D&D General Redesigning DnD 5e with no Bonus Actions

[Weiley31]

I wonder how one would streamline/tighten up Bonus Actions. I mean, the name/idea/concept is right there on the tin. Something that legit is a freebie action when compared to Actions in 5E.

 

[Horwath]

I wonder how one would streamline/tighten up Bonus Actions. I mean, the name/idea/concept is right there on the tin. Something that legit is a freebie action when compared to Actions in 5E.

I would put ALL additional attacks into Attack action instead of Bonus action

Bonus Action would be for using potions, weapon oils/poisons, lesser? impact spells, quickened spells, using class features(some like Rage should be free action like in 3.5e), making perception/investigation checks(yes I know there is a feat for that now, it's a bad feat), moving half your speed maybe?,

Preparation: You use your Bonus action to gain additional Reaction until the start of your next turn. You can only make single attack with this additional Reaction.

 

[GrimCo]

If i would ever redesign things, i would just have move-action-reaction. That's it. Rogues Cunning action would fall under move option. Drawing weapon would fall under action - attack. Drinking potion? Action. Some things would just be instant turn on things that don't use actions at all (like rage) or just blended together ( two weapon attack is action - attack, just roll two attack dices). Spells are either action or reaction.

 

[Steampunkette]

If i would ever redesign things, i would just have move-action-reaction. That's it. Rogues Cunning action would fall under move option. Drawing weapon would fall under action - attack. Drinking potion? Action. Some things would just be instant turn on things that don't use actions at all (like rage) or just blended together ( two weapon attack is action - attack, just roll two attack dices). Spells are either action or reaction.

I wouldn't mind expanding "Reaction" to consume all or most of the bonus-action options. It's not like opportunity attacks are common or anything in most encounters.

It would also make Smiting into a reaction to landing a hit, raging a reaction to being in combat or needing to overcome some obstacle., war magic be a reaction to casting a spell... Cunning Reaction. Misty Step as a reaction spell...

Yeah, I'd be pretty cool with that as a setup.

 

[TiQuinn]

And I've come to believe that multiclassing is one of the biggest bugbears of d20 fantasy. So much of the design of the game is around preventing exploitative multiclassing combos. The benefit of multiclassing is that designer-y bias of more decision points, more granularity, more control, more options. But it'd be better to give the Fighter 12 subclasses that all represent flavors of multiclass (Fighter + Artificer = "Forgemaster: I make magical weapons," Fighter + Barbarian = "Primal Knight: I don't wear armor, and have more HP, and can survive shirtless in a blizzard.", etc.) then to deal with trying to somehow control the interaction between Rage and Extra Attack in every case.

 

[Shardstone]

So if Spell+Attack on the same turn isn't a problem, why is it a problem for a Fighter-Wizard that they need their actions split to "Fighter Action" and "Wizard Action" with no overlap?

The idea is to cut down on corner cases with different WIzard features and subclass features etc etc. They were very paranoid of corner cases in design, which Mearls has talked about in multiple posts. IMO I suspect its a kind of trauma from the 3E days.

 

[Weiley31]

The idea is to cut down on corner cases with different WIzard features and subclass features etc etc. They were very paranoid of corner cases in design, which Mearls has talked about in multiple posts. IMO I suspect its a kind of trauma from the 3E days.

3E did things to people, man.

 

[TiQuinn]

3E did things to people, man.

3e was “we’re gonna give people everything they want” and everyone realizing “oh crap, no that’s not how I thought it would work out AT ALL.” I say this having been fully onboard with 3e until I started DMing 3e. Most stressful time DMing ever.

 

[GrimCo]

I wouldn't mind expanding "Reaction" to consume all or most of the bonus-action options. It's not like opportunity attacks are common or anything in most encounters.

It would also make Smiting into a reaction to landing a hit, raging a reaction to being in combat or needing to overcome some obstacle., war magic be a reaction to casting a spell... Cunning Reaction. Misty Step as a reaction spell...

Yeah, I'd be pretty cool with that as a setup.

That sounds like triggered abilities, like 5e smite (you can do it automatically when you hit with melee). FE Rage- after combat starts, you can enter rage at the beginning of your turn. That's it. When triggering condition is met, you use ability. No action spent for it. Or fighters second wind, instead of bonus action - when you take damage in combat, you can use this ability to heal (i would rather go with negate damage) equal to 1d10+fighter level.

Cunning action mostly deals with movement, so make it use move action. You can either move your normal speed, or you can use cunning action to dash, disengage and move full speed, move full speed and hide. Regular dash, disengage and hide still eat your normal action, so it gives Rogue ability for hit and run tactics.

Misty step as reaction fits like a glove.

 

[Velderan]

I wouldn't mind expanding "Reaction" to consume all or most of the bonus-action options. It's not like opportunity attacks are common or anything in most encounters.

I wanted to touch on this bit. IME the reason opportunity attacks are not common is because everyone can use opportunity attacks so it can really discourage movement during combat. In the campaigns I have played in, the exceptions tended to be rogues because of Cunning Action and characters with very hard to hit ACs, but overall most PCs tended to not want to move much since they didn't want to give up a free swing at them. I think if you made tweaks to reactions usage you're suggesting, it would lead to more movement during combat which would generally be an improvement IMO.