Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition

Activating Magic Items

Activating Magic Items

Command Words

• Speak a command word to activate — learn it by attuning or casting identify
• Command words can't work inside an area of silence

Charges

• Some items have a set number of charges, noted in its description
• You can find out how many charges an item has by casting identify
• If / when your item regains charges, you know how many

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 141

Armor and Stealth

Armor and Stealth

• When wearing heavy armor (and some other types of lighter armor), you have disadvantage to Stealth
• Other Dexterity checks are unaffected

Player's Handbook, page 144

Armor Class

Armor Class

• Armor Class = AC
• Represents how hard a character is to be wounded in battle
  • It combines how armored they are with how good they are at dodging attacks
• A character may have multiple potential ACs (depending on class features etc), they choose which one to use
• Typical other sources of AC could be:
  • Wearing armor
  • Class features (E.g. a barbarian's unarmored defence)
  • Racial features (E.g. a lizardfolk's natural armor)
• If a character has no other sources of AC, then it's 10 + Dexterity modifier

Player's Handbook, page 144

Breaking Concentration

Breaking Concentration

• Casting another concentration spell
• Taking damage (forces a concentration check)
• Being incapacitated
• Narrative moments (DM's discretion)

Concentration Checks

Constitution check, triggered when taking damage.

DC 10, or half the damage taken, whichever is higher.

Player's Handbook, page 203

Casting a Spell With a Magic Item

Casting a Spell With a Magic Item

• Casts at the lowest possible level
• This doesn't use a spell slot
• The spell requires no components, unless otherwise stated
• If the spell requires a spellcasting ability (e.g. for a spell save DC), use your own
  • If you have multiple, pick one
  • If you don't have one, it's +0, don't add proficiency

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 141

Climbing

Climbing

• Each foot takes 2 foot of movement
  • Unless the creature has a climb speed
• Make an Athletics check at the DM's discretion

Player's Handbook, page 144

Climbing Onto a Bigger Creature (Optional Rule)

Climbing Onto a Bigger Creature (Optional Rule)

• Optional Rule
• Use instead of a standard grapple when a smaller creature climbs onto a larger one
• Climber makes a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check
  • Contested by the target's Dexterity (Acrobatics) check
• If successful, the climber
  • Moves into the target's space
    • Can move around on the target, as difficult terrain
  • Moves with the target
  • The climber has advantage on attack rolls against the target
• The target
  • The target can still attack the climber, at the DM's discretion
  • The target can knock the climber off with a contested Strength (Athletics) vs the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics)

Dungeon Master's Guide 271

Combat Actions

Combat Actions

Dash

• Double speed this turn

Disengage

• No opportunity attacks this turn

Dodge

• Any attacks against you have disadvantage this turn
  • Only if you can see the attacker
• Dexterity saving throws with advantage
• Stops if your speed is 0

Help

• Aid another creature
• Help with a task
  • They get advantage on their next ability check
  • Lasts until your next turn
• Help with an attack
  • They get advantage on their next attack
  • Hostile creature must be within 5 feet
  • Lasts until your next turn

Hide

• Stealth check to hide

Ready Action

• Declare a trigger and a response (action or movement); uses your reaction
• Readying a spell requires concentration; it dissipates if unused
  • Must have a casting time of an action

Player's Handbook, page 192

Conditions

Conditions

Blinded

• Can't see
• Attacks against the creature have advantage
• Creature's attacks have disadvantage

Charmed

• Can't attack the charmer
• Can't target the charmer with harmful effects or abilities
• Charmer has advantage on ability checks to socially interact

Deafened

• Can't hear

Frightened

• While in line of sight of the source of fear
  • Disadvantage on ability checks
  • Disadvantage on attacks
• Can't willingly move closer to the source of fear

Grappled

• Speed is 0
• Ends if the grappler is incapacitated, or moves away

Incapacitated

• Can't take actions or reactions

Invisible

• Impossible to see
• Attack rolls against the creature have disadvantage
• Creature's attack rolls have advantage

Paralyzed

• Can't take actions or reactions
• Fails Strength and Dexterity checks
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage
• Melee hits auto-crit

Petrified

• Can't take actions or reactions
• Turned to stone
• Fails Strength and Dexterity checks
• Attack rolls against the creature have disadvantage
• Resistance to damage
• Immune to poison and disease

