Actions

CharactersWhen andyou monstersdo something other than moving or communicating, you typically take an action. The Action table lists the game's main actions, which are gooddefined atin variousmore things. Some are skilled with many weapons, while others can use only a few. Some are better at under- standing people's motives, and others are better at unlocking the secrets of the multiverse. All creatures have a Proficiency Bonus, which reflects the impact that training has on the creature's capabilities. A character's Proficiency Bonus increases as the character gains levels (describeddetail in “Character Creation”). A monster's Proficiency Bonus is based on its Challenge Rating (see “Rules Glossary”). The Proficiency Bonus table shows how the bonus is determined.

This bonus is applied to a D20 Test when the creature has proficiency in a skill, in a saving throw, or with an item that the creature uses to make the D20 Test. The bonus is also used for spell attacks and for calculating the DC of saving throws for spells.Glossary.”

Proficiency Bonus TableActions

Level or CRAction	BonusSummary
Up to 4Attack	+2Attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike.
5-8Dash	+3For the rest of the turn, give yourself extra movement equal to your Speed.
9-12Disengage	+4Your movement doesn't provoke Opportunity Attacks for the rest of the turn.
13-16Dodge	+5Until the start of your next turn, attack rolls against you have Disadvantage, and you make Dexterity saving throws with Advantage. You lose this benefit if you have the Incapacitated condition or if your Speed is 0.
17-20Help	+6Help another creature's ability check or attack roll, or administer first aid.
21-24Hide	+7Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check.
25-28Influence	+8Make a Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion) or Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to alter a creature's attitude.
29-30Magic	+9Cast a spell, use a magic item, or use a magical feature.
Ready	Prepare to take an action in response to a trigger you define.
Search	Make a Wisdom (Insight, Medicine, Perception, or Survival) check.
Study	Make an Intelligence (Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion) check.
Utilize	Use a nonmagical object.

Player characters and monsters can also do things not covered by these actions. Many class features and other abilities provide additional action options, and you can improvise other actions. When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the Game Master tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of D20 Test you need to make, if any.

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YourThe Proficiencygame Bonususes can't be addedactions to agovern diehow rollmuch oryou anothercan numberdo moreat thanone once.time. ForYou example,can iftake only one action at a ruletime. allowsThis youprinciple tois makemost a Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check, you add your Proficiency Bonus if you're proficientimportant in eithercombat, skill,as but you don't add it twice if you're proficientexplained in both skills.

Occasionally, a Proficiency Bonus might be multiplied or divided (doubled or halved, for example) before being added. For example, the Expertise feature (see “Rules Glossary”) doubles the Proficiency Bonus for certain ability checks. Whenever the bonus is used, it can be multiplied only once and divided only once.

Skill Proficiencies

Most ability checks involve using a skill, which represents a category of things creatures try to do with an ability check. The descriptions of the actions you take (see “Actions”Combat” later in “Playing the Game”)Game.”

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Actions can come up in other situations, too: in a social interaction, you can try to Influence a creature or use the Search action to read the creature's body language, but you can't do both at the same time. And when you're exploring a dungeon, you can't simultaneously use the Search action to look for traps and use the Help action to aid another character who's trying to open a stuck door (with the Utilize action).

Bonus Actions

Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a Bonus Action. The Cunning Action feature, for example, allows a Rogue to take a Bonus Action. You can take a Bonus Action only when a special ability, a spell, or another feature of the game states that you can do something as a Bonus Action. You other- wise don’t have a Bonus Action to take.

You can take only one Bonus Action on your turn, so you must choose which skillBonus appliesAction to use if you makehave more than one available.

You choose when to take a Bonus Action during your turn unless the Bonus Action's timing is specified. Anything that deprives you of your ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a Bonus Action.

Reactions

Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a Reaction. A Reaction is an abilityinstant checkresponse for that action, and many other rules note whento a skilltrigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's. The Opportunity Attack, described later in “Playing the Game,” is relevant.the Themost GMcommon hastype of Reaction.

When you take a Reaction, you can't take another one until the ultimatestart sayof onyour whethernext aturn. skill is relevant in a situation.

If a creature is proficient in a skill, the creaturereaction appliesinterrupts itsanother Proficiencycreature's Bonus to ability checks involvingturn, that skill. Without proficiency in a skill, a creature can still make ability checks involving that skill but doesn't addcontinue its Proficiencyturn Bonus.right Forafter example,the ifReaction.

In terms of timing, a characterReaction triestakes toplace climbimmediately aafter cliff,its trigger unless the GM might ask for a Strength (Athletics) check. If the character has Athletics proficiency, the character adds their Proficiency Bonus to the Strength check. If the character lacks that proficiency, they make the check without adding their Proficiency Bonus.

Skill List

The skills are shown on the Skills table, which notes example uses for each skill proficiency as well as the ability check the skill most often applies to.

Skill	Ability	Example Uses
Acrobatics	Dexterity	Stay on your feet in a tricky situation, or perform an acrobatic stunt.
Animal Handling	Wisdom	Calm or train an animal, or get an animal to behave in a certain way.
Arcana	Intelligence	Recall lore about spells, magic items, and the planes of existence.
Athletics	Strength	Jump farther than normal, stay afloat in rough water, or break something.
Deception	Charisma	Tell a convincing lie, or wear a disguise convincingly.
History	Intelligence	Recall lore about historical events, people, nations, and cultures.
Insight	Wisdom	Discern a person’Reaction's mooddescription andsays intentions.otherwise.
Intimidation	Charisma	Awe or threaten someone into doing what you want.
Investigation	Intelligence	Find obscure information in books, or deduce how something works.
Medicine	Wisdom	Diagnose an illness, or determine what killed the recently slain.
Nature	Intelligence	Recall lore about terrain, plants, animals, and weather.
Perception	Wisdom	Using a combination of senses, notice something that’s easy to miss.
Performance	Charisma	Act, tell a story, perform music, or dance.
Persuasion	Charisma	Honestly and graciously convince someone of something.
Religion	Intelligence	Recall lore about gods, religious rituals, and holy symbols.
Sleight of Hand	Dexterity	Pick a pocket, conceal a handheld object, or perform legerdemain.
Stealth	Dexterity	Escape notice by moving quietly and hiding behind things.
Survival	Wisdom	Follow tracks, forage, find a trail, or avoid natural hazards.

Determining Skills

A character's starting skill proficiencies are determined at character creation, and a monster's skill proficiencies appear in its stat block.

Saving Throw Proficiencies

Proficiency in a saving throw lets a character add their Proficiency Bonus to saves that use a particular ability. For example, proficiency in Wisdom saves lets you add your Proficiency Bonus to your Wisdom saves. Some monsters also have saving throw proficiencies, as noted in their stat blocks.

Each class gives proficiency in at least two saving throws, representing that class's training in evading or resisting certain threats. Wizards, for example, are proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saves; they train to resist mental assault.

Equipment Proficiencies

A character gains proficiency with various weapons and tools from their class and background. There are two categories of equipment proficiency:

Weapons. Anyone can wield a weapon, but proficiency makes you better at wielding it. If you have proficiency with a weapon, you add your Proficiency Bonus to attack rolls you make with it.

Tools. If you have proficiency with a tool, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to any ability check you make that uses the tool. If you have proficiency in the skill that's also used with that check, you have Advantage on the check too. This means you can benefit from both skill proficiency and tool proficiency on the same ability check.