Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action.
So a bonus action is just a special type of action. So anything that stops you taking actions would also prevent you taking bonus actions (apparently this last bit is also explicitly stated in the Bonus Actions section, but shouldn't really be necessary).
Sorry, I was typing my last response when you're comment was posted and I did not notice it right away. This was the type of information that I was looking for! Thank you!
As even the ruling of a "Bonus Action" states that it allows an additional action, "Bonus Actions" are a type of action but expends the bonus action from the character's resources instead of an action.
Reactions are a special action, allowing to yet again the character to have an additional action when certain requirements are made and expends the reaction from the character's resources instead of an action.
Bonus action and reaction are resource specific special actions that allow for an action to be made by the character.
I would argue that a melee attack is in fact an action and that's why a character could expend their action resource to perform their attack action. The melee attack action is not dependent on the on what action resource is being consumed as there is nothing in the rules stating that a particular resource or material resource has to be used to perform it such as the material components of spells that are required to perform a spell action or spell attack action.
I would argue that a melee attack is in fact an action and that's why a character could expend their action resource to perform their attack action. The melee attack action is not dependent on the on what action resource is being consumed as there is nothing in the rules stating that a particular resource or material resource has to be used to perform it such as the material components of spells that are required to perform a spell action or spell attack action.
You can argue that to hell and back, but it doesn't make it so. Psychic Blades require you to take the Attack action, very explicitly. The Attack action allows you to make melee attacks (among other things), but not every melee attack is performed as part of an Attack action. And while a melee attack is "an action" in the sense that it's something you do, it might not constitute "an action" as pertains to the rules of the game, and even if made as part of "an action" (rules-wise), it still might not be part of the Attack action (you might be performing a melee attack as part of the [Tooltip Not Found] action, if you're casting, for example, Booming Blade).
Insisting that since attacking with a melee weapon is "an action" (in common language), it must also be the Attack action is akin to insisting whenever I fire an Unbreakable Arrow from a bow, it will automatically hit and do (1d4+1)x3 damage, since it is, after all, a missile, and magic, so therefore it must be a Magic Missile.
I would argue that a melee attack is in fact an action and that's why a character could expend their action resource to perform their attack action. The melee attack action is not dependent on the on what action resource is being consumed as there is nothing in the rules stating that a particular resource or material resource has to be used to perform it such as the material components of spells that are required to perform a spell action or spell attack action.
A melee attack is made as part of an action. It is not an action by itself.
Common ways to use a melee attack is with an Attack action (which would use your main Action during your turn), or with an Opportunity Attack (which would use your Reaction).
The Attack action is the Attack action. An opportunity attack is a Reaction.
The Attack action can only be performed on your turn. The psychic blades only appear as part of the Attack action and disappear immediately after. Psychic blades cannot, therefore, be used to make a Reaction.
I just want to make sure I understand the premise as intended, and further state what I believe to be an adequate answer to either case.
Are you saying that a (A) PC s able to use BOTH soul knives on the “Attack Action” and then summon another to use in the event of an “AOO” as a reaction, Or (B) are you saying that if both soul knives are summoned, but only ONE is used in the “Attack Action” the other should be able to be used in an “AOO”?
A: This might be a bit of a reach, as don’t believe that was the intended use. It means that the PC is essentially ALWAYS be armed with at least one soul knife. That being said, I believe it fits with a rouge thematically as a quick striking class, and have requested and been granted this ability several times with no ill effects.
(B) This is a much stronger case as it limits the creation of the soul knives to the “Attack Action”, but allows for a trade off of the extra attack for a chance at an “AOO”, as the effect states that the knife vanishes after it hits or misses a target. If you hold it, it neither hits or misses, and therefore doesn’t vanish.
If this was intended as an example of the overall use of an “AOO”, then I believe it to be a poor one, as the way a read later comments here implies that a PC could take the “Shove” or “Grapple” action as an “AOO” which is definitely NOT the intention of the rules, as the Feat “Sentinel” serves this purpose, and would otherwise be meaningless.
