Combat Guide for Dungeons and Dragons
Combat Turn Guide
One turn in combat is approximately equivalent to 6 seconds. During your turn you are able to make the three following Actions.
Take an Action
Take an Action like making an Attack or Casting a Spell (with a cost of 1 Action). See General Character Actions for generic options. You can see all your Actions in the Action tab of your character sheet.
Making an Attack
When making a Ranged or Melee Attack, make sure you specify who the target is before you make your attack. You will first roll to hit the target and then for damage.
Example. I use my Shortsword to attack Goblin 3. Does a 17 hit the Goblin? The Goblin takes 7 slashing damage.
Casting Spells with Saving Throws
When Casting a Spell make sure you state whether it is a saving throw and what skill it uses. Try to also state the conditions of the spell on failure or success.
Example. I cast Fireball, all characters within 30ft. of the center of the spell must make a Dex 15 saving throw. On a fail they take 8d6 fire damage or half on success. When calculating damage, only roll once for all creatures affected by the spell.
Take a Bonus Action
Take a Bonus Action like making an Off-Hand Attack using two-weapon fighting or Casting a Spell (with a cost of 1 Bonus Action). You can see all your Bonus Actions in the Bonus Action tab of your character sheet.
Note. When Casting a Spell as a Bonus Action, you can’t cast another spell during the same turn, except for a Cantrip with a casting time of 1 Action.
Take a Movement Action
Move up to your speed in distance (default 30ft.). Any modifiers to your speed can affect this movement.
Homebrew Rule. You can spend your speed between Actions and Bonus Actions, it does not have to be one continuous motion.
Reaction Guide
Here is a description of how your character can use its Reactions. You regain your Reaction at the start of your turn. You are able to use 1 Reaction per round.
Opportunity Attacks
While you are holding a Melee Weapon and a creature moves out of your characters reach, you make make an Opportunity Attack against that creature. Immediately take 1 Melee Weapon Attack against the creature before it is able to leave your reach.
Note. A character with an empty hand can make an Unarmed Strike this way.
Casting a Spell
Certain Spells will have a casting time of 1 Reaction, such as Counterspell. To cast a spell this way you will have to spend your Reaction.
Triggering a Readied Action
During a round, if a specified condition is met, your character can spend its Reaction to trigger a Readied Action. If you do not trigger your Readied Action this way you keep your Reaction but lose your Readied Action.
Other Reactions
Your character’s Reactions can be found in the Reaction tab of its character sheet.
General Character Actions (Part 1)
This is a list of Actions every PC and NPC can take on their turn.
Dash
When you take the Dash Action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your current 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.
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, 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
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.
You can aid an ally attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
Hide
Note. In order to take the Hide Action, you should first make sure your character is out of sight of the target they are attempting to hide from.
When you take the Hide Action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide. Your hide succeeds if you roll higher on your stealth check then the creature’s passive perception. If a creature knows you are in the area they make choose to make an active Wisdom (Perception) check to see you.
General Character Actions (Part 2)
This is a list of Actions every PC and NPC can take on their turn.
Ready
Warning. You will have to spend your Reaction when you trigger your Readied Action.
When you take the Ready Action on your turn, you are able to choose an action to trigger when a specific condition is met. When the trigger occurs, you can either take your Readied Action right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger.
Note. When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal (spending the spell slot immediately) but hold its energy. This energy is released on 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.
Search/Make a Skill Check
When you take the Search Action, you attempt to find something. Depending on the nature of your search, the GM 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.
Understanding the Character Sheet (Part 1)
Character Scores
Every character in D&D has 6 primary Ability Scores. These scores are split into Physical Scores and Mental Scores.
The three Physical Ability Scores describe the physicality of your character. These include your character’s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Strength is your character’s ability to move things as well as the default Melee Weapon Ability Score. Dexterity is your character’s agility as well as the default Ranged Weapon Ability Score (Additionally Light weapons can use Dexterity as their Melee Weapon Ability Score). Constitution is your character’s ability to take hits and their general resistance to fatigue.
The three Mental Ability Scores describe the presence and mental ability of your character. These include your character’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Intelligence is your character’s ability to recall and apply the knowledge they have learned. Wisdom is your character’s ability to observe the world around them and their most common resistance to mental abilities. Charisma is your character’s general presence and their influence on the world around them.
Ability Scores and Ability Modifiers
An Ability Score is a number between 1 and 20 (by default). This score is used to calculate the Ability Modifier used in skill checks. A character’s Ability Modifier for a roll is calculated by the following.
