Four Rogues was one of my favorite ways to play Diablo. I even managed to talk Cy, Jaffa, and Jester into a run of them back in 2002, where we (barely) 3-dotted a quartet.

I tried playing a "D2 Rogue" back in v1.05 in early 01. Sorceress using a bow, enchant, teleport, shiver armor. The chief problem at the time was lack of Attack Rating along with the way the mlvl curve derailed early on in Nightmare. In D1, a strong rogue almost never misses, and without that effect in play, the D2 version just didn't quite hold up.

Along comes the 1.1 patch... Some things have changed. There were no Eth runes in vanilla D2. There were no elemental damage charms or circlets, fewer cube recipes. Enchant now boosts attack rating, nearly to 3x, which while still not truly Rogue-ish, does seem to make a "D2 Rogue" playable.

In D1, the Rogue had enough mana to use some spells, and enough magic to mature a number of spells to a decent level, especially with the aid of "reading glasses" or Enchanted shrines. She was a poor man's warrior or mage, though. As warrior, her incredible dex could make for almost flawless blocking, but her damage rate was not strong, while as warrior her spellcasting animation was slower, and she had less mana. The bow was her main strength, if played to the max.

There were Red Rogues and Blue Rogues. Reds would run without mana shield, and rely very heavily on teleport. They had less total life, but ironically, could use magic more liberally because they had more precise control over how much mana they had left. Blue Rogues ran with mana shield. They had more combined life, but if the shield went down, they'd have to recast it, and a really bad hit that takes down the shield also means no mana left for teleporting out of there... a mean combination in a pinch. Each type of rogue build had its strong points, and both were fun to play.

After getting to know the 1.1 patch in recent times, I think I can reliably build a fun variant that can capture some of the spirit of the D1 Rogue. So here we go.

CONCEPT
The Sorceress class embodies most of the magic skills from the original Diablo. Key among these is teleport. The D2 Amazon is rooted to the spot and relies on her pet to tank for her. This combined with all the bow related skills means she doesn't play like the D1 Rogue at all. Tactically, some things carry over, but strategically and in terms of gameplay... no. It's not a match. The D1 Rogue had sorcerous powers at a lower level than a true sorcerer, had teleport mobility, and had only normal attack type. Thus the sorcie is the closest match. She can teleport, support herself with "limited" magic, and must use normal attack.

DEXTERITY
Approximately half of your attribute points should be assigned to Dexterity. You should be able to block at the rate shown on a shield, or better. (Some leeway is allowed, temporarily. If you need more strength, for example, to use a key piece of equipment, you can slack off on dex for a level or two, but you need to catch it back up afterward.)

BOWS
Your bow is your primary weapon. Crossbows are allowed, but keep in mind that Enchant damage will be independent of bow damage or dexterity, and will be more effective with higher attack rates.

MELEE WEAPONS
Rogues may keep two bows in their weapon slots, or may carry any weapon type they please in the second slot. This includes throwing potions, throwing weapons, and melee weapons, as well as a second bow. Shields are also allowed. A rogue can swap and "go melee" any time she pleases. With all that dexterity, blocking may even be useful. In a team situation, some rogues tanking with shields while others shoot from behind is perfectly acceptable, but no rogue should forsake her bow entirely, so "melee-only" rogues are not acceptable. Since all Rogues will know how to teleport, none should ever "need" a tank to protect her.

ENCHANT
All D2 Rogues are to max Enchant as soon as possible. This because the AR boost is needed, and the fire damage doesn't hurt either.

TELEPORT
All D2 Rogues must obtain the Teleport skill. How much to use it is player's discretion.

PETS
No pets. Sorry. No mercs!

PRIMARY MAGIC SKILL
Each Rogue may obtain a primary magic skill. This will be her special spell, used to supplement her fighting prowess, take down physical immunes, and give her a means of corpse recovery "in extremis" other than quitting and rejoining the game. ONLY ONE primary skill per character is allowed. Primary skills are unlimited in skill level.

A Rogue may pick one primary skill from the following list of options:
* Firebolt
* Icebolt
* Charged Bolt
* Inferno
* Frost Nova
* Ice Blast
* Fireball
* Lightning

SECONDARY MAGIC SKILL
A Rogue may also select one Secondary skill, under the following restrictions:
1) Each secondary skill endures a maximum skill level restriction.
2) Secondary skills MAY NOT exceed 50% of the current skill level of the character's primary skill.

