Rogue Class Details
Primary Ability | Dexterity |
---|---|
Hit Point Die | D8 per Rogue level |
Saving Throw Proficiencies | Dexterity and Intelligence |
Skill Proficiencies | Choose 4: Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth |
Weapon Proficiencies | Simple weapons and Martial weapons that have the Finesse or Light property |
Tool Proficiencies | Thieves’ Tools |
Armor Training | Light armor |
Starting Equipment | Choose A or B: (A) Leather Armor, 2 Daggers, Shortsword, Shortbow, 20 Arrows, Quiver, Thieves’ Tools, Burglar’s Pack, and 8 GP; or (B) 100 GP |
Rogues rely on cunning, 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. A few even learn magical tricks to supplement their other abilities. Many Rogues focus on stealth and deception, while others refine skills that help them in a dungeon environment, such as climbing, finding and disarming traps, and opening locks.
In combat, Rogues prioritize subtle strikes over brute strength. They would rather make one precise strike than wear an opponent down with a barrage of blows.
Some Rogues began their careers as criminals, while others used their cunning to fight crime. Whatever a Rogue’s relation to the law, no common criminal or officer of the law can match the subtle brilliance of the greatest Rogues.
Becoming a Rogue...
As a Level 1 Character
- Gain all the traits in the Core Rogue Traits table.
- Gain the Rogue’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Rogue Features table.
As a Multiclass Character
- Gain the following traits from the Core Rogue Traits table: Hit Point Die, proficiency in one skill of your choice from the Rogue’s skill list, proficiency with Thieves’ Tools, and training with Light armor.
- Gain the Rogue’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Rogue Features table.
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Class Features | Sneak Attack |
---|---|---|---|
1 | +2 | Expertise, Sneak Attack, Thieves’ Cant, Weapon Mastery | 1d6 |
2 | +2 | Cunning Action | 1d6 |
3 | +2 | Rogue Subclass, Steady Aim | 2d6 |
4 | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d6 |
5 | +3 | Cunning Strike, Uncanny Dodge | 3d6 |
6 | +3 | Expertise | 3d6 |
7 | +3 | Evasion, Reliable Talent | 4d6 |
8 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4d6 |
9 | +4 | Subclass feature | 5d6 |
10 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5d6 |
11 | +4 | Improved Cunning Strike | 6d6 |
12 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 6d6 |
13 | +5 | Subclass feature | 7d6 |
14 | +5 | Devious Strikes | 7d6 |
15 | +5 | Slippery Mind | 8d6 |
16 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 8d6 |
17 | +6 | Subclass feature | 9d6 |
18 | +6 | Elusive | 9d6 |
19 | +6 | Epic Boon | 10d6 |
20 | +6 | Stroke of Luck | 10d6 |
Rogue Class Features
As a Rogue, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified Rogue levels. These features are listed in the Rogue Features table.
Expertise
You gain Expertise in two of your skill proficiencies of your choice.
At Rogue level 6, you gain Expertise in two more of your skill proficiencies of your choice.
Sneak Attack
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 roll if you have Advantage on the roll and the attack uses a Finesse or a Ranged weapon. The extra damage’s type is the same as the weapon’s type.
You don’t need Advantage on the attack roll if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the target, the ally doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition, and you don’t have Disadvantage on the attack roll.
The extra damage increases as you gain Rogue levels, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue Features table.
Thieves’ Cant
You picked up various languages in the communities where you plied your roguish talents. You know Thieves’ Cant and one other language of your choice.
Weapon Mastery
Your training with weapons allows you to use the mastery properties of two kinds of weapons of your choice with which you have proficiency, such as Daggers and Shortbows.
Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change the kinds of weapons you chose. For example, you could switch to using the mastery properties of Scimitars and Shortswords.
Cunning Action
Your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. On your turn, you can take one of the following actions as a Bonus Action: Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
Rogue Subclass
You gain a Rogue subclass of your choice. A subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Rogue levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Rogue level or lower.
Steady Aim
As a Bonus Action, you give yourself Advantage on your next attack roll on the current turn. You can use this feature only if you haven’t moved during this turn, and after you use it, your Speed is 0 until the end of the current turn.
Ability Score Improvement
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Rogue levels 8, 10, 12, and 16.
