I just started playing Dungeons and Dragons again. The group I'm playing with has characters that were already at 3rd level. I came in early to the session, so the DM and I could get my character (halfling rogue) finished, and level him up to 3rd level.
We played about 30 minutes, until the party go to a point where they met my character. Basically, him and a group of people (NPCs) come running out of the jungle, being chased by a group of "bad guys" (also NPCs, of course).
Both the existing party, and the party my character is in, join together, and after a fairly long fight, kill all of the bad guys. Unfortunately, during the encounter, all but one of the NPCs in my party die. Since my rogue sees no reason to stay with just one person, he asks to join the party of the other players.
One of them asks what I do/what I am… I had no idea how to answer, but one of the other characters suggested I say "I'm in resource acquisition."
Though, I guess, technically true… The barbarian in the group, who's character is not very bright, pushed it a bit farther, wanting to know if I did spells, or was a fighter, or what.
I didn't really want to say it, but I said I killed things, by sneaking up on them from behind… so he calls me a "backstabber" now, haha.
I think the DM would probably let me retcon it just a bit, if I could come up with a better way of saying what I do, without giving away the fact that I'm a rogue.
Any ideas on how to do so?
Best Answer
Convoliution's answer nails the big picture. I recommend reading it first. I'll get into the specifics of "Okay, but what do I actually say to get the barbarian to stop asking questions?"
It sounds like what the barbarian is asking is "How are you useful to us?" There are multiple ways for a rogue to answer this. I've played a few different kinds of rogues over the years, and here are some that I've used.
"I'm a scout."
Talk about how you're light on your feet and can gather information without being seen. This emphasizes your Stealth and Perception skills, as well as possibly Athletics and/or survival.
"I'm good with knives."
Talk about how you're not particularly strong, but you know all the right places to stab people. If the barbarian is particularly sadistic, you could get into the difference between stabbing someone so that they will scream, and stabbing someone so that they won't scream. (At most tables, it might be best to leave the details of that conversation in summary.)
"I do a lot of little things..."
Talk about how there's a lot more to adventuring that just monsters. Emphasize your rogue skills alongside a bunch of other, more benign proficiencies. Sure, you can steal things and sneak up on people, but you can also cook, or tie a good knot, or draw a map. Also you're a locksmith. There's nothing sinister about that.
And one to avoid: "I'm a trickster who loves a good joke. By the way, is this your mug?"
There's plenty of affable charlatans in real life and in movies who will pick people's pockets when greeting them, then hand their stuff back to them as a joke. If you've seen those shows or those movies, it might be tempting to try to replicate those with a character. D&D (especially 5e with bounded accuracy) makes that approach about as safe as Russian Roulette. At best, you'll get a one-off joke that will soon be forgotten by the rest of the party, and at worst, you'll have PVP right when you're introducing your character.