The New 2024 Rogue: DnD 5e Class Changes

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The Rogue has been sneaking and backstabbing through the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons for over a decade, becoming one of the most popular and iconic DnD 5e classes along the way. Yet in all that time, the rules that govern DnD 5e Rogues have remained firmly locked away, with the class stealing only a few minor updates and new subclasses.

That’s about the change, however, with the new 2024 Player’s Handbook pulling Rogues out of the shadows and back into the spotlight. Many of the changes to the class will be familiar to be anyone who’s kept a sharp eye on the One D&D playtest, but they’ve been further honed in recent months, adding new options for combat and adjusting the core features of the many of the familiar Rogue subclasses.

So just what other new changes await the Rogue? Below, we loot up all the details.

What’s changed in the new 2024 Rogue for DnD 5e?

Below are all the changes to the 2024 Rogue versus the 2014 Rogue (notably, both still fall under the DnD 5e rules).

Rogue Feature	Level	Changes to the 2024 Rogue Class
Weapon Mastery	1	– Choose two weapons you’re proficient with. You gain use of their mastery properties. – May change your chosen weapons each Long Rest.
Thieves’ Cant	1	Now also grants an additional language proficiency.
Rogue Subclass	3	– Arcane Trickster: Upon level up, can swap out a cantrip. Versatile Trickster can Trip enemies instead. – Assassin: Iconic features are easier to trigger. Greater focus on poisoning and impersonating others. – Soulknife: Psychic Blades have the Vex mastery property. – Thief: Activate magic items as a Bonus Action and remain hidden after attacking. Use Magic Device changed.
Steady Aim	3	Unchanged from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything but now a base class feature.
Cunning Strike	5	Trade Sneak Attack damage die for one of three effects: Poison, Trip, or Withdraw.
Reliable Talent	7	Moved from level 11.
Improved Cunning Strike	11	Use two Cunning Strike options at once.
Devious Strikes	14	– Adds additional Cunning Strike options. – Render an enemy Unconscious, Blinded, or limit their action economy.
Blindsense	14	Removed
Slippery Mind	15	Now grants proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.
Epic Boon	19	Choose one Epic Boon feat, or another feat of your choice.
Stroke of Luck	20	When you use this feature on a missed attack roll, the result is now considered a Critical Hit.

How will the 2024 Rogue changes impact gameplay?

Level 1: Weapon Mastery

As a martial class, Rogues now gain access to the new Weapon Mastery feature, which allows you to tap into distinctive properties of Simple and Martial weapons during combat. Each Long Rest, you can choose two weapons you’re proficient and can access to their mastery properties. Below are the complete options of all the properties:

• Cleave: If you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can make a second attack against a creature within 5 feet that is also within your reach. When you hit with the second attack, you can roll your weapon’s damage, but you don’t add your ability modifier unless it’s negative.
• Graze: If you miss a creature with your weapon, you deal damage equal to the ability modifier you used to make the roll.
• Nick: You can make an additional attack against a target creature if your first attack was made while wielding two Light weapons.
• Push: You can launch a creature you hit (up to a Large size) 10 feet away from you.
• Sap: An enemy you hit has Disadvantage on their next attack roll before the start of your next turn.
• Slow: When you hit a creature and deal damage, you can reduce its Speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
• Topple: When you hit a creature, you can force it to make a Constitution saving throw or fall Prone. The DC for this save is 8 plus the ability modifier used to make the attack plus your Proficiency Bonus.
• Vex: When you hit a creature and deal damage, you gain Advantage on your next attack roll before the end of your next turn.

Level 1: Thieves’ Cant

In the new 2024 rules, Rogues not only access Thieves’ Cant (the secret written, verbal and gestural language of thieves)but you’re now also able to access an additional language proficiency.

Level 3: Steady Aim

Steady Aim was an optional rule that was first introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. but is not an official rule for the 2024 Rogue. As a bonus action, you get advantage on your next attack roll. Notably, you can only use this if you haven’t moved during this turn, and after you use Steady Aim your speed is 0 until the end of the current turn.

