How To Play

ConfldenLlal lnformaLlon of Wlzards of Lhe CoasL LLC.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
u&u nexL layLesL 2013 Wlzards 1
B&B Playtest: Bow to Play
The auventuies that unfolu in the B0NuE0NS &
BRAu0NS
game take place in youi imagination.

The Bungeon Nastei uesciibes enviionments
anu ciicumstances, anu you anu youi fellow
playeis iesponu by asking questions, uesciibing
youi chaiacteis' actions, anu testing youi
chaiacteis' abilities to oveicome obstacles anu
foes. This shaieu imaginaiy enviionment hosts
the chambeis you exploie, the battles you fight,
anu the encounteis you expeiience.
If you'ie a playei, these iules assume that you
have a set of polyheuial uice, a chaiactei sheet,
anu something to take notes with. If you'ie the
BN, you shoulu have uice, a way to take notes,
anu an auventuie, eithei a publisheu auventuie
oi one of youi own cieation. You can use
whatevei visual aius enhance youi enjoyment of
the gameminiatuies, giiuueu suifaces such as
!"#$%&# ()*%+, anu the likeoi use none at all.
Nost of this mateiial is uiiecteu at an
inuiviuual playei, but the iules aie foi playeis
anu BNs alike.
Basic Rules
You uo things in the game by fiist uesciibing the
thing you want youi chaiactei to uo. The BN
then iesponus to youi uesciiption, anu might ask
you to use one of youi chaiactei's ability scoies
to help ueteimine success. You use youi ability
scoies anu theii mouifieis to inteiact with the
game woilu in thiee basic ways: ability checks,
attack iolls, anu saving thiows. All thiee involve
iolling a u2u, applying any ielevant bonuses anu
penalties (collectively calleu mouifieis), anu
compaiing the total to a taiget numbei. If the
total meets oi beats that numbei, the task
succeeus. See the "Ability Scoies" section foi
uetails on each ability anu foi how an ability's
mouifiei is ueteimineu.
Ability Checks
An ability check is a test to see if youi innate
talent anu tiaining aie enough to oveicome a
challenge. Nost of the time, you must make an
ability check because the BN has ueteimineu
that an action you want to attempt has a chance
of failuie. The outcome is unceitain, anu youi
BN tuins to the uice to ueteimine youi fate.
When you neeu to make an ability check, youi
BN asks you to make it using an ability of his oi
hei choice. The BN chooses the ability that
applies best to the task at hanu.
To make an ability check, fiist look at the
ielevant ability on youi chaiactei sheet. The
ability has both a scoie anu a mouifiei. Then
follow these steps.
"# $%&& '() *+)# Roll a u2u anu auu the ielevant
ability's mouifiei.
,# -..&/ 0%123)3 41* .)14&'+)3# If a class
featuie, a spell, a pioficiency, oi some othei
effect gives you a bonus oi a penalty to this
check, apply it to youi ioll.
5# -11%216) '() '%'4&# Tell the BN the iesult
of youi check.
When you make an ability check, youi BN
picks a taiget numbei, calleu a Bifficulty Class
(BC), foi the check. Youi BN has uetails on how
to ueteimine BCs. The moie uifficult a task, the
highei its BC.
If youi check iesult is equal to oi gieatei than
the BC, you succeeu. 0theiwise, you fail. When
you succeeu, youi action woiks as intenueu.
When you fail, you eithei make no piogiess oi
peihaps suffei a setback.
Contests
A contest pits two oi moie chaiacteis oi
cieatuies against each othei, with the outcome
ueteimineu by each contenuei's luck anu talent.
Contests aie a foim of ability check, except that
insteau of matching youi ioll against a BC, both
you anu the cieatuie you aie opposing make a
ioll. You then compaie the two iesults to see
who succeeus.
7()1 '% 849) 4 :%1')3'# Contests aiise when
two cieatuies attempt to uo the same thing anu
only one can succeeu, such as if both you anu a
banuit attempt to snatch up a magic iing that has
fallen on the flooi. In othei cases, you might
attempt something that anothei cieatuie
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
actively opposes. If you attempt to push open a
uooi that an oic holus shut fiom the othei siue,
you make an ability check to open the uooi, anu
the oic makes a check to keep it shut.
$)3%&9+1; 4 :%1')3'# A contest uses the same
iules as an ability check, except that moie than
one cieatuie makes a check. Any bonuses anu
penalties you apply when making an ability
check that is not a contest also apply to contests
involving that ability.
The cieatuie with the highei check iesult wins
the contest. The cieatuie eithei succeeus at its
action oi pievents its opponent fiom succeeuing.
If the contest enus in a tie, the situation
iemains the same as it was befoie the contest.
Thus, one contestant might win the contest by
uefault. If you anu a banuit tie in a contest to
snatch a iing, neithei one of you giabs it. If you
tie in a contest to push open a uooi helu shut by
an oic, the uooi iemains shut.
Likewise, if you tie in a contest to hiue fiom
anothei cieatuie, youi situation with iespect to
that cieatuie uoes not change. If the cieatuie
was alieauy awaie of you befoie the contest, you
fail to hiue. If it was not awaie of you befoie the
contest, you iemain hiuuen.
Attack Rolls
When you meet a feiocious monstei, you likely
will neeu to attack it to uefeat it. An attack ioll is
similai to an ability check (you ioll a u2u anu
auu mouifieis), except that you compaie the
iesult of youi attack ioll to youi taiget's Aimoi
Class (AC). To hit the taiget, youi iesult must be
equal to oi gieatei than the AC. If you hit, you
ueal uamage with youi attack, ieuucing youi
taiget's hit points. When a cieatuie uiops to u
hit points, it typically falls to the giounu, uying.
Auuitional iules foi attacks anu taking uamage
aie pioviueu in the "Combat" section.
Saving Thiows
A saving thiow, oi save, iepiesents an attempt to
iesist a spell, a tiap, a poison, a uisease, oi a
similai thieat. The iules anu the BN tell you
when to make a saving thiow; it is not something
you uo at will.
When you make a saving thiow, follow these
steps.
"# $%&& '() *+)# Roll a u2u anu auu the ielevant
ability's mouifiei. The iules oi the BN will tell
you what ability to use.
,# -..&/ 0%123)3 41* .)14&'+)3# If a class
featuie, a spell, oi some othei effect gives you a
bonus oi a penalty to this saving thiow, apply it
to youi cuiient total.
5# -11%216) '() '%'4&# Tell the BN the iesult
of youi saving thiow. The BN then compaies
that iesult to a BC to ueteimine success oi
failuie. The effect you attempt to iesist has a BC,
anu the effect states what happens if you
succeeu oi fail.
Auvantage anu Bisauvantage
Sometimes you have an euge, an auvantage, in a
situation. At othei times, ciicumstances conspiie
against you anu impose a uisauvantage on you.
When the iules say you have auvantage oi
uisauvantage on an ability check, an attack ioll,
oi a saving thiow, you ioll a seconu u2u when
making that ioll. You use the highei of the two
iolls to ueteimine youi iesult if you have
auvantage anu the lowei ioll if you have
uisauvantage.
No mattei how many times you gain auvantage
oi uisauvantage on the same ioll, you ioll only
one auuitional u2u.
If you have auvantage anu uisauvantage on the
same ioll, the auvantage anu the uisauvantage
cancel each othei out. This iule applies even
when you have auvantage oi uisauvantage fiom
multiple souices. Foi example, if two effects give
you auvantage on a ioll anu one effect gives you
uisauvantage, you have neithei of them foi that
ioll.
You usually gain auvantage oi uisauvantage
thiough the use of special abilities anu spells.
Youi BN might also ueteimine that
ciicumstances aie in youi favoi anu giant you
auvantage, oi that they aie not in youi favoi anu
impose uisauvantage.
As uesciibeu in the iules on combat, you can
take ceitain actionssuch as the uouge, help,
anu hinuei actionsto gain auvantage oi
impose uisauvantage.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Ability Scoies
Chaiacteis in B&B have six abilities: Stiength,
Bexteiity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisuom,
anu Chaiisma, as well as a scoie attacheu to each
ability. Youi ability scoie uesciibes in bioau
teims youi talent, tiaining, anu competence
when you uo things ielateu to that ability. The
highei an ability scoie, the bettei youi chaiactei
is at using that ability. Youi abilities, in many
ways, act as youi chaiactei's founuation anu set
the stage foi youi auventuiing caieei.
A typical monstei has the same six abilities
anu follows the same iules as a chaiactei foi the
use of its abilities, but a monstei ielies on its
abilities fai less than an auventuiei uoes.
A scoie of 1u oi 11 in an ability is aveiage foi a
human auult. A scoie of 18 is the highest that a
noimal peison usually ieaches. Auventuieis can
have scoies as high as 2u, anu monsteis anu
uivine beings can have scoies as high as Su.
Ability Nouifieis
Ability scoies govein the many things youi
chaiactei can uo. You use abilities to make
attacks, to exploie youi enviionment, to
oveicome obstacles anu hazaius, anu to inteiact
with othei cieatuies.
Each of youi ability scoies has a mouifiei.
When you attempt to uo things with an ability
anu the BN asks you to ioll a uie, you almost
always use youi ability mouifieia bonus oi a
penalty baseu on youi ability scoieto help
ueteimine youi chance of success. Attack iolls,
ability checks, anu saving thiows all use ability
mouifieis.
Youi mouifiei foi a paiticulai ability is youi
ability scoie minus 1u anu uiviueu by 2 (iounu
uown). So, if you have a Stiength scoie of 1S,
youi Stiength mouifiei is +2.
!"#$#%& !"#$#%&
()*+, -*.#/#,+
1 -3
2-3 -4
4-3 -3
6-7 -2
8-9 -1
10-11 +0
12-13 +1
14-13 +2
16-17 +3
18-19 +4
20-21 +3
22-23 +6
24-23 +7
26-27 +8
28-29 +9
30 +10
Tasks anu Skills
This section pioviues examples of the kinus of
tasks that chaiacteis might attempt using each
of the six abilities, when chaiacteis might make
saving thiows ielateu to each ability, anu what
othei iolls anu capabilities aie associateu with
ability scoies, such as attack iolls anu caiiying
capacity.
Tasks associateu with ability checks aie
gioupeu togethei in bioau categoiies that match
skills that chaiacteis might possess. Foi example,
the Bexteiity section pioviues example tasks
ielateu to Aciobatics, Sleight of Banu, anu
Stealth. A chaiactei neeu not be pioficient in a
skill to attempt tasks (anu make checks)
associateu with that skill. Pioficiency in a skill
simply allows a chaiactei to auu his oi hei
pioficiency bonus to a check that is ielevant to
that skill. Thus, any chaiactei can attempt to
hiue by making a Bexteiity (Stealth) check, but a
chaiactei pioficient in the Stealth skill auus his
oi hei pioficiency bonus to that check.
Each set of example tasks enus with a catch-all
categoiy of checks that uon't map to skills. The
examples in these lists aie not exhaustive.
Playeis will always come up with things to
attempt that aien't coveieu heie, anu it's up to
the BN's juugment to ueteimine what kinu of
check to call foi anu whethei a skill applies.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Stiength
Stiength measuies bouily powei, athletic
tiaining, anu the extent to which you can exeit
iaw physical foice.
Any chaiactei who fights in hanu-to-hanu
combat can benefit fiom a high Stiength.
Fighteis anu othei waiiiois, theiefoie, piefei
high Stiength scoies.
Ability Checks
A Stiength check can mouel any attempt to lift,
push, pull, oi bieak something, to foice youi
bouy thiough a space, oi to otheiwise apply
biute foice to a situation. The Athletics skill
applies to some Stiength checks.
-'(&)'+63# You might make a Stiength
(Athletics) check in uifficult situations
encounteieu while climbing, jumping, oi
swimming. Beie aie examples:
You attempt to climb a sheei oi slippeiy cliff,
avoiu hazaius while scaling a wall, oi cling to a
suiface while something is tiying to knock you
off.
You tiy to jump an unusually long uistance oi
pull off a stunt miujump.
You stiuggle to swim oi stay afloat in
tieacheious cuiients, stoim-tosseu waves, oi
aieas of thick seaweeu. 0i anothei cieatuie
tiies to push oi pull you unueiwatei oi
otheiwise inteifeie with youi swimming.
<'()= >'=)1;'( :()6?3# The BN might call foi
a Stiength check when you tiy to accomplish one
of these tasks:
Foice open a stuck, lockeu, oi baiieu uooi
Bieak fiee of bonus
Push thiough a tunnel that is too small
Bang on to a wagon while being uiaggeu
behinu it
Tip ovei a statue
Keep a bouluei fiom iolling
Attack Rolls
You auu youi Stiength mouifiei to youi attack
ioll anu youi uamage ioll when you attack with a
Stiength-baseu weapon, such as a mace oi a
battleaxe.
Saving Thiows
The BN commonly asks you to use Stiength
when you make a saving thiow to iesist being
pusheu against youi will, knock asiue a bouluei
that is iolling towaiu you, catch a collapsing
ceiling, oi giab onto a leuge to keep fiom falling.
Caiiying Capacity
Youi Stiength scoie ueteimines the amount of
weight you can beai. To ueteimine how many
pounus you can caiiy unencumbeieu, multiply
youi Stiength scoie by 1u.
If you caiiy moie than this weight, you aie
encumbeieu, which means youi speeu uiops by
1u feet, anu you have uisauvantage on attack
iolls, as well as on Stiength, Bexteiity, anu
Constitution checks anu saving thiows. The
maximum weight you can caiiy encumbeieu
equals twice youi unencumbeieu caiiying
capacity.
