Rogue

A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks. The rogue is stealthy and dexterous, and often charming as well. Where other characters have the power to defeat enemies, the rogue has the wit to track them down and lead the team past traps and barriers on the way to that fight.

Culture

Rogues have a reputation for thievery but not all rogues are thieves and in Faerûn they are as often diplomats or envoys as burglars. As a whole, rogues are an enormously diverse group and some are acrobats, spies, or swashbucklers, many with complex motivations driving them, although it would be dishonest to say that the skills of a rogue do not lend themselves well to a thief's lifestyle and thieves guilds are found widely throughout the world, such as the powerful Shadow Thieves. Some are masters of stealth, while others prefer other methods of subterfuge. What rogues share is not any one occupation but rather an affinity for mingling with people and finding or getting into things others would rather leave unfounded or unopened. Rogues of all sorts are resourceful and adaptable, having what might be called a “sixth sense” for avoiding peril, which helps them to get out of the dangerous situations that they often finds themselves in.

Rogues choose their daring lifestyle for a variety of reasons. Typically, rogues are imagined as selfish burglars and assassins whose sole motive is profit. This is not entirely fair but neither is it wholly untrue and most rogues, regardless of their moral standing, hope to earn something from their exploits. Many rogues seek material wealth but others seek fame, or perhaps infamy, and a few are simply daredevils seeking the thrill of a real challenge. Because of these traits, rogues are most typically in opposition to order and tradition, and are therefore wary of lawful-aligned paladins, though rogues in the service of law and order do exist and rogues are equally likely to be found serving good or evil. Many rogues, regardless of motives or morals, worship Beshaba, Cyric, Oghma, Shar, Sune, Tymora, or Waukeen and most of all, Mask.

Thieving rogues are sometimes members of large gangs known as thieves' or assassins' guilds but rogues can come from any number of backgrounds. Most rogues, regardless of their business, are primarily self-taught or learned their skills from a teacher, often a more experienced rogue. These rogues often recruit their students as assistants in various jobs that require their unique skills, from which the younger rogue develops their skills. Partings between the mentor and student are rarely clean and in general, rogues feel little brotherhood unless part of the same guild. In fact, most rogues tend to view eachother with even more suspicion than they do everyone else and most partnerships are short-lived.

Humans are among the best rogues, in large part due to their natural adaptability, which fits the modus operandi of many rogues to a letter. Elves and halflings have, due to their physical agility, perhaps an even greater affinity for the life of a rogue. Among the best rogues are those from the tiefling race, whose cunning and aura of confidence makes them well-suited for the rogue's lifestyle. Half-elves also make good rogues, though to a lesser extent as do dwarves of all kinds and rock gnomes or deep gnomes, all of whom are often renowned for their expert skill with disarming traps or picking locks. Half-orc rogues are not entirely uncommon either, though such individuals tend to focus more on using veiled threats and brute strength rather than stealth. Similarly, there are many rogues to be found amongst the more “savage” humanoids, particularly goblinoids. Eladrin of many kinds are often rogues as well. Regardless of race, rogues are most common in Amn, Calimshan, the Cold Lands, the Dragon Coast, Evermeet, the Great Dale, the Lake of Steam, Narfell, the North, the Shaar, Tashalar, and the Western Heartlands.

Class Features

• Sneak Attack

If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target, she gains a bonus to attack and damage. She is treated as having a base attack bonus equal to her rogue level, and deals +1d6 damage. This damage increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Prestige classes that advance Sneak Attack count as rogue levels when determining her improved base attack bonus. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.

A rogue can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. This ability generally comes into play against creatures who are at least two sizes larger than the rogue and tall. For example, a human rogue could sneak attack an ogre (large), or a remorhaz (huge, long), but not a titan (huge, tall). Some sneak attack variants, like hamstring, might still work (DM's digression). A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

• Stealthmaster (Ex)-A rogue gains a bonus to hide and move silently checks equal to her rogue level.

• Rogue Knack (Ex)-When buying cross-class skills, a rogue only pays one skill point per level. In addition, when making any skill check, she may use ½ her rogue level in place of the number of ranks she has in the skill. She cannot use this ability on a skill which cannot be used untrained if she has no ranks in that skill, and she cannot take 10 or take 20 when using her Rogue Knack.

