D&D 5e Swashbuckler Rogue Build Guide (2024)

Rogues are some of Fifth Edition's most capable and versatile nonmagical characters. Rogues bring a vast range of utility to the party from their many skill proficiencies and Expertise. In addition, Sneak Attack ensures that canny rogues can hold their own in combat alongside characters like fighters.

The Swashbuckler is a D&D 5e rogue subclass that trades utility for self-sufficiency in combat and forgoes stealth in favor of brash charm and derring-do. Their abilities emphasize heroics, a conversation-forward approach to situations, and one-on-one duels in combat. Due to their nature as warriors in the thick of it, it's important to build D&D 5e's Swashbuckler Rogue well.

Updated on June 11th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: This guide to building the best Swashbuckler rogue has been expanded with more information so D&D players can create the perfect rogue with all the pieces in place. The game has a lot to offer, from magic items to feats and fantasy species. Players must know all their best options, especially if they're diving into a where only the best rogues survive.

Perks Of A Swashbuckler Rogue Build

All rogues rely on their Sneak Attack in combat. Rather than making several attacks, rogues make one high-damage strike against distracted targets. Most rogues need to rely on their allies to create Sneak Attack opportunities or use tricks to gain an attack advantage. However, D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogues trigger Sneak Attack when they are within five feet of only one creature. As a result, for players who want to try new things in combat and fight enemies one-on-one.

Fancy Footwork and Rakish Audacity set up the core rhythm of a D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogue's combat style. Rakish Audacity gives them an Initiative bonus equal to their Charisma and enables their unique sneak attacks. Fancy Footwork then allows the rogue to move away from enemies they've struck without Disengaging or risking opportunity attacks. Rogues move first, strike a lone enemy hard in melee, and then either stand their ground or flit their way back to safety.

Panache has different uses for in-combat and outside-of-combat. When used on a non-hostile creature, the Swashbuckler rogue's sheer presence causes creatures to be charmed for a minute, provided the rogue succeeds on a Charisma (Persuasion) check against the target's Wisdom (Insight). In combat, Panache is instead a tanking ability. The D&D rogue forces enemies who fail to have a disadvantage on attacks and an inability to make opportunity attacks against all other targets. This ties into the subclass' other abilities, favoring one-on-one duels.

Elegant Maneuver lets the rogue use their bonus action to get an advantage on their next Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. This has no limits besides a time limit. In effect, a rogue can make nearly all of these checks with an advantage outside combat. In combat, it can make them almost impossible to grapple or even effective wrestlers in their own right.

Master Duelist is another straightforward combat ability. Once per short rest, a D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogue can course-correct on a missed strike. When they miss, Master Duelist lets them re-roll with an advantage. This can turn a lot of wasted damage into a successful strike or even a critical hit.

Best Stats For A Swashbuckler Rogue Build

Like all rogues, Swashbucklers in D&D 5e need Dexterity above all other stats. It dictates almost everything vital rogues bring to a D&D party. Dexterity affects Armor Class, initiative, and many skills. Swashbucklers are more combative than most other rogue subclasses, but high Dexterity can help them excel at Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Thieves' Tools, and more. Most vitally, Dexterity is used for the Finesse, and ranged weapons are required for Sneak Attack.

Charisma is another vital stat for a D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogue. Many Swashbuckler features emphasize or reward high Charisma. For example, it helps rogues go first with Rakish Audacity and overwhelm other creatures with Panache. This also means that Swashbuckler rogues are ideal as party faces. A high-Charisma Swashbuckler with Expertise in the right skills can dominate nearly any social situation, allowing them to be the party's face almost as much as the perfect bard build.

Swashbuckler rogue players shouldn't overlook Constitution. Fancy Footwork can get them out of danger, but it's not a foolproof escape. Furthermore, Panache encourages an enemy to focus on a rogue exclusively. Given their focus on melee combat with Rakish Audacity, D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogues want Constitution to survive in the thick of it. As a result, it's every bit as important as Charisma.

That leaves Strength, Wisdom, and Intelligence. A rogue has little to no use for STR, so that's an easy dump stat for any Swashbuckler rogue build. The party's fighter or barbarian should do the heavy lifting instead. INT is another dump stat for most rogue subclasses, Swashbuckler included. Finally, Wisdom has some decent use for a rogue, since Wisdom affects skills like Perception, which a rogue will actually want, so WIS should get a modest yet solid score. Having +1 to WIS should suffice, with skill proficiencies and/or expertise boosting that skill's modifier further.

