[RPG] Melee attack while hiding

dnd-5erogue

I play a lightfoot halfling rogue. An ally of mine, a fighter, is in melee combat with an orc. According to the rules I can move behind the fighter, use my cunning action to hide, and if my stealth roll is higher than the orcs passive perception I can then use my shortbow to make a ranged attack with advantage. I then lose hiding due to the attack. That way I can get advantage every round on my ranged attack, and not just sneak attack, for which I don't need to hide.

Do I understand it right that this only works for ranged attacks? I can't hide if I am in melee range. And if I move from behind the fighter, I lose the hiding advantage before I can make a melee attack.

Is there any way in this situation to make a melee attack on the orc with the advantage from being hidden?

Best Answer

Unless there are other circumstances to keep you hidden, you will stop being hidden when you leave the cover provided by your fighter ally.

You could maybe use a lance or whip to attack through the fighter's square (these are the only reach weapons that I could find that are not "heavy", and so are usable by small characters without problem)

But...

It sounds like you're trying to Sneak Attack?

In which case, you don't need to be hidden.
And if your fighter ally is in melee with your target, you don't need advantage.

The rules for Sneak Attack say:

Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.

You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.

With the fighter in melee with your target, as long as you don't have disadvantage, you can either melee attack with a finesse weapon, or attack with a ranged weapon. No hiding required.