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Clarified explanation and removed fallacious example.

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edited Nov 21, 2018 at 0:04

Multiple bonus actions can stack and become overpowered.

Bonus actions usually do one of three things:

Augment some action you can take "until the end of your next turn".
Augment some action you can take this turn.
Allow you to do something similar to a normal action after doing a certain thing for an action. (Example: two-weapon fighting.)
Allow you to do something during a different character's turn "until the beginning of your next turn" without using a reaction.

Normal actions usually don't do these things, and if they do, it is to very measured extents. If you can augment your next action twice, the effects might stack or even multiply, causing an overpowered bonus. (That is the reason you can only have one bonus action per turn.) Same goes for doing something after a different character does something; for example, if you have the Tunnel Fighter feature

Tunnel Fighter (Unearthed Arcana): You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

and another feature that lets you make spell attacks with oppurtunity attacks, like the War Caster feat, you can cast spells without spending actions or reactions.

Copying a normal action with a bonus action is also a problem. For example, if you are two-weapon-fighting, and you have the Fighter feature "Action Surge"

Starting at second level, on your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

and you can do a bonus action as an action, then you can make three weapon attacks in oneprobably find a way to stack the bonus actions while still using your action on that turn. Because bonus actions that augment same-turn actions are usually more powerful that those that augment the next turn(s), these two can potentially stack and create extremely powerful effects that are used on that same turn, which means opponents do not have time to react and counter you.

Multiple bonus actions can stack and become overpowered.

Bonus actions usually do one of three things:

Augment some action you can take "until the end of your next turn".
Augment some action you can take this turn.
Allow you to do something similar to a normal action after doing a certain thing for an action. (Example: two-weapon fighting.)
Allow you to do something during a different character's turn "until the beginning of your next turn" without using a reaction.

Tunnel Fighter (Unearthed Arcana): You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

and another feature that lets you make spell attacks with oppurtunity attacks, like the War Caster feat, you can cast spells without spending actions or reactions.

Copying a normal action with a bonus action is also a problem. For example, if you are two-weapon-fighting, and you have the Fighter feature "Action Surge"

Starting at second level, on your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

and you can do a bonus action as an action, then you can make three weapon attacks in one turn.

Multiple bonus actions can stack and become overpowered.

Bonus actions usually do one of three things:

Augment some action you can take "until the end of your next turn".
Augment some action you can take this turn.
Allow you to do something similar to a normal action after doing a certain thing for an action. (Example: two-weapon fighting.)
Allow you to do something during a different character's turn "until the beginning of your next turn" without using a reaction.

Tunnel Fighter (Unearthed Arcana): You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

and another feature that lets you make spell attacks with oppurtunity attacks, like the War Caster feat, you can cast spells without spending actions or reactions.

Copying a normal action with a bonus action is also a problem. For example, if you have the Fighter feature "Action Surge"

Starting at second level, on your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

and you can do a bonus action as an action, then you can probably find a way to stack the bonus actions while still using your action on that turn. Because bonus actions that augment same-turn actions are usually more powerful that those that augment the next turn(s), these two can potentially stack and create extremely powerful effects that are used on that same turn, which means opponents do not have time to react and counter you.

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created Nov 18, 2018 at 16:11

bob

Multiple bonus actions can stack and become overpowered.

Bonus actions usually do one of three things:

Augment some action you can take "until the end of your next turn".
Augment some action you can take this turn.
Allow you to do something similar to a normal action after doing a certain thing for an action. (Example: two-weapon fighting.)
Allow you to do something during a different character's turn "until the beginning of your next turn" without using a reaction.

Tunnel Fighter (Unearthed Arcana): You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

and another feature that lets you make spell attacks with oppurtunity attacks, like the War Caster feat, you can cast spells without spending actions or reactions.

Copying a normal action with a bonus action is also a problem. For example, if you are two-weapon-fighting, and you have the Fighter feature "Action Surge"

Starting at second level, on your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

and you can do a bonus action as an action, then you can make three weapon attacks in one turn.