So I’ve been thinking about allowing players who want to play weaker classes (like rogue) small buffs to make them feel better. For example I was thinking of giving a player who wanted to use Scion of three the ability to regain 1 charge of bloodlust if they killed the target. Would that be too strong? I also considered moving the level 13 feat to level 9 and level 17 feature to level 13 as they both (and especially the level 13 feature) feel very weak but idk.

How do you guys handle players asking for small/ medium buffs to their class, especially when it’s a weaker class?

rogue a weaker class? lmao

how long have you been dming by chance?

Is this a theoretical exercise, or do you actively have a player having trouble keeping up with the party?

I strongly dislike how rogues are designed and was very critical of Scion of the Dead Three during UA, but I wouldn't bother attempting to redesign it unless a player is actively struggling with it. Theory never survives contact with actual gameplay, every table is different, and every player is different. It's more often than not a waste of time and energy to rebalance stuff like this if there isn't actively a need for it.

For Scion at a certain level I’d just give “When you roll initiative you regain one use”.

Moving the features up is also fine.

You can also tell the player you are doing homebrew. You are not a game designer. If implementing your proposed changes breaks things we will have a conversation on adjustments (but your changes probably won’t break things).

I can’t say for certain.

If you put pressure on the resources of the party , then the Rogue is surprisingly much stronger than you think.

Their power is consistent ability with few resources required.

Giving out class-specific magic items feels like the best answer to buff someone without worrying about unbalancing the game. What is the rogue doing well? Augment that-- give out some Thieves' Picks +2, or a Ring of Displacement to make it easier to backstab. Generally, as long as people are having fun and not trying to min/max everything, just using the RAW is sufficient.

You’re overthinking it. A level 9 rogue is in my current party and isn’t weaker. The only “weak” part of rogue is DPR, and that’s only if they aren’t consistently landing sneak attack. They’re great at skills. They don’t need a buff at all

I once had a guy try to argue with me about "the meta" and how expected damage per round was like "50 dps" around level 10.

I think it took every ounce of willpower I had to not just say "dude are you fucking stupid"

im not sure if youre agreeing or disagreeing with me, at any rate though yeah 50 dpr for a rogue is like lvl 20 stuff.

"Weaker" = item reliant

I've been playing 5e for about eight years now, and a variety of editions of DnD and other TTRPGs for around twenty-five. There's not a single class in 5e I'd be less interested in playing than rogue, in terms of power, versatility, and enjoyability.

Of course, your mileage may vary. I get where OP is coming from, but I wouldn't make any changes until a rogue player is actively struggling, and at that point I'd consider changes based on the exact nature of those struggles.

This is theoretical, but I have had players in the past ask for small buffs, like a beast master ranger ask to have his commanding of his beast no longer require a bonus action at level 7

Rogues do not need a buff.

I'd consider a request like that based on what the player/character in question is currently capable of. Was the Beast Master falling behind, or were they just greedy for more available bonus actions?