What do rogues use

Roguish Archetype At 3rd Level , you choose an archetype that you emulate in the exercise of your rogue Abilities , such as Thief. Your archetype choice grants you features at 3rd Level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level. Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th Level , and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two Ability Scores of your choice by 1. 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 an Ice Storm 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 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 Strength.

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. If your Attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat The D20 roll as a Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or Long Rest.

Roguish Archetypes Rogues have many features in Common , including their emphasis on perfecting their Skills , their precise and deadly approach to Combat , and their increasingly quick reflexes. But different rogues steer those talents in varying Directions , embodied by the rogue archetypes.

Your choice of archetype is a reflection of your focus—not necessarily an indication of your chosen profession, but a description of your preferred Techniques. Thief You hone your Skills in the larcenous arts. Second-Story Work When you choose this archetype at 3rd Level , you gain the ability to climb faster than normal; climbing no longer costs you extra Movement.

In addition, when you make a running jump, the distance you cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Dexterity modifier. Supreme Sneak Starting at 9th level, you have advantage on a Dexterity Stealth check if you move no more than half your speed on the same turn.

Use Magic Device By 13th level, you have learned enough about the workings of magic that you can improvise the use of items even when they are not intended for you. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. Hit Points : 1d8 hit points is dangerous if you go into melee alone, so be sure to have a nice tanky ally nearby and a healer waiting in the wings. Saves : Dexterity saves will protect you from things like fireballs, and Intelligence saves also exist I suppose.

Evasion further improves your Dexterity saves. Expertise : Rogues are truly the master of skills. Pick skills which fit the theme and style of your campaign and your character well. You can only use it once per turn, which is disappointing for two-weapon fighting builds, but once per turn is plenty.

Cunning Action : This is a fantastic option for bringing your Sneak Attack into play. Archers can use Hide to stay hidden between attacks, and melee Rogues can use Dash and Disengage to move around the battlefield safely and quickly. Roguish Archetype : Rogue subclasses are briefly summarized below. See my Rogue Subclasses Breakdown for help selecting your subclass. Uncanny Dodge : If you only draw a handful of attacks this can prevent a huge amount of damage.

Elusive : Between this, Uncanny Dodge, and Evasion you are very difficult to kill. These rules are optional, and you should not assume that your DM will allow these features without consulting them first. Assessments and suggestions for specific Optional Class Features are presented here, but for more information on handling Optional Class Features in general, see my Practical Guide to Optional Class Features. Steady Aim Addition : Nowhere to hide? Nowhere to run? No shenanigans to get easy access to Sneak Attack?

Steady Aim is your answer. For a new player or players who struggle with game mechanics this can be a helpful crutch, but for experienced players who are comfortable with the rules, this is basically an on-switch for easy mode.

Dexterity is key for any Rogue, and Intelligence is important for Arcane Tricksters, but your need for Wisdom and Charisma depend largely on your choice of skills and role in the party. Str : Typically your dump stat. Nothing that a typical Rogue does uses Strength.

Dex : Rogues run on Dexterity. They add to you skills, your tools, your attacks, your damage, your AC, and your best save. Con : Hit points are always important, especially for melee Rogues. I nt : Arcane Tricksters need Intelligence for their spells, but other Rogues only need it for Investigation. Wis : Helpful for Insight and Perception, but otherwise useless.

Dexterity bonuses are critical, and Darkvision is fantastic for sneaking around in the dark. Access to better weapons like heavy crossbows, racial traits like flight, innate spellcasting, and damage resistances can all be excellent assets and with such simple requirements you have lots of room to explore racial traits which go beyond ability score increases. Note that setting-specific races like the Changeling and the Satyr are addressed in setting-specific sections, below.

Default Rules : Fantastic for an archer Rogue. Flying makes getting places much easier, especially where things like walls are an issue, and it keeps you out of range of enemies. Bonus Dexterity is also nice. Transformation is still the big reason to play the Aasimar. Default Rules : Two damage resistances, Darkvision, and some innate spellcasting are neat, but without a Dexterity increase or skills or anything of the sort the Aasimar is really difficult choice for the Rogue.

Customized Origin : The innate spellcasting is neat, but not especially useful for the Rogue. The Protector Aasimar is a better fit. Long-limbed is great for staying out of reach, allowing you to use Cunning Action to Dash and get yourself far away from your target before your turn ends.

Surprise Attack synergizes very well with Sneak Attack. A bugbear assassin is terrifyingly deadly in the first round of combat, provided that they roll well on initiative. Rogues only strictly need Dexterity, and Darkvision is a huge asset for sneaking around unnoticed, so the Custom Lineage is typically a better choice than the Variant Human.

If you pick a feat which also offers a Dexterity increase, starting at 18 Dexterity is really nice. The Draconblood and Ravenite subraces are addressed under Races of Wildemount , below. The Palid Elf subrace is addressed under Races of Wildemount , below. Most elf subraces offer some weapon proficiencies, most of which are martial weapons which you have little reason to use.

