Bonus Action 5e Insights and Strategies

In D&D 5th edition, bonus actions are a crucial part of combat and gameplay. They provide players the ability to take an additional action during their turn, allowing use of unique abilities, spells, and other features that can be used to turn the tide of battle.


While not every turn in battle will involve the use of a bonus action, understanding how to use them effectively can be the key to victory in many challenging encounters. Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the game, it’s important to master the use of bonus actions. The bottom line is that they’re a fun and rewarding aspect of gameplay that can help you get the most from your DnD one shots or ongoing RPG campaign.

Bonus Action 5e

Get Ahead in D&D: Understanding Bonus Actions 5e

The use of bonus actions in D&D 5e can be a game-changer. Whether you’re a wizard looking to cast a quickened spell, or a fighter hoping to get in an extra attack, understanding when and how to use bonus actions can greatly enhance your effectiveness in the game.


Examples of Bonus Actions by Class

Classes and subclasses have specific features and abilities that can be used as bonus actions, allowing players to customize play style and tactics. Here are some examples of bonus actions for each class:


  • Barbarian: Rage, Second Wind
  • Bard: Bardic Inspiration, Healing Word
  • Cleric: Spiritual Weapon, Healing Word
  • Druid: Shillelagh, Wild Shape (when applicable)
  • Fighter: Second Wind, Shield Master’s Shove
  • Monk: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense
  • Paladin: Lay on Hands, Divine Smite
  • Ranger: Hunter’s Mark, Two-Weapon Fighting
  • Rogue: Cunning Action, Second Wind (if your subclass permits)
  • Sorcerer: Quickened Spell, Metamagic
  • Warlock: Hex, Eldritch Blast (with Agonizing Blast invocation)
  • Wizard: Arcane Recovery, Quickened Spell (if your subclass permits)


Primary Types of Bonus Actions

Bonus actions can be used in various scenarios. Of course, there are primary categories for what bonus actions actually “do,” so we’ll take a look at those first.


Dealing Additional Damage

One of the most common and effective uses of a bonus action 5e is to deal additional damage to enemies on your turn. Several classes have bonus action abilities and spells that allow for explosive turns. The rogue’s Sneak Attack or the cleric’s Spiritual Weapon, for example, allow you to maximize your character’s damage output, and take down enemies more quickly.


Healing and Support

Bonus actions can also be used to provide healing and support to allies. Several classes have abilities that allow them to use their bonus actions to heal themselves or other party members, such as the paladin’s Lay on Hands or the cleric’s Healing Word. Even though bonus action heals aren’t as powerful as those from primary actions, they’re still incredibly useful, especially during difficult encounters, and can absolutely help your party avoid a TPK.


Movement and Positioning

Oftentimes, battles can be won or lost simply because the party has superior positioning over their foes, or they’re simply able to attack, when their enemies are not. Several classes have abilities that allow players to use their bonus actions to disengage, dash, or hide, such as the rogue’s Cunning Action, or the monk’s Step of the Wind.


Buffs and Debuffs

One of the best ways to take advantage of your bonus action 5e is to buff yourself or allies, or debuff enemies. Several classes have abilities that allow them to use their bonus actions to cast spells or abilities that provide buffs or debuffs, such as the bard’s Bardic Inspiration or the warlock’s Hex. Though buff and debuff modifiers are often quite small, they certainly add up over the course of a combat encounter.


Interactions and Utility

Bonus actions also allow players to interact with their environment in unique ways, and perform utility actions. Several classes have abilities that allow them to use their bonus actions to use object or open doors, without “using up” primary actions, such as with the rogue’s Fast Hands.

Unleashing Devastation: Bonus Action Combos

Some bonus actions can be optimized by combining them with other actions or features:


  • A fighter might use Shield Master’s Shove as a bonus action to knock an enemy prone, and then follow up with an attack as their regular action with advantage.
  • A sorcerer might use Quickened Spell to cast a spell as a bonus action and then follow up with a regular spell as their primary action.
  • A rogue could use their Cunning Action bonus action 5e to hide and then use their Sneak Attack feature to deal extra damage to an enemy.
  • A paladin may use their Lay on Hands ability to heal themselves as a bonus action and then use their Divine Smite ability to deal extra damage on their regular attack.


