New Roguish Archetypes Xanathar's Guide - Dungeons and Dragons

Alex continues to delve into Xanathar's Guide to Everything! Today is the new Roguish Archetypes. With 4 of them, there's plenty of sneak to go around! Which is your favorite?
Subscribe NOW to Titan Bear Gaming: / @titangamingtv
Shop the Titan Bear Gaming store: www.titanbearg...
Become a Titan Bear Gaming Patron on Patreon: / titanbeargaming
Get More Titan Bear Gaming:
Follow Titan Bear Gaming on Twitter: / titanbeargaming
Like Titan Bear Gaming on Facebook: / titanbeargaming
Titan Bear Gaming on Instagram: / titanbeargaming
Titan Bear Gaming on Pinterest: / titanbeargaming
Titan Bear Gaming makes entertaining and informative videos on playing tabletop games and hobby games, and about the hobby games community. Find new product showcases, game reviews, how to play videos, and community spotlights featuring individuals and groups in the hobby games community that you should know about! Join the discussion about RPGs with The DMs Club, a series for players, DMs, newbies and veterans alike.
Music: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons...
Thumbnail art from Xanthar's Guide to Everything copyright Wizards of the Coast LLC 2017
New Roguish Archetypes Xanathar's Guide - Dungeons and Dragons
/ @titangamingtv

[@RoninDrake3724]

I see the Inquisitive Rogue as less of an Inquisitor and more of a take on Sherlock Holmes, particularly the RDJ version's analyzing the opponent to strike weakpoints for a quick takedown. Which for me would make for the added fun of describing what I'm noticing and how I attack the weakpoint of whatever I'm stabbing, a la those slow motion bits from the movies. By contrast, the Mastermind strikes me as a Moriarty manipulator type trying to influence things from the shadows. I've actually suggested a friend planning to DM for the first time use one as an early villain to study the players. Beyond that, I agree in that the Scout didn't really grab me and the Swashbuckler seemed like particular fun to play.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Well you know what they say about great minds, Ronin drake. Welcome to the fam!

[@Ebolson1019]

I see the scout as something for the player who wants to multiclass ranger and rogue but doesn’t want to give up those high level abilities

[@TitanGamingTV]

Definitely a strong offering -- fits the thematic element nicely.

[@Ebolson1019]

Titan Bear Gaming yeah, as soon as I saw it I decided to make a character for it, did the same with swashbuckler, gloom stalker, and horizon walker

[@timothye.2902]

I play scout instead of Ranger because I dislike the Ranger's "favoured X" features and want to play a more general survivalist and hunter. I always found it weird that the archetypical...well, Ranger in 5e was so laser focused against specific enemies and doing things within specific terrains.

[@Ebolson1019]

Mercy Grey I can understand favorite terrain. Personally I’m at home in the woods but put me in mountains, swamp, etc and I’d be thrown for a loop. Also some hunters are just better at hunting certain game. I’m able to track a deer but don’t know the first thing about wolf hunting

[@timothye.2902]

which works fine if you want your survivalist to be really good at hunting deer but bad at hunting polar bears. But if you want to make a character equally adept at both (and a whole bunch of other survival stuff), Ranger isn't going to cut it.

[@thezerowulf2046]

Criminally underrated going to plug your channel to all my friends Also when it comes to taking an 8 I would think they used that to mirror spell dc of 8+prof+mod. But in a different interesting way

[@TitanGamingTV]

Aw thanks ZeroWulf, this comment made my day. Also good point about the spell dc precedent.

[@markdasaro9045]

Someone in my group play Scout Scouts are fantastic basically getting expertise in nature and survival is good and a bonus 10 to a rogue's movement is so good considering you get cunning action as a Rogue.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Scouts ftw!

