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Can an Elven Samurai still benefit from Elven Accuracy if it uses Rapid Strike?

Elven Accuracy

[...]

Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll using Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, you can reroll one of the dice once.

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Rapid Strike

... If you take the attack action on your turn and have advantage on an attack roll against one of the targets, you can forgo the advantage for that roll to make an additional weapon attack against that target

If I forgo advantage, can I still roll the other die from Elven Accuracy? Consider that they both activate from having advantage on the attack.

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2 Answers 2

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Reading the rules as written for both, Elven Accuracy does not apply.

Elven Accuracy states "Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll", not "Whenever circumstances would grant you advantage".
If you choose to forgo advantage, you no longer have advantage on the attack roll. So Elven Accuracy does not apply.

Consider this; If I would have advantage on an attack roll because I'm unseen, but I choose to forgo that advantage to move into melee range, I would also not get Elven Accuracy.

I chose to forgo advantage on the attack roll for a different advantage. The same applies for the extra attack from Rapid Strike.

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It depends on the order you resolve the roll in

If you first roll the first of the two dice you would be rolling on account of advantage, then reroll that die via Elven Accuracy, then forgo the second die for Rapid Strike you can do all the things. If you do it in any other order you can't do all the things.

Note that not all games will allow you to split your advantage rolls like that, and even those that do might not let you activate Elven Accuracy in the middle, before the second roll is complete but after the first. Basically, YMMV.

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    \$\begingroup\$ It is hard to believe that there is a choice in this situation. One cannot give up what one has already used up. Therefore, the timing to use [rapid strike] is before the roll is made, not after. It is like having the cake and keeping it. And invoking DM fiat on a rules question is not the way to answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mindwin Remember Monica
    Commented Apr 17, 2018 at 15:19
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Mindwin Having the cake and eating it. "Having" and "keeping" are the same in the idiom, which is based on the contradiction of wanting to "have a cake" (in the sense of owning it) and eat it (at the same time, not in that order). \$\endgroup\$
    – Cubic
    Commented Apr 17, 2018 at 16:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Mindwin You can't give up what you've used up, but Elven Accuracy doesn't use up advantage. The the DM fiat is only as regards whether you roll both dice at once or one after the other, with the potential for things in-between, which is not specified under the rules (as far as I'm aware). \$\endgroup\$
    – Please stop being evil
    Commented Apr 17, 2018 at 22:47
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    \$\begingroup\$ If you roll only one die, you are not rolling with advantage. Elven accuracy says "you can reroll one of the dice" which shows that the intent is that you must have rolled multiple dice to use this feature. The rules for an attack in the PHB state "3. Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise." There is no provision for making part of an attack roll. \$\endgroup\$
    – Luke
    Commented Apr 17, 2018 at 23:36

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