Ways to "fall" outside of your turn?

[ATHATH]

Basically, I want to design an Order Cleric build that can give a Rogue an extra Sneak Attack each round (by giving them an off-turn Sneak Attack that they can use alongside their normal on-turn Sneak Attack) by using the Order Cleric's reaction to cast Feather Fall on them (which means that the Order Cleric is free to use their action and bonus action each round to cast spells that don't target the party and stuff). The problem with this plan is that Feather Fall has the following targeting restriction:


Choose up to five falling creatures within range.
This restriction has proven to be hard to work around. Because the Voice of Authority requires your ally to spend their reaction to benefit from it, if I just have the Rogue jump in place on their turn, they'll get an on-turn Sneak Attack, but will be unable to use the Ready action to gain an off-turn sneak attack (since that requires spending a reaction).

Therefore, I need to find a way to make an ally consistently count as "falling" outside of their turn, ideally without spending many resources/my action (requiring build coordination is fine, though). Does the Playground have any good ideas on how to do this?

[ATHATH]

The mounted combat rules might be promising...


Mounting and Dismounting
Once during your move, you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount. Doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed. For example, if your speed is 30 feet, you must spend 15 feet of movement to mount a horse. Therefore, you can't mount it if you don't have 15 feet of movement left or if your speed is 0.
If an effect moves your mount against its will while you're on it, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space within 5 feet of it. If you're knocked prone while mounted, you must make the same saving throw.
If your mount is knocked prone, you can use your reaction to dismount it as it falls and land on your feet. Otherwise, you are dismounted and fall prone in a space within 5 feet it.
Does a mount voluntarily going prone (in a sudden manner) count as it being "knocked" prone? When you get forcefully dismounted and opt to not use your reaction to land on your feet, do you fall prone before or after your fall? If you fall prone before you start falling, then that's no good for our purposes, because that'll give the Rogue disadvantage on their Sneak Attack.

Wait, Voice of Authority just requires the attack made to be a weapon attack, not necessarily a melee attack. If you had the Rogue (and their mount) stand back a bit, they could make a ranged Sneak Attack...

[Unoriginal]

Basically, I want to design an Order Cleric build that can give a Rogue an extra off-turn sneak attack each round by using their (the Order Cleric's) reaction to cast Feather Fall on them.

First, just to make sure I understand what rules we're working with, how does casting Feather Fall on a Rogue allow them to do extra off-turn sneak attacks?

As in, why Feather Fall specifically?

I may have an idea but it depends on the answer.

[ATHATH]

First, just to make sure I understand what rules we're working with, how does casting Feather Fall on a Rogue allow them to do extra off-turn sneak attacks?

As in, why Feather Fall specifically?

I may have an idea but it depends on the answer.
As far as I'm aware, there are only six spells with a casting time of "1 reaction" in the game: Absorb Elements (self-only), Feather Fall (the spell this thread is about), Hellish Rebuke (deals damage to the person you target and requires you to be damaged by the person you target in order to be cast), Shield (self-only), Counterspell (3rd level, requires the target to be casting a spell), and Soul Cage (6th level, requires the target to die).

The Voice of Authority Order Cleric feature reads as follows:

Voice of Authority
Starting at 1st level, you can invoke the power of law to embolden an ally to attack. If you cast a spell with a spell slot of 1st level or higher and target an ally with the spell, that ally can use their reaction immediately after the spell to make one weapon attack against a creature of your choice that you can see.

If the spell targets more than one ally, you choose the ally who can make the attack.
Unfortunately, because you don't count as your own ally (https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/120915/is-a-creature-counted-as-its-own-ally), I don't believe that you can cast a spell on yourself (using a bonus action or something) to give yourself a reaction attack.

[ATHATH]

And, er, by "extra off-turn sneak attack", I meant that the Rogue would be able to sneak attack 2 times in one round (once on their turn, once off of their turn), NOT 3+ times per round (once on their turn, once off of their turn, and an "extra" off-turn attack). Sorry for any grammatical confusion there, I'll edit the OP.

[Verble]

Just don't cheese it. The order class ability is solid without trying to abuse it.

[Galithar]

I think any ability that would allow this would be very expensive to use for this purpose.

Any number of "you gain a flying speed of X until the end of your turn" abilities. Those tend to be higher level class features though, like the Eagle Totem Barbarian level 14 ability. I want to say there are others like this, but I can't remember them.

Lifting with Telekinesis would also work as a way to fall off turn. But is a 5th level spell and the setup might put the rogue out of range on their own turn.

A naturally flying race that is shoved prone by an ally would work. They would be prone by the shove, start to fall, feather fall kicks in which specifically states the creature can land on their feet.

Most of these require someone else's action to setup though. And imagine all that setup and then featherfall gets counterspelled. You wasted a spellslot, an allies action, the rogue takes 1d6 falling damage and is prone during the enemies turns.

[Unoriginal]

As far as I'm aware, there are only six spells with a casting time of "1 reaction" in the game: Absorb Elements (self-only), Feather Fall (the spell this thread is about), Hellish Rebuke (deals damage to the person you target and requires you to be damaged by the person you target in order to be cast), Shield (self-only), Counterspell (3rd level, requires the target to be casting a spell), and Soul Cage (6th level, requires the target to die).

The Voice of Authority Order Cleric feature reads as follows:

Unfortunately, because you don't count as your own ally (https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/120915/is-a-creature-counted-as-its-own-ally), I don't believe that you can cast a spell on yourself (using a bonus action or something) to give yourself a reaction attack.

Voice of Authority does not say that you need to cast a spell costing a Reaction, it says that it costs the *ally* their Reaction to attack with this feature, triggering when you cast any spell on them.

[Galithar]

Voice of Authority does not say that you need to cast a spell costing a Reaction, it says that it costs the *ally* their Reaction to attack with this feature, triggering when you cast any spell on them.

He's looking for a way to trigger it off a reaction to preserve his own action I think.

Edit: Correction. I just reread the OP and he explicitly stated that is the intent.


snip... (which means that the Order Cleric is free to use their action and bonus action each round to cast spells that don't target the party and stuff). Snip...

[Unoriginal]

He's looking for a way to trigger it off a reaction to preserve his own action I think.

Edit: Correction. I just reread the OP and he explicitly stated that is the intent.

So OP wants a way to make the Rogue fall outside of both the Cleric's and the Rogue's turn? Alright.

Easiest way would be for an ally like an Aarakocra or a Beast Barbarian grapple and take the Rogue for a quickly ended flight, lucha libre style.

[patchyman]

If you are an Oath of Devotion Paladin, punch a priest.

If you are an Oath of Conquest paladin, coddle a coward.

If you are an Path of Vengeance paladin, free a fiend.

If you are an Oath of the Ancients paladin, burn a bush.

[RogueJK]

Just don't cheese it. The order class ability is solid without trying to abuse it.

Especially with their other 6th level Embodiment of the Law ability to cast Enchantment spells as a Bonus Action.

This means your Rogue can Sneak Attack on their Turn, then on your turn you can cast a Cantrip or make a weapon Attack, plus then Bonus Action cast something like Bless/Heroism on the Rogue, and the Rogue can then use their reaction to make another Sneak Attack.

A very efficient team effort to Sneak Attack + Sneak Attack + Attack/Cantrip + Buff all in just one round/two characters' turns.

[aadu]

If you are an Oath of Devotion Paladin, punch a priest.

If you are an Oath of Conquest paladin, coddle a coward.

If you are an Path of Vengeance paladin, free a fiend.

If you are an Oath of the Ancients paladin, burn a bush.

This is the one