D&D 5E Strength-based Rogue archetype, feedback much appreciated!

[Kobold Stew]

I want the kind of Rogue that kicks people in the face and breaks down reinforced steel doors with one fell swing of his/her greatsword. Or knuckle duster for that matter.

So you've identified four things here:
(a) face kicking
(b) breaking doors
(c) greatsword
(d) knuckle duster

(a) is accomplished by letting sneak attack damage come from hand to hand combat. You might need to avoid hijinks with monks, but it's probably alright.
(b) is accomplished simply through a strength build, but can be amped by expertise in Athletics. (Interestingly, during the playlets, they toyed with a "break things" skill. I thought it was awesome, but it didn't make the cut).
(c) is, for me, just not a rouge. It is the space defined by the fighter (or one archetype of the fighter). And, for me, it's anti-rogue. I want a strength rogue with a dagger or short sword, not walloping with a greatsword. Here's a test: do you have images that you can point to of the build, where everyone reading the thread will go "yeah, that's a rogue!" and not "that's a fighter!"?
(d) is back in rogue space, and I think part of what you offer could be a build that uses bludgeoning weapons and gets sneak attack damage.

one thing that sets the "Brutal Genius" apart from other Rogues is the fact that it knows how to use heavier weaponry and what's more so, knows how to use it effectively with the Sneak Attack.

I get the mechanical feature you are looking for. I just don't see (conceptually) how it works, nor does it fit with what I think of as a rogue as opposed to a fighter (or fighter/rogue).

I really don't see how it would be broken if a Rogue chooses a 2H weapon over dual wielding. If anything, it should be notably less effective due to the fact that a Rogues main damage output comes from Sneak Attack and by choosing one weapon instead of two you practically halve your chance to land an attack. A Rogue doesn't really want a weapon that deals as much damage as possible, the Rogue wants as many chances to strike an opponent as possible, to trigger Sneak Attack.

I believe you think that; but when you look at the phb, you'll see they precluded even a longsword from counting as a sneak-attack weapon even though rogues are proficient in it! You can have d4, d6, or the rapier d8, but not more.

Then start adding in feats: GWF and Polearm master are regularly cited as among the most powerful feats (both are ranked sky blue for the fighter in the ENWorld fighter guide "The Art of War", for example).

Combine that now with a 1-level dip in fighter for the great weapon fighting style, and you are re-rolling all the 1s and 2s on your sneak attack d6s.

It's simply too much, and too easy to break.

I hope this helps.

 

[SmokeyCriminal]

I don't think GWM and PM would be sky blue for a rogue.

GWM doesn't work the same way for Rogues the way it does Fighters. The -5/+10 does more harm then good because Rogues only get one attack and because Sneak Attack is more important the +10 damage. It's the same thing with Sharpshooter and xBow rogues, yes they will get the Feat but only for the the range and cover benefits not for the -5/+10. The Bonus Action Attack on a kill is nice I suppose . But a Rogue is too squishy to choose to deliberately go into melee with a creature when it's not to Sneak Attack, I guess he could add the -5/+10 to the BA Attack, but that's the equivalent of 3d6 so past 6th level its diminishing returns and it would be with a -5 to hit.

Polearm Master also doesn't work for a Rogue the way it does for a Fighter. Fighters don't use their Reaction for anything while Rogues use it religiously for Uncanny Dodge. They don't have the HP, AC, or Healing that a Fighter has. Sacrificing UD and deliberately putting yourself in harms way for an extra SA is a big meaningful decision and for that reason I think it's not an issue.

And I believe Great Weapon Fighting Style re-rolls only apply to the die of the weapon, not Sneak Attack dice.

But even tho I don't think it would break anything, it still might in fact be too much in the 1-5 lvls, and MAYBE a little bit too much in the 6-10 lvls. I'm only sure an 11th lvl GWM Fighter with 3 attacks isn't going to care about the 11th lvl GWM Rogue.

It definitely needs the Math Crunchers and Min/Maxers to take a pass at it, and a little play testing.

 

[Kobold Stew]

It's okay for us to disagree: we each have our own opinions and play styles, and we have a different spin (e.g. your "diminishing returns" is my "effectively five levels higher"). But you've asked for feedback, and it's up to you to take it or not.

I'm a soft touch on this, and am supportive of the goal. But I am not finding this convincing.