Rogue

Concealed attacks, evasive skills, scouting and tools for theft and deception.

Rogues fight from concealment and close in with stuns, blinds and quick strikes. Garrote has to be set up before a fight starts; Kidney Shot, Dirt Throw and Dirty Trick make openings once it has. Leather gives less protection than the heavier armors, so the escape and defensive skills matter as much as the damage.

The class also has a wide utility branch: identifying loot, finding traps, scouting, bribing NPCs, disguising yourself and listening in on nearby rooms. Several skills spend supplies from a pouch shared with the Thief class. Check it with supplies and restock at the guild's supply counter.

Joining#

The Rogue guild takes Explorers who have reached level 10, with no invitation needed. Its marker is the signpost at the Mistwood Crossroads on the road north of Aurin; compass set rogue leads an Explorer there. Type join rogue (or join rogues) at the crossroads. Joining starts you at Rogue level 1. A guild is chosen once: a character who already belongs to another guild cannot join.

A Rogue can later remort into a Thief when the Thieves invite them, or into a Bard after passing the Bards' audition and being invited, from level 50 as a half remort or at level 100 as a full one. A finished Rogue life is also one of the lives the Ranger and Assassin classes require. See Remorting.

Resources#

Rogues run on SP, the middle pool shown by score. A cost of None in the tables below means the skill takes no SP. Scout and Shadowstep cost 5 EP (stamina) instead. Both pools refill on their own.

The second resource is physical. Some skills spend an item from a hidden pouch shared with the Thief class, and with that slot empty the skill will not fire. Check it with supplies and restock at the Rogue Supply Store using list and buy. Carry limits start small and rise with level. The Quartermaster passive at level 50 raises them by half and gives a one in four chance that a skill leaves its item unspent.

The supply store also sells one real weapon, the leather cosh, for 60 silver. Mug only works with a blunt weapon in your hand, and the club family (coshes, cudgels and blackjacks) is the one blunt family a Rogue can wield. Clubs also drop now and then. A cosh can sit in the off hand beside a blade, so offwield cosh keeps one ready.

Pouch item	Feeds
Leather gag	Gag
Disguise kit	Disguise
Smoke bomb	Smoke Bomb
Blinding flash	Blinding Flash
Poison vials	Poison

Rogues wear leather armor. Plate, mail and cloth are barred, but gear with no armor category can be worn by anyone.

Talent trees#

You earn a talent point every ten guild levels, ten in all, and a tree holds ten at most. Each point in a tree makes every skill in it 2% better: its hits and heals land 2% harder and it is ready again 2% sooner, so ten points give 20% of each. Passives are untouched. Each point in Precision also makes your own weapon blows 2% stronger. talents shows your trees, talents <tree> shows what one holds, talents spend <tree> puts a point in, and talents reset takes every point back. A reset is allowed once a real day and never in a fight; your first reset ignores the wait.

Passives are equipped two at a time with passives. The level on a passive row is the level at which passives equip accepts it.

Precision#

Burst damage. Garrote, Kidney Shot, Gut, Flurry, Smoke Cut and Curtain Call live here, with the Duelist style and Study Foe. Several of these need a fresh target, an open fight or a wounded foe.

Dirty Fighting#

Brawling that takes away a foe's legs, eyes or voice: Kneeknock, Dirt Throw, Dirty Trick, Feint, Kneecap and Gag. Bravado rattles an NPC before a fight, Vendetta raises the stakes on one foe for both of you, and Riposte banks free counter swings.

Mobility#

Stealth, movement and escape. Sneak and Shadow hide you, Skulk gets you past aggressive creatures, and Scout lists every creature within two rooms. Evasion and the Light Step, Underdog and Second Wind passives keep you from being hit; Quick Escape, Vault and Shadowstep move you or get you out.

Trickery#

Information and deception. It covers trap detection, appraisal, assessing a foe, route maps, bribes, swindles, disguises, counterfeits, threats, eavesdropping and weapon poison. Mug and Commandeer take things from people, Palm lifts items from the floor unseen, Slip passes or drops one unseen, and Attention lets you overhear tells in your room. Spike and Blinding Flash both take a moment to prepare, so you stand still for a moment while they go off.