Powerful Bonus Action Combos with Your Allies

Combining bonus actions between classes can also be an even more powerful strategy in D&D. Certain classes complement each other well, and combining their bonus actions can result in devastating effects.


These are just a few examples of the many possible combinations of bonus actions between classes. The key is to look for ways to complement each other’s strengths and abilities and to communicate and coordinate effectively with your party. By doing so, you can create powerful synergies and make the most of your bonus actions in D&D 5e.


Rogue and Ranger

The rogue can use their bonus action to hide, which grants them advantage on their next attack. The ranger, in turn, can use their bonus action to attack with advantage, resulting in both classes unleashing a big turn of increased damage.


If you can combo with your ally to deal a burst of damage to an enemy, it increases the chances they won’t receive healing or defensive effects in time to save them, which can end the fight with a flair.


Cleric and Paladin

On the defensive side, a cleric and paladin can synergize very well together to keep allies alive.


The cleric can use their bonus action to cast a spell that grants temporary hit points or healing to an ally. Meanwhile, the paladin can use their bonus action to provide additional healing. Together, especially if primary actions are used to heal or defend allies, the two can practically bring an ally back from the brink of death, in even a single turn.


Sorcerer and Warlock

Spell casters come with a wide variety of effects they can employ. For example, a sorcerer can use their bonus action to cast a quickened spell, which allows them to cast a spell as a bonus action instead of a normal action. The warlock, in turn, can use their bonus action to activate an Eldritch Invocation, such as Hex or Armor of Shadows. This combination allows the casting team to deal additional damage to foes and also buff themselves, or debuff enemies, in the same turn.


Fighter and Barbarian

For raw, in your face damage output, a fighter and barbarian team are almost unmatched. The fighter can use their bonus action to make an additional attack thanks to their Action Surge ability. The barbarian can then use their bonus action to rage, which grants them resistance to damage and increases their damage dealt.


Against enemies who are within reach of your physical attacks, Action Surge and Rage provide an intimidating increase to your offensive capabilities.

Bonus Action 5e Undead Nemesis

What Are Bonus Actions in D&D 5e?

Ok, back to the basics for a second, in case you need to learn these facts. A bonus action 5e is a special type of action that players can take during their turn in addition to their regular action. Bonus actions are typically shorter and less powerful than regular actions, but can be used to perform specific actions that can give players an edge in combat or other situations.


How Do Bonus Actions Work?

Players can take one bonus action per turn, provided they have a valid action to use it with. Additionally, abilities, spells, and features may have specific requirements or triggers to use bonus actions, so it’s important to read the description of each bonus action carefully.


Players should also note that bonus actions cannot be used to take the same action that was used for their regular action, meaning that they cannot cast the same spell twice – as an example.


Timing Is Key: When to Use Bonus Actions in D&D 5e

When it comes to using bonus actions in D&D 5e, timing is everything. You should carefully evaluate your options on a turn-by-turn basis. While bonus actions can provide powerful benefits, they’re limited in availability, so it’s important to determine when to use your bonus actions to gain an advantage. Many bonus actions require a short rest, per use, and characters can only use one bonus action per turn.

Dungeon A Day Article

Bonus Actions in D&D 5e vs. Eternity TTRPG

In D&D, bonus actions often require some kind of recharge period (usually a short rest) between uses, meaning that many bonus actions can only be used once per battle. Additionally, players only get one bonus action per turn.

 

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System, the term is different, and the restrictions are actually less, but the concept of a bonus action is the same. In Eternity TTRPG, an “Instant Action” is any action that can be used – as the name suggests – instantly. In some cases, instant actions are restricted to being used on your character’s turn, but in most cases, they can be used at literally any time.

 

Since Eternity TTRPG also uses a dynamic Initiative Tracker for combat (as opposed to a “static initiative, where everyone’s turns are in a stable order once combat begins), instant actions provide a great deal of things your character – or other peoples’ characters – can “do” even when it isn’t specifically your turn.

