Rogue / FighterMulticlass Build Guide — D&D 5e

A rogue’s entire turn lives or dies on one attack roll. Miss it and your Sneak Attack — your whole damage budget — is gone. Fighter 1 gives you a Fighting Style (Archery’s +2 to hit, or Dueling’s +2 damage) and Second Wind. Fighter 2 gives you Action Surge: a whole extra action, meaning a second attack, meaning a second chance to land the one hit that matters. The insurance is worth more here than on any other class.

Medium and heavy armour proficiency from Fighter 1 is the other quiet win. A rogue in studded leather sits at AC 12 + DEX; the same rogue in half plate is 15 + DEX (max 2). That is a two- or three-point AC jump that does not cost a feat, a spell or a subclass choice. For a d8-hit-die character who occasionally has to stand next to the thing it just stabbed, the survivability increase is significant.

The deeper question is Fighter 2 vs Fighter 3. A third level opens a martial archetype — Battle Master manoeuvres (Riposte gives you a reaction attack, which is a second Sneak Attack opportunity) or Champion’s expanded crit range. Both are tempting, but the third level delays Reliable Talent at Rogue 11 and costs you a Sneak Attack die. For most builds, stop at 2.

Ability priority: DEX → CON → WIS — Dexterity is your attack stat, armour class, initiative and Stealth. Constitution keeps a d8 chassis alive. Wisdom guards the save that removes you from fights.