Base Class: Rogue
You are less concerned with stealth than most of your other Rogue contemporaries, but that doesn't mean you're any less useful in or outside of a fight! When you select this Roguish Archtype, you are forfeiting the benefit from the Sneak Attack feature, and replacing it with a new Feature. This new Feature allows you to stack additional damage dice for every consecutive blow you land. This adds an interesting twist on the current meta's emphasis on martial builds rushing to access Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter, or Polearm Master for the weaponized Bonus Action, as fighting with a weapon in each hand is a powerful feature of this unique Archtype.
Popular examples of this Archetype are Little John from the classic tale of Robin Hood, Letho of Gulet from Witcher 2, or Drax the Destroyer from Marvel's comics and films.
Special Note: At level 5, you gain the Extra Attack Feature. It won't let me publish the class if I include that mechanically.
One More Again!
When you take this Roguish Archtype at level 3, this Feature replaces Sneak Attack. In lieu of Sneak Attack, you now gain the following benefits whenever you make Attacks during your turn:
Each consecutive blow you land in each individual turn you make does additional damage, based on the weapon used to make each attack. Each consecutive successful attack adds an additional damage die to the attack's damage calculation. The first successful attack's damage is 1dx, the second successful attack is 2dx, the third, 3dx, etc. For example, attacking and hitting with a Shortsword a second time in one turn elevates the damage roll for the second hit, increasing it to 2d6; a Flail's third successful attack yields 3d8. This feature continues to add one additional damage die if you gain the ability to make three or even four attacks as you gain levels in this class! All other modifiers are applied as usual, and this even functions if you have the ability to make a weapon attack as a Bonus Action.
For game balance reasons, this Feature only takes effect when you are using Features from your Rogue Class. That is to say this Feature does not stack with Spells or Features from other classes that grant additional attacks, such as Action Surge from the Fighter class or the Haste Spell; those attacks' damage die are the standard calculations for each weapon. Another clarification regarding missed Attack Rolls: assuming you are able to make three attacks in your turn and you miss the second attack but hit with the first and third, the third attack only adds one additional damage die as it only counts as the second hit.
Bonus Proficiencies
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Medium armor, Flails, Morningstars, and Battleaxes. Cutthroats that prefer to use their brawn over their flexibility enjoy the benefit of sporting thicker armor, and add a few additional weapon proficiencies.
Fighting Style
At third level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Thrown Weapon Fighting
You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.
In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Unarmed Fighting
Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren’t wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.
At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you.
Square Up
Starting at 9th level, your experience has taught you how to make the most out of your ability to intimidate foes.
You gain Proficiency in the Intimidation Skill if you don't already have it, and you can choose to use your Strength or Charisma as the base ability for your Intimidation Checks.
Once per day, you can take a Free Action to Intimidate a Creature you can see within your melee range. The DC for this Intimidation Check is equal to 8 plus your Intimidation skill modifier. If the target creature fails, it has Disadvantage on Initiative rolls for the next ten minutes, Disadvantage on Attack rolls targeting you until the end of your next turn, and if the target chooses to attack a creature other than you before the end of your next turn, you can use your Reaction to make an Attack against it.
An Attack roll that you make as part of Square Up does not count toward adding damage dice with your "One More Again" Feature.
Extra Attack (2)
Beginning at 13th level, you can attack three times, instead of twice, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
... You Best not Miss
At 17th level you gain this Feature, which upgrades the Square Up Feature with the following benefits:
- Square Up now regenerates on a Short Rest, as opposed to a Long Rest
- You can now use your Reaction to Attack the Intimidated target if make any Attack that does not hit you, including an attack that targeted you and missed
- The Attack you make with Square Up's Reaction now stacks with the One More Again Feature
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Posted Jan 13, 2022If anyone was curious, I did some testing about how this stacks up against standard Rogues in terms of damage output. I tested at various levels: 3, 5, 9, and 13. Here's the basics for how each build played out:
Generic Rogue with Sneak Attack:
Cutthroat Rogue:
For each round of testing at levels 3, 5, 9, and 13 the two Rogues both used their Actions and Bonus Actions (where appropriate) to attack a generic, level appropriate target. Whichever Rogue did more damage in each round earned one point. Here's how the testing played out:
---lvl 3---
Target has 12 AC
Standard: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII
Cutthroat: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII
So the standard Sneak Attacking Rogue scored better damage on 30 of the 50 turns.
---lvl 5---
Target AC 14
Standard: IIIII IIIII IIIII III
Cutthroat: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII II
Cutthroat rallies once it begins attacking 3 times per turn, winning 32 of the 50 rounds.
---lvl 9---
Target AC 16
Standard: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII I
Cutthroat: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIII
Things balance out nicely once the standard Rogue is reliably getting its Sneak Attack damage now that it attacks twice per turn
---lvl 13---
Target AC 18
Note: Cutthroat hit for 82 damage in one turn. All 4 attacks hit, with the 3rd being a crit
Standard: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII
Cutthroat: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII
As we can see, things balanced out quite nicely by the end. Both sub classes are power houses once they are reliably landing Sneak Attack or 3 hits per turn. In general, the standard Sneak Attack was more consistent, but the Cutthroat hits like a TRUCK when it lands 3 or 4 attacks in a turn.