Combat | Homebrew Directory
Combat Options
Attack [Action]
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.
When you hit a creature with a melee weapon that deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you deal one of the other of these three damage types instead. The attack deals half as much damage, as you wield it in a way it was not intended to be used. You may spend a flourish to deal full damage.
When you take the Attack Action on your turn with a weapon in one hand, you can make one extra attack as part of the same action. That extra attack must be made with a different light weapon in another hand, and you don't add your ability modifier to the extra attack's damage, unless that modifier is negative. You can only make this extra attack once on each of your turns.
An Unarmed Strike is a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or shove a target within your reach. Your bonus to hit with an Unarmed Strike equals your Strength modifier plus your Proficiency Bonus. On a hit, your Unarmed Strike causes one of the following effects of your choice:
- Damage. The target takes bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier.
- Grapple. If the target is no more than one size category larger than you, it is Grappled, and the grapple's escape DC equals
8 + your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. A creature that can use another ability score for its unarmed strikes can use that ability score modifier instead of Strength. This grapple is possible only if the target is no more than one size larger than you and if you have a hand free to grab the target.- Moving a Grappled Target. You can drag or carry a creature you are grappling, but you suffer from the Slowed condition while moving, unless the grappled creature is two or more sizes smaller than you. If the grappled creature is flying, it falls if it is two or more sizes smaller than you. If you don't have a fly speed, you are suspended in the air with the grappled creature's fly speed until it falls.
- Escaping a Grapple. A Grappled creature can make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw against the grapple's escape DC at the end of each of your turns, ending the condition on a success. Alternatively, a creature can use Strength or Dexterity (Athletics) to take the Escape Bindings action. The condition also ends if the grappler is incapacitated or if something moves you outside the grappler's range without using its speed. The grappler can release the target whenever they like (no action required).
- Shove. You may push the target 5 feet away, plus 5 additional feet for every increment of 5 you exceed their AC by. You may reduce this distance by 10 feet to knock the target Prone. This shove is possible only if the target is no more than one size larger than you.
- Climb On. When you make an unarmed strike against a a creature at least 2 sizes larger than you, you can try to climb onto it, making the attack roll with Strength or Dexterity. If you hit, you climb onto the creature as long as you have at least one free hand. While climbing onto a creature, you move with the target and have advantage on attack rolls against it. You can move around within the larger creature's space by climbing it. It's ability to attack you depends on your location, and can be ended if you are removed by being grappled or knocked off. While climbing a creature, you must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (DC= 8 + the creature's Dexterity modifier + the creature's proficiency bonus) at the start of each of your turns (with disadvantage if you used all of your hands for anything other than climbing and hanging on since the beginning of your last turn). On a failed save, you lose grip from the creature and immediately fall.
Called Shot
Once on your turn, before you make an attack, you can choose to take Disadvantage on the attack roll. If the attack hits, you may Flourish, treating the attack roll's result as if you had rolled a natural 20. You cannot make a Called Shot if you already have Disadvantage on the attack roll.
If both attack roll results (or the single attack roll result if you had Advantage on the roll to cancel out the Disadvantage) would have normally flourished, the attack is a critical hit. If the roll results are all critical hits, the attack deals maximum damage.
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. 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.
A spellcaster may not cast more than a single spell using mana on a single turn, even with the use of Reactions, Bonus Actions, and other similar abilities, such as Action Surge. They may cast spells that do not require mana, such as cantrips, a Warlock's Arcanum, or free spells granted by feats or other features on the same turn as a spell they spent mana on.
Dash [Action]
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 [Action]
If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks for the rest of the turn.
Dodge [Action]
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.
Help [Action]
When you take the Help action, you do one of the following:
- Assist Ability Check. Choose one of your skill proficiencies and one ally who can see or hear you. You give Advantage on the next ability check that ally makes with the chosen skill. This benefit expires if the ally doesn't use it before the start of your next turn. To give this assistance, you must be near enough to the ally to assist verbally or physically when the ally makes the check. The DM has the final say on whether your assistance is possible. In certain circumstances, the DM may allow you to assist with an ability check if you do not have proficiency provided the situation makes sense.
- Assist Attack Roll. You momentarily distract an enemy within 5 feet of you, granting Advantage to the next Attack Roll by one of your allies against that enemy. This benefit expires at the start of your next turn.
Hide
When you take the Hide action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide, following the rules for hiding. If you succeed, you gain certain benefits.
