2 Answers. No, drawing a weapon does not take an action. Nor does picking up a dropped weapon.
Does switching weapons take an action?
Switching from one weapon to another while still having both weapons on your person would require a full action – Free action to store one, and the main action to equip the 2nd.
Can you swap weapons in 5e?
Sometimes in D&D 5e combat, you find that an equipped weapon isn’t having an effect. With no official rule for switching weapons, some DMs say that the free object interaction allowed in combat means either sheathing or drawing a weapon (PHB190). To quickly switch, players drop the equipped one and draw the other.
Can you draw a weapon and sheath a weapon?
Unfortunately, it would require your action. You can sheath a weapon or draw a weapon using your free object interaction, but not both. (Addendum: The Dual Wielder feat allows you to draw 2 weapons or sheath 2 weapons using a single object interaction. Note that this does nothing to fix your problem, it just seemed worth mentioning.)
Can You sheathe a weapon in DND 5e?
However, there is another solution for all the non-Rogue players who want to switch weapons and attack in a single turn: Drop your weapon, don’t sheathe it. Dropping something requires no action at all, not even your free object interaction.
When do you need to draw your weapon?
Consequently, you can draw your weapon as part of your attack or movement. If you need to draw multiple weapons, however, or use any other option from said table or interact with other objects in the same turn, you need to take the Use an Object action.
Can you draw a weapon in DND 5e?
You can also interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or your action. For example […] you could draw your weapon as part of the same action you use to attack. If you want to interact with a second object, you need to use your action.
