Unleash Your Hero: A Comprehensive Guide to the Help Action in D&D 5e

The Help action in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is a deceptively powerful tool, often overlooked but capable of significantly boosting your party’s effectiveness. It allows a character to aid an ally, granting them an advantage on their next ability check or attack roll. Mastering the Help action can transform you from a passive observer into a vital contributor, influencing the outcome of crucial moments and shifting the tides of battle. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of the Help action, covering its rules, limitations, optimal uses, and strategic considerations.

What is the Help Action?

The Help action, as described in the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook, is a simple yet versatile action a character can take during their turn in combat or other situations requiring ability checks. In essence, it allows you to assist another character in their attempt to succeed at a task. When you use the Help action, you grant your chosen ally advantage on their next ability check or attack roll, provided certain conditions are met.

The Core Mechanics of the Help Action

Let’s break down the key elements of the Help action:

• Action: The Help action requires you to use your entire action on your turn. This means you cannot attack, cast a spell (unless it’s a bonus action spell), or take any other action on the same turn you use Help. Consider this opportunity cost carefully.
• Target: You must choose a creature within 5 feet of you (typically) who is attempting an ability check or is about to make an attack roll. Certain circumstances, like specific features or spells, might extend this range, but 5 feet is the standard.
• Benefit: The creature you help gains advantage on their next ability check or attack roll. Advantage means they roll the d20 twice and take the higher result. This significantly increases their chance of success.
• Timing: The advantage granted by the Help action applies to the *next* ability check or attack roll the target makes. It doesn’t retroactively apply to checks or attacks they’ve already made.
• Restrictions: You can only help a creature with a task they are attempting. You can’t just randomly grant advantage on a future roll. The target must be actively trying to do something where assistance would reasonably be helpful.

Using Help for Ability Checks: A Detailed Guide

The Help action can be incredibly useful for assisting allies with ability checks, particularly outside of combat. Here’s a breakdown of how to effectively use it in various scenarios:

Skills where Help is most beneficial:

• Athletics (Climbing, Swimming, Jumping): Helping an ally climb a treacherous cliff, swim across a raging river, or make a daring leap can be the difference between success and failure. You could provide a rope for them to grab, point out better handholds, or help them maintain their balance.
• Stealth: While it might seem counterintuitive, the Help action *can* be used to aid in stealth. You can distract a guard while your ally sneaks past, create a diversion, or use your knowledge of the environment to guide them through the shadows. However, remember that the DM has final say. If the stealth check is a group check, only one person needs to succeed, making Help less useful.
• Investigation: When searching for clues, you can help an ally by pointing out areas to focus on, interpreting strange symbols, or providing a second pair of eyes to examine a complex scene. This is especially useful when dealing with traps or hidden doors.
• Perception: Similarly, you can assist an ally with Perception checks by watching their back, providing a warning about potential dangers, or focusing your attention on a specific area to notice subtle details they might miss.
• Thieves’ Tools: Assisting a rogue with picking a lock or disarming a trap is a classic use of the Help action. You can hold tools, provide light, offer advice, or simply keep watch for approaching guards.
• Medicine: Helping a character stabilize a dying creature or treat injuries can be crucial in saving lives. You can assist by bandaging wounds, administering first aid, or keeping the injured creature calm.
• Arcana, History, Nature, Religion: In situations where knowledge checks are required, you can help an ally by sharing your own expertise, providing context, or offering different perspectives on the subject matter. The DM will determine if your knowledge is relevant and helpful.
• Survival: When navigating the wilderness, you can assist an ally with Survival checks by finding food, building shelter, or tracking creatures.

Examples of how to describe your Help action for ability checks:

• Climbing: “I’ll hold the rope taut and point out the sturdiest handholds as Elara climbs.”
• Stealth: “I’ll create a distraction by loudly dropping my waterskin a few feet away from the guard, giving Faelan a better chance to slip by unnoticed.”
• Investigation: “I’ll focus on the lock mechanism itself, examining the tumblers and pins closely to see if I can spot any weaknesses for Thia to exploit.”
• Perception: “I’ll scan the rooftops for any signs of movement or potential snipers while Liam focuses on the street below.”
• Thieves’ Tools: “I’ll hold the small mirror so Kael can see the back of the lock without having to contort himself.”

