DnD Rogue 5e guide

The DnD Rogue presents a wealth of different play options, allowing you to be a dashing thief in one game, a grim assassin in the next, and then a spirit medium or swashbuckling pirate. With the Rogue 5e class, you have your pick of spells, skills, and sneaky attacks - and any party will be glad to have you. This guide is a deep dive into the shadows, giving you everything you need to form your Dungeons and Dragons Rogue.

If you've still not decided which class to play in your next campaign, try our DnD classes guide to get you started. For the easiest possible creation process, you should also read our guides to DnD races and DnD 2024 backgrounds.

DnD Rogue 5e guide:

Rogue class features

Proficiencies and equipment

Sneak Attack

You know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe's distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack roll if you have advantage on the roll and the attack uses a Finesse or Ranged weapon. The extra damage's type is the same as the weapon's type.

Sneak Attack is a Rogue's signature move, so we'll explain how to make the most of it later on in this guide.

Expertise

Level: One

You gain expertise in two skill proficiencies of your choice. At level six, you gain expertise in two more skill proficiencies of your choice. Essentially, expertise means you double your proficiency bonus when testing that skill (unless it's already being doubled by another effect).

Thieves' Cant

Level: One

You know Thieves' Cant, the secret underground language of criminals and ne'er-do-wells. You also learn one of the other DnD languages, of your choice.

Weapon Mastery

Level: One

Rogues have access to the new DnD weapon mastery system. You can pick two DnD weapons - for example, Dagger and Shortbow - and unlock the 'Mastery Property' of each. Any time you take a long rest you can retrain and swap for different weapons.

Cunning Action

Level: Two

Your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. On your turn, you can take one of the following actions as a bonus action: Dash, Disengage, or Hide.

Rogue subclass

At level three, you will pick your Rogue Subclass, specializing your character around a particular set of abilities. You will get extra features from your subclass at levels nine, 13, and 17. We'll explain these in more detail later on in this guide.

Steady Aim

Level: Three

Steady Aim lets you use a Bonus Action to give yourself advantage on your next attack roll this turn. However, you can't move before or after using this ability.

This is a welcome boost to the Rogue's ranged capabilities, and gives you a reliable way to get advantage (and therefore a chance at a Sneak Attack) on a turn when you're already in a good position.

Cunning Strike

Level: Five

Cunning Strike turns your Sneak Attack damage dice into a flexible resource you can spend to apply a variety of flavorful, tactical effects in combat. When you go to roll your Sneak Attack damage after a successful attack, you can choose to forgo a number of your extra damage dice, in exchange for applying one of a range of special effects.

Some Cunning Strikes force the target to make a saving throw. In all cases, this is DC 8 plus your Dexterity modifier and your proficiency bonus.

Three Cunning Strike options are available at level five:

From level 11, you can use up to two Cunning Strike effects each time you deal Sneak Attack damage, instead of just one, paying the dice cost each time.

Uncanny Dodge

Level: Five

When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack roll, you can take a reaction to halve the attack's damage against you (round down).

Evasion

Level: Seven

You can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain dangers. When you're subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw and only half damage if you fail. You can't use this feature if you have the incapacitated condition.

Reliable Talent

Level: Seven

Whenever you make an ability check that uses one of your skill or tool proficiencies, you can treat a d20 roll of nine or lower as a 10.

Devious Strikes

Level: 14

Devious Strikes unlocks three additional, stronger uses for your Cunning Strike, as follows:

Slippery Mind

Level: 15

Your cunning mind is exceptionally difficult to control. You gain proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.

Elusive

Level: 18

You're so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll can have advantage against you unless you have the incapacitated condition.

Stroke of Luck

Level: 20

You have a marvelous knack for succeeding when you need to. If you fail a d20 test, you can turn the roll into a 20. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Sneak Attack

Sneak Attack is what makes the DnD Rogue an unwary target's worst nightmare. Once per turn, they can strike with painful precision, dealing 1d6 extra damage to the target. Even better, this damage increases as you gain DnD level ups.

