PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Bonus Action Unlimited



Yakk
2021-05-10, 09:45 AM
This houserule attempts to untangle the bonus action rules of 5e. I find they confuse less adept players with not that much benefit.

So I'm removing most restrictions, except a few cases where things are easy to abuse.

Bonus Action Unlimited

Various feats, features and spells grant the ability to take bonus actions. On your turn you can do as many bonus actions as you want, with certain limits. You can do a bonus action at any time on your turn, as limited by the feature that grants you the ability to do the bonus action.

Only one of your bonus actions can grant an attack, and for each class feature or feat you can only do one bonus action granted by it. So a Rogue's Cunning Action permits the Rogue to Dash or Disengage as a bonus action on their turn, not both, but it does not interfere with other Bonus Actions like two weapon fighting.

Bonus actions granted by all spells count as being granted by the same feature for this purpose; so only one bonus action granted by spells on a given turn, even if you have 2 spells that both let you take a bonus action for some purpose.

As an additional rule change, the rules for Bonus Action spells are replaced with: You can only cast 1 spell with a level of 1 or greater on a given turn.

This replaces the complex and confusing rules around bonus action spellcasting.

So you cannot cast a bonus action healing word and a cure wounds spell on the same turn. You also cannot counterspell a counterspell of your fireball, because that would be two spells of level 1 or greater on a turn.

---

How badly does this simplification of bonus actions break D&D?

There are a bunch of classes where the bonus action gets clogged up, the simplest and most well known of which is the two weapon fighting ranger. This attempts to unclog it without opening up any serious exploits.

To get a pile of bonus actions chained, you probably have to be high level and/or be multiclassed. Like, a Sorcerer 3/AT 3/Bladesinger 6 who can on one turn:
1) Quicken flaming sphere *
2) Enter bladesong *
3) Cantrip and attack (bladesinger 6)
4) Two weapon fight *
5) Dash/Disengage OR use Mage Hand *
6) Ram a target with flaming sphere *

5/6 of which are bonus actions. Note that the mage hand bonus action refers back to cunning action, so you can't do both.

BerzerkerUnit
2021-05-10, 01:34 PM
I think this makes it possible for the tabaxi Fighter2/Barbarian6/Druid2/wizard 2/rogue2/Monk 6 multiclass with Magic Initiate for Expeditious retreat, boots of speed and someone to throw haste on them can break the sound barrier.

So this requires a little set up and some allies, there's also some order of operations necessary. Wizard buddy and Battlemaster with maneuvering attack. Start with Long Strider and unseen servants up. Rd 1 you initiate Bladesong, wildshape into Warhorse, have servants put the boots of speed back on you, Use your action to look through your hawk familiar's eyes to see your fighter ally nearly a mile away. Fighter readies action to use maneuvering attack when you start running. Wizard casts haste on you.

Rd 2, You Elk rage, you activate boots of speed, you tabaxi boost, you move 1040, spend a ki step of the wind dash, move 1040, you cunning action dash, move 1040, you dash move 1040, you action surge move 1040, you haste action dash, 1040, you end your rage, you cast expeditious retreat and dash 920. By now your fighter ally is in sight, they use Maneuvering attack, you use your reaction to move an additional 460. total movement 7620 feet in 6 seconds.
A cool 1270 feet per second, cleanly in excess of the 1125.33 google's giving me.

Since your 20th level have another wizard




Druid 2 Wildshape and long strider spell- War Horse base speed 60 and retention of all class features
Longstrider +10 to base (70)
Wizard 2 Bladesong- +10 to base (80)
Barbarian 5 +10 to base (90), Elk Totem (+15 to base while raging) 105
Mobility feat +10 to base (115)
Monk 6- +15 ft base (130)
Haste- Doubles speed 260
Boots- doubles base to 520 (leave them off but attuned during shaping and put them back on after).
Race- doubles speed to 1040 (there doesn't seem to be any physiological reason Tabaxi can do this, it seems behavioral and a horse jumping and dashing off like a cat would be hilarious).
ki point for step of wind dash- 1840
Rogue 2 cunning action dash- 2760
Haste Action- 3680
Expeditious retreat dash- 4600
Action surge dash- 5520
Action dash- 6440