Combat Reference
Surprise
A band of adventurers sneak up on a bandit camp, capitalising on the element of surprise.
If an individual or the entire party tries to be stealthy they must announce it and roll a Dexterity (Stealth) check/s. Your GM will compare it to the passive Wisdom (Perception) of each creature on the opposing side. Group checks are determined by the average roll.*
If you are surprised you can’t move, take an action, bonus action or reaction until the first turn ends.
If neither side is being stealthy, they automatically notice each other.
Initiative
When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the Initiative order. If there is a tie, the higher Dexterity score will go first.
If you roll a natural 20, you are granted one extra turn at the end of the first turn of combat.*
Your Turn
At any time on your turn you can take one action, one bonus action, one reaction and move a distance up to your movement speed.
Action
Actions you can take are described in our quick guide. Read More.
Bonus Action
Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action. Read More.
Reaction
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. The opportunity attack is the most common type of reaction. Read More.
Movement
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your maximum speed. You can use as much or as little of your speed as you like. Read More.
Moving Between Attacks
You can break up your movement on your turn, using some of your speed before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 30 feet, you can move 10 feet, take your action, and then move 20 feet.
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.
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 the creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you. Remember that another creature’s space is difficult terrain (double movement cost) for you.
Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can’t willingly end your move in its space.
Other activity on your turn
You can interact with one object or feature of the environment for free. If you want to interact with a second object, you must use your action.
Examples of interaction:
- draw or put away a weapon
- open or close a door
- pick up a dropped item
- remove a ring from your finger
- fish a few coins from your belt pouch
Damage and Healing
Injury and the risk of death are constant companions of those who explore the worlds of D&D. The thrust of a sword. a well-placed arrow, or a blast of f1ame from a fireball spell all have the potential to damage or even kill the hardiest of creatures.
Hit Points
Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck.
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. spell and harmful monster ability specifies the damage it deals. 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.
Critical Hits
When you score a critical hit (generally a 20 on the d20) you automatically hit regardless of your opponent’s AC. This critical hit inflicts extra damage equal to the maximum number on the damage dice and is added to the original damage roll and any modifiers.*
Critical Fails
When you score a critical fail (1 on the d20) you have fumbled and automatically miss with your attack.
You must roll another d20 to determine the results of your fumble.*
| 1 | Uh oh! Severed limb? GM get creative |
| 2-10 | You fall prone or hit yourself |
| 11-19 | Minor fumble, the attack misses |
| 20 | Fumble recovery, standard hit |
Massive Damage*
When you receive damage equal to or more than half of your maximum hit points off a single attack, you must roll an unmodified d20.
| 1 | Stunned until the end of your next turn |
| 2-10 | You fall prone |
| 11-20 | Unfazed |
Damage Resistance
lf a creature or an object has resistance to a damage type, damage of that type is halved against it.
Multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability that affect the same damage type count as only one instance.
Called Shots*
In order to perform a called shot, a player must declare their called shot attempt and location before making their attack rolls. Once declared, the player suffers disadvantage on the called shot attack roll. An attack roll suffering disadvantage already automatically fails as a called shot attempt.
Each called shot attempt also modifies a creature’s AC by +2. If the attack roll succeeds, hitting the creature’s modified called shot AC, the attacker hits and deals damage normally, but also deals a called shot effect at the GM’s discretion.
Healing
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 the 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.
Instant Death
When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die instantly if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum.
Falling Unconscious
If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill, you fall unconscious. This ends if you regain any hit points.
Death Saves
Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points, you must make a a death saving throw, to determine whether you creep closer to death or hang onto life.
Roll a d20. If the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. On your third success you become stable (see below). On your third failure, you die.
Rolling a 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.
If an Unconscious character takes damage while at 0 HP, they automatically fail one death saving throw, or 2 death saves if the damage is from a critical hit.
If ya gonna die I get first dibs on ya shiny stuff unless ya lucky enough to be brought back to life with a spell such as Revivify.
Ekx
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 be stabilized with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check or by using a healer’s kit (no check necessary).
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
When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can choose to knock the creature however, it is required prior to the attack roll that non-lethal damage is being applied.*
Action1/turn
When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here plus interact with one object in the environment for free.
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.
Certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature of the fighter, allow you to make more than one attack with this action.
Unarmed Attack
Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike: a punch, kick, head-butt, or similar forceful blow (none of which count as weapons). On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier (minimum of 1). You are proficient with your unarmed strikes.
