If I understand everything when it is my turn. I have a M/C cleric with 2 attacks.
Two party members fighting one monster.
I can move 30 feet and get to a low HP ally.
Instead of an attack I can do a magic action and cast a touch heal spell
With a 2nd attack action, I can attempt to hit the monster.
I assume I can not do a second heal spell?
No. You have already taken too many actions.
I assume M/C means Multiclass? They are a cleric with at least enough levels to get the Extra Attack feature of another class.
You can move and take one Action. Unless you have an effect that explicitly allows additional action, like Haste or a Fighter's Action Surge, you can either take the Magic to cast a spell or the Attack action to make an attack. If you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make two attacks with one Attack action. It does not give you two Attack.
If you are multiclassed into Fighter for 2 or more levels, you have a limited number of Action Surges you can do per long rest and that can give you extra actions on the turn you use that feature.
You could move to an ally, use a Bonus Action to give them a potion, and take the Attack action. Alternatively, you can use a Bonus Action to cast Healing Word which will be less healing than Cure Wounds, but is more flexible.
In general, you don’t have a second attack action. You only have a single action. If you use it to attack, you can make 2 attacks with that single action. Or you can cast cure wounds with a magic action. In that case, you don’t get to make any attacks.
The exception would be if you have 2 levels of fighter. Then you could action surge and get a second action. Then you could cast the spell, action surge and make your attacks. (Side note, you can’t action surge to cast in 24. Magic actions are specifically prohibited with action surge.)
Another option is to use your bonus action and cast healing word, then take an attack action and make two attacks.
You are correct that you can not cast a second healing spell, generally. An exception would be if you have a power that lets you cast one without using a spell slot. Then you might be able to both healing word and cure wounds on the same turn. But you can’t use two spell slots on the same turn. Hypothetically, if there were a healing cantrip, you could use that in addition to a leveled healing spell, assuming you follow action/bonus action rules. But there are no cantrip healing spells.
Even the game features that explicitly let you replace one of the attacks with a casting of a spell, such as an Eldritch Knight's War Magic or a Valor Bard's Extra Attack isn't level1+ spell but cantrip.
I have players that mix this up all the time, too, and we've been playing for years together. So don't worry if it seems confusing: even experienced players trip this up.
A lot of confusion comes from the Extra Attack feature, and people assuming "Attack" and "Action" are the same thing.
The very basic of it is that you ONLY every have one (1) action per turn (barring something like a Fighter's "Action Surge".
With that Action (using 5e 2024 terminology), you can make an Attack Action or a Magic Action. Both are a full Action.
With your Extra Attack feature, your ONE AttackAction can be used to make two full attacks (rolling your dice to see if you hit and then rolling for damage).
When you use the Magic Action to cast a healing spell, that means your entire Action has now been used up. You don't have any more, and you cannot make any attacks (unless you have a feature that allows you to make an attack using your Bonus Action).
An Action is not equal =/= to an Attack. Even if you have more than one Attack (like from the Extra Attack feature), you ONLY ever have 1 Action (Unless something specific gives you one, like the aforementioned Action Surge).
If I understand everything when it is my turn. I have a M/C cleric with 2 attacks.
Two party members fighting one monster.
I can move 30 feet and get to a low HP ally.
Instead of an attack I can do a magic action and cast a touch heal spell
With a 2nd attack action, I can attempt to hit the monster.
I assume I can not do a second heal spell?
Action has several options including "Attack" and "Magic".
If you take the Attack (Action), then that is your entire Action. At higer levels, the Attack(Action) will grant you Extra Attack. So at higher levels you can Attack(Action), which consists of the first attack, which im not sure if it has an official unambiguos name followed by ExtraAttack.
If you take the Magic (Action), then you can cast a spell or actively use a magic item of some kind, but then you cant Attack(Action).
"I assume I can not do a second heal spell?"
