D&D (2024) Abusing True Strike 2024

[Horwath]

While not optimal at all, I find the idea of a party face swashbuckling type Rogue using True Strike with Charisma to be fun. The creativity the spell offers is nice

yeah, no matter how you turn it, you are as a rogue suffering with not maxing dex as early as possible.

Less AC, worse key skills, worse initiative.

perhaps true strike could have been similar to shillelagh;
whey you make the attack you CAN use your spellcasting modifier instead that you MUST use it.

 

[Ancalagon]

So there are a number of decent/fun combos with truestrike, but the only "abuse" one I've seen so far is this:

Be a thief with a 1 level wizard dip. Know true strike.

On your round, use your fast hand ability to use a magic item as a bonus action. Have that magic item be a scroll of true strike. Blam, you are true striking as a bonus action. And true strike includes an attack. Hopefully you can land a sneak attack with it.

Now, with your action, do not attack. Instead, ready an action to attack, with a trigger you know will happen - like the next person on the initiative series doing anything. It is now their turn, you reaction attack, and hopefully it's a sneak attack too.

So pretty easy way to generate a 2 sneak attacks/round situation.

hopefully the DMG will clear up if this is a legal tactic or not.

 

[StitchedSpartan]

So there are a number of decent/fun combos with truestrike, but the only "abuse" one I've seen so far is this:

Be a thief with a 1 level wizard dip. Know true strike.

On your round, use your fast hand ability to use a magic item as a bonus action. Have that magic item be a scroll of true strike. Blam, you are true striking as a bonus action. And true strike includes an attack. Hopefully you can land a sneak attack with it.

Now, with your action, do not attack. Instead, ready an action to attack, with a trigger you know will happen - like the next person on the initiative series doing anything. It is now their turn, you reaction attack, and hopefully it's a sneak attack too.

So pretty easy way to generate a 2 sneak attacks/round situation.

hopefully the DMG will clear up if this is a legal tactic or not.

Don't worry there is a 200 reply thread arguing whether or not this is legal...

 

[StitchedSpartan]

yeah, no matter how you turn it, you are as a rogue suffering with not maxing dex as early as possible.

Less AC, worse key skills, worse initiative.

perhaps true strike could have been similar to shillelagh;
whey you make the attack you CAN use your spellcasting modifier instead that you MUST use it.

Outdamages normal ranged build past lvl 5 because of the bonus damage from the cantrip and gives some customization of skills you wouldnt think about normally, but you're right

 

[Horwath]

So there are a number of decent/fun combos with truestrike, but the only "abuse" one I've seen so far is this:

Be a thief with a 1 level wizard dip. Know true strike.

On your round, use your fast hand ability to use a magic item as a bonus action. Have that magic item be a scroll of true strike. Blam, you are true striking as a bonus action. And true strike includes an attack. Hopefully you can land a sneak attack with it.

Now, with your action, do not attack. Instead, ready an action to attack, with a trigger you know will happen - like the next person on the initiative series doing anything. It is now their turn, you reaction attack, and hopefully it's a sneak attack too.

So pretty easy way to generate a 2 sneak attacks/round situation.

hopefully the DMG will clear up if this is a legal tactic or not.

this was done with 2 levels of fighter for 10 years, yeah it was once per short rest but still...

 

[Horwath]

Outdamages normal ranged build past lvl 5 because of the bonus damage from the cantrip and gives some customization of skills you wouldnt think about normally, but you're right

if you are going for max damage then yes, it's a good build, even better if your are AT so you can pick some good low level spells that require a save since you will be pumping int to 20 ASAP.

take human and magic initiate cleric&druid so you get that budget of low level spells, add fey touched&shadow touched later

 

[ECMO3]

So there are a number of decent/fun combos with truestrike, but the only "abuse" one I've seen so far is this:

Be a thief with a 1 level wizard dip. Know true strike.

On your round, use your fast hand ability to use a magic item as a bonus action. Have that magic item be a scroll of true strike. Blam, you are true striking as a bonus action. And true strike includes an attack. Hopefully you can land a sneak attack with it.

Now, with your action, do not attack. Instead, ready an action to attack, with a trigger you know will happen - like the next person on the initiative series doing anything. It is now their turn, you reaction attack, and hopefully it's a sneak attack too.

So pretty easy way to generate a 2 sneak attacks/round situation.

hopefully the DMG will clear up if this is a legal tactic or not.

I just don't see that as abuse, especially since a Rogue is the weakest class to start with and generally has a ton of effective reactions and bonus actions and this is going to be limited both by the number of scrolls you have and by the number of times you qualify for sneak attack off turn.

I think a 2 level Warlock dip with Agonizing Truestrike is going to be more abusive than this will be.

 

[ECMO3]

this was done with 2 levels of fighter for 10 years, yeah it was once per short rest but still...

Or with Haste.

This is interesting - once per short rest vs once for every scroll you can manage to pay for or scribe. Which is more often?

 

[Ashrym]

Yes, Cleric, Rogue, and non-Valor Bards are the best bets for a True Strike build. Others are possible, but the spell doesn't synch with Extra Attack.

Valor bards are fine too. It's not like they can't use CHA and subbing in Truestrike for 1 attack can work.

That's true, but it means you need to invest in two separate attack stats.

True. But that's only really a concern when the build doesn't invest in both anyway. The CHA/DEX valor bard, for example, gets strong benefits with either stat focus first.

Or High Elf or Magic Secrets for the Bard or Arcane Trickster for the Rogue.

Magical Secrets specifies prepared spells, which is separate from Cantrips on the class progression. Secrets shouldn't work for cantrips. Magical Discoveries on a lore bard, OTOH, specifically states it can be used for cantrips.

Level 10: Magical Secrets

You’ve learned secrets from various magical traditions. Whenever you reach a Bard level (including this level) and the Prepared Spells number in the Bard Features table increases, you can choose any of your new prepared spells from the Bard, Cleric, Druid, and Wizard spell lists, and the chosen spells count as Bard spells for you (see a class’s section for its spell list). In addition, whenever you replace a spell prepared for this class, you can replace it with a spell from those lists.

Level 6: Magical Discoveries

You learn two spells of your choice. These spells can come from the Cleric, Druid, or Wizard spell list or any combination thereof (see a class’s section for its spell list). A spell you choose must be a cantrip or a spell for which you have spell slots, as shown in the Bard Features table.

The real question is why would we use Magical Secrets or Magical Discoveries when Truestrike is already on the bard spell list?

 

[Ancalagon]

Don't worry there is a 200 reply thread arguing whether or not this is legal...

Yup, which is why I'm hoping the DMG will clear this up by explaining what action is needed to read a scroll.