I’ve always liked archer characters. With the right build you can rain devastating attacks down on your enemies from relative safety. And after I saw Legolas slide down stairs on a shield and kick ass with his bow in Lord of the Rings, I knew my next character would pick up a bow again!

But with archers also comes a problem: there’s not a lot of diversity in combat. You shoot a couple of times each round, wait for the others to cast from their amazing array of spells or cleave their way through the battlefield, you shoot a couple of times, etc. Although you can describe your actions in the most epic way, you still have only a few real options.

I have some ideas for you.

Rogues are the ideal class for players who like to walk the line between good and evil. However, introducing your character by stealing from your teammates is far from a good start.

I’d be hard pressed to deny that the rogue class is not biased towards stealthy violence, assassination and thievery. And if you like it that way, there’s no need to change it. Still, in many game systems it is very possible to take a different approach. I’ll also give you some suggestions on how to alter sneak attack, since that ability is on the back seat with these characters.

If you want to play this cool and versatile class without getting in trouble with the law every time you sneeze, keep reading!