Tank Rogue - Master of HAM - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

Heavy Armor Master Rogue - Sneaky Tank for Baldur's Gate 3. Use your defensive features and sturdy armors to become ultimate frontline menace utilizing Heavy Armour Master. Your sturdiness will be maximized so that most attack will feel like a minor scratch.​

Tempest Thief - Tank frontliner

A major asset of Rogues is its capacity to minimize incoming harm using features such as Cunning Action: Dash​/Cunning Action: Disengage​, Uncanny Dodge​, and Evasion​. An excellent strategy for enhancing this durability during the early to intermediate stages of the game is selecting the Heavy Armour Master​ feat, which provides a flat 3-point reduction to all incoming physical (bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing) damage.

To execute this build successfully, you can combine 11 levels of rogue with a 1 level Cleric dip with proficiency in heavy armor, ensuring you still unlock Reliable Talent​ and maintain strong sneak attack progression. Alternatively, kicking off your character build with a single level in Fighter is another viable route unlocking fighting styles like Defence​, or Duelling​; But then start with Fighter then go all in with Rogue. While this heavy-armor Rogue archetype truly excels in solo runs, it can functions perfectly well within a standard adventuring party.

The important part of this build is the Adamantine Splint Armour which can stay with us through the rest of the game. Rushing to get it and why it can stay forever is because of it's very good features. It grants good chunk of 18 Armour Class, flat -2 damage reduction to all damage, crit immunity which is especially valuable in solo playthrough AND Reeling​ which can further debuff your enemies. These features on top of possible damage resistance from Blade Ward​ and/or other sources will make you a walking tank, I highly recommend crafting it ASAP.

Build Overview

Level	Class	Selection
1	Rogue 1	No Auntie Ethel's Hair: STR - 17 (15+2), DEX - 14 , CON - 16 (15+1), INT - 8 , WIS - 10, CHA - 8   +1 DEX Auntie Ethel's Hair: STR - 17 (15+2), DEX - 15, CON - 16 (15+1), INT - 8, WIS - 8, CHA - 8
		Background: Urchin, Soldier, Criminal, Charlatan
		Skills: Athletics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Persuasion
2	Cleric 1	Cantrips: Blade Ward,​ Guidance​, Resistance or Light​ Spells: Protection from Evil and Good/Shield of Faith​/Sanctuary​/Bless​​
3	Rogue 2	-
4	Rogue 3	-
5	Rogue 4	Feat: Ability Improvement - Heavy Armour Master​ +1 Strength
6	Rogue 5	-
7	Rogue 6	Skills: Athletics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Persuasion
8	Rogue 7	-
9	Rogue 8	Feat: Savage Attacker​​
10	Rogue 9	-
11	Rogue 10	Feat: Ability Improvement - +2 Strength or Alert​
12	Rogue 11	-

Synergy with other builds

This section will give a few ideas on how to utilize other builds to maximize the combat potential of the group. There are usually various synergies that make the group play more enjoyable. However, this should not be the main factor. With full game knowledge, any party composition will work freely.

Synergetic Builds	Enabler	Description
Abjuration Wizard	Projected Ward​	At level 6 your Abjuration Wizard can negate even more damage for you as a reaction.
Stars Cleric	Warding Bond​	This build's high Concentration value with Warding Bond's, allows you to tank more damage without fear on breaking spell Concentration.
Cleric Healer	Disciple of Life​	Healing granted by this Cleric build will allow you to maintain your hitpoints which translates to tanking better.
Bardadin Shadow monk Eldritch Knight	Aura Of Murder Granted via Bhaalist Armor​	The aura will make enemies Vulnerable to piercing damage which can drastically enhance your damage especially with Sneak Attack​.

Starting the Game - Level 1

This section covers the creation screen and what would go into the best Races, Abilities, and Skills. Some of these choices are impactful as you cannot respec them.

Races

Picking a race provides various benefits - abilities, dialogue options, looks, etc. If you are having difficulties making a choice, pick whatever you prefer in terms of looks or roleplay. "The perfect race pick" is important if you are into extreme min-maxing.

