The Rogue
A Tool for New DMs
The first thing I need to do is apologize for my long absence to those who have been waiting for this and apologize to those on the boards who did not mourn my time away, because I will be back a few times a week to brighten your day. School, a full-time job, an internship, a quasi-weekly D&D game and wedding plans take up most of my time! Secondly, I want to thank the WizOs for bumping these threads during or after the boards change. By the way, the boards look just fantastic and it all runs surprisingly smooth for the way it looks! Very cool. Well, on to business...
I understand that there is precious little that I can tell experienced Dungeon Masters about how to create a rogue non-player character. This and the other articles that I have written are intended for the novice Dungeon Master. I would, however like to request that other DMs read this and see if I left anything out or if there is anything that I have misspoken about. In addition, I'd like you to post some examples of Rogue NPCs or Big Bad Evil Guys (BBEGs) that you have used in your campaigns. For those of you new to the boards, when we say BBEG, we mean a main antagonist of your campaign. A BBEG is the kind of character that lasts for more than one session--or at least you’d hope.
The Rogue is a creature that inspires a great deal of players. The brave Wesley from Princess Bride, the characters from Ocean’s Eleven, the Highwayman, Mat from Wheel of Time, and Robin Hood are only a few of the fine examples of heroic rogues. Beyond the romanticism of being the antiestablishment hero and the romance of the bad boy attitude lies a very powerful game mechanic; the sneak attack. Sneak attacks have likely caused some Dungeon Masters to weep into their pillows at night. The sheer damage that they can pour out is absolutely ridiculous. The thought of all those D6 tumbling across the table after a dual-wielding Rogue parks himself opposite one of his party members with your BBEG in between sends shivers down any Dungeon Master's spine. Sneak attacks are the direct cause of some campaigns degenerating into a mundane world of constructs, oozes, undead, and elementals. Watching those hit points drop off your NPCs by the dozens sends a quiet rage into your heart and, my friends you need suffer no longer. Well, maybe that's inaccurate; you will still suffer but I am going to try and help you make them suffer at the hands of some truly nefarious stalkers-in-the-dark. I am telling all of you DMs out there that there is a simple answer to the problem of a dual-wielding Player-Character Rogue dealing hundreds of points of damage in a single round. Fight fire with fire. Besides, logically speaking there should be far more unscrupulous Rogues out there than valiant ones.
Roles of the Rogue as an NPC:
Facilitator -- Within your campaign world it would be a good idea to create a few generic NPCs to act as foils and go-to guys for underworld activity and goods. These rogues are wise businessfolk who make the life of the Rogue a business. They should be decked out all in the standard Rogue fare including the same combat feats you would give any other Rogue. In addition it is a good idea to keep many of the skills the same as well. The major differences with the Facilitator are threefold: Intelligence and Charisma should be the highest stat with Dexterity running second or a very close third. A great many skill points devoted to know ledges, gather information, and sense motive. This kind of character might dress himself in a social disguise for the public and might even hold positions in local office. At times they are unabashedly rough with their customers but it is usually because they need him more than he needs them. This character provides plot hooks and also is very good for some kind of trade. Give him one or two of the biggest, baddest bodyguard you have ever seen.
Foil -- This tricksy Rogue archetype has been used by a plethora of Dungeon Masters but has not even crossed the minds of others. This kind of Rogue can be an absolute master at not being seen, heard or found. Not only will this character expend as many skill points, feats and gold pieces as possible to make himself physically undetectable but socially as well. She is a master of disguise and legerdemain. For some reason she has targeted the PCs or just one PC. Perhaps one of their ancestors or mentors wronged her or her mentor in the past. Perhaps the PCs have inadvertently impacted her life in a negative manner during their adventures. Whatever the case, this is a recurring character with the ability to gain levels just about as fast as the PCs do and can therefore keep up with them and continue to be a challenge. She will attempt to follow the PCs wherever they may go in order to impede their progress. She is very likely not an evil character or else she would outright kill them in their sleep or hire some thugs to do the work for her. Instead she suppresses her seething hatred as much as she can and periodically lets it out by foiling one or all of the PCs plans. There can be eventual reconciliation between a Foil and the PCs it haunts, but this relationship can be refreshing and fun while it remains antagonistic. A good Foil might multiclass as a Bard, but will more likely than not simply spend a lot of skill points on Bluff, Diplomacy and Gather Information. Combat feats assigned to this character will make use of her social skills such as Improved Feint.
