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Situation A sorcerer in my party wants to use the cantrip "Lightning Lure" to pull a creature that isn't capable of flying into the sky while concentrating on the "Fly" spell. He uses his Metamagic "Quickened Spell" to cast "Lightning Lure" as a bonus action. The creature that isn't capable of flying fails its saving throw and is pulled 10 feet towards the sorcerer. So far so good, but right after that he wants to use his action to cast the cantrip "shocking grasp" during the same turn.

Question Does the creature that isn't capable of flying instantly fall in the described situation, making a melee spell attack impossible? (even though it's all happening within the same players turn) Or is the sorcerer in question able to cast his "Shocking Grasp" on the enemy just pulled with "Lightning Lure"?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The creature in question isn't capable of flying \$\endgroup\$
    – Rikkard
    Commented Apr 4, 2017 at 1:02
  • \$\begingroup\$ Is it even possible to pull a nonflier into the sky that way? I know that it wasn't in earlier editions. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ben Barden
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 18:43

1 Answer 1

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Some relevant facts:

  • Shocking grasp's casting time is "instantaneous."
  • The fall starts the instant lightning lure ends. (See: gravity)
  • The rules do not parse time down to the instant.

Therefore, there is no rule for whether the sorcerer has time to grasp before the target has fallen out of their reach. It's your ruling.

I've had good experience allowing a counter-grapple as a reaction to being dropped from a height. (Arresting one's fall by clinging to the dropper, as it were.) Shocking grasp houseruled as a "reaction borne of extreme duress" may be a little more powerful, but I'd say is worth experimenting with.

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