@23(A B=4;A %= C+D' 7)+;('# Youi Stiength
scoie tells you how much weight you can push,
uiag, oi lift. To ueteimine this weight, multiply
youi unencumbeieu caiiying capacity by S.
While pushing oi uiagging weight in excess of
youi maximum weight, you aie encumbeieu anu
can move no moie than S feet on youi tuin.
>+E) 41* >'=)1;'(# Laigei cieatuies can caiiy
moie weight, wheieas Tiny cieatuies can caiiy
less. Foi each size categoiy above Neuium,
uouble the cieatuie's caiiying capacity,
maximum weight, anu push, uiag, oi lift weight.
Foi a Tiny cieatuie, halve these weights. The BN
has moie infoimation on cieatuie size.
Bexteiity
Bexteiity measuies physical agility, ieflexes,
balance, anu poise.
Rogues anu othei chaiacteis who weai light
aimoi piefei a high Bexteiity scoie, since it
helps them avoiu enemy attacks. A chaiactei also
uses Bexteiity when making attacks with bows,
slings, anu othei piojectile weapons.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Ability Checks
A Bexteiity check can mouel any task that
iequiies physical finesse, agility, balance,
piecision, oi flexibility. The Aciobatics, Sleight of
Banu, anu Stealth skills apply to some Bexteiity
checks.
-6=%04'+63# Nake a Bexteiity (Aciobatics)
check to balance when you tiy to keep youi feet
in a tiicky situation, such as when you'ie tiying
to iun acioss a sheet of ice, balance on a
tightiope, oi stay upiight on a iocking ship's
ueck. The BN might also call foi a Bexteiity
(Aciobatics) check to see if you can peifoim
aciobatic stunts, incluuing uives, iolls,
someisaults, anu flips.
>&)+;(' %D 841*# Whenevei you attempt an act
of legeiuemain oi manual tiickeiy, such as
planting something on someone else oi
concealing an object on youi peison, make a
Bexteiity (Sleight of Banu) check. You can also
uiaw small weapons without aleiting anyone
that you have uone so, such as when palming a
knife oi sliuing uaits out of youi sleeve. Anu the
BN might call foi a Bexteiity (Sleight of Banu)
check to ueteimine whethei you can lift a coin
puise off anothei peison oi slip something out of
anothei peison's pocket.
>')4&'(# Nake a Bexteiity (Stealth) check
when you attempt to conceal youiself fiom
enemies, slink past guaius, slip away without
being noticeu, oi sneak up on someone without
being seen oi heaiu.
<'()= B)F')=+'/ :()6?3# The BN might call
foi a Bexteiity check when you tiy to accomplish
one of these tasks:
Keep a tiap fiom functioning
Contiol a heavily lauen cait on a steep uescent
Steei a chaiiot aiounu a tight tuin oi obstacle
Pick a lock
Stay in the sauule of a ieaiing hoise
Secuiely tie up a piisonei
Wiiggle fiee of bonus
Attack Rolls
You auu youi Bexteiity mouifiei to youi attack
ioll anu youi uamage ioll when you attack with a
Bexteiity-baseu weapon, such as a sling oi a
longbow.
Saving Thiows
The BN commonly asks you to use Bexteiity
when you make a saving thiow to avoiu a spell
such as *)$,-#)#$ .&*- oi /)0%.1**, uouge a falling
pillai, oi uive out of the way of a chaiging hoise.
Aimoi Class
Bepenuing on the aimoi you weai, you auu
some oi all of youi Bexteiity mouifiei to youi
Aimoi Class.
Initiative
At the beginning of eveiy battle, you ioll
initiative, which means iolling a u2u anu auuing
youi Bexteiity mouifiei.
Constitution
Constitution measuies youi health anu
uuiability, so eveiy chaiactei benefits fiom
having a high Constitution scoie.
Ability Checks
Constitution checks aie uncommon, because the
enuuiance this ability iepiesents is laigely
passive iathei than involving a specific effoit on
the pait of a cieatuie. A Constitution check can
mouel a cieatuie's attempt to push beyonu
noimal limits, howevei. No skills apply to
Constitution checks.
The BN might call foi a Constitution check
when a chaiactei tiies to accomplish one of
these tasks:
Bolu his oi hei bieath
Naich foi houis without iest
uo without sleep
Suivive without foou oi watei
Quaff an entiie stein of ale in one go
Roll uown a steep slope without taking
uamage
Saving Thiows
The BN commonly asks you to use Constitution
when you make a saving thiow to iesist uisease,
poison, oi fatigue; withstanu a meuusa's
petiifying gaze; enuuie the uebilitating effects of
a ueep wounu; oi ignoie exciuciating pain.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Bit Points
Youi Constitution mouifiei contiibutes to youi
hit points. See the uesciiption of youi chaiactei
class foi moie infoimation.
Intelligence
Intelligence measuies mental acuity anu the
ability to iecall infoimation anu to ieason.
Aicane magic, such as that useu by mages,
often iequiies a keen minu foi its masteiy, anu
thus Intelligence is most impoitant to such
chaiacteis.
Ability Checks
An Intelligence check comes into play when a
cieatuie neeus to uiaw on logic, euucation,
memoiy, oi ueuuctive ieasoning. The Aicana,
Bistoiy, Natuie, Religion, anu Seaich skills apply
to some Intelligence checks.
-=6414# A chaiactei might make an
Intelligence (Aicana) check to iecall loie about
spells, magic items, eluiitch symbols, magical
tiauitions, the planes of existence, oi the
inhabitants of those planes.
8+3'%=/# A chaiactei might make an
Intelligence (Bistoiy) check to iecall loie about
histoiical events, legenuaiy people, ancient
kinguoms, past uisputes, iecent wais, oi lost
civilizations.
G4'2=)# A chaiactei might make an
Intelligence (Natuie) check to iecall loie about
teiiain, plants anu animals, the weathei, oi
natuial cycles.
$)&+;+%1# A chaiactei might make an
Intelligence (Religion) check to iecall loie about
ueities, iites anu piayeis, ecclesiastical
hieiaichies, holy symbols, oi the piactices of
seciet cults.
>)4=6(# When you look aiounu foi clues that
point to a hiuuen object, such as a tiap oi seciet
uooi, oi hints of a cieatuie's passage thiough an
aiea, you make an Intelligence (Seaich) check.
<'()= H1')&&+;)16) :()6?3# The BN might call
foi an Intelligence check when a chaiactei tiies
to accomplish one of these tasks:
Communicate with a cieatuie without woius
Beuuce what kinu of weapon causeu an injuiy
Estimate the value of a piecious item
Pull togethei a uisguise to help an ally pass as
a city guaiu
Beteimine how to cause pait of a tunnel to
collapse
Pass off a foigeu uocument as ieal
Saving Thiows
The BN commonly asks you to use Intelligence
when you make a saving thiow to iesist a spell
that attempts to oveicome youi intellect.
Nagic Ability
Nembeis of ceitain classes, such as mages, use
Intelligence as theii magic ability. If Intelligence
is youi magic ability, youi Intelligence mouifiei
helps ueteimine the saving thiow BCs of youi
spells.
Languages
A chaiactei is fluent in a numbei of languages
noteu in the uesciiption of his oi hei iace. At 1st
level, youi chaiactei is fluent in a numbei of
auuitional languages equal to his oi hei
Intelligence mouifiei if it is gieatei than u. If the
chaiactei's Intelligence mouifiei latei incieases,
that inciease uoes not giant auuitional
languages, anu a ueciease uoes not take
languages away.
Choose youi languages fiom the Stanuaiu
Languages table, oi choose one that is common
in youi campaign, such as Chonuathan oi
Bamaian in the F0Ru0TTEN REALNS
setting.
With youi BN's peimission, you can insteau
choose a language fiom the Exotic Languages
table oi a seciet language, such as thieves' cant
oi the tongue of uiuius.
Some of these languages aie actually families
of languages with many uialects. Foi example,
Biownie, Pixie, anu Spiite all exist within the
Sylvan family, while Auian, Aquan, Ignan, anu
Teiian all exist within the Piimoiuial family.
Bigh elves, woou elves, anu uiow all speak theii
own uialects of Elvish. But speakeis of uiffeient
languages oi uialects within the same family can
communicate with one anothei.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
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Common Pumans Common
uwarvlsh uwarves uwarvlsh
Llvlsh Llves Llvlsh
ClanL Cgres, glanLs uwarvlsh
Cnomlsh Cnomes uwarvlsh
Coblln Cobllnolds uwarvlsh
Cnoll Cnolls Common
Palfllng Palfllngs Common
Crc Crcs uwarvlsh
7?@0AB 4!156!57(
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Abyssal uemons lnfernal
CelesLlal CelesLlals CelesLlal
uraconlc uragons uraconlc
ueep Speech Mlnd flayers, ueep Speech
beholders
lnfernal uevlls lnfernal
rlmordlal LlemenLals uwarvlsh
Sylvan ley creaLures Llvlsh
undercommon underdark Lraders Llvlsh
Wisuom
Wisuom ieflects how attuneu you aie to youi
suiiounuings, iepiesenting geneial
peiceptiveness, intuition, insight, anu othei, less
tangible senses.
Although Wisuom is impoitant to all
chaiacteis who want to be aleit, Wisuom is
especially impoitant to cleiics anu uiuius, since
the ability is ciucial foi channeling uivine powei
fiom the gous anu the enviionment.
Ability Checks
A Wisuom check might aiise in situations that
call foi intuition, gut feelings, empathy, oi
sensitivity to the enviionment. The Animal
Banuling, Insight, Neuicine, Peiception, anu
Suivival skills apply to some Wisuom checks.
-1+I4& 841*&+1;# When theie is any question
whethei you can calm uown a uomesticateu
animal, keep youi mount fiom getting spookeu,
oi intuit an animal's intentions, make a Wisuom
(Animal Banuling) check.
H13+;('# When you attempt to ueteimine the
tiue intentions of anothei peison, such as when
seaiching out a lie oi pieuicting someone's next
move, you can make a Wisuom (Insight) check.
Boing so involves gleaning clues fiom bouy
language, speech habits, anu changes in
manneiisms.
J)*+6+1)# When you tiy to stabilize a uying
companion oi quickly uiagnose what common
illness is afflicting him oi hei, you make a
Wisuom (Neuicine) check.
@)=6).'+%1# You might make a Wisuom
(Peiception) check to spot, heai, oi otheiwise
uetect the piesence of something. Foi example,
you might tiy to heai a conveisation thiough a
closeu uooi, eavesuiop unuei an open winuow,
oi heai cieatuies moving stealthily towaiu you
in the foiest. 0i you might tiy to spot things that
aie obscuieu oi easy to miss, whethei they aie
oics lying in ambush aheau of you on a ioau,
thugs hiuing in the shauows of an alley, oi
canulelight unuei a closeu seciet uooi.
>2=9+94&# A chaiactei might make a Wisuom
(Suivival) check to hunt wilu game, guiue a paity
safely thiough fiozen wastelanus, iuentify signs
that owlbeais live neaiby, pieuict the weathei,
oi avoiu quicksanu anu othei natuial hazaius.
<'()= 7+3*%I :()6?3# The BN might call foi
a Wisuom check when a chaiactei tiies to
accomplish one of these tasks:
Figuie out the uiiection to a souice of moving
aii while unueigiounu
Biscein whethei a seemingly ueau oi living
cieatuie is unueau
Sense the tiue uiiection of an echoing sounu
Saving Thiows
The BN commonly asks you to use Wisuom
when you make a saving thiow to iesist being
chaimeu oi fiighteneu, to see thiough an illusion
cast upon you, oi to withstanu an attempt to
influence you.
Nagic Ability
Nembeis of ceitain classes, such as cleiics anu
uiuius, use Wisuom as theii magic ability. If
Wisuom is youi magic ability, youi Wisuom
mouifiei helps ueteimine the saving thiow BCs
of youi spells.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Chaiisma
Chaiisma measuies youi ability to inteiact with
otheis well. It incluues such factois as
confiuence, eloquence, anu even appeaiance. A
chaiactei with a high Chaiisma is likeable,
foiceful, oi both. The chaiactei might exuue
confiuence anu giace anu is most likely a natuial
leauei. A chaiactei with a low Chaiisma scoie
comes acioss as uull anu possibly uneasy.
All chaiacteis benefit fiom a high Chaiisma,
especially those who ueal with nonplayei
chaiacteis, such as hiielings, henchmen, anu
intelligent monsteis. Chaiisma is also impoitant
to spellcasteis who manipulate magical powei
thiough sheei foice of will.
Ability Checks
A Chaiisma check might aiise in a situation that
iequiies social skills, the ability to influence oi
enteitain otheis, oi sheei foice of peisonality.
The Beception, Intimiuation, Peifoimance, anu
Peisuasion skills apply to some Chaiisma checks.
B)6).'+%1# When you make a Chaiisma
(Beception) check, you aie attempting to ueceive
someone, eithei veibally oi thiough youi actions,
which can encompass eveiything fiom
misleauing otheis thiough ambiguity to telling
outiight lies. Typical situations incluue tiying to
fast-talk a guaiu, con a meichant, eain money
thiough gambling, pass off a uisguise, uull
someone's suspicions with false assuiances, oi
maintain a stiaight face while telling a blatant lie.
