Fortune Rogue
Some rogues practice skulking in the shadows; others study where and when to strike—but you? You’ve got luck on your side.
For reasons no one fully comprehends, fortune favors you in ways that defy explanation. You trip into treasure, stumble onto the missing key, or escape death by inches, surviving odds that would make a gambler faint.
But your luck isn’t magic, and it isn’t something you control. You’re a leaf on the breeze in the winds of fortune, and although you live a charmed life, you’ve learned that chance is as fickle as fate and that not every gamble you make pays off.
Players who are unfamiliar with the game, or those who prefer a straightforward style of play, may wish to choose a different subclass. The Fortune Rogue asks that both the player and the GM collaborate in a fashion that might require more improvisation than other character options. We recommend speaking with your GM about the Fortune Rogue before choosing it as your subclass.
Favor Finds Conflict
Though your luck brings about all manner of creature comforts, favorable deals, and unlikely wins, it also has a way of making enemies. Whether they are covetous bandits, jealous friends, or spiteful spirits, those with your fortune frequently find themselves at the wrong end of a blade more often than they'd like to admit. Yet it's in these dangerous situations that you've discovered your unorthodox way of combating danger and overcoming enemies. While your skill with a sword or a dagger might be great in its own regard, you find that your luck has a funny way of catching your foes off guard. These "sneak attacks," as you might call them, present themselves to you as clear as day—fortuitous opportunities when your foe opens their defenses and allows you to land a pivotal strike. Those unfamiliar with combat might misinterpret these attacks as measured assaults, but any skilled warrior would be astonished by your good fortune.
Fishermen and mariners of all types believe seagulls are the heralds of fortune. Any sailor worth their salt treats a seabird with respect.
As the saying goes, "A well-fed bird makes for a well-fed sailor."
The Will of Obojima?
Tales throughout Obojima's history have represented luck as a palpable force from which its great heroes have knowingly or unknowingly tapped into—it's said that, like magic, it exists all around us and can be called upon by a chosen few. Others receive its favor as a reward for their good deeds or as retribution for unjust actions taken against them.
Some believe luck is the manifestation of Obojima's will. Like the Great Beasts, they see luck as another tool that the island uses to guide and protect its people. Others believe it is a force of nature, like an intangible wind that sweeps across the Physical Realm, blessing those who stumble into its path. No matter which interpretation holds more truth, a great number of Obojimans can agree that luck is as real as the sun and the sky.
Level 3: Beyond Coincidence
You have a knack for making things inexplicably go your way. This luck is represented by your Fortune Dice, which are d20s. You have a number of Fortune Dice equal to half your Rogue level (round up). You regain all expended Fortune Dice whenever you finish a Long Rest.
You can expend your Fortune Dice to make Luck checks, which are Charisma checks that you have Expertise in. No spell, effect, or other ability—positive or negative—can alter your Luck checks.
Favored Talent. Whenever you make an ability check, you can expend one of your Fortune Dice to instead make a Luck check, using that result for the ability check.
Lucky Break. You can attempt to make luck strike at just the right moment, specifying the way in which your character’s fortune shapes their circumstances. To do so, you take a Magic action and expend one of your Fortune Dice to make a Luck check, describing the desired outcome (see the lucky break example shown in the smiling frog box to the right). The GM then sets a DC based on the likelihood of the specified scenario, with the outcome transpiring on a success.
Luck Check DC Examples
| DC | Likelihood | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 5-9 | Extremely Plausible | A nearby sneeze obscures a different sound. A merchant hands you back too much change. A performer bites their tongue while singing. |
| 10-14 | Plausible | A coin purse is forgotten at a table. A local knows the person you're looking for. You overhear an enemy plot. |
| 15-19 | Unlikely | A key falls out of the someone's pocket. A guard is asleep at their post. A bandit loses grip on their sword. |
| 20-29 | Very Unlikely | A fire breaks out nearby. You stumble onto the exact group of ingredients you need. You fall from a rooftop onto a soft pile of bedding. |
| 30+ | Nearly Impossible | A spirit suddenly crosses into the Physical Realm and stops an assailant in their tracks. |
The Rogue is trying to find a letter addressed to an important wizard and stop it from being delivered. During their search, they bump into a postal knight, whom they believe might have the letter they need. In that moment, the Rogue player asks the GM if they can make a Luck check, asking that the letter somehow drops from the postal knight’s courier bag. As with any ability check, the GM sets a DC. This time, however, the DC is based on how likely the situation described by the player is to occur. In this circumstance, the GM decides the outcome is unlikely and tells the player the DC is 16. With the DC established, the player makes their Luck check and rolls a 19, succeeding on the check. The GM then describes how the postal knight turns a corner and accidentally slams into a spirit walking in the opposite direction. As the postal knight hits the ground, the contents of the bag go skittering across the pavement.
Level 3: Cup Half Full
Whenever you or a creature within 60 feet of you rolls a 20 on a D20 Test, you regain one expended Fortune Die. At the GM’s discretion, you can’t regain a Fortune Die in this way if the result of the D20 Test is inconsequential, such as winning a friendly game of cards.
Level 9: Lucky Strike
When you make an attack roll against a creature, you can expend a Fortune Die to make a Luck check in place of the normal attack roll. On a hit, this attack triggers your Sneak Attack even if it normally wouldn’t, provided you haven’t already used it this turn.
If you use the Withdraw option of your Cunning Strike on this attack, you don’t have to expend any Sneak Attack damage dice.
Level 13: Boon of Fortuity
Whenever you finish a Long Rest, roll two d20s and record the numbers rolled. Whenever an effect created by a creature you can see forces one or more creatures to make a saving throw, you can replace the DC for that effect with one of these fortuitous rolls. You must choose to do so before any targets of the effect make their saves, and you can replace a save DC in this way only once per turn. Each fortuitous roll can be used only once. When you finish a Long Rest, you lose any unused fortuitous rolls.
Level 17: The Skin of Your Teeth
Tales of your legendary luck abound, guiding you and your allies. Roll three d20s for your Boon of Fortuity feature rather than two. In addition, whenever you or an ally within 60 feet of you takes 100 damage or less, you can replace the damage that creature takes with the number rolled on one of your fortuitous rolls.