Cunning Strike
You’ve developed cunning ways to use your Sneak Attack. When you deal Sneak Attack damage, you can add one of the following Cunning Strike effects. Each effect has a die cost, which is the number of Sneak Attack damage dice you must forgo to add the effect. You remove the die before rolling, and the effect occurs immediately after the attack’s damage is dealt. For example, if you add the Poison effect, remove 1d6 from the Sneak Attack’s damage before rolling.
If a Cunning Strike effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8 plus your Dexterity modifier and Proficiency Bonus.
Poison (Cost: 1d6). You add a toxin to your strike, forcing the target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target has the Poisoned condition for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, the Poisoned target repeats the save, ending the effect on itself on a success.
To use this effect, you must have a Poisoner’s Kit on your person.
Trip (Cost: 1d6). If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or have the Prone condition.
Withdraw (Cost: 1d6). Immediately after the attack, you move up to half your Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Uncanny Dodge
When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you (round down).
Evasion
You can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain dangers. When you’re 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 only half damage if you fail. You can’t use this feature if you have the Incapacitated condition.
Reliable Talent
Whenever you make an ability check that uses one of your skill or tool proficiencies, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Improved Cunning Strike
You can use up to two Cunning Strike effects when you deal Sneak Attack damage, paying the die cost for each effect.
Devious Strikes
You’ve practiced new ways to use your Sneak Attack deviously. The following effects are now among your Cunning Strike options.
Daze (Cost: 2d6). The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or on its next turn, it can do only one of the following: move or take an action or a Bonus Action.
Knock Out (Cost: 6d6). The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or it has the Unconscious condition for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. The Unconscious target repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Obscure (Cost: 3d6). The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, or it has the Blinded condition until the end of its next turn.
Slippery Mind
Your cunning mind is exceptionally difficult to control. You gain proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.
Elusive
You’re so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll can have Advantage against you unless you have the Incapacitated condition.
Epic Boon
You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
Stroke of Luck
You have a marvelous knack for succeeding when you need to. If you fail a D20 Test, you can turn the roll into a 20.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.
Rogue Subclasses
A Rogue subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Rogue levels, as specified in the subclass.
Thief
Hunt for Treasure as a Classic Adventurer
A mix of burglar, treasure hunter, and explorer, you are the epitome of an adventurer. In addition to improving your agility and stealth, you gain abilities useful for delving into ruins and getting maximum benefit from the magic items you find there.
Fast Hands
As a Bonus Action, you can do one of the following.
Sleight of Hand. Make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to pick a lock or disarm a trap with Thieves’ Tools or to pick a pocket.
Use an Object. Take the Utilize action, or take the Magic action to use a magic item that requires that action.
Second-Story Work
You’ve trained to get into especially hard-to-reach places, granting you these benefits.
Climber. You gain a Climb Speed equal to your Speed.
Jumper. You can determine your jump distance using your Dexterity rather than your Strength.
Supreme Sneak
You gain the following Cunning Strike option.
Stealth Attack (Cost: 1d6). If you have the Hide action’s Invisible condition, this attack doesn’t end that condition on you if you end the turn behind Three-Quarters Cover or Total Cover.
Use Magic Device
You’ve learned how to maximize use of magic items, granting you the following benefits.
Attunement. You can attune to up to four magic items at once.
Charges. Whenever you use a magic item property that expends charges, roll 1d6. On a roll of 6, you use the property without expending the charges.
Scrolls. You can use any Spell Scroll, using Intelligence as your spellcasting ability for the spell. If the spell is a cantrip or a level 1 spell, you can cast it reliably. If the scroll contains a higher-level spell, you must first succeed on an Intelligence (Arcana) check (DC 10 plus the spell’s level). On a successful check, you cast the spell from the scroll. On a failed check, the scroll disintegrates.
Thief’s Reflexes
You are 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.
Second this. Making this a lot harder to plot out my master Rogue plots.
The only thing rogue itself lost is blindsight at level 14, arcane trickster gets to use more spell options, assassin seems better overall, psychic blade is a bit better, and only thief seems weaker
Because Rogue has been bad since 5e started, and they managed to somehow make it worse.
I'm really impressed with how far down they've continued to dig Rogue's grave.
Aye yo wait a tick--why's it feel like I'm playing a bad martial spellcaster with all these cost??? I HAVE to buy or steal a kit to use a base feature, nerf my damage to either give me a like 15% less chance to get hit, or to maybe get sneak attack next round(unlikely if you had to trip in the first place) and on top of that all these "holy" new features still require that you procc sneak attack in the first place
BROOOOOOOOOOO you guy's fumbled the ******* baby on this one. At worst the rogue should have been like a skirmisher fighter or something, like sorcerer is to wizard. I wanna ask the people that thought this was demure and based and good for the class both as developers and fellow players that gave the thumbs up. Like, what were you on? Surely not truth juice. I feel like this was a result of people hating the idea of the sneaky, edgy roguish archetype getting any kind of "better" due to the bad rep the class and its players has.