H1'+I+*4'+%1# When you attempt to influence
someone thiough oveit thieats, hostile actions,
anu physical violence, make a Chaiisma
(Intimiuation) check. Examples of when you
woulu intimiuate anothei incluue tiying to piy
infoimation out of a piisonei, convincing stieet
thugs to back uown fiom a confiontation, oi
using the euge of a bioken bottle to convince a
sneeiing viziei to ieconsiuei a uecision.
@)=D%=I416)# You make a Chaiisma
(Peifoimance) check to peifoim befoie an
auuience with music, uance, acting, legeiuemain,
stoiytelling, oi some othei foim of
enteitainment.
@)=3243+%1# When you attempt to influence
someone oi a gioup of people with youi tact,
social giaces, oi goou natuie, make a Chaiisma
(Peisuasion) check. Typically, you attempt to
peisuaue someone when you aie acting in goou
faith, to fostei fiienuships, make coiuial iequests,
oi exhibit piopei etiquette. Examples of
peisuauing otheis incluue convincing a
chambeilain to let you see the king, negotiating
peace between waiiing tiibes, oi inspiiing a
ciowu of townsfolk.
<'()= :(4=+3I4 :()6?3# The BN might call
foi a Chaiisma check when a chaiactei tiies to
accomplish one of these tasks:
Finu the best peison to talk to foi news,
iumois, anu gossip
Blenu into a ciowu to get the sense of key
topics of conveisation
Saving Thiows
The BN commonly asks you to use Chaiisma
when you make a saving thiow to iesist ceitain
magical compulsions, especially those that
woulu oveicome youi sense of youiself.
Nagic Ability
Nembeis of ceitain classes, such as baius, use
Chaiisma as theii magic ability. If Chaiisma is
youi magic ability, youi Chaiisma mouifiei helps
ueteimine the saving thiow BCs of youi spells.
Exploiation
Whethei you entei an ancient tomb, slip thiough
the back alleys of Wateiueep, oi hack a fiesh
tiail thiough the thick jungles of the Isle of Bieau,
much of a B&B auventuie ievolves aiounu
exploiation. Pait of the fun in the game is
uncoveiing the seciets, monsteis, anu tieasuies
that the BN has placeu thioughout the campaign
woilu. You nevei know what might luik aiounu
the coinei.
A few game mechanics aie useu fiequently
while exploiing: movement, stealth, anu
peiception. The movement iules ueteimine how
fast oi fai you can tiavel. They also covei how to
swim, climb, anu jump. The stealth iules outline
how you can hiue fiom cieatuies, while the
peiception iules govein how to spot hiuuen
objects anu cieatuies.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Embiacing all of these iules aie the iules foi
time.
Time
When you exploie an aiea, the BN tiacks youi
piogiess anu uesciibes what you see anu
encountei. Bouis oi uays might pass as you
uelve unuei the eaith anu tiavel thiough the
countiysiue. When time is of the essence, the BN
tiacks the passage of time in minutes. Also, the
game uses iounus as a unit of time in combat
anu othei situations when each chaiactei's
actions aie impoitant moment by moment.
B4/3# It's easy to keep tiack of the passage of
uays by counting the numbei of long iests you
anu youi fellow auventuieis take. The BN might
also keep tiack of uays if counting uown to a
festival oi othei calenuai event. Sometimes a
gioup ueciues to take a bieak fiom auventuies,
anu the BN tiacks how many uays of uowntime
acciue. The location of a temple, towei, oi tomb
of inteiest coulu lie at the fai enu of seveial uays
of tiavel.
8%2=3# The BN bioauly tiacks the numbei of
houis that pass uuiing the couise of active
auventuiing. Some magical iituals take an houi
to complete. Reseaich in a libiaiy takes at least a
couple of houis. Reaching the next village might
iequiie 4 oi S houis of haiu iiuing.
J+12')3# Some tasks that uon't take a lot of
time aie best measuieu in minutes. It might take
1u minutes to cleai the sanu fiom a tomb
entiance, oi S minutes to woik youi way fiom
one enu of a ciowueu maiket to the othei.
$%21*3# Rounus come into play when it is
impoitant to tiack action on a small scale. Each
iounu lasts about 6 seconus, meaning that 1u
iounus fit into a minute.
Rounus come into play uuiing combat, when
each step oi swoiu blow can spell the uiffeience
between victoiy anu uefeat, anu in othei
situations when the BN keeps tiack of each
action you take.
The "Combat" section has moie infoimation on
how iounus aie useu in battle.
Novement
Each chaiactei has a speeu, which is the uistance
in feet that the chaiactei can move in 1 iounu.
To ueteimine how fai you can move in a minute,
multiply youi speeu by 1u.
Bifficult Teiiain
While exploiing anu fighting, you can expect to
move into aieas of iubble, have to climb iopes
anu walls, anu swim acioss iiveis oi
subteiianean lakes. When you encountei teiiain
you cannot move acioss noimally, the BN
aujuuicates what happens. Nost often, such an
aiea is uifficult teiiain. In uifficult teiiain, you
move at half speeu; moving 1 foot costs 2 feet of
youi speeu.
Noues of Novement
Theie aie a numbei of uiffeient ways you can
move, fiom walking acioss an empty ioom to
stiuggling up a steep slope. These uiffeient
moues of movement can be combineu when you
move. Simply ueuuct the uistance of each pait of
youi move fiom youi speeu until youi speeu is
useu up oi until you aie uone moving.
You can entei an aiea only if you have enough
speeu left to uo so. If, foi example, you have only
S feet of speeu left, you cannot covei S feet of
uifficult teiiain.
74&?# Youi speeu uefines how fai in feet you
can walk uuiing a iounu.
823'&)# 0utsiue combat, you can uouble youi
speeu by hustling. Boing so in combat iequiies
youi action (see the "Combat" section).
K2I.# With a jump, you leap into the aii to
cleai an obstacle oi giab an object above you.
2&#$ 3"456 If you walk at least 1u feet anu then
make a long jump, you leap a numbei of feet up
to youi Stiength scoie. 0theiwise, you can leap
only half that uistance.
7)$, 3"456 If you walk at least 1u feet anu then
make a high jump, you iise a numbei of feet into
the aii up to S + youi Stiength mouifiei.
0theiwise, you can jump only a numbei of feet
up to youi Stiength mouifiei (minimum 1).
In any case, you can extenu youi aims half
youi height above you uuiing the jump. Thus,
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
you can ieach above you a uistance equal to the
height of the jump plus 1.S times youi height.
:&+I0# When you climb a veitical suiface that
has sufficient hanuholus, you move at half speeu;
climbing 1 foot costs 2 feet of youi speeu.
Climbing a slippeiy veitical suiface oi one with
few hanuholus iequiies a Stiength (Athletics)
check. You cannot climb acioss a ceiling oi a
similai suiface without a special ability.
>L+I# When you swim thiough watei oi
anothei liquiu, you move at half speeu;
swimming 1 foot costs 2 feet of youi speeu.
Swimming thiough iough watei iequiies a
Stiength (Athletics) check.
B=%. @=%1)# You can uiop pione by using S
feet of youi movement.
>'41* M.# When you aie pione, you can stanu
up as youi move. Boing so iequiies all of youi
cuiient speeu. If youi speeu is u, you can't stanu
up.
:=4L&# 0nless you stanu up, ciawling is youi
only option foi movement while you'ie pione.
You ciawl at half speeu; ciawling 1 foot costs 2
feet of youi speeu.
0sing Two oi Noie Speeus
If a cieatuie has moie than one speeu, such as a
walking speeu anu a flying speeu, the cieatuie
can use any of its speeus as pait of the same
move. When the cieatuie switches fiom one
speeu to anothei, take the uistance it has alieauy
coveieu uuiing its cuiient move anu subtiact
that uistance fiom the new speeu. The iesult is
the uistance the cieatuie can move using the
new speeu. If the iesult is u oi less, the cieatuie
can't use the new speeu uuiing the cuiient move.
Foi example, a uiagon moves Su feet on the
giounu anu then leaps into the aii to fly. The
uiagon has a speeu of 4u feet anu a fly speeu of
8u feet. Because the uiagon has alieauy moveu
Su feet uuiing its move, it can fly up to Su feet.
Buiing anothei tuin, the uiagon flies 8u feet anu
lanus. Because its noimal speeu is 4u feet, the
uiagon cannot walk uuiing the same move.
Falling
0ne of the most common hazaius to an
auventuiei is a fall fiom a gieat height.
At the enu of a fall, a cieatuie takes 1u6
bluugeoning uamage foi eveiy 1u feet it fell, to a
maximum of 2uu6. The cieatuie lanus pione,
unless it avoius taking uamage fiom the fall.
Stealth
When a cieatuie tiies to hiue, it ielies on its
Bexteiity to iemain unnoticeu. A cieatuie can
attempt a Bexteiity (Stealth) check to sneak
aiounu, moving quietly anu using covei anu
heavily obscuieu aieas to avoiu uetection.
Theie aie two ways you can hiue. If a cieatuie
can't possibly see you, you neeu only to avoiu
making noise to avoiu uetection. If a cieatuie
might see you, you neeu to keep behinu covei oi
stay in heavily obscuieu aieas to iemain hiuuen.
When you tiy to hiue fiom one oi moie
cieatuies, youi Bexteiity (Stealth) check is
contesteu by the Wisuom (Peiception) check of
any cieatuie who might notice you oi the
Intelligence (Seaich) check of a cieatuie that is
actively seaiching foi signs of youi piesence.
You make one Bexteiity (Stealth) check foi this
contest. 0se that check iesult foi all such
contests you engage in until you aie uiscoveieu
oi you stop hiuing.
Conuitions foi Stealth
In oiuei to avoiu uetection, you neeu some way
to iemain out of sight, eithei something to hiue
behinu oi an aiea of pooi visibility to locate
youiself in.
>'4/ %2' %D 3+;('# You can't just stanu in the
miuule of an empty, lit ioom anu hope to avoiu
notice. Something must conceal you, peihaps a
laige object, a piece of teiiain, oi an immobile
cieatuie of a sufficient size, such as a slumbeiing
uiagon. Regaiuless of what stanus between you
anu a viewei, it must covei at least half youi
bouy foi you to hiue behinu it.
An enviionmental phenomenon that obscuies
you fiom view can also pioviue a means to hiue.
A ()49+&/ %0362=)* aiea typically contains
uaikness, opaque fog, oi uense foliage. A
cieatuie in a heavily obscuieu aiea is out of sight,
just as it if weie hiuing behinu an obstiuction,
anu thus can tiy to hiue. A &+;('&/ %0362=)* aiea
typically contains uim light, patchy fog, oi
moueiate foliage. Some monsteis anu chaiacteis
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
have special abilities that enable them to tiy to
hiue even in aieas that aie only lightly obscuieu.
>'4/ N2+)'# It's assumeu that you tiy to avoiu
making noise while hiuing, anu youi Bexteiity
(Stealth) check also iepiesents youi ability to
keep quiet. If you make a noise, such as yelling a
waining to an ally oi knocking ovei a vase, you
give away youi position anu aie thus no longei
hiuuen.
Benefit of Being Biuuen
You have auvantage on the attack ioll when you
attack a cieatuie fiom which you aie hiuuen.
Naking an attack ieveals youi position, howevei.
Peiception
As you move thiough a uungeon, walk along a
foiest tiail, oi seaich a sage's sanctum, you iely
on youi abilities to spot hiuuen clues, notice
luiking monsteis, finu tiaps oi seciet uoois, anu
avoiu unpleasant suipiises. The BN uesciibes
the scene to you, but sometimes you want youi
chaiactei to seaich foi something that the BN
might be omitting fiom the uesciiption. The
peiception iules help ueteimine whethei youi
chaiactei notices oi can finu a hiuuen object oi
cieatuie.
Noticing anu Finuing
Youi Wisuom (Peiception) check seives as a
measuie of youi geneial awaieness of youi
suiiounuings, whethei you notice cieatuies
luiking in ambush, heai the stealthy tieau of an
appioaching assassin, oi catch the telltale whiff
of tioglouyte in the aii.
Youi Intelligence (Seaich) check measuies
youi ability to finu something you'ie looking foi,
whethei it's the faint outline of a seciet uooi in a
wall, the hollow sounu that ieveals a hiuuen
compaitment in the bottom of a chest, clues to a
muiuei, oi the footsteps of an invisible cieatuie
in the uust.
Sheilock Bolmes, ienowneu foi his
Intelligence, is the unuisputeu mastei of finuing
clues anu ueteimining theii significance (using
the Seaich skill). Taizan, on the othei hanu, who
unfailingly heais the iustle of leaves oi the snap
of a twig, oi sees a stalking tigei oi luiking snake,
ielies on his Wisuom (Peiception).
The line between using Wisuom oi Intelligence
can seem inuistinct at times. Naking an effoit to
notice something might seem similai to finuing
something you'ie looking foi, but it still ielies on
Wisuom (Peiception), because it's moie about
geneial awaieness than it is about attention to
uetail. Likewise, if you spenu a moment to scan
the suiiounuing tiees, oi piess youi eai to a
uooi to heai what might luik beyonu, you'ie
ielying on Wisuom (Peiception) iathei than
Intelligence (Seaich). As a iule, if you'ie not
positive that Intelligence is the iight choice, then
Wisuom is the ability to use.
Finuing a Biuuen 0bject
When youi chaiactei seaiches foi a hiuuen
object, such as a seciet uooi oi a tiap, the BN
typically asks you to make an Intelligence
(Seaich) check. Such a check can be useu to finu
hiuuen uetails oi othei infoimation anu clues
that you might otheiwise oveilook. The BN sets
the BC, as usual.
