The Rogue remains a cunning, hard-hitting sneak in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, with Sneak Attack remaining a staple and still offering the same damage and progression as its 2014 counterpart. But the class now gains new ways to spend Sneak Attack damage die, access to Weapon Mastery, and updated subclasses, notably the Assassin and Thief.

Below, we cover key changes to the 2024 Rogue you’ll find in the new Player’s Handbook. If there’s a feature we don’t cover, such as Cunning Action, that means it remains unchanged or saw minor changes.

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2024 Rogue Class Features Overview

Artist: Aurore Folny

Weapon Mastery — Level 1

In addition to the Rogue’s typical suite of features at level 1, you gain access to the new Weapon Mastery feature from the get-go. Each Long Rest, you’ll choose two weapons you’re proficient with and for which you want access to their mastery properties.

As an example of how mastery properties work, let’s look at the mastery properties for two iconic Rogue weapons, the Dagger and the Shortbow.

• Dagger (Nick): The Dagger’s mastery property, Nick, grants you an extra attack on your Attack action if you’re using a weapon with the Light property. This is in lieu of the extra attack you can typically make with a Light weapon using your Bonus Action. Handy if you need to use your Bonus Action for Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
• Shortbow (Vex): The Shortbow’s mastery property, Vex, makes it easier for you to land an attack on the following turn. When you deal damage to a creature with your Shortbow, you’ll have Advantage on the next attack roll you make against that creature before the end of your next turn.

Thieves’ Cant — Level 1

Rogues are famous for learning Thieves’ Cant, a unique kind of language that allows you to speak and understand codes. But your time spent in the underground world means you’ve likely crossed paths and worked with all manner of people and creatures. To reflect this, the Thieves’ Cant feature not only grants you Thieves’ Cant but an additional language proficiency.

Rogue Subclass — Level 3

Artist: Aurore Folny

Rogue subclasses in the 2024 Player’s Handbook include the Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Soulknife, and Thief. The Assassin and Thief saw the biggest updates, whereas the Arcane Trickster and the Soulknife saw slight tweaks to improve gameplay.

• Arcane Trickster: Magically-inclined Rogues can now swap out a cantrip each time they level up, giving you greater flexibility in your build. Versatile Trickster has also been changed so that when you use the Trip option of Cunning Strike on one enemy, you can target an additional creature within 5 feet of your Mage Hand.
• Assassin: You can now more easily trigger Assassinate and Death Strike, and Assassinate deals extra damage equal to your Rogue level (instead of turning a hit into a Critical Hit), you’re more adept at poisoning and impersonating others, and you can move after using Steady Aim, supporting hit-and-run builds.
• Soulknife: Introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the Soulknife is largely unchanged. Your Psychic Blades now have a range of 60/120 instead of 60/-, they can be used on Opportunity Attacks, and they have the Vex mastery property.
• Thief: The updated Thief can activate magic items that use the Magic action as a Bonus Action and have a unique Cunning Strike option called Stealth Attack that allows you to remain hidden after attacking. Use Magic Device saw the most changes. It now offers you an additional attunement slot, grants a chance to activate magic items without expending charges, and allows you to use Spell Scrolls, no matter your class or spellcasting prowess.

Steady Aim — Level 3

Steady Aim was introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything as an optional class feature that gives the Rogue a reliable way to gain Advantage to trigger Sneak Attack. In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, it is now a standard feature of the class.

Cunning Strike — Level 5

The most exciting new tool in the Rogue’s kit is Cunning Strike. It offers you new ways of utilizing Sneak Attack to cripple enemies or just safely maneuver around the battlefield.

When you deal Sneak Attack damage, you can choose to forgo one or more Sneak Attack damage die to add a Cunning Strike effect to your attack. The DC of your Cunning Strike effects scales off of your Dexterity.

At level 5, you’ll choose up to one of the following Cunning Strike options when you land a Sneak Attack:

• Poison (Cost: 1d6): Put your Poisoner's Kit to good use! With this option, your target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned for 1 minute. They can repeat this save at the end of each of their turns.
• Trip (Cost: 1d6): Stick ‘em with the pointy end and watch them fall (Prone, that is) on a failed Dexterity saving throw. Just make sure your target is Large or smaller before choosing this option.
• Withdraw (Cost: 1d6): Hit-and-run with the Withdraw option. It lets you move up to half your Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks after attacking.

At higher levels, you’ll get additional Cunning Strike options and even get to add two effects to a single Sneak Attack!

