Rogue DnD 5E guide — how to play in 2023

You’ve made it up the ranks and you’re finally ready for some real work, maybe you’re interested in that tomb raiding job, or taking care of the tyrannical lord one fiefdom over. Whatever your interest in one of the most iconic classes of Dungeons & Dragons, at the Dice Cove, we have your back.

In this Rogue DnD 5E guide, we’ll sneak you through all the options for the Rogue, as well as supportive choices you can make to build your character to achieve what you want. Whilst reading through this guide, you may find our articles on DnD terms and list of DnD books (and their common abbreviations) helpful.

This Rouge DnD 5E guide will evaluate each option for the Rogue on a scale of 1-5– this is a rating of the abilities’ potency and overall usefulness, primarily focusing on combat where appropriate. That said, I will still evaluate everything. This can aid you to weigh any choices you might be considering at a glance, helping you know what to expect and make changes accordingly if desired. The rating scheme is:

1 – Usually a bad choice, to be avoided
2 – Below average, this can apply to powerful but very niche abilities
3 – Average to Good, you won’t go wrong with it
4 – Very good
5 – Amazing, a must-have if there is such a thing

Be sure to check our other DnD 5E class guides: Artificer 5E guide, Barbarian 5E guide, Fighter 5E guide, Monk 5E guide, Paladin 5E guide, Ranger 5E guide, Sorcerer 5E guide, and Warlock 5E guide.

Rogue DnD 5E Class Abilities Guide

Hit Dice 3 – A d8 isn’t very good for a martial, but you at least have the option of being a ranged or skirmishing combatant.

Rogue DnD 5E Proficiencies Guide

Armor 3 – Light Armor isn’t so bad for a Rogue, as you’ll be wanting to max out your Dex as soon as possible anyway. The Rogue primarily mitigates damage in ways other than high AC.

Weapons 4 – Since Rogues want finesse or ranged weapons this is almost as good as it gets, really. The only improvements would be access to the longbow and heavy crossbow.

Tools 4 – You only get one, but it’s the most useful one.

Saving Throws 4 – Dexterity saving throws are common from spells to traps, and every breath weapon in between so this proficiency will save you a lot of damage taken. Intelligence is very rare, though if it comes up it probably saved your brain from a nasty fate.

Skills 5 – Rogues get the most skills of any class in the game and can choose from a broad list. The standouts here are Perception and Stealth, with the only notable skill missing being Arcana.

Expertise 5 – Doubling your proficiency bonus with certain skills or your Thieves’ Tools makes you far more consistent in passing checks and able to achieve higher DCs. For certain builds like grapplers, this is an essential feature, and overall cements the Rogue’s place as one of the best skill monkeys in the game.

Sneak Attack 5 – The core of a Rogue’s damage output and referred to as Sneak for short, it places certain limitations on what weapons you can use, but in practice, you won’t miss out on anything from this. An important thing to note here is that Sneak Attack is once per turn, not once per round. This means that if you hit someone with a readied attack or an attack of opportunity, and you qualify, you can still get your sneak damage.

Thieves’ Cant 3 – As far as ribbons go this is very limited in use but can provide story hooks for your character and discreet communication between party members. When you’re getting this on top of Expertise and Sneak Attack it can’t be too good!

Cunning Action 5 – Another integral part of the Rogue’s core abilities, this allows you to skirmish to your heart’s content, Hide better than any other class, and makes the Rogue the fastest class by default by allowing them to at-will double Dash every turn. The only downside to this great ability is that it provides you with a lot of nice things to use your bonus action for, which can be problematic if you want to two weapon fight or use bonus action spells etc.

Ability Score Increase 5 – This isn’t normally included in our guides as they’re standard for most classes, however, the Rogue gets an additional ASI at 10th level. This is a higher level than a lot of folk play, but an additional ASI can really help with feat-heavy concepts in games where it applies.

Uncanny Dodge 4 – A fantastic defensive ability that allows a Rogue to hang out in melee despite only having a d8 hit die and average AC. The reasons this only gets a 4 are the lack of protection against enemies you can’t see and the diminishing returns in combat encounters where you may get hit multiple times a round instead of one big hit. 

Evasion 5 – Dex saves are common and between this and your high Dex save bonus you’ll take no damage from Dex save-based hazards a lot of the time and even if you get unlucky you’ll only take half damage at most. The cherry on top is that this is a passive ability, you don’t even need to use your reaction!

Reliable Talent 5 – This ability makes it incredibly unlikely that you’ll fail any skill check you’re proficient in ever again. In some instances it can make your minimum result unreasonably high, for example at 11th level a Rogue with a +5 Dex and Expertise in Stealth would have a minimum Stealth check result of 23!

Blindsense 1 – You need to be very aware that this is not actually blindsight like a monster may have, you’ll be aware of anyone invisible that may try and hide but they’ll still benefit from being unseen against you.

Slippery Mind 4 – Wisdom saving throws are nasty to fail and become increasingly common the higher up in levels you go. 

Elusive 4 – It isn’t glamorous, but it is a solid defense. This is only a 4 because advantage against you is pretty situational.

Stroke of Luck 4 – Once per rest you can turn a miss into a hit or give yourself a 20 on a skill check, that’s a pretty great ability for a class that focuses on single, big hits.

Rogue Optional Class Features (TCoE) Guide

The Rogue only gets a single optional feature from Tasha’s, this is an additional ability and does not replace anything:

Steady Aim 3 – On-demand advantage is very nice for a Rogue, but the limitation of not moving at all on that turn is a steep cost. This makes the ability useless to skirmishing Rogues and only useful to ranged Rogues that are already in a favorable position, or rarer tanking Rogues already in melee.

Rogue Stats Guide

Rogues, as covered in our Rouge DnD 5E guide are one of the easiest classes to make work with stats as they’re primarily Dex SAD, but it’s still important to understand how valuable each stat is to a Rogue before we get into the subclasses. It’s worth noting that because Rogues are mostly Dex SAD, they can afford better tertiary stats than other classes, be it for utility or roleplay. 

Strength 2 – Even if you want to grapple you don’t need this as you can take Expertise in Athletics, you may want a 10 in this if only to not detract from your checks and give you a reasonable carrying capacity.

Dexterity 5 – The primary stat for the Rogue and so integral that you should try and max it as quickly as you can, or try to get it to at least 18 before you take a feat with an ASI. 

Constitution 3 – The stat everyone wants, I’d recommend trying to go a little higher in Con if you can afford to, especially if you’re a melee Rogue to compensate for your d8 hit die. If you don’t want to invest too much in Con then try to put at least a 14 here.

Intelligence 2 – If you want to find loot and traps then Int is a stat you’ll want to consider for Investigation. If you’re an Arcane Trickster this goes up to a 4, but isn’t necessarily needed depending on spells chosen.

Wisdom 3 – At least a 14 would be nice for Wis, it’s not only useful for your Perception, but without proficiency in Wis saves until later in the game a positive modifier becomes more important for passing saves against nasty monster effects.

Charisma 3 – Primarily for face characters, it never hurts to have a  decent Cha score, if you’re a Swashbuckler then this goes up to 4.

Roguish Archetypes (Subclasses) Guide

Your subclass can really influence the role and style of play for your Rogue, in some cases, it can also affect the value of certain stats so it’s important to think about which subclass you’ll choose at character creation:

Thief

The iconic thief style of Rogue is given some support here, this subclass is often regarded as one of the weakest Rogues. The value of the abilities here is somewhat DM-dependent and requires you to actively get use out of them. Once you get the hang of it there’s a surprising amount of potential here.

Fast Hands 3 – The cornerstone of the Thief, this is an ability that relies primarily on your creativity which is why this only gets a 3. With this, you can attempt to pickpocket an enemy or unlock a door to escape all mid-combat. The main power of this ability is with the Use an Object action, which will allow you to use items like a Healer’s Kit, Acid, Alchemist’s Fire, and oil. It’s important to note that if you use something like Acid you can make the attack as part of your bonus action and you include your Dex mod in the damage.

Second-Story Work 2 – Alongside Fast Hands this is pretty nice and lends a very Batman feel to the Thief, but it is a very situational ability.

Supreme Sneak 2 – Advantage on Stealth is nice, but slowing down to do so isn’t great, especially when you can already be exceptionally good at Stealth with your high Dex and Expertise.

Use Magic Device 2 -Potentially a very powerful ability, but very dependent on the DM. It’s worth noting that this allows a Thief to use spell scrolls, which can be extremely useful.

Thief’s Reflexes 5 – An extra turn on the first round of every combat is a fantastic ability, especially as it will allow at least two Sneak Attacks and two reactions on that turn. The Alert feat is highly recommended if you’re a high-level Thief.

Assassin

Another player-favorite concept is the deadly killer hidden in the shadows, waiting to strike at their target. Unfortunately, this subclass is highly dependent on the Surprise mechanic, which relies not only on Stealth but on your DM.

Bonus Proficiencies 2 – These can be of use but aren’t widely applicable, there are better tools/kits to be proficient in.