Kinda have to blame the community itself for that much, but...game design guys, come on. What the hell?
R.I.P. Rogue. Just nerfed across the board to not only be a skill monkey but a pseudo debuff monkey, and a monkey in literal terms. Sneak attack actually requiring an ally and not an enemy creature besides the target...lmfao. ****. Move over, Ranger. Thanks for keeping my seat warm
Very true, I'm still a new player (almost 5 years in now) and have really felt the troubles that come with playing rogues. Magic items had to be given as crutches and not narrative pieces like the rest of the party. All the rogue features and subclasses just cant fit into the gameplay and, with bringing up BG3, DND rogues cant even translate into a playable class in a video game. I just hate that my favorite class is the literal worst class in the game.
I feel like the bigger issue is that the mechanics of the rogue are only good in theory. They are supposed to be a stealth class, but stealth is usually a party check so the lowest role is all that usually matters, or the rogue has to go in by themselves and if they get caught they are instantly dead since they cannot fight 1v1 to save their lives, or really fight well at all in comparison to the others. I will be honest thieves' tools are kind of pointless since frankly, if you are opening a locked chest you basically have infinite attempts after you kill whatever enemies are nearby so eventually someone will get it open, and locked doors don't matter 9 times out of 10 since someone can just break the damn thing or if you really need stealth magic it open. Honestly after having DM'd more than half of the WOTC modules for 5e I can safely say you never need to pick any lock or use thieves tools at all for any of them. hell, I had a group once use Silence as a ritual and then have the barbarian just chop down every locked door, since it was silenced and a ritual no spell slots were used and completely stealthy just takes a long time to do the ritual. In combat the weakness can kind of be mitigated by just doubling Sneak attack dice, or I saw someone say have the dice go to D8 at level 5, D10 at level 11, D12 at 17, which might also work, but it would just barely make them comparable and even then once magic items come in to play the rogue is still left way behind. The issue is the reliance on your party to cooperate and give a damn. It is the only class in the game that is completely reliant on your party being built around working with you and that just doesn't usually happen. And since they only get 1 attack, most magic weapons don't really help them that much either. A level 20 rogue has just 10d6 damage, that is a level 4 fireball, or roughly the same as a level 5 ranger or paladin dual wielding with hunters mark, or just any level 5 martial with a flametogue who is also doing 8d6 and have things like rage/action surge/smite to boost it as well. The damage is just way to low.
Part of the problem is that rogues as an archetype do not really fit in with high fantasy all that well. Nobody "Assassinates" a dragon, it is always this big climatic battle. You do not poison the lich, you slay him in a grand fight of good vs evil. At high levels it just falls apart, frankly the funniest thing I have ever seen was my party rogue losing a 1v1 melee fight to an enemy wizard in a gladiator arena because they cast blur, so the rogue always had disadvantage which meant no chance for a sneak attack. Without sneak attack they have the same damage as a CR 1/8 Guard so if they fight anyone with Blur, Greater invisibility, or anything it just becomes hilarious to watch this great master assassin become absolutely helpless.
And jack of all trades classes are just not really that good if that is all they have. A rogue with expertise is still usually a worse party face than any charisma caster so warlock/Bard/Sorcerer, they are usually worse at WIS checks than any cleric/monk/druid, and worse at Strength than any Fighter/Paladin/Barbarian. So, a party with 1 charisma caster, 1 wisdom character, and any frontline martial will not need a jack of all trades to begin with they just need any DEX character and for the record that any combination of 9 classes, so most parties will not need a jack of all trades if they have 4 people. And even then as a DM checks are usually made by whoever is interacting, its not BG3 or some video where I say "Ok so who has the highest stat again? ok you will make all the roles."
I absolutely agree, I main rogues and always regret it. The class is fun and the versatility of creation makes them fun, then combat happens and I do a fraction of the rest of the party how nerf themselves with multiclassing. And it became a point in the last game I mentioned to the table that my rogue was useless compared to the ranger/fighter, homebrewed alchemist wizard, and cleric in a war against Lolth. When the players tried to bring up things I had done they could only reach back to lower level events and when I mentioned my rogue had never touched his thieves tools the ENTIRE campaign, the DM flat out stated why bother with a locked door that you would roll a 30 to open. So the rogue mechanics weren't even being acknowledged as things my rogue was able to do, they need for them was just wiped from the game. I love rogues but each new one I play it becomes harder and harder to want to make them. WOTC needs to either make them something special or just remove the class and let brads or rangers pick at the corpse.