 

What Classes in Eternity TTRPG have Bonus Actions?

Being able to engage with the game directly, even when it isn’t your “turn,” is one of the core game design concepts of the Eternity TTRPG Game System. So, every single class has an instant action/ bonus action of some kind. Probably half of all classes have a bonus action that provides only a self-buff, but at least half of all classes have a very dynamic bonus action that can be used offensively, to heal allies, move, increase range on attacks, etc.

 

Since there are simply too many instant actions to list, here’s a sample of some of the game’s most iconic bonus action-like core class spells and abilities:

 

Assassin – Core Class Ability

Ambush: this ability can only be used at the start of a battle, before Initiative is rolled. Instant Action, take one Action of any kind. When you use or critical this ability, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn. 1Day Recharge.

  • (Life-Ender) You also gain two (2) stacks of “Lethality.” 
  • (Infiltrator) You also move your Speed value.
  • (Expert) You can use this ability twice before it goes on Recharge (but not during the same battle). This Critical still takes only 1Wisdom to use.

 

Cryomancer – Core Class Ability

Icy Enervation (Magic): 4Range, this spell automatically hits. Every time the target attacks, roll d20. If you roll 18-20, they take 1damage (deals 2damage to pyromancers). You can only deal damage with this spell once per turn, per target. You can instead choose to continually maintain this spell as an aura for 3Intelligence, per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every battle. 

  • (Frost Knight) The target also has -13Strike Bonus and -13Faith for their next attack.
  • (Spells of Everwinter) Up to 3 enemies in 4Range.
  • (Elemental Ice) Roll 15-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical as an aura for 6Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every battle.

 

Legionnaire – Core Class Ability

Blood Draw: weapon Range, Strike Bonus vs. Dodge. If this ability hits, roll d20 on every one of the target’s turns. If you roll 18-20, they take 1damage. Once the target drops to half of their max HP (rounded up), this ability cannot be dispelled or removed in any way, and you only need to roll 14-20 to hit, causing them to take 1damage. You can instead choose to continually maintain this ability as an aura for 3Intelligence, per target you want to use it on, making it an Instant Action at the start of every battle.   

           (Double-Hit): roll 5 numbers less to hit.

  • (Bringer of Balance) Roll 15-20 when the target has more than half of their max HP (rounded up). Roll 7-20 when the target has only half of their max HP left (rounded up). You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical as an aura for 6Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to use it on, making it an Instant Action at the start of every battle.
  • (Art of War) Even if this ability misses, +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Taunts the target for 2turns. This critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.
  • (Blade Disciple) Even if this ability misses, +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, the target also has -3Speed. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical as an aura for 6Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to use it on, making it an Instant Action at the start of every battle. 

 

Pyromancer – Core Class Ability

Meltdown (Magic): Instant Action. 4Range, -7Faith vs. Resilience, the target is Locked for 1turn. If you hit with this spell while you are affected by “Fire Augmentation,” it also allows you the chance to apply that effect.

           If you critical this spell, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn. “Meltdown” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. 3turn Recharge.

  • (Flames of the Abyss) Even if this spell misses, you gain +3Faith.
  • (Magic of the Silver Lands) Up to 3 enemies in 4Range, Faith vs. Resilience, all affected targets are Locked for 3turns.
  • (Elemental Fire) You can only use this critical if you have “Arcane” selected. You also attack the enemy using a non-critical “Arcane Burn” in the same turn.
Heroes are made with Bonus Actions

Additionally, here are some of Eternity TTRPG’s most iconic specialization/ critical option instant actions:

 

Berserker – Specialization/ Critical Option

Mortal Throw: throw your main hand and off-hand weapons 4Range, -7Strike Bonus vs. Dodge to hit (Strike Bonus not debuffed by “Dual-Wield”), deals 1damage. Move your Speed value -3 before or after this attack. After you throw your weapon, it returns to you, even if the attack misses.

           (Double-Hit): deals 2damage.   

  • (Dauntless Fury) You can use this critical as an Instant Action when you drop to 0HP. When you use this critical, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn.