There are two key restrictions on your Sneak Attacks that you must heed. Firstly, you must be attacking with a Finesse or Ranged weapon. That limits you to the following:

You must also meet one of the following conditions to apply Sneak Attack damage:

• You have advantage on the attack roll.
• One of your allies is within five feet of your target, the ally isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Rogues have an in-built way to give themselves advantage thanks to Steady Aim, but there are often more efficient ways to nab that double d20 roll.

For example, there are multiple conditions that, when an enemy is afflicted by them, give you advantage on attacks against your foe. A blinded, prone, paralyzed, restrained, stunned, or unconscious enemy is a sitting duck for Sneak Attack. Alternatively, making yourself Invisible (by hiding, for example) gives all of your attacks advantage.

If you can't set these situations up yourself, it pays to communicate with the members of your party who can. A Barbarian 5e could knock a target prone with a well-timed use of weapon mastery, or a Sorcerer 5e could use magic to blind an enemy.

Failing that, someone could use the Help action to grant you advantage. This is a huge drain on an ally's action economy, however, so it's usually best left to friendly NPC companions.

Rogue Subclass

You can choose one of the following Rogue Subclasses from level three:

Arcane Trickster

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

Rogues who've learned magic to aid their underhand dealings, Arcane Tricksters are a splicing of Rogue and Wizard. This Rogue turns the useful cantrip Mage Hand into a tool for purloining stolen goods and distracting enemies.

Arcane Tricksters take their spells from the Wizard spell list. One of your Cantrips must be Mage Hand - it's core to this subclass. The table below shows, for each level, how many Prepared Spells you know, how many Cantrips you know, and how many Spell Slots you have.

With Mage Hand Legerdemain, these Rogues can subtly cast an invisible Mage Hand as a bonus action, then use it to make Sleight of Hand checks like picking someone's pocket. Plus, if the Rogue is invisible when they cast a spell against a creature, they can use Magical Ambush to give their target disadvantage against saves on that cunning bit of magic. Arcane Tricksters can modify their Trip option when using Cunning Strike so they can also trip an enemy near their Mage Hand.

Lastly, once per long rest, they can use a reaction to protect themselves against being targeted by or caught in the area of effect of a spell. Spell Thief forces the caster to make an Intelligence save or have the Arcane Trickster ignore the spell's effects. Plus, if that spell was of a level the Rogue can cast, they can pinch it, meaning they have it prepared for the next eight hours.

Assassin

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

The simplest and most explicitly violent Rogue subclass, the Assassin aims to make the first blow in combat the only blow they need to strike. They act fast to assassinate their targets, striking early, and with the advantage of deadly poisons.

Their signature move, Assassinate, gives them advantage on initiative rolls, as well as advantage on attack rolls against creatures that haven't acted yet in the first round of combat. During that first round, their Sneak Attack deals extra damage, making those initial strikes extra deadly.

All Assassins come equipped with a disguise kit and a poisoner's kit, and they can perfectly mimic a person's speech or handwriting after an hour's study. Plus, they can use Steady Aim without sacrificing their movement. Essentially, they're experts at subterfuge and killing without being seen.

Envenom Weapon further empowers the Assassin, turning the Poison option from Cunning Strike into a way to deal poison damage every time the target fails their Constitution save. Finally, the ultra-violent Death Strike doubles the damage of a Sneak Attack if the Assassin deals it in the first round of combat and the target fails a Constitution saving throw.

Soulknife

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

The Soulknife can summon psychic daggers with their latent psionic talent, hurling them at their foes. Their main resource is a pool of Psionic Energy Dice,which are used to fuel impressive psionic powers. They regenerate these dice gradually, regaining one after each Short Rest and all of them at the end of a Long Rest.

Initially, your psionic abilities include the power to add a Psionic Energy Die to the result of a failed skill or tool check, as well as the power to speak telepathically with another creature.

Next come Psychic Blades, spectral weapons your Soulknife can summon as part of an attack or opportunity attack. At first sight, these blades might seem underwhelming; they're basically a shortsword and dagger. But a Soulknife can never be disarmed, never has to draw or drop a weapon, and always has their hands free at any time other than when they're attacking

These also grow more powerful over time. Eventually, you can spend a Psionic Energy Die to buff missed attacks made with your Psychic Blades - this comes with the added bonus of a quick teleport after you roll said die.

