Welcome ye lurkers on the threshold! Those who choose the Rogue Caste are choosing the careers where wit and a quick knife are likely to be of more use than heavy arms and armour. The skills of the rogue are directed toward more clandestine pursuits and social interaction. Indeed, more than any other Caste the Rogue surprisingly is the most adept in almost any social setting. Now of course this often depends on what Rogue class is being played as this Caste is also unique in the diversity it represents. Under the heading of Rogue are the following classes: Thief, Privateer, Bard, Assassin, and Huntsman. Just looking at this list you can see not only the broad range of characters that can be played but also how each represents a class that thrives on interaction with society, and yet at the same time are probably the best suited for going it alone.
Each of these classes has a particular focus though and it is important to list them in order to understand how their abilities and skills work to accentuate that focus.
Thief: Stealth, traps / lock picking, unseen attacks, and fencing
Privateer: Money, information gathering, fencing, and exploration
Bard: Entertainment, knowledge, combat, and spell-casting
Assassin: Killing, spying, unseen attacks, and information gathering
Huntsman: Tracking, scouting, stealth, and spying
Some of these skills are shared with other rogues and at least one is usually unique. There are a great number of possibilities and options for molding a rogue and this is yet another positive aspect of this Caste. It should be noted however that rogues, though good in many social situations also maintain, with exceptions at particular places and times, a low social standing. This means that they are not likely to be able to stroll around the nicer side of town unless they have a very good reason, a very good connection or a very good disguise. Fortunately, they tend to be able to manage one of these fairly well, at least the good ones… the ones that stay alive anyway.
Now, with the previous information in mind it should be noted that rogues have limitations based on efficiency of action. That is, though there is no armour or weapon restriction on these classes, their special skills are often hampered by donning heavy gear or carrying about heavy weapons. This is primarily due to the intrinsic nature of the skills, such as Moving Silently, or Climbing Walls but it also has to do with the line of work in which they are engaged. For example, a Thief who strolls into town wearing Plate Mail and a Bastard Sword may be bringing more attention to himself than would be wise and certainly in battle he is not likely to surprise anyone thereby gaining his Backstab bonus clanking around either. In the end each player builds their character differently but with each decision there are consequences as well and no caste knows this better than the Rogue.