Actions in Combat

When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here, an action you gained from your class or a special feature, or an action that you improvise. When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure. ___ ### Attack You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it. If you move on your turn and have a feature, such as [[Feats#Extra Attack 🛠|Extra Attack]], that gives you more than one attack as part of the Attack action, you can use some or all of that movement to move between those attacks. ### Cast a Spell You can either equip or unequip one spellcasting focus when you Cast a Spells as part of this action. When you Cast a Spell, you cast a spell that has a casting time of an action or use a feature or magic item that requires a Cast a Spell action to be activated. If you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 minute or longer, you must take the Cast a Spell action on each turn of that casting, and you must maintain [[Spellcasting#Concentration|concentration]] while you do so. If your concentration is broken before your spell is cast, the spell fails, but you don’t expend a spell slot. ### Dash When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your [[Physical Capabilities#Movement Speed|movement speed]] after applying any modifiers. With a movement speed of 30 feet, for example, you can move up to 60 feet on your turn if you Dash. If your movement speed of 30 feet is reduced to 15 feet, you can move up to 30 feet this turn if you Dash. If you have a special speed, such as a [[Physical Capabilities#Flying|flying speed]] or [[Physical Capabilities#Swimming|swimming speed]], you can use that speed instead of your [[Physical Capabilities#Movement Speed|movement speed]] when you take this action. You choose which speed to use each time you take it. ### Disengage If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke [[Making an Attack#Opportunity Attacks|opportunity attacks]] for the rest of the current turn. ### Dodge When you take the Dodge action, you focus entirely on avoiding attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|disadvantage]] if you can see the attacker, and you make Dexterity saving throws with [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]]. You lose this benefit if your [[Physical Capabilities#Movement Speed|movement speed]] drops to 0 for any reason. ### Escape 🛠 A [[Conditions#Restrained|restrained]] creature can use its action to attempt escape from a grapple or restraint. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength or Dexterity check (creature's choice) check against the escape DC of the source of it's restraint. If the source of restraint is a creature, and there is no listed Escape DC, the following formula is used to determine the escape DC. >Escape DC = 8 + [[Levels & Proficiency Bonus#Proficiency Bonus|proficiency bonus]] of the restraining creature + strength modifier of the restraint. If the source of restraint is a spell or magical effect and there is no listed Escape DC, the Escape DC is equal to the spellcasting DC of the source of restraint. If the source of restraint is an object, refer to the object's description to determine its Escape DC. If an outside force attempts to end a restraint, such as when a creature is hurled away by the [[Occult Spells#Thunderwave|thunderwave]] spell, or a creature tries to pull an ally from the grasp of a enemy using the [[#Help|help]] action, the restrained creature may use their reaction to attempt an escape check at advantage. ### Help You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]] on the next attack check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn. In order to help a creature in this way, you must have proficiency with the [[Abilities & Skills#Skills|skill]] or [[Adventuring Gear#Hobby Kits|kit]] you are attempting to help with. Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s attack more effective. If an ally attacks the target while you are engaged with it before your next turn, their first attack roll is made with [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]]. ### Hide With the Hide action, you try to conceal yourself. To do so, you must make Dexterity ([[Abilities & Skills#Stealth|Stealth]]) check while you’re [[Exploration & Environment#Heavily Obscured|heavily obscured]] or behind [[Movement and Position#Three-Quarters Cover|three-quarters cover]] or [[Movement and Position#Total Cover|total cover]], and you must be out of any enemy’s line of sight; if you can see a creature, you can discern whether it can see you. If your [[Abilities & Skills#Stealth|Stealth]] check is higher than a creature's [[Abilities & Skills#Passive Checks|passive]] Wisdom ([[Abilities & Skills#Perception|Perception]]) check, you are considered [[Conditions#Invisible|invisible]] to that creature. The condition ends on you immediately after any of the following occurs: you make a sound louder than a whisper, an enemy finds you, you make an attack roll, or you cast a spell with a verbal component. If you are successfully hidden, you gain certain benefits, as described under the [[Making an Attack#Unseen Attackers and Targets|Unseen Attackers and Targets]] section later in this chapter. ### Ready 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 [[Order of Combat#Reactions|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 [[Physical Capabilities#Movement Speed|movement 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 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 1 action, and holding onto the spell’s magic requires [[Spellcasting#Concentration|concentration]]. If your [[Spellcasting#Concentration|concentration]] is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. ### Skill Check Using your action, you can perform any kind of check using a [[Abilities & Skills#Skills|skill]] or [[Adventuring Gear#Hobby Kits|hobby]] proficiency you have. When you take the Skill Check action, inform the DM of what you'd like you do, and the DM will set a DC. This action could be used to search for an object in the heat of battle, intuit a creature's next action, or identify a spell being cast; these are just a few examples, there is no limit to what you may choose to do. ### Use an Object You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as when you draw a sword as part of the [[#Attack]] action. When an object requires your action for its use, you take the Use an Object action.