Poisoned

• Disadvantage on attacks and ability checks

Prone

• Disadvantage on attack rolls
• Melee attacks on the creature have advantage
• Ranged attacks on the creature have disadvantage

Restrained

• Speed is 0
• Attacks against the creature have advantage
• Creature's attacks have disadvantage
• Disadvantage on Dexterity saves

Stunned

• Can't take actions or reactions
• Can't move, can barely speak
• Fails Strength and Dexterity checks
• Attacks against the creature have advantage

Unconscious

• Can't take actions or reactions
• Fall prone
• Fails Strength and Dexterity checks
• Attacks against the creature have advantage
• Melee hits auto-crit

Player's Handbook, page 290

Consuming Magic Items

Consuming Magic Items

• Some magic items need to be consumed, by drinking, swallowing, or applying to the skin
• These items only work once
  • Typically, a consumable needs to be completely consumed to work

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 141

Converting Sorcery Points to Spell Slots

Converting Sorcery Points to Spell Slots

Player's Handbook, page 101

Cover

Cover

• Provides AC and Dexterity save bonuses based on coverage level
• Levels
  • Half cover
    • At least half the body covered
    • +2 AC
    • +2 Dexterity saves
  • Three-quarters cover
    • At least three-quarters of the body covered
    • +5 AC
    • +5 Dexterity saves
  • Total cover
    • Completely concealed
    • Can't be targeted directly

Player's Handbook, page 196

Creature Size

Creature Size

Player's Handbook, page 191

Currency Conversion Rates

Currency Conversion Rates

Standard coin conversion rates:

Player's Handbook, page 143

Cursed Items

Cursed Items

In addition to their regular effects, some items have a hidden, negative effect associated with them.

The Identify spell doesn't pick up curses, or what their effects might be.

Cursed items cannot usually be voluntarily unattuned.

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 138

Damage Vulnerability & Resistance

Damage Vulnerability & Resistance

• Damage resistance halves damage of a given type (round down).
• Damage vulnerability doubles damage of a given type.

Player's Handbook, page 197

Death Saving Throws

Death Saving Throws

• Roll a d20 at the start of each turn while at 0 hit points (no modifier)
  • 10 or higher: success; 9 or lower: failure
  • Natural 20: regain 1 hit point
  • Natural 1: counts as two failures
  • Any healing ends the process and brings you above 0 hp
    • Temporary hp don't count
• 3 successes: stabilised — no more checks (still at 0 hp)
  • Unless healed, a stable creature regains 1 hp after 1d4 hours
• 3 failures: dead
• Failures and successes are reset instantly when stable or healed
• Taking damage adds a failure
  • Taking a critical hit is 2 failures
  • While unconscious, attacks have advantage, and attacks from within 5 feet are automatic criticals
  • If you take more damage than your hit-point maximum, you automatically die
• Make a DC 10 Medicine check to stabilise another creature

Player's Handbook, page 197, Player's Handbook, page 198

Destroying Magic Items

Destroying Magic Items

• Magic items are generally supernaturally durable, and can't be destroyed by non-magical means
• Some items are more durable than others, and may have specific destruction requirements, often based on their effects or history

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 141

Disarming (Optional Rule)

Disarming (Optional Rule)

• Optional Rule
• The attacker makes a regular attack roll
• The defender makes a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check
• If the attacker has a higher value, they drop the item in question
• The attacker has disadvantage if
  • Target is holding the item with two hands
• The defender has
  • Advantage if the attacker is smaller
  • Disadvantage if the attacker is larger

Dungeon Master's Guide 271

Donning and Doffing Armor

Donning and Doffing Armor

• Having help reduces doff time by half

Player's Handbook, page 146

Equaling a Role

Equaling a Role

• If your total roll equals or exceeds the target number, the check is a success

Player's Handbook, page 7

Exhaustion

Exhaustion

• Getting more Exhaustion adds more levels
• Suffer all effects of current level and lower levels
• Long resting reduces level by 1, so long as you've eaten and drunk

Player's Handbook, page 291

Falling Damage

Falling Damage

1d6 bludgeoning damage per 10 feet. Up to 20d6

Player's Handbook, page 183

Flanking (Optional Rule)

Flanking (Optional Rule)

