The Best Rogue Backgrounds In DND

Dungeons & Dragons gives the rogue class a lot of directions to grow into, from daring swashbucklers to covert masterminds. With the wide range of ways you can play this class, there isn’t a one-fits-all solution for what backstory fits them best.

For every rogue, there is a backstory that matches up with them, giving them the right skills and tools alongside a good balance of flavor that makes for a compelling backstory and character arc. Their backstory can be an integral part of who they are today, but it may also be a past they would rather bury and forget.

Updated on February 10, 2025 by Jack Filsinger: With the release of the 2024 Player’s Handbook, there have been some changes to the way backgrounds work in 5e. We’ve updated this list with new rules for various backgrounds and customization options from the previous PHB, and added the Wayfarer background as well so that you have everything you need to select the best rogue background for your DND table.

If you pick an older background that you’d like to use for your campaign, you can also modify it by following the rules for ability score adjustments laid out in Chapter Two of the PHB.

6

Wayfarer

Rogue In The Streets

The Wayfarer background is a classic option for rogues. There is some redundancy in the fact that this background gives you proficiency with Thieves’ Tools, but gaining proficiency with Insight and Stealth and bonuses to your Dexterity, Wisdom, and Charisma modifiers is nothing to sneeze at.

The Wayfarer is meant to embody the roguish castoff who keeps to themselves on the streets of a grand metropolis. You’re cunning, crafty, and resourceful, making this a perfect way to flavor your rogue. Plus, getting the Lucky feature so early on can prove extremely helpful.

5

Sailor

Privateers, Pirates, And Traders

The sailor background gives players an acrobatics proficiency that is perfect for rogues. Using expertise to double that proficiency makes rogues one of the best classes for grappling-based play styles.

There are strong flavor elements that can be tied into a rogue’s backstory as a sailor. For example, a lawful sailor might be a merchant or part of the navy. Conversely, a chaotic one could be a pirate if evil or a privateer if good or neutral. While the distinction may be blurred sometimes, a privateer can normally get away with showing their face in their home port if not abroad.

4

Criminal

The Classic

A criminal rogue does what rogues do best, even better than usual. Sleight of Hand and Stealth are both skills that rogues enjoy having, but also that they can gain already from their class. Gaining two class skills from your background can let you cover more bases with your other class skills.

If you don’t like the flavor of a criminal background, the spy background variant offered in the 2014 Player’s Handbook offers the same features but lines up better for a lawful character. You could also decide that the criminal background doesn’t represent who your character is currently, having them be reformed.

3

Entertainer

Nobody Suspects The Clown

Bards and rogues have some helpful overlapping niches. A bard functions well as a spymaster since they’re travelers with a nose for stories and are often invited to entertain high-ranking people. Rogues are more proficient at the covert part of that job.

Even rogues without good Charisma are liable to have entertaining skills that derive from their Dexterity. Simply perform some knife juggling and acrobatics while allowing the talking parts of the act to be handled by party members with stronger social skills. After all, entertainers can make for a great distraction.

2

Artisan

Don’t Quit The Day Job

There’s nothing wrong with a rogue having other things going on outside the time spent moonlighting as an adventurer. The Artisan background gives you a trade you can fall back on if the adventuring life ever gets too hot to handle. The Expertise feature provided by your class can be put into your artisan’s tools, letting your rogue be a skilled crafter during downtime.

The skill proficiencies of Investigation and Persuasion are useful for any character. You can look for traps better and barter effectively. These are Intelligence and Charisma skills, so you won’t be the absolute best at them without spending your Expertise.

1

A Custom Background

The 2014 Player’s Handbook gives helpful options for modifying a background to your liking. You can take an existing background and swap out skill and tool proficiencies, replace any feature with another one, and choose different languages, working with your DM to keep it in flavor for the setting. Here are a few suggestions:

Can You Customize A Background In The 2024 PHB?

While technically speaking, the 2024 Player’s Handbook doesn’t offer specific rules for customizing a background, there’s no reason why you can’t homebrew your own! If you choose to switch out aspects of a background, or create your own, just remember that each background has the following characteristics in the 2024 PHB.

• Ability Scores – Each background lists three ability scores, one of which you can increase by two and another by one, or all three by one.
• One Feat – Each background has an origin feat (a list of these can be found in Chapter Five of the PHB).
• Skill Proficiencies – You gain proficiency in two specified skills.
• Tool Proficiency – You gain proficiency in one tool.
• Equipment – You either gain a package of equipment or 50 gp.