Thug -- As with Fighter thugs, Rogue thugs exist to beat up on your PCs. These guys are Rogue only in name, not temperament. You may even find yourself assigning a lower ability score to their intelligence simply because the only skills they really need for a cowardly ambush is Hide and Move Silently. These NPCs will have no other class save Rogue in order to assure they can deal as much sneak attack damage as possible and will have Dexterity as a secondary attribute and Strength as primary. Give these brutes the feats to wield a powerful weapon such as a greatsword, great scimitar, elven thinblade, or longspear to deliver powerful, two-handed, surgical thrusts and cleaves.
Opportunist -- The Opportunist is a Rogue that befriends the party only to backstab them later in the session or even later in the campaign. It’s best to give this character a means of masking his alignment because one nosy Paladin or Cleric can ruin your masterfully-laid plans. Remember not to give away the Alignments of NPCs when Paladins use their Detect Evil ability. Simply put on your best poker face and tell her that she does or does not detect an evil presence anywhere in the vicinity.
Cutpurse -- The cutpurse is an individual who rarely verbally interacts with the PCs. If they fall prey to his wily ways, then award them a little experience as if he were a trap. Award them full experience if they find him out and defeat/capture him. Cutpurses are usually miserable individuals who prey on others for an easy coin. They are so practiced at lifting things from people and gauging their abilities that they are rarely caught.
Pickpocket -- The pickpocket may seem like a Cutpurse at first, but he is very different in temperament and skill. The Pickpocket is down on his luck and has recently resorted to stealing to feed himself and likely others as well. He does not steal habitually and only picks enough pockets to get by. The pickpocket is usually caught by the PCs and can have valuable clues or adventure hooks for the PCs. Left unchecked, most Pickpockets either find a job or become cutpurses.
Jobber -- You’ll find these guys all over a city. They are adventurous types who can crack safes and disable traps as well as open any kind of lock. Many have retired from adventuring and so have settled down in a city. They are often protected by the local Thieves or Rogues guild and are almost always members in long standing themselves. These NPCs make great mentors for your characters. They are also a valuable resource for parties who do not have a rogue. Jobbers also have the capacity to provide a wellspring of different plot hooks as they are legitimate business owners yet are strongly connected to the underworld. They do, however take offense to people blabbing this information in mixed company.
Professional - This is your most common Rogue NPC. They can be rank-and-file meat puppets for your PCs to beat up on or the BBEG to end all BBEGs. It’s just your standard Rogue with all the standard stereotypes associated with it. It works. The Rogue class is very powerful both in the rules and in the imagination and it really doesn’t need any tweaking or specializing to make it a terrifying force in his little 5’ x 5’ combat square.
Combinations and Permutations:
Probably the most important thing to remember about the Rogue as far as a challenge for your player’s characters is the key to a success lies within the sneak attack. If the Rogue never achieves any other task but administers her sneak attacks on cue, then she is a success. There are several ways of assuring success.
In a dungeon or city there are a variety of places that make excellent ambush spots. Within the dungeon environment, the resident Rogues have likely scouted these areas out and often lie there in wait for interlopers. Wise Rogues will set traps within view of these ambush spots, but beyond them so that the PCs will pass their dug-in spot and the Rogue and his companions can sneak up behind their targets and surprise them. In this case, I would suggest designing the dungeon beforehand in order to make certain that you aren’t doing dungeon design based on the structure’s current denizens. Certainly they will have an impact on their surroundings, but dungeons should feel as genuine and natural as possible.
As far as city encounters are concerned, I would feel free designing the entire construction of the area based on the encounter. Your PCs cover a great deal of ground in a city if they’re anything like my PCs and there is always the chance of an unlucky ambush. Over time, you may want to consider allowing them to take a feat that improves their ability to sniff out an ambush or detect when a site is a good spot for one. NPCs that are tailing or hampering the PCs progress will always set up ambushes along the party’s most common traveling routes and more importantly, routes usually taken by one or two lone PCs on their way to or from their favorite pub or inn.
There are a multitude of feats that help a Rogue be better at what he does. For instance, Improved Feint is great for a lone Rogue in a jam. Although I would hope that you never allow your Rogue NPCs to be caught without at least a little backup, the feat might be useful if the Rogue is the last one standing and there is no avenue of escape. She can then Feint as a last resort and hopefully drop the character that she is currently facing.
A Rogue without the Tumble skill is absolutely useless in combat.
She has to be able to maneuver herself into flanking position at any moment and without provoking an attack of opportunity. I might suggest the Acrobatic feat to anyone who has an extra feat to spare.
