Actions

"Action" redirects here. For the resource, see Resources#Action.

Actions are the acts taken by creatures on their turns in Baldur's Gate 3. Actions are generally taken in order to deal damage or inflict harmful conditions, but they can also be taken to heal or aid allies.

A special form of action – known as a reaction – can be used as a response to certain triggers, including on the turns of other creatures.

Taking actions usually requires the acting creature to expend one of three resources:

• Action
• Bonus action
• Reaction

Overview

Actions are categorised by their source:

Common actions

Common actions are actions available to all creatures.

Class actions

Class actions are actions available through features, such as those gained from classes or equipment. Many actions taken by NPCs are also considered class actions.

Racial actions

Racial actions are actions available through racial features, and are exclusively gained from race.

Situational actions

Situational actions unlock as a result of another ability, feature, or condition. It remains at the side of the character's hotbar until the conditions creating it expire. One such example is Forced Manoeuvre as a result of Manoeuvring Attack (Melee).

Weapon actions

Weapon actions are actions available through equipping weapons.

Spells

Spells are cast by casters and by other creatures through the use of scrolls.

Resources

Creatures take actions in turn-based mode by expending one of two resources: Action or Bonus action.

Additionally, some actions require both of the two resources to be expended.

An additional resource – Reaction – is used to take conditional reactions on another creature's turn.

All creatures have 1 charge of each of the three resources that recharges at the beginning of each turn, but additional charges can be gained from various sources.

Exceptions

Additional actions

• Actions that allow a creature to take an additional action per turn – such as  Action Surge – do not consume the resource they provide.

Free attacks

• Classes that have the  Extra Attack feature may take one additional Free Attack action on their turn after taking an Attack action, without expending an Action resource.
• Level 11 fighters have the  Improved Extra Attack feature and can take two additional Free Attack actions on their turn after taking an Attack action, without expending an Action resource.

Reactions

Figure 1 - Active Reactions. The dialogue bubble on each icon indicates that these reactions are set to "Ask".

Reactions are actions taken in response to a trigger, and can be taken even if triggered on another creature's turn.

Some reactions require the acting creature to expend a  Reaction resource, whereas other reactions do not. Those that do not are generally class features which use the reaction system, such as  Divine Smite,  Reckless Attack, or  Sneak Attack.

The Reactions tab

Figure 2 - Reactions Tab. Each reaction can be enabled or disabled with the checkbox on the left. They can be further configured with the "Ask" setting to prompt the player for confirmation each time the reaction is triggered.

Reactions are managed for each character through the Reactions tab, located on the spellbook page of a character sheet. The tab can also be accessed immediately by pressing on one of the active reactions on the hotbar, or by pressing a hotkey (default: L).

Reactions can be set to be taken automatically, or the game can be set to prompt the player first.

If taking the reaction expends any resources, they are listed under the reaction's name.

Limitations

A character cannot apply more than one reaction to the same event if any of them prompt for confirmation; the UI prevents selecting more than one reaction per character.

The set of reactions triggered by an event is determined before any of them take effect. This means an attack roll or saving throw that would normally ignore a reaction (e.g. because the roll succeeded and the reaction is a roll bonus from an ally) ignores that reaction even if the roll outcome is changed by another reaction.

Reactions that trigger on damage or saving throws ignore those that are not immediate, built-in effects of (non-reaction) actions. Concentration saves, death saves, saves to end a condition early, and saves or damage caused by area effects, conditions, passive features, reactions, or exploding items (other than arrows and launched fireworks) are ignored.

Creatures can be prevented from taking many reactions by a number of conditions. These include:

• Any fleeing condition such as  Fearful
• Any incapacitating condition such as  Hold Person
• Any invisibility condition, which prevents all reactions besides  Accursed Spectre,  Blinding Ambush, and  Weird Magic Surge
• Any polymorph condition besides disguises and Starry Forms ^{[See: Bugs]}
• Any restraining condition such as  Ensnared
• Any stunning condition, namely  Stunned
• Any unconscious condition such as  Prone

Other conditions prevent creatures from spending  Reaction resources. These include:

•  Arms of Hadar
•  Dazed
•  Shocking Grasp
•  Slowed
•  Surprised

This latter set of conditions does not prevent affected creatures from taking reactions which do not consume the  Reaction resource. Such reactions notably include Legendary actions performed by bosses in Honour mode. These actions are triggered like reactions but use a different resource making them unaffected by these conditions.

Examples of reactions

Spells

•  Counterspell
•  Hellish Rebuke
•  Shield

Class actions

•  Cutting Words
•  Deflect Missiles
•  Destructive Wrath
•  Entropic Ward
•  Fungal Infestation
•  Giant Killer
•  Githyanki Parry
•  Luck of the Far Realms
•  Misty Escape
•  Opportunity Attack
•  Riposte
•  Supreme Githyanki Parry
•  Tenacity
•  Warding Flare
•  Wrath of the Storm

Lists of common actions

Actions

•  Dash
•  Disengage
•  Help
•  Improvised Melee Weapon
•  Main Hand Attack
•  Perform
•  Ranged Attack
•  Throw
•  Unarmed Strike

Bonus actions

•  Dip
•  Jump
•  Off-Hand Attack (Melee)
•  Off-Hand Attack (Ranged)
•  Shove

Bugs

• Reactions to saving throws ignore those for  Staggering,  Thunderous, and  Wrathful Smite and  Topple the Big Folk.
• Most reactions that are normally disabled by non-disguise, non-Starry Form polymorph conditions (such as other Wild Shapes) are erroneously enabled if the creature also has a disguise or Starry Form condition.

See also

• Category:Bonus actions, a category of all bonus actions.