Just a FYI, cause its sorta applies to this question, you can only us3 one of your spell slots per turn. So you could Magic(Action) "Cure Wounds" followed by BonusAction to use Fey Touch feature to cast MistyStep without using a spell slot. But if you already used Fey Touch one free casting of misty step per long rest, then the most magic you could do on your Bonus Action would be to cast a Cantrip.
So, Action and BonusAction and sometimes Reaction (if it happens on your turn), you can burn one spell slot max per turn. Then on whatever action/bonusaction/reaction is left, you can cast a cantrip, use a magic item, or use some feature that will cast a spell without burning a second slot.
So, even if Attack(Action) somehow allowed you to cast spells on first attack and ExtraAttack, you'd still only be able to burn one slot. So... yeah...
Even the game features that explicitly let you replace one of the attacks with a casting of a spell, such as an Eldritch Knight's War Magic or a Valor Bard's Extra Attack isn't level1+ spell but cantrip.
Or if you're a Super EK: Level 18: Improved War Magic:
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace two of the attacks with a casting of one of your level 1 or level 2 Wizard spells that has a casting time of an action.
They really should've called the Attack action, like, "Strike" or something like that to distinguish it better.
There was an entire comic panel back in the 1e/2e days where the group tried to work out the usage of the word "Level".
"I want to go up a level." "Well, if you want to go up a level we need to go down a level." and so on.
Who's on Third for the D&D crew.
I think you mean 3.5e days, Order of the Stick. Excellent Comic. Up a Level, Down a Level. I also really like their first comic on converting to 3.5e from 3e, New Edition.
There was an entire comic panel back in the 1e/2e days where the group tried to work out the usage of the word "Level".
"I want to go up a level." "Well, if you want to go up a level we need to go down a level." and so on.
Who's on Third for the D&D crew.
Who is on first. I Don’t Know is on third. 🙃
What?
What's on second.
Abbot and Costello aside, attack, Attack, Attack Roll can be problematic. It's hard to think of an alternative that flows well and I would say that usually it's not a problem. I would probably lean towards either renaming the Attack action or just adding attack (lowercase) to the rules glossary. Formatting could be good too. It's less confusing if in print it is attack, Attack, Attack Roll.
If I understand everything when it is my turn. I have a M/C cleric with 2 attacks.
Two party members fighting one monster.
I can move 30 feet and get to a low HP ally.
Instead of an attack I can do a magic action and cast a touch heal spell
With a 2nd attack action, I can attempt to hit the monster.
I assume I can not do a second heal spell?
No. You have already taken too many actions.
I assume M/C means Multiclass? They are a cleric with at least enough levels to get the Extra Attack feature of another class.
You can move and take one Action. Unless you have an effect that explicitly allows additional action, like Haste or a Fighter's Action Surge, you can either take the Magic to cast a spell or the Attack action to make an attack. If you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make two attacks with one Attack action. It does not give you two Attack.
If you are multiclassed into Fighter for 2 or more levels, you have a limited number of Action Surges you can do per long rest and that can give you extra actions on the turn you use that feature.
You could move to an ally, use a Bonus Action to give them a potion, and take the Attack action. Alternatively, you can use a Bonus Action to cast Healing Word which will be less healing than Cure Wounds, but is more flexible.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
What’s the other part of the multi-class?
In general, you don’t have a second attack action. You only have a single action. If you use it to attack, you can make 2 attacks with that single action. Or you can cast cure wounds with a magic action. In that case, you don’t get to make any attacks.
The exception would be if you have 2 levels of fighter. Then you could action surge and get a second action. Then you could cast the spell, action surge and make your attacks. (Side note, you can’t action surge to cast in 24. Magic actions are specifically prohibited with action surge.)
Another option is to use your bonus action and cast healing word, then take an attack action and make two attacks.
You are correct that you can not cast a second healing spell, generally. An exception would be if you have a power that lets you cast one without using a spell slot. Then you might be able to both healing word and cure wounds on the same turn. But you can’t use two spell slots on the same turn. Hypothetically, if there were a healing cantrip, you could use that in addition to a leveled healing spell, assuming you follow action/bonus action rules. But there are no cantrip healing spells.