Assassinate 2 – The automatic critical hit is what everyone thinks of with this ability, and when it happens it’s great, but it won’t happen frequently. Getting advantage against creatures that haven’t taken a turn yet is nice and carries this feature, but is unreliable and pushes the Assassin to take Alert.

Infiltration Expertise 2 – As far as 9th level Rogue abilities go it isn’t a bad one and plays well into the theme of the subclass. This is only a 2 because it’s all that the Assassin gets at 9th and is very narrow in scope.

Imposter 1 – Is this useful? Potentially, very useful, but it’s been ten levels since this Assassin got better at actually killing things.

Death Strike 1 – Not only is this capstone reliant on surprise, but it’s also reliant on the enemy failing a Con saving throw, which is usually a strong save for monsters. The potential damage is excellent, but the chance of getting that damage is too vanishingly small.

Arcane Trickster

Incredibly versatile and a player favorite, this archetype allows you restricted access to Wizard spellcasting, specifically making you a third caster. Through certain spell choices, this subclass is competitive for the highest damage dealing Rogue, but you should be careful to ration your very limited spell slots appropriately. Recommended spells for this subclass include Disguise Self, Silent Image, Shield, Find Familiar, Invisibility, and Shadow Blade. For cantrips, Booming Blade is highly recommended for damage and an added control effect.

Spellcasting 4 – Adding spellcasting to a well-built class like the Rogue was always going to go well, this only gets a 4 due to the school restrictions and the extremely slow spell slot progression of being a three-quarter caster.

Mage Hand Legerdemain 5 – For what it is this ability is very nice, it takes a great cantrip and allows you to make it invisible and use it to perform your usual Rogue antics at a distance. Something you could try mid-combat is taking the items being carried or worn by your opponent with your bonus action. This is a useful and rather hilarious way of dealing with a magic item using foe.

Magical Ambush 3 – Tying in with your high Dex, potential Expertise, and ability to bonus action Hide this feature isn’t bad, far from it, but the problem is that generally your action is better spent using Sneak Attack, especially if you can successfully Hide. There could be times this comes in handy, however, such as casting Hold Person on a humanoid enemy.

Versatile Trickster 4 – Giving yourself advantage is very nice, the only downside here is the need to have Mage Hand summoned and near the creature you’re attacking. This feature may be less appealing to those that can use Steady Aim.

Spell Thief 2 – It certainly sounds cool, but this feature falls down at quite a few points: the enemy needs to be a spellcaster, it relies on your spell save DC, it relies on an enemy caster failing a save with their strong stat, and to get the full use of the feature it needs to be a fairly low-level spell for Tier 4 so you can actually cast it.

Mastermind

For those that have ambitions of running their own organization, or simply want a more support-focused Rogue. This subclass was originally published in the SCAG and was reprinted in XGtE. This is primarily a roleplay pick but can work well in a party where you have an ally with Sharpshooter or Great Weapon Master.

Master of Intrigue 3 – Not a great feature, but it goes a long way towards helping you build a more espionage-style Rogue, most useful in an intrigue-heavy game. I know, surprising right?

Master of Tactics 3 – Getting the Help action at range is very nice for your party, and can certainly help them land hits that can save the day. This ability only gets a 3 however because a single attack at advantage doesn’t age very well as martials get more attacks, it’s dependent on having more attack roll users in your party, and finally, you can’t Help yourself. Ironically the best character to make use of your Help is another Rogue!

Insightful Manipulator 1 – Incredibly niche in use, it could be useful if you can get a BBEG into a situation where you can judge what their weaker save might be, but it won’t take into account their proficiencies. Not a good feature.

Misdirection 2 -Thematically a really interesting ability, with the idea of using enemies as meat shields against their own allies, it could work like that with a lot of maneuvering. However to get real use out of this your best bet is to hide behind a willing ally. This can be beneficial if the ally has a high AC, or an effect like Armor of Agathys, though does not make for a good ability.

Soul of Deceit 1 – An overly situational ribbon ability masquerading as a capstone.

Swashbuckler

The best skirmisher of all the Rogue subclasses, the Swashbuckler places a higher value on Cha and can make excellent use of two-weapon fighting. This subclass is really primarily for melee characters, but you can still switch hit effectively when you need to. Like the Mastermind, this subclass was also reprinted in XGtE.

Fancy Footwork 5 – An excellent ability that allows you to hit and run, or retreat whilst still getting some potential damage in. Yes, it restricts you to melee, but if you wanted to play an archer Rogue this subclass wasn’t your first choice anyway.

Rakish Audacity 5 – Cha modifier added to your already nice initiative and a way to make Sneak Attack more reliable? After I Googled what rakish means, I do agree that’s very charming.

Panache 5 – This feature makes you a skirmishing tank, encouraging enemies to try and chase after you instead of attacking your party, to do this effectively you’ll likely have to use Cunning Action Dash to be able to do this unless you have other speed buffs or switch to ranged attacks. This gets a 5 because it relies on a skill contest, making it very reliable as long as you take Expertise in Persuasion, and gives you some out of combat utility with the charm effect on non-hostile creatures.

Elegant Maneuver 1 – Advantage on Acrobatics and Athletics checks can be nice for escaping grapples, or making use of shove and grapple combos. This is a bad ability because Rogues are a bad chassis for grapple builds (as they only have one attack) and it consumes your valuable bonus action. If this came alongside a more useful ability then it may be worth a 2.

Master Duelist 3 – This is a very good ability that helps you land that Sneak Attack damage, it only gets a 3 because you can only use it once per short or long rest.

Inquisitive

The Sherlock Holmes of the Rogue world, is good for roleplaying a detective and excels at getting Sneak Attack reliably in combat, melee, or ranged. The Inquisitive is encouraged to take Expertise in Insight and have a decent (14+) Wisdom score in order to get the most out of their main feature.

Ear for Deceit 3 – A somewhat reliable way to determine if someone is lying, without having to use magic. Very thematic and fairly useful as far as ribbons go.

Eye for Detail 1 – Only really useful when fighting enemies that you can’t see, that are also actively hiding from you. If that comes up somewhat frequently in your game then this ability becomes extremely valuable. 

Insightful Fighting 4 – As long as you invest in your Insight modifier this is a very reliable way to get Sneak Attack, especially at later levels when Reliable Talent becomes available. This only gets a 4 because it relies on your bonus action and is best suited to encounters with fewer monsters.

Steady Eye 3 – The speed clause of this is mostly relevant for dungeoneering, this gets a 3 for likely giving you advantage on all Perception/Investigation checks, but some more utility or something more combat relevant would have been preferable.

Unerring Eye 1 – Not only is this a pretty niche use ability, but it relies on you already being suspicious of something trying to trick you and then doesn’t give you any specifics other than vaguely confirming your suspicions.

Eye for Weakness 5 – An extra 3d6 Sneak Attack damage against targets you can reliably use Sneak Attack against? Oh yes. 

Scout

Rogue: Ranger edition, this subclass gives you a bit of a wilderness feel but focuses primarily on mobility. This archetype is best suited to a ranged Rogue rather than skirmishing, though the latter can work if you commit your bonus action to disengaging.

Skirmisher 2 – An okay defensive ability for keeping you at range, this gets a lower score because it requires your reaction, putting it in contention with Uncanny Dodge if you get hit, or just hoping they miss! 

Survivalist 5 – Two skills that you double your proficiency in? A great feature to go with the wilderness theme, just be careful you don’t pick up Nature or Survival before 3rd level to get the most of it.

Superior Mobility 2 – A 10ft boost is really nice, but as the only ability at 9th level it feels lackluster, if there was a second ability this would be at least a 3.

Ambush Master 4 – A pretty solid ability, I don’t feel that benefiting from the advantage is reliable enough to rate as a 5 however. 

Sudden Strike 5 – Two Sneak Attack eligible attacks in a turn, every turn? Even if it eats your bonus action, that’s too strong to not be a 5.

Phantom

You see dead people, and take their stuff, or to be precise their knowledge and experiences. This subclass shines as a skill monkey and is above average for a Rogue at handling multiple enemies. This is definitely an archetype that shines more at higher levels when it comes to combat.

Whispers of the Dead 5 – A tool or skill of your choice whenever you finish a rest? Excellent utility ability.

Wails from the Grave 2 – Being able to automatically damage another creature when you Sneak Attack someone is great, but the number of uses is just too few for only half your Sneak damage and it’s useless against solo big tough monsters like dragons, etc. This gets better at higher levels.

Tokens of the Departed 4 – This feature brings some Speak with Dead-ish utility which can be useful, but more importantly it allows you to use your Wail from the Grave feature a more meaningful amount. This only gets a 4 because it requires a reaction and freehand, no TWF for you, and a lot of its value is just propping up another feature.

Ghost Walk 5 – There’s a lot here and it’s all good, either in combat or exploration. One of the biggest strengths of this ability is its first free use, with subsequent uses only costing you a single soul trinket, whilst the form itself lasts a respectable 10 minutes.

Death’s Friend 4 – A pretty substantial damage bump and being able to start the day with a soul trinket are very nice, this would be a 5 if it introduced something new or gave just a little more, you can think of it more like a 4.5.

