Attacks, the Attack Action and Extra Attacks

I’ve seen a bit of confusion about exactly how many attacks a character can make on his or her turn, as well as how some spells or abilities interact with the attack action. This article will attempt to clarify those matters.

The most important thing to know is this:

The Attack action allows you to make an attack, but not all attacks require the Attack action.

Or:

Attack Actions and Attacks are not the same thing!

The Attack action

In its basic form, the Attack action allows you to make one attack (generally a weapon attack) against an enemy. Per the rules on movement, you can move before or after attack, or move both before and after the attack.

There are a few abilities that require the Attack action to use:

  • Extra Attack allows you to make one additional attack when you take the Attack action. (You may also move between the two attacks). Fighters gain the ability to gain two or three additional attacks at higher levels, so a 20th level fighter is able to make 4 attacks when they take the Attack action.
  • Two-Weapon Fighting can only be used when you take the Attack action. You may use your bonus action to attack with your off-hand weapon.
  • Flurry of Blows can only be used when you take the Attack action. You may use your bonus action and spend ki points to have additional attacks.

The Cast a Spell action

The attack action is not the only way you can attack. If you cast Eldritch Blast, you make a ranged spell attack against a creature. This is an attack, but you’ve used the Cast a Spell action, not the Attack action to do so. As a result, abilities such as Extra Attack and Flurry of Blows won’t trigger. Shocking Grasp gives you a melee spell attack against a creature. Once again, you’ve used Cast a Spell, not Attack, so extra attack doesn’t apply.

Greenflame Blade also works in this manner – it’s a little different as you then make a weapon attack, but it’s part of the action you used to cast the spell – normally the Cast a Spell action.

Spells that require the Attack action

Not all spells work that way, however. If you cast Shilleagh, which takes a bonus action, you don’t immediately attack. Instead, it modifies how you attack – for the duration of the spell, instead of using your Strength as the modifier for your attacks, you use your spellcasting ability score (normally Wisdom for druids). Similarly Magic Stone allows you or others to throw the enchanted pebbles using your spellcasting attack bonus rather than their regular attack bonus. However, the actual attacking is done by taking the Attack action, and so can be modified by Extra Attack, Flurry of Blows and other such abilities. (Magic stone is from the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion. Its wording is a little obscure, but that’s how it works.)

As an Action/Use your action

Another wrinkle are the spells which have an ongoing effect. Vampiric Touch is one such spell – it allows you to make a melee spell attack when you cast it (so you get an attack as part of the Cast a Spell action as above), but the spell persists for up to a minute. Its text reads “Until the spell ends, you can make the attack again on each of your turns as an action” (emphasis mine). Is this an attack action? No, it isn’t. It’s a brand new type of action you get to use. Call it “Vampiric Touch action” if you like, but these new actions allow you to attack, but they don’t use the Attack action. The trick to identifying them is that they read “as an action” or “use your action” to describe how they work. A few require the use of your bonus action instead.

Attack Terminology

Just as a side note, all attacks are described in terms such as ranged spell attack or melee weapon attack. Each word means something.

The first word is either ranged or melee. Ranged attacks suffer disadvantage if you’re adjacent to an opponent, melee attacks do not. Melee attacks also can be against any creature within your reach (generally 5 feet), while ranged attacks can be made against any creature within the stated range of the attack. In some cases, an attack form has two ranges; attacks at the longer range suffer disadvantage.

The second word (if present) generally indicates what modifiers you uses for the attack. Spell attacks use your spellcasting ability modifier, while weapon attacks use Strength (melee weapon) or Dexterity (ranged weapon). There are exceptions to this depending on the spell or type of weapon. Incidentally, unarmed combat is generally still considered a weapon attack – the weapon being your fists or feet!

The third word indicates that it is an attack roll, one of the three types of d20 roll in D&D. (The others are saving throw and ability check.) Attack rolls are different because a natural 1 is an automatic miss, while a natural 20 is an automatic hit and a critical hit. Both saving throws and ability checks don’t have special things happen on 1s or 20s.

Action Surge

One of the special cases is the fighter ability Action Surge. This allows you to take one additional action during your turn. If you use this to take the Attack action, you get as many attacks as you would if you took it for your first action. So, a 20th level fighter can get 8 attacks in a turn – four from the first Attack action and four from the second Attack action. You could then use your bonus action to attack with your off-hand weapon (Two-Weapon Fighting). Note that Action Surge does not give you an additional bonus action or move; only an additional action.

