Making D&D Rogues Less Edgy

Rogues in D&D are the shadow the hedgehog of D&D classes, so I just had to do it to them.
Get the Blood Thief Rogue here!
docs.google.co...
Video Editing by the amazing Bia: / bnazf
Writing, Illustration, and Narration by me: / antodemico
My friend calli gave one of the extra voices you hear in this video! Here's their twitter: / calliclassic IDtrack: sg1hj2kkl4del9del94uirlioplsce33

[@rtaraquin]

Mortician rogue is too good for this world. That's why the afterlife helps her so much.

[@wilhelmgradyang3606]

Maybe she is a shaman? But not sure.

[@garygood6804]

Add cleric

[@garygood6804]

Guardian spirits

[@jasonsweeney890]

i really like that phantom idea, i can imagine a sweet character just using a rock to cave in a goblins head just saying "sorry, sorry, sorry" and as the goblins ghost manifests she just keeps apologizing to it

[@tyshawnstubbs9315]

Goblin: You Mother(Beep)er Her: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You gave me no choice ;-;

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

Agreed.

[@CharlesUrban]

The mortician lady has proficiencies in things unsuited to her profession because she's taking advice from spirits. Like when she's trying to sneak around with Stealth, a ghost thief tells her when people are looking in the other direction and where to step to avoid creaky floorboards.

[@tyshawnstubbs9315]

that is probably my favorite concept for a rouge I will not lie

[@miraagustin9804]

This one is best girl we must protect her at all cost

[@josephperez2004]

"Duck" "Wh-" "JUST DUCK!" *Ducks just as a trap spear flies past* "Whoa, thank you." "Don't mention it."

[@michaelhenry7510]

it's a bit sense 8 and i like it

[@vde1846]

It would be a great twist if the assassin one learned that the man who killed her mother was in fact a lowborn assassin impostor just like her. A justified "we're not so different you and I," a neat character arc and a source of self reflection. Suddenly all the NPC's killed might even come to mean something more: what about their loved ones?

[@lysergidedaydream5970]

It would also be an interesting opportunity for them to repent by passing on what they know. You could have this be because they're old and retired, or have them be an active foil who taunts the character as she fails to catch them each time she gets close, and at the end, when she finally dons, she learns that they were motivated by deep guilt to teach her everything they could before their actions caught up with them.

[@Sina-dv1eg]

The Last of Us 2 (2020)

[@Pakewl]

You writing "De Caurteneau" and saying "De Carteneu" with a perfect French accent feels like a bait designed for my specific brand of nitpicking fueled neurosis. I just know it's on purpose. Anyway, great video as usual.

[@pointyhatstudios]

I do everything to upset the french

[@2010AZ]

I thought I was the only one, I legit rewatched the part twice because I was so confused

[@medicgaming9117]

@@pointyhatstudios Im British so many thanks.

[@witchBoi_Connor]

Ha, French!

[@yuki_musha]

Imagine being both French and an FFXIV fan, you'd be even more confused...

[@skullgirl1502]

I'd die for the Mortician rogue just to be able to help her out in her life honestly

[@johnnymonsters9717]

I love playing my rogues as Noir Detectives. Had a Dwarf Rogue Tough as nails NPC Detective i loved to play one day.

[@RosiePosie-el3lj]

I used an inquisitive rogue loxodon as a rival to my last campaign's thief halfling. The party came to know him as Codumbo. But honestly, he preferred it when you just ignored the elephant in the room.

[@benjaminholcomb9478]

@@RosiePosie-el3lj wow That's beautiful

[@kikikillian1208]

@@RosiePosie-el3lj A mix of Columbo and Dumbo (that flying elephant)? how inqui- uh exquisite

[@MillerEP1]

Same. I currently play an Inquisitive Rogue using the City Watch/Investigator Background and Dungeon Delver and Observant feats (used Human Variant for second feat), and basically play him as a bit of a Sherlock Holmes/private eye.

[@egrumblybus7792]

Had a basic rogue that was just a peddler

[@TheTrueFeleas]

Your Phantom Rogue twist is literally how I played my Thief/Alchemist. Played them as a doctor who used science rather than magic to help others, but had the twist of seeing the dead. He believed that they were psychological manifestations of his guilt throughout life, not truly believing they were the dead who were unable to move on. Later in the campaign he did come to the realization they were the dead, leading to him go full circle after coming to believe he didn't fail those in the past at all, but helped them in a different way.

[@tanchuzhen9057]

Wait is your world low magic cuz if Magic’s everywhere why wouldn’t your character default to thinking he sees ghosts

[@TheTrueFeleas]

@@tanchuzhen9057 Just because you see the evidence before you, doesn't make you believe it's real. There's many in high fantasy world settings that doesn't use magic, don't experience magic, or believe superstitions involving magic. He was someone who believed in science rather than waving a wand around would solve problems.

[@tanchuzhen9057]

@@TheTrueFeleas so I’m your world most mages aren’t engineers, mathematicians or chemists, I assume? That’s very interesting!

[@TheTrueFeleas]

@@tanchuzhen9057 Oh there definitely are. It's a big world after all! What I found was do what Star Wars does when world building. Introduce general rules of how the world works (like with Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and Eberron), and then introduce 1 area at a time that shares similar culture and technology. You'll end up with a diverse world with many different themes to them. :D

[@SmugCoffeeMan]

I love how you posted SHadow the hedgehog, that's basically a Tabaxi Rogue who takes Gunner at 4th.