Soulknife

A psionic option for the Rogue, this archetype is very well rounded and competes for highest damage Rogue immediately from 3rd level. RAW you won’t be able to make opportunity attacks with your Psychic Blades, but this is easily remedied by holding a dagger and passing it between your hands if it becomes a concern.

Psionic Power 5 –  The pool of Psionic Energy Dice you get is very generous, as you won’t be relying on them and typically won’t expend them often. Psi-Bolstered Knack is a fantastic ability to ensure you pass your skill checks, and Psychic Whispers is most of Rary’s Telepathic Bond, a 5th level spell.

Psychic Blades 5 – This ability makes you a seamless switch hitter, with a large damage boost and the benefits of never being unarmed or slowed down by resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing? Outstanding ability. This can also benefit from the Thrown Weapon Fighting Style, adding damage to each attack.

Soul Blades 5 – A bonus action teleport ability and an accuracy boost that only uses a Psionic Energy Dice if it turns a miss into a hit? Nothing but sweet psionic gravy.

Psychic Veil 4 – A better version of Invisibility you can use for free once a day and more if you need it. This would be a 5 if it was more on par with Greater Invisibility but is still really nice.

Rend Mind 5 – This is a little like Stunning Strike for a Monk, but potentially lasts a minute once it’s in place, at 17th level you’ll have plenty of Psionic Energy Dice to make use of this ability.

Rogue DnD 5E Race Choices Guide

In this section of Rouge DnD 5E guide, I’ll review all of the racial options based on how well they complement the Rogue as a whole, commenting where certain features may benefit certain subclasses. Races are good places to pick up abilities for certain character concepts, so if you’re thinking about playing a certain Rogue build but that race isn’t rated well here, it doesn’t mean your particular combination wouldn’t work or be fun to play. Like I said previously, it’s actually pretty difficult to make a truly bad character in 5e. 

Subraces and variants will be listed under the central race rating, indented to the right, and noted by italics.

If your DM allows the TCoE optional rules for reassigning racial stat bumps, then every race becomes a minimum rating of 3 and you should decide entirely based on the other benefits they give. The only exceptions to this, are races that give more points to stats than is typical, like the Half-Elf or Mountain Dwarf, which would be at least a 3.5 before features are considered.

The player race options offered by Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse will be separated in their own section of Rouge DnD 5E guide instead of being listed alphabetically. This is to make them more distinct on the list as they stand out as primarily revisions of existing races. If a race option from this book doesn’t have any changes from an entry already covered in this section, it will be omitted.

Aarakocra 5 – A Dex bump and a high fly speed are pretty amazing for a ranged Rogue, the flight restrictions don’t matter as you only wear light armor anyway, and Cunning Action Dash can make up for the slightly slower walking speed.

Aasimar 4 – +2 to Cha is good for Swashbuckler and face Rogues, the real benefit here is the plethora of goodies the Aasimar gets that the base Rogue class has no access to including healing, a cantrip, and resistances.

• Protector 2 -+1 to Wisdom isn’t the worst secondary stat you could have gotten, but it’s still sub-par, a flight speed can be useful, however.
• Scourge 2 – +1 to Con is always nice, the aura damage isn’t ideal on a d8 martial but if you’re playing a Rogue who gets in a monster’s face it is a useful ability.
• Fallen 1 – Frightened isn’t a bad condition, but you can hit your party members with it and Str is of little value to you unless you’re a rare Str-based Rogue.

Astral Elf 4 – All the good stuff you get for being an elf, along with a cantrip and a bonus action teleport, are a really solid package. However, the unsung hero of this race for you is Astral Trance, giving you a skill and tool proficiency that you can change out every day to enhance your skill monkey roll. This is more appealing than the teleport, as two subclasses have access to teleporting, whilst the Shadar Kai and Eladrin have the same teleport but with additional rider effects.

Autognome 5 – An excellent AC calculation for Dex-based Rogues, a selection of defensive buffs from Mechanical Nature, and the superb Built for Success make for an excellent Rogue race. Built for Success allows you to land Sneak Attack when it matters most, or tip a saving throw into a success, the latter can be very important once Evasion comes online. There is the downside of shutting yourself off from certain sources of healing, including a Paladin’s Lay on Hands, a Ranger’s Healing Spirit, and the Heal spell, so consider your party’s healing situation before choosing this race.

Bugbear 2 – The stats aren’t great, but Long-limbed is useful for a skirmishing Rogue and Surprise Attack makes every subclass a little bit of an Assassin.

Centaur 1 – The only thing here for a Rogue is the increased movement speed, canter on.

Changeling 3 – Excellent for face and intrigue-based Rogues with good stats for a Swashbuckler, okay for other Rogues.

Dhampir 3 – Good stats by default, superior movement speed, and a climb speed are nice, unfortunately, the bite is basically useless to a Rogue as it isn’t eligible for Sneak Attack. 

Dragonborn 1 – Bad stats and a mediocre AOE that scales off a secondary stat, a roleplaying choice.

• Draconblood 1 – Even worse stats, The face ability could be nice but isn’t worth it overall.
• Ravenite 2 – This would be a very niche build, but Vengeful Assault can be used to gain Sneak Attack opportunities as a reaction somewhat reliably.

Dragonborn (FToD Version) 5 – This Fizban’s rework of the dragonborn divides the race into three subraces, with only the ability score increases coming from the core race. The freedom to choose your own stats is very potent and facilitates any type of Rogue you want to build.

• Chromatic 3 – Resistance is nice, being able to give yourself immunity to that same damage type can be useful but is more niche of an ability. Unfortunately, the breath weapon is only so-so for you, as you only have one attack to replace, and being able to use Sneak Attack will likely be a better option most of the time. That said, if you need to change up your damage type, or there’s a lot of weaker enemies it might still be worth using for you.
• Metallic 3 – Pretty much the same as the Chromatic option, with the caveat that the Enervating Breath is a great control ability if you have a decent Con modifier, which you should!
• Gem 4 – An exception to the precedent set by the other dragonborn, the ability to fly as a bonus action is very valuable, and the available damage types for the breath weapon are more potent than the typical elemental damage types. The telepathy is a nice ribbon that adds a psionic feel to any Rogue.

Dwarf 2 – The weapon and armor are useless and the movement penalty hurts, but Con and poison resistance are nice.

• Hill 2 – Extra hp can be great, especially if you’re looking to play a more tank/thug kind of Rogue, but Wis is less than ideal.
• Mountain 2 – Medium armor is a side-grade at best for a high Dex character, the Str is usable but not what you want.
• Duergar 2 – The strongest Dwarf option, carried by its spells, Sunlight Sensitivity can be a deal breaker depending on your game.
• Mark of Warding 2 – If you’re an Arcane Trickster and don’t mind slow Dex progression this can be a nice choice, but niche for the Rogue overall.

Elf 5 – Darkvision, a Dex bump, Fey Ancestry, and Trance make a solid package for a Rogue.

• High Elf 4 – Getting a cantrip can be very useful, especially if you choose one like Booming Blade. The longbow is a nice upgrade for ranged Rogues.
• Wood Elf 5 – A higher movement speed is always useful, longbow, the ever useful Wisdom, and the ability to hide in more situations? Excellent choice
• Drow (2/3) – Charisma is good for Swashbucklers and face Rogues, but the Sunlight Sensitivity is hard to overlook. If the spells on offer interest you then give it a try.
• Eladrin 4 – The short rest recharge teleportation ability, with its many rider effects, is a great addition to a Rogue.
• Sea 3 – Here’s the thing, the stats are good, the base elf features are nice, so I can’t rate this lower than a 3. The actual features the sea elf provides are so niche there’s many more useful subraces to choose from.
• Shadar-kai 4 – Good stats, necrotic is common enough to be a nice resistance (especially considering a lot of creatures reduce your max HP using necrotic damage) and a great short rest teleport.
• Mark of Shadow 5 – The bonus to Stealth checks and spells really make this subrace pop for a Rogue.
• Pallid 4 – Good stats and access to some nice spells, keep in mind a 1st level casting of Sleep won’t age very well.

Fairy 5 – The stats are great by default and a fly speed is very valuable for ranged and skirmishing Rogues. The restriction on armor types doesn’t really matter to you either as you’ll likely want to wear light armor anyway. Sure, the casting on offer is a nice bit of utility, and who doesn’t want to shrink down and walk under the door you just failed to pick open? Note: If you want to use the Enlarge portion of Enlarge/Reduce as a combat buff, this is best used on a party member who has Extra Attack, so they can get the most out of the additional d4 per attack. You should also be aware the Fey type may make you vulnerable to some effects, including the features of some party members.

Firbolg 3 – The stats aren’t really good at all, but the firbolg’s features are so nice for a Rogue it warrants a 3 at least, even Powerful Build to carry more gold out of the dungeon with you!

Genasi 2 – +2 Con is okay, just not ideal for a Rogue, all the details are in the subraces.