• Optional Rule
• Two creatures are flanking an enemy when they are on directly opposite sides of it
  • Both must be able to attack the enemy (in reach, not incapacitated, etc.)
  • Both must be on the ground (not mounted, flying, etc.)
• Both flanking creatures have advantage on melee attack rolls against that enemy
• Flanking only works with melee attacks
• Large or larger creatures only need one of their spaces to qualify for flanking
• A creature with reach greater than 5ft can flank from beyond 5ft if its reach allows

Dungeon Master's Guide 251

Flying vs Hovering

Flying vs Hovering

• If a creature has a hover speed, it doesn't fall if knocked prone
• Both can stay in-place

Player's Handbook, page 191

Gaps Between Resting

Gaps Between Resting

• Short rests as often as you like
• Long rests at most every 24 hours

Player's Handbook, page 186

Grappling & Shoving

Grappling & Shoving

• Replace an attack with an attempt
• Target at most one size larger
• Contested skill check
  • Your Athletics
  • Their Athletics or Acrobatics
• Shoving
  • Either
    • Knock them prone
    • Push 5 feet
• Grappling
  • Inflict the grappled effect
    • Speed is 0
  • Requires a free hand
  • Breaking the Grapple - Can be done by the grappled creature forcing the check to be repeated, and succeeding
  • You can move them, but your speed is halved
    • Full speed if they're two sizes smaller, or less

Player's Handbook, page 195

Healing Potions

Healing Potions

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 188

Hiding

Hiding

• Take the Hide action to attempt to conceal yourself
• Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check
  • This result is compared against the passive Perception of any creature that might notice you
  • A creature actively searching makes a Wisdom (Perception) check against your roll instead
• You need to be practically able to hide yourself, e.g. lightly obscured, or heavily obscured
• You can't hide from a creature that can see you clearly

Staying Hidden

• You remain hidden until you are discovered, or until you reveal yourself
• You are discovered if
  • A creature's Perception beats your Stealth check (actively or passively)
  • You come out of cover or obscurement

Attacking While Hidden

• Attacking from hiding reveals your location regardless of whether you hit
• You have advantage on the attack roll if the target can't see you
• Attacks against you have disadvantage if the creature can guess your location
• If the creature incorrectly guesses your location, the attack automatically misses

Player's Handbook, page 177, Player's Handbook, page 194

Holding Your Breath

Holding Your Breath

You can hold your breath for 1 + Constitution modifier minutes (minimum 30 seconds).

Player's Handbook, page 183

Improvised Weapons

Improvised Weapons

Melee

• Anything being used as a weapon not designed to be one
• If close enough to a real weapon, use that, proficiency at DM's discretion
• If not
  • 1d4 damage, damage type DM's discretion
  • No proficiency

Ranged

• 1d4 damage
• Normal range 20 ft, long range 60 ft

Player's Handbook, page 147

Improvising Damage

Improvising Damage

• Danger levels
  • Setback - Unlikely to kill or seriously harm
  • Dangerous - Likely to seriously harm characters
  • Deadly - Likely to kill characters

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 249

Instant Death

Instant Death

• Can happen if you take more damage than would reduce you to 0 HP
• If the overflow damage exceeds your maximum HP, you die instantly
  • No death saving throws
  • Skip going unconscious
• E.g. your character has 30 max HP, and takes 70 damage
  • It takes 30 points of damage to reduce your character to 0 HP
  • The remaining 40 is greater than your maximum, 30, so your character dies

Player's Handbook, page 197

Jumping

Jumping

Long Jump

• Running start - Number of feet equal to your strength score (not bonus)
• Standing start - Half number of feet equal to your strength score (not bonus)
• 1 ft. of jumping costs 1 ft. of movement
• Can't jump further than your remaining movement would allow
• Long-jumping over an obstacle
  • No more that a quarter the jump distance
  • DC 10 Athletics check to clear it
• Landing in difficult terrain
  • DC 10 Acrobatics check or fall prone

High Jump

• Running start - 3 + strength modifier (minimum 0 feet)
• Standing start - Half 3 + strength modifier (minimum 0 feet)
• Make an Athletics check to jump higher (DM's discretion)
• 1 ft. of jumping costs 1 ft. of movement
• When reaching up, the total height to grab is jump height + 1.5 * character height