Cast a Spell
Spellcasters such as wizards and clerics, as well as many monsters, have access to spells and can use them to great effect in combat. Each spell has a casting time, which specifies whether the caster must use an action, a reaction, minutes, or even hours to cast the spell. Casting a spell is, therefore, not necessarily an action. Most spells do have a casting time of 1 action, so a spellcaster often uses his or her action in combat to cast such a spell.
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.
Disarm
A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or another item from a target’s grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll contested by the target’s choice of Strength (Athletics) check, or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.
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 or if your speed drops to 0.
Grapple
When you want to grab a creature or wrestle with it, you can use the Attack action to make a special melee attack, a grapple. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them.
The target of your grapple must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a grapple check instead of an Attack roll: a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). You succeed automatically if the target is Incapacitated. If you succeed, you subject the target to the Grappled condition. The condition specifies the things that end it, and you can release the target whenever you like (no action required).
Escaping a Grapple. A Grappled creature can use its action to Escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by your Strength (Athletics) check.
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 for hiding.
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.
When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell’s magic requires concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. 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 GM might have you make a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.
Shove
Using the Attack action, you can make a Special melee Attack to shove a creature, either to knock it prone or push it away from you. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this Attack replaces one of them.
The target must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Instead of making an Attack roll, you make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you win the contest, you either knock the target prone or push it 5 feet away from you.
Use 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.
Special Feature
Some racial or class features may have abilities that use an Action.
Bonus ActionMax 1/turn
Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action.
Offhand Attack
When you take the Attack Action and Attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a Bonus Action to Attack with a different light melee weapon (Club, Dagger, Handaxe, Light Hammer, Sickles, Scimitar or Shortsword) 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.
Cast a Spell
If you cast a spell, such as “healing word”, with a bonus action, you can cast another spell with your action, but that other spell must be a cantrip. Keep in mind that this particular limit is specific to spells that use a bonus action.
Special Feature
Some racial or class features may have abilities that use a bonus action.
Drink a Potion
If you have a potion strapped to your belt, you can pop the cork and drink it yourself as a bonus action
ReactionMax 1/turn
A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind which can occur on your turn or someone else’s.
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 occurs right before the creature leaves your reach.
Cast a Spell
If you cast a spell, such as “healing word”, with a bonus action, you can cast another spell with your action, but that other spell must be a cantrip. Keep in mind that this particular limit is specific to spells that use a bonus action.
Readied Action
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.
When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell’s magic requires concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. 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.
Movement
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your maximum speed. You can break up your movement, using some of your speed before and after your action.
Movement
Move up to your speed on your turn.
The GM’s Den has “diagonal movement is 5 feet”, your GM may say differently.
You can break up your Movement on Your Turn, using some of your speed before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 30 feet, you can move 10 feet, take your action, and then move 20 feet.
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. If the result is 0 or less, you can’t use the new speed during the current 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
Whether it be a rocky path or flooded area, it takes time treading carefully, your movement speed is halved or you run the risk of tripping up and being prone.
Travel over long distances is the same.
Climb/Swim/Crawl
If you need to swim across a river, or climb a cliff and you have little experience in doing so, a Strength (Athletics) check is needed. On a success; Half speed.
Failed check; half speed and one level of exhaustion. UNLESS the creature has a climbing or swimming speed, in which case no check is needed.
Crawling is half movement, no checks needed.
Dropping Prone
Costs no movement. Dropping prone grants advantage on creatures adjacent to you, but for creatures using ranged weapons, they have a harder time hitting you. Creatures targeting a creature prone have disadvantage with ranged attacks(melee and spell).
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 Difficult Terrain, therefore, costs 3 feet of movement.
Standing Up
To get up from a “prone” position, it costs HALF of users movement speed.
Mounting a Steed
Once during your move, you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount. 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 mount a horse. Therefore, you can’t mount it if you don’t have 15 feet of movement left or if your speed is 0.
If an effect moves your mount against its will while you’re on it, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space within 5 feet of it. If you’re knocked prone while mounted, you must make the same saving throw. If your mount is knocked prone, you can use your reaction to dismount it as it falls and land on your feet. Otherwise, you are dismounted and fall prone in a space within 5 feet it.
Grapple Move
If the player was successful in their grapple, they can use their action to make an opposed Strength check against the grappled creature, to move the grappled creature in a direction of their choosing. They can only move up to half their movement speed. If the player rolls higher than the grappled creature they move the grappled creature. If they roll lower than the grappled creature, they dont move the grappled creature.
NOTE: The grappled creature can use its action on each of its turns to make another Athletics or Acrobatics check (creatures choice) to break the grapple, OR it can use its turn to make an opposed Strength check to move the PLAYER instead. I’ve had some cocky players over the years, find out the hard way that whats good for them is also good for the monsters.