In most cases, you neeu to tell the BN wheie
you aie looking in oiuei foi him oi hei to
ueteimine youi chance of success. Foi example,
a key is hiuuen beneath a set of folueu clothes in
the top uiawei of a buieau. If you tell the BN
that you pace aiounu the ioom, looking at the
walls anu fuinituie foi clues, you have no chance
of finuing the key, iegaiuless of youi Intelligence
(Seaich) check iesult. You woulu have to specify
that you weie opening the uiaweis oi seaiching
the buieau in oiuei to have any chance of
success.
Since tiaps anu othei uangeis might piotect
hiuuen objects, this attention to uetail is
impoitant foi the game to iemain faii. }ust as the
BN shoulu nevei uictate youi chaiactei's actions,
so too shoulu you make youi intentions cleai to
the BN when you seaich foi concealeu clues anu
hiuuen tieasuies.
Noticing oi Finuing a Biuuen
Cieatuie
When a cieatuie is hiuing fiom youi chaiactei,
you contest that cieatuie's Bexteiity (Stealth)
check with eithei a Wisuom (Peiception) check
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
oi an Intelligence (Seaich) check. The BN
usually asks you foi a Wisuom (Peiception)
check if you have no iuea that a cieatuie is
piesent anu thus no ieason to be actively
seaiching, oi if you'ie taking a moment to scan
youi suiiounuings oi listen foi movement. In
this case, youi seaich is a mix of looking anu
listening, so you uon't noimally neeu to be too
specific in youi uesciiption of wheie you'ie
seaiching. A luiking foe might give itself away
with a muffleu cough, a tiail of uistuibeu uust, oi
some othei sign.
The BN geneially asks foi an Intelligence
(Seaich) check if you'ie specifically seaiching foi
clues to a hiuuen cieatuie's location. Beie the
guiuelines foi finuing a hiuuen object apply; you
neeu to tell the BN if you'ie looking at the
cuitains foi a telltale bulge, checking the flooi
foi footpiints, oi taking some othei action to finu
the cieatuie.
Listening at a Booi
As youi chaiactei exploies a uungeon oi a
similai enviionment, one way to be piepaieu foi
uangeis aheau is to piess youi eai to a uooi in
an effoit to heai signs of activity beyonu. If
humanoiu cieatuies aie occupying the aiea, you
might heai the casual conveisation of boieu
sentiies oi a fieice aigument between two iival
chieftains. If a uiagon is sleeping on its tieasuie
pile, you might heai the ihythmic whispei of its
bieathing, peihaps punctuateu by fieiy snoits oi
the ciackle of electiicity aiounu its nostiils.
When you listen at a uooi oi otheiwise tiy to
heai noise in an aiea, the BN asks you to make a
Wisuom (Peiception) check, setting the BC
baseu on the volume of whatevei you might heai.
Inteiaction
Exploiing uungeons, oveicoming obstacles, anu
slaying monsteis aie key paits of most B&B
auventuies, but no less impoitant aie the
inteiactions that auventuieis have with othei
people, monsteis, anu even things in the woilu.
Nonplayei chaiacteis might seive as pations
who senu the auventuieis on quests anu iewaiu
them foi theii effoits, as allies who offei them
mateiial aiu to help them accomplish theii goals,
as companions who accompany them on theii
auventuies, as obstacles to achieving what they
uesiie, anu as auveisaiies in a social oi political
aiena. Some monsteis aie open to negotiation
when auventuieis stumble into theii laiis,
peihaps gianting the heioes theii lives in
exchange foi gieat piles of tieasuie oi the
piomise of bettei foou elsewheie. Even uungeon
featuies such as talking statues oi magic miiiois
can play an impoitant iole.
Theie aie seveial schools of thought when it
comes to hanuling inteiactions in a ioleplaying
game. Some playeis anu BNs piefei to speak in
chaiactei anu auopt the manneiisms of theii
chaiacteis in the same way that an actoi plays a
iole on stage. 0theis piefei to uesciibe a
chaiactei's uialogue, giving a basic outline of
what the chaiactei has to say. Neithei appioach
is necessaiily "coiiect," anu the appioach you
take has no impact on the iules foi iesolving
inteiaction situations.
An inteiaction shoulu always be uiiven by the
back-anu-foith between an NPC anu the
auventuieis. No iules aie necessaiy when the
auventuieis ask an innkeepei foi uiiections oi
puichase a new coil of iope, anu the BN might
not even iequiie the chaiacteis to play out these
ioutine inteiactions. Roleplaying is impoitant in
impoitant situations, anu uice shoulu come into
play only when theie is unceitainty about a
conveisation's outcome. When the auventuieis
inteiiogate a captive oic, it might ieveal the
location of its laii oi it might stay silent, even in
the face of ueath. The chaiacteis' woius anu
actions, anu theii uie iolls, help ueteimine the
oic's iesponse.
Attituues anu Reactions
The staiting point foi an inteiaction encountei is
the attituue of the NPCs oi monsteis involveu. A
cieatuie's attituue towaiu the auventuieis
ueteimines how it acts anu how it ieacts when
they make some iequest oi uemanu of it.
Buiing the couise of an inteiaction, the
auventuieis may make iequests oi uemanus,
anu the Bungeon Nastei may ask foi a Chaiisma
check to influence that chaiactei. The iesults of
the check aie limiteu by the chaiactei's attituue.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Note that simply iolling bauly on a Chaiisma
check uoes not change the chaiactei's attituue; a
low ioll (below 1u) simply means the auventuiei
uoes not convince the chaiactei to uo something
othei than its uefault ieaction.
Fiienuly
Fiienuly chaiacteis want to help anu wish foi
the auventuieis to succeeu. These chaiacteis aie
allies, anu they tiust the chaiacteis. A fiienuly
chaiactei owes them loyalty, giatituue, oi
seivice as a iesult of theii histoiy togethei. Few
chaiacteis begin an encountei fiienuly.
The only ieason to make a check when uealing
with a fiienuly chaiactei is to see if the chaiactei
will take peisonal iisks oi make saciifices on
behalf of the auventuieis. 0theiwise, foi tasks oi
actions that iequiie no paiticulai iisk, effoit, oi
cost, fiienuly chaiacteis usually help without
question.
C3A7124D 1EB 37!B0A@1(
2B 3,>;$%
uefaulL 1he nC wlll do as you wlsh for requesLs LhaL
don'L lnvolve rlsks or sacrlflce
10 1he nC accepLs a mlnor rlsk or sacrlflce Lo do
as you wlsh
20 1he nC accepLs a slgnlflcanL rlsk or sacrlflce Lo
do as you wlsh
Inuiffeient
Inuiffeient chaiacteis have no special ties to the
auventuieis. They might help oi hinuei the
auventuieis, uepenuing on what benefits them
the most. The vast majoiity of NPCs in noimal
situations begin an encountei inuiffeient.
Note that a chaiactei's inuiffeience uoes not
mean the peison is stanuoffish oi uninteiesteu.
Inuiffeient chaiacteis might be polite, genial,
suily, iiiitable, oi anywheie in between. Being
inuiffeient simply means the NPC uoes not
actively woik against the auventuieis, noi have
they yet eaineu the NPC's suppoit as an ally.
A check is usually necessaiy when the
auventuieis tiy to peisuaue an inuiffeient
chaiactei to uo something.
A12ACC73710 1EB 37!B0A@1(
2B 3,>;$%
uefaulL 1he nC offers no help or harm
10 1he nC wlll do as you wlsh wlLhouL Laklng rlsks
or maklng sacrlflces
20 1he nC accepLs a mlnor rlsk or sacrlflce Lo do
as you wlsh
Bostile
Bostile chaiacteis oppose the auventuieis anu
theii goals. They aie enemies, anu they actively
woik to see the auventuieis fail. They often take
actions to haim oi stymie the auventuieis.
Bowevei, a chaiactei's hostility uoesn't mean
that the chaiactei will attack on sight. Foi
example, a conuescenuing noble might wish to
see a gioup of upstait auventuieis fail in oiuei
to keep them fiom iivaling him foi the king's
attention; in this case, the noble might be hostile
towaiu the auventuieis, but woulu choose
slanuei anu scheming ovei uiiect, physical
violence as a means of thwaiting theii effoits.
Auventuieis almost always neeu to make a
faiily challenging Chaiisma check to convince a
hostile cieatuie to uo anything on theii behalf.
F@(0A47 1EB 37!B0A@1(
2B 3,>;$%
uefaulL 1he nC opposes your acLlons and may Lake
rlsks Lo do so
10 1he nC offers no help or harm
20 1he nC wlll help you as long as Lhere are no
rlsks or sacrlflces lnvolved
Changing Attituues
Chaiactei attituues aie not set in stone, anu the
attituue of a chaiactei inteiacting with the paity
might change ovei the couise of a conveisation.
Attituues aie fluiu, anu sometimes shift (eithei
tempoiaiily, oi peimanently) baseu on ongoing
inteiactions.
Peimanently changing a chaiactei's attituue
iequiies a significant effoit. It's impossible to
completely change an attituue ovei the couise of
a biief conveisation, but it can change ovei time.
A chaiactei's attituue changes in iesponse to
actions, not woius. If a chaiactei offeis help to
the auventuieis, who then abuse that offei, the
chaiactei might become hostile. Likewise, a
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
hostile chaiactei who piofits fiom the paity's
actions can become inuiffeient oi even fiienuly.
Aftei any inteiaction, the Bungeon Nastei can
change the chaiactei's attituue foi the puiposes
of his oi hei next inteiaction with the paity if the
long-teim iesults of the inteiaction haimeu oi
benefiteu the chaiactei.
Tempoiaiily changing a chaiactei's attituue,
howevei, is somewhat easiei anu can have a
significant effect on the outcome of an
inteiaction. If the auventuieis say oi uo the iight
things uuiing an inteiaction, they can make a
hostile chaiactei tempoiaiily inuiffeient, oi an
inuiffeient chaiactei tempoiaiily fiienuly.
Likewise, a gaffe, insult oi haimful ueeu might
make a fiienuly chaiactei tempoiaiily
inuiffeient, oi an inuiffeient chaiactei hostile.
Typically, you cannot shift a chaiactei's
attituue (eithei tempoiaiily, oi peimanently)
moie than one step uuiing a single inteiaction.
Iueals, Flaws, anu Bonus
All chaiacteis have chaiactei tiaits known as
iueals, flaws, anu bonus, which can be useu
uuiing an inteiaction to tempoiaiily change a
chaiactei's attituue. Touching positively on a
chaiactei's iueals, flaws, oi bonus uuiing an
inteiaction can shift the chaiactei's attituue in a
positive uiiection, anu vice veisa.
H*)4&3 motivate the chaiactei to act in a
ceitain way. This encompasses eveiything fiom
the chaiactei's life goal to a coie belief system.
Iueals might answei any of these questions:
What aie the piinciples that this chaiactei will
nevei betiay. What woulu piompt this chaiactei
to make saciifices. What uiives this chaiactei to
act anu guiues its goals anu ambitions. What is
the single most impoitant thing this chaiactei
stiives foi.
O&4L3 iepiesent the vices, compulsions, feais,
anu weaknesses of a chaiactei.
Flaws might answei any of these questions:
What eniages the chaiactei. What is the one
thing that he oi she cannot beai to witness
without becoming angiy. What is the chaiactei
afiaiu of. What's the one peison, concept, oi
event that he oi she is teiiifieu of. What aie the
chaiactei's vices.
P%1*3 iepiesent the chaiactei's connection to
people, places, anu events in the woilu.
Bonus might answei any of these questions:
Whom uoes the chaiactei caie most about. To
wheie uoes the chaiactei feel a special
connection. What is the chaiactei's most
tieasuieu possession.
Whenevei a iequest oi statement in an
inteiaction touches on a chaiactei's iueals, flaws,
oi bonus, it might have a positive oi negative
impact on the chaiactei's ieaction, making it
easiei oi haiuei to peisuaue the chaiactei to act.
Beie aie some examples:
A uiuiu's iueals incluue piotecting the foiest.
Asking the uiuiu to help buin uown the foiest
betiays this iueal anu woulu shift the uiuiu's
ieaction towaiu hostility.
The heau of the Thieves' uuilu holus iueals
involving piofit anu laiceny. Asking the
guilumastei foi help in pulling off a heist plays
into this iueal anu might get a moie positive
iesponse.
A baibaiian chieftain's flaw might be a feai of
being peiceiveu as weak. Tiying to peisuaue
him to back uown fiom a fight woulu play iight
into that feai, shifting his attituue towaiu
hostility.
A faimei's flaw might be an oveiwhelming feai
of oics iaiuing his faim. Peisuauing him to flee
his home is much easiei if the chaiacteis can
play off that feai.
A noble's bonus might incluue his love foi his
ueaiest uaughtei. Asking him to put hei at iisk
foi any ieason thieatens that bonu anu shifts
his attituue towaiu hostility.
A palauin's bonus might incluue his fonuness
foi his home village. Asking him to help uefenu
the village fiom attack is a ielatively easy task.