Ability Modifier = (Ability Score – 10) / 2) Rounded Down
Example. +3 = (17 – 10) / 2) Rounded Down
Note. Because you always round down during the calculation, to maximize the potential of your character it is important to try to get even numbers in Ability Scores either during character creation or level up.
Character Skills and Skill Checks
Your character’s skills are liked to a specific Character Ability. This ability is listed next to the skill on the skill table of your character sheet. When making a general skill check you will roll 1D20 and add the modifier next to the skill of the check.
Example. To make a Wisdom (Perception) check you will roll 1D20 and add the Perception modifier for the character.
Understanding the Character Sheet (Part 2)
Character Skills and Skill Checks contd.
Your character is also able to make passive skill checks. These passive checks are calculated by the following formula and are used when your character is not actively taking an action. These are most commonly used for the Passive Perception of a character which can be used as the Difficulty Class (or DC) against a Stealth Roll.
Passive Ability Check = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Skill Modifier
Features and Traits
Your character’s features and traits are special abilities of your character that enable them special utility both in and out of combat. These abilities originate from your Race, Class, and Background.
Inventory
Your character’s inventory is the equipment and tools that they have on their person. This also includes their coin purse where they will keep their money.
Money in D&D
Money in D&D is generally described in Copper Pieces for non-adventurers and Gold Pieces for adventurers. As adventurers you will quickly become very wealthy compared to the average commoner who can live on about 10 Copper Pieces, or 1 Silver Piece a day. As an adventurer it costs about 1 Gold Piece to acquire lodging, food, and other basic necessities each day.
1 Gold Piece = 10 Silver Pieces = 100 Copper Pieces
1 Copper Piece = .1 Silver Pieces = 0.01 Gold Pieces
Other currencies. Both Platinum and Electrum are extremely rare currency and that makes them hard to spend in specific locations.
1 Platinum Piece = 10 Gold Pieces
1 Electrum Piece = 5 Silver Pieces
Understanding the Character Sheet (Part 3)
Carrying Capacity, Pushing, Dragging, and Lifting
While carrying capacity is normally calculated by one of two formula, we will not be limiting the carrying capacity of our characters as long as they are reasonably able to carry or bring all their equipment.
You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to 30 times your Strength score. While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 5 feet.
Size and Strength. Larger creatures can bear more weight, whereas Tiny creatures can carry less. For each size category above Medium, double the creature’s carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these weights.
Actions
Your character’s actions are all found in the Actions window of your character sheet. Within the Actions window you can click the All, Attack, Action, Bonus Action, Reaction, Other, and Limited Use tabs to sort your character’s actions by the different costs of each.
Spells and Spell Slots
Your character’s Spells, Spell Casting Ability and Modifier, Spell Save Difficulty Class (or Spell Save DC), and Spell Slots are all found in the Spell window on your character sheet. In this window you can keep track of the number of Spell Slots you currently have access to as well as viewing the in depth description of your spells by clicking directly on a spell.
When you want to cast a spell it is important to understand the following.
- What are the components of the spell (does the spell require a Verbal, Somatic, or Material Component)?
- What is the Action cost of the spell (is the spell an Action, Bonus Action, or Reaction)?
- What is the range of the spell (how far can the spell be cast from me)?
- What is the Level of the spell (is the spell a free Cantrip or is there a level of spell slot that is required to cast the spell)?
- What is the affect of the spell (is the spell a Ranged Attack, a Saving Throw, or some other effect)?
Note. Make sure when casting a spell from your sheet you either use the Cast button to automatically track the spell slot or that you manually mark off the spell slot.
DM Combat Guide
Before the Game
Write down all Player Character and NPC Armor Classes before hand. This will help you have them as a quick reference for later so you can just say whether an Attack hit or missed.
Make sure you figure out what Attacks and Features your Monsters have beforehand so you have an idea of how they work.
Note. If multiple of the same enemy are in one encounter, it can be useful to group their Initiatives and turns so all of those enemies, or a few, all do the same thing together. This can help to streamline combat.
Example. The party is fighting 5 Goblins so I split the goblins into a group of 3 Melee Goblins and 2 Ranged Goblins. The 3 Melee Goblins all share 1 Initiative and when they take their turn first they will all move, and then they will all make an Attack against the closest target.
Step 1. Rolling Initiative
Have the Players make an Initiative roll. Roll Initiative for each additional character. Tie breakers first go to the higher Dexterity score, then to the Player.
Initiative Score = 1D20 + the character’s Dexterity (Initiative) modifier
Example. Rei’ley rolled a 14 for his Initiative. A Deer also rolled a 14 for her Initiative. Both the Player and the NPC have an Initiative of 14.16 (14 rolled, 16 Dexterity score) so the tie breaker goes to the Player.
