D&D 5E Can Someone Explain Bonus Actions?

[ExploderWizard]

You bet a bonus action every time you kill something.

MY KILL MY BONUS!!!!

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

Bonus actions must be granted by some circumstance or ability, and you can only be granted one per round. That said, simply holding two light weapons and attacking with one grants you a bonus action to attack with the other, if you wish to take it.

 

[bganon]

Just think of it as an extra type of action that you can take once per turn. A "minor" action, if you will.

Sure they're only there if "granted", but then you could say that your regular action is only there unless it's taken away (by being stunned or whatever).

 

[MarkB]

My parents told me bonus actions come from under a rock.

Thaumaturge.

And it's rude to use them in public, unless you're a grown-up.

 

[Tormyr]

So when you are a fighter with two weapon fighting, you take your second strike as your bonus action. What happens when you hit level 5 and get a second attack action? Do you only get to hit with your primary hand?

 

[Thaumaturge]

And it's rude to use them in public, unless you're a grown-up.

Oh, hey. They didn't tell me that part. FREEDOM!

So when you are a fighter with two weapon fighting, you take your second strike as your bonus action. What happens when you hit level 5 and get a second attack action? Do you only get to hit with your primary hand?

The fighter's multiple attacks all happen with the same action. Therefore: one action gets the fighter his 2 (at 5th) attacks and a bonus action gets him an additional attack with his off hand.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Umbran]

Sure they're only there if "granted", but then you could say that your regular action is only there unless it's taken away (by being stunned or whatever).

Yes, but saying that mixes up the player's expectations.

The standard state is that you have a regular action available to you. Only specific circumstances remove it.

The standard state is that you *don't* have a bonus action. Only specific circumstances give you one.

 

[Joe Liker]

Yes, but saying that mixes up the player's expectations.

The standard state is that you have a regular action available to you. Only specific circumstances remove it.

The standard state is that you *don't* have a bonus action. Only specific circumstances give you one.

In other words, it would be weird to say you get a normal action and a bonus action, but you can't use the bonus action unless you have a feature or effect that can be used as a bonus action.

That's WAY too complicated, especially for people who haven't played 4e.

I like the way it's written now. Plus, the wording might become even more relevant when we see all the options available in the Player's Handbook.

 

[TheWriterFantastic™]

It seems that the simplest way to illustrate it may be this:
A character can, in a standard round, move and take an action. As exceptions to that rule, the character may also take one reaction and one bonus action each standard round under certain circumstances:
Certain abilities, spells, or attacks that are reactions may be used when certain triggers are fulfilled, such as an opportunity attack triggered by an enemy leaving the character's threatened reach, or a feather fall spell triggered by the character or an ally falling.
Other abilities, spells, or attacks that are bonus actions can only be used if its description specifies that it is a bonus action, such as the two-weapon fighting example using the bonus action for an off-hand attack, or a healing word spell using a bonus action for its casting, with each still allowing a regular action (the bonus action spell, however, restricts casting an additional spell with the regular action in that round).
Basically -- all characters have movement, an action, a bonus action, and a reaction available for use in one round, but only movement and regular actions are used regularly in general circumstances, but reactions and bonus actions are only used in exceptional circumstances.

 

[TwoSix]

Just think of it as an extra type of action that you can take once per turn. A "minor" action, if you will.

I was expecting this kind of post, but not so "swift"ly.