I agree Raasmus but I would not call a character that starts with 5 levels of Fighter / Barb / Ranger / Paladin / Monk as a rogue .
Frazius said "Rogues get a very big benefit from taking 5 levels in another class to get the secondary attack," but I would say what you are suggesting is a fighter (or other class with extra attack) taking levels of rogue to increase their damage via sneak attack.
At level 20 sure but at level 6 it would be Fighter 5/rogue 1. (Hence my OP commenting about it might work for a level 20 one shot but not for a campaign).
At level 20 a Rogue with two shortswords is rolling 1d6+5 +d6 +10d6 as its basic damage, to average about 47 damage.
A raging Barbarian with polearm master at level 20 (and 24 strength) is rolling 2(d10+7+4) + (d4+7+4) for an average of 46.5 damage.
A level 20 Fighter with polearm master can roll 4(d10+5) + d4+5 for 49.5
Paladin isn't a pure martial, so skews the results by dumping in Divine Smites.
If you take a single level of fighter with Rogue you can get the two-weapon fighting style or dueling, if you want to go with the rapier plus booming blade combination.
I don't think the extra attack from five levels is worth the 4d6 you lose in Sneak Attack damage.
This touches on a conversation I had with my DM recently. I play a Rogue, his opinion is Sneak Attack damage is too high.
Anyway, here is a Google spreadsheet that compares expected damage output by level for martial classes: 5e DPR Calculations. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions from the data but hopefully you can see that a Rogue should at least be getting Sneak Attack every round in order to keep up with the basic damage assumptions of the game.
Basic assumptions I've used in calculating DPR:
All characters start with a 16 in their attack stat (Str/Dex) and increase it to 18 @ level 4 and 20 @ level 8.
Target ACs as per the Monster Statistics by CR table from chapter 9 of the DMG, assuming a creature of CR equal to the character's level. This effectively fixes accuracy at 65%.
No feats or multiclassing and with the exception of Rage, no consumable resources are used (i.e. no Smites for the Paladin).
No subclass features that may affect DPR have been included (to many variables to consider).
Rogue damage assumes they qualify for Sneak Attack, uses a Rapier and is presented with and without advantage.
Fighter damage includes the effects of the relevant Fighting Styles (Dueling for S&B). S&B assumes a longsword, GW assumes a Greatsword and Archery assumes a Longbow.
Paladin damage includes the effects of the relevant Fighting Styles (Dueling for S&B) and includes Improved Divine Smite from level 11. S&B assumes a longsword, GW assumes a Greatsword.
Barbarian damage assumes the use of a Greataxe and is presented with and without Rage and with and without Reckless Attack.
I've ignored the Ranger because a lot of their damage boosts come from spells or subclass features. Additionally, DPR would be equivalent to a Fighter up to level 8 and then static from there.
People think rogues are overpowered because they roll lots of dice.
Truthfully, they're not that great. I mean I LOVE them, they're my bread and butter, but you're squishy AF even with your evasion and such, and a lot of that damage means you have to take a subclass like swash, or you need a very agreeable DM that's going to give you whatever you want.
And people seriously underestimate how much damage is wasted damage.
I love the simplicity. And I love that it's very forgiving with its expertise and reliable talent feature, but the fear people have of rogue players is seriously overrated.
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I agree Raasmus but I would not call a character that starts with 5 levels of Fighter / Barb / Ranger / Paladin / Monk as a rogue .
Frazius said "Rogues get a very big benefit from taking 5 levels in another class to get the secondary attack," but I would say what you are suggesting is a fighter (or other class with extra attack) taking levels of rogue to increase their damage via sneak attack.
Sure, but that would end with a fighter5/rogue15
At level 20 sure but at level 6 it would be Fighter 5/rogue 1. (Hence my OP commenting about it might work for a level 20 one shot but not for a campaign).
for my little experience, I was already convinced of its importance, fortunately it happened quickly)
At level 20 a Rogue with two shortswords is rolling 1d6+5 +d6 +10d6 as its basic damage, to average about 47 damage.
A raging Barbarian with polearm master at level 20 (and 24 strength) is rolling 2(d10+7+4) + (d4+7+4) for an average of 46.5 damage.
A level 20 Fighter with polearm master can roll 4(d10+5) + d4+5 for 49.5
Paladin isn't a pure martial, so skews the results by dumping in Divine Smites.
If you take a single level of fighter with Rogue you can get the two-weapon fighting style or dueling, if you want to go with the rapier plus booming blade combination.
I don't think the extra attack from five levels is worth the 4d6 you lose in Sneak Attack damage.
People think rogues are overpowered because they roll lots of dice.
Truthfully, they're not that great. I mean I LOVE them, they're my bread and butter, but you're squishy AF even with your evasion and such, and a lot of that damage means you have to take a subclass like swash, or you need a very agreeable DM that's going to give you whatever you want.
And people seriously underestimate how much damage is wasted damage.
I love the simplicity. And I love that it's very forgiving with its expertise and reliable talent feature, but the fear people have of rogue players is seriously overrated.