Level Up (A5E) Are you your own ally for the Help action in combat?

[Sepulchre]

Now for a real rules-lawyerly question for you to pick over: can you help yourself with the help action in combat? Here is the text:

HELP​

When you take the Help action, you aid another creature in completing a task. The creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with before the start of your next turn.

You can also help a friendly creature in attacking a creature. You must be able to target the creature with a melee attack, or otherwise threaten it. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, its next attack roll against the target is made with advantage.

RAI, I think you probably cannot help yourself. But note the distinction between “another creature” in the out-of-combat text and, for the in-combat text, “friendly creature” and “your ally.” Normally, I believe you count as your own ally. So does that mean you can use the help action to help yourself? The most obvious use case is probably if you can take the help action as a bonus action.

 

[aco175]

I would say no and take away a cookie for asking me if you were one of my players.

 

[the Jester]

No.

 

[Sepulchre]

I don’t think it’s insane to be able to use the help action to set yourself up for a future benefit. 5e could benefit from more things like that.

Anyway I’m stuck in a bygone era—I don’t think you count as your own ally generally in this system.

 

[Tonguez]

The important bit is - before the start of your next turn - if you use an action to help yourself, thats your turn. On your next turn the effect of help has expired.

Now Masterminds and Hobgoblins do get Help as a Bonus Action, but like @Sepulchre, I dont mind that (and think its thematically appropriate for Masterminds).

 

[W'rkncacnter]

Now Masterminds and Hobgoblins do get Help as a Bonus Action, but like @Sepulchre, I dont mind that (and think its thematically appropriate for Masterminds).

...uh...this is level up a5e, not o5e. neither of those exist (at least as official options) in a5e.

i mean, the marshal does get to help as a bonus action starting at level 14, as does the forgotten folx culture, and probably other character options i can't find quickly, so there's that.

 

[Tonguez]

...uh...this is level up a5e, not o5e. neither of those exist (at least as official options) in a5e.

i mean, the marshal does get to help as a bonus action starting at level 14, as does the forgotten folx culture, and probably other character options i can't find quickly, so there's that.

Oops, yeah need to remember different versions, still same opinion applies - is help as a bonus action unbalancing or a tactical move?

 

[xiphumor]

Oops, yeah need to remember different versions, still same opinion applies - is help as a bonus action unbalancing or a tactical move?

It’s a significant benefit to be able to Help as a Bonus Action, although I would still rule you can’t help yourself, if for nothing other than flavor reasons.

Speaking of which, the Lovesworn Herald in Secrets of the Selkies grants all of its allies within a given radius the ability to use Help as a bonus action.

 

[Sepulchre]

If you could use it to help yourself, it becomes kind of like a jerry-rigged generic “Prepare” action that expires before your next turn, which is kind of cool.

 

[Tonguez]

It’s a significant benefit to be able to Help as a Bonus Action, although I would still rule you can’t help yourself, if for nothing other than flavor reasons.

If you could use it to help yourself, it becomes kind of like a jerry-rigged generic “Prepare” action that expires before your next turn, which is kind of cool.

Flavors an interesting thing innit? I also think being able to help yourself as a bonus is kind of cool, and for me it makes flavorful sense for a Marshal (or Mastermind) to do just that.
In the RDJ Sherlock Holmes movie it has his fight scene where it has him visualize the whole combat, predicting his opponents moves and then placing himself in the right position to dodge and strike. Thats the kind of thing I think could be the RP of a self Help action, the character is actively preparing themselves and doing stuff to give themselves an advantage