You should make a list of these rolls in order for yourself so you can easily see the order the players will go in.
| Character | Init |
|---|---|
| Alkoc | 20.12 |
| Rei’ley | 14.16 |
| Deer | 14.16 |
DM Combat Guide
Step 2. Starting the round
In the first round of combat you should determine if any of the characters suffer the surprised condition. A character is surprised if they do not see or have warning that combat is about to begin. A character with this condition suffers the following.
- The character cannot move, take Actions or Bonus Actions on their first turn.
- The character cannot take ReActions until their first turn in combat has passed.
WARNING: At low levels surprise can kill a player character.
Step 3. Your turn
On your turn you can do 3 things.
- Take an Action
- Take a Bonus Action
- Take a Movement Action (Up to your character’s movement speed)
Note. If you can’t decide what to do on your turn you can consider taking the Dodge or Ready Action.
Casting Spells (Part 1)
Here is a guide to casting spells in D&D.
Spells
In D&D Spells are loud and obvious magic emanating from a character. Sorcerers are able to subtly cast spells with Sorcerer Metamagic, however, most spells are otherwise obviously cast. These Magics have incredible abilities and are useful both in and out of combat.
Spell Slots and Spell Levels
Every spell has a spell level.
At will, or Level 0 spells are called Cantrips. These spells can be cast without use of a spell slot.
Levelled spells. Spells with a level between 1 and 9 are called levelled spells. These spells must be cast normally by consuming a spell slot. When a levelled spell is cast you will first consume a spell slot of that level or higher if it is available or the spell will fail.
Ritual Spells
Ritual spells are levelled spells that can be cast specially. When casting a spell as a Ritual the character can choose to take 10 extra minutes to the casting time to cast the spell without consuming a spell slot.
Verbal, Somatic, and Material Components
Every spell has spell components. These components are split into 3 categories, Verbal, Somatic, and Material.
A spell with a verbal component requires the ability to speak/chant in order to cast the spells incantation.
A spell with a somatic component requires a free/empty hand to gesture the sigils for the spell.
A spell with a material component will specify if the material is consumed, otherwise the material is free to reuse. An Arcane Focus can replace materials that are not consumed. A spell with this component is required to have a hand hold either the material or the focus to cast the spell.
If a spell has a somatic and material component both can use the same hand.
When a spell is cast you will attempt to use the different components required by the spell, if you are unable to fulfill all the components of the spell the spell slot is consumed and the spell fails.
Casting Spells (Part 2)
Here is a guide to casting spells in D&D.
Spell Effects
The effects of your spell are specified in the spells description. You can read a spell’s description through your character sheet by clicking on the spell’s name.
Spell Attacks
A spell that makes an attack roll is considered either a Melee Spell Attack or a Ranged Spell Attack. These attacks use your Spell Attack modifier to make the attack roll by rolling 1D20 and adding the modifier.
Spell Saving Throws
A spell that requires the target or affected creatures to make a Saving Throw is considered a Spell Save. These saving throws use your Spell Save DC and an ability of the target to mitigate or avoid the spell.
Spell Casting Time
All spells have a casting time labelled in the Time column next to the spell name. This is the time or action required uninterrupted before the effect will take place. During this time you will be required to supply all spell components simultaneously.
Spell Concentration
Some spells will require spell concentration. You can only be concentrating on one spell at a time. While you are concentrating on a spell you can still cast spells that do not require concentration. Taking damage while concentration will force you to make a constitution saving through to maintain concentration on the effect. The difficulty class of this saving throw is determined by the damage you take.
Concentration Save DC = 10 or half the damage taken rounded down
Spell Duration
All spells have a spell duration. This is the length of the time a spell’s effect can last for.
1 minute = 10 rounds
1 hour = 600 rounds
1 action = 6 seconds
Area’s of Effect
Here is a description of each Area of Effect.
A spell’s description specifies its area of effect, which typically has one of five different shapes: cone, cube, cylinder, line, or sphere. Every area of effect has a point of origin, a location from which the spell’s energy erupts. The rules for each shape specify how you position its point of origin. Typically, a point of origin is a point in space, but some spells have an area whose origin is a creature or an object.
Cone
A cone extends in a direction you choose from its point of origin. A cone’s width at a given point along its length is equal to that point’s distance from the point of origin. A cone’s area of effect specifies its maximum length.
A cone’s point of origin is not included in the cone’s area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.
