Secret Rogue Technique: The Shock Therapy Spring Attack (a.k.a Ghetto Mobility feat)

[Whammydill]

Why wait for the Mobility feat to move and attack with impunity? Make a mockery of that Platemail wearing bully!

The trick:

Shocking grasp prevents reactions on the hit target. A 2nd level rogue with that cantrip (via High Elf, multiclass...whatever) can use Cunning Action to dance circles around melee opponents.


Utilize bonus action to activate Dash
Move in say, 20ft to the victim. Hit them with Shocking Grasp, then move away the remaining 40ft. Outside of their ability to catch up and attack (unless they have Charger)
If they Dash to catch up to you, you can just use your bonus action to Disengage, then Dash 60ft away.
Works even better if you are a Wood Elf (extra movement!) with the cantrip and Cunning Action.
Shocking grasp gets advantage against metal armor wearers for great benefit.
Just make sure you don't get caught within one movement of your victim
And most of all...make sure you hit!

[edge2054]

Seems like a lot of work for little reward.

Compare True Strike, a cantrip that's really not that great. A third level rogue with true strike gets advantage and sneak attack dice with a short bow every other turn. In two turns assuming all attacks hit the True Strike rogue deals 3d6 + dex mod, the Shocking Grasp rogue deals 2d8. The True Strike rogue is also more likely to hit as it's using Dex rather than Int to land the attack.

It's also not stuck in melee on a miss.

[Whammydill]

Unless I'm missing something, against metal armor users you would also get sneak attack. Which would be 4d6+2d8 accross two attacks for a the aforementioned 3rd level rogue, provided all hits. That is unless you can't get sneak attack with spell attacks. All in all, this is just a nifty trick. Nothing to base an entire build around. I'm running a true-strike using assassin character. It IS quite nifty.

Edit: It is arguable i guess, since Sneak Attack says finesse or ranged. Will have to look into that.

[Keko]

Mobile already says that you don't provoke from any enemy you attack so shocking grasp is redundant.

Still I had a similar idea floating around my mind in the past days, something like battlemaster16/assassin4 with mobile and maneuvers as distracting attack or goading attack so the enemy have disadvantage on everyone but you that are 40ft away.
Or battlemaster 6/assassin14, trip on your first attack then SA on your second then use cunning action to dash and escape even farther, with many intresting and funny posibilities :smallamused:

[hymer]

Unless I'm missing something, against metal armor users you would also get sneak attack. Which would be 4d6+2d8 accross two attacks for a the aforementioned 3rd level rogue, provided all hits. That is unless you can't get sneak attack with spell attacks. All in all, this is just a nifty trick. Nothing to base an entire build around. I'm running a true-strike using assassin character. It IS quite nifty.

Edit: It is arguable i guess, since Sneak Attack says finesse or ranged. Will have to look into that.

More than that, it says finesse or ranged weapon. Shocking grasp is neither finesse, nor ranged, nor a weapon.

[GWJ_DanyBoy]

Mobile already says that you don't provoke from any enemy you attack so shocking grasp is redundant.

I think the idea is to get the effect of the mobile feat without having the mobile feat. Hence the redundancy.

[edge2054]

Spells don't sneak attack as hymer mentioned.

[archaeo]

As an aside, "ghetto mobility" is a bit of a loaded and impolite term.

[edge2054]

Mobile already says that you don't provoke from any enemy you attack so shocking grasp is redundant.

Still I had a similar idea floating around my mind in the past days, something like battlemaster16/assassin4 with mobile and maneuvers as distracting attack or goading attack so the enemy have disadvantage on everyone but you that are 40ft away.


Goading is pretty bad. Well okay it's not. Menacing is just better and does the same thing. The only time Goading would be better is if the target had advantage or immunity vs. fear effects.

[Keko]

I think the idea is to get the effect of the mobile feat without having the mobile feat. Hence the redundancy.

Oops, don't know what was I thinking :smallredface:


Goading is pretty bad. Well okay it's not. Menacing is just better and does the same thing. The only time Goading would be better is if the target had advantage or immunity vs. fear effects.

Just both filled the debuff-and-run idea I had in mind.

[Demonic Spoon]

This could also be used to get past martial opponents to any squishy buddies they may be protecting.

[Human Paragon 3]

This could also be used to get past martial opponents to any squishy buddies they may be protecting.

This is the only conceivable use of the technique IMO, and it has nothing to do with being a rogue. Anyone with the cantrip might want to use it for getting past enemies with powerful opportunity attacks (though the bonus action for dash helps).

I could see this being just as good on a fighter, or a spellcaster who's using magic to enhance his move speed.