Editing Rogue (section)

==Rogues in 4th Edition==

[[File:Humanrogue.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Of course the rogue has dreads, he's... you know... the urban type.]]

Rogues got a huge bump in 4th edition, mostly because the vast laundry list of creatures being immune to Sneak Attack was shredded and fed to a [[manticore]]. Sneak Attack, it was argued, was just a general term for any kind of specialized, precisely-aimed attack that did extra damage, and so most of the creatures that were immune to it were a case of taking realism to the point of stupidity. Yes, a [[skeleton]] doesn't have a liver to stab, but you can still stick a dagger through its knee or vertebrae and twist them apart.  Most subsequent editions of the game held onto this change, including [[Pathfinder| those specifically designed for butthurt 3.X fanboys pissed off at 4e]].

The 4e Rogue is a Martial Striker - a Source & Role combination that it shares with the [[Ranger]]. Its focus is predominantly on mobile attacks, hitting a target and then moving out of range before they can strike back, in comparison to the Ranger's focus on either peppering foes with arrows or slicing them up in a flurry of blades.  Whilst predominantly Dexterity focused, it has secondary class features allowing it to get more use out of Charisma or Strength as a secondary statistic. Properly built, the 4e Rogue is a veritable ''mincing machine'' of a class; it's actually possible to build a Paragon level Rogue who can inflict damage with ''every single action of a turn'':
* Minor Action: Tumbling Strike or Low Slash
* Standard Action: Knockout
* Free Action: Two-weapon Opening Attack
* Move-to-Minor Action: Critical Opportuity
* Action Point Standard Action: Bloodbath or Deep Dagger Wound

The Rogue's class features in this edition consist of Rogue Tactics (see below), Sneak Attack (1/round, when you are using a light blade, crossbow or sling, you can inflict bonus damage determined by your tier (+2d6 for Heroic, +3d6 for Paragon, +5d6 for Epic) to an enemy you have Combat Advantage against), and Rogue Weapon Talent - you increase the damage die type of shurikens by +1 size and gain a +1 to attack rolls with daggers.

The primary "variable" class feature for the Rogue is called "Rogue Tactics", which broadly dictates what kind of rogue you are. In the PHB, Rogue Tactics is divisible into the ''Artful Dodger'' (Charisma modifier is a bonus to AC vs opportunity attacks) and ''Brutal Scoundrel'' (Strength modifier is bonus damage to Sneak Attack), which are the basis of the "Trickster Rogue" and "Brawny Rogue" build examples respectively. Martial Power 1 adds the ''Ruthless Ruffian'' Rogue Tactic, which grants proficiency with the mace & club, lets you Sneak Attack with those weapons, and boosts up the damage of your Rattling keyword rogue powers by your Strength modifier - this Tactic is the basis of the "Cutthroat Rogue" build, a Str/Cha sample build that relies on intimidation tactics and brute force attacks for a "thuggish" motif - its counterpart, the "Aerialist Rogue", is an [[acrobat]]ic alternative build for the Artful Dodger tactic, focused on the various mobility-boosting or granting powers added in that [[splatbook]]. Martial Power 2 offers the final Rogue Tactics alternative, the ''Cunning Sneak'', who is much more stealthy than usual - it also grants an alternative to the standard Rogue Weapon Talent in the form of the Sharpshooter Talent, which grants you a +1 to attack rolls with either crossbows or slings (chosen at 1st level) and the Far Shot feat for free. That book's sole build example, the "Shadowy Rogue", can key off of either or both of these variant traits.

The ''Essentials'' series of books also gave the Rogue a variant in the form of the Thief. This class pretty much focused entirely on their skill-monkey aspects with a bunch of utility powers that could be exploited at-will, though Sneak Attack still existed and they also had the 1/Encounter Backstab to add to both the hit and damage rolls. Thief also allows all MBAs to use Dex to hit and damage while also adding a bonus for all the basic Rogue weapons, sparing a whole feat's usage. Unfortunately, your choice in powers is cut quite short, as is the case with most Essentials classes.

The 4e Rogue is most infamous for having one of the most controversial, "blatantly gamist" powers, in the form of [[Bloody Path]].