In this chapter, you’ll learn the core mechanics that drive gameplay, from rolling dice for checks, attacks, and saves to managing rest and downtime activities. We’ll cover the three pillars, travel, interaction, and combat, while offering guidelines for tracking time and resources. Whether you’re exploring dangerous lands or enjoying downtime, this chapter provides the essentials to keep the adventure flowing smoothly.
Among your dice, the d20 is the most important. While other dice mostly calculate damage, the d20 is used for almost every action the GM asks you to perform, whether it’s overcoming challenges, resisting dangers, or making attacks.
A check is rolled when trying to overcome a challenge, like climbing a wall or solving a puzzle. Checks are used for any task involving skills, abilities, or non-aggressive actions.
A saving throw, or save, is rolled to avoid or lessen a harmful effect, such as dodging a fireball or resisting poison. It’s a reactive roll made in response to something negative happening.
An attack roll determines whether you hit a target in combat. Whenever you make an aggressive action, you roll an attack. Some spells or abilities might automatically hit, in which case the target makes a save to reduce the effect.
For any check, save, or attack, you roll a d20. Simply roll the die, and the result will be between 1 and 20. After rolling, you apply the appropriate bonus based on the task.
Bonuses or penalties modify your d20 roll based on skills, abilities, or conditions. Different sources of bonuses add together, but if two bonuses come from the same source, use the higher one. For example, if you have two spells that grant bonuses to Medicine checks (+5 and +3), you only apply the higher bonus (+5).
Types of bonuses:
Sometimes a spell effect comes from a class feature or an ability bonus that grants a magical effect. At any instance (unless otherwise stated), the source of the bonus is the last effect. If a feature provides the user with the effect of a spell, treat this bonus as a spell bonus. If a spell increases one of your ability modifiers, treat this bonus as coming from an ability source.
Certain effects, spells, or abilities may grant your character advantage or disadvantage. In both cases, you roll two d20s. With advantage, you use the higher roll, with disadvantage, you use the lower roll. If you have both advantage and disadvantage at the same time, they cancel each other out, and you roll normally.
Luck and Doom are the twin forces that shape the destiny of adventurers and the challenges they face. Luck represents the spark of fortune that allows players to turn the tide of battle, overcome obstacles, and defy the odds. Doom, on the other hand, is the Game Master’s reserve of narrative power, ready to escalate tension and create memorable challenges. Together, these mechanics add depth to gameplay, fostering excitement, unpredictability, and drama. Whether players harness Luck to succeed against all odds or face the weight of Doom, these forces ensure every decision carries weight and every moment feels alive.
Each player character possesses a unique attribute known as Luck, which serves as a means of modifying the outcome of any check, save or attack. This can’t be used for damage rolls.
At the time of character creation, players start with 0 luck points. The following events can contribute to an increase in Luck:
A character’s maximum luck is capped at 5 points. If a character already possesses 5 points and gains additional luck, they must immediately roll a d4 and reset their accumulated luck to the rolled value.
A player can decide to use any amount of luck points on a check, save or attack at any given moment, as long as the DM haven’t declare if the check, save or attack succeed or failed. For example, if a character possesses 4 luck points, after rolling a 13, before knowing if the check succeed or failed, the player can choose to use luck points to increase this value, for each luck point used in this way, it inceases the check by +1, since the player have 4 luck points he decide to use 2 point increasing the value from 13 to 15.
Doom Tokens represent the Game Master’s reserve of narrative power, allowing them to shape the game in response to the players actions and choices. These points enable the GM to escalate tension, challenge players, and create memorable, dynamic encounters. Doom points are a versatile resource for enhancing gameplay, making combat and exploration unpredictable and thrilling.
The GM begins each session with a pool of Doom tokens determined by the size of the party and their average level. At the start of the game session the GM start with a pool of 3 Doom points, and an additional token for each two party members above 4, and another token for each character above level 10, there is no mmaximum limit for the amount of tokens the GM may have, GMs may earn additional Doom tokens during gameplay through specific triggers such as:
| Token | For what? | When? |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Initial | 3 tokens at the start of each game session |
| +1 | Big Adventuring Party | Per two character above 4th playable character at the start of the game session. |
| +1 | High level adventure | Per character above level 10th at the start of the game session. |
| +1 | Critial miss | Whenever a player rolls a natural 1 on a d20 |
| +1 | Narrative consequences | If players recklessly activate traps or cause significant in-game chaos |
Doom tokens can be spent at any time, even during a player’s turn, to introduce twists and challenges.
Balancing Doom Tokens
Doom tokens should be used sparingly and strategically to enhance the story, not to punish players. Doom tokens are a balance mechanism with the Luck to increase the tension, and buildup for combats and give more incentives for the players to use the luck points often. You as a game master you can opt-out this mechanic if you want, but never opt-out luck.
Injury and the threat of death are ever-present for a fantasy adventurer.
Every creature has a number of hit points (HP) representing its physical and mental resilience. Those with higher hit points are tougher to defeat, while creatures with lower hit points are more vulnerable. At maximum HP, a creature is at full health. At any time, a creature’s current hit points range from its maximum down to 0, fluctuating as it sustains damage or receives healing. When your character takes damage, subtract the amount from their current hit points. Until a creature drops to 0 hit points, the loss of hit points does not affect its abilities.
Certain spells and abilities grant temporary hit points, which act as a buffer against harm, a separate pool that shields your current hit points. When you take damage while holding temporary hit points, the damage is first subtracted from them, with any remaining damage applied to your current hit points. For instance, if you have 5 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, you lose the 5 temporary points and reduce your current hit points by 2.
Temporary hit points are distinct from your current hit points and can exceed your hit point maximum, allowing you to receive them even when at full health.
Healing cannot restore temporary hit points, and they don’t stack with other temporary hit points. If you already have a pool of temporary hit points and gain more from a different source, you must choose which pool to keep. For example, if a spell grants you 12 temporary hit points when you already have 10, you can keep either 12 or 10, but not both.
If you’re at 0 HP, receiving temporary hit points doesn’t restore consciousness or stabilize you. However, if they absorb all damage from an attack, you don’t need to make a death save.
Unless the feature that grants temporary hit points specifies a duration, they last until they’re depleted or you complete a long rest.
Damage represents the most common form of harm dealt to creatures. Various attacks, spells, and other harmful effects deliver different types of damage.
While damage types don’t have specific rules on their own, they interact with other rules, such as resistances and vulnerabilities, which depend on the type of damage dealt. The following damage types include examples to help GMs assign a type to new effects.
Physical Damages
Elemental Damage
Divine and profane damages are separated, they are part of the elementals, but I like to keep thens distinct from others. Very often I like to use then as a general rule of thumbs up as “Radiant” damage heals divine creatures and harm profane ones, similarly the “Necrotic” damage also heals profane creatures like Undead, and damage divine creatures.
Certain creatures and objects are especially difficult or easy to harm with specific types of damage.
If a creature or object has resistance to a damage type, it takes only half damage from that type. Conversely, if it has vulnerability, damage of that type is doubled. Immunity to a damage type means it takes no damage from that type at all, reducing the damage to zero.
Some creatures or objects also have a threshold for certain damage types. This threshold sets a minimum level of damage required for the effect to take hold. If an incoming damage roll does not meet or exceed the threshold, the damage is ignored, all the exceding damage from the threshold is calculated normally.
Resistance, immunity, vulnerability, and threshold are applied after all other damage modifiers. For example, if a creature with resistance to bludgeoning damage is hit for 25 bludgeoning damage while under a magical aura that reduces damage by 5, the damage is reduced to 20, then halved, resulting in 10 damage taken.
Multiple instances of resistance, vulnerability, or immunity to the same damage type do not stack. For example, if a creature has resistance to both fire damage and nonmagical damage, it takes half damage from a nonmagical fire attack, not a quarter.
Damage, unless it leads to death, isn’t permanent. Rest can restore hit points, and magic, such as a cure wounds spell or a potion of healing, can instantly heal injuries.
When a creature is healed by any means, the hit points restored are added to its current total, but this number can’t exceed the creature’s hit point maximum, any healing beyond that maximum is lost. For instance, if a druid heals a ranger for 8 HP and the ranger has 14 current hit points with a maximum of 20, the ranger only regains 6 HP, not the full 8. A creature that has died cannot regain hit points.
Every player character has a number of hit dice equal to their character level. Hit dice represent a character’s resilience and can be spent to heal during a short rest, even without magical assistance.
The size of a character’s hit dice depends on their class, for instance, a wizard uses a d4, while a barbarian uses a d12. Rules for spending and regaining hit dice can be found in the Short Rest and Long Rest sections of this chapter.
When you drop to 0 HP, you either die outright or fall unconscious and enter a dying state. These rules are primarily used during encounters. In rare cases, character death may also occur outside of an encounter. The GM determines how these rules apply in life-threatening situations outside of initiative.
Your task is to prevent extreme damage from killing you instantly. If your total damage reaches or exceeds zero hit points (HP), and additional remaining damage is greater than your character’s maximum hit points, you die. Your character dies if they reach 0 HP and either fail three death saves or sustain damage equal to or greater than their maximum hit points while at 0 HP. At this point, magical healing or a Wisdom (Medicine) check cannot revive you, only spells like revivify or resurrection can restore life.
For example, a cleric with a maximum of 12 HP currently has 6 HP. If she takes 18 damage from an attack, she drops to 0 HP, with 12 damage remaining. Since this remaining damage equals her maximum HP, the cleric dies.
When you start your turn with 0 HP, you must make a death save to determine if you inch closer to death or cling to life. Unlike other saves, a death save isn’t tied to an ability score.
Roll a d20. If you roll a 10 or higher, you succeed. If you roll lower than 10, you fail. Each success or failure has no immediate effect, but on your third success, you stabilize, and on your third failure, you die. Successes and failures don’t need to be consecutive, track both until you reach three of either. When you regain any hit points or become stable, the count resets.
Rolling 1 or 20: On a death save, a roll of 1 counts as two failures, while a roll of 20 restores 1 hit point, allowing you to regain consciousness and avoid further death saves.
Damage at 0 HP: If you take any damage while at 0 HP, you suffer an automatic death save failure. If the damage is a critical hit, you suffer two failures. If the damage equals or exceeds your maximum hit points, you die instantly.
If damage reduces you to 0 HP but doesn’t kill you outright, you are considered dying. In this state, you start your turn at 0 HP and must make a death save. While dying, you have the unconscious condition. Gaining any hit points ends the dying state and removes the unconscious condition, though you remain prone.
The best way to aid a creature at 0 HP is to heal it. If that’s not possible, the creature can be stabilized, which halts the need for death saves. A stable creature remains at 0 HP with the unconscious condition, and all death save successes and failures reset.
You can use your action to try to stabilize a dying creature with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check. A stable creature doesn’t need to make death saves and is no longer at risk of immediate death. However, if the creature takes damage while stable, it returns to the dying state and resumes making death saves.
If a stable creature isn’t healed but takes no additional damage, it regains 1 hit point and loses the unconscious condition after 1d4 hours.
Monsters generally die as soon as they drop to 0 HP, as tracking death saves for multiple creatures can be cumbersome. However, powerful villains or notable NPCs may be exceptions. The GM may choose to apply the same death save rules to these special characters if it suits the story.
While damage is the most common form of harm, other effects can cause both short-term and long-term harm to PCs.
