Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Mastermind Rogue (2024)

is all about living out the iconic fantasies of the archetypical classes that make it up. The arcane supremacy of sorcerers, the nefarious dealings of warlocks and the Conan muscle fantasy of the Barbarian. Some rogue class fantasies are hard to conceptualise into game mechanics since they're explicitly not meant to be fighting in a game about combat.

The mastermind rogue takes the base kit of the rogue in a direction that flourishes out of combat but needs a skilled player and DM to work together for a fun experience. Here's how to build and play this spymasterly archetype.

Team Synergies For A Mastermind Rogue

The Mastermind's standout ability in combat is Master of Tactics, available from the moment you take the subclass. Giving an ally advantage on an attack within 30 feet lets the mastermind support their team very efficiently. An assassin rogue or paladin can land critical hits more often with the aid of a mastermind, and spellcasters can confidently use spells requiring attack rolls.

At level 13, the Misdirection ability lets you redirect attacks from you to your allies but relies on them having defensive abilities or resistances to negate the damage themselves.

The mastermind isn't able to help with spells that target saving throws, and their help becomes less useful with classes that can generate advantage on their own. If the party does not have a melee character to enable sneak attacks, the mastermind may have to use their bonus actions to hide and attack by stealth.

Best Build Choices For A Mastermind Rogue

Dungeons & Dragons is far from a solved game, but certain options give you relative advantages to your build. The Mastermind especially has a bunch of ways it can be played that feel authentic to what the mastermind is 'meant' to be: A criminal mastermind can be cunning, smart, or charismatic.

The only hard requirement in your ability scores is the dexterity to avoid attacks and deal damage. Feel free to mix and match the options recommended here with what fits best for your character and group:

Feats

With no multiclassing, a rogue has six feats. One extra than most classes, letting them pick a broader portfolio than a class that needs to focus on maximising one or more ability scores. You're liable to need at least one half-feat depending on your starting dexterity score.

• Ancestral feats like elven accuracy and squat nimbleness are always good picks for this. Elven accuracy is about the strongest feat a rogue can take, making your sneak attacks very reliable to land.
• Moderately armoured bumps your defences at the cost of stealth, which works well if you play your mastermind like a squad tactician.

Combat is the main focus of the game, and you'll typically want one or two combat feats to not feel behind other party members.

• Mage Slayer is an amazing feat for rogues and plays into the Mastermind's concept of outsmarting enemies. Attacks triggered outside your turn can generate additional sneak attack activations, functionally doubling your damage.
• Magic Initiate can grab you a weapon cantrip like green-flame blade or booming blade. This is a sizable boost in damage and doesn't require you to invest strongly into a spellcasting score.

Other feats can double down on the non-combat utility the mastermind brings to the table:

• Keen Mind gives you perfect recall and navigation. An intrigue-focused character can weaponize this, but it requires note-taking skills to back up the in-character ability.
• The Actor feat pairs well with the Master of Intrigue feature. The ability to construct disguises and forge documents, matched with the ability to flawlessly recreate a person's voice and mannerisms means you'll rarely be caught by even trained observers.

Weapons And Gear

Master of Tactics thrives if you're positioned between the melee fighters and ranged combatants, able to help either as needed. Ranged or reach weapons enable this, with both whips and crossbows fitting well into the class identity.

Dual-wielding isn't going to be too helpful as you need your bonus actions for tactics. You might still carry an offhand weapon in the event your main attack misses and you want a second chance at landing your sneak attack.

Depending on how your group divides up loot, a Mastermind will be able to get every magic item they want, mostly because other characters aren't interested in calling dibs. Simple utility tools like crowbars, collapsible poles and rope ladders aren't going to set you back far and their magic versions will generally be cheaper than weapons and armour with numeric modifiers.

The more expensive consumable items work well in the hands of a Mastermind. A single pot of Marvelous Pigments can paint a lot of doors. Sovereign Glue is similarly unlikely to top the shopping list of any other character but can cause a lot of mayhem with a creative mind and a high dexterity score.

How To Play A Mastermind Rogue

The base rogue kit is strong independently of its subclasses. Sneak attack deals a lot of damage, and you don't rely on limited resources the way a spellcaster would. Expertise and an extra feat mean you won't feel useless in pretty much any party composition.

The mastermind rogue excels at non-combat activities, which can often work against the gameplay needs of the campaign or the approaches of other players.

How To DM For A Mastermind Rogue

DMing for a Mastermind is challenging for the same reason it can be hard to play one. Creating scenarios and encounters that let a Mastermind shine can often mean giving them extra attention that is being taken away from other players.

Here are some examples of things a mastermind rogue can 'plan ahead' with a consenting DM.

• Purchase a specific consumable or utility item.
• Prepare an escape route.
• Assemble a disguise suitable to the current situation.
• Set up a timely distraction.
• Request the help of a friendly NPC at the exact right moment.