#game's pretty cool so far; a little janky at times but that doesn't really impact much since it's mostly a vn with qte

[sol-flo]

huh i bought goodbye volcano high this morning for ~60 bucks and i opened the store page rn and it's up to ~90? ok

[level2janitor]

compared to the arcane trickster - who for the most part only has spells from two schools of magic, a tiny fraction of the wizard's spell list - you have access to a ridiculous variety of spells, balanced only by the ridiculously small number of spells prepared at any given time. i'm really not a fan of balancing overpowered abilities by grafting on equally impactful weaknesses, as the result tends to be a very janky character in my experience.

the wizard class is widely considered to be the most powerful class in D&D, and nearly all of its power comes from its ability to copy spells into its spellbook and having the biggest spell list in the game. it has almost no other class features yet is able to outdo most other classes with that versatility alone. this subclass takes that power, makes it even stronger (even the wizard has intentional gaps in its spell list, and requires time/gold to copy spells), and gives it to the rogue - a class that's perfectly good even without any spellcasting.

i get the motivation for wanting to give the subclass access to all spells, but there's a reason that even the class designed to be a master of versatility doesn't get that. every class has roles they aren't good at, that's something the game is designed around - even if a subclass lets you do something your class normally can't, it usually only makes you better at one specific thing (like swashbuckler allowing the rogue to be a much better duelist, for example).

granted, this is still a 1/3-caster, so it may not be quite as overpowered as i'm making it out to be, but the limitations in D&D exist for a reason; i'm not saying it's never okay to break D&D's conventions, but you should know why those conventions are in place first. i've heard someone use the analogy of knowing which walls in your house are load-bearing - some you can remove without issue, while others cause everything to collapse if you move them. and this is one of the load-bearing ones.

anyway. sorry if that criticism came off as a bit harsh, here's something more constructive

i think the flavor of casting spells from other classes could maybe be achieved by allowing the spell thief to cast spell scrolls and rituals from any class? something like this maybe

Beginning at 3rd-level when you choose this archetype, you uncover secrets that allow you to cast spells normally reserved for other classes. Choose three spells of 1st or 2nd-level from any class's spell list that have the ritual tag; you can cast the chosen spells at-will, without using a spell slot or material components with no cost.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you learn a new spell with the ritual tag, whose level can't be higher than half your rogue level, rounded up. Upon gaining a level in this class, you can also replace one of these spells with another spell that meets these requirements.

In addition, you can cast any spell scroll whose level is lower than half your rogue level, rounded up.

this is just a suggestion but i think it goes a long way to capture the flavor you were going for without being so game-breaking

firsthand experience i don't have much to say about considering i already gave my thoughts on the feature it affects. arcane sight i like, it's what inspired my suggestion for the 3rd-level ritual feature

spellshroud is cool, if a bit basic. though, damage is by far the least scary thing a spellcaster can do to you, especially by the time you get this feature, so maybe do something to make it a little more widely applicable against non-damaging spells?

quick study again is tied to the spell preparation so i don't have much to say about it.

this is pretty powerful but i'm 100% for giving martials powerful capstones since it's not like anything can compete with wizards casting wish and simulacrum anyway lol. i like it

this last bit... while i can understand it, and i can't really blame you for wanting to stick with it, i wouldn't allow the spell thief in its current form at my table. if it works for your table, then that's your prerogative, but i'd still 100% advise you to try and find a less game-breaking way to capture the flavor you're looking for.

best of luck with your homebrew

it’s totally not a finished draft and isn’t ready for the full beautification treatment but for those interested in the idea of a Spell Stealing alternative of the Arcane Trickster,

here is the first draft! Please leave your feedback in reblogs or comments, I’d love to hear people’s opinions on balance and straighten it up a bit before putting a more polished version out into the world :)

@the-huntsmans-homebrews and @nerdyjovialalpaca i remember you both were interested in having some input!