so the brand spanking new 2020 unearthed arcana article made me think about the old classvariants UA article, and i realized something: the ready companion feature of the elemental beast stat block allows the ranger to command their beast to take the shred or maul action option. When the ranger commands the beast to take the attack action, they may make one attack themselves starting whenever the ranger has the extra attack feature. Does this mean that the ranger can make two attacks with his or her main action, and follow that up with an bonus action to let their beast attack and then make another attack becuase of that, or is the attack action considered distinct from the maul and shred actions, just like how it is distinct from the multiattack action, despite an beasts abillity to make an maul or shred attack with the attack action? Becuase getting the berserker bariarian benefit for free at 5th level does not exactly feel right
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Beasts can attack as bonus action. Then at level 5 you get extra attack. So yes, you make 2 attacks and the beast one with the bonus action.
i think you might have slightly misinterpreted my question. What i asked is if using an bonus action to command my beast to make one maul attack is considered the same as me commanding them to take the attack action, or if those two sepperate commands that both use the beasts action and ether your bonus action or your action are considered distinct.
In other words, starting at 11th level, could i (the ranger) make one weapon attack and as an bonus action command my beast companion to make two attacks due to the bestial fury feature, or could i starting at 5th level use my action to doge, then use an bonus action to command my beast companion to doge and then make one weapon attack due to me having the extra attack feature at this point? or could i, an ranger make two longbow attacks with my main action, and then use an bonus action to command my elemental beastial companion to take the maul action and then as an direct consequence of said command be able to make an third longbow attack myself?
are you saying that maul and attack are two distinct actions for the beast, and that due to that fact i am not able to leech the benefit of more attacks for myself than what i am normally capable of?
(the PHB says as follows: "Once you have the extra attack feature, you can make one attack yourself when you command the beast to take the attack action", this combined with the elemental beasts of ether earth or air seems to indicate that an ranger can make attacks faster while they are simultaineously commanding their beast to attack than what the ranger could do alone, with nobody else to boss arround, and that just seems weird does it not?)
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Commanding the beast to “makes its maul attack” is not the same thing as commanding the beast to “take the Attack action.” Bestial Fury doesn’t work with the bonus action command, and not does the attack you get with Extra Attack.
Of course you can still use your Action to command it to to Attack for two attacks, make your own attack, and also use your bonus action to command it to maul, for four attacks total, which can do a lot, especially considering you add your proficiency bonus to your beast’s damage rolls.
Commanding the beast to “makes its maul attack” is not the same thing as commanding the beast to “take the Attack action.” Bestial Fury doesn’t work with the bonus action command, and not does the attack you get with Extra Attack.
Of course you can still use your Action to command it to to Attack for two attacks, make your own attack, and also use your bonus action to command it to maul, for four attacks total, which can do a lot, especially considering you add your proficiency bonus to your beast’s damage rolls.
so to summarize, just becuase an action option allows a creature to make one or more weapon attacks does not nessesarily make it the same as the attack action, just like how multiattack is diffrent from extra attack and the two cannot work together, the command to take the maul attack and the command to take the attack action are diffrent, even if the maul attack is the only available action, and so they are similar, but not the same, right?
also i think the bonus action command also takes the beasts action, something that should prevent me from commanding the beast to make three maul or shred attacks per turn
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Yeah, that’s right. And good call on the bonus action command requiring an action; I think I was getting my wires crossed with the UA revised ranger and thinking it would be a reaction.
[EDIT] What this means, of course, is that Bestial Fury becomes a pretty worthless feature. At fifth level, the ranger already has three attacks per turn (extra attack plus bonus action command). Bestial fury can replace one of the ranger’s attacks with the companion’s and free up their bonus action, but it’s no increase to the number of attacks (if the ranger uses their Action to command the beast, they can’t use two weapon fighting, even if they make their own attack, because two weapon fighting requires the Attack action, not just an attack).
I think something here merits a re-wording. Maybe change the text of Ready Companion to say that the bonus action can be used to issue an actual Attack action command? The point of Bestial Fury should be “nice, an extra attack,” not “well I guess I can use my bonus action for something else now.”
Yeah, that’s right. And good call on the bonus action command requiring an action; I think I was getting my wires crossed with the UA revised ranger and thinking it would be a reaction.
[EDIT] What this means, of course, is that Bestial Fury becomes a pretty worthless feature. At fifth level, the ranger already has three attacks per turn (extra attack plus bonus action command). Bestial fury can replace one of the ranger’s attacks with the companion’s and free up their bonus action, but it’s no increase to the number of attacks (if the ranger uses their Action to command the beast, they can’t use two weapon fighting, even if they make their own attack, because two weapon fighting requires the Attack action, not just an attack).
