D&D 5E Reaction, Speed, Dissonant Whispers

[Riley37]

A character can use their base Speed, and can Dash and thus move twice their base Speed in a round. A rogue with Cunning Action, or a person with Expeditious Retreat, can take a Bonus Action Dash, and thus move three times their base Speed in a round.

Under what circumstances can a character move, with their normal Speed, during their Reaction? As part of a prepared action? (such as "when the checkered flag waves, I sprint towards the finish line")

Can a character ever do a Reaction Dash, possibly for a total of four times their base speed in a round (combined with the above)?

There are a few spells which have duration, Concentration, and restrict the movement of the target. Fear specifically forces the target to use the Dash action, when its next action occurs. Dissonant Whispers is instant (no duration) and forces the target to use its Reaction to move away from the caster. Does the target use its base Speed for that Reaction? What if it has already used some or all of its Speed during that round?

If DW causes a Reaction Dash, and if that's the only Reaction Dash in 5E, then the way to win the Ultimate Faerun 50-Meter Sprint will involve an allied caster using Dissonant Whispers on the runner (plus magic as needed to keep the 3d6 Psychic from killing the runner).

DW seems powerful for a first-level spell. 3d6 damage, in a type resisted less often than, say, poison or fire. Plus the target loses its Reaction, plus the target must expend all its Speed. Plus, in some situations, turning its back to flee from a foe, and thus provoking Attack of Opportunity. If the target doesn't have a ranged attack, and the DW hits it before its Action, then when its action comes up, it doesn't have remaining Speed, so it can't move back towards the caster and also do a melee attack (unless it has Bonus Action Dash or some such.) Does that beat Magic Missile?

 

[Thyrwyn]

You can't "use up" your speed. If Dissonant Whispers forces you to move your speed using your reaction, that has no effect on your speed on your next turn - nor does it matter if you used all your speed on your previous turn.

 

[Sunseeker]

You can't "use up" your speed. If Dissonant Whispers forces you to move your speed using your reaction, that has no effect on your speed on your next turn - nor does it matter if you used all your speed on your previous turn.

This.

Movement on each turn is unique. While the player does not have access to their movement when not on their turn (with some limited exceptions), the movement taken on anothers turn is encapsulated entirely within THAT turn and has no bearing on the amount of movement the player has available on THEIR turn. More specifically, the movement is tied to the spell. If it tell you to move up to your movement, it means the spell causes you to run away, RIGHT NOW, which doesn't affect your ability to move come your turn, and neither is the spell limited by how much you may have moved BEFORE it affected you.

All movement within a turn is unique to that turn and unless the effect says otherwise, has no bearing on movement in other turns.

 

[Riley37]

So can a human move 30', then prepare the action of moving another 30' as their reaction?

Hm, that's still the same total distance as free move + dash as main action.

Is your response guided by any particular rules text, or have you witnessed the use of Dissonant Whispers to propel the winner across the finish line?

 

[PnPgamer]

Does dissonant whispers trigger AoO? It doesn't seem to be forced movement...

 

[Sunseeker]

So can a human move 30', then prepare the action of moving another 30' as their reaction?

The way I have always rolled 'ready an action' and mind you, the "Ready" rules in 5th do not specify this one way or the other, is that you use your entire turn to focus your attention on waiting for a specific event to happen. You don't get to move. You don't get to bonus. You take that whole time to "ready" yourself and then you get a full "action" at a different point in time.

 

[Paraxis]

Does dissonant whispers trigger AoO? It doesn't seem to be forced movement...

Yes it does trigger an AoO.
You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction.

Since it does use your reaction, it provokes.

The way I have always rolled 'ready an action' and mind you, the "Ready" rules in 5th do not specify this one way or the other, is that you use your entire turn to focus your attention on waiting for a specific event to happen. You don't get to move. You don't get to bonus. You take that whole time to "ready" yourself and then you get a full "action" at a different point in time.

It does address this in 5e, because on your turn you can move and take an action, you can also split up your movement if you want, so you can technically Move>Ready>Move on your turn, although don't see any need to ever do that.

The most someone could move in a round would be Move+Dash+Bonus Action(Dash), then someone forces them to Move as a reaction, with something like dissonant whispers.

 

[aramis erak]

Can a character ever do a Reaction Dash, possibly for a total of four times their base speed in a round (combined with the above)?

Yes... when hit with dissonant whispers. (Which forces them to react to retreat.)

Note that a rogue/fighter MC can action surge to dash twice, and cunning action for a third dash, getting 4x speed.

 

[Riley37]

on your turn you can move and take an action, you can also split up your movement if you want, so you can technically Move>Ready>Move on your turn, although don't see any need to ever do that.

Here's a scenario: I move 10', towards a locked door. Then I prepare the action of moving through the doorway and as far as I can into the room, as a Reaction if the door opens. I'm expecting my rogue ally to open the locked door. If the rogue does so, I move 20' into the room, right?

If someone hits me with DW *before* the door opens, how far do I run away from them? my full speed of 30, minus the 10' I've already moved, for 20'? or my full 30' away from the door?

If the door opens, and I run 5' into the room, and the warlock in the room had a prepared action of casting DW on whoever moves into the room through that doorway... and does so, and I don't save... what happens next? Do I then turn around and move 15' away from the warlock, reversing that 5' and ending up another 10' on the starting side of the doorway? Or does the compulsion have no effect, because I'm already mid-Reaction?

 

[Jaelommiss]

Here's a scenario: I move 10', towards a locked door. Then I prepare the action of moving through the doorway and as far as I can into the room, as a Reaction if the door opens. I'm expecting my rogue ally to open the locked door. If the rogue does so, I move 20' into the room, right?

If someone hits me with DW *before* the door opens, how far do I run away from them? my full speed of 30, minus the 10' I've already moved, for 20'? or my full 30' away from the door?

If the door opens, and I run 5' into the room, and the warlock in the room had a prepared action of casting DW on whoever moves into the room through that doorway... and does so, and I don't save... what happens next? Do I then turn around and move 15' away from the warlock, reversing that 5' and ending up another 10' on the starting side of the doorway? Or does the compulsion have no effect, because I'm already mid-Reaction?

Your readied action in this situation would be the Dash action. When the door opens you would have your full movement (I assume 30 feet in this scenario) to move into the room, exactly the same as using a dash action on your own turn. If hit by DW before your readied dash is used, you would move the full 30 feet away and lose your reaction. If you are moving into the room from your readied dash before getting hit by DW, it would not change your movement because you have already used your reaction.