Combat
QUICKLINKS
HOW COMBAT WORKS
Combat unfolds in three steps:- Combatants determine Initiative
- Combatants Act in order of initiative
- Survivors Repeat the process
INITIATIVE
Combat is broken up into segments called rounds. A round is a period of about 6 seconds. At the start of each round, combatants determine their initiative, or the order in which they’ll act during the round.- When your DM calls for initiative, you make an initiative check.
- Your success level determines when you act, with critical successes going first and critical failures going last.
- If you act at the same success level as another hero, you can coordinate your attacks (see Attacking in Concert).
- If you wish to determine which of you acts first, use the higher die roll or decide between yourselves.
- If your turn falls in the same period as a foe, you act first.
SURPRISE ROUNDS
In some cases, you or your opponents may not be aware of each other before battle is engaged. When such an ambush occurs, combatants who are aware of the impending conflict can take a single action in order of initiative in this preliminary "surprise" round.Turns & Actions
On your turn, you can move and take an action. You can move before, during, or after your action, up to a distance equal to your speed with any combination of movement you are capable of. For information on unusual forms of movement, see the Movement section under Exploration. Your action can be used for a variety of things, as described below.
Assist
You can assist an ally in a task as an action. When you do so, the ally gains advantage on the task you are assisting with. You must be able to provide meaningful assistance to another's action in order to assist it. Setting up an orc for the barbarian's axe attack through a series of feints with your spear or using your interlaced hands to boost the ranger for a jump attempt would qualify. Yelling encouragement at the wizard casting fireball or whispering to the rogue that a lock is the home for his lock picks would not.Attack
You can attack a target as an attack action. Cantrips, orisons, martial maneuvers, and weapon attacks are examples of attack actions. You must be within reach of a creature to make a martial maneuver attempt or melee attack against it, or within range to make a ranged attack against it.Attacking in Concert
When you ready to act or act on the same initiative as an ally, you can coordinate your attacks to make them more difficult for a foe to defend against.
Cast
You can cast most spells as an action. Some spells, such as rituals and spells with defined cast times, may take longer or shorter to cast. If a spell requires a round or more to cast, you can begin casting it by taking a full-round action.Defend
You can defend yourself or a target or intercept a target’s attacks as an action. When you defend yourself, until the start of your next turn you gain advantage on defense attempts. When you defend a target, you can both make defense attempts for it and it can use the result it prefers. When you intercept a creature’s attacks, you can force it to target you with one attack per action, plus an additional attack for each additional attack you would block with your defense attempt.Delay
If there is no good option to take when your turn comes up, you can delay your turn. Delaying differs from taking an action in that you choose to take your turn later.Move
While you can move up to your speed on your turn in addition to taking an action, sometimes you need to cover more ground. You can move twice on your turn by using the move action.Use
Sometimes the wisest action in the heat of battle is not attacking or defending. You can utilize an item or manipulate an object as an action on your turn, or interact with someone or something. Drinking a potion, employing a wand, dragging an ally out of harm's way, pushing over a statue, stabilizing a dying friend with your medical skill, or firing a ballista are examples of use actions.Ready
Sometimes you know what to do but the timing isn’t right. When you ready, you specify an action to take when a trigger occurs, such as casting lightning bolt the moment an orc bursts through the door.FULL-ROUND ACTIONS
Some Actions, such as a magic-user casting a ritual through the Arcane Preparation feature, last longer than a single turn. A full-round action engages you until the start of your next turn or longer, if the full-round action is maintained.- Initiating a full-round action uses your action.
- If you move prior to initiating a full-round action, you lose your movement for the turn that begins when the full-round action completes.
- You can abort a full-round action at any time.
Defending
Physical Attacks: Most attacks, such as those made by weapons, claws, or teeth, can be dodged, parried, or magically avoided by those proficient in arcane or divine defense. Ray and touch spells also fall into this category.
Martial Maneuvers: When a creature attempts to grapple, push, pull, or trip you or sunder or disarm your weapon, you make a Martial Maneuver defense. If you are proficient in a martial maneuver, you are also proficient in its defense.
Non-Physical Attacks: Certain attacks, particularly poisons, diseases, and spells, target your ability scores rather than your standard defenses. When faced with Fireball, a medusa’s gaze, and a hellhound's breath, you make an ability check to resist. Alternatively, if you are proficient in a defense capable of stopping non-physical attacks, such as arcane defense or divine defense, you can use that defense instead.
DEFENDING AGAINST MULTIPLE ATTACKS
A vicious troll. Hordes of goblins. A flight of arrows. Heroes often face foes that outnumber them and it is rare to see such threats line up to make attacks one at a time. When you face multiple attacks, you make your defense attempt against all the attacks in a single roll. The success level of your defense determines how many attacks you block.Critical Success: You block three attacks. If you rolled a 20, you also block all additional attacks and suffer no ill effect from any blocked attack.
Major Success: You block two attacks.
Normal Success: You block one attack.
