Battle often erupts when adventurers face their foes, whether the enemies are savage monsters or cunning villains. This chapter provides the rules you need for such combat. The rules address you, the player or Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master controls all the monsters and nonplayer characters involved in combat, and each other player controls an adventurer. "You" can also mean the character or monster that you control.
The Order of Combat
A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and spellcasting. The game organizes the chaos of combat into a cycle of rounds and turns. A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each participant in a battle takes a turn.
The order of turns is determined at the beginning of a combat encounter, when everyone rolls initiative. Once everyone has taken a turn, the fight continues to the next round if neither side has defeated the other.
Surprise
The DM determines who might be surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side. Any character or monster that doesn't notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter.
If you're surprised, you can't move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can't take a reaction until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren't.
| d12 | Surprise |
|---|---|
| 1 | A ghostly hand appears and slaps a random character for 2d4 bludgeoning damage. If this kills them, they rise as a spectral presence that follows the group, endlessly slapping them as well. |
| 2 | Five giant rats burst from the ground and attack. Name them after your favorite boy band. |
| 3 | Every magic potion the party carries has turned to spoiled milk. |
| 4 | Point at the character who last spoke. Their left foot has fallen asleep, causing them to suffer −1 Dexterity for an hour. |
| 5 | Two flameskulls fly in, accompanied by loud heavy metal music. They attack. |
| 6 | A lone flameskull flies in, looking for his two friends who ditched him on the way to a heavy metal concert. He's confused and angry and also attacks. |
| 7 | The party hears a scraping noise coming from the nearby wall. Make it seem important to the story. Use this noise to focus the group and lead them to the next encounter. |
| 8 | A random character vomits up an ochre jelly. Describe the burning sensation as it erupts from the character's feeble mouth-hole. Make the party regret ever wasting your time. |
| 9 | A random character's favorite weapon just gained magical intelligence and starts nagging them about getting on with the adventure. |
| 10 | An arrow suddenly shoots out from the shadows and hits the character who is pissing you off. The character takes 1d6 + 4 piercing damage and should reconsider their current course of action. |
| 11 | Something gold and shiny catches the eye of a party member. What is it? Whatever you want. |
| 12 | Pick a random character. Tell them their esophagus is cursed. |
Initiative
Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order. The DM makes one roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so each member of the group acts at the same time.
The DM ranks the combatants in order from the one with the highest Dexterity check total to the one with the lowest. This is the order (called the initiative order) in which they act during each round. The initiative order remains the same from round to round.
If a tie occurs, the DM decides the order among tied DM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The DM can decide the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character. Optionally, the DM can have the tied characters and monsters each roll a d20 to determine the order, highest roll going first.
Your Turn
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed and take one action. You decide whether to move first or take your action first. Your speed—sometimes called your walking speed—is noted on your character sheet.
The most common actions you can take are described in the "1" section later in this chapter. Many class features and other abilities provide additional options for your action.
The "1" section later in this chapter gives the rules for your move.
You can forgo moving, taking an action, or doing anything at all on your turn. If you can't decide what to do on your turn, consider taking the Dodge or Ready action, as described in "1."
Bonus Actions
Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action. The Cunning Action feature, for example, allows a rogue to take a bonus action. You can take a bonus action only when a special ability, spell, or other feature of the game allows you to do something as a bonus action. You otherwise don't have one to take.
You can take only one bonus action on your turn, so you must choose which bonus action to use when you have more than one available.
You choose when to take the bonus action during the turn, unless the bonus action's timing is specified.
Other Activity on Your Turn
Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require neither your action nor your move.
You can communicate however you are able, through brief utterances and gestures, as you take your turn.
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 open a door during your move as you stride toward a foe, or 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. Some magic items and other special objects always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions.
The DM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the DM could reasonably expect you to use an action to open a stuck door or turn a crank to lower a drawbridge.
Reactions
Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's. The opportunity attack, described later in this chapter, is the most common type of reaction.
You can take only one reaction per round. When you take a reaction, you can't take another one until the start of your next turn. If the reaction interrupts another creature's turn, that creature can continue its turn right after the reaction.
Movement and Position
In combat, characters and monsters are in constant motion, often using movement and position to gain the upper hand. On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed. You can use as much or as little of your speed as you like on your turn, following the rules here. Your move can include jumping, climbing, and swimming, as described in 2.
Breaking Up Your Move
You can break up your movement on your turn, using some of your speed both before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 30 feet, you can move 10 feet, search for a trap door, and then move 20 feet.
Similarly, if you take an action that includes more than one weapon attack, you can break up your movement even further by moving between those attacks.