Various monster abilities, spells, and hazards can impose conditions on PCs. A condition, such as being blinded, charmed, or frightened, can impair a creature without dealing damage. Conditions may last only a few moments or persist until resolved by magic or rest, depending on the source.
A creature afflicted by Bleeding takes 2 slashing damage at the start of each of its turns. While Bleeding, it has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws. The Bleeding condition ends early if the creature is healed by any effect that restores hit points.
A Burning creature takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of its turns. Burning cannot be applied to a Wet creature. The condition ends early if the creature receives healing, if an ally uses the Help action to smother the flames, or if the creature becomes Wet.
A Dazed creature cannot take opportunity attacks and loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. This condition lasts for 2 turns and can be ended early if an ally uses the Help action to aid the creature.
An Electrocuted creature takes 1d4 lightning damage at the start of each of its turns. The condition lasts until the creature is no longer in contact with the source of electricity or receives any healing.
Certain abilities and environmental hazards, such as starvation, extreme cold, or intense heat, can impose a special condition known as exhaustion. Exhaustion is measured in six levels. An effect may apply one or more levels of exhaustion to a creature, as detailed in the effect’s description. If a creature already suffering from exhaustion is affected by another effect causing exhaustion, its exhaustion level increases accordingly.
A creature suffers the effects of its current level of exhaustion, along with all effects of lower levels. For example, a creature with two levels of exhaustion has its speed halved and disadvantage on ability checks. Effects that reduce exhaustion lower a creature’s exhaustion level as specified, all effects end if the level drops below one. Completing a long rest reduces a creature’s exhaustion level by one, provided they have had food and water.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Disadvantage on ability checks |
| 2 | Speed halved |
| 3 | Disadvantage on attack rolls and saves |
| 4 | Hit point maximum halved |
| 5 | Speed reduced to 0 |
| 6 | Death |
Attack rolls against an Off Balance creature have advantage. This condition ends early if the creature takes any damage or if an ally uses the Help action to steady it.
This is a nightmare of condition. Wherever I see this I tend to weaker it’s effects to reduce it. But to be honest I prefer to use it similar to the exhaustion, but with only 3 levels. At the first level it’s halved speed and feeling slowed. Second level disadvantage on everything. Third level it’s fully petrified.
A creature with a Weak Grip has disadvantage on attack rolls. This condition can be ended early if an ally uses the Help action to steady the creature’s weapon.
A Wet creature is immune to the Burning condition. It gains resistance to fire damage but becomes vulnerable to lightning and cold damage. The Wet condition ends naturally over time (usually 10 minutes) or can be removed by effects that dry or evaporate moisture (DM’s discretion).
Curses are supernatural afflictions that impose magical hindrances or transformations on their victims. Creatures, objects, and even areas can be subject to a curse. Most curses can be lifted with a remove curse spell, greater restoration, or similar magic. However, some curses, such as those tied to cursed magic items are only temporarily suppressed by spells like remove curse. The most powerful curses require specific actions or narrative triggers to be permanently broken.
Diseases are physical ailments that can be contracted from certain monsters, hazardous environments, or exposure to necromantic magic. A disease usually takes days to manifest fully, worsening over time if left untreated. While a common disease might be cured with a Wisdom (Medicine) check, more virulent diseases often need spells like lesser restoration or other potent magic for a cure.
When PCs encounter horrors beyond mortal comprehension, they may suffer from dread. This intense psychological affliction surpasses ordinary fear, potentially scarring a creature for a brief period or until cured by magical means.
Poisons are substances used by PCs and monsters alike to inflict harm or injury.
Characters who lack sufficient food or water suffer levels of exhaustion. Exhaustion from starvation or dehydration cannot be removed until the character eats or drinks the required amount.
A typical character requires one kilogram of food daily. Food supplies can be stretched by eating half rations, though doing so counts as half a day without food. A character can endure without food for a number of days equal to 3 + their Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). Beyond that limit, the character gains one level of exhaustion each day without food. Eating a full day’s ration resets this count to zero.
A character needs two litters of water per day, or four litters in hot climates. A character consuming only half this amount must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution save or gain one level of exhaustion by the end of the day. Drinking less than half a litter results in automatic exhaustion.
If the character already has one or more levels of exhaustion, failing to meet water needs results in two levels of exhaustion per day.
Most creatures, including PCs, need air to survive. When deprived of air, such as when submerged, a creature must hold its breath.
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum 30 seconds). Once out of breath or choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). If it still lacks air at the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 HP and begins making death saves, unable to regain hit points or stabilize until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a +2 Constitution modifier can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it begins suffocating, it has 2 rounds to find air before dropping to 0 HP.
The gameplay experience is built around core pillars: Traveling, Interaction, Dungeonning, and Combat. These pillars guide the flow of adventures, determining how players explore the world, engage with its inhabitants, and face its dangers.
One of the most common activities for adventurers is to travel the world, visit new cities, encounter dungeons, and discover new areas. But the world is a dangerous place, filled with monsters and traps left by older civilizations.
Before the travel starts, the GM will state how far the journey is: close, far, or distant, and the initial threat of the adventuring party. After this, the adventurers need to assign a member to be the trailblazer, another to be the scout, and a quartermaster. If any of the roles aren’t filled, consider all the checks failed for that role.
You do not need to keep track of water and rations unless the group desires to do so. Otherwise, just keep track of the cost based on the distance. This cost assumes that along the journey, the party will resupply with wild animals, berries, fruits, and nearby bodies of water. The main cost usually refers to the other equipment used in the travel.
Once the party is ready, they collect all the resources for the travel, like water, rations, ropes, lanterns, torches, and supplies for the equipment. You can use the following table as a guideline for the required material for the travel. This will compose the supplies for the adventure. Check the following table for the initial supplies.
Once the supplies are acquired, and the cost is payed, the party can start the travel. A travel is composed of checks to complete it. A check represents a point in the travel where the active roles need to perform to surpass some conditions. A check also represents the time taken to make the whole travel. Safer routes can reduce the number of checks, while very dangerous routes can increase them. On each check, each role needs to perform a successful check or will suffer side effects. You can use the following table as a guide for the amount of checks, supplies, and initial cost.
| Distance | Checks | Min Supplies | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | 3 | 3 | 2gp |
| Far | 5 | 5 | 10gp |
| Distant | 8 | 8 | 100gp |
While the travel is happening, the GM will describe the events of the traveling, such as the scenarios, environments, and points of interest that the travel is visiting. The party can interact briefly with these points, but the focus is the travel unless the party decides to make a stop for other reasons. Also, the GM will keep track of the threat of the party.
This is a general measure of the amount of water, food, rations, and traveling equipment that the party has available for the travel.
Whenever the adventuring party makes a check, the quartermaster reduces the supplies by one. The quartermaster can also choose to use two supplies instead of one for this check, making all the checks with advantage. Alternatively, the quartermaster can choose not to use any supplies, in this case, the checks are made with disadvantage.
Tables for bad things can be random or be defined by the adventure. This could also serve as a trigger for an incident or a new quest. Use these opportunities to enhance the feel of danger while traveling and give players a taste of the peril that the wilderness poses. Emphasize that the wilderness is a hazardous environment, requiring travelers to be vigilant and attentive on their journey to avoid further complications.
This represents the amount of danger, noise, or attention that the adventuring party is creating while traveling. The higher the number, the more creatures and dangers are looking for the party. Whenever a check fails, the scout should make a threat check. The DC is 10 + threat. On a failure, a bad thing happens.
You don’t have a table? Don’t worry, roll a die in front of the player and simply say that “nothing happens”. This will ensure that players will thing that something else triggers eventually, creating a sense of anticipation and tension that can build up to a bigger encounter or make travel even more challenging.
Bad Things are generally random events that happen to the party while traveling. You can use this table as an example, or create a custom table for this purpose.
| 2d6 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 2 | Deadly Threat: Powerful enemy or group of enemies that pose a significant threat to survival. |
| 3 | Extreme Weather: Blizzard, sandstorm, torrential rain, etc. Impedes progress and causes penalties. |
| 4 | Ambush: Hostile creatures or bandits catch the party off guard. Disadvantage on initiative rolls. |
| 5 | Natural Hazard: Quicksand, landslide, collapsing bridge, etc. Requires checks to avoid damage or delays. |
| 6 | Equipment Failure: Essential gear breaks or is lost. Repairs require time and resources. |
| 7 | Delay: Blocked path, difficult terrain, navigational errors cause delays. Adds an extra check to the journey and increases threat by 1. |
| 8 | Resource Loss: Supplies are depleted or spoiled. Leads to rationing or penalties like exhaustion. |
| 9 | Exhaustion: Harsh conditions cause fatigue, hunger, and exposure. Each adventurer receives one level of exhaustion. |
| 10 | Minor Threat: Wild animals, small group of lesser monsters, natural obstacle that requires time and resources to overcome. |
| 11 | Illness or Poison: Party members become ill or poisoned due to tainted food, water, or environmental toxins. Disadvantage on ability checks. |
| 12 | Tempting Detour: Intriguing opportunity (e.g., hidden treasure, ancient ruins) that may lead to rewards but significantly delays journey and increases threat. |
Players may choose to use different skills for their checks based on their characters abilities and the context of the situation. This flexibility is encouraged to enhance role-playing and strategic decision-making. Keep in mind the primary objectives of each role:
When selecting an alternative skill, ensure that it aligns with your role’s goal and makes sense within the narrative. This approach allows for creativity while maintaining the balance and intent of the travel mechanics.
All the checks have a Difficulty Class (DC) of 10, however, the GM may adjust this according to the travel description or how dangerous the place is. The GM should consider factors such as the terrain, weather conditions, and any hazards present when deciding on the difficulty level.
These are the key points for the trailblazer: avoiding getting lost, finding shortcuts, or discovering safe resting spots.
The Trailblazer is the guiding force of the party’s journey, responsible for leading the group through unfamiliar or treacherous terrains. The Trailblazer navigates using landmarks, stars, maps, and environmental clues. Their expertise helps the party avoid getting lost, identify and exploit shortcuts, and discover safe resting spots along the way. By anticipating natural hazards and adjusting the route accordingly, the Trailblazer ensures that the journey is as efficient and safe as possible, saving valuable time.
| Skill | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|
| History | Recall historical routes or landmarks. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1). | Misinterpret history, increasing threat by 1. |
| Investigation | Find hidden paths or clues. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1). | Mistake path and enter a higher danger area, increasing threat and checks by 1. |
| Nature | Identify safe terrain and hazards. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1). | Misjudge hazards, increasing threat by 1. |
| Perception | Spot distant landmarks or threats. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0). | Fail to notice obstacles, increasing threat by 1. |
| Survival | Navigate using natural signs. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check. | Lose direction and need to backtrack, consume 1 supply immediately. |
These are the key points for the scout: preventing ambushes, avoiding traps, or gaining surprise on enemies.
The Scout serves as the party’s eyes and ears, venturing ahead or around the group to detect potential threats before they become immediate dangers. Employing keen senses and stealthy movements, the Scout watches for ambushes, traps, and hidden enemies. They interpret signs of nearby creatures, understand enemy tactics, and can navigate hazardous areas without drawing attention. By providing early warnings and valuable intelligence, the Scout enables the party to avoid confrontations, prepare defenses, or gain the upper hand in unavoidable encounters, thereby safeguarding the group’s well-being.
| Skill | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | Overcome obstacles swiftly. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0). | Create noise while moving, increasing threat by 1. |
| Insight | Anticipate enemy tactics. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0). | Misread signs, increasing threat by 1. |
| Investigation | Discover traps or hidden clues. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check. | Miss traps or clues, consume 1 supply immediately. |
| Perception | Detect hidden enemies or hazards. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0). | Fail to spot dangers, increasing threat by 1. |
| Stealth | Move undetected. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0). | Be spotted by enemies, increasing threat by 1 and checks by 1. |
These are the key points for the quartermaster: conserving resources, keeping the party healthy, or acquiring additional supplies.
