I’m not usually fond of the word ‘Rogue’, y’know? People hear of my training and assume I’m some sneaky-footed little backstabbing thief. I am most certainly not. I always prefer a one-on-one fight to any stealthy shenanigans. Besides, what do you think of when you picture a rogue? Take a second. Let me guess. Some weird guy or gal with pale skin, sunken eyes, and black hair? Probably brooding or something?
I have beautiful red hair and I would never taint it with wretched dyes. I even trim my beard every day. Every. Day. You don’t need to do that, they don’t grow that fast. I just like to look nice and presentable no matter if I’ll be at a dinner party or a scuffle with some orcs.
And another thing. The blade. I don’t even own a dagger, STOP TELLING ME I SHOULD. They are USELESS. Might as well put the cutlery from breakfast in a sheath. My rapier can cut beasts and men alike down in matter of seconds. But people are relentless with that crap, even my friends and family. I tell them a good stance and attention to the fight can be just as useful as stabbing a man while his back is turned, and it’s much more worthy of a good story.
-From the journal of Harry Von Havelstein, the self-proclaimed ‘Handsomest Duelist There Ever Was’.
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I went with something a bit different for yours. Such a different rogue deserves a different style of writing, no? If you are playing 5e and your DM is cool with Unearthed Arcana (WOTC official playtest content) I would suggest the following to maybe suit what you are looking for:
Rogue Archetype: Swashbuckler (Unearthed Arcana - Waterborne Adventures)
Feat: Blade Mastery (Unearthed Arcana - Feats)
The swashbuckler isn’t actually based around water for abilities, so it works very well for a duelist-type character. The feat gives this to you when using a shortsword, longsword, scimitar, rapier, or greatsword:
• You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls you make with the weapon.
• On your turn, you can use your reaction to assume a parrying stance, provided you have the weapon in hand. Doing so grants you a +1 bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn or until you’re not holding the weapon.
• When you make an opportunity attack with the weapon, you have advantage on the attack roll.
