Good day all, this has probably been beaten to death on another thread. But, I would really appreciate some assistance.
Could someone explain how (or even if possible) that a wizard could cast a cantrip as a bonus action?
Example, 5 Level Wizard it stuck in combat. Yet the opponent is 60 feet away. It is the wizard's turn. Wiz wants to pew pew the opponent to death before it reaches the wiz. The wiz casts Scorching Ray at the opponent, utilizing the wiz's action. Then, as a bonus action wants to cast a cantrip.
Can the wiz do that?
Same example the Wiz casts Firebolt Cantrip as action. Then wants to cast it again as bonus action.
No, the Wizard cannot do that. The only spells you can cast a Bonus Action are spells that have a casting time of 1 Bonus Action.
The only way around that is to be a Sorcerer with the "Quickened Spell" metamagic. This allows you to change a spell's casting time from an action to a bonus action.
There is a note to be made here, though. When you cast a spell as a bonus action, special rules apply:
A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. You must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn. You can't cast another spell during the same turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action.
So if you happened to be a Sorcerer and use the Quickened Spell metamagic, and make Fire Bolt a bonus action-- You can't now cast Scorching Ray as your action. You could only cast a cantrip with a casting time as one action, such as casting Fire Bolt again. However you could use Quickened metamagic on Scorching Ray to make it a bonus action, and then use your action to cast Fire Bolt.
This also applies if you have a standard spell as another class which has a Bonus Action casting time. Say, Spiritual Weapon for Clerics. Once you cast it, you cannot now use your action to cast a non-cantrip spell.
I think this wizard's question is caused by a misunderstanding of the rule MellieDM quoted (as a new player, I made the same mistake).
The general rules only allow casting spells with a casting time of bonus action as a bonus action, unless another ability specifically says otherwise. And you cannot cast a spell with your action and bonus action on the same turn, unless the spell cast as the action is a cantrip.
One of the things I've done, which can be a major boon to the players. If they only cast a cantrip as an action, I will allow them to cast one as a bonus action but it would be the scaled down version of it, for instance firebolt of a 5th lvl caster does 2d10 but if they do it both times its 1d10 for the BA one, it helps out a lot at lower lvls to get over some serious humps that can happen in modules, but is way less effective at higher lvls, but its really up to how you want to do things.
Closest you can do is to take something like the 2nd level spell Flaming Sphere, It takes an action to cast and Concentration to maintain but will allow you to move it around as your bonus action on subsequent turns. There's a few other spells as well like that that can be continually used as a bonus action.
Good day all, this has probably been beaten to death on another thread. But, I would really appreciate some assistance.
Could someone explain how (or even if possible) that a wizard could cast a cantrip as a bonus action?
Example, 5 Level Wizard it stuck in combat. Yet the opponent is 60 feet away. It is the wizard's turn. Wiz wants to pew pew the opponent to death before it reaches the wiz. The wiz casts Scorching Ray at the opponent, utilizing the wiz's action. Then, as a bonus action wants to cast a cantrip.
Can the wiz do that?
Same example the Wiz casts Firebolt Cantrip as action. Then wants to cast it again as bonus action.
Can the wiz do that?
Thanks.
Your Bonus Action is not simply a chance to perform second Action, it's a separate thing altogether. The naming is a bit unfortunate because it leads to confusion like this. Think of your turn as a set of resource slots that everything has to fit in, and none of them are the same size. Your Action and Bonus Action are not interchangeable. If you have an ability that says you can do X as a Bonus Action, you can't do it as your Action instead, and vice versa. Most spells have a casting time of 1 Action. Some have a casting time of 1 Bonus Action. Nothing in the rules about casting two spells on a turn changes the casting time for any of your spells. So in your example no, the Wizard can't simply decide to cast Fire Bolt as a Bonus Action. The only cantrips that currently have a casting time of 1 Bonus Action are Shillelagh and Magic Stone. In addition, Grave domain Clerics can cast Spare The Dying as a Bonus Action(they can still cast it as an Action, so they could stabilize two people on one turn). For a Wizard, they could Misty Step as a Bonus Action and Fire Bolt as an Action on the same turn, as an example. Note that if you're multiclassed with at least 2 levels of Fighter, things change. You can use your Action to cast Fireball, then Action Surge and cast another Fireball. Action Surge gives you an entirely new Action slot to use on that turn. The rules about casting a Bonus Action spell and an Action spell don't apply.