I think something here merits a re-wording. Maybe change the text of Ready Companion to say that the bonus action can be used to issue an actual Attack action command? The point of Bestial Fury should be “nice, an extra attack,” not “well I guess I can use my bonus action for something else now.”
yeah but then would that not like once again mean that the ranger themselves can at 5th level use a bonus action to make an additional attack, sort of like the berserker barbarian but without any of the drawbacks, thus possibly out damaging the fighter even if we ignore the damage output of the beast companion? not saying that is at all an bad thing, just that it is an possibillity
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
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so the brand spanking new 2020 unearthed arcana article made me think about the old classvariants UA article, and i realized something: the ready companion feature of the elemental beast stat block allows the ranger to command their beast to take the shred or maul action option. When the ranger commands the beast to take the attack action, they may make one attack themselves starting whenever the ranger has the extra attack feature. Does this mean that the ranger can make two attacks with his or her main action, and follow that up with an bonus action to let their beast attack and then make another attack becuase of that, or is the attack action considered distinct from the maul and shred actions, just like how it is distinct from the multiattack action, despite an beasts abillity to make an maul or shred attack with the attack action? Becuase getting the berserker bariarian benefit for free at 5th level does not exactly feel right
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Beasts can attack as bonus action. Then at level 5 you get extra attack. So yes, you make 2 attacks and the beast one with the bonus action.
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i think you might have slightly misinterpreted my question. What i asked is if using an bonus action to command my beast to make one maul attack is considered the same as me commanding them to take the attack action, or if those two sepperate commands that both use the beasts action and ether your bonus action or your action are considered distinct.
In other words, starting at 11th level, could i (the ranger) make one weapon attack and as an bonus action command my beast companion to make two attacks due to the bestial fury feature, or could i starting at 5th level use my action to doge, then use an bonus action to command my beast companion to doge and then make one weapon attack due to me having the extra attack feature at this point? or could i, an ranger make two longbow attacks with my main action, and then use an bonus action to command my elemental beastial companion to take the maul action and then as an direct consequence of said command be able to make an third longbow attack myself?
are you saying that maul and attack are two distinct actions for the beast, and that due to that fact i am not able to leech the benefit of more attacks for myself than what i am normally capable of?
(the PHB says as follows: "Once you have the extra attack feature, you can make one attack yourself when you command the beast to take the attack action", this combined with the elemental beasts of ether earth or air seems to indicate that an ranger can make attacks faster while they are simultaineously commanding their beast to attack than what the ranger could do alone, with nobody else to boss arround, and that just seems weird does it not?)
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Commanding the beast to “makes its maul attack” is not the same thing as commanding the beast to “take the Attack action.” Bestial Fury doesn’t work with the bonus action command, and not does the attack you get with Extra Attack.
Of course you can still use your Action to command it to to Attack for two attacks, make your own attack, and also use your bonus action to command it to maul, for four attacks total, which can do a lot, especially considering you add your proficiency bonus to your beast’s damage rolls.
so to summarize, just becuase an action option allows a creature to make one or more weapon attacks does not nessesarily make it the same as the attack action, just like how multiattack is diffrent from extra attack and the two cannot work together, the command to take the maul attack and the command to take the attack action are diffrent, even if the maul attack is the only available action, and so they are similar, but not the same, right?
also i think the bonus action command also takes the beasts action, something that should prevent me from commanding the beast to make three maul or shred attacks per turn
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Yeah, that’s right. And good call on the bonus action command requiring an action; I think I was getting my wires crossed with the UA revised ranger and thinking it would be a reaction.
[EDIT] What this means, of course, is that Bestial Fury becomes a pretty worthless feature. At fifth level, the ranger already has three attacks per turn (extra attack plus bonus action command). Bestial fury can replace one of the ranger’s attacks with the companion’s and free up their bonus action, but it’s no increase to the number of attacks (if the ranger uses their Action to command the beast, they can’t use two weapon fighting, even if they make their own attack, because two weapon fighting requires the Attack action, not just an attack).
I think something here merits a re-wording. Maybe change the text of Ready Companion to say that the bonus action can be used to issue an actual Attack action command? The point of Bestial Fury should be “nice, an extra attack,” not “well I guess I can use my bonus action for something else now.”
yeah but then would that not like once again mean that the ranger themselves can at 5th level use a bonus action to make an additional attack, sort of like the berserker barbarian but without any of the drawbacks, thus possibly out damaging the fighter even if we ignore the damage output of the beast companion? not saying that is at all an bad thing, just that it is an possibillity
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes