Rogue

The history of martial combat stretches back to the earliest days of Telara, when war was a brutal, messy, simple affair. This, as any Rogue will tell you, was the heyday of the Warrior. Their own tradition began much later, after people learned to fight with their minds as well as their muscles.

The arts of the Rogue are handed down by many different masters, each of whom developed unique forms and techniques. All Rogues are sophisticated combatants and dynamic thinkers, who utilize every available tool to skew the battlefield to their advantage. In the cities, Rogues learned to use shadow and cover to catch their targets unaware. Other Rogues learned the secrets of the wild, taming savage beasts and brewing poisons from the flora. Still others gained mastery over the arcane to enhance their weapons and attacks.

Gameplay
Rogues are most at home skulking around the edges of battle, waiting for the perfect moment to strike with overwhelming force and minimal chance of counterstrike. They excel at tasks requiring a quick mind and quicker blade, such as dueling, scouting, and assassination. Not all Rogues live in the shadows. Many are simply loners, at home on the edges of society, mastering the arts of hunting and animal husbandry to survive. An expert at hit-and-run tactics, a Rogue relies on quick bursts of energy to fuel dazzling combination attacks that cripple and maim, leaving opponents open for lethal finishing maneuvers.

Mechanics
Just as the warrior uses power, the rogue uses a resource called energy. Although instead of action points, the rogue uses combo points, up to five. These used to stack on a target, but now, like Warrior attack points, stack on the rogue and don't expire until used on any target. In the past, they would disappear once the target the points were stacked on died, and be reset if you switched targets. Certain abilities will build up combo points when used on a target (builders), while others will consume them (finishers). The potency finishers depends on how many combo points the rogue consumes. Using a finishing move with five combo points stacked will be better than using a finishing move with only two stacked.

Pets
In addition to an arsenal of deadly weapons, from melee to ranged, and for many an education in the addition of elemental magic to their attacks and abilities, a number of rogues, especially those who prefer to fight from a distance, tame, train and fight with one or more loyal companion animals. These are in the Ranger's soul tree, and include a number of useful friends to assist in survival and make the adventuring not so lonely for those who prefer the solo path.

Equipment
Rogues prefer durable but light-weight leather armor, leaving them unencumbered to move silently and disappear stealthily in a pinch. In close combat, a Rogue can dual-wield either any combination of two one-handed swords, one-handed maces, one-handed axes or daggers, one in each hand. Some Rogues prefer to fight at range, employing a deadly bow or pinpoint-accurate gun. There are even those rogues who prefer to use explosives and traps. All rogues use their equipment and weapons as an extension of their own bodies, and employ them strategically when to ensure the best tactical advantage.