D&D 5E Getting a Handle on 5E Rules

[Sword of Spirit]

3E - Swift Action
4E - Minor Action
5E - Bonus Action

I have no idea why they rename this concept between editions, but they're basically the same.
Slight differences in the exact mechanics, but more similar to each other than the three editions' definition of "saving throw," for example.



Strictly speaking, the rule for bonus action spells forbids casting reaction spells on thatturn entirely. It prohibits all spells that aren't cantrips cast as an action, so even if your reaction spell is a cantrip it doesn't qualify.
I'd probably rule the way you do, though. It shouldn't come up too much, since most reaction spells are primarily intended to be used not on your turn.

Yes...however usually you will be casting your reaction spell on someone else's turn, which is totally legal.

 

[Rhys Cargolor]

Yep.

You can Move, take an Action, and where allowed or relevant, take a Bonus Action and/or Reaction.

The Action you take can be:
- Attack
- Dodge
- Disengage
- Help
- Grapple
- Cast a Spell that is listed as taking an Action to cast

Your Bonus Actions available will depend on your class.

As a Cleric, you can cast spells that vary in casting time. Some are listed as taking an Action to cast; others take a Bonus Action.
As others have said, if you cast a spell that takes up your Bonus Action, any spells cast as your Action that round must be cantrips.

Your move can be broken up, so let's say you have a movement of 30'. On your turn you can move, say, 10' and then use a Bonus Action to cast Healing Word on a stricken colleague; then use your Action to cast a Cantrip and move the rest of your 20' movement. Alternatively you can choose to use your remaining movement to close with an enemy and use your Attack to Attack with a weapon.

In terms of "is the Players Handbook worth it"? It gives you as a Cleric a number of different options, different domains to belong to, and different archetypes to follow. It also provides more spells and gives you a longer level progression than the Basic Rules.

First off thanks much for the general attention given to my questions by all respondents. I appreciate it.

I'm still digesting the responses and anticipate I'll post again to address some of the things stated. For now, regarding bonus spells, this is what I'm getting:

In one turn, I get 1 Action- that action can be a regular spell, a Cantrip, or a physical attack. However on each turn I can also conditionally, take 1 bonus action. For a Cleric, that bonus action would be a spell with "1 bonus action" listed in it's description, and it can only be utilized if the regular action consisted of a physical attack or a cantrip spell... Under no circumstances can a regular and bonus spell, both be cast on the same turn. Sound good?

 

[Rhys Cargolor]

How do you add an avatar to your profile? Snooping around my profile page, I don't see the option. Is it something enabled after you have been around for a while?

 

[hawkeyefan]

First off thanks much for the general attention given to my questions by all respondents. I appreciate it.

I'm still digesting the responses and anticipate I'll post again to address some of the things stated. For now, regarding bonus spells, this is what I'm getting:

In one turn, I get 1 Action- that action can be a regular spell, a Cantrip, or a physical attack. However on each turn I can also conditionally, take 1 bonus action. For a Cleric, that bonus action would be a spell with "1 bonus action" listed in it's description, and it can only be utilized if the regular action consisted of a physical attack or a cantrip spell... Under no circumstances can a regular and bonus spell, both be cast on the same turn. Sound good?

Yup, you got it.

 

[Rhys Cargolor]

Yep.

You can Move, take an Action, and where allowed or relevant, take a Bonus Action and/or Reaction.

The Action you take can be:
- Attack
- Dodge
- Disengage
- Help
- Grapple
- Cast a Spell that is listed as taking an Action to cast

Your Bonus Actions available will depend on your class.

As a Cleric, you can cast spells that vary in casting time. Some are listed as taking an Action to cast; others take a Bonus Action.
As others have said, if you cast a spell that takes up your Bonus Action, any spells cast as your Action that round must be cantrips.

Your move can be broken up, so let's say you have a movement of 30'. On your turn you can move, say, 10' and then use a Bonus Action to cast Healing Word on a stricken colleague; then use your Action to cast a Cantrip and move the rest of your 20' movement. Alternatively you can choose to use your remaining movement to close with an enemy and use your Attack to Attack with a weapon.

In terms of "is the Players Handbook worth it"? It gives you as a Cleric a number of different options, different domains to belong to, and different archetypes to follow. It also provides more spells and gives you a longer level progression than the Basic Rules.

