Can a Hasted Monster Make Extra Attacks Along with Multiattack in Dungeons Dragons 5th Edition?

In Dungeons Dragons 5th Edition, the Haste spell can significantly enhance a monster's combat effectiveness. By providing an additional action, it allows the monster to perform extra attacks that it would not normally be able to make. This guide explores the intricacies of this situation, particularly when a monster with the Multattack feature is affected by the Haste spell.

Understanding the Haste Spell and Multiattack Feature

The Haste spell, detailed in Chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook, grants its target an additional action on each of its turns. However, this additional action is quite limited. It can only be used to take the Attack action, making one weapon attack only. Additional actions such as Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object are not available.

A creature with the Multattack feature (like many monsters) can typically use its action to make multiple attacks as specified in its stat block. This is a big boost in combat, allowing for various types of attacks, such as melee and ranged attacks, as well as spells and special abilities.

Intersecting Haste and Multiattack

When a monster is affected by the Haste spell, it gains the ability to make an additional weapon attack. This additional attack can be used in conjunction with its regular action, which allows it to conduct its usual multiattack. The combination of these two actions significantly boosts the monster's offensive capabilities.

Summary:

The monster can perform its regular multiattack with its main action. The extra action from the Haste spell can be used to make one additional weapon attack. Therefore, a hasted monster can make more attacks than it normally would, combining its multiattack with the extra attack from Haste.

Clarifying the Limitations

While a hasted monster can indeed make an additional weapon attack, it is important to note the limitations. The Haste spell does not allow the creature to make a second multiattack. The extra action can only be used to perform one weapon attack, not to initiate another multiattack sequence.

The spell description clearly states: “gains an additional action on each of its turns. That action can be used only to take the Attack action, one weapon attack only.”

Thus, the answer is yes, but only one attack from the multiattack, not the entirety of the multiattack feature.

Conclusion

The interplay between the Haste spell and a monster's Multattack feature can significantly enhance its combat effectiveness. By leveraging the addition of an extra weapon attack on top of its regular multiattack, a hasted creature can deal out more damage in a single turn.

To optimize this combination, players and game masters should carefully consider the sequence of actions. For instance, it might be strategic to make less damaging but more versatile attacks during the regular multiattack, then deliver a more powerful, focused attack with the additional weapon attack granted by Haste.

In the realm of Dungeons Dragons, understanding such interactions can greatly impact the outcome of encounters and showcase the depth and complexity of the game.