Using the Ready Action to Take Two Bonus Actions per Round?

[NecessaryWeevil]

Okay, I'm AFB at the moment. I think I've discovered an interesting loophole and I'd appreciate you checking my thinking.

1. You can't act on other characters' turns, except via Reactions. The Ready Action circumvents this by spending an Action on your turn to do something as a Reaction on someone else's turn.

2. You can Ready pretty much any one thing that you could normally do on your turn. You can Ready an Action, but the book also gives movement and an object interaction as examples.

3. You get movement, an Action, (and a Bonus Action on your turn if you have spells or class features that give you one). You can only take one Bonus Action on your turn.

Therefore,

4. You Ready a Bonus Action. This uses your Action. Now you take a Bonus Action, and move somewhere. Your turn ends. The next character acts, and triggers your Reaction. You now take your readied Bonus Action.

Result: you have now used two Bonus Actions in one round (but not turn). You could even cast two Bonus Action spells, because the rules on spellcasting restrict you to one Bonus Action spell per turn.

This is probably not RAI, but is it RAW?

[Blood of Gaea]

You cannot ready a bonus action, only an action.

[lperkins2]

No.

You can take the Ready action on your turn. The ready action takes a trigger. If the trigger comes up, you can move, or you can use the Action you picked when you used the Ready action. What can you pick? Any Action, not Bonus Action or Reaction or Legendary/Lair Action. Why does it say you can use an object? Because you get one free small object interaction on your turn? No. Because you can use the Use an Object action on your turn, or choose that action as your reaction. This lets you interact with a second object on your turn, or in the case of readying, use an object not on your turn. Personally, I think it's kinda silly that you can't ready a bonus action, but that's RAW... silly...

[NecessaryWeevil]

No.
Why does it say you can use an object? Because you get one free small object interaction on your turn? No. Because you can use the Use an Object action on your turn, or choose that action as your reaction. This lets you interact with a second object on your turn, or in the case of readying, use an object not on your turn.

Ah, of course, thanks. It was that object interaction that made me think maybe they were using "action" in a generic sense.

[Aett_Thorn]

Ah, of course, thanks. It was that object interaction that made me think maybe they were using "action" in a generic sense.

I can't think of anything that would really break if you allowed people to ready a bonus action, but just out of curiosity, what made you think to want to do this?

[NecessaryWeevil]

I can't think of anything that would really break if you allowed people to ready a bonus action, but just out of curiosity, what made you think to want to do this?

Last session, our paladin was lamenting that it would take him three rounds' worth of bonus actions to buff himself up for a fight.

[Aett_Thorn]

Last session, our paladin was lamenting that it would take him three rounds' worth of bonus actions to buff himself up for a fight.

What spells was he trying to cast? Most of the time, concentration is going to limit this type of thing anyways.

[NecessaryWeevil]

Not really sure. He's a level 8 single-classed Half-elf Paladin of Vengeance, with the Sun Sword and Symbol of Ravenkind from CoS. It's possible he was misreading the rules.

[MaxWilson]

RAW this doesn't work.

The fact that this doesn't work is silly. There's no balance reason or in-world reason why you shouldn't be able to do it. The distinction between bonus action and action is artificial anyway. I'd allow you to Ready a Misty Step with zero qualms.

[Blood of Gaea]

Not really sure. He's a level 8 single-classed Half-elf Paladin of Vengeance, with the Sun Sword and Symbol of Ravenkind from CoS. It's possible he was misreading the rules.
You might want to go over the concentration rules with him. But he might be trying to do something silly like: Vow of Enmity -> Bonus Action Smite spell -> Concentration buff. In which case he should consider reevaluating his resource management.

[LtPowers]

It was that object interaction that made me think maybe they were using "action" in a generic sense.

A recurring point of confusion that could have been avoided simply by retaining the "standard action" terminology from 4th Edition.


Powers &8^]

[Rukelnikov]

A recurring point of confusion that could have been avoided simply by retaining the "standard action" terminology from 4th Edition.


Powers &8^]

I don't really know why they change the names, but action is pretty much the standard, bonus is kinda the swift, and reactions are like the immediates, the only thing they did was remove move as a kind of action (and they still kinda use it, since there are a couple things that eat from your movement, standing up, mounting a horse, etc.)

[Arial Black]

Not really sure. He's a level 8 single-classed Half-elf Paladin of Vengeance, with the Sun Sword and Symbol of Ravenkind from CoS. It's possible he was misreading the rules.

I see the problem.

While the Sunblade is a lovely weapon (the DMG version; the CoS version is even better!) you need a free object interaction to 'draw' it (unless it is already in hand) but you need a bonus action to activate it! This competes with other bonus actions you want to take, like Vow of Enmity and casting or moving hunter's mark.

I feel your pain, brother!

[Lunali]

I see the problem.

While the Sunblade is a lovely weapon (the DMG version; the CoS version is even better!) you need a free object interaction to 'draw' it (unless it is already in hand) but you need a bonus action to activate it! This competes with other bonus actions you want to take, like Vow of Enmity and casting or moving hunter's mark.

I feel your pain, brother!

As far as I can tell, there's nothing preventing you from keeping the blade around in a sheath like a normal sword.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I don't really know why they change the names, but action is pretty much the standard, bonus is kinda the swift, and reactions are like the immediates, the only thing they did was remove move as a kind of action (and they still kinda use it, since there are a couple things that eat from your movement, standing up, mounting a horse, etc.)

They changed the names explicitly to emphasize that you don't get a Bonus action unless something gives it to you. That it's a Bonus, not something you should expect to always have. A major factor in this edition's design was to streamline combat. To avoid people worrying about this very thing--trying to squeeze in every action possible. "Have I done something with my X action" was something they explicitly wanted to avoid because it slows things down tremendously and focuses undue attention on the tactical game layer of combat instead of the fictional layer.

Sadly this intent has been completely ignored by a large chunk of the playerbase, especially on these forums.

Note: This all comes from an interview/podcast I watched from JC about this very issue (bonus actions) that happened the first of this month.

[Arial Black]

As far as I can tell, there's nothing preventing you from keeping the blade around in a sheath like a normal sword.

Er, because it doesn't have a blade?

That's how scabbards work: you insert the blade, not the hilt, into the throat of the scabbard.

Imagine trying to sheath a lit lightsaber!

[ProsecutorGodot]

Er, because it doesn't have a blade?

That's how scabbards work: you insert the blade, not the hilt, into the throat of the scabbard.

Imagine trying to sheath a lit lightsaber!

Well you could make a sheath that would fit the hilt but I'm not sure it would be very safe to have that blade made of radiant energy swinging around freely.

With all that jostling that would happen you'd have a good chance of taking a chunk out of your leg.