• Air 3 – Decent stats and a spell you can get creative with, it’s okay.
• Earth 2 – Str is pretty bad, but Pass without Trace is a fantastic spell that might be worth it depending on your build and priorities.
• Fire 1 – Fire Resistance is nice, but the casting and stat bump are pretty terrible.
• Water 2 – This can be a fun choice, but like all Genasi options, you’re choosing it for roleplay potential.

Giff 3 – A difficult race to rate, if you intend to play a grappling Rogue by using Expertise on Athletics, then Hippo Build can make your main tactic very reliable, however, if you aren’t doing that, it’s just a minor bump to your low Strength. Astral Spark is too small a damage bump to be consequential, so this race is only really worth it if you have access to firearms, although even then, ignoring the loading property doesn’t benefit you with a single attack.

Gith 1 – +1 Int is a bad start, let’s see how the subraces look.

• Githyanki 2 – If you’re playing a Str-based Rogue this can work but you have to really want Misty Step and not be an Arcane Trickster.
• Githzerai 2 – A similar story to above, though no physical stat bump makes this a little rough for a Rogue in terms of reliably hitting for Sneak Attack damage, Shield is a great spell, and Detect Thoughts has a lot of utility.

Gnome 1 – +2 Int is awful for any Rogue but an Arcane Trickster, Gnome Cunning is a bit situational and the lower speed isn’t great.

• Forest 2 – Dex is what you need and Minor Illusion is a fun cantrip for a Rogue to have access to, this doesn’t fully balance the drawbacks of the Gnome in general but helps.
• Rock 1 – +1 Con is useful, but not enough to save this rating from rock bottom.
• Deep 3 – Superior Darkvision with no Sunlight Sensitivity, a Dex bump, and situational Stealth boost makes for a pretty nice overall package.
• Mark of Scribing 1 – No physical stats and a set of spells that only help in certain roleplay and exploration scenarios.

Goblin 3 – Normally a Goblin is a very solid choice for a lot of classes, however Nimble Escape overlaps entirely with Cunning Action. Nevertheless, the stats are perfect, Darkvision is always welcome and Fury of the Small is a nice nova ability. 

Goliath 2 – An excellent choice if you’re playing a Str-based Rogue, Stone’s Endurance can save you significant amounts of damage over the course of the adventuring day.

Hadozee 4 – A climb speed can be very useful for any Rogue that isn’t a Thief, with Cunning Action allowing you to climb reasonably high in a single turn to leverage Glide. Dextrous Feet might either be a pseudo Fast Hands, or entirely useless depending on your DM, but Hadozee Resilience is enough to just tip this into a 4. This damage reduction will help protect you before Uncanny Dodge comes online and will help protect you in the instances where Uncanny Dodge doesn’t apply.

Half-Elf 4 – Half-elves are good at being pretty much anything, the stats are great for a Swashbuckler or face Rogue, with the two floating +1s giving you the physical stats you need. Skill Versatility, Darkvision, and Fey Ancestry aren’t flashy abilities, but solid passive benefits which suit any Rogue.

• Aquatic Descent 1 – If you’re on, or under, the high seas then sure, otherwise hard pass.
• Drow Descent 4 – This is a side-grade compared to the PHB half-elf, trading two skills for a set of spellcasting, personal preference.
• Moon/Sun Descent 4 – This can be worth it if you grab something like Booming Blade, which will scale with your level and significantly improve your Rogue’s combat ability.
• Wood Descent 3 – A couple of skills ,which will later benefit from Reliable Talent would likely be a better choice, but getting the movement speed boost can be helpful and if you’re trying to play the Hide and hit kind of Rogue then Mask of the Wild might be worth it to you.
• Mark of Detection 2 – Overall worse than the normal half-elf, however it’s worth mentioning this variant would excel at dungeon crawls due to the skill bumps and spells.
• Mark of the Storm 3 – Not bad, but not particularly good either, would make for a very flamboyant Swashbuckler though!

Half-Orc 2 – Increased durability, harder-hitting crits, and a skill, if you’re playing a Str-based Rogue then this is a solid choice!

• Mark of Finding 2 – Bad stats, but the d4 to Perception checks and ability to cast Hunter’s Mark show some promise if this variant option appeals to you for roleplay reasons.

Halfling 5 – Big Dex bump, advantage against a common monster imposed condition, enhanced mobility on the battlefield, and extremely unlikely to roll a 1 on anything you do with a d20? Some stereotypes hold true, Hobbits halflings make for excellent thieves Rogues.

• Lightfoot 5 – Face and Swashbuckler Rogues will like the Cha, but all Rogues should appreciate being able to Hide behind your own allies, or even enemies!.
• Stout 5 – Con is great for a martial and resistance against poison damage and the poisoned condition will certainly come in handy at times in most games.
• Ghostwise 4 – Wis isn’t as nice for most Rogues, but Inquisitives will appreciate it and telepathy is very useful for a sneaky character, and let’s face it you know it’s cool. Not as appealing to a Soulknife
• Mark of Healing 4 – If you’re looking to take on a healer role within your party then this is a decent choice, most useful for an Arcane Trickster, carried by the general Halfling goodness otherwise.
• Mark of Hospitality 3 – The potency of this choice is really limited by your creativity and your DM’s permissiveness, as the spells it gives you the ability to cast are utility based.

Harengon 5 – Just like the aforementioned fairy, assigning your own stats makes for a good start with great features to support them. Rabbit Hop might seem like it’s wasted on a class that can Disengage as a bonus action, but being able to move without provoking an opportunity attack actually allows you to cover more ground. Lucky Footwork works well with Evasion, and Hare-Trigger is great in general but particularly good for Assassins.

Hexblood 4 – Arrange stats to taste and benefit from Hex and Disguise Self once a day for free, that’s a solid base with some infiltration and scouting potential with the Eerie Token.

Hobgoblin 2 – The Achilles heel of this race is the lack of Dex, or even Str, as a bump and providing a redundant armor proficiency. Otherwise, the chance to grab longbow or heavy crossbow proficiency is nice, and depending on your party Saving Face can help in times of need.

Human 1 – If you rolled an array composed mostly of odd numbers, or have a really MAD character idea, then go for it. If neither of those applies then you should probably choose a variant option if you’re able to.

• Variant Human PHB 5 – You can bump Dex and a secondary stat of your choice, grab an extra skill of your choice, and a feat! Strong choices for a Rogue include Defensive Duelist, Skill Expert, and Healer.
• Mark of Finding 2 – The same as the half-orc version.
• Mark of Handling 2 – Very, very niche, but potentially a fun roleplay concept and you can grab some Dex from it.
• Mark of Passage 5 – Amazing stats, Misty Step, and increased movement speed, winner winner cockatrice dinner.
• Mark of Sentinel 1 -The stats are subpar, Shield might be nice but Vigilant Guardian is not an ability a Rogue wants to be making use of.

Kalashtar 1 – Telepathy is still cool, advantage on all Wis saves is nice, but the rest is bad. This would be higher if it had a physical stat, even if it was just Con.

Kenku 3 – Mostly roleplay, but solid stats and two skills on offer!

Kobold 3 – Very dependent on your table and DM, if you’ll be subjected to direct sunlight often then this will be a difficult choice. However, with +2 Dex and Pack Tactics, the Kobold is a potentially very promising combat-orientated Rogue. 

Leonin 2 – Now whilst the Leonin may not have ideal stats and abilities, the enhanced movement speed, Darkvision, and skill choice make for an interesting strength-based Rogue. The potential to give yourself and others advantage by using Daunting Roar is also a fun notion. 

Lizardfolk 2 – The stats aren’t particularly good and the bite is going to be pretty useless to you as a Rogue, however, with an armor calculation better than studded leather and with a couple of scales skills on offer this cold-blooded customer remains a cool choice for some builds.

Locathah 1 – Only if you’re constantly around water.

Loxodon 1 – There isn’t really anything here for a Rogue, though the trunk is neat. Elephant folk? You’re having a giraffe!

Minotaur 1 – Stats for an Str Rogue, but the other features just aren’t appealing to any Rogue unless you’re looking for a particularly ironic cattle rustler.

Orc 1 – A roleplay pick for an Str-based Rogue, Aggressive is a worse option than just using Cunning Action to Dash.

Owlin 4 – Superior darkvision, a fly speed that you can Cunning Action Dash with, stats however you want them, and Stealth proficiency, freeing up your class choices. Overall this would make a very potent Rogue in most campaigns.

Plasmoid 4 – The combination of Natural Resilience and Amorphous’ grappling benefit is just barely enough to tip this over to a 4 with the flexible stats. This is a bit better if you can use your pseudopod to use Thieves’ Tools, however, this is unlikely based on the list of uses and without the ability to carry your tools and weapons with you, slipping through a 1 inch gap isn’t very useful to you.

Reborn 3 – Good stats and good features, the d6 to skill checks is particularly nice for a skill monkey-focused Rogue. 

Satyr 4 – There are a lot of powerful features here, Magic Resistance being the most obvious, but two free skills and a higher movement speed are nothing to shake a crook at.

Beasthide Shifter 2 – Tanky Str-based Rogues need to look no further, for more conventional Rogues you may want to keep looking.