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Good day all, this has probably been beaten to death on another thread. But, I would really appreciate some assistance.
Could someone explain how (or even if possible) that a wizard could cast a cantrip as a bonus action?
Example, 5 Level Wizard it stuck in combat. Yet the opponent is 60 feet away. It is the wizard's turn. Wiz wants to pew pew the opponent to death before it reaches the wiz. The wiz casts Scorching Ray at the opponent, utilizing the wiz's action. Then, as a bonus action wants to cast a cantrip.
Can the wiz do that?
Same example the Wiz casts Firebolt Cantrip as action. Then wants to cast it again as bonus action.
Can the wiz do that?
Thanks.
No, the Wizard cannot do that. The only spells you can cast a Bonus Action are spells that have a casting time of 1 Bonus Action.
The only way around that is to be a Sorcerer with the "Quickened Spell" metamagic. This allows you to change a spell's casting time from an action to a bonus action.
There is a note to be made here, though. When you cast a spell as a bonus action, special rules apply:
So if you happened to be a Sorcerer and use the Quickened Spell metamagic, and make Fire Bolt a bonus action-- You can't now cast Scorching Ray as your action. You could only cast a cantrip with a casting time as one action, such as casting Fire Bolt again. However you could use Quickened metamagic on Scorching Ray to make it a bonus action, and then use your action to cast Fire Bolt.
This also applies if you have a standard spell as another class which has a Bonus Action casting time. Say, Spiritual Weapon for Clerics. Once you cast it, you cannot now use your action to cast a non-cantrip spell.
Hope that helps!
I think this wizard's question is caused by a misunderstanding of the rule MellieDM quoted (as a new player, I made the same mistake).
The general rules only allow casting spells with a casting time of bonus action as a bonus action, unless another ability specifically says otherwise. And you cannot cast a spell with your action and bonus action on the same turn, unless the spell cast as the action is a cantrip.
One of the things I've done, which can be a major boon to the players. If they only cast a cantrip as an action, I will allow them to cast one as a bonus action but it would be the scaled down version of it, for instance firebolt of a 5th lvl caster does 2d10 but if they do it both times its 1d10 for the BA one, it helps out a lot at lower lvls to get over some serious humps that can happen in modules, but is way less effective at higher lvls, but its really up to how you want to do things.
PyscoSonic#4554
Closest you can do is to take something like the 2nd level spell Flaming Sphere, It takes an action to cast and Concentration to maintain but will allow you to move it around as your bonus action on subsequent turns. There's a few other spells as well like that that can be continually used as a bonus action.
From my understanding of the way it's described, and using only the Wizard spell list:
5th level Wizard
Action: Cast Sleet Storm
Then
Bonus Action: Cannot cast another spell
Or
Bonus Action: Expeditious Retreat
Then
Action: Acid Splash
A Sorcerer can manipulate this a little bit using Quicken but it would still fall under the second example.
Your Bonus Action is not simply a chance to perform second Action, it's a separate thing altogether. The naming is a bit unfortunate because it leads to confusion like this. Think of your turn as a set of resource slots that everything has to fit in, and none of them are the same size. Your Action and Bonus Action are not interchangeable. If you have an ability that says you can do X as a Bonus Action, you can't do it as your Action instead, and vice versa. Most spells have a casting time of 1 Action. Some have a casting time of 1 Bonus Action. Nothing in the rules about casting two spells on a turn changes the casting time for any of your spells. So in your example no, the Wizard can't simply decide to cast Fire Bolt as a Bonus Action. The only cantrips that currently have a casting time of 1 Bonus Action are Shillelagh and Magic Stone. In addition, Grave domain Clerics can cast Spare The Dying as a Bonus Action(they can still cast it as an Action, so they could stabilize two people on one turn). For a Wizard, they could Misty Step as a Bonus Action and Fire Bolt as an Action on the same turn, as an example. Note that if you're multiclassed with at least 2 levels of Fighter, things change. You can use your Action to cast Fireball, then Action Surge and cast another Fireball. Action Surge gives you an entirely new Action slot to use on that turn. The rules about casting a Bonus Action spell and an Action spell don't apply.