Whether you’re making a single-class or multi-class build, weaponizing your bonus action is a great way to make a powerful character due to action economy. This is because the side that has more actions usually wins. Here are all the ways to attack with a Bonus Action in D&D 5e.
All Methods to Obtain a Bonus Action Attack in D&D 5e
Similarly to our article on weaponizing your Reaction, below, you’ll find mechanics, feats, pre-level-3 class features, items, and spell-like abilities from all classes that allow you to weaponize your bonus action. Having a readily available list of these methods allows you to grab it if you’re multiclassing to give a useful bonus action to classes that usually don’t have them. For every attack you make, the more turns you have, and the more opportunities for critical hits. Let’s begin.
Two-Weapon Fighting
Before we dive into the various bonus action attack methods, the most basic one is Two Weapon Fighting. You can find the rules for it on Page 195 of the Player’s Handbook. They state that as long as you take the Attack action and attack with a Light weapon in your main hand, you can use a Bonus Action to make one attack with another Light weapon in your off-hand. Shortswords or Daggers work by default but you can also take the Dual Wielder feat and use any one-handed weapon like a Longsword or Battleaxe for this feature to work.
Bonus Action Attack Feats
Here are all feats that allow you to attack with a bonus action:
- Crossbow Expert: Allows you to attack with a hand crossbow as a bonus action if you attack with a one-handed weapon with your Attack action.
- Great Weapon Master: Allows you to attack with a bonus action if you drop an enemy to 0 HP with your Attack during your turn.
- Polearm Master: You can make a 1d4 plus Strength attack as a bonus action if you attack with a polearm with your Attack action.
- Martial Adept: Allows you to take the Quick Toss maneuver which allows you to attack with a thrown weapon as a bonus action once per short rest.
- Shield Master: Allows you to Shove an enemy as a bonus action with your shield.
- Keenness of the Stone Giant: Allows you to make a ranged spell attack with your bonus action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
- Soul of the Storm Giant: Allows you to create a slowing and attack debuffing AOE around you as bonus action proficiency bonus times per day.
- Knight of the Crown: Proficiency bonus times per day. This feat allows you to use a bonus action to give an ally a free attack using their reaction.
- Tavern Brawler: Allows you to grapple an enemy as a bonus action if you hit them with an unarmed attack with your Attack action.
- Telekinetic: Allows you to push and pull enemies 5 feet using your bonus action but they have to fail a Strength saving throw.
- Metamagic Adept: If you take Quicken Spell, you can use spells as a bonus action once per Long Rest or more if you have additional sorcery points.
Remember that you can start with a free feat with Variant Humans and Custom Lineage.
Bonus Action Attack Class Features
Whether you’re taking levels in these classes as your main class or multiclassing for one to three levels, the following class features grant bonus action attacks:
- Fighter: The Battle Master subclass at Level 3 gets maneuvers, and Quick Toss allows you to attack with throwing weapons as a bonus action. Grappling Strike also allows you to grapple with a bonus action.
- Barbarian
- Berserker: This subclass grants Frenzy at Level 3, which allows you to attack as a bonus action during your Rage, but you get one point of Exhaustion at the end of the rage.Battlerager: This subclass allows you to attack with spiked armor as a bonus action at Level 3.Storm Herald: You can use a bonus action with this subclass at Level 3 to produce various offense-oriented AOE effects with your auras.
- Wild Magic: At level 3, wild magic surge number 8 allows you to make ranged attacks as a bonus action.
- Cleric: The War domain at Level 1 allows you to attack as a bonus action once per turn a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier.
- Artificer
- Artillerist: At Level 3, The Eldritch Cannon’s Force Ballista option attacks as a bonus action.
- Battle Smith: The Steel Defender at Level 3 attacks using your bonus action.
- Druid
- Stars: The Starry Form (Archer) feature at Level 2 allows you to make ranged spell attacks as a bonus action for 10 minutes per Wild Shape charge.
- Wildfire: The Wildfire familiar at Level 2 attacks using your bonus action.
- Monk: Starting from Level 1, the Monk’s Martial Arts feature allows you to make unarmed attacks as bonus action.
- Ranger
- Beastmaster: At level 3, your beast companion uses your bonus action to attack.
- Drakewarden: At level 3, your drake companion uses your bonus action to attack.
- Rogue: The Soulknife subclass at Level 3 can attack as a bonus action using their psiblades.
- Sorcerer: If you take the Quicken Spell metamagic at Level 3, you can use spells as a bonus action. I like using Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade on gish builds.
- Warlock: The Fathomless subclass at Level 1 allows you to attack using tentacles as a bonus action.
All of these bonus attack class features are accessible within the first three levels of a class.
Bonus Action Attack Races
Certain race options allow you to attack as a bonus action:
- Lizardfolk: They get a health-restoring bonus action bite attack proficiency bonus times per day.
- Shifter: The Longtooth option allows you to attack with a bonus action proficiency bonus times per day while shifting.
- Eladrin: Some of the subrace options allow you to use offensive spell-like abilities with a bonus action after you teleport proficiency bonus times per day.
- Humans/Custom Lineage: These two races can technically start with a bonus action attack feat like Polearm Master or Crossbow Expert.
- Minotaur: Allows you to Shove as a bonus action.
- Gnoll: If your DM allows you to use the Gnoll race from the Dungeon Master’s Guide on page 282, they can move and attack as a bonus action when they reduce a create to 0 HP.
For the purpose of this article, I’m assuming you’re using the latest rules for most of these races from Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.
Bonus Action Attack Spells
There are two early spells that attack using your bonus action, and you can grab them with a 3-level dip into spellcasting classes described below. The first one is the Level 2 Spirit Weapon spell that allows you to attack with a bonus action. You can get it on all Clerics, Divine Soul Sorcerers, and Conquest Paladins.
The second Level 2 spell is Flaming Sphere which you can ram into enemies as a bonus action for extra damage. You can get it on all Druids and Wizards as well as on Alchemist Artificer, Arcane Trickster Rogue, Wildfire Druid, Eldritch Knight Fighter, Light Cleric, Celestial Warlock. Alternatively, you can also grab the spell using the Prismari Student and Rakdos Cultist backgrounds.
Bonus Action Attack Magic Items
There are also some magic items that allow you to attack using a bonus action:
- Scimitar of Speed: This magic weapon on page 199 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide allows you to attack as a bonus action.
- Double-Bladed Scimitar: This weapon from Eberron: Rising from the Last War allows you to attack with a bonus action.
- Illusionist’s Bracers: This magic item from Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica allows you to cast cantrips as a bonus action.
- Potion of Speed: This magic potion on page 188 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide allows you to get the benefits of the Haste spell and get an additional action for attacking.
That concludes my guide on all ways to attack with a bonus action in Dungeons & Dragons 5e. For more D&D articles, check out 10 games inspired by Dungeons & Dragons.