Level 5: Cunning Strike

This is a new feature for the 2024 Rogue. When you deal Sneak Attack damage, you can choose to forgo one or more Sneak Attack damage die to add a Cunning Strike effect to your attack. The DC of your Cunning Strike effects scales off of your Dexterity and you choose one of the following options:

• Poison (Cost: 1d6): Your target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned for 1 minute. They can repeat this save at the end of each of their turns.
• Trip (Cost: 1d6): On a failed Dexterity saving thrown the target becomes Prone. Notably, this only works on creatures that are Large or smaller.
• Withdraw (Cost: 1d6): You can move up to half your Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks after attacking.

At higher levels, you’re able to access additional Cunning Strike options and even get to add two effects to a single Sneak Attack.

Level 7: Reliable Talent

This feature is identical to what was previously featured in the 2014 Player’s Handbook. The only difference is that instead of gaining it at Level 11, you now access it at Level 7.

Level 11: Improved Cunning Strike

This feature further enhanced the new 2024 Cunning Strike feature, letting you stack Sneak Attacks and use two Cunning Strike options instead of one.

Level 14: Devious Strikes

Devious Strikes further expands the new 2024 Cunning Strike options, including:

• Daze (Cost: 2d6): If your target fails a Constitution saving throw, they can only move or take an action or Bonus Action on their next turn.
• Knock Out (Cost: 6d6): If your target fails a Constitution Saving Throw they are knocked Unconscious for 1 minute. They are able to repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns.
• Obscure (Cost: 3d6): Your target needs to make a Dexterity saving throw or be Blinded until the end of its next turn.

Level 14: Blindsense

This was an existing feature from the 2014 Rogue but has been removed from the 2024 version. Instead, the Rogue now gains Devious Strikes and an upgrade to Slippery Mind at level 15 (see below).

Level 15: Slippery Mind

This is also an existing 2014 Rogue feature that previously granted you proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. In the 2024 version you now gain proficiency in both Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.

Level 19: Epic Boon

In the 2014 rules, Epic Boons were previously only something that Dungeon Masters had access to. That’s changed in the revised 2024 core rules, with Epic Boons now something players can access. Rogues can choose from one of the twelve Epic Boons found in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, although Wizards of the Coast recommends the “Boon of the Night Spirit” which increases one ability score by 1 (up to a maximum of 30). In addition, you have Resistance to all damage except Psychic and Radiant and, as a Bonus Action, you can gain the Invisible condition.

Level 20: Stroke of Luck

This is also a 2014 Rogue feature that has been updated for 2024. In the new version you can now use Stroke of Luck on saving throws and when you fail a D20 Test, it turns your roll into a 20. This means a missed attack roll becomes a Critical Hit. All other rules are identical and it still recharges on a Short or Long Rest.

What are the changes to the 2024 Rogue subclasses?

In the new 2024 Player’s Handbook there are four official Rogue subclasses: The Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Thief and Soulknife. Notably, the first three were included in the 2014 Player’s Handbook while the Soulknife appeared in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

Both the Assassin and Thief subclasses have seen significant update, while the Arcane Trickster and the Soulknife have seen a few minor tweaks as follows:

• Arcane Trickster: You can now swap out a cantrip each time you level up. The Versatile Trickster feature has also been changed so that when you use the Trip option of Cunning Strike  you can target an additional creature within 5 feet via Mage Hand.
• Assassin: You can now more easily trigger Assassinate and Death Strike. The damage, however, has been reduced, You’re also more adept at poisoning and impersonating others, and you can move after using Steady Aim.
• Soulknife: Your Psychic Blades now have a range of 60/120 (instead of 60/- featured in the 2014 rules). In addition the blades have the Vex mastery property.
• Thief: You can activate magic items as a Bonus Action and have a new Cunning Strike option called Stealth Attack that allows you to remain hidden after attacking. Use Magic Device now also offers you an additional attunement slot, grants a chance to activate magic items without expending charges, and allows you to use Spell Scrolls, no matter your class or spellcasting prowess.

Final Thoughts on the New Rogue

The Rogue is a staple class of DnD 5e players for over a decade, and the new 2024 version has seen major updates to the way it plays, most of which are for the better. The introduction of the Cunning Strike feature, and updates to the Assassin and Thief subclasses all open up new possibilities for combat and seem legitimately solid. That being said, it remains to be seen just how well the new Rogue will be received by the larger DnD 5e community.

You can find the complete rules for the new class in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available for pre-order 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 doing a deeper dive into the new 2024 Rogue.

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