High Jump
When you make a high jump, you leap into the air a number of feet equal to 3 + your Strength modifier if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement. In some circumstances, your GM might allow you to make a Strength(Athletics) check to jump higher than you normally ca
You can extend your arms half your height above yourself during the jump. Thus, you can reach above you a distance equal to the height of the jump plus 1½ times your height.
Long Jump
When you make a long jump, you cover a number of feet up to your Strength score if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing long jump, you can leap only half that distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement.
This rule assumes that the height of your jump doesn’t matter, such as a jump across a stream or chasm. At your GM’s option, you must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to clear a low obstacle (no taller than a quarter of the jump’s distance), such as a hedge or low wall. Otherwise, you hit it.
When you land in Difficult Terrain, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity(Acrobatics) check to land on your feet. Otherwise, you land prone.
Environment
Using your environment wisely on the battlefield can greatly affect the outcome.
Flanking
If the line passes through opposite borders of the opponent’s space (including corners of those borders), then the opponent is flanked and both flanking attackers get advantage on their attack rolls.
Only a creature or character that threatens the defender can help an attacker get a flanking bonus. Creatures with a reach of 0 feet can’t flank an opponent.
Lightly Obscured
Creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Heavily Obscured
A creature effectively suffers from the Blinded condition (see below) when trying to see something in that area.
Blinded
A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
Attack rolls against the blinded creature have advantage, and the blinded creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
1/2 Cover
A target with half cover has a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has half cover 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.
3/4 Cover
A target with three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover 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.
Full Cover
A target with full 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 full cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle.
Conditions
Conditions alter a creatures capabilities in a variety of ways and can arise as a result of a spell, a class feature, a monster’s attack or other effect.
Blinded
A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
Attack rolls against the blinded creature have advantage, and the blinded creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
Charmed
A charmed creature can’t attack the charmer or target the charmer with harmful abilities or magical effects.
The charmer has advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the charmed creature.
Deafened
A deafened creature can’t hear and automatically fails any ability check that requires hearing.
Frightened
A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the source of its fear is within line of sight.
The frightened creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of its fear.
Exhausted
| Level 1 | Disadvantage on ability checks |
| Level 2 | Movement speed is halved |
| Level 3 | Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws |
| Level 4 | Max HP halved |
| Level 5 | Speed reduced to 0 |
| Level 6 | Death |
Grappled
A grappled creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.
The condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated (see the condition).
The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, like when a grappled creature is hurled away by the “Thorn Whip” spell or “Gust of Wind” spell
Incapacitated
An incapacitated creature can’t take actions or reactions.
Invisible
An invisible creature is impossible to see without the aid of magic or a special sense. For the purpose of hiding, the creature is heavily obscured. The creature’s location can be detected by any noise it makes or any tracks it leaves.
Attack rolls against the invisible creature have disadvantage, and the invisible creature’s attack rolls have advantage.
Paralyzed
A paralyzed creature is incapacitated (see the condition) and can’t move or speak.
The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
Any attack (a spell is included if it has an attack roll) that hits a paralyzed creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the paralyzed creature.
Petrified
A petrified creature is transformed, along with any nonmagical object it is wearing or carrying, into a solid inanimate substance (usually stone). Its weight increases by a factor of ten, and it ceases aging.
The petrified creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings.
Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
The petrified creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
The petrified creature has resistance to all damage.
The petrified creature is immune to poison and disease, although a poison or disease already in its system is suspended, not neutralized.
Poisoned
A poisoned creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks when the Poisoned condition is applied.
Prone
A prone creature’s only movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up (for 1/2 of prone creatures movement) and thereby ends the condition.
The prone creature has disadvantage on attack rolls.
An attack roll against the prone creature has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature. Otherwise, the attack roll has disadvantage.
Restrained
A restrained creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.
Attack rolls against the restrained creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
The restrained creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Stunned
A stunned creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move, and can speak only falteringly.
The stunned creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
Attack rolls against the stunned creature have advantage.
Unconscious
An unconscious creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings.
The unconscious creature drops whatever it’s holding and falls prone.
The unconscious creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
Attack rolls against the unconscious creature have advantage.
Any attack that hits the unconscious creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the unconscious creature.
*Gm’s Den Homebrew.
Talk ‘ow ya want on ya turn but remember it’s only 6 seconds long! Keep ya blabber to a minimum or I’ll skewer ya, wretched longshanks!
Ekx