Rogue

Rogues share little in common with each other. Some are stealthy thieves. Others are silver-tongued tricksters. Still others are scouts, infiltrators, spies, diplomats, or thugs. What they share is versatility, adaptability, and resourcefulness. In general, rogues are skilled at getting what others don’t want them to get: entrance into a locked treasure vault, safe passage past a deadly trap, secret battle plans, a guard’s trust, or some random person’s pocket money.

Characteristics

Rogues share little in common with each other. Some are stealthy thieves. Others are silver-tongued tricksters. Still others are scouts, infiltrators, spies, diplomats, or thugs. What they share is versatility, adaptability, and resourcefulness. In general, rogues are skilled in getting what others don't want them to get: entrance into a locked treasure vault, safe passage past a deadly trap, secret battle plans, a guard's trust, or some random person's pocket money.

Alignment

Rogues follow opportunity, not ideals. They are more likely to be chaotic than lawful, they are a diverse bunch, so they may be of any alignment.

Religion

Although they are not renowned for their piety, most rogues revere Olidammara (god of thieves). Evil rogues might secretly worship Nerull (god of death), or Erythnul (god of slaughter). Since rogues are so diverse, however, many of them worship other deities, or none at all.

Background

Some rogues are officially inducted into an organized fellowship of rogues or “guild of thieves.” Some are self-taught; others learned their skills from independent mentors. Often, an experienced rogue needs an assistant for scams, second-story jobs, or just for watching her back. She recruits a likely youngster, who then learns the skills of the trade on the job. Eventually, the trainee is ready to move on, perhaps because the mentor has run afoul of the law, or perhaps because the trainee has double-crossed her mentor and needs some “space.”
Rogues do not see each other as fellows unless they happen to be members of the same guild or students of the same mentor. In fact, rogues trust other rogues less than they trust anyone else. They’re no fools.

Races

Adaptable and often unprincipled, humans take to the rogue’s life with ease. Halflings, elves, and half-elves also find themselves well suited to the demands of the career. Dwarf and gnome rogues, while less common, are renowned as experts with locks and traps. Half-orc rogues tend toward thuggery.
Rogues are common among brutal humanoids, especially goblins and bugbears. Rogues who learn their arts in savage lands, however, generally don’t have much experience with complex mechanisms such as traps and locks.

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