Best Magic Items for Rogue in D&D 5e
The class most known for pilfering magical wonders also happens to be the one that needs their help the most. Rogue is one of the weakest classes in the game due to low damage output, weak defenses, and easily replicated utility. Magic items can definitely help level this playing field when applied properly, and I would encourage DMs to apply magic items to your Rogues liberally. We will be looking for items that enhance all areas that the Rogue lacks in.
Special Note: The Thief Subclass
The Thief’s 13th level feature allows the Rogue to use any Magic item, ignoring any class, race, and level requirements. It’s funny, because no magic items have level requirements, and basically none have race requirements, so we are really only talking about class specific magic items.
This sounds very powerful on paper, but the problem shows itself very quickly once you look into what magic items are now available. Most class specific magic items have text that refers to the class features of that class. For example, the Amulet of the Devout, normally for Clerics and Paladins, increases your spell save DC for those class’ spells and gives you an extra channel divinity use.
That is all completely useless on a Rogue, as we have no Cleric/Paladin spells or channel divinity features to begin with. Also note that this does not allow the Thief to ignore the spellcasting prerequisite, as it is not specifying a class, race, or level. This means that the best items that this could open up like Wands and Staves are just as useless on us as any other Rogue.
Finally, some items just create rules contradictions that your DM will have to sort out. For example, many items call for your spell save DC, but as a pure martial, you don’t have one. There are a couple of items that the Thief can use that aren’t available to other Rogues that are nice, but the number is very small.
This, plus the fact that no one actually gives out magic items randomly, and you probably have a party member who can use that item more effectively, means that you’ll likely never need this anyway. Overall, this feature ends up being such a disappointment that it plays like not having a 13th level feature at all. No feature should ask your DM to scour magic item lists just to find a diamond in the rough.
Uncommon:
Boots of Elvenkind: A simple item that grants advantage on basically all of your Stealth checks is right up the Rogue’s alley. I would note that this may become overkill once your bonus to Stealth is high enough. Enemy Perception rarely exceeds 15, and beating that DC by 1 or by 20 has the same result. Consider handing this off to a less stealthy ally as you reach mid level play.
Card Sharp’s Deck: This is an interesting alternative for your main weapon. It deals a d8 force damage at 120ft range, higher than most ranged weapons you have access to, but isn’t compatible with Sharpshooter. Rogues already don’t benefit much from Sharpshooter, so that’s not a big deal. Spray of Cards isn’t a great spell, but you get it for free, so you’ll likely find some uses for it. This likely isn’t the best option as your main weapon, but it is interesting and very flavorful.
Eversmoking Bottle: Rogues do eventually get blindsight, making this a great way to protect yourself and get sneak attack reliably.
Headband of Intellect (Attunement): Rogues are frequently asked to perform Investigation checks to find traps and other hidden goodies, and many of the subclasses also ask you to invest into your intelligence. This is hard to do, as the Rogue already wants Dexterity and Constitution with a bit of Wisdom as well for Perception and saving throws. This sets you to a flat 19 Int, which is plenty for anything you need.
Gloves of Thievery: This item gives a +5 bonus to Sleight of Hand checks and lockpicking checks. Sleight of Hand is a pretty make-or-break skill, as stealing stuff can have some big consequences if you get caught. Lock DCs can also get very high in both published adventures as well as normal games, so being able to stack the +5 with some form of advantage should help you pass the check the vast majority of the time.
Robe of Useful Items: I like leaning into the Rogue’s niche of “master of the mundane”. This is a highly customizable horde of items ranging from money to a window you can place on any surface. There’s some neat infiltration items here, along with plenty of generically good stuff like healing potions. Above all, it fulfills the “Batman’s infinite tool belt” fantasy that I know many people would love to realize.
Winged Boots (Attunement): The best thing you can do to buff a Rogue is to give them flight, and this item is great at that. This allows ranged Rogues to stay away from danger and helps melee Rogues engage flying enemies. All this isn’t even mentioning the insane out of combat utility.
Rare Items:
Bracer of Flying Daggers (Attunement): If you want to play a dagger tossing Rogue, this is the best way to realize that fantasy. You get to skirt around the rules for drawing weapons, you never run out of daggers, and you get extra attack. You can use Sharpshooter with this strategy, and I highly recommend you do so. You should also be able to use Crossbow Expert with this, as the daggers are light weapons. The way I picture this working is that you have the bracer on the hand that holds the crossbow and throw the daggers with your free hand, firing the hand crossbow afterwards. Doing all of this allows the Rogue to easily compete with other martials in terms of damage and is likely one of the best ways to optimize your DPR.
Butcher’s Bib (Attunement): This item works especially well with the previous one as it expands your crit range when using slashing weapons like daggers. It’s overall a small damage bump that may or may not be worth an attunement slot depending on what other items you have.
Cape of the Mountebank (Attunement): There’s something to be said for having a foolproof escape plan. Stealth in, teleport out is a great infiltration option.
Cloak of Displacement (Attunement): This helps with the Rogue’s low defenses. Even better is that it sort of enhances Uncanny Dodge. As that is a reaction which you can only use once per round, this item ensuring you get hit less makes the few times you do have to use it more impactful.
Ring of Evasion (Attunement): This may seem like overkill, but the synergy between this and the Evasion feature is easy to see. If you find that you are consistently passing Dexterity saves without this item, maybe consider passing it off to someone else like the Paladin.
Very Rare Items:
Animated Shield (Attunement): Another great defensive item, especially since Rogues don’t get shield proficiency at base. Rogues typically have their hands full anyway.
Antimagic Armor (Attunement): This is a fantastic silver bullet against spellcasters, perfectly suited to the Rogue thanks to our lack of magic and high movement speed, allowing us to get in close with casters.
Cloak of Arachnida (Attunement): Wall walking, a huge Web spell, and poison resistance makes for a great item that any Rogue would love to have.
Nolzur’s Marvelous Pigments: I’m a big fan of giving martials spells, but I’m an even bigger fan of giving them creative and unique solutions to problems that ask for a bit more creativity from the player. This item is amazing for any player who’s been feeling a bit overshadowed out of combat.
Legendary Items:
Blood Fury Tattoo (Attunement): This item gives a big bonus to damage, along with a pretty reliable way to get reaction attacks. Rogues love reaction attacks more than any other class, as it provides a second chance to apply sneak attack on the same round of combat.
Cloak of Invisibility (Attunement): I mean, if you can’t see why this would be useful to a Rogue, you probably have no business playing this class.
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