[@DragonKnightJin]

I played a Mastermind Rogue in a 7th level one-shot. It was a blast to play. I used the Bonus Action Help quite often, mostly because trying to Hide wasn't really an issue, and I didn't have to Disengage or Dash a lot of the time, either. As for the 'take a minute to get some insight' thing is less for combat, and more for RP reasons. If you know they have a better Charisma score, you can assume they might be a bit better at Deception, so you want to make sure you can see through their lies. If they have a better Wisdom score, you might want to avoid lying to them too heavily, because they might be able to see through those lies more easily. That sorta thing.

[@TitanGamingTV]

I figure the Bonus Action Hide is really the mainstay of the archetype. How do you feel it worked out, in terms of effectiveness for helping your allies? Did it feel worth-while each turn you did it?

[@DragonKnightJin]

I mostly used the Help action to give Advantage to a Champion Fighter, so we got a few nice crits out of the whole ordeal. Overall, I think it's very nice, and it gives something to do with the Bonus Action for those times where Hiding isn't really an option, and/or one of the other players is having a bit of a slump with their rolls, and can't hit anything. They help you land your Sneak Attack. Least you can do as a Mastermind is help them land their normal attacks.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Did you move away from the usual daggers rogue for this build? Since your bonus action is spoken for, did you switch to a single weapon style?

[@DragonKnightJin]

I had a Rapier, a Shortbow, and 2 daggers. The standard Rogue starting gear. I mostly stayed at range and plinked at things with my arrows. But I also got in close and got to liquify a Giant Scorpion's innards by pokin' it with a Booming Blade enhanced Rapier, and netting the killing blow. Not too bad for a character that's normally the sort that attends court and deals with the game of thrones BS all day.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Well said :)

[@PartridgeQuill]

As always, the flavor options are great. I tend to think of the inquisitive more like a "Sherlock Holmes" or Scooby gang character, and I think role play heavy groups (especially in, like, an Ebberron setting or similar) would really covet these abilities. I also think that this particular subclass is sort meant as a (kind of passive-aggressive) clarification on a lot of rulings that GMs tended to just let happen. I think there are definitely only certain groups that would benefit from this, and this probably should have been in the original PHB for clarification purposes. Masterminds are sort of like the counter to the first, in my opinion (much as you mentioned). While one is good at rooting out the truth, the other is all about sowing lies. I actually really like this dynamic they set here. I like the scout a lot. I'm a huge fan of subclasses that make it so you don't have to splash another class to feel like a hybrid, and I think that build really, really helps with characters that want to splash multiple classes. I felt mixed about them putting the swashbuckler in this book as well as the Sword Coast Adventurer's guide. I suppose the primary use would be for AL (Adventure League) games, where you're limited on the number of books you can pull from for character build, but outside of that, it feels a bit like a copout to reprint an already published and printed archetype. Thanks for another great video, Alex! You're doing a great job!

[@TitanGamingTV]

Thanks Steven -- thats a good point that I will bring up in my future videos, about WOTC hiding game-ruling statements within class definitions. I like to think of the appearance of more rules-y stuff in class archetypes as being precedent for DM's choosing to run their table that way. Also great point about the more hybrid-y archetypes letting you 'splash' multiple classes without actually dipping other class levels.

[@Smirk75]

I can see the Inquisitive archetype as being used for NPCs, like a spymaster or detective.

[@TitanGamingTV]

It definitely has some strong thematic element.

[@GuildedChunks]

My first dnd 5e character was a rogue mastermind, and the roleplay was just- so awesome. Neutral Evil goblin who was part of a syndicate who he quited to flee from a street war due to the murder of the "godfather" who was his best friend when he was young, so he would be the target to kill to save the throne for being the next godfather, and he know he wouldn't be at his place. So he joined the group that killed the godfather in question, because he know they will not be targeted, because the other crime lord are buzy dealing with the fight for the throne.

[@hodgepodgesyntaxia2112]

Inquisitive definitely needs some tweaks. Maybe an ability that makes finesse weapons and AC scale with Wisdom rather than dex to enable a clever fighter over a dexterous one which seems to be what they're going for. Or combine insightful fighting with master of tactics so that it counts as a ranged help action for the next attack or two.

