Swords & Sorceries: The Bladesharp Archetype for 5E Rogues (Patreon)

One inspiration for my Swords & Sorceries adventures and the Broken Empire setting was Fritz Leiber's stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The Mouser especially feels like he doesn't quite have a niche in 5E. He is clearly a rogue, expert at stealth and burglarly. But he is also a famously expert swordsman, and not just when his opponent isn't looking. You could handwave that by saying he's a hero in a novel, so he breaks the rules; but I want players to be able to play those kinds of heroes! And you could call him a multiclass character, a little good at this and a little good at that, but that doesn 't feel right to me. This subclass is meant to fit between fighters and rogues: a rogue whose trickery is with blades, not cards. Feedback and playtesting are welcome. The Bladesharp archetype is © Shane Ivey.

You have learned to apply your roguish expertise to battle. Swordsmanship is no hobby or flourish for you but a deadly serious passion, perhaps even an art. Your technique lay not in darting in and out of the fight but in outfighting your opponent, skill against skill. 

In the Broken Empire setting, Bladesharp rogues are especially prominent among halflings and gnomes who live in the teeming human cities around the Sea of Storms. The most adventurous among them developed long, thin, thrusting swords to accentuate their agility and extend their reach in dark alleys where footpads lurk. The halflings call such a sword a “needle” in their own language, with r̃aphíes as the closest pronunciation in the Common tongue. The name has evolved with use to “rapier.” Other folk soon adopted their swords and skillful fighting. 

Bladesharp rogues are also common in and around the Sunlands, where quick-handed fighters of the deserts and plains often use the shotel. The shotel is a thin, clawlike sword with a long, elaborate curve that can whip around defenses. It is equivalent to a rapier that inflicts slashing damage.

UNARMORED DEFENSE

Beginning at 3rd level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier.

VIGOROUS TRAINING 

At 3rd level, your hit point maximum increases by 3. Whenever you gain a rogue level thereafter, your hit point maximum increases by an additional 1 hit point.

FIGHTING MANEUVERS

At 3rd level, you learn two maneuvers of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype in the fighter class. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice). You gain two superiority dice, which are d6s. These dice are used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest. You learn an additional maneuver of your choice at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.

EXTRA ATTACK

Beginning at 9th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 17th level.

IMPROVED COMBAT SUPERIORITY

Beginning at 9th level, your superiority dice used with the Fighting Maneuvers archetype feature turn into d8s. At 13th level, they turn into d10s. At 17th level, they turn into d12s.

FLASHING BLADE

At 13th level, you may use a reaction to attempt an opportunity attack even if you have already used your reaction since your last turn.