Arcane Trickster 5E Guide | Rules, Tips, Builds, and More

The Arcane Trickster is one of the most unique archetypes introduced in the Player’s Handbook. Rogues that follow this subclass are likely magicians or mischief-makers, though a lot of them end up as adventurers. Take the trickster’s arsenal for granted at your own risk; these are still spellcasters with a lot of potential. How much potential, you ask? Read our Arcane Trickster 5e guide to find out.

No Mere Magician: Arcane Trickster 5E

The Arcane Trickster has been in Dungeons & Dragons for a few editions. Usually, you had to multiclass into it, but now it’s simply a core archetype of the Rogue class in 5E. With such a heavy reliance on Enchantment and Illusion, the Arcane Trickster’s combat utility has been slightly dampened. However, even with that burden on your shoulders, you’ll maintain great control of the battlefield with easy ways to get saving throw disadvantage. You’ll also have a hilarious tool to gain attack advantage by giving creatures wedgies, and the good ol’ “steal a spell” mechanic of Trickster’s past.

Spellcasting

The Arcane Trickster is one of two 1/3rd level casters. That means that they receive spells at 1/3rd of the pace of other classes, and only offer 1/3rd of a caster level if you wish to Multiclass in 5E. However, this still means your Rogue will have a decent number of 1st – 3rd spell slots, as well as one 4th. Not bad!

You gain a total of 13 spells known by level 20; 4 of them can be from any school, the rest are either Enchantment or Illusion. All of your spells are from the Wizard spell list. That’s pretty stellar for you, since the Wizard spell list is immensely powerful.

Your cantrip choices are somewhat limited – Mage Hand + 2, and you learn an additional cantrip at level 10. Only 3 cantrips on top of Mage Hand isn’t great. But, you get to have a damage option (such as Green Flame Blade) as well as three utility options. Or, you can gain a ranged attack for when you can’t get Sneak Attack and just want to hit them pretty hard. All of these are based off of your Intelligence. That means your Rogue’s gonna need more than just Dexterity!

All-in-all, Spellcasting is generally just too powerful to say it’s bad, no matter what restrictions are on it. The utility a Rogue can get from Greater Invisibility or even Fireball is incredible. You also have a lot of good lockdown options against creatures with minds, something that no other roguish archetype can accomplish. And, thanks to Rogues not really needing too many stats, you can invest in Intelligence without jeopardizing the build too badly.

The downsides are somewhat minor compared to the upsides. You can’t get sneak attacks on Cantrips, meaning Firebolt can’t give you a valid ranged option. However, Greenflame Blade is a melee attack; since you don’t get Extra Attack, this is a super valuable addition to your kit. Booming Blade is similar, allowing you to use Cunning Action and become a valuable switch-hitter. Later on, you aren’t going to want attack roll spells, since your ranged weapon attacks add so many d6s onto them. Instead take AoE spells if you want damage, and use your Enchantment or Illusion spells to your advantage. This is an extremely good, but non-versatile, 1/3rd caster. A really neat addition to the rogue’s toolkit!

Mage Hand Legerdemain

Mage hand is the other main “mechanic” of this archetype. Other than just having access to magic, your Mage Hand cantrip is invisible, and can do a few extra things.

• You can stow one object the hand is holding in a container worn or carried by another creature.
• You can retrieve an object in a container worn or carried by another creature.
• Finally, You can use thieves’ tools to pick locks and disarm traps at range.
In addition, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to control the hand.

These checks can be made silently using a Sleight of Hand against a Perception check. So, this gives your Mage Hand a ridiculous number of buffs… None of which are too significant. An invisible Mage Hand is well-liked, since you can do cool things with Deception or really do magic tricks. Otherwise, it’s about as good as having it not be seen using Sleight of Hand normally is.

Stowing and stealing objects from someone is funny, and allows you to theoretically do awesome things. Pickpocketing is normally an interesting mechanic, since you can take keys from someone without them noticing or get a bit of extra money. Now, you can do it from 30 feet away as a bonus action. That’s efficiency! It’s pretty easy to Deception your way out of a bad Sleight of Hand roll, too… if they don’t realize you’re a magic user! Stowing would probably only be useful in very, very specific campaigns. If you need to plant evidence – or a stick of dynamite – on someone, then this lets you do it from far away. Wonderful, and once again extremely easy to use.