Race	Features	Description
Dwarf Duergar	Dwarven Combat Training​ Superior Darkvision​ Dwarven Resilience​ Duergar Resilience​	The Duergar gives Invisibility,​ which makes you lethal in combat. You can set up Surprise rounds, leave combat, and escape any kind of danger. This is also a perfect choice if you are doing the Pickpocket Build.
Lightfoot Halfling	Halfling Luck​ Brave​ Naturally Stealthy​	Somewhat inferior race pick. Halfling Luck is an excellent helper, but it's not that useful early on, where you will still fail many times.​ They also give a stealth Advantage.
Deep Gnome	Gnome Cunning​ Superior Darkvision​ Stone Camouflage​	Helps with various mental checks, but also gives a stealth Advantage.
Wood Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.	Almost any build can benefit from the extra movement speed. I think the same is here, so I definitely recommend this option.
Wood Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.
High Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry	These picks are relevant mainly for the Booming Blade​ cantrip or Minor Illusion​. If you decide to pick Booming Blade​ be sure to tweak your Sneak Attack​ in a reaction tab so you can activate it whenever you have an option.
High Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry

Origins

Origin	Features	Description
Gale	Civil Militia​ Human Versatility​	Gale is one of the best choices for specific Arcane Trickster path if he is chosen as the origin character in character creation. In the mid part of Act 2, you can obtain a free level 3 spell slot, which would be used to cast scaled-up Shadow Blade​ for increased damage without need of elixirs.
Astarion	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry	On top of already being a Rogue, in Act 3, Astarion can obtain the Vampire Ascendant​ buff, which gives a 1d10 necrotic damage boost on top of other useful features. Early game feature Bite​ granting the Happy​ gives you a minor yet good boost to your gameplay.

Class

Overview
Rogue
Features
​Sneak Attack (Melee)	This can be exploited with weapon attacks for an additional 1d6 damage once per turn. Be sure to have an Advantage or attack using Hide. Later, more damage rolls are added.
Sneak Attack (Ranged)​	This can be exploited with weapon attacks for an additional 1d6 damage once per turn. Be sure to have an Advantage or attack from hiding. Later, more damage rolls are added.

Background

Backgrounds are mostly for role-playing, and you can pick whatever you prefer. If you want to optimize, then it would be good to pick backgrounds that are based on your Wisdom ability points.

Ability Points

Skill proficiencies

Any pick is okay although I recommend:

• Athletics - to shove or throw your targets.
• Sleight of Hand - if you need a dedicated lockpicker or trap disarmer.
• Stealth - generally good for Rogues, penalty from heavy armor can be easily mitigated.

Correctly using Sneak Attack

So the main feature of Rogue is Sneak Attack​​ which is enabled from the first level. In the early game, this is an excellent source of additional damage, especially if you land a critical hit. However, it does get phased out in the latter part of the game.

The main thing to know is that you can use the Reaction window to enable it on hit. This means that you can use your offhand bonus action attack to activate it, instead of using the action itself on the main hand.

So with this, you will be asked if you want the additional Sneak Attack damage when using normal attacks. However, this can lead to easily miss the activation and it is an important damage source on each turn. So here are the ways that enable the sneak attack:

• You have to use a Finesse weapon - dagger, shortsword, or ranged weapons like bows.
• Have an Advantage like Prone​, being invisible, being hidden, etc.
• Having an ally close to the enemy circumvents the Advantage requirement.

Leveling Progression 2-12

Levels 2-6

By this time, you should have landed on the Ravaged beach already and started exploring the initial area. You might need 1 additional encounter if you did not obtain enough XP in the Nautiloid.

Level 2

So, now in the level-up screen, you can start multiclassing. We're dipping into Tempest Subclass for:

• Easier early game sneak with Fog Cloud.​
• Easy retaliation damage from Wrath of the Storm​ pairing well with our tankiness.
• Most important part, heavy armor proficiency.

Here's a guide how to multiclass:

Class - Cleric 

Overview
Cleric
Clerics are representatives of the Gods they worship, wielding potent divine magic for good or ill.
Features
Spell Slots	These can be used to cast spells and are restored each long rest.
​Domain Spells	Unique spell list accessible based on your cleric subclass.

Cantrips

Cantrips	Description
Blade Ward​	Good prebuff negating 50% of the damage received from Bludgeoning, Slashing and Piercing damage.
Resistance​​	Can give yourself or a companion in dialogue 1d4 to saving throws, generally useful cantrip.
Guidance​	Early game if you're not concentrating on anything it's a good 1d4 bonus to ability checks, even on Shove​ or Throw​ since it uses Athletics; Just remember to do it before commiting to either.

Subclass

Overview
Tempest Domain
Features
Wrath of the Storm​	Unique reaction that can deal lightning or thunder damage to the targets attacking you.
Thunderwave​	It can be used to push back enemies from ledges.
Fog Cloud​	Create an obscured area, that can be used to pickpocket or blind enemies.

What Cleric Subclass to choose ?

