Bonus Action: choose between competing options
A Bonus Action is available only when a rule gives a specific use. Having several possible uses gives a choice, not additional Bonus Actions on the same turn.
Use it at the table
- Find the feature, spell or item that explicitly allows the Bonus Action.
- Check its timing and prerequisites before using it.
- Once one Bonus Action has been used this turn, reserve other options for a later turn unless a specific rule changes the limit.
Make the call
Two features each let a character take a Bonus Action. The character meets both prerequisites and has already used one feature this turn. Can they use the other as another Bonus Action?
The ruling
No; the usual limit is one Bonus Action per turn.
The general rule limits the character to one Bonus Action on a turn. Two features provide two possible uses of that resource. Meeting both prerequisites does not multiply it. The player chooses which available use fits the current turn, while retaining any separate action or Reaction they can take.
Watch for this mistake
A spare action does not automatically authorize an extra Bonus Action. Look for explicit permission before changing the type or number of actions a feature uses.
Ask the table
Which of the available Bonus Action uses matters most this turn?
The source rule
SRD 5.2.1, page 177. Read the official PDF.
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. See also “Playing the Game” (“Actions”).
Source and reuse
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
The explanation, example and table prompt are Table Ready adaptations; source text has been reflowed. This guide and its printable card are available under the same CC BY 4.0 license. Independent reference; no official affiliation. These rules are optional for our system-neutral adventures.