Holiday Gaming Blog # 5

I steal his pants.

You what? Why do you want to steal his path?
To see if I can.

While this seen from GAMERS 1 is meant to be a joke it does underline the general misconception that all Rogues are Chaotic Greedy who's only job is to Sneak, Disarm Traps and steal from the Party. Despite the fact that chaotic Greedy Rogues do more harm then good, most Rogues are played this way.

Yet this is not the only way to play a Rogue, nor should it be played like that. A Rogue should be a benefit to the Party not a hindrance

With the most Skill Points of any character in the D&D/Pathfinder game (though I always though the Wizard should have the most skill points) there are plenty of ways to build a Rogue other then just the I steal his pants Rogue.

The Dictionary defines a Rogue as 1: A mischievous person. 2: A Scamp. 3: A Scoundrel. 4: A Vagrant or Tramp. 5: Someone who avoids responsibility

Other then Scoundrel, none of these definitions spell out the I back-stab the party Rogue.

Indian Jones is a Rogue. Han Solo is a Rogue. James Bond could be considered a Rogue, Bilbo was a Rogue. The Ninja is a Rogue.

The Rogues job is to be the Party Scout first and foremost He should stay a few feet ahead of the Party checking for Danger and Traps. Once Danger is encounters their job is to find the best way to confront the problem with as Little damage to the Party as possible Is it a Trap, then he disarms it. Is it 35 Ork's in a 15X15 room then his Job is to find a way around them or lay out the best battle plan to confront them (We can figure out how 35 Orks can fit in a 15X15 room latter)

His Job is not to Sneak in, steal the gem from the Idols Right Eye and leave the Party to face the 35 orks on their own.

While it is very easy to fall in to that stereotype of the Rogue, to be a hindrance to the Party. You should not, it just never ends well and can lead to inner Party conflict and bad blood between Players.

There are so many better ways to play the Rogue, lets take a look at some of the many Rogue Archetypes that are available to consider.

Acrobat. Highway Bandit. Carnival Worker. Social Chameleon Spy. Master of Disguise Forger. Getaway driver. Detective. Pirate. Assassin. Ninja. Combat Engineer. Swashbuckler. Scout. Member of the Rebellion Smuggler Guy who builds the Traps in Dungeons Burglar Pick Pocket. And yes Thief.

Her are many ways to be a Rogue in D&D with out being a “Troll”, so the next time you are playing a Rogue think of a better way to be a Thief then just backstabbing the party.

Happy New Year and

Be Excellent