This feature has been updated in the 2024 PHB. Now it can be used with Opportunity Attacks.
Level 3: Psychic Blades
You can manifest shimmering blades of psychic energy. Whenever you take the Attack action or make an Opportunity Attack, you can manifest a Psychic Blade in your free hand and make the attack with that blade. The magic blade has the following traits: [...] The blade vanishes immediately after it hits or misses its target, and it leaves no mark if it deals damage.
After you attack with the blade on your turn, you can make a melee or ranged attack with a second psychic blade as a Bonus Action on the same turn if your other hand is free to create it. The damage die of this bonus attack is 1d4 instead of 1d6.
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Sorry, I was typing my last response when you're comment was posted and I did not notice it right away. This was the type of information that I was looking for! Thank you!
As even the ruling of a "Bonus Action" states that it allows an additional action, "Bonus Actions" are a type of action but expends the bonus action from the character's resources instead of an action.
Reactions are a special action, allowing to yet again the character to have an additional action when certain requirements are made and expends the reaction from the character's resources instead of an action.
Bonus action and reaction are resource specific special actions that allow for an action to be made by the character.
I would argue that a melee attack is in fact an action and that's why a character could expend their action resource to perform their attack action. The melee attack action is not dependent on the on what action resource is being consumed as there is nothing in the rules stating that a particular resource or material resource has to be used to perform it such as the material components of spells that are required to perform a spell action or spell attack action.
You can argue that to hell and back, but it doesn't make it so. Psychic Blades require you to take the Attack action, very explicitly. The Attack action allows you to make melee attacks (among other things), but not every melee attack is performed as part of an Attack action. And while a melee attack is "an action" in the sense that it's something you do, it might not constitute "an action" as pertains to the rules of the game, and even if made as part of "an action" (rules-wise), it still might not be part of the Attack action (you might be performing a melee attack as part of the [Tooltip Not Found] action, if you're casting, for example, Booming Blade).
Insisting that since attacking with a melee weapon is "an action" (in common language), it must also be the Attack action is akin to insisting whenever I fire an Unbreakable Arrow from a bow, it will automatically hit and do (1d4+1)x3 damage, since it is, after all, a missile, and magic, so therefore it must be a Magic Missile.
A melee attack is made as part of an action. It is not an action by itself.
Common ways to use a melee attack is with an Attack action (which would use your main Action during your turn), or with an Opportunity Attack (which would use your Reaction).
The Attack action is the Attack action. An opportunity attack is a Reaction.
The Attack action can only be performed on your turn. The psychic blades only appear as part of the Attack action and disappear immediately after. Psychic blades cannot, therefore, be used to make a Reaction.
I just want to make sure I understand the premise as intended, and further state what I believe to be an adequate answer to either case.
Are you saying that a (A) PC s able to use BOTH soul knives on the “Attack Action” and then summon another to use in the event of an “AOO” as a reaction, Or (B) are you saying that if both soul knives are summoned, but only ONE is used in the “Attack Action” the other should be able to be used in an “AOO”?
A: This might be a bit of a reach, as don’t believe that was the intended use. It means that the PC is essentially ALWAYS be armed with at least one soul knife. That being said, I believe it fits with a rouge thematically as a quick striking class, and have requested and been granted this ability several times with no ill effects.
(B) This is a much stronger case as it limits the creation of the soul knives to the “Attack Action”, but allows for a trade off of the extra attack for a chance at an “AOO”, as the effect states that the knife vanishes after it hits or misses a target. If you hold it, it neither hits or misses, and therefore doesn’t vanish.
If this was intended as an example of the overall use of an “AOO”, then I believe it to be a poor one, as the way a read later comments here implies that a PC could take the “Shove” or “Grapple” action as an “AOO” which is definitely NOT the intention of the rules, as the Feat “Sentinel” serves this purpose, and would otherwise be meaningless.
This feature has been updated in the 2024 PHB. Now it can be used with Opportunity Attacks.