Subclass	Description
Tempest	On top of Heavy Armor proficiencies also provides you with Martial Weapons proficiencies. Provides you with Wrath of the Storm: Lightning​ and Wrath of the Storm: Thunder​ for damage relatiation. Provides Thunderwave​ and Fog Cloud​ which may help with stealth.
Nature	Provides you one of Druid's cantrips, my recommendations are Thorn Whip​ or Shillelagh. Provides Animal Handling, Nature and Survival skills proficiencies. Provides Speak with Animals​ and​ Animal Friendship.
Life	Provides Bless​ and Cure Wounds. ​Provides Disciple of Life​ which boosts your healing by 2 + spell level's HP.
War	On top of Heavy Armor proficiencies also provides you with Martial Weapons proficiencies. Provides you with War Priest​ which can give you an another attack if need. Provides you with Shield of Faith​ and Divine Favour.

Prepared Spell

Since you're only going to take 1 level of Cleric and have a Wisdom modifier of -1 or 0, you can only prepare one spell, even with modifier score of -1. My general recommendations are:

Spells	Description
​Sanctuary​	Extremely good defensive spell, you or an ally cannot be targeted until you attack or harm someone, although you can still take damage from area spells. Very good on solo or in tight situations
Bless​	Give up to 3 allies (including you) 1d4 bonus to attack and saving throws, given your low amount of spell slots I'd use it carefully.
Shield of Faith​	Gives you+2 to your armor score making you a bit harder to hit, small buff to have higher chance to avoid attacks.
​Protection from Evil and Good​	Useful spell against Undead, Fey, Fiends, Abberations, Elementals and Celestials. On top of preventing crowd control from them it also makes you harder to hit giving those monsters a disadvantage on hitting you.
Fog Cloud	Create an obscured area, that can be used to pickpocket or blind enemies.

From that point we keep leveling Rogue 

Level 3 - Rogue (2)

Action	Description
Cunning Action: Hide​	Bonus action hide, which the Berserker build will not care about.
Cunning Action: Dash​	Cover more distance this turn: double your movement speed.
Cunning Action: Disengage​	Retreat safely: moving won't provoke Opportunity Attacks.

Level 4 -  Rogue (3)

Subclass

Overview
Thief
Features
Fast Hands​	Allows another bonus action, in Monk's case this will be Flurry of Blows, for more damage per turn.
Second-Story Work: Falling​	Reduces fall damage.

What Rogue Subclass to choose ?

Level 5 -  Rogue (4)

Feat	Description
Heavy Armour Master​	Must have Feat for the build, add +1 Strength to level it up to 18. It only works if the character is wearing Heavy Body armour. Even though it states that HAM works only on non-magical damage, it actually works whenever its magical or not.

Level 6 -  Rogue (5)

Feature	Description
Uncanny Dodge​	It doesn't really consume your reaction, but the opponent's who attacks you. The game doesn't treat it as a proper reaction. It's one of a very small handful of multi damage reductions that stack with resistances. It's calculated last and reduces remaining damage by 50%.

Levels 7-10

Generally, this covers the Act 2 part of the game. This unlocks items that give a slight boost to a few builds, and you uncover a really interesting part of the story.

Level 7 -  Rogue (6)

Skill proficiencies

Any pick is okay although I recommend:

• Athletics - to shove or throw your targets.
• Sleight of Hand - if you need a dedicated lockpicker or trap disarmer.
• Stealth - generally good for Rogues, penalty from heavy armor can be easily mitigated.

Level 8 - Rogue (7)

Feature	Description
Evasion​	Another big tanking feature, much like Uncanny Dodge, it also does not work as described. It does not strictly matter whether an action has a Dexterity saving throw or whether it is a spell; Ex: explosives or explosions like Fireball​ can be evaded. For more information on what can be evaded, you can check the comprehensive list of things.

Level 9 -  Rogue (8)

Feat	Description
Savage Attacker​	Rerolls melee damage dice, providing a significant damage boost. Each damage die is rolled twice independently.

Level 10 -  Rogue (9)

Feature	Description
Supreme Sneak​	Allows you to turn Invisible once per Short Rest.​

Levels 11-12

This is where you will spend most of the time in Act 3. There will be an immense amount of content, and you can finish your builds and unlock extremely powerful gear.