Hidden Step is great for rogues, but the duration is short so you may be better served by races which can cast Invisibility. Default Rules : The Intelligence increase looks tempting for an Arcane Trickster, but that is not nearly enough. Default Rules : Three ability score increases, Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, and numerous excellent subrace options to support a variety of rogue builds.

Savage Attack synergizes well the Assasinate, so half-orc assassins may be interesing, but will drop in effectiveness after the first round of combat. Relentless Endurance is nice, but not particularly important on the Rogue. Default Rules : A Dexterity bonus is great, and Lucky is always helpful, especially since Rogues generally only get one or two attacks.

Starting from second level, Rogues can use a bonus action to Dash , Disengage or Hide. This makes Rogues dynamic combatants, able to remove themselves from unfavourable combats, reposition without sacrificing their attack, or even disappear completely if they can make their opponent lose sight of them.

Rogues never fight fair: pick your battles. From fifth level, Rogues can use their reaction to halve the damage they receive from an attack, provided they can see the enemy that made it. Another potent defensive boost, at seventh level Rogues become more adept at escaping from area of effect attacks — like fireballs and breath weapons — that allow you to reduce the damage suffered if you can succeed on a Dexterity save. Rogues take no damage at all if they pass this Dexterity save, and only half damage if they fail.

If your DM allows non-core content, the treefrog-like Grung make brilliant assassins — they literally sweat poison! Just as the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is the archetypal fantasy thief, the Halfling is a go-to choice for Rogues. The Sage Advice Compendium clarifies that yes , this does work even when the enemy sees you running behind there, so have fun! But Wood Elves are particularly well suited. Elf Weapon Training grants proficiency with the Longbow, making them effective ranged Rogues who can be sure of having advantage as long as they are in their woodland homes.

Play as a coward and snipe your foes with ranged attacks and advantage every turn — then, when they finally close on you, use the Grovel, Cower and Beg ability once per short rest to grant your allies advantage on attacks against enemies within ten feet of you.

What could be an easier way to get the jump on your foes than soaring down from the sky? By using an action, they can completely alter their appearance, mimicking an individual they have seen before — or even another race, provided it has the same number of limbs!

Changelings should be able to open every combat with a surprise round, before their opponents have a chance to react. Like halflings, these cat-people are natural born rogues. Tabaxi have Darkvision, always handy for a Rogue. This is an amazing boost for a Rogue. Their Feline Agility ability allows them to double their speed for one round, and recharges when they spend a turn stationary.

Combine that with a free dash action, and a Tabaxi Rogue can move feet in the first turn of combat — usually enough distance to put your twin shortswords into the kidneys of a wizard who thought he was safe at the back of the battlefield! Hellish Resistance reduces their fire damage, making them exceptionally survivable when the Wizard gets trigger happy with her Fireball, or a trap disarmament goes wrong.

But the most useful feature is a simple cantrip provided by the Infernal Legacy racial ability at first level — Thaumaturgy. At third level, your Rogue will pick an archetype, giving you plenty of scope to customise your character and break the rules in the way you most enjoy. Rogues play dirty, and Arcane Tricksters might play dirtiest of all. The Arcane Trickster is a spellcaster, and uses Intelligence for its spellcasting ability.

Races with both a Dexterity and an Intelligence bonus are good picks. The High Elf and Forest Gnome are great, and come with handy cantrips to add to their spellcasting armament.

Arcane Tricksters have a restricted spell-set, only going up to level 4 spells, and mostly restricted to the Enchantment and Illusion spell schools from the Wizard spell list. Fortunately, some of the best spells in the game are available.

The Arcane Trickster puts a Roguish twist on their spells, too. Mage Hand Legerdemain lets the trickster use the Sleight of Hand skill with their telekinetic cantrip. The Assassin is a truly murderous Rogue archetype that doubles down on dirty fighting and deception. Assassins have plenty of tools to ensure they do surprise their enemies. Their Proficiency with the disguise kit, Infiltration Expertise which lets them cheaply create foolproof fake identities and Imposter an ability to unerringly mimic the behaviour of another person they have observed features allow them to get to a priority target undetected.

For the ultimate, undetectable infiltrator, a Changeling Assassin is impossible to detect without magic. Consider the Criminal background for the Criminal Contact feature, opening up markets where you can buy and sell new poisons and venoms.

The Inquisitive is a master of observation, drawing on the archetype of the noir detective to create a Roguish character with a knack for weaselling out the truth. These traits make Inquisitives hard to ambush successfully, and let them quickly finish an investigation if the heat suddenly turns up. You could easily imagine Inquisitives only work in roleplaying-heavy, combat-light campaigns. Not so — their Insightful Fighting feature is actually a powerful combat buff. We imagine this works like the bare-knuckle-boxing scene in the Robert Downey Jr.

Sherlock Holmes movie. The Mastermind is an odd Rogue, with few combat abilities of their own, but some subtle tools to manipulate the flow of a battle by ensuring their allies land their critical attacks.