Rogues have little in common with one another. Some are stealthy thieves. Others are silver-tongued tricksters. Still others are scouts, infiltrators, spies, diplomats or thugs. What they do share is versatility, adaptability and resourcefulness. In general, rogues are skilled at getting what others don't want them to get: entrance into a locked treasure vault, safe passage past a deadly trap, secret battle plans, a guard's trust or some random person's pocket money.

Characteristics: Rogues are highly skilled and they can concentrate on developing any of several categories of skills. A rogue knows how to hit where it hurts and she can dish out a lot of damage with a sneak attack.

Alignment: Any. Rogues follow opportunities, not ideals. Though they are more likely to be chaotic than lawful, they are a diverse bunch, so they can be of any alignment.

Other Classes: Rogues excel when protected by warriors and spellcasters, but they are wary of the sometimes-overbearing disposition of paladins.

Role: The rogue's role in a group can vary dramatically based on her skill selection, but most rogues share certain aspects. They aren't capable of prolonged melee combat, so they focus on opportunistic sneak attacks or ranged attacks. The rogue's stealth and trapfinding ability make her one of the best scouts in the game.

Abilities: Dexterity provides extra protection for the lightly armored rogue. Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom are important for many of the rogue's skills. A high Intelligence score also gives the rogue extra skill points, which can be used to expand her repertoire.

Hit Die: d6

Class Skills

• Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Perform, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Tumble and Use Magic Device.

• Skill Points at 1st Level: (8 + Int modifier) x 4.

• Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 8 + Int modifier.

The Rogue
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Refx Save	Will Save	Special
1st	0	0	+2	0	Sneak Attack +1d6, Trapfinding
2nd	+1	0	+3	0	Evasion
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+1	Sneak Attack +2d6, Trap Sense +1
4th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Uncanny Dodge
5th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Sneak Attack +3d6
6th	+4	+2	+5	+2	Trap Sense +2
7th	+5	+2	+5	+2	Sneak Attack +4d6
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+2	Improved Uncanny Dodge
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+3	Sneak Attack +5d6, Trap Sense +3
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+3	Special Ability

Class Features

• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Rogues are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, shortbow and short sword. Rogues are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

• Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Basically, the rogue's attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether or not the target actually has a Dexterity bonus), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level and it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. A rogue can't strike with deadly accuracy from beyond that range. With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty, because she must make optimal use of her weapon in order to execute a sneak attack.

A rogue can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies -- undead, constructs, oozes, plants and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

• Trapfinding: Rogues (and only rogues) can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20. Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

Rogues (and only rogues) can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

A rogue who beats a trap's DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.

• Evasion: A rogue of 2nd level and higher can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as a Fireball), she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue (such as the one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion.

• Trap Sense: At 3rd level, a rogue gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the rogue reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level. Trap bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

• Uncanny Dodge: Starting at 4th level, a rogue can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.

• Improved Uncanny Dodge: A rogue of 8th level or higher can no longer be flanked; she can react to opponents on opposite sides of her as easily as she can react to a single attacker. This defense denies another rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does.

If a character already has Uncanny Dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains Improved Uncanny Dodge instead and the levels from the classes that grant Uncanny Dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Special Abilities

On attaining 10th level, a rogue gains a special ability of her choice from among Crippling Strike, Defensive Roll, Improved Evasion, Opportunist, Skill Mastery and Slippery Mind.

• Crippling Strike: A rogue with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that her blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of her sneak attacks also takes two points of Strength damage. Ability points lost to damage return on their own at the rate of one point per day for each damaged ability.

• Defensive Roll: The rogue can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than she otherwise would. Once per day, when she would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the rogue can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the rogue must attempt a Reflex saving throw.

If the save succeeds, she takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, she takes full damage. She must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute her defensive roll -- if she is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, she can't use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the rogue's evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.

• Improved Evasion: This ability works like evasion, except that while the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon's breath weapon or a Fireball, henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless rogue (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

• Opportunist: Once per round, the rogue can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as the rogue's attack of opportunity for that round. Even a rogue with the Combat Reflexes feat can't use the opportunist ability more than once per round.

• Skill Mastery: The rogue becomes so adept in the use of certain skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions. Upon gaining this ability, she receives a +2 bonus on her Intelligence modifier.

• Slippery Mind: This ability represents the rogue's ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a rogue with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again one round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.