Level 11 - Rogue (10)

Feat	Description
Ability improvement - +2 Strength	Optimizes the Strength value which is important for weapon usage and Shove​/Throw​ actions.
Alert​	Gives a whopping +5 initiative and immunity to getting Surprised​

Level 12 -  Rogue (11)

This is a major level for a rogue as you gain a unique feature allowing you to become a master pickpocket and/or wrestler

Feature	Description
Reliable Talent​	The lowest roll for ability checks with proficiency becomes 10. This more or less guarantees that you can pickpocket most of the items without risk, sneak past enemies or Shove/Throw​ them around like ragdolls.​

Gear recommendation

I recommend checking the Item Checklists or Interactive Map, depending on which is easier to use for you. This will help you track which items and when you should pick them.

Act 1

This covers the earliest part of the game, which generally spans Nautiloid, Wilderness, Underdark and the semi Act 1, or to be precise Act 1.5 - Rosymorn Monastery Trial.

Full list Paper doll

Plan the rest of your party around this gear in the Party Gear Planner

• Main Hand

  

  Phalar Aluve

  ThePhalar Aluve is one of the best support weapons thanks to Phalar Aluve: Melody​ and it's damage counterpart Phalar Aluve: Shriek​. The 1d4 damage works on any damage instance in the Area and given you're a tanky frontliner you can use it well. Not to mention it's a finesse weapon so you can use your Sneak Attack feature.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Shortsword of First Blood

    Very good burst assassinate weapon, works well with crits.

• Off Hand

  

  Adamantine Shield

  One of the best shields in the game, +2 AC, crit immunity, reeling, can last you until end of the game. You can give it to your other companions later if you'd ever want.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Safeguard Shield

    +1 to saves boosts your defence by a small margin and another +2 free AC.

  • 
    Hunter's Dagger

    Off hand to pair with First Blood sword, works well with your high mobility and another bonus action.

• Ranged Main Hand

  

  Titanstring Bow

  One of the best damage bows in the game, given your high strength you can utilize it very well.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Bow of Awareness

    Gives bonus initiative, allowing one to go earlier in combat. +1 initiative in 1d4 system is good.

    
    

• Helmet

  

  Haste Helm

  Improves movement speed, allowing one to reach important targets easily, early in the game.

  
  

  Alternatives

  • 
    Grymskull Helm

    Crit immunity which is very useful in this build + free Hunter's Mark for slight damage boost.

• Cloak

  

  The Deathstalker Mantle

  Dark Urge origin exclusive

  One of the best cloaks for Assassin-type builds. You can now become invisible after killing an enemy, being able to lunge on your foe with Advantage the next turn.

  
  

• Chest

  

  Adamantine Splint Armour

  Your absolute BiS chestplate in Act 1, get it ASAP. Damage reduction, crit immunity, high AC, reeling mechanic, one of the best armours in that stage of the game.

• Gloves

  

  Fleetfingers

  Very good item that we can use a lot with our another bonus action. Jump distance is calculated with strength so gloves offer even more mobility.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Gloves of Missile Snaring

    Useful defence tool until you unlock Uncanny Dodge.

  • 
    Gloves of Thievery

    Very helpful with stealing items to add to our already possible big Sleight of Hand score.

• Boots

  

  Disintegrating Night Walkers

  One of the best boots, giving a total advantage for movement on difficult surfaces. It also gives Misty Step​ to increase that mobility.

  
  

  Alternatives

  • 
    Linebreaker Boots

    With your bonus action dash you can get easy damage boost to your melee attacks.

  • 
    Springstep Boots

    With your bonus action dash you can get easy movement speed.

  • 
    The Speedy Lightfeet

    With your bonus action dash you can get easy damage boost to your melee attacks/spells if you scroll cast.

• Amulet

  

  Broodmother's Revenge

  Good damage boost, yf you can acquire it, this can be the best amulet option for most of the game.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Amulet of the Unworthy

    Situational ring that gives resistance vs enemies using slashing. Can be very useful in specific situations.

• Ring

  

  Crusher's Ring

  More movement speed, simple, good option for a hit and run playstyle with Rogue's tricks.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Caustic Band

    +2 acid damage, very good if you're utilizing dual wielding daggers or hand crossbows.

• Ring 2

  

  Ring of Protection

  Very good option, the bonus Armour Class is a great boost for survivability.

  
  

  Alternatives

  • 
    Smuggler's Ring

    Stealth and pickpocket bonus in exchange for -1 Charisma.

Act 2

Don't be in a hurry and enjoy all the stuff that you can encounter in this act. With all the items you acquired in the previous act you should be tanky enough to survive a lot of encounters and surprises waiting for you.

Full list Paper doll

Plan the rest of your party around this gear in the Party Gear Planner

• Main Hand

  

  Knife of the Undermountain King

  Progression weapon.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Phalar Aluve

    Progression weapon.

