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If stealthy and smooth are two words you’d use to describe your playstyle when choosing a class forBaldur’s Gate 3, then look no further than your tried-and-true Rogue. A powerful class hogging all the Bonus Actions and turn economy for themselves, Rogues make Fighters jealous and Clerics weep.
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These dextrous mischief-makers are a staple for any stealth operation or under-the-table dealings, and they make for one of the best ranged-support characters in the game. Perfect for newbies and experts alike, the Rogue is a class with a bunch to brag about and few caveats to suffer.
Updated July 23, 2025 by Alexis Campbell:All subclasses, feats, and spells have been updated to reach level 12 and are up-to-date with the official release.
Rogue Overview
“With stealth, skill and uncanny reflexes, a rogue’s versatility lets them get the upper hand in almost any situation.”
The Rogue is astealth classthat specializes in anything that maymake use of Dexterity. Lockpicking, pickpocketing, sneak attacks, and more all fall under the umbrella of the Rogue’s talents. And speaking of talents, theiruse of Expertisemeans that not only are these Rogues skilled, but they’re also great at passing skill checks.
Although typically avery squishy classwith a lower health pool and preference for Light Armor, theydon’t actually need the benefitsother classes rely on. With theability to reliably hide and dip in and out of combat,you need not fear damage when you’re rarely in the position to take any.
In addition, the Rogue has theopportunity to deal massive amounts of damagethrough their Sneak Attack feat. With their defenses covered, great roleplay utility, and offensive capabilities, they are a deadly class worth considering for any party.
1
2
1d6
Sneak Attack (Melee and Ranged), Expertise
3
2d6
4
Ability Score Improvement or Choice of Feat
5
3d6
6
7
4d6
8
9
5d6
10
11
6d6
12
Skills, Proficiencies, and Starting Equipment
AsaDexterity-based class, the Rogue is granted access to skills that capitalize on this stat. Additionally, theiruse of Intelligenceis as much a bonus for their skills as it is an open door for the Rogue’s spellcasting subclass: Arcane Trickster.
Theirhealth is relatively average-to-lowwith a starting amount of8 + your CON modifierand then an additional5 + your CON modifier for each level-up.
Rogues begin with only adaggerand ashortbowfor weapons, so they’ll berelying mostly on ranged attacks at the startfor survivability’s sake.Finding better weapons, likeRapiers, is a must along any adventure to ensure the Rogue has a reliable weapon for melee.
Otherwise, theirstarting gear of Thieves' Tools and decentLeather Armoris a helpful start that allows you to begin lockpicking things from hour one and some okay gear that will need replacing at higher levels but is passable at the start.
Feats
The feats for both the Rogue and its subclasses are where any Rogue build shines.
Sneak Attackis a large part of the Rogue’s charm, allowing this normally squishy class todeal large amounts of damage. Getting it to work, however, requires skill and good planning on the player’s part. After all, it only workswhen you have advantageagainst an enemy, achieved through:
The additionalbonuses of Cunning Action are helpfulas well, allowing you toincrease your movement capabilitiesfor maximum positioning or toslip out of enemies' gripswithout issue. However,Uncanny Dodge is a huge boonto a class that can’t take many hits,sparing you large chunks of damagethat might have otherwise been threatening.
Sneak Attack
When wielding a finesse weapon (melee) or a ranged weapon and you have advantage on an opponent, deal additional Sneak Attack damage as a bonus with your weapon’s damage on a successful hit. This damage increases by 1d6 for each uneven level the Rogue gains (see chart in Rogue Overview for level-appropriate damage die).
Cunning Action
Gain the ability to use Dash and Disengage as a Bonus Action.
Uncanny Dodge
When a seen attacker hits you with an attack, use your Reaction to halve the damage.
Evasion
If you have already halved the damage against an attack where you made a DEX saving throw, take no damage and half damage if you fail.
Reliable Talent
You cannot roll lower than a 10 on during an Ability Check with a Skill your are Proficient in.
Subclass: Arcane Trickster
“Some rogues enhance their fine-honed skills of stealth and agility with magic, learning tricks of enchantment and illusion.”
When casting Mage Hand, you can perform additional tasks like:
You can use your Cunning Action to Bonus Action move this hand, and enemies must roll a Perception against your Sleight of Hand to notice this hand when performing any of these tasks.
Magical Ambush
While hidden, your targets have Disadvantage on Saving Throws against your spells.
The Arcane Trickster capitalizes onusing sneaky magic tacticsto get the upper hand on targetsfrom a distance. Contrary to the Thief, which prefers to do things a little more up-close-and-personal, the Arcane Trickster canuse their Mage Handto get into antics without being anywhere nearby.
As a spellcaster, the Arcane Trickster is a Wizard class thatuses Intelligence spellcasting ability.This means:
Additionally, you have aset number of cantrips and spells known. One of your cantrips known will always be Mage Hand, and it will not factor into the chart below. These known spells can be swapped on level-up.
