Catburglar build... is this playable? (Rogue x / druid 2)

[Crimlock]

Hello! I had a character in mind which is basically a thief who has some shape shifting abilities. These abilities he uses when he is doing not so legal stuff :-) A literal cat burglar... I was thinking on a rogue with a 2 level druid dip. Since I am just starting with 5e, i was wondering if this build would be any good and fun to play? Is there good synergy between these classes? How would you build this character? What stats and subclasses would you take?

[Lombra]

It's a very cool character concept. I'd stat it like a normal rogue and keep the 13 in wisdom to multiclass. Pick spells that don't require saves or attack rolls.

One can say that if you sneak around in cat form only you may even forgo dex or stealth proficiency, but I wouldn't do that.

[Specter]

It is indeed good, as long as you do the fighting part on your humanoid form (sneak attack won't apply to animal forms).

Using point buy:
ST8 (animal forms can have good strenght, so don't worry about it)
DX15
CO14
IN10
WI13
CH10

Then take Variant Human to round DX to 16 and WI to 14.

Mobile is a good feat to take, to ensure you can always get away when needed, even in animal form.

I'd also suggest taking 3 druid levels instead of 2, for the almighty Pass Without Trace.

[nickl_2000]

Mobile really isn't all that useful as a feat for this build. You are a rogue, whether you are in animal form or in humanoid form you will have access to evasion with cunning action. That is just as good if not better than mobile. Alert would be a good feat at level 1 or healer if you want to help out the party

I would suggest land druid so that you can get the extra utility cantrip and extra spell recovery.

Even with land druid you get lots of utility shapes. Giant badger for burrowing, panther for dark vision, great stealth, speed, and climb speed, and others like rats to blend in.

[mephnick]

I'd suggest going with the Arcane Trickster. That way the couple of Druid levels will actually up your total caster level and give you some more spell slots, plus some great Druid utility spells that a Rogue can take advantage of. Of course Mage Hand Legerdemain speaks for itself when thieving.

If you're only going to Druid 2, I'd go with Circle of the Moon, not for the new forms, but for the ability to use your wildshape as a bonus action.

If you're open to Druid 3, some of the Land Circles have great spells like spider climb, invisibilty and pass without a trace.

[Seekergeek]

Hello! I had a character in mind which is basically a thief who has some shape shifting abilities. These abilities he uses when he is doing not so legal stuff :-) A literal cat burglar... I was thinking on a rogue with a 2 level druid dip. Since I am just starting with 5e, i was wondering if this build would be any good and fun to play? Is there good synergy between these classes? How would you build this character? What stats and subclasses would you take?

I planned on playing this same idea, but sadly never got the chance. It seems like it would be great fun and pretty solid if you could manage the stats. I'd be inclined to go with the inquisitive rogue from UA for more ability to notice things, but I could see the argument for any of the other rogue subclasses depending on the party makeup. You'll have a blast.

[Elminster298]

Druid 2/Lore Bard X would work fantastic as well although a little more MAD. More skills than a rogue, same number of expertise, Jack of all trades, peerless skill, full spellcasting, magical secrets. You lose some natural tankyness but proper spell buffing ahead of time fixes that and dimension door is huge for infiltration/ escape.

Half elf helps a bit with the MADness, gives darkvision and more skills all great for a cat burglar.

[JellyPooga]

I would definitely avoid Moon Druid for this build; Rogue and Druid do not synergise that well as far as Wild Shape goes in combat (no Sneak Attack). Land Druid, on the other hand, offers some nice additional spellcasting utility and the utility forms of small critters are a massive boon. On that note, I'll back the notion that you really want that 3rd level of Druid; the bonus spells from Land Druid and 2nd level spells for PWT, alone, are invaluable. Arcane Trickster is pretty much a given for this build; Druid has some very nice spells that can be up-cast (Fog cloud and[i] Moonbeami] being notable mentions) with higher level slots that advancing AT will offer. As for stats, you might as well bump that Wisdom to 14; Percetion is a staple of the Rogue class and you don't want to be bad as Wis Saves anyway. If you go V.Human, or as your 4th level choice, I would definitely recommend the Skulker Feat; turning dim light into normal is a huge boon, especially if you take a Wild Shape form that has Darkvision.

[Specter]

Mobile really isn't all that useful as a feat for this build. You are a rogue, whether you are in animal form or in humanoid form you will have access to evasion with cunning action. That is just as good if not better than mobile. Alert would be a good feat at level 1 or healer if you want to help out the party

I would suggest land druid so that you can get the extra utility cantrip and extra spell recovery.

Even with land druid you get lots of utility shapes. Giant badger for burrowing, panther for dark vision, great stealth, speed, and climb speed, and others like rats to blend in.

I was thinking more along the lines of ignoring difficult terrain with Cunning Action and getting an extra 10 feet of movement, but other feats can work just as well.

[Spiritchaser]

I wouldn't sweat too many details, but go a little more than druid 2. Anything with both expertise in stealth and pass without trace is going to be all kinds of useful.

Take expertise in perception if you want, and you're probably close to a perfect scout.

You're going to have plenty of utility whatever you do.

[Crimlock]

Thanks all!! Sounds like it is a solid option :-)

I am still wondering how he will play in combat situations? Will the 2 level dip be a problem for the damage the rogue does with its sneak attack lagging? Will he be able to join the action or should he run away from a fight?

[nickl_2000]

Thanks all!! Sounds like it is a solid option :-)

I am still wondering how he will play in combat situations? Will the 2 level dip be a problem for the damage the rogue does with its sneak attack lagging? Will he be able to join the action or should he run away from a fight?

I guess it will depend on when you multiclass and what level you start at.

If you are going to level 20 (18 Rogue/2 Druid) you would lose:
1 ASI
1d6 Sneak attack damage
1 auto hit/auto success on the skill check.

In trade off you are getting
Amazing Scouting ability with animal shapes and Rogue skills combined
2/3 cantrips (depending on the type of Druid) that will make a huge difference outside of combat
3 first level Druid spells (including Healing Word, Goodberry, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic [ritual], a few other rituals, and Longstrider all of these don't require a DC)
Faster spell progression if you are going Arcane Trickster


You will be somewhat less useful in active combat due to the lose of sneak attack damage. However, your out of combat utility should more than make up for it. I would certainly not be bothered by having someone like this in my party. Just make sure you are not in your animal form when you are in combat, your animal form will suck in comparison to your humanoid form.