[@MegaPokefan97]

He's technically a Wild Magic Sorcerer, because chaos, and then he takes the gunner feat after multiclassing into fighter

[@archsteel7]

… Shadow and Sonic are both monks though.

[@braija]

@@archsteel7 in the regard that they are both liked by terminal virgins?

[@Twilord_]

@@archsteel7 Sonic is totally a Bard/Monk. Shadow is some weird mesh of Rogue/Paladin/Sorcerer inside a Tabaxi Tiefling hybrid. Knuckles is a Paladin/Barbarian. Tails is an Artificer with a couple levels in Wizard.

[@firstnamelastname7244]

I think Humblewood has a hedgehog race.

[@jokhard8137]

I've known Belinda for only 1.2 seconds and I love her already. Suffice to say, I *am* going to use her, one way or another

[@thornangel16]

I’d like to make rogues whose backstories incorporate elements of the horrors of actual historical poverty and street life, and are still able to come away from it with a willingness to learn to trust people thanks to what positive influences they did have growing up.

[@Victor-pi9ut]

You could use the late 1600s as an example for a backstory because back in the 1600s parents would sell kids as young as 4 years old and many of these kids developed serious medical conditions due to working in terrible conditions.

[@thornangel16]

@@Victor-pi9ut Being poor in any city without a good sewer system is bound to expose any street folk to all kinds of terrible diseases. It's a wonder why more people don't portray their rogues in terrible health or suffering from the various after-effects of all the diseases they've caught. Also debtor's prison used to be a thing. And jailors' fees. Heck just researching the English prison system and its many reforms, both good and bad, is like a treasure chest of inspiration.

[@DelilahDarling17]

@@thornangel16 I don't play dnd, but I do use a lot of its elements and peoples ideas for a campaign as some inspiration. So, if I may ask, what kind of medical conditions? I'd like to use this as inspiration and might portray the terrible health some time in a story I'm writing! Heavily based on dnd more than others. Thank you. Or if you have any sources you'd recommend for me, that'd also be great. My educational system is pretty awful, so I've had to teach myself a lot, though I'm not sure where to look with this information.

[@thornangel16]

@@DelilahDarling17 Sure! I'm not an expert on the subject, but a good place to start is Googling "Diseases of Poverty" without any D&D tags as a baseline. Stuff like Tuberculosis and Cholera; the former is something that kills slowly while the latter kills quickly (and is very nasty). For lasting medical conditions my favorite example is untreated strep throat, which can lead to rheumatic heart disease in children and teenagers. Internal parasites can also be a problem due to eating bad food, though I'm reluctant look those up because it grosses me out. When it comes to poverty and its diseases is lack of access to anything of acceptable quality. The poorer neighborhoods of cities are tinder boxes of disease because more people means more folks coughing on each other. Likewise being poor means being chronically stressed and not getting enough food or sleep for extended periods of time. Even if you find a way out of living like that, you're not going to come out the other end of it in perfect health. The more time spent in destitution, the worse it can be. Exceptions to that often miraculous. In D&D much like in real life (because some churches did run hospitals and were the first to do so in Medieval times), local clerical orders would probably help as much as they can, but they can't use their magic to help everybody. Too many people to help and not enough money for resources. Also like in real life (even more so historically), most of the affluent would rather innovate ways to better ignore poverty than fix it. Out of sight, out of mind. Unless they get their stuff stolen by rogues pickpocketing them. There was a period in time in England where a 9 year old kid could get publicly hung for stealing a handkerchief. It was supposed to deter thieves, but it didn't work. People got used to the hangings after the first 30 of them, yet they kept doing them for 100 years or so. It was called the Bloody Code. Hope that helps!

[@DelilahDarling17]

@@thornangel16 Ah, I'm sorry for the late reply! I forgot to respond. Thank you so much for the information, all of that really does help a lot!

[@matheusbellini9461]

I once made a Rogue who was a treasure hunter in the desert, he had that Aladin like personality, friendly and all, whose routine was to investigate ruins and collect treasure. It was really fun. Also, he was a part of a nomad tribe before he started treasure hunter, but as I learned, having alive relatives is just fuel to your DM's campaign, so after encoutering The party I discover they are dead and now I need to avenge them.

[@Ishasgirl]

I just played a very similar rogue! treasure hunter, with a huge desire to explore and a love/fascination of strange/unusual/shiny things. she didn't know where her family was becuase they just lost track of each other. (they were very nomadic)

[@douglasphillips5870]

In AD&D there was an acrobat subclass that focused the agility of the rogue toward entertainment instead of sneakiness. That could be remade for 5e.

[@ericschwegler7514]

Not just batman but also Robin now?

[@Barakon]

Sounds more like a bard subclass than a rogue subclass… Cirque de Soleil ropewalker bards subset of the the dancer subclass to be specific.

[@Barakon]

@@IamsTokiWartooth indeed

[@fluffysprout]

Flavour wise it seems they've tried this with arcane trickster

[@SynSabre]

“Let’s make a less edgy assassin” “Continues to make the edgiest assassin possible”

[@LadyDoomsinger]

I kinda suspect he confuses the term "Edgy" for "wearing black" :/

[@marocat4749]

@@jeancrocker2183 I mean you can course correct by her getting a friend and basially the hitgirl from badass thing where she gets revenge but its meaningless and she becomes wholesome helping people. Like wholesome batman.