Limited Success: You block no attacks, or one attack if an ability or item allows you to block an extra attack.
Failure: You block no attacks and an attack of your choice bypasses your armor.
Critical Failure: You block no attacks and one or more attacks is a critical hit.
HOW DO YOU STOP IT?
Certain abilities, the defend action, and items such as shields allow you to block an additional attack. When you have such a benefit, you do just that—increase the number of attacks you block by one, potentially even on a limited success. In addition, you can spread out the number of attacks you and your allies individually face through strategy and positioning. Finally, the Break Up Attack Hampering effect prevents a foe from attacking with others or separates its multi-attack.BREAKING UP ATTACKS
When you break up a monster’s attack, you force it to make an attack that is not coordinated with its other attacks or its allies' attacks. Breaking up an attack is always to your benefit. If your defense against the multi-attack would have also blocked some or all of the attacks you break off, you block those attacks as well, even if your defense against the broken-off attack fails.OVER-BLOCKING
Sometimes you'll block more attacks than you need to. When you do so on a major or critical success, you can harry your attackers back.Success Levels in Combat
CRITICAL SUCCESS
The critical success is the pinnacle of heroic combat, with success beyond expectation accomplished in glorious, cinematic effect. Your attempt either deals maximum damage or prevents you from suffering any ill effects and you can apply one of the following Devastating Effect effects.- Additional Damage Die: If you employed something possessing damage dice in the critical success, such as a weapon or damaging spell, you can deal an additional die of damage.
- Knock Back: You can push the foe you interacted with 5'.
- Knock Initiative Back: You can knock the foe you interacted with down one initiative success level.
- Weapon Maneuver: If you employed a weapon with a martial maneuver feature against a foe in the attempt, you can use the weapon's maneuver on the foe at a normal success. If this attempt was a maneuver using a weapon, you can instead deal your weapon's attack damage.
- Two Hampering Effects: You can employ two Hampering Effect effects.
CRITICAL SUCCESS WITH A ROLL OF 20
When you are critically successful with a roll of 20, your DM may ask you to make a Luck Roll to determine the extent of your exceptional success. The legendary Instagib, an instant kill resulting from a roll of three successive 20s, is born from such rare successive success.- As with any roll of 20, you can downgrade your attempt to a normal success in exchange for a Fortune Die.
MAJOR SUCCESS
When you achieve major success in combat, you are extremely successful with your attempt and can apply one of the following Hampering Effect effects.- Break Up the target's Attack: You break up the target's next attack, preventing it from attacking with its allies or splitting an attack off its multi-attack to make it easier to defend against.
- Brutal Damage: If you rolled damage dice with the effect, you can reroll one damage die until you get a higher result.
- Rank Penalty: The target suffers a -1 rank penalty on its next attempt of your choice before the end of the next round. This effect can be applied multiple times. Its effects stack.
- Move 5': You can move yourself or a creature you interacted with 5' without triggering movement-triggered attacks or effects. This move cannot force an unwilling creature into environmental harm, such as off a cliff, or into spikes or lava.
NORMAL SUCCESS
When you achieve normal success in combat, your attack hits, the attack you’re defending against is prevented, or your alternate action is effective.LIMITED SUCCESS
On a limited success in combat, you miss with your attack, are hit by your opponent’s attack, or are unable to effectively take your action. However, all is not lost as you were close enough to success to have something go your way. You can apply a Hampering Effect effect.FAILURE
On a failure in combat, your attack or attempt is ineffective, or your opponent’s attack is fully effective, even bypassing your armor's damage reduction. If your attempt failed with a roll of 1 and your rank wasn't Legendary or Godlike, you suffer a critical failure.CRITICAL FAILURE
When you suffer a critical failure, your attempt is so completely unsuccessful that it has an additional negative impact. The attack against you is a critical hit, your attack may result in you tripping, breaking your weapon, or hitting an ally, or is equally disastrous. After rolling a critical failure, your DM may ask you to make a Luck Roll to determine the extent of the catastrophe.- A critical failure does not necessarily mean you failed. It can also represent the skill, mercilessness, or luck of your opponent in their challenge against you. If you are disarmed when critically failing an attack, it could mean your opponent anticipated your strike and pulled off an expert maneuver, rather than your weapon slipping clumsily away.
- Critical Failures, while potentially harrowing, can also lead to moments of cinematic effect. Humor is a great byproduct of mistakes.
Hero's Surges
You start your adventuring career with four hero's surges and at each even level after 1st, you gain one more. You can spend a hero's surge once per round to unleash a powerful feature of your class. In addition, you can spend a hero's surge for healing or heroism.
HEALING
As a hero, you're capable of surviving wounds others might not. Once per hour as an action, you can spend a hero's surge and regain ¼ of your maximum hit points.- Some spells and abilities allow you to spend a hero's surge for healing. These powers are not limited by and do not impact your use of this ability.