Reliable Talent — Level 7

“I rolled a 2, but it’s a 37.”

Reliable Talent all but guarantees you’ll be good at your choice skills, whether that’s sneaking around unlocking every door and chest, or just befriending the neighborhood cats. You’ll recognize the feature from the 2014 Player’s Handbook. However, where the Rogue previously gained this feature at level 11, they now gain it at level 7.

Improved Cunning Strike — Level 11

By level 11, you’re swimming in Sneak Attack damage die. With Improved Cunning Strike, you can put them to good use by stacking each Sneak Attack with two Cunning Strike options instead of one.

Devious Strikes — Level 14

Devious Strikes expands the Rogue’s arsenal of Cunning Strike options with a host of nasty (read: awesome) effects. The following are added to your list of Cunning Strike options:

• Daze (Cost: 2d6): Who says a support build can’t also deal damage? If your target fails a Constitution saving throw, they’ll only get to move or take an action or Bonus Action on their next turn. Frustrating for Dungeon Masters but fantastic for your party.
• Knock Out (Cost: 6d6): Bonk an enemy on the head and render them Unconscious for 1 minute if they fail a Constitution saving throw. They’ll repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, but chances are when they wake up, you’ll have already stolen whatever it was you needed and bounced.
• Obscure (Cost: 3d6): Who needs to slink into the shadow when you can just blind your target? With this Cunning Strike option, your target will need to make a Dexterity saving throw or be Blinded until the end of its next turn.

Blindsense — Level 14

Blindsense is not a feature of the 2024 Rogue. Instead, the class gains Devious Strikes and an upgrade to Slippery Mind at level 15.

Slippery Mind — Level 15

Slippery Mind has received an upgrade. Now your Rogue is cunning not just in tongue but in mind. You gain proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saving throws, instead of just Wisdom saving throws.

Epic Boon — Level 19

Epic Boons are a new type of feat introduced in the revised core ruleset and that are level-locked. At level 19, the Rogue gets their choice of one of the twelve Epic Boon feats found in the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

The following Epic Boon is a recommended option for the Rogue:

• Boon of the Night Spirit: Increase one ability score by 1, up to a maximum of 30. While in Dim Light or Darkness, you have Resistance to all damage except Psychic and Radiant and, as a Bonus Action, you can gain the Invisible condition.

Alternatively, you can pick another, non-Epic Boon feat, at this level.

Stroke of Luck — Level 20

The Rogue’s capstone feature gets two upgrades in the 2024 Player’s Handbook:

• You can now use Stroke of Luck on saving throws.
• When you fail a D20 Test, it turns your roll into a 20. This means a missed attack roll becomes a Critical Hit.

The capstone feature still functions the same with ability checks and still recharges on a Short or Long Rest.

More Tricks for the Cunning Rogue

The 2024 Player’s Handbook is now available on the D&D Beyond marketplace, which means it's time to set out on new adventures with fresh or familiar characters!

The 2024 Rogue sees a variety of new combat options and quality-of-life changes. Now you can blind the big bad who is wailing on your party Wizard, swap between weapons to utilize the best mastery property for the adventuring day, or just more reliably weave in and out of combat when you don’t have a Bonus Action to spare for Cunning Action. Of course, if rolling heaps of Sneak Attack damage is your preferred playstyle, you’ll find class and subclass features that support that strategy.

We’re delighted to share with you the changes to fifth edition D&D that appear in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Make sure to keep an eye out on D&D Beyond for more useful guides on using the wealth of new options, rules, and mechanics found in the 2024 Player's Handbook!

Michael Galvis (@michaelgalvis) is a tabletop content producer for D&D Beyond. He is a longtime Dungeon Master who enjoys horror films and all things fantasy and sci-fi. When he isn’t in the DM’s seat or rolling dice as his anxious halfling sorcerer, he’s playing Helldivers 2 and Magic: The Gathering with his partners. They live together in Los Angeles with their adorable dogs, Quentin and Eliot.

This article was updated on August 13, 2024, to issue corrections or expand coverage for the following features and subclasses:

• Weapon Mastery: Clarified that you need to deal damage with your weapon to apply the Vex mastery property.
• Rogue Subclass (Soulknife): Added that Psychic Blades can now also be used with Opportunity Attacks.
• Rogue Subclass (Assassin): Clarified the damage dealt by Assassinate.
• Rogue Subclass (Thief): Clarified that you can use your Bonus Action to activate magic items that use the Magic action.