If you have more than one speed, such as your walking speed and a flying speed, you can switch back and forth between your speeds during your move. Whenever you switch, subtract the distance you've already moved from the new speed. The result determines how much farther you can move. For example, if you have a speed of 30 and a flying speed of 60 because a wizard cast the fly spell on you, you could fly 20 feet, then walk 10 feet, and then leap into the air to fly 30 feet more.
Difficult Terrain
Combatants are often slowed down by 3. Low furniture, rubble, undergrowth, steep stairs, snow, and shallow bogs are examples of 3. The space of another creature, whether hostile or not, also counts as 3.
Every foot of movement in 3 costs 1 extra foot. This rule is true even if multiple things in a space count as 3.
Being Prone
Combatants often find themselves lying on the ground, either because they are knocked down or because they throw themselves down. In the game, they are prone, a condition described in 4.
You can drop prone without using any of your speed. Standing up takes more effort; doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed. For example, if your speed is 30 feet, you must spend 15 feet of movement to stand up. You can't stand up if you don't have enough movement left or if your speed is 0.
To move while prone, you must crawl or use magic such as teleportation. Every foot of movement while crawling costs 1 extra foot. Crawling 1 foot in 3, therefore, costs 3 feet of movement.
Moving Around Other Creatures
You can move through a nonhostile creature's space. In contrast, you can move through a hostile creature's space only if it is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you (creature sizes are detailed in the adventure book). Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can't willingly end your move in its space.
If you move out of an enemy's reach, you provoke an opportunity attack, as explained later in the chapter.
Actions in Combat
When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here, an action you gained from your class or a special feature, or an action that you improvise. When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.
Attack
The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action, whether you are swinging a sword, firing an arrow from a bow, or brawling with your fists.
With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack. See the "1" section for the rules that govern attacks.
Certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature that the fighter gets at 5th level, allow you to make more than one attack with this action.
Dash
When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after applying any modifiers. With a speed of 30 feet, for example, you can move up to 60 feet on your turn if you dash.
Any increase or decrease to your speed changes this additional movement by the same amount. If your speed of 30 feet is reduced to 15 feet, for instance, you can move up to 30 feet this turn if you dash.
Disengage
If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn.
Dodge
When you take the Dodge action, you focus entirely on avoiding attacks. 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 (as explained in 4) or if your speed drops to 0.
Help
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn.
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
Hide
When you take the Hide action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide, following the rules in 0 for hiding. If you succeed, you gain certain benefits, as described in the "1" section later in this chapter.
Ready
Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn.
First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it. Examples include "If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I'll pull the lever that opens it," and "If the goblin steps next to me, I move away."
When the trigger occurs, you can either take your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one reaction per round.
A spell must have a casting time of 1 action to be readied, and holding onto the spell's magic until you release it with your reaction requires concentration (explained in 3). 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
When you take the Search action, you devote your attention to finding something. Depending on the nature of your search, the DM might have you make a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.
Use an Object
You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as when you draw a sword as part of an attack. When an object requires your action for its use, you take the Use an Object action. This action is also useful when you want to interact with more than one object on your turn.
Making an Attack
Whenever you make an attack roll, you're making an attack. Whether you're striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has the following structure:
1. Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack's range: a creature, an object, or a location.
2. Determine modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties, bonuses, advantage, or disadvantage to your attack roll.
2A.Describe your attack in a cool way. Why are you even playing this game if you're just going to be your normal, boring-ass self?
3. Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack specifies otherwise.
3A.Curse your luck. When you roll like s***, and trust me, you will sometimes, curse the polyhedron gods who look down and laugh at your misery. We all do it when the dice go to hell. This time, it's your turn. But lucky for you, this is a great time to use those fancy cuss words you learned online.
Attack Rolls
When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. Each character's AC is shown on the character sheet, and each monster's AC is in the monster's stat block.
Modifiers to the Roll
When a character makes an attack roll, the two most common modifiers to the roll are an ability modifier and the character's proficiency bonus. A monster uses whatever modifier is provided in its stat block.
Ability Modifier
The ability modifier used for a melee weapon attack is Strength, and the ability modifier used for a ranged weapon attack is Dexterity. Weapons that have the finesse or thrown property break this rule.
Some spells also require an attack roll. The cleric uses Wisdom when making a melee or ranged spell attack, and the wizard uses Intelligence.
Proficiency Bonus
If you are proficient with the weapon you are attacking with, you can add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll.
When you make a spell attack, you add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll.
Hidden Bonus. If no one is looking, add something like +1 or +3 to your roll—depending on how much you think you can get away with. Never pull this when I'm the DM, though. If I catch you cheating, I'll saw your hands off and attach them to your butt so you clap every time you fart.
