Contents
As a rogue gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes. Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels of rogue attained after 2nd level. The Extra Rogue Talent also allows a rogue to gain a single rogue talent that she qualifies for. A rogue cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Talents marked with an asterisk (✲) add effects to a rogue’s sneak attack. Only one of these talents can be applied to an individual attack and the decision must be made before the attack roll is made.
Abilities granted by rogue talents are extraordinary abilities, unless noted otherwise.
Rogue talents
The following rogue talents are available in the Old World campaign setting.
Assault Leader
Once per day, when the rogue misses with an attack on a flanked opponent, she can designate a single ally who is also flanking the target that her attack missed. That ally can make a single melee attack against the opponent as an immediate action.
Befuddling Strike ✲
When the rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, that opponent takes a −2 penalty on attack rolls against the rogue for 1d4 rounds.
Bleeding Attack ✲
A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue’s sneak attack (e.g., 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess. See Bleed effects & healing for details on how to heal bleeding.
Camouflage
Once per day, a rogue with this talent can craft simple but effective camouflage from the surrounding foliage. The rogue needs 1 minute to prepare the camouflage, but once she does, it is good for the rest of the day or until the rogue fails a saving throw against an area effect spell that deals fire, cold, or acid damage, whichever comes first. The rogue gains a +4 bonus on Stealth checks while within terrain that matches the foliage used to make the camouflage. This ability cannot be used in areas without natural foliage.
Canny Observer
When a rogue with this talent makes a Perception check to hear the details of a conversation or to find concealed or secret objects (including doors and traps), she gains a +4 bonus.
Charmer
Once per day, the rogue can roll two dice while making a Diplomacy check, and take the better result. She must choose to use this talent before making the Diplomacy check. A rogue can use this ability one additional time per day for every 5 rogue levels she possesses.
Combat Swipe
A rogue who selects this talent gains Improved Steal as a bonus feat.
Combat Trick
A rogue that selects this talent gains a bonus combat feat (see Feats).
Cunning Trigger
A rogue with this talent can use a swift action to set off any trap within 30 feet that she constructed.
Distracting Attack ✲
A rogue with this talent can make sneak attacks with subtle flourishes that disorient and distract her enemy. When she hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, she can forgo the additional damage to cause the creature to become flat-footed against one target of her choosing until the beginning of her next turn. The rogue cannot designate herself as the creature gaining the benefit of this talent. Creatures with uncanny dodge are immune to distracting attack.
Expert Leaper
When making jump checks, the rogue is always considered to have a running start. Also, when the rogue deliberately falls, a DC 15 Acrobatics check allows her to ignore the first 20 feet fallen, instead of the first 10 feet.
Fast Fingers
Once per day, a rogue with this talent can roll two dice while making a Sleight of Hand check and take the better result. She must choose to use this talent before making the Sleight of Hand check. A rogue can use this ability one additional time per day for every 5 rogue levels she possesses.
Fast Getaway
After successfully making a sneak attack or Sleight of Hand check, a rogue with this talent can spend a move action to take the withdraw action. She can move no more than her speed during this movement.
Fast Picks
A rogue with this talent can use the Disable Device skill to attempt to open a lock as a standard action instead of a full-round action.
Fast Stealth
This ability allows a rogue to move at full speed using the Stealth skill without penalty.
Finesse Rogue
A rogue that selects this talent gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat.
Follow Clues
A rogue with this talent can use Perception to follow tracks as per the Survival skill.
Guileful Polyglot
A rogue with this talent who has at least one rank in Linguistics gains four additional languages. A rogue with this talent who does not have any ranks in Linguistics gains two additional languages. If the rogue later gains ranks in Linguistics, she gains two additional languages, to a total of four additional languages above those granted by the Linguistics skill itself.
Hard to Fool
Once per day, a rogue with this talent can roll two dice while making a Sense Motive check, and take the better result. She must choose to use this talent before making the Sense Motive check. A rogue can use this ability one additional time per day for every 5 rogue levels she possesses.
Honeyed Words
Once per day, the rogue can roll two dice while making a Bluff check, and take the better result. She must choose to use this talent before making the Bluff check. A rogue can use this ability one additional time per day for every five rogue levels she possesses.
Lasting Poison
A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon in such a way that it is effective for two successful attacks instead of one. The poison has a reduced effect, however, and saves made against the poison receive a +2 circumstance bonus. Applying poison in this way requires a full-round action, or a standard action if the rogue has the swift poison talent.
Ledge Walker
This ability allows a rogue to move along narrow surfaces at full speed using the Acrobatics skill without penalty. In addition, a rogue with this talent is not flat-footed when using Acrobatics to move along narrow surfaces.
Major Magic (Sp)
A rogue with this talent gains the ability to cast a 1st-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list two times a day as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this ability is equal to the rogue’s level. The save DC for this spell is 11 + the rogue’s Intelligence modifier. The rogue must have an Intelligence of at least 11 to select this talent. A rogue must have the minor magic rogue talent before choosing this talent.
Minor Magic (Sp)
A rogue with this talent gains the ability to cast a 0-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. This spell can be cast three times a day as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this ability is equal to the rogue’s level. The save DC for this spell is 10 + the rogue’s Intelligence modifier. The rogue must have an Intelligence of at least 10 to select this talent.