  • 
    Larethian's Wrath

    Progression weapon.

  • 
    Cruel Sting

    Alternative longsword.

• Off Hand

  

  Adamantine Shield

  Still continues to be a very impactful piece of equipment.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Sentinel Shield

    Free +3 initiative, you can use it then unequip it after starting in battle for something else. Useful interaction against hard encounters to act faster.

  • 
    Render of Mind and Body

    Great shortsword with the type of rogue playstyle, Advantage is already fairly easy to get so the benefit is impeccable.

• Ranged Main Hand

  

  Ne'er Misser

  Great weapon for Act 2, force element is rarely resistant and you can pair another hand crossbow to benefit from another bonus action.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Titanstring Bow

    Still a very good option given your high strength stat.

  • 
    Darkfire Shortbow

    Defensive stat stick, grants resistance to cold and fire damage so 50% damage negation.

• Ranged Off Hand

  

  Hellfire Hand Crossbow

  Nice to pair with Ne'er, combined with Rogue playstyle it's your bread and butter.

• Helmet

  

  Helmet of Arcane Acuity

  Very good option if you want to commit to casting, you can "force" spell DC by getting up to +10 acuity.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Holy Lance Helm

    If you don't want to cast, this still continues to be good retaliation item given our high AC.

  • 
    Grymskull Helm

    Crit immunity and hunter's mark damage boost.

• Cloak

  

  Cloak of Protection

  Improves survivability and Saving Throw success. You want to equip this cloak to maintain that good Armour Class.

• Chest

  

  Rippling Force Mail

  Alternative to Adamantine Splint, gives potential retaliation damage and flat slashing/piercing/bludgeoning damage negation up to +7.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Adamantine Splint Armour

    Still amazing option, -3 damage reduction, crit immunity and reeling is amazing

  • 
    Dwarven Splintmail

    Alternative if you want to commit to casting spells as it boost constitution by +2.

• Gloves

  

  Flawed Helldusk Gloves

  Bonus fire damage to each of our attacks, especially good with dual wielding weapons.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Gloves of Battlemage's Power

    Alternative to acuity helmet.

  • 
    Fleetfingers

    Still good option to gain mobility.

• Boots

  

  Evasive Shoes

  Furthermore option to boost our AC.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Disintegrating Night Walkers

    Progression item.

• Amulet

  

  Periapt of Wound Closure

  Progression item.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Broodmother's Revenge

    Many enemies in act 2 can be poison/immune resistant, still good progression item.

• Ring

  

  Shadow-Cloaked Ring

  Great damage ring with Rogue's playstyle.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Ring of Free Action

    It doesn't state so but the ring also prevents you from getting immobilzed by a spell like Hold Person, great utility anti-debuff ring.

  • 
    Eversight Ring

    Good ring for stealth gameplay, if you use Shar Spear you can ignore it.

• Ring 2

  

  Strange Conduit Ring

  Great damage combination with Shadow-Cloaked.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Ring of Protection

    Still good stat ring.

  • 
    Risky Ring

    If you have trouble getting Advantage you can use this ring, grants you easy Sneak Attack and works as easy "Advantage" condition specific equipment features enabler.

Act 3

This is where you will unlock the strongest weapons and armors for most of the builds. It is split into two major parts, starting with Rivington and later reaching the huge area - Lower City itself. 

Full list Paper doll

Plan the rest of your party around this gear in the Party Gear Planner

• Main Hand

  

  Crimson Mischief

  One of the best dual-wielding weapons. Given how easy you can activate it's features it's an extremely good damage option.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Duellist's Prerogative

    Good weapon if you want to gain another reaction, combines well with uncanny dodge. Sadly you have to sacrifice off hand/shield slot.

• Off Hand

  

  Belm

  Excellent stat stick that uses main hand's damage and ability features.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Rhapsody

    A solid stat stick that boosts both attack rolls and damage for each eliminated target. Also has useful ability buffs.

    
    

  • 
    Knife of the Undermountain King

    Alternate stat stick option.

  • 
    Sentinel Shield

    Alternative to Hellrider Longbow.

• Ranged Main Hand

  

  Hellrider Longbow

  Great initiative boosting option.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Titanstring Bow

    Still good damage bow if you want to utilize elemental arrows.

• Helmet

  

  Helm of Balduran

  Great utility helmet, becomes the best anti crit option for helm slot. It's self heal ability can combine well with your other equipment

  Alternatives

  • 
    Mask of Soul Perception

    Gives a boost to all kind of stats you'd like to use. Very versatile to use.