Cube
You select a cube’s point of origin, which lies anywhere on a face of the cubic effect. The cube’s size is expressed as the length of each side.
A cube’s point of origin is not included in the cube’s area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.
Cylinder
A cylinder’s point of origin is the center of a circle of a particular radius, as given in the spell description. The circle must either be on the ground or at the height of the spell effect. The energy in a cylinder expands in straight lines from the point of origin to the perimeter of the circle, forming the base of the cylinder. The spell’s effect then shoots up from the base or down from the top, to a distance equal to the height of the cylinder.
A cylinder’s point of origin is included in the cylinder’s area of effect.
Line
A line extends from its point of origin in a straight path up to its length and covers an area defined by its width.
A line’s point of origin is not included in the line’s area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.
Sphere
You select a sphere’s point of origin, and the sphere extends outward from that point. The sphere’s size is expressed as a radius in feet that extends from the point.
A sphere’s point of origin is included in the sphere’s area of effect.
Basic Conditions (Part 1)
Here is a simplified guide to conditions in D&D.
Blinded
- A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
- Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the 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 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 creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of its fear.
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.
- The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by the thunderwave spell.
Incapacitated
- An incapacitated creature can’t take actions or reactions.
Basic Conditions (Part 2)
Here is a simplified guide to conditions in D&D.
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 creature have disadvantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have advantage.
Paralyzed
- A paralyzed creature can’t take actions or reactions, and can’t move or speak.
- The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
- Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
- Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the 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 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 creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
- The creature has resistance to all damage.
- The 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.
Basic Conditions (Part 3)
Here is a simplified guide to conditions in D&D.
Prone
- A prone creature’s only movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition.
- The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls.
- An attack roll against the 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 creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
- The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Stunned
- A stunned creature is can’t take actions or reactions, can’t move, and can speak only falteringly.
- The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
- Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
Unconscious
- An unconscious creature can’t take actions or reactions, can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings
- The creature drops whatever it’s holding and falls prone.
- The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
- Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
- Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.
Exhaustion
Some special abilities and environmental hazards, such as starvation and the long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition called exhaustion. Exhaustion is measured in six levels. An effect can give a creature one or more levels of exhaustion, as specified in the effect’s description.
Exhaustion Effects
Level 1 Disadvantage on ability checks
Level 2 Speed halved
Level 3 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws
Level 4 Hit point maximum halved
Level 5 Speed reduced to 0
Level 6 Death
If an already exhausted creature suffers another effect that causes exhaustion, its current level of exhaustion increases by the amount specified in the effect’s description.
A creature suffers the effect of its current level of exhaustion as well as all lower levels. For example, a creature suffering level 2 exhaustion has its speed halved and has disadvantage on ability checks.
An effect that removes exhaustion reduces its level as specified in the effect’s description, with all exhaustion effects ending if a creature’s exhaustion level is reduced below 1.
Finishing a long rest reduces a creature’s exhaustion level by 1, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink.
Damage and Healing
Here is a simple guide to damage and healing.
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 Resistance and Vulnerability
If a creature or an object has resistance to a damage type, damage of that type is halved against it (rounded down). 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. Rest can restore a creature’s hit points, 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.
Damage Types
Different attacks, damaging spells, and other harmful effects 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 three most common damage types are the weapon damage types.
- Bludgeoning: Blunt force attacks—hammers, falling, constriction, and the like—deal bludgeoning damage.
- Piercing: Puncturing and impaling attacks, including spears and monsters’ bites, deal piercing damage.
- Slashing: Swords, axes, and monsters’ claws deal slashing damage.
The elemental damage types.
- Acid: The corrosive spray of a black dragon’s breath and the dissolving enzymes secreted by a Black Pudding deal acid damage.
- Cold: The infernal chill radiating from an Ice Devil’s spear and the frigid blast of a white dragon’s breath deal cold damage.
- Fire: Red dragons breathe fire, and many spells conjure flames to deal fire damage.
- Force: Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile and spiritual weapon.
- Lightning: A lightning bolt spell and a blue dragon’s breath deal lightning damage.
- Necrotic: Necrotic damage, dealt by certain undead and a spell such as chill touch, withers matter and even the soul.
- Poison: Venomous stings and the toxic gas of a green dragon’s breath deal poison damage.
- Psychic: Mental abilities such as a mind flayer’s psionic blast deal psychic damage.
- Radiant: Radiant damage, dealt by a cleric’s flame strike spell or an angel’s smiting weapon, sears the flesh like fire and overloads the spirit with power.
- Thunder: A concussive burst of sound, such as the effect of the thunderwave spell, deals thunder damage.