The Quartermaster is the caretaker of the party’s sustenance and equipment, tasked with managing supplies and ensuring that resources are used wisely. Their responsibilities include rationing food and water, maintaining and repairing gear, and acquiring additional provisions when necessary. The Quartermaster’s knowledge of foraging, preservation techniques, and resource management helps the party stretch their supplies and avoid shortages. By keeping the group well-fed, properly equipped, and healthy, the Quartermaster plays a critical role in maintaining the party’s morale and readiness throughout the journey.
| Skill | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|
| Arcana | Preserve supplies using magic. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check. | Misuse magic, consume 1 supply immediately. |
| History | Recall locations of waystations. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1). | Misremember locations, increasing threat by 1 and checks by 1. |
| Investigation | Organize and manage supplies efficiently. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check. | Mismanage supplies, consume 1 extra supply immediately. |
| Nature | Identify edible plants and safe water. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0). | Mistake poisonous plants, increasing threat by 1. |
| Survival | Forage for food and water. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check. | Fail to find food, consume 1 extra supply immediately. |
Social interactions involve talking with creatures in ways other than combat, often with a specific goal in mind. Whether it’s persuading an official to support your cause, delivering a captivating performance, or interviewing witnesses for clues, social encounters challenge players to use their wits and charm to achieve their objectives.
In many fantasy worlds, settlements are pockets of safety and civilization amidst wild lands ruled by monsters and magic. Players may visit towns, cities, or other settlements to rest, resupply, and gather information between quests. These places are ideal for social encounters and downtime, where players can negotiate, build relationships, or explore their character’s personal goals.
NPCs have three main attitudes toward the players: friendly, neutral, and hostile. These attitudes affect how NPCs interact with the party and whether they’ll offer help or hinder the players.
Most NPCs start off neutral. Positive interactions can gradually shift an NPC’s attitude to friendly, while harm, threats, or negative treatment can turn them hostile. It’s much easier to turn an NPC hostile than it is to earn their friendship.
NPCs often have their own goals, tasks, or desires within the city or setting. A perceptive player can uncover these objectives and use them to their advantage. By understanding what an NPC wants to achieve, players can build rapport and improve the NPC’s attitude toward them.
Exploring dangerous dungeons is a classic way to gain experience, find powerful magic items, and uncover the world’s hidden secrets. Dungeons are often underground complexes filled with monsters, treasures, traps, and puzzles, but they can be any self-contained area with various sections to explore, like a castle, cave system, or ancient ruins.
While dungeons include combat and social encounters, they excel at providing opportunities for exploration. Many rules related to movement, senses, and hazards play a significant role in dungeon exploration. Hazards and traps, in particular, are common threats adventurers must navigate.
Hazards are environmental dangers rather than threats from creatures, though monsters might interact with or create hazards. These threats can come from extreme weather, environmental conditions, or magical forces. Four common hazards include:
Traps can be encountered almost anywhere. A single misstep in an ancient tomb might unleash a barrage of scything blades, slicing through both armor and flesh. Innocent-looking vines draped over a cave entrance could strangle anyone who passes through them. A hidden net among the trees may fall upon unsuspecting travelers below.
Traps come in two main forms: mechanical and magical. Mechanical traps rely on physical mechanisms, such as pits, arrow traps, collapsing blocks, water-filling chambers, or rotating blades. Magical traps use enchanted devices or spells like glyph of warding or symbol to create harmful effects when triggered.
When adventurers come across a trap, it’s essential to know how the trap is triggered, its effects, and how players can detect or disable it.
Triggering a Trap
Most traps activate when someone enters a protected area or interacts with something. Common triggers include stepping on a pressure plate, tripping a wire, turning a doorknob, or using the wrong key. Magical traps may trigger when someone enters a space or touches an object, and more complex traps might require a password to bypass activation.
Detecting and Disabling a Trap
With careful observation, characters may notice signs of a trap, like uneven floor tiles, the gleam of a tripwire, or small openings in the wall where fire jets might emerge. The trap’s description provides the checks and DCs for detection and disarmament. Characters can attempt a Wisdom (Perception) check to find the trap or use their passive Perception to spot it. If a trap is found before it’s triggered, the party might disarm it by making a Dexterity check with thieves’ tools or investigating to understand its mechanism.
Magical traps may also require an Intelligence (Arcana) check to detect or disarm, and many can be disabled using dispel magic. The trap’s description will detail the difficulty of these tasks, including the DC for the ability check when using dispel magic.
A well-crafted trap may not have an obvious solution, but smart thinking should be rewarded. Clever play, such as shielding oneself from harm or avoiding the trap’s effects without engaging it, should be taken into account by the GM. For example, a trapped chest that fires poisoned darts when opened could be circumvented by propping a shield in front of the chest and opening it from a distance.
Intelligent creatures that set traps in their lairs often build in ways to avoid or bypass them, such as hidden levers or secret passages. Traps may vary in their complexity, combining multiple elements designed to kill, injure, or slow down the party.
Trap Difficulty and Effects
You can be creative with the damage, using multiple d4s for a dart trap. If it’s a pitfall, a damage of 3d6 could be used, especially if there are spikes in the bottom - add a few extra dice rolls to increase the severity. Keep in mind that traps should be used to reduce resources from the party without resorting to combat. However, before activating the trap, give signs that this could be a trap, making it visible for the players. Remember, as a GM, you are the eyes, ears, and nose of all players.
The difficulty of a trap, whether it’s a minor setback or a deadly threat, determines the DCs, attack bonuses, and damage. Use the tables below to determine trap severity and damage based on the party’s level.
| Trap Type | DC Range | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Setback | 10-11 | +3 to +5 |
| Dangerous | 12-15 | +6 to +8 |
| Deadly | 16-20 | +9 to +12 |
| Character Level | Setback | Dangerous | Deadly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st-4th | 1d10 | 2d10 | 4d10 |
| 5th-10th | 2d10 | 4d10 | 10d10 |
| 11th-16th | 4d10 | 10d10 | 18d10 |
| 17th-20th | 10d10 | 18d10 | 24d10 |
A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides involving rapid weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and spellcasting. The game organizes this chaotic interaction into rounds and turns.
A round represents roughly 6 seconds in the game world, during which each participant takes a turn. At the beginning of a combat encounter, all participants, PCs and monsters, roll initiative to determine the order of turns. After each participant has acted, if no side has achieved victory, a new round begins.
Use the following steps for the combat.
When combat begins, but before rolling initiative, the GM checks if any participants are surprised. If no one is attempting to be stealthy, all parties notice each other, and no one is surprised. Otherwise, the GM compares the Stealth checks of creatures actively hiding at the start of combat to the passive Perception scores (for PCs) or Perception scores (for NPCs or monsters) of creatures on the opposing side. Individual members of a group may be surprised even if others are not. Certain hazards, traps, or environmental factors can also cause surprise. Relevant DCs for such effects are included in their descriptions.
The GM determines the positions of all PCs and adversaries based on player descriptions and story events. Typically, this is represented on a map (physical or virtual) where players can gauge their movement range. Even in theater-of-the-mind combat without a map, spaces remain the same as if on a grid, where each square represents 1 sqr. (1.5 m).
You may have noticed distances listed as sqr. (m) throughout this book. This notation is shorthand for “square” units, where 1 sqr. represents a standard 1.5-meter (5 feet) combat square on a grid. This unit helps to visualize spacing on maps and simplifies movement, range, and area calculations for both players and GM. So, 1 sqr. equals 1.5 meters (5 feet), 2 sqr. equals 3 meters (10 feet), and so on.
A standard combat space is 1 sqr. (1.5 m) in size. This space reflects a creature’s effective control area in combat, not just its physical dimensions. A Medium creature, for example, isn’t necessarily 1.5 meters wide but controls that much space. In combat, if a Medium hobgoblin stands in a 1 sqr.-wide (1.5 m) doorway, other creatures can’t pass through without the hobgoblin’s permission.
Space also indicates the area required for effective fighting, limiting how many creatures can surround a single target. For Medium combatants, up to eight can fit around one target. Larger creatures control more space, allowing fewer to surround them. For instance, five Large creatures surrounding a Medium creature leave little room for others, while up to twenty Medium creatures can surround a Gargantuan one.
Creatures of different sizes control different amounts of space. The Size Categories table shows each size’s space requirements in combat.
| Size Categories | Size | Squares | Space |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 50 cm x 50 cm | 1/4 sqr. x 1/4 sqr. | one-quarter of a sqr. |
| Small | 1.5 m x 1.5 m | 1 sqr. x 1 sqr. | one sqr. |
| Medium | 1.5 m x 1.5 m | 1 sqr. x 1 sqr. | one sqr. |
| Large | 3 m x 3 m | 2 sqr. x 2 sqr. | four sqr. |
| Huge | 4.5 m x 4.5 m | 3 sqr. x 3 sqr. | nine sqr. |
| Gargantuan | 6 m x 6 m | 4 sqr. x 4 sqr. | sixteen sqr. |
Initiative sets the order in which turns are taken during an encounter, often in combat. When the GM calls for initiative (typically at the start of an encounter) each participant (all involved PCs and NPCs) rolls a Dexterity check (d20 + DEX modifier) to determine their position in the turn order. For large groups of identical creatures, the GM can make a single roll for the group, allowing all members to act simultaneously.
After all rolls are made, the GM arranges the participants from highest to lowest Dexterity check result, establishing the initiative order. This order remains consistent from round to round, determining when each participant takes their turn.
Why monster when tie with player the player goes first?
Because I want to. Don’t like, change it.
If there’s a tie, the GM sets the order among tied NPCs, and players decide the order among their tied characters. If a tie occurs between an NPC and a PC, the PC goes first. Alternatively, the GM can have tied creatures roll a d20 without modifiers, with the highest roll going first.
On your turn, you can move up to your speed and take one action, in any order you choose. Movement rules are provided in the Movement in Combat section, while common actions are detailed in Actions in Combat. Various class features and abilities may provide additional action options.
If you’re undecided, consider taking the Dodge or Ready action.
Some features, spells, and abilities grant a bonus action in addition to your main action and movement. By default, most creatures have no bonus actions available. When more than one bonus action is possible, you must choose one to use per turn. Unless otherwise specified, you can choose when to take it during your turn.
Certain abilities, spells, and conditions allow a reaction, an instant response to a trigger. The opportunity attack is the most common reaction. You can only take one reaction per round until your next turn.
Certain minor actions can be performed during your turn without interfering with your main action or movement, always confirm with yout GM if the intented action is possible without the need of the action in your turn. Examples include:
Characters and monsters are constantly moving to gain an advantage in combat. On your turn, you can move up to your speed and break up your movement as desired.
A creature can squeeze through a space suited for a creature one size smaller. For example, a Large creature can squeeze through a 1 sqr.(1.5 m) wide passage. Squeezing movement costs double and imposes disadvantage on attacks and Dexterity saves. Attacks against a squeezed creature have advantage.