• Cloak

  

  Cloak of Displacement

  Gives enemies Disadvantage on attack rolls against you, it pairs great with your naturally high AC.

• Chest

  

  Armour of Persistence

  Usually best in slot damage reduction armor, you receive half the damage on bludgeoning/piercing/slashing damage you'd get naturally on top of flat -2 damage reduction.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Helldusk Armour

    If you already have an easy source of resistance this is a great piece to consider, free resistance to fire and -3 damage reduction is good.

  • 
    Adamantine Splint Armour

    Still a great piece of armor to carry with you.

• Gloves

  

  Craterflesh Gloves

  Impeccable damage boost to your damage, the damage is actually 2d6 Force damage that multiplies on other source of riding damage. It can make your damage higher by a mile.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Helldusk Gloves

    Upgrade to it's predecessor, if you have trouble with setting up critical strikes, this is a very nice option.

• Boots

  

  Helldusk Boots

  Improved version of Nightwalkers, one of the best footwear picks in the whole game.

• Amulet

  

  Broodmother's Revenge

  Still remains a nice damage boost especially with addition of Helmet of Balduran giving you consistent proccing of the effect.

  Alternatives

  • 
    Amulet of Greater Health

    Boosts your Constitution to 23 giving you a lot of hit points and a possibility to respec and allocate your stats differently. It is explained furthermore in the post.

  • 
    Fey Semblance Amulet

    Quality of life boost to your mental saving throws, it's a good negation effect if you decide to take Resonance Stone from Act 2.

• Ring

  

  Shadow-Cloaked Ring

  Recommended choice for this slot

  Alternatives

  • 
    Ring of Free Action

    Alternative equipment option

• Ring 2

  

  Strange Conduit Ring

  Recommended choice for this slot

  Alternatives

  • 
    Eversight Ring

    Alternative equipment option

Maximizing the Build - Abilities, Illithid, Consumables

Now, as the build progression is covered, there are a few aspects and important decisions you will have to make throughout the game. These will decide your final score for abilities.

Ability score

1. Starting with 17 Strength, Heavy Armour Master​ increases it with +1 to 18. This allows you to use the Auntie Ethel's Hair (optional) to use for 16 DEX that gives you more initiative and boots your range attacks capabilities and Dexterity related skills.
2. Act 2 -Potion of Everlasting Vigour goes above the natural cap of 20. This allows you to get even up to 24 Strength late into the game. You can get access to it from Araj Oblodra with Astarion in your party; Although be careful as this may have negative effect on your relationship with him.
3. Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - pick +2 Strength which can increase your overall Strength score to 24.
4. Act 3 - If you decide to use scrolls you can use the Amulet of Greater Health and respec by talking to Withers. Keep your Strength and Dexterity as recommended in ability points table, drop Constitution to 8 and bump your Wisdom to 16.

Illithid Powers

This special mechanic in Baldur's Gate 3 allows you to consume tadpoles and unlock special Illithid Powers.

At first, you can only use the base powers. As you move to Act 3, you will be able to unlock the outer ring powers, also called Elite.

Illithid Power	Type	Description
Favourable Beginnings	Base	Beneficial power to take as it does not have any costs, and provides only benefits on the first hits with attack rolls.
Luck of the Far Realms​	Base	An easy way to ensure you land critical hits, works both with spells and normal attacks.
Cull the Weak​	Base	Can help to kill an enemy faster if it is left with a few HP.
Psionic Backlash​​	Base	A great way to weaponise your reaction, especially if you do not have access to Counterspell
Shield of Thralls​	Base	Excellent option for bonus temporary HP. It can also apply Stunned on foes, after the shielding is destroyed.
Illithid Expertise​	Elite	Can be used to maximise the effectiveness of charisma-based skills, especially relevant to the main character.
Black Hole​	Elite	Very powerful spell that can be used to pull enemies together. You can then follow up with area-of-effect spells or attacks. In general, it is a very effective action in the hands of any character.
Psionic Dominance​	Elite	Can be used to nullify lower-level spells which are equal to your proficiency bonus.
Freecast​	Elite	Remove the cost of spell slots or charges.
Fracture Psyche​	Elite	Weakens enemies by reducing their Armour Class. Now it's easier to hit them.

Potions, elixirs, arrows, other consumables

Potions

These are general consumables, and most of them are activated for a few turns. Potions are separate from Elixirs and can be active together.