Disarming traps from far away is actually a fantastic idea. You won’t have to spend your Expertise on Sleight of Hand (though you should!) since triggering traps from 30 feet away will usually keep you safe. The lockpicking is a bit less impressive; you don’t need to be 30 feet away from a basic lock. However, being able to do all of those as bonus actions? That’s great! That means you can distract someone with Deceptions or fighting while you unlock a chest.

This is an incredibly good buff to your ability to Rogue. You’ll be Roguing so well with this that Thieves everywhere will be scratching their heads in disbelief.

Magical Ambush

You’ve had 6 levels to get used to your primarily trick-based magic. Now, your tricks are about to get a little more serious.

Starting at 9th level, if you are hidden from a creature when you cast a spell on it, the creature has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell this turn.

So, first of all, granting disadvantage on Saving Throws is amazing. If a creature has poor Wisdom or Charisma saves, then you almost guarantee that they’re going to fall under your spell. And if they have poor Constitution or Strength, then some of your other utility spells are going to land hard. Even with good saves, the d20 is so important to a Saving Throw’s success rate that you might be surprised to affect creatures as well as you do.

So then the problem is that you need to be hidden. That can be easier said than done; in some combats, there’s very limited sources of cover. And you won’t want to be using Invisibility just to get disadvantage on some other spell. You’ll want to use your Cunning Action to retreat out-of-sight often.

Invisibility should be on your spell list, and now it’s definitely important! You can get a good position and then start hammering enemies with spells that they can hardly save against! Perfect.

In Intrigue Campaigns, this is even better. Get into hiding and then charm someone you need to talk to to make the Charisma check easier. Or Frighten someone who was getting a little too close to the princess from the shadows so she’ll trust you more. You’ve got options with this thing!

Versatile Trickster

So far, your Mage Hand has just been for picking locks – or pockets. Now, your bonus actions can be a bit stronger.

At 13th level, you gain the ability to distract targets with your Mage Hand. As a bonus action on your turn, you can designate a creature within 5 feet of the spectral hand created by the spell. Doing so gives you advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the end of the turn.

So, there’s a few problems with this. One, it requires your hand to be next to the target. That’s not too bad; most enemies don’t want to move after they attack to avoid opportunity attacks, so you’ll likely only need to spend a bonus action at most.

Two, this eats your action economy. Since you’ll definitely want your advantage – for sneak attack or just damage – you won’t have much else you can do with your Cunning Action. Of course, if you need to bail out, then use your Bonus action to Withdraw… But otherwise, start spamming your Legerdemain ability to always have that hand nearby.

At this point, your ranged weapon should always have a way to get Sneak Attacks. Even if you could get sneak attack otherwise, getting advantage on attack rolls next to guarantees damage. It took a while, but at last you’re one of the most consistent sneak attackers in the game.

Spell Thief

Finally, at level 17, you’ve learned all you can from your archetype, and… Hoo boy, is this one interesting!

Immediately after a creature casts a spell that targets you or includes you in its area of effect, you can use your reaction to force the creature to make a saving throw with its spellcasting ability modifier. The DC equals your spell save DC. On a failed save, you negate the spell’s effect against you, and you steal the knowledge of the spell if it is at least 1st level and of a level you can cast (it doesn’t need to be a wizard spell). For the next 8 hours, you know the spell and can cast it using your spell slots. The creature can’t cast that spell until the 8 hours have passed.

This refreshes on long rests. Okay, so, this isn’t incredible. By any means. Against enemy spellcasters, this requires A) them to target you, B) them to fail a save with their spellcasting modifier, which they are likely to be proficient in, C) the spell that you counter is really important. Just b’s caveat is a little overwhelming in most situations, since… yeah, most spellcasters are proficient in their saving throw. You’ll need to rely on some pretty powerful luck (or good Intelligence boosting items!) to make this effective.

But, there’s two things that make this really, really potent. One, if you do succeed and catch a powerful spell, then you’re in for a wild ride. At worst, this is a counterspell that doesn’t need you to have high casting stats to be okay. Countering a lich could cause it to use a Legendary Resistance, which lets your casters get closer and closer to effecting it. Or, in better cases, you can catch an Evocation spell that you otherwise couldn’t have learned and be better at dealing with swarm encounters.

That’s something really important; you can catch spells from other spell lists. That means you could grab Healing Word if your Cleric throws it at you, and help them pick people off the ground. Or you could grab a Paladin’s spell-based Smite – if they choose to fail the save and maybe punch you lightly. Then you become a massive burst character, with both sneak attacks and Smites on the table.