[@edwardramos4591]

I think the idea is that these two are not corner brooders. One would be at a wine tasting, slipping something into one of the samples; and the other is talking with the party about some of the weirder bodies she's worked on with the same casual tone as a breakroom conversation.

[@starmano34]

TOO BE FAIR; people conflate "edginess" with a lot of secondary characteristics. A lot of edgy character's WEAR BLACK or have TRAGIC BACKSTORIES but those don't inherently make a character "edgy". What makes a character EDGY is their PERSONALITY. Is your character a spiteful loner who thinks they're better than everyone else because...? Is your character incredibly arrogant and constantly refuses to help the rest of the party? Is your character INCREDIBLY SADISTIC, to the point where it's making the other players uncomfortable and/or is causing party conflict? You, my friend, have made an EDGE LORD. But a character can still have SOME of those traits and not be an edge lord; but the bad traits need to be balanced out by good traits so the rest of the party actually LIKES THEM. So their arrogant? Make them generous. They're sadistic? Make them thoughtful. They're a loner? Make them incredibly trustworthy. So long as you don't go OVERBOARD with the edge you'll be fine. Yeah sure the rest of the party might give you shit about it, but so long as your character's personality isn't leading to real conflict (or you're secretly using the character's personality as an excuse to be a shithead) you'll be fine.

[@jonttopia]

​@@aquamarinerose5405 damn, that's word for word taken from OSP. I wouldn't say batman is supposed to be wholesome exactly, but he's not supposed to be edgy either.

[@calliclassic]

Finally, a video that I can show to my DM to convince them to let me gather a party of swashbucklers and scurvy-ridden ne'er-do-wells to make an ultra-pirate campaign...

[@jessekuiper1684]

the "i've never tried this on a living person before" line was perfect

[@ItThatSleeps]

the edgelord rogue is such an alien concept for me because my ideas for a rogue character generally range from Oliver Twist to Lupin III and the one and only time one of my friends played a rogue he was essentially a runaway rich kid

[@Sanguivore]

Yeah, I gotta say, in all my years of playing and running D&D, the Rogue players have always been the *least* edgy ones in my experience, lol.

[@shinobidaniel_12]

@@Sanguivore my first character was mildly edgy

[@JosekTheNecromancer]

I always make rogue be job-focused and done with everyone’s shit. The became a rogue so they can do things well with expertise and sneak attack because they just want the fight to be done as fast as possible

[@JosekTheNecromancer]

Ex. Kasuma from konosuba

[@tootbender6935]

If I ever play DnD and make a rogue, I want them to be kinda like Sly Cooper.

[@quinn0493]

Im OBSESSED with Belinda, espcially the note about how spirits correct her posture or tell her to dodge, that's just so incredibly cool. Great work as always!!!

[@frogmanarts2812]

these videos are way to good for you to only have 325 subs. i have loved every video you have made so far

[@pointyhatstudios]

Aww thank you! I'm trying my best :)

[@wrennthewizard144]

This aged strangely. Only one month ago?!

[@frogmanarts2812]

@@wrennthewizard144 i know right.

[@jedpatton2547]

@@frogmanarts2812 I guess, congrats to @pointyhat for doing awesome stuff!

[@evelynnsophia7631]

44.6k now! In only 3 months, congratulations pointy hat

[@Connor_McKinnon]

Once, I created a Drow Swashbuckler Rogue with the Sailor (Pirate) background. The trick was that he never actually stole anything; he just enjoyed acting like a pirate. It was interesting to roleplay. Edit: He was very happy go lucky, despite being captured in the Underdark (we were playing Out of the Abyss).

[@Breezely22]

This is my first campaign ever, and I'm GMing a duet with a friend. She chose Rogue assassin, but plays her like an absolute mad lad. Session 0, the king she was sent to kill wakes up before she cuts open his throat, makes her a deal, and she defects from her guild to live a life of luxury in the palace. I decided to let her spar the captain of the royal guard so we could get a feel with the combat. And bc the captain was getting sick of her constant nicknames she gave him and wanted to teach her a lesson. Spar begins, captain lands 1 hit, misses 2. She runs and hides. Steals a bed sheet. Hides in a tree. Drops the sheet on the Captain. A couple sneak attacks later she's won. And I'm just there like??? Welp I'm clearly going to need to make more challenging combat situations.

[@hayeslundry]

I’m making a noble rouge that grew up in a house where she just was so use to sneaking around so that nobody would bother her. I was thinking of doing neglectful parents but I’m think she had a great up bringing but just wants to live a different life and ran away before her wedding or something. She probably had a tutor that use to be a rouge of some kind and that’s where she learned her skills.

[@kdavidsmith1]

You might like the Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb.

[@elenorefangirl3389]

Love the Mortician rogue! You could multi-class it with Necromancy to have a mortician who helps the dead and living,

[@Sanguivore]

I love that idea! :D

[@bionicdragon5]

A healer who literally never gives up.

[@Drekromancer]

@@bionicdragon5 _"I comfort souls, darling. It's my duty to help them as much as I can, without regard for which side of the veil they occupy. Death is not an excuse."_

[@purplefish212]

The mortician rogue example is a lot like one of my characters! She grew up on the streets, but she actually had pretty a sweet childhood cuz she was raised by several really supportive ghosts who are super stoked at getting to adopt a kid. Sunshiney and peaceful personality, but the ghost-family trained her well and she's heading out to help solve the mystery of one of their deaths

[@tonywilson7155]

Rogues don't deal exceptional damage, it just seems like they do since they usually make one attack per turn rather than multiple.