Haste

Another special case is the spell Haste. It allows an affected character to take an additional action each turn (not all actions are allowed). However, if you took the Attack action, you can only gain one additional attack with it – the Extra Attacks you might have don’t count.

Interestingly, this doesn’t stop you using Flurry of Blows or Two-Weapon Fighting, as both are part of bonus actions. You could use your first action to cast a spell, then your additional action from haste to make a single weapon attack with the Attack Action, then use your bonus action to make an off-hand attack with Two-Weapon Fighting since you’ve used the Attack Action during the turn.

Conclusion

Most of the rules and power descriptions in the new edition of D&D use quite specific wording, but because the terms can be quite similar, it’s easy to get confused. “Attack action”, “As an action” and “Attack” mean three separate things, as do “When you make an attack” and “When you take the Attack action”. As long as you keep the differences in mind, you should be fine. And feel free to ask questions if you get confused!

34 thoughts on “Attacks, the Attack Action and Extra Attacks

    1. The action surge works normally – you get a full action from it – and so does haste – you get one of the actions it allows. The two don’t limit each other (with the proviso that casting any spell with the casting time of 1 bonus action limits any other spells cast in the same turn to being cantrips with casting times of 1 action).

  1. If a fighter has an extra attack while taking an attack action, wouldn’t moving between attacks necessitate two attack actions? I am referring to the idea that an attack is separate from an attack action. But also, I am wondering, if you do not move between attacks, can you change targets if within range?

    1. The PHB clarifies that you can move between attacks (PHB 190). You resolve each attack individually, and can have different targets for each one.

  2. If you have Extra atack (Lv 5) and two-Weapon Fighting (2 short swords). How many weapon atacks you have 3 or 4?

    1. Three. You take an attack action and get two attacks (one normal, one through Extra Attack) with your primary weapon, then you use a bonus action to attack with your off-hand weapon.

  3. If you use your reaction to attack a creature leaving your melee range, and have the extra attack feature, would that give you two attacks or just one?

    1. Just the one attack. The Extra Attack feature states that it only functions when you take the Attack action; an Opportunity Attack just allows you to make an attack, not take the Attack action.

  4. Thanks for the clarifications. So according to the information presented above, the following Sage Advice has a typo, unless I’m reading it wrong. http://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/08/01/hunters-volley/

    * Regarding the Hunter Ranger’s 11th level ability it says, “Volley uses your entire action, not just one attack. IIRC, you can volley + extra attack, not 2x volley.”

    * When it should say, “On your turn, you can use Volley as your entire Action -OR- use the Attack Action and gain the benefits of Extra Attack. Because Volley is its own action, it cannot be uses as part of another type of Action.”

    * A Ranger with Horde Breaker can also make an additional attack against an adjacent foe if using the Attack Action or Volley because it doesn’t specify any type of action requirement. It says “when you make a weapon attack”.

  5. So a lvl 5 monk could do as follow?:

    QuarterStaff (1 handed)
    Extra attack
    Extra attack

    Flurry of Blows

    1. The monk takes the Attack action on their turn, and makes two attacks (one normal, one from Extra Attack). In addition, the monk could use a bonus action to make an unarmed strike (Martial Arts) or use a bonus action and a Ki point to make two unarmed strikes (Flurry of Blows).

      Thus, the monk’s options:
      * Two attacks (either weapon or unarmed strikes), plus
      * One unarmed strike using a bonus action

      OR

      * Two attacks (either weapon or unarmed strikes), plus
      * Two unarmed strikes using a bonus action and a Ki point

      1. Any problems with this?
        1st attack: Main hand weapon
        2nd attack: unarmed strike
        Bonus action: 2 unarmed strikes
        (Path of the Kensei) Agile Parry- +2 AC
        I’m trying to clarify, since (Agile Parry) states that the unarmed strikes are part of the attack action and not the bonus action.

        1. That works (assuming you have Extra Attack). As long as you make at least on unarmed attack as part of the Attack Action (not the bonus Flurry attacks) the Agile Parry works.

  6. Arcane Shot says: Once per turn when you fire an arrow from a shortbow or longbow as part of the Attack action, you can apply one of your Arcane Shot options to that arrow.

    Extra Attack says: Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

    So my question… Arcane Shot says as part of the Attack Action I can apply an arcane shot option to the arrow I fire “as part of the attack action”. Extra attack says I attack twice as my Attack Action. Does this mean that I can apply an arcane shot option to both the arrows I fire as part of my attack action?

