D&D 5E Artificer Rogue?

[doctorbadwolf]

It seems the fastest way to homebrew it. Add invocation at 13 and grant option of any new cantrip to be an Invocation instead, replacing the Mage Hand subclass features.

The other two subclass features seem to still apply to your concept

What about keep mage hand, but let it do Checks with artisans tools, and lift more, rather than be invisible and do thieves tools and slight of hand?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

What about keep mage hand, but let it do Checks with artisans tools, and lift more, rather than be invisible and do thieves tools and slight of hand?

OTOH, part of what I want from a rogue artificer is a saboteur. Perhaps that should be a separate thing?

A saboteur could disable magical traps like glyph of warding, or just change what triggers them, turn magic items into jury rigged explosives, turn harmless magical effects into traps (like portals and teleportation circles), etc.

 

[SkidAce]

OTOH, part of what I want from a rogue artificer is a saboteur. Perhaps that should be a separate thing?

A saboteur could disable magical traps like glyph of warding, or just change what triggers them, turn magic items into jury rigged explosives, turn harmless magical effects into traps (like portals and teleportation circles), etc.

Interesting, I was thinking "a rogue can already disable magic traps" and went to research before posting.

Its a lot more vague than I remember, or I'm missing something.

 

[SkidAce]

Huh...

Any character can attempt an Intelligence (Arcana) check to detect or disarm a magic trap, in addition to any other checks noted in the trap’s description.

Doesn't even say have to be trained. Weird...must read more...

 

[Umbran]

I'm currently playing a gnomish Battlesmith Artificer. Took the criminal (actually Spy) background because it fit neatly into his backstory, and got him Stealth. Took the Observant feat... and now he has a pretty ludicrous passive Investigation score.

So, "sneak ahead, notice and disarm traps, open doors and chests and vaults" is very much in his wheelhouse.

He's missing the the sneak attack, but would have to actually multiclass to get that, and I'm not sure that's worth loss of spell progression.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Interesting, I was thinking "a rogue can already disable magic traps" and went to research before posting.

Its a lot more vague than I remember, or I'm missing something.

Yeah it’s vague, and what I’d want from it is, as I said in the other post, a lot more than just disabling magical traps.

I'm currently playing a gnomish Battlesmith Artificer. Took the criminal (actually Spy) background because it fit neatly into his backstory, and got him Stealth. Took the Observant feat... and now he has a pretty ludicrous passive Investigation score.

So, "sneak ahead, notice and disarm traps, open doors and chests and vaults" is very much in his wheelhouse.

He's missing the the sneak attack, but would have to actually multiclass to get that, and I'm not sure that's worth loss of spell progression.

I have a feeling I get some different things from Roguing than some other folks do.

Only 1 of my Rogues in 4e or 5e has had any focus on traps and such. The rest are assassins, swashbucklers, gishes, special forces type operatives, or the hitter on a heist crew.

The mobility, the combat playstyle, the reliable athleticism and sneaking, etc, are what I want from a rogue, so for me at least, artificer definitely doesn’t do what I want from the rogue.

For what you’re describing, I might go Artificer rather than rogue.

 

[Umbran]

The mobility, the combat playstyle, the reliable athleticism and sneaking, etc, are what I want from a rogue, so for me at least, artificer definitely doesn’t do what I want from the rogue.

I'm using a crossbow - two shots a round at +8 to hit, d8+5 damage at level 6 - magic weapon, no need to reload from the infusion class feature, allowing him to use his Intelligence as his combat stat. He's got stealth from his background. Sneaking and sniper is a reasonable choice for him.

Admittedly, he's only got a speed of 25'. Unless he's riding on his mastiff or steel defender, when it pops up to 40'.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I'm using a crossbow - two shots a round at +8 to hit, d8+5 damage at level 6 - magic weapon, no need to reload from the infusion class feature, allowing him to use his Intelligence as his combat stat. He's got stealth from his background. Sneaking and sniper is a reasonable choice for him.

Admittedly, he's only got a speed of 25'. Unless he's riding on his mastiff or steel defender, when it pops up to 40'.

I...are you trying to tell me that isn’t a different combat playstyle from the rogue, or is there some other point you’re making?

It’s a cool character, I’m just saying that build doesn’t do what I’m proposing in the OP, for me. I think the game has spades of room for an inventor rogue, and the very different playstyle that comes with cunning action, skill expertise, and surviving via damage mitigation abilities rather than armor and HP, combined with devices and tinkering type stuff.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

OK. Now we're starting to get an idea of what being a Rogue means to you, could you go into a bit more detail about the Artificer mechanics you want?
A simple Arcane Trickster variant with more support-oriented spell list and the adjustment to Mage Hang Legerdemain would seem to fit as a basis.

 

[Stormonu]

My current Saltmarsh group has a Artificer 5/Rogue 1; he went battlesmith and the character is modeled after a very prominent fantasy archeologist. He named the dog defender Indy...