Thorn

A Thorn is a rogue who usually has some score to settle, some vendetta to conclude, or perhaps they simply have nothing left at all, but thirst for combat and death. Whatever their motivations, they are venomous and tenacious, like a thorn that pierces flesh.

They are trained to be studious in combat, able to read their opponents to judge weaknesses, both physical and mental. They carry knowledge of herbalism, knowing which plants and reagents to combine to make inhibiting and sometimes deadly weapon and imbibed poisons. 

The threat of a thorn is constant to those who neglect to see past the rose.

 

Poisoncraft

When you choose this archetype at level 3, you gain proficiency in the Nature skill, as well as with Herbalism kits, if you aren't proficient with them already. You can also craft weapon poisons.

By spending at least 10 minutes foraging an area, you can find enough ingredients and reagents to craft a weapon poison. An area may not have enough materials to forage to make a poison, per DM discretion. Weapon poison takes 60 minutes for the combined ingredients to activate, and must be contained in an air-tight vessel. Unopened poisons last for up to 5 days, and opened poisons lose their potency in 10 minutes, in normal conditions. Poisons are viscous oils, and are not washed off by low pressure water. One standard potion bottle has enough volume to hold one dose of weapon poison. Poison DCs are determined by the rogue's Intelligence modifier.

Applying poison takes one whole round, in which time the rogue can coat one slashing or piercing melee weapon, or up to 6 pieces of ammunition.

The following poison options are available to be crafted:

• Sickening: If the target struck by a poisoned weapon fails its Constitution saving throw, it gains the poisoned condition for 1 minute. The target can make a new saving throw against the poison at the end of each of its turns. Once it makes a save, it cannot be affected by this poison effect until after 24 hours have passed.
  • The rogue has a 100% success rate when making this poison.
• Debilitating: If the target fails its Constitution saving throw, it is stunned for 1 round, and then poisoned for the next minute. The target can make a new saving throw against the poison at the end of each of its turns. Once it makes a save, it cannot be affected by this poison effect until after 24 hours have passed. 
  • The rogue has a 75% success rate when making this poison. 
• Afflicting:  Attacks deal an additional 1d8 poison damage.
  • The rogue has a 75% success rate when making this poison.
• Apoptotic: Melee weapon attacks deal an additional 1d8 poison damage, and if the target fails its Constitution saving throw, it gains the poisoned condition for the next minute. The target can make a new saving throw against the poison at the end of each of its turns. Once it makes a save, it cannot be affected by this poison effect until after 24 hours have passed.
  • The rogue has a 30% success rate when making this poison.
• Paralytic: If the struck target is below 50% of its maximum hit points, it must succeed a Constitution saving throw, or become paralyzed for the next minute. The target can make a new saving throw against the poison at the end of each of its turns. Once it makes a save, it cannot be affected by this poison effect until after 24 hours have passed.
  • The rogue has a 20% success rate when making this poison.

At 8th, 13th, and 18th levels, the success rate of each poison increases by 10%.

Thorn's Tenacity

Starting at 3rd level, you learn to take advantage of openings in battle, sticking to your foes like a thorn.

When a ranged attack misses you, or if you succeed a saving throw against a spell or magical effect, you can spend a reaction to move up to half your movement speed toward the creature it originated from. You must be able to see the creature. If you reach the target in this movement, you can make one melee attack with advantage against it as part of the reaction.

Surveil

Starting at 9th level, your exposure in negotiations or combat situations has trained you to look for cues that hint at a creatures strengths and weaknesses. 

As an action, you can study one creature you can see. As long as you focus on them, you gain the following benefits against them:

• +1 to attack rolls, damage rolls, and AC
• Advantage on Insight checks, Nature checks, and Survival checks made to track 

These benefits are lost if you become unconscious, or if you lose sight of the creature for more than 24 hours.

At 13th level, you can study two creatures at a time and the bonuses increase to +2. At 17th level, you can study three creatures at a time and the bonuses increase to +3.

Venomblade

At 13th level, you learn to replace the physical trauma of weapon damage with the internal destruction of your super-potent poisons.

Whenever you make a sneak attack while your weapon is coated in one of your crafted weapon poisons, your sneak attack damage is replaced with poison damage, and the target has disadvantage on their Constitution saving throw to resist any additional effects.

Venomblood

When you reach 17th level, your very blood becomes poison, granting you immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

When you are struck by a melee weapon,  your blood sprays on the attacker, and it must succeed at a Constitution saving throw or gain the poisoned condition for the next minute. It may make a new save at the end of each of its turns. If a creature saves against this effect, it cannot be affected by it again for the next 24 hours.

Finally, by using your own blood when crafting poisons, you can increase your success rate by an additional 20%, and the activation length is shortened from 60 minutes to 1 action. Making the poison still requires other reagents and a vessel, and doing so deals 1d12 + your level in damage.