Longtooth Shifter 1 – Pretty meh stats and a bonus action attack you can’t get Sneak Attack on or use Dex with.

Swiftstride Shifter 3 – Good stats and a good shifting ability for a Swashbuckler, when shifting this would be like playing a hybrid of a Scout with whatever your actual subclass is.

Wildhunt Shifter 4 – It’s only a +1 Dex, but denying enemies advantage against you in addition to the temp hp from shifting makes for a very durable Rogue.

Simic Hybrid 3 – You can get stats you want with access to some very useful adaptations, particularly the Carapace option, solid choice.

Tabaxi 5 – Good stats, two desirable skills, a climb speed, and a resourceless movement boost? A superb cat burglar. 

Thri-kreen 5 – A great unarmored AC formula for a Rogue is a very good start, but what rockets this race to a 5 is the ability to give yourself advantage on Stealth checks at will. Given that being stealthy is typically an essential ability for a Rogue, be it for exploration or Sneak Attack purposes, this is a huge boon.The addition of Thri-kreen Telepathy and Sleepless are nice ribbons to have, and Secondary arms can allow you to wield both a ranged weapon and two light weapons at the same time, or simply have an easier time using equipment in combat.

Tiefling (PHB aka Asmodeus) 2 – Bad stats but mostly good features, it’s worth noting Hellish Rebuke will clash with Uncanny Dodge once it becomes available. That said, the features are too good to rate this option as a 1.

• Baalzebul 1 – Same as above, except the spells got worse, pulling the rating down with them.
• Dispater 4 – Some Dex, Darkvision, a common damage resistance and spells any sneaky Rogue would love to have!
• Fierna 2 – Bad stats and okay spells, which will key off of a secondary stat at best.
• Glasya 4 – Much the same as Dispater, but with Invisibility.
• Levistus 2 – The stats aren’t ideal, but Armor of Agathys at 2nd level is a great ability. 
• Mammon 1 – It’s all bad here apart from Mage Hand, which there’s better ways to get.
• Mephistopheles 1 – This wouldn’t be so bad if you could at least Sneak Attack with Flame Blade, but you can’t, so a 1 it is! 
• Zariel 2 – If you’re a Str based Rogue then the smite spells offer a decent damage bump when you need it.

Tortle 2 – This is probably one of the best ways to build an Str-based Rogue, as Natural Armor has got your back, literally, without needing Dexterity.

Triton 2 – There are a lot of features and casting here, which makes it hard to rate a solid 1, that said it’s not a particularly good pick even for a Strength Rogue.

Vedalken 1 – Awful stats, but Vedalken Dispassion and Tireless Precision are good enough that I can’t completely condemn this as an option. Just roll high, ‘kay?

Warforged 5 – Good stats, poison resistance, +1 AC, a skill and tool of your choice, plus other goodies? It’s like you were made to be a Rogue…

Yuan-Ti Pureblood 2 – The stats are awful but Magic Resistance and Poison Immunity are too powerful to rate this option as a 1.

Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse Race Options

As mentioned previously any races that are republished without changes won’t be included in this section. In addition, following previously mentioned guidance, there won’t be any ratings lower than a 3 in this section due to all races being able to assign stats to taste. 

Note: Spells will be rated more highly here than they may appear above because all spells given can be cast with any spell slots you may have. This is a significant boost for an Artificer, giving them access to spells they may not otherwise have and freeing up their number of prepared spells.

Note: The Fey Ancestry and Trance traits listed in these races differ significantly from the versions published in other books like the PHB.

Aarakocra 4 – A fly speed is still extremely valuable to a Rogue, particularly as the armor restrictions won’t affect you, but the lowered speed makes this less appealing than other flying options. Gust of Wind is an okay spell, but this would be best for a Rogue that is already investing in a mental stat, like an Arcane Trickster or Inquisitive, whilst the talons are useless to you. 

Aasimar 5 – There is a lot of good here for a Rogue, being able to heal yourself or others is a nice addition, as healing isn’t something a Rogue can normally do outside of the Healer feat. Celestial Resistance synergizes well with Uncanny Dodge and Celestial Revelation provides a damage boost to push the Rogue beyond their normal Sneak Attack limitations. The bonus action activation does clash with Cunning Action and two-weapon fighting, but with only one use per long rest, it shouldn’t really be an issue. Each transformation will be reviewed below as if it was a subrace:

• Necrotic Shroud 3 – This could be a good option for a Swashbuckler, but otherwise a Charisma-based DC and single hit or miss effect isn’t very compelling.
• Radiant Consumption 1 – With only a d8 Hit Die and no way to heal yourself the self-imposed damage and need to be within 10 feet is a massive turn-off for this ability. There may be some Rogues builds that prefer this kind of feature, but most won’t.
• Radiant Soul 5 – Bonus action flight, especially on a class that has the potential to double Dash to cover large distances in a short amount of time. This is particularly good for ranged Rogues, but skirmishing Rogues will appreciate it as well.

Bugbear 5 – The reach offered from the Long-Limbed ability gives Rogues a fantastic ability to skirmish, without needing to use Cunning Action. This leaves their bonus action open for a two-weapon fighting attack, or Cunning Action Dash to get to a safe distance afterward. This with Fey Ancestry and not having to spend one of your own skill proficiencies on Stealth already adds up to a good choice for a melee Rogue. What seals this as a 5 is the superb Surprise Attack, giving you an additional 2d6 damage on your attack, in terms of Sneak Attack that’s the equivalent of being four levels higher! This boost would also apply to a two-weapon fighting attack you might want to make, and you only need to win initiative against the monsters, which should be fairly easy as a Dex SAD class, especially so for Swashbucklers.

Centaur 3 – The higher movement speed is appealing, but the downsides of Equine Build are very counter to the traditional vision of a Rogue, and the hooves are entirely useless to you. Unless you have a strong roleplay reason, it’s best to say neigh to this one.

Changeling 4 – Shapechanger is a fantastic feature for a face Rogue, with two additional skills being very welcome on a class that is naturally a superb skill monkey.

Deep Gnome 5 – There’s a lot of good for a Rogue here with 120 ft. darkvision, Disguise Self, and Gnomish Magic Resistance provides a very solid base, even the incredibly niche spell Nondetection is at least thematic. The gem here that seals this as a 5 is the improved Snirfneblin Camouflage, on-demand advantage on Stealth checks is fantastic for a Rogue, with enough uses to cover the checks that matter.

Duergar 5 – Excellent defenses from Dwarven Resilience and Psionic Fortitude, a once-a-day damage boost from Enlarge, and great Rogue abilities in 120ft darkvision and once a day Invisibility. A great choice for any Rogue.

Eladrin 5 – All the benefits of being an elf, including the new and improved Trance that synergizes excellently with Reliable Talent, and the outstanding Fey Step. A bonus action teleport is always a valuable tool, but one that has a selection of riders to choose from is notable good for a SAD class that can afford to invest in a mental stat for their DC. Winter and Summer are particularly good for a skirmishing Rogue, whilst Spring provides a tool to get a party member out of trouble, or to somewhere they might not be able to go otherwise.

Firbolg 4 – The spells offered by Firbolg Magic are generally useful for an adventuring Rogue, whilst Hidden Step provides a nice way to escape danger, or gain advantage on your attack to enable Sneak Attack. Whilst this is a good option for a Rogue it isn’t quite good enough for a 5.

Genasi, Air 3 – Under the right circumstances this race can be a good complement to a Rogue’s shenanigans, however, those circumstances are just too niche for this to be generally useful. 

Genasi, Earth 5 – Pass without Trace is an excellent spell that essentially guarantees your success in Stealth checks thanks to your already high modifier, whilst Blade Ward synergizes with Uncanny Dodge to allow you to withstand blows that would even make a Barbarian flinch. 

Genasi, Fire 3 – The main draw of this genasi is fire resistance, most of the spells offered by Reach to the Blaze are terrible, but at least Produce Flame can act as a torch. Note: You can’t gain Sneak Attack damage from Flame Blade, because whilst it looks like a scimitar, it isn’t one, or a weapon at all.

Genasi, Water 3 – An incredibly niche collection of features makes this genasi best relegated to a roleplay choice unless you’re playing an aquatic campaign.

Githyanki 5 – This is a superb choice for every Rogue apart from Arcane Tricksters, who are left in a catch-22 situation. An invisible Mage Hand is a great tool but is also a notable subclass feature of theirs, this once is a slight improvement as it doesn’t require any components but still leaves a lot of overlap. For all other Rogues, this is a great ability to grab, with Jump and Misty Step being great spells for a Rogue to have at their disposal. Astral Knowledge is also an excellent feature for all Rogues, synergizing excellently with Reliable Talent. This race is particularly thematic for the already psionic Soulknife subclass.

Githzerai 5 – Largely similar to the above, but substituting Shield and Detect Thoughts for the spells, both of which benefit significantly from having no components. You no longer have to worry about having a free hand to cast your potentially life-saving Shield and Detect Thoughts is far more useful when people can’t see you casting it. Psychic Resilience is a solid defense against a surprisingly large number of monster abilities with the Psychic Resilience just helping to nudge this to a 5. 

