Rogue Subclass Guide for D&D 2024 (5.5e)

Which rogue subclasses are best and what are they good at?

Arcane trickster

What are they?

Rogues trained in the art of spellcasting. Magic is a natural fit for the arts of deception and subterfuge. The likes of disguise self, invisibility, minor illusion and many other spells all fit neatly into a rogue’s wheelhouse of capabilities. On top of this, you can become more than just a rogue with spells like fireball or hypnotic pattern that are universally handy.

Key abilities

• A super mage hand that is invisible, can pick pockets and trip enemies.
• Spellcasting with spells ranging from cantrips to level 4.
• The ability to make your spells harder to resist by casting them while you have the invisible condition.
• Stealing spells cast by others.

What are they good at?

You won’t be the most adept at casting spells being only a 1/3 caster, but something like invisibility can easily make you one of the stealthiest rogues around.

Arcane tricksters have the best version of mage hand too, which can be used much more subtly than normal. It also only requires a bonus action to use and can be used alongside your other tricks for things like picking pockets and tripping enemies.

Intelligence can be a challenge for arcane tricksters making most of these rogues less competent than a wizard when it comes to their spell save DC. Magical ambush means that when you cast a spell while you have the invisible condition, any saving throws made by the recipient are made with disadvantage. I’m not sure on the probabilities here, but it certainly makes your spells harder to resist despite having probably a 1 or 2 point lower spell save DC than your average wizard.

How effective are they?

Very effective I think. There’s a lot more demands for your bonus action with this subclass as something like hide can become more important, but as does controlling your mage hand.

The biggest challenge is balancing all of your options. There’s a lot of spells to choose from (you can read my spell guide for arcane tricksters if you need some help). But balancing things like sneak attacks and your various other options make this quite a complex subclass. But I think the subclass has a phenomenal amount of versatility and utility and can easily fill gaps in a rogue’s capabilities (like dealing with crowds for example).

Personally, I think there are so many options that complement a rogue’s natural abilities, that this is a top tier subclass!

Score: 5/5

---

Assassin

What are they?

Deadly rogues, trained in the art of murder. Assassins hit harder than any other rogue, especially when they get the drop on their enemies early in combat. They are also capable of incredible subtlety. Not only can they sneak like any other rogue, but are masters of impersonation too.

Key abilities

• Should manage some of the best initiative rolls in the game and deal more damage when they strike before an enemy can take a turn.
• Excellent with poisons, disguises and impersonations.
• The poison option of cunning strike deals extra damage.
• Can use steady aim even when moving.

What are they good at?

Killing and impersonating. The actor feat could be really useful here.

How effective are they?

Very. While assassin’s do fade after the first round of combat, that is also the most important round of combat. Killing a nasty target early on can make an encounter significantly easier.

And that’s not to say they’re poor later in combat either. They can still deal sneak attacks, which are nearly guaranteed to be available with moving for steady aim. Using the poison cunning strike is a higher damage option that debilitates an enemy as usual.

Theres a bit of out of combat utility in masterful mimicry as well as poisoner and disguise kit proficiencies. Mimicry feels challenging to properly utilise as it requires an hour of observation to accomplish. For comparison, the 2014 mastermind can accomplish the same thing with a minute of observation (which I found worked really well).

Ultimately, they’re a strong subclass that lends itself well to someone that wants a more straightforward rogue build to tackle with a heavy combat focus.

Score: 4/5

---

Scion of the Three

What are they?

Influenced by the dead three gods of Bane (god of tyranny), Bhaal (god of violence and murder) and Myrkul (god of death), the scion of the three draws upon dark gifts and violent capabilities. They’re inspired by the Bhaalspawn of Baldur’s Gate fame so while you do not need to be evil to be a scion of the three (you could have the blood of one of these gods running through your veins), such rogues certainly do lean towards a more violent temprament.

Key abilities

• Reaction teleportation to bloodied creatures, allowing you to also make a reaction attack against that creature (and potentially gain another use of sneak attack).
• Frighten targets with their own unique cunning strike option.
• Are gifted a resistance and a cantrip for additional utility.

What are they good at?

Dealing extra damage, especially extra sneak attack damage. Most rogues struggle to utilise their reaction for sneak attacks, but scions can do this quite easily. They are a more high risk high reward type of rogue, throwing themselves into danger’s way, but at the possibility of landing some serious extra damage.

How effective are they?

