Needle Inquisitor

Subclass Features Overview

Rogue Level	Feature
3rd	Needlecraft & Interrogator's Art, Meridian Pinning
6th	Cruel Acupressure
10th	Synaptic Cunning (Cunning Strike Upgrades)
14th	Thousand Meridian Collapse

Level 3: Needlecraft & Interrogator's Art

You master the crafting, concealment, and anatomical placement of specialized inquisitorial needles:

• Inquisitor's Needles: You gain proficiency with Darts and Poisoner's Kits, and you treat Darts as light melee weapons (1d4 Piercing) with the Finesse and Nick properties in addition to their standard weapon properties. You can easily conceal up to 20 needles on your person; checks made to search you for them suffer Disadvantage.

• Anatomical Insight: You gain proficiency in Medicine and Intimidation. If you already have proficiency in either skill, you gain Expertise in it instead.

• Interrogation: You have Advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) and Wisdom (Insight) checks made against any creature currently afflicted by one of your embedded needles or suffering from a condition (Frightened, Poisoned, Restrained, etc.).

Level 3: Meridian Pinning

You know precisely which nerve clusters to target to lock down a target's body. When you hit a creature with an attack using a Piercing weapon (such as a needle, dart, dagger, or rapier) and deal Sneak Attack damage, you can embed a pin directly into the target's nerve meridian.

The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Pin DC.

Pin DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier (your choice)

On a failed save, you choose one of the following nerve-block effects to afflict the target until the start of your next turn:

• Motor Pin: The target's Speed drops to 0, and it cannot take Reactions.

• Vocal Pin: The target is unable to speak or cast spells that require Vocal (V) components.

• Agony Pin: The target becomes Frightened of you. The first time it moves or makes an attack on its turn, it takes extra Psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier + Proficiency Bonus.

Uses: You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. Alternatively, you can sacrifice 1d6 of your Sneak Attack damage to use this feature without expending a charge.

Level 6: Cruel Acupressure

Your control over embedded needles allows you to exploit your target's agony from a distance:

• Twist the Pin: When an enemy within 60 feet who is currently affected by your Meridian Pinning or a Cunning Strike condition attempts to make an attack roll or cast a spell, you can use your Reaction to mentally or telekinetically twist the embedded needle. The target takes Piercing damage equal to your Rogue level + Intelligence modifier and suffers Disadvantage on that attack roll or spell casting check.

• Needle Retrieval: When you kill a target, you can automatically retrieve any thrown needles or darts embedded in them without spending an action, pulling them back to your hand via subtle thread wire or precise momentum.

Level 10: Synaptic Cunning

Your anatomical mastery enhances your 2024 Cunning Strike feature, allowing you to spend Sneak Attack dice to inflict crippling nervous system strikes:

• Synaptic Lock (Cost: 2d6): You drive a needle into the brainstem. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Pin DC. On a failure, the target is Stunned until the start of your next turn.

• Nerve Shock (Cost: 1d6): You pierce a major pain receptor. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Pin DC. On a failure, the target is Poisoned by sheer agony for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the target drops whatever it is holding and has its Speed halved. The target can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Level 14: Thousand Meridian Collapse

You can drive a master needle into a creature's fatal meridian point, causing its entire physical body to shut down under overwhelming nerve trauma.

When you hit a creature with a Sneak Attack using a needle or piercing weapon, you can trigger a catastrophic nervous breakdown. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Pin DC. On a failed save, the creature suffers the following effects for 1 minute:

• The target falls Prone and is Incapacitated as its muscles lock up in complete paralysis.

• Any melee attack made against the target by you or an ally within 5 feet of it is automatically a Critical Hit.

• The target takes Psychic damage equal to your Rogue level at the start of each of its turns as its central nervous system overloads.

• The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a Long Rest, unless you expend 4d6 of your Sneak Attack damage on a subsequent Sneak Attack to trigger it again.

Needlecraft & Interrogator's Art

You master the crafting, concealment, and anatomical placement of specialized inquisitorial needles:

• Inquisitor's Needles: You gain proficiency with Darts and Poisoner's Kits, and you treat Darts as light melee weapons (1d4 Piercing) with the Finesse and Nick properties in addition to their standard weapon properties. You can easily conceal up to 20 needles on your person; checks made to search you for them suffer Disadvantage.

• Anatomical Insight: You gain proficiency in Medicine and Intimidation. If you already have proficiency in either skill, you gain Expertise in it instead.

• Interrogation: You have Advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) and Wisdom (Insight) checks made against any creature currently afflicted by one of your embedded needles or suffering from a condition (Frightened, Poisoned, Restrained, etc.).

Anatomical Insight Expertise

If you already have proficiency in either skill, you gain Expertise in it instead.

Meridian Pinning

You know precisely which nerve clusters to target to lock down a target's body. When you hit a creature with an attack using a Piercing weapon (such as a needle, dart, dagger, or rapier) and deal Sneak Attack damage, you can embed a pin directly into the target's nerve meridian.

The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Pin DC.

Pin DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier (your choice)

On a failed save, you choose one of the following nerve-block effects to afflict the target until the start of your next turn:

• Motor Pin: The target's Speed drops to 0, and it cannot take Reactions.

• Vocal Pin: The target is unable to speak or cast spells that require Vocal (V) components.

• Agony Pin: The target becomes Frightened of you. The first time it moves or makes an attack on its turn, it takes extra Psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier + Proficiency Bonus.

Uses: You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. Alternatively, you can sacrifice 1d6 of your Sneak Attack damage to use this feature without expending a charge.

Cruel Acupressure

Your control over embedded needles allows you to exploit your target's agony from a distance:

• Twist the Pin: When an enemy within 60 feet who is currently affected by your Meridian Pinning or a Cunning Strike condition attempts to make an attack roll or cast a spell, you can use your Reaction to mentally or telekinetically twist the embedded needle. The target takes Piercing damage equal to your Rogue level + Intelligence modifier and suffers Disadvantage on that attack roll or spell casting check. Furthermore, if the target is frightened of you, you gain advantage on your next attack against it.

• Needle Retrieval: When a target dies, you can automatically retrieve any thrown needles or darts embedded in them without spending an action, pulling them back to your hand via subtle thread wire or precise momentum.

Thousand Meridian Collapse

You can drive a master needle into a creature's fatal meridian point, causing its entire physical body to shut down under overwhelming nerve trauma.

When you hit a creature with a Sneak Attack using a needle or piercing weapon, you can trigger a catastrophic nervous breakdown. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Pin DC. On a failed save, the creature suffers the following effects for 1 minute:

• The target falls Prone and is Incapacitated as its muscles lock up in complete paralysis.

• Any melee attack made against the target by you or an ally within 5 feet of it is automatically a Critical Hit.

• The target takes Psychic damage equal to your Rogue level at the start of each of its turns as its central nervous system overloads.

• The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a Long Rest, unless you expend 4d6 of your Sneak Attack damage on a subsequent Sneak Attack to trigger it again.