The following skills are available as secondary skills, with the applicable level caps:
* Nova, up to slvl 10.
* Firewall, up to slvl 8.
* Chain Lightning, up to slvl 10.
* Glacial Spike, up to slvl 10.
* Meteor, up to slvl 5.
* Thunderstorm, up to slvl 5.
* Blizzard, up to slvl 5.
* Hydra, up to slvl 8.
* Frozen Orb, up to slvl 5.

NOTE: during the final Hell run for fourth dot, some skills (like Thunderstorm) may be unusable in the "friendly fire" environment!

MASTERIES
Cold or Lightning Mastery may not exceed slvl 10. No restriction on Fire Mastery.

+SKILL ITEMS
Not allowed. Repeat: NOT ALLOWED. (Exception: initial staff as a weapon ONLY, until it is replaced.)

STATIC FIELD and BLAZE
Not allowed except as prereq. Do not use these skills!

ITEMS WITH CHARGES
Knock yourself out. However, if you need a recharge, you have to pay your own way.

RED ROGUES
* MAY NOT add to Energy!
* Must run with more life than mana. (Not counting Act One grace period in normal difficulty.)
* Must max out a cold armor of their choice before entering Hell Difficulty.
* May not learn nor use Energy Shield.

BLUE ROGUES
* MAY NOT add to Vitality!
* Must run with more mana than life (Exception: grace period until reaching clvl 24).
* Cold armor is allowed but optional. How much and when is player's discretion.
* Must learn Energy Shield.
* Must use Energy Shield at ALL times (after reaching clvl 24, of course).
* Must get Telekinesis to slvl 7 before entering Nightmare difficulty, and slvl 14 before entering Hell.
* Must get Energy Shield to slvl 3 before Nightmare and slvl 7 before Hell.

NOTE: Blue Rogue rules edited to reflect need for Telekinesis synergy to make Energy Shield effective!

ROGUE REVIVAL TEAM VARIANT
* Weapons, not magic, are a sister's primary tools. Any Rogue who kills more foes with her magic than with her weaponry is a disgrace to the sisterhood. Do not disgrace yourself in the eyes of your sisters!
* Rogues are a tight sisterhood. They may not play with any characters except sister Rogues. (This means they play only with fellow team members, in private team games. No "passersby" or "guests", no joining RBD games or AB games, etc.)
* Only Rogues are allowed in the sisterhood! No Amazons, no Paladins, no regular Sorcies, etc.
* If a Rogue "leaves" the sisterhood, she may play with other characters but never return to the team.
* No twinking. Use what you can find, buy, or make for yourself. This is a pure team concept.
* No "variant within the variant". You can run a rogue solo any way you like, but no macho stuff when playing as part of a team. Follow the rules and play within them to your full potential.
* Each Rogue should be viable solo, allowing players who miss a night (and any quests) to catch up on their own.
* Any number of players may play, up to the maxium 8 of course. Since Rogues are all the same -- except for Red or Blue, items, and magic skill choices -- team members may be added or subtracted at any time without disrupting the effectiveness of fellow team members.
* Any late-starting players who are trying to "catch up" and "join the team" must build their chars solo, in isolation. There are no exceptions to the purity concept. If you are to prove yourself to your sisters and join the order, you must show discipline and commitment!
* Although this team variant is highly flexible, it is not meant to be played in "pickup" fashion. Any true team variant requires regular gaming nights and scheduled activity.

4-DOTTING THE TEAM
Completing Normal earns the first dot, Nightmare the second, Hell the third. If the team 3-dots as a group and players want to continue, then restart Hell in unpartied fashion and go hostile with all fellow Rogues. Complete Hell in "Friendly Fire", played D1 style, to earn that "fourth dot". Since all chars will have completed the quests already, REMAIN HOSTILE AT ALL TIMES. None of that "party up for quests" stuff.

Be careful not to shoot your sisters in the back! And don't overdo those secondary magic skills, either. This isn't meant to be a "beyond naked" type of experience.

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