• Ghost Step (Su)Starting at 2nd level, a rogue can become invisible for 1 round, (as if using the invisibility spell, except the duration is limited). The rogue may use this ability once per day per 2 levels of rogue or other rogue-like class (factotum, spell thief, etc). Using this ability is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

At 8th level the rogue’s Ghost-Step ability improves, and each use lasts for 2 rounds instead of 1. At 14th level, the rogue may use her ghost-step ability to become incorporeal instead of invisible. At 20th level the ability improves again, increasing to 3 rounds per use, and the rogue may use her ghost step ability to enter the ethereal plane as if using the etheral jaunt spell (except the duration is limited).

• AC Int Bonus (Ex) A rogue relies on her wits and cleverness as much as her physical attributes; she can dodge and move about in unexpected ways to avoid blows. Starting at 2nd level, when wearing light or no armor and unencumbered, the rogue adds her Intellect bonus (if any) to her AC, as well as to her rolls to avoid being Grappled, Tripped, Bull Rushed, Overrun, Trampled, or Disarmed. The bonus cannot exceed her rogue leves (so at level 2, the bonus has a max value of +2).

This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when the rogue is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears heavy armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.

• Insightful Strike (Ex) At 3rd level, a rogue can use her Intelligence or Dexterity modifier (choose one; the choice cannot be changed once made) in the place of Strength for attack and damage rolls.

• Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a rogue gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Ref lex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the rogue reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level.

Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

• Spring Attack (EX) At 5th level the rogue gains Spring Attack feat as a bonus feat; she still needs to meet the normal perquisites for the feat. If the rogue does not meet the prerequisites, she does not gain the feat, but if at any point she eventually meets the perquisites, she instantly gains the feat.

If the rogue already has the Spring Attack feat, she may take any feat from the list of fighter bonus feats in it's place.

• Acrobatics (Ex) Starting at 6th level, a rogue gains a +2 bonus on Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. This bonus increases to4 at 12th level and +6 at 18th level.

• Hide in Plain Sight (Ex) At 6th level, a rogue can attempt to use the Hide skill even while being observed. To do so, she must be within her normal movement distance of a source of cover or concealment, and take a full-round action. If she succeeds, she successfully “vanishes” and moves to the hiding spot.

 

• Practiced Poisoner (Ex) At 7th level a rogue has become more adept at using poisons to dispatch her foes. A rogue no longer has any chance to accidentally poison herself when preparing a poison. In addition, the DC of the fortitude save for any poison prepared by the rogue is increased by 2. This bonus increases to +5 at 11th level, and +8 at 18th level.

• Deceive the Blind (Ex) At 9th level, a rogue can hide from creatures with blindsense or blindsight.

• Vanish in Plain Sight (Ex) At 12th level, a rogue can use his Hide in Plain Sight ability as a move action.

Improved Flanking (Ex) A rogue of 12th level or higher who is flanking an opponent gains a +4 bonus on attacks instead of a +2 bonus on attacks. Any creature who is granting a flanking bonus to the rogue also gains this improvement to their own flanking bonus.

• Lucky (Su) Many rogues live by the credo “better lucky than good”. Once per day, plus an additional number of times equal to your Charisma bonus, if any, a rogue of 12th level or higher may re-roll any failed attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw. The character may take whichever roll has the higher result.

After using this ability you must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again.

• Ghost Mind (Su) At 13th level, a rogue gains a special resistance to spells of the Divination school. She gains a bonus to her Spell Resistance against Divination spells and their effects equal to her Intelligence modifier.

• Hide in the Light (Ex) At 17th level, a rogue’s mastery of stealth is almost supernatural. He can remain hidden for a number of rounds equal to his Intelligence modifier without needing cover. After the duration expires, he becomes visible. The countdown resets if he enters cover or concealment without being noticed.

• Ghost Sight (Su) At 17th level and higher, a rogue can see invisible and ethereal creatures as easily as she sees material creatures and objects.

• Trap Master(Ex) At 18th level, a rogues ability to avoid traps has reached legendary heights. The rogue is never treated as a valid target for attacks or spells made by traps, as if he had total cover from the trap and the trap did not have line of sight or line of effect to him.

Wounding Critical (Ex) A rogue of 19th level or higher who scores a critical hit against a creature also deals 2 points of constitution damage to the creature (this damage is in addition to the damage dealt by the rogue’s weakening critical class feature). Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this effect.