Rogue (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Perceived as a weak class, the rogue has been spruced up.

Alternate Skill Bonuses

This should allow the rogue to focus more on a few attributes, reducing multi-attribute dependency.

Rogues benefit from having alternate attribute modifiers to their skills; choose either one. This ability is free for rogues and available as the Alternate Skill Technique talent to others.

Skill (Subskill)	Normal Key Ability	Alternate Key Ability
Acrobatics	Dex	Str
Appraise	Int	Wis
Bluff	Cha	Int
Climb	Str	Dex
Craft (Smith of any kind)	Int	Str
Craft (Fermenting)	Int	Wis
Craft (Any other)	Int	Dex
Diplomacy	Cha	Wis
Disable Device	Dex	Int
Disguise	Cha	Wis
Escape Artist	Dex	Con
Fly	Dex	Con
Handle Animal	Cha	Wis
Heal	Wis	Int
Intimidate	Cha	Str
Knowledge	Int	Wis
Linguistics	Int	Wis
Perception	Wis	Int
Perform (comedy, dance, keyboard, string)	Cha	Dex
Perform (act, percussion, oratory, wind, sing)	Cha	Con
Profession (courtesan, gambler, innkeeper)	Wis	Cha
Profession (farmer, miner, soldier, woodcutter)	Wis	Str
Profession (other)	Wis	Int
Ride	Dex	Cha
Sense Motive	Wis	Cha
Sleight of Hand	Dex	Cha
Spellcraft	Int	Wis
Stealth	Dex	Con
Survival	Wis	Con
Swim	Str	Con
Use Magic Device	Cha	Int

1. You can't add the same ability score to a particular skill twice. This limits the combinations with effects like the Intimidating Prowess feat.
2. A skill that changes what attribute it is connected to is counted as a skill of the new attribute when making skill checks, but not for other purposes. See Paizo errata. Note that a skill that has a primary key attribute that is Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution suffers from armor check penalties, even if used with another attribute as an alternate key ability. An effect (such as rage) that prevents the use of skills tied to a certain attribute always refers to the original attribute of the skill.
3. Skills with several subskills (Craft, Knowledge, Perform and Profession) have certain subskills with different alternate key abilities. If a specific subskill has a different alternate key ability, you cannot use it with the common alternate key ability.

Sneak Attack

A rogue can sneak attack a target that has concealment or full concealment.

Rogue Talents

Rogue talents with a limited number of daily or weekly uses lose this restriction and can be used an unlimited number of times. There are some exceptions: Major Magic, Hunter's Surprise, Redirect Attack.

Cunning Trigger (Ex) - Revision

Expanded to cover all traps you know of.

Prerequisite: trapfinding.

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can use an immediate action to set off any known trap within 25 ft. + 5 ft. per 2 class levels. This requires a Disable Device check against the disarm difficulty of the trap. It is even possible to set off a trap the rogue has previously disarmed, but not one disarmed by someone else.

Disarming Talent (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this talent learns the Improved Disarm feat.

Distracting Attack (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can make attacks with subtle flourishes that disorient and distract her enemy. When she hits a creature with an attack she can make a Bluff check to cause the creature to become flat-footed against one target of her choosing until the beginning of her next turn. The rogue cannot designate herself as the creature gaining the benefit of this talent.

Evasion (Ex)

Benefit: This is the same as the 2nd level rogue class ability of the same name, made available to archetypes that give up this ability.

Hold Breath (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can hold her breath twice as long as normal. For most rogues this is Constitution x4 rounds.

Iron Guts (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this talent has a cast-iron stomach or has trained herself to withstand poisons, especially ingested ones. She gains a +1 bonus on all Fortitude saves and a +4 bonus on all saves against ingested poisons as well as on saves against all spells and effects that cause the rogue to be nauseated or sickened.

Lethal Trapsmith (Ex)

Prerequisite: Trapfinding, Quick Trapsmith

Benefit: Your traps cause double hit-point damage and no longer suffer a saving throw penalty for being extraordinary.

