Note before I begin: This guide is in no way official, and I won't be touching all the points of the Rogue. This is mainly for the players interested in the Rogue class and those DMs that might need help figuring out the Rogue. Also note that there are certain players out there that make the Rogue very unappealing, and I feel the need to address them at some point during this tutorial.

ROGUES!!! Why them?

Hello fellow humanoids/anthropomorphic creatures! If you're reading this, you're probably interested in the Rogue (or here to watch me fail at explaining them)!

One of my favorite classes of all time belongs to Rogue, as both my first ever character and my longest played character (two separate characters, Aust Peren and Adrik Peren, related by blood) were both the Rogue. They are an extremely fun class if you ever feel like you are bogged down by spellcasting or the like.

So, I will be going over the Rogue today- at the very least, until level 3, covering all of their possible subclasses and roles in the party.

Level 0: What are Rogues (Lore-Wise)?

A lot of people just look at Rogues by their name and think, "oh, this must be a class that involves being chaotic all the time, splitting from the party and getting treasure by themselves."

This is a bad mentality to have, but it's much better than some others. THEY think that Rogues are better known by their previous title: the Thief. So NOW, they're thinking, "oh, this must be a chaotic evil class that involves stealing all the time, and even from the party."

First of all, if you, as a player, this mentality while playing the Rogue, or shove this mentality to the person playing the Rogue, NO! BAD!!!

Second of all, Rogues are more than just their name, as they can work for criminal organizations, in a king's royal guard, or just in a plain ol' adventuring group. Either way, Rogues are NOT just some sort of "Chaotic Stupid".

Here's a small tip: make a character BEFORE you make a Rogue, so that way it's "your character AS the Rogue" rather than "the Rogue". Don't fall into the same kleptomania that other players fall into- spice it up! Make it interesting! Maybe your character is/was part of a mafia group, or part of some sort of crooked town guard that smuggled and robbed from the city.

Level One (Part One): What are Rogues (Playing-Wise)?/Sneak Attack

The Rogue fits into the party as a Fighter, as he might be a little too squishy to take hits, but he sure can dish them out in interesting ways, as long as he's with a Front-Line Fighter. He's not JUST good at stealing things- he can stabby stabby like a regular assassin.

Starting out, you have choices between a rapier or a shortsword, a shortbow with 20 arrows or a shortsword, and either a Burglar's pack, Dungeoneer's pack, or an Explorer's pack. As a general rule of thumb, your Rogue is going to need his bonus action for later at level 2, so do NOT choose the shortsword, as the rapier does more damage and the shortbow has more range. Generally, it depends on the campaign setting on which pack you should get: Burglar's for city, Explorer's for travelling, and Dungeoneer's for in between.

For your stats, I'd reccommend the array of either (from greatest to least): DEX, CON, INT/CHA, WIS, STR, or you can choose DEX, INT/CHA, CON, WIS, STR. EIther way, your Dexterity is going to be high so you can sneak around and dodge better, while your Constitution will help you be beefy.

Before you choose whether you want Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma to be your secondary or third best stat (with DEX and CON taking top two), take a look at the archetypes you can get and make a decision based off of which one looks more interesting.

Sneak Attack solidifies him as a Fighter- in a nutshell, once per turn, whenever you have advantage on an attack roll or have an ally within 5ft of the person you're attacking, you deal 1d6 more damage, which increases by 1d6 every odd level.

At first, 1d6 doesn't sound like much, and, honestly, it isn't. But think- how often is your friend going to be next to a foe? How often will you be able to sneak up on a foe, getting advantage on attack rolls? How often will your allies do something that knocks your foe prone, stuns them, restrains them, blinds them, or anything to get you to have advantage on your attack roll against them?

In all those situations, you get Sneak Attack. Those dice stack up faster than you think.

Level One (Part Two): Thieves' Cant and Expertise

Thieves' Cant and Expertise are kind of weird for the Rogue to have, but it makes perfect sense WHY.

Thieves' Cant is a secret language that only other Rogues can understand, and it sounds like normal people talking. For example, everyone else will hear, "my grandma's birthday is tomorrow, let's throw her a surprise party!" What Rogues will hear is, "the queen is unprotected in the next few days, now's our chance to strike." It's not going to see its use too much unless your DM is smart about it. Pro tip: DMs, be smart about it. Please. It can be so much fun for your Rogue if you let him use it.

Expertise is also a tricky case, but as I explained in the Bard's tutorial, what you can do is get your +2 proficiency in two skills you are proficient in and double it, turning your Stealth that you are proficient in from a +5 to a +7. The only difference is that one of these skills can be your Thieves' Tools skill, which allows you to pick locks and disarm traps nimbly with your Thieves' Tools.

My suggestion is to either put it in a skill your party is weakest at so you can cover all the bases, or put it in a skill you are best at to EXCEL at it. So... Stealth. Definitely.

Also, keep in mind what archetype you're getting later- perhaps a certain skill you get might help you in the long run.