After a few more level ups, a Soulknife can turn invisible for up to an hour. Then there's Rend Mind, a dastardly capstone that stuns enemies who fail a Wisdom save after you Sneak Attack them with your Psychic Blades.

Thief

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

Your bog-standard, sneaky burglar type, inspired by Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit, the Thief is all about utility. It's not magical at all, but it's handy with all kinds of tools and tricks.

Take Fast Hands, for example, that turns all manner of thieving activities into bonus actions. That includes using both mundane and magical items, picking locks as well as pockets, or even disarming traps. Thieves have a climb speed equal to their speed to help with rooftop escapes, and their jump distance is based on Dexterity rather than Strength.

At higher levels, Supreme Sneak lets you make a Stealth Attack as a Cunning Strike, provided you're invisible to the target you're hiding from. In exchange for 1d6 from your Sneak Attack pool, you won't lose the invisible condition after making the attack.

A Thief can't cast spells, but they can attune to up to four magic items. When you use a magic item that has charges, you can roll a D6, and on a six you don't spend a charge. You can also use any Spell Scroll with Intelligence as your Spellcasting ability (though you must make an Arcana check of DC 10 + spell level to successfully cast a Level 2 or higher spell).

Finally, a Thief's Reflexes gives you two turns during the first round of combat (one at your normal initiative, and one at that initiative minus 10). These Rogues are a real jack-of-all-trades, with a thumb in every one of the classic Rogue Role pies.

Inquisitive

Found in: Xanathar's Guide to Everything

The Inquisitive 5e is a master of observation, drawing on the archetype of the noir detective to create a Roguish character with a knack for weaseling out the truth.

Ear for Deceit means they'll never roll worse than an eight when rolling Wisdom (Insight) to detect a lie, and Eye for Detail turns Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect hidden creatures, and Intelligence (Insight) checks to find and decipher clues, into bonus actions instead of standard actions. These traits make Inquisitives hard to ambush successfully, and they let them quickly finish an investigation if the heat suddenly turns up.

You could easily imagine Inquisitives only work in roleplaying-heavy, combat-light campaigns. Not so - their Insightful Fighting feature is actually a powerful combat buff.

By making a Wisdom (Insight) check contested by an enemy's Charisma (Deception) check, the Inquisitive decodes the enemy's fighting style and can make Sneak Attacks against them without having advantage, provided they don't have disadvantage on their attack rolls. We imagine this works like the bare-knuckle-boxing scene in the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie.

Mastermind

Found in: Xanathar's Guide to Everything / Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

The Mastermind 5e is an odd Rogue, with few combat abilities of their own, but some subtle tools to manipulate the flow of a battle by ensuring their allies land their critical attacks.

Half of the Mastermind's starting abilities only really affect social and political conflicts. The Master of Intrigue feature is actually a package of buffs: proficiency with the disguise kit, forgery kit, one gaming set, and two languages of their choice.

They can also perfectly fake any accent that they've heard. The ninth level feature Insightful Manipulator gives the Mastermind information about the stats and class levels of another creature you interact with for at least a minute.

You won't get to play much with this half of the Mastermind unless your game features gangs, guilds or politics, so check what kind of campaign your GM plans to run if this is what excites you about the archetype.

The other ability Masterminds gain at level three, Master of Tactics, has more obvious utility. The Mastermind can use the Help action as a bonus action, effectively giving an ally advantage on an attack against a foe, and, whenever they use the Help ability, they can target a creature within 30 feet, instead of the usual five feet.

This includes using their main action for Help. Remember, you'll usually contribute more damage to a fight by making your own attack than by giving an ally advantage. But if you're facing enemies with damage resistance to your attacks, Masterminds can turn into support characters in a pinch!

Phantom

Found in: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

The Phantom 5e is a shadowy Rogue, touched by the plane of death. Their abilities are connected to the dead, and, particularly, to the spirits of creatures that die around them. Fortunately, there won't be any shortage of those…

Whispers of the Dead allows the Phantom to gain any skill or tool proficiency from their communion with the departed once per short or long rest. This makes Phantoms extremely versatile: give them an hour and they'll have a +2 bonus to any skill check.