The Best Species And Background For A Swashbuckler Rogue Build

As with most characters, variant human and custom lineage are two of the best species for a Swashbuckler build in D&D 5e. An early-game feat like Fey Touched or Alert can make all the difference and save valuable ability score improvements for Dexterity or Charisma. Extra skills help reinforce the class' out-of-combat versatility as well.

Bugbears are an unexpectedly good choice for a D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogue, particularly with and ability score improvement. In particular, the bugbear's Surprise Attack feature synergizes well with Rakish Audacity. It effectively lets the character hit like a rogue three or four levels higher for the first round of combat.

Satyr is another valuable choice for a Swashbuckler rogue in D&D 5e. Their increased movement synergizes well with Cunning Action and the rogue's general maneuverability. It also helps a rogue dart in, attack, and get beyond an enemy's reach. Magic Resistance protects against spells that could chip away at a Swashbuckler rogue's health or leave them defenseless in combat.

Tabaxi is a strong option for any rogue build, including the best Swashbuckler rogue build. These feline humanoids are light on their feet and move fast, ideal for a class focusing on mobility and agility like the rogue. A Swashbuckler, in particular, is a melee-range fighter who won't often use crossbows or throwing knives, so a tabaxi's traits include Feline Agility. With that, a tabaxi Swashbuckler can sprint clear across the battlefield to engage a strategic target without using up any actions. Thanks to Cat's Talent, tabaxi also have vital skill proficiencies like Stealth and Perception, allowing the Swashbuckler to expand into other skills.

Fairy is a decent option for rogues if the party lacks a bard or similar character who would cast Faerie Fire to ensure the rogue has an advantage when attacking to make Sneak Attack happen. Rogues normally want someone else to cast that so they can keep their action free for attacks, but in a pinch, a fairy rogue can use their own Faerie Fire. Fairies can fly if they wear light or no armor, which suits a Swashbuckler rogue just fine. Swashbucklers will want to pick a high-priority target and take them out, such as an enemy spellcaster, but the target's minions might get in the way. So, a flying fairy rogue can simply fly over the target's bodyguard and close in on melee range to attack.

With backgrounds, D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogues want to emphasize Charisma skills and others valuable in general adventuring. Criminal gets them Stealth and Deception. This can help them sneak into an enemy stronghold one way or another and then burst into derring-do action. Alternatively, Smuggler gets Athletics and Deception for lying, jumping, climbing, and much more.

Best 5e Feats For A Swashbuckler Rogue

Swashbucklers have interesting feat possibilities compared to other D&D 5e Roguish Archetypes. For instance, they can focus on the Charisma side of their toolkit when not boosting their Dexterity. that only improves with high Charisma. A reasonable number of temporary hit points for the entire party every short rest rapidly adds up to hundreds of hit points of mitigated damage.

Many D&D 5e Swashbuckler rogue builds benefit from Fey-Touched. A free use of Misty Step daily is valuable in or outside combat. A Swashbuckler can teleport to a hard-to-reach enemy for Sneak Attack, bypass obstacles in the adventuring world, and much more. The first-level Divination or Enchantment spell opens many utility options. Its Charisma bonus is the cherry on top.

Magic Initiate: Sorcerer is surprisingly beneficial for a Swashbuckler rogue build in D&D 5e. Booming Blade is ideal for rogues not looking to dual-wield. It adds up to 3d8 to their one attack per turn while synergizing with a D&D 5e rogue's Sneak Attack. Fancy Footwork allows the character to flee, while Booming Blade discourages pursuit. This also opens the door for other options, such as Prestidigitation or Minor Illusion for the second cantrip. The free first-level spell can be a combat option like Shield or a choice like Feather Fall that aids epic heroics.

Swashbuckler rogues already get Expertise in many skills, but Skill Expert can help them corner the market as one of the best skill builds in D&D 5e. Proficiency in another skill lets them cast their net even wider, while Expertise lets them double down as the party's best face or fill another gap in the party. It also comes with a flexible ability score increase, letting a Swashbuckler rogue build in D&D 5e bolster their Dexterity, Charisma, or Constitution.