Level Two: Cunning Action

So, earlier, you were probably a little sad that you couldn't get your shortswords, and here is why: Cunning Action makes your bonus action MUCH more useful.

Now, you can Dash (doubling your speed), attempt to Hide, or Disengage (allowing you to run away from your opponent without provoking oppurtunity attacks).

This might not sound as cool until you realize that you can easily Hide before the fight, Dash in to take an enemy by surprise (getting Sneak Attack), then, if you aren't able to run away in time, you can attack again, then Disengage. It's amazing what you can do with this, even though it's incredibly simple.

Level Three: Roguish Archetype

Because this is an odd level, your Sneak Attack goes up to 2d6 damage. Nice and all... BUT ROGUISH ARCHETYPES BAY-BEE!!!

So by this point, you've probably seen your Rogue either be the thief of the party or the assassin, maybe even the smarter one if you put your Intelligence high enough.

Now is your chance to capitalize on these roles- do you want to be the Thief, Assassin, Arcane Trickster, Inquisitive, Mastermind, Scout, or Swashbuckler of the group? Choose wisely- I'll have a little note saying which stat you want to have higher for this archetype, but, as per usual, DEX should be your highest stat.

Thief (any, but STR might work)

Ah yes, the classic option. You've decided that it wasn't just enough to put Expertise in Sleight of Hand, but that you EXCEL at stealing things. You're now going to be better at getting into AND out of trouble- just don't ignore the party when they're begging you to stop.

At this level, you can now use your bonus action to make a Sleight of Hand, use your thieves' tools, or the Use an Object action. This makes it so you can run up to a person and Disengage as you run past them while also stealing their stuff.

Also, you get a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and when you make a running jump, you can add your DEX modifier to the number of feet you jump (originally, long jumps were as far as your Strength score number of feet, and high jumps were as far as 3+STR mod). This makes it so you can climb on top of buildings and leap away if someone tries to catch you after you stole their stuff.

At later levels, you get to have advantage on Stealth checks when moving slowly, use any type of magic item as though they were made for you, and even take two turns during the first round of combat. In general, this all means that you become so good at sneaking and thieving that it byes your normal physical limitations.

Assassin (CHA, then INT, or vice versa)

Ah yes, the... OTHER classic option. You've decided that dealing 2d6 more weapon damage every time you hit someone wasn't enough, so CRITTING would have to do. You also thought that since you have the highest initiative, you need to act all snobby about it, so you asked the DM if you could stab people easier when going first. When he said no, you realized that the Assassin archetype will be needed to persuade him.

At this level, you gain proficiency with the disguise kit and the poisoner's kit. If you can't see the use in either kit, then you need to think more creatively- come on, disguising yourself as an esteemed noble to meet another noble, then offering a glass of "wine" to said noble? Besides, I'd say with a high enough INT, you can craft as many types of poisons you want (with materials, of course).

Also, that joke I said in the first paragraph wasn't just a joke- you now have advantage over any creature who hasn't made their turn in combat (which means Sneak Attack!!!). Not only that, but if you hit a surprised creature, that means you AUTO CRITICAL HIT THEM!!!

Keep in mind that you're the Rogue, who is the master of stealth and... SURPRISE.

At higher levels, you'll be able to craft yourself a second identity that everyone believes, be able to impersonate someone with almost relative ease, and even perform a death strike, doubling the damage you make against a creature (EXCLUDING CRITICAL HITS). If you're looking for certain ways to do massive damage while also using your deceptive cunning, this is the way to go.

Arcane Trickster (INT)

Have you ever just looked at the Rogue and said, "Nope. Needs more spells. Plus, I want to steal something from someone else from, like, 30ft away."

First off, whut?

Second off, YOU'RE IN LUCK!!!

So the Arcane Trickster is a "one-third caster", meaning he only gets one-third the spells that a normal caster would. He steals his spells from the Wizard spell list, but only the Illusion and Enchantment ones. Other than that, you get three cantrips (one of them being Mage Hand) and some other fun stuff.

The reason why you're getting Mage Hand (not an option) is because you can now use this Mage Hand to give/steal things to/from other people (using a Sleight of Hand check vs their Perception) and even control it as a BONUS action rather than your regular action (like normal). Plus, you can give it your Thieves' Tools and let it wreak havoc on traps and locks.

Sooner or later, you can learn spells that AREN'T just Illusion and Enchantment, force disadvantage on spell saving throws (when you're hidden), use a bonus action to use your Mage Hand to give you advantage on an attack roll (SNEAK ATTACK), and then STEAL OTHER PEOPLE'S SPELLS (temporarily).

The Arcane Trickster is basically that- a magic caster that loves to pull pranks and cause mayhem with his 90000000 IQ and spells up his sleeve.

Inquisitive (WIS)

that one Sherlock Holmes episode/book where Holmes snuck up on someone, said, "gg ez", then f***ing murdered them, then said, "It's elementary, dear Wizard," then kept going about his day?

No? Just me?

