Barbarian / RogueMulticlass Build Guide — D&D 5e

The entire Sneak Attack trigger problem disappears on a barbarian. Reckless Attack hands you advantage on every Strength melee attack, every turn, for free. Since Sneak Attack fires on any attack made with advantage using a finesse or ranged weapon, a barbarian with a rapier (finesse, still uses Strength) qualifies automatically, every single round, without needing an adjacent ally or a Hide action.

Cunning Action at Rogue 2 gives the barbarian the one thing it genuinely lacks: mobility without ki or spell slots. Dash as a bonus action closes gaps a raging barbarian otherwise spends a full turn walking across. Disengage lets you reposition without provoking. On a class whose only bonus action is starting rage or making an unarmed strike, this is a huge quality-of-life upgrade.

Three rogue levels unlock an archetype. Scout adds Expertise in Survival and Nature plus a reaction move — the wilderness barbarian taken to its logical end. Thief gets Fast Hands for in-combat object use. The Sneak Attack dice (2d6 at Rogue 3) are modest, but they fire every turn because Reckless makes them automatic. Over a full combat, that is 8d6–12d6 of free damage with zero resource cost.

Ability priority: STR → CON → DEX (13+) — Strength remains primary for attacks and rage damage. Constitution for Unarmored Defense and hit points. Dexterity must be at least 13 to multiclass into Rogue, and contributes to Unarmored Defense.