Attacking

***Making an Attack***

Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has a simple structure.

1. ***Choose a Target***: Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location.
2. ***Determine Modifiers***: The GM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
3. ***Resolve the Attack***: You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.

If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack.

***Attack Rolls***

When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s armor class, the attack hits.

***Modifiers to the Roll***

When a character makes an attack roll, the two most common modifiers to the roll are an ability modifier and the character’s proficiency bonus.

***Ability Modifier***: The ability modifier used for a melee weapon attack is Brawn, and the ability modifier used for a ranged weapon attack is Dexterity. Weapons that have the thrown property use however Brawn and melee weapons with the property of finesse uses Dexterity.

***Proficiency Bonus***: You add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with which you have proficiency, as well as when you attack with a spell.

***Unseen Attackers and Targets***

When you attack a target that you can’t see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you’re guessing the target’s location or you’re targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn’t in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, but the GM typically just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed the target’s location correctly.

When a creature can’t see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it. If you are hidden - both unseen and unheard - when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses.

***Ranged Attacks***

Ranged attacks could be anything from firing a bow, hurling a handaxe, a monster shooting spines from its tail, or releasing a ranged spell.

***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 this range. Some ranged attacks, such as those made with a longbow or a shortbow, have two ranges. The smaller number is the long range. Your attack roll has disadvantage when your target is beyond normal range, and you can’t attack a target beyond the long range.

***Ranged Attacks in Close Combat***

Aiming a ranged attack is more difficult when a foe is next to you. When you make a ranged attack with a weapon, a spell, or some other means, you have disadvantage on the attack roll if you are within 1 m of a hostile creature who can see you and who isn’t incapacitated.

***Melee Attacks***

Melee attacks could be hand to hand, handheld weapons, or natural ones like claws, horns, or teeth. Most creatures have a 1-m ***reach*** and can thus attack targets within 1 m of them when making a melee attack. Certain creatures (typically those larger than Medium), have melee attacks with a greater reach than 1 m, noted in their descriptions.

Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an ***unarmed strike***. On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Brawn modifier. You are proficient with your unarmed strikes.

***Opportunity Attacks***

You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature that leaves your reach.

You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by taking the disengage action. You also don’t provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction. For example, you don’t provoke an opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of a foe’s reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy.

***Two-Weapon Fighting***

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 melee weapon that you’re holding in the 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.

***Grappling***

When you want to grab a creature or wrestle with it, you can use the attack action to make a special melee attack, a grapple. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the attack action, this attack replaces one of them.

The target of your grapple must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Using at least one free hand you try to seize the target by making a grapple check instead of an attack roll: an Athletics (Br) check contested by a

Athletics (Br/Dex) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you succeed, you subject the target to the grappled condition. The condition specifies the things that end 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 an Athletics (Br/Dex) check contested by your Athletics (Br) 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.

***Contests in Combat***

Battle often involves pitting your prowess against that of your foe. Such a challenge is represented by a contest. This section includes the most common contests that require an action in combat: grappling and shoving a creature. The GM can use these contests as models for improvising others.

***Shoving a Creature***

Using the attack action, you can make a special melee attack to shove a creature, either to knock it prone or push it away from you. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the attack action, this attack replaces one of them.

The target must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Instead of making an attack roll, you make an Athletics (Br) check contested by the target’s Athletics (Br/Dex) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you win the contest, you either knock the target prone or push it 1 m away from you.

You can also shove a creature aside, moving the creature directly 1 m to the left or right. When attempting to shove a creature aside the same check as above applies but you roll with disadvantage.

**Cover**

Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover.

There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren’t added together.

A target with ***half cover*** has a +2 bonus to AV and Dexterity saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a creature, whether that creature is an enemy or a friend.

A target with **three-quarters cover** has a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if about three-quarters of it are covered by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick tree trunk.

A target with **total cover** can’t be targeted directly by an attack or a spell, although some spells can reach such a target by including it in an area of effect. A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle.

On a tactical map, trace imaginary lines between one of the closest corners of an attacker’s square or the point of origin of an area of effect to corners of squares the target occupies. If one or two of these lines have a blocked line of sight, the target has half cover. If only one or two imaginary lines have line of sight the target has three quarters cover.

**Flanking**

When two allies are within melee range of an enemy and the allies are positioned opposite from each other with the enemy in between them, the enemy is considered flanked. All allies who attack that enemy in melee receive a +2 bonus to their attack as long as the enemy remains flanked.

Creatures do not get this bonus if one of the flanking allies is incapacitated, paralyzed, stunned, petrified, blinded, grappled, prone, restrained, or unconscious. The flanking bonus is also lost after a flanking creature’s turn if they attack or target an action or bonus action on another enemy. The flanking bonus is regained on that creature’s next turn if they only attack and target that enemy with their action and bonus action, and they have an ally in a flanking position and who fulfill the requirements. More than one pair of allies can fulfill the requirements of flanking an enemy. In that case, the bonus granted by flanking doesn’t stack. However, if one pair’s flanking requirements are not fulfilled, they still receive the flanking bonus if the other pair's flanking requirements are.

**Advanced Combat Options**

The combat options listed here come with ability origin and subtype requirements. If a character does not possess at least one level in an ability origin, or subtype of an ability origin, listed under the combat option, the character cannot perform the combat option.

**Disarm**

A creature can use their martial prowess to make a target drop their weapon to their feet. The attacker makes an attack roll against the target’s Athletics (Br/Dex). On a success the attacker makes the target drop the weapon but deals no damage. If the target is holding the weapon with two hands the attacker makes their attack roll with disadvantage. Disarm can be used against any creature of the same size as the attacker, smaller than the attacker and one size larger than the attacker. If disarm is used against a target one size larger, the attack roll is made with disadvantage. If the disarm is used against a target that is smaller, the attack roll is made with advantage.

**Ability Origin and Subtype Requirement**: Dancer or Duelist from [Artistry], Battle, Deceit, Passion or Preservation from [Devotion], [Discipline], [Finesse], [Predator], [Soul Oath], Rival, Sage, Soul Blade or Vanguard from [Soul Weapon] or [Tactics]

**Run Through**

A creature can attempt to run through a hostile creature’s space. The creature spends an action or a bonus action and makes an Athletics (Br) against the hostile creature’s Athletics (Br). On a success, the character can move through that hostile creature’s space this turn once.

Run through can be used against any hostile creature of the same size as the mover, smaller than the mover and one size larger than the hostile creature. If run through is used against a hostile creature one size larger, the skill check is made with disadvantage. If the run through is used against a hostile creature that is smaller, the skill check is made with advantage.

**Ability Origin and Subtype Requirement**: Battle, Might, Passion or Preservation from [Devotion], [Discipline], [Divine Oath], [Power], [Soul Oath], Rival, Sage or Vanguard from [Soul Weapon] or [Tactics]

**Twist Through**

A creature can attempt to twist, duck and weave through a hostile creature’s space. The creature spends an action or a bonus action and makes an Athletics (Dex) against the hostile creature’s Athletics (Dex). On a success, the character can move through that hostile creature’s space this turn once.

**Ability Origin and Subtype Requirement**: Dancer or Duelist from [Artistry], Battle or Deceit from [Devotion], [Discipline], [Finesse], [Predator], Rival, Sage or Soul Blade from [Soul Weapon], or [Tactics]