[@characterblub]

Multi class into kensei monk 🥴

[@jolenearnold6716]

@@characterblub just be a kensei monk, better dpr

[@characterblub]

@@jolenearnold6716 swashbuckler and kensei work great together tbh

[@jolenearnold6716]

@@characterblub the issue is both the classes kinda fall apart without full scaling in their class

[@X3n0nLP]

I imagine the mortician getting most of her help from the spirit of a snarky thief and she really doesn't like how he views morals, regularly bickering with someone other people can't hear, but after some time she grows to appreciate the spirits views

[@TheTsugnawmi2010]

What about a rouge subclass who's obsessed with money for thematic and mechanical reasons? Similar to your Blood Rogue, I envision a subclass that uses coins for magical effects (increased damage, healing, better movement, invisibility, etc.) but each magical effect costs the coin. The more valuable the coin, the stronger the effect (copper is like a cantrip. but platinum is like a 5th level spell). Now the rogue has a reason to want to steal or go on quests all the time.

[@Sanguivore]

That is a very interesting and unique idea! :O If you'd be interested in designing this more, I'd love to see it!

[@ballisticm0use72]

Seems way overpowered. Even after an easy fight, you would come away with dozens of low level spells to cast

[@Drekromancer]

Balancing this would be tough, but I love the premise!

[@MegaHuntress]

Yeah, it sounds cool, but it would be a nightmare to balance with how fluid the economy of DnD is.

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

That is just an overpowered Arcane Trickster but with extra steps.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Your references are insane...the amount of media one has to be familiar with... amazing content!

[@chamitoempire1672]

I always loved the idea of a street thug rogue, a big guy who is more likely to shank you in an alleyway and steal your wallet instead of stabbing you while you sleep

[@Sanguivore]

Orc Rogues rise up!

[@chamitoempire1672]

@@Sanguivore bugbears get surprise attack and dex bonus, just saying

[@Sanguivore]

@@chamitoempire1672 I've also played a Bugbear Rogue once and it was fantastic! One of my favorite characters ever.

[@Drekromancer]

I remember there was a Strength-based Rogue subclass in Pathfinder 2e called the Ruffian. It shared a lot of the same ideas. I recommend you check it out! Maybe it can be adapted to 5e.

[@LupineShadowOmega]

I'd Rogue/Barbarian multiclass. You'd have to use a Finesse weapon, but I figure it would be a ton of fun especially with Bear Totem or maybe Zealot.

[@Mango_Sage]

I ran a phantom rogue for a one shot (who I’d LOVE to play again) His whole shtick was that the “phantoms” and “ghosts” that he used/helped him were different ancestors all playfully teasing him about his career and such, like any short or long rest was a fully family gathering dinner with certain ancestors asking him when he was planning to settle down and get married. Some even attempted to play match maker. Others still would scold some of his more chaotic tendencies and while siblings or distant relatives would encourage his talents for breaking and entering, talking above it how adventuring was a great career choice. It was all just very silly and sweet. I’m very grateful to my dm who allowed me to stretch what was given in the description for phantom rogues.

[@idlevillager3763]

I'm still keeping a field-medic ("thief" rogue with healer feat, for bonus action heals) ready if I ever have to play a low-magic campaign

[@Drekromancer]

That's actually fire. I wanna see that so bad. Cunning Action, Healer, and Medicine proficiency would work very well together.

[@AdamWhistle1]

A thought: having sneaky skills isn't always about being on the bad side of the law. Detectives can easily find themselves sneaking around to investigate places/gain information, they may shake down reluctant informants or thugs, they may even need to steal things in legally gray things. Same thing for spies, who may lie and steal but they do it mostly towards people that would do the same to them.

[@DoctorSciencetime]

My character for the last few years is a tiefling Arcane Trickster rogue, and I feel like I've somehow managed to dance around any of the edgy archetypes, save for the tragic orphan backstory. He wears bright colors, loves his magic cat, and fills the party's caravan with stuffed animals and knickknacks. He's definitely somewhere between Flynn Ryder from Tangled and Bugs Bunny (especially since he took a feat that gives him the Mask of Many Faces warlock feature. infinite costume changes!)

[@BaeBunni]

I actually like playing a rogue swashbuckler as a professional stage actor. With the high dexterity and charisma playing them as sorta a foil in an acting trope but can actually do their own stunts and gets caught up becoming an adventurer in one way or another.

[@AnimeLuver3231]

I never thought I'd want to play a Rouge but your description of Belinda is fantastic!! Kind of reminds me of the vague ideas I've seen about playing a therapist character. I also love the fancy assassin concept!!!!

[@EdgarsPinkis]

Playing my rogue as an assassin, roleplay wise dude just saw it as a day job, essentially being some dude with a day job of thieving and killing, joining the party because his buddy is rolling with them and that's it.

[@dustyn4970]

I am playing my first rouge and to subvert the edge lord tropes I just made him a dad. Like literally having kids telling dad jokes but doing crimes too.

[@sinisternorimaki]

"Hi dead, I'm dad."

[@dustyn4970]

@@sinisternorimaki nice

[@Scalesthelizardwizard]

I'm here for dad rouge

[@carteradams43]

I'm on my first rogue and I made him a nobleman from a faraway court. Rogues are common in the court, his parents are rogues too (and they're also alive and well, mind you.) He was trained more in charisma and diplomacy rather then stealth.

