Question thats come up in one of my games, when the ranger uses their bonus action to command the pet, would the pet be able to use a bonus action as part of its turn if it has some feature, a spell effect or item use that says it can be used as a bonus action?
The rules on Bonus Actions in 2024:
A Bonus Action is a special action that you can take on the same turn that you take an action. You can’t take more than one Bonus Action on a turn, and you have a Bonus Action to take only if a rule explicitly says so.
Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a Bonus Action. The Cunning Action feature, for example, allows a Rogue to take a Bonus Action. You can take a Bonus Action only when a special ability, a spell, or another feature of the game states that you can do something as a Bonus Action. You otherwise don’t have a Bonus Action to take.
The wording on the beast says you explicitly command it to take an action:
In combat, the beast acts during your turn. It can move and use its Reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you take a Bonus Action to command it to take an action in its stat block or some other action.
Of course most companion creatures have nothing listed to spend their Bonus Action on. Specifically the Primal Beast companions and the Drake Companion. So they "can't take one", only because they have nothing they can spend a Bonus Action on (discounting spell effects / items for the minute).
Until we get to Level 7 for the Beastmaster.
Level 7: Exceptional Training
When you take a Bonus Action to command your Primal Companion beast to take an action, you can also command it to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action using its Bonus Action.
Then the Primal Companion gets access to a set of bonus (if you will) Bonus Actions, provided it also takes an Action. Those things aren't generally Bonus Actions, so this is why they're special and get called out as such.
But in addition to that if there is some item that they are capable of using and it s explicitly stated is activated or used as a Bonus Action and since you command it to take an action and bonuses actions can be taken on the same turn you take an action, would they be able to use it on their turn? (Of course, when below level 7, they'd only have access to the bonus action granted by the item)
I think under a strict reading of the rules there is no way for the companion to take a bonus action outside of those you can command it to take as part of that level 7 feature. There's no other way to command it to take a bonus action, and that feature is limited to those four specific bonus actions.
The only exception is that when the Ranger is Incapacitated, the companion acts on its own, which I think would include the ability to take both actions and bonus actions as normal.
This does all seem a little weird. It feels like some logic and sensibility has been lost in an effort to tightly control the action economy.
Yes it can as it is a normal creature taking its turn. As you've said in your post, the Beast Companion or the Drake don't normally have a bonus action to use... but if you gave them one for any reason (including the 7th lvl Beastmaster feature) they can use it as normal since also they always take the Dodge Action unless commanded.
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Hi
Question thats come up in one of my games, when the ranger uses their bonus action to command the pet, would the pet be able to use a bonus action as part of its turn if it has some feature, a spell effect or item use that says it can be used as a bonus action?
The rules on Bonus Actions in 2024:
The wording on the beast says you explicitly command it to take an action:
Of course most companion creatures have nothing listed to spend their Bonus Action on. Specifically the Primal Beast companions and the Drake Companion. So they "can't take one", only because they have nothing they can spend a Bonus Action on (discounting spell effects / items for the minute).
Until we get to Level 7 for the Beastmaster.
Then the Primal Companion gets access to a set of bonus (if you will) Bonus Actions, provided it also takes an Action. Those things aren't generally Bonus Actions, so this is why they're special and get called out as such.
But in addition to that if there is some item that they are capable of using and it s explicitly stated is activated or used as a Bonus Action and since you command it to take an action and bonuses actions can be taken on the same turn you take an action, would they be able to use it on their turn? (Of course, when below level 7, they'd only have access to the bonus action granted by the item)
I think under a strict reading of the rules there is no way for the companion to take a bonus action outside of those you can command it to take as part of that level 7 feature. There's no other way to command it to take a bonus action, and that feature is limited to those four specific bonus actions.
The only exception is that when the Ranger is Incapacitated, the companion acts on its own, which I think would include the ability to take both actions and bonus actions as normal.
This does all seem a little weird. It feels like some logic and sensibility has been lost in an effort to tightly control the action economy.
pronouns: he/she/they
Yes it can as it is a normal creature taking its turn.
As you've said in your post, the Beast Companion or the Drake don't normally have a bonus action to use... but if you gave them one for any reason (including the 7th lvl Beastmaster feature) they can use it as normal since also they always take the Dodge Action unless commanded.