Rogue
This article is about the player class. For the game, see Rogue (game).
The Rogue is a player class. Rogues are skilled thieves. Nethack says of them:
I understand the business, I hear it: to have an open ear, a quick eye, and a nimble hand, is necessary for a cut-purse; a good nose is requisite also, to smell out work for the other senses. I see this is the time that the unjust man doth thrive. <...> The prince himself is about a piece of iniquity, stealing away from his father with his clog at his heels: if I thought it were a piece of honesty to acquaint the king withal, I would not do't: I hold it the more knavery to conceal it; and therein am I constant to my profession. [ Autolycus the Rogue, from The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare ]
Strategy
- Rogues have very low HP growth. Because of this, melee combat is dangerous. Rogues are better suited to fighting with ranged attacks; like daggers, crossbows, darts, and knives.
- Rogues start with a lot of daggers and they should be thrown often. The skill should be raised to expert before anything else. As they can throw upto 4 daggers at once at expert. This results in 2.5 times the damage of a single attack. They also have a high dexterity, so it is rare for them to miss.
- The best use for the starting potion of sickness is to dip the starting daggers into it. Each hit from the poisoned daggers does additional d6 damage to non-poison resistant monsters and has a 10% chance of instantly killing the monster. The poison will eventually wear off from the daggers.
- They can try to have upto 20 elven daggers, if they have the strength.
- Rogues give +d(XL) damage when striking a fleeing monster with a melee attack. Because of this, Elbereth, scrolls of scare monster, tooled horns are useful to rogues in close quarters. This is extremely powerful when combined with thrown daggers.
Starting equipment
- an uncursed +0 short sword
- 6—16 uncursed +0 daggers
- an uncursed +1 leather armor
- an uncursed potion of sickness
- an uncursed lock pick
- an uncursed sack
- a 20 % chance of a blindfold
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