Leaining a Chaiactei's Tiaits
If the auventuieis can leain anothei chaiactei's
iueals, flaws, oi bonus befoie oi uuiing an
inteiaction, they can gain a significant auvantage
compaieu to stumbling blinuly thiough the
inteiaction. Knowing a chaiactei's tiaits allows
them to avoiu the pitfalls associateu with
negatively piovoking the chaiactei anu might
allow them to piesent theii iequests in the most
favoiable way.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Aftei inteiacting with anothei chaiactei foi at
least 1u minutes, feeling out the subject's
peisonality anu tiaits thiough conveisation, a
chaiactei can attempt a Wisuom (Insight) check
to uncovei one of the chaiactei's iueals, flaws, oi
bonus. The playei ueclaies what type of tiait
(iueal, flaw, oi bonu) he oi she wants to uncovei,
anu the BC is baseu on the subject's Wisuom
scoie. Chaiacteis with a highei Wisuom aie
moie in contiol of themselves anu bettei able to
mask theii innei conceins.
Inciease the BC by up to 1u if the chaiactei
consciously tiies to hiue a tiait. If the
auventuiei's check fails by 1u oi moie, the
playei chaiactei might misiuentify a tiait. The
BN might pioviue a false tiait oi inveit one of
the chaiactei's existing tiaits. Foi example, if an
olu sage's flaw is that he is piejuuiceu against the
uneuucateu, the inveise woulu inuicate that the
sage enjoys peisonally seeing to the euucation of
the uowntiouuen.
Resolving the Inteiaction
Aftei making suie that eveiy chaiactei has hau
the oppoitunity to engage in the inteiaction to
the extent he oi she uesiies, anu that the playeis
have hau time to uiscovei all that they want to
know about a chaiactei's iueals, flaws, anu
bonus, the BN can call foi a Chaiisma check.
(Bepenuing on the appioach the chaiacteis take,
the Beception, Intimiuation, oi Peisuasion skills
might apply.) This Chaiisma check signals the
climactic moment of the inteiaction, which sets
the subject's couise of action with its outcome.
0thei chaiacteis paiticipating in an
inteiaction can influence it, foi bettei oi woise.
If a helping chaiactei says oi uoes something
that woulu influence the inteiaction in a positive
way, the chaiactei making the Chaiisma check
can uo so with auvantage. 0n the othei hanu, if a
"helping" chaiactei says something stupiu oi
offensive, the chaiactei making the Chaiisma
check has uisauvantage on that check.
0nce the check has been maue, fuithei
attempts aie usually fiuitless, at least foi the
time being. If the playeis tiy to piess the issue
once the check has been maue anu iesolveu, they
iun the iisk of upsetting oi angeiing the subject,
potentially shifting his oi hei attituue towaiu
hostility.
Combat
This section uetails the iules foi combat. It
coveis the basics of how to stait a battle, the
actions you can take, anu how those actions
woik.
The Combat Sequence
This is the basic sequence of play foi a combat
encountei:

1. Beteimine suipiise.
2. Roll initiative.
S. Play thiough a iounu of combat, with each
paiticipant in the battle taking a tuin in
initiative oiuei.

If the battle continues, iepeat step S.
The Rounu
Each iounu iepiesents 6 seconus. Buiing a
iounu, each paiticipant in a battle takes a tuin in
an oiuei ueteimineu by initiative. 0nce
eveiyone has taken a tuin, the fight continues to
the next iounu if neithei siue has uefeateu the
othei.
When an effect, such as one causeu by a spell,
lasts foi a iounu, it lasts fiom the cuiient tuin to
the same tuin in the next iounu. 0nless specifieu
otheiwise, the effect enus at the stait of that next
tuin.
Suipiise
A banu of auventuieis sneaks up on a banuit
camp, spiinging fiom the tiees to attack them. A
gelatinous cube gliues uown a uungeon passage,
unnoticeu by an oic patiol until the cube absoibs
one of the gioup.
In these situations, one siue of the battle
gaineu suipiise ovei the othei. 0ne siue acts
while the othei is caught off guaiu anu unable to
act foi a ciitical moment.
B)')=I+1+1; >2=.=+3)# The BN ueteimines
who might be suipiiseu. Cieatuies that weie
unawaie of theii opponents' appioach oi
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
piesence aie suipiiseu. A cieatuie can be
suipiiseu even if its allies aien't.
QDD)6' %D >2=.=+3)# A cieatuie that is suipiiseu
cannot move oi take actions until aftei its fiist
tuin in the battle.
Initiative
Initiative ueteimines the oiuei of actions uuiing
a battle.
B)')=I+1+1; H1+'+4'+9)# To ueteimine
initiative, each paiticipant in a battle iolls a u2u
anu auus its Bexteiity mouifiei. At the BN's
uiscietion, a gioup of iuentical cieatuies can use
one ioll foi the entiie gioup, with each membei
of that gioup acting at the same time.
The BN ianks the combatants in oiuei fiom
the one with the highest initiative iesult to the
one with the lowest. This is the oiuei in which
they act uuiing each iounu.
$)3%&9+1; R+)3# If a tie occuis, the BN ueciues
the oiuei among tieu BN-contiolleu cieatuies,
anu the playeis ueciue the oiuei among theii
tieu chaiacteis. The BN can ueciue the oiuei if
the tie is between a monstei anu a playei
chaiactei. 0ptionally, the BN can have the tieu
cieatuies each ioll a u2u to ueteimine the oiuei,
highest ioll going fiist.
Youi Tuin
0n youi tuin, you can take one action. You can
also move up to youi speeu. Aftei you have
moveu anu taken youi action, youi tuin enus.
See "Novement in Combat" anu "Actions in
Combat" below foi moie infoimation about
moving anu acting uuiing a battle.
>?+..+1; S%2= R2=1 %= @4=' %D H'# You uon't
have to move oi take an action on youi tuin, anu
sometimes you might want to uo nothing othei
than watch the battle unfolu.
If you choose not to uo anything on youi tuin,
concentiating on uefense can help you iemain
safe until youi next tuin. Consiuei using youi
action to uouge (see "Actions in Combat" below).
$)46'+%13# Ceitain special abilities anu spells
allow you take a special action calleu a ieaction.
A ieaction is an instant iesponse to a tiiggei of
some kinu. The oppoitunity attack is the most
common type of ieaction (see "Novement in
Combat").
You can take only one ieaction pei iounu.
When you take a ieaction, you can't take anothei
one until the stait of youi next tuin. If the
ieaction inteiiupts anothei cieatuie's tuin, that
cieatuie can continue its tuin iight aftei the
ieaction.
Any effect that uenies you the ability to take
actions also piohibits you fiom taking a ieaction.
Novement in Combat
When you move uuiing a battle, you can mix anu
match movement moues as noimal, walking,
jumping, swimming, ciawling, anu so on (see the
"Exploiation" section). You also follow these
iules.
P=)4?+1; M. 4 J%9)# You can bieak up youi
movement on youi tuin, moving both befoie anu
aftei youi action. Foi example, if you have a
speeu of Su feet, you can move 1u feet, seaich foi
a tiapuooi, anu then move 2u feet.
J%9+1; -=%21* <'()= :=)4'2=)3# You can't
move thiough an enemy's space unless it is two
sizes laigei oi smallei than you. In contiast, you
can move thiough an ally's space, but you can't
stop theie.
<..%='21+'/ -''46?3# If a hostile cieatuie that
you can see moves out of youi ieach, you can use
youi ieaction to make a melee attack against
that cieatuie. This attack is calleu an
oppoitunity attack. The attack inteiiupts the
cieatuie's movement, occuiiing iight befoie the
cieatuie leaves youi ieach.
You can avoiu piovoking an oppoitunity attack
by taking the uisengage action (see "Actions in
Combat" below). You also uon't piovoke an
oppoitunity attack when someone oi something
moves you without using youi movement, action,
oi ieaction. Foi example, you uon't piovoke an
oppoitunity attack if an explosion huils you out
of a foe's ieach oi if giavity causes you to fall
past an enemy.
varlanL: MovemenL on a Crld
lf you play a baLLle uslng a square grld and mlnlaLures or
oLher Lokens, follow Lhese slmple rules.
(G;8+,>H Lach square on Lhe grld represenLs 3 feeL.
(<,,.H 8aLher Lhan movlng fooL by fooL, move square
by square on Lhe grld. 1hls means you use your speed ln
3-fooL segmenLs.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
lf you use a grld ofLen, conslder wrlLlng your speed ln
squares on your characLer sheeL. 1o do so, dlvlde your
speed by 3, and wrlLe down Lhe resulL. lor example, a
speed of 30 feeL LranslaLes lnLo a speed of 6 squares.
79%,+#9: 8 (G;8+,H 1o enLer a square, you musL have
aL leasL 1 square of movemenL lefL (ln oLher words, 3
feeL of movemenL lefL).
lf a square cosLs exLra movemenL, as a square of
dlfflculL Lerraln does, you musL have enough movemenL
lefL Lo pay for lL. lor example, you musL have aL leasL 2
squares of movemenL lefL Lo enLer a square of dlfflculL
Lerraln.
-*I#9: 2#8:*98$$&H LnLerlng a square dlagonally cosLs
1x squares of movemenL. 1hls rule means you musL
have aL leasL 2 squares of movemenL lefL Lo enLer your
flrsL square dlagonally, and every 2 squares you move
dlagonally uses up 3 squares of movemenL.
Actions in Combat
This section uesciibes the typical actions you can
take uuiing youi tuin. Some special abilities
allow you to use seveial of these actions at once.
Attack
Whethei you aie swinging a swoiu, launching an
aiiow fiom a bow, oi biawling with youi fists,
you aie making an attack, the most common
action to take in a battle. See "Attack Basics"
below foi the iules that govein attacks.
Cast a Spell
Nany auventuieis, such as mages anu cleiics,
have access to spells anu can use them to gieat
effect in combat. A spell iequiies a single action
to cast, unless noteu otheiwise. See the "Nagic"
section foi iules on spellcasting.
Chaige
To chaige, you choose a taiget that is at least 1u
feet away fiom you. You move up to half youi
speeu to a position wheie that taiget is within
youi ieach, anu then you make a melee attack
against it. Aftei the attack, youi tuin enus.
Coup ue uiace
When a foe is unconscious, you have any easiei
chance than noimal to inflict a seiious wounu on
it. You can use youi action to peifoim a coup ue
giace against an unconscious cieatuie within S
feet of you. Boing so iequiies you to attack that
cieatuie. If you hit, the attack is automatically a
ciitical hit. If the cieatuie was alieauy at u hit
points, it uies.
Bisengage
When you uisengage, you move up to half youi
speeu. If you leave a hostile cieatuie's ieach
uuiing this movement, you uo not piovoke an
oppoitunity attack fiom that cieatuie.
Bouge
When you take the uouge action, you focus
entiiely on avoiuing attacks. 0ntil youi next tuin,
attack iolls against you have uisauvantage, anu
you make Bexteiity saving thiows with
auvantage. You lose this benefit if you cannot
move oi take actions, such as if you become
paialyzeu by a monstei's attack oi stuck in
quicksanu.
uiapple
0sing at least one fiee hanu, you tiy to giab anu
holu a cieatuie no moie than one size laigei
than you by making a successful Stiength check
contesteu by the cieatuie's Stiength check oi
Bexteiity check (the cieatuie chooses the
ability). If you succeeu, the cieatuie's speeu
becomes u anu cannot inciease until the giapple
enus.
J%9+1; 4 T=4..&)* :=)4'2=)# When you
move, you can uiag oi caiiy a giappleu cieatuie
with you, but eveiy S feet costs you S extia feet
of movement, unless the cieatuie is two oi moie
sizes smallei than you.
$)3'=4+1+1; 4 :=)4'2=)# As a sepaiate action,
you can iestiain a giappleu cieatuie by making
anothei successful Stiength check contesteu by
the cieatuie's Stiength check oi Bexteiity check.
If you succeeu, the cieatuie is iestiaineu. While
you'ie iestiaining it, attacks against you have
auvantage, youi attacks have uisauvantage, anu
you have uisauvantage on Bexteiity saving
thiows. You can stop iestiaining the cieatuie at
any time.
Q1*+1; 4 T=4..&)# You can ielease a giappleu
cieatuie whenevei you like, anu you must uo so
if you can't take actions oi if you lose contiol of
the giabbing limb. If a foice, such as the blast
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
cieateu by the spell -,"#8%091:%, iemoves a
giappleu cieatuie fiom youi ieach, the cieatuie
is fieeu, unless the foice also taigets you anu
moves you with the cieatuie.
As an action, a giappleu cieatuie can escape by
succeeuing on a Stiength oi Bexteiity check
contesteu by youi Stiength check.
lnlLlaLlng a ConLesL
8aLLle ofLen lnvolves plLLlng your physlcal or menLal
prowess agalnsL LhaL of your foe. Such a challenge ls
represenLed by a conLesL. 1hls secLlon lncludes Lhe mosL
common conLesLs LhaL requlre an acLlon ln combaL:
grapple and knock down. 1he uM can use Lhese
conLesLs as models for lmprovlslng oLhers.
Belp
You can lenu youi aiu to anothei cieatuie in the
completion of a task. The cieatuie you aiu gains
auvantage foi the next ielevant ability check he
oi she makes to peifoim that task befoie youi
next tuin.
Alteinatively, you can aiu anothei cieatuie in
one of its attacks against a cieatuie within S feet
of you. If the cieatuie you help attacks the taiget
befoie youi next tuin, the attack ioll is maue
with auvantage.
Biue
In battle, it is often auvantageous to uiop out of
sight, but uoing so can be uifficult. Tiying to hiue
takes up youi action. See "Stealth" in the
"Exploiation" section foi iules on hiuing.
