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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ECMO3" data-source="post: 8315483" data-attributes="member: 7030563">Not excellent.  Average with just dex as an investment.  If he uses CBE and SS he can be good in combat although he has a lot competing for his BA.  If he does a strength build and takes grappler feat and figthing initiate he can be great in combat.I have played a ton of Rogues.  To truely optimize a Rogue for combat here is the build:1. go with a mountain dwarf (medium armor two+2 abilities).  Trade your weapons for whip, longbow and scimitar.2. Stats should be S16 D14 C10 I16 W10 Ch10.3. Take expertise in athletics and intimidation.  Pick a background that lets you get these four skills:  Arcana, Persuasion, Investigation and slight of hand.4. level 3 Arcane trickster, take booming blade, green flame blade, shield and silent image.  The other spell does not really matter5. level 4 take grappler feat6. level 6 expertise in Arcana and slight of hand7. take blur and shadow blade at level 7/88. take fighter initiate unarmed fighting9. From here on take strength ASIs.Your basic combat move is grapple on first turn with expertise (dealing damage due to fighting style), after that either disarm or GFB with advantage SA plus grapple damage.  Your mage hand should be working every turn usually by pouring something on an enemy (acid, holy water, oil on the guy standing next to you that you are going to get with GFB) or doing something else to contribute.  You can use the grappled guy to give you cover against other guys attacking you.  You are basically using him as a literal human shield while damaging him simply because he is grappled even if you don't attack him specifically.A few notes:  The mage hand is dealing significant extra damage here and by going with a grappler you can move the guy you grappled so GFB hits two people every turn, often lighting oil that your hand just poured on one of them.  Dash as a BA lets you move the grappled guy your full movement on a turn you do not use the hand.   When you use disarm you get advantage on your attack roll due to the grappler feat and he takes damage due to the fighting style.  After he is disarmed drag him away from his weapon so he is weaponless.  From here on he continues to take damage every turn he is grappled, provides  you cover and has to beat your expertise to get out.  You just drag him around the battlefield while you attack other people as a striker and slowly kill the unarmed grappled enemy.   If there is only 1 bad guy you can also just take dodge as an action every turn while still dealing some damage because of your grapple and he can't go and attack anyone else.  You lose your main weapon damage this way, but you can still use your hand and this is a good way to slowly kill someone if you think he will not be able to hit you with disadvantage.The reason for Arcana is some DMs will do an Arcana check for things you want the mage hand to do unless the rules specifically call for another check.  If your DM does not do this then get deception instead of Arcana and take expertise in perception.</blockquote>

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