Goblin 3 – Compared to the original this goblin can support a wider array of builds with flexible stats, but Nimble Escape is still entirely redundant due to Cunning Action. Fury of the Small has been changed, overall for the worse, but the addition of Fey Ancestry compensates for that somewhat. A slightly better goblin, but for you, it’s mostly the same destination, just a different route.

Goliath 4 – Cold resistance can come in handy, and Little Giant not only provides an additional skill but helps you carry that ludicrous amount of treasure you just earned back home. The star of this show, however, is Stone’s Endurance. You might think that this clashes with Uncanny Dodge, but it works rather well alongside it. For large amounts of damage you can have it with Uncanny Dodge, but for smaller amounts, you can, potentially, completely negate them with Stone’s Endurance. This is a really good option, but there isn’t quite enough here to warrant a 5.

Hobgoblin 3 – This is a little like the Mastermind subclass, but with rider effects and a limited number of uses. Due to this, it’s best if that subclass looks elsewhere to avoid any overlap. Other Rogues will be able to benefit from Fey Ancestry and Fortune of the Many pretty well, but with Cunning Action and other options already competing for your bonus action, Fey Gift falls a little flat.

Kenku 4 – This is a pure skill-orientated pick, and for that, it excels by giving you two skills of your choice and advantage on any skill check you’re proficient in a number of times per day equal to your proficiency modifier. This doesn’t quite reach a 5 without anything a little bit more to give than Kenku Recall.

Kobold 5 – Draconic Cry is a great ability that ensures that a melee Rogue can get Sneak Attack in almost any circumstance, whilst also helping your party members. Kobold Legacy helps to carry this to a 5 by offering some customizability to your kobold. Arcane Tricksters, in particular, might appreciate grabbing another Int-based cantrip.

Lizardfolk 4 – Hungry Jaws won’t be much use to you unless you invest in Strength specifically for it, what is interesting for you here is the Natural Armor feature. The AC calculation you can use from this feature is equivalent to permanently wearing +1 studded leather armor, straight from level 1. Combine this with two skills from a list that includes Perception and Stealth and you’ve easily got a 4.

Minotaur 3 – The only thing here is the flexible stats, Goring Rush would use your Str mod, as would Hammering Horns for its DC. Labyrinthine Recall is very niche and not much use unless you have a decent Wisdom score and/or proficiency in Survival.

Orc 4 – This had the potential to be a 5, but the overlap of giving you a bonus action Dash hurts the rating too much. The temp hp from Adrenaline Rush are still worthwhile, but as the ability is only giving you temp hp due to Cunning Action, it’s significantly less appealing. Relentless Endurance on the other hand is an excellent way to not die when you get caught scouting ahead.

Satyr 4 – A good choice for a face Rogue, the Magic Resistance can come in handy but is a significant downgrade over the original and the horns are useless to you. Mirthful Leaps is actually a nice ribbon feature, helping to make up for your (likely) low Str modifier.

Sea-Elf 3 – A very niche option only suited for roleplay and aquatic campaigns, the only generally good things here are Perception proficiency, Fey Ancestry, and the enhanced Trance.

Shadar-Kai 5 – An excellent choice with a hearty amount of bonus action teleports that will make you resistant to all damage for a turn, in addition to necrotic resistance and the usual elf-goodies. 

Shifter 3 – The number of times you can shift has now been changed to equal your proficiency bonus, however, the number of temporary hit points you gain has been significantly nerfed from level+Con to just twice your proficiency modifier. This is is better at 1st level, and then never catches back up to the original formula. The individual shifting features will be reviewed below:

• Beasthide 4 – A good option in general for a tanky Rogue, the Athletics proficiency you can get from this race also makes this an appealing option for grappling builds.
• Longtooth 1 – A Strength-based bonus action attack holds very, very little appeal if you haven’t already chosen to play a Lizardfolk. Even if you wanted to use this, it wouldn’t qualify for Sneak Attack, whilst providing no other benefits.
• Swiftstride 5 – An excellent skirmishing option that makes any Rogue more like the Scout and so should only be avoided by that subclass.
• Wildhunt 4 – Denying an enemy advantage against you is a great ability, this only gets a 4 because you shouldn’t be finding yourself in that position, to begin with very often as a Rogue.

Tabaxi 5 – The climb speed and Feline Agility give you excellent mobility, and proficiency in Perception and Stealth makes this an ideal base for a Rogue. The claws aren’t useful, but you can always study them whilst ignoring your party members, in true cat fashion.

Tortle 3 – The AC is only as good as wearing studded leather with a +5 Dex, so outside of earlier levels locking you out of armor is nothing but a downgrade. The ability to hold your breath is very niche and the single skill isn’t enough to make up for the rest of it. If you’re looking to build a Strength-based Rogue this is an ideal choice, however, as it ignores your Dex for the AC.

Triton 4 – Like the Sea Elf this is a very niche option, but there’s just too much here to rate lower than a 4. At least you can use Fog Cloud to heavily interfere with ranged enemies and cover your escapes.

Yuan-ti 4 – Magic Resistance and Poison Resilience make a good enough defensive combo to take this to a 4 on their own, the more situational Serpentine Spellcasting is just a bonus, with at least Suggestion being useful and Rogue-ish.

Rogue DnD 5E Feats Guide

Feats, as described in this Rouge DnD 5E guide, can be a great way to enhance the potency and versatility of a Rogue, and with their additional ASI and relative SADness, they can afford a feat… or four! If you’ve started with an odd Dex, or don’t mind waiting a bit longer to max it out, then half feats which provide a Dex bump are great options and will be reflected in their rating. It’s worth keeping in mind the Rogue is primarily a martial which must use ranged or finesse weapons, and that is the lens through which these feats will be evaluated.

The following list of feats in our Rouge 5E guide is arranged alphabetically but divided by the books they are found in, to make it easy to see what you can choose from if certain sources are not allowed at your table. If a feat has a race prerequisite it is denoted in [brackets]. Other prerequisites may apply, such as minimum stats, or the ability to cast a spell so be sure to check the book text when choosing feats.

PHB Feats

Alert 3 – A good feat generally, if you’re the type of Rogue to go scouting ahead alone, or an Assassin, then this feat is a 4.

Athlete 2 – It’s a Dex half feat, and that’s nice. Let’s leave it there, shall we?

Actor 2 – If you’re a face character then the abilities given can be invaluable for infiltration and pulling off cons, but given how it’s a niche this only warrants a 2.

Charger 2 – This is normally a terrible feat, but hear me out, a Rogue doesn’t get Extra Attack but is very reliant on getting a single hit every turn. So a hit and run Rogue, likely a Swashbuckler or any Rogue with Mobile, could regularly make use of dashing to get +5 to their attack! Gimmicky and niche, but potentially fun.

Crossbow Expert 3 – The additional attack can be a significant boost to your damage, but this isn’t as good for a Rogue as it would be a Fighter or other Extra Attack class.

Defensive Duelist 5 – A limitless reaction to boost your AC against an attack? You’re likely holding a finesse weapon already, why not! This should be chosen after maxing out your Dex. 

Dual Wielder 2 – You could dual wield rapiers for a slight damage boost, but I think for a Rogue the main benefit here is the AC bump. A very eh feat, if you’ve managed to get the Two-Weapon Fighting style then this goes up to a 3.

Dungeon Delver 2 – This builds on what the Rogue is stereotypically good at, but nowadays traditional dungeon style play is a bit more niche than it used to be.

Durable 1 – Only if you’re playing a rules variant like Gritty Realism that stretches your resources and makes healing harder.

Elemental Adept 1 – Useless to most Rogues, not advised for the Arcane Trickster either. 

Grappler 1 – Giving up your one attack to grapple a creature is a bad trade, even if you could be really good at it.

Great Weapon Master 1 – Great weapons are not finesse weapons.

Healer 3 – An excellent feat for adding some healing into a build, if you have no other source of healing in a party this is a 5.

Heavily Armored 1 – Not worth getting here.

Heavy Armor Master 1 -If you start out as a class who gets the proficiency sure, but not worth it or applicable to most Rogues.

Inspiring Leader 3 – Huge boon to the party’s survivability, best on a Swashbuckler or face Rogue where it changes to a 4 with the higher Cha modifier.

Keen Mind 1 – Cool ribbon abilities bundled with a stat you don’t need.

Lightly Armored 1 – You already have light armor proficiency. 

Linguist 1 – You still don’t need Int and there are better ways to deal with language barriers.

Lucky 4 -Powerful and universally useful, but a bit boring, I’d take this after anything else you want.

Mage Slayer 1 – If you’re a melee Rogue in a campaign with a lot of enemy spellcasters then this is useful, but that’s too many niches.

Magic Initiate 4 – This can actually be very nice for a Rogue, specifically something like choosing Wizard, grabbing Green Flame Blade, Booming Blade, and Shield.

Martial Adept 2 – Maneuvers are powerful, especially ones which help you land your Sneak Attack, like Feinting Attack and Precision Attack. However, one d6 per short rest is… not so great.

