Rogue (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

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

Alternate Skill Bonuses

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.

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

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

Taking a bigger view of Sneak Attack, the motivation for this ability lies in the hit point mechanic. Rogues are to be back-alley men and should be able to do things like knock others unconscious with a sap. The hit point mechanic makes this impossible to do. Enter sneak attack, which partially counters the hit point mechanic and lets a high-level rogue have a similar chance of knocking out a high-level opponent that a low-level rogue has of knocking out a low-level opponent.

A rogue can sneak attack any target, including one that has any degree of concealment or is immune critical hits. Only defenses that specifically mention sneak attack work.

Advanced Rogue Talents

Distraction (Ex)^{<ref name="Revision"/>}

Adapted from the burglar archetype.

Benefit: When a rogue with this talent is detected while using Stealth, she can immediately attempt a Bluff skill check opposed by the Sense Motive skill of the creature that spotted her. If this check succeeds, the target assumes that the noise was something innocent and disregards the detection. This only functions if the creature cannot see the rogue. This ability can only be used once during a given Stealth attempt. If the same creature detects the rogue’s presence again, the ability has no effect.

Normal: A Bluff check can cause a distraction as above, but the rogue must spend a standard action.

Expert Sniper (Ex)) ^{<ref name="New"/>}

Prerequisite: Stealthy Sniper

Benefit: When a rogue with this talent uses the Stealth skill to snipe, she suffers a-5 penalty on the Stealth check, instead of –20.

Expert Trapsmith (Ex)) ^{<ref name="New"/>}

Prerequisite: Trapfinding, Trap Sense, Minor Magic, 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.

Improved Evasion (Ex)^{<ref name="Revision"/>}

Prerequisite: Evasion

Benefit: This works like evasion, except that while the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex)^{<ref name="Revision"/>}

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.

Spot Weakness (Ex)^{<ref name="Revision"/>}

Benefit: A rogue with this talent can discover a weakness in his enemy’s defenses as a swift action. His next successful sneak attack hit in the same round ignores all of the foe’s damage reduction or hardness for that attack.

Steal the Story (Ex)^{<ref name="Revision"/>}

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)^{<ref name="Revision"/>}

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 ^{<ref name="New"/>}

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.

Notes

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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.