D&D 5E Ideas for STR-based rogue archetype
Leatherhead
Possibly a Idiot.
Well the cheeky answer is to make a Barbarian with the Criminal or Urchin background. 
(which is a totally viable and recommended way to get some Thiefish prowess for those who wish to focus on some other stat than Dex) And I would like to point out that one player in my group managed to get a Str based HalfOrc Assassin working well enough without modification.
But I'm going to help you out here, mostly because I really hated it when people told me to make a Ranger in 4e when I wanted a Fighter with decent ranged options. Or you can just go with what [MENTION=6788536]JamesTheLion[/MENTION] linked.
Keeping in mind the advice from Modifying Classes:
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And also keeping in mind that Dexterity is basically the best stat to have in the game, lets look into stuff.
So lets start with Sneak Attack.
It's meant to go with Dex weapons and ranged weapons. The quick fix is to extend that bonus damage out to all one handed melee weapons. A damage bump from 1d6 to 1d8 isn't much (it's like 1 damage average), but it "feels" more visceral to wail on someone with a warhammer or battleaxe.
Cunning Action is essential to the Roguish play style. To intertwine it with the STR rogue, let the STR Rogue make STR checks with Cunning Action. Which is basically just Athletics checks and bashing or lifting stuff. If you want to get dangerous, allow this bonus action to shove/grapple/trip, but only after level 3.
Jumping into skills, there isn't much you can do here. Most of the Rogues good skills are Dex based, but more than enough of them are not, and even the ones that are can be covered with a minor investment. Athletics is going to have to do most of the heavy lifting for this Dwarf in terms of physical interaction. It is important to note, that tools can be used with any stat, as long as it is believable. Using the Thieves Tools to smash up traps instead of gingerly disabling them should be something you have plans for.
Now for class features.
There are two level 3 features: One for combat and one for interaction.
That's covered by letting sneak attack work on one-handed weapons, and using cunning action for STR checks. Adding in medium armor proficiency covers a bit for the AC loss due to lack of Dex. But now you are "Combat heavy." That's mostly ok, because Dex is really that good.
The level 9 feature basically gives advantage in some situations. This is for a non-combat pillar of play unless you didn't get a combat feature at level 3.
If you really want to lay on the muscle work, give them some bonus carrying capacity. Call it "Hoarder" maybe. Or you could give some bonuses to Intimidate.
The level 13 ability gives you some freaky rules exception. Like using bonus actions to grant advantage or total mastery of some non-combat situations. This is where you want to insert negating disadvantage when using medium armor. Or advantage on Str checks in some fashion.
And level 17 is the trump card. It grants a massive bonus to combat. This would be something like auto-passing a shove, trip, or grapple check once a combat/rest.
(which is a totally viable and recommended way to get some Thiefish prowess for those who wish to focus on some other stat than Dex) And I would like to point out that one player in my group managed to get a Str based HalfOrc Assassin working well enough without modification.But I'm going to help you out here, mostly because I really hated it when people told me to make a Ranger in 4e when I wanted a Fighter with decent ranged options. Or you can just go with what [MENTION=6788536]JamesTheLion[/MENTION] linked.
Keeping in mind the advice from Modifying Classes:
[sblock]
[/sblock]
And also keeping in mind that Dexterity is basically the best stat to have in the game, lets look into stuff.
So lets start with Sneak Attack.
It's meant to go with Dex weapons and ranged weapons. The quick fix is to extend that bonus damage out to all one handed melee weapons. A damage bump from 1d6 to 1d8 isn't much (it's like 1 damage average), but it "feels" more visceral to wail on someone with a warhammer or battleaxe.
Cunning Action is essential to the Roguish play style. To intertwine it with the STR rogue, let the STR Rogue make STR checks with Cunning Action. Which is basically just Athletics checks and bashing or lifting stuff. If you want to get dangerous, allow this bonus action to shove/grapple/trip, but only after level 3.
Jumping into skills, there isn't much you can do here. Most of the Rogues good skills are Dex based, but more than enough of them are not, and even the ones that are can be covered with a minor investment. Athletics is going to have to do most of the heavy lifting for this Dwarf in terms of physical interaction. It is important to note, that tools can be used with any stat, as long as it is believable. Using the Thieves Tools to smash up traps instead of gingerly disabling them should be something you have plans for.
Now for class features.
There are two level 3 features: One for combat and one for interaction.
That's covered by letting sneak attack work on one-handed weapons, and using cunning action for STR checks. Adding in medium armor proficiency covers a bit for the AC loss due to lack of Dex. But now you are "Combat heavy." That's mostly ok, because Dex is really that good.
The level 9 feature basically gives advantage in some situations. This is for a non-combat pillar of play unless you didn't get a combat feature at level 3.
If you really want to lay on the muscle work, give them some bonus carrying capacity. Call it "Hoarder" maybe. Or you could give some bonuses to Intimidate.
The level 13 ability gives you some freaky rules exception. Like using bonus actions to grant advantage or total mastery of some non-combat situations. This is where you want to insert negating disadvantage when using medium armor. Or advantage on Str checks in some fashion.
And level 17 is the trump card. It grants a massive bonus to combat. This would be something like auto-passing a shove, trip, or grapple check once a combat/rest.
Prism
Explorer
Rogues can actually be a bit overkill with the skills they chose expertise for - at least for your typical dex based rogue. A strength based rogue could pick expertise like normal in their dex based skills and still be very good with them. I see it more as shoring up the skills they are not naturally good in rather than being godlike in the ones they are. Once they hit 11th level a dex 12 based rogue always gets at least 20 on up to 4 of their dex based skills for example, which is pretty good. In addition they will be a better climber, jumper and swimmer than other rogues.
