Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Think about how your rogue will interact with the rest of the group of characters and what role your rogue will serve. Do you want a character who sneaks ahead of the group, searching for traps or other dangers and then reporting back to the party but generally staying out of harm's way? Would you prefer a rogue who acts as a secondary fighter, making devastating use of the sneak attack ability in combat? Perhaps you'd like to multi-class or add levels in a prestige class to gain spells to augment your rogue's abilities.
Check with the Dungeon Master of your campaign to see if she has any special "house rules" or restrictions you may need to take into account when building a new character. Some Dungeon Masters do not allow a rogue to be of a lawful alignment or may have special rules on when a rogue can use its sneak attack ability.
Figure out which race you want your rogue to be. Halflings serve as the stereotypical rogue, picking pockets and sneaking into small spaces that larger races couldn't fit into. They also receive a bonus to their dexterity score, which is a rogue's primary attribute. Any race can successfully fill the rogue's shoes, however. A half-orc rogue might not be very subtle, but he can deal more damage, and the gnome's innate spell-casting abilities can mesh very well with a rogue's sneakiness.
Generate the main ability scores for the rogue. Most Dungeon Masters have a preferred method of doing this, so be sure to ask first. Your highest score should be immediately placed in dexterity to make your rogue harder to hit and better at sneaking. Charisma is a good next option for bluffing your way through a situation or convincing the merchant that the goods you are trying to sell really aren't stolen. Don't underestimate the importance of strength for a rogue either, because the more damage you deal with a sneak attack, the more likely your rogue will survive combat.
Peruse the rouge's list of class skills. Rogues have the largest class skill list and receive the most skill points, so either pick a wide range of skills to be decent with, or a small subset of skills to be really good at. A rouge who is planning on silently scaling a castle's walls and then sneaking undetected through its hallways should choose skills like climb, balance, swim and hide. If you are more interested in having a streetwise troubleshooter, pick up skills such as gather information, innuendo, search, read lips or sense motive. A rogue who will be finding and disabling nefarious traps should go with open lock or disable device.
Stock up your new character's inventory. Lock picks are a must-have, as are small weapons that can be hidden in the rogue's clothes such as daggers or a sap. A disguise kit is useful for moving around in a city where the guards are on the lookout for your character. Rogues can also put some of the less glamorous items like caltrops or a crowbar to good use. Remember that heavy armor will interfere with a rogue's ability to sneak around or hide, so leather armor or something similar is the probably the best choice for protection against attacks.
Finish creating the rogue by creating a persona for the character. Decide how the rogue acts, pick a deity she worships, what moral values she has, choose an aligment, and work out how the character came to be a rogue. Not all rogues are thieves. A rogue could be a diplomat from a faraway land who is good at fast talking or convincing others of doing things they normally wouldn't want to. Rogues could be gainfully employed as locksmiths or trap builders, or could even work for the local militia as scouts that work alongside rangers.