Minions (defined as “subservient, allied combatants that aren’t full-fledged NPCs”) don’t get their own turns or actions and instead are commanded during the turn of whoever is responsible for them.
The Command action is a new, baseline bonus action to the game that anyone can use to command minions loyal to them, allowing them to act despite the fact that they have been removed from the initiative pool.
Command. On your turn, you can issue one command to your minions. This occupies one bonus action and gives orders to all minions of one type (that is, all of your zombies, all of your familiars, and so on). Commanded minions may immediately move and take a single action. A creature may only respond to one Command each turn.
Command (Variant). On your turn, you can use a bonus action to issue one command to your minions. This issues orders to all minions of one type. All minions must be given the same command and continue following their last command on each following turn until it becomes impossible or they are given a new one. The available commands are:
- Swarm. You choose a number of target creatures equal to the number of minions you control. While these creatures are in reach of your minions, the first attack against any of them each turn benefits from the Help action.
- Shield. When an enemy makes an attack against a friendly creature within reach of a minion, roll 1d6. On a 1–3, the attack instead targets that minion.
- Strike. One minion makes an attack against a single creature within reach as if they were part of a group turn consisting of all of your minions.
- Use Item. Minions of your choice carry out a simple order equivalent to an item interaction, such as pulling levers or carrying loot. Once this order is complete, they revert to whatever the other minions are doing.