Combat Rules

This page is currently under construction. More will be added soon.

Navigation

Actions

Standard Actions

Actions

Actions in combat are divided into three types: Actions, Bonus Actions, and Reactions. You can use one of each in each combat round.

Actions: Most actions fall into this category, including most ways to attack, most spells, and generally your most powerful features.

Bonus Actions: Most of the time, these actions are quicker to use, more minor in effect, or are meant to compliment your main actions.

Reactions: These are the only actions you can take on other creatures' turns. You get one reaction per round to use on any of your normal reaction options, and you get your reaction back at the beginning of each of your turns.

Standard Actions

The following actions are available to all player characters and all creatures.

Attack

Action

When you use the Attack action, you make an attack with a weapon you are holding against a creature within range of the weapon. If you are dual-wielding, you also make an attack with your off-hand weapon, though you have disadvantage on that attack unless you have the Two-Weapon Fighting Style. If you have more than one attack, you can make the attacks against separate targets, and you can move in between attacks.

AoO

Attack of Opportunity

Reaction - 1 Creature

You can only make an attack of opportunity with a melee weapon. When a creature you can see moves at least 5 ft. further away from you while within reach of your weapon, you can make a single weapon attack against the creature.

Dash

Action - Self

For this turn, your movement speeds are doubled. If your speed is reduced while you are dashing, apply the speed reduction and then double what remains.

Disengage

Action - Self

For this turn, you do not trigger attacks of opportunity when moving away from a creature.

Dodge

You focus entirely on avoiding attacks.

Action - Self

Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you make dexterity saving throws with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are incapacitated or if your speed drops to 0.

Help

You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task or help them land a devastating blow against an opponent.

Action - 1 Creature

When you use the Help action, you choose one of two effects.

The creature you aid gains advantage on the next skill check they make to perform the task you are helping with, provided that they make the check before the start of your next turn.
You aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, their first attack roll is made with advantage.

Hide

Action - Self

You roll a stealth skill check. If you are hidden from view or otherwise have a way to avoid attention, and you roll equal to or higher than a creature's passive perception, then that creature cannot see you and does not know where you are.

Influence

Action

You attempt to influence the behavior, opinions, or immediate actions of creatures who aren't already inclined to listen or follow your direction. Roll an Animal Handling (for animals), Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion skill check. Your GM will determine the results of your roll.

Ready

Action or Bonus Action

You choose an action or bonus action you have available, readying your action for later. Alternatively, you can prepare to move up to your speed by readying a Dash action.

When you ready an action, it counts as if you immediately use the action, feature, or spell you are readying, thus consuming spell slots, item uses, or uses of an ability as soon as you ready the action.

You can then trigger your readied action at any time by using a reaction. If you do not use this readied action by your next turn, you must spend another action readying it if you want to keep it readied.

If you ready an attack, you can use abilities like Divine Smite or Stunning Strike that trigger on a weapon attack.

If you ready a spell, you must maintain concentration on the spell while readying it, even if the spell does not normally require concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect and you lose your spell slot. For example, if you are concentrating on the web spell and ready magic missile, your web spell ends, and if you take damage before you release magic missile with your reaction, your concentration might be broken.

Search

Action

You roll a perception skill check. If you roll equal to or higher than the stealth check total made by a hidden creature, you learn their location. At your GM's discretion, you may discover other hidden things.

Attacking

When a character uses their action to take the Attack action or uses another ability to make a weapon attack, they must first roll to see if their attack deals damage to the target.

The attacking character rolls a d20 die, then adds any relevant bonuses. First, a character must add their ability modifier. For most weapons, the character will add their strength modifier to the attack roll. For weapons with the 'ranged' property, the character must add their dexterity modifier to the attack roll instead. If a weapon has the 'finesse' property, the character uses strength or dexterity, whichever is higher. If the character is proficient with the weapon they are using, they add their proficiency bonus to the roll. Many characters are proficient with all 'Simple' weapons, or with all 'Simple' and 'Martial' weapons. You primarily learn weapon proficiencies from your class. Some characters will add other bonuses or penalties to their attack roll, such as Fighters with the Archery Fighting Style, which adds 2 to attack rolls made with ranged weapons.

A fighter with the archery fighting style attacks with a longbow:

Attack Roll = 1d20 + ability modifier + proficiency bonus (if proficient) + miscellaneous bonuses

eg. Level 3 Archer's Attack Roll = 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 2

eg. Level 3 Archer's Attack Roll = 1d20 + 7

If the total attack roll is greater than or equal to the target's Armor Class, then the attack hits.