You can split your movement between actions. For example, a character with 6 sqr. (9 m) of movement could move 2 sqr. (3 m), take an action, and then move the remaining 4 sqr. (6 m).
If you have multiple attacks, you can move between them. For instance, a fighter with two attacks and 6 sqr. (9 m) of movement could move 2 sqr. (3 m), attack, then move another 4 sqr. (6 m) to attack a different target.
If you have multiple speeds (e.g., walking and flying), you can switch between them during your turn. Subtract the distance moved from each new speed. If it results in 0 or less, you can’t use that speed this turn.
For example, if your character has a walking speed of 6 sqr. (9 m) and a flying speed of 8 sqr. (12 m) due to a magical effect like the fly spell. First, you walk forward 3 sqr. (4.5 m) toward a cliff’s edge. You then decide to switch to flying to cross a chasm. To determine how much flying speed you have left, subtract the distance you’ve already moved from your flying speed. With an initial flying speed of 8 sqr. (12 m) and having already moved 3 sqr. (4.5 m) by walking, you have 5 sqr. (7.5 m) of flying speed left. You then fly across the chasm using this remaining distance. For every sqr. you move in any movement needs to be reduce from all sources. If you finish your flight over the chasm using 2 sqr. (3 m), you have moved a total of 5 sqr (7.5 m), so you can move 1 sqr (1.5 m) extra with walking and another 3 sqr. (4.5m) with fly.
Difficult terrain slows down movement, requiring extra effort to traverse. Any space occupied by another creature also counts as difficult terrain, however, allies do not count as obstacles and do not create difficult terrain for movement purposes. Generally, each step in difficult terrain costs twice the usual movement, effectively halving the distance you can cover.
Combatants may be knocked down or choose to drop down voluntarily, resulting in the prone condition. Falling prone is free on your turn and doesn’t consume any movement. However, standing up from prone requires half of your total movement for that turn. For example, if your speed is 6 sqr. (9 m), standing up costs 3 sqr. (4.5 m). You can’t stand up if you lack sufficient movement or if your speed is reduced to 0. If you have multiple speeds, this cost half of each speed.
While prone, you can either crawl or use magic that doen’t require somatic components.
You can move through the space of a nonhostile creature, but you can only pass through a hostile creature’s space if it is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you. Moving through another creature’s space is considered difficult terrain. Leaving a hostile creature’s reach during your move will provoke an opportunity attack.
In combat, everyone stays alert for chances to strike a fleeing or passing enemy, known as an opportunity attack. When a creature (PC or monster) sees a hostile creature leave its reach, it can use its reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. This attack occurs as the creature exits reach, resolving before it completes its movement.
You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by taking the Disengage action. You also won’t provoke one if you teleport or are forcibly moved out of an enemy’s reach. For instance, you won’t provoke an opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of reach, a hostile creature shoves you, or if you fall past an enemy due to gravity.
On your turn, you can take one of the actions listed here or an action granted by your class or another feature. Monsters have their own unique actions detailed in their stat blocks.
If you attempt an action not specified in the rules, the GM decides if it’s possible and what kind of roll, if any, you need to make to determine success.
The most common action in combat is the Attack action, whether you’re swinging a sword, firing an arrow from a bow, or trading blows with your fists. With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack. Certain features, like the fighter’s Extra Attack, allow you to make more than one attack when you take this action.
Whether you’re wielding a melee weapon, shooting with a ranged weapon, or casting a spell that requires an attack roll, an attack follows a straightforward process.
Spellcasters such as clerics and wizards can use the Cast a Spell action to unleash their magic in combat. You can cast spells this way only if the spell has a casting time of 1 action. If a spell’s casting time is longer than an action (measured in minutes or hours), or if it requires a bonus action or reaction, you can’t use this action to cast it.
When you take the Dash action, you tap into extra speed for this turn. You can move up to your speed again, effectively doubling your movement for the turn. For example, if you have a speed of 6 sqr. (9 m), you can move up to 12 sqr. (18 m) on your turn when you take the Dash action.
Any increase or decrease to your speed modifies this additional movement accordingly. For instance, if your normal speed of 6 sqr. (9 m) is reduced to 3 sqr. (4.5 m), you can move up to 6 sqr. (9 m) on your turn with a Dash, on the same token, if your speed is reduced by spell or being grappled, making your speed 0 sqr. (0 m), Dashing doen’t make any increase.
When you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of your turn.
When you take the Dodge action, you dedicate your focus entirely to evading attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws. You lose this benefit if you become incapacitated or if your speed is reduced to 0 due to a similar effect.
When you take the Fortify action, you brace yourself to better withstand incoming attacks. Until the start of your next turn, you gain a +2 bonus to your Armor Class. You lose this benefit if you become incapacitated or if your speed is reduced to 0 by any effect.
The Help action allows you to assist another creature in completing a task. The creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you’re helping with, provided it makes the check before the start of your next turn.
Alternatively, you can use the Help action to assist a friendly creature in attacking a target within 1 sqr. (1.5 m) of you. You might feint, distract the target, or team up in some other way to make your ally’s attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, they gain advantage on their first attack roll against that target.
Alternatively instead of providing advantage, you can provide +2 to the check, a creature can only benefit from only one help (either advantage or bonus).
When you take the Hide action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to conceal yourself, following the rules for hiding. If you succeed, you gain certain benefits as described in the “Unseen Attackers and Targets” section of this chapter.
When you take the Ready action, you prepare to act on another creature’s turn using your reaction. This allows you to anticipate a foe’s move or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. You must use your readied reaction before the start of your next turn.
First, specify a perceivable circumstance that will trigger your reaction. Then, declare the action or movement you plan to take in response to that trigger. Examples include, “If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever to open it,” or “If the goblin moves next to me, I will move away.”
When the trigger occurs, you can choose to take your reaction immediately after the trigger finishes or ignore it. Remember, you can take only one reaction per round.
You can also ready a spell using the Ready action. You cast the spell as normal but hold its energy, releasing it with your reaction after the trigger occurs.
To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and maintaining the spell’s energy requires concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without effect. For example, if you are concentrating on the web spell and ready magic missile, your web spell ends. Additionally, if you take damage before releasing the readied magic missile, your concentration might be broken.
When you take the Search action, you dedicate your attention to locating something specific. Depending on what you’re searching for, the GM might ask you to make a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.
When you take the Use an Object action, you focus entirely on interacting with an item. Normally, you can interact with one object for free during your turn, such as drawing a sword as part of an attack. This action is necessary when you want to interact with more than one object on your turn. If an object is complex or requires an ability check to operate, the GM might require you to take this action even if it’s the only object you handle this turn. Most magic items, potions and gadgets require this action to operate on your turn, a notorious exception is the Healing Potion, that can be used with Bonus Action.
When you take the Attack action in combat, you typically make an attack roll to strike your target. This roll determines whether your attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total equals or exceeds the target’s Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. On a successful attack, you deal damage or achieve the goal of your attack.
Various rules influence the success of attack rolls and the effectiveness of damage. These rules are detailed in this section.
To make an attack, first decide whether you’re making a melee attack or a ranged attack. Then choose a target (or targets) within reach or range of your chosen attack type. Refer to the “Melee Attacks” and “Ranged Attacks” sections in this chapter for more details about the specific types of melee and ranged attacks.
If you’re using the Cast a Spell action, the spell’s description will indicate whether it involves a melee or ranged attack.
In close-quarters combat, a melee attack typically involves wielding handheld weapons like swords, warhammers, or axes. Monsters usually make melee attacks when they strike with natural weapons such as claws, horns, or teeth.
Reach. You can perform melee attacks only against targets within a specified reach. Most creatures have a reach of 1 sqr. (1.5 m), allowing them to attack targets within 1 sqr. when making a melee attack. Certain creatures, typically those larger than Medium size, have melee attacks with a greater reach than 1 sqr., as noted in their descriptions.
When you make a ranged attack, you might fire a bow, hurl a handaxe, or launch projectiles to strike from a distance. Monsters might shoot spines from their tails. 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 that range.
Long Range. Some ranged attacks, like 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 at long range, and you can’t attack a target beyond the long range.
Close Range. Making a ranged attack is more difficult when an enemy is nearby. When you make a ranged attack while within 1 sqr. (1.5 m) of a hostile creature who can see you and isn’t incapacitated, you have disadvantage on the attack roll.
When a player character makes an attack roll, the two most common modifiers are an ability modifier and the character’s proficiency bonus. When a monster makes an attack roll, it uses the modifier provided in its stat block for that action.
Other factors can influence the success of an attack roll, such as benefits granted by class features. Environmental conditions, cover, or attacking an invisible target can make attack rolls more challenging.
For a melee weapon attack, you use your Strength modifier, and for a ranged weapon attack, you use your Dexterity modifier. Weapons with the Finesse or Thrown property can override this rule. Some spells also require an attack roll. The ability modifier used for a spell attack depends on your spellcasting ability.
Add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll when you’re attacking with a weapon you’re proficient with, and whenever you make a spell attack, if you are attacking with a weapon where you don’t have proficiency you don’t apply this proficiency bonus.
Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target harder to hit. A target benefits from cover only when an attack or effect originates from the opposite side of the cover.
There are four degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective one applies. For example, if a target is behind a creature providing half cover and a tree trunk providing three-quarters cover, the target has three-quarters cover.
How to determine cover in a grid?
The attacker choose one corner of his position in the grid (the one that best benefits the attacker), draw four imaginary lines to the boundries of the target square, if one line is blocked, that means half-cover, two or three lines are blocked, that means three-quarter cover, all lines are blocker, that means total covar.
Combatants might attempt to avoid detection by hiding, casting the invisibility spell, or lurking in darkness.
When you attack a target you can’t see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This applies whether you’re guessing the target’s location or targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn’t in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, though the GM might simply say that you missed, not whether you guessed the location correctly.
When a creature can’t see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it. If you’re hidden, both unseen and unheard, when you make an attack, you reveal your location whether the attack hits or misses.
When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether your attack strikes true or misses its mark. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total equals or exceeds the target’s Armor Class (AC), your attack hits.
At times, fate can bless or curse a warrior, allowing a novice to land a blow or causing a veteran to falter.
If your attack roll misses the target, the attack concludes and you proceed with the rest of your turn (or make your next attack if you have features like Extra Attack). If your attack roll hits, it’s time to deal damage! Roll the damage specified for your attack unless the attack has special rules stating otherwise. Some attacks inflict additional effects in place of or alongside damage.
When you successfully land an attack, you deal damage according to the weapon, spell, or monster ability used. Roll the appropriate damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the total to your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other factors might grant bonuses to your damage roll. While penalties can reduce your damage to zero, you can never deal negative damage.
When attacking with a weapon, add your ability modifier, the same one used for the attack roll, to the damage. Spells specify which dice to roll for damage and whether to add any modifiers.
If a spell or effect deals damage to multiple targets simultaneously, roll damage once for all affected. For instance, when a wizard casts fireball, you roll damage once for all creatures caught in the explosion.
When you score a critical hit (rolling a natural 20 on the attack die), you unleash the full force of your attack. Instead of rolling extra dice, a critical hit automatically deals the maximum possible damage for the attack’s standard damage dice, plus an additional roll of the normal dice. Then, add any relevant modifiers as usual.
For example, if you score a critical hit with a dagger, which normally deals 1d4 damage, the critical hit would deal 4 (maximum damage) + 1d4, plus your ability modifier. If the attack includes extra damage dice, such as from a rogue’s Sneak Attack feature, apply the maximum normal damage for those dice as well and roll them once more.
