Rogue Researcher (3.5e Class)

Rogue Researcher

Rogue researcher is a rogue variant that likes to deal with information without dealing directly to people. She has a preference for mental training and cunningness and will not be easily found on streets or gambling areas, but as any other rogue the Rogue Researcher is versatile and adaptable. By researching she delays a little her physical training but is able to other sophisticated ways of surviving, and usually finds out creative ways to put her theoretical skills into practice, benefiting from her knowledges as most as possible.

The Rogue Researcher shares most of hers characteristics with the original Rogue, she usually fits better in a team that doesn't need much aid in combat situations, in other hand she will probably have, or be able to get, all sorts of informations.

Making a Rogue Researcher

Rogue Researcher works with the team more or less on same way that Rogues do, they are supporters and focus in using information. They are not as social as the Base Rogue but they can still find a way to get what they need to.

Abilities: Dexterity and Intelligence are the most important attributes for a Rogue Researcher.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: .

Starting Age: Simple.

Table: The Rogue Researcher Variant

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+2	+0	Focused Mind, Trapfinding
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+0	Sneak Attack +1d6 , Evasion
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+1	Trap Sense +1
4th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Sneak Attack +2d6 , Uncanny Dodge
5th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Cunning Defense
6th	+4	+2	+5	+2	Sneak Attack +3d6, Trap Sense +2
7th	+5	+2	+5	+2
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+2	Improved Uncanny Dodge
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+3	Sneak Attack +4d6, Trap Sense +3
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+3	Special Ability
11th	+8/+3	+3	+7	+3	Sneak Attack +5d6
12th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4	Trap Sense +4
13th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4	Sneak Attack +6d6, Special Ability
14th	+10/+5	+4	+9	+4	Special Ability
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+9	+5	Sneak Attack +7d6, Trap Sense +5
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	Sneak Attack +8d6
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+6	Trap Sense +6
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+6	Sneak Attack +9d6,
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+6	Special Ability
Class Skills (8 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any) (Int), Knowledge (Anatomy and physiology) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the rogue.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Rogues are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. Rogues are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Focused Mind (Ex): At 1st level a rogue researcher becomes very focused on what she do, she very perceptive of their surroundings not only by feeling but by being consciously aware of it. Rogue researcher get herself trained to not miss any detail and to learn from everything she can capture. Spot, Listen and Sense Motive skills now use Intelligence instead of Wisdom as key ability while Rogue Researcher is awake. Notice those details is not a matter of insight for the rogue but something she is used to worry about.

Trapfinding: Rogues (and only rogues) can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.

Finding a nonmagical traps has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic traps has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

Rogues (and only rogues) can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic traps generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

A rogue who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.

Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

The rogue’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.

With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

A rogue can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a rogue can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a rogue gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the rogue reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level.

Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a rogue can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.

If a rogue already has uncanny dodge from a different class she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Cunning Defense (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a rogue beneffits from adding 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) to their Dexterity bonus to modify AC. By taking this ability, and every level after getting this ability she can add +1 until reach her Intelligence modifier. The maximum bonus is limited by the rogue's Intelligence modifier score. This bonus stacks to the rogue's Dexterity bonus and is lost on same circumstances that would make her lose Dexterity bonus to AC.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A rogue of 8th level or higher can no longer be flanked.

This defense denies another rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does.

If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Special Abilities: On attaining 10th level, and at every three levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th), a rogue gains a special ability of her choice from among the following options.

Crippling Strike (Ex): 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 takes 2 points of Strength damage. Ability points lost to damage return on their own at the rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability.

Defensive Roll (Ex): 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.

Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability works like evasion, except that while the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Opportunist (Ex): 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 the rogue’s 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 certain 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 it to apply to each time.

Slippery Mind (Ex): 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.

Feat: A rogue may gain a bonus feat in place of a special ability.

benefiting from her knowledges

Knowledge (Anatomy and physiology):

This knowledge is closely related to sneak attack as rogue is supposed to know and hit vital points. Knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology also allows the rogue to identify gender and age of creatures. It also can be used as a less specialized Heal skill, DC and effect depend on the task you attempt, as table below:

Task	DC
First aid	20
Long-term care	20
Treat wound from caltrop, spike growth, or spike stones	20
Treat poison	Poison’s save DC + 5
Treat disease	Disease’s save DC + 10
Quicken recovery	80
Perfect recovery	N/A

Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (Anatomy & Physiology) you get a +2 circumstance bonus when crafting a poison or antidote for a specific creature/purpose.

Knowledge (Architecture & Engineering): If 8 or more ranks in this knowledge Rogue Researcher can sneak attack complex constructs that have structures that when damaged could significantly impair the construct as a whole, like Clockwork Horrors for example.

Epic Rogue Researcher

Table: The Epic Rogue

Hit Die: d6

Level	Special
21st	Sneak Attack +10d6, Trap Sense +7
22nd
23rd	Sneak Attack +11d6
24th	Trap Sense +8, Bonus Feat
25th	Sneak Attack +12d6
26th
27th	Sneak Attack +13d6, Trap Sense +9
28th	Bonus Feat
29th	Sneak Attack +14d6
30th	Trap Sense +10
8 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Sneak Attack: The epic rogue researcher's sneak attack damage increases by +1d6 at every odd-numbered level.

Special Abilities: The rogue does not gain additional rogue special abilities after 19th level, but can choose one of the rogue class special abilities (crippling strike, defensive roll, improved evasion, opportunist, skill mastery, or slippery mind) instead of a bonus feat.

Trap Sense (Ex): The epic rogue’s bonus increases by +1 every three levels higher than 18th.

Bonus Feats: The epic rogue gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic rogue feats) every four levels after 20th.

Epic rogue Bonus Feat List: Blinding Speed, Combat Archery, Dexterous Fortitude, Dexterous Will, Epic Dodge, Epic Reputation, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Speed, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Sneak Attack, Intuitive Trapfinding, Legendary Climber, Lingering Damage, Self-Concealment, Sneak Attack of Opportunity, Spellcasting Harrier, Superior Initiative, Uncanny Accuracy. The rogue may choose a special rogue ability instead of a bonus feat.

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