Extra action clarification

[GrinningDemon]

I was playing in a 5e game and we were fighting a goblin samurai. I believe it was level 15, he attacked 3 times then action surged. The debate came in with the action surge, does it give him 3 additional attacks or 1?

[PhantomSoul]

I was playing in a 5e game and we were fighting a goblin samurai. I believe it was level 15, he attacked 3 times then action surged. The debate came in with the action surge, does it give him 3 additional attacks or 1?

If it's exactly like the PC Class and this was a Level 11+ Fighter (or equivalent), yeah: Action Surge gives an extra Action (without caveats or restrictions, unlike the Action from Haste), so if you make three Attacks with the Attack Actions normally, then you can make three Attacks with the Attack Action granted by Action Surge.

[Psyren]

Action Surge gives you an extra action, but a level 15 Fighter can make three attacks with that action, yes.

[RogueJK]

Action Surge allows a full additional Action, so if they use that full Action to Attack, all the Fighter Extra Attacks apply.

As opposed to something like the additional Attack Action from Haste, which specifically states that it only allows one additional attack.

[strangebloke]

the obligatory note here is that its pretty irregular for a monster to have a PC ability like that, and there's no reason it has to behave the same way as the fighter ability regardless.

[Psyren]

the obligatory note here is that its pretty irregular for a monster to have a PC ability like that, and there's no reason it has to behave the same way as the fighter ability regardless.

I was under the impression that it was an NPC with class levels rather than a monster.

[strangebloke]

I was under the impression that it was an NPC with class levels rather than a monster.

Even so, NPCs don't typically have player abilities like that. They might have something similar, but you'll find more statblocks for warriors with legendary actions than warriors with action surge.

[Greywander]

I think the implication is that there is no statblock. Since no statblock existed for the NPC that the DM wanted to use, they created the NPC using the rules for PCs. In which case, it should work exactly like it does for the players. The DM can always decide otherwise, but if they built the NPC by giving them class levels, that's how the ability would work by default.

[PhantomSoul]

Looks like there are at least three things that are listed as monsters (granted, named ones!) that have Action Surge, so not unprecedented! (Though it does sound like they were built as a PC, since the OP thinks they were level 15 as a samurai.)

[Hytheter]

Even so, NPCs don't typically have player abilities like that. They might have something similar, but you'll find more statblocks for warriors with legendary actions than warriors with action surge.

Then again, there is Langdedrosa Cyanwrath. :smallbiggrin:

[Psyren]

I think the implication is that there is no statblock. Since no statblock existed for the NPC that the DM wanted to use, they created the NPC using the rules for PCs. In which case, it should work exactly like it does for the players. The DM can always decide otherwise, but if they built the NPC by giving them class levels, that's how the ability would work by default.

Indeed, and both methods are supported (DMG 282).

[GrinningDemon]

Found out the dm built a level 20 fighter samurai using player stats as the npc.

[Mastikator]

Found out the dm built a level 20 fighter samurai using player stats as the npc.

Then he's wrong.

It should be 4 attacks into 4 more attacks with action surge.

[Gurgeh]

With the option to repeat the same four plus four on the next round. :3