Rogue vs rogue

[Skrum]

The adventure plot I'm working on is two groups of assassins battling it out, with lots of "anime BS" as we say in the group (the players are one of the groups). One of my players has a rogue/echo knight fighter build that uses blind-fight and darkness to gain advantage in melee combat. I want to make an antagonist to specifically oppose this character - some type of rogue, but I want to do something where they're both in darkness/fog, hiding and attacking each other. Yah know, like Ninja Assassin, Samurai Jack, etc.

How do I do this. If I give the enemy rogue blind-fight, they'll just be stabbing each other with no regard to the darkness. Any ideas how make this work? Maybe exploiting the short range on blind-fight, where they can both disengage to step back into shadows?

[loki_ragnarock]

If high enough level, rogues get blindsense all on their own at 14.

Also, it's an NPC. Just slap the feature on there and dust your hands.

EDIT
Both rogues, in darkness. Make it a large area. Move, bonus to dash, to search where the other one got to, maybe hide checks/perception checks while whooshing about in the dark.

[Unoriginal]

The adventure plot I'm working on is two groups of assassins battling it out, with lots of "anime BS" as we say in the group (the players are one of the groups). One of my players has a rogue/echo knight fighter build that uses blind-fight and darkness to gain advantage in melee combat. I want to make an antagonist to specifically oppose this character - some type of rogue, but I want to do something where they're both in darkness/fog, hiding and attacking each other. Yah know, like Ninja Assassin, Samurai Jack, etc.

How do I do this. If I give the enemy rogue blind-fight, they'll just be stabbing each other with no regard to the darkness. Any ideas how make this work? Maybe exploiting the short range on blind-fight, where they can both disengage to step back into shadows?

Wood Elves can use the Hide action in any natural phenomenon that lightly obscure them. Rain, smoke, falling leaves, etc.

Blind Fighting doesn't cancel an enemy hiding. As the ability says, it lets you 'see' the environment and creatures that should be impossible to see "unless the creature successfully hides from you."

I would have a Wood Elf Ronin-style NPC, with a large straw hat, a sword and clothes who have seen better days, and maybe even a flask of booze they drink from casually, challenge the PC while it's raining, or in an autumn forest, or in the middle of cherry trees losing their blossoms.

The Wood Elf could go attack (with sneak attack bonus when applicable), bonus action Hide, every turn.

So while the PC would be using their Blind Fighting and darkness to get advantage on attacks and impose disadvantage on their opponent's attacks, they would be unable to locate the Wood Elf when said Wood Elf Hides unless they actually beat their DEX (Stealth) check, which would make an interesting and very cinematic combat IMO. Especially if the emphasis is put on how the Wood Elf is hiding in what would be impossible for someone else.

Alternatively (or maybe for a second encounter), you could have the Wood Elf challenge the PC in a burning building, using the smoke and ash to hide, and maybe a few fire-themed attacks (ex: using their flask of booze to do a fire-breathing effect).

[Skrum]

Yeah this is really good stuff. Wood elf with blind fight, mobility, cunning action, and sneak attack could be a force. Move, attack, disengage, and hide again all in one turn. That's ninja.

Sorry another question: the classic anime battle is 1v1. Does anyone have any experience doing 1v1 battles with a table? I could run them all at the same time so no one is waiting any more than they'd usually do (roll initiative like normal, just "skip location" from fight to fight as turns came up). Does this seem like a good idea? Or a recipe to kill a bunch of players?

[Lunali]

Ranged rogue with devil's sight.

[Corran]

Give the other rogue blindsense/blind fighting/devil's sight, and a crossbow so they can attack from more than 10' away. Though I guess that after a round or two your player will do the same (if you gave their opponent blind fighting or blindsense; devil's sight still counters). The main thing to consider is that your player wont get sneak attack (if they dont bring an ally in at least), so this fight might be uneven or it might be even and just drag along for a fair amount of time, due to the pittiful damage from both sides.

Theoritically you can still hide, but even with a very technical reading of the ability, invisibility should at the very least do the trick. You can give the NPC a good passive perception in the hope of spending fewer actions trying to find your player's character. But essentially this is a good way to spice this fight. By trying to give some emphasis on the stealth and perception rolls required during this fight (in which case you might want to avoid calling for any concentration checks if this approach is working for you; similarly, you might want to keep sneak attack contributing for both sides if you dont want this to last too long).

Simple counter. Bring a good grappler, grapple them and pummel them silly.

Anime BS approach. The other ninja has a tower shield with him. Uses it to create full cover and thus stay undetected during their off turn.

[Tawmis]

The Rogue finds a "Vanity Mirror" - that if he looks at it each day, he feels great (and has Advantage once per day during Initiative).

What's actually happening is the mirror is "siphoning" a mirror image of himself - to emerge from the Vanity Mirror as a shadow version of the character (literally made out of shadows and darkness) and fights in same said, fluid darkness.

[Keravath]

If they are specifically using darkness for this rather than fog cloud then make the Rogue a half-fiend and let them see through darkness with devils sight. Alternatively, an arcane trickster rogue could pick up the Eldritch Adept: Devils sight feat.

I'd also add that picking up Devils Sight is a natural for almost any rogue. What rogue wants to carry a light source to see traps or find secret doors? Regular darkvision gives disadvantage on these checks if you are in the dark - only Devils Sight lets the rogue see in Darkness as well as the do in Daylight. (I have an arcane trickster rogue character that multi-classed into warlock for exactly that reason).

However, if they are using blind fighting and fog cloud your options are a lot more limited. You'd probably have to go with blind fighting too in that case.

[Skrum]

Yeah I'll have to double-check their sheet...

I've decided the enemy rogue is going to fight with needles - he'll get 3-4 attacks a round, and each needle will only do like d6 damage. But they stick in the target, and will do their damage every round. So a player will have to choose to either pull out needles to stop the damage, or hope to find and take out the rogue before blood loss gets them.

[Unoriginal]

Yeah I'll have to double-check their sheet...

I've decided the enemy rogue is going to fight with needles - he'll get 3-4 attacks a round, and each needle will only do like d6 damage. But they stick in the target, and will do their damage every round. So a player will have to choose to either pull out needles to stop the damage, or hope to find and take out the rogue before blood loss gets them.

What level is the PC?

[CTurbo]

I'd use a whip and hit and run tactics! Add 3 levels of Battlemaster and spam the Brace maneuver.

If that's not ninja enough, use a standard weapon, add levels of Battlemaster, and spam Riposte.

Blind Fighting of course, but the Devil's Sight invocation was a good call out. Hexblade 2/Rogue X would be really good.