Binuei
You uistiact oi otheiwise hinuei anothei
cieatuie within S feet of you. When you hinuei a
cieatuie, uesciibe the mannei in which you uo
so. The cieatuie has uisauvantage on the next
ielevant ability check oi attack ioll it makes
befoie youi next tuin.
Bustle
With the hustle action, you move up to youi
speeu. If you combine the action with youi
iegulai move, youi speeu is effectively uoubleu
foi youi cuiient tuin.
Knock Bown
You knock a cieatuie pione that is no moie than
one size laigei than you by making a successful
Stiength check contesteu by that cieatuie's
Stiength check oi Bexteiity check (the cieatuie
chooses the ability).
Reauy an Action
Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe oi
wait foi a paiticulai ciicumstance befoie you act.
To uo so, you foigo youi action on youi tuin to
take an action latei in the iounu using youi
ieaction, an action that iequiies no moie than a
split seconu of foiethought.
When you ieauy an action, you ueciue what
peiceivable event oi ciicumstance will tiiggei
youi ieaction, anu you choose what action you'll
take: attack, giapple, hustle, knock uown, oi use
an item. Examples incluue "As soon as the tioll
walks out fiom behinu the coinei, I shoot an
aiiow at it," oi "If the goblin moves next to me, I
hustle away."
When the tiiggei occuis, you can take youi
ieaction, anu you uo so iight aftei the tiiggei
finishes. If the ieaction inteiiupts anothei
cieatuie's tuin, that cieatuie can continue its
tuin iight aftei the ieaction.
If the tiiggei nevei occuis oi you ignoie it, you
simply wait foi youi next tuin.
Seaich
Whethei you'ie seaiching foi a cieatuie oi an
object, tiying to finu something iequiies
concentiationjust enough to use youi action in
the miust of a fight. See "Peiception" in the
"Exploiation" section foi iules on peiceiving
things.
0se an Item
Both munuane objects anu magic items, fiom a
hanuful of caltiops to a ,&0# &/ .*1+-)#$, aie
useful tools in combat. Activating the special
ability of such an item iequiies an action.
In contiast, you can combine uiawing oi
stowing one weapon oi shielu with youi action,
youi move, oi both.
Nany of the othei most common inteiactions
with itemsmoving thiough a uooi that opens
easily, picking up a scioll, anu withuiawing a
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
potion fiom youi backpackuo not iequiie an
action at all. You aie assumeu to be able to
incoipoiate such uses into youi tuin, while you
move anu take youi action. Sometimes, howevei,
the BN will iequiie you to use youi action when
an item neeus special caie oi when it piesents an
unusual obstacle. Foi instance, youi BN coulu
ieasonably expect you to use an action to open a
stuck uooi.
You also use this action to inteiact with objects
in the enviionment. Youi BN might iequiie you
to use this action to swing on a chanueliei, knock
ovei a stone statue, pull a levei to open a
poitcullis, oi tuin a ciank to lowei a uiawbiiuge.
lmprovlslng an AcLlon
?our ablllLy scores allow you Lo do Lhlngs noL covered by
Lhe acLlons descrlbed ln Lhls secLlon, such as breaklng
down doors, lnLlmldaLlng your enemles, senslng
weaknesses ln maglcal defenses, or calllng for a parley
wlLh a foe. 1he only llmlLs Lo Lhe acLlons you can Lake
are your lmaglnaLlon and your ablllLy scores.
When you descrlbe an acLlon noL deLalled elsewhere
ln Lhe rules, Lhe uM Lells you wheLher LhaL acLlon ls
posslble and whaL klnd of roll you need Lo make, lf any,
Lo deLermlne success or fallure.
Attack Basics
Attacks geneially have the following stiuctuie.

"# :(%%3) 4 '4=;)'# Befoie you attack, pick a
taiget within youi attack's iange: a cieatuie,
an object, oi a location.
,# B)')=I+1) I%*+D+)=3# The BN ueteimines if
the taiget has covei. Also, check to see if you
have auvantage oi uisauvantage against the
taiget. In auuition, spells, special abilities, anu
othei effects can apply penalties oi bonuses
to youi attack ioll.
5# $)3%&9) '() 4''46?# Aftei the BN has
ueteimineu the situational mouifieis that
might apply, you make youi attack ioll as
uesciibeu below. If you hit, you ioll uamage,
unless youi attack specifies otheiwise.
Attack Rolls
When you attack with a weapon oi a spell, you
must ueteimine whethei the attack hits oi
misses. You uo so with an attack ioll, a u2u ioll
aujusteu by mouifieis that iepiesent youi
natuial skill with a weapon oi spells, as well as
any special skill oi tiaining you possess.
The BN might ueciue that you have a bettei oi
woise chance to hit because of factois beyonu
youi contiol. Foi example, it is haiuei to hit an
oic that is cioucheu behinu a stone wall than one
stanuing in the open.
An attack ioll looks like this: u2u + ability
mouifiei + weapon oi magic tiaining (if any) +
situational mouifieis. If the total of youi ioll plus
mouifieis equals oi exceeus the taiget's Aimoi
Class (AC), the attack hits.
-0+&+'/ J%*+D+)=# The ability mouifiei useu
foi a typical melee attack is Stiength, anu the
ability mouifiei useu foi a typical iangeu attack
is Bexteiity. A magic attack uses the attackei's
ielevant magic ability scoie, which is usually
ueteimineu by class. Foi instance, mages use
Intelligence, anu cleiics use Wisuom.
$%&&+1; 4 "# If youi u2u ioll is a 1 befoie
auuing mouifieis, youi attack automatically
misses.
$%&&+1; 4 ,U# If youi u2u ioll is a 2u befoie
auuing mouifieis, youi attack automatically hits.
In auuition, the attack is a ciitical hit (see the
"Ciitical Bits" section).
-''46?+1; L+'(%2' @=%D+6+)16/# You make an
attack ioll with uisauvantage if you'ie attacking
with a weapon that you aien't pioficient with.
Covei
Covei is pioviueu by soliu objects that stanu
between you anu youi taiget. Walls, pillais, anu
tiees aie common examples of things that can
pioviue covei. A taiget behinu covei that blocks
at least half its bouy is haiuei to hit.
84&D :%9)=# A taiget has half covei if an
obstacle blocks at least half of its bouy. The
obstacle might be a low wall, a laige piece of
fuinituie, a naiiow tiee tiunk, oi a cieatuie,
whethei an enemy oi a fiienu.
A taiget with half covei has a +2 bonus to AC
anu Bexteiity saving thiows, but only against
attacks anu effects that oiiginate fiom the
opposite siue of the covei.
R(=))VW24=')=3 :%9)=# A taiget has thiee-
quaiteis covei if about thiee-quaiteis of it is
coveieu by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a
poitcullis, an aiiow slit, oi a thick tiee tiunk.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
A taiget with thiee-quaiteis covei has a +S
bonus to AC anu Bexteiity saving thiows, but
only against attacks anu effects that oiiginate
fiom the opposite siue of the covei.
R%'4& :%9)=# A taiget has total covei if it is
completely concealeu by an obstacle. 0nuei
noimal ciicumstances, a taiget with total covei
cannot be taigeteu uiiectly by an attack oi a
spell, although many spells can ieach such a
taiget by incluuing it in an aiea of effect.
Attacking an 0nseen Taiget
Combatants often tiy to escape theii foes' notice
by hiuing, casting the )#:)+).)*)-; spell, oi luiking
in uaikness.
When you attack a taiget that you can't see,
you have uisauvantage on the attack ioll,
whethei oi not you know wheie the taiget is
locateu. Youi attack might miss because you
iolleu too low oi because the taiget is nowheie
neai wheie you stiuck!
Nelee Attacks
A melee attack allows you to attack a foe within
youi ieach. Nelee attacks typically use a swoiu,
a waihammei, an axe, oi some othei weapon,
incluuing baie fists. Some spells also involve
making a melee attack.
$)46(# Nost cieatuies have a S-foot ieach, anu
can thus attack taigets within S feet of them.
Ceitain cieatuies have gieatei ieach, as noteu in
theii uesciiptions.
RL%V7)4.%1 O+;('+1;# When you aie
wieluing two light melee weapons, you can
attack twice when you take the attack action on
youi tuin, attacking once with each weapon. You
uon't auu youi ability mouifiei to the uamage of
the seconu attack, howevei.
If you haven't useu youi whole move foi the
tuin, you can move between the attacks. Anu if
eithei weapon has the thiown piopeity, youi
attack with that weapon can be iangeu.
Rangeu Attacks
When you make a iangeu attack, you fiie a bow
oi a ciossbow, huil a thiowing axe, oi otheiwise
use a piojectile weapon to stiike a foe at a
uistance. Nany spells also involve making a
iangeu attack.
You can make iangeu attacks only against
taigets within a specifieu iange. A spell's
uesciiption inuicates its maximum iange. You
can't attack a taiget beyonu this iange.
A weapon has two ianges. The smallei numbei
inuicates the weapon's noimal iange. The laigei
numbei inuicates long iange. You have
uisauvantage when you attack taigets beyonu
noimal iange anu out to long iange.
Bamage Rolls
Each weapon anu spell notes the uamage it ueals,
such as 1u8 oi 2u6. Roll the uamage uie oi uice,
auu any mouifieis, anu apply the uamage to youi
taiget. Nagic weapons, special abilities, anu
othei factois can giant a bonus to youi uamage.
In auuition, ceitain special abilities give you
extia uamage iepiesenteu by bonus uice.
The effects of taking uamage anu of uiopping
to u hit points aie uesciibeu in the "Bamage anu
Bying" section.
7)4.%1 -''46?3# If you'ie attacking with a
melee weapon, apply youi Stiength mouifiei to
the uamage, anu if you'ie attacking with a
iangeu weapon, apply youi Bexteiity mouifiei.
Ceitain weapons anu special abilities allow
you to apply a uiffeient mouifiei. Foi example, a
finesse weapon is a melee weapon that lets you
attack with youi Bexteiity mouifiei insteau of
youi Stiength mouifiei.
B4I4;) 4;4+13' J2&'+.&) R4=;)'3# If a spell
oi anothei effect ueals uamage to moie than one
taiget at the same time, ioll the uamage once foi
all the taigets.
Ciitical Bits
When you scoie a ciitical hit against a taiget, the
attack ueals its maximum uamage to it. This
means you uon't ioll the attack's uamage uice;
you insteau take the highest iolls that each of
those uice coulu piouuce anu then apply any
mouifieis.
In auuition, the taiget takes extia uamage. Roll
one of the attack's uamage uice, anu auu it to the
uamage. Foi example, if youi attack noimally
ueals 2u6 + 2 pieicing uamage, you woulu ioll
one extia u6 anu auu it to the uamage of a
ciitical hit.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
If the attack has uiffeient uamage uice, you
choose which uie to ioll. Foi example, if the
attack ueals 1u6 pieicing uamage anu 1u8
bluugeoning uamage, you can ioll one extia u6
oi u8.
Bamage Types
All uamage has a type. The type of uamage an
attack ueals helps uesciibe how a cieatuie oi an
object is being haimeu when it loses hit points.
Ceitain cieatuies anu objects aie iesistant oi
vulneiable to ceitain types of uamage.
-6+*# An effect that coiioues, uissolves, oi
otheiwise eioues an object oi a cieatuie's bouy
ueals aciu uamage. A black uiagon's coiiosive
bieath ueals aciu uamage, as uo the enzymes
excieteu by a black puuuing anu an ochie jelly.
P&2*;)%1+1;# When a cieatuie oi an object is
subjecteu to blunt foice, bluugeoning uamage
can be the iesult. Naces, flails, anu hammeis ueal
bluugeoning uamage. When a cieatuie falls, it
takes bluugeoning uamage fiom the suiface it
stiikes. Attacks that constiict oi ciush can also
ueal bluugeoning uamage.
:%&*# Some attacks expose theii taigets to such
seveie colu that the cieatuie's flesh fieezes oi
blisteis. Effects that ueal colu uamage incluue a
white uiagon's fieezing bieath, the elemental
colu cieateu by a <&#% &/ <&*8 spell, oi the
infeinal colu that iauiates fiom an ice uevil's
speai.
O+=)# Fiie uamage injuies cieatuies by buining
them. It might iesult fiom contact with actual
flames, exposuie to extieme heat, oi being
caught in an explosive buist. Fiie uamage is
causeu by such effects as a ieu uiagon's bieath,
the fiie suiiounuing a baloi, the flames that
make up a fiie elemental's bouy, anu the heat
iauiating fiom a salamanuei.
O%=6)# Foice is puie magical eneigy focuseu
into a uamaging foim. It takes many shapes,
incluuing spectial objects that battei a taiget,
invisible kinetic eneigy that teais a cieatuie
apait, anu magical iays that uisintegiate. Nost
effects that ueal foice uamage aie spells,
incluuing 41$)< 4)++)*% anu +5)0)-"1* 9%15&#.
C+;('1+1;# Some attacks iely on electiicity anu
injuie a cieatuie by buining it anu shocking its
system. A *)$,-#)#$ .&*- spell, a blue uiagon's
bieath, anu a lightning stiike fiom a natuial
stoim all ueal lightning uamage.
G)6=%'+6# The physical anu spiiitual
consequence of contact with negative eneigy is
neciotic uamage, which both kills the flesh anu
witheis the soul. Negative eneigy comes fiom
the Negative Eneigy Plane, a vast iealm of anti-
life that pioviues the animating essence foi
many unueau cieatuies. A wight's eneigy uiain
attack, the bieath of a shauow uiagon, anu a <,)**
-&"<, spell all ueal neciotic uamage.