Important Considerations for Ability Checks:

• DM Discretion: The DM has the final say on whether the Help action is applicable and whether it grants advantage. Not all ability checks can be reasonably aided by another character. For example, you can’t really *help* someone make a Charisma (Persuasion) check in most situations.
• Narrative Justification: Always explain *how* you are helping. Don’t just say “I help.” Describe your actions and how they are aiding your ally. This makes the game more immersive and helps the DM determine if your assistance is plausible.
• Time Sensitivity: In some situations, time might be a factor. The DM might rule that the Help action takes too long or is not feasible given the time constraints.
• Teamwork: The Help action is a testament to teamwork and coordination. Encourage your party members to work together and support each other.
• Proficiency: You do *not* need to be proficient in a skill to use the Help action to aid someone using that skill. You are simply assisting them, not performing the task yourself.

Using Help for Attack Rolls: A Tactical Advantage

The Help action shines in combat, offering a tactical advantage that can significantly impact the outcome of battles. When used correctly, it can turn the tide in your favor. Here’s how to effectively use it for attack rolls:

Conditions for Helping with Attack Rolls:

To help an ally with an attack roll, you must meet the following conditions:

• Within 5 Feet: You must be within 5 feet of the target the ally is attacking. This often involves moving into melee range, which can be risky for squishy characters.
• Unincapacitated: You cannot be incapacitated (e.g., stunned, paralyzed, unconscious) to use the Help action.
• Not Hindered: You must not be otherwise hindered in a way that would prevent you from assisting. For example, if you are grappled or restrained, you likely cannot use the Help action effectively.
• The target must be hostile to your ally: You cannot help an ally attack a friendly or neutral creature.

How to Help with Attack Rolls:

When you use the Help action to aid an ally’s attack, you essentially create an opening for them. This can be achieved in various ways, depending on the situation and your character’s abilities:

• Distracting the Enemy: You can distract the enemy, drawing their attention away from your ally and making them vulnerable to attack. This could involve taunting them, feinting an attack, or creating a diversion.
• Flanking (with DM Approval): While flanking is an optional rule, if your DM uses it, the Help action can effectively simulate flanking without requiring specific positioning. By distracting the enemy, you grant your ally the same benefit they would receive from flanking.
• Creating an Opening: You can use your actions to create a physical opening for your ally to exploit. For example, you could push the enemy off balance, knock them prone (if you have an ability that allows you to do so), or otherwise create a momentary advantage. Note that knocking them prone would be taking the Attack action to Shove, not the Help action. You could describe your Help action as distracting them, giving your ally an opening.

Examples of how to describe your Help action for attack rolls:

• “I’ll shout insults at the goblin, trying to draw its attention away from Valeria so she can get a clean shot.”
• “I’ll feint an attack with my dagger, hoping to make the orc drop its guard for a split second, giving Bjorn an opening.”
• “I’ll throw a handful of sand in the bandit’s eyes, momentarily blinding him and giving Aella an advantage.”

Strategic Considerations for Attack Rolls:

• Prioritize High-Damage Dealers: Focus on helping the characters in your party who deal the most damage, such as the rogue with their sneak attack, the fighter with their heavy weapon, or the wizard with their powerful spells. Advantage on their attacks will maximize their damage output.
• Consider Critical Hits: Advantage doubles your chance of scoring a critical hit, which can significantly increase damage. Helping characters with high critical hit potential (e.g., rogues with sneak attack) is a good strategy.
• Weigh the Opportunity Cost: Using the Help action means sacrificing your own attack. Carefully consider whether helping an ally is more beneficial than attacking yourself. In some cases, dealing your own damage might be more effective.
• Positioning is Key: To help an ally with an attack roll, you need to be within 5 feet of the target. This can put you in harm’s way, especially if you are a squishy character. Position yourself carefully to minimize your risk.
• Synergy with Class Features: Some class features and abilities synergize well with the Help action. For example, a rogue with the Mastermind subclass can use the Help action as a bonus action, allowing them to attack and help in the same turn.