Medium Armor Master 1 – If you have medium armor proficiency this is a nice upgrade, to be taken after Dex increases. This is a 1 because you don’t even qualify for it by default.

Mobile 5 – Very good feat for melee Rogues, allowing all subclasses to effectively skirmish and ranged builds to stay out of reach easier.

Moderately Armored 3 – This is potentially a decent upgrade for your AC assuming you have a free hand to wear a shield. This is only a 3 as the top tier of medium armor gives disadvantage on Stealth checks and the overall potential increase is only +2 AC over studded leather.

Mounted Combatant 1 – There’s no particular reason for a Rogue to take this, if you’ve acquired a mount you’re really fond of then you may want this just to keep them alive.

Observant 2 – This can be a nice boon to a Mastermind or Inquisitive style of Rogue, or if you play in a dungeon type of environment often. A bit niche overall though.

Polearm Master 1 – Polearms are not finesse weapons.

Resilient 1 – If you really want constitution saving throw proficiency maybe, but you already have Dexterity and will get Wisdom later on, usually a pass.

Ritual Caster 2 – This can provide a nice bit of utility, particularly a familiar, provided you meet the prerequisite stats. For an Arcane Trickster this goes up to a 3.

Savage Attacker 1 – You’ll be using a d6 or d8 weapon most likely, this feat isn’t worth it.

Sentinel 4 – Using your reaction to attacks can lead to a huge amount of damage because of Sneak Attack, being able to attack as a reaction more reliably whilst preventing movement is great for melee Rogues.

Sharpshooter 2 – If you’re taking this it’s for the improved range and ignoring of cover, with only a single attack per turn and no Archery Fighting Style you can’t afford to go fishing for that +10 damage.

Shield Master 1 – Rogues don’t get shield proficiency and have Evasion.

Skilled 4 – You’re a natural skill monkey, the more skills you have the more skills can benefit from Reliable Talent.

Skulker 4 – Being able to hide with less obscurement needed is nice, not automatically revealing yourself when you miss your bow shot is even nicer.

Spell Sniper 1 – Rogues don’t qualify by default and those who do, likely won’t get much out of it.

Tavern Brawler 1 – You’d rather boost Dex and use finesse weapons.

Tough 2 – Who doesn’t like more hp? Best for skirmishing and tanky Rogues, preferably taken as a Variant Human feat or after Dex is bumped to 20.

War Caster 1 – If you have a cantrip like Booming Blade then this can be excellent, however, most Rogues don’t qualify.

Weapon Master 1 – Even if you have an odd Dex, there are better ways to get access to a longbow or heavy crossbow.  

XGtE Feats

Bountiful Luck [Halfling] 1 – Good for everyone else, not so much you.

Dragon Fear [Dragonborn] 1 – Even if you’re a Str Rogue, the fear effect will key off of your Cha modifier, best to avoid.

Dragon Hide [Dragonborn] 2 – If you’re a Dragonborn Swashbuckler then okay maybe, but generally not a good option.

Drow High Magic [Drow] 2 – This is quite a lot of casting for a feat and when combined with a Drow’s normal spellcasting would make any Rogue a budding mage.

Dwarven Fortitude [Dwarf] 1 – If Cunning Action allowed you to Dodge then this would be a 4 probably, alas it doesn’t.

Elven Accuracy [Elf or Half-Elf] 5 – You can increase your Dex as you would want to anyway, but now gain the benefit of rolling three d20s whenever you have advantage. This is fantastic for a Rogue because of the ability to Hide with Cunning Action, if your DM allows Steady Aim then this is even better. 

Fade Away [Gnome] 3 – A nice defensive ability on a Dex bump, however, to actually use it you’d need to not reduce the damage you took using Uncanny Dodge. The situations where turning invisible is better than reducing the damage are typically when you’re going to be taking more attacks that round, but this is a little niche to rate higher than a 3.

Fey Teleportation [High Elf] 2 – If you’re a Swashbuckler or Arcane Trickster this might be appealing, but there are better ways to get Misty Step if you really want it, like the Fey Touched feat coming up.

Flames of Phlegethos [Tiefling] 1 – Most Rogues won’t be able to use this at all, and it’s not great for those who can.

Infernal Constitution [Tiefling] 3 – This is a whole bunch of durability in a single feat, if you’re playing a Tiefling Rogue this is a feat I’d certainly point you to once your Dex is taken care of.

Orcish Fury [Half-Orc] 3 – If you’re playing a Str-based Rogue then this is fantastic, you get a little smite-like damage and another opportunity to get a reaction attack for even more sneaky goodness.

Prodigy [Half-Orc, Half-Elf, Human] 3 – More skills, more for Reliable Talent to apply.

Second Chance [Halfling] 3 – This is a great defensive ability on the back of a Dex increase, however, the dilemma of not reducing damage with Uncanny Dodge on the chance of turning a hit into a miss is a bit too risky for a higher rating.

Squat Nimbleness [Dwarf] 3 – This is a decent way to get the small race benefits you wanted, without the speed deficit and some other goodies mixed in.

Wood Elf Magic [Wood Elf] 4 – As long as you’ve maxed Dex this is a superb feat for wood elf Rogues, Longstrider and Pass without Trace are fantastic spells, and the opportunity to nab Guidance on a skill heavy Rogue is very tempting.

Eberron: RftLW Feats

Aberrant Dragonmark [Non-Dragonmarked Race] 2 – If you have an odd Con this is alright as long as you pick spells that don’t rely on your casting modifier.

Revenant Blade [Elf] 5 – If you’re interested in a double-bladed scimitar this is essential to it being usable as it actually gives the weapon the finesse property. The extra AC and Dex bump just close the sale and make this a must-have for builds that want to use this weapon.

TCoE Feats

Artificer Initiate 1 – This can be an interesting choice for a mixture of magic and utility for an Arcane Trickster, but not compelling for a Rogue in general.

Chef 2 – This feat is fun and thematic and a good roleplay pick if you’ve got an odd Con or Wis with some mediocre benefits included.

Crusher 1 – The only Sneak Attack compatible bludgeoning weapon is the sling, which would be amusing with this feat, but I can’t recommend this for Rogues in general at all.

Eldritch Adept 1 – This is a 1 because the only Rogue who can even choose it is the Arcane Trickster, and whilst there are some nice Eldritch Invocations, it’s beyond niche for the Rogue class.

Fey Touched 3 – Bump the mental stat of your choice, grab a free casting of Misty Step and another spell once per day, what’s not to like here? Best for Rogues who use their mental ability scores more often.

Fighting Initiate 5 – An excellent feat, there are many Fighting Styles a Rogue can benefit from, including; Archery, Defense and, Dueling. 

Gunner 3 – If you’re a ranged Rogue then this feat lets you increase your Dex mod whilst removing the disadvantage penalty for hostiles being within 5ft of you, pretty nice.

Metamagic Adept 1 – Same story as its Eldritch associate, not relevant for the majority of Rogues, pretty nice for an Arcane Trickster.

Piercer 5 – This one is a bit boring but solid, you get to progress your Dexterity and raise your average damage. Note, the reroll will work with your Sneak Attack dice, and who doesn’t want bigger crits? 

Poisoner 2 – A poison-using Rogue is certainly a theme and this feat is what really facilitates that being a viable playstyle. If you can afford and access more potent poisons in your game then this goes up to at least a 3. The chance of poison immunity popping up making this feat entirely irrelevant is what holds it back at a 2.

Shadow Touched 3 – This is the same as the Fey Touched feat, but with Invisibility, if you use mentals often then it’s a solid choice.

Skill Expert 5 – Stat bump, another proficiency, and Expertise? Yes, please.

Slasher 4 – If you like to hang out in melee and use a Scimitar then this is a great feat that gives you some control, however, being so limited in terms of use holds this feat back from being a 5.

Telekinetic 2 – If you want an invisible Mage Hand but don’t want to be an Arcane Trickster this is a decent option, you can use the bonus action shove as a small degree of control.

Telepathic 1 – This is more niche than Telekinetic with Detect Thoughts only being available once per day unless you’re a spellcaster. If you want to be a telepathic Rogue you’re probably better off just choosing the Soul Knife subclass unless you are already playing an Arcane Trickster.

FToD Feats

Gift of the Chromatic Dragon 3 – The defensive part of this feat is great for the times you face a saving throw that deals elemental damage. With only a single attack per turn, however, the damage boost is lackluster for a Rogue unless you get a reliable way to attack off turn, like readying an attack provided by the Haste spell.

Gift of the Metallic Dragon 3 – The potency of this feat depends on if your DM rolls in the open or simply says whether you’ve been hit or not. If you are unable to know for sure that this feat will turn a hit into a miss, then you’re better off using Uncanny Dodge, especially as this reaction has limited uses. The Cure Wounds part of the feat is a nice touch of healing, but won’t age very well unless you’re investing in a mental stat and/or have spell slots to use it more, like an Arcane Trickster.

Gift of the Gem Dragon 2 – If you need a mental stat increase, and don’t we all? This can be an interesting option, however, if you’ve been hit by an attack you probably want to use Uncanny Dodge, or you may be saving your reaction for an opportunity attack.