Thanks for setting me straight.
Even the game features that explicitly let you replace one of the attacks with a casting of a spell, such as an Eldritch Knight's War Magic or a Valor Bard's Extra Attack isn't level1+ spell but cantrip.
I have players that mix this up all the time, too, and we've been playing for years together. So don't worry if it seems confusing: even experienced players trip this up.
A lot of confusion comes from the Extra Attack feature, and people assuming "Attack" and "Action" are the same thing.
The very basic of it is that you ONLY every have one (1) action per turn (barring something like a Fighter's "Action Surge".
With that Action (using 5e 2024 terminology), you can make an Attack Action or a Magic Action. Both are a full Action.
With your Extra Attack feature, your ONE Attack Action can be used to make two full attacks (rolling your dice to see if you hit and then rolling for damage).
When you use the Magic Action to cast a healing spell, that means your entire Action has now been used up. You don't have any more, and you cannot make any attacks (unless you have a feature that allows you to make an attack using your Bonus Action).
An Action is not equal =/= to an Attack. Even if you have more than one Attack (like from the Extra Attack feature), you ONLY ever have 1 Action (Unless something specific gives you one, like the aforementioned Action Surge).
Action has several options including "Attack" and "Magic".
If you take the Attack (Action), then that is your entire Action. At higer levels, the Attack(Action) will grant you Extra Attack. So at higher levels you can Attack(Action), which consists of the first attack, which im not sure if it has an official unambiguos name followed by ExtraAttack.
If you take the Magic (Action), then you can cast a spell or actively use a magic item of some kind, but then you cant Attack(Action).
"I assume I can not do a second heal spell?"
Just a FYI, cause its sorta applies to this question, you can only us3 one of your spell slots per turn. So you could Magic(Action) "Cure Wounds" followed by BonusAction to use Fey Touch feature to cast MistyStep without using a spell slot. But if you already used Fey Touch one free casting of misty step per long rest, then the most magic you could do on your Bonus Action would be to cast a Cantrip.
So, Action and BonusAction and sometimes Reaction (if it happens on your turn), you can burn one spell slot max per turn. Then on whatever action/bonusaction/reaction is left, you can cast a cantrip, use a magic item, or use some feature that will cast a spell without burning a second slot.
So, even if Attack(Action) somehow allowed you to cast spells on first attack and ExtraAttack, you'd still only be able to burn one slot. So... yeah...
They really should've called the Attack action, like, "Strike" or something like that to distinguish it better.
pronouns: he/she/they
wagnarokkr I agree with you. Personally i would go for Assault action.
Or if you're a Super EK: Level 18: Improved War Magic:
the maddening piece is that "attack" and "Attack" mean fundamentally different things. Case sensitive rules is just bad design.
There was an entire comic panel back in the 1e/2e days where the group tried to work out the usage of the word "Level".
"I want to go up a level." "Well, if you want to go up a level we need to go down a level." and so on.
Who's on Third for the D&D crew.
I think you mean 3.5e days, Order of the Stick. Excellent Comic. Up a Level, Down a Level. I also really like their first comic on converting to 3.5e from 3e, New Edition.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
Heh, I saw that in Order of the Stick. They were a Dragon Magazine strip before the webcomic started, so might even have been the same guy.
Who is on first. I Don’t Know is on third. 🙃
What?
What's on second.
Abbot and Costello aside, attack, Attack, Attack Roll can be problematic. It's hard to think of an alternative that flows well and I would say that usually it's not a problem. I would probably lean towards either renaming the Attack action or just adding attack (lowercase) to the rules glossary. Formatting could be good too. It's less confusing if in print it is attack, Attack, Attack Roll.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
It’s an abbot and Costello comedy bit from, like the 1930’s.
No, What's on second.