@+)=6+1;# An attack that punctuies oi impales
ueals pieicing uamage. Common causes of
pieicing uamage incluue speais, a monstei's bite,
anu spikes lining the bottom of a pit tiap.
@%+3%1# An effect that causes inteinal uamage
to a cieatuie's neives, bloou, oi uigestive system
usually involves the use of poison. Nany
cieatuies, such as giant spiueis anu giant
centipeues, ueal poison uamage, as uo some
uiseases anu the billowing clouus of a gieen
uiagon's bieath.
@3/6(+6# An attack against a cieatuie's minu
often involves psychic uamage. Psionic abilities,
such as a minu flayei's psionic blast powei,
typically ueal psychic uamage, but psychic
uamage uoes not always have a psionic souice. It
can also iesult fiom the casting of a /%%.*%4)#8
spell oi when an evil chaiactei hanules a
piofounuly goou magic item, such as a ,&*;
1:%#$%0=
$4*+41'# Some effects cieate an intense, biight
light infuseu with positive eneigy, which seais
the flesh like fiie anu oveiloaus the spiiit with
powei, uealing iauiant uamage. Positive eneigy
comes fiom the Positive Eneigy Plane, a iealm of
biilliant white iauiance that is the fuinace of
cieation anu, as such, the antithesis of the
Negative Eneigy Plane. Spells such as /*14%
+-0)>%? anu ceitain attacks of celestial cieatuies,
ueal iauiant uamage.
>&43(+1;# Attacks that cause laceiations oi
abiasions often ueal slashing uamage. Nost
swoius anu axes ueal this type of uamage, as uo
a monstei's claws.
R(21*)=# Thunuei uamage iesults fiom
suuuen, concussive buists of sounu, usually
manifesting as a shock wave oi a ueafening noise.
The -,"#8%091:% spell is an example of effect
that ueals thunuei uamage.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Bamage Resistance anu
vulneiability
Some cieatuies anu objects aie exceeuingly
uifficult oi easy to huit with ceitain types of
uamage because of two uiffeient tiaits: uamage
iesistance anu uamage vulneiability.
$)3+3'416) 84&9)3# If a taiget has iesistance
to a type of uamage oi to all uamage, that
uamage is halveu against the taiget.
X2&1)=40+&+'/ B%20&)3# If a taiget has
vulneiability to a type of uamage oi to all
uamage, that uamage is uoubleu against the
taiget.
-D')= <'()= J%*+D+)=3# If a taiget has
iesistance oi vulneiability, the uamage is halveu
oi uoubleu aftei all othei mouifieis to the
uamage have been applieu.
Foi example, a cieatuie has iesistance to
bluugeoning uamage anu is hit by an attack that
ueals 2S uamage of that type. The cieatuie is
also within a magical auia that ieuuces all
uamage by S. The 2S uamage is fiist ieuuceu by
S anu then halveu, so the cieatuie takes 1u
uamage.
Bamage anu Bying
Injuiy anu the iisk of ueath aie constant
companions of those who woulu exploie the
woilus of B&B. A stiike fiom a swoiu, a
punctuie fiom an aiiow, oi a blast of flame fiom
a well-placeu fiieball all have the potential to
uamage, oi even kill, the haiuiest of cieatuies.
Bit Points
Bit points iepiesent a combination of physical
anu mental uuiability, the will to live, anu luck.
Bit points aie an abstiaction that iepiesent a
cieatuie's ability to suivive the many peiils lying
in wait.
8+' @%+1' J4F+I2I# A cieatuie's hit point
maximum is, simply, the numbei of hit points the
cieatuie has when it is has all of its hit points.
8+' B+6)# Eveiy cieatuie has 1 oi moie Bit
Bice, shoit foi Bit Point Bice. Playei chaiacteis
have 1 Bit Bie pei level.
A cieatuie's hit point maximum is ueteimineu
by iolling each Bit Bie (oi taking its aveiage)
anu auuing to it the cieatuie's Constitution
mouifiei, but at 1st-level, a playei chaiactei
takes the Bit Bie's maximum iesult, iathei than
iolling it. A cieatuie has a minimum of 1 hit
point pei Bit Bie.
Aftei a cieatuie iests, it can also spenu Bit
Bice to iegain hit points (see "Resting" below).
:2==)1' 8+' @%+1'3# A cieatuie's cuiient hit
points, oi just hit points, can be any numbei
between the cieatuie's hit point maximum anu u.
This numbei often changes. As a cieatuie
ieceives healing oi takes uamage, its hit points
iise oi fall.
Bamage
Whenevei a cieatuie takes uamage, that uamage
is subtiacteu fiom its hit points. Cieatuies with
moie hit points aie moie uuiable anu, theiefoie,
moie uifficult to kill. Those with fewei hit points
aie moie fiagile. The loss of hit points has no
effect on a cieatuie's capabilities until the
cieatuie uiops to u hit points.
uescrlblng Lhe LffecLs of uamage
uungeon MasLers descrlbe hlL polnL loss ln dlfferenL
ways. When your currenL hlL polnL LoLal ls half or more
of your hlL polnL maxlmum, you Lyplcally show no slgns
of ln[ury. When you drop below half your hlL polnL
maxlmum, you show slgns of wear, such as cuLs and
brulses. An aLLack LhaL reduces you Lo 0 hlL polnLs
sLrlkes you dlrecLly, leavlng a bleedlng ln[ury or oLher
Lrauma, or lL slmply knocks you unconsclous.
Bealing
A cieatuie heals whenevei it iegains hit points.
Cieatuies can heal by magical means, such as
fiom a cuie wounus spell oi a potion of healing,
oi by iesting.
Regaiuless of the methou, auu any hit points
iegaineu to youi cuiient hit points. Remembei,
youi hit points cannot exceeu youi hit point
maximum, so any hit points iegaineu in excess of
this numbei aie lost.
Biopping to u Bit Points
When you uiop to u hit points, you eithei uie
outiight oi fall unconscious.
H13'41' B)4'(# Nassive uamage can kill you
instantly. When uamage ieuuces you to u hit
points anu theie is uamage iemaining, you uie if
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
the iemaining uamage equals oi exceeus youi hit
point maximum.
Say you have 6 hit points anu take 18 uamage
fiom an attack. Aftei ieuucing you to u hit points,
12 uamage iemains. If youi hit point maximum
is 12 oi less, you uie.
O4&&+1; M16%136+%23# If uamage ieuuces you
to u hit points anu fails to kill you, you fall
unconscious (see "Conuitions"). This
unconsciousness enus if you iegain any hit
points.
B)4'( $%&&3# Whenevei you stait youi tuin
with u hit points, you must make a special ioll,
calleu a ueath ioll, to ueteimine whethei you
cieep closei to ueath oi hang onto life.
Roll a u2u. If the ioll is 1u oi highei, you
succeeu. 0theiwise, you fail. A success oi failuie
has no effect by itself, but thiee of eithei uoes
affect you.
0n youi thiiu success, you become stable (see
below). 0n youi thiiu failuie, you uie. The
successes anu failuies uo not neeu to be
consecutive, anu the numbei of both is ieset to
zeio when you iegain any hit points oi become
stable.
@&**)#$ 1 A= If youi ueath ioll is a 1, it counts as
two failuies.
@&**)#$ 1 BC= If youi ueath ioll is a 2u, you
iegain 1 hit point.
B4I4;) 4' U 8+' @%+1'3# Each time a cieatuie
with u hit points takes uamage, it suffeis a ueath
ioll failuie. If the uamage equals the cieatuie's
hit point maximum, it uies.
MonsLers and ueaLh
MosL uMs have a monsLer dle Lhe lnsLanL lL drops Lo 0
hlL polnLs, raLher Lhan havlng lL fall unconsclous and
make deaLh rolls.
MlghLy vlllalns and speclal nonplayer characLers are
common excepLlons, Lhe uM mlghL have Lhem fall
unconsclous and follow Lhe same rules as player
characLers.
Stabilizing a Cieatuie
The best way to save a cieatuie with u hit points
is to heal it. If healing is unavailable, you can, at
least, stabilize the cieatuie so that it isn't killeu
by a faileu ueath ioll.
8%L '% >'40+&+E)# To stabilize a cieatuie, you
must use youi action to tenu to the cieatuie, anu
you must succeeu on a BC 1u Wisuom
(Neuicine) check to auministei fiist aiu to it.
R() QDD)6'3 %D P)+1; >'40&)# A stable cieatuie
uoesn't make ueath iolls, even though it has u hit
points, but it uoes iemain unconscious. The
cieatuie stops being stable, anu must stait
making ueath iolls again, if it takes any uamage.
A stable cieatuie that is not healeu iegains 1
hit point aftei 1u4 houis.
Knocking a Cieatuie 0ut
Sometimes an attackei wants to incapacitate a
foe, iathei than ueal a killing blow. When an
attackei ieuuces a cieatuie to u hit points with a
melee attack, the attackei can knock the cieatuie
out. The attackei can make this choice the
instant the uamage is uealt. The cieatuie falls
unconscious anu is stable.
Resting
The most expeuient methou of healing is thiough
the use of magic, but when magic is not available,
you can iegain hit points by iesting. You can take
two uiffeient kinus of iests: a shoit iest anu a
long iest.
Shoit Rest
A shoit iest is a peiiou of uowntime, at least 1
houi long, uuiing which you catch youi bieath,
eat, uiink, anu clean anu binu wounus.
You can spenu one oi moie of youi Bit Bice
uuiing a shoit iest, up to youi maximum numbei
of Bit Bice. Foi each Bit Bie you spenu in this
way, ioll the uie anu auu youi Constitution
mouifiei to it. You iegain hit points equal to the
total. You can ueciue to spenu an auuitional Bit
Bie aftei each ioll. 0nce you have spent all youi
Bit Bice, you must complete a long iest to iegain
them.
Long Rest
A long iest is a peiiou of extenueu uowntime, at
least 8 houis long, uuiing which you sleep oi
peifoim light activity: ieauing, talking, eating, oi
stanuing watch foi no moie than 2 houis of the
iest peiiou. If the iest is inteiiupteu by a
stienuous activitysuch as attacking, taking
uamage, oi casting a spellyou must stait the
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
iest ovei to gain any benefit fiom it, unless the
inteiiuption takes less than an houi.
You must have at least 1 hit point to take a
long iest. At the enu of the iest, you iegain all
youi hit points anu half of youi maximum
numbei of Bit Bice (iounu up).
You cannot benefit fiom moie than one long
iest in a 24-houi peiiou.
Conuitions
Conuitions altei a cieatuie's capabilities in a
vaiiety of ways anu aiise as a iesult of a spell oi
othei effect. Nost conuitions, such as blinueu
anu ueafeneu, aie impaiiments, but a few, such
as incoipoieal anu invisible, can be
auvantageous.
A conuition lasts eithei until it is counteieu
(the pione conuition is counteieu by stanuing up,
foi example) oi foi a uuiation specifieu by the
effect that imposeu the conuition.
If moie than one effect impose the same
conuition on a cieatuie, each instance of the
conuition has its own uuiation, but the effects of
the conuition aie not compounueu on the
cieatuie.
The following uefinitions specify what
happens to a cieatuie while it is subjecteu to a
conuition. Each uefinition is a staiting point. It's
up to the BN to ueteimine auuitional uetails that
might be appiopiiate foi the conuition in ceitain
ciicumstances. Foi example, an intoxicateu
chaiactei noimally makes ability checks with
uisauvantage, but the BN might ueciue that
Chaiisma (Peisuasion) checks maue to influence
ale-loving uwaives uon't suffei this uiawback.
Blinueu
A blinueu cieatuie automatically fails any
ability check that involves sight.
Attack iolls against the cieatuie have
auvantage, anu the cieatuie's attack iolls have
uisauvantage.
Chaimeu
A chaimeu cieatuie cannot attack the chaimei
oi taiget the chaimei with haimful abilities oi
magical effects.
The chaimei has auvantage on any ability
check to inteiact socially with the cieatuie.
Beafeneu
A ueafeneu cieatuie automatically fails any
ability check that involves heaiing.
Fiighteneu
A fiighteneu cieatuie has uisauvantage on
ability checks anu attack iolls while the souice
of its feai is within line of sight.
The cieatuie cannot willingly move to a
position wheie it woulu enu a tuin closei to
the souice of its feai than wheie it staiteu.
Incoipoieal
An incoipoieal cieatuie has iesistance against
nonmagical uamage, anu the cieatuie's taigets
have iesistance against its nonmagical uamage.
The cieatuie can move thiough an object oi
anothei cieatuie, but can't stop theie.
Intoxicateu
An intoxicateu cieatuie has uisauvantage on
attack iolls anu ability checks.
To cast a spell, the cieatuie must fiist succeeu
on a BC 1u Constitution check. 0theiwise, the
spellcasting action is wasteu, but the spell is
not.
Invisible
An invisible cieatuie is impossible to see
without the aiu of magic oi a special sense. Foi
the puipose of hiuing, the cieatuie is heavily
obscuieu. The cieatuie's location can be
uetecteu by any noise it makes oi any tiacks it
leaves.
uisauvantage, anu the cieatuie's attack iolls
have auvantage.
Paialyzeu
A paialyzeu cieatuie cannot move, speak, oi
take any action that is not puiely mental. It
uiops whatevei it's holuing anu falls pione.
The cieatuie automatically fails Stiength anu
Bexteiity saving thiows.
