I'm considering adding the following homebrew bonus action. It's a general action, so it would be available for free to all players (not enemies):
Stride. You gain extra movement for the current turn. This increase is equal to X feet. If your speed is lower than X feet, the increase equals your speed instead.
What value of X would be balanced for this bonus action?
If it helps, the rationale for adding this homebrew are the following:
- A few players have expressed some dissatisfaction that, for optimization purposes, you are "required" to build your character in a way that unlocks a reliable bonus action, for example through a subclass such as Rune Knight or a feat like Pole Arm Master. Having the Stride bonus action always available might alleviate this a bit.
- There are some negative feelings at my table when a melee character moves all they can towards an enemy but can't quite make it. Taking the Dash action just to move 5 feet feels wasteful and attacking with thrown weapons when you are almost in reach doesn't really feel good.
Best Answer
As an action available to everyone, without any investment whatsoever, and in competition to the Dash action (and particularly the Rogue's Cunning Action), your bonus-Dash should be weak.
I'd suggest a mere 5 feet of movement, if you're hell-bent on adding this bonus action. It's better than what the players have right now, it isn't a good alternative to any of the bonus actions available through other means (assuming the character is in a position to use any other bonus action), and it puts only a tiny dent in the Dash action's effectiveness. Those 5 feet are really just there for the frustrating case of an enemy being 35 feet away from a melee PC. (But now, of course, you'll get the same effect when the enemy is 40 feet away.)
Do keep in mind that this is a small nerf to ranged combatants: melee fighters now take slightly less time to cross an open plain.