Consumable	Description
Potion of Speed	This is a very powerful potion. It gives an additional action point, which can be used to cast a spell or attack. The activation is generally by drinking using a bonus action. However, you can stack together with party members and make one member Throw​ it on the ground, giving Hastened​ to everyone.
Potion of Invisibility	It can be used in two ways - the first one is to enter combat with a Surprised​ round, causing enemies to skip their turn. Another option is to leave combat if you see that it is not going in your favour.
Potion of Animal Speaking	An easy way to get the Speak with Animals​ effect.
Terazul	Gives Hastened​ and stacks with other sources of it. This is a late-game consumable.
Potion of Angelic Reprieve	Restores level 1 and 2 spell slots.
Potion of Angelic Slumber	Acts as a Long Rest, restoring all spell slots.

Coatings

These are applied directly on weapons, and usually have a 10-turn duration:

Consumable	Description
Oil of Accuracy	The attack roll bonus is pretty good, which improves your chances of hitting.
Diluted Oil of Sharpness	Helps with attack and damage rolls.

Elixirs

Unfortunately, only one Elixir can be active at a time. However, the good thing is that they last until a long rest, making them very useful and economical.

Be sure to activate them before combat, as otherwise, you will need to use Bonus Action.

Consumable	Description
Elixir of Bloodlust	The elixir gives an easy option to get an additional action point - just kill a foe. This can then be used to attack one more time or cast a full spell.
Elixir of Peerless Focus	Makes it easier to maintain spell Concentration.
Elixir of Vigilance	For some encounters, you will want to go first. This elixir will ensure that it overcomes even Surprised​ mechanics.
Superior Elixir of Arcane Cultivation	Grant you a level 3 and 4 spell slot respectively after consumption, which allows you to upcast your spell, like Shadow Blade then use a different elixir.​
Supreme Elixir of Arcane Cultivation
Elixir of Guileful Movement	Grants us the effect of Freedom of Movement​ spell which prevents Paralysed​ or Restrained​ CC.

Scrolls

This is one of the most overpowered mechanics in the game. At first, it might seem that you earn those old, boring spells that you can learn yourself. However, as you play more and more, and get higher-level spells, you can see - wait, I can save a spell slot casting this.

Yeah, and this is where their power comes. During the whole playthrough, you will probably collect a lot of these, so I recommend using them whenever you can.

Arrows

Consumable	Description
Arrow of Many Targets	One of the most overpowered arrows in the game. What makes it powerful is that it can hit up to 4 targets. It has some strange interactions with Luck of the Far Realms​ and other effects, inflicting more damage than intended. Same works with Assassin's Assassinate: Ambush​.
Slaying arrows	With all the pickpocketing that the build can do, these arrows allow doubling your damage and inflicting some heavy casualties even without getting access to Extra Attack​.
Arrow of Fire, Arrow of Ice, Arrow of Lightning,Arrow of Ilmater	These arrows work especially good if you decide to use the Titanstring Bow.  These arrows will deal additional damage according to your Strength modifier ex: the additional Fire damage from Arrow of Fire will also receive bonus Fire damage equal to your Strength modifier.

Useful Buffs

• Auntie Ethel's Hair - Grants you permanent +1 to a stat of your choice. Granted by haggling with Auntie Ethel.
• Volo's Ersatz Eye​ grants you permanent See Invisibility​ effect in exchange for one of your eyes. It's a permanent cosmetic change and it's mutually exclusive with Paid the Price​. It's obtained from Volo.
• Awakened​ - let's you use your Illithid powers as a bonus action. You can obtain it from the Zaith'isk machine.
• Potion of Everlasting Vigour - Permanent +2 to Strength that goes beyond the 20 cap. Gained from Araj Oblodra
• Resonance Stone can be found in The Mindflayer Colony effectively boosting your Psychic damage for the prize of debuff on mental Saving Throws but also your vulnerability to Psychic damage
• Sweet Stone Features - Grants you the Bless​ effect. Pay 5000 gold to Boney in the Circus of The Last Days for Stoney to construct a statue of the player character or another party member​.
• Anointed in Splendour ​ - Grants +2 to all Saving Throws, offer enough gold to one of the deities in Stormshore Tabernacle. Gold needed scales with the difficulty level of the game and your character level.
• Partial Ceremorphosis​ - Allows you to become Half Illithid granting you stronger Tadpole powers in exchange for your looks.
• Mirror of Loss can grant you and your companions +2 to any stat permanently. Can also grant additional +1 to charisma offering it +3 instead of regular +2. I recommend looking into Mirror of Loss guide.

