D&D 5E Can you use mage hand on the turn you summon it?

[R_J_K75]

PHB page 98. You need to be a 13th level Arcane Trickster to do this though.

Oh yeah I see it now, thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Stormonu]

Use in the same turn you cast it, does not make any sort of sense to me that you wouldn't.

I've never seen someone use it in combat, there's usually more dangerous things being hurled about.

 

[R_J_K75]

Use in the same turn you cast it, does not make any sort of sense to me that you wouldn't.

I've never seen someone use it in combat, there's usually more dangerous things being hurled about.

I think its an oversight and poirly written. I agree, why wouldnt you, why shouldnt you be able to use it after casting. Its not that powerful a spell and pretty much useless in combat.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Given that it is primarily a non-combat cantrip, two actions being necessary to cast and subsequently operate mage hand is not at all unreasonable. And, in most non-combat cases, irrelevant that it takes 12 seconds vs 6 seconds to actually do something with it.

 

[ECMO3]

Use in the same turn you cast it, does not make any sort of sense to me that you wouldn't.

I've never seen someone use it in combat, there's usually more dangerous things being hurled about.

I use it in combat with an Arcane Trickster all the time, usually as a bonus action.

Dumping a flask of oil before you attack with Green Flame blade, pouring holy water, using caltrops, ball bearings, hunting traps and most of all stealing things like an arcane focus or a weapon from an enemy if they are not holding it.

The actual situation where this came up was prompted by an AT Rogue with the fey touched feat who used hex as a bonus action and hexed wisdom. I could not sneak attack because I won initiative and had to move. What I wanted to do was cast the hand and then take the enemies melee weapon, which I could have tried without the Hex (action cast - BA SOH), but with the hex I could give him disadvantage on his wisdom check making it more likely to be successful.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Not by RAW, but RAW has it as a literal hand you call into being that does stuff instead of just being minor telekinesis. So I feel RAW can be safely ignored when it comes to mage hand.