Signaling her companions to halt, a lithe halfling advances through the dungeon's dimly lit corridor. She leans in, pressing an ear to the door before deftly producing a set of tools, effortlessly picking the lock in a swift motion. With a vanishing act into the shadows, she yields the floor to her fighter companion, who charges forward to kick the door open.
In the gloom of an alley, a cetandari human lurks while his partner prepares for an ambush. As their target—a notorious slaver—passes by, the accomplice's cry lures the slaver into investigating, and the assassin strikes, silencing him with a fatal blade before he can utter a sound.
Suppressing a giggle, a rock gnome wiggles her fingers, magically hoisting the guard's key ring from his belt. In a heartbeat, the keys are in her hand, unlocking the cell door and granting freedom to her companions for a swift escape.
Rogues are all about skill, stealth, and exploiting their enemies' weaknesses to gain an advantage. They possess an uncanny ability to solve nearly any problem, displaying a resourcefulness and adaptability crucial for a successful adventuring troupe. Yet, rogues are a diverse lot, ranging from stealthy thieves and charismatic deceivers to scouts, infiltrators, spies, diplomats, or enforcers. What binds them together is their versatility, adaptability, and resourcefulness. In essence, rogues are adept at acquiring what others seek to keep hidden: entry to a locked vault, bypassing deadly traps, uncovering secret plans, earning a guard's trust, or simply dipping into someone's pocket for loose change.
Mastery and Precision
Rogues invest significant effort in mastering an array of skills, just as they do honing their combat prowess, granting them a wide-ranging expertise that few can match. While some rogues specialize in stealth and deception, others focus on skills relevant to navigating dungeons, such as climbing, identifying, and neutralizing traps, or picking locks.
In combat, rogues favor cunning over sheer strength. Rather than engaging in a barrage of attacks, they prefer a single precise strike, aiming where it hurts the most. Rogues exhibit an almost uncanny knack for dodging danger.
Their reasons for adventuring are as varied as their skills. For some, it's the pursuit of riches, for others, experience. Some seek fame, others thrive on infamy, and many relish a good challenge. The thrill of outsmarting a trap or eluding an alarm holds immense appeal for most rogues.
Although not as adept in combat as some other classes, rogues have a keen sense for exploiting weaknesses and can inflict substantial damage with a sneak attack. They possess an innate knack for dodging danger. As they gain experience, rogues develop mystical abilities and skills while mastering the arts of stealth, evasion, and sneak attacks. Although they lack the ability to cast spells themselves, rogues possess a talent for imitating spellcasting, effectively employing scrolls, activating wands, and utilizing a wide array of magical items.
A Shadowy Existence
In every town or city, rogues are prevalent. While many live up to the stereotypes of their class—working as burglars, assassins, pickpockets, or con artists—some lead honest lives as locksmiths, investigators, or exterminators (a risky occupation in a world where dire rats and wererats haunt the sewers). Frequently, these rogues operate within thieves' guilds or criminal networks. Even those operating independently might seek apprentices to assist in their schemes or heists. A select few might find their fortune in treasure hoards, while others venture into adventuring to evade the law. Many rogues have mastered their skills to infiltrate ancient ruins and crypts in pursuit of valuable treasures.
While some rogues gain entry into organized rogue fellowships or thieves' guilds, others are self-taught or receive training from independent mentors. Seasoned rogues often take on apprentices for scams, burglary, or simply to watch their backs. The trainees absorb the tricks of the trade on the job and eventually move on, sometimes due to their mentor's encounters with the law or after betraying their mentor and seeking independence. Rogues don't view each other as comrades unless part of the same guild or the protege of the same mentor. In fact, they place less trust in their fellow rogues than anyone else—they're not easily fooled.
Humans, adaptable and often unscrupulous, seamlessly embrace the rogue's lifestyle. Halflings, elves, and half-elves also find themselves well suited to the demands of the profession. Dwarf and gnome rogues, while less common, are renowned for their expertise in locks and traps. Half-orc rogues tend toward brute force. Among brutal humanoids, goblins and bugbears are common rogues. However, rogues hailing from savage lands often lack experience with intricate mechanisms like traps and locks.
Creating a Rogue
As you create your rogue character, consider the character’s relationship to the law. Do you have a criminal past—or present? Are you on the run from the law or from an angry thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal?
What was the trigger that led you away from your previous life? Did a great con or heist gone terribly wrong cause you to reevaluate your career? Maybe you were lucky and a successful robbery gave you the coin you needed to escape the squalor of your life. Did wanderlust finally call you away from your home? Perhaps you suddenly found yourself cut off from your family or your mentor, and you had to find a new means of support. Or maybe you made a new friend—another member of your adventuring party—who showed you new possibilities for earning a living and employing your particular talents.
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