Weapon finesse is pretty much outright unless the character is a thuggish Orc Rogue or some such manifestation of the class. One great way of creating a more powerful NPC (or PC) is to consolidate your powers and features and associate them with as few abilities as possible. Weapon finesse accomplishes this goal. Now, when creating the NPCs items, you can completely ignore strength and focus almost solely on Dexterity, as a successfully landed sneak attack does far more damage than a lowly strength modifier.
As long as the NPCs attack bonus is high enough, I suggest very strongly that you invest in improving his dual-wielding abilities. A flanked character on the receiving end of two to six sneak attacks in a single round is not going to feel very well in the morning.
One of the keys to good flanking maneuvers is a good, meaty flanking partner. If they attack the meatstick, at least they’re leaving the more important Rogue alone. If they go after the Rogue, that means they’ll still have a big Fighter or Barbarian to deal with and he won’t need a partner to do his buckets of damage.
Using the Delay action is a great way of keeping a flank going. If a Rogue NPC finds that his target has made a 5’ adjustment and has therefore moved out of a flanked position, then he should delay and wait for his flanking partner to move. This way, the Rogue will not have to give up his multiple attacks in order to flank.
Rogue BBEGs:
A Rogue antagonist is nothing without lackeys. This kind of character is likely to have a menagerie of different lackeys to boss around. They will likely be loyal, but to a point. She had best pay them well lest tricksy players decide to convince them all to fly the coop. Disgruntled employees can be the bane of any organization.
When you design a Rogue BBEG be sure to look at the setting you've placed her in. There's little worse than a smart and powerful Rogue antagonist who has, for some reason decided to live in a vaulting, cold, stone castle on the top of some hill or mountain somewhere. You have to put yourself in your NPC's shoes in exactly the same way you would put yourself in the shoes of a Player-Character. Where would you want to live if you were a master thief, footpad, con-artist, and assassin?
Rogues need people. They need a constant supply of people to keep their organization strong. They also need the protection that the masses bring to them. They can, if under pressure, disappear into the throng of people. People are also the source of a Rogue's income. Without the wealthy and unwary marks that skitter about a large city, your Rogue would be nothing more than a common country brigand. Although that kind of character may make for an interesting antagonist at times, they are far more likely to get put down in the lower levels than those Rogues who find solace in the city. Country folk are wiser and hardier than most city people and everybody knows everybody else. The backwoods is a poor place for a powerful Rogue mastermind. Unless she's hiding, of course. My usual modus operandi in these articles is to give a list of tips to roleplay BBEGs and then give you rules tips on them. This time, I'll give you three examples of specific Rogue BBEGs and some plot and a little rules help to go with them. These can be a springboard for other NPCs that you might make… offer a little brainstorming.
Stella Geewqa
The PCs have been contacted by the city constabulary to investigate the disappearance of a known felon who goes by several aliases, but her true name is known to be Stella Geewqa. That bit of evidence is the only reason the constabulary were able to locate her using a local witch to scry her location in the first place. She was able to escape when her operation was infiltrated three weeks ago. All of the leads they have followed turned up dry.
Stella has holed out an existence in the boondocks ten miles out of town. Stella is a master of disguise not only with makeup and costume, but dialogue and manner. She has been posing as a girl who has run away from an abusive home life to make a living for herself in the little town. Stella is also a con artist. Even if the PCs are able to find out who she really is and what she has done, the locals will be very sympathetic to her even to the point of believing the PCs about her past, she will reassure them that her old life is far behind her and they’ll buy it. The PCs might, too!
Antasto Thowego
This scrappy, young Halfling carved out a life for himself in the big city when he was barely out of his tweens. He has been the leader of the most prestigious Thieves' Guild in the city for only a few months as the last guy was found out and arrested by local peace officers. The guild has it’s bad elements, but those have been rooted out for the most part and Antasto has insisted on every member of his guild swear an oath to Fahrlanghn that they do no harm. They carry saps and truncheons which are still only to be used in the direst of circumstances. Beware a guild member with a sap, however. They are well-trained in their use and can leave you with quite a headache. This creates a strange dichotomy between this city’s Thieves' Guild and that of others. The group certainly does not believe in stealing from the rich to give to the poor; they’re more likely to simply steal from the rich in general because they have more money. Antasto is very intelligent, however and he sees that everyone in the city deserves to live out their lives as they see fit and that goes for Thieves, too. As far as he’s concerned the gods have given them gifts and it would be a waste to use them in other, less lucrative pursuits. The guild are master pickpockets and cutpurses. They all train very hard at opening locks and bypassing traps. They have plants in every major locksmith and security dealer in the city among others who are simply craftsmen who work odd jobs at other locations. They even have people in the city guard who report on the tactics, placement, and movement of constabulary in the city.