[@TitanGamingTV]

The stat replacement isnt a bad thought, HP Syntaxia. Certainly feels like it needs something.

[@dave1411]

Now I just wanna make a multiclass Swasbuckler Rogue and Bard that uses sea shanties and pirate curses for inspiration and cutting words

[@brandonwhite7131]

The Swashbuckler is a ton of fun to play, I would recommend it, for me it’s the strongest of the rogue archetypes when it comes to consistent benefits that you get a lot.

[@MikeElmore]

I have decided to play an inquisitive rogue. He is a private investigator rather than a thief. I've really been enjoying it!

[@TitanGamingTV]

Awesome!

[@binolombardi]

Insightful fighting has no distance limit. It can be used at range of eyesight basically. It’s an ability that can be used while the rogue is alone and scouting. It’s also worth figuring out what happens when you size up a creature without its knowledge. Hidden or perhaps during a conversation. Beefs up the rogue during a chase too. The rogue being able to dash after an opponent that outruns the rest of the party and still being able to sneak attack, possibly from range weapon range, is amazing.

[@noxid86]

4:00 I have an example of when this would be useful. I'm building a Battlemaster/Rogue with the sentinel feat and a whip. The idea is to bank on off-turn sneak attacks ( theoretical doubling of total sneak attacks by sneak attacking as a react outside my turn. ) Battlemaster will give me 'riposte' which allows me to reaction attack someone who attacks and misses me. Sentinel allows me to make reaction attacks when someone within my reach attacks an ally( which will be 10 feet ). Now regarding the sentinel attacks, they are automatically going to be SA because they are engaging with an ally. But when I riposte an enemy who is trying to single *me* out they are likely to not be sneak attacks - thus making them wimpy whip attacks. However, this character happens to be a low CHA high WIS character already. He is allergic to bullshit. So if I can predict who is going to be flanking me I can get a sneak attack riposte. This would be covered by Swash' auto-advantage when I'm alone, however, then I would have to speck CHA and lose the rest of my build. This guy has no CHA. He has neck tattoos, scars, and a bandana he carries around to mop sweat from his scarred face. Screw you pretty boy swashbuckler.

[@skullsquad900]

The Inquizitive and Mastermind are obviously for playing a Political City campaign where there would be A-Lot more Role Playing. I've been playing the Scout and it's awesome! Run up, Stab'em in the face, succeed stealth check, run away when they end their turn!

[@TitanGamingTV]

Get that scout son!

[@pluubooruu]

The way I read Mastermind's misdirection was more like a defense to ranged enemies attacking you when they have an ally between you two, you kind of use them as a meatshield. Doesn't specify that the creature is your ally, so I think that sort of tactic might work. Or if you know a ranged enemy will hit you, you get down to cover yourself with their ally. It would be helpful if they specified what kind of cover it is, cause it seems like it's either up to interpretation or full cover...but idk.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Thats a good interpretation, pluubooruu. It adds tactical depth for sure.

[@pluubooruu]

To be honest, I didn't notice the cover part before, and I thought the mastermind just kinda makes a tricky move where they throw an enemy into another enemy's blow. When I read the cover part was when it really hit me, it makes me think of an action movie or game where the hero/villain grabs someone and uses them as a bullet shield.

[@aaronrobbins1458]

I love the scout.

[@seanlipscomb2118]

“But the swashbuckler is better at 1-on1 so..” Right I forgot about the rule in the PHB that says: “if you’re an archetype that isn’t optimal for the situation you’re in, roll a deception check against the DM’s insight. On a success, you become a new character archetype instantly”

[@felixrivera895]

Knowing if your opponent has a better than usual wis save is importanr for your casters to know. Masterminds are the best at scouting out the enemy for the team because they gather info easier than Rogues already do

[@TitanGamingTV]

Totally. I'm keen on running a mastermind at the table, myself.