Wails from the Grave is a useful combat trick. A number of times equal to their proficiency bonus per long rest, when they successfully deal Sneak Attack damage, the Phantom can target another creature within 30′ of the first and deal half as many Sneak Attack dice (rounding up) in Necrotic damage.

This damage doesn't need to hit and doesn't allow a save, so it's a good way to put damage on targets with high AC or magical defenses. Just sneak attack a goon with low AC and a stack of hit points, and chain damage into their tougher-shelled boss. It's also a convenient way to finish off targets hanging in the fight by a single hit point.

At ninth level, Tokens of the Departed grants the ability to crystallize the spirit of creatures that die within 30 feet into a Soul Trinket as a reaction, provided the Phantom has a free hand. They can carry up to their proficiency bonus in Soul Trinkets. These give advantage on death and Constitution saving throws while on the Phantom's person, and can be crushed to provide extra charges for Wails from the Grave or to ask a question of the spirit trapped within.

Unless you capture the soul of someone you really need to speak to in a trinket, you should aim to constantly burn through your Soul Trinkets in a fight - chaff enemies and fragile skirmishers will die quickly if you keep spending your Soul Trinkets, and will fill those charges back up for you.

Scout

Found in: Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Want to play a wilderness character, but don't want to touch magic? Always felt that it was weird that Rangers had magic spells? Really miss playing tag or bulldog on the playground? The Scout 5e is the Rogue subclass for you.

Scouts are adept in nature, gaining a double proficiency bonus in Nature and Survival from the Survivalist feature. Don't forget that Nature proficiency has a combat application, as you can use it to extract the venom from slain or incapacitated venomous creatures, even without a poisoner's kit.

Scouts are extremely mobile, even by the standards of Rogues. The Skirmisher feature gives them a new reaction, allowing them to move up to half their speed without provoking opportunity attacks when an enemy ends its turn within five feet of them.

You only get one reaction per turn, and, once you get Uncanny Dodge at level five, you'll sometimes have a hard choice between reducing the damage from a big hit, or using Skirmisher to get out of the way. Skirmishing away is the right defensive choice if it puts you out of engagement range of other enemies who haven't yet closed the distance, and it's the right offensive choice if it will bring you closer to a high-value target.

At higher levels, Superior Mobility will increase all your movement speeds by ten feet (including swimming, climbing and flying), while Ambush Master gives you advantage on Initiative rolls, and grants all your allies advantage on hit rolls against the first enemy you hit in the first round of combat. Use this to scalpel out a priority enemy or, if they're particularly chunky, let your team layer them with debuffs so they hardly participate in the fight.

Races like the Wood Elf and Deep Gnome, which have advantages to hide checks in certain terrain types, can make untouchable Scouts in the right environment, using Skirmish to disengage from foes during the enemy turn, then Hiding easily as a free action on their turn, so they can immediately launch a ranged Sneak Attack with advantage.

Or, if you want a combat-focused Rogue that bounces around the battlefield like a pinball, the Mobile feat grants another 10″ of movement, the ability to ignore difficult terrain when Dashing, and immunity from opportunity attacks made by any enemy that the Rogue has targeted with a melee attack.

Swashbuckler

Found in: Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Fancy a dashing, rather than dastardly rogue? The swashbuckler channels the spirit of expert and charming duelists like the Three Musketeers or Errol Flynn's sword-dueling Robin Hood.

Fancy Footwork prevents any enemy that the Swashbuckler 5e has made a melee attack against from taking opportunity attacks against them. This allows the Swashbuckler to pick and choose their melee battles; remember that Rogues can use Dash as a bonus action, and you can make your attack(s) at any point during your moves, so a Swashbuckler has plenty of options: darting into and out of engagement range with a slow-moving enemy, or landing a drive-by attack, as they run past a guard towards their real target.

Rakish Audacity gives two more compelling bonuses. Swashbucklers add their Charisma bonus to initiative rolls, helping them to set the terms of combat. But, more importantly, they can make Sneak Attacks against enemies they don't have advantage against, provided they're within 5′, don't have disadvantage, and no other allies are within 5′ of them. They're deadly duelists.