Player's Handbook, page 182

Learning Wizard Spells

Learning Wizard Spells

To Copy From Another Spell Book

• 2 hours and 50 gp per spell level
• Can then be prepared normally

Copying From a Spell Scroll

• Intelligence (Arcana) check, DC 10 + spell level
• On success: spell is copied
• Scroll is destroyed regardless

Player's Handbook, page 114

Magic Item Attunement

Magic Item Attunement

• Requires attunement to use magical properties
• A creature can attune at most 3 items at once
  • Items that come in pairs (e.g. boots, or bracers) only take one of these attunement slots
• Attune by spending a short rest
  • Focus only on the item
  • Be in physical contact with the item
  • When attuned, a creature learns how to use the item, including command words
• End attunement by
  • No longer satisfying a prerequisite
  • Being more than 100 feet away for 24 hours
  • Dying
  • Another creature attunes to the item
  • Voluntarily over a short rest
• An item can only be attuned to one creature at a time

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 136, Dungeon Master's Guide, page 141

Magic Item Categories

Magic Item Categories

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 139

Magic Item Duplicates

Magic Item Duplicates

• Multiple items of the same kind can be used simultaneously
• Apply common sense - you might have some difficulty wearing two pairs of gloves, regardless of how magical they are

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 141

Magic Item Identification

Magic Item Identification

• Use the Identify spell
• Attune to the item over a short rest

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 136

Magic Item Rarity

Magic Item Rarity

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 135

Magic Item Spell Casting

Magic Item Spell Casting

• If the spell requires concentration, you still need to concentrate
• Spell DC
  • If you have a single spell-save DC, use that
  • If you have multiple, pick one
  • If you have none, +0

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 141

Magic Schools

Magic Schools

• Abjuration
  • Absorb elements
  • Alarm
  • Banish
  • Counterspell
  • Mage armor
  • Sanctuary
  • Shield
• Conjuration
  • Conjure Celestial
  • Demiplane
  • Find Familiar
  • Maze
  • Teleport
  • Wish
• Divination
  • Contact Other Plane
  • Detect Magic
  • Identify
  • Scrying
• Enchantment
  • Bless
  • Confusion
  • Enthrall
  • Hold Person
  • Irresistible Dance
  • Zone of Truth
• Evocation
  • Chain Lightning
  • Cure Wounds
  • Fireball
  • Telepathy
  • Wall of Stone
• Illusion
  • Blur
  • Fear
  • Invisibility
  • Minor Illusion
• Necromancy
  • Animate Dead
  • False Life
  • Gentle Repose
  • Resurrection
• Transmutation
  • Alter Self
  • Awaken
  • Enhance Ability
  • Polymorph
  • Slow

Player's Handbook, page 203

Monster Types

Monster Types

• Aberrations
  • Weird aliens from other places
• Beasts
  • Regular animals
  • Not tied to what exists in the real world, they may have some supernatural elements
• Celestials
  • Angels and the like
  • Counterpart to fiends
• Constructs
  • Creatures that have been built
• Dragons
  • Both true dragons, and their relatives
• Elementals
  • Creatures intrinsically tied to earth, air, fire and water
• Fey
  • Creatures intrinsically tied to the Feywild, or nature
• Fiends
  • Devils, demons and the like
  • Counterpart to celestials
• Giants
  • Large humanoids
• Humanoids
  • Playable races (almost exclusively)
  • Small-to-medium creatures with approximately two arms and two legs
• Monstrosities
  • Something of a catch-all for "monsters" in general
• Oozes
  • Semi-liquid creatures
• Plants
  • Animated plants
• Undead
  • Reanimated corpses

Monster Manual, page 6

Mounted Combat

Mounted Combat

• To be mounted, a creature must by at least one size class bigger
• Attacks can target either the mount or the character
• Mounting or dismounting costs half your movement
• Falling off
  • Checks to remain mounted are a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw
  • This can be triggered by
    • The rider being knocked prone
    • The mount being forced to move
  • Make checks at advantage if using a suitable saddle
• Initiative
  • For a controlled mount, its initiative matches yours when you mount it
  • For an independent mount, it retains its place in initiative
• Attacks of Opportunity
  • When the mount provokes an attack of opportunity, the attack can target either the mount, or you
• Controlled mounts
  • E.g. horses
  • Can only Dash, Disengage, or Dodge
  • Can move and act on the turn they're mounted