[@chaddixon9764]

I actually use the rule that skill checks require actions. 5E characters are quite powerful and the last thing you should be doing if you want to challenge your players is make a homebrew rule that significantly increases their action economy.

[@TitanGamingTV]

A fine point, Noximus.

[@Jak3am]

Just found your vids. I like the format. Kinda hope you go back and hit the others from other books

[@TitanGamingTV]

Thanks Jakob! I could make that happen. Welcome to the fam!

[@VioletMoonfox]

Inquisitor and Mastermind are my current two favorite rogue archetypes. Also, for misdirection, that person in front of you granting cover can be an enemy--it doesn't have to be your ally. That said, I made a hexblade/inquisitive that was a bounty hunter investigator (as the archetype is more like a Sherlock Holmes, not an inquisitor) in a party in which everyone else was either in light armor or none, so I actually had the highest AC and HP. Inquisitive Fighting combined with Hexblade's Curse is what got us through a lot of those combats. Honestly, I don't like the Swashbuckler. I suppose that's more because I prefer pathfinder's swashbuckler's class that focuses on a single weapon, rather than this rogue class that seems to want to focus on two weapons. Also see a "swashbuckler" more as the heroic version than something underhanded that rogue seems to bring to mind.

[@tylerturner4040]

Scout sounds the best to me.

[@-Mushroom_Kid-]

Inquisitive rogue with spy background would be cool, like djikstra from witcher, varys from got or ice and fire. Also leliana from dragon age would work

[@Taylor1989s]

These videos would be soooooo good had i not already purchased this book. But they are good videos keep them up.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Lol, thanks Beard Bear.

[@DanateDMC]

Mastermind is kinda made for specific type of role playing sessions. Same as inquisitive

[@TitanGamingTV]

I could see that. Thanks Danat!

[@InquisitorThomas]

Also makes for a really good class for antagonistic NPC’s since it’s two combat ability are built around helping allies and having allies help you.

[@mattbetts01]

Basically a little bit funky.

[@Wanderingsage7]

If your dm allows you to take two subclasses for whatever reason, scout and swashbuckler would be a terrifying combo.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Totally agreed. I feel a little bit like WOTC might've had them the same class originally, then forked them mid-process.

[@hamstsorkxxor]

Wanderingsage7 If I'm DMing for 1 or 2 players, I usually give them one subclass for free, on top of whatever subclass they choose. So for example, if someone is playing a battlemaster fighter, I might give them champion for free as well. They still don't get to double up on things that wouldn't double up if doing regular multiclassing, though. This obviously makes for VERY powerful and versatile characters. But I'm fine with that, since it allows for larger encounters without putting the PCs at a to big disadvantage when outnumbered.

[@thezerowulf2046]

Miss the videos man, hope to see you back soon

[@TitanGamingTV]

Stay tuned my man. Got a new series on its way out the door.

[@tylerh2548]

I would look at the Mastermind for a Jim Rockford Files P.I. style character

[@quinnlee-newbury9003]

I feel like inquisitive and mastermind should be mixed into the same subclass

[@TitanGamingTV]

Yeah I might be with you there. Some undeniable common ground.

[@quinnlee-newbury9003]

@@TitanGamingTV Yeah, I agree they're pretty weak alone. Scout can be quite interesting though, one of the npc followers in my last campaign was a Scout, though it worked well for her because she was a half elf who grew up traveling the wild. It's one subclass that requires you to add your own flavour to, because mechanically it's true that it's not as interesting as swash buckler

[@mavoc3094]

Mathematically speaking, advantage is more of a +3.325 not a +5

[@TitanGamingTV]

If you still have the link to the math, I'd love to see it. I read a pretty compelling case for +5, but I nerd out over dice math. Would love to hear a different argument.

