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This is the Quickstart Guide version of the rogue, which only has features up to level 5. For the complete class, check out the Pathfinder Core Rulebook!

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 Ability

Dexterity or other: At 1st level, your class gives you an ability 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.

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 the rapier, sap, shortbow, and shortsword
Trained in unarmed attacks

Defenses

Trained in light armor
Trained in unarmored defense

Class DC

Trained in rogue class DC

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.
  

Table 3–15: Rogue Advancement

Your Level	Class Features
1	Ancestry and background, initial proficiencies, rogue’s racket, sneak attack 1d6, surprise attack, rogue feat, skill feat
2	Rogue feat, skill feat, skill increase
3	Deny advantage, general feat, skill feat, skill increase
4	Rogue feat, skill feat, skill increase
5	Ability boosts, ancestry feat, skill feat, skill increase, sneak attack 2d6, weapon tricks

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, as described in Chapter 2.

Initial Proficiencies

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

Rogue’s Racket

As you started on the path of the rogue, you began to develop your own style to pursue your illicit activities. Your racket shapes your rogue techniques and the way you approach a job, while building your reputation in the criminal underworld for a certain type of work. A client with deep pockets might even hire a team of rogues for a particular heist, each specializing in a different racket, in order to cover all the bases. Choose a rogue’s racket. The rackets presented in this book are as follows.

Ruffian

You prefer to strong-arm or intimidate others rather than rely on finesse or fancy tricks. You might be an enforcer for organized crime, a highway bandit, or a noble who bullies others with threats of your family’s power. Or, you might use your skills on the up and up, in a private security detail or as a guard in a city with the right temperament.

You use whatever tools you have at hand to get the job done. You can deal sneak attack damage with any simple weapon, in addition to the weapons listed in the sneak attack class feature. When you critically succeed at an attack roll using a simple weapon or unarmed attack and the target has the flat-footed condition (unable to focus on defending itself), you also apply the critical specialization effect for the weapon you’re wielding. You don’t gain these benefits if the weapon has a damage die larger than d8 (after applying any abilities that alter its damage die size).

You’re trained in Intimidation and medium armor. You can choose Strength as your key ability score. 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, traveling from place to place with a new story or scheme. Your racket is also ideal for certain reputable professions, like barrister, diplomat, or politician.

When you successfully Feint, the target is flat-footed against melee attacks you attempt against it until the end of your next turn. On a critical success, the target is flat-footed against all melee attacks until the end of your next turn, not just yours.

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

Thief

Nothing beats the thrill of taking something that belongs to someone else, especially if you can do so completely unnoticed. You might be a pickpocket working the streets, a cat burglar sneaking through windows and escaping via rooftops, or a safecracker breaking into carefully guarded vaults. You might even work as a consultant, testing clients’ defenses by trying to steal something precious.

When a fight breaks out, you prefer swift, lightweight weapons, and you strike where it hurts. When you attack with a finesse melee weapon, 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 flat-footed condition with an agile or finesse melee weapon, an agile or finesse unarmed attack, or a ranged weapon 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 rogue 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 flat-footed to you.

Rogue Feats

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

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 5 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 to 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 others’ defenses, you are careful not to leave such openings yourself. You aren’t flat-footed 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.

Ability Boosts (5th)

At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you boost four different ability scores. You can use these ability boosts to increase your ability scores above 18. Boosting an ability score increases it by 1 if it’s already 18 or above, or by 2 if it starts out below 18.

Ancestry Feats (5th)

In addition to the initial 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 have become thoroughly familiar with the tools of your trade. You gain expert proficiency in simple weapons, as well as the rapier, sap, shortbow, shortsword, and unarmed attacks. When you critically succeed at an attack roll against a flat-footed creature while using an agile or finesse simple weapon or any of the listed weapons or an unarmed attack, you apply the critical specialization effect for the weapon you’re wielding.

Key Terms

You’ll see the following 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.

Rogue Feats

Use this table to look up rogue feats by name.

