Rules Glossary
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Glossary Conventions
The glossary uses the following conventions:
- Tags in Brackets. Some entries have a tag in brackets after the entry’s name, as in “Attack [Action].” A tag—Action, Area of Effect, Attitude, Condition, or Hazard—indicates that a rule is part of a family of rules. The tags also have glossary entries.
- “You.” The game’s rules—in this glossary and elsewhere—often talk about something happening to you in the game world. That “you” refers to the creature or object that the rule applies to in a particular moment of play. For example, the “you” in the Prone condition is a creature that currently has that condition.
- “See Also.” Some glossary entries include a See also section that points to other entries in the glossary, to other parts of this document, or both.
- No Obsolete Terms. The glossary contains definitions of current rules terms only. If you’re looking for a term from an earlier version of the fifth edition rules, consult the index.
- Abbreviations. The abbreviations listed below appear in this glossary and elsewhere in the rules.
AC Armor Class M Material component C Concentration N Neutral CE Chaotic Evil NE Neutral Evil CG Chaotic Good NG Neutral Good Cha. Charisma NPC Nonplayer character CN Chaotic Neutral PB Proficiency Bonus Con. Constitution PP Platinum Piece(s) CP Copper Piece(s) R Ritual CR Challenge Rating S Somatic component DC Difficulty Class SP Silver Piece(s) Dex. Dexterity Str. Strength EP Electrum Piece(s) V Verbal component GM Game Master Wis. Wisdom GP Gold Piece(s) XP Experience Point(s) HP Hit Point(s) Int. Intelligence LE Lawful Evil LG Lawful Good LN Lawful Neutral
Rules Definitions
Ability Check
An ability check is a D20 Test that represents using one of the six abilities—or a specific skill associated with an ability—to overcome a challenge. See also “Playing the Game” (“D20 Tests” and “Proficiency”). This page is unfinished!
Creature
Any being in the game, including a player’s character, is a creature. See also “Creature Type.”
Creature Type
Every creature, including every player character, has a tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature it is. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. These are the game’s creature types:
The types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways.
Critical Hit
If you roll a 20 on the d20 for an attack roll, you score a Critical Hit, and the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. A Critical Hit lets you roll extra dice for the attack’s damage against the target. Roll all of the attack’s damage dice twice and add them together. Then add any relevant modifiers. See also “Playing the Game” (“Damage and Healing”).
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Damage Types
Attacks and other harmful effects deal different types of damage. Damage types have no rules of their own, but other rules, such as Resistance, rely on the types. The Damage Types table offers examples to help a GM assign a type to a new effect.
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Acid | Corrosive liquids, digestive enzymes |
| Bludgeoning | Blunt objects, constriction, falling |
| Cold | Freezing water, icy blasts |
| Fire | Flames, unbearable heat |
| Force | Pure magical energy |
| Lightning | Electricity |
| Necrotic | Life-draining energy |
| Piercing | Fangs, puncturing objects |
| Poison | Toxic gas, venom |
| Psychic | Mind-rending energy |
| Radiant | Holy energy, searing radiation |
| Slashing | Claws, cutting objects |
| Thunder | Concussive sound |
Darkness
An area of Darkness is Heavily Obscured. See also “Heavily Obscured” and “Playing the Game” (“Exploration”).
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Improvised Weapons
An improvised weapon is an object wielded as a makeshift weapon, such as broken glass, a table leg, or a frying pan. A Simple or Martial weapon also counts as an improvised weapon if it’s wielded in a way contrary to its design; if you use a Ranged weapon to make a melee attack or throw a Melee weapon that lacks the Thrown property, the weapon counts as an improvised weapon. An improvised weapon follows the rules below.
- Proficiency. Don’t add your Proficiency Bonus to attack rolls with an improvised weapon.
- Damage. On a hit, the weapon deals 1d4 damage of a type the GM thinks is appropriate for the object.
- Range. If you throw the weapon, it has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.
- Weapon Equivalents. If an improvised weapon resembles a Simple or Martial weapon, the GM may say it functions as that weapon and uses that weapon’s rules. For example, the GM could treat a table leg as a Club.
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Vulnerability
If you have Vulnerability to a damage type, damage of that type is doubled against you. Vulnerability is applied only once to an instance of damage. See also “Playing the Game” (“Damage and Healing”).
Weapon
A weapon is an object that is in the Simple or Martial weapon category. See also “Equipment” (“Weapons”).
Weapon Attack
A weapon attack is an attack roll made with a weapon. See also “Weapon.”