Nimble Climber
When a rogue with this talent fails a Climb check by 5 or more, she can immediately make another Climb check at the surface’s base DC +10. If successful, she stops her fall by clinging onto the surface. The rogue does not take falling damage when she stops her fall in this manner.
Offensive Defense ✲
When a rogue with this talent hits a creature with a melee attack that deals sneak attack damage, the rogue gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each sneak attack die rolled for 1 round.
Peerless Maneuver
Once per day, a rogue with this talent can roll two dice while making an Acrobatics check, and take the better result. She must choose to use this talent before making the Acrobatics check. A rogue can use this ability one additional time per day for every 5 rogue levels she possesses.
Positioning Attack
Once per day, when a rogue with this talent hits a creature with a melee attack, she can move up to 30 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity. The movement must end in a space adjacent to the creature hit with the melee attack.
Powerful Sneak ✲
Whenever a rogue with this talent takes a full attack action, she can elect to take a –2 penalty on all attack rolls until the start of her next turn. If an attack during this time is a sneak attack, she treats all 1s on the sneak attack damage dice as 2s.
Quick Disable
It takes a rogue with this ability half the normal amount of time to disable a trap using the Disable Device skill (minimum 1 round).
Quick Disguise
A rogue with this talent can use the items at hand and seemingly innocuous material hidden on her person to create startlingly effective disguises, reducing the amount of time it takes to create a disguise using the Disguise skill.
The time needed for the rogue to alter her appearance in this manner is based on the complexity of the disguise, as noted on the following table. The times are cumulative, so if a female rogue wants to disguise herself as a male of a different race, that takes 2 minutes.
| Disguise | Time |
|---|---|
| Minor details only | 1 full-round action |
| Disguise as a different gender | 1 minute |
| Disguise as a different race | 1 minute |
| Disguise as a different age category | 1 minute |
| Disguise as a different size category | 1 minute |
Quick Trapsmith
As a full-round action, a rogue with this talent can set a simple trap with a CR no greater than 1⁄2 her rogue level. To do this, she must purchase the components, spend the required time constructing the trap in advance, and have its components at hand. The type of trap that can be constructed in this way is subject to GM discretion.
Resiliency
Once per day, a rogue with this ability can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the rogue’s level. Activating this ability is an immediate action that can only be performed when she is brought to below 0 hit points. This ability can be used to prevent her from dying. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute. If the rogue’s hit points drop below 0 due to the loss of these temporary hit points, she falls unconscious and is dying as normal.
Rogue Crawl
While prone, a rogue with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A rogue with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling.
Slow Reactions ✲
Opponents damaged by the rogue’s sneak attack can’t make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
Snap Shot
A rogue with this talent may treat her intitiative roll as a 20 for a surprise round, regardless of her initiative, but she may only take an attack action with a ranged weapon. Her normal initiative roll is used in subsequent rounds. If two or more rogues possess this talent, their initiative determines the order in which they act, but they all go before any other creature. If a rogue is prevented from acting in the surprise round, this talent has no effect.
Sniper’s Eye
A rogue with this talent can apply her sneak attack damage on ranged attacks targeting foes within 30 feet that benefit from concealment. Foes with total concealment are still immune.
Stand Up
A rogue with this ability can stand up from a prone position as a free action. This still provokes attacks of opportunity for standing up while threatened by a foe.
Strong Impression
A rogue who selects this talent gains Intimidating Prowess as a bonus feat.
Surprise Attack
During the surprise round, opponents are always considered flat-footed to a rogue with this ability, even if they have already acted.
Survivalist
A rogue with this talent adds Heal and Survival to her list of class skills.
Swift Poison
A rogue with this talent can apply poison to a weapon as a move action, instead of a standard action.
Trap Spotter
Whenever a rogue with this talent comes within 10 feet of a trap, she receives an immediate Perception skill check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the DM.
Weapon Training
A rogue that selects this talent gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat.
Advanced rogue talents
The following advanced rogue talents are available in the Old World campaign setting. Advanced talents are available to rogues of 10th class level or higher.
Crippling Strike ✲
A rogue with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that her blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of her sneak attacks also advances one step on the Strength damage track. This ability may only be used when making an attack at the rogue’s highest base attack bonus (it may not be used on iterative attacks when making a full attack).
Defensive Roll
With this advanced talent, the rogue can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than she otherwise would. Once per day, when she would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the rogue can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the rogue must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, she takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, she takes full damage. She must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute her defensive roll—if she is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, she can’t use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the rogue’s evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.
Dispelling Attack ✲ (Su)
Opponents that are dealt sneak attack damage by a rogue with this ability are affected by a targeted dispel magic, targeting the lowest-level spell effect active on the target. The caster level for this ability is equal to the rogue’s level. A rogue must have the major magic rogue talent before choosing dispelling attack.
Feat
A rogue may gain any feat that she qualifies for (see Feats).
Improved Evasion
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.
Opportunist
Once per round, the rogue can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity for that round. Even a rogue with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.
Skill Mastery
The rogue becomes so confident in the use of certain skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions.
Upon gaining this ability, she selects a number of skills equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, she may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. A rogue may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for skill mastery to apply to each time.
Slippery Mind
This ability represents the rogue’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a rogue with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.