Master Rogue

CR: +2

Class: Rogue, ninja, or slayer. Additional classes may be considered at the GM’s discretion.

HD: 14 or higher.

Alignment: Any nonevil.

Defenses/Qualities: A master rogue gains immunity to all poisons, blindsight 30 feet, +4 bonus on her Initiative checks, and a +4 bonus on all Disable Device, Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth skill checks. 

Special Abilities: A master rogue gains the following special abilities:

Ambush (Ex)

A master rogue is adept at setting up and responding to well-executed surprise attacks. She ignores anything less than total concealment caused by darkness, fog, and smoke. In addition, if she is able to act in the surprise round, she treats the surprise round as a normal round in respects to the types of actions she can take.

Cunning (Ex)

A master rogue always has a trick up her sleeves. Once per day, after rolling an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw, the rogue may immediately re-roll the check and must take the second result. For every 2 Hit Dice (or levels) beyond 14, the master rogue gains an additional use of this ability, to a maximum of 4 times per day. 

Deadly Strikes (Ex)

A master rogue learns to make attacks that weaken and incapacitate her enemies. A master rogue can learn one deadly strike, and an additional deadly strike every Hit Dice or level after 14th, up to a maximum of 4 deadly strikes. Each deadly strike adds an effect to the rogue’s sneak attack ability. Whenever the rogue makes a successful sneak attack to deal damage to one target, she can choose to forgo a portion of her sneak attack damage to cause the target to receive the additional effect from one of the deadly strikes possessed by the rogue. This choice is made when the sneak attack is made. The target receives a Fortitude save to avoid the effects of a deadly strike. If the save is successful, the target takes the sneak attack damage as normal, but not the effects of the deadly strike. Unless otherwise noted, the DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the master rogue’s Hit Dice (or level) + the master rogue’s Intelligence modifier.

A master rogue can choose one of the following initial strikes.

• • Dazzling Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 1d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become dazzled for 1 round per level of the rogue. The effects of this strike do not stack. The penalty to Perception checks received by this strike increases to –2 at 6th level, and –4 at 8th level.

  • Fatiguing Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 1d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become fatigued. The effects of this strike do not stack.

  • Shaken Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 1d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become fatigued. The effects of this strike do not stack.

  • Sickening Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 1d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the  target to become sickened for 1 round per level of the rogue. The effects of this strike do not stack. Additional hits instead add to the effect's duration.

At 16 Hit Dice or levels, a master rogue adds the following strikes to those that can be selected.

• • Bleeding Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 1d6 damage from her sneak attack to deal 1d6 points of bleed damage each round to the target, on the rogue’s turn. This bleed damage can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal skill check or through any magical healing. At 17 Hit Dice or levels, a master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack to deal 2d6 points of bleed damage each round to the target. The effects of this strike stack.

  • Dazing Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become dazed for 1 round. At 18 Hit Dice or levels, a master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become dazed for 2 rounds. The effects of this strike stack. The effects of this strike do not stack. Additional hits instead add to the effect's duration.

  • Debilitating Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 1d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become debilitated. The target takes a –2 penalty on all Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks for 1 round per level of the rogue. This penalty increases to –4 at 16 Hit Dice or levels, and –6 at 18 Hit Dice or levels. The effects of this strike do not stack. 

  • Staggering Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become staggered for 1 round at 14 Hit Dice or levels, plus an additional round every two Hit Dice or levels of the master rogue beyond 14. The effects of this strike do not stack. Additional hits instead add to the effect's duration.

At 18th level, a master rogue adds the following strikes to those that can be selected. 

• • Confusing Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become confused for 1 round at 14 Hit Dice or levels, plus an additional round for every 2 Hit Dice or levels beyond 14. The effects of this strike do not stack.

  • Crippling Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack, to cause the target’s speed to become halved for 1 round at 14 Hit Dice or levels, plus an additional round for every 2 Hit Dice or levels beyond 14. A successful Fortitude save reduces this duration in half. Against creatures with multiple types of movement, the master rogue must choose which movement type to affect. A flying creature hit by this strike must make a DC 10 Fly check to remain airborne, and has its maneuverability reduced by one step.

  • Exhausting Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become exhausted. The effects of this strike do not stack. The master rogue must have the fatiguing strike to select this deadly strike. 

  • Nauseating Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 2d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become nauseated for 1 round at 14 Hit Dice or levels, plus an additional round for every 3 Hit Dice or levels beyond 14. The effects of this strike do not stack. Additional hits instead add to the effect's duration. The master rogue must have the sickening strike to select this deadly strike.

At 20th level, a rogue adds the following strikes to those that can be selected.

• • Blinding Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 4d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become blinded. The effects of this strike do not stack.

  • Deafening Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 4d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become deafened. The effects of this strike do not stack. 

  • Stunning Strike: The master rogue can sacrifice 4d6 damage from her sneak attack to cause the target to become stunned for 1 round. 

Shadow Jump (Su)

A master rogue gains the ability to travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with at least some dim light. A master rogue can jump up to a total of 40 feet each day in this way; this may be a single jump of 40 feet or four jumps of 10 feet each. Every 2 Hit Dice or levels beyond 14, the distance a master rogue can jump each day doubles (80 feet at 16th, 160 feet at 18th, and 320 feet at 20th). This amount can be split among many jumps, but each one, no matter how small, counts as a 10-foot increment. The effects of this strike do not stack.

Sudden Feint (Ex)

A master rogue becomes an expert at catching her enemies off-guard. As a move action, a master rogue can make a Bluff check to feint in combat. If the check is successful, this causes the master rogue’s opponent to be denied his Dexterity bonus to his AC against the master rogue’s next attack. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the opponent’s base attack bonus + opponent’s Wisdom modifier. If the opponent is trained in Sense Motive, the DC is instead equal to 10 + the opponent’s Sense Motive bonus, if higher. 

Trap Mastery (Ex)

A master rogue possesses an intuitive sense concerning all manner of traps and ambushes. She adds 1/2 her level to all skill checks made to build, disarm, or locate traps, and to any skill checks made to determine awareness in a surprise round (minimum +1). A master rogue can also use Disable Device to disarm magic traps. In addition, a master rogue adds 1/2 her Hit Dice or level as a competence bonus to all saving throws associated with traps and their effects (such as spells and poison), and as a dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps, and attacks that are part of a readied action.

Spell-Like Abilities: A master rogue gains the following spell-like abilities: At will–disguise self, vanish; 3/day–invisibility, mirror image, shadow weapon; 1/day–greater invisibility, mislead. Caster level equals the master rogue’s HD (or character level of the base creature, whichever is higher).

Abilities: A master rogue gains a +4 bonus on one ability score of her choice and a +2 bonus on two other ability scores of her choice.