Origin specific:

• Happy​ grants +1 to all Attack rolls, Saving throws and most ability checks, granted from the start by playing Astarion.
• 3 Shadow Spell slots granted by playing Gale, you can obtain them in act 2 by consuming the Shadow Weave.
• Vampire Ascendant​ - grants you 1d10 necrotic damage to your unarmed or weapon attacks, Gaseous Form​ and improved bite.

Important Mechanics, Combos and Definitions

Let's go through key mechanics and tips on how to use the build effectively.

Armour Class

Most basic and obvious way to "avoid" damage. AC cannot be relied on entirely unless you have an AC higher than the possible attack rolls of enemies. Natural 20 attack roll from an enemy always guaranteeds a critical hit, unless you're wearing Crit Immunity items which we very much want.

Tactician (and Honor Mode) give +2 to attack rolls, and enemies usually have at least +2 proficiency and +2 ability score bonus for MINIMUM needed AC of 27 to mitigate all attacks for a given fight and likely more than that with crit immunity (Big thank you to Captain ET)

High AC in combination with additional damage mitigation like Resistance from Warding Bond​, Blade Ward​ or Darkfire Shortbow heavily increases your survivability especially with your Features.

Damage reduction

The most valuable forms of damage reduction are:

• Resistance as it is calculated first and reduces damage by 50%. 
• Adamantine Splint Armour and Heavy Armour Master​ that grant respectively -2 and -3 damage taken.
• Lastly we have Uncanny Dodge​ which deducts another 50%. Pairing that with Crit Immunity you'll be very hard to kill.

Being a pickpocket

One thing that a rogue can do well throughout the game is pickpocket. I do have a dedicated pickpocket build, which picks optimal race, levels, etc. However, the main feature - escaping being Invisible​ can be replicated with Potion of Invisibility, which is abundant once you reach Act 2.

This way, you can safely pickpocket with this char and take it to the next level once you get Reliable Talent.

Understand stealth mechanics

The main point of this build is that it is extremely deadly when you utilize stealth mechanics well. We have prepared a complete stealth guide that covers them all. There are plenty of stealth options:

• Attacking and creating surprise rounds.
• Leaving combat while in the middle of the fight, to reset it.
• Become invisible at will.
• Gain attack roll bonuses when in stealth.
• And many others.

I would like to emphasize the Surprise rounds. Here are the general steps to activate them:

1. You have to be undetected before doing this; best to be outside the red vision cones. If you need to enter the vision cone, make sure that they don't have Darkvision,​ and it's either a Lightly Obscured​ or Heavily Obscured​ area. Or you can just be Invisible​ via effects like Potion of Invisibility, Duergar Invisibility, Supreme Sneak, etc. This almost guarantees a surprise round.
2. You can start the combat by attacking with melee, ranged weapons, or casting offensive spells. The main prerequisite is that you should be "seeable" and in the line of sight of the enemy once the attack lands. So they would have a clear vision of you, and you are not too far away. This is important, as being far away does not trigger Surprised.
3. You can move in other party members if they were ungrouped, so they could also land attacks during this free round.

Swashbuckler Dirty Tricks

Using tricks like Dirty Trick: Flick o' the Wrist​ or Dirty Trick: Sand Toss​ we can activate the effect of Bloodthirst giving an enemy Vulnerability to Piercing which makes them take double the damage from said damage type. 

Arcane Trickster's Mage Hand Legerdemain

In general, many people overlook Mage Hand​ and all of the benefits it can bring. Arcane Trickster does get an improved version called Mage Hand Legerdemain, which has a special Invisibility effect. The tooltip says it can also pick locks, but that's false for now.

Let's go through various tactics that can be used to employ the Mage Hand Legerdemain​:

1. It can interact with various levers and objects, for example, you cannot access an area but you see it has a lever that could be pulled.
2. It can also disarm traps to some extent. Even if it fails, the effect will only affect it and not other party members.
3. The hand is invisible and can be used to reach a perfect position or initiate Surprise rounds. Just be careful of enemies that might have See Invisibility.
4. Once it is detected, it can safely soak one hit (or more if they are avoided).
5. Throwing stuff is one of the more amazing things. For example, when preparing for an encounter, leave the hand somewhere further away and drop a few grenades and potions on the ground. Now the hand can throw those when combat starts.

I hope this will give some ideas for how to use Mage Hand Legerdemain.

Combat Tactics

Conclusion and Credits

Thank you for reading the Tank Rogue guide, any questions or criticism I'll gladly answer and confront.

Special thanks to the contributors: Captain ET,Remus 71 and tbj_Quag