Antasto himself is not as much an enigma as guild leaders in the past. He wears his feelings like a badge of courage and puts his heart on his sleeve. He mingles and cavorts with local nobility and their children. They see him simply as a rich landowner. Little do they know that he is filing everything away in that neat, little filing-cabinet brain of his marked “EXPLOIT”. This NPC might prove very difficult for the PCs to take down simply because the character is neutral. In addition, the NPC and the PCs might share some common philosophies or even goals. A brash PC party will instantly draw the conclusion that the guild is evil when they hear (true) rumors of guild members threatening the lives of stool pigeons. When the old Guild Master was in charge, murder was a lot more common in the city, but under the watchful eye and keen wit of Antasto, the guild has become little more than a nuisance to the city guard, but is more profitable than ever before.
Kcus Ondael
This murderous thug was born in a stable and washed in trough water. He has struggled and crawled, sacrificed and begged, stolen and murdered to get himself to the very top of the local crime syndicate. Kcus is a very ordinary-looking fellow who, at first glance appears to have little on his mind. He has intentionally trained himself not to move his eyes while thinking. Kcus has surrounded himself with powerful socialites and skilled warriors alike. He keeps a contingent of guards around him at all times including his sister who is a cleric with the church of Hextor. They are very active in the guild and are never out of practice. Unlike many egotistical guild leaders, he does not have an audience chamber or gathering hall in the guildhouse. Everything about the operation is very low-key and unofficial. Most of the guild’s income is through protection money which is forced upon the business owners of the guild’s territory. They do not complain nor do they say a word to the city guard. At least, not anymore.
Kcus is your standard Rogue badguy, so it’s best to spice him up a bit. Give him quirks that the PCs can enjoy… and exploit, like two-face from Batman with his coin. This type of BBEG can be changed drastically based on the types of NPCs that accompany him. If you replace the Cleric with a Psion, then you have taken away some healing power, but you have some very powerful summoned creatures to flank the PCs with. A gaggle of higher-level Rogues traveling with the BBEG could very well lead to a couple of trips to the city morgue or temple to Wee Jas by the end of the adventure.
Sub-Article: Forcing Players to Use their Social Skills and Other Acts of DM Torture:
Running a game in which the main antagonists are Rogues usually leaves your PCs in an urban environment surrounded by clamouring NPCs demanding justice as if this band of adventurers were a group of common peace officers there for their abuse. These adventures can be very harrowing. The characters’ social skills are very important for finding out who has the information and then dealing with the people that have it. In a city tortured by gang warfare, this can be very difficult. The people are very afraid to get information from people who are afraid for their lives. Remember this always when dealing with commoner NPCs: they are simply trying to get by; they are usually not working towards a higher goal like your other NPCs and the PCs. Even for a weak willed character (or especially), fear can be a very powerful gag. In any environment when commoners are being influenced by powerful individuals, I would use the intimidate score of the NPC causing the trouble against the PCs’ Diplomacy check. This is a better representation of the actual way of things in this kind of idiom. Apply modifiers as you see fit.
One thing that I would like to add is that you really should be putting your players to task with these social skill checks. Award modifiers for good or bad role-playing but never more than +4 or -4. If the PCs have very poor social stats and they play them that way, then there is no reason to apply the penalty, unless that player is being very lazy (“I intimidate him! What do I have to roll?”). Also, don’t allow your players to make a bunch of characters with poor social stats and super munch stats and expect to just role-play themselves out of social situations. This is as close to cheating as you can get without doing so. Applying modifiers to the rolls for good role-playing is more than enough. If the character has really low social attributes and insists on using his own rapier-like wit and personal charisma to gain advantage in an encounter, don’t give him any positive modifiers. This person is simply not playing in character and should not be rewarded for doing so. Many of these people think they can take advantage in any game simply by being more witty than the Dungeon Master. This is not only mean but rude and not to mention annoying and distracting to the rest of the players. The DM should be shown the respect of a public speaker or teacher while she is running her game. You can ridicule her and make her feel small after the game. For now, she has a job to do: keeping you entertained.