Player's Handbook, page 155, Player's Handbook, page 198

Multi-Attacks

Multi-Attacks

• When you take the Attack action, make multiple attacks
• The attacks don't have to target the same creature; you can move between them and split across multiple targets
• Multiple sources of multi-attack don't stack
• Use one attack to Grapple or Shove

Player's Handbook, page 163, Player's Handbook, page 190

Multiclassing

Multiclassing

• You can take levels in other classes when you level up
• There's a difference between character level, and your level in your classes
• Each class has ability score minimums
  • You also need to meet the prerequisite for your primary class
• When you pick a class for the first time
  • You gain some, but not all of the class proficiencies
• When you level up
  • Hit points / die are added based on the class you pick
  • Your proficiency bonus is based on your total character level
  • Multi-attack - Doesn't stack
  • Channel divinity - You get more options, but not more uses
  • Your cantrip effects are based on your total character level

Spellcasting

• Spells prepared
  • Prepare each class spell list separately for each class
  • Each spell associated with one of your classes
  • The spell bonus / DC for a spell is based on which class its prepared for
• There's a separate table for how many spell slots you have, don't use the class-specific ones (warlock spell slots are separate)
• Warlocks - You can use pact magic slots for non-warlock spells, and regular spell slots for pact magic

Player's Handbook, page 163

Objects

Objects

Some particularly resilient objects have a damage threshold where they don't take damage unless they take at least a particular amount from a single attack.

Dungeon Master's Guide 246

Opportunity Attacks

Opportunity Attacks

• Take a reaction when a creature moves out of your reach
  • Must be able to see it
• If you have multiple reaches, any of them count
  • E.g. holding a whip in one hand (reach 10 ft.), and a sword in the other (5 ft.) you can make an opportunity attack when a creature moves out of 5 ft., or out of 10 ft.
• Take one melee attack
  • No multiattack
• Can't take the reaction if
  • They've used Disengage
  • They've teleported
  • They've been moved by an external force

Player's Handbook, page 195

Passive Checks

Passive Checks

• A passive check is a fixed score used instead of a die roll
• Score = 10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check
  • Add +5 if the creature has advantage on the check
  • Add −5 if the creature has disadvantage on the check
• Used when a task is routine, repeated, or when the DM wants to check without tipping off players
• Most common use: passive Wisdom (Perception) to notice hidden creatures or things
  • e.g. +3 Perception modifier → passive Perception of 13

Player's Handbook, page 175

Prices (Common Items)

Prices (Common Items)

Player's Handbook, page 158

Prices (Inns)

Prices (Inns)

Staying

Food

Player's Handbook, page 158

Prices (Lifestyle Expenses)

Prices (Lifestyle Expenses)

Consolidated costs of living, including accommodation, food, gear maintenance

Player's Handbook, page 157

Proficiency Bonus

Proficiency Bonus

Player's Handbook, page 15

Readying an Action

Readying an Action

1. Use your action to ready another action
2. Declare a trigger — a perceivable circumstance ("when the enemy moves into the doorway")
3. Declare a response — what you will do when the trigger occurs
4. Your reaction is held in reserve until the trigger fires
5. When the trigger occurs you can use your reaction to take the readied action, or ignore it
   1. If the trigger doesn't occur before your next turn, the readied action is lost

Readying a Spell

• You can ready a spell as normal, but the spell must have a casting time of 1 action
• Expend the spell slot on your turn when readying
• You hold the spell's energy with concentration until the trigger occurs
  • If your concentration is broken, the spell is lost without effect
  • You cannot maintain concentration on another spell while holding a readied spell
• When the trigger occurs, use your reaction to release the spell
• If the trigger doesn't occur before your next turn, the spell is lost without effect

Player's Handbook, page 193

Resting

Resting

Short Rests

• At least 1 hour
• Spend hit dice to regain health
  • Decision to spend more can be made after rolling others
• Some class features refresh

Long Rests

• At least 8 hours
• Sleep at least 6, no heavy activity
• If interrupted, start again
• Full heal
• Regain half total hit dice
• Most class features refresh
• Lose temporary hp

Player's Handbook, page 186

Rounding Numbers

Rounding Numbers

• Always round down when halving
• For example, halving 15 gives 7

Player's Handbook, page 7

Silvering Weapons

Silvering Weapons

• Cost of 100gp per-weapon / 10 pieces of ammo
  • Silver is included in the price

Player's Handbook, page 148

Spell Components

Spell Components

• Spells have requirements to cast them
• Verbal (V)
  • Magic words, spoken aloud
  • Can't be performed if you can't speak
    • E.g. being gagged
• Somatic (S)
  • Gesturing and waving your hands
  • Requires at least one hand free
• Material (M)
  • Specific objects, mentioned as part of the spell
  • If the item has no cost listed, it can be substituted with
    • Spellcasting focus
    • Component pouch
  • If a cost is listed, the exact item is required
  • Requires at least one hand free, though this can be the same hand as a somatic component

Player's Handbook, page 203

Spell Scrolls

Spell Scrolls

• To use a spell scroll, the spell must be on your class's spell list
• A scroll can be used once, then crumbles
• Using the scroll
  • Doesn't require material components
  • Otherwise, is cast as normal
• If the spell is higher level than you can normally cast, make an Arcana check, DC 10 + spell level
  • On a failure, the scroll is still consumed
• Spell save DC and attack bonus are determined by the scroll, not the caster

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 200

Spellcasting Focus

Spellcasting Focus

• Used to replace material spellcasting components
  • Only replaces components without a cost listed
• Comes in multiple flavours
  • Arcane focus - E.g. a wand, or crystal ball
  • Component pouch - A pouch of magical bits and bobs
  • Druidic focus - E.g. a stick
  • Holy Symbol - Deity / divine representation
• Spellcasting focuses need to be carried in a hand to be used
  • Holy symbols can be attached to a shield

Player's Handbook, page 151, Player's Handbook, page 203

Spellcasting modifiers

Spellcasting modifiers

Spell Save DC

8 + proficiency bonus + spellcasting ability modifier

Spell Attack Modifier

proficiency bonus + spellcasting ability modifier

Player's Handbook, page 101, Player's Handbook, page 107, Player's Handbook, page 114, Player's Handbook, page 53, Player's Handbook, page 58, Player's Handbook, page 66, Player's Handbook, page 75, Player's Handbook, page 85, Player's Handbook, page 92, Player's Handbook, page 98

Spending Hit Dice

Spending Hit Dice

• Your Hit Die is determined by your class
• To spend one, roll it, add your Constitution modifier, add it to your hit points

Player's Handbook, page 186

Squeezing

Squeezing

• A creature can squeeze through a space large enough for a creature one size smaller than it
• When squeezing
  • Movement is halved
  • Attacks against the squeezing creature have advantage
  • Disadvantage on attack rolls
  • Disadvantage on dexterity saving throws

Player's Handbook, page 192

Suffocating / Drowning

Suffocating / Drowning

• After running out of breath, you can survive for 1 round per Constitution modifier
• Then drop to 0 hp
• Can't be healed until you can breathe

Player's Handbook, page 183

Surprise

Surprise

• Surprised creatures can't take actions, or move on their first turn
• No reaction until their first turn ends

Player's Handbook, page 189

Swimming

Swimming

• Each foot of swimming costs 2 feet of movement
  • Unless the creature has a swim speed
• Make an Athletics check at the DM's discretion
• If you have a swim speed
  • Make melee attacks as normal underwater

Player's Handbook, page 182, Player's Handbook, page 190

Temporary Hit Points

Temporary Hit Points

• A pool of hp from spells or abilities in addition to your regular hp
• When taking damage, temporary hp are lost first, then regular hp
• Healing can't restore temporary hp
• You can only have one source of temporary hp at once
  • If you would gain another source while you already have them, you choose
  • You can keep your current temporary hp, or gain the new ones
• Temporary hp are lost when finishing a long rest

Player's Handbook, page 198

Trap Difficulties

Trap Difficulties

• Trap danger levels
  • Setback - Unlikely to kill or seriously harm
  • Dangerous - Likely to seriously harm characters
  • Deadly - Likely to kill characters

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 121

Travel Pace

Travel Pace

• Some of these speeds aren't listed explicitly, but are extrapolated from a travel pace of 8 hours a day

• Land vehicles are typically pulled by mounts, and use their speed
  • Multiply carrying capacity by 5 for each mount pulling the vehicle
• Fully crewed ships can travel all day, working in shifts