[@Typhoon.703_]

My rouge works for a paladin order as a spy/Info gatherer, he is basically fantasy James Bond.

[@axolotl706]

I absolutely love the assassin concept! It's super cool and gave me tons of inspiration!

[@phantomkat42]

Can't wait for the next one! Loved all the twists as always. The Ghost Whisperer reference was perfect for the Phantom and she just sounds SO NICE 🥺 ❤️

[@AvielFlier101]

You know I thought the blood thief was going to be like the blood hunter but no he did an excellent job making it its own unique subclass love your videos and keep on keeping on

[@eazy8579]

My first character was a Tiefling Rogue in a tricorn hat who was a Swashbuckler and he kept dueling people with a rapier, drinking himself unconscious, and he hit on anyone he could with the dumbest, goofiness pick up lines I could think of until I got sick of it, and wore a tricorn hat; his background was basically that he was basically a Mob Enforcer; he was a ton of fun, and I really miss that game

[@nikkothegoblin]

Also gotta say your art is fantastic and really pushes these videos into the next tier

[@planetfall5056]

The first character i played in DnD was a Xanathar’s Guide to Everything subclass, the scout. Basically a rouge Ranger fusion. Back story was small village kid was a hunter in his youth, then put his archery skills to use joining a mercenary company to earn money to support his aging parents. Also was given an old staff by the party druid for whacking people over the head nonlethally since he doesn't like violence. Or thievery for that matter. Literally no edge there :P Though he did get really excited about buying kitchen knives for the mansion our Warlock won in a bet. Loved cooking and butchering animals n monsters for all the parts! Got enough Rok feathers for a cape, but the game ended before we could craft it :C

[@beepblorp4197]

Love your art style and creativity with backstory and character development! No wonder you channel is growing so fast

[@Mikami_The_Bard]

This phantom rogue idea got me a motive for a reason why gigants clan got peace (for a time) with elves! (Plot reasons why they had to be in peace but had no idea how to make it legit).

[@Someone-dj6kk]

I’ve thought of a Roque Tabaxi character who is kinda like a child, sort of, they are very young who lived on an abandoned village in a desert, who he has formed a group with some other characters, they were very much just a group of friends living their lives day after day, sometimes robbing to cover their necessities, some other times for fun, getting into trouble and sometimes almost getting arrested for it. He had to learn to live that way in order to survive and also maintain his crowd alive as well, and together they’ve eventually become comrades and developed a really close friendship between them. However, due to some turning point (originally for the campaign it was a war breaking and all that jazz) they disbanded and had to separate, there was a draconian who was decentely lucky and was able to become a merchant, and thanks to their draconic legs and wings they were able to travel quickly to different cities and sell their goods and also deliver things without much problem. There was also a tiefling who sadly got caught and then, as punishment, they became an executioner, and after many jobs they ended up having to battle against my tabaxi rogue where one of them would have to die. When creating the rogue I was just thinking of the Roman saying “Memento Mori” which means “You will also die” therefore, you should live life to the fullest, that’s why I thought about just having fun with your peers, stealing together to keep on living, sharing memories and just doing fun things, not caring about much. That’s why when he had to run away he decided to try and search for his friends and make up for his bad guidance and how much of a coward he was from running away when the war started, something along those lines, just friendship, guilt, camaraderie, and living live I think it’s wholesome :D

[@MachineWraith]

I'm in love with this series and all the twists have been great!

[@Atomsk2]

I’ve played a “laughing blade” rogue. Was a phantom with no edge lord traits, was basically a jester with a knife, the character tried to be jokey, was never super serious, had the stuff to help the group and could work together with everyone else, but was basically “I’ve seen some stuff on the other side, trust me it’s best we just try to get through this life with a smile while being as good as we can”

[@kamiwriterleonardo6345]

Honestly, I saw your content being recommended to me today, and got curious. You make great content M8! I love reimagining races, monsters and cultures, and your ideas are just a hot cauldron of inspiration. If I may, I'd like to see what you think of the current instance of the Dragonborn, and how would you twist it?

[@Em-ht9cg]

Omg I hope he does Dragonborn I’ve always thought that race was boring tbh

[@themysterfox8695]

recently did a spin on the thief subclass by making a hoister. in the victorian era,there was a skilled called "hoisting" which was basically being a commercial/professional shop-lifter. it even involved apprenticeship. this character was a hoister who stole expensive fabrics to give their tailor mentor,who usually didn't question where they came from.

[@trainer233]

It will be fun have a nice psyco rogue assassin. With a lovely family as a cover

[@TheThirdParty35]

Spy x family?

[@orklad]

Love the Blood Thief idea, and I don't know about timing on this v. the character class DnD did, but the Bloodhunter class seems like it's not too far off, flavor-wise.

[@MatrixTheGreat777]

Well, seems like I just discovered a goldmine in the making. Also, I'm SO stealing Belinda character concept, seems like a fun rogue to play!

[@amytaber9080]

I have been on a binge watching your videos. Each one is gold quality! Loving each spin twist you suggest at the end of each video. The morgue rogue is so pure I am loving it! Please keep making these kind of videos!

[@nurlampa]

OMG! It's so cool that I found you in the beginning of your journey. Wish you all the best! You make great videos

[@richardlandgraf1953]

I have a fun idea for a Thief who hates killing.and freaks out at the sight of blood. He became a thief because he was jealous of the noble children he grew up around, his father being the personal guard of a royal family. After his parents happily retired to a small cottage on the coast he left, not happy with what he felt like settling for a life not good enough for him.