If you want a high damage rogue subclass, then the scion of the three is a great option. But unlike most rogues, they tend to throw caution to the wind a little bit more and launch themselves into the fray. This means that you will end up with a fair bit of tactical attrition, trying to gauge when to strike and when to sneak.

If you can get these tactics right though, this is a great subclass for grabbing the coveted 2 sneak attacks per round that rogues aspire too. And they really are a terrifying prospect, hounding the most injured enemies until they’re definitely dead.

Score: 5/5

Soulknife

What are they?

Psionically enhanced rogues able to summon psychic blades to wield in combat.

Key abilities

• Psionic powers that can let you enhance ability checks and speak telepathically. You can later enhance attack rolls and teleport with these powers.
• Manifest psychic blades that are like better versions of daggers.
• Eventually, you’ll be able to turn invisible and stun enemies with your psychic blades.

What are they good at?

Being extremely reliable at roguish things. This may seem like a weird description, but your psionics mean that you should pass ability checks and hit enemies more often. Psychic blades make you better at sneak attacks, and wielding 2 of them means you’ve got a self-made extra attack (from your bonus action) with advantage (because of the vex weapon mastery property).

Being able to turn invisible is better than hiding and teleportation is better than disengage and averages as more distance covered than dash. So as odd a summary as it is, they really are the extremely reliable rogue subclass!

How effective are they?

I think they’re really effective. Landing sneak attacks is really important for a rogue, and the soulknife is more reliable at this. What about ability checks? A soulknife does those best too. Want to escape combat easily? A soulknife can do that better as well. Want to turn invisible to sneak around? Just be a soulknife.

The psionic dice do become really high as well as you progress levels. My advice would be to play as a Human for the extra skill proficiency, grab the skilled origin feat from there too. Now you can have stealth skills, scouting skills and face skills in one, mega reliable rogue!

For me, all of this makes them a top tier subclass!

Score: 5/5

---

Thief

What are they?

Burglars that are great at stealing stuff, breaking into buildings and using magic items and spell scrolls. They’re also really quick with their hands.

Key abilities

• Using a bonus action to pick locks, disarm traps, pick pockets, take the utilise action or use a magic item.
• Gain a climb speed and use dexterity for jumping.
• A new cunning strike option that lets you stay hidden when making a sneak attack.
• Ability to use spells scrolls, more attunements to magic items and the chance to not waste a charge when using a magic item.
• The ability to take 2 turns in the first round of combat.

What are they good at?

Using magic items and scrolls. If you have magic items to use, you want a thief to be the one using them. You can often use a magic item with a bonus action meaning wands that cast spells can be cast with a bonus action! If you can acquire the magic items for this, then this is better than what other spellcasters can accomplish!

Yes, thieves are quicker, and they’re also great at breaking into places and staying hidden during a sneak attack. They can also scale walls nicely too. But really, it’s the ability to quickly and capably use magic items that sets them apart.

How effective are they?

To some extent, this depends on your DM and their willingness to insert magic items and spell scrolls into your campaign. Especially as this is your signature ability. 2 turns in the first round of combat is extremely powerful and basically means 2 sneak attacks and 2 magic item uses in a single round of combat which is phenomena. However, this comes at high levels only, meaning many players won’t get to use these class features. For lower levels, a lot of the abilities are a little more low key. It’s rare to need to pick a lock as quickly as thieves can and climbing quickly gets overtaken by the ability to fly.

Despite this, thieves remain a really good subclass. But their reliance on a generous DM and a heavier leaning to have their best features appear at later levels means they’re strong, but not amazing.

Score: 4/5

---

Which rogue subclass is best?

All the rogue subclasses are strong options, and much comes down to how and what you want to play.

For something a little simpler and combat focused, I’d recommend an assassin. If that’s not brutal enough for you, then there’s always the scion of the three. Thieves and arcane tricksters can bring magic into the mix (arcane tricksters a bit more reliably than thieves). Whereas the Soulknife will always be the most reliable option at all the things rogues are usually good at.

For me, the best option is the Soulknife (closely followed by the arcane trickster and the scion of the three). A Soulknife is just so incredibly reliable that it’s hard to see them failing at any of your usual roguish abilities (especially with the right kind of build). Plus they have a few unique tricks up their sleeves as well.

---

Which rogue subclass do you think is the best? Let me know which one and why in the comments below.

Spotlight on D&D 2024

All the latest updates on what’s changing with the 2024 rules revision.