SCoC Feats

Note: More so than the Eberron feats, the following feats are designed explicitly for the high magic Strixhaven setting and this is reflected in the balance of the feats. 

Strixhaven Initiate 3 – This is an okay way to add some magic onto your Rogue, however, as it is notably missing the option to grab cantrips that synergize with Sneak Attack it falls behind Magic Initiate.

Strixhaven Mascot 1 – If you’re in a Strixhaven campaign then maybe this is for you, but with only one attack per turn and reliance on Sneak Attack for damage one of this feat’s bullet points is immediately undesirable for you. The teleportation is nice, but there are cheaper ways to grab a familiar and more flexible ways to gain teleportation. If you can take the prerequisite feat as part of your background in a Strixhaven campaign then this becomes at least a 2.

Rogue DnD 5E Multiclassing Guide

In this section of our Rouge 5E guide, we’ll review each class in terms of how good of a multiclass option they are for a Rogue, mentioning how many levels and what subclass (if any) would work best. The ratings take multiclassing prerequisites into consideration; if a multiclass will require you to have a 13 in a stat other than Dex, it will likely receive a lower score unless the stat is one you would already have at 13 or higher, for example, Charisma for a Swashbuckler/face or Wisdom for anyone wanting good Perception.

General multiclass tips for the Rogue:

• You may want to wait until after 5th Rogue level, this will ensure you have your first ASI, Uncanny Dodge and a solid base of 3d6 Sneak Attack damage to build on with your multiclass.
• You need to use a finesse or ranged weapon, however you can still use your Str modifier if you want with finesse weapons. This means you can certainly build around Strength as your primary score and then use a class like Barbarian, just don’t start thinking of using GWM.
• The Rogue can benefit a great deal from Fighting Styles and additional opportunities to land Sneak Attack, so you may see some bias towards other martials for those reasons.
• Evaluate what type of Rogue you want to be, this will clarify what abilities or spells you’re hunting for in a multiclass, then review the feat section before committing to a multiclass.
• If a class has a reliance on bonus actions then it will be rated a little more poorly, due to the clash with Cunning Action. This is similar with reactions due to Uncanny Dodge and the prospect of reaction attacks.

Artificer 3 – Now this will require Int which is less than ideal, but you’ll get in return proficiency in medium armor, shields, and a couple of tools. The round up spell casting formula works well for adding to an Arcane Trickster, and all Rogues could benefit from the diverse selection of spells on the Artificer list. If you go two levels in then giving yourself a Bag of Holding and a magical weapon are nice perks, if you take three levels then the Armorer subclass is great for Rogues, specifically the Infiltrator armor version.

Barbarian 2 – Believe it or not, this multiclass can work very well if you’re using Strength as your attacking stat and go preferably five levels deep. You’ll get access to medium armor and shields, but more importantly, you’ll gain Rage. One of the benefits of Rage is adding more damage to an offhand strike, I would generally recommend either a dual-wielding or rapier and shield build with Barbarian. For subclass it really depends on what you want, Bear totem will give you the most resilience, whilst Zealot will give you some damage to compensate for the lost Sneak attack dice. It’s important to realize you don’t need to use Rage in every combat, you’ll run out very quickly if you attempt this. Avoid this if you’re a traditional Dex-based Rogue.

Bard 2 – This is a fantastic multiclass from a skill point of view, Jack of All Trades is a boost to the few skills you aren’t proficient in (and your initiative), whilst there’s opportunity for more Expertise. However I wouldn’t recommend dipping Bard on a Rogue, vice versa would be best, this is because a Bard really needs a high Cha modifier in order to get the most of their abilities, and maxing both Dex and Cha would be expensive. For subclasses the College of Swords is a great pick for a melee Rogue, offering a choice of Fighting Style, some Flourishes, and a great speed boost for Swashbucklers.

Cleric 3 – The great thing about multiclassing into Cleric is that 13 Wis or higher is already desirable, and the choice of subclass at 1st level makes them extremely front-loaded. I would only dip 1-2 levels into Cleric, the second level only if you want a specific Channel Divinity option. For choice of a subclass, you should decide whether or not access to heavy armor is something you want, for most Rogues staying with just using studded leather and a shield would be better. Stand-out subclass choices to dip are Life if you are looking to add a little healing to your repertoire, Forge if you want to make your own +1 item, or Twilight if you are interested in an initiative boost. 

Druid 2 – This is a harder class to dip than Cleric purely because the goodies really start at the second level of Druid, which I advise you to take if you are dipping here at all. Wild Shape is a great scouting and utility ability, the Circle you choose is a little tricky as most depend heavily on your Druid level for scaling. The Circle of the Shepherd’s aura ability can be a nice boost to the party’s resilience or enable your own Sneak Attack, whilst the Circle of Stars’ adds the option of bonus action blasting, suddenly not Sneak eligible, or a surprising amount of healing.

Fighter 5 – You qualify for this multiclass by default and the early levels are extremely rewarding, what’s not to love? The Fighter can inject some valuable resources into the Rogue chassis, whilst also allowing access to shields and a Fighting Style that best suits your character. Battle Master is a popular option, the maneuvers can enable Sneak Attack, add damage, or provide support. The Samurai can allow you to give yourself advantage and temp hp three times a day, whilst the Psi Warrior can give you a balance of bonus damage and damage reduction. I would multiclass no further than six levels of Fighter and be wary that just taking one more level is a very easy trap to fall into.

Monk 1 – There’s no real temptation in the Monk class for a dip on a Rogue, you would need at least a 16 in Wisdom for Unarmored Defense to be worth it and if you want a bonus action attack you would be better off grabbing TWF from another martial. One Ki issue at hand here is just that, you won’t have enough Ki to do anything meaningful with. If you do go far enough in for a subclass the Kensei tradition is recommended for at-will abilities and giving access to the longbow.

Paladin 1 – With two prerequisite stats and a mostly dead first level this is not a good multiclass dip for most Rogues. If you do dip then at least two levels are required and you should choose either Defense, Dueling, or Blessed Warrior as your Fighting Style. Stand-out subclasses include the Oath of Vengeance for the Sneak enabling Vow of Enmity and the Oath of Conquest for Guided Strike.

Ranger 3 – You’re likely to already meet the Ranger prerequisites which is nice, taking the optional rules from Tasha’s is generally advised if possible. Hunter’s Mark won’t be much of a damage boost for you, so you’re better off taking the Two-Weapon Fighting Style for an additional attack and using your spell slots for Cure Wounds and utility spells like Longstrider. For subclasses, Hunter and Gloomstalker stand out, with the latter being preferred for the initiative boost, additional attack, and speed boost on the first round of every combat. This would pair well with all Rogues, but particularly the Assassin.

Sorcerer 4 – Sorcerer is a great dip class for a Rogue as, like a Cleric, they gain their subclass at 1st level, giving you the most bang for your gold piece. Charisma as a prerequisite isn’t bad, particularly for face and Swashbuckler Rogues, but I would recommend choosing spells that don’t require your spellcasting modifier such as Mage Hand, Booming Blade, Shield, and Absorb Elements. For subclasses, I would recommend Draconic for the permanent Mage Armor equivalent unless you already have magic armor, or the Divine Soul for Favored by the Gods and access to either Healing Word or Cure Wounds. One level of Sorcerer is enough unless you specifically want more spellcasting.

Warlock 4 – In some ways Warlock is better than Sorcerer as a Rogue dip, but without native access to Shield, it doesn’t warrant a 5. The strength of the Warlock is the mixture of patron, short rest spell slots, invocations, and pacts. I would recommend a 3 to 4 level dip if you can afford it, this would net you two short rest 2nd level slots (invisibility is highly recommended), two invocations (Devil’s Sight and Fiendish Vigor are good choices), as well as your pact and patron features. Recommended patrons are the Celestial for access to a surprising amount of healing and more cantrips, Hexblade for the Shield spell and armor proficiencies, or the Genie for Bottled Respite and the extra damage from Genie’s Wrath. For your pact, if you take three levels, combining Pact of the Blade with Improved Pact Weapon is great if you haven’t come across a magic weapon, or combining Pact of the Chain with Voice of the Chain Master gives a great degree of scouting and utility.

Wizard 3 – This is potentially a very useful dip, particularly for Arcane Tricksters who want some Intelligence anyway and would value the extra spell slots. At least two levels to get a subclass is recommended, with the best choices being Divination for Portent, and War Wizard for the initiative boost, and Arcane Deflection. Recommended spells are Find Familiar, Absorb Elements, Shield, and whatever ritual spells you find interesting. You won’t have the spells slots to cast many leveled spells, but there’s a large number of 1st level ritual spells like Detect Magic and Alarm which could be very useful to a Rogue.

Hopefully, our Rouge DnD 5E guide has helped you case the best marks for your next Rogue character, and you’re looking forward to stealing victory, and a few gold pieces, from the jaws of evil. If you want a closer look into a feat you’re considering for your new Rogue, check out our Feat Spotlight. Good luck out there, adventurers, and remember, if you can’t pick that lock, there’s always the strategic use of a crowbar.