D&D 5e New (and improved?) Rogue for 2024
by Prince Phantom
The sneaky boys of D&D are sneakier than ever, with a bunch more utility options and some much improved subclasses. I’ll detail each of the changes for the base Rogue and the 4 subclasses, and give my thoughts on each as well.
Level 1:
Proficiencies: Rogues have lost proficiency in Longswords, but now have proficiency in all weapons with the Finesse property.
Sneak Attack: Unchanged, but we do get features that play off of it later.
Expertise: This can no longer can apply to tools like Thief’s tools, but rules for lockpicking seem to be easier for players, so this may not actually affect gameplay much.
Weapon Mastery: You get 2 Weapons to learn the Mastery Properties for, and can swap them out on a long rest.
Thieves Can’t: This now provides an additional language as well as Theives Can’t itself.
Level 2:
Cunning Action: Unchanged
Level 3:
Subclasses (Detailed below)
Steady Aim: Previously an optional rule from Tasha’s, this is now a standard for all Rogues and is otherwise unchanged.
Level 4:
Feat: Unchanged, though notably many more feats work well with the Rogue than before.
Level 5:
Uncanny Dodge: Unchanged
Cunning Strike: This feature allows you to trade damage dice when you sneak attack to impose additional effects.
Poison (1d6), requires a Poisoner’s Kit to be on you: The target makes a Constitution save, becoming Poisoned for one minute on a fail. They can repeat this save at the end of each of their turns.
Trip (1d6): If the target is large or smaller, they must succeed on a Dexterity save or fall prone.
Withdraw (1d6): After your attack, you may move up to half your movement speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Currently, you may only apply one of these effects per sneak attack, and the DC is 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your Proficiency bonus.
Level 6:
No changes
Level 7:
Evasion: Unchanged
Reliable Talent: Unchanged, but moved from 11th level down to 7th level.
Level 8:
Unchanged
Level 9:
Unchanged
Level 10:
Extra Feat: Unchanged
Level 11:
Improved Cunning Strike: You may now apply two Cunning Strike effects to the same sneak attack. You must still pay the dice cost for both effects.
Level 12:
Unchanged
Level 13:
Unchanged
Level 14:
Devious Strikes: The following options are added to your Cunning Strikes feature, and you can still do two of them at once thanks to Improved Cunning Strike.
Daze (2d6): If the target fails a Constitution save, they may only take an Action, Bonus Action, or move on their next turn, and only one of those.
Knockout (6d6): If the target fails a Constitution save, they fall unconscious for 1 minute. This effect can end early if they take any damage, and they can repeat the save at the end of each of their turns.
Obscure (3d6): If the target fails a Dexterity save, they are blinded until the end of their next turn.
Level 15:
Slippery Mind: This now gives proficiency in Charisma saves as well as Wisdom.
Level 16:
Unchanged
Level 17:
Unchanged
Level 18:
Unchanged
Level 19:
Epic Boon: You may select an Epic Boon feat.
Level 20:
Stroke of Luck: This now works when you fail any D20 test, including saving throws, which it didn’t cover before.
My Thoughts:
The base Rogue received a good number of buffs, though mostly in the utility and control departments. They have a good number of ways to debuff single targets, though most of their best debuffs only trigger on a failed Constitution save, which is the worst save to target. It remains to be seen if the upcoming revised Monster Manual will change this. In terms of damage buffs, the only love that the base Rogue got was Weapon Mastery, a trait shared by all martials. Rogue was already at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of damage output, and I feel confident in saying that they will retain that position. Other martials also received some love in the skills department, further encroaching upon the Rogue’s territory. That being said, this is still leagues better than the 2014 Rogue, and will be much more fun to play at the table, so I still see this revision as a success.
Subclasses
Arcane Trickster
Spellcasting: You can now swap out your cantrips (other than Mage Hand) whenever you take a long rest.
Additionally, the spells you select from the Wizard list are no longer restricted to mostly Enchantment and Illusion spells. You may pick any spells you want now.
Mage Hand Legerdemain: You may now cast Mage Hand as a bonus action.
Magical Ambush: There is some slight wording changes here, asking you to be invisible rather than hidden to force disadvantage on the target of your spell. However, being hidden from a creature now grants the invisible condition, meaning this functionally changes nothing.