Thanks for the cleric info as well as the Players Handbook info. A friend tells me the Basic Rules omits most of the Classes available in the Player's Handbook. Will have to get one of those. :-\

 

[hawkeyefan]

Thanks for the cleric info as well as the Players Handbook info. A friend tells me the Basic Rules omits most of the Classes available in the Player's Handbook. Will have to get one of those. :-\

In addition to the basic rules, you can also use the Standard Reference Document. It can be found here:
http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/SRD-OGL_V1.1.pdf

That contains much more information than the basic rules, but is still incomplete. It is meant more as a reference when creating content than as a rule book, but I find it useful to have.

 

[pukunui]

In one turn, I get 1 Action- that action can be a regular spell, a Cantrip, or a physical attack.

There are other things you can do with your action, but that's the gist of it, yes.

However on each turn I can also conditionally, take 1 bonus action. For a Cleric, that bonus action would be a spell with "1 bonus action" listed in it's description, and it can only be utilized if the regular action consisted of a physical attack or a cantrip spell... Under no circumstances can a regular and bonus spell, both be cast on the same turn. Sound good?

Yes. However, I'd just like to clarify that bonus action spells are not necessarily going to be the only thing your cleric can do as a bonus action. Anyone can take up dual-wielding, for instance, so if your cleric were to do that, then you'd end up with two bonus action options to choose from each turn (either making an attack with your off-hand weapon or casting a spell like healing word.)

EDIT: Also, if your cleric were to use a shield and take the Shield Master feat, you'd gain the option of making a shove with your shield as a bonus action. And, in case it hasn't been clarified yet, not every bonus action has to come after your main action. It'll say so if it does. For instance, the bonus action shove from Shield Master doesn't say that, so you can potentially use it first in an attempt to knock your opponent prone so you can have advantage on your main action attack against it.

 

[Rhys Cargolor]

There are other things you can do with your action, but that's the gist of it, yes.

Yes. However, I'd just like to clarify that bonus action spells are not necessarily going to be the only thing your cleric can do as a bonus action. Anyone can take up dual-wielding, for instance, so if your cleric were to do that, then you'd end up with two bonus action options to choose from each turn (either making an attack with your off-hand weapon or casting a spell like healing word.)

EDIT: Also, if your cleric were to use a shield and take the Shield Master feat, you'd gain the option of making a shove with your shield as a bonus action. And, in case it hasn't been clarified yet, not every bonus action has to come after your main action. It'll say so if it does. For instance, the bonus action shove from Shield Master doesn't say that, so you can potentially use it first in an attempt to knock your opponent prone so you can have advantage on your main action attack against it.

Thanks for this clarification. My eyes are slowly opening.
I'll try not to dwell on this in future posts, and may have all ready alluded to it , but my impression is that the Basic Rules from an organizational standpoint are horrid for someone new to the game. I highly dislike pages upon pages of general verbalization, much preferring an outline and to the point format. If they want to discuss Bonus Actions, by all means, give me a page of bullets! For example, I've searched through the BRs for every occurrence of the term "bonus action" and the only place where it's mentioned as a class characteristic is for fighter. Although there is a generalized statement about dual wielding, one might make an assumption that it's the Fighter that dual wields. I'm wondering if the Player's Handbook goes into more detail in this regard? At this point, I'll assume that the BRs were pulled from other complete documents and will rely on the same rambling method of presentation.

 

[Jaelommiss]

In one turn, I get 1 Action- that action can be a regular spell, a Cantrip, or a physical attack.

I'd like to add that there are some other things you can do using your action, such as dodging, dashing, disengaging, hiding, and making a perception check. They tend to be far more situational than attacking or casting spells, but at the right time they can be incredibly potent. I think there might be a couple additional things in the DMG, but I don't have my books on hand at the moment.

 

[BoldItalic]

I'd like to add that there are some other things you can do using your action, such as dodging, dashing, disengaging, hiding, and making a perception check. They tend to be far more situational than attacking or casting spells, but at the right time they can be incredibly potent. I think there might be a couple additional things in the DMG, but I don't have my books on hand at the moment.

Plus, the most awesome of all : Improvising an Action.

BTW, strictly speaking, making a perception check (or any other kind of skill check) is not an Action because it's not something that your character does. It's a mechanic that the players use to resolve the results of an action, just as rolling for damage or making a saving throw are not in themselves actions.