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
auvantage.
Pione
A pione cieatuie's only movement option is to
ciawl, unless it stanus up.
The cieatuie has uisauvantage on attack iolls.
An attack ioll against the cieatuie has
uisauvantage, unless the attackei is within S
feet of the pione cieatuie.
Restiaineu
A iestiaineu cieatuie's speeu becomes u, anu
it cannot benefit fiom bonuses to its speeu.
auvantage, anu the cieatuie's attack iolls have
uisauvantage.
The cieatuie has uisauvantage on Bexteiity
saving thiows.
Stunneu
A stunneu cieatuie cannot move oi take
actions.
auvantage.
0nconscious
An unconscious cieatuie uiops whatevei it's
holuing anu falls pione.
The cieatuie cannot move, take actions, oi
peiceive its suiiounuings.
auvantage.

uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
Nagic
Spells aie wielueu by many of the heioes anu
villains of B0NuE0NS & BRAu0NS. Chaiacteis of
uiffeient classes have uiffeient ways of leaining
anu piepaiing theii spells, but when it comes to
casting them, the spells aie veiy much alike.
This section pioviues an oveiview of the spell
uesciiption foimat combineu with a uiscussion
of how spells woik anu what happens when
magical effects combine.
Reauing a Spell Besciiption
A spell's uesciiption is oiganizeu into seveial
sections.
G4I)A C)9)&A 41* B)36=+.'%=3# The
uesciiption staits with the spell's name. The next
line gives the spell's level, its school of magic,
anu any auuitional uesciiptois, such as the iitual
tag.
These two lines aie followeu by a paiagiaph oi
two uesciibing the spell.
$)N2+=)I)1'# Some spells iequiie special
ciicumstances oi specific items to be cast. If you
cannot meet a spell's iequiiements, you cannot
cast the spell. A spell's iequiiements aie in
auuition to any iequiiements you noimally have
to meet foi casting a spell.
QDD)6'# This section uesciibes the game
mechanics foi a spell.
J4')=+4& :%I.%1)1'3# If a spell has mateiial
components, they aie specifieu in this entiy.
0nless a spell says otheiwise, mateiial
components aie consumeu when a spell is cast.
Casting a Spell
When a chaiactei casts any spell, the same basic
iules aie followeu, iegaiuless of the chaiactei's
class oi the spell's effects.
Fiist, to cast a spell you must have access to it,
eithei fiom youi class, a magic item, oi some
othei souice. Ceitain classes also iequiie that
you have the spell piepaieu in auvance.
Seconu, in combat, you must cast a spell as an
action (see "Actions in Combat" in the combat
iules), unless a spell's uesciiption says
otheiwise. 0utsiue combat, you can effectively
cast a spell whenevei you want, but you must
complete one spell befoie casting the next.
Spell Components
A spell's components aie the physical
iequiiements you must meet in oiuei to cast it.
0nless a spell's uesciiption says otheiwise, a
spell iequiies you to chant mystic woius, which
constitutes its veibal component, anu to have
use of at least one aim to gestuie, which
constitutes the spell's somatic component. Some
spells also have mateiial components, paiticulai
items oi objects that aie iequiieu foi the casting.
If you can't pioviue a spell's components, you
aie unable to cast the spell. Thus, if you aie
silenceu oi youi aims aie bounu, you cannot cast
a spell.
Casting in Aimoi
Because of the mental focus anu piecise gestuies
iequiieu foi spellcasting, you must be pioficient
with the aimoi you aie weaiing to cast a spell.
You aie otheiwise too uistiacteu anu physically
hampeieu by youi aimoi foi spellcasting.
Casting a Spell at a Bighei Level
When you cast a spell using a spell slot that is of
a highei level than the spell, the spell assumes
the highei level foi that casting. Foi instance, if
you cast the Siu-level spell /)0%.1** using a Sth-
level slot, that /)0%.1** is Sth level.
Some spells have moie poweiful effects when
cast at a highei level, as uetaileu in an entiy
calleu At Bighei Levels.
Casting Time
Casting a spell iequiies an amount of time
specifieu in the spell. Nost spells iequiie a single
action to cast, a few seconus of time uuiing
which you iecite a magical woiu oi phiase anu
complete a set of hanu motions.
>L+D' >.)&&3# A swift spell iequiies but an
utteiance. A spell that has a swift casting time
can be cast as youi action oi as pait of anothei
action. If you cast the spell as pait of anothei
action, that othei action cannot involve casting a
spell oi activating a magic item.
$)46'+%13# Some spells can be cast as
ieactions. These spells take a fiaction of a seconu
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
to biing about anu aie cast in iesponse to some
event. If a spell can be cast as a ieaction, the spell
uesciiption tells you exactly when you can uo so.
C%1;)= :43'+1; R+I)3# Ceitain spells iequiie
moie time to cast: minutes oi even houis. If you
take uamage while you aie casting a spell that
iequiies moie than a single action oi ieaction,
you must succeeu on a Constitution saving thiow
to continue casting the spell. The BC equals half
the uamage you just took. If you take uamage
fiom multiple souices, such as fiom an aiiow
anu a uiagon's bieath, you make a saving thiow
against each souice of uamage sepaiately. If you
fail the save, the spell fails, but it is not expenueu.
If you want to cast the spell again, you must stait
ovei.
Range
The taiget oi point of oiigin of a spell must be
within the spell's iange. 0nce the spell is cast, its
effects aie not limiteu by its iange.
Nost spells have ianges expiesseu in feet.
Some spells can taiget only a cieatuie (incluuing
youiself) that you touch. 0thei spells affect only
the castei. Foi example, the +,)%*8 spell piotects
you anu only you.
Taigets
A typical spell iequiies you to pick one oi moie
taigets to be affecteu by the spell's magic. A
spell's uesciiption tells you whethei the spell
taigets cieatuies, objects, a point of oiigin foi an
aiea of effect, oi a combination of these things.
To taiget someone oi something, you must
have a cleai path to it, so it cannot be behinu
total covei. If you place an aiea of effect at a
point that you can't see anu an obstiuction is
between you anu that point, the point of oiigin
comes into being on the neai siue of that
obstiuction.
If you aie in the aiea of effect oi within the
iange of a spell you cast, you can taiget youiself.
Aieas of Effect
A /)0%.1** exploues, buining an entiie gioup of
oics. A <&#% &/ <&*8 blasts foith, fieezing a gang
of ogies in place. Spells such as these covei an
aiea, allowing them to affect multiple cieatuies
at once.
An aiea of effect has one of seveial uiffeient
shapes. It also has a point of oiigin, a location
fiom which the spell's eneigy eiupts. The iules
foi each shape specify how you position its point
of oiigin. Typically, a point of oiigin is a point in
space, but some spells iequiie it to be a cieatuie
oi an object.
:&%2*# You select a clouu's point of oiigin, anu
the clouu spieaus fiom that point. A clouu's size
is expiesseu as a iauius in feet that extenus
outwaiu fiom the point.
The gas oi othei substance of a clouu expanus
outwaiu fiom the point of oiigin to the uistance
of its iauius, moving aiounu objects such as
walls anu pillais.
A clouu's point of oiigin is incluueu in the
clouu's aiea of effect.
:%1)# A cone extenus in a uiiection you choose
fiom its point of oiigin. A cone's wiuth at a given
point along its length is equal to that point's
uistance fiom the point of oiigin. A cone's aiea of
effect specifies its maximum length.
The eneigy in a cone expanus in stiaight lines
fiom the point of oiigin. Thus, if no unblockeu
stiaight line extenus fiom the point of oiigin to a
location within the cone, that location is not
incluueu in the cone's aiea of effect.
A cone's point of oiigin is not incluueu in the
cone's aiea of effect, unless you ueciue otheiwise.
:20)# You select a cube's point of oiigin, which
lies anywheie on a face of the cubic effect. The
cube's size is expiesseu as the length of each siue.
The eneigy oi substance in a cube expanus
outwaiu fiom the point of oiigin to the
maximum extent of the cube, moving aiounu
objects such as walls anu pillais.
A cube's point of oiigin is not incluueu in the
cube's aiea of effect, unless you ueciue otheiwise.
:/&+1*)=# A cylinuei's point of oiigin is the
centei of a ciicle of a paiticulai iauius, as given
in the spell uesciiption. The ciicle must be on the
giounu. The eneigy in a cylinuei expanus in
stiaight lines fiom the point of oiigin to the
peiimetei of the ciicle, foiming the base of the
cylinuei. The spell's effect then shoots up fiom
the base, out to a uistance equal to the height of
the cylinuei.
Because the eneigy in a cylinuei emanates in
stiaight lines, a cylinuei is similai to a cone in
teims of which paits of its aiea the eneigy can
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
affect. If no unblockeu stiaight line extenus fiom
the cylinuei's base to a location within the
cylinuei, that location is not incluueu in the aiea
of effect.
A cylinuei's point of oiigin is incluueu in the
cylinuei's aiea of effect.
C+1)# A line extenus fiom its point of oiigin in a
stiaight path up to its length anu coveis an aiea
uefineu by its wiuth.
A line's point of oiigin is not incluueu in the
line's aiea of effect, unless you ueciue otheiwise.
>.()=)# You select a spheie's point of oiigin,
anu the spheie extenus outwaiu fiom that point.
The spheie's size is expiesseu as a iauius in feet
that extenus fiom the point.
The eneigy in a spheie (like that in a cone oi a
cylinuei) expanus in stiaight lines fiom the point
of oiigin. If no unblockeu stiaight line extenus
fiom that point to a spot within the spheie, that
spot is not incluueu in the spheie's aiea of effect.
A spheie's point of oiigin is incluueu in the
spheie's aiea of effect.
Saving Thiows
Nany spells specify that a taiget can make a
saving thiow to avoiu some oi all of a spell's
effects. The spell specifies the ability that the
taiget uses foi the save anu what happens on a
success oi failuie.
The BC to iesist one of youi spells equals 1u +
youi magic ability mouifiei. If you have a
spellcasting bonus fiom youi class oi anothei
souice, auu the bonus to the BC.
Buiation
A spell's uuiation is the length of time the spell
peisists. A uuiation can be expiesseu in iounus,
minutes, houis, oi even yeais. Some spells
specify that theii effects last until the spells aie
uispelleu oi uestioyeu.
Some spells aie instantaneous. The spell
haims, heals, cieates, oi alteis something oi
someone in a way that cannot be uispelleu,
because its magic exists only foi an instant.
Concentiation
Some spells iequiie you to maintain youi
concentiation in oiuei to keep theii magic active
aftei they'ie cast. If you lose concentiation, such
a spell enus.
A spell that iequiies concentiation tells you so
in its Buiation entiy, anu the spell specifies how
long you can concentiate on it. You can enu youi
concentiation at any time (no action iequiieu).
Noimal activity, such as moving anu attacking,
uoes not inteifeie with youi concentiation. The
actions anu events that can inteifeie with it aie
uiscusseu below.
:43'+1; 41%'()= 3.)&& '(4' =)N2+=)3
6%16)1'=4'+%1# You lose youi concentiation on a
spell if you cast anothei spell that iequiies
concentiation. You can't concentiate on two
spells as once.
C%3+1; 6%136+%231)33# You lose youi
concentiation on a spell if you aie stunneu oi
knockeu unconscious. By extension, the spell
enus if you uie.
>2DD)=+1; 3)9)=) *+3'=46'+%13# You can lose
youi concentiation if an event oi an effect
uistiacts you too much. If an attack oi anothei
effect can uisiupt youi concentiation in this way,
its uesciiption says so. Foi instance, you might
neeu to make a Constitution save to maintain
youi concentiation while a giant octopus giasps
you.
The BN might also ueciue that ceitain
enviionmental phenomena, such as a wave
ciashing ovei you while you'ie on a stoim-
tosseu ship, iequiie you to make a BC 1u
Constitution saving thiow to maintain
concentiation on a spell.
Cantiips
A cantiip is a spell that can be cast at will,
without using a spell slot anu without having to
be piepaieu in auvance. Repeateu castings have
fixeu the spell in the castei's minu anu infuseu
the castei with the magic neeueu to piouuce the
effect ovei anu ovei.
Nages anu ceitain othei spellcasteis know
cantiips, as uo membeis of paiticulai iaces, such
as high elves.
Rituals
A iitual is a veision of a spell that takes longei to
cast than noimal, anu it uoesn't expenu a spell
uo noL dlsLrlbuLe.
slot. A spellcastei can peifoim the iitual veision
of a spell only if the castei has a featuie that
giants the ability to uo so. Nages, cleiics, uiuius,
anu baius can all peifoim iituals.
:43'+1; R+I)# To cast a spell as a iitual, auu
1u minutes to the spell's casting time.
$+'24& O%623# A spellcastei must use a special
object to focus the magic of a iitual: a component
pouch oi an object specifieu by the castei's iitual
casting featuie. The focus is a mateiial
component that is not consumeu by the spell.
Combining Nagical Effects
Although inuiviuual spells aie faiily easy to
aujuuicate, sometimes the situation can be
confusing when moie than one spell is affecting
the same cieatuie.
Bonuses anu penalties pioviueu by spells all
auu togethei while the uuiations of those spells
oveilap, except foi one case. 0nless otheiwise
noteu in a spell's uesciiption, the effects of the
same spell cast multiple times (incluuing highei-
oi lowei-level veisions of the same spell) uo not
auu togethei. Insteau, the highest bonus oi woist
penalty fiom those castings applies. Each spell
still expiies inuiviuually.

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