Influence [Action]
With the Influence action, you can try to influence another creature to do something you request or demand. This action be used only on creatures controlled by the DM, and it isn't mind control; it can't force a creature to do something that is counter to the creature's alignment or that is otherwise repugnant to the creature. This action has three main parts: Attitude, Interaction, and a Charisma check.
Attitude
A creature's attitude determines how a character can influence that creature. Each GM-controlled creature has one of the following attitudes toward the player characters:
- Helpful. A creature that is Helpful to a character wishes to actively aid that character. It will accept reasonable requests from that character, as long as such requests aren't at the expense of the Helpful creature's goals or quality of life. If an element of personal risk is involved, a successful charisma check might be required to convince a Helpful creature to take that risk. If the character or one of their allies uses hostile actions against the creature, the creature gains a worse attitude depending on the severity of the hostile action, as determined by the GM.
- Friendly. A creature that is Friendly toward a character likes that character, and the Friendly creature is likely to agree to a simple and safe request that doesn't cost much to fulfill. If the character or one of their allies uses hostile actions against the creature, the creature gains a worse attitude depending on the severity of the hostile action, as determined by the GM.
- Indifferent. A creature that is Indifferent to a character doesn't really care one way or the other about the character. This is the default attitude for GM-controlled creatures. An Indifferent creature might help or hinder the party, depending on what the creature sees as most beneficial. A creature's indifference doesn't necessarily make it standoffish or disinterested. Indifferent creatures might be polite and genial, surly and irritable, or anything in between.
- Unfriendly. A creature that is Unfriendly to a character dislikes and specifically distrusts the character. They are very unlikely to do anything to aid or help the character.
- Hostile. A creature that is Hostile to a character seeks to harm that character or stands in direct opposition to the character's goals. It doesn't necessarily attack them on sight, but it may seek to undermine or otherwise inconvenience the character, sometimes in dramatic and lasting ways.
Interaction
When you take the Influence action, either roleplay how your character interacts with the creature or describe your character's behavior—focusing on your character's request or demand. If the interaction is especially suited to the creature's desires and outlook, the DM might grant Advantage to your subsequent check or might temporary shift a Hostile creature to Indifferent or an Indifferent creature to Friendly. Similarly, if the interaction is particularly irksome to the creature, the DM might impose Disadvantage on your subsequent check or might temporarily shift a Friendly creature to Indifferent or an Indifferent creature to Hostile.
Ability Check
To determine whether your request or demand is successful, you make a Charisma Check (Animal Handling, Convince, Deception); the applicable skill depends on the interaction, with Animal Handling being reserved for Beasts and Monstrosities. Also, each request or demand requires a different check. The creature's attitude determines the DC required to achieve a specific response, as shown on the Influence Response Table.
| DC | Indifferent Creature's Response |
|---|---|
| 10 | The creature does as asked, as long as no risks or sacrifices are involved. |
| 20 | The creature accepts a minor risk or sacrifice to do as asked. |
| DC | Friendly Creature's Response |
| 10 | The creature accepts a minor risk or sacrifice to do as asked. |
| 20 | The creature accepts significant risk or sacrifice to do as asked. |
| DC | Hostile Creature's Response |
| 10 | The creature offers no help but does no harm. |
| 20 | The creature does as asked, as long as no risks or sacrifices are involved. |
Jumping
Your Strength determines how far you can jump.
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 (Athletics) check to land on your feet. Otherwise, you land prone.
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 can.
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.
Jump [Action]
With the Jump action, you attempt to leap more than your normal jump distance. When you take this action, your speed must be greater than 0. Make a Strength (Athletics) check. The check's total determines the distance in feet you can clear horizontally, or half that total if you're jumping vertically, but the distance you clear can't exceed your speed.
Overrun and Tumble
You can use your action or bonus action to try and move through a creature's space by overrunning them with sheer force or deftly rolling through it.
Make a Strength (Athletics) check against a DC equal to the creature's passive Strength (Athletics) score. You have advantage on this check if you are larger than the hostile creature, or disadvantage if you are smaller. On a success, you can move through the hostile creature's space this turn.
Make a Dexterity (Athletics) check against a DC equal to the creature's passive Dexterity (Athletics) score. On a success, you can move through the hostile creature's space this turn.
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 turn.
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 [Action]
When you take the Search action, you attempt to search or assess the surrounding area or creatures for information to aid you. Declare what you are trying to accomplish, and then make an ability check at the DM's discretion. Common skills used in this action are Perception, Medicine, or Insight. All skills are detailed on the Skills page.