 

Fallen Paladin – Specialization/ Critical Option

Life Eater (Magic): after you cast this spell on yourself, whenever an ally or enemy in 12Range takes damage, roll d20. If you roll 16-20, heal one ally in 4Range, +1HP. This spell allows the target to heal 1HP above their normal max HP. You can only cause healing with this spell once per turn. Healing from this effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). You can instead choose to continually maintain this spell for 2Inspiration.

  • (Sword of Shadows) You also take an additional non-critical Instant Action the next time you attack a target. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom), until this effect takes place.

 

Judge – Specialization/ Critical Option

God Save the King (Magic): weapon Range, +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or 4Range, +7Faith vs. Resilience, Taunts the target for 2turns. “God Save the King” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

  • (Swift Justice) You can use this critical if an ally takes damage. Instant Action. When you use this critical, you can’t use any more Wisdom for 1turn. 1turn Recharge.

 

Oracle – Specialization/ Critical Option

Greater Dispel (Magic): 4Range, Faith vs. Resilience, removes all stacks of one ongoing Magic, maintained effect, or status effect from the target (excluding summons), at your choice. Or alternatively, 4Range, +5Faith vs. Resilience, deals 1damage to a summoned unit.

           This spell is cast on any target you’d like, but the roll is made against the character who cast the spell or used the ability you are attempting to remove, unless the target is a summon.

           (Double-Hit): removes all stacks of 2 ongoing Magic or maintained effects (excluding summons). Or alternatively, if cast at a summon, deals an additional 1damage to the summoned unit.

  • (Memories of Eternity) Instant Action. When you use this critical, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn. 1turn Recharge.
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Strategies for using Bonus Actions in Eternity TTRPG

As a powerful debuff against spell casters, Silence allows you to prevent magical healing, zero out enemy spell damage, and even interrupt ongoing magical buffs or debuffs.

 

Immediately Buff Yourself and Allies

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System, it’s basic to start off every fight with maxed out buffs, based on your character’s stats. Since buffs can be “Maintained” via your character’s “Inspiration” stat, you can effectively instant action buff yourself at the start of every fight – and you absolutely should, as you can count on enemies doing the same.

 

Cast Debuffs at the Perfect Time

Sometimes, it’s best to instant action debuffs on enemies from the very start of every combat encounter, especially if that debuff compounds in power over time. However, it’s sometimes best to wait until your enemy’s about to cast a big spell or unleash a powerful attack on your or an ally to lower their attack chance, for example.

 

With instant actions, you can choose when to interrupt spells, abilities, attacks, movement – really anything you want. The only limit to finding the perfect timing for breaking down your enemy’s strategy is your own creativity.

 

Overwhelm Enemies

I personally enjoy building characters with super low initiative. The reason is that by avoiding any stats increases into initiative, I can load up on other stats like my hit chance or defenses. Plus, it doesn’t matter that I have low initiative, so long as you build with instant actions.

 

Classes like the revenant, for example, have all kinds of status effects they can bonus action cast on enemies, all simultaneously. So, even though my character is super slow, I may actually start every battle with 3-4 instant cast spells. Finally, in Eternity TTRPG, debuffs also trigger every time the target of your spell takes their turn, meaning that if I’m slow and they take turns more often than me, they actually get almost double-debuffed from my spells.

 

Give Yourself Force Multipliers

Consider situations where you can multiply the beneficial effects that you gain from instant cast spells and abilities. For example, the “Haste” archon spell gives you extra turns. Well, if you also give yourself a relic that provides you with the fallen paladin “Blood Spiller” ability, then you get a chance to deal extra damage whenever you attack, plus you get extra turns that also give you the “Blood Spiller” effect, again.

 

Finish Off Powerful Enemies

Healing in Eternity TTRPG is pretty simple, and it’s powerful. It does come with some long-term drawbacks, but if you’re fighting a major villain who has henchmen that can heal him when he drops to low HP, you may have a problem on your hands.

 

One of the best ways to use instant/ bonus actions is to quickly deal a burst of damage large enough to drop the enemy to 0HP in one fell swoop. If you can save your instant action burst for an opportune moment, though you may be itching to use it through the entire encounter, you’ll be the hero of the battle once that final blow is dealt.

