The new Magic Stealer Rogue might have an awful name, but the subclass seems like it’ll be a lot of fun, actually.
If you look at the Arcane Trickster Rogue, you’ll find a subclass all about using a limited selection of magic and a lot of creative Mage Hand to do Rogue things. I mention this because one of the features in Arcane Trickster – the 17th level one, to be specific – feels like it should be both the capstone of and the name of this class: Spellthief.
Because the new Magic Stealer Rogue is all about stealing magic, sure. But more specifically, it’s about stealing the magical energy from spells as they’re being cast. But WotC has already used Spellthief in one place, so they can’t go having two things with the same name. Which is a shame, because Magic Stealer just doesn’t do it for me. The name, at any rate. The class has a lot of fun mechanics that I think support a surprisingly cooperative playstyle. Let’s take a look.
The Magic Stealer Rogue – Stealing Magic (But More Specifically Spells)
A Magic Stealer Rogue steals spellcasting itself. Sort of. That is to say, it gets a lot out of being around creatures that are casting magic spells. And you might be thinking, well, doesn’t that mean that this subclass depends on you fighting spellcasting monsters?
It does, a little. If you pick this subclass, a lot of the features revolve around messing with spellcasters. But the bread and butter of this class actually shines when the Magic Stealer Rogue is in the same party as at least one spellcasting PC.
It’s a paradigm that shines through in most of the subclass features. Starting with the core feature of the subclass, Empower Sneak Attack. This represents you stealing magic. And the way it works is: any time you see a creature within 30 feet, cast a level 1+ spell (no spell slot needed), you can spend a Reaction to steal some of that magical energy to empower your next Sneak Attack. The next time you make a Sneak Attack, you deal the spell’s level in extra d6s (all Force damage).
This is cool because it lets you make a team-up attack with an ally. They cast a Scorching Ray (level 2), you empower your Sneak Attack and then deal 2d6 extra Force Damage. Simple. It doesn’t hurt your ally. The only downside to this feature is that it’s limited to your Intelligence modifier times per day. I think the uses should come back on a short rest, or maybe be like Proficiency Bonus times per day for easier scaling.
Your other level 3 feature, Drain Magic, is also surprisingly teamwork-focused. Drain Magic sounds like you should be stealing someone’s spell slots. But instead, you use a Magic Action to touch a willing creature and end one ongoing level 1 or 2 spell on it. That creature then immediately recovers a level 2 or lower spell slot (their choice). You can do this once per Short or Long Rest.
Theoretically you could turn something like an ally’s Mage Armor into a level 2 spell slot, which is kind of crazy. But it also means if someone gets hit with a debuff, you can end a Bane, for instance, and give an ally a recharge. This one’s a little more niche, but I still like it. You can use this to help earn back a spell whose effects haven’t expired. If an ally had something like an Aid affecting them, you could give them back the spell slot.
Sabotage And Theft
At higher levels, the Magic Stealer Rogue gets to do even more magic shenanigans. Though, like all Rogues, they have to wait until level 9. Which is why I think the earlier Empower Sneak Attack feature should recharge or have way more uses. Otherwise you end up being a Rogue without a subclass most of the time.
Anyway, at level 9, Magical Sabotage gives you three new Cunning Strike options. These let you trade off some amount of Sneak Attack bonus dice to do something else insetad. And once again, they are all kinda teamwork focused, starting with Spell Susceptibility. This costs 2d6 Sneak Attack dice, but gives the target Disadvantage on its next save against a spell. Or Steal Resistance, which also costs 2d6, but removes a creature’s resistance to damage, giving it to you instead (if they have it).
For my money though, Disrupt Spell is where it’s at. This Cunning Strike costs you 3d6 but gives you the power to disrupt a creature’s magic activity. This means if they try to cast a spell on their turn, they have to make a save or the spell dissipates, costing them their Action/Bonus Action/Reaction. It’s a potent way to potentially shut down a spellcaster.
At level 13, Occult Shroud lets you cast Nondetection every day. You basically get a permanent Nondetection if you want. You also get Improved Drain Magic, which lets you end a spell of up to level 3 on someone and give back up to a level 3 spell slot for their trouble.
Finally, Eldritch Implosion at 17th level, lets you actually steal magic. Whenever you use Empower Sneak Attack, you can (but don’t have to) force the spellcaster to make a save or lose their spell and become Stunned until the start of their next turn. I love this ability and wish it wasn’t 17th level. I feel like there’s got a be a way to bring this closer – that feels like the truest expression of the fantasy of this subclass.
But while I may not agree with where/how often these abilities get to be used, I think they’re all cool just the same. If you disagree (or agree even harder), you should let WotC know by downloading the playtest and then taking the survey at the link below!
What would you call the Magic Stealer Rogue?
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