Sap

Sap
	Sap; Level 11 rogue ability; 10 yd range; 35 Energy; Instant; Requires Melee Weapon; Requires Stealth; Incapacitates a target not in combat for 1 min. Only works on Humanoids, Beasts, Demons, and Dragonkin. Damage will revive the target. Limit 1.;
Properties
Class	Rogue
School	Physical
Cooldown	None/Global Cooldown
Other information
Level learned	11
Improvements	[Blackjack], [Dirty Tricks], [Rushed Setup]
Related buff
	; Sap ; Incapacitated. ; Duration: 1 minute ;

Sap is a rogue class talent that incapacitates a single target for up to 1 minute. It is automatically learned for Subtlety.

Notes

Sap has a PvP duration of 8 seconds, and is subject to diminishing returns, in its own category.
Sap does not have a chance to break early, always lasting the full duration unless the sapped target is hit.
Only works on Humanoids, Beasts, Demons and Dragonkin. (A good rule to remember is that it works on anything with a brain).
Requires stealth, unless used with [Shadow Dance].
The target must not be in combat, and any damage caused will revive the target.
Only 1 target may be sapped at a time.
Despite the description, sap is not considered an incapacitate effect, but a sap effect.

Tips

Sapping in a neutral town does aggro the guards.
Sap is an effective crowd control technique. Don't forget to tell the party which mob you are sapping, as any damage breaks the effect.
Sap does not cause threat, meaning that if you Sap a mob and then move out of normal aggro range, the mob will not attack you after the Sap effect is broken.
Mobs that are Sapped won't be tagged as your kill until you deal damage to them. Be wary of other players stealing your kill.
Sap can be useful in a PvP environment, to even out a 2-on-1, to take out a Shaman's totems before you fight them, to capture a flag quickly in battlegrounds, or even after a [Vanish]. Remember, like all crowd-control effects, Sap is limited to a reduced duration in PvP.
Sapping a player of the opposite faction will turn on your PvP Flag. Be wary.

Comparison to Paralysis

Upon release, monks were given a crowd control ability called [Paralysis]. Like Sap, this causes an incapacitate effect up to 60 seconds long, but was considered a magical effect that could be reflected, grounded, or dispelled. In patch 5.2.0 it was made physical, increasing the similarity to Sap. This section compares the two.

Advantages of Sap

No 15 second cooldown, aside from that imposed by [Stealth]/ [Vanish] or [Shadow Dance].

Advantages of Paralysis

Can be used while the Monk or the target is in combat.
Can be used on any creature type.
Does not require a specific stance or form.
Does not require a melee weapon.
Reaches 10 yards farther.
Costs 15 less Energy.

Trivia

Sap is a basic Rogue spell in Hearthstone. The flavor text reads: "Rogues love sappy movies."

Patch changes

Patch 10.2.0 (2023-11-07): Now a baseline ability (was a row 1 class talent).
Patch 10.1.0 (2023-05-02): Duration decreased to 6 seconds in PvP combat (was 8 seconds).
Patch 10.0.0 (2022-10-25): Now a row 1 class talent (was a level 11 ability).
Patch 9.0.1 (2020-10-13): Now learned at level 11 (was 14).
Patch 7.1.0 (2016-10-25): Now learned at level 14 (was 12).
Patch 5.0.4 (2012-08-28): Now learned at level 12 (was 10).
Hotfix (2011-07-01): Sap is no longer placing the rogue in combat when he/she is visible and the target is sapped.
Patch 4.0.6 (2011-02-08): Now has a PvP duration of 8 seconds.
Patch 2.4.0 (2008-03-25): Sap is no longer considered an incapacitate effect; changed to allow more creatures to be crowd controlled in dungeons who were previously immune.
Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13): Multiple Saps placed by multiple Rogues will now be handled correctly in all cases.
Patch 2.2.0 (2007-09-25):
- It is no longer sometimes possible to Sap two targets at the same time in the outdoor world.
- Duration against PvP targets has been reduced to 10 seconds.
Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22): Sap will no longer remove you from [Stealth].
Patch 2.0.3 (2007-01-09): There is no longer a random chance the effect of Sap will end (i.e. removed the heartbeat resist check). The effect will still end early when the target is damaged.
Patch 1.12.0 (2006-08-22): Enemy rogues will now always lose stealth when you Sap them.
Patch 1.10.0 (2006-03-28): [Lightning Shield] will no longer break Stealth when the Sap is resisted.
Patch 1.2.0 (2004-12-18): Players now have an increasing chance to break free of the effect, such that it is unlikely the effect will last more than 15 seconds.
Patch 1.1.0 (2004-11-07): Increased the chance of breaking early.
Patch 0.11 (2004-09-29): Targets now have a chance of waking up before the duration ends.
Patch 0.6 (2004-04-13):
- No longer requires to be behind target.
- Now breaks Stealth and is only usable on one target at a time.
- No longer works on a target that is in combat.