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

the ac of a character is determined at character creation, whereas the ac of a monster is in its 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

when a monster makes an attack roll, it 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 ability modifier used for a spell attack depends on the spellcasting ability of the spellcaster as explained in spellcasting

proficiency bonus

you add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with which you have proficiency, as well as when you attack with a spell

rolling 1 or 20

sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing the novice to hit and 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 dungeon master 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

when you are hidden you have surprise on every creature you are hidden from

ranged attacks

when you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow, hurl a hand axe, 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

iming 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 the reach of a hostile creature who can see you and who isn't incapacitated.

melee attacks

a melee attack allows you to attack a foe within your reach

a melee attack typically uses a handheld weapon such as a sword, a war hammer, or an axe

a typical monster makes a melee attack when it strikes with its claws, horns, teeth, tentacles, or other body part

a few spells also involve making a melee attack

medium creatures have a 5-foot reach and can thus attack targets within 5 feet of them when making a melee attack

certain creatures (typically those larger than medium) have melee attacks with a greater reach than 5 feet, as noted in their descriptions

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

you are proficient with your unarmed strikes

mark

when a creature hits with a melee attack, it also marks its target

until the attacker’s next turn, any opportunity attack it makes against the marked target have advantage

opportunity attack

in a fight, everyone is constantly watching for a chance to strike an enemy who is fleeing or passing by

such a strike is called an opportunity attack.

you can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see and that is within your reach moves out of a square, stands up from prone, or mounts or dismounts a creature or vehicle

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 actually moves

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 can use a bonus action 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

for example, if a target is behind a creature that gives half cover and a tree trunk that gives three-quarters cover, the target has three-quarters cover.

half cover

targets with half cover have 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

shields provides half cover to the front and shield side of a creature using it

three-quarters cover

targets with three-quarters cover have 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

tower shield provide three-quarters cover to the front and shield side of a creature using it

total cover

targets 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 total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle

as an action a tower shield can provide total cover to the front and shield side of a creature using it

hitting cover

first, determine whether the attack roll would have hit the protected target without the cover

if the attack roll falls within a range low enough to miss the target but high enough to strike the target if there had been no cover, the object used for cover is struck

if a creature is providing cover for the missed creature and the attack roll exceeds the AC of the covering creature, the covering creature is hit

mounted combat

a willing creature that is at least one size larger than you and that has an appropriate anatomy can serve as a mount, using the following rules

mounting and dismounting

during your move, you can mount or dismount a creature that is within your natural reach

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 strength saving throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space adjacent to it

if you’re knocked prone while mounted, you must succeed on a DC 15 strength saving throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space adjacent to it

if your mount is knocked prone, you must succeed on a DC 15 dexterity saving throw to use your reaction to dismount it as it falls and land on your feet, otherwise, you are dismounted and fall prone in a space adjacent to it.

controlling a mount in combat

while you’re mounted, you have two options

you can either control the mount or allow it to act independently

you can control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider

domesticated creatures are assumed to have such training

intelligent creatures, such as dragons, generally act independently

the initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it

it moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: dash, disengage, and dodge, a war trained mount can also attack

a controlled mount can move and act even on the turn that you mount it

an independent mount retains its place in the initiative order

bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes

it might flee from combat, rush to attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes

in either case, if the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the mount

all weapons with the heavy quality have disadvantage on attacks made by mounted creatures

underwater combat

underwater the following rules apply

when making a melee weapon attack, a creature that doesn't have a swimming speed (either natural or granted by magic) has disadvantage on the attack roll unless the weapon is a dagger, javelin, short sword, spear, or trident

a ranged weapon attack automatically misses a target beyond the weapon's normal range, even against a target within normal range, the attack roll has disadvantage unless the weapon is a crossbow, a net, or a weapon that is thrown like a javelin (including a spear, trident, or dart) unless used by a creature with a swim speed

creatures and objects that are fully immersed in water have resistance to fire damage

simultaneous effects

most effects in the game happen in succession, following an order set by the rules or the dungeon master

in rare cases, effects can happen at the same time, especially at the start or end of a creature’s turn

if two or more things happen at the same time on a character or monster’s turn, the person at the game table — whether player or DM — who controls that creature decides the order in which those things happen

for example, if two effects occur at the end of a player character’s turn, the player decides which of the two effects happens first