Welcome to the Pathfinder Second Edition Free Basic Rules! Here you will find the very basics of play, and just enough options to build a handful of low-level characters. For hundreds of more pages, rules, characters, options, artwork, and more, upgrade to the complete Pathfinder Player Core!

You are skilled and opportunistic. Using your sharp wits and quick reactions, you take advantage of your opponents’ missteps and strike where it hurts most. You play a dangerous game, seeking thrills and testing your skills, and likely don’t care much for any laws that happen to get in your way. While the path of every rogue is unique and riddled with danger, the one thing you all share in common is the breadth and depth of your skills.

Key Attribute

Dexterity or other

At 1st level, your class gives you an attribute boost to Dexterity or an option from rogue’s racket.

Hit Points

8 plus your Constitution modifier

You increase your maximum number of HP by this number at 1st level and every level thereafter.

During combat encounters...

You move about stealthily so you can catch foes unawares. You’re a precision instrument, more useful against a tough boss or distant spellcaster than against rank-and-file soldiers.

During social encounters...

Your skills give you multiple tools to influence your opposition. Pulling cons and ferreting out information are second nature to you.

While exploring...

You sneak to get the drop on foes and scout for danger or traps. You’re a great asset, since you can disable traps, solve puzzles, and anticipate dangers.

In downtime...

You might pick pockets or trade in illegal goods. You can also become part of a thieves’ guild, or even found one of your own.

You might...

• Hone your skills through intense practice, both on your own and out in the world.
• Know where to attain illicit goods.
• Skirt or break the law because you think it’s meaningless or have your own code.

Others probably...

• Find you charming or fascinating, even if they think they know better than to trust you.
• Come to you when they need someone who is willing to take risks or use questionable methods.
• Suspect you’re motivated primarily by greed.

Initial Proficiencies

At 1st level, you gain the listed proficiency ranks in the following statistics. You are untrained in anything not listed unless you gain a better proficiency rank in some other way.

Perception

Expert in Perception

Saving Throws

Trained in Fortitude
Expert in Reflex
Expert in Will

Skills

Trained in Stealth
Trained in one or more skills determined by your rogue’s racket
Trained in a number of additional skills equal to 7 plus your Intelligence modifier

Attacks

Trained in simple weapons
Trained in martial weapons
Trained in unarmed attacks

Defenses

Trained in light armor
Trained in unarmored defense

Class DC

Trained in rogue class DC

Rogue Advancement

Class Features

You gain these abilities as a rogue. Abilities gained at higher levels list the level at which you gain them next to the features’ names.

Ancestry and Background

In addition to what you get from your class at 1st level, you have the benefits of your selected ancestry and background. These are described in Chapter 2.

Attribute Boosts

In addition to what you get from your class at 1st level, you have four free boosts to different attribute modifiers.

At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you get four free boosts to different attribute modifiers. If an attribute modifier is already +4 or higher, it takes two boosts to increase it; you get a partial boost, and must boost that attribute again at a later level to increase it by 1.

Initial Proficiencies

At 1st level you gain a number of proficiencies that represent your basic training. These are noted at the start of this class.

Rogue’s Racket

You’ve begun to develop your techniques and approach to a job, while building your reputation in rogues’ circles. Choose a rogue’s racket from the list below.

Mastermind

You rely on your intellect to craft intricate schemes, planning 10 steps ahead where others might plan three. You might be a driven detective, a spymaster in the service of a powerful house, or an aspiring crime lord or information broker.

If you successfully identify a creature using Recall Knowledge, that creature is off-guard against your attacks until the start of your next turn; if you critically succeed, it’s off-guard against your attacks for 1 minute.

You’re trained in Society and one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion. You can choose Intelligence as your key attribute.

Ruffian

You prefer the direct approach: strong-arming or intimidation. You might be an enforcer for organized crime, a highway bandit, or a noble who bullies others with threats of your family’s power.

You use whatever tools you have to get the job done. You can deal sneak attack damage with any weapon, not just the weapons listed in the sneak attack class feature. This benefit doesn’t apply to a simple weapon with a damage die greater than d8 or a martial or advanced weapon with a damage die greater than d6. (Apply any abilities that alter the damage die size first.) Critical hits you make with these weapons gain the weapon’s critical specialization benefit if the target is off-guard to you.

You’re trained in Intimidation and medium armor. You can choose Strength as your key attribute. When you gain light armor expertise, you also gain expert proficiency in medium armor, and when you gain light armor mastery, you also gain master proficiency in medium armor.

Scoundrel

You use fast-talking, flattery, and a silver tongue to avoid danger and escape tricky situations. You might be a grifter or con artist, or you might use your skills in certain reputable professions, like a barrister or diplomat.

