6.10 Rogue

Rank	Assassin	Bardic Music	Combat Trickster	Jack of All Trades	Suave Scoundrel
1	Exotic assassination tools, sneak attack	Bardic spells	Trick maneuvers	Dabbler	Fool them once
2	Evasion	Bardic lore	Augmented maneuvers	Skill exemplar	Silver tongue
3	Darkstalker	Steady beat	Trick maneuvers+	Arcane dilettante	What’s that over there
4	Assassin’s grace	Rhythm of war	Augmented maneuvers+	Versatile expertise	Slippery mind
5	Assassination	Bardic lore+	Trick maneuvers+	Skill exemplar+	Fool them twice
6	Evasion+	Critical eye	Augmented maneuvers+	Well rounded	Silver tongue+
7	Darkstalker+	Virtuoso	Trick maneuvers+	Versatile expertise+	No need for violence

Rogues are exceptionally skillful characters known for their ability to strike at their foe’s weak points in combat. It is dangerous to make any assumptions about rogues. They can be acrobatic fighters, charismatic tricksters, inspiring musicians, stealthy assassins, or all of the above. All rogues share a fundamental flexibility, preferring to use the right tools for the situation rather than solving all of their problems in the same way.

A rogue’s power fundamentally comes from experience, but it is seldom the rigorous, structured training that a fighter or monk might undertake. More often, rogues develop their talents by following their instincts and seeing what works and what doesn’t. They may have a natural gift for persuasion that they develop into a fine edge through years of charismatic conversations. The back alleys of cities are a natural training ground, where education comes in the form of evading or receiving punishments for misdeeds.

While most of a rogue’s skills are intuitively understandable and mundane, bardic music is an odd exception. There is an underlying structure to the universe that some scholars call the Universal Harmony. Exceptionally talented performances can hit tones that resonate with the Universal Harmony, which amplifies the effects of the performance beyond mundane limits. This is always a simple amplification, taking effects that would be a natural result of the music and multiplying their effects. A humorous musical piece can become outrageously funny, and an ominous piece can become utterly terrifying, but the full complexity of true spellcasting cannot be replicated in this way.

Some rogues discover the effects of the Universal Harmony for themselves. There also exist bardic colleges that are dedicated to the study and replication of effects amplified in this way, and rogues may attend these colleges to deepen their skills. Officially, bardic colleges train their attendees in musical theory and practical performance. Unofficially, many bardic colleges have recognized that many of their students have a variety of less reputable talents. These colleges may have night classes that train rogues in other skills, including effective deception and even assassination. They maintain a level of plausible deniability, but would-be rogues can often discover the truth and complete their training there.

Alignment: Any.

Archetypes: Rogues have the Assassin, Bardic Music, Combat Trickster, Jack of All Trades, and Suave Scoundrel archetypes.

6.10.1 Base Class Effects

If you choose rogue as your base class, you gain the following benefits.

Level	Rank	Durability	Bonus1	Special
1	1	+0	+0	—
2	1	+1	+1	—
3	1	+2	+1	+1 to two attributes
4	2	+2	+2	HP: 2x durability
5	2	+3	+2	—
6	2	+4	+3	—
7	3	+4	+3	HP: 3x durability
8	3	+5	+4	—
9	3	+6	+4	+1 to two attributes
10	4	+6	+5	HP: 4x durability
11	4	+7	+5	—
12	4	+8	+6	—
13	5	+8	+6	HP: 6x durability
14	5	+9	+7	—
15	5	+10	+7	+1 to two attributes
16	6	+10	+8	HP: 8x durability
17	6	+11	+8	—
18	6	+12	+9	—
19	7	+12	+9	HP: 10x durability
20	7	+13	+10	—
21	7	+14	+10	+2 to two attributes

1. This bonus applies to your accuracy, magical ✨ power, mundane power, trained skills, and defenses.  

Defenses

You gain a +3 bonus to your Brawn, Fortitude, Mental, and Reflex defenses.

Resources

• Attunement points: 4 (see Attunement Points).
• Fatigue tolerance: 2 + your Constitution (see Fatigue).
• Insight points: 2 + your Intelligence (see Insight Points).
• Trained skills: 6 from among your class skills, plus additional trained skills equal to your Intelligence if it is positive (see Skills).

Weapon Proficiencies

You are proficient with simple weapons and weapons with the Compact or Light weapon tags (see Weapon Tags).

