How often do you use Cunning Action?

[thoroughlyS]

Cunning Action allows you to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a bonus action, with no limit on how often it can be used. My first character in 5e was a rogue (some years ago) and I don't remember making heavy use of it, but I had mobile for avoiding opportunity attacks. My most recent character was a mastermind, and I tried to give advantage out whenever I could. If you've ever played a rogue, how often did you utilize this feature? Every round? Once per encounter? If it had a limit, what would be reasonable? Obviously not something crippling like once per short rest, but would something like 1 + Dex work?

[Lalliman]

Is there any reason you'd want to limit it? Even if it's true that it isn't that useful, that would be all the more reason to keep it simple by avoiding unnecessary restrictions.

That said, I find Cunning Action to be a great selling point of the class, and I tend to use it about every other round when I play a rogue. My halfling rogue player will use it to hide almost every round when possible (though admittedly I'm liberal with how the hiding rules work, so YMMV).

The reason you haven't used it is precisely for the reasons you've said. Mobile renders Cunning Action mostly obsolete (and is frankly a bit of an odd build choice; there's some merit to it but I wouldn't take it because of the overlap), and Mastermind has an arguably better feature to spend his bonus actions on. Those are edge cases that aren't representative of most rogues.

[Malifice]

Our rogues use it every round. Unless they need the bonus action for something else like TWF.

[Catullus64]

I would say that four out of five turns in combat on my Rogue see use of Cunning Action. In my opinion, Mobile (or a similar feature like Fancy Footwork) doesn't render Cunning Action obsolete, it enhances it. With just Cunning Action baseline, you move in, stab, and disengage, but with Mobile + Cunning Action, you move in, stab, and and then Dash away, gaining even more distance, and thus more safety. The Dash by itself means that you can almost always be sure of closing distances in melee if necessary, or getting away if you get caught out alone while scouting (which is bound to happen at some point no matter how good your Stealth bonus is.) And don't undersell the value of the Hide bonus action: if terrain and sightlines allow for liberal hiding, your Rogue's survivability and damage output both increase dramatically.

In short, Cunning Action is one of the twin pillars of the entire Rogue class, alongside Sneak Attack, and making it a limited use feature would be devastating to the class.

[Hooligan]

Every round. It's perhaps my favorite single ability in the game.

[Longcat]

As a ranged Rogue, I tend to use it every turn to either hide or disengage.

[leogobsin]

I'm currently DMing a group that includes a Rogue, and she seems to use it at least every other round or so. It's usually to Disengage, she's moving around trying to get into a more advantageous position constantly.

I'd really question why you'd want to give it a limit. It's not at all overpowered as is, so why introduce more bookkeeping to 'fix' an ability that isn't broken?

[Morty]

This is one of the very few things rogues can do in combat other than roll to attack round after round. My ranged rogue used it every round to position and hide. Why would you want to restrict it?

[GreyBlack]

Cunning Action allows you to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a bonus action, with no limit on how often it can be used. My first character in 5e was a rogue (some years ago) and I don't remember making heavy use of it, but I had mobile for avoiding opportunity attacks. My most recent character was a mastermind, and I tried to give advantage out whenever I could. If you've ever played a rogue, how often did you utilize this feature? Every round? Once per encounter? If it had a limit, what would be reasonable? Obviously not something crippling like once per short rest, but would something like 1 + Dex work?

First 5e character was a rogue, and I definitely used it every round I could. It was literally so useful. Being able to duck and weave without worrying about OA, or hiding behind a teammate was amazing. It upped my damage potential so much.

[Quoxis]

It depends on your playstyle.

Masterminds have more options regarding their bonus action, and if they stay out of melee it’s often better to use their ranged help action - CA becomes situational.
Swashbucklers on the other hand have features that suggest melee combat, but they get a free „disengage lite™“, so they usually use CA to either escape being surrounded or to dash away for better kiting.
The other subclasses can make good use of CA, unless they’re multiclassed - rangers‘ hunter‘s mark, warlocks‘ hex, paladins‘ smite spells, healing word, tens of other bonus action features competing for the single bonus action you get per turn.

I personally do use it often on my rogue 6/monk 2. Diving into and out of combat is easy with 90ft movement (bonus action dash & wood elf), and even if i need to use my ki points for a bonus action attack or dodge, as soon as they’re depleted i can fall back on CA. An unused bonus action is a wasted bonus action, after all.

[sophontteks]

Its almost like asking how often a fighter uses extra attack.:smallbiggrin:

[JeffreyGator]

A significant tactical optimization of the game is to use a bonus action as much as possible.

A melee rogue could use their bonus action to make an off hand attack if the first attack missed so that they get their SA.

A multi-class rogue might have other options such as bonus spell use.

Apart from the above situations, using cunning action to Hide is pretty darn useful in a terrain with cover.

My goblin non-rogue uses bonus disengage to maneuver the battlefield frequently, Hide less often and spell options as needed.

[Diebo]

In my opinion, Mobile (or a similar feature like Fancy Footwork) doesn't render Cunning Action obsolete, it enhances it. With just Cunning Action baseline, you move in, stab, and disengage, but with Mobile + Cunning Action, you move in, stab, and and then Dash away, gaining even more distance, and thus more safety.

I agree with this. To add on to this, one of the cool benefits of Mobile Feat is difficult terrain doesn't cost you extra movement on that turn, as long as you dash. With Cunning Action, you can dash as a bonus action! You can run through your allies' squares (difficult terrain) or anywhere else at full movement, and still get your sneak attack in, and still get away from danger.

I use cunning action often. Probably more often than I need to, just because I can. When in doubt, disengage, hide, or dash. Usually one of those three is useful.

[ImproperJustice]

Our Thief uses it constantly.
Drink potions, climb up walls and trees, lock doors, drop oil and ball berrings, and just generally be every where.

[Hears You]

I use it nearly every round, sometimes late in combat when we're mopping up I might stop because I'm getting sneak attack off from other stuff. I'm curious as to why you would want to limit it though?

[bobofwestgate]

The rogue in our party is a skirmisher. move action into melee range, attack, cunning action disengage. Pretty much every round

[GlenSmash!]

Every round unless I miss with a melee attack and want to try again with my off-hand.

[ProfLucario]

I mean... is there any reason *not* to? Whenever I play a rogue, my usual combat strategy is: Ranged sneak attack -> Hide -> Move -> repeat, unless I'm in melee in which case (sneak) attack -> Disengage -> hide behind the Big Stupid Fighter

[LibbyLishly]

My Rogue finds a way to use Cunning Action or Fast Hands pretty much every round. Eventually my plan is to grab the Mobile and Skulker feats so that she can easily Hide without needing to Disengage first.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

Our rogues use it every round. Unless they need the bonus action for something else like TWF.

This, pretty much. As most everyone else has said, limiting it seems like a fantastically bad idea.