D&D (2024) What would Olive Ruskettle's class be in 2024?

[ECMO3]

I would post in a forgotten realms sub-forum, but I don't see one?

Olive Ruskettle is a Halfling in the Azure Bonds novels that came out in the 80s. In the Novels she is essentially a Bard, and says she is a Bard, but because only Humans, and Half-Elves could be Bards in 1E the novels go to great lengths to make it clear she is really a Thief with some Bard-like attributes.

If you read the novels what do you think? Bard, Rogue, multiclass Bard-Rogue, something else? What subclasses?

One of our groups is looking at playing an Azure Bonds adventure and I am thinking of doing an Olive Ruskettle knock off as my PC.

 

[James Gasik]

Bard with Urchin background would be fine. Olive never backstabbed anyone to my knowledge, so there's nothing in particular she'd gain from Rogue levels that wouldn't let her function as a skilled thief in 5e.

OTOH, other than singing so well she could keep Mist entertained, there's nothing that she gets from the Bard class that she couldn't do as a Rogue with an Entertainer background. But I'd probably make her a Bard since she'd get more use out of a high Charisma that way.

Though you could do something even wilder, Trickster Domain Cleric of Finder Wyvernspur?

 

[humble minion]

Thief rogue with the entertainer background, for mine. The 5e bard is a spellcaster first and foremost rather than a performer (which was a bad design choice, but that’s an argument for another thread!), and while Olive is interested in magic and a skilled musician, a caster she is not.