Why wouldn’t you want to play a rogue?

This guide covers everything you better know about the angstiest class in D&D.

However, not all rogues are created equally.

Split image of different actions in DnD

Players can choose between nine main archetypes with varying abilities and traits.

Paired with Dungeon Delver, it can also be useful in a campaign that focuses on dungeon crawls.

8The Inquisitive Rogue

Grants bonuses to Insight, Perception, and Investigation skills.

A rogue steal treasure while her accomplices attack guards in DND

Insight, Perception

Investigation and Perception

The inquisitive archetype lets you see things incredibly well.

This is pretty good, but it doesn’t make a whole subclass on its own.

For when just an attack isn’t enough.

A Halfling, a Kobold, a Kenku and a Half-Elf, all playable species in Dungeons & Dragons

But, there’s not much in the way of increasing your damage.

Alert

Utility, Ranged Damage

This is one of the better options for a no-frills ranged damage rogue.

Magic Initiate, Shadow Touched

Damage

The phantom talks to dead people.

Three different rogue subclasses in a split image with one another from Dungeons & Dragons in a collage.

Later, you gain some ghostly features by floating through objects and being harder to hit.

This vastly increases your damage per round, provided you might keep Sneak Attacking.

Elevate your rogue gameplay with these must-have items.

Dungeons & Dragons artwork of a gnome arcane trickster using mage hand, an orc fey wanderer ranger with a poison-covered dagger, and an elf rogue balancing a dagger on their finger in the moonlight.

Rogue Art by Aurore Folny

The rest of the assassin features enhance your ability to infiltrate strongholds and add poison to your Cunning Strikes.

In this way, your enemy will take 2d6 poison damage whenever they fail their saving throw.

3The Soulknife Rogue

Use a pool of psionic Energy dice to wield psionic Powers.

Dungeons & Dragons image showing a rogue smashing through a window.

Rogue Art by Aurore Folny

Later, you could make yourself invisible and stun targets, making them helpless for repeated Sneak Attacks.

Defensive Duelist, Heavily Armored

There is no more reliable rogue subclass for Sneak Attacks than the swashbuckler.

But you don’t even need to use your Cunning Action to stay out of trouble.

Dungeons & Dragons image showing a rogue.

Art by Daniel Castiblanco

If that doesn’t work, you could just be the center of attention in combat.

Basically, it allows you to use a few spells in addition to your normal rogue abilities.

A lot of variety in this class.

A thief escaping through a window during a heist in Dungeons & Dragons.

Thief by Jodie Muir

A thief holding a treasure chest and sack of gold runs from a red dragon in Dungeons & Dragons.

A Thief by Billy Christian

A dark, shadowy rogue perched on a rooftop in Dungeons & Dragons.

Rogue by Bryan Sola

An assassin rogue perched, ready to attack with knife in hand in Dungeons & Dragons.

The Assassin by Ignatius Budi

A soulknife rogue with glowing blue eyes and a knife in hand in Dungeons & Dragons.

Soulknife Rogue by Yuhong Ding

A spelljammer crew pose together at the helm of their ship.

Spelljammer by Daniel Castiblanco

An arcane trickster rogue casting a spell to steal something from a stall in Dungeons & Dragons.

Arcane Trickster Subclass by Nathaniel Himawan

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Tabletop

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