Nimble Climber (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this ability does not lose her Dexterity bonus to armor class when climbing. When a rogue with this talent fails a Climb check by 5 or more, she can immediately make another Climb check at the surface’s base DC +10. If successful, she stops her fall by clinging onto the surface. The rogue does not take falling damage when she stops her fall in this manner.

Outsmart Traps (Ex)

Prerequisite: trapfinding.

After successfully disabling a trap, you can opt to bypass it (with your party) and leave it in place, armed and ready to be triggered as normal. If you attempt to disarm (or to use the cunning trigger ability) on the same trap again within 30 days, you are automatically successful.

Powerful Sneak (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can elect to take a –2 penalty on all attack rolls until the start of her next turn. If an attack during this time is a sneak attack, she treats all 1s on the sneak attack damage dice as 2s.

Rumormonger

Rumormonger is a basic rogue talent.

Slippery Mind

Slippery Mind is a basic rogue talent.

Stealthy Sniper

Stealthy Sniper is a basic rogue talent.

Quick Trapsmith

Prerequisite: trapfinding.

Benefit: You can use the ranger trap ability, and you know how to set all the exceptional traps, but no supernatural ones. There is no limit on the traps you can set daily, but you must supply components for each. You can spend the equivalent of a number of uses of the ranger's traps ability on each trap equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). You can trigger a trap you have set as an immediate action when within 30 ft. of the trap.

Trapfinding (Ex)

Benefit: This is the same as the 1st level rogue class ability of the same name, made available to archetypes that give up this ability.

Trap Sense (Ex)

Prerequisite: trapfinding.

Benefit: This is the same as the 3rd level rogue class ability of the same name, made available to archetypes that give up this ability.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

Benefit: This is the same as the 4th level rogue class ability of the same name, made available to archetypes that give up this ability.

Advanced Rogue Talents

Expert Sniper (Ex)

Prerequisite: Stealthy Sniper

Benefit: When a rogue with this talent uses the Stealth skill to snipe, she suffers no penalty on the Stealth check, instead of –20.

Expert Trapsmith (Ex)

Prerequisite: Trapfinding, Quick Trapsmith, Lethal Trapsmith

Benefit: Your traps deal quadruple hit point damage and you know how to set all supernatural traps and can set a number of supernatural traps each day equal to your class level.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can select a single terrain from the ranger’s favored terrain list. She is a master at hiding in that terrain, and while within that terrain, she can use the Stealth skill to hide, even while being observed.

Special: A rogue with a favored terrain can use Hide in Plain Sight in that terrain, in addition to the one terrain gained when selecting this talent.

Steal the Story (Ex)

The following rogue talent may be chosen by any rogue who qualifies, though it is more common among kitsune rogues.

Prerequisites: Obfuscate Story

Benefit: After muddling another's account using obfuscate story, the rogue may make another opposed Diplomacy check to alter the details further in order to discredit, insult, or humiliate the target. If the check succeeds, those who heard the altered story become hostile towards the target. See the Diplomacy skill for the effects of being hostile.

Thoughtful Reexamining (Ex)

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can spend a minute to reroll a Knowledge, Sense Motive, or Perception skill check to try to gain new or better information from the roll. This reroll can be made any time during the same day as the original check.

Trick Feint

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can make a Bluff check in place of a combat maneuver check when attempting a disarm, dirty trick, or reposition combat maneuver.

Optional Rule: Skill Point Compensation

If using the common (around here) option to give all characters 2 additional skill points per level, rouges get a small boost to compensate for the lessened uniqueness of their large number of skill points.

With this option, a rogue gets an additional advanced talent at level 5.

External Links

• Revised Rogue talents - these are not in play but good inspiration.
• Rogue Eidolon's Guide to Rogues
• More swagger than you're comfortable with - A Guide to the Rogue by kcmorris
• Death from the Shadow A Guide to the Ninja by Jb200 - Ninja are almost-rogues.