Roguish Archetype
Firestarter
The Firestarter is a dangerous rogue to know. They are saboteurs, bomb-makers, and arsonists, willing to destroy or distract as the situation requires. Some Firestarters are careful and calculated, while others are reckless pyromaniacs, willing to sow wanton chaos. All learn just enough alchemy to be dangerous, in order to create the incendiaries that they use to control the battlefield.
Firestarters may be of any alignment, though chaotic and impulsive ones may have brief careers. For this reason, they skew towards a lawful outlook, even if their philosophies may vary. Evil firestarters may be callous criminals, brutal inquisitors, or heedless agents of chaos, while good-aligned firestarters may be driven revolutionaries or former alchemists drawn to another path.
Firestarter Features
| Rogue Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Alchemical Dabbler, Pyrotechnics |
| 9th | Firebombs, High Heat |
| 13th | Nimble Escape |
| 17th | Master Bomber, Inferno |
Alchemical Dabbler
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with alchemist's tools or tinker's tools, or another tool of your choice if you are already proficient. Your proficiency bonus is doubled anytime you use tools to make or identify explosives or oils.
Pyrotechnics
Additionally at 3rd level, you have mastered the use of bombs and oils, learning the abilities listed below. You use your Intelligence for pyrotechnics abilities when they refer to a save DC.
Pyrotechnics DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Flaming Grease
As a bonus action, you can apply a sticky, flammable grease to your weapon or a piece of ammunition. A creature damaged by a greased weapon or piece of ammunition becomes coated in grease. If a greased creature takes fire damage, they are set on fire, and take 1d6 fire damage at the start of each of their turns. Any creature within 5 feet of a greased creature may spend an action to remove this grease and extinguish any resulting fire.
If you hit a creature who is on fire or standing in fire, you can use your Sneak Attack against that target as long as you don't have disadvantage on the roll.
Your flaming grease lasts for 10 minutes. If ignited, it burns for 1 minute.
Instant Ignition
You can't apply grease to a creature who's already on fire, or to a weapon that already deals fire damage.
Grease Spray
As an action, you can spray your flammable grease haphazardly. You can select a number of 5-foot spaces equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), at a distance of up to 30 feet. If a creature is in an affected space, they can make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid the grease. Objects in those spaces that are not worn or carried are also covered in grease.
Spark Shower
As a bonus action, you can fling a 15-foot cone of sparks. These sparks immediately ignite any flammable objects within the area that aren't worn or carried, as well as your Flaming Grease.
Firebombs
Starting at 9th level, you have developed more potent, high-heat incendiaries, and refined your tools for delivering them. As an action, you can throw a firebomb at a point within 30 feet. All creatures within 10 feet must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take fire damage equal to one roll of your Sneak Attack damage, or half as much on a success. Creatures failing the saving throw are also coated with your Flaming Grease and set on fire; all the terrain affected by the firebomb is also set on fire.
You can alternately spend one minute deploying a firebomb as a trap, connecting it to a tripwire, lock, or other simple mechanism.
You can construct one of these firebombs per long or short rest, and can only possess one at a time.
Elementally Adept?
If you're concerned that the Firestarter might struggle in campaigns where many enemies have fire resistance, consider allowing the Elemental Adept feat to work with their subclass abilities (and waiving its spellcasting prerequisite).
High Heat
Additionally at 9th level, when creatures are covered in your flaming grease and on fire, they now take 2d6 fire damage at the start of each of their turns.
Nimble Escape
At 13th level, you have honed your reflexes to help keep yourself safe, despite your dangerous line of work. You gain the following benefits:
- Anytime you would take fire damage, you can reduce it by your proficiency bonus.
- Once per turn after you make a Dexterity saving throw as described in your Evasion feature, you may immediately move up to half your speed.
Master Bomber
At 17th level, you can construct a number of firebombs equal to your Intelligence modifier, and their radius increases to 15 feet.
Inferno
Additionally at 17th level, when creatures are covered in your flaming grease and on fire, they now take 3d6 fire damage at the start of each of their turns.
Note: Crafting & the Firestarter
The Firestarter is recommended for games that incorporate a robust crafting ruleset; KibblesTasty's is the author's preferred choice, linked at the bottom of this document.
Firestarter quirks
The following are some optional quirks for a player of this archetype to choose from.
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You name every one of your bombs. |
| 2 | You always smell of smoke, and have ash stains on all your clothing. |
| 3 | You refuse to ever let anyone else tend the campfire. |
| 4 | You enjoy rooms based on how flammable the furniture is. |
| 5 | You rarely make it a month without scorching your eyebrows off. |
| 6 | You cannot stand overcooked food. |
Change Log
v1.0
- Updated art and license
v0.2
- Minor language tweaks and adjusted notes
v0.1
- Rough Draft
Credits & References:
- Firestarter created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon
Kibblestasty's Crafting System, which I highly recommend to accompany this subclass.
Art
- Firestarter Rogue, by Duong Thanh Lam
License
- © 2023 somanyrobots, CC BY-NC 4.0
5E SRD Content
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available here.
The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available here.