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[Wulf Ratbane]

ROGUE
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills
The rogue’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Persuasion (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points Per Level: 8 + Int modifier.

Spoiler:

In the interest of space, I’ll snip anything from the rogue class that is already familiar to players of 3e.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Rogues are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. Rogues are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Combat Tactics: The rogue is much more dangerous when combat conditions favor his fighting style. The rogue gains the listed bonus to his attack rolls any time his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks his target.

Spoiler:

This bonus basically allows the rogue to strike at the same BAB as a fighter when "sneak attack" conditions permit. The bonus is scaled and placed at those points in the rogue’s BAB progression where he falls behind the 1:1 rate.

Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The rogue’s attack deals extra damage any time his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks his target.

A rogue's ability to sneak attack is not based on any inherent properties of his target, but rather on the rogue's ability to make the most of favorable combat conditions: when the target is flanked by multiple opponents, or when the rogue is able to strike at a vulnerable moment. A rogue can use combat tactics and sneak attack against any creature capable of being flanked. However, the rogue must be able to see the target well enough to strike at a vulnerable moment; thus, a rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment.

Spoiler:

Crits are fun. And if you roll a natural 20, you deserve that crit. Hit points are already an abstraction, so having critical hits (and by extension, sneak attack) attempt to straddle this line between gamist abstraction and simulationist rationalization doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Consider a critical as “Best-case damage under perfectly mundane but otherwise optimal circumstances.” Neither the critical hit nor the rogue’s sneak attack must necessarily indicate a blow to a particularly vulnerable area, organ, artery, soft tissue, or what-have-you; it’s just a really, really good hit.

The rogue gains a big boost in effectiveness on the basis of this change alone. The rogue doesn’t need to worry about the type of creature, but rather to setting up the conditions he needs to get that bonus damage: denying creatures their DEX bonus, and/or flanking them.

Creatures (such as incorporeal creatures) that are specifically immune to sneak attack keep this immunity. There is no immunity to critical hits, neither does prior immunity to critical hits grant immunity to sneak attack by extension.

Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a rogue gains an intuitive sense that alerts his to danger from traps, giving him a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. Trap Sense also allows the rogue to make passive Perception checks when within 10' of a trap and gains a +1 bonus on those checks. These bonuses rise by +1 every three rogue levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level). Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Rogue Talents: On attaining 10th level, and every two levels thereafter (12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th), a rogue gains a special ability of his choice from among the following options.

Bleeding Attack (Ex): A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed when hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue’s sneak attack (ie. 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage at the start of each of their turns.The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself.

Combat Trick: The rogue gains Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, or Improved Trip, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The rogue may choose this talent more than once to choose another of the listed feats.

Crippling Strike (Ex): A rogue with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that his blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of his sneak attacks also takes 2 points of Strength damage.

Defensive Roll (Ex): The rogue can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than he otherwise would. Once per day, when he would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the rogue can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the rogue must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, he takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, he takes full damage. He must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute his defensive roll—if he is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, he can’t use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the rogue’s evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.

Fast Stealth: The rogue may move at full speed while using Stealth, without penalty.

Harrier: When the rogue uses the Aid Another combat reaction in combat to improve an ally's attack bonus or armor class, he adds his combat tactics bonus in addition the +2 bonus the reaction normally provides.

Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability works like evasion, except that while the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, he henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Opportunist (Ex): Once per round, the rogue can make an opportunity attack against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. A rogue may not use the opportunist ability more than once per round.

Skill Mastery: The rogue becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that he can use them reliably even under adverse conditions. Upon gaining this ability, he selects a number of skills equal to 3 + his Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, he may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent his from doing so. A rogue may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for it to apply to each time.

Slippery Mind (Ex): This ability represents the rogue’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel his. If a rogue with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails his saving throw, he can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. He gets only this one extra chance to succeed on his saving throw.

Feat: A rogue may gain a bonus feat. The rogue may not choose this talent more than once.

Level	BAB	BMB	Class Features
1	+0	+0	Combat tactics +1, sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding
2	+1	+0	Evasion
3	+2	+1	Sneak attack +2d6, trap sense +1
4	+3	+1	Uncanny dodge
5	+3	+1	Combat tactics +2, sneak attack +3d6
6	+4	+2	Trap sense +2
7	+5	+2	Sneak attack +4d6
8	+6	+2	Improved uncanny dodge
9	+6	+3	Combat tactics +3, sneak attack +5d6 trap sense +3
10	+7	+3	Rogue talent
11	+8	+3	Sneak attack +6d6
12	+9	+4	Rogue talent, trap sense +4
13	+9	+4	Combat tactics +4, sneak attack +7d6
14	+10	+4	Rogue talent
15	+11	+5	Sneak attack +8d6, trap sense +5
16	+12	+5	Rogue talent
17	+12	+5	Combat tactics +5, sneak attack +9d6
18	+13	+6	Rogue talent, trap sense +6
19	+14	+6	Sneak attack +10d6
20	+15	+6	Rogue talent