D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal: "New Rogue"

"Even tricksier than it was before".

New Rogue video --


The last version of the rogue we saw as in the UA Playtest 6, last September. There's not many changes being announced here, the biggest being that the Soulknife gets to use Psychic Blades on opportunity attacks (so you don't need to have a knife as a backup weapon, and get into drawing/sheathing shenanigans), and that they now have the Vex property, and that Trip has apparently been withdrawn from the Cunning strike options.

OVERVIEW

• "our main job with the rogue was not to mess it up" -- add new twists to already wonderful design.
• Weapon mastery, such as short sword and dagger for TWF. Enough masteries to make a difference (i.e. 2).
• Cunning Strike (at 5): gives trade SA [sneak attack] dice for other effects. (Has anyone ever felt they had too many SA dice?). Poison, Trip, Withdraw [NOTE: no mention of Disarm!], with more later. Knockout at level 14.
• Steady Aim at 3, Reliable talent at 7 (as in PT6)
• Thieves Cant gives additional language too.
• Slippery Mind at 15 gives proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma (harder to banish)

SUBCLASSES

Assassin (earlier discussion here)

• benefits from Steady Aim.
• 2014 depended too much on surprise.
• Assassinate: adv on initiative, extra damage if opponent hasn't acted yet.
• NEW: You get disguise and poisoners kit with proficiency.
• NEW: Roving aim at 9: speed not reduced to zero if we use Steady Aim. (so you can move after making an attack with steady aim, but (apparently) not before
• Envenom Weapons, Death Strike (as in PT6).

Arcane Trickster

• NEW: spellcasting has no school restrictions, can now use arcane focus. more options and variety of builds.
• NEW versatile trickster at 13 lets you Trip two people (again, no mention of disarm.)
• discussion emphasizes the silliness and hijinks.

Soulknife

• "supernatural equivalent of the assassin"
• NEW: soulknife can be used on opportunity attacks ("Thank you!")
• NEW: soulknife has a mastery property (Vex -- next attack will have advantage)

Thief

• Fast Hands can activate magic item as a bonus action (as in PT6)
• Dex instead of Str for Jump and gives Climb speed. (JC claims "it technically gave you a climb speed before" -- I don't think this has ever been explicit).
• Supreme Sneak and Use Magic Device as in PT6.

I'm a little surprised at the (apparent) loss of Disarm from the options for Cunning Strike. Is this just to keep Wizards a bit safer? It was such a great option, for recreating those cinematic moments that I want a rogue to be able to do.

EDIT: SOME MORE NEW THINGS, from this video.

Some General rules revealed:

• New PHB has a sidebar for backwards compatibility and using abilities that haven’t been replaced/overwritten.
• NEW: Classes have a (class-specific) starting amount of gold – so for rogues it’s 100gp, + 50gp from background.
• In his build he takes Alert as background feat (not framed in terms of needing it to tie to Background). Possibly there is explicit permission to take any origin feat you want, and the one listed with backgrounds is exempli gratia.
• NEW: Piercer feat in the PHB (from Tasha’s, and so likely also Crusher and Slasher)
• Dazed condition from the playtest is gone.

Spoiler

More info for Rogues.

• NEW: Expertise for Rogues no longer allowed to be applied to Thieves’ tools.
• The Knock Out option at level 14 is awesome thematically, and he compares the idea of a rogue knocking someone out with a blackjack. Yes, that’s cool, and (for me) is the reason there should be finesse weapons that don’t do the stabby stabby

Info on his own build:

• If you know his builds, Colby is permissive with his exploits, allowing a lot of things that aren’t strictly RAW. In that light, it seems to me significant that he sees, even when using Variant Human in backwards compatibility, that he would only allow himself an Origin Feat (i.e. no half-feat) at level 1. That is only one person’s interpretation, but since he is generally VERY permissive in terms of his interpretations of rules, that (to me) speaks volumes.
• First Feat choice is Sentinel, lets him take an opportunity attack (to get SA again).
• Strategy: Most rounds attack with Vex, then Nick (so Bonus Action is free). In round 1, Nick first, bonus for Vex, which then would apply for any opportunity attack.
• He starts wielding Short sword and Scimitar, but later takes the Piercer feat, with which he’d want to swap the scimitar for a dagger (don’t think this was mentioned)

 

[DarkCrisis]

Thats great for the Rogue and all but how is the Rouge class?

 

[Chaosmancer]

The Soulknife tactical matrix is interesting.

They can't use Steady Aim and the Psychic Blades' innate off-hand attack on the same turn, because they're both Bonus Actions. And two attacks is better than one attack with Advantage, because you can hit twice. Except that sometimes the Rogue will want to attack a target that isn't engaged with an ally, and will need Steady Aim to enable Sneak Attack. But their Psychic Blades now come with Vex, so sometimes they'll have another source of Advantage already available.

It's an interesting little flowchart. Not too complex, but with several conditions deciding between the two paths.

Can't forget the hide bonus action either, not so good for getting advantage on turn 1, but arguably hiding and getting advantage next turn is more powerful defensively than steady aim.

Rogues are lots of fun

 

[GarrettKP]

Based on tge way she looks, I'm pretty sure she is an Aasamir, similar to the Soul Knife.

I’m not sure I’m convinced the Soul Knife is either, unless it was stated by WotC somewhere and I missed it?

 

[coyote6]

Thats great for the Rogue and all but how is Rouge class?

Still red.

 

[Parmandur]

I’m not sure I’m convinced the Soul Knife is either, unless it was stated by WotC somewhere and I missed it?

Well, the Thief is a Humam woman, so the Soul Knofe isn't Human: doesn't seem to be a Tiwfling, Orc, Goliath, Elf, or Dwarf?

 

[Nightfly]

Thats great for the Rogue and all but how is Rouge class?

WotC doesn't have any videos scheduled about the Rouge. I guess you could say...

(removes sunglasses)

...that class is taking a powder.

 

[Vael]

I heard Rouge was being superseded with the Fuschia.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

I've never been able to say "Soulknife" with a straight face. It sounds like the lead in a '70s Blaxploitation flick of the same name.

 

[Horwath]

For a low magic setting, ban the full caster classes.

Then Arcane Trickster and Divine Paladin (compare Tolkien Gandalf) serve as fantastic mages for the setting.

if it's low magic, then ban ALL spellcasting.

 

[GarrettKP]

Well, the Thief is a Humam woman, so the Soul Knofe isn't Human: doesn't seem to be a Tiwfling, Orc, Goliath, Elf, or Dwarf?

Why can’t it be a human? The Champion and the Psi Warrior are both humans, aren’t they? I don’t think there’s anything saying the Thief and Soul Knife can’t be the same species.