The combination of Spell Thief and Magical Ambush makes you a rather viscous foe for enemy spellcasters to deal with. Use your reaction to your advantage… And then give them disadvantage.

Why is Arcane Trickster so Good?

Arcane Tricksters are easily one of the most fun subclasses to play, at least in my book. You get all of the basic aspects of a rogue, which in and of itself is great. You can deal serious damage with sneak attack, enjoy the benefits of Expertise, and make the most of Cunning Action. While you might not be as specialized as other rogue subclasses like the assassin rogue, what you will get is a unique mix of damage and magic utility that you will be hard-pressed to get from other archetypes.

Spellcasting is the real highlight of this subclass. Of course, you are limited in the specific schools of magic you can cast. That might be a strange thing to mention in a section on why this subclass is great, but illusion and enchantment magic is a perfect fit. Out of all the spells you could pick up, mage hand might be the most fun. Not only do you have this spell, but you get a supercharged version that allows for stealthy pickpocketing and nimble second story work. At higher levels, you’ll also be able to pick up spells outside of these schools of magic in case you want to deal some damage.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the arcane trickster is not a weird mix of wizard and rogue. It is best to look at this subclass for what it really is: a rogue with a pocketful of useful spells to enhance its already substantial abilities.

What are the Downsides to Arcane Trickster?

There are some downsides to the archetype, of course. While the spells you have access to are great for what you’re likely going for, you are still limited in your choices. When it comes to magic, you are never going to be on the same level as a full caster.

The other major downside is to this subclass is that you miss out on some specialization. Other roguish archetypes are focused on getting the most out of the base class abilities, like Sneak Attack. While you can accomplish a lot with your magic, there are other aspects of playing a rogue you won’t be able to enhance. In my opinion, it’s a trade worth making.

Best Race for Arcane Trickster Rogues

The Arcane Trickster is somewhat unique for Rogues, in that they need Intelligence to function well. Dexterity is still by far the most important stat for you, and you’ll want a respectable amount of Constitution if you plan on getting into Melee.

Fairy

The Fairy Race for 5E is a particularly strong option for arcane tricksters. You can take advantage of their flying speed, given that you will never need anything more than light armor. You not only gain a free castign of faerie fire, but you can use your spell slots to cast it again. This is a nice option for getting guaranteed sneak attacks in combat. Finally, the fairy race follows WOTC’s new approach to Ability Score Improvments. You get a +2 and +1 bonus to the abilities of your choice, which are perfect for boosting Dexterity and Intelligence.

High Elf

This is a pretty “whatever” choice, but the High Elf is an extremely good Rogue, and a better Arcane Trickster. +2 Dexterity and +1 Intelligence is perfect. You gain another cantrip from the Wizard list, letting you boost your low Cantrip count to 5 (including Mage Hand). You can also use Longbows instead of shortbows, which is just more damage for you. Elves have useful utility with Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, Trance, and free Perception proficiency.

Feral Tiefling

The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide offered an additional spin on the Tiefling. The Feral Tiefling has all the neat utility of the normal one, but with +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence. It’s practically screaming Arcane Trickster! Hellish Resistance and Darkvision are both great for you. If your GM allows you to take the Winged variant and Feral Tiefling, then that’d be perfect! Flight is a great spell, but an even better permanent boon.

Best Feats for Arcane Tricksters

One of the best parts of playing a rogue is that you are one of the most Single Ability Dependent (SAD) classes out there. Most builds can get by with boosting dexterity and largely ignoring everything else. Even if you plan on focusing heavily on your casting and want to boost Intelligence, you will still have plenty of room to add feats along the way.

There are so many feats in 5E. Depending on the specifics of your build, there are countless feats that might work for you. Many players like to use feats to raise the number of spells known, since that is a limitation for an Arcane Trickster. If you are happy with the magic you have or only plan to use it sparingly, you might benefit from a feat that boosts your survivability or sneak attack chances.

Elven Accuracy

Elven Accuracy isn’t just one of the best feats for Arcane Tricksters, it is also one of the best feats in the game. You get +1 to any ability that isn’t Constitution or Strength. If you made your character with standard array, that means you could use this to boost either Dexterity or Intelligence if either ended up with an odd ability score.

The boost to your ability scores is only part of why this works so well. You also get to re-roll an attack die any time you have advantage with a Dexterity attack. In other words, if you get advantage on attack you get the chance to roll three times, not two. This is incredible, especially when sneak attack comes into play.