[@mavoc3094]

Well the +3.325 comes from the simple view that an average straight roll will be 10.5 while an average advantage roll will be 13.825. The argument for the +5 comes from looking at it as what is needed on the dice to succeed. People argue that it is generally a number more towards the middle and if you need an 11+ then that is 50% without advantage and 75% with, for an equivalent difference of a +5 to the roll. The issue with this is that the needing of 11+ is the best case scenario. If you needed a 16+ then the difference is like a +3.75 to the roll. People will argue that if you need at least a 4 or less, then you will most likely succeed regardless of advantage, and if you need at least a 18 or more then you will most likely fail regardless of advantage. So they claim you can ignore the extremes and focus on the middle. In this case, the equivalent bonus is going to be more like a +4 to +5 depending on how much of the extremes you are ignoring. TL:DR My initial response was a cheeky one as "Mathematically Speaking" the math doesn't care about context and just cares about averages and how much better one average roll is to another. The +5 is a complete best case scenario, and a +4 would be a better average usefulness of advantage.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Thanks for taking the time to clarify, Mavoc -- you didnt have to, and I appreciate that you did. I'm sure some viewers will benefit from your post since advantage math can be a little tough to grapple. I vibe with cheeky responses, its my usual knee-jerk reaction as well. Cheers pal.

[@saschaschulz3849]

I think u miss the point that they all rogue's to. So they can fight if they whant. I like all 4 of them. But as always good video

[@TitanGamingTV]

Thanks Sascha -- you're quite right, the rogue base class is distinctly playable, even archetype-less.

[@RPalmaIbarra]

well i think scouts are great, better than gloom stalker bc sneak attack , also scouts have poison oriented skills, harvest poison is like dc20

[@TitanGamingTV]

Rodrigo Palma I like the Scout archetype a good deal too.

[@sporebliss]

No one understand the Inquisitive... It's an archetype that work well you are alone, most of the time. If you are in a campaign where you need to uncover thing quickly, deal with magic often, need to be stealthy, the Inquisitive is going to be amazing. ''Use a swashbuckler!'' They are not supposed to be the stealthy type, they are cocky and flamboyant. Zoro is a Swashbuckler, but most people would put him has a fighter. Nothing prevent you from using a swashbuckler in any way, but the core idea is this. The core idea of a class is something too often overlooked by min-maxers. The campaign is also important. If you're ALWAYS in a group, inquisitve might not bring much to the table. It's also DM dependent. Is your DM cunning in it's encounter? Setting traps in the room and/or hidden enemies? Or is it the type to go ''Here's a room. it's empty. The enemies are waiting for you in the middle.''? And what kind of DM doesn't make you take an action for skill check? You're telling me that your character is able to scan an entire room, regardless of it size, in a blink of an eyes AND spot traps or any special element in it? That's something you'd see in an anime... Insightful Fighting can also be used by ranged character against slippery character that can disengage easily (Swashbuckler), it has no limitation per rest or modifiers. It allow you to have you sneak attack regardless of the situation! A lich caugh all of your melee friends and has taken some distance to throw some spell? Still have sneak attack. It has true sight so invisibility is not an option? An enemy manage to cast light on you and, now, you're glowing like a christmas tree? You're fighting someone who can read you mind? Don't care, sneak attack! I'm not saying that you are wrong on everything, you're NOT stupid. Simply that you misjudge the inquisitive. Perhaps you looked at it under one type of campaign, in which it would be bad but, if you judge an animal solely on it'a ability to breath underwater for long period of time, humans would be a bad, dumb creature.

[@Sannypowa]

I can't stand how you talk, it makes it hard for people to understand what you are saying. Please refrain from expressing yourself with an arching speech

[@ExeErdna]

Now I know to make my Warforged Skirmisher a Scout that seems like a good time. Plus making it a crossbow expert and sharpshooter will help I think

[@TitanGamingTV]

You have to go armblade crossbow, that just emerges from your arm during combat and retracts when combat ends. Mega man! (or woman, or nonbinary)