Feat	Level
Battle Assessment	4
Brutal Beating	2
Distracting Feint	2
Dread Striker	4
Magical Trickster	4
Minor Magic	2
Mobility	2
Nimble Dodge	1
Poison Weapon	4
Quick Draw	2
Reactive Pursuit	4
Sabotage	4
Scout's Warning	4
Trap Finder	1
Twin Feint	1
Unbalancing Blow	2
You're Next	1

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 [one-action[reaction] (Feat 1)

Rogue
Trigger A creature targets you with an attack and you can see the attacker.
Requirements You are not encumbered.

You deftly dodge out of the way, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack.

Trap Finder (Feat 1)

Rogue

You have an intuitive sense that alerts you to the dangers and presence of traps. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to find traps, to AC against attacks made by traps, and to saves against traps. Even if you aren’t Searching, you get a check to find traps that normally require you to be Searching. You still need to meet any other requirements to find the trap.

You can disable traps that require a proficiency rank of master in Thievery. If you have master proficiency in Thievery, you can disable traps that require a proficiency rank of legendary instead, and your circumstance bonuses against traps increase to +2.

Twin Feint [two-actions] (Feat 1)

Rogue
Requirements You are wielding two melee weapons, each in a different hand.

You make a dazzling series of attacks with both weapons, using the first attack to throw your foe off guard against a second attack at a different angle. Make one Strike with each of your two melee weapons, both against the same target. The target is automatically flat‑footed against the second attack. Apply your multiple attack penalty to the Strikes normally.

You’re Next [reaction] (Feat 1)

Emotion, Fear, Mental, Rogue
Prerequisites trained in Intimidation
Trigger You reduce an enemy to 0 Hit Points.

After downing a foe, you menacingly remind another foe that you’re coming after them next. Attempt an Intimidation check with a +2 circumstance bonus to Demoralize a single creature that you can see and that can see you. If you have legendary proficiency in Intimidation, you can use this as a free action with the same trigger.

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2nd Level

Brutal Beating (Feat 2)

Rogue
Prerequisites ruffian racket

The brutality of your critical hits shakes your foes’ confidence. Whenever your Strike is a critical hit and deals damage, the target is frightened 1.

Distracting Feint (Feat 2)

Rogue
Prerequisites scoundrel racket

Your Feints are far more distracting than normal, drawing your foes’ attention and allowing you and your allies to take greater advantage. While a creature is flat-footed by your Feint, it also takes a –2 circumstance penalty to Perception checks and Reflex saves.

Minor Magic (Feat 2)

Rogue

You’ve dabbled in a variety of tricks, gaining minor magical abilities from a particular tradition. Choose arcane, divine, occult, or primal magic, and gain two cantrips from the common cantrips available to that tradition. Your key spellcasting ability is Charisma, and you're trained in spell attack rolls and DCs for the tradition of your chosen cantrips.

Mobility (Feat 2)

Rogue

You move in a way that denies your enemies the opportunity to retaliate. When you take a Stride action to move half your Speed or less, that movement does not trigger reactions. You can use Mobility when Climbing, Flying, or Swimming instead of Striding if you have the corresponding movement type.

Quick Draw [one-action] (Feat 2)

Rogue

You draw your weapon and attack with the same motion. You Interact to draw a weapon, then Strike with that weapon.

Unbalancing Blow (Feat 2)

Rogue
Prerequisites thief racket

Interweaving your most powerful attacks in a graceful flow, you temporarily unbalance your foes. Whenever your Strike is a critical hit and deals damage, the target is flat‑footed against your attacks until the end of your next turn.

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4th Level

Battle Assessment [one-action] (Feat 4)

Rogue, Secret

With careful observation during battle, you identify an enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. The GM rolls a secret Perception check for you against the Deception or Stealth DC (whichever is higher) of an enemy of your choice who is not concealed from you, hidden from you, or undetected by you, and who is engaged in combat. The GM might apply a penalty for the distance between you and the enemy. The enemy is  then temporarily immune to your Battle Assessment for 1 day.

