An iconic role within a party of adventurers, the Rogue works as the skulking, shadow-lurking silencers, able to deal with single targets with mass-amounts of damage done in a clean strike. They’re also known for being an interesting aspect when it comes to playing a role within a party. The rogue is often cunning, charismatic, and able to do things not many else can do. In Dungeons and Dragons, Fifth Edition, they are given plenty of skills and features made for exposing weaknesses and finding abstract solutions to problems that’d face a traditional martial class. They are perfect for a new player, especially one who will be leaning towards the character dynamics of being a player for 5e.
To begin with, Rogues get plenty of proficiencies, across all matters of importance. They gain proficiency in weapons that are classified as simple, as well as, strangely enough, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, and shortswords. There’d be no need to gain martial class bonuses thanks to this menagerie of weapon skills. They are also given proficiency in light armour, which compliments their high dexterity and need for stealth. Any higher and a core mechanic to their character becomes broadly underutilised. They get a d8 as their hit dice, and also are able to have four skill proficiencies. Out of the options, the best ones to pick are;
- Acrobatics
- Deception
- Sleight of Hand
- Stealth
When considering expertise, the two skills above to prioritise are sleight of hand and stealth, they make up the core mechanics of a rogue in a D&D campaign. For the other two, giving them expertise would be beneficial, but also, the skills found in your background can be rather helpful
The core feature to being a rogue in 5e is known as Sneak Attack. This feature requires some preparations before it can be used effectively, being that you’ll need advantage on your attack rolls before you can use your sneak attack. To put it simply, Sneak Attack is the crutch to playing as an offensive rogue. It scales with your level as a rogue, only getting more powerful with each level-up. Sneak Attack is a boost of damage done when hitting an opponent when you have advantage. At 1st level, it is a mere 1d6 boost, whereas at 20th level it becomes an incredible 10d6 bonus of flat damage. This damage can be caused every turn in combat, not round, and bypasses all resistances and immunities. It’s an incredible asset to the rogue.
Other assets that can be found for the rogue include the situational proficiency in the language Thieves Cant, capable of understanding the secret meanings in phrases and symbols found in urban areas. Cunning action, at second level, allows for a rogue to dash, hide, or disengage as a bonus action, the second of the three being crucial towards having a successful sneak attack.
When it comes to taking the ability score improvements as a rogue, the best abilities to focus on are Dexterity, Intelligence, and Constitution. Rogues make for the best classes for a hybrid of combat and character, and so I’d advise on having a mix of feats and ASIs, when given the choice.
The more advanced features for a rogue include the likes of Uncanny Dodge, using your reaction to half the damage taken from an attack that is dealing damage to you, a very powerful feature that can still be considered on par with the 7th level feature Evasion. Evasion allows for a successful save against an area of effect, requiring a dexterity saving throw to become even more efficient. A successful save allows for you to not take any damage, at all, whereas a fail would only cause half of the damage to actually hurt your character.
At 11th level, reaching the higher reaches of a rogue, the feature Reliable Talent allows for any check made with a skill that you are proficient in to have a minimum roll of 9, and when including things like expertise and proficiency, this may become a minimum of 15 and beyond. Truly, Rogues exhibit the idea of a roleplaying character. The rest of the features, minus the last two, are rather simple and weak compared to the previously mentioned aspects of a rogue. Blindsense gives blindsight at a 10 feet range, which can be seen as trivial at such a high level, as well as Slippery Mind, giving a proficiency in Wisdom saving throws, at 14th and 15th level rogue respectively.
As for the last two features, Elusive allows for a lack of advantage on attacks against you, a rather powerful feature by Level 18, cementing the rogue as a hard hitter, who is hard to hit. Lastly, Stroke of Luck allows for rolls to be corrected to a 20, once per short rest, coming in very handy when it comes to checks that can make or break a plan, or the game as a whole. This also applies to attack rolls.
Overall, the Rogue Class makes itself clear to all that it is a hybrid class, not between any other two classes but instead between class archetypes, of combat and character. A perfect fusion, Rogues make for potentially the most interesting characters within a campaign.
The recommended class-race pairing for a rogue is the Satyr. A fey race, the Satyr is given boosts to their charisma and dexterity, and bolster a resistance to magical effects. They gain new skills just for being a Satyr, too. They make for fun, mobile characters and are rather underutilised across all of 5e. The order of importance for abilities, as a rogue, is;
- Dexterity
- Constitution
- Intelligence
- Wisdom
- Charisma
- Strength
To conclude, the Rogue is a light-footed warrior, capable of doing single actions that wipe out an individual in a clean manner, compared to the traditional, horde-slaying aesthetics of a fighter or barbarian. Mobile and nimble, they are a perfect option for new players.
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