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 119, Player's Handbook, page 156, Player's Handbook, page 181, Player's Handbook, page 182

Travelling Activities

Travelling Activities

• While doing a travel activity: no contribution to passive Perception for noticing threats
• Navigating - Survival check
  • DC - 5 (open terrain), 10 (limited line of sight, e.g. hills), 15 (obscured terrain, e.g. jungle)
• Drawing a map - No check required
• Tracking - Survival check
  • DC - 10 (soft surfaces), 15 (dirt or grass), 20 (bare stone)
  • Modifiers - +5 (per day passed), -5 (creature left a visible trail, e.g. blood)
• Foraging - Survival check
  • DC - 10 (easy), 15 (limited resources available), 20 (very scarce resources)

Dungeon Master's Guide, page 111, Dungeon Master's Guide, page 244, Player's Handbook, page 183

Truesight

Truesight

• See in darkness
• See in magical darkness
• See invisible things
• Automatically detect
  • Illusions
  • Shapeshifters
  • Shapechangers
  • Transformed creatures
• See into the ethereal plane

Player's Handbook, page 185

Two Weapon Fighting / Dual Wielding

Two Weapon Fighting / Dual Wielding

• Requires two light weapons
• When you make an attack with a light weapon in one hand, you can use your bonus action to make an attack with the other
• Rolling to hit is unaffected
• No ability bonus to damage
• Either attack can be replaced with throwing a weapon

Player's Handbook, page 195

Types of Armor

Types of Armor

Light

• Calculate your AC by adding your Dexterity modifier to the base number in the armor type.

Medium

• Calculate your AC by adding your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum of +2, to the base number in the armor type.

Heavy

• Your AC is the base number of the armor type.

Shield

• All types of shield add +2 to your AC.

Armor Types

Player's Handbook, page 145

Typical Difficulty Classes

Typical Difficulty Classes

Player's Handbook, page 174

Underwater Combat

Underwater Combat

• Melee weapon attacks
  • Only effect if you don't have a swimming speed
  • Disadvantage on the attack unless using a dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear or trident
• Ranged weapon attacks
  • Automatically miss beyond normal range
  • Disadvantage unless the weapon is a crossbow, net, or thrown weapon
• Creatures have resistance to fire while under water
• Creatures without water breathing have to hold their breath

Player's Handbook, page 198

Using Different Speeds

Using Different Speeds

• If you have multiple speeds, you can switch back and forth between them during a move
• Subtract any movement already taken from the movement type when you switch

Player's Handbook, page 190

Vision and Light

Vision and Light

Obscured vision

• Lightly obscured
  • Partially obscured objects
  • Disadvantage on perception checks based on sight
• Heavily obscured
  • Vision blocked entirely
  • Treat as Blinded

Light Levels

• Bright light - Can see normally
• Dim light - Lightly obscured
• Darkness - Heavily obscured

Vision Types

• Blindsight
  • Can perceive surroundings without sight to a certain range
  • The nature of this depends on its source (e.g. echolocation, magic, etc.)
• Darkvision
  • See dim light as bright light within a range
  • See darkness as dim light within a range
• Tremorsense
  • Pick up vibrations through the ground in a certain radius
  • Has to be the same ground
  • Can't detect flying or incorporeal creatures
• Truesight
  • See through darkness, invisibility, illusions, shapechanging, and into the ethereal plane within a range

Monster Manual, page 9, Player's Handbook, page 183, Player's Handbook, page 185

Weapon Properties

Weapon Properties

Ammunition

• Requires the user to have ammunition to attack
• Drawing ammo is part of the action
• Half ammo can be retrieved

Finesse

• Choose Strength or Dexterity for calculating attack and damage bonus

Heavy

• Small creatures get disadvantage

Light

• Suitable for two weapon fighting

Loading

• Negates multi-attack

Range

• (Normal / Long) range
• Long range attacks at disadvantage

Reach

• Add range to attacks for melee weapons
• Also affects attacks of opportunity

Thrown

• Melee weapon can also be used for ranged
• Uses same ability modifier as a regular attack (i.e. usually strength)

Two-handed

• Requires two hands to use

Versatile

• Can be one- or two-handed
• Does more damage with two

Player's Handbook, page 146

Weapons

Weapons

Player's Handbook, page 149

XP By Level

XP By Level

Player's Handbook, page 15