The Rogue card embodies betrayal and hidden threats. This chapter includes magic card decks geared toward resourceful, subtle, and skill-focused characters, as well as character creation ideas inspired by the Rogue card. Then, this chapter presents tools and advice to adjudicate what happens when a character draws the Rogue card, including advice on how the villain enters the story, suggestions for their motivations, and a rogues' gallery of stat blocks that can represent this antagonist.
Magic Card Decks
The following decks are presented in alphabetical order.
Heroes of Destiny
The Rogue Destinies table provides narrative ideas inspired by the Deck of Many Things that players can use as prompts while developing characters. The entries in this table are geared toward characters who rely on cunning, skills, and versatility, but any character's story can benefit from the ideas presented here. When using this table to help shape your character's story, you can either choose entries that speak to you or randomly pull cards from The Deck of Many Things card set until you feel your character's story is complete.
The prompts in the table include personality traits, relationships, and events. Most describe your character's past, but some foretell something in your character's future instead. These events might be a mystery to your character, shared only between you and your DM, or perhaps your character learned about these events through omens or a reading from a fortune teller.
Your destiny doesn't determine your story's outcome. Consider it more like a... loose guideline.
| 1d22 | Heroic Tie |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your family is connected to an organization that seeks justice and opposes tyranny. |
| 2 | A powerful member of a thieves' guild or spy network opposes you at every turn. |
| 3 | Someone important to you is imprisoned, but you believe they're innocent. |
| 4 | You committed a terrible trespass and have a bounty on your head. |
| 5 | An important individual owes you a favor; what did you do to earn it? |
| 6 | A Fiend threatens someone dear to you. |
| 7 | Your friend since childhood is optimistic to a fault and often conned or exploited. |
| 8 | Someone searches for the same treasure you do, and disaster will strike if they find it first. |
| 9 | Hardships bring out your optimism—which is lucky, since you seem to attract unfortunate events! |
| 10 | You've had an unexpected crisis. Did you solve it quickly, or did you hesitate and risk doom? |
| 11 | An ally who is a member of a helpful organization passes you information or exerts influence on your behalf in subtle ways. |
| 12 | Your life is an idyllic story, except for something that makes you wonder if any of it is true. |
| 13 | You have part of a riddle that leads to a great treasure or momentous secret. |
| 14 | Someone important to you isn't who you think they are. |
| 15 | You lived a life of luxury until someone in power took it away. Will you get revenge? |
| 16 | A mage or magical creature takes an interest in you, offering you advice—for a price. |
| 17 | You've defied certain death so many times that it doesn't seem like coincidence anymore. |
| 18 | You overcame a hardship imposed by your life circumstances, transforming your position entirely or turning the situation to your benefit. |
| 19 | A divine spellcaster or divine emissary provides you with guidance, whether you want it or not. |
| 20 | A precious object was stolen from you. |
| 21 | You are secretly the heir to great power, but those who usurped that power want you dead. |
| 22 | Someone you care for is lost; although others have written them off, you believe they're still alive somewhere. |
Rogues' Gallery
When a character draws the Rogue card, a new villain's presence—if not their identity—is revealed to the characters. Who is this villain, and why are they an enemy? Here are a few options for how a Rogue villain can enter your campaign:
The Rogue card's magic might provide a glimpse of the future, but it can also manipulate reality in large or small ways. If the character who drew the card has a secret or has performed some action that would turn a friend into an enemy, the deck might ensure an ally gets that information, turning the ally against the character. Alternatively, the deck might change reality so that a bandit leader the character arrested suddenly has a cousin seeking revenge, or the spirit of a wicked cultist the character slew returns to torment the character by possessing a dear friend.
The Rogue's Motivation
Why does this new villain oppose the character who drew the Rogue card? This question is just as important as who the villain is. The Villainous Motivations table offers sample goals for your new villain.
| d6 | Motivation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Eliminate the character and take their place. |
| 2 | Use the character as the key to unlocking immense power, perhaps as a ritual sacrifice. |
| 3 | Claim a treasure from the character, or take the character's wealth and holdings for themself. |
| 4 | Avenge a harm caused by the character or someone the character represents. |
| 5 | Prove their superiority by bringing the character to ruin in a public and inescapable fashion. |
| 6 | Use the character to solve a great mystery and then claim credit. |
Rogue Stat Blocks
This section offers four stat block options for the antagonist created when the Rogue card is drawn. Each is a legendary creature. These stat blocks can represent a new NPC that enters the story, an existing NPC who reveals their true identity, or someone transformed into an enemy by the deck's magic.
Each stat block represents an appropriate antagonist for campaign arcs in a particular tier of play. You can change the creature type and other features of these stat blocks to customize the antagonists for your campaign. For example, you could change the veiled presence's creature type to Humanoid and frame this villain's fantastical abilities as arising from powerful treasures the villain has amassed. Alternatively, you could make this villain a Fiend, change the damage dealt to necrotic, and give the villain a frightful aspect rather than a theme of divine judgment. Descriptions of these sample villains are below.
Ambitious Assassin
Appropriate for tier 1 play (levels 1 to 4), the ambitious assassin is a Humanoid who might be a charming manipulator or a ruthless killer.
Enchanting Infiltrator
An antagonist for tier 2 play (levels 5 to 10), the enchanting infiltrator is a Fey that beguiles and misdirects.
Otherworldly Corrupter
A challenge for tier 3 play (levels 11 to 16), the otherworldly corrupter is a horrific Aberration that infects or impersonates a host.
Veiled Presence
The ultimate threat created by the Rogue card, the veiled presence is a Celestial for tier 4 play (levels 17 to 20). This being descends from an Outer Plane to bring cosmic wrath upon the characters.
Wax earplugs are essential adventuring equipment, in my opinion. Chasing villains through a rowdy city? Solved. Faced with whispering, beguiling enchantments? Solved. Desperate for some peace and quiet in a busy tavern? Solved.