This section covers the rules and various types of melee attacks.
Most creatures have a reach of 1 sqr. (1.5 m) and can attack targets within 1 sqr. when making a melee attack. Certain creatures, typically those larger than Medium size, have melee attacks with a greater reach than 1 sqr., as noted in their descriptions.
Most melee attacks are melee weapon attacks. In close combat, warriors typically wield handheld weapons like swords, warhammers, or axes to strike their foes. Monsters often make melee attacks using natural weapons such as claws, horns, teeth, tentacles, or other body parts, these attacks are also considered melee weapon attacks.
Instead of wielding a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike, a punch, kick, headbutt, or similar forceful blow. While this is still considered a melee weapon attack, an unarmed strike doesn’t count as a weapon, and the damage dealt can’t be modified by effects that increase weapon dice. On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 plus your Strength modifier. You are always proficient with your unarmed strikes.
Some spells involve making melee attacks and are referred to as melee spell attacks. These spells typically have a range of touch. If a spell requires you to make a melee spell attack, it will be noted in the spell’s description.
While a melee attack typically involves an attack roll and dealing damage, you can opt for special melee attack options instead of a standard attack.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to damage a creature’s armor, aiming to reduce its effectiveness. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, an armor break attempt can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach, and you must make an attack roll against its normal AC. If you succeed, the armor’s AC is reduced by -1. If the armor receives a total of -5 in this way, it is destroyed. Magic armor, and powerfuls husks can’t be affected by this action, ask the GM if this action can be performed.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to blind a creature by throwing sand or a similar substance in its face. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a blinding attempt can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach. Make an attack roll contested by the target’s Insight or Perception check (the target chooses).
If you win the contest, the target is blinded until it uses a bonus action to clear its vision. If the creature have other senses beyong normal vision the creature doen’t receive the blind condition.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to damage a non-magical item within your reach. Make an attack roll against the item’s AC.
If you succeed, the item is damaged. If an item is already damaged and you succeed on another attack, the item is destroyed.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to disarm a creature, forcing it to drop one item it’s holding. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a disarm attempt can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach. Make an attack roll contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses).
If you win the contest, the target drops the item in an adjacent square of your choice.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to feint and throw off a creature’s defenses. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a feint can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach. Make an attack roll contested by the target’s Insight.
If you win the contest, you gain advantage on your next attack against the target.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to grapple a creature, potentially imposing the grappled condition. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a grapple can replace one of them.
The target must be no more than one size larger than you and within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses).
If you win the contest, the target doesn’t take damage but is subjected to the grappled condition (see Appendix A: Conditions). The condition specifies what ends it, and you can release the target whenever you like (no action required).
Escaping a Grapple. A grappled creature can use its action to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (its choice) contested by your Strength (Athletics) check.
Moving a Grappled Creature. When you move, you can drag or carry the grappled creature with you, but your speed is halved unless the creature is two or more sizes smaller than you.
Using the Attack action and a bludgeoning weapon, you can target a creature’s leg to reduce its speed. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a hamstring attempt can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach. Make an attack roll against the creature’s AC.
If you succeed, the target’s speed is reduced by 1 sqr. (1.5 m) until the end of its next turn, a target can only be affected once by this effect.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to intimidate creatures around you, throwing them off their confidence. All creatures within 6 sqr. (9 m) of you that can see you must make an Insight check contested by your Intimidation check.
Any creatures that fail have disadvantage on their next attack roll.
If you have a creature grappled, you can use the Attack action to attempt to pin it, restraining it in place.
Make a new grapple check against the creature. If you succeed, the creature becomes restrained until it escapes the grapple.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to push or pull a creature, forcing it to move 1 sqr. (1.5 m) in a direction of your choice. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a push or pull attempt can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach. Make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.
If you win the contest, you move the target 1 sqr. (1.5 m) in a direction of your choice.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to taunt a creature, drawing its focus to you. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a taunt can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach. Make an attack roll contested by the target’s Insight.
If you win the contest, the target has disadvantage on any attack rolls it makes that do not include you as a target.
Using the Attack action, you can attempt to trip a creature, forcing it prone. If you can make multiple attacks with the Attack action, a trip attempt can replace one of them.
The target must be within your reach and no more than one size larger than you. Make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses).
If you win the contest, the target is knocked prone.
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 in your 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.
This section covers the rules and various types of ranged attacks.
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 that range.
Some ranged attacks, like those made with a longbow or a shortbow, list two ranges. The smaller number is the normal range, and the larger number is the long range. When attacking a target within long range, you have disadvantage on your attack roll, and you can’t attack a target beyond the long range.
Making a ranged attack is more challenging when an enemy is nearby. When you make a ranged attack with a weapon, a spell, or some other means, and you are within 1 sqr. (1.5 m) of a hostile creature who can see you and isn’t incapacitated, you have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Many ranged attacks are ranged weapon attacks. These typically involve using a weapon that fires ammunition via the Ammunition property, such as a bow, sling, or crossbow. Weapons with the Thrown property can also be used for ranged weapon attacks.
Most spells that require you to make an attack involve ranged spell attacks. If a spell requires you to make a ranged spell attack, it will be noted in the spell’s description.
Even the bravest adventurers can’t be constantly on the go, battling monsters, negotiating with NPCs, and uncovering hidden treasures. They need regular breaks to rest, recover, and recharge - time to sleep, eat, treat injuries, prepare for magic use, and mentally prepare themselves for what’s next.
A short or long rest will require water, food and other general materials, like wood for a fire, bedrools for sleeping and so on. While some of the supplies can be reused, the water and food is consumed, for this consuption there is the concept of supplies, this is an abstract value that concentrate water and food reserves from the party to be used on a short or long rest. For a short rest it’s needed a single unit of supply per person, while a long rest requires the usage of 10 units of suplies for a person. Rations provide 10 units of supply, so a single ration is needed for a long rest, and a single ration can be used for 10 short rests.
A short rest is a brief period of downtime lasting at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour. During this time, a character can relax and engage in low-key activities like eating, drinking, reading, or tending to wounds without exerting themselves. At the end of a short rest, a character can spend one Hit Die to recover hit points. The player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier, regaining hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1).
If there is no supplies for this rest, you can’t use the Constitution modifier on the recovered hit points.
A long rest is an extended period of downtime lasting at least 8 hours, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, standing watch, additionally each party member can perform a rest action. If the rest is interrupted by strenuous activity, such as at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring tasks, the character must start the rest over to gain any benefit.
At the end of a long rest, a character regains all spent Hit Dice. Additionally, a character can spend one or more Hit Dice to recover hit points. For each Hit Die spent, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier, regaining hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1). The player can decide to spend additional Hit Dice after each roll.
A character can’t benefit from more than one long rest in a 24 hour period and must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.
IF there is no supplies for the rest, no rest actions can be performed in this rest.
During a rest, a character can choose to participate in activities that help the group as a whole. They can take specific actions to assist their companions during this time, with one important caveat: an action cannot be repeated within the same rest. If multiple characters attempt the same action, they gain advantage on the roll. If the action results in an effect, consider the duration to be 8 hours or until the next rest.
As a rule of thumb, always state the DC for these checks to the players, this helps them decide what should be done during the rest. Use the following table as a guide to help you decide the DC.
| DC | Circumstance |
|---|---|
| 8 | Camping outside city walls |
| 10 | Quiet forest or city slums |
| 14 | Lair of an evil creature that is looking for the players |
| 18 | Lair of a magical dragon that has access to spying spells |
| 20 | Astral dungeon where players need to remain vigilant non-stop |
The difficulty (DC) for each task is generally 10, but different environments may require higher or lower DCs depending on the circumstances.
| Name | Tool or Kit Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cook a Meal | Provisioner Tools | Prepares a meal, granting +1 on saving throws for 8 hours. |
| Craft Ammunition | Smithing Tools | Crafts ammunition, arrows, bolts, bullets, or needles. |
| Forage | Herbalist Tools | Collects ingredients, worth 1d6 gold pieces, once per long rest. |
| Identify Item | Artist or Tinker Tools | Identifies one magical item using specialized tools. |
| Keep Watch | Navigator or Trapper Tools | Prevents surprise during the rest period with enhanced surveillance. |
| Magical Recovery | Alchemist’s or Herbalist’s Toosl | Recovers 1 mana point using appropriate magical tools. |
| Mix Potion | Alchemist’s tools | Creates an alchemical potion with basic effects. |
| Play Song / Game | Gaming Set or Musical Instrument | Grants all characters 5 temporary hit points with a musical performance. |
| Prepare Concoction | Herbalist Tools | Prepares a concoction with healing or toxic effects using herbal ingredients. |
| Prepare a Plan | Calligrapher’s Supplies | Grants +2 on initiative checks for 8 hours with organized plans. |
| Reinforce Equipment | Clothier, Smithing or Construction Tools | Boosts damage or AC on equipment temporarily. |
| Treat Wounds | Alchemist’s or Herbalist Tools | Heals wounds, adding proficiency bonus to hit dice during rest. |
Cook a Meal requires Provisioner Tools and allows you to choose an ability, characters gain a +1 on saving throws for that ability for the next 8 hours or until their next long rest.
Craft Ammunition requires Smithing Tools and allows each character to craft 20 arrows, 20 crossbow bolts, 50 blowgun needles, or 20 sling bullets.
Forage utilizes Herbalist Tools and allows you to collect ingredients for rituals or potions, worth 1d6 gold pieces.
Identify Item requires Artist or Tinker Tools, enable to identiy the basic usage of a magical item or contraption.
Keep Watch requires Navigator or Trapper Tools and prevents all characters from being surprised during the rest period by enhancing surveillance.
Magical Recovery requires Alchemist’s Tools or Herbalist Tools, allowing all characters to recover 1 mana point through the preparation of magical stimulants or restorative brews.
Mix Potion requires Alchemist’s Supplies and produces a quick alchemical potion with effects similar to Acid, Alchemist’s Fire, or Oil. This potion maintains its effects for the next 8 hours or until used.
Play Song/Game: This activity utilizes a gaming set or musical instrument to temporarily bestow all characters with 5 temporary hit points through musical performance or general game entertainment.
Prepare Concoction requires Herbalist Tools, resulting in a quick concoction with effects like Antitoxin, Basic Poison, or a Potion of Healing. This potion maintains its effects for the next 8 hours or until used.
Prepare a Plan requires Calligrapher’s Supplies and grants all characters a +2 on initiative checks for the next 8 hours or until the next long rest.
Reinforce Equipment requires Clothier, Smithing or Construction Tools and allows you to choose a weapon to gain +1 on damage rolls or armor to gain +1 to AC for the next 8 hours or until the next long rest.
Treat Wounds requires a Healer’s Kit and adds the proficiency bonus to each hit die used during the rest.
Instead of using a rest action, the character can use an alternative tool suited for its intended purpose, as described in the tool descriptions. This approach isn’t considered downtime, but it’s a hasty or unpolished method that can lead to mistakes or accidents. The result of these tool usage lasts for 8 hours (if the effect is not immediate) or until the next long rest.
During most of gameplay, time passes much as it does in our world. Actions and events are measured in minutes, hours, days, and years. Gameplay during encounters is often measured more closely in rounds and turns. When passage of time matters, the GM determines how long a task takes. A GM should always feel free to shift between scales to match what’s happening in the game and keep the story moving.