Critical Success The GM chooses two of the following pieces of information about the enemy to tell you: which of the enemy’s weaknesses is highest, which of the enemy’s saving throws has the lowest modifier, one immunity the enemy has, or which of the enemy’s resistances is highest. If the event of a tie, the GM should pick one at random.
Success The GM chooses one piece of information from the above list to tell you about the enemy.
Critical Failure The GM gives you false information (the GM makes up the information).

Dread Striker (Feat 4)

Rogue

You capitalize on your enemies’ fear to slip past their defenses. Any creature that has the frightened condition is also flat-footed against your attacks.

Magical Trickster (Feat 4)

Rogue

Whether you’re using magic items, wielding innate magic, or dabbling in spellcasting, you can sneak spells past your foes’ defenses as easily as any blade. When you succeed at a spell attack roll against a flat-footed foe’s AC and the spell deals damage, you can add your sneak attack damage to the damage roll. If your single spell leads to multiple separate damage rolls, apply your sneak attack damage only once per target.

Poison Weapon [one-action] (Feat 4)

Manipulate, Rogue
Requirements You are wielding a piercing or slashing weapon.

You apply a poison to the required weapon; if you're not holding a poison and have a free hand, you can Interact to draw a poison as part of this action. If your next attack with that weapon before the end of your next turn hits and deals damage, it applies the effects of the poison, provided that poison can be delivered by contact or injury. If you critically fail the attack roll, the poison is wasted as normal.

Special During your daily preparations, you can prepare a number of simple injury poisons equal to your rogue level. These poisons deal 1d4 poison damage. Only you can apply these poisons properly, and they expire the next time you prepare.

Reactive Pursuit [[reaction] (Feat 4)

Rogue
Trigger An adjacent foe moves away from you, and you can reach at least one space adjacent to the foe with a Stride action.

You keep pace with a retreating foe. You Stride, but you must end your movement adjacent to the triggering enemy. Your move does not trigger reactions from the triggering enemy. You can use Reactive Pursuit to Burrow, Climb, Fly, or Swim instead of Stride if you have the corresponding movement type.

Sabotage [one-action] (Feat 4)

Incapacitation, Rogue
Trigger You have a free hand.

You subtly damage others’ equipment. Choose one item that a creature within your reach wields or carries. The item must have moving parts that you could possibly sabotage (a shortbow could be sabotaged, but a longsword could not). Attempt a Thievery check against the Reflex DC of the creature. Damage dealt by Sabotage can’t take the item below its Break Threshold.

Critical Success You deal damage equal to four times your Thievery proficiency bonus.
Success You deal damage equal to double your Thievery proficiency bonus.
Critical Failure Temporarily immune to your Sabotage for 1 day.

Scout’s Warning [free-action] (Feat 4)

Rogue
Trigger You are about to roll a Perception or Survival check for initiative.

You visually or audibly warn your allies of danger, granting them each a +1 circumstance bonus to their initiative rolls. Depending on whether you use gestures or call out, this action gains either the visual or auditory trait, respectively.

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Sample Rogues

Scoundrel

Your attacks are made deadly through distraction.

Ability Scores

Prioritize Dexterity, plus Charisma to improve your feints.

Skills

Acrobatics, Athletics, Crafting, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Occultism, Society, Stealth, Thievery

Rogue’s Racket

Scoundrel

Starting Feat

You're Next

Higher-Level Feats

Distracting Feint (2nd), Dread Striker (6th), Tactical Debilitations (10th), Perfect Distraction (16th)

Thief

Furtive and swift, you pick locks, find secret doors and traps, and collect all the best loot.

Ability Scores

Prioritize Dexterity. Constitution improves your health and Wisdom helps you notice traps.

Skills

Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Crafting, Deception, Diplomacy, Society, Stealth, Thievery

Rogue’s Racket

Thief

Starting Feat

Trap Finder

Higher-Level Feats

Quick Draw (2nd), Skirmish Strike (6th), Sneak Savant (10th), Spring from the Shadows (12th), Implausible Infiltration (18th)