Classes and Features That Enhance the Help Action

Certain classes and subclasses in D&D 5e have features that specifically enhance the Help action, making it an even more valuable tool:

• Rogue (Mastermind): The Mastermind rogue gains the Master of Tactics feature at 3rd level, which allows them to use the Help action as a bonus action. This is a game-changer, as it allows the rogue to both attack and help an ally in the same turn, maximizing their effectiveness. This makes the Mastermind an excellent support character in combat.
• Rogue (Thief): While not directly enhancing the Help action, the Thief’s Fast Hands ability allows them to use a bonus action to use a Healer’s Kit. This allows them to help an ally by healing them while still taking their normal action, which could include the Help action.
• Battle Master Fighter: The Commander’s Strike maneuver allows a Battle Master to forgo one of their attacks to direct an ally to strike. The ally uses their reaction to make one attack, adding the Battle Master’s superiority die to the damage roll. While not directly the Help action, it provides a similar benefit of empowering an ally’s attack.
• Feats: While no feats directly enhance the Help action, the Inspiring Leader feat allows you to give a speech that grants temporary hit points to allies. This can keep allies alive longer, allowing them to benefit from your Help action more consistently.

Limitations and Considerations

While the Help action is powerful, it’s important to be aware of its limitations:

• Action Economy: Using the Help action consumes your entire action, preventing you from attacking, casting spells, or taking other actions. Weigh the opportunity cost carefully.
• DM Discretion: The DM has the final say on whether the Help action is applicable and whether it grants advantage. Not all situations are suitable for the Help action.
• Range: The Help action typically requires you to be within 5 feet of the target, which can be risky in combat.
• Incapacitation: You cannot use the Help action if you are incapacitated.
• Redundancy: Advantage doesn’t stack. If an ally already has advantage from another source, the Help action won’t provide any additional benefit.
• Group Checks: In group checks, only one success is usually required. Using Help here may not change the overall outcome of the check.

Situations Where Help Shines

Here are some specific scenarios where the Help action is particularly valuable:

• Buffing a Rogue’s Sneak Attack: Rogues rely on sneak attack for a large portion of their damage. Granting them advantage significantly increases their chance of hitting and triggering sneak attack.
• Assisting a Grappler: If your party has a character specializing in grappling, the Help action can be used to grant them advantage on their grapple checks.
• Overcoming Difficult Terrain: Helping an ally navigate difficult terrain can prevent them from getting slowed down or taking damage.
• Disarming Traps: Assisting a rogue with disarming a trap can prevent a potentially deadly encounter.
• Stabilizing a Dying Ally: Helping an ally stabilize a dying creature can be a lifesaver.
• Breaking Down Doors: Assisting with Athletics checks to break down a stuck or barricaded door.

When NOT to Use Help

There are also situations where the Help action is not the best choice:

• When You Can Deal More Damage: If you are a damage-focused character, your own attack might be more effective than helping an ally.
• When the Target Already Has Advantage: Advantage doesn’t stack, so helping someone who already has advantage is a wasted action.
• When You Are in Immediate Danger: Prioritize your own safety first. Don’t put yourself at risk to help an ally if it means you will be incapacitated or killed.
• Against High AC Enemies: If the enemy’s Armor Class is very high, even advantage might not be enough to guarantee a hit. Focus on other tactics, such as debuffing the enemy or buffing your allies’ attack rolls.
• When a Better Option Exists: Consider if there’s a more effective use of your action, such as casting a spell, using a special ability, or moving to a better position.

Tips and Tricks for Maximizing the Help Action

• Communicate with your party: Coordinate with your allies to determine who needs help the most and when.
• Think creatively: Look for unconventional ways to use the Help action to your advantage.
• Roleplay your actions: Describe how you are helping your ally in a way that is engaging and believable.
• Be aware of your surroundings: Use the environment to your advantage when helping your allies.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment: Try different strategies and see what works best for your party.
• Discuss with your DM: If you’re unsure whether the Help action is applicable in a certain situation, ask your DM for clarification.

The Help Action: A Key to Teamwork and Success

The Help action is a valuable tool that can significantly enhance your party’s effectiveness in D&D 5e. By understanding its rules, limitations, and strategic considerations, you can use it to create opportunities for your allies, overcome challenges, and achieve victory. Embrace the Help action, and watch your party transform into a well-coordinated and unstoppable force.

By mastering the Help action, you not only become a more effective player but also contribute to a more collaborative and engaging gaming experience for everyone at the table. So, next time you’re in a tight spot, remember the power of Help – it might just be the key to your party’s success!