Rogue 5e: Class Guide for the 2024 Rules

What does a rogue do in D&D 5e?

A rogue wins fights with one well-placed hit instead of many swings, and wins everything else with skills. You get four skill proficiencies at level 1 (the most of any class), Expertise in two of them, and proficiency with thieves' tools. In a party the rogue is the scout, the lockpick, the trap-finder and the one who quietly removes the enemy archer.

• Hit die: d8. Level 1 hit points are 8 + your Constitution modifier; after that, 1d8 (or 5) + Con per level. The HP calculator works out the total at any level.
• Primary ability: Dexterity, for attacks, AC, initiative and Stealth.
• Saving throws: Dexterity and Intelligence.
• Armor and weapons: light armor; simple weapons, plus martial weapons with the Finesse or Light property (rapier, shortsword, scimitar, hand crossbow and so on).
• Skills: choose 4 from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand and Stealth.

What are the rogue's features by level?

This is the 2024 Player's Handbook progression. The Sneak Attack column shows the dice and their average. PB is your proficiency bonus.

Rogues get an extra Ability Score Improvement at level 10 that most classes do not, so a rogue can pick up a feat such as Alert or Lucky without falling behind on Dexterity.

How does Sneak Attack work?

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that uses a Finesse or Ranged weapon, you add the Sneak Attack dice to the damage. You need one of two things:

1. Advantage on the attack roll, or
2. An ally within 5 feet of the target who isn't incapacitated, and no disadvantage on your roll.

The second route is the one you use most. Stand behind the fighter, stab the orc the fighter is already hitting, and you qualify every turn. The full rules, crit math and edge cases are in our Sneak Attack guide.

How much damage is that?

Take a level 5 rogue with 18 Dexterity: +7 to hit, shortsword 1d6+4, Sneak Attack 3d6. Against AC 15 you hit 65% of the time. A plain attack with no Sneak Attack is worth about 5 damage per turn. With an ally next to the target it jumps to about 12.4. With advantage (hit chance 87.75%) it is about 17.2. That is why good rogue play is mostly about setting up the condition, not about the attack itself.

"Once per turn" is not "once per round". If an enemy provokes an opportunity attack on its own turn and you hit, you can Sneak Attack again. A readied attack works the same way.

What are Cunning Action, Steady Aim and Cunning Strike?

Cunning Action (level 2): Dash, Disengage or Hide as a bonus action. The classic loop is attack, then Disengage and walk away, so melee enemies never get a free swing. Ranged rogues Hide instead to earn advantage on the next shot.

Steady Aim (level 3): if you haven't moved this turn, a bonus action gives you advantage on your next attack, but your speed drops to 0 for the turn. It is the easiest way for a hand-crossbow or shortbow rogue to get Sneak Attack with nobody near the target.

Cunning Strike (level 5): when you deal Sneak Attack damage, give up some dice to add an effect. Poison, Trip and Withdraw each cost 1d6. The save DC is 8 + your Dexterity modifier + proficiency bonus, so 15 for the level 5 rogue above. Trip knocks a Large or smaller target prone on a failed Dexterity save, which gives the whole melee line advantage. At level 11 you can stack two effects, and at 14 Devious Strikes adds Daze (2d6), Obscure (3d6) and Knock Out (6d6).

A good rule of thumb: spend a die when the effect helps the party more than 3.5 damage would. Tripping the ogre before the barbarian swings almost always does.

Which rogue subclass should you pick?

You choose a subclass at level 3 in both rule sets. The 2024 Player's Handbook has four:

How do you build a rogue? (quick build)

1. Scores: with the standard array, put 15 in Dexterity, 14 in Constitution, 13 in Wisdom (Perception and Insight), 12 in Intelligence, 10 in Charisma, 8 in Strength. Use your background's +2/+1 on Dexterity and Constitution.
2. Weapons: rapier or shortsword in melee, shortbow or hand crossbow at range. Pick masteries to match: Vex (shortsword, shortbow, hand crossbow) gives advantage on your next attack after a hit, which feeds Sneak Attack.
3. Expertise: Stealth and Perception, or Stealth and Thieves' Tools if you are the party's only lockpick.
4. Feats: Alert for initiative, then Dexterity at level 4. Sharpshooter or Crossbow Expert suit ranged rogues.

Want to see a finished character fast? The character generator rolls a full level 1 build you can tweak, and you can record it on the character sheet.

Is the rogue good for beginners?

Yes, with one caveat. There are no spell slots to track and almost every turn is "attack, then Cunning Action". The caveat is that 8 + Con hit points at level 1 is fragile. New rogue players should treat melee as a hit-and-run job: attack, Disengage, step back. Ranged rogues with Steady Aim are the gentlest start of all.

What changed for the rogue in 2024 vs 2014?

• Weapon Mastery: new in 2024. Rogues use the mastery property of two weapon types.
• Steady Aim: optional in 2014 (Tasha's Cauldron); a core level 3 feature in 2024.
• Cunning Strike and Devious Strikes: new in 2024; there is nothing like them in the 2014 class.
• Reliable Talent: level 11 in 2014, level 7 in 2024. Any proficient check treats a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
• Level 14: 2014 gives Blindsense; 2024 replaces it with Devious Strikes.
• Slippery Mind: Wisdom saves only in 2014; Wisdom and Charisma saves in 2024.
• Stroke of Luck: in 2014 it turns a missed attack into a hit or a failed ability check into a 20. In 2024 it turns any failed D20 Test, saving throws included, into a 20. Both recharge on a short or long rest.

Sneak Attack dice, Cunning Action, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion and Elusive work the same way in both editions.

FAQ

Is the rogue good for beginners?

Yes. A rogue has no spells to manage and one big rule to learn, Sneak Attack. The tricky part is positioning: you need advantage or an ally next to the target, so new players learn to work with the party early.

How does Sneak Attack work in 5e?

Once per turn, when you hit with a finesse or ranged weapon and you have advantage, or an ally who is not incapacitated is within 5 feet of the target and you do not have disadvantage, you add extra d6s to the damage. It starts at 1d6 and grows by 1d6 every odd level.

Does the rogue get Extra Attack?

No. Rogues make one attack per turn and rely on Sneak Attack instead. Two-weapon fighting gives a second chance to land Sneak Attack if the first attack misses.

What is the best rogue subclass?

Thief is in the free SRD and is great for item-heavy, exploration-heavy games. Assassin hits hardest on the first round of combat, Arcane Trickster adds wizard spells such as Shield, and Soulknife suits players who want psychic blades and telepathy.

What changed for the rogue in 2024?

The 2024 rogue gains Weapon Mastery, gets Steady Aim as a core feature, adds Cunning Strike at level 5 to trade Sneak Attack dice for effects, moves Reliable Talent to level 7, and Slippery Mind now covers both Wisdom and Charisma saves.

Related

• DnD Character Generator
• Sneak Attack 5e: Rules and Damage by Rogue Level
• Weapon Mastery in 5e (2024 Rules)
• Skill Checks in 5e: Full Guide