Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| D&D character class | |
|---|---|
| Rogue | |
| Alignment | Any |
| Image | Wizards.com image |
| Stats | OGL stats |
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, rogue or thief is one of the base character classes. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks. The rogue is stealthy and dextrous, and the only class capable of finding and disarming many traps and picking locks. The rogue also has the ability to "sneak attack" ("backstab" in previous editions) enemies who are caught off-guard or taken by surprise, inflicting extra damage.
Halflings, Tieflings (humanoids with some limited fiendish heritage), Tibbits (an obscure race of cats, who also spend time in a humanoid form, that first appeared in Dragon magazine #135), and goblins all have Rogue as their favored class.
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[edit] Creative origins
The thief class was based on Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings and Fritz Leiber's The Gray Mouser.[1]
[edit] Early editions
In the 1st edition the Thief character class was interestingly enough the only character class that any nonhuman type, such as an elf or dwarf or halfling could achieve unlimited levels in. In some lights, it must be stated that thieves can be a very noble class indeed, and this is reflected in the AD&D game rules, permitting thieves to be neutral good or even lawful neutral, but never Lawful Good. Gygax has noted in hindsight that this may have been an oversight, as alignment was never meant to be viewed as an absolute hierarchy of best to worst, and character classes should reflect their medieval fantasy counterparts, even into accurate ethical and moral alignment license.
Also, in early editions of AD&D and D&D, thieves were swiftest to learn new levels, and if played by a wise and clever player, they could readily become among the most powerful character class in the game. At the same time, under the 1st edition thieves were sharply limited by having their essential skills (such as Open Locks and Move Silently) defined as beginning at a flat chance of success of perhaps a 10-20%, and requiring perhaps ten levels to reach the point where they had much confidence in using them. The 2nd edition altered this by allowing thieves to specialize so that they needed only a few levels to master two skills.
In 2nd edition the term Rogue first appeared to describe the group of classes made up of those individuals "living by their wits day to day-often at the expense of others." These classes included: the Thief, the Assassin, and the Bard.
The Thief, one of the original classes from first ed. D&D, was the robber, the thug, or the "expert treasure hunter". They specialized in the acquisition of goods/materials, and bypassing security devices.
The Assassin, short lived as a class, was introduced in first ed. AD&D until it became a kit in 2nd ed. AD&D on the premise that any class could kill people for money. They are the man-hunters: killers, bounty hunters, special operations. They know their prey, their habits, strengths and weaknesses. The assassin does not have the weapons limitations of other rogues and their knowledge of poisons often makes them a deadly opponent.
Bards, the most recent addition to the rogue classes, are "glib of tongue, light of heart, and fleet of foot." Merging thieves, musicians and magic-users, bards are truly the "jack of all trades". Whether it's slipping past guards, casting spells or singing to earn a few coins to pay for their dinners, bards can always pick up the slack when the party needs it.
[edit] Third edition
The class was renamed "rogue", to reflect the supposed new scope of any skilled and stealthy character. In fact, the character class still bears only three large divergences from other character classes, namely their signature maneuver, the "sneak attack", their capacity to notice traps intuitively, and their superior aptitude for skills.
The rogue class is given 8 skill points per level, higher than any other character class. However, the number of skill points is modified by the intelligence attribute, so it is possible for a very low intellect rogue to be no better off than a particularly bright fighter, although they would still have a broader range of skills to choose from. Spies, scouts, detectives, pirates, and sundry ne'er-do-wells, as well as thieves and just about any other character who relies on stealth or a broad range of skills, are stated to fall under the rogue class.
3rd edition skills removed the flat percentage rolls that previous thieves had used, using their Difficulty Class mechanic to let a rogue have a better chance against the cheap locks and ordinary guards that might appear in lower-level games.
The rogue has the ability to deliver a sneak attack whenever an opponent is unable to defend itself, usually applied whenever the opponent would be unable to dodge or is flanked. The rogue can then take advantage of this momentary weakness to strike at a vital part of the anatomy (provided the creature has a discernible enough anatomy to suffer a critical hit). (This ability was formerly a "backstab," which made it difficult to define when it might be applied in open combat. Allowing flanking (attacking while a teammate is on the opposite side of the target) to create a sneak attack makes the rogue more reliable during simple combat play.)
The Iconic rogue is Lidda, a halfling female.
[edit] Party Duties
Rogues are deadly but somewhat vulnerable front line combatants. Their base attack bonus chart is similar to the monk or the cleric, but they have relatively low Hit Points (1d6 per level) and are proficient with fairly low-damage weapons. What advantages they have rely on high Dexterity, which augments their armor class and missile weapon aim, and can apply to such melee weapons as a rapier using the "Weapon Finesse" feat. The bulk of their skills rely on Dexterity, Intelligence, or Charisma, and as such rogues are advised to invest in one or more of these attributes.
Rogues are not typically intended to act as front-line tanks, but in a support role can be invaluable while flanking or to finish off wounded foes using their devastating Sneak Attack, which can even function when firing at range into the fray (aided by the "Point Blank Shot" feat.)
Quite aside from their combat ability, having a Rogue in the party is often essential in order to deal with traps, secret doors and other mechanical contrivances that may impede the party's progress. Of course, some players can be trapped into believing that this is the sole reason for the class and neglect other benefits rogues can offer. They can be employed in scouting and intel, persuasion and barter (friendly or otherwise), and with a wealth of skill points, high-Intelligence rogues can turn their hand to almost anything. Meanwhile, class abilities such as evasion and uncanny dodge, and skills such as tumble, can leave them unscathed in the face of hazards which would cripple a fighter or other conventional tank.
The value of rogues lies in the fact that they are the handymen. Where other characters have the power to defeat enemies, the rogue has the wit to track them down and lead the team past traps and barriers on the way to that fight.
[edit] References
Cook, Monte; Tweet, Jonathan; Williams, Skip. Player's Handbook. 2000, Wizards of the Coast.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ DeVarque, Aardy. Literary Sources of D&D. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
[edit] External Links
| Dungeons & Dragons character classes | ||
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Base classes from the Player's Handbook: Barbarian • Bard • Cleric • Druid • Fighter • Monk • Paladin • Ranger • Rogue • Sorcerer • Wizard |
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Additional/Alternative base classes: Archivist • Ardent • Artificer • Beguiler • Binder • Crusader • Divine Mind • Dragon Shaman • Dragonfire Adept • Dread Necromancer • Duskblade • Erudite • Factotum • Favored Soul • Healer • Hexblade • Knight • Lurk • Incarnate • Marshal • Mystic • Ninja • Noble • Psion • Psychic Warrior • Samurai • Scout • Shadowcaster • Shaman • Sha' ir • Shugenja • Sohei • Soulborn • Soulknife • Spellthief • Spirit Shaman • Swashbuckler • Swordsage • Totemist • Truenamer • Warblade • Warlock • Warmage • Wilder • Wu Jen |
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NPC Classes: Adept • Aristocrat • Commoner • Expert • Warrior |
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Unearthed Arcana generic classes: Expert • Spellcaster • Warrior |
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