How Do Maneuver and Weapon Mastery Work Together?

Question

Hey fellow adventurers!

I have a question about the 2024 D&D rules. If you’re a Battle Master with a weapon that has the Topple property (e.g., a lance), how does it interact with a maneuver like Menacing Attack?

Topple: “If you hit a creature with this weapon ....”

Menacing Attack: “When you hit a creature with an attack roll .... ”

Should a player declare the maneuver before rolling the DC for Topple, or should both DCs be rolled together and the actions decided simultaneously? I’m unsure about the order of operations.

Thanks in advance !

Answer 1

The player whose turn it is decides the order

In this case, both effects would happen simulataneously, and the rules explain on p. 274, PHB, in the rules glossary:

SIMULTANEOUS EFFECTS

If two or more things happen at the same time on a turn, the person at the game table —player or DM— whose turn it is decides the order in which those things happen. For example, if two effects occur at the start of a player character's turn, the player decides which of the effects happens first.

So if it is your turn (as it usually is when you attack), then you get to decide the order of rolls. If it is another turn (for example, because you used a Reaction to execute an opportunity attack), the player whose turn it is or the DM, if it is a monster's or NPC's turn, gets to decide the order.