As a Rogue, you gain proficiencies to many of your skills. You also become a key player in the group, especially when you’re on a mission where stealth is a priority. You add even more power to your slice and dice strategy when you choose a Half-Orc character.

Below, we’ll show you how to create and roleplay a Half-Orc Rogue and how to have fun with it.

The Half-Orc race AND the Rogue class can be found in the Player’s Handbook. Click here to pick up your own copy of The Player’s Handbook!

How to Make a Half-Orc Rogue

Rogues are fun to play thanks to their wide array of skills. Before you can pick which skill proficiencies you want, roll your character first. When you roll, place the highest ability score under Dexterity.

If you want to become a charming trickster, your next-best score should be Charisma. If you want to become a magic-wielding Rogue, put the next-highest roll in Intelligence.

For Half-Orcs, the optimal Roguish Archetype is the Assassin. Your attacks with melee weapons are extra powerful thanks to your Savage Attacks racial trait. When picking a background, the Criminal, Charlatan, and Urchin are optimal picks.

How to Play a Half-Orc Rogue

When in combat, keep your Cunning Action and Evasion abilities in mind. These abilities will keep you from losing a big chunk of your hit points. They’ll also keep you on your toes and ready to strike at any opportune moment during battle. 

Whenever you strike, always try to make the best out of your Sneak Attacks. However, you’ll need a finesse or ranged weapon for this. Some optimal weapons for Half-Orc Rogues are the dagger, scimitar, and shortsword.

The Rogue class is useful when the party often needs to take out single targets or infiltrate bases. The Thief subclass makes you extra stealthy. The Assassin archetype turns you into a supreme killer. Finally, the Arcane Trickster makes a crafty magic user out of you. Some spells to learn are minor illusion, disguise self, mirror image, and major image.

How to Roleplay as a Half-Orc Rogue

Outside of combat, your job as a Rogue is scouting ahead, checking for traps, and unlocking doors. With your charming personality, you can also act as the bait or distraction as the party enters or exits an area. Your cunning actions allow you to easily slip away from any sketchy situation.

When you’re roleplaying, imagine how your character will act. Does he like to win people over with his roguish charm or keep them away by intimidating them? Is he a thief with morals of no killing or is he a blade for hire?

Here’s a background story to help you get into character:

Trevor likes to say he’s more human than orc. After all, he looks nothing like a half-orc, except for his unusual height and large bone structure. And despite his roots, he’s what people call a handsome human. So, he uses that to his advantage; often charming people and then stealing from them to his heart’s content.

He did so until he got entangled with a troublesome group of strangers that got in trouble for his deeds. Now, it’s his job to help them slip free from jail.