He'll need some armour though unless he's a mountain dwarf
He'll need some armour though unless he's a mountain dwarf
collin
Explorer
I have created a similar character to what you are describing, but he is human and I ended up making him a Rogue/Fighter because of some of the concerns you have regarding the lack of Dex but higher Str and Con. I based him off of the Richard Stark/Donald Westlake character of Parker: http://violentworldofparker.com/
He is basically a crook/enforcer type of person - just a real tough 'don't mess with him' guy with few ethics and even fewer morals.
Because humans get an automatic bump in stats to start with, it made it even easier. Without the racial bumps, here is what I allocated: Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 10. I would encourage the player to trade his Dex and Con scores, especially since he will get a racial modifier to increase his Con score anyway. As the character advances, it might also be good to multi-class as a fighter for at least a level or 2 to get more access to some additional weapons (and armor, when needed), as well as a little bit more in hit points.
He is basically a crook/enforcer type of person - just a real tough 'don't mess with him' guy with few ethics and even fewer morals.
Because humans get an automatic bump in stats to start with, it made it even easier. Without the racial bumps, here is what I allocated: Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 10. I would encourage the player to trade his Dex and Con scores, especially since he will get a racial modifier to increase his Con score anyway. As the character advances, it might also be good to multi-class as a fighter for at least a level or 2 to get more access to some additional weapons (and armor, when needed), as well as a little bit more in hit points.
With an Int. dump stat, low dex and cha, I don't see how they could play anything other than a thug/mindless enforcer type character, regardless of whatever archetype you give them.
Rune
Once A Fool
Leatherhead said:
I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind making the strength rogue do more damage to other rogues. It's important to remember, I think, that a strength rogue does exactly the same amount of damage with finesse weapons as a dexterity rogue. I would personally expand the list of sneak-attackable weapons to include all light weapons (but I would do that anyway, to allow space for a sap to exist). I would never include melee weapons that could be used two-handed; there would be too some unintended high-damage synergies that would emerge.
There are already feats that allow a shove or grapple with a bonus action. Providing a class ability that can be used for both steps on both feats' toes. The mobility enhancing parts are equally as useful to a strength rogue, anyway. I could see cunning action granting a Strength (Intimidate) check to gain advantage against one foe for a turn.
I don't buy the claim that dexterity is more valuable than strength. Obviously, a strength rogue is going to need better proficiency in armor, but, once AC is accounted for, the things a high dexterity grant you are not really better than what a high strength grant you. Strength saves might happen less frequently than dexterity saves, but it's frequently even more important to succeed, especially if hazardous terrain is in play. High initiative and the ability to be nigh undetectable is good, but is it better than being able to successfully shove and grapple pretty much every appropriately sized foe out there? Dexterity-based ranged attacks are potent, especially with feat support, but that's true of strength-based melee attacks, as well (although, importantly, sneak attack won't play with the heavier damage options).
This could be a good time to introduce the cunning action strength (intimidate) check for advantage that I mentioned above.
The level 13 ability gives you some freaky rules exception. Like using bonus actions to grant advantage or total mastery of some non-combat situations. This is where you want to insert negating disadvantage when using medium armor. Or advantage on Str checks in some fashion.
The way my "brute rogue" works is it lets you Sneak Attack with any one handed simple melee weapon that deals bludgeoning damage.
Because of the sneaky way I wrote it, a rogue can weild a quarterstaff and add sneak attack damage. And then they can use it versatile.
Then at level 9, they can grapple and cover the victim's eyes, ears, or mouth.
So my brutish rogue can whack a mage upside his head with a staff or club, then shove the weapon into the caster's face to shut him up. Drag the mage into a bush or an alley all silent like. Whackity whack. Mr Pointyhat is taking a little siesta if you know what I mean. Nobody didn't see nuthin.
That's the thing. A simple thug has to get something a bit epic. Simple punchy brutish behavior doesn't progress. So you gotta add mob enforcer or dirty cop to the archetype.
Because of the sneaky way I wrote it, a rogue can weild a quarterstaff and add sneak attack damage. And then they can use it versatile.
Then at level 9, they can grapple and cover the victim's eyes, ears, or mouth.
So my brutish rogue can whack a mage upside his head with a staff or club, then shove the weapon into the caster's face to shut him up. Drag the mage into a bush or an alley all silent like. Whackity whack. Mr Pointyhat is taking a little siesta if you know what I mean. Nobody didn't see nuthin.
That's the thing. A simple thug has to get something a bit epic. Simple punchy brutish behavior doesn't progress. So you gotta add mob enforcer or dirty cop to the archetype.
I'd go with archetype along the "enforcer" lines mentioned above. Medium armor proficiency, ability to use sneak attack with any proficient weapon (instead of only finesse weapons) to start. Later on give an ability that subs Strength for Charisma on all Intimidate-type checks (maybe any Charisma check/save, muscle over mind). At mid-high level, I like the idea of an ability that would allow him to do sneak attack damage (but not normal weapon damage) on a successful trip/push/disarm attempt.
Rune
Once A Fool
Do you really want fighter/rogues getting sneak attack added to their bonus Great Weapon Master + Polearm Master damage on their turn and then again on the off-turn attack granted by Polearm Master when the foe tries to move in? Because that's what allowing sneak attack with any proficient weapon will get you.