Study [Action]
When you take the Study action, you make an ability check to study your memory, a book, a creature, a clue, an object, or another source of knowledge and call to mind an important piece of information about it. Declare what you are trying to accomplish, and then make an ability check at the DM's discretion. Common skills used in this action are Arcana, Society, Investigation, Nature, or Religion. All skills are detailed on the Skills page.
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.
Flourishes
When a creature rolls a natural 18, 19, or 20 on the d20 used in an attack roll, they are able to add a special rider to the resulting attack known as a Flourish. The options are listed in the table below. If a character has an ability or is using a weapon that increases the crit range of their attacks, the flourish range is expanded by an equal amount. A creature can never increase their critical chance below 18, or their flourish chance below 15.
The DM has the final say on whether or not a Flourish is a valid choice for a specific enemy.
| Flourish | Effect |
|---|---|
| Burn | The target begins Burning with one of the damage types dealt by the attack (or Necrotic if Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing). Stacks intensity. |
| Blind | The target must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, it is Blinded until the end of its next turn. Stacks duration. |
| Chill | As long as the attack dealt cold damage, the target is chilled until the end of its next turn. Stacks intensity. |
| Deafen | The target must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, it is Deafened for 1 minute. Stacks duration. |
| Demoralize | The target makes a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, it is Frightened of you until the end of its next turn. Stacks duration. |
| Disarm | As long as the target is no more than one size category larger than you, it must make a Strength saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, it drops one item it is holding. Consecutive flourishes may allow you to disarm larger creatures. |
| Distract | The target makes a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, the target cannot take more than one Reaction of any kind until its next turn. If it can already only take one Reaction of any kind, it cannot take any reactions instead. |
| Dominate | The target has disadvantage on its next attack roll against you. Stacks duration. |
| Focus Target | Until the creature leaves your reach or you use this flourish again, you gain advantage on opportunity attacks against the target, and your first Opportunity Attack against the target each round does not count against the number of Opportunity Attacks you can make each turn. |
| Follow Through | You have advantage on the next attack roll against the target. |
| Grab | If you have a free hand, and the attack was an unarmed strike, you may grapple the target. If it was not an unarmed strike, make an unarmed strike against the target. On a hit, you grapple the target. This attack cannot flourish. |
| Hamstring | The creature must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, its speeds are halved until the end of its next turn. |
| Improvise | Attempt to do something creative based on the circumstances of the conflict, such as pinning a creature's cloak to the wall or covering them with ink or paint. If this effect requires a saving throw, the DC is equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). |
| Interrupt | The target has disadvantage on saving throws to maintain concentration until the end of their next turn, including against this attack if it dealt damage. |
| Off Guard | The target must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, it loses any stances it is in. |
| Poison | As long as the attack dealt poison damage, the target must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, the target is poisoned until the end of its next turn. Stacks duration. If the attack roll was made with a poisoned weapon, this flourish triggers if they fail the saving throw against the poison instead. |
| Undermine | The target has disadvantage on a saving throw prompted by the attack, such as a Stunning Strike or from an injury or contact poison. |
| Shove | You may push a target that is no more than one size category larger than you 5 feet away, plus 5 additional feet for every increment of 5 you exceed their AC by. You may reduce this distance by 10 feet to knock the target Prone. |
| Silence | The target must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, the target is Silenced for until the end of its next turn. Stacks duration. |
| Steal | If you have a free hand, make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Precision) check contested by the target's passive Strength or Dexterity (Athletics). On a success, take one item from the opponent that is not currently being held. If you used Dexterity (Precision), you may choose to conceal this action. |
| Stun | The target must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, the target is Stunned until the end of its next turn. If the creature succeeds on the saving throw by less than 5, they are dazed until the end of its next turn instead. This flourish can only be used on the third consecutive flourish. |
| Sunder | Destroy one nonmagical item on the target. This flourish can only be used on the third consecutive flourish. |
| Threaten | The target must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to half the attack roll OR half the attack's damage (whichever is higher). On a failed save, it is Threatened until the end of its next turn. |
| Versatile Strike | When you make a Pommel Strike with a melee weapon, you deal full damage instead of half damage. |
Combat Rules
Cleaving
When a melee attack reduces an undamaged creature to 0 hit points, any excess damage from that attack might carry over to another creature nearby. The attacker targets another creature within reach and, if the original attack roll can hit it, applies any remaining damage to it. If that creature was undamaged and is likewise reduced to 0 hit points, repeat this process, carrying over the remaining damage until there are no valid targets, or until the damage carried over fails to reduce an undamaged creature to 0 hit points.