Fey Touched

The Fey Touched feat makes a lot of sense for Arcane Tricksters. For starters, you can use this as a chance to boost your Intelligence by one. That means you only lose out on have of your ASI if you take this instead of the ability score boost.

More importantly, this feat gives you access to more spells – and these spells are great for you. You get the Misty Step spell that you can not only cast once without a slot, but then cast again using your spell slots. You also have a spell of your choice from the Divination or Enchantment schools of magic. Since you can already get Enchantment spells, you might pick up some fun divination options like Hunter’s Mark, Detect Magic, or Comprehend Languages.

Lucky

Lucky is one of the best feats in the game, to the point that some tables ban it altogether. Getting a chance to reroll your dice is always valuable, especially when you are trying to land attacks that take advantage of Sneak Attack. Every rogue benefits from this option.

Magic Initiate

If your primary goal with taking a feat is picking up more spell options, it is hard to beat magic initiate. You not only get two new cantrips, but you can also take your choice of a 1^st level spell from any class list. This is your only option for picking up a healing spell, or you could dabble in spells that are exclusive to classes like Warlocks and Bards. This feat is a great way to get magical options the Arcane Trickster would not normally have access to. The best part is you can get these spells without the need to multiclass.

Warcaster

Your mileage may vary with Warcaster. Casting spells as a reaction instead of an attack probably isn’t going to ever be worth it for you, and casting with a weapon in your hand is useful but niche. The real value depends on whether you select many concentration spells. The more you rely on concentration to cast, the more important warcaster becomes.

Best Spells for Arcane Tricksters

Unlike most rogues, the arcane trickster has to take into account what spells to take as you level up. Arcane Tricksters have access to magic in addition to the amazing rogue abilities they naturally have, but that ability to cast spells is limited. For starters, this archetype is a quarter caster, meaning the highest level of spell you will have access to is 4th. We’ll take a look at some notable spells at each of these levels.

it is important to remember there are two approaches to Arcane Tricksters, which means your optimal spell choices can vary. You can make a very workable Arcane Trickster without putting many points into Intelligence, but you will need to focus on the spells that don’t require saving throws or spell attacks. If you are ready to invest in your Intelligence score, more spells could open up for you.

Cantrips

Booming Blade

This spell is a no-brainer for Arcane Tricksters. You can already slip away from a fight by disengaging as a bonus action. With Booming Blade, you give enemies even more reason not to chase you. I highly recommend this one.

Dancing Lights

Dancing lights is another good option if you have characters in your party without darkvision. This spell is also useful no matter what your Intelligence modifier is.

Mage Hand

You get Mage Hand whether you want it or not. Thankfully, you definitely want it. This spell is incredibly useful on its own, but Mage Hand Legerdemain increases the utility substantially.

Message

Message is a classic utility spell that allows for short-range telepathic conversation. It is useful for any character, but it is especially strong for rogues that plan on acting as forward scouts. Message opens up the exploration aspect of D&D while leaving you with a line of communication to your friends if things go bad.

Minor Illusion

Minor Illusion can be a great option if you intend on doing a lot of deception. Keep in mind that the ability to see through these illusions is based on your spell saving throw. that means if you aren’t investing in Intelligence, this will not be as useful in some cases.

Prestidigitation

Another good option, especially if you are creative with the way you use it. You can get a lot of mileage out of this spell regardless of your intelligence modifier.

First-Level Spells

Alarm

Alarm is a useful tool if you are camping in the wild or diving in a dungeon. While it is a good use of resources that is not impacted by Intelligence modifiers, you only want to take this spell if you don’t have someone in your party that can cast it ritually. That lets you avoid burning a spell slot.

Charm Person

Charm Person has lots of uses, especially in cases where you are attempting to infiltrate somewhere hostile. Of course, this may not be the best option if you don’t plan to invest in your Intelligence score. Without a higher modifier, your success with this spell will be limited.

Find Familiar

Your mileage might vary on this one. Keepign a familiar around is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it does give you the chance to secure cheesy sneak attacks. It also does not rely on your Intelligence score.

Sleep

Sleep is only so useful at higher levels, but in the early game it is a fantastic choice for an Arcane Trickster. Not only can you neutralize multiple low-level enemies at once, but it also does not require a saving throw. The downside is that the effectiveness comes down to the roll of your 5D8.

Silent Image

More illusion magic, but this option could give you something to hide behind. Great for exploration or creative uses of Sneak Attack.

