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Can You Attack on a Ready Action in D&D 5e? A Comprehensive Guide

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Yes, you absolutely can attack on a ready action in D&D 5th Edition (5e). However, there are key limitations and nuances that every player should understand to effectively utilize this versatile tactical option. The Ready action allows you to interrupt the normal flow of combat and react to specific triggers, offering strategic advantages in certain situations.

Understanding the Ready Action

The Ready action is a core mechanic in D&D 5e that allows you to delay your turn and react to a specific perceivable trigger. Instead of acting during your initiative slot, you choose an action (like attacking, casting a spell, or moving) and a condition that will trigger that action. When that condition is met, you use your reaction to perform the readied action. This makes it possible to respond to enemy movements, spells, or other events dynamically.

How the Ready Action Works

On your turn, you declare that you are taking the Ready action. You then specify two things:

The Action: The action you are preparing to take. This can be the Attack action, the Cast a Spell action (with limitations discussed below), the Dash action, the Dodge action, the Help action, or the Use an Object action. Importantly, you cannot combine multiple actions into a single readied action (e.g., you can’t Ready an Attack and then move afterward).
The Trigger: The specific circumstance that will cause your readied action to occur. This trigger must be something you can perceive, like “when the goblin steps into the doorway” or “when the wizard starts casting a spell”. The trigger is crucial; if it doesn’t occur, you don’t use your reaction, and your action is lost.

When the trigger you specified occurs before the start of your next turn, you can use your reaction to immediately perform the chosen action.

Limitations and Considerations

Reaction Required: Using the Ready action consumes your reaction, whether you eventually trigger the action or not. This means you won’t be able to use opportunity attacks or other reaction-based abilities until the start of your next turn.
Concentration for Spells: If you Ready a spell, it must have a casting time of 1 action, and you must maintain concentration on the spell. If your concentration is broken before the trigger occurs, the spell is lost.
Single Attack: If you ready the Attack action, you only get to make one attack, even if you normally have the Extra Attack feature or other abilities that allow you to attack multiple times. This is because the Extra Attack feature specifically states it only applies “on your turn.” However, there is an exception discussed below.

The Attack Action and Extra Attack

The interaction between the Ready action and the Extra Attack feature is a common point of confusion. The Extra Attack feature, available to Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, and some other classes and subclasses, allows you to make multiple attacks whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

When you Ready an Attack, you are taking the Attack action not on your turn, but as a reaction to a trigger. Therefore, the Extra Attack feature typically does not apply. You only get to make a single attack.

Exception: Trigger on Your Turn

There’s an important exception: if the trigger for your readied Attack action occurs on your turn, the Extra Attack feature does apply. For example, if you Ready an attack to occur when you drop your Concentration on a spell, and you drop your Concentration on your turn, you would benefit from Extra Attack.

Strategic Uses of Readying an Attack

Despite the limitations, the Ready action can be a powerful tool:

Interrupting Actions: You can ready an attack to interrupt an enemy spellcaster, forcing them to make a concentration check if they are hit.
Setting Up Ambushes: You can ready an attack to target an enemy as soon as they come into view.
Coordinating with Allies: You can ready an attack to target a specific enemy after an ally takes a particular action.
Defensive Maneuvers: Readying an attack can deter enemies from approaching you or your vulnerable allies.

FAQs: Ready Action and Attacks

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the Ready action and its interaction with attacks in D&D 5e:

Can I ready a bonus action? No, the Ready action can only be used with actions, not bonus actions. You can still use your Bonus Action on your turn as long as it doesn’t have a prerequisite that requires an action.
Can I move as part of a Ready action? Yes, you can Ready the Dash action to move up to your speed when the trigger occurs. You can also ready the Move action, and move up to your speed.
Does Readying an attack use my action and reaction? Yes. You use your action on your turn to take the Ready action, specifying the trigger and the Attack action. You then use your reaction when the trigger occurs to perform the attack.
If I ready an attack and the trigger doesn’t happen, do I lose my action? Yes. You used your action on your turn to prepare the action. If the trigger doesn’t occur before the start of your next turn, the action is lost. You also lose your reaction for the round, whether you trigger the action or not.
Can I ready the Multiattack action? Yes, some monsters have the Multiattack action. You absolutely can ready Multiattack.
Can I Counterspell a readied spell? Yes. You can Counterspell a spell that uses a Ready action, but it has to be on the caster’s turn, and not when the spell is triggered by their Reaction.
Can I use a bonus action before a readied attack? Yes. You can use your bonus action at any point on your turn, assuming you meet the requirements for the bonus action. This can be before, during, or after using your action to Ready an attack.
Can I use Sneak Attack with a readied attack? Yes, if all the conditions for Sneak Attack are met when you make the readied attack (e.g., you have advantage or an ally is adjacent to the target), you can apply Sneak Attack damage. It only happens the first time on each turn that you hit with an attack that fulfills the conditions of sneak attack.
Can I ready two actions at once? No. The Ready action only allows you to prepare one action at a time.
Can I ready an action to cast a spell that takes longer than 1 action to cast? No. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action.
Can I use the Ready action to set a trap? Yes, you can ready the Use an Object action to set a trap when the trigger occurs. You need to have the trap ready and available, and the trigger would be whatever circumstance sets off the placement.
Can I attack with my off-hand weapon as part of a Ready action? The article mentions “When you take the attack action with a light melee weapon, you can use your bonus action to make an attack with a different light melee weapon held in your other hand.” but a Ready action wouldn’t allow the use of that particular ability.
Does the Ready action affect my initiative order? No. The Ready action doesn’t change your place in the initiative order. You simply delay your action until the specified trigger occurs.
What happens if multiple characters ready actions with the same trigger? The characters who readied the action act in the order of their initiative. For example, if two characters both ready an attack to trigger when an enemy enters a doorway, the character with the higher initiative acts first.
Can I use a readied action to deliver a touch spell? Yes. If you ready the Cast a Spell action, you cast it as normal but hold its energy until the trigger occurs. Touch spells can be held in this way.

Conclusion

The Ready action is a valuable tactical tool in D&D 5e. While there are limitations, such as the single attack restriction when readying the Attack action (unless triggered on your turn), it can be used effectively to interrupt enemies, set up ambushes, coordinate with allies, and defend vulnerable characters. Understanding the rules and strategic applications of the Ready action can significantly enhance your gameplay and create more dynamic and engaging combat encounters.

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