Well, the Inquisitive is the archetype that turns you into Sherlock Holmes, being able to solve great mysteries and sniff out lies. Although it sounds like they would be better for a more roleplaying, story based situation with a murder mystery (they are), that doesn't mean that their skills can't be used for combat.

First of all, take your Insight. It better have Expertise in it, because now, if you roll less than a natural 7 on an Insight check, it becomes an 8. Boom. No more rolling bad when sniffing out lies.

Second of all, take your Perception and Investigation. Now, they're bonus actions, as long as you're trying to find hidden things. Sounds cool? Get used to it.

Third of all, take your bonus action. Now, you can use it to make an Insight check against a foe vs its Deception check. If you succeed, you have Sneak Attack against it for 1 minute (as long as you don't have disadvantage, but come on, you're the ROGUE). This lasts for 1 minute or until you use it again on another creature.

Looking at all of those things above, it's clear that your Wisdom, or at least your Insight, is going to need to be high.

At higher levels, you get advantage on all Perception and Investigation checks when you are moving slowly, can sense the presence of illusions and shapechangers around you (# of times equal to WIS mod), and use that Insight vs Deception thing you saw earlier in this archetype and add 3d6 to the Sneak Attack. Who knew that being Sherlock Holmes was so cool?

Well, probably Sherlock. And... Watson.

Mastermind (CHA)

Despite being called the MasterMIND, you don't need a 90000000 IQ in order to play the Mastermind, but rather a high Deception (might be best to put Expertise in it). Just keep in mind to use these abilities with your smart player brain, not just your smart character brain.

So now, you get proficiency in the disguise kit, the forgery kit, and one gaming set you choose. Plus, you learn two additional languages, then get the ability to learn and mimic an accent of a creature you spent one minute talking to. All of these abilities can allow you to yourself off as a native to a land that you just entered, which is a handy ability to ahve in a story/role-playing centered campaign.

You also gain the ability to use the Help action as a bonus action, and be able to aid someone within 30ft of you attack someone instead of just 5ft. This... is AMAZING. Imagine giving your ally advantage over its next attack as a BONUS action, in which you can use your regular action to shoot an arrow from the back? Use this to your advantage at any point you can, it's incredible.

At higher levels, you can use your interaction skills to find out how a creature's stats compare to yours, use someone giving you cover as an auto buffer between an attack, and you can prevent your brain from being read and even present false thoughts to your foes, making it so Zone of Truth has no effect on you if you so choose. Your deception knows no bounds, and in the words of George Costanza, it's not a lie if you believe it.

Scout (Any, but WIS or INT are cool)

Have you ever just looked at your own ass and realized how sensitive you are at getting hit? Tired of your "tiny" HP getting in the way of you helping your friends kick other people's asses?

No? Just me?

First off, whenever a foe ends his turn 5ft close to you, your germaphobia acts up, and you can use your reaction to move up half of your speed, Disengaging in the process. This is neat just in case you realize that your ass is very valuable to you, and you don't want it getting slapped so much because you don't have the best HP compared to the rest of your party.

Second off, you are now proficient in Nature and Survival. Oh, did I say proficient? My bad... I meant you ALSO HAVE EXPERTISE. Your group will never have trouble in the wilderness again (unless you get rekt by an Owlbear). Your best friend, the Ranger, might look at you funny, as Nature and Survival checks are kind of his shtick, but whatever.

Sooner or later, you get a +10ft bonus to all of your speeds (climbing, swimming, etc), get advantage on initiative rolls, can grant advantage to your allies against a foe you hit at the first round of combat, and can even make a second attack as a bonus action. Overall, this is nice if you ever realize that moving first is better than moving not first.

Swashbuckler (CHA)

Have you ever gotten so mad at a creature you were fighting that you had the urge to scream, "ONE V ONE ME BRO!!!" Well, you're in luck.

The Swashbuckler was practically made for those who want a "fair" duel with their foe. Whenever they attack someone, even if you miss, that special someone can't make oppurtunity attacks against you. Plus, you give yourself a little bonus to your initiative equal to your CHA mod.

Oh, and let's not forget that you now have Sneak Attack against a foe whenever there's nobody but him within 5ft of you. This means whenever you go in for that sweet duel, your foe takes a lot more damage every hit.

At later levels, you can use your Persuasion to enthrall a person to focus only on you, can grant yourself advantage on Acrobatics and Athletics as a bonus action, and can grant yourself advantage on an attack roll after missing it once per rest. All in all, this is just so cool if you ever feel as though your foe just needs to get a taste of your Rapier.

Outro: The (Sometimes) Chaotic, The Rogue

A lot of people get the impression that Rogues are only good thieves and assassins and nothing else, and although certain Rogues are good... well, Thieves and Assassins, their archetypes are as varied as their player.

Although I might be a LITTLE biased, I think the Rogue is a fantastic class, and I highly recommend anyone new trying them out, or at the very least, give it a look. You won't regret it.

Art credit goes to Wizards of the Coast and the Spanish Inquisition. Nobody typically gives them love (mainly because nobody expects them).