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All ofDungeons & Dragons' rogues are phenomenal at putting people in the ground. Only the Phantom rogue subclass can partially exhume the dead in order to glean ghostly information. On top of that, Phantoms can follow their namesake through walls by taking on a ghostly form.
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If you’ve ever loved speaking to the dead as a wizard, then you’ll probably get a kick out of the Phantom’s abilities to communicate with the recently departed. On top of that, you’ll also be able to make enemies depart from the land of the living with every successful sneak attack. Read on to learn how to build a Phantom rogue.
Phantom Rogue Features
Like most subclasses, rogues can become Phantoms starting at level three. They gain two features at this level:Whispers of the DeadandWails from the Grave.
Whispers of the Deadallows you to speak to deceased spirits andgain a skill or tool proficiencyevery short or long rest. You lose this proficiency whenever you next use this ability.
Wails from the Gravegives youmore powerful Sneak Attacks. Whenever you deal Sneak Attack Damage, you may choose a second creature within 30 feet of the initial target and deal damage equal to half your Sneak Attack dice rounded up. The damage is necrotic, and you can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
Tokens of the Departedat level nine lets you capture the souls of the recently departed. Spend your reaction to create a token of a creature’s soul as soon as it dies. That token provides you with advantage on death and Constitution saving throws, lets you use Wails from the Grave more often, and lets you ask the deceased soul a single question.
At level 13,Ghost Walkallows you to take on a ghostly form as a bonus action, giving you a number of benefits in combat, but chief among them is being able to pass through walls, creatures, or other solid objects.
Death’s Friendat level 17 provides two benefits. First, your Wails from the Grave ability hits both the initial and secondary target, essentially doubling the damage you deal with Sneak Attack. Second, you get a soul trinket after every long rest even if you haven’t snatched a soul from the recently departed.
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Best Species For A Phantom Rogue
Most species can make a good rogue, so feel free to play as any species you like to make a Phantom rogue. Butthere are a few species that make especially good Phantoms, which we’ll list for you here.
Autognome
Is it a little weird that a robot is speaking to the dead?Armored Casinggives you excellent armor,Built for Successgives you more reliable attacks and skill checks, andnever needing to sleepprovides an easy excuse for why you see dead people.
Bugbear
Bugbears make the perfect rogues, and that’s no different for the Phantom.Extra reach,Darkvision,stealth proficiency, andSurprise Attackare all excellent additions to the rogue toolkit.
Deep Gnome
Another excellent rogue species.Disguise SelfandNondetectionhelp you get into locations where sneaking alone won’t cut it.Advantage against spell saving throwsis great, andadvantage on stealth checksis just so good for a rogue.Darkvisionout to 120 feet is also pretty great.
Elf
Being a High Elf means havingaccess to longbowsfor additional ranged damage as well as awizard cantrip. Mage Hand can make a lot of rogueish actions a lot simpler, but Booming Blade can deal a lot of damage outside of Sneak Attack.
Fairy
You canfly, and you learnFaerie Fire, which makes for easy Sneak Attacks. This combination is so potent that Fairies should always be considered when making a rogue.
Half-Elf
Like elves, half-elves can getaccess to longbowswith the high half-elf subspecies. But even if they don’t,two more skillsare always nice to have, andthree stat boostsinstead of two is great.
Kenku
Thematically, there’s no better choice than a kenku phantom as ravens have always been harbingers for the dead in myth and legend.Kenku Recallalso pairs extremely well with Whispers of the Dead, providing youadvantage on your skill checks.
Kobold
Draconic Crygives you an easy way to get Sneak Attack to proc.Darkvisionandanother skill proficiencyare also good to have.
Owlin
Flight,Darkvision, andstealth proficiency–three things that any rogue can always benefit from, Phantoms included.
Tabaxi
Cat’s Talentprovides two useful skills for any rogue, andFeline Agilitylets you get into the thick of combat without using your bonus action. Yourclawsare nice to have if you ever find yourself disarmed.
Thri-kreen
Chameleon Carapacegives you a base armor class of 13 plus advantage on your stealth checks.Telepathyalso keeps you sneaky, whileDarkvisionlets you see in the dark.Secondary Armslets you carry a bow and a light weapon at the same time.
Best Ability Scores For A Phantom Rogue
A Phantom needs but two ability scores to function well:DexterityandConstitution. Dexterity powers your attacks and provides you with armor class, and Constitution provides you with hit points. All your subclass features work without any ability score checks.
However, rogues are often considered the skill-laden characters of any adventuring party, soit can be helpful to keep your other ability scores as high as possibleto make those other skill checks more likely to succeed.
That said, you’re able to probablyignore Strengthas you’re not likely to need it.
If you’re using the points buy system for D&D,a good starting ability score spreadmight look something like this:
8(-1)
16(+3)
12(+1)
11(0)
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Best Starting Equipment For A Phantom Rogue
Rapiersare the more damaging weapon compared to shortswords, so pick that to start. Ashortbowis a good ranged attack option, so pick that up over the shortsword as your second weapon.
If you insist on being a dual-wielding rogue, then you can still pick the shortsword and rely on your daggers for ranged damage.
Adungeoneer’s packprovides you with all the essentials, but a burglar’s pack is close to being as good. Pick either one.
Leather armor,two daggers, and a set ofthieve’s toolsprovide you with all you’ll ever truly need as a rogue.
Best Feats For A Phantom Rogue
You should definitelyfocus on improving your Dexterity scorebefore you start taking feats. But if you’re playing a campaign that starts with the option free feat or if it’s later on in the campaign, thenthese feats are definitely worth checking out.
Alert
Anextra five initiativescore can pair extremely well with a Bugbear rogue’s Surprise Attack.
Crossbow Expert
For thieves looking tospecialize in ranged attacks with crossbows, this feat is essential as rogues won’t often have their bonus action available to reload.
Same reason as Crossbow Expert,but for firearms.
Dual Wielder
If youinsist on dual-wielding swords, you’ll get extra AC and your second weapon doesn’t have to be light.
Elven Accuracy
As anelf (or half-elf) with a bow, this helps provide way more consistent damage.
Who needs skill proficiencies when you’ve gotluck?
Magic Initiate
Learningtwo cantrips(such asMage HandorBooming Blade) can be great for any rogue But if you wanted that, you might as well have picked the Arcane Trickster subclass.