Armor Proficiencies

You are proficient with light armor.

Starting Items and Equipment

You can start with the following items and equipment:

• Buff leather
• Any two of the following: weapons with the Compact or Light weapon tags (see Weapon Tags), club, or dagger
• A buckler
• A standard adventuring kit (see Standard Adventuring Kit).
• A rank 0 wealth item (1 gp)

Class Skills

You have the following class skills:

• Strength: Climb, Jump, Swim.

• Dexterity: Balance, Flexibility, Perform, Ride, Sleight of Hand, Stealth.

• Intelligence: Craft, Deduction, Devices, Disguise, Knowledge (dungeoneering, engineering, items, local).

• Perception: Awareness, Deception, Persuasion, Social Insight.

• Other: Intimidate.

6.10.2 Assassin

This archetype improves your agility, stealth, and combat prowess against unaware targets.

Rank 1 – Exotic Assassination Tools

If you spend an insight point, you can become proficient with all Compact and Light exotic weapons (see Exotic Weapons). You must already be proficient with all Compact and Light non-exotic weapons.

Rank 1 – Sneak Attack

Rank 2 – Evasion

You take no damage when an area ability attacks and misses your Armor or Reflex defense. This does not protect you from any non-damaging effects of those abilities, or from abilities that affect multiple specific targets without affecting an area.

Rank 3 – Darkstalker

Rank 4 – Assassin’s Grace

You gain a +1 bonus to your Dexterity.

Rank 5 – Assassination

Rank 6 – Evasion+

This ability also protects you from area attacks against your Brawn, Fortitude, and Mental defenses.

Rank 7 – Darkstalker+

Each time you attune to this ability, you can choose up to three of the possible sense groups rather than only one.

6.10.3 Bardic Music

This archetype grants you the ability to inspire your allies and impair your foes with musical performances.

Rank 1 – Bardic Spells ✨

You have the ability to use bardic magic. You gain access to one bardic mystic sphere, plus the universal mystic sphere (see Bardic Mystic Spheres). You may spend insight points to gain access to one additional bardic mystic sphere per two insight points. You can only learn bardic spells from bardic mystic spheres that you have access to.

You automatically learn all cantrips from each of your mystic spheres. In addition, you learn two rank 1 bardic spells. You can also spend insight points to learn one additional rank 1 spell per insight point.

Bardic spells require you to use a Perform skill that you are trained with. There are four types of performances: dance, instrumental, manipulation, and vocal. For details about mystic spheres and casting spells, see Spell and Ritual Mechanics.

• Dance: You use your body to dance or act. This limits your ability to defend yourself, which briefly gives you a -2 penalty to your Armor and Reflex defenses each time you cast or sustain the spell. Spells you cast using a dance performance gain the Visual tag.
• Instrumental: You use an instrument to make music. This requires at least one free hand to use the instrument. Spells you cast using an instrumental performance gain the Auditory tag.
• Manipulation: You use objects or gestures to perform, such as juggling or puppetry. This requires at least one free hand to use the objects. Spells you cast using a manipulation performance gain the Visual tag.
• Vocal: You use your voice to orate or sing. This prevents you from talking or using other abilities with verbal components. Spells you cast using a vocal performance gain the Auditory tag.

Unlike other spellcasters, you cannot attune to bardic spells. In addition, if a target of a sustained bardic spell stops being able to see or hear you, depending on the nature of your performance, the effect ends for them as if you had stopped sustaining the performance.

When you gain access to a new mystic sphere or spell rank, you can forget any number of spells you know to learn that many new spells in exchange, including spells of the higher rank.

Advancement: The maximum rank of bardic spells that you can learn is equal to your rank in this archetype. Bardic spells also increase in power in unique ways based on your rank in this archetype, as indicated in their descriptions.

Rank 2 – Bardic Lore

You gain a bonus equal to your rank in this archetype to Knowledge skills that you are untrained in (see Trained Skills).

Rank 3 – Steady Beat

You are immune to Auditory attacks.

Rank 4 – Rhythm of War

You gain a +1 bonus to your magical power and mundane power.

Rank 5 – Bardic Lore+ ✨

You gain a +2 bonus to all Knowledge skills.

Rank 6 – Critical Eye

You are impervious (+4 defenses) to Visual attacks.

Rank 7 – Virtuoso ✨

Once per turn, you can sustain a bardic spell that has the Sustain (minor) tag as a free action.