-
You will be given the opportunity to learn a spell from the list below plus one spell from the Wizard spell list that you’re able to replace at each level up.
1 Action
N
Throw a bubble of acid that deals 1d6 Poison damage to a struck target on a failed DEX saving throw. Those that start their turn on the acid must also roll to avoid taking damage and suffer a half movement penalty.
Gain resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage from weapons.
Touch a creature and deal 1d8 Necrotic damage. They are prevented from healing on their next turn, and undead creatures receive disadvantage on their attacks for one turn.
Y
Enchant a creature to gain advantage on Charisma-based checks against it for up to 10 turns. When the spell ends, the creature knows it was Charmed.
Infuse object with light for 100 turns. If used on a creature, they must succeed a DEX saving throw or be illuminated.
Create spectral hand to interact with and move objects up to 18m away.
Create a distracting illusion that compels a creature to investigate. Does not interrupt hiding.
Puff noxious gas and deal 1d12 Poison damage on a failed CON save.
Deals 1d8 Cold damage and, on a hit, reduces target’s movement by 3m.
Gain advantage on your next attack roll against a chosen target.
Melee attack spell that deals 1d8 Lightning damage. Gain advantage when attacking metal-clad enemies with this spell. Additionally, on a failed INT save, the target loses their ability to make Reactions for one turn.
Gain advantage on ability checks made against the charmed creature and prevent it from attacking on a failed WIS saving throw. Enemies have advantage on their saving throw. At the end of the spell’s duration, target may accuse you of having charmed them.
Create dazzling lights that Blinds creatures within a 17ft cone that have 33 or less hit points overall.
Change all aspects of your appearance for the duration of a long rest.
Put creatures to sleep. Select targets up to 24HP to sleep for 2 turns or until they take damage.
Cause a creature to become Prone from laughter. They must have an Intelligence of 5 or higher and can reroll a Wisdom saving throw to shake off the effect after each time they take damage.
Attacks have Disadvantage on Attack Rolls against you so long as they rely on sight.
Cause creature to attack another creature closest to them, even if its in ally on a failed Wisdom Save.
Hold a humanoid enemy to prevent them from moving, acting, or reacting on a failed Wisdom save. Melee attacks within 3m are instant-Critical hits.
Touch one creature to turn it Invisible. While Invisible, attacks against the creature are with Disadvantage and attacks made by the create are with Advantage.
Create 3 copies of yourself. Each increases your AC by 3 and disappears one at a time when you successfully evade an attack.
Charm a humanoid on a failed Wisdom save. While Charmed, they will not attack you, and you have Advantage on Charisma-based checks in dialogue. They know you charmed them after the spell ends.
Deal 1d6 Psychic damage (or whatever damage type last struck the creature) each turn for 10 turns.
Subclass: Thief
“In addition to improving your agility and stealth, you learn skills useful for delving into ancient ruins, reading unfamiliar languages, and using magic items you normally couldn’t employ.”
The Thief is one of the best subclasses of the Rogue across the Player’s Handbook of D&D and its many affiliated extensions. This is primarily because of the class’s creme-de-la-creme:Fast Hands, allowing the class totake a whole additional Bonus Action.Why is this good?
The thief allows theabuse of Hiding and Sneak Attack, making it a most useful adversary in stealth or assassination missions within the base game. It also means that this method can helpdefeat enemies without directly triggering Initiative and Combat Turn Order.
Supreme Sneak
Gain one cast of Invisibility lasting 10 turns (once per rest). It ends if you attack, cast a spell, take an action, or take damage.
Second Story Work has been severely nerfed and changedfrom its original form in the Player’s Handbook of Dungeons & Dragons. It no longer allows you to climb without a penalty to your movement speed nor allows you to add your Dexterity modifier to the maximum distance of your jump.
Subclass: Assassin
This subclass of Rogue specializes infirst-turn combat and critical damage. It’s an extremelyspecialized but efficient subclassthat performs exceptionally well in Baldur’s Gate (far better than it does in most Dungeons & Dragons games).
With the aid of good choices in gear, the Assassin can be yourworkhorse in a number of sneaky, craft situations.Play smart; play your cards right. The Assassin is nothing to sneeze at, and you’re right to be afraid of any who aren’t on your side.
Assassinate: Initiative
Gain Advantage on Attack Rolls against creatures that haven’t taken their turn yet.
Assassin’s Alacrity
Restore your action and bonus action at the start of fresh combat.
Infiltration Expertise
Change your appearance once and for the duration till a Long Rest. (Acts like Disguise Self).
Regardless of what choice you make, the Rogue remains a near-necessary staple for any adventuring party. As good at getting you into trouble as they are at getting you out, you’ll never feel a dull moment when you’re in the presence of a Rogue - let alone playing one.
NEXT:Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Pick An Origin Character Or Create Your Own?
