Rogues include people who work as thieves, gamblers, diplomats, bandits, bounty hunters, explorers, and detectives, among numerous more occupations that require cunning, skill, or luck.
Many rogues like the cities and the countless opportunities of civilization, but some relish lives on the road, traveling far, encountering unusual people, and enduring incredible peril in search of incredible wealth.
Rogues typically shy away from confrontation in favor of sneaking up on someone and catching them off guard. Since different rogues have a wide range of experience, their unique skills and abilities allow them to be quite flexible.
The majority, though, are excellent at getting past obstacles of all kinds, from opening doors and disarming traps to dodging magical dangers and tricking those who lack common sense.
In the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, rogues can choose from up to nine official subclasses to expand their tool kit. With so many choices, it can be daunting to pick the right one for you.
Lucky for you, we’ll make things easier by explaining the pros and cons of every subclass, ranking them according to their overall versatility and power.
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that every table is different, and that particular adventures might favor a particular playstyle over another, thus drastically affecting every class’s usefulness.
9. Mastermind
The Mastermind archetype is less common than others because it begins out by giving you a lot of skills that can also be acquired through a combination of backgrounds and feats.
As a bonus action, you can use the Help action, which isn't horrible but ranks rather low among the valuable things that Rogues can also accomplish with a bonus action. Many rogues are useful at everything while also being good at things like infiltration and disguise.
Outside of a highly social campaign, the Mastermind is going to struggle compared to other rogues.
Why the Mastermind is Ok:
- The majority of the higher-level skills are most useful in intrigue campaigns.
- With the proper build, you can become a peerless dungeon crawler.
Mastermind details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:mastermind
8. Inquisitive
You may see things quite clearly if you have the Inquisitive archetype.
It allows you to sense magic that is intended to deceive your senses and grants you numerous benefits to your insight, perception, and investigation skills.
The only other power you possess is the chance to gain a minute's worth of free sneak attacks against a monster if your Insight roll surpasses their Deception roll.
Why the Inquisitive is Ok:
- This is the best way to increase your insight and perception skills. No one could ever compete with the Inquisitive's skills of perception when combined with Expertise.
- It’s a neat concept, but it needs more things to do once you guarantee your next sneak attack.
Inquisitive details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:inquisitive
7. Assassin
The assassin has everything you might expect from its name.
It gives you the ability to penetrate locations through impersonation and cause a lot of damage to those who aren't expecting it, which are two things that are quite characteristically Rogue-like.
Assassins excel at two tasks: assassination and infiltration. The assassin is the best choice if you want to enter locations secretly or simply kill individuals. However, they are limited in their ability to handle circumstances that fall outside of their area of expertise.
Why the Assassin is ok:
- This subclass has a weird split, half of their features focus on initiating combat while the other half requires you to avoid it.
- They are amazing at taking out foes at the beginning of a fight with their assassinate feature, but beyond that, they are standard rogues.
Assassin details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:assassin
6. Swashbuckler
You can duel opponents one-on-one, take turns more quickly, and taunt individuals.
For a rogue, having an additional sneak attack technique is usually a good idea, but whether you use it depends on the kinds of encounters your game master prefers to design.
The Swashbuckler urges you to invest in Charisma and play a Face in addition to their outstanding combat skills, allowing the Swashbuckler Rogue to excel in both battle and social settings. You can be just as effective in exploring situations as other rogues if you diversify your skill set.
Why the Swashbuckler is good:
- With hit-and-run tactics, you can stay in the fray longer as it encourages you to face your enemies head-on.
- Few classes can shine in combat, social interactions, and exploration. The swashbuckler is one of them.
- Sneak attack, the rogue’s defining feature, becomes nigh permanent for you.
Swashbuckler details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:swashbuckler
5. Scout
Concerning Nature and Survival, Scouts easily outperform Rangers, yet they lack the genuine Ranger flair.
It's difficult to imagine a better approach to creating a rogue that uses a bow if you want to play a rogue in a wilderness game.
While your teammates divert the attention of the enemy long enough for you to launch a Sneak Attack on them, the Scout successfully keeps you at a comfortable distance and safely out of attack range.
Why the Scout is Good:
- This is a great choice for a ranged rogue, leaning heavily on your skirmisher tool kit.
- In a wilderness exploration game, you can nicely fill the shoes of a guide, a scout, a watchman, and anything your party might require.
- Unlike other combat-oriented classes, you can be fairly effective in combat while bringing a lot to the table in the exploration department.
Scout details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:scout
4. Phantom
The Phantom is well titled since this subclass is capable of becoming a ghost. They are a dangerous addition to your team because they can deal necrotic damage in addition to basic melee damage.
The Phantom's collection of Soul Trinkets is their most inventive and intriguing mechanic. By accumulating trinkets when nearby creatures die and using them for additional harm or to converse with the dead, these trinkets enable the Phantom to power its most intriguing features.
Why the Phantom is Good:
- You get access to magical abilities without dealing with the complexities of spell-casting.
- From information gathering to spooking out the rest of the table, you get a unique ability set.
- With the option of dealing necrotic damage, you can bypass non-magical resistances when dealing with difficult foes.
Phantom details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:phantom
3. Soul knife
A psionics-based choice for the rogue is the Soulknife. The use of Psionic Energy dice to choose how you use your powers is what distinguishes this subclass from others.
These dice rolls have the advantage of being low risk compared to other rolls, and you can save the better ones to use later.
The trait that characterizes this subclass is Psychic Blades. It gives you the ability to employ your weapons in both melee and ranged combat, which is, to put it mildly, a useful combat skill.
Why the soulknife is Great:
- With how safe it is to spend your psionic energy, the soulknife is a low-risk, high reward gambler.
- Your psionic blades are a reliable source of damage, allowing you to bypass resistances and never be unarmed.
- Like the phantom, you also get access to magical abilities without dealing with the complexities of spell-casting.
Soulknife details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:soulknife
2. Thief
The Thief is the classic Rogue, but that doesn't mean it's monotonous. A Thief is dependable and exceptionally good at the jobs you most often associate with Rogues.
Players that want to play a true rogue, complete with all the theft, pickpocketing, lockpicking, and backstabbing available, should choose this subclass. Even though it isn't the finest in battle, it perfectly captures why the majority of players want to play a rogue.
Why the thief is Great:
- Thieves get access to extra mobility features, fast disarming skills, and extra proficiencies. They become 4 x 4 rogues who excel at any given task.
- With fast hands, you get plenty more choices to dominate the action economy.
- Simply put, it solidifies the rogues’ role as the skill-monkey, letting you get away with incredibly difficult accomplishments.
Thief details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:thief
1. Arcane Trickster
The Arcane Trickster gives the Rogue magic. The Arcane Trickster has access to amazing utility and deception choices with enchantment and illusion spells, as well as strong offensive magic abilities.
Rogue classes are transformed into "half-casters" by this archetype. In essence, it gives you the ability to cast a few spells in addition to your standard rogue skills.
A few more skills are also available, such as the ability to ambush foes with spells and an invisible Mage Hand that allows you to steal from a distance. However, the spells are the biggest advantage.
Why Arcane Trickster is Great:
- Illusion spells and Find Familiar can be exploited to allow you to sneak attack every turn.
- You can use a limited form of invisible telekinesis that can interact with traps, locks, and other creatures from afar.
- As you grow in power, mages fear your ability to turn their spells back at them!
Arcane trickster details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/rogue:arcane-trickster
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