Scoundrel: A Rogue Archetype
You have learned that all’s fair in love and war. You’ll use any trick you can think of to make it out alive and make your foes regret picking a fight. Panache, cunning, and trickery are employed to overcome anything standing between you and your goal.
Design Intent
Create a rogue that fights dirty and will use tricks to control their enemies. All about dishing out the proverbial pain as opposed to literal pain. Provide rogue some in-combat decisions, utility, and support. A scoundrel must decide between damage and single target control.
The tricks, listed at the end of this subclass, must be weaker than Battlemaster maneuvers and they cause the rogue to deal less damage, in order to keep the resourceless rogue inline with the power of other classes. They are meant to abilities that affect the scoundrel's enemy but not the scoundrel, or allies, directly.
Dirty Tricks
At 3rd level, you have learned how to fight dirty in order to gain the upper hand in a brawl. On your turn, when you would apply your sneak attack, forfeit some number of sneak attack dice to use a trick, based on the trick being used. You cannot forfeit more sneak attack dice than you would be able to apply to the attack.
You know 3 tricks of your choice. You can use only one trick per attack. You learn 2 additional tricks at levels 9, 13, and 17. Each time your sneak attack dice increases, you can also replace one trick you know with a different one.
Some tricks require the target to make a saving throw, the DC is calculated as follow:
Trick Save DC
Bar Dweller
Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with improvised weapons, which are finesse weapons for you, and two gaming sets of your choice. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen gaming sets.
Underground Connections
Adapted from endlessxaura's Scoundrel from GitP
At 9th level, your life as a scoundrel pays off in contacts and markets. Whenever you attempt to learn something about a humanoid creature, you may spend a day within the town or city where that creature dwells or 25 gp in bribes to learn about its history, profession, and affiliations. In addition, you know where you can purchase any illegal mundane item, such as poison, in a city.
Double Trouble
Additionally at 9th level, you can apply two tricks to your attack instead of 1. You forfeit sneak attack dice for both and you can decide the order in which the tricks are resolved.
Shoot First
At 13th level, you have advantage on initiative checks and can no longer be surprised while conscious. In addition, during your first turn of combat, if you hit a target that has surprised another creature, the target of the attack becomes surprised.
Tricks are for Everyone
At 17th level, when you force a creature to make a saving throw due to a trick, you can affect another creature within 5ft of the target. The additional target does not take damage, but must make a saving throw like the first.
Tricks
Tricks are presented in alphabetical order.
- Below the Belt: When you hit with an attack you can choose to strike below the belt, impeding the target’s ability to move. Forfeit at least 1 sneak attack dice to decrease the target’s movement by 5ft for each die forfeited in this way until the end of their next turn. The target’s movement speed cannot go below 0ft.
- Choke: When you hit with a melee attack you can forfeit 4 sneak attack dice to go for the throat. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target is silenced, unable to speak, call out, or perform the verbal components of spells until the end of their next turn.
- Go for the Eyes: When you hit with an attack, you can forfeit 3 sneak attack dice to aim for the target’s eyes and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they are blinded until the start of their turn. This effect ends early if they take damage.
- Head Cracker: When you hit with an attack, you can forfeit a number of sneak attack dice to aim for the temple. If the target makes a concentration saving throw as a result of this attack, the DC is increased by 5 for every 2 sneak attack dice you forfeit, up to 4.
- Pilfering Strike: When you hit with a melee attack, you can forfeit 2 sneak attack dice to steal from the target. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, you can steal a single item not currently being held that would fit in one hand. You must have a free hand to perform this trick.
- Salt the Wound: When you hit with an attack, you can forfeit 2 sneak attack dice to make your attack exceeding painful. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the damage this attack deals cannot be healed until the start of your next turn.
- Seize the Opening: When you hit with an attack, you can forfeit 3 sneak attack dice to prepare for the target to present an opening. If the target attacks a creature other than you within 5ft of you, you can use your reaction to attack the target of this trick. If your sneak attack damage would apply to that attack, forfeit 3 sneak attack dice from it as well.
- Slice the Wrist: When you hit with an attack, you can forfeit 2 sneak attack dice to aim for the targets wrists. The target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, it drops an item it is holding of your choice. The item drops to their feet.
- Stab and Roll: When you hit with an attack, you can forfeit 2 sneak attack dice to roll out of danger as part of the attack. You can move up to 10ft as part of this attack. You can move through the space of another creature as part of this movement, if you do so, all opportunity attacks are made with disadvantage if caused by this movement.
- Staggering Strike: When you hit with a melee attack, you can forfeit up to 3 sneak attack dice to push the target. If the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target is pushed 5ft for each sneak attack diced forfeited as part of this trick.
- Sure Shot: Before you make an attack that would apply your sneak attack dice, you can forfeit 4 sneak attack dice to attack with advantage.
- Sweep the Legs: When you hit with an attack, you can forfeit 3 sneak attack dice to attempt to knock the targets legs out from under them. The target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, they are knocked prone.
- Twist the Blade: When you hit with a melee attack, you can forfeit 4 sneak attack dice to attack in a show of anger and blood. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they are frightened of you until the end of their next turn.
Credits
Thanks for reading!
- Created by: InflatableMuffin
- Special thanks to MiniMinotvur