Switching Weapons

Whenever you use the Attack action, you can switch to a different weapon or pair of weapons. Otherwise, it takes an action to draw or switch weapons. If you are not actively holding a melee weapon, you cannot make an Attack of Opportunity until you switch to a melee weapon.

Dual-Wielding

If you are holding two weapons, then you make an additional off-hand attack with your second weapon whenever you take the Attack action, as long as the weapon in your off-hand is Light. However, if you do not have the Two-Weapon Fighting Style, then you attack with disadvantage on this off-hand attack.

Armor Class

Armor class is an abstract concept that represents how difficult it is for a creature to damage you with an attack. It is usually abbreviated as AC. Every creature has an armor class, which is usually calculated with a combination of their dexterity and the armor they wear.

If a creature is wearing no armor and has no abilities that increase their AC, their AC is calculated as follows:

10 + dexterity modifier

Abilities such as the monk's Unarmored Defense provide an alternative way to calculate AC.

When a creature makes an attack, their attack roll must be equal to or higher than the AC of their target in order to hit. On a hit, the creature deals damage. A miss usually does nothing.

Damage

When an attack hits a creature, it deals damage. For most weapons, the damage equals the weapon's damage die plus the ability modifier the attacker used for the attack roll. Some characters will add other bonuses or penalties to their damage roll, such as fighters with the Dueling Fighting Style.

A fighter deals damage with a longbow:

Damage Roll = weapon damage die + ability modifier + miscellaneous bonuses

eg. Archer's Damage Roll = 1d8 + 3

Damage Types

Different attacks, damaging spells, and other harmful effects deal different types of damage:

Acid: a caustic substance eroding, dissolving, or eating away at something.
Bludgeoning: blunt force, including hammers, falling, and being crushed.
Cold: caused by a drop in temperature, whether by ice, cold air, or other means.
Electric: caused by electrically charged objects, lightning, or static electricity.
Fire: caused by an increase in temperature, whether by fire, hot air, or other means.
Force: pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Force damage defies other classification. Most effects that deal force damage are spells.
Necrotic: rot, decay, and other effects that cause the breakdown of material. Sometimes includes the damage caused by the passage of time.
Piercing: stabbing, puncturing, and impaling attacks, whether by arrows, thrusting weapons, or a monster's teeth.
Poison: substances that cause the breakdown, malfunction, or death of organic creatures. These can natural venoms, poisonous plants, or other substances that kill living creatures but do not affect inorganic material.
Psychic: damage meant to unravel or damage the mind directly.
Radiant: radiation, such as concentrated sunlight or a cleric's holy attacks.
Slashing: cutting, slicing, or tearing, such as damage dealt by swords and monsters’ claws.
Sonic: a concussive wave of sound or vibration, dealing both external and internal damage.

Alternative Attack Options

When a character or creature makes an attack for any reason, they can attempt a grapple or a shove instead of rolling an attack roll as normal. They can also attempt to escape a grapple.

Grappling

Usually this requires that the grappler uses an empty hand or appendage to grab the grappled creature.

To grapple a creature, you must have a free hand or otherwise be able to hold the target. So long as you hold the grapple, your hand cannot be used for anything else.

You can grapple any time you would make a melee attack on your turn.
Instead of rolling your melee attack, you roll an athletics skill check.
Your target can roll either an athletics or acrobatics skill check.
If you roll equal or higher than your target, your target is grappled. Some creatures have other abilities that allow them to grapple without this contested skill check. A creature can willingly be grappled without rolling. Two creatures can also grapple each other.

This condition ends if the grappler becomes incapacited, or if any effect forces either the grappler or grappled creature to move (such as a shove attack).

The Grappler

Can end the grapple at any time, including during another creature's turn.
Can hang on to the grappled creature instead of falling. If the grappled creature is smaller, they both fall instead.
Has their speed halved.

The Grappled Creature

If grappled by a creature (rather than a spell or other ability), they can replace one of their weapon attacks on their turn with an escape attempt. They roll either acrobatic or athletics, and their grappler rolls athletics. If the grappled creature rolls equal to or higher than the grappler, they break free. If the grappled creature escaped with athletics, they can choose to make this a shove attack and push the grappler either 5 ft. or knock them prone. Size advantage or disadvantage (listed below) applies.

To see the full effects of being grappled, click here.