Rewatch House Of Cards (and fast-forward through Frank Underwood bloviating to the camera or anyone else) and just pretend that Doug Stamper is the main character: a duty-bound darkling who is as loyal as he is calculating. He doesn't crawl around in the shadows with silly black robes or pickpocket merchants like a thief or a scout. He's not an assassin or a mastermind either. Yet all the same, he screams rogue to me.
He's part of a wide cast of devious and stoic anti-heroes along with the titular Ray Donovan and Mike Ehrmantraut, perhaps the best bald white guy on Breaking Bad. There is a poise to these characters that imposes fear on those around them. They're not especially dexterous. They aren't bardish jabberers. They use language sparingly and pointedly to say exactly what needs to be said to send shivers down one's spine.
3 "Fixers" with varying levels of male-pattern baldness
With The Fixer, I wanted to create a subclass that imposed that fear just with ones looming presence. At 3rd level you become a quiet intimidator. Your mere presence can trigger a number of fight-or-flight responses in a creature near you. At 9th level, you're able to rub shoulders with the rich and powerful while remaining protected using Dressed For The Occasion and can talk yourself out of tough spots with Fast Talker. By 17th level you become a beacon of existential terror, driving your enemies mad with Paranoia every moment they stand in your presence.
The Fixer could be a great subclass for campaigns in urban settings like Dragonheist or rubbing shoulders with the rogues of Barovia in Curse of Strahd. Additionally, players who use this subclass could check out the Patrons chapter in Tasha's Cauldron for ideas on who might be a good benefactor.
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Rogue: The Fixer
"If I can’t get your loyalty, I will have your obedience."
You’ve spent your lifetime orbiting the rich and powerful and assisting them with the quelling of scandals and the silencing of dissenters. You’ve built a comfortable life with one foot in the Bourgeoisie and one foot in the seedy underbelly. While other rogues merit themselves with silly knife tricks, you prefer leveraging your stoic demeanor to get the job done.
Quiet Intimidator
Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, creatures who make Insight checks against your deception do so with disadvantage.
Additionally, you can expend the use of an Action to make a Charisma (Intimidation) check against a creature within 30 feet of you (DC equal to their Wisdom score). If you succeed, you can impose one of the following effects on that creature. The effect ends once the creature is no longer within 30 feet of you or until the end of your next turn.
Panicked: That creature has disadvantage on Wisdom checks and saving throws. The creature’s speed also increases by 10 feet.
Blustered: That creature has disadvantage on Charisma checks and saving throws. The creature also gains +1 to attack rolls against you.
Dumbstruck: The creature has disadvantage on Intelligence checks and saving throws. The creature also gains +1 to their armor class when sustaining a non-magical attack.
You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. You regain all charges of Quiet Intimidator when you complete a short or long rest.
Hunt Down
Starting at 3rd level, you can ignore any difficult terrain in urban settings. This could include spaces such as crowded areas, disheveled alleyways, or other non-magical difficult terrain. Up to three friendly creatures within 10 feet of you also can ignore difficult terrain in this way. Additionally, your speed increases by 10 feet when moving through such terrain.
Stoic Sneer
Beginning at 6th level you can use Quiet Intimidator as a Cunning Action.
Dressed For The Occasion
Starting at 9th level, while wearing fine clothes you gain advantage in Charisma (Intimidation) checks. You’re also able to hide light armor under your fine clothes with ease. A creature must make a DC15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to notice if you’re concealing armor.
Fast Talker
You’ve learned how to calmly handle aggressive dissenters and threats to you or your benefactors. Starting at 9th level you can use a reaction to talk your way out of a tough spot. When a creature that can understand a language that you speak attempts an attack against you, you can use a reaction to attempt to interrupt the attack. Make a Charisma (Persuasion) check contested by the attacking creature’s Wisdom (Insight) check.
If you succeed on the check, the creature has disadvantage on this attack and future attacks against you and cannot make attacks of opportunity against you. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you damage that creature. While a creature is under this effect, you can use Sneak Attack against the creature without requiring advantage. You cannot use Fast Talker on the same creature twice in one day.
Snuff Out
Starting at 13th level, when you attack a creature that is not hostile towards you, a 19, or 20 count as a critical hit.
Paranoia
Starting at 17th level, when you successfully use Quiet Intimidator, that creature becomes enthralled with the existential threat you impose and becomes paranoid. While paranoid in this way, the creature sustains 2d6 psychic damage each time you end a turn without attacking that creature. The effect ends after 1 minute or if you start your turn more than 30 feet away from the paranoid creature.
No items found.
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