D&D 5E Additional Bonus Actions / Reactions for Monsters

[RangerWickett]

One thing I have considered, though, is using a suite of colored chips I can put under monster mini, which would represent different poises.

The default poise is Alert, which lets you make opportunity attacks. If there's no chip under their mini, they're alert. But at the end of their turn they can choose instead:

Bind (black): They can use a reaction to make a special grab - called a Bind - against a creature that either attacks them or moves out of their threatened area. A bind is temporary. It only lasts until the end of that creature's turn, and cannot be sustained. But a bound creature has disadvantage on attacks, in addition to being unable to move.

Commit (green): They can take no reaction, but they choose a creature they can see and one of their weapons. On their next turn, they have advantage the first time they use that weapon to attack that creature.

Defend (white): They can use a reaction to make an attack that's targeting someone within 5 ft instead target them.

Evade (blue): They can use their reaction to move 5 feet when attacked. If they move out of reach of a melee attack, the attack has disadvantage. If they move to cover, they get to benefit from the cover. (This one I still need to playtest. Not sure if it works.)

 

[Helldritch]

Builds are a Warforged Armor Artificer and a Pala/Hexblade.

An example of an encounter would be the 3rd level group taking down 20+ kobolds including a caster (the only effective one) and barely getting hurt. Another I used hulkified kobolds affected by fey dust (campaign involves fighting fey and a forest takeover) that had AC 18 and 60+ hp, and they still killed them fast. What slowed the group down was traps and a fireball, but using a fireball on 3rd or 4th level PCs can't really happen all that often without killing the non-optimized PCs (again, even with the fireball the Warforged did Absorb Elements reaction).

TBH it isn't those encounters or the optimized builds really, it is just the action economy, it seems out of balance with these particular PCs, although it seems there are more and more bonus actions and reactions with additional splat books these days.

I like the advice on bonus actions like the Rogue bonus actions or the Misty Step already. I guess I will make a list or generic bonus actions for use with any monsters.

Really? Only two PCs against 20+ kobolds?
1) Do not forget that they have pack tactics. So they get advantage if one of them is close to their target PC.
2) Put two of them (per PC) near their target PCs and use the Dodge action.
3) Have the rest pester the PCs with missile attacks.
4) Have a few of them get blessed by a caster. Nothing prevents you from having a kobold priest.
5) Have a few more casters and attack your PCs with save spells. These PCs should have a hard time against save spells.
6) Have the kobolds spread thin so that area of effect do not hit that many at the same time.

Are these two PCs really 3rd and 4th levels only?
What type of magic items do they have? And more importantly... how many?
Is it a 5 minutes work day?
Do you use attrition to remove a lot of their ressources or are they always fresh?

I can assure you that even 6th level PCs would be hard pressed with 20 kobolds including casters. Something does not add up to what I know of the game. An AC 18 for 3rd and 4th level PC should be hard to hit. It means that at +5 to hit, they need a 13 on a d20 to hit. This is a 60% miss chance... As for our Kobolds, your PCs should be around AC 19-20 Which means that the kobolds would need a 16 (let's assume AC 20) and with advantage this translate into a +5 to hit so kobolds would miss about 55% of the time. 1d4 +2 average 5 points of damage so it's 5x20x 0.45 or 45 points of damage per round between the PCs... Unless you give them full HP each level, it means that your two PCs are dead on the first round. If you give a bless spell so some kobold as I have said, you add about 6 points of damage to that...

I fail to see how, within the normality, only two characters could wipe out 20+ kobolds...

 

[zedturtle]

Also, and I ask this just for clarity, the players and you are aware that they only get one bonus action per round, no matter how many various bonus action things they are eligible for, and if for any reason they can't take an action that turn they can't take a bonus action. Same thing, more or less with reactions, right?

 

[aco175]

I like the boss goblin (I think), power where they can sacrifice an adjacent friend to take the damage instead of themselves. PCs are going to try and attack the caser to deal with the biggest threat, so to have him grab an ally to take the damage is great.

I also just start casters with mage armor for AC and not worry about it. Usually with resistance as well.

Another power I like is mass heal and have several of the bad guys suddenly stand up with 1-hit left on them, but they are there to deal with now.

 

[Dragonsbane]

Really? Only two PCs against 20+ kobolds?
1) Do not forget that they have pack tactics. So they get advantage if one of them is close to their target PC.
2) Put two of them (per PC) near their target PCs and use the Dodge action.
3) Have the rest pester the PCs with missile attacks.
4) Have a few of them get blessed by a caster. Nothing prevents you from having a kobold priest.
5) Have a few more casters and attack your PCs with save spells. These PCs should have a hard time against save spells.
6) Have the kobolds spread thin so that area of effect do not hit that many at the same time.

Are these two PCs really 3rd and 4th levels only?
What type of magic items do they have? And more importantly... how many?
Is it a 5 minutes work day?
Do you use attrition to remove a lot of their ressources or are they always fresh?

I can assure you that even 6th level PCs would be hard pressed with 20 kobolds including casters. Something does not add up to what I know of the game. An AC 18 for 3rd and 4th level PC should be hard to hit. It means that at +5 to hit, they need a 13 on a d20 to hit. This is a 60% miss chance... As for our Kobolds, your PCs should be around AC 19-20 Which means that the kobolds would need a 16 (let's assume AC 20) and with advantage this translate into a +5 to hit so kobolds would miss about 55% of the time. 1d4 +2 average 5 points of damage so it's 5x20x 0.45 or 45 points of damage per round between the PCs... Unless you give them full HP each level, it means that your two PCs are dead on the first round. If you give a bless spell so some kobold as I have said, you add about 6 points of damage to that...

I fail to see how, within the normality, only two characters could wipe out 20+ kobolds...

There are 6 PCs actually. Kobolds used pack tactics and some missile attacks and one caster. PCs have few magical items, and had this occur after a previous battle, so they are not always fresh.

Only one bonus action a round, indeed.

Got most of my monsters having at least a reaction or bonus action now, so hopefully this will fix the action economy. Thanks for answers!