The New DnD 2024 Arcane Trickster Rogue (Subclass Deep Dive)
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Blending spellcraft, stealth and sleight of hand, the Arcane Trickster has been around for over 20 years, having first appeared in the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons and becoming a fan favorite among players. In more recent editions, the subclass has been further refined, offering a unique magical version of the more traditional DnD 5e Rogue.
Now, the Arcane Trickster is back and ready to conjure up trouble in the pages of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. The new version of these mischievous magic users, however, remains largely unchanged from its 2014 predecessor, save for a few minor tweaks.
So does the Arcane Trickster having anything new up its sleeves in DnD 2024? Below, we summon up on all the details.
What’s changed in the new 2024 Arcane Trickster?
Below are all the changes to the 2024 Assassin Rogue in DnD 5e. For ease of reference we’ve included the level of each feature and whether or not it’s changed from the 2014 Player’s Handbook. It’s important to note that both the old and the new version of the subclass still fall under the DnD 5e core rules.
| Arcane Trickster Feature | Level | Changed from 2014? | Changes to the 2024 Arcane Trickster Rogue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spellcasting | 3 | No | N/A |
| Mage Hand Legerdemain | 3 | Yes | The 2024 Arcane Trickster can now cast Mage Hand as a Bonus action. In the 2014 rules it required a full action. Additionally, the 2014 rules allowed you to use the hand in other ways, including placing an object onto another creature, retrieving objects worn/carried by another creature, and picking locks/disarming traps at range (none of which are listed in the 2024 rules, as you now simply make general Sleight of Hand checks). |
| Magical Ambush | 9 | Yes | While the 2024 feature works more or less the same, there is some slight change to verbiage. In the 2014 rules if you were “Hidden” and cast a spell the target creature had a Disadvantage any saving throw it made that turn. In the 2024 rules, this now only applies if you have the “Invisible” condition. |
| Versatile Trickster | 13 | Yes | The 2024 version of this feature kicks allows you to use your Mage Hand to target a second creature whenever you use the Trip option of your Cunning Strike. This is a departure over the 2014 version, which gave you Advantage on any attack rolls again a target creature that was within 5 feet of your Mage Hand. |
| Spell Thief | 17 | Yes | In 2024 version of this feature, the target make an Intelligence saving throw. In the 2014 version they made a saving throw using their spellcasting ability modifier. All other mechanics are exactly the same. |
What are the Arcane Trickster features for 2024 DnD 5e?
Below are the full list of all the features using the new DnD 2024 core rules. Where applicable we have called out details to the changes that have been made from the 2014 legacy Arcane Trickster.
Level 3: Spellcasting
You have learned to cast spells and know three cantrips. One of these must be Mage Hand but the other two are your choice from the Wizard spell list (Mind Sliver and Minor Illusion are recommended). In addition, whenever you gain a Rogue level, you can replace one of your cantrips (except Mage Hand) with another Wizard cantrip of your choice. What’s more, when you reach Rogue level 10, you learn another Wizard cantrip of your choice.
You also have the ability to cast spells from the Wizard spell list (Charm Person, Disguise Self, and Fog Cloud are recommended to start at first Level 1). The number of spells on your list increases as you gain Rogue levels, as shown in the table bleow. Whenever you gain a Rogue level, you can replace one spell on your list with another Wizard spell for which you have spell slots. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a Long Rest.
Notably, Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your Wizard spells and you can use an Arcane Focus as a Spellcasting Focus for your Wizard spells
| —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue Level | Prepared Spells | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 11 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 12 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 13 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 15 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 17 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
.
Level 3: Mage Hand Legerdemain
When you cast Mage Hand, you can cast it as a Bonus Action, and you can make the spectral hand Invisible. You can control the hand as a Bonus Action, and through it, you can make Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks.
Level 9: Magical Ambush
If you have the Invisible condition when you cast a spell on a creature, it has Disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell on the same turn.
Level 13: Versatile Trickster
You gain the ability to distract targets with your Mage Hand. When you use the Trip option of your Cunning Strike on a creature, you can also use that option on another creature within 5 feet of the spectral hand.
Level 17: Spell Thief
You gain the ability to magically steal the knowledge of how to cast a spell from another spellcaster. Immediately after a creature casts a spell that targets you or includes you in its area of effect, you can take a Reaction to force the creature to make an Intelligence saving throw. The DC equals your spell save DC. On a failed save, you negate the spell’s effect against you, and you steal the knowledge of the spell if it is at least level 1 and of a level you can cast (it doesn’t need to be a Wizard spell). For the next 8 hours, you have the spell prepared. The creature can’t cast it until the 8 hours have passed. Once you steal a spell with this feature, you can’t use this feature again until you finish a Long Rest.
Is the New 2024 Arcane Trickster worth playing?
Ultimately, the 2024 Arcane Trickster has been almost completely untouched from its 2014 incarnation. It would have been nice to see some more versatility and perhaps get away from the subclass’s overreliance on mage hand. That being said, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, and the fact is that the Arcane Trickster it’s still a solid option for the new 2024 Rogue. If you’re looking to add a touch of magic to your mayhem, then this subclass is definitely a treat that’s worth the trick.
You can find the complete rules for all the new Rogue subclasses in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
Below is also a video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel, with DnD lead designer Jeremy Crawford highlighting some of the key changes to to the Arcane Trickster.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