Second-Level Spells

Blur

Blur is a solid option if you find yourself taking more damage than you would like. You will not typically have to focus on concentration spells, so using blur won’t prevent you from doing the other things you are likely to focus on. This spell is also not reliant on your Intelligence score.

Darkvision

This spell really comes with the caveat of whether you can naturally see in the dark or not. If you can’t, gaining the ability to do so is more beneficial than creating your own source of light.

Invisibility

My personal favorite second-level spell for the Arcane Trickster. There are countless situations where invisibility would benefit a rogue, from lining up a sneak attack to hiding from guards during a break-in.

Misty Step

One of the best early-game spells when it comes to maneuverability, Misty Step is great for getting out of (or into) trouble. You can also make the most of this spell no matter your Intelligence score.

Shadow Blade

Shadow Blade on its own isn’t particularly powerful for a second-level spell. However, combining it with your Sneak Attack ability suddenly makes it very attractive. Your use of this spell is likely to fall off if you pick up magical weapons in the future.

Third-Level Spells

Fly

It is impossible to put into words how useful it is for a rogue to be able to fly. From combat to exploration, this is a must for many people that play Arcane Tricksters.

Haste

Haste is cool! It also has a serious drawback when you cast it on yourself. Gaining haste and then holding your second attack until a different turn gives you the chance of two sneak attacks instead of one. This bit of cheese also puts you at risk of being a sitting duck. If you are hit and lose concentration, you can’t take any actions immediately after the spell ends. Your mileage may vary on this one.

Hypnotic Pattern

One of the best crowd control options you will find, especially at higher levels. However, it requires a wisdom save which is a strong ability for many monsters. You might do better with something else if your Intellignece Modificer is nothing to write home about.

Major Image

More powerful illusion magic! The value of this spell largely depends on how much you invest in deception.

Fourth-Level Spells

Confusion

Confusion makes for another decent crowd control spell, but you are probably better off picking up Sleep or Hypnotic Pattern at lower levels.

Dimension Door

Another excellent option for getting out of trouble, and it doesn’t rely on your intelligence score. This is less important if you picked up Misty Step.

Evard’s Black Tentacles

This spell varies between “definitely take” and “Definitely avoid” depending on your build. You’ll want high Intelligence for this as it relies on a Dex saving throw, but if you invest in that ability, this is a great option.

Greater Invisibility

Greater Invisibility is even better than normal visibility. The downside here is that by the time you get it, you are far more likely to be running into foes with Truesight.

Our Arcane Trickster Build

Arcane Tricksters take what is great about the rogue in general and use magic to enhance all of those aspects. That’s why our sample build will focus on getting the most out of this archetype instead of multiclassing. We’ll be boosting both dexterity and intelligence to help with casting. The character will be built using Standard Array. We opted for the forest gnome race and the urchin background.

Arcane Trickster 5E FAQ

Do Arcane Tricksters Get Misty Step?

Yes, arcane tricksters have the option to take Misty Step. The first opportunity to do so is at Level 8.

Does Arcane Trickster Need Intelligence?

The short answer is “yes.” The longer answer is “yes, depending on your build.” Intelligence is your spellcasting ability, so at first glance, it seems like you might need to invest in that ability. However, you can easily fill up your small contingent of spells and cantrips with options that do not make use of spell attacks or saving throws. These options include prestidigitation, booming blade, color spray, sleep, and find familiar, among other things. However, the more you intend to lean into casting instead of stabbing, the higher you’ll want your Intelligence score to be.

What Source Book is Arcane Trickster In?

You can find the Arcane Trickster in the Players Handbook.

Can an Arcane Trickster Use Wizard Spell Scrolls?

Yes, Arcane Tricksters can use scrolls with wizard spells on them. This is because their casting ability is tied to the Wizard spell list. Jeremy Crawford confirmed this answer in a 2014 tweet.

Can Arcane Trickster Heal?

The arcane trickster subclass does not have access to healing magic on its own. While you can cast spells, you are always limited to the options on the wizard spell list. Since there are no healing spells on that list, your only way to use healing magic would be through multiclassing.

Conclusion – Our Take on the Arcane Trickster 5E

The Arcane Trickster may be one of the best Roguish Archetypes in the game. With access to a pretty decent array of spells, relatively easy Advantage in the midgame, and Legerdemain, you’ll be helpful in almost any situation. If your party doesn’t have a Wizard or a Rogue, and you want the best of both worlds? You could do worse than this.