D&D: How to Help in Combat Without Making an Attack
What do you do in a fight when you just can’t seem to roll above a 3? Here’s how to help without having to make an attack.
Whether you’re playing a pacifist or your dice have turned ice cold, there are all sorts of reasons you might not want to have your character be all about battling their enemies. But, it’s D&D and fights are gonna happen. And you’ll be swept up in them.
But here are some things you can do to make a difference that don’t involve making even a single attack.
Heal
Perhaps the most obvious one, and the least attack-y option, because it’s basically the opposite of doing damage. It’s removing damage. Healer is a powerful archetype in fantasy stories.
And D&D has no shortage of ways to heal your friends. You could play a cleric or a divine soul sorcerer. You could carry a brave of healing potions to dole out to your friends. Or you could play a bard and do basically everything else on this list, too.
Get Buffed
Another great option for when you don’t want to make attacks (or can’t, if you happen to be out of range or whatever) is to buff your allies. These are enhancements, often magical ones, that give your friends a boost, either offensively or defensively.
You might give someone a bonus to their attack rolls, making them more accurate. Or enhance their damage with a spell like Crusader’s Mantle. Or straight up give them extra attacks with a spell like Haste.
The right buffs can turn the tide of battle in a single round.
Defense, Defense, Defense
Believe it or not, there are a few ways to actively defend your allies. There aren’t many. You have to really dig in to find options that let you either mitigate incoming damage or make attacks that were meant for another miss.
The Protection and Interception Fighting Styles are some of the more readily accessible ones. Or you could look at things like the Path of the World Tree Barbarian, which can extend protective boons to allies, or the Silvery Barbs spell, which imposes disadvantage on a successful attack.
Coordinated Effort
Rarer still than active defenses are those abilities which let you give your allies an extra little something on your own turn. But they do exist. The Battlemaster Fighter’s Commanding Strike feature lets you give an ally an extra attack. The Bard College of Dance lets you grant extra move actions to your allies in your turn.
You could shape your whole character around giving another person more things to do, in this way. It’s tricky, but possible!
Aid Another
When all else fails, there’s always the Help Action. Every character can do it. It’s not always the best option, but it is, at the very least *an* option.
Now get out there and help your friends!