 

Save Allies from the Brink of Death

As defensive powers, instant actions are also game-changers. Some classes, such as the paladin, have instant heal effects that bring an ally back from 0HP. These effects are also incredibly useful as they heal an ally back to 1HP even if they took damage from a massive attack that would otherwise have left them far in the negatives.

 

Try Out the Eternity TTRPG Game System

Whether you’ve played D&D for many years or you’re new to TTRPGs, check out the Eternity TTRPG Game System. Eternity is a self-published game that I created back in college, and even now, continues to receive regular updates.

 

Eternity TTRPG is a GM-less game where all players at the table can contribute to the game’s world, overall story, and overall individual quests as much or little as they like. You can pick up a PDF copy at the Eternity TTRPG shop.

 

Finally, I know that getting into a new game system comes with a bit of a learning curve. However, if you enjoy the idea of contributing to your game’s story without always being the sole dungeon master, and if you like highly tactical combat, then I know you’ll enjoy Eternity. Happy gaming!

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Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Author - Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

D&D books and dragon art collage with text: “Help! Get My Girlfriend to Play D&D”

How do I get My Girlfriend to Play D&D? Floral Dragons Field Guide

By Shawna Tegtman • July 1, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeVWenMXd68 Transcription Hey, y'all. How's it been? So one of the questions that I hear so often is, " How do I get my girlfriend, my wife, my significant other to play D&D with me or other tabletop role-playing games," right? I always also hear, like, I hear from my husband's friends, "You are so lucky you have a wife that wants to do these things with you." It was not always like that, okay? Five years ago when I met this man, and he was like, "I am into Fan Expo, and animes, and ren fairs, and tabletop role-playing, and D&D," and I just looked at him like, "What are you talking about? What are those things, and why are you into them? They just seem really silly." Um, of course, now five years later, I enjoy them with him, um, but it wasn't always like that, okay? So we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what would [00:01:00] get me into it, right? And of course, I did my first campaign, created my first character, and something that I really liked about that character is that it had a familiar, um, a summon that was its buddy, right? And, you know, I'm the kind of person that if I have a little furry friend, it's makes everything better. Real quick to interrupt. Eternity TTRPG is releasing a card game battler which emulates combat from the D&D tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our pre-sales page live now, packed with details. No [00:02:00] payment info needed. Just let us know if you want an email when the product becomes available. Now, back to your video So that's one of the things that I want to bring up that you could potentially use to help get your significant other into tabletop role-playing. Um, and one of the things that I've found that I actually really like, I found it last year at Gen Con, is made by Hit Point Press, okay? So we were just walking the aisles at Gen Con, and I found it out of nowhere, It made me change my look a little bit, and it was, like, exactly what I wanted from a game rather than just constantly seeing the I don't know. It's just, it's weird when you're looking at it from a female perspective versus a male perspective. Um, and anyway, Hit Point Press had this item, and it is called The Floral Dragons Field Guide. And it is beautiful artwork, which really drew me in, [00:03:00] but it takes these everyday whimsical flowers and turns them into dragons. It is so beautifully illustrated. , There was a wisteria dragon, a dandelion dragon, , oh, goodness, the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom dragon is probably my favorite. But what this did for me was give me a really beautiful outlet, but also a way to dive into the world and my own way to connect, right? So this field guide is 5e D&D compatible, which is great, right? And it was this whole field guide and idea of just finding these different dragons in the world around us, and it brought an everyday whimsy to my life 'cause now I don't just see a flower, I see the dragon that it could be, or perhaps the fairies that are in it. And I think that is the way to [00:04:00] get your significant other, wife, girlfriend, to connect with you on these tabletop role-playing games, is to bring the whimsical into your everyday life. Okay? So go out on that walk, point it out, and say, "Hey, maybe a fairy lives there." Now, obviously, not all w- women are this way. Um, I just happen to be that way, and I feel like there are a lot of women that are that way, that want to find that whimsy in life, that whimsical thing. So this guide that I found, um, it actually sold out in a lot of different versions at Gen Con, and I was able to get the box set. So it had the field guide, but it also had flashcards of each dragon, and then it had, uh, a DM screen. So super pretty art on one side showcasing all the dragons, and the other side showing how they can poison, paralyze, and do all the mean things that- You know, [00:05:00] we just like to do sometimes. That it goes into your role-playing game, right? 'Cause if you're gonna sneak up on some, um, fungi dragon, right, you would hope they would do something back to you. 'Cause you know, fungi in normal life can be good or bad depending on how you consume it. So it just kind of makes sense. Um, so anyway, that was one thing that helped me connect into this tabletop role playing world, was bringing the whimsy into my normal everyday life. And this guide, The Floral Dragon's Field Guide by Hit Point Press, did just that for me. Of course, there's other things that have come up over time, and I do hope to dive into those more because every woman's different and every woman finds what they enjoy and how they can connect with their significant other. Um, but this is just one way that has worked for me. Um, and like I said, you can take pieces of this field guide that I found, put it into just about any tabletop role playing game. Of course, if you wanna know [00:06:00] more about the one that my husband created, that's gonna be at eternityttrpg.com. And of course, I have to hype him up 'cause he's amazing. Um, but as always, you can head over there and like, comment, subscribe and we'll jump more into his game, other D&D stuff, other tabletop role playing and just see what we can find in life. Bye, guys.
Streamer at desk with “Eternity TTRPG Races” text overlay, in a gaming room