Rolling 1 or 20
Sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing the novice to hit or the veteran to miss.
If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target's AC. This is called a critical hit, which is explained later in this chapter.
If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target's AC.
Unseen Attackers and Targets
Combatants often try to escape their foes' notice by hiding, casting the invisibility spell, or lurking in darkness.
When you attack a target that you can't see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you're guessing the target's location or you're targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn't in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, but the DM typically just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed the target's location correctly.
When a creature can't see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it.
If you are hidden—both unseen and unheard—when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses.
Ranged Attacks
When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow, hurl a handaxe, or otherwise send projectiles to strike a foe at a distance. A monster might shoot spines from its tail. Many spells also involve making a ranged attack.
Range
You can make ranged attacks only against targets within a specified range. If a ranged attack, such as one made with a spell, has a single range, you can't attack a target beyond this range. Some ranged attacks, such as those made with a longbow or a shortbow, have two ranges. The smaller number is the normal range, and the larger number is the long range. Your attack roll has disadvantage when your target is beyond normal range, and you can't attack a target beyond the long range.
Ranged Attacks in Close Combat
Aiming a ranged attack is more difficult when a foe is next to you. When you make a ranged attack with a weapon, a spell, or some other means, you have disadvantage on the attack roll if you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature who can see you and who isn't incapacitated.
Melee Attacks
Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack allows you to attack a foe within your reach. Most creatures have a 5-foot reach and can thus attack targets within 5 feet of them. Certain creatures (typically those larger than a human) have greater reach, as noted in their descriptions.
You can make a melee attack without a weapon by making an unarmed strike: a punch, kick, head-butt, or other forceful blow. You add your proficiency bonus and Strength modifier to the attack roll. On a hit, it deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier.
Opportunity Attacks
In a fight, everyone is constantly watching for enemies to drop their guard. You can rarely move heedlessly past your foes without putting yourself in danger; doing so provokes an opportunity attack.
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack interrupts the provoking creature's movement, occurring right before it leaves your reach.
You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by taking the Disengage action. You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction. For example, you don't provoke an opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of a foe's reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you gain a bonus action you can use to attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in the other hand. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.
If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.
Cover
Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover.
There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren't added together.
A target with half cover has a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has 3 if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a creature, whether that creature is an enemy or a friend.
A target with three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has 3 if about three-quarters of it is covered by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick tree trunk.
A target with total cover can't be targeted directly by an attack or a spell, although some spells can reach such a target by including it in an area of effect. A target has 3 if it is completely concealed by an obstacle.
Damage and Healing
Injury and the risk of death are constant companions of those who explore the worlds of D&D.
Hit Points
Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more hit points are more difficult to kill. Those with fewer hit points are more fragile.
A creature's current hit points (usually just called hit points), can be any number from the creature's hit point maximum down to 0. This number changes frequently as a creature takes damage or receives healing.
Whenever a creature takes damage, that damage is subtracted from its hit points. The loss of hit points has no effect on a creature's capabilities until the creature drops to 0 hit points.
Damage Rolls
Each weapon and spell notes the damage it deals on a successful attack. You roll the damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other factors can grant a bonus to damage. In addition, certain special abilities give extra damage represented by bonus dice.
When attacking with a weapon, you add your ability modifier—the same modifier used for the attack roll—to the damage. A spell tells you which dice to roll for damage and whether to add any modifiers. If a spell or other effect deals damage to more than one target at the same time, roll the damage once for all of them.
Critical Hits
When you score a critical hit, you get to roll extra dice for the attack's damage against the target. Roll all of the attack's damage dice twice and add them together. Then add any relevant modifiers as normal. To speed up play, you can roll all the damage dice at once.
For example, if you score a critical hit with a dagger, roll 2d4 for the damage, rather than 1d4, and then add your relevant ability modifier. If the attack involves other damage dice, such as from the rogue's Sneak Attack feature, you roll those dice twice as well.