Why don't these subclass features have the level next to them?
So can any other martial when it comes to number of attacks, and those attacks aren't strong since its 1d6 weapons and unlike ranger or paladin a rogue cannot buff the damage of each attack. Addressing the many useful and creative things, I am guessing you are referring to cunning actions, in which case trip is literally a weapon mastery that fighter or any other martial can use on EVERY ATTACK with that weapon, and again poison is kind useless most of the time. It doesn't work on Undead, the most common enemy, Fiends, Constructs, most elementals, anything massive like Dragons who are almost certain to pass the CON save anyways, and celestials if you ever fight those. As far as conditions go it is by far the most useless, there are entire prewritten modules where it will never be used like decent into Avernus, Curse of Strahd, a lot of enemies in princes of apocalypse, a lot of enemies in the starter set since undead, and the list goes on. Setting up sneak attack with Vex is nice in theory, but rogues are not really frontline fighters with low hit dice and only light armor, which is why ranged weapons were so common in the past for them and using withdraw to get away is questionable since its only half movement so just 15 feet and costs you damage from your sneak attack. Also I would like to point out everything you mentioned is unlocked by level 5, so once again rogue is nothing but a level dip basically.
With that said I would like to say the class is far from trash, unlike in 2014 PHB none of the classes are useless and borderline unplayable, but Rogue and Ranger definitely did not get the glow up of everyone else. Damage wise Rogue is simply outclassed by everyone and it is not even close, and the use of a jack of all trades relies on not having either a balanced party which will make it redundant, or not having a bard or ranger which also fill the role while being more useful in combat. My fear is that just like in 2014, every rogue I DM'd for ended up feeling useless after level 5-7 and asked to make a new character or I had to homebrew some broken magic item to allow them to be relevant again. We will see how it turns out in the next few games but I do not have high hopes.
What do you mean?! rogue is wild! A rogue with alert and poisoner. And a vex and a nick weapon. You can posion your weapon every single turn and still get two attacks with dual wield. You can use all your cunning actions and still get two attacks. You can dash, attack twice and then use withdraw. There are so many useful and creative things to do now, besides just trying to get sneak attacks. Which by the way you can set up yourself with a vex weapon.
Not for the subclass
So who exactly play tested any of this??? Ranger is not a good class damage wise in 2024 but a level 5 ranger with nick and dual wielder build plus hunters mark can still attack 4 times plus hunters mark so that is 8d6 + 4xAbility score modifier. A level 20 rogue is only at 10d6, and that's only if they can even get sneak attack so better pray to RNG Gods that you always have sneak attack or get out done by literally any martial at level 5 with a flame tongue weapon or just somebody casting fireball at level 4.... The cunning strikes aren't even good sadly. The poison is laughable, if you somehow get advantage on turn 1 so maybe an assassin, you can give up damage to have a monster make a CON save and hope to god they aren't already immune to poison anyways, just to poison them for probably just 1 turn since only a boss or really tanky monster is living more than 3 turns anyways, and almost all of them would pass a CON save or be straight up immune anyways. and even then since you have good DEX to go first the monster has another chance to save against the poison at the end of its turn so it will probably not be poisoned by the time your turn comes around again. Trip attack is a worse version of the Battle Master maneuver, I have no idea what good withdraw is honestly since moving only half your movement with opportunity seems odd when you already have cunning action disengage and many rogues would take mobile anyways. Daze and Knock out are both CON saves but at least Knock Out could possibly end a fight in the unlikely scenario it works and the target doesn't have legendary resistance or an ally nearby to just wake them up. Obscure is probably the best one simply for the fact that as a DEX save it is slightly more likely to succeed as opposed to CON saves but still not that likely.
Subclass wise Assassin is just depressing, what the hell are you fighting at level 13 that you can poison and is going to fail a CON saving throw?? I honestly just cannot think of anything so envenom is just worthless. Infiltration thing will only ever be used for steady aim without a speed reduction, hurray I get a free sneak attack if my attack hits from range so I can maybe not be a laughing stock damage wise. Death strike again is probably not going to happen, what enemy at level 17 is going to fail a CON save except cannon fodder and minions???