As they won't usually be attacking with advantage, Swashbucklers need to dual wield more than most Rogues to ensure they land a hit and trigger that Sneak Attack damage. The Dual Wielder feat is a great companion, giving them +1 AC and allowing them to dual wield weapons that aren't light (a pair of Rapiers is the ideal choice).

The ninth-level feature Panache allows them to turn on the charm, making a Charisma (Persuasion) check as an action to change the mood of a creature. If they're not an enemy, this works like a magic-less version of the Charm spell.

If they are an enemy, they have disadvantage on any attacks they make against anyone other than the Swashbuckler. This lasts for a minute or until one of your allies intercedes and breaks off the duel.

Make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew - the Swashbuckler is still a squishy Rogue. Your goal is to get into duels you can win, not pull heat away from the rest of the party.

Here's a complete guide to the DnD Swashbuckler 5e subclass.

Best Rogue races

Now that your choice of species no longer offers ability score increases, you'll want to choose one with skills that complement your build. When it comes to the best Rogue races, we think there are a few distinct winners:

Human

Humans don't have flashy powers or beefy defenses, but they do offer plenty of flexibility. A free origin feat and an extra skill proficiency will help guarantee your Rogue's role as the party Skill Monkey. Plus, regular uses of Heroic Inspiration will ensure those crucial rolls hit their mark.

Halfling

Halflings are the species most naturally suited to stealth, so they're a go-to for sneaky Rogues. As a Halfling, you're able to hide any time you're obscured by a creature at least one size larger than you.

Halfling Nimbleness also lets you move through the space of any creature that's a size larger than you, making it even easier to Disengage and put distance between you and your enemies. Halflings are also blessed with extra luck, so they can reroll any 1 on a D20 test.

Elf

The main reason to play an Elf is the extra free spells they get, so this is a species we tend to recommend for spellcasters. Arcane Tricksters will benefit from expanding their extremely limited spell lists - particularly as these freebies are excellent control and utility options.

We'd recommend the Wood Elf for their 35 feet of movement and their stealth and speed focused spell options. That being said, a free Misty Step or cast of Darkness feels well-suited to the Rogue, so the Drow and High Elf are also strong choices.

Whichever Elven Lineage you choose, you'll gain proficiency in Insight, Perception, and Survival, which helps bulk out your skill list. Plus, you only need four hours in a trance instead of sleep.

Best Rogue backgrounds

The best Rogue backgrounds offer a strong spread of stats and proficiencies, as well as an origin feat that matches your playstyle. Fortunately for budding Rogue players, there are plenty of strong choices:

Charlatan

Buff Dexterity and Constutition, and maybe Charisma if you want to lean into a Face role. The skills and tool proficiencies here are perfectly suited for a Rogue, as is the Skilled feat, which gives you even more proficiencies to work with.

Criminal

Another easy way to boost your Dexterity and Constitution, though Intelligence is also available for Arcane Tricksters. Alert pays off for Rogues who want to get a sneaky turn in combat before anyone else, and your skill proficiencies are ideal. The only downside is that you'll already have proficiency in Thieves' Tools.

Entertainer

The only must-have ASI here is Dexterity, though a Charisma bump isn't bad. Acrobatics and Performance are nice to have but not essential on your proficiency list. The main reason to take the Entertainer background is the Musician feat, which offers benefits to the entire party.

Sage

This is only really viable for an Arcane Trickster. The Constitution and Intelligence buffs are handy, but be sure not to neglect your Dexterity score. Magic Initiate will help bulk out your spell list, and the proficiencies available here are solid entries in your skill repertoire.

Scribe

Scribe gives you that crucial Dexterity boost, and it has Intelligence available for Arcane Tricksters. The Skilled feat is perfect for proficiency-hoarding Rogues, as are the free proficiencies available.

For more rules explainers, here's all you need to know about DnD stats and DnD sizes. Or, for more on the latest 5e books, here's all you need to know about this year's DnD release schedule.

This guide directly presents rules text for the DnD 5e Rogue class, published by Wizards of the Coast under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.