How do legendary and lair actions work?
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Legendary actions and lair actions are special mechanics in Dungeons & Dragons that allow epic creatures or boss monsters to take additional actions during combat, making them more formidable and unpredictable. These actions are reserved for powerful creatures, but can be applied to any creature through homebrewing, giving them a few extra actions per round of combat to increase their action economy.
Understanding Legendary Actions
Legendary actions allow a legendary creature to take a certain number of special actions outside its turn, which can be used at the end of another creature’s turn, and these actions reset at the start of the creature’s turn.
Understanding Lair Actions
Lair actions, on the other hand, are magical or physical effects that high-level creatures can use when they are in their own territory, such as a dragon’s cave or a beholder’s temple, and these actions occur at initiative count 20.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following FAQs provide additional information on how legendary and lair actions work:
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Q: How many legendary actions should a boss have? A: A boss will typically have two to three different legendary actions defined in its stat block, which can be used immediately after another creature’s turn.
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Q: Can you use the same lair action twice in a row? A: No, the same lair action cannot be used twice in a row, preventing the DM from always choosing the most dangerous or optimal action.
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Q: Do legendary actions count as turns? A: No, legendary actions do not count as part of the legendary creature’s own turn.
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Q: Can incapacitated creatures take lair actions? A: No, an incapacitated creature cannot take lair actions or legendary actions.
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Q: How many legendary actions should a creature have? A: There’s no firm rule, but most creatures have between two to three legendary actions.
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Q: Can you use legendary actions when surprised? A: No, a creature cannot use legendary actions if surprised, until after its first turn in combat.
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Q: Can a stunned enemy take legendary actions? A: No, a stunned creature loses the ability to take any actions, including lair and legendary actions.
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Q: Do lair actions affect CR? A: Removing legendary actions may reduce the CR by 1 or 2, but lair actions tend to be weak, so no reduction is needed.
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Q: Can a turned creature take legendary actions? A: As written, yes, a turned creature can still take legendary actions.
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Q: What dragons get lair actions? A: Dragons of any age that have an established lair can have lair actions.
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Q: Is a legendary action a reaction? A: No, legendary actions are not reactions, but additional actions that can be taken at any time after another character acts.
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Q: What are Strahd’s lair actions? A: Strahd’s lair actions include passing through solid walls and controlling doors and windows.
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Q: Do hags have legendary actions? A: Yes, hags can use legendary actions to consume or administer potions or cast spells.
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Q: Do you get legendary actions from shape change? A: No, the spell shapechange states that you can’t use legendary actions.
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Q: Does legendary count as a permanent type? A: No, legendary is not a permanent type, but a supertype that modifies an existing card type.