Each class inDungeons & Dragonshas its own identity, but often they felt like they would always fall back on a single trick, especially classes without spells. The 2024 Player’s Handbook aims to change that, with rogues being able to do more with their sneak attack dice.
Most of the changes you’ll find in the 2024 rendition of rogue have more to do with how information is delivered than anything else, improving in clarity and letting players understand the rules at a glance. However, there are a few changes that are worth noting, especially for seasoned rogue players of the 2014 rules.
7No More Blindsense
It Was A Little Useless At Level 14 Anyway
In the core 2014 rules, rogues at level 14 gained blindsense, letting them detect any hidden or invisible creature with a range of 10 ft. This is no longer the case in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, likely due to the ability not worthy of the level 14 requirement.
Classes with fighting styles can earn this type of benefit at earlier levels (thanks to the blind fighting style), but it is rarely picked even then. Rogues, however, still gain something at level 14, being able to use their sneak attack dice more effectively, but more on that later.
6Slippery Mind Now Works On Both Charisma And Wisdom
A Truly Guarded Mind
Rogues, as a baseline, are proficient in Intelligence saving throws, making them more than mere burglars. They are master planners and executioners, and for a rogue to make it to level 15, their minds have been sharpened through trial by fire to be able to withstand nearly anything.
This was something reflected by the slippery mind feature, giving rogues proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. The 2024 Player’s Handbook makes this an even bigger point, giving rogues proficiency in Charisma saving throws as well, making rogues have the most guarded minds out of all the classes.
5Reliable Talent Is Now Gained At Level Seven
It Was At Level 11 Before
Reliable talent is a key feature of rogues since it lets them succeed in a multitude of scenarios where everyone else has a chance to fail. It lets them treat any D20 testfor skills or toolsas a ten if the roll is nine or lower, making it impossible for them to fail something as simple as sneaking into a lightly guarded camp.
In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, this feature is unlocked at level seven rather than 11, something that might seem minor until you consider the usual levels of play. Most campaigns happen between levels three to nine, making most rogues never reach a point where sneaking around becomes trivial.
4Thieves’ Cant Now Gives A Language
You Can Even Pick A Rare One
Thieves’ cant was one of the most roleplay-heavy elements of the rogue class, letting them speak in code with other creatures that knew the cant. It also allowed them to detect signs and secret messages made by hidden guilds, but that aspect is missing from the 2024 Player’s Handbook.
Instead, rogues can learn an additional language at level one, other than thieves’ cant. This isn’t limited to the basic choices, letting rogues learn rare languages like deep speech, or even delve into other classes with druidic.
3Weapon Mastery
Gain Advantage On Your Own
All martial classes in the 2024 Player’s Handbook gainthe weapon mastery feature, letting them have plenty more options when it comes to combat. Rogues have always had a limited pool of options when it came to weapons, and while this isn’t exactly expanded, the available options now work even better, allowing rogues to use their turns more effectively.
A rogue with a rapier and a dagger, for example, can start its attack with the rapier, and gain advantage on its next attack thanks to its mastery property. Then, follow up with a dagger attack as part of the same action, something the mastery property of daggers allow them to do, making a sneak attack with ease and freeing up the bonus action, letting the rogue disengage into safety.
2Steady Aim
Better When At A Range
Steady aim was an optional feature that allowed rogues to gain advantage on an attack, as long as they didn’t move during the turn. This makes them the perfect snipers in the D&D world, getting a vantage point and dealing all the sneak attack damage they could want.
In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, this feature is now a core aspect of the class, gained at level three. Since the book also adds simple rules for firearms, a rogue with a musket can be one of the deadliest combatants to find roaming the planes.
1Cunning Strike
Do More Than Just Damage
As we all know,rogues gain sneak attackdice as they level up, starting with only one and going up to ten. Starting at level five, rogues from the 2024 Player’s Handbook can spend some of these dice for special effects, lowering their potential damage but adding to their control of the battlefield.
These effects include poisoning a creature or knocking them prone, for example. At level 14, rogues learn even more special effects, like knocking a creature unconscious, and the subclasses can add or modify these effects to suit their particular needs; we’ve added all the effects in the 2024 Player’s Handbook below:
Poison a creature if they fail a Constitution saving throw.
Level 5 Rogue
Trip
Knock a creature prone if they fail a Dexterity saving throw.
Daze
If the target fails a Constitution saving throw, they can only take either an action, bonus action, or move on their next turn.
Level 14 Rogue
Knock Out
Knock a creature unconscious for 1 minute if they fail a Constitution saving throw.
Blind a creature if they fail a Dexterity saving throw.
Versatile Trickster
When you use the Trip option, you’re able to target another creature within 5 ft of your Mage Hand.
Level 13 Arcane Trickster
Envenom Weapons
When you use the Poison option, the target also suffers 2d6 poison damage.
Level 13 Assassin
Stealth Attack
The sneak attack doesn’t end the invisible condition given by the hide action, as long as you have cover.