[@jjkthebest]

I love swashbucklers. Probably the only rogue I'll ever play. Though I somehow managed to make my first one pretty edgy as well. Oops. That said, I might play arcane trickster some time. The mischievous illusionist seems pretty cool too. Can be done with or without edge.

[@tdog1780]

The blood thief is a perfect class for the boss of a one-off campaign I'm writing. Your videos actually have inspired me to come up with some of my own stuff and really get into D&D. I was for the longest time only a surface level player, but you helped me get into a deeper passion for the game. Thank you pointy hat.

[@Bnazf]

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR

[@LenaConH]

bia i swear the ouat references get me evry time asgfghdjfj the good old terrible days

[@Bnazf]

@@LenaConH the way I needed to sneak it in for old time's sake

[@dinen5000]

I think Assassin is highly situational, but its a situation you have the choice to create quite often. The sneaky person usually scouts ahead a ways, when you spot a group of enemies just signal to your group to get ready for a coordinated attack, and get your surprise round. boom situation achieved.

[@batwafflz970]

I love your content so far, so I challenge you to do a Sorcerer video and the custom subclass being time based I’ve always imagined playing a character who one day wasn’t in their correct timeline but no class seems to be able to do that

[@batwafflz970]

And Quantum Break was kinda the inspiration for this post since I played it a while ago and really enjoyed the story/character it offered

[@SpitfiretheCat16]

@@batwafflz970 I'm working on a Matrix sorcerer if that counts

[@KitKatHexe]

I actually made a LG assassin rogue once. His name was Stefan and his backstory revolved around him being basically the chief of security for the baron of a small kingdom, I which he would run white hat "drill" assassination attempts against the Baron (much to the Baron's chagrin) to keep his guards on top of their game. His call to adventure was having to escape after he was framed for an *actual* assassination of the Baron's wife, and lead to him needing to clear his name by finding and apprehending the actual assassin.

[@valiensr1037]

I once made a rogue with the most wholesome backstory in my party. 😂

[@UltimateMustacheX]

The rogue concept I've got floating in my head is a guy who's a bit insane/weary from years of spirits talking to him while he was alone. Phantom rogue with a hermit background. He was from a small farm town that got wiped out by some baddie. He hid under a body to avoid death, then spent the next decade or so alone in the ruined town, just living off what was already available from his neighbors (hermit period). All the while, he began talking to the bodies as he went about his day. Eventually they responded back, and he began having the villagers constantly visiting him to check up on him. Over time, the spirits sensed the villain was stirring again, and started prodding him to go and warn others to try and prevent a similar fate (hermit discovery feature). He'd probably want to do it so the villagers could pass on, though it'd be real quiet with them gone, now that he's a bit loopy.

[@JustsomeGuy22367]

Come for the less edgy rogues, stay for the exquisite taste in music.

[@Emsilly]

ok so a small multiclass idea for people who want rogue flavoring but less sneaky, Barbarian rogue has a suprising synergy, as a rogue only needs a Finesse weapon to activate sneak attack, it says nothing about actually using DEX So Rage damage And Sneak attack in one swing :D Can even use reckless attacks to ensure a hit

[@jasonfinch3631]

the last rogue i made was probably a diviation from what is standard in anyway. they were a Military Scout.

[@kardelen3504]

You're a champion for this amazing series! The quality and creativity behind each one is apparent immediately and you pulled me into the pool of nostalgia without any complaints! Thank you so much for the stellar suggestions and validation of teenage angst

[@fandomonium3789]

could you do a video for Fey Races/Fey Culture or something? With the increase in Fey-type playable races, it'd be cool to see how Fey culture could be used to give fey-type races a collective identity to pull from.

[@hadizahedi5651]

the free subclasses and creative spin is awesome. props dude

[@andrewpeli9019]

George Lucas wrote the wholesome rogue archetype half a century ago

[@dejaypage1575]

Which Ford character? :P

[@Syddalucida]

Blood Thief Rogue made me think of Kyoukai na Kanata. Fun idea for DnD build. :3 Thank you! Super awesome quality of your videos, honestly hope you get more ppl to watch you! ♥

[@raeishimura]

Stumbled on this and it always makes me laugh. Every class has it's stereotypes. I join games with new players to help teach them, and I always try to encourage more interesting forms of character. The issue with the class is the player, and I try to teach this. Those stereotypical things like "edgy rogue" or "stupid barbarian" or "arrogant prick wizard" are just the player being terrible. For example, had a player who was playing as a rogue Phantom who was like a Ghost Hunter sort, and was almost more Scooby-Doo. The character was a bit of a stoner, who made terrible puns, laughed at the dumbest things and was always hungry. He was a little cowardly, but that's why he was so sneaky and underhanded. He didn't want to ditch his friends, so he was sneaky with his attecks. Because he was naturally a bit dense, he would trust the spirits that would help him and keep him alive, and he would do what he could to help them find peace in return. We need more people to encourage more creativity in character creation. Right now, I'm playing a barbarian who is the second son of a noble, disenfranchised because his father always treated him as the unwanted spare. So he just left to live his life because he knew he could and nobody would care. He'd drink and feast and fight, and is super cheerful and laid back, but he's actually really pretty smart and charismatic. He just doesn't want to live as a noble, he'd rather live free and happy.