Versatile Trickster: When you use the Trip Cunning Strike, you may attempt to trip a second creature that is within 5ft of your initial target.
Spell Thief: The only change to this wildly complex ability is that the saving throw to resist this feature is now an Intelligence save, rather than a save of your target’s spellcasting ability.
My Thoughts:
The Arcane Trickster is largely unchanged, but the ability to freely choose Wizard spells is a massive buff. This was already the strongest Rogue subclass, and I don’t see that fact changing any time soon.
Assassin
Assassinate: Now deals extra damage equal to your Rogue level whenever you hit a target on round one with a sneak attack.
Infiltration Expertise: Allows you to copy a creature’s speech or handwriting after an hour of study, and allows you to use Steady Aim without reducing your movement speed to 0. Note that you still cannot move before activating Steady Aim, so pay attention to the order in which you are taking your turn. You may still activate Steady Aim, move into position, and still attack with advantage.
Envenom Weapons: When you use the Poison Cunning Strike, if the enemy fails the save they take 2d6 poison damage which ignores resistance to poison damage. Note that this damage triggers again if the creature fails their subsequent saves on their turns.
Death Strike: Double the damage of your sneak attack on round one, if the target fails a Constitution save.
My Thoughts:
This is definitely an improvement over the 2014 Assassin, but I’m still disappointed. Assassinate is adding so little damage that it will barely make any difference in most fights, and you still have the problem of being a subclassless Rogue after round 1 until level 9. Envenom Weapons is interesting, though Death Strike will rarely, if ever, trigger thanks to its Constitution save. Monsters have extremely good Con saves by that level. This is definitely the worst of the 4 in the new PHB.
Soulknife
Psionic Power: You may recover a Psi die with a short rest, no longer with a bonus action. Additionally, you now need to share a language with your targets to speak to them telepathically. Otherwise this feature is unchanged.
Psi Blades: You may now use these weapons for opportunity attacks. However, if you receive a reaction attack from a source other than an opportunity attack (such as the Battlemaster Fighter’s Commander’s Strike), you still can’t use these weapons for that. Additionally, these Psi Blades have the Vex mastery property, and this mastery doesn’t count against the number of masteries you can normally have. The blades also have an additional long range of 120ft.
Soul Blades: Both features are unchanged.
Psychic Veil: Unchanged
Rend Mind: Unchanged
My Thoughts:
The Soulknife is the least changed of the 4 subclasses in the new PHB, and is still likely the 2nd best Rogue subclass. The fix to opportunity attacks is nice, but the inability to use the knives for other reaction attacks is a maddening oversight. Additionally, Vex is the wrong mastery for these. It should have been Nick. Don’t let those negative points fool you though, this is still a great option.
Thief
Fast Hands: Wording has been clarified a lot here, though the ability to throw Acid Vials and similar objects with this has been removed, as those items specifically state that they are thrown as part of the attack action. However, this now allows us to use magic items as a bonus action.
Second Story Work: Now simply gives a climb speed equal to our walking speed, rather than a set 30ft climb speed. The wording for using Dexterity to determine jump distances has also been clarified.
Supreme Sneak: This provides new options for our Cunning Strike.
Stealth Attack (1d6), only while hidden and invisible: This attack does not end the hidden condition on you as long as you end your turn behind 3/4 cover or total cover.
Use Magic Device: You may now attune to 4 magic items, rather than 3. Additionally, whenever you expend a charge from a magic item, roll a d6, and on a 6, you get refunded 1 charge. Finally, you may use spell scrolls of any spell, and Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for that spell. For all scrolls of spells above level 1, must succeed on an Arcana check equal to 10 + the spell’s level. On a fail, the scroll disintegrates.
Thief’s Reflexes: Unchanged
My Thoughts:
While I’m sad to see my Thief Rogue build die as it relied on throwing Acid Vials and similar objects as a bonus action, the implications of the ability to use magic items as a bonus action far outweighs any grievances I may have. I don’t think Stealth Attack is actually very useful, since it only works if you only attack once per turn, and Rogues can and should easily make multiple attacks per turn thanks to things like the Nick mastery. The power of this subclass will largely come down to the magic items and scrolls you can acquire, so maybe talk to your DM before picking this one.
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