Thief is just odd, in what scenario do you need to use a bonus action to use thieves tools?? are you seriously trying to pick a lock mid combat? No idea what magic item aside from scrolls you are using either, so once again pray to the RNG gods or your DM for a ton of over powered scrolls to make you not seem useless in a fight. Second story work is just a ribbon feature but the climb speed I guess might be useful if your DM lets you be spider and climb perfectly smooth vertical walks. No idea how Supreme sneak is supposed to work, I guess it is just stealth archer from Skyrim but as a DM if you try that crap people are going to be searching for you. and as far as using scroll's goes just play an arcane trickster not a thief. Getting two turns to do basically nothing at level 17 yippee.
Arcane trickster is not bad, but suffers from the fact that base line rogue is pretty bad and that carries over. Sneak attack is mechanically a bad ability so best thing for Arcane trickster to do is be invisible and cast Hold Person or other CC spells while the target has disadvantage on the saving throw.
Soulknife is probably the best one conceptually. Sadly in actual usage it kinda sucks. Psi-empowered Knack is hilarious because it says if you fail at the only thing a rogue is actually useful for, ability checks you have proficiency in, you can add like a D6 to the roll. Congratulations, you have a situational guidance spell that's slightly better but can only effect you and has a resource limit. the telepathy might be useful but if you roll low it is just eating up your psychic dice. You cannot use full effect of Psychic blades if you want to use the Nick Weapon Mastery, but at least the Soul Blades feature seems good enough. Psychic veil is surprisingly good and that alone kind of saves the subclass from being as bad as thief honestly. Rend Mind is amazing and a good example of what a Capstone ability should be, so good on them for that because it truly is a good capstone.
No, it doesn't work that way. Spell Scrolls have the same cast time as whatever spell is listed. This is specifically listed in the Spell Scroll description in the Equipment page under Adventuring Gear. So a Spell Scroll of Fireball would still take an action, a Spell Scroll of Misty Step would take a bonus action, a Spell Scroll of Awaken would take 8 hours, etc. For all intents and purposes, using a Spell Scroll is the same as Casting a Spell.
On the other hand, yes, if you Expertise in Arcana, all Spell Scrolls at that point are free to cast thanks to Reliable Talent. Even if you don't use Expertise, depending on how much investment you put into Int, you can use spell scrolls from levels 5 to 9 freely at that level, 6 to 9 at level 16. This is actually a huge nerf to the ability, which use to let you use ANY magic item, ignoring most attunement requirements.
YES THEY DO SHOW THE LEVEL YOU GET A FEATURE!
As of release of the new PHB, there's a big issue with all the updated main class pages where they don't have what level the abilities are learn next to them when they do in the PHB. While it's listed in the table at the top, that means that you have to constantly keep referring to that table for the abilities. And that only works for the main class's abilities. Very inconvenient, but it does technically work.
For the subclass abilities, it only shows what level you can learn new abilities, not when specific abilities are learned if there's multiple at the same time. And most subclasses have a point where they learn 2 abilities at the same time. For example with the Rogue, the Thief subclass gets the Fast Hands and Second Story Work abilities at level 3, but there's no reference to that on this page. This is the case for all the Rogue subclasses on this page, where they gain two subclass abilities at level 3. This makes this page and all the other updated class pages almost completely useless if you're making sure you have all the abilities you should have at a certain level. The new PHB doesn't do this, however. All the abilities have the level they're learned next to them. This is just an issue with the "Game Rules" pages.
Having no levels on the descriptions for traits makes this a chore to get through imo.
Seems like its intentionally engineered to do that. It makes it a lot more interesting to play a thief so it can compare to the other subclasses. Plus depending on your game scrolls of power word kill arent exactly commonplace
yeah not a fan of this mechanic at all (or most 2024 changes for that matter) makes me wonder who "play tested" this, the more i read into 2024 the more im inclined to just go 2e pathfinder. so far its just infinitely better in almost every aspect
Am I crazy or can the Thief just cast any spell as a bonus action at level 13 with fast hands.
Fast Hands allows you to take the magic action to use a magic item as a bonus action.
Use Magic Device allows you to use any spell scroll. So if I have Expertise in Arcane and have zero Int I still have a +10 to the check and with reliable talent that makes a 20 as the min roll so you auto succeed every check.
Yes, I'd like to sneak attack a the BBE, then as my bonus action I'll use this Power Ward Kill spell scroll.