[@markechevarria2696]

Absolutely love the full edgelord build! Such a fun video. Ty so much for making it!

[@kickasterisk6155]

I want to play a rogue that is so incredibly awkward around the opposite sex (for me it would be a dude incredibly shy around girls). Even going so far as to act differently to their own party members purely based off of their characters gender. when they are with a guy they will be a dork who freaks out about what they did in front of some of the girls, and with the girls they will be silent with non committal actions or very short sentences to get across what they need to say. If I do get to play as this character they would probably fight with ranged weaponry when they are allowed, while being very nonconfrontational and only helping from a distance. though they would rather be up and close with an opponent than talk to a girl. (and yes, charisma would be this characters dump stat along with strength, how did you know?)

[@mineflameblade8788]

This character reminds me of Lon Qu from Fire Emblem Awakening

[@kickasterisk6155]

@@mineflameblade8788 after a quick google search I can see the resemblance

[@TycoonTitian01]

Can confirm, a person that was (not really liked by the group except the DM) for his first time playing dnd make a joke character as a rouge but put the class as wizard. He showed up for 5 minutes at the end of a session then never showed up again

[@Mystrandis]

Great video! , been loving the series so far! And trying to give a little constructive criticism, I think you should lean more toward the drawings (they are veeeery cool) and use a little less of references and Segways, cuz sometimes they disrupt the flow of the video. I can't wait to see the Warlock or a Tank Class :)

[@Kired25]

I played Tabaxi Rogue with the Thief subclass a few years ago who only became a thief because he spent a few years on the streets. Eventually another Tabaxi that was a traveling chef took him in and taught him to cook. So my Rogue kept his Thief skills sharp over the years, but spent most of his time being a chef who couldn't stand the idea of anyone going hungry. I really played the chef angle up out of combat and tried to keep him cheery throughout the few sessions we played. The only thing that really got under his skin was wasting food. Would love to revisit him one day!

[@Windowsprodukt]

"Very high damage" Rogues gets outpreformed by both Fighters and Barbarians big time. They are also stuck doing the exact same thing in combat every turn from level 1 to 20. It's just a utility class with some fun roleplay abilities.

[@tiph3802]

My phantom rogue is a reborn vistani who woke up buried with only a note telling her to meet her old party at a specific tavern. She doesn't remember them or their names or anything before she woke up to her grave being robbed. She's slightly insane and more comfortable around the dead, but she's kind and well-mannered and forms strong bonds with the dead.

[@andreymontag]

Rogues aren't high damage tho They aren't glass cannons since they always take half damage and their AC scales with their main stat

[@sinisternorimaki]

They are slippery class canons. And how the heck is sneak attack not high damage?

[@theuncalledfor]

@@sinisternorimaki Rogues have lower DPR (Damage Per Round) than Fighters and Barbarians.

[@sinisternorimaki]

@@theuncalledfor Taking a fighter with, let's say, a battleaxe, and a rogue with two swortswords, assuming all attacks hit, giving them both +5 in their attack stat, not counting subclasses nor limited-use abilities and putting them both at level 11... we would be talking of a potential average of about 32 per turn for the fighter (35 if we give him great weapon fighting) against 38 per turn for the rogue.

[@sinisternorimaki]

The barbarian is tricky to compare because though fury is a limited-use ability, the class is designed having in mind that you will use it in most relevant battles.

[@sinisternorimaki]

Though the thing is that fighters are more reliable in doing SOME damage because of how much times they attack, but the same way they'll probably hit in each turn, they'll also probably miss some attack in each turn, so their damage per turn is not actually that big. Meanwhile, rogues just attack once, or twice if they spend the bonus action, but if they do hit with at least one of those attacks, they're guaranteed to make a shit ton of damage.

[@LordKarnox]

Best edited new DnD series I've seen so far! Super creative and new ideas that aren't behind a paywall like everyone else. Amazing, definately a new subscriber and gonna share it with all my other DnD friends

[@StinkerTheFirst]

Mortician rogue sounds lovely! Also, I love the idea that her ghost buddies are helping her. It's fantastic flavor for why this mortician has the class features of a rogue without being trained in them.

[@FunnyLittleGnome66]

I made a Warlock Hexblade (what else) Phantom Rogue who's a kid who lost his friends while playing hide and seek in a forest and got lost. Unable to get home, he had to sleep under a tree. While he was sleeping, a whimsical yet oddly creepy voice begun to talk to him and asked him to play with them. When he woke up there was a smiling pumpkin-face mask in front of him, one that seemed to resonate with him. Wearing the mask felt...good, comforting even. He took part of these games, which were mostly just pranks on the towns nearby which grew more elaborate over time, resulting in him eventually stealing some clothes and burlap sacks from a farmer's scarecrow, further distancing his old identity towards his new one as Dolus the Trickster. The voice eventually revealed that he's now one of the few who can ward evil spirits away from the various towns in his region, and that these pranks were merely an initiation and training to his purpose. With his parents assuming he's dead, the kid who got lost is as good as gone and in his place is the trickster who keeps evil spirits at bay whilst indulging himself in his childish urges. It's a variant Human Haunted One (though who's the one haunting is anyone's guess) with a couple of voodoo-pricks as daggers and a big scythe, it's inspired from how Halloween was initially made to ward of evil spirits by dressing kids up in creepy costumes and scarecrows that...well, keep crows away from crops.

