D&D 5E Lair Actions and Confusion

[Blue]

Quick question that came up last night.

One PC cast Confusion. A Legendary Creature failed their save. Before there turn came up we hit Init 20 for a Lair action. They had not reached their first turn after casting, so they had never rolled on the Confusion table.

The Monster Manual errata / later printings state about Lair Actions:
On initiative count 20 (losing all initiative ties), it can use one of its lair action options. It can’t do so while incapacitated or otherwise unable to take actions. If surprised, it can’t use one until after its first turn in the combat

The Confusion spell states:
An affected target can't take reactions and must roIl a d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine its behavior for that turn. Most (but not all of the effects) either deny an action or specify what it must be, but a 9-10 allows them to act normally.

How would you rule the interaction between the Lair Action limitation about while incapacitated and the Confusion spell?

If you can, let me know if this is your reading of RAW, how you'd personally adjudicate it at your table (which may be based on RAI/RAF/whatever) or both.

 

[Nebulous]

By RAW it looks like the lair action is going to go off as normal. If the boss loses an action moving forward though, the lair action could be forfeit. But I'm open to other interpretations.

 

[dave2008]

RAW it gets the lair action IMO. However, I might instead rule it can make a saving throw to end the effect on its lair action, but not any other lair action until the spell ends.

 

[aco175]

It depends on how cool you wish the fight to be. If confusion takes all the fun out of the game, then change it. You can give the bad guy a normal action or you can roll 1d10 on initiative 20 on the spell chart if that makes the player have more fun with his choice of spell and still allows the bad guy some more actions.

Maybe roll in secret and then you can choose the effect.

 

[dave2008]

It depends on how cool you wish the fight to be.

Sure, but that is not the question the OP asked.

 

[NotAYakk]

RAW is clear.

Confusion only has impact on reactions and stuff you do on your turn.

Legendary actions, legendary resistances and lair actions are neither of those.

It is able to take actions, just not the ones it chooses to.

 

[Flamestrike]

Its not incapacitated or otherwise unable to take actions at initiative count 20 (although it might be later on once its initiative count comes up due to confusion).

The lair action works just fine.

 

[Blue]

Thanks all. Looks like general consensus is RAW that the lair action goes off, and RAF is whatever gives the best experience for the players.

 

[Ashrym]

I consider the lair action (and legendary actions) one of the creature's turns and roll confusion on all turns it might act. The lair action is still a turn (initiative count 20) in which the creature is declaring an action. I don't think my ruling is RAW but I do think that's the intent.

 

[Esker]

Yeah, I agree with the others: RAW, Confusion only affects their turn, and the effect only persists until the end of that turn. By the same logic, its legendary actions wouldn't be affected either.

I have messed this up before as a DM, to the great detriment of the drama of big fights; not with Confusion, but with Command, which has a similar wording. I had a legendary creature fail their save, opt not to use legendary resistance vs a 1st level spell, but then miss an entire round's worth of its legendary actions and be slaughtered to great anticlimax. This is a case where RAW and RAF are aligned, in my opinion; it's un-fun for legendary creatures to be nullified so easily.