As a rule of thumbs up use the following as a general rule for track of time (when needed):
Traveling: Time doesn’t need to be precise, a travel on a well maintanded road with loads of kingdom guards patrolling would need only a single check (if needed), and that means 10 days of travel. While crossing a patch of forest infested with goblins and worgs could mean 5 checks and only 4 hours of traveling to complete.
Interaction: Every NPC interaction takes at least 10 minutes, from a brief conversation to a long negotiation, unless it’s really needed and stated, use the 10 minutes rule as a general direction.
Dungeonning: Once a door is opened, every check, question or interaction with the dungeon room takes at minimum 1 minute. If it’s something more elaborate, takes longer.
Combat: Every rount (a turn to each combatent) takes roughly 6 seconds, so every 10 rounds is roughly a minute. Any combate from start to end (unless otherwise stated) takes at least 10 mintues (from cleaning the weapons after the combat, to looting the bodies)
Downtime Activities: Very often these action will take working days, if not weeks, these actions usually meant that the majority of the time will used in town, and some time travelling and exploring the dungeons.
Minutes: In high-pressure situations such as navigating a dungeon infested with roaming creatures, a GM may choose to keep track of time in minute increments. For example, moving through a long corridor might take one minute, searching for traps at the end of it another, and scouring a larger chamber beyond could require around 10 minutes.
In addition to everyday applications, minutes are also crucial in high-pressure scenarios, such as timing how long a person can hold their breath without air. In the realm of magic, minutes play a significant role too - spell effects often have minute-long durations, and intricate rituals typically require at least 10 minutes of focused casting.
Hours: When exploring a city or navigating a large area, an hour is a more suitable unit of time. This interval also affects how often characters need to rest and recover, as well as their progress during short and long rests. Additionally, downtime activities are influenced by the passage of hours.
Days: To accurately depict long travel periods, consider using a day-by-day timeline. This allows for uneventful stretches to be broken up by occasional encounters or events. For instance, your GM can randomly generate an event table on a daily basis, potentially shifting the time scale from days to hours, minutes, or even rounds as needed to fully engage with any exciting developments that unfold. Additionally, this approach can also help determine how often players can utilize certain abilities or activate magic items.
In fantasy stories, thrilling movements like racing through turbulent waters, creeping stealthily through dark passageways, and climbing steep, rocky terrain all add to the excitement.
While detailed calculations can be tedious, there’s no need for the GM to track every exact step or time spent traveling. Instead, they can summarize movement as needed: “You arrive at the dungeon entrance late on the third day” or “After defeating the guardian, you navigate the ancient dwarven stronghold’s corridors and reach a chasm in a few hours.” However, when precise travel times are crucial, the GM should take into account various factors such as the speed and pace of the creatures involved and the terrain they’re traversing.
Every creature has one or more ways to move through the world, referred to as speed. Speed is the distance a creature can cover with a single move. On a character sheet or in monster statistics, speed is always listed with a number measured in squares, for example: 1 sqr. (1.5 m).
All creatures have a base walking speed. Creatures that have no ground-based movement are assigned a base walking speed of 0. In addition to their base walking speed, creatures may also possess one or more of the following additional movement speeds.
Creatures with burrowing capabilities can move through sand, earth, mud, or ice. A creature cannot burrow through solid rock unless it possesses a special trait for doing so.
Creatures with a climbing speed can move with ease on vertical surfaces. Unlike most creatures, one that has a climbing speed doesn’t need to spend extra movement when climbing.
A creature with a flying speed can use all or part of its movement to fly through the air. Most creatures with a flying speed must stay in continual motion to remain airborne, but some are able to hover. If a creature can hover, it is noted in parentheses after its flying speed.
Creatures with a swimming speed can move with ease in water or similar liquids. Unlike most creatures, however, a creature with a swimming speed doesn’t need to spend extra movement when swimming. In addition, creatures with a swimming speed don’t make melee weapon attacks at disadvantage while underwater.
Adventurers often find themselves traversing dangerous environments or navigating perilous situations that require special kinds of movement. To navigate these challenges, players may need to choose a specific mode of movement, such as climbing, crawling, swimming, or jumping. In order to use these special movement rules the adventure must also have a walking speed listed.
While climbing, you move at half your walking speed, with sqr. of movement costing 1 extra sqt. If you climb in difficult terrain, each sqt. of movement costs 2 extra sqr. At the GM’s option, climbing a slippery vertical surface or one with few handholds might require one or more successful Strength (Athletics) checks. Failing such a check may cause a creature to fall.
While crawling, you move at half your walking speed, with each sqr. of movement costing 1 extra sqr. If you crawl in difficult terrain, each sqr. of movement costs 2 extra sqr.
Several factors determine how far and high a creature can jump.
Long Jump. When making a long jump, you can cover a number of sqr. up to half your walking speed if you move at least 2 sqr. (3m) on foot immediately before the jump. When making a standing long jump, you can leap only a quarter of your walking speed. Either way, each sqr. cleared on the jump costs 1 sqr. of movement. This rule assumes that the height of your jump doesn’t matter, such as a jump across a stream or chasm. At the 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 attempting to land in difficult terrain, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to land on your feet. Otherwise, you fall prone.
High Jump. When making a high jump, you leap into the air one meter plus 25cm per Strength modifier (negative modifiers reduce the original meter) if you move at least 2 sqr. (3 m) on foot immediately before the jump. When making a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance. Either way, each 1 sqr. (1.5m) covered costs 1 sqr. (1.5 m) of your speed. At the GM’s discretion, you might be able to make a Strength (Athletics) check to jump higher than you normally can.
While swimming, you move at half your walking speed, with each sqr. of movement costing 1 extra sqr. At the GM’s discretion, gaining distance in rough water might also require a successful Strength (Athletics) check. Failing such a check may cause a creature to start drowning. Certain weapons are more difficult to use while swimming.
Adventurers often travel through rough ground: dense forests, deep swamps, rubble-filled ruins, and sheets of ice. Such areas are considered difficult terrain.
You move at half speed in difficult terrain. Moving 1 sqr. in difficult terrain costs 2 sqr. of movement. If two or more sources of difficult terrain occur in the same space, you still move at only half speed.
Difficult terrain is often a natural part of the landscape, but some class features or spells, such as entangle, can create it for a short time. The space occupied by another hostile creature, also counts as difficult terrain.
Certain actions or events can cause you to be moved without your consent. However, these involuntary movements do not trigger opportunity attacks from enemies, but are still affected by difficult terrain.
Falling is a common adventuring hazard. At the end of a fall, a creature lands prone and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 1 sqr. (1.5 m) it fell unless it has a feature or trait that allows it to avoid taking damage from the fall, after 10d6 of damage, each increment of sqr. adds a bonus of +5 of damage instead of 1d6. In most cases, falling occurs so quickly that a creature takes the damage immediately.
If a flying creature is knocked prone, has its flying speed reduced to 0, or otherwise loses the ability to move, it immediately falls to the ground unless it has the ability to hover or is held aloft by other means. In case of great fall distance, a creture moves 20 sqr. (30 m) each turn, after landing, it takes the fall damage.
Some effects, such as a roper’s reel bonus action or an ogre using a Shove attack, can pull or push you away from the source. A creature that has grappled you might also drag you with it during its movement. These movements doen’t provoke opportunity attacks, and counts as Forced Movement.
Your Strength score determines the amount of weight you can bear. The following terms define what you can lift or carry.
Carrying Capacity: Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 10. This is the weight (in kg) that you can carry, which is high enough that most characters usually don’t have to worry about it.
Push, Drag, or Lift: You can push, drag, or lift a weight in kg up to twice your carrying capacity (or 20 times your Strength score). When pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 1 sqr. (1.5m) per round.
Size and Strength: Larger creatures can bear more weight, while 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 Small or Tiny creature, halve these weights.
Fundamental adventuring tasks, such as noticing danger, finding hidden objects, hitting an enemy, and targeting a spell, rely heavily on a character’s ability to perceive the world around them.
Creatures primarily perceive the world through their sense of sight. This is called vision. Typically, creatures also possess secondary senses such as hearing, smell, and touch that allow them to interact with their environment. However, vision is considered the primary standard sense. Darkness and other effects that obscure vision can prove significant hindrances. Areas affected by these conditions are labeled as either lightly or heavily obscured based on the severity of the impact on vision.
In a lightly obscured area, such as dim light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage, creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
In a heavily obscured area, such as darkness, opaque fog, or dense foliage, a creature effectively suffers from the blinded condition (see Appendix A: Conditions) when trying to see something in that area. A blinded creature cannot 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.
The presence or absence of light in an environment is the key factor in determining whether an area is lightly or heavily obscured. The amount of light in any given area can be measured in one of five categories: sunlight, bright light, dim light, darkness, and magical darkness.
Sunlight Sunlight allows most creatures to see normally and has special effects on certain creatures with the Sunlight Sensitivity trait or similar features.
Bright Light Even gloomy days provide bright light, as do torches, lanterns, fires, and other light sources within a short radius. Most creatures can see normally in bright light.
Dim Light An area of dim light is usually a boundary between a source of bright light (such as a torch) and surrounding darkness. The soft light of twilight and dawn also counts as dim light. A brilliant full moon might bathe the land in dim light, creating a lightly obscured area.
Darkness Darkness creates a heavily obscured area. Characters face darkness outdoors at night (even on most moonlit nights) or within the confines of an unlit dungeon.
Magical Darkness Magical darkness creates a heavily obscured area like darkness but also obscures the vision of creatures who can see in darkness due to darkvision or similar abilities.
In addition to basic vision, creatures may have one or more of the following additional senses.
A creature with darkvision can see in darkness. Within its darkvision range, the creature can see in dim light as if it were bright light and can see in darkness as if it were dim light. A creature cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of gray are visible. A creature in a bright light area cannot use darkvision, however, within the dim light, a creature can use its darkvision sense, since using darkvision while in bright light would be too intense to see anything.
A creature with keensense can perceive its surroundings using a sense other than vision. Creatures without eyes typically have this sense, and so do creatures with echolocation or an extraordinary sense of smell. If a creature has no other form of sensing, it has a parenthetical note to that effect, indicating that the radius of its keensense defines the maximum range of its ability to perceive the world.
A creature with tremorsense can detect and pinpoint the source of vibrations when both itself and the source are in contact with the same ground or substance. Tremorsense typically cannot detect flying or incorporeal creatures.
A creature with truesight can see in dim light, darkness, and magical darkness as if it were bright light. It also sees creatures and objects with the invisible condition. The creature automatically detects visual illusions and succeeds on saves against them. Additionally, the creature perceives the true form of a creature with the Shapechanger tag or a creature that is transformed by magic. Furthermore, the creature can see into the Ethereal Plane within its truesight range.
Planes are dimensions with distinct physical, magical, and elemental laws. Each plane varies in size, space, and inhabitants, some containing countless worlds, others only a single land or being. They may exist alongside or within each other, intersecting or layered atop one another.
Many spells and magic items draw energy from another plane, summon beings from there, establish contact with its inhabitants, or allow travel between realms. In most settings, the planes are arranged in a way that defines how travel and connections occur between them. Whether using a published or homebrew setting, the following types of planes are typically included:
The Material Plane mirrors the laws of our world. Its principles, like gravity, life, and decay, are consistent and measurable. All fantasy worlds reside within this plane, making it the central realm for most campaigns. It’s the standard by which other planes are referenced and defined.