Custom Races for Your Next D&D Game in Eternity TTRPG

By Shawna • June 26, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_sdjZdLByE Transcription Ateri, Kror, Empyrean, Esper, Human, Jadori, Stoneborn, Treant, and Yzarc. These are the nine races that make up the world of Eternity. We're gonna take some time and dive into three of these races, so here we go So the three we're gonna talk about today is gonna be human, Aeteri, and Empyrean. Okay? So to get started with human, human is gonna be your all-around class, right? They're the most diverse in the ways that they look, act, perceive the world. They have determination, ingenuity, and compassion that allows them to create these very powerful nations in the lore of eternity, right? More than all, though, they tend to be very emotional, which can lead to a lot of passion for the good, but it can also lead to corruption. So that's the thing that you have to worry about with humans is because of their passion level, they can just take things too far one [00:01:00] way or the other. Um, as far as, like, their stats and everything goes is they're gonna be your most even keel character, right? They're gonna be across the board even with their strength, their agility, their magic, their speed. They're really just a good race to pick for any class, especially as a gets, getting started race. Um, other thing about them is they have decent HP, um, right in the middle of any other race. So it's definitely just a good starting race, right? Real quick to interrupt, we now have free downloadable D&D cards at the Eternity TTRPG website that you can use at your table. Everything from combat actions to status effects. No more flipping through your book to see exactly what being petrified does to your character. You can just take our graphics, print them out at home, and slap them on your table for fun and easy reference. Grab yours today using the link below. [00:02:00] Now, back to the video Jumping into Aeteri is where we're gonna start, Aeteri actually means ascended in this world because the Aeteri are ascended humans because of an item from the lore. Okay? This item is called the Gift of Kings, and a human uses the Gift of Kings, and they can become a elf, for lack of a better word. It's a matter of is it going to be an ascended Aeteri elf or an Empyrean dark elf, right? So pretty cool right there. Um, but jumping in with the Aeteri, right? So they're ascended. They use this magical artifact. They transcended from human nature, and Because of their transcension, they have gained a lot of wisdom, their initiative is faster, and they have a lot of good trade-ons. However, a trade-off is that your HP is gonna be lower as an Eteri. So instead of starting with, like, three or four [00:03:00] health points, hit points, you only start with two. However, that's not as bad as the Empyrean. So jumping into Empyrean, um, as I said, the Empyrean is gonna be your dark elves or fallen humans, is what they've been termed. Um, their thought process is basically, "Nobody is good enough to use the Gift of Kings, and we're gonna enslave all of human, all humans," right? Um, because they're just, they're dark, and this is the way that they feel, right? So you have this balance going on of the Eteri being the ascended and the Empyrean being the dark. So you got that going for them. Thing about Empyreans, though, and what I don't necessarily like about them, is they only have one hit point. So you have to be very careful when you're navigating your different encounters because of that. However, they do have high magic, high agility, initiative, um, high wisdom, which [00:04:00] is all really good. And then one thing that happens with an Empyrean to counteract them having one hit point, is that when they fall to zero, they actually turn into a lich, and they have three turns to do whatever they want, cause as much damage, wreak as much havoc as they can before they fully fall, right? Um, so that's kind of neat, a kind of neat play. So you take this human, you let them use the Gift of Kings, and they're either gonna turn into an Eteri or a dark elf Empyrean. So either way, kind of cool stuff going on, right? Out of those three, let me know which one is your favorite, right? My favorite out of those three has to be the human, because they are even-keeled, and they're a really good starting point for someone that doesn't know how to play tabletop role-playing games, what they're really going after, and it pairs really well with any class, right? Because you can just [00:05:00] make it work. You're not teching for anything. Um, so let me know what you think. Would you prefer human, Eteri, Empyrean? And of course, if you wanted to look into these more on your own, please go to the Eternity website, eternityttrpg.com, and that's gonna get you some more information on those races along with other classes, right? Um, so let me know what you think. Like, comment, subscribe, and we'll see you next time for those other races.
Rethinking D&D Design Conversations

Rethinking D&D: Design Oriented Conversations to Improve the Game

By Jacob Tegtman • May 5, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2pHaAcKDbo Transcription [00:00:00] I want to start talking more about Dungeons Dragons and game design So far on this channel it's really been a news style kind of coverage where new things are happening new books are releasing and so forth But one of the things I've experienced and probably a lot of other people have as well is that Dungeons Dragons hasn't really improved as a game over the last many editions I started playing Dungeons Dragons at 3.5e Many of you probably were around the same time Maybe there's a lot of 5e players originals out there or there's you know basic or advanced Dungeons Dragons players I love Dungeons Dragons It was my introduction to the TTRPG hobby and TTRPGs are one of the main pillars of my life in a way I've spent most of my life making games creating supplemental [00:01:00] material for Dungeons Dragons exploring some of the lesser-known TTRPGs the indie games and trying to understand why I love it so much and then bring that joy to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible I think there's a lot of ways to play this hobby But one of the disappointing things to me is that D&D 3.5 compared to say 5.5e now is there's still a lot of things I prefer in 3.5 And as I've learned about basic and advanced D&D there's a lot of things I prefer even in those games So if you're not getting what you really want out of Dungeons Dragons this is kind of the direction I wanna take things I still love D&D This channel isn't gonna become about roasting D&D or even necessarily going to a ton of other TTRPGs and reviewing them And I mean there's a million other games out there you can try and a lot of them are great Pathfinder Daggerheart I've reviewed a [00:02:00] lot of them on the Eternity website But what I wanna do is present some of the ideas that myself as a game designer I've come up with over the last Well I I've probably been designing or editing games since I was about six Uh I think I was 12 when I first made a map where people could play through and you know actually engage in a a full-fledged game that I made So Let's say twenty-four years of game design experience for myself I'm a at this point a hobbyist so I'm not a professional I've never worked for Wizards of the Coast or any other publishing company I have published my own TTRPG and I'll be sharing that more in the future But all of that aside I wanna start talking about in this channel still some of the news things that are coming out but I wanna share it from the framework of here's maybe how you can take this and make it better There's a lot of elements in [00:03:00] D&D that I wanna be talking about that I think are cool but we could make a lot better So some of those topics number one being initiative I think initiative is very uninspired There's nothing wrong with it right Like the initiative system for D&D gives you everything you need to play a combat encounter It's very simple You roll a d20 you add your modifiers If you have like the alert feat in 5E Then you get to go faster and going faster typically means that you're gonna get like one extra turn than a lot of your other friends at the table or enemies that you're facing Because say you're you're seven rounds in you're taking your seventh turn they've only had six but then all the enemies are dead um that's kind of the the value of initiative right Like so going first does matter but it's not that exciting is it Like you just roll you add your bonus and then you're locked in like a static initiative for the rest of the battle [00:04:00] And these kind of issues with D&D lead to very stagnant situations where people take their turn and then they pull out their phone and they know that it doesn't really matter if they're engaged at the table because for the next five ten fifteen minutes going around the table for everybody to take their turn depending on how well the dungeon master runs a combat encounter they could have literally nothing to do especially if they don't have any reactions so forth So you kinda see this with initiative number one You see this w even with basic things like hit chance and these kinda tie in a lot because players will roll saves when it's not their turn and it gives them sort of something to do at least But with AC it's just a static value it's a situation where the dungeon master may not even need the player because a lot of DMs they write down their player's AC Before the battle even starts So they know when they're rolling behind their uh little table or you know whatever however they [00:05:00] use it maybe as a DM you're just rolling out in the open so anybody can see the D20 Other people hide that number but if they roll a five and the monster's got a plus ten or whatever they just know that they hit somebody who has a fourteen or lower right So they don't even really need the player You just Dungeon Master rolls you take X amount of damage and then all the player has to do is record that on their character sheet then they can get back to their iPhone right Like that's lame There's a lot of situations like this that could be improved I also think it's really interesting looking at old school D&D and other [00:06:00] channels talk about this kind of thing a lot and I think it's something that we could bring back to modern D&D with very good results would be things like the dungeon turn or random assigning of how enemies or NPCs feel towards the party I don't think that the critical role way of playing D&D the the theatrical way of playing D&D is necessarily the best way of playing D&D And I don't have anything against that I really like narrative gameplay A lot of the dungeons um a lot of the campaigns that I have dungeon mastered for have been fairly narratively driven And I really like I I've never written a novel but I like writing the the campaign style novels and then being free to adjust that as my players make decisions But I also think it it isn't necessarily the best way sometimes I've [00:07:00] been very inspired as a dungeon master and I've come up with great narrative plots that my players are super into and it makes for an amazing twenty-five to thirty-five session campaign over the course of a year year and a half that people love and we still talk about And there's been a lot of times as well where I'm not very inspired but I'm still trying to rely on those kind of plot points that older styles of D&D don't make you use because they generate a lot of that for you Emergent storytelling is the term I'm looking for where you don't necessarily know what plot is going to come out of the story but sometimes that's much better because at those moments in my own campaign creating where I haven't been the most inspired those campaigns can die really easily Those are the campaigns that last anywhere from two to seven sessions and just like you often hear about most campaigns die after seven sessions Those are the ones that don't make it [00:08:00] So I think that there are a lot of great older ideas that for some reason the newer versions of Dungeons Dragons didn't bring forward I also think that D&D being a fairly old game and don't get me wrong I love older games I play them all the time but it's surprising the lack of innovation I think that has been in the industry over the past What I mean when did D&D come out I Is it I can't think off the top of my head Is it forty fifty years I'm surprised there isn't better stuff Um and don't get me wrong I I love the other games too I love Pathfinder I love Daggerheart I think they're all cool but I think we can do better And so I'm not necessarily saying I have all the ideas for what could make it better but over my twenty years of designing games twenty plus I've come up with some very simple ideas that I wanna share with you and I think that when you try them out for yourself give me some feedback let me know what you think um I think together we can come up with something that is [00:09:00] substantially better And so that's my goal Everything from the mechanics of initiative in combat to the way campaigns develop narratively to player agency to things like allowing dungeon masters to also play characters in their own campaigns within limited scopes perhaps sharing the roles of dungeon master I think there's a lot of things that we could do to actually truly advance the TTRPG hobby genre beyond what we've seen so far So that's the direction that I plan to take with the channel moving forward I'm looking forward to some of these first videos We're gonna talk about the initiative system We're gonna talk about the hit chance system and I can't wait to get your feedback on it But hopefully this is a turn for me away from just new style stuff and towards stuff that you can use in your campaigns  [00:10:00] like tomorrow And I hope that you enjoy it and I hope to hear from you on topics that you want to see improved in your own D&D games And again I think together we can come up with some truly amazing improvements So until next time talk to you then.
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