    1. Extra Attack modifies the number of attacks you can make as part of the Attack Action. Arcane Shot modifies a maximum of one of those attacks.

      I’m taking an Attack Action (normally one attack) -> Extra attack gives me an extra attack, so two attacks -> Once per Turn, I can modify one of those attacks. So you can choose to modify either the first or the second attack, but not both.

  7. Quick question, if someone were to cast haste on a sorcerer, could that sorcerer cast 2 separate spells?

    Great topic by the way, super helpful!!

    1. No, as haste does not allow you to use your extra action to cast spells. (See the spell description for the actions it allows).

  8. So hast on a monk only gives the monk 1 attacks

    Action ,attack , Etta attack 2
    Hast attack 1
    Bones flurry of blows 2attacks 2

  9. Great article. Any idea how the following ‘Arya Stark’ one-shot build gets 6 attacks? I can only see 5 – attack action (2 attacks), action surge (2 attacks) and War Priest (bonus action attack). Have I missed something? Also not clear where the ability to cast invisibility comes from!

    How to build it:

    Start with a Rogue and whatever race you want with good Dex.
    At level 3, pick Assassin for the autocrits.
    You are now a Fighter from levels 4 through 8 because every good assassin needs Action Surge and Extra Attack.
    Dip in one level of Cleric for War Domain.
    Take one level in Warlock for the Hex spell.
    Use a rapier with Dueling Fighting Style and make sure you get yourself to 20 Dex for the +5 damage.
    The result:

    Now you’re a level 10 Rogue Fighter Cleric Warlock.
    Cast Invisibility on yourself and sneak up on a badguy. Hit him with Hex.
    Next, take two handfuls of dice. You’re going to need them.
    You have advantage on every attack, so assuming you hit with each attack available to you, deal 12d8 + 16d6 + 42. That, my friends, is an average of 152 damage on a single turn by level 10.

    1. Casting Hex means you lose your invisibility. You also lose invisibility after your first attack. If you lose initiative in the combat, you don’t get Assassin autocrits or automatic advantage. Your bonus attack from War Cleric doesn’t double, and you needed the bonus action to cast Hex in any case. It’s a joke build that doesn’t work.

  10. If you’re looking for a build that’ll give you incredible opening shot potential, I say take 5 levels of Assassin, then 15 levels of Whispers Bard. This will give you some nice defenses, specializations, healing, and access to Improved Invisibility, and Green Flame Blade. Assuming you get the drop on an enemy, and your first attack is a critical hit with Green Flame Blade, you’ll deal something like this:

    * 2d8+5 (Rapier+Dex), 6d8 (Green Flame Blade + secondary target within 5′ damage), +6d6 Rogue, +16d6 Psychic Blades damage.
    * 35 to 201 damage, or around 100 average damage.

  11. Wait so a level 20 fighter can attack four times per action, with action surge you have 2 actions thus eight attacks, with Haste you have 3 actions in which you attack so twelf attacks and then with your bonus action an offhand attack so thirteen attacks all in one turn?

    1. No. Haste gives an extra action that only permits one attack. The total you get to is 10 attacks.

  12. Can the Haste action be taken before the regular action in a turn? If my eldritch knight cast Haste on himself last turn, can he attack (once, from the Haste action) and then (assuming he hits) use his regular action to cast Fireball {no concentration needed) using Eldritch Strike, so that his target saves with disadvantage?

    1. The extra action granted by haste can be taken at any point in the turn (as long as not in the middle of some other action!), so yes, that would work!

  13. As a hexblade/fighter. In 1 attack action if i have an extra attack, can i do 1 melee attack and 1 spell attack?
    Or do both attacks need to be either melee or spell

    1. Both attacks must be weapon (melee or ranged) attacks. “Spell attacks” are the result of a Cast a Spell action, not the Attack action.

    1. Yes. For every attack you make, you can change targets between the attacks. You can also move between attacks (a special dispensation in the rules on movement – normally you can’t move while performing an action. Before and after, not while, but attacking is an exception).

      1. So, does that mean that you can move between the triggering attack for a Horde Breaker Attack? (Hunter Ranger, PHB pg. 93)
        I ask, because I think the intent is ‘No’ but when I read it, it doesn’t seem to specify, so ‘Yes’?

    1. Dimension Door is an action to use; so generally no.

      Misty Step is a bonus action, so could use that plus an Attack action (for weapon/physical attacks) or a cantrip. You can’t cast Misty Step and a non-cantrip spell though, due to the limitations on bonus action spells.

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