Conclusion (Resources):
Some great resources for playing Rogues exist out there. The first and foremost is the movies. Ocean’s Eleven, Mission Impossible, Johnny Pneumonic, and Fight Club are only a few of the great examples of super Rogue movies. Ferengi are certainly the Rogues of the Star Trek universe, both the ones from the first season of Next Generation and those from DS9. As far as books go, Salvatore is obvious as is Robert Jordan’s Mat character. He’s the unwilling but lucky brash hero who’d rather be pinching a plump girl’s bum than fighting Trollocs or any other terrible creature. Really get into how Rogues act, especially those from films and books who are considered the Antagonists. They are oft-times a bit campy and over the top, but once in a while a light shines through that really makes you think about the genius that is required to pull off a profitable scheme or heist. The old Song and Silence has some really great articles about Rogue’s Guilds and how they should operate. It would be very superfluous of me to repeat it here. Dragon 316 has some neat spy stuff in it and Dragon 305 is an indispensable resource for urban adventures. It slightly predates 3.5, but you really should pick it up and read it cover-to-cover. You will not regret it. (It also has a cool Wayne Reynolds cover.)
The best way to do well by the Rogue in your campaign is to think like one. Really get into the role and be as tricky and smart as you can. Really eat your Wheaties because, to be quite frank, this NPC is very likely much smarter and more skilled than you will ever be. The rogue is arguably on par with the Wizard when it comes to smarts. While the wizard uses his brains for academic pursuits, the Rogue can think on his feet and is very creative. It’s no small wonder that most of them are also artists in some way.
Again, thank you for lending me your ear. On this topic especially, you all should have something to add. I did not mention any Prestige Classes nor did I go into much detail about feats. I really need to keep these within the 7 or 8 page range, but I’d like to hear from some of you DMs out there on these topics.
Also, as usual please post some examples of cool or powerful Rogues in the games you run or play in. Good NPC or PC stories will prove useful to someone making a decent Rogue NPC. Any horrible trick you’ve pulled as a player can obviously benefit a DM. Some more examples of cool movies or books would also be warmly welcomed!
* Homework assignment! I want to hear everyone’s best Use Magic Device story!
TTFN . . . Next time I will endeavor to discuss the arcane spellcaster as the continuing reigning champion of all BBEGs.
And, of course, plenty of smokesticks and trapdoors. Those were FUN!
Using Move Silently and plenty of alchemical items, a rogue can make a wonderfully fun and fairly lethal opponent, especially if he's in one of his many hidehouses.
* Homework assignment! I want to hear everyone’s best Use Magic Device story!
Well, this opportunity is too good to pass up.
I was playing a ranger1/rogue2 character as a guest spot in a campaign my friend was running (I had a Con of 9, for some reason). Anyway, I picked up some scrolls and a low charge wand of Charm Person. As we were maneuvering through the forest on the way to our destination, I snuck ahead and spotted a group of goblins waiting in the trees preparing for an ambush. Being the clever player I thought I was, I UMD'd the scroll of magic missile that I was carrying with me and aimed it at the goblin in the trees above me. Of course, I failed my roll horribly, and the spell wound up flying up, around the goblin's head, and back down square into my chest. My cover blown, I had to act fast. "I fall down and play dead!" I declared. The rest of the party thought I was, the goblins thought I was, and the battle was engaged around me while I lay there, pretending to be dead. Once the opportunity presented itself, I loosed a pair of hand crossbow bolts at one of the goblins and got my sneak attack in, but boy was that a fun encounter.
At any rate, thanks a bunch for this and all your other articles on classes. I'm running a low level urban campaign at the moment, and am just now getting into incorporating rogues and thief's guilds. Your words have given me much to consider. 
Great as always! Do you have any plans to do the new base classes when the PHB classes are exhausted? (Hexblade, Warlock, etc....)
I'm considering it, but I will not do an article on a class I do not have experience running, which I am sure you will understand. Perhaps the Wizzies would be good enough to bump this so that we can possibly get a few more Rogue NPC stories or examples? Thanks.
=Adam=
P.S. I moved recently and a friend has passed on and last semester school was very difficult, so I only have an outline for the Arcane Casters article. Sorry.
* Homework assignment! I want to hear everyone’s best Use Magic Device story!
(Me DMing) The rouge in the party had picked up a ring, but hadn't had time to test it because of a... Tribute to a certain popular tomb raider. (What? A giant boulder is original!) anyways, so, the party meets a hydra with the head-growy back thing. The Fighter Manages to cleave two heads away, then get knocked to -2. So, there's 3 PCs who don't like fighting, and me cackling evilly. The Sorc, with the same Dex as the cleric (Who possesses the ring) go at the same time. The Sorc. Casts Ray of Frost. The cleric raises his hands for a healing spell. The ring... explodes! AHAHAHA! Gotcha! Actually, it did. It was, as you guessed, a ring of spell storing. But it already had a spell. Fireball. The Act. word was "Cast". 'Nuff said. Ha. Evil is fun.