The Rogue

By Awful Good Games with minor adaptations by Sage1029

You’ve heard them, sitting around the campfire. Bragging about this battle or that. About how their gods are smiling on your merry band. You count your coins and smile to yourself—this is the thrill above all. You alone know the secret of the world—filthy filthy lucre.

Sure, they give you lip for all the times you’ve snuck off alone but without you, who among them wouldn’t have been dissected by a flying guillotine or poisoned straight to death by some ancient needle trap? So, let them complain. When you’re done with all this delving you’ll toast their hero’s graves.

From your castle. Full of gold. You rogue.

Building a Rogue

Pick your Race

Dwarf

Your race is notoriously difficult to read. When an NPC tries to figure out your motives, tell them whatever you want—they'll believe you

Elf

Elves being ever dexterous and ethereal, you start with Silent Stalker

Halfling

When you Discern Realities, you can always ask, "What here is useful or valuable to me?" in addition to your other choices

Human

You are a professional. When you Spout Lore or Discern Realities about criminal activities, gain Advantage

Choose your Background as a Rogue

Mean Streets

You grew up on the streets, doing what it took to survive. You start with Dirty Fighting, and your maximum hit points are increased by 5. Your area of expertise is picking pockets.

Thieves' Guild

You joined a thieves’ guild: so long as you regularly perform jobs for the guild they’ll provide you with food, shelter, and security. When you complete a job for your guild leader, Mark-XP and they’ll reward you in some way. Your area of expertise is opening locks.

Treasure Hunter

You just wanted to find treasure and have fun. When you Discern Realities, you can ask the GM if there is any treasure for free, even ✴on a 6-. In addition, whenever you find treasure you find something extra hidden away: the GM will describe it to you, and it is up to you to make it useful. Your area of expertise is disabling traps.

Starting Moves

Your rogue starts with 25-COIN. Your Damage Die is d6. You start with all these moves:

Evasion

When you use Defend, so long as you have plenty of room to move about and aren’t encumbered you can roll +DEX instead of +CON.

Sneak Attack

When an ally deals damage to an enemy, you gain +1d4 damage on your next attack against it using melee weapons. If you Aid an ally in melee combat, ✴on a 12+ you can deal your damage with a melee weapon instead of granting them Advantage.

Stealthy

You have the Stealthy tag. When you find a place to hide, as long as you remain still and quiet no one will notice you unless they happen to stumble across your hiding place.

Tricks of the Trade

Choose an area of expertise that you didn’t get from your background:

• Disabling traps
• Opening locks
• Picking pockets

When you use one of these skills, roll +DEX. ✴On a 10+, you get the job done. ✴On a 7-9, there’s an unforeseen complication or consequence—the GM will tell you what.

Advanced Moves

Levels 2-5

Appraise

When you closely examine noteworthy treasure, you can ask the GM any one question about it. When you act on the answer, gain Advantage to your move.

Backstab

When using Sneak Attack, you instead deal +1d6 damage. When you Aid an ally in melee combat, ✴on a 10+ you can deal your damage instead of giving them Advantage.

Blend in with the Crowd

When you are surrounded by people, you can use Stealthy to avoid notice and escape pursuers. Groups of people also don't impede your movement.

Case the Joint

When you spend a while observing a location that you want to break into, roll+WIS. ✴On a 10+, hold 3. ✴On a 7-9, Hold-2. ✴On a 6-, Hold-1 in addition to whatever the GM says. Spend hold, 1 for 1, to take +1 forward circumventing the location’s defenses (guards, locks, traps, and so on).

Chink in the Armor

Weapons with the Hand or Precise tag gain Piercing-2.

Deadeye

You can use Sneak Attack with ranged weapons up to a range of Near.

Dirty Fighting

When you Hack and Slash, ✴on a 12+ you can also deal your Sneak Attack damage to your target.

Improved Evasion

When you use Evasion, as long as you have hold you have +1-Armor ongoing.

Fast Talk

When you spend a while conversing with someone, gain Advantage to Parley with them or convince them to go along with a plan or suggestion of yours.

Hamstring

When you Hack and Slash or Volley, ✴on a 12+ you also cripple one of the target’s limbs in some way—describe how.

Hit and Run

When you deal damage to an enemy, ✴on a 10+ instead of dealing additional damage you can move to any location within Reach.

Quick Fingers

When you Pick Pockets, ✴on a 7+ nobody notices that you took anything right away. In addition when you Hack and Slash, ✴on a 10+ you can also take something from your target without them realizing it.

Scrubbing

When you Pick a Lock, ✴on a 10+ you do it within seconds.

Silent Stalker

When you use Stealthy, you can move about slowly without alerting anyone.

Trapfinder

When you Discern Realities, you can ask the GM if there are any traps for free, even ✴on a 6-. If there are traps, the GM will also reveal how they are triggered and their likely effects.

Levels 6 Onwards

When you gain a level from 6 onwards, and you choose to take an Advanced Move, you may choose from these moves, or the Levels 2-5 Moves.

Bleeding Wounds

Requires: Hamstring
When you deal damage with a melee attack, ✴on a 12+ until the creature has time to heal or bandage its wounds, anyone who deals damage to the target rolls twice and uses the highest result.

Deadly Precision

Replaces: Backstab
You instead deal +1d8 damage. If you Aid an ally in melee combat, ✴on a 7+ you can deal your damage instead of giving them Advantage.

Feint

Requires: Dirty Fighting
When you Defy Danger against an attack, ✴on a 12+ gain Advantage against your attacker.

Fleeting Shadow

Replaces: Silent Stalker
When you use Stealthy, you can move as quickly as you like without revealing yourself.

Gaps in the Armor

Replaces: Chink in the Armor
Weapons with the Hand or Precise tag gain Ignores-Armor.

Grab and Dash

Requires: Quick Fingers
When you Pick Pockets, ✴on a 7+ you’re gone before anyone realizes that anything was taken. When you Defy Danger against a Close enemy, ✴on a 10+ you can also take something from them without them immediately realizing it.

Keymaster

Requires: Scrubbing
When you Pick Locks, ✴on a 6- you still open the lock in addition to whatever the GM says.

Lightning Reflexes

Requires: Improved Evasion
When an enemy would get the drop on you, you get to act first. In addition, when you use Evasion hold +1, and ✴on a 6-, you still Hold-1.

Skill Mastery

Choose an area of Expertise (Picking Locks, Picking Pockets, or Disabling Traps). You always have Advantage when using it.

Sniper

Requires: Deadeye
You can use Sneak Attack when making a ranged attack up to Far. In addition, ✴on a 12+ no one knows where the attack came from.

Trap Defense

Requires: Trapfinder
When you Defy Danger against a trap, gain Advantage to your next move against it. If you suffer damage, roll twice and take the lower result. If you explain the effects of the trap, whoever listens also gains the benefits of this move against it.

Death Move: The Ultimate Theft

You always took every opportunity, grabbed every treasure, every upper hand you could get. Ultimately, even your Death is just another opportunity. When you die, you steal something straight from the realm of the dead. It can be literally anything, except your own life. If you steal a soul, they come back to life, inhabiting your body. If you steal a magical artifact, it is found clutched in the hands of your corpse. If you steal invaluable knowledge, it can be found written in your blood on the walls around you.

Credits

Rogue playbook by Awful Good Games. The text of The Rogue is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The Death Move is from Boldly Games' Grim World.