HEROISM
Heroes are heroic. As part of your turn, you can spend a hero's surge to accomplish something extraordinary. Most acts of heroism are provided by your class, but there are other possibilities as well. The limitations on what you can do are that your heroism must be:- Cinematic: Hero’s surges should be exciting and create moments everyone remembers. Diving in front of a friend to save them from dragon fire is cinematic. Blocking dragon fire from hitting yourself is not.
- Extraordinary: Hero’s surges are meant to be used for actions beyond the mundane. Re-attempting an action you failed or doing something again that you did earlier is not extraordinary.
- Feasible: Hero’s surges, while cinematic and extraordinary, still need to lie within the realm of your hero's abilities. Intercede on another creature's turn if it is within one initiative success level of your own is feasible. Interceding after you've taken your turn in the round is not. If you're a warrior, casting a divine spell would not be feasible either, nor would being a wizard and using a quarterstaff to club an ogre through a hut.
EXAMPLES
- With a swing of his claymore, Sir Logan Gray sunders an ogre’s club. Carrying through on the cinematic moment, he spends a hero's surge to shatter splinters into the face of a bugbear, momentarily blinding his secondary opponent.
- With extraordinary daring, Jade manages to grapple a juvenile giant slug. Carrying through on the cinematic moment, she spends a hero's surge to heave the beast up against a nearby column. Her allies waste no time roping the hapless creature there.
- Pigeon senses movement in the woods outside a ramshackle cabin. One light cantrip would give his position away and be unlikely to prove his suspicions so he spends a hero's surge as he casts light to fling a half-dozen glowing orbs into the woods. The ambushers are revealed and his allies spring to the attack.
- Cutnose sees a goblin assassin fire its crossbow at the unsuspecting Aberlour. Knowing his friend won't survive it, Cutnose spends a hero's surge to dive in front of the bolt, taking the hit instead.
LOSING HERO’S SURGES
While hero's surges are something you usually choose to use, you can lose them under unfortunate circumstances. Certain spells and creatures can drain them. You also lose a hero's surge if you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points or when you fail a luck roll while dying. If you would lose a hero's surge while you don't possess one, you instead lose ¼ of your maximum hit points and gain a negative hero's surge. If you become unconscious while you have negative hero's surges, you cannot regain consciousness until your hero's surges are no longer negative.REGAINING HERO’S SURGES
You regain hero's surges by resting. There are also spells, abilities, and other effects that may be capable of restoring spent or lost hero's surges, though your total number of hero's surges can never exceed your maximum.Hit Points, Damage, & Dying
DAMAGE
When you damage a creature with an attack, you reduce its hit points. When you are damaged, you reduce your hit points. If your hit points are reduced to 0 or less, you lose a hero's surge and fall unconscious. If your hit points are reduced to a negative, you additionally begin dying. If your negative hit points exceed your Constitution score or ½ your maximum hit points—whichever is greater—you die.DYING
When you take damage that results in your hit points being negative, you begin dying. You are unconscious while dying. In addition, at the start of each turn or when you take damage, you must make a luck roll. If the result is unlucky, you lose a hero's surge. If the result is lucky, your condition remains unchanged. On a roll of 20, your dying condition ends.The use of a healer’s kit or a successful medical attempt on a dying creature ends the dying condition. A limited success with a medical attempt grants a dying hero advantage on their next luck roll to stop dying. In addition, receiving any form of healing ends the dying condition.
DEATH
If you reduce a creature to negative hit points, it dies. If your hit points are reduced to a negative value that exceeds your Constitution score or ½ your maximum hit points—whichever is greater—you die. A dead creature, be it hero or monster, can only be restored to life by miraculous power.REGAINING HIT POINTS
You regain hit points by resting or using a hero's surge for healing. In addition, some spells, items, or abilities heal wounds. When you receive healing, add the value of the healing done to your current hit points, up to your maximum hit point value. If you were unconscious due to loss of hit points, healing to 1 or more hit points restores your consciousness, so long as your hero's surges are not negative.TEMPORARY HIT POINTS
Temporary hit points reflect a measure of exceptional fortitude you possess. Temporary hit points are tracked separately from your normal hit points. When you take damage, temporary hit points are lost first.- Unless specified otherwise, temporary hit points do not stack.
- If you receive temporary hit points from two different sources, you keep the larger pool.
- If you gain temporary hit points that lack a duration, they last until you take a long rest.
INCREASING YOUR HIT POINTS
When you gain a level, you increase your current and maximum hit points by rolling the Hit Dice your class provides. To determine the increase, follow these steps.- Roll your Hit Die twice.
- If either result is equal to or greater than ½ the maximum possible, increase your maximum hit points by the highest result. Otherwise, take the sum.
- If you rolled two ones, roll your Hit Die again until you get a number other than 1 and increase your maximum hit points by this number plus the total number of 1’s you’ve rolled.
- If your Constitution score is 12 or higher, you can roll your Hit Die an additional number of times equal to your Constitution modifier and swap in the result as you prefer.
DAMAGE MODIFICATIONS
Certain gear, conditions, spells, and other effects modify how much damage you take. These modifications listed here.Absorption
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