Tiefling Rogue Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Start with a Rapier and Leather Armor. Choose the Thief subclass at level 3. The Fast Hands feature lets you use an object as a bonus action—allowing you to toss Alchemist's Fire at enemies or scatter caltrops while still attacking. Your Fiendish Legacy fire resistance neatly protects you from any accidental incendiary splash damage. At level 4, take the Piercer feat. This bumps your 17 Dexterity (15 base + 2 Feral Tiefling) to a clean 18, and lets you reroll a terrible damage die on your Rapier strikes to ensure your Sneak Attack hits hard.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings a massive power spike: Sneak Attack scales to 3d6, and Uncanny Dodge lets you use your reaction to halve incoming attack damage. Level 7 grants Evasion, which mathematically stacks perfectly with your racial fire resistance. At level 8, use your Ability Score Improvement to cap your Dexterity at 20, maximizing your attack rolls, AC, and initiative. At level 10, Rogues get a bonus ASI; grab the Mobile feat to increase your Tiefling base speed to 40 feet, allowing you to dart in, strike, and retreat without sacrificing your Cunning Action to Disengage.

Levels 11-16

Level 11 introduces Reliable Talent. Thanks to your 15 Intelligence (14 base + 1 Feral Tiefling) and Expertise in Investigation, your minimum roll to uncover hidden doors or traps will effortlessly exceed 20. At level 12, take the Resilient (Constitution) feat to round your odd 13 CON to a 14, granting desperately needed hit points and proficiency in vital Constitution saving throws against poisons. Level 13 brings Use Magic Device, allowing your Thief to bypass class restrictions and attune to powerful items like a Staff of Power. Level 16 is prime territory for the Alert feat, guaranteeing you act first to exploit flat-footed enemies.

Levels 17-20

At level 17, Thief's Reflexes gives you two complete turns during the first round of any combat. This phenomenal subclass capstone means you can apply your 9d6 Sneak Attack twice before most enemies even draw their weapons. Take the Tough feat at level 19 to offset your d8 hit die, padding your health pool to survive brutal Tier 4 melee encounters. Finally, enjoy the Rogue capstone, Stroke of Luck, at level 20 to guarantee a critical hit or perfectly timed ability check when the campaign is on the line.

Piercer

Take this at level 4. It acts as a half-feat to boost your Feral Tiefling Dexterity from 17 to 18, instantly improving your AC, attack rolls, and initiative. Rerolling a low d8 on your Rapier damage is nice, but rolling an extra damage die on a critical hit synergizes beautifully with your Sneak Attack crits.

Mobile

Take this at level 10. Tieflings lack the bonus movement speed of Wood Elves, so bumping your speed from 30 to 40 feet is crucial for a melee Striker. More importantly, attacking an enemy prevents them from making opportunity attacks against you, freeing up your Cunning Action to Dash instead of Disengage.

Resilient (Constitution)

Take this at level 12. You started with an awkward 13 Constitution. This feat rounds it to 14, immediately retroactively granting you 12 extra hit points. More importantly, gaining proficiency in Constitution saving throws protects you from nasty late-game paralyzing poisons and necrotic drain effects.

Alert

Take this at level 16. A +5 bonus to initiative on top of your maxed 20 Dexterity ensures you almost always act first. Striking before an enemy has taken a turn is vital for positioning and securing that crucial opening-round Sneak Attack, especially when combined with your level 17 Thief's Reflexes.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Acquire a Rapier and Studded Leather armor as soon as possible. Since Tieflings already have 60 feet of Darkvision, acquiring Goggles of Night is surprisingly effective—it stacks with your racial trait, extending your sight in total darkness to a massive 120 feet, allowing you to scout far ahead of the party.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Seek out a Weapon of Warning (Rapier). Advantage on initiative rolls pairs beautifully with your high Dexterity, and preventing your party from being surprised ensures you never waste a round. A Cloak of Elvenkind is also mandatory here to give you advantage on Stealth checks, ensuring you remain unseen in dim light.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Hunt for a Flame Tongue Rapier. Adding 2d6 fire damage to your attacks dramatically increases your baseline DPR. Because of your Fiendish Legacy, you aren't afraid of the heat or fighting fire-immune enemies, as you can always fall back on your massive Sneak Attack pool for physical damage.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

The ultimate chase item is the Blood Fury Tattoo. Spending a charge to deal an extra 4d6 necrotic damage on top of your 10d6 Sneak Attack—and healing for the necrotic damage dealt—provides the massive burst damage and sustain required to survive the lethal melee encounters of Tier 4 play.

This build thrives when paired with a sturdy, aggressive frontline companion. A Cavalier Fighter or an Oath of Vengeance Paladin is the perfect partner. By standing within 5 feet of your target, they permanently enable your Sneak Attack without requiring you to use your bonus action to Hide. Their threat level also draws opportunity attacks, letting you weave in and out of melee safely.

Defensively, you want a Twilight Domain Cleric in the party. Your d8 hit die makes you slightly squishy for a dedicated melee Striker. The Cleric's Twilight Sanctuary provides a steady stream of temporary hit points every round, which synergizes incredibly well with your Uncanny Dodge—since you halve the incoming damage, those temporary hit points last twice as long.

Fighter 2 Dip

Taking two levels of Fighter grants you the Archery or Dueling fighting style and, crucially, Action Surge. You can use your standard action to attack (triggering Sneak Attack), then Action Surge to Ready an action to attack on the next creature's turn. Because Sneak Attack is limited to once per turn, not per round, this guarantees two Sneak Attacks in a single combat round.

Battle Master Fighter 3 Dip

If you take Fighter to level 3, select the Battle Master archetype. The Riposte maneuver allows you to attack an enemy as a reaction when they miss you with a melee attack. Since it occurs on their turn, this attack qualifies for a completely separate Sneak Attack, drastically skyrocketing your overall DPR.

• Relying on Hellish Rebuke for damage: With your dumped 8 Charisma, your spell save DC is horribly low. Enemies will easily save against your racial Hellish Rebuke, turning it into a negligible chip-damage reaction. Save your reaction for Uncanny Dodge instead.
• Forgetting defensive stacking: Players often forget that Evasion and Fiendish Legacy stack. If a Red Dragon breathes fire on you, passing the Dexterity save means Evasion reduces the damage to zero. Failing the save means Evasion halves it, and your fire resistance halves it again, leaving you taking only 25% damage.
• Hiding without obscurement: You cannot use Cunning Action to Hide if you are standing in an empty, brightly lit hallway. You must break line of sight or be heavily obscured. Use your Tiefling Darkness spell to create your own obscurement if the terrain is barren.
• Ignoring Fast Hands: Thief Rogues get Fast Hands at level 3, but many players forget to buy mundane items. Stock up on caltrops, ball bearings, and Alchemist's Fire to control the battlefield with your bonus action while still landing your Sneak Attack.