, handaxe, javelin, quarterstaff, sickle, spear, and longsword are considered ninjutsu weapons for you. You are proficient with ninjutsu weapons, and have advantage on ability checks you make to disguise or conceal them. While you wield a ninjutsu weapon in only one hand, its damage die becomes 1d6 (unless its normal damage die is higher), and you treat the weapon as though it has the finesse property. If you make a ranged weapon attack with a ninjutsu weapon that has the thrown property, it retains these benefits for the duration of the attack.
Sacred Seal
Also at 3rd level, you begin learning the sacred seals of the shinobi, combinations of quick prayers and deft hand gestures that unlock mystical power. You learn Seal of the Oni’s Mask.
You learn additional seals when you reach certain levels in this class: Seal of the Empty Vessel at 7th level, Seal of the Hidden Kingdom at 13th level, and Seal of the Rabbit Prince at 19th level.
Spells you cast using your seals have a spell save DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier, and don’t require material components. Once you use one of your seals, you must finish a long rest before you can use that seal again.
Seal of the Oni’s Mask. As a bonus action, you cast the disguise self spell. For the duration of the spell, you can change your appearance again using your action or bonus action.
Seal of the Empty Vessel. As an action, you cast the spider climb spell, targeting yourself. For the duration of the spell, your base walking speed increases by 10 feet.
Seal of the Hidden Kingdom. As an action, you cast the invisibility spell, targeting yourself. For 1 hour, you can cast the spell again, targeting yourself, as an action during each of your turns. If the spell is active at the end of the hour, the spell ends.
Seal of the Rabbit Prince. As a bonus action, you cast the freedom of movement spell, targeting yourself. For the duration of the spell, you can teleport up to 20 feet to an unoccupied space you can see as a bonus action during each of your turns.
Ritual Ninjutsu
Starting at 9th level, your growing harmony with the universal forces of nature allows you to perform ancient shinobi rituals. You can cast the animal messenger and water walk spells as rituals. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the spells.
Additionally, you can use a spell scroll if the spell it contains has the ritual tag, is on the cleric or druid spell list, and is of a level no greater than your rogue level divided by four. You can use the scroll only by casting its spell as a ritual, after which the spell scroll is destroyed.
Endless Forms
At 13th level, you can use your mystic insight to garb yourself in ever more elaborate illusions. When you use your Seal of the Oni’s Mask, creatures have disadvantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks they make to discern that you are disguised, and you can use the spell to disguise yourself as a bird, squirrel, or other Tiny beast.
Additionally, you regain your use of Seal of the Oni’s Mask when you finish a short or long rest.
Immaterial Reality
Starting at 17th level, you can tap into your profound spiritual awareness to momentarily transcend thelimitations of reality. As an action, you pull shadow material from the outer realms, shaping it into two shadow clones of yourself, which appear in separate unoccupied spaces of your choice within 15 feet of you. The following rules apply to each of your shadow clones:
- It uses your statistics, but it has only 1 hit point and a hit point maximum of 1. It has the same equipment as you, though it has only mundane versions of any magic items and weapons you have in your possession.
- When it appears, you roll initiative for it, and it acts during its own turn.
- It acts according to your thoughts and intentions when it was created, following your alignment, though you can verbally instruct it to perform different tasks.
- It can use your racial traits and class features. If it uses such an ability that has a limited number of uses, the use of that trait or feature counts against your total uses of the ability.
- You can use your action to see through its eyes and hear what it hears until the beginning of your next turn. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
- When a creature you can see makes an attack roll against you or it, you can use your reaction to switch places with it, also switching the target of the attack. You must use your reaction this way before the DM declares whether the attack hits or misses.
Your shadow clones persist for 1 hour. A clone disappears early if it drops to 0 hit points, you use an action on your turn to dismiss your remaining shadow clones, or you become unconscious or die.
Once you use feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Strike Techniques
Each strike techniques acts as a way for a rogue to express their weapon mastery.
Disorienting Strike
Until the end of your next turn, whenever the target creature makes an attack roll. Roll 1d4, reducing the attack roll total by the result. You may affect a number of attacks up to the number of expended sneak attack damage dice.
Hamstring Strike
The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or have its speed reduced by half until the end of your next turn. A creature that fails its save suffers a number of d4 equal to the number of expended sneak attack damage dice as damage if it moves or stands from prone before the end of your next turn, or half as much damage on a success.
Pinpoint Strike
The next attack roll made against the target until the end of your next turn scores a critical hit on a roll of 20 – the number of expended sneak attack damage dice or higher.
Running Strike
After the attack, you may move up a distance equal to 5 times the number of expended sneak attack damage dice. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Serrated Strike
The target begins to bleed. At the start of each of its turns, it loses hit points equal to the number of expended sneak attack damage dice. A creature can use its action to attempt to staunch the bleeding with a successful Intelligence (Medicine) check of a DC equal to your strike technique save DC.
Staggering Strike
The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it suffers a penalty to its armour class equal to the number of expended sneak attack damage dice. This penalty lasts until the end of your next turn. This penalty cannot reduce a creature's AC to a result less than 10 + the target's Dexterity modifier + any other ability scores the target includes in its armour class.
Whirlwind Strike
Each creature within 5 feet of you, excluding the target, suffers damage equal to the number of expended sneak attack damage dice, plus your Intelligence or Charisma modifier (your choice).
You cannot use this strike technique if you are wielding a ranged weapon.
Multiclassing
Ability Score Minimum. Dexterity 13
Proficiencies Gained. Light armour, one skill from the class’s skill list, thieves’ tools
Jack Weighill's
Homebrew
Compendium
Hello players and GM Binder devs! You've found the back page of a class from my class compendium. Not all of this work is mine, in fact, most of it isn't! It is simply here for ease of access for the players, and isn't shared elsewhere.
Another class from the Player's Handbook, the rogue is a fairly balanced class that somewhat lacks in the mechanics department. Whilst sneak attack is fun, and using it effectively is paramount to your effectiveness as a rogue, that's about it from a mechanical standpoint.
Some of the new subclasses have fixed this somewhat, but I still feel as though the rogue is lacking something to be a consistently fun class to play.