6.10.4 Combat Trickster

This archetype grants you abilities to use in combat and improves your combat prowess.

Rank 1 – Trick Maneuvers

You can confuse and confound your foes in combat. You gain access to one of the following combat styles: dirty fighting, ebb and flow, or mobile hunter . You may spend insight points to gain access to one additional combat style per insight point, including combat styles other than those three. You can only learn trick maneuvers from trick combat styles that you have access to.

You learn two rank 1 trick maneuvers. You may spend insight points to learn one additional maneuver per insight point.

When you gain access to a new rank in this archetype, you can exchange any number of maneuvers you know for other maneuvers, including maneuvers of a higher rank.

Advancement: Some trick maneuvers also increase in power in unique ways based on your rank in this archetype, as indicated in their descriptions.

Rank 2 – Augmented Maneuvers

You gain the ability to customize your trick maneuvers. For each rank 1 trick maneuver you know, choose one augment from the list below and apply it to that maneuver. The augment permanently changes the maneuver, so you can’t use an unaugmented version of the maneuver. However, you can learn the same maneuver more than once and apply different augments to each version.

Augments scale in power with your “excess rank”. Your excess rank with a maneuver is equal to your rank in this archetype minus the rank of the maneuver.

Whenever you increase your rank in this archetype, you can change your augments. However, you must still apply them to rank 1 trick maneuvers.

Debilitating Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to twice your excess rank. However, you cannot get a critical hit. You can only apply this augment to maneuvers which deal damage and can inflict a condition.

Finishing Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to twice your excess rank against creatures who are injured.

Mighty Maneuver: You take a -1 accuracy penalty, but you deal extra damage equal to twice your excess rank.

Mobile Maneuver: You can move up to 5 feet per excess rank before or after using your chosen maneuver, up to a maximum distance equal to your speed. This does not reduce your available movement. You cannot apply this augment to maneuvers that already allow you to move using one of your movement modes.

Precise Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to your excess rank.

Rank 3 – Trick Maneuvers+

You gain access to rank 3 trick maneuvers.

Rank 4 – Augmented Maneuvers+

You can also choose an augment for each of your rank 3 trick maneuvers.

Rank 5 – Trick Maneuvers+

You gain access to rank 5 trick maneuvers.

Rank 6 – Augmented Maneuvers+

You can also choose an augment for each of your rank 5 trick maneuvers.

Rank 7 – Trick Maneuvers+

You gain access to rank 7 trick maneuvers.

6.10.5 Jack of All Trades

This archetype improves your skills and versatility.

Rank 1 – Dabbler

You gain two additional insight points. In addition, you can spend insight points to gain one additional trained skill per insight point.

Rank 2 – Skill Exemplar

You gain a +1 bonus to all skills.

Rank 3 – Arcane Dilettante ✨

You can use wands as if you were able to cast arcane spells. Your maximum spell rank is equal to your rank in this archetype. In addition, you gain an additional attunement point. You can only use this attunement point to attune to magic wands.

Rank 4 – Versatile Expertise

You gain a +1 bonus to an attribute of your choice.

Rank 5 – Skill Exemplar+

The skill bonus increases to +2. In addition, using the desperate exertion ability to affect a skill check only increases your fatigue level by one.

Rank 6 – Well Rounded ✨

You gain a +1 bonus to all of your defenses that are lower than your highest defense.

Rank 7 – Versatile Expertise+

You gain a +1 bonus to two attributes of your choice.

6.10.6 Suave Scoundrel

This archetype improves your deceptiveness and helps you make use of that talent in combat.

Rank 1 – Fool Them Once ✨

Rank 2 – Silver Tongue ✨

You gain a +2 bonus to your Deception, Persuasion, and Social Insight skills.

Rank 3 – What’s That Over There

Rank 4 – Slippery Mind ✨

You gain a +2 bonus to your Mental defense, and you are impervious (+4 defenses) to Emotion attacks.

Rank 5 – Fool Them Twice

You can use your fool them once ability twice per short rest. However, after using that ability, you briefly can’t use it again.

Rank 6 – Silver Tongue+

The bonus increases to +4.

Rank 7 – No Need For Violence

Whenever a combat starts, each enemy that you have been speaking with for at least six seconds takes a -5 penalty to initiative. In addition, enemies are at least partially unaware (-2 defenses) of your attacks until they take their first turn, even if they can see you clearly. This does not affect creatures that join while the combat is already active.