Rogues are a classic archetype in D&D and an ideal starting point. They possess great skill, wisdom and flair for combat – making them great role models to play with!
At the start of their journey as a rogue, they can choose to develop four skills. These include acrobatics, athletics, deception, intimidation, investigation and perception.
Basics
The Rogue character class in Dungeons & Dragons 5E offers great versatility. It can be employed in a variety of roles within a campaign and works well in various settings.
Rogues typically rely on Dexterity, but can also draw upon Intellect and Wisdom to enhance their skillsets. With more abilities than other characters, rogues have access to any spell that cannot be cast by themselves (provided they possess the required skill level).
As a rogue, it is essential that they can hide or avoid detection. Wood Elves in particular are ideal candidates as they share Darkvision, have +2 Dex and immunity against Charm spells.
Racial traits can make a big difference for Rogues, so take your time exploring your options. Lightfoot Halflings, for instance, boast an additional Cha bonus and are Naturally Stealthy; this means they can Hide even when obscured by creatures one size category larger than them.
Rogues who are quick may benefit from races like Swiftstride Shifter or Teleporting Eladrin, which grant them the speed needed to dash through an opening, Disengage their enemy, and make their Sneak Attack.
Another viable racial option is a creature that can use its Armor Class to launch Sneak Attacks when flat-footed or flanked, such as the Treefrog-like Grung. Their damage from one single sneak attack is quite high, but they cannot make more than one per turn.
Sneak attacks are essential in combat, so it’s worth investing in the ability to activate them as often as possible. To do this effectively, gain Expertise at the right time so you can increase the probability of activating your ability.
Skills
The DnD Rogue class is an all-purpose option, suitable for many heroic and antiheroic archetypes. These include assassins, cutpurses, smugglers, private eyes, bounty hunters, vigilantes, pirates – the list is endless!
Rogues can be formidable snipers, using their Cunning Action skill to sneak into enemy lines of sight and assassinate them one-on-one. Although highly capable and dangerous, rogues tend to be fragile and easily distracted.
They can utilize the Hide skill, which allows them to remain concealed from their target even if it is obscured by another creature of a single size category larger. This is particularly useful if your party does not possess Stealth or Acrobatics abilities.
Rogues possess a variety of powerful, unique abilities in addition to the standard set of skills they must master. In this section we’ll investigate these powers in more depth and discover exactly what they do.
Uncanny Dodge: This skill, the ability to prevent damage when struck, is essential for the rogue. Even at low levels, Uncanny Dodge can save you from suffering a painful death.
Evasion: Evading attacks can be a crucial asset for any rogue. Combining that with your capacity for resisting unarmed strikes, it makes all the difference in combat.
Blindsense: Your Perception may not allow you to see all of your enemies, but with practiced precision you can locate them. This ability comes in handy if fighting in magical darkness or an Eversmoking Bottle.
Reliable Talent: If you need to rely on Expertise skills, Reliable Talent provides the assurance that they will be used reliably.
Feats
Rogues make great additions to any party due to their stackable skills and the capacity for several useful utility feats. Skills such as Sneak Attack, Disengage, and Steady Aim can be particularly helpful. Other helpful feats like Resilient, Skilled, and Magic Initiate round out this set of abilities.
Rogues often focus on their utility skills, but it’s also beneficial to pick up feats that enhance combat effectiveness. These feats can help deal damage, boost armor class or grant extra attacks per turn.
Fighting Initiate grants you the choice of one Fighting Style from the fighter class and allows you to learn a new weapon type (like throwing weapon fighting or blind fighting). These feats may improve your bow handling capabilities or even grant you an improved weapon that deals more damage.
Another viable option is Telekinetic, which adds a +1 boost to your mental ability score. This boosts the power of your hand spells and shoves, which can be especially advantageous for melee rogues.
Rogues who enjoy fishing for critical hits will want to select Elven Accuracy, which increases their d20 roll frequency by 50%. With more d20s on hand, there’s a higher likelihood of critting, so this ability will give them an edge in this endeavor.
Assassin rogues can take advantage of the Assassinate feature, which grants them a bonus to their weapon attacks and skill checks until Death Strike at seventeenth level. This advantage can be invaluable when hunting down tough enemies; plus, it’s an excellent way to get extra hits on your attacks!
Assassin rogues can use the Sentinel feat to launch Sneak Attacks against enemies who don’t possess any advantage or disadvantage, provided they’re within 5 feet of you and no other allies are nearby. However, to effectively use this ability, you will need to dual wield a heavier weapon than most rogues possess in order to land a hit and trigger Sneak Attack damage against your target.
Subclasses
Rogues are a hardy class that excels in stealth, disarming traps and disarming magic items. Additionally, they possess the power of casting spells which may provide additional advantages in certain scenarios.
Rogues have access to several subclasses, each offering a set of features which define how they play. While some are highly situational – meaning they may only be useful in certain circumstances – others are powerful and will make great additions to your character.
The Assassin is a brutal rogue archetype that emphasizes dirty fighting and deception. Surprising your enemies before they can act gives you the advantage in combat, though this feat requires high initiative as well as some good gear with advantage to take full advantage.
Inquisitives are a rogue subclass that specializes in information gathering. They’re especially well-suited to campaigns with many traps and hidden doors, as they can slip messages into conversations, encode them into text, or leave hidden clues for other thieves to discover.
The Inquisitor can benefit greatly from its abilities, however it is severely limited at lower levels. A prime example is the Phantom build: Wails from the Grave may not seem particularly impressive at lower levels and Phantom’s Soul Trinket mechanic may not feel fully satisfying until level 9.
The Inquisitor’s Unerring Eye is an invaluable addition to the rogue subclass, as it allows you to check your opponent’s hit points and damage for signs of weakness or ill health. If you don’t possess enough Intelligence or Wisdom yet, consider picking up some bonus proficiency options that will increase INT or WIS by a modest amount.
Combat
The Rogue class is a skilled skirmisher that relies on sneak attack damage to gain advantage in combat (e.g., flanking or dazing an enemy). Rogues possess some of the most refined skillsets of any class, making them highly proficient and well-trained combatants.
Rogues have the freedom to select archetypes that best suit their playstyle and style of combat. You could select from assassins, cutpurses, thieves, smugglers, magees, spies or pirates!
If you choose a Thief or Assassin archetype, Con and Wis should be your second-highest attributes. Con will help you survive longer when cornered and allow for quick escapes while hiding, while Wis aids with Perception and Insight.
Another archetype that makes sense is the Face Rogue, who relies on deception and insight to gain allies or manipulate enemies. They possess excellent stealth skills, making them invaluable in getting a party to agree on a strategy.
This archetype is popular with players and DMs alike, making it a good alternative for those who don’t want to build the traditional assassin build. A high Charisma score is essential for deception, while bad rolls should be discarded into Str or Int.
Alternately, they can take the Arcane Trickster archetype and use their Intelligence bonus to craft spells. However, in order to do this successfully, they will require a high Int score.
Finally, Phantom archetypes can choose to be touched by death or planes of negative energy, granting them the power to switch out a tool or skill proficiency when resting and deal extra necrotic damage to another target when they sneak attack!