Rogue

Rogue
Upload image Heodan a human rogue.
General
Role	Heavy Hitter
Abilities	Rogue Abilities emphasize offensive strikes with ranged and melee weapons. Many cause Afflictions that qualify for the rogue's Sneak Attack. Others strengthen the rogue's Sneak Attack or grant tactical positioning abilities.
Starting Stats
Skill bonus	Stealth +1 Mechanics +2
Endurance	36 + 12/level (Low)
Health	Endurance x4 (Low)
Deflection	15 (Low)
Accuracy	30 (Very High)
Character
Notable npcs	Heodan
Icon

“

Rogues are vicious killers, feared for the brutality of their attacks. They can be found as often in dark back alleys as the heart of battlefield skirmishes. Though unpredictable and undisciplined, rogues are commonly used as shock troops or as part of a surprise assault, their withering attacks breaking enemy ranks and morale. Rogues tend to congregate in larger numbers in cities where they can be steadily employed as mercenaries or hired muscle.

”

Rogue is one of the playable classes in Pillars of Eternity.

Contrary to what their name might imply, rogues come from many walks of life. They are cutpurses, thugs, and courtesans but also aristocrats, diplomats, and personal guards. Often separated by station in life, they are united by their reliance on wits, speed, and subterfuge to achieve their goals. The way of the rogue is not to stand toe-to-toe with the biggest brute in the room and exchange body blows, but to glance away in feigned confusion and slip an unseen blade between the brute's ribs as he turns his attention. When a room explodes in a storm of fire, the fighters grit their teeth, the priests pray for salvation, and the wizards fumble to find a spell to protect them, but the rogues just... disappear. They excel at being in the one place where no one's looking, at kicking people when they're down, at taunting a foe into turning its back on the rogue's ally while he or she nimbly skips away, and at being just too damned slippery to pin down.

Whether they pack a pair of daggers, a fine rapier, a slim bow, a stubby pistol, or a brutish club, rogues haul a carnival of pain with them wherever they go. If their natural tendencies weren't dangerous enough, their affinity for skullduggery allows some talented rogues to tap into their souls to perform amazing stunts: fading from view in plain sight, briefly cloaking their allies in a veil of shadow, imbuing their weapons with a soul-eating venom, or even becoming so insubstantial that blades barely hurt them.

While rogues are known for their stealthy nature both in and out of battle, many of them are quite talented with machines and contraptions of all sorts. High-born rogues are often very knowledgeable about esoteric matters, while many low-born rogues are well-equipped to survive in the wild.

Overview

Rogues gain a starting skill bonus to Mechanics and Stealth and are the only class to get a bonus to both of those skills. Rogues have the highest single target damage and they have abilities that can dramatically increase their damage for a short duration. The rogue can use most of his abilities with ranged weapons, but he needs to be relatively close to the target to use them.

Attributes

Highly Recommended:

• Might
• Dexterity

Recommended:

• Perception
• Intellect

Abilities

Image	Name	Description	Automatically learned on Level	Learnable on Level
1				3	5	7	9	11
	Sneak Attack	Uses the rogue's ability to approach unseen, adding additional bonus damage to their attacks when the target is Blinded, Flanked, Hobbled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Stuck, Stunned or Weakened, as well as when any target is struck within two seconds of combat starting.	1
	Crippling Strike	The rogue attacks his or her enemy's ability to move around effectively, inflicting extra damage to and Hobbling any enemy successfully hit.
	Blinding Strike	A dirty attack that makes the opponent unable to see. Inflicts extra damage and Blinds the target.
	Reckless Assault	Causes the rogue to dive into battle without a second thought, lowering his or her Deflection but increasing Accuracy and weapon damage.
	Escape	Allows the rogue to break Engagement and expertly avoid the next attack, diving out of range to a specific location.
	Dirty Fighting	The rogue employs a variety of underhanded tactics, turning 10% of their Hits into Critical Hits.
	Riposte	The rogue actively looks for openings to counterattack in combat. Incoming melee attacks that target Deflection and Miss have a 20% chance of allowing an Instant Full Attack Riposte. Only active with melee weapons equipped.
	Finishing Blow	The rogue looks to finish off an injured opponent with a precise, deadly strike made with an Accuracy bonus that increases in power the less Endurance the target has.
	Adept Evasion	The rogue becomes especially skillful at dodging attacks. Converts 50% of all Grazes against the rogue into Misses.
	Coordinated Positioning	In one quick move, the rogue instantly switchs positions with one target within 1m, cancelling Engagement if in effect.
	Deep Wounds	Expertise in the art of pain leads all Slash, Pierce and Crush damage caused by the rogue to also do Raw Damage over time.
	Deathblows	Allows the rogue to size up a target's battlefield position, making Sneak Attack more effective when the target is afflicted by two or more conditions that allow a Sneak Attack.
	Withering Strike	The rogue aims for a vital area, inflicting extra damage and Weakening the target.
	Fearsome Strike	The rogue attempts to greatly hinder an opponent by targeting areas crucially important to their ability to fight, inflicting extra damage as well as Weakening and Hobbling the target.

Talents

• Deflecting Assault – Increases the rogue's ability to concentrate, reducing the Deflection penalty when using Reckless Assault.
• Devastating Blow – Broadens the rogue's knowledge of critical anatomy, increasing the damage done by Finishing Blow.
• Vicious Fighting – Improves the rogue's skill with devious maneuvers, increasing the percentage of the rogue's hits that are converted to Critical Hits when using Dirty Fighting.
• Shadowing Beyond – Allows the character to temporarily turn invisible. Enemies cannot detect invisible characters and attacks made from invisibility automatically count as a Sneak Attack. Attacking, casting a spell, using a special ability, or using an item will end the invisible state.
• Backstab – Dramatically increases melee damage done from Invisibility

Notable rogues

• Heodan – a temporary companion, that joins you at the beginning of the game.

Related Items

• Killer's Work