Skills#

Precision#

Level	Skill	Type	Cost	Cooldown	Effect
1	Garrote	Combat	10 SP	60s	An opener: you must be out of combat and the target nearly unhurt. The wire strangles for two ticks at level 1, up to six at level 100; neither of you can make normal attacks while it holds, and very rarely it breaks the neck outright. It spends no supplies.
11	Kidney Shot	Combat	20 SP	15s	A strike that stuns the target for 2 seconds, 3 from level 50.
12	Gut	Combat	50 SP	120s	After 4 seconds of winding up, a heavy cutting strike to the torso. The wound stops the target eating or drinking for 8 seconds at level 20, up to 20 at level 100.
21	Spinkick	Combat	20 SP	11s	Kick a knife into the target for piercing damage. It misses one time in seven and can land a critical for half again as much. No throwing dagger is needed.
25	Duelist Style	Utility	None	None	Unlocks `style duelist`.
30	Marked Eye	Passive	None	None	Meant to make Study Foe last six times longer, but nothing in the game reads it yet, so equipping it currently does nothing.
38	Flurry	Combat	30 SP	30s	A combo of three weapon swings, rising to five at high level.
46	Study Foe	Utility	None	None	Spend thirty seconds reading a foe. The reading is remembered for twelve hours, and against that foe your weapon blows and skills are far more likely to be critical hits.
56	Smoke Cut	Combat	55 SP	45s	Snap a smoke pellet at your feet and cut from the haze. It makes its own cover, so it needs no smoke bomb.
60	Curtain Call	Combat	15 SP	30m	Three acts a moment apart against every enemy you are fighting in the room. The first cuts and starts bleeding, the second staggers, and the third hits hardest on a foe that is both bleeding and staggered; one below a quarter of its health dies outright.
90	Killing Momentum	Passive	None	None	Meant to open a short damage and critical window after an Ambush, but Ambush is not in the game, so it never fires.

Dirty Fighting#

Level	Skill	Type	Cost	Cooldown	Effect
2	Kneeknock	Combat	10 SP	12s	Strike the knee for a quick burst of blunt damage, with no slow attached.
5	Dirt Throw	Combat	5 SP	60s	Outdoors only. Grit in the eyes for blunt damage and a stun of 6 seconds at level 5, up to 10 at level 100.
16	Dirty Trick	Combat	10 SP	20s	A blunt blow that always lands, plus one trick at random: a blind, a brief stun, deafness, choking, a slow from a kick to the shins, or a bite that can infect.
27	Feint	Combat	10 SP	15s	A false strike the foe guards against. The next blow you land on it, swing or skill, deals extra damage equal to your level, and it is left off balance, its armor stopping less of every weapon blow.
39	Bravado	Utility	5 SP	60s	Out of combat only, and against NPCs only. On a level based roll the target is rattled for 20 seconds, losing 5 to 10 percent of its damage and some of its accuracy. On a failure it attacks you at once.
41	Gag	Utility	40 SP	120s	Spends a leather gag. On a successful roll the target cannot speak, shout, tell or use channels for 30 to 120 seconds.
45	Vendetta	Combat	10 SP	5m	Mark one foe for 30 seconds: every blow between you lands twice as hard, both ways. Killing it while it is marked takes two minutes off the cooldown.
47	Riposte	Combat	10 SP	60s	Bank counter strike charges, four at level 47 rising to nine at 100. Each combat round has an 80 percent chance to spend one on a free extra weapon swing.
51	Kneecap	Combat	10 SP	60s	Cripple the target for 15 seconds plus one for every five levels you have. After each step it takes, it must stop before it can move again.

Mobility#

Level	Skill	Type	Cost	Cooldown	Effect
3	Sneak	Utility	10 SP	None	Move without being heard until you attack. Lasts 2 minutes at level 1, up to 20 at level 100. Cannot be started in combat.
9	Evasion	Buff	15 SP	None	A toggle lasting five minutes at low level and ten at 100. While it is up, roughly four hits in five are partly slipped, for 30 to 40 percent less damage.
14	Shadow	Utility	30 SP	None	Slip into shadow and stay hidden while you do not attack, for 2 minutes at first and up to 30 minutes at level 100.
20	Light Step	Passive	None	None	A flat dodge bonus of about 1% for every five levels.
26	Skulk	Utility	5 SP	None	Move one room in a crouch. Creatures that would attack on sight ignore your arrival, though the crouch can fail and leave you in plain view.
36	Quick Escape	Utility	5 SP	None	Break off a fight and dash through two random exits, four at level 100. It fails three times in ten.
49	Vault	Combat	10 SP	60s	Leap over your foe. The next blow you land on it within four seconds deals 50% more and cannot be parried or blocked.
57	Scout	Utility	5 EP	None	List every creature you could attack within two rooms, numbered, with its direction, distance and condition. `mark <number>` then picks one for Shadowstep.
59	Shadowstep	Utility	5 EP	120s	Step through the shadows to stand behind the creature you marked, unseen by it.
70	Underdog	Passive	None	None	Take 15% less damage while two or more foes are in melee with you.
80	Second Wind	Passive	None	None	Falling under a quarter of your health halves the chance of any blow landing on you for 3 seconds, once a fight.

