Cunning Action gives a rogue a bonus Dash, Disengage, or Hide, but if the rogue uses a bow to attack and the Cunning Action to Dash, how could a melee enemy ever reach them?
Most enemies have speed of 30 feet, so if they use Dash to reach the rogue they will run for 60. So the rogue can do the same, but can attack too!
How overpowered is this? Or am I getting something wrong here?
Best Answer
This is a powerful tactic, but it does have limitations. There are a number of counters to it.
To begin with, it breaks down in environments where sight lines are limited, and enemies don't need to chase the rogue down. If the rogue needs to get past the monsters, and the monsters have cover available, the tactic fails.
While the rogue can kite effectively, other members of the party may not be able to. Opponents can focus their attacks on less agile opponents. If they can drop one, they force the rogue to approach, or allow their comrade to bleed out.
Stealth and other means of closing the starting encounter distance will counter this tactic. Once in melee, a foe can use the dash action to stay next to the rogue and opportunity attack when the rogue moves away.
There are a number of spells that root or slow down opponents.
While many antagonists have a move of 30, there are plenty that move faster. Dragons are notorious for this.
While it is possible for a rogue with a long range attack to use this tactic against other ranged attackers, it requires a much greater encounter distance, and makes the counters above easier to execute.