Critical Hits
When you score a Critical Hit, you deal extra damage. Roll the attack's damage dice twice, add them together, and add any relevant modifiers as normal. If the attack involves other damage dice, you also roll those dice twice.
If a creature uses an ability that can add additional damage dice once per turn, such as the Rogue's Sneak Attack feature or the Martial Advantage Paragon Trait, on a normal hit, then inflicts a critical hit on another attack that would qualify for the damage later in that turn, the creature can roll this damage again and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Certain features and items can reduce a creature's critical hit range, but never be reduced below 18 unless a game effect explicitly states it.
Flanking
When making an attack, you get a +2 bonus on your attack roll if your opponent is threatened by a character or creature friendly to you on the opponent’s opposite border or opposite corner.
When in doubt about whether two friendly characters flank an opponent in the middle, trace an imaginary line between the two friendly characters’ centers. If the line passes through opposite borders of the opponent’s space (including corners of those borders), then the opponent is flanked. If a flanker takes up more than 1 square, it gets the flanking bonus if any square it occupies counts for flanking.
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.
Injuries
Damage normally leaves no lingering effects. However, a creature might sustain a lingering injury under the following circumstances:
- When it suffers System Shock.
- When a Critical Hit, Massive Damage, or damage after rolling a 1 on a d20 result for a saving throw reduces you to 0 hit points.
- When you suffer damage from a critical hit or suffer massive damage while at 0 hit points.
Reactions
While Actions and Bonus Actions are taken during one's turn, Reactions can be used outside of a creature's turn. A creature can take one Reaction each turn. Once an individual Reaction has been used, it cannot be used again until the start of your next turn unless otherwise stated. Common reactions include:
- Opportunity Attacks. Any attack made with a reaction is an Opportunity Attack. The most common type is provoked when a a creature uses its Action, its Bonus Action, its Reaction, or one of its speeds to leave the reach of another creature that can see it. This Opportunity Attack is a melee weapon attack, and it occurs right before the creature leaves your reach. However, feats like Sentinel or Polearm Master, Readied Attack Actions, and a Marshall's Commanding Presence can also grant Opportunity Attacks. A creature can only make one Opportunity Attack each round, though features like Extra Attack, the Opportunist Fighting Style, and the Sentinel feat grant additional Opportunity Attacks each round. Creatures with the Multiattack feature can make one Opportunity Attack for each melee attack they could normally make as an Action.
- Spells. When you cast a spell as a Reaction, you cannot cast the same spell or a different spell as a Reaction unless another rule specifies that you can.
- Maneuvers. When you use a Maneuver as a Reaction, you cannot use another Maneuver as a Reaction unless another rule specifies that you can.
- Miscellaneous. Class and subclass features, fighting styles, feats, Paragon Traits, magic items, and other character options may grant you additional Reactions that you can use. Unless otherwise stated, each of these Reactions can be used once per round.
Tides of Battle
The Tides of Battle is a combat mechanic meant to simulate the feel of a combat that expands beyond the scope of the PCs, such as a massive battlefield, additional hordes of enemies, or likewise. This is represented by a special d100 roll that happens each round.
Tides of Battle Roll
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), roll a d100, adding or subtracting the Tide of Battle score from the roll. The Tide of Battle score is equal to half the levels of the allied units plus the CR of any allied creatures minus the CR of the encounter. If the result is above 50, the party may choose one of the following qualifying actions in combat. If the result is 50 or lower, the DM uses one of the following qualifying actions in combat.
Then, the Tide of Battle score shifts 1 towards the side that chose an action for every difference of 10 above or below the threshold of the chosen action when compared to the result rolled on the Tide of Battle dice.
Tides of Battle Options
If the Allied forces choose this option, they may:
- Force an enemy minion of your choice to use its turn to aid the outer conflict, effectively losing a turn and moving away from the heart of the main conflict.
- An allied actor of your choice from the outer conflict enters the main conflict and immediately takes a turn before rejoining the outer conflict.
- An enemy actor from the outer conflict uses its turn to join the main conflict.
- An allied actor of your choice from the outer conflict joins the main conflict and immediately takes its turn.
- 1d4 enemy minions of your choice are drawn away from the main conflict to the outer conflict, effectively removing them from it.
- 1d4 enemy actors from the outer conflict join the main conflict and immediately take their turns.