Trickery#

Level	Skill	Type	Cost	Cooldown	Effect
4	Toast	Utility	None	60s	Buy a round, drinking an alcoholic item from your inventory if you carry one. You and any party members in the room gain the Toasted buff for two minutes, which is what switches on Drunken Luck.
6	Detect Traps	Utility	None	15s	Search the room you are in for traps. Not usable in combat.
7	Mug	Combat	10 SP	10m	Knock out an unwary mark from stealth and take their coin. Needs a blunt weapon in hand, such as the leather cosh from the guild counter.
8	Slip	Utility	None	20s	Pass an item to someone in the room, or set it down on the floor, unseen. Each onlooker rolls to catch you, and you are told if anyone does.
13	Appraise	Utility	5 SP	None	Read an item as a mage's identify does: its full details, revealing it if it was unidentified. It also spots counterfeits.
17	Detect Trap	Utility	10 SP	None	Check the room and its exits for traps, or name a container or item to check it.
18	Attention	Utility	5 SP	90s	For 30 seconds, rising to 90 at level 100, you overhear any tell sent to or by someone in your room.
19	Assess	Utility	55 SP	10s	Study a target for a few moments to learn how dangerous it is to you, its level against yours, its stats, armor, weapon, resistances and weaknesses.
20	Bribe	Utility	None	60s	Pay a peaceful NPC at least 5 silver per level of the target to wander off for 60 seconds. A failed roll leaves it holding the coin and suspicious of you for 5 minutes.
22	Distract	Utility	5 SP	5m	A loud taunt that pulls a creature's attention onto you and breaks any spell it is casting.
23	Swindle	Utility	None	5m	Hand a target coin while quietly keeping a share of it that grows with your level and sleight, up to half. They are told they received the full sum.
24	Map	Utility	None	60s	Record a route as you walk it, then `map finish` to make a paper map. Anyone holding it can follow the route from its start without spending stamina.
28	Misdirect	Utility	5 SP	60s	Pass all the threat your enemies hold on you to another creature in the room. Half of it returns to you after 10 seconds.
29	Poison	Utility	5 SP	60s	Coat your weapon so hits poison the target. Spends a poison vial; `poison list` shows which poisons your level allows.
31	Disarm	Utility	50 SP	30s	Two uses on one verb. Disarm a detected trap by its number, which takes 3 seconds and has no cooldown, or knock a foe's weapon out of its hands so it falls at its feet, where for the next hour nobody but the two of you can pick it up. Knocking a weapon free starts a fight whether it lands or not.
32	Spike	Utility	5 SP	10m	Drive an iron spike into a moored ship's hull from the water beside it, after 6 seconds of work, so it takes on water ten times faster for two minutes. Being spotted by the crew stops the attempt.
33	Disguise	Utility	5 SP	5m	Pass for a stranger of the gender and race you choose, whom nobody can find by your own name. Spends a disguise kit.
34	Palm	Utility	None	20s	Pick an item up from the floor without anyone seeing it go.
40	Drunken Luck	Passive	None	None	While Toasted is running, gain 5% critical hit chance.
42	Threaten	Utility	5 SP	60s	Guild scouts deliver a note you write to a target anywhere in the world, anonymously if your sleight roll holds.
43	Counterfeit	Utility	5 SP	5m	Make a copy of an item you carry. It looks the same and answers to the same names, but no shop will buy it, it does nothing as a weapon, armor or key, and it crumbles to dust after a while.
44	Blinding Flash	Utility	5 SP	4m	After a 2 second windup, blind everyone in the room except you and your group for a few seconds. Spends a blinding flash.
48	Smoke Bomb	Utility	5 SP	60s	Fill the room with smoke. Nobody can see in it, fighters miss more often and may stumble trying to leave. Spends a smoke bomb.
50	Quartermaster	Passive	None	None	Supply limits rise by half and spent supplies are refunded one time in four.
54	Eavesdrop	Utility	20 SP	None	Listen to an adjacent room for one to ten minutes, longer as you level.
58	Commandeer	Utility	10 SP	30m	Take a wielded weapon or worn item from a target after a 2 second warning, on a roll against its level, dexterity and the item's weight. It starts a fight whether it lands or not.
60	Blind Fighting	Passive	None	None	From level 59 smoke never makes your blows miss or stops you finding the exits. Equipped as a passive, it also lets you see normally through smoke and blindness.

Playing a Rogue#

Garrote opens a fight against a target that is not yet hurt, and Sneak from level 3 helps you reach it. Once fighting starts, Kneeknock adds blunt damage without slowing the target, Kidney Shot stuns from level 11, and Dirt Throw stuns outdoors. Kneecap, at 51, is the skill that hampers movement.

Leather leaves you exposed when several enemies attack at once. Evasion reduces that, and Quick Escape from level 36 breaks you out of a fight, though not every time. Check the way out before you commit to a hard fight. Slip is for handling items, not for escaping.

In a party, Scout and Assess are worth using before a fight. During one, Distract pulls a creature onto you and interrupts its spell, while Misdirect hands your threat to someone else and takes half of it back ten seconds later. Distract means taking the hits that follow, so agree it with whoever is holding the enemy's attention.

Check supplies before you leave town. Smoke Cut, at level 56, makes its own cover and spends no smoke bomb. Curtain Call has a thirty minute cooldown; save it for a fight that needs it. Marked Eye and Killing Momentum can be equipped but do nothing at present, so they are poor choices for your two passive slots.