Rogue
Rogues rely on skill, stealth, and their foes' vulnerabilities to get the upper hand in any situation. They have a knack for finding the solution to just about any problem, demonstrating a resourcefulness and versatility that is the cornerstone of any successful adventuring party.
Not every member of the rogue's trade lurks in shadows slitting throats. Cunning, adaptable, and skilled, rogues apply their talents to a wide variety of endeavors. Spies, investigators, thieves, performers, diplomats — all may follow this path. What unites them is the ability to read a situation, exploit an opening, and vanish before anyone knows what happened.
Some rogues excel at moving unseen through the city's back alleys, others talk their way into fortresses, and still others channel arcane power or commune with the dead. Whatever their specialty, rogues thrive in the space between plans and improvisation, between shadow and light.
Building a Rogue
Hit Dice. \(1d8\) per rogue level.
Proficiencies
Armor. You gain proficiency with light armor.
Weapons. You gain proficiency with simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, and shortswords.
Tools. Thieves' tools.
Skills. Choose four from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth.
Saving Throws. Dexterity and Intelligence are your saving throw proficiencies.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment:
- A rapier or a shortsword,
- a shortbow and 20 arrows or a shortsword,
- a burglar's pack, dungeoneer's pack, or explorer's pack,
- leather armor, two daggers, and thieves' tools.
Rogue Table:
| Level | Class Features Gained | Proficiency Bonus | Sneak Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Expertise (2 skills), Sneak Attack, Thieves' Cant | +2 | \(1d6\) |
| 2nd | Cunning Action | +2 | \(1d6\) |
| 3rd | Choose Rogue Subclass | +2 | \(2d6\) |
| 4th | Obtain Feat | +2 | \(2d6\) |
| 5th | Uncanny Dodge | +3 | \(3d6\) |
| 6th | Expertise (2 more skills) | +3 | \(3d6\) |
| 7th | Evasion | +3 | \(4d6\) |
| 8th | Obtain Feat | +3 | \(4d6\) |
| 9th | Subclass Feature | +4 | \(5d6\) |
| 10th | Obtain Feat | +4 | \(5d6\) |
| 11th | Reliable Talent | +4 | \(6d6\) |
| 12th | Obtain Feat | +4 | \(6d6\) |
| 13th | Subclass Feature | +5 | \(7d6\) |
| 14th | Blindsense | +5 | \(7d6\) |
| 15th | Slippery Mind | +5 | \(8d6\) |
| 16th | Obtain Feat | +5 | \(8d6\) |
| 17th | Subclass Feature | +6 | \(9d6\) |
| 18th | Elusive | +6 | \(9d6\) |
| 19th | Obtain Feat | +6 | \(10d6\) |
| 20th | Stroke of Luck | +6 | \(10d6\) |
Subclasses
At 3rd level, you choose a specialty that defines your style and methods: Arcane Trickster, Inquisitive, Mastermind, Phantom, Scout, Soulknife, Swashbuckler, Thief, Assassin. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.
Class Features
Expertise
At 1st level, choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with thieves' tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 6th level, you can choose two more of your proficiencies — in skills or with thieves' tools — to gain this benefit.
Sneak Attack
Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike precisely and exploit a moment of distraction. Once per turn, you can deal extra damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
The amount of extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue Table.
Thieves' Cant
During your rogue training, you learned a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that knows Thieves' Cant understands such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such a message this way than it does to speak the same idea plainly.
In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is safe, whether it has been claimed by a guild, or whether a lucrative target is nearby.
Cunning Action
Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Uncanny Dodge
Starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.
Evasion
Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Reliable Talent
By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Blindsense
Starting at 14th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.
Slippery Mind
By 15th level, you have acquired greater mental fortitude. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
Elusive
Beginning at 18th level, you are so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has advantage against you while you aren't incapacitated.
Stroke of Luck
At 20th level, you have an uncanny knack for succeeding when you need to. Once between rests, you can turn a failed ability check into a success by treating it as though you rolled a 20 on the d20. Alternatively, if you miss with an attack roll, you can treat the roll as a hit instead.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.