I need help interpreting the following:
"From 1st level, your god delivers bolts of inspiration to you while you are engaged in battle. When you use the Attack action, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdon modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses after a long rest."
When I want to take that additional attack do I need to declare so before my first attack. Then, even if my first attack kills the creature I still have to spend one of my Bonus Attacks. It doesn't seem like I should have to declare that I intend to use this ability until after my first attack, It doesn't say otherwise but one of my DM's on roll20 thinks I do. Obviously what he says ultimately goes, but what do you think? Do I need to decide to spend one of these bonus attacks before taking my initial attack, or can I decide to take it after my initial attack?
That would be a pointless ruling. You'd be wasting a limited resource for zero benefit because the GM wants to keep secrets from you and trick you into wasting it.
"When you take the attack action" isn't "before you take the attack action." It means that you attach the extra attack to your attack action, instead of a move action or something. This prevents you from, for example, using your move action to approach an enemy and make an attack with the bonus, then using your standard action to cast a spell. That's what the rule is for. I think most other effects specify "you must use this after the attack roll but before you know if it hits" or something similar. Since this doesn't say that, I would assume you don't run it that way.
Think about it from an in-universe perspective. You can use it a limited number of times, meaning you're expending some kind of energy to draw on that extra strength. If you didn't perform any action (the enemy died on the first hit, before the bonus attack), why would you have spent anything? You should be able to save that power and use it later.
No you can declare it at any time during a turn that you take an attack action.
The extra weapon attack is labeled a Bonus Action, so it should follow the rules for Bonus Action. I don't think those rules include declaring your bonus action before you take your action.
If a DM wants to run their game that way, that's a house rule, and everyone should have been notified before the game started.
Taking the Attack action on your turn enables your option to then spend your Bonus action to make the extra attack that turn.
If your DM rules it like that (which is wrong by the way), I would only use it if you have enough movement left to make to another enemy to deliver the second attack if you drop the first one.
Actually, they are 2 different actions: your attack action ends after your first attack, and then you have the possibility to take a new action (bonus) to make a second attack. Being two different actions, the bouns one doesn't begin until you end your regular attack action. Consequently, you can't waste your bonus action if your target dies after the first attack.
Thanks for the replies; I totally agree. Kind of sucks that he also won't let me use Inflict Wounds either. Totally trying to nerf my cleric, lol.
"If your DM rules it like that (which is wrong by the way), I would only use it if you have enough movement left to make to another enemy to deliver the second attack if you drop the first one." That's a great idea Reddaemon.
Thanks again.
Do you think he'd be willing to read the posts here and reconsider? As it is, he is gimping the War Domain enough to make it a far less satisfactory option.
Maybe. I'll talk to him about it and see whats up.
Yeah, and refer him to the thread.
While you are at it, ask him if he rules the same way about Two-Weapon Fighting or the Monk's Martial Arts. These are all worded nearly the exact same way. It may help him realise that just because you are using a 1d12 battleaxe (or whatever) doesn't mean the rule has to be more limited than these other options.
blackermetal wrote:
Other bonus actions (shield bash, polearm butt strike) can be taken in any order (as per MM tweets). Since the phrasing of smite attack is similar, I rule that it can be taken in any order.
You can smite (bonus action) then attack (regular action). You can attack (regular action) then smite (bonus action). You can move in between the two.
D&D 5E has no concept of "declare actions" so I rule that you don't have to declare a bonus action before you take your regular action. I allow a player to attack (regular action) then decide at that point in time whether or not to smite.
What you can't do is smite (bonus action), kill your target, then go "oh, no, no foes in range" and cast a spell (regular action). Once you have made the bonus attack you have "locked in" your intention to use the Attack Action as your regular action. If there is no-one in range to atack, you have wasted an action.
So long as you have taken the Attack Action during the turn, you can then use your bonus action to attack at any time during the rest of your turn. That includes Attack>Move>Bonus attack.