CRITICAL FAIL CONDITION TABLE
| d12 | CuFuC |
|---|---|
| 1 | If you made this roll during an attack, you just hit a random character with double critical damage instead. If this roll was non-combat, you're so angry at f***ing up that you attack a random character with your primary weapon in frustration. |
| 2 | Give the die that made this roll to another player at the table. They must use this die for the rest of the game session and, every time they roll it, they have to say "Bad, die. BAD!" |
| 3 | All your hair falls out. Yes, even down there... |
| 4 | All your magic items have turned into nonmagical versions of the same stuff. |
| 5 | Roll twice on the SURPRISE table from earlier in this chapter. |
| 6 | You take 1d12 force damage. Describe in excruciating detail what you did to earn this embarrassing injury. |
| 7 | You get a paper cut. If you fail a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, you lose 1d6 hit points from blood loss at the start of each of your turns for the next 1d6 rounds. |
| 8 | The weapon or item you were using when you made this crappy roll catches on fire. Throw it away or take 2d10 fire damage while it smolders. |
| 9 | Whatever you were doing when this roll took place just became a comedic pratfall that hits you in the junk. Take 2d6 bludgeoning damage, and if you had a point of Inspiration, it's now gone. |
| 10 | You are so angry at your stupid mistake that an important grouping of blood vessels in your brain bursts. Permanently lose 1 Intelligence and your sense of smell. |
| 11 | Your roll was so bad that you forsake the gods. If you're a cleric you poop yourself every time you cast a spell until you finish a long rest. |
| 12 | Your internal organs are replaced with stinging bees. Instant death. No saving throw. |
Damage Types
Different attacks and damaging spells deal different types of damage. Damage types have no rules of their own, but other rules, such as damage resistance, rely on the types.
The types are acid, bludgeoning, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, piercing, poison, psychic, radiant, slashing, and thunder.
Damage Resistance and Vulnerability
Some creatures and objects are exceedingly difficult or unusually easy to hurt with certain types of damage.
If a creature or an object has resistance to a damage type, damage of that type is halved against it. If a creature or an object has vulnerability to a damage type, damage of that type is doubled against it.
Resistance and then vulnerability are applied after all other modifiers to damage. For example, a creature has resistance to bludgeoning damage and is hit by an attack that deals 25 bludgeoning damage. The creature is also within a magical aura that reduces all damage by 5. The 25 damage is first reduced by 5 and then halved, so the creature takes 10 damage.
Multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability that affect the same damage type count as only one instance. For example, if a creature has resistance to fire damage as well as resistance to all nonmagical damage, the damage of a nonmagical fire is reduced by half against the creature, not reduced by three-quarters.
Healing
Unless it results in death, damage isn't permanent, and even death is reversible through powerful magic. Rest can restore a creature's hit points (as explained in 2), and magical methods such as a cure wounds spell or a potion of healing can remove damage in an instant.
When a creature receives healing of any kind, hit points regained are added to its current hit points. A creature's hit points can't exceed its hit point maximum, so any hit points regained in excess of this number are lost. A creature that has died can't regain hit points until magic, such as a revivify spell, has restored it to life.
Dropping to 0 Hit Points
When you drop to 0 hit points, you either die outright or fall unconscious, as explained in the following sections.
Most DMs have a monster die the instant it drops to 0 hit points, rather than having it fall unconscious and make death saving throws.
Mighty villains and special nonplayer characters are common exceptions; the DM might have them fall unconscious and follow the same rules as player characters.
Instant Death
Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum. For example, a cleric with a maximum of 12 hit points currently has 6 hit points. If she takes 18 damage from an attack, she is reduced to 0 hit points, but 12 damage remains. Because the remaining damage equals her hit point maximum, the cleric dies.
Falling Unconscious
If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill you, you fall unconscious (see 4). This unconsciousness ends if you regain any hit points.
Death Saving Throws
Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points, you must make a special saving throw, called a death saving throw, to determine whether you creep closer to death or hang onto life. Unlike other saving throws, this one isn't tied to any ability score. You are in the hands of fate now, aided only by spells and features that improve your chances of succeeding on a saving throw.
Roll a d20. If the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. A success or failure has no effect by itself. On your third success, you become stable (see below). On your third failure, you die. The successes and failures don't need to be consecutive; keep track of both until you collect three of a kind. The number of both is reset to zero when you regain any hit points or become stable.
Rolling 1 or 20
When you make a death saving throw and roll a 1 on the d20, it counts as two failures. If you roll a 20 on the d20, you regain 1 hit point.
Damage at 0 Hit Points
If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures instead. If the damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you suffer instant death.
Stabilizing a Creature
The best way to save a creature with 0 hit points is to heal it. If healing is unavailable, the creature can at least be stabilized so that it isn't killed by a failed death saving throw.
You can use your action to administer first aid to an unconscious creature and attempt to stabilize it, which requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
A stable creature doesn't make death saving throws, even though it has 0 hit points, but it does remain unconscious. The creature stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable creature that isn't healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.
Knocking a Creature Out
Sometimes an attacker wants to incapacitate a foe, rather than deal a killing blow. When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can knock the creature out. The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious and is stable.