Classes > Rogues
Thief - Assassin - Pirate - Bard
Chaotic only. Outlaws who operate on the legal boundaries of society, eschewing the social contract for their own gain, and making use of subterfuge to gain the upper hand. Unlike others who put a great deal of effort outlining codes of honor or following elaborate intellectual trades, Rogues recognize no law but the rule of the most cunning, and see any action taken in service of their own gain as justifiable.
Every civilization that produces enough wealth produces Rogues of some sort, for as long as structure has existed among civilized creatures, there were those among them who sought to dismantle it, either for their benefit or just for the sport of gaining the upper hand by wit rather than force.
They get to choose 1 new talent at levels 4, 8, 10, 12, 16, 19, but may not exceed 20 in any stat this way until after level 20. They add 3/4 of their level to each attack diminishingly to half and then, if needed, a fourth. (75%/50%/25%)
Characters with less than 13 DEX can't be Rogues. Plate disables their abilities, and they all suffer from a -4 melee accuracy skill penalty when using two-handed weapons. Rogues are always silent when hiding. +4 Hide, Escape, Bluff.
Level 1: Rogues fight using a non-conventional style of combat known as Weapon Finesse. They use DEX + half their level instead of STR + level for their damage rolls with one-handed edged or pointed weapons.
Level 2: Rogues may backstab a target that cannot see them as an action if they approach it from behind; a particularly underhanded move that deals extra damage to any humanoid-shaped opponent at Xd6 where X is half the Rogue's level rounded up (1d6@1, 6d6@11, etc.) up to a maximum of 10d6.
Level 3: Rogues do not suffer a -4 AGI penalty from being surprised.
Level 5: Rogues become particularly adept at evading effects. Successfully resisting a spell nullifies its effects entirely rather than halving or reducing them. They also gain the ability to duck out of combat as a main action, redirecting any attacker to another nearby ally. At this level, Rogues gain the ability to Doublestrike any time they perform a regular strike, also adding half their level to the second roll.
Level 10: Rogues begin to cultivate a kind of sixth sense for danger, allowing them to be immune to any bonus effect from being caught off guard.
Level 15: Rogues reach improvisational mastery in their skills. They may select 3 different skills tagged as DEX, AGI or WIS other than Open Lock and Sleight of Hand. All DCs for these skills become 5 or 10, whichever is higher but lower than the original DC.