D&D Actions, Bonus Actions, Reactions, Opportunity Attacks, Ready Actions, Dodge, and Help Actions can be surprisingly confusing. Here’s how these 5.5e rules actually work.
In this video, I break down five D&D actions and reactions that cause a surprising amount of confusion:
• Bonus Actions: You don’t automatically get one. A rule has to specifically give you a Bonus Action.
• Opportunity Attacks: Moving away from an enemy doesn’t always trigger one. Teleportation and forced movement work differently, and your Reaction matters.
• Help Action: Help isn’t a free Advantage button. There are specific rules for when you can assist an ability check, and helping costs your Action.
• Ready Action: Learn how to turn your Action into a Reaction, what counts as a valid trigger, and what happens when you Ready a spell.
• Dodge Action: Dodge doesn’t increase your AC. It imposes Disadvantage on certain attacks and gives you Advantage on certain Dexterity saves, with an important limitation.
0:00 – Intro
0:31 – Bonus Actions
1:59 – Opportunity Attacks
4:05 – Help Action
6:49 – Ready Action
9:19 – Dodge Action
9:54 – Summary
Whether you’re a new player, longtime player, or DM, these are the kinds of rules that are easy to remember incorrectly.
Have you been using any of these rules differently at your table? Let me know in the comments.
If this video helped you become a better D&D player or DM, consider subscribing to Evil Penguin RPG for more D&D rules, DM advice, and practical tabletop RPG tips.
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