Where are Legendary Actions Explained?
Legendary actions are explained on p. 11 of the Monster Manual (MM): a legendary creature can take a certain number of special actions, called legendary actions, outside its turn, with only one legendary action option usable at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The legendary actions mechanics are a key component of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) 5e game, allowing legendary creatures to have more agency and flexibility in combat.
Understanding Legendary Actions
What are Legendary Actions?
Legendary actions are a special type of action that can only be taken by certain types of creatures, such as dragons and liches.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do Legendary Actions Work?
Legendary Actions are a special type of action that can only be taken by certain types of creatures, such as dragons and liches. Legendary Action Points (LAPs) are required in order to take these actions, and they are recovered with each turn or any other trigger specified for the creature.
2. How do Legendary and Lair Actions Work?
Legendary creatures with lair actions generally have around four actions they can choose from on the lair’s turn, though they do not have to use them. The same lair action cannot be used twice in a row, which prevents the DM from always choosing the most dangerous or optimal action.
3. How Many Legendary Actions does a Creature Get?
A creature with Legendary Actions can take one, and only one, at the end of another creature’s turn. This means that a Legendary Creature has about as many actions as a 4-person party, but also that the number will drop if there are less creatures in the combat.
4. What is the Difference between Legendary and Mythical Actions?
Mythic Actions are the same as Legendary actions, just they aren’t available until the Monster dies once.
5. Who Gets Legendary Actions?
Legendary Actions are a special type of action that can only be taken by certain types of creatures, such as dragons and liches. Legendary Action Points (LAPs) are required in order to take these actions, and they are recovered with each turn or any other trigger specified for the creature.
6. Are Legendary Actions Magical?
Legendary actions and abilities are not necessarily magical. For example, a dragon doesn’t need magic to take flight or use its frightening presence.
7. Are Legendary Actions Considered Actions?
Legendary Actions are a special type of action that can only be taken by certain types of creatures, such as dragons and liches.
8. Do Legendary Actions Refresh?
It’s up to you when to use them and who to use them against. But if you do use them, it must be at the end of someone else’s turn. At the end of the round, the legendary actions refresh.
9. Can You Counterspell a Legendary Action?
Yes, but it wouldn’t do anything. The Archlich could definitely cast Counterspell as a legendary action. But most of the time, it wouldn’t do anything.
10. Can You Use Legendary Actions when Surprised?
That is not possible. If surprised, a creature can’t use Legendary Actions until after its first turn in the combat.
11. Can Legendary Actions be Used Before First Turn?
Yes, a legendary action can be used after any other creature’s action, so yes they can use it right after the last creature’s action just prior to their next turn, assuming they have legendary actions left to use.
12. Does Shapechange Give You Legendary Actions?
You can’t use any legendary actions or lair actions of the new form. You assume the hit points and Hit Dice of the new form.
13. Can You Use a Legendary Action to Dash?
But I’ve found without mobility, most monsters are just cannon fodder for any party above 6th level. Monsters with movement as a legendary action get “dash” as an option for legendary action instead.
14. Are Legendary Actions Stopped by Incapacitated?
Oh and re:legendary actions, the monster manual introduction, where it discusses legendary actions says: It can forgo using them, and it can’t use them while incapacitated or otherwise unable to take actions.
15. How do You Balance Legendary Actions in 5e?
Balancing Encounters with Legendary Actions. Working with Legendary Actions can be difficult as it’s easy to overpower encounters when your legendary creature has so much agency. To avoid this, you should assign a strict number of actions each turn and build the encounter around that.