When you successfully Feint, the target is off-guard against your melee attacks until the end of your next turn. On a critical success, the target is off-guard against all melee attacks until the end of your next turn, not just yours. If you Feint while wielding an agile or finesse melee weapon, you can Step immediately after the Feint as a free action.

You’re trained in Deception and Diplomacy. You can choose Charisma as your key attribute.

Thief

Nothing beats the thrill of taking something that belongs to someone else. You might be a pickpocket working the streets, a cat burglar sneaking through windows, or even a consultant, testing your clients’ vaults for openings.

When a fight breaks out, you prefer swift, lightweight weapons, and you strike where it hurts. When you attack with a finesse melee weapon or finesse melee unarmed attack, you can add your Dexterity modifier to damage rolls instead of your Strength modifier.

You are trained in Thievery.

Sneak Attack

When your enemy can’t properly defend itself, you take advantage to deal extra damage. If you Strike a creature that has the off-guard condition with an agile or finesse melee weapon, an agile or finesse unarmed attack, a ranged weapon attack, or a ranged unarmed attack, you deal an extra 1d6 precision damage. For a ranged attack with a thrown melee weapon, that weapon must also be agile or finesse.

As your level increases, so does the number of damage dice for your sneak attack. Increase the number of dice by one at 5th, 11th, and 17th levels.

Surprise Attack

You spring into combat faster than foes can react. On the first round of combat, if you roll Deception or Stealth for initiative, creatures that haven’t acted are off-guard to you.

Key Terms

Below are some key terms in many rogue class features.

Debilitation: Debilitations apply conditions and other negative effects to a creature. When the creature is affected by a new debilitation, any previous one it was affected by ends.

Flourish: Actions with this trait are special techniques that require too much exertion for you to perform frequently. You can use only 1 action with the flourish trait per turn.

Stance: A stance is a general combat strategy that you enter by using an action with the stance trait, and you remain in for some time. A stance lasts until you get knocked out, until its requirements (if any) are violated, until the encounter ends, or until you use a stance action again, whichever comes first. After you take an action with the stance trait, you can’t take another one for 1 round. You can enter or be in a stance only in encounter mode. You can Dismiss a stance.

Rogue Feats

At 1st level and every even-numbered level, you gain a rogue class feat.

Rogue Feats by Name

Skill Feats

You gain skill feats more often than others. At 1st level and every level thereafter, you gain a skill feat. Skill feats can be found in Chapter 4 and have the skill trait.

Skill Increases     2nd

You gain more skill increases than members of other classes. At 2nd level and every level thereafter, you gain a skill increase. You can use this increase to either become trained in one skill you’re untrained in or become an expert in one skill in which you’re already trained.

At 7th level, you can use skill increases to become a master in a skill in which you’re already an expert, and at 15th level, you can use them to become legendary in a skill in which you’re already a master.

Deny Advantage     3rd

As someone who takes advantage of openings, you are careful not to leave such gaps yourself. You aren’t off-guard to hidden, undetected, or flanking creatures of your level or lower, or creatures of your level or lower using surprise attack. However, they can still help their allies flank.

General Feats     3rd

At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a general feat. General feats are listed in Chapter 5.

Ancestry Feats     5th

In addition to the ancestry feat you started with, you gain an ancestry feat at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter. The list of ancestry feats available to you can be found in your ancestry’s entry in Chapter 2.

Weapon Tricks     5th

You gain expert proficiency in simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks. When you critically succeed at an attack roll against an off-guard creature while using an agile or finesse weapon or an agile or finesse unarmed attack, you apply the critical specialization effect for that weapon or unarmed attack.

Rogue Feats

At every level that you gain a rogue feat, you can select one of the following feats. You must satisfy any prerequisites before selecting the feat.

1st Level

• Nimble Dodge
• Overextending Feint
• Plant Evidence
• Trap Finder
• Tumble Behind
• Twin Feint
• You're Next

2nd Level

• Brutal Beating
• Clever Gambit
• Distracting Feint
• Mobility
• Quick Draw (Rogue)
• Strong Arm
• Unbalancing Blow
• Underhanded Assault

4th Level

• Dread Striker
• Head Stomp
• Mug
• Poison Weapon
• Predictable
• Reactive Pursuit
• Sabotage
• Scoundrel's Surprise
• Scout's Warning (Rogue)
• The Harder They Fall
• Twin Distraction

Sample Rogue

Ruffian

You rely on brute force and underhanded deeds to get the job done.

Attributes

Prioritize Dexterity, plus Strength to deal extra damage. Charisma helps you intimidate others.

Skills

Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Society, Stealth, Survival, Thievery, Underworld Lore

Rogue’s Racket

Ruffian

Starting Feat

You’re Next

Higher-Level Feats

Brutal Beating (2nd), Head Stomp (4th), Vicious Debilitations (10th), Stay Down! (14th), Powerful Sneak (18th)