D&D 5E (2024) Using Action Surge to cast spells in 2024

[Tonguez]

If its fun and makes them feel good - just do it! You're the DM, you can also do cool tricks to compensate

 

[Retros_x]

The rules forbid using a reaction for spell casting (that includes readying an action, because it uses your reaction too) if a spell with spell slot was already cast as action. So what your player wants to do in your example was in no way permissioned by the rules.

The short RAI is: A player can never cast two leveled spells per round. Even if a player might find a loophole that actually works, this the RAI and you can stand on your ground as DM in spirit of the "good-faith-interpretation-rule".

Of course you can also allow it, but now your player has even more nova potential than they already have. Throw him into a full adventuring day with several encounters after he burned through his slots in such a quick way if you want to throw them a challenge.

 

[Charlaquin]

I disagree with the folks saying this is not in the spirit of the rule. Using the Ready action to cast a spell as a Reaction is a lot worse than using the Magic action to cast a spell in a lot of ways. The most obvious is that it uses up your reaction, so you don’t have it available to make opportunity attacks or whatever else. But moreover, the Ready action requires a specific trigger for you to use the Reaction in response to, and if that trigger doesn’t happen before the end of your next turn, your action, and the spell slot, is wasted. As well, when you Ready a spell, you have to maintain concentration from the point you took the ready action until the point you cast the spell. That means if you were concentrating on an ongoing spell, you have to drop that spell to perform this maneuver, and then you’re vulnerable to having your concentration disrupted, and losing the spell you wanted to cast anyway.

Giving heroic inspiration for coming up with this technique does seem weird to me. I don’t know why you would want to do that. But, I would certainly allow the technique. I would also have any intelligent monsters try to disrupt the caster’s concentration with ranged attacks before moving any closer. But it would probably be pretty effective against mindless or animalistic opponents who wouldn’t be able to put such a counter-strategy together.

 

[Horwath]

What do you think?

I hope he is good at dodging d20s...

 

[Charlaquin]

The rules forbid using a reaction for spell casting (that includes readying an action, because it uses your reaction too) if a spell with spell slot was already cast as action.

What? No they don’t. In the revised PHB, the only restriction on leveled spells is that you can only cast one spell with a spell slot per turn. Casting a spell with a spell slot as a reaction doesn’t run up against that restriction, unless the trigger for your reaction happened while it was still your turn. Counterspell would be pretty terrible otherwise.

So what your player wants to do in your example was in no way permissioned by the rules.

The short RAI is: A player can never cast two leveled spells per round. Even if a player might find a loophole that actually works, this the RAI and you can stand on your ground as DM in spirit of the "good-faith-interpretation-rule".

Eh, I think there’s a case to be made that casting a leveled spell with a spell slot and another leveled spell with a feature (such as one from your species or a feat) that allows you to cast it “without spending a spell slot” is against RAI despite being allowed by RAW. But a reaction? I think it’s both RAW and RAI to be able to use one to cast a leveled spell on the same round you already cast a leveled spell with your action.

 

[CreamCloud0]

very much not in the spirit of the rules like people have said IMO

however, there's a small chance i might be convinced to let them if they agree it counts as already using their magic action for their next upcoming turn, still hesitant to do that though, wouldn't want to set a precedent on doing that sort of thing.

 

[TiQuinn]

Are you okay with this being used repeatedly from hereon out in your game? If so, then it’s fine.

 

[johnsolo]

I think it’s even simpler you can’t use your Action Surge to use the magic action, not even to ready it as a reaction.

 

[Bae'zel]

I think it’s even simpler you can’t use your Action Surge to use the magic action, not even to ready it as a reaction.

Agreed, this is the simplest approach.

It's a clever idea, but to counter the argument of "ah ah AH! It's not an action, it's a reaction during a readied action" supposed loophole, you can remind them that the Action Surge is what allows them to make this move in the very first place.

 

[FarBeyondC]

So...

You take the Ready action to wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you take this action on your turn, which lets you act by taking a Reaction before the start of your next turn.


First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your Reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your Speed in response to it. Examples include “If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever that opens it,” and “If the zombie steps next to me, I move away.”


When the trigger occurs, you can either take your Reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger.


When you Ready a spell, you cast it as normal (expending any resources used to cast it) but hold its energy, which you release with your Reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of an action, and holding on to the spell’s magic requires Concentration, which you can maintain up to the start of your next turn. If your Concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect.

What's the supposed workaround doing in this case?