[@MickeyJPerez3]

I played as an undead rouge before. My friend let me play as a skeleton and I’d take my hands and stuff apart it crawl and grab things for us. It was pretty cool and I had some dark spells and had to constantly cover myself with robes or clothes like a mummy

[@ninaillum3724]

God, I love all of these references you use in your videos. So much wonderful drag raceand now MISSY ELLIOT. I luv.

[@bleach714able]

I made a swashbuckler rouge but flavored as a type of blade dancer. Dancing with chakras and sabres. She also had the actor feat and a hat of disguise. She always was hiding in plain sight xD

[@fabiomp199]

I am in love with the mortician rogue you made, I absolutely want to build something like that because it sounds just so cute so f****** funny at the same time.

[@nilesamon7577]

I once played Mastermind Rogue with a bit of Battlemaster Fighter. Essentially he was a veteran, whose youth was spent but his experience from many battles made him a great commander. He survived the entire campaign despite dumping CON.

[@TopherAustin]

The single note when introducing the Phantom made my laugh out loud

[@dragonmaster613]

I find basing the Backstory on the Background and Subclass (works better when starting at a higher level than 1). A Urhin thief can be an adult that never learned what is wrong and thinks pickpocketing is about how funny it is rather than survival, Sailor Swashbuckler can be a Pirate, a Noble Mastermind is just Sherlock Holmes, and an Acolyte is a Snake oil Salesman or one who busts scammers. Sometimes Tools can flavor it too, like Herbalist's can make a Plague Doctor, or Poisoner's can make a prankster, Playing Cards can make a gambler who cheats. (This was typed prior to viewing the video)

[@b3rz3rk3r9]

Funny thing, I had an idea for an Arcane Trickster Changeling who was as edgy as an envelope. Dude was a performer. He had different clothing sets to disguise himself if things got too hairy to leave just yet, would use whistles and shadow puppets to distract guards and guard dogs, and carried a gourd jug of water to fake being drunk. He is loyal to the party. No, not in that "He won't kill the party" thing, but more like "OH hey, the party might need these notes for later. Let's see, where did I put that charcoal pen and notebook," and definitely a "I won't let you guys get hurt" sort of deal while pretending to be a slightly obnoxious drunk. Pretty chill in social interactions. He's fairly laid back and chill, and can even be that quiet hype guy that drags you to a corner and gets you going through whispered hype phrases. He was also fairly composed, pretty kuch unshakable from most insults (unless someone called him "Goo puddle.") Dude, however, was a pretty bad Klepto when the party wasn't around. Let's just say that many Nobles lost their coin purses near some alleys and they caught a 14 year old smith's son, a 55 year old librarian lady, and a Flumph. Just a flumph. That, and anyone who were particularly dickish would _mysteriously_ notice a lit fuse in their trousers.

[@orionblack5067]

The Nightwish song sent me 20 years into the past, and I loved every second of it

[@maru5259]

The blood dude is such a sick idea, something I thought for a balance would be that if they're restricted to using their own blood, what if they get more frail the more blood they use? So like if they embew their weapon with blood, the more blood they use the frailer they get cuz there's less blood in their own bodies - I think this creates a pretty cool glass canon gimmick :))

[@TheBrickMasterB]

I actually started participating in a West marches style episodic cowboy setting awhile back, and my character is a Gloom Stalker/Assassin Rogue hybrid, with an emphasis on deception and subterfuge. The end result is that in an environment of high end machinery, demonic gangs harvesting souls, and lawless corporate/syndicate warfare this tiefling gets ahead by lying his way through life. I once saved the party from giants with some thaumaturgy charged deception, giving the impression of a massive predator.

[@MayBeSomething]

Now I want to make a Paladin who has taken several levels in Assassin. Divine Smite meets Surprise Attack.

[@GingerADHD]

This was the best one yet. Love the music choices

[@Rafaelrpaese]

I RREEEEAALLYY loved the mortician character, I will sure build one like it (but for me, she is already perfect) in my next character making

[@zylowolfzan3345]

The only Rogue I've ever made/played was a 3.5 Catfolk Ninja who was basically run as a performing tumbler, using his absurdly high acrobatics and jumping skills to bounce around and basically parkour almost constantly just because he liked putting on a show. He was also a kleptomaniac but the kind that returned the stolen items almost immediately after snagging them, treating it more like a sleight of hand magician show than theft. He was fun, one of my most cheerful characters I've ever made actually, and he got along well with most people, as long as they didn't pissy about having their stuff disappear only for him to pull them out from behind their ear with his constant grin.

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

I remember once playing a character who seemed constructed entirely out of red flags (I like challenging myself to make characters with attributes other people say to be wary of, just to prove I can make them well), so a drow rogue aged about 14 or 15, which would normally be enough to kick a player on sight if you aren't familiar with my particular brand of crazy. So instead of... what you might expect, she was a neurotic bundle of anxiety who barely escaped her family getting Red Wedding'd, and knows nothing of how to fight beyond "stick em with the pointy end". Took a lot of inspiration from Sansa and Arya Stark in that regard, as you can probably tell. Made a whole arc about her learning to face her fears and stand up for her friends, eventually getting good at the same Game (of Thrones, ha) that got her family killed in the first place (she would become a Mastermind), and taking it to the people who murdered her parents and siblings in a show of how much she's grown as a person. She ended up being one of my favorite characters I've ever written, and I would love to play her again in a future campaign.