Summary

• The Help action in Dungeons & Dragons 5e allows players to assist their allies in completing tasks, providing advantage on attack rolls or skill checks.
• The Help action can be used both in and out of combat, with different effects depending on the situation. It can be used to give advantage on skill checks or distract enemies to aid in combat.
• There are various ways to use the Help action without sacrificing a turn, such as using the spell find familiar, or choosing specific character races or classes that have the ability to use Help as a bonus action.

Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition gives players the tools to do many things both in and out of combat, but some features end up getting more widely used than others. Although actions like Shove, Dash, and Disengage tend to show up frequently in combat, the Help action is often overlooked. It can be easy to end up confused on the exact capabilities of the Help action, so even when it does end up being used, it's often employed in the wrong way.

One of the best ways to make DnD 5e combat more interesting is to move away from relying on the Attack action regardless of the situation. The Player's Handbook is a great resource for diving deeper into the variety of awesome forgotten DnD combat rules, but it can be an intimidating tome to explore at length. Luckily, it doesn't take too much information to get the hang of what DnD's Help action is capable of in and out of combat.

What Is The Help Action In D&D 5e?

The Help action is a mechanical framework for when a Dungeons & Dragons player uses their turn to assist one of their allies, either another player or NPC, in completing a task. How a player Helps can change depending on whether they are in or out of combat, as the action has a great amount of flexibility. In the simplest , the Help action in DnD 5e lets a player give advantage on an attack roll or skill check.

When To Use Help In A D&D Game

Knowing what is possible with the 5e Help action is key to knowing when to use it. Out of combat, the Help action takes the form of giving advantage on a skill check, which tends to be the most common way the Help Action is used in DnD games. Helping in this way can be assisting a fellow party member when searching for something for an advantage to an Investigation check, or chiming in during an intense conversation to give advantage on Persuasion.

It doesn't hurt to ask to help whenever possible in DnD, as the worst that a DM can say is no.

In combat, Help can be used to give advantage to another character against an enemy that is within five feet of the character using the action. This could take the form of distracting them or calling out a weak spot, and it can be a useful way to assist a character who has the greater combat prowess or more roleplaying reason to take down a foe. It's important to understand that while the player is using Help to aid an ally, in of DnD 5e game mechanics, it is the enemy who is the target of the action.

How The Help Action Works In D&D Combat

For one example of how using the Help action works in combat, a player could say they use their action to Help the barbarian attack a cultist. This means the barbarian will only get advantage on the attack roll if they attack the specific target mentioned. If the barbarian chooses to attack a different target or the cultist dies, then the Help action has been wasted, as it has to be used before the next turn of the player who deployed it.

This can make 5e's Help action a little tricky to use in combat, as it requires clear communication between party and some tactical thinking. It is most effective against boss-type DnD enemies where every blow counts. In these situations, players tanking or who aren't primary damage dealers can use Help to ensure that those who are about to dish out plenty of damage are going to land that hit.

Other Ways To Use Help In D&D Without Using An Action

The easiest way for a 5e DnD player to use the Help action in combat without using their own action is to use the spell find familiar and have the familiar assist. The familiar can stick close by to damage dealers and, as they have their own initiative, can use the Help action on each of their turns. Find familiar is a first level wizard spell, but by taking the Magic Initiate feat, any class can gain this spell.

Another way to use the DnD 5e Help action without sacrificing a turn is to use it as a bonus action, which is currently only available in two ways. The first is to choose the hobgoblin race for a new DnD character and make use the racial feature Fey Gift, which allows them to Help as a bonus action a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus per long rest. This feature also has an upgrade at level three to add to the benefits of using Help, such as granting temporary hit points, increasing movement speed, and dealing extra damage.

Finally, Mastermind rogues have the third level Master of Tactics feature in 5e, which allows them to use Help as a bonus action. Master of Tactics is great for ranged rogues as it increases the range of Help from five feet to 30 so long as the target can see or hear the player. These strategies are only the tip of the iceberg for effectively employing the Help action in combat, and any dedicated Dungeons & Dragons player can gain a lot from making more frequent use of this underappreciated mechanic.