Rogue

Rogue Type Square Spell Circles Minor Elemental, Minor Spiritual Prime Requisites Dexterity, Agility Mana Statistics Aura, Wisdom

Physical Skills Skill Cost Ranks Two Weapon Combat 2/2 2 Armor Use 5/0 2 Shield Use 4/0 2 Combat Maneuvers 4/4 2 Edged Weapons 2/1 2 Blunt Weapons 3/1 2 Two-Handed Weapons 6/2 2 Ranged Weapons 3/1 2 Thrown Weapons 2/1 2 Polearm Weapons 7/2 2 Brawling 3/1 2 Ambush 2/1 2 Multi Opponent Combat 10/3 1 Physical Fitness 3/0 2 Dodging 2/1 3

Magical Skills Skill Cost Ranks Arcane Symbols 0/7 1 Magic Item Use 0/8 1 Spell Aiming 4/22 1 Harness Power 0/9 1 Elemental Mana Control 0/10 1 Mental Mana Control 0/15 1 Spirit Mana Control 0/10 1 Spell Research 0/67 1 Elemental Lore 0/15 1 Spiritual Lore 0/15 1 Sorcerous Lore 0/30 1 Mental Lore 0/40 1

General Skills Skill Cost Ranks Survival 2/2 2 Disarming Traps 1/1 3 Picking Locks 1/1 3 Stalking and Hiding 1/1 3 Perception 0/1 3 Climbing 1/0 2 Swimming 2/0 2 First Aid 1/2 2 Trading 0/3 2 Pickpocketing 1/0 2

The Rogue profession is a profession dedicated to the stealthy, discrete, and otherwise unlawful, or marginally unlawful pursuits. Rogues primarily train in Picking Locks, Pickpocketing, Ambushing, and Stalking and Hiding, as they've low point costs in training in these skills. Additionally, rogues can train the most in many of these skills or, in the case of the SENSE (verb) and Pickpocketing, they have a tool that isn't available to any other profession in GemStone.

Training plans

Rogues are expected to train in the following skills:

• Twice per level in the following skills (Often called 2× training):

A one-handed weapon skill (Edged Weapons, Blunt Weapons or Brawling), Dodging, Ambushing, Perception, and Stalking and Hiding

• Once, alternating twice every other level (or 1.5× training):

Shield Use and Combat Maneuvers

• Once per level (or 1× training):

Physical Training and Armor Use

A character that uses Two Weapon Combat or decides to train in Two-handed Weapons is suggested to train more in Dodging to make up for the loss of a shield. It is not recommended to train in Polearm Weapons as a two-handed polearm weapon cannot be used while ambushing. Ranged Weapons is a very viable training path for rogues, however, such a training path would be very different than the one listed above.

Rogue Profession Highlights

The attractiveness of the rogue profession is in their ability to hide and ambush enemies, steal, pick locks, disarm traps, and cast minor spells. They're skilled at combat without magical aid and have a wide variety of Combat Maneuvers and Shield Specializations available. These specialty skills will increase their effectiveness in battle.

In addition, due to their ability to hide, they can avoid most damage in combat by simply keeping unseen. When hunting, many rogues delight in the ability to strike first, stunning, if not killing, their target, thus reducing the possibility of retaliation.

Variety

One of the biggest strengths of the rogue profession is the ability to vary their training paths widely. There are rogues that focus strongly on magical skills to aid them in combat or in their locksmithing endeavors, as well as rogues that focus on the aspects of combat or locksmithing, or some combination thereof. The low training point costs of many of their skills allows for a minor focus in many of them, or a major focus in a few.

Rogues can excel in the use of every weapon type, with the exception of Polearm Weapons due to the inability to ambush when using a two-handed polearm. Archery is common due to the low costs of training in Ambushing and Perception, two skills that increase attack strength with ranged weapons, thus eliminating much the need to train in Combat Maneuvers. Two Weapon Combat is good for a rogue due to the increased damage potential and the possibility that if the first attack misses (due to low attack strength or the enemy dodges the attack) the second attack carries another chance to hit, and therefore stun, the target. Two-Handed Weapons, while a costly skill, makes a rogue quite deadly in the ambush. A character's aim is diminished with larger weapons, but a hit will deal significantly more damage, almost always resulting in the enemy's death or dismemberment with a severe chunk of health points lost. Brawling, Blunt Weapons, Edged Weapons, and Thrown Weapons can be combined with either Two Weapon Combat or Shield Use, though the Thrown Weapons skill does not work too well with Two Weapon Combat, and usually requires another combat skill, such as Edged Weapons, to be effective, thus making it a less popular choice.

Rogue Exclusive Combat Maneuvers

Rogues are the only profession that can train in the following combat maneuvers:

• Cutthroat
• Dust Shroud
• Divert
• Groin Kick
• Predator's Eye - (Martial Stance)
• Silent strike - A popular choice among assassins.
• Subdue
• Sucker Punch
• Vanish

Other Combat Maneuvers Available To Rogues

• Armor Spike Focus
• Cheapshots
• Combat Focus
• Combat Mastery
• Combat Movement
• Combat Toughness
• Coup de Grace
• Crowd Press
• Cunning Defense
• Dirtkick
• Disarm Weapon
• Evade Mastery
• Feint
• Garrote
• Grapple Mastery
• Hamstring
• Kick Mastery
• Multi-Fire
• Precision
• Punch Mastery
• Quickstrike
• Shadow Mastery
• Shield Bash
• Side by Side
• Slippery Mind - (Martial Stance)
• Spin Attack
• Stun Maneuvers
• Subdual Strike
• Surge of Strength
• Sweep
• Trip
• Truehand
• Wspec I
• Wspec II
• Wspec III
• Spell Parry
• Whirling Dervish - (Martial Stance)

Shield Specializations

Rogues can further enhance their combat effectiveness by training in one or more of the following Shield Specializations. Each rank in the Shield Use skill will garner 1 point toward training in these specializations.

• Deflect the Elements
• Deflection Training
• Deflection Mastery
• Disarming Presence - (Martial Stance)
• Phalanx
• Shield Bash
• Shielded Brawler
• Shield Focus (small)
• Shield Focus (medium)
• Shield Forward
• Shield Mind
• Shield Riposte - (Martial Stance)
• Shield Spike Focus
• Shield Spike Mastery
• Shield Strike
• Shield Strike Mastery
• Shield Swiftness
• Spell Block
• Steady Shield

Rogue Statistic Growth Rates

For more information see the page on statistic growth rates.

Rogue Stat Growth Rates

Profession	Strength	Constitution	Dexterity	Agility	Discipline	Aura	Logic	Intuition	Wisdom	Influence
Rogue	25	20	25	30	20	15	20	25	10	15

Note: The table above is the baseline statistic growth rates. These values are actually modified for every race in GemStone IV, including humans.

See Also

• A beginner's guide to playing a rogue (work-in-progress)
• Rogue Guild
• List of Combat Maneuvers Available to Rogues
• Combat Maneuvers
• Shield Specializations

Resources

• Rogue Guild, on Play.net
• Midgar's Rogue Guild Erudition