Multiclassing A 5e Swashbuckler Rogue

D&D 5e rogues have a steady damage curve and a variety of entertaining abilities that make them viable as a single-classed build. Certain classes' abilities can help make a Swashbuckler multiclass even better in D&D 5e.

The infamous Hexblade warlock patron is as valuable a multiclass option for a Swashbuckler rogue in D&D 5e as it is for many other classes. A single level will unlock some spellcasting and the Hex Warrior ability. This lets a Swashbuckler use Charisma for their weapon attacks, letting the character emphasize this even further. It also gives medium armor, lessening the need for Dexterity's improvements to Armor Class. A Hexblade dip also gives limited spellcasting. This includes Booming Blade to offset any loss in Sneak Attack damage.

Fighter is a more mundane that still unlocks valuable options. Action Surge lets a Swashbuckler engage in a zany stunt or Elegant Maneuver-fueled action and still attack in a turn or even Sneak Attack a second time by readying an attack. The Champion subclass' Improved Critical doubles the chance of a high-damage Sneak Attack critical, while Battle Master Maneuvers make them even more of an expert one-on-one duelist.

The Best Magic Items For a Swashbuckler Rogue

Swashbuckler rogues will definitely want some great magic items since they don't have any magical spells to give them an arcane advantage, and many rogue-centric species have limited or no innate spellcasting. For the most part, a Swashbuckler rogue will want similar items as a fighter, with less focus on Strength-boosting and more on Dexterity and Constitution boosting.

A Swashbuckler rogue will naturally want some good swords, such as rapiers, to boost their damage. A +1, +2, or +3 magical rapier will always serve a Swashbuckler well. If the rogue wants additional damage types, they can look into swords such as Flame Tongue, which certainly comes in rapier variants. It will deal 2d6 fire damage on a hit on top of the attack's normal damage, a fine bonus in most fights. At a very early level, a Moon-Touched Sword may be helpful to deal with monsters who resist damage from nonmagical weapons.

Zephyr Armor is a great pick for Swashbuckler Rogues, especially at lower levels, before they access Uncanny Dodge and Evasion to serve a similar purpose. Zephyr armor is light armor that allows the wearer to roll DEX saving throws and Acrobatics rolls with advantage, and once per day, the wearer may invoke the armor's rune to cast the Wind Wall spell. If a Swashbuckler is suddenly in trouble and might get flanked, they can use that rune to create a windy barrier to cover their retreat back to friendly lines. On defense, Swashbuckler rogues may also wear a Cloak of Protection for +1 AC and +1 to saving throws. A Cloak of Displacement is even better, causing attacks to roll with a disadvantage against the Swashbuckler to keep them alive. Such items require attunement, and it's absolutely worth it for Swashbucklers.

Swashbuckler rogues will want to amplify their DEX and CON as much as possible, and certain magic items can help with that, including higher-end ones. At earlier levels, the rogue should seek out an Amulet of Health to set their CON score to 19, making them tougher as a front-liner, just in case. A Manual of Quickness of Action, at higher levels, is essential since it will boost a rogue's DEX by +2, raising the maximum by the same amount.

Dungeons and Dragons

A fantasy roleplaying tabletop game designed for adventure-seekers, the original incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons was created by Gary Gygax in 1974.

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Original Release Date

January 26, 1974

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast , TSR Inc.

Designer

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson

Player Count

4-8 Players Recommended

Age Recommendation

12+

Length per Game

3 hours +

Expansions

Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

Summary

Dungeons & Dragons is the fantasy tabletop role-playing game that has persevered for nearly 50 years and continues to grow strong. Created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, the game first made publication in 1974 and now falls under the Wizards of the Coast publishing wing. A typical game of DnD consists of 4-6 players, with one player acting as the Dungeon Master. Players can take a sheet and by consulting the various rule books and expansions, can create their own character with weapons, skills, and physical appearance. Once all characters are created, the Dungeon Master sets them off in a campaign of their choosing or design, where players will have to follow the rules of the DM as they roleplay their way through storylines. The characters will level up, find equipment, and experience permanent changes based on the way the story plays out. A roll of the dice can mean the difference between a successful hit, and a painful end. The most recent edition of Dungeons & Dragons is the 5th edition rule book.