The Ethereal Plane and the Astral Plane, known as Transitive Planes, are mainly used as channels for interplanar travel. Spells like etherealness and astral projection allow characters to enter these planes and traverse to others.
Ethereal Plane: A misty, fog-filled dimension overlapping with the Material Plane and occasionally other planes. Each Material Plane location has a corresponding Ethereal location, and spirits of the deceased can become trapped here as ghosts or similar entities. Some creatures can see into the Ethereal, and spells like see invisibility and true seeing offer this vision.
Astral Plane: The Astral Plane is a shifting realm of thought and dreams, forming the connective tissue between planes. It resembles a vast silvery sea with motes of light like stars. While mostly open space, some solid islands exist within it.
Beyond the Material and Transitive Planes, realms of myth and mystery emerge, governed by entirely different rules from the Material Plane. Typical examples include:
Celestial Planes: Home to celestial creatures and aligned with forces of good or law. Some of these realms are governed by deities or celestial beings.
Fiendish Planes: Inhabited by fiendish beings such as devils and demons, often associated with chaos or evil forces.
Elemental Planes: Each element, air, earth, fire, and water, resides in its respective plane, inhabited by elemental creatures.
Afterlife Plane: A realm for the dead, where spirits go after leaving the Material Plane. Mortals can contact or summon spirits from here.
Divine Realms: Home to deities, gods, and pantheons. Divine realms may overlap with the above planes or exist as unique demiplanes.
Traveling beyond the Material Plane is a legendary journey, accomplished either by casting spells or through planar portals:
Spells: Certain spells enable planar travel. Plane shift and gate transport you to other planes, etherealness allows access to the Ethereal Plane, and astral projection lets you enter the Astral Plane.
Portals: Known as “gates” or “gateways,” portals are specific points where a creature can travel from one plane to another. Some portals function like doorways, while others exist as unique locations, like circles of stones, ships, or even entire towns that transition between planes, bringing everything within along.
Between daring adventures and epic quests, characters often spend time in settlements where they can rest, pursue personal goals, and engage with society. Downtime represents these periods, offering opportunities for heroes to hone skills, craft items, or simply enjoy daily life. Living in a city or village comes with its own challenges and expenses, such as finding accommodations, paying for meals, and navigating taxes or tolls. This chapter explores how characters manage their downtime and the practical aspects of living in various communities, helping them make choices that enhance their journey both on and off the battlefield.
During downtime, characters must consider their daily expenses, including accommodation, food, taxes, and other costs associated with living in different settlements. The cost of living varies based on the size of the community and the lifestyle a character chooses to maintain. Whether residing in a tranquil rural village or a bustling metropolis, managing these expenses is crucial for a character’s comfort and social standing.
The type of settlement where a character resides affects the availability of goods and services, as well as the overall cost of living. Settlements are generally categorized as follows:
Characters can select a lifestyle that reflects how they wish to live during their downtime. This choice impacts not only their comfort but also their reputation and interactions within the settlement.
These are suggestion values, each city could have it’s own values and be very different from this one
The base cost of each lifestyle can fluctuate depending on the settlement’s size and economic conditions. Apply the following modifiers to the daily lifestyle expenses (round up).
In the game dev industry, there’s a term called money sink, where you gently remove excess money from players.
Players in fantasy worlds live with gold, very often reserved for the wealthy community within the city. However, adventurers typically live outside of this luxury.
If there’s money, there’s someone to gain from it. Very often, this means nobles, aristocrats, and others interested in a share. A wealthy noble might pay an adventurer to kill goblins, while another would collect taxes for entering or leaving the city, regaining some of their money. To use the safety of a city’s walls, one also needs to pay.
So, is this a money sink? Yes. Will I ever feel guilty about this? No.
These are suggestion values, each city could have it’s own values and be very different from this one
Authorities in various settlements may impose taxes and tolls to fund public services and maintain order. These additional expenses can include entry fees, property taxes, and fees for specific services or permits.
Upon entering a settlement, characters might need to pay an entry toll, especially in larger communities.
Additional fees may apply for transporting goods, livestock, or large vehicles.
Characters owning property or conducting business might be subject to various taxes:
The lifestyle and settlement choice can influence a character’s downtime activities:
Always choose the cheap price. This is the common mantra of adventures, keep this in mind:
Advantages and Considerations
Selecting a particular lifestyle offers various in-game effects:
Don’t be afraid to block players from using, or moving from one part of the town if they decide to live in lower lifestyle.
Between adventures, characters often find themselves with periods of free time to pursue personal goals, hone their skills, or engage with the world in deeper ways. Downtime activities offer a structured framework for these pursuits, allowing players to make meaningful progress in various endeavors.
Description: This section provides an overview of the downtime activity, detailing what the character intends to accomplish and the methods they employ. It explains the purpose of the activity and sets the context for its importance to the character’s development.
The Check: Here, the mechanics of the extended check are outlined. This includes specifying the relevant skills or abilities required, the cumulative progress needed to complete the activity, and any resources or conditions necessary to perform the checks.
Complications: This section describes potential obstacles that might arise during the activity. For example, a villain might intervene to prolong the process, or a shortage of supplies could halt progress. Rivals may attempt to cause trouble for the players, introducing challenges that need to be addressed. A complication happens when the Game Master spend one Doom token, or when the player rolls 5 of less on it’s d20 roll, some activities may not generate a complication.
Resolution: This part describes the outcomes of the downtime activity. It details what the character achieves upon successful completion, including any rewards, benefits, or new opportunities that arise. It also addresses the consequences of failure or partial success, ensuring that every effort has a meaningful impact on the character’s journey.
Below is a sample list of possible downtime activities that characters can engage in. GMs are encouraged to create additional activities that suit their campaign settings or highlight the unique aspects of specific cities and regions. Some cities might offer exclusive activities not available elsewhere, providing characters with special opportunities to interact with the local environment, culture, or influential figures.
Brewing potions or crafting alchemical concoctions allows a character to create magical or non-magical liquids with various effects, such as healing elixirs, poisons, or other beneficial brews. This activity is ideal for characters proficient with alchemist’s supplies or an herbalism kit who wish to produce useful items for personal use or sale. By gathering the necessary ingredients and dedicating time to the brewing process, characters can expand their resources and capabilities.
The Check: The character spends time and resources to brew a potion or concoction. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using the appropriate tool proficiency. Most often, this will involve a check using alchemist’s supplies or an herbalism kit, with the GM having the final say on which tool should be used.
| Rarity | Total Progress | Time per Check | Cost per Check | Example Potions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 20 points | 1 day of work | 5 gp | Potion of Healing |
| Uncommon | 100 points | 2 days of work | 25 gp | Potion of Greater Healing |
| Rare | 150 points | 1 week of work | 100 gp | Potion of Superior Healing |
| Very Rare | 200 points | 2 weeks of work | 500 gp | Potion of Supreme Healing |
Complications: Complications can arise during the brewing process, adding challenges or setbacks. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you successfully brew the potion or concoction, which functions as described in its standard rules.
Carousing allows a character to socialize, make new contacts, and enjoy the local nightlife during their downtime. By mingling with different social circles, be it the common folk, merchants, or the nobility, characters can forge friendships, gather information, and potentially gain favors. This activity is ideal for those looking to expand their network, learn local rumors, or simply unwind after an adventure.
The Check: The character spends time and resources attending social gatherings, taverns, or exclusive events. To represent their efforts in building connections, the player makes an extended Charisma (Persuasion) check.
Perhaps the players need to get closer to a specific NPC before a set deadline, or maybe there is another party that also wants to interact with the NPC. There might be a wronged noble who despises the party and wants them to suffer, making their lives a living hell. In such situations, you can impose a daily negative adjustment on the accumulated value, reducing it by 1 or 2 to reflect the negative influence of other parties.
Complication: Interference might come in the form of a rival spreading rumors to tarnish your reputation, a misunderstanding leading to a brawl, or local laws cracking down on public gatherings. Unexpected events like a shortage of venues or a city-wide curfew could also impede your progress. Additionally, excessive indulgence might lead to temporary drawbacks, such as fatigue or minor injuries.
Resolution:
Crafting an item allows a character to create non-magical objects such as weapons, armor, tools, or works of art. This activity is ideal for characters proficient with the appropriate artisan’s tools who wish to produce items for personal use or sale. By investing time and resources, characters can craft quality goods that reflect their skills and creativity.
The Check: The character spends time and resources to craft the item. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using the appropriate tool proficiency. The specific tool and ability modifier depend on the item being crafted (e.g., Smith’s Tools with Strength for weapons, Weaver’s Tools with Dexterity for clothing).
Complications: Complications can arise during the crafting process, adding challenges or setbacks. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you successfully craft the item, which functions as described in its standard rules. The item can be used personally or sold at its market value.
Engaging in criminal activities allows a character to earn money through illicit means such as burglary, pickpocketing, smuggling, or other forms of theft and deception. This activity is suitable for characters who are proficient in stealth, deception, or sleight of hand skills and are willing to take risks for potentially high rewards. By navigating the underbelly of society, characters can acquire wealth, information, or valuable items that might otherwise be out of reach.
The Check: The character spends time planning and executing criminal endeavors. This is done in two parts: the Plan and the Execution. The planning phase may involve using skills like Deception, Investigation, and Insight to gather necessary information. The execution phase requires action-oriented skills such as Stealth, Perception, and Sleight of Hand.
Very often the rogue of the group will want to steal something. In some times this is a small pickpocket, other may be some art from a noble. Either way, this is a quick way for the rogue to use his knowledge and make the steal. Keep in mind, if the item is required for the adventure to progress, make this the adventure instead of a few rolls here and there, the focus of this downtime is to keep the rogue happy while the adults of the party do actual preparation for the next adventure.
The Plan
Complications: Complications can arise during the planning phase, adding risks or setbacks. Examples include:
Execution
Complications: Complications can arise during the execution phase, adding risks or setbacks. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress in both the planning and execution phases, you successfully complete the crime and reap the rewards determined by the GM, such as monetary gains, valuable items, or critical information. The outcome should reflect the risk and complexity of the endeavor.
If you decide to stop in the middle, you need to face some consequences, these could include the following examples:
Gambling allows a character to wager their money in games of chance or skill, with the possibility of winning more gold or losing their stake. This activity is suitable for characters looking for quick monetary gains, excitement, or opportunities to interact with various social circles. Through gambling, characters can experience the thrill of risk, engage with interesting NPCs, and potentially uncover information or plot hooks.
There is also the bard or cleric that really wants some quick money. This is a quick way to keep then busy in the city while the rogue is preparing the real next adventure. A perceptive eye already notice the this is heavily negative to the player, this is a money sink. And you are right, but this is focused in the quick gain and possibble luck (good 15+ of the dice for two or three rolls) and you have a nice payoff.
The Check: The character spends time participating in gambling activities such as card games, dice games, or betting on events like races or fights. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to the type of gambling they engage in.
Ability Check: Roll a d20 and add your proficiency bonus and relevant ability modifier. Depending on the game, the GM may allow or require the use of different skills:
Complications: Complications can arise during gambling, adding risks or setbacks. Examples include:
Gambling can introduce interesting plot hooks and character interactions. Use it to reveal information, introduce NPCs, or create challenges. Balance the potential gains with appropriate risks to maintain game balance.
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you come out ahead, winning an amount determined by the GM based on your wagers and the stake level. You may also gain a reputation as a skilled gambler, opening doors to exclusive games or circles.
