D&D 5E Fear spell, bonus action and form of dread

[ECMO3]

The Fear spell:

• You project a phantasmal image of a creature’s worst fears. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or drop whatever it is holding and become frightened for the duration.
  While frightened by this spell, a creature must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn’t have line of sight to you, the creature can make a Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the spell ends for that creature.

So if my undead warlock is hit with this she has to use the dash action to flee. Doesn't say anything about bonus actions though. On my turn can I use a bonus action to activate form of dread (which makes me immune to frightened)? Can I do it before I take the dash action thereby canceling the effects of the spell and letting me move where I want and use the action I want on the same turn?

RAW I think I can.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Why do you think its RAW to use your bonus action to react to the original spell?

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

This should work. Neither the Fear spell nor Form of Dread says anything about the timing of the actions, nor does fear prevent you from taking bonus actions. So you can use Form of Dread to invalidate Fear before you're forced to take the Dash action.

This trick is also thematically cool. "You think that's scary? No, this is scary!"

 

[FarBeyondC]

I personally don't agree with it, but one potential avenue that may prevent this from working is the bonus action rule which states that anything that deprives you of the ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a bonus action.

Equating being forced to take a specific action with being prevented from taking actions is a stretch (which is why I disagree with the argument), but I've seen longer stretches be taken at the table, so it's something to be aware of.

For those with the ability to Dash as a bonus action, I could also see some DMs argue that the spell forces the use of the bonus action to Dash as well.

 

[Iry]

It reminds me of Stillness of Mind VS Dominate Person. But I would allow it. There's nothing that mechanically prohibits it, it's an extremely cool moment for the player, and it's not like I'm losing if my players are winning.

 

[Hriston]

Why do you think its RAW to use your bonus action to react to the original spell?

The OP didn’t say that. The OP is asking if, in the case that his warlock fails its save against fear, it can use its bonus action on its turn before it is compelled to take the Dash action. I see no reason why this would not be allowed. The bonus action has no timing requirement.

 

[Shiroiken]

Nothing in the Fear spell says you can't take a bonus action. You are immune to being Frightened, and the spell's effect says "while frightened." However, one could argue that if Form of Dread ends before the spells duration that the effect is still in place. I also feel this in particular would be RAI, and would completely allow it.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

The OP didn’t say that. The OP is asking if, in the case that his warlock fails its save against fear, it can use its bonus action on its turn before it is compelled to take the Dash action. I see no reason why this would not be allowed. The bonus action has no timing requirement.

I see. Good point...

 

[ECMO3]

I personally don't agree with it, but one potential avenue that may prevent this from working is the bonus action rule which states that anything that deprives you of the ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a bonus action.

Where is this rule?

 

[Irlo]

Where is this rule?

PHB 189, Bonus Actions. But it doesn't apply here, since fear does not deprive you of using an action.