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Sometimes, adventures inDungeons & Dragons Fifth Editioncalls for a deft hand. Getting into and out of sticky situations without getting caught can be a real challenge, but for one Rogue subclass, it’s second nature. They go by many names: burglars, bandits, pickpockets, cutpurses, but they can all be summarized by a single term: thief.
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Unlike many rogue subclasses, the humble thief doesn’t rely on magic or supernatural powers to accomplish their tasks. Instead, thieves specialize in exploiting their environment, stealthily using terrain and magic items to their advantage. Read on to discover how to play this challenging rogue subclass.
Rogue Thief Features
As a professional pilferer, the thief’s skills are all about plucking items without anyone noticing. At third level, theFast Handsability allows thieves to use the bonus action granted by Cunning Action tomake Sleight of Handchecks, use thieves tools todisarm a trap or open a lock, or take theUse an Objectaction.
Second-Story Workalso allows thieves to climb without any penalty to their movement speed. They can also make running jumps using their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier.
Supreme Sneakat level nine grants the thief advantage on stealth checks if they do not move more than half their speed on the same turn.
At level 13,Use Magic Deviceprovides the thief with access to all magic items, ignoring all class, race, and level requirements. This makes the thief incredibly versatile, provided you’re able to procure some magical implements.
Finally,Thief’s Reflexesat level 17 lets the thief take two turns during the first round of combat. The first turn is taken at normal initiative, and the second turn is taken at your initiative roll minus 10.
Best Species For A Rogue Thief
You can play any species as a rogue thief and still be reasonably effective, but there are a few species that lend themselves to a thief’s special set of skills. Here are a few suggestions forspecies that make especially good thieves.
Autognome
Armored Casingmakes sourcing armore pretty easy, andnot needing to sleepcan make you the party’s watch person.Built for Successis the real draw here as it adds a d4 to your attacks, ability checks, and saving throws.
Bugbear
Perhaps the best class for any rogue, Bugbears add an extrafive feet of reach,Darkvision, andstealth proficiency. Perhaps best of all,Surprise Attackadds an extra 2d6 damage to any creature that hasn’t yet had its turn in combat, making you the perfect ambush predator.
Deep Gnome
Being able to castDisguise SelfandNondetectionare both perfect for any thief.Advantage on stealth checksis great, although you’d get that at level nine as a thief anyway if you’re willing to wait.
Elf
TheHigh Elfgains access tolongbowsand awizard cantrip.Booming Bladeis probably the best cantrip for a rogue to learn as your bonus action allows you to disengage freely, prompting enemies to move and trigger Booming Blade for extra damage.
Fairy
Being able toflymakes the thief’s climbing abilities somewhat redundant, but being able to castFaerie Fire pairs extremely well with the rogue’s Sneak Attack ability. Plus, you might not be able to fly all the time.
Half-Elf
Darkvision,extra skills, andmore statsare all good for a rogue.Take the High-Elf subspeciesif you want access to Booming Blade.
Kenku
Gainingadvantage on your proficient skill checkscan allow a Kenku thief to virtually ignore locks.Expert Duplicationcan let you make a quick copy of a note you need to steal or leave a good enough copy of a valuable art piece. Very on-brand for a thief.
Kobold
Draconic Crycan provide an easy route to advantage for Sneak Attack rolls, and theKobold Legacyfeature can provide access to Booming Blade or another useful sorcerer cantrip.
Owlin
Flight,Darkvision, andstealth proficiency. If you want to be a flying thief, there’s no better way to do it than the Owlin.
Tabaxi
Cat’s Talentprovides two useful skills for a thief, andFeline Agilitylets you get into the thick of combat without using your bonus action. A great choice for any rogue.
Thri-kreen
Thieves are all about using objects, and withan extra set of hands, you can use those objects while still dual-wielding daggers.Chameleon Carapacealso providesadvantage on hide checksand a better base armor class.
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Best Ability Scores For A Rogue Thief
Rogue thieves are unique in that theyreally just need Dexterityto function well.Constitutionis always useful for more hitpoints, and the rest can be spread out amongIntelligence,Wisdom, andCharismato provide you with better skill checks.
As the thief can use its Dexterity to jump, you’re able to safelyignore Strengthwithout losing too much in-game functionality.
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)
14(+2)
12(+1)
Feel free to swapthe 14 points inIntelligencewith the 12 points inWisdomorCharisma, depending on how you’d prefer to play your thief.
Best Starting Equipment For A Rogue Thief
Rapiers simply do more damagethan shortswords, so pick the rapier as your starting melee weapon. Ashortbowwill provide somemuch-needed ranged attackfor your rogue, so it’s recommended to pick that over a shortsword as your second weapon.
If you really want to dual-wieldyour rogue, thenpick the shortswordand rely on your thrown daggers for ranged attacks.
Theburglar’s packprovides way more useful items for a rogue thief than either the dungeoneer’s or explorer’s pack. Finally, leather armor, two daggers, and a set of thieve’s tools round out your starting equipment.
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Best Feats For A Rogue Thief
If you’re playing with an extra feat to start your game, or if you’re late in your adventure and don’t feel the need to maximize more ability scores, there area few feats that a rogue thief might find useful.
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 for rogues as they won’t often want to use their bonus action to reload.
Same as Crossbow Expert,but for guns.
Dual Wielder
If youinsist on dual-wielding swords, this is the way to do it.
Elven Accuracy
As anElf with a bow, this is an excellent feat to maximize your damage.
Who needs skill proficiencies when you’ve gotluck?
Magic Initiate
Learningtwo cantrips(such asBooming Blade) can be a huge boost to the thief, although if you wanted that, you might as well have picked the arcane trickster subclass.