Identifying the properties and functions of a magic item without the use of the Identify spell requires time, experimentation, and research. This activity allows characters to uncover the secrets of magical items through other means, such as studying ancient texts, consulting experts, or conducting tests. It is ideal for characters who lack access to the spell or prefer a more investigative approach.
The Check: The character spends time examining the magic item, researching its origins, and performing experiments to discern its properties. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using relevant skills and resources.
Complications: Complications can arise during the identification process, adding challenges or delays. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you successfully identify the item’s properties, including its name, functions, activation methods, and any attunement requirements. If the item is cursed, you learn of its curse only if you succeed on a separate Arcana check against a DC set by the GM.
Selling a magic item requires more than simply finding a buyer. Due to the rarity and value of these items, finding the right buyer involves careful planning, negotiation, and a bit of luck. This activity is ideal for characters who wish to convert rare items into gold but must first locate an interested party who can afford the purchase. This is done in two parts, the Buyer Search and the Negociation. While the search is focused in Persuation, Investigation and maybe Deception, the negociation is focused in Persuation, Deception or even Intimidation.
The Check: The character spends time locating potential buyers, establishing trust, and negotiating the sale. This is done in two parts: the Buyer Search and the Negotiation. The Buyer Search focuses on finding suitable candidates, while Negotiation determines the final sale price.
Buyer Search
Complications: Complications can arise during the search, adding risks or delays. Examples include:
Negotiation
Complications: Complications can arise during negotiations, affecting the final sale or causing delays. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress in both the Buyer Search and Negotiation phases, you successfully sell the item. The final sale price is determined by the GM, based on the item’s rarity and the character’s negotiation success, often between 50% and 150% of its market value.
Pit fighting allows a character to earn money and reputation by participating in organized fights or underground brawls. This activity is suitable for characters seeking quick earnings, a test of combat skills, or an introduction to a gritty subculture of fighters and spectators. Through pit fighting, characters can experience the thrill of combat, gain fame, and potentially attract influential contacts or rivals.
The Check: The character spends time training, strategizing, and engaging in pit fights. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to the nature of the fights.
Complications: Complications can arise during pit fighting, adding risks or setbacks. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you complete the matches, winning an amount determined by the GM based on your efforts and the match level. You may also gain reputation as a fierce fighter, which can open doors to further competitions or special rewards. Usually determinated by the type of match.
Relaxation allows a character to unwind and recover from the stresses of adventuring. By spending downtime in peaceful environments, whether a countryside retreat, a quiet library, or a serene bathhouse, characters can regain their mental and physical well-being. This activity is ideal for those looking to heal, reduce stress, or prepare for their next adventure with renewed focus and energy.
The Check: The character dedicates time to restful activities. To represent their relaxation efforts, the player makes an extended Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Persuasion) check, depending on the environment or type of relaxation.
Complications: Complications during relaxation are typically mild but can disrupt the character’s peace of mind. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you complete a successful period of relaxation. You gain one or more of the following benefits (as determined by the GM):
Religious service allows a character to seek divine or natural spellcasting services by devoting time and resources to a temple, shrine, or druidic circle. This activity is ideal for characters who require specific blessings, healing, or other magical benefits provided by clerics, druids, or other divine spellcasters. By performing acts of devotion and contributing offerings, characters can receive the spiritual or magical aid they need.
The Check: The character spends time in prayer, meditation, or service to the religious institution. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to their interactions with the clergy or the nature of the service they’re seeking.
Complications: Complications can arise during religious service, affecting the process or cost of the requested spellcasting. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you receive the requested spellcasting. The spell functions as it would if cast by a cleric or druid, including any costs or limitations associated with the spell.
Researching allows a character to create a formula for a spell, magic item, or potion, enabling them to craft or replicate it later. This activity is ideal for characters who wish to expand their magical repertoire, create unique items, or develop custom potions for personal use or sale. By dedicating time and resources, characters can uncover the arcane or alchemical secrets needed to create powerful or specialized items.
The Check: The character spends time researching, experimenting, and recording findings to craft a reliable recipe. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to the type of recipe they are working on.
| Recipe Type | Total Progress | Time per Check | Cost per Check | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | 20 points | 1 day of research | 10 gp | Basic potions, common spells |
| Moderate | 50 points | 1 day of research | 50 gp | Uncommon potions, 1st-2nd level spells, basic magic items |
| Complex | 100 points | 1 week of research | 500 gp | Rare potions, 3rd-5th level spells, advanced magic items |
| Legendary | 150 points | 1 month of research | 1.000 gp | Very rare potions, 6th level+ spells, rare/legendary items |
Complications: Complications can arise during the research process, adding risks or setbacks. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you successfully create a detailed recipe, allowing you to replicate the spell, item, or potion in the future.
Scribing a spell scroll allows a character to inscribe a spell they know onto parchment, creating a single-use scroll that can later be used by themselves or others to cast the spell without expending a mana points. This activity is ideal for spellcasters who want to prepare spells for later use, share spells with allies, or have extra casting options on hand. By dedicating time and resources, characters can produce scrolls of various power levels, depending on the spell’s difficulty.
The Check: The character spends time focusing on accurately inscribing the spell’s magical notation. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to the spell’s type and the character’s proficiency with magical or scholarly tools.
| Spell Level | Total Progress | Time per Check | Cost per Check | Example Spells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Level | 20 points | 1 day | 10 gp | Cure Wounds, Magic Missile |
| 2nd Level | 50 points | 2 days | 20 gp | Invisibility, Mirror Image |
| 3rd Level | 100 points | 1 week | 40 gp | Fireball, Counterspell |
| 4th Level | 150 points | 1 week | 60 gp | Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility |
| 5th Level | 200 points | 2 weeks | 100 gp | Cloudkill, Wall of Force |
| 6th+ Level | 250 points | 1 month | 500 gp | Heal, True Seeing, Teleport |
Complications: Complications can arise during the scribing process, adding risks or setbacks. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you successfully scribe the spell scroll, which functions as described in its standard rules for spell scrolls. The scroll can be used by anyone with the ability to cast the spell, or by others attempting an appropriate spellcasting ability check if they lack the required knowledge.
Training allows a character to gain temporary proficiency with a weapon, armor, or a bonus on a specific skill. This activity is ideal for characters seeking to broaden their abilities or sharpen their skills for an upcoming challenge. By dedicating focused time to this practice, a character can gain proficiency for a short period, and, with consistent training over a longer duration, they may develop lasting expertise.
The Check: The character spends time engaging in drills, exercises, or study with an instructor or mentor. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills related to the focus of the training.
| Training Type | Total Progress | Time per Check | Cost per Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon Training | 50 points | 1 day of training | 5 gp per day |
| Armor Training | 75 points | 1 day of training | 10 gp per day |
| Skill Training (+2) | 50 points | 1 day of training | 5 gp per day |
Complications: Complications can arise during training, potentially adding risks or setbacks. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you successfully complete your training, gaining temporary proficiency or a bonus in the chosen area for one week.
Extended Training: If the character trains in the same weapon, armor, or skill for a full year (at least 50 weeks), they gain permanent proficiency with that weapon or armor, or gain two skill points in the chosen skill, reflecting long-term mastery.
Treating Wounds allows a character to focus on recovering from injuries during their downtime. This activity represents receiving medical care, proper rest, and treatment of wounds. It’s an excellent option for characters needing to regain full health without expending valuable magical resources or if they find themselves in a region where such resources are scarce.
The Check: The character spends time under medical care, using herbs, bandages, and rest to recover. To represent the process, the player makes an extended Medicine check.
| Settlement type | Total Required | Cost per check |
|---|---|---|
| Rural | 100 | 5 sp |
| Town | 50 | 1 gp |
| City | 50 | 2 gp |
| Metropolis | 30 | 5 gp |
Complication: Various factors can impede progress during treatment. Poor sanitary conditions might lead to infections, inexperienced healers could make mistakes, or limited supplies might delay recovery. Additionally, interruptions such as local conflicts, severe weather, or even personal enemies targeting the character could hinder their treatment.
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, the character recovers fully, regaining all lost hit points. The treatment also eliminates minor conditions such as fatigue or exhaustion levels, provided they were a result of physical strain or injury, non-magical ailments are also recovered after completing this downtime activity.
Work allows a character to earn income through basic labor or skilled tasks over a dedicated period. This activity is ideal for characters who want a stable income, practical experience, or local connections. By spending a week working, characters can generate earnings based on their level of training and speed of completion, with potential bonuses for efficiency. While doing work the character doens’t need to pay for the living expenses during the week.
The Check: The character spends time performing tasks or services based on their abilities. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to the work performed, with each check representing a day of work.
| Worker Type | Total Progress | Time per Check |
|---|---|---|
| Untrained Worker | 50 points | 1 day of work |
| Skilled Worker | 100 points | 1 day of work |
Complications: Complications may arise during the work period, impacting progress or earnings. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress within the timeframe, the character receives payment based on their completion speed:
Certain locations offer unique activities available only in those specific areas, often due to the local culture, special resources, or rare expertise. These custom activities may allow characters to interact with local traditions, tap into specialized knowledge, or access resources that don’t exist elsewhere.
Here few examples that the GM can use:
The research in the University downtime activity allows a character to access rare resources, expert knowledge, and specialized training available only in an academic setting. By dedicating time to study at a university, characters can gain insights that enhance future crafting, spellcasting, and research activities, making their endeavors more efficient and cost-effective. This activity is ideal for characters aiming to deepen their knowledge, learn unique techniques, and build connections that provide ongoing benefits.
The Check: The character spends time studying, collaborating with faculty, and accessing rare texts, focusing on topics that will improve future crafting or spellcasting efforts. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to the area of focus.
| Research Focus | Total Progress | Time per Check | Cost per Check | Example Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Research | 50 points | 1 day | 10 gp | Minor reduction in time or cost for basic activities |
| Advanced Crafting Theory | 100 points | 1 day | 25 gp | Moderate reduction in crafting costs or points |
| Arcane Technique | 150 points | 1 week | 100 gp | Significant reduction in spell scroll prep or research costs |
| Legendary Knowledge | 200 points | 2 weeks | 250 gp | Large reduction in points, time, or cost for rare items and spells |
Complications: Complications may arise, impacting the research process or future outcomes. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, the character completes their university research, providing ongoing benefits for similar activities:
The underworld network downtime activity allows a character to tap into the hidden world of thieves, smugglers, spies, and informants to gather information that’s not accessible through ordinary means. This activity is perfect for characters seeking confidential knowledge, local rumors, or leads on upcoming threats. Through careful negotiation, bribery, or persuasion, characters can gather information on rivals, potential allies, hidden treasures, or political intrigues that may impact their plans.
The Check: The character spends time engaging with informants, bribing contacts, or decoding hidden messages within the network. To represent their efforts, the player makes an extended ability check using skills relevant to the type of information sought and their approach.
| Information Type | Total Progress | Time per Check | Cost per Check | Example Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Rumors | 20 points | 1 day | 5 gp | Gossip, recent crimes, sightings |
| Minor Secrets | 50 points | 1 day | 10 gp | Movements of notable NPCs, minor plots |
| Valuable Intel | 100 points | 2 days | 25 gp | Guard shifts, black market deals, weaknesses |
| Critical Secrets | 150 points | 3 days | 50 gp | High-level plans, noble conspiracies, treasure locations |
Complications: Complications can arise when interacting with the underworld, as information is rarely given without a price. Examples include:
Resolution: Upon reaching the required progress, you successfully gather the desired information. The outcome depends on the level of information sought: