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This section summarizes the basic concepts and mechanics of combat.
An attack roll represents your attempt to strike your opponent on your turn in a round. When you make an attack roll, you roll a d20 and add your attack bonus. (Other modifiers may also apply to this roll.) If your result equals or beats the target’s Evasion score (11 plus Evasion bonus), you hit and roll for damage.
When a monster or NPC attacks you, the DM may roll for the attack as above, against 11 plus your Evasion bonus, or may ask you to roll d20 and add your Evasion bonus. If your result equals or beats the monster’s attack score (11 plus attack bonus), then the attack misses. If your result is less than the attack score, the attack hits and the DM rolls for damage.
A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on an attack roll is always a miss. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a hit. A natural 20 is also a threat: a possible critical hit. When rolling Evasion, the converse is true - a natural 20 is always a miss and a natural 1 is a hit and a threat.
Table: Size Modifiers Size Size Modifier Colossal -8 Gargantuan -4 Huge -2 Large -1 Medium +0 Small +1 Tiny +2 Diminutive +4 Fine +8
Your attack bonus with a melee weapon is:
Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier
With a ranged weapon, your attack bonus is:
Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier + range penalty
A base attack bonus is an attack roll bonus derived from levels in certain character classes (primarily Fighter). Base attack bonuses gained from different classes stack. A second attack is gained when a base attack bonus reaches +6, a third with a base attack bonus of +11 or higher, and a fourth with a base attack bonus of +16 or higher.
Your Evasion score represents how hard it is for opponents to hit you. An opponent needs to beat your Evasion score with their Attack score. Your Evasion score is d20 (roll separately for each attack against you) plus your Evasion modifier. Your Evasion modifier is equal to the following:
Dodge modifier + size modifier + other factors
Normally, monsters and NPCs don’t roll d20 for Evasion, but take 11 and add their Evasion modifier. The DM may choose to roll Evasion for them, in some circumstances, or to require PCs to take 11 rather than rolling.
Some Evasion bonuses represent actively avoiding blows. These bonuses are called dodge bonuses. Sometimes you can’t use your Dodge bonus (if you have one). If you can’t react to a blow, you can’t use your Dodge bonus to Evasion. (If your Dodge modifier is a penalty it applies even in these situations.) Your Dexterity modifier is a dodge modifier; any rule stating that you are denied your Dexterity bonus in a certain situation should be read as saying you are denied any and all dodge bonuses. Unlike most sorts of bonuses, dodge bonuses stack with each other.
Armor limits your Dexterity bonus to Evasion, so if you’re wearing armor, you might not be able to apply your whole Dexterity bonus to your Evasion. A limit on your Dexterity bonus because you are wearing armour does not count as being denied your Dexterity bonus to Evasion and so does not deny you other dodge bonuses or trigger other effects, even if it limits your Dexterity bonus to 0.
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This is the same as your size modifier on attack rolls. Other Modifierstext linktext)
Other factors can modify your Evasion. Deflection Bonustext linktext)
Magical deflection effects (not yet in play) ward off attacks and improve your Evasion.text linktext)
When your attack succeeds, the type of weapon used (including unarmed strikes and the natural physical attack forms of creatures) determines the base damage from the hit. Minimum Damagetext linktext)
If penalties reduce the base damage result to less than 1, a hit still has a damage value of at least 1. Strength Bonustext linktext)
When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon, including a sling, add your Strength modifier to the base damage. A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies on attacks made with a bow that is not a composite bow. Off-Hand Weapontext linktext)
When you use a weapon in your off hand, you add only ½ your Strength bonus to base damage with that weapon. Wielding a Weapon Two-Handed When you use a weapon two-handed, you add 1½ times your Strength bonus to base damage with that weapon. However, you don’t get this higher Strength bonus when using a light weapon with two hands. Multiplying Damage Sometimes you multiply damage by some factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results. Note: When you multiply damage more than once, each multiplier works off the original, unmultiplied damage. Exception: Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal damage are never multiplied. Damage Reduction Damage normally reduces the target’s current body points. However, some of the base damage is often negated, or converted from body point damage to resilience point damage. Resilience point damage reduces the target’s current resilience points, not body points. Negated damage does not reduce hit points at all. Collectively, damage negation and damage conversion are called damage reduction (DR) Armour DR If you are wearing armour, using a shield, and/or have natural armour, then you have armour DR. Armour DR from these three different sources stacks, though you can’t stack DR from the same type of source (for example from two shields, from a suit of armour and an armour-like magical effect, or from innate natural armour and a magical effect that grants natural armour). Half of your total armour DR (rounding up) is damage negation – subtract it from the base damage of hits against you. The remainder (ie half rounding down) is damage conversion – this damage is subtracted from the bp damage of the hit, but is applied as rp damage. Active DR Levels in Fighter, and potentially other sources, give you active DR. Normally, this is damage conversion – it subtracts an amount from bp damage and applies it as rp damage. It stacks with damage conversion from armour DR. Hit types According to the outcome of the damage resolution process above, successful attacks fall into different categories. Attacks of different categories may trigger certain additional effects (largely not yet in play), as well as any body point or resilience point damage. Wounding hit A wounding hit is a successful attack that deals bp damage. Wound effects (which might include injury poison) are triggered by wounding hits but no other sort of attack. They are therefore prevented if DR or other factors prevent the attack doing any bp damage. A wounding hit also counts as a damaging hit, a hit and a touch. Depending on the weapon or effect causing the damage, damage can be of different types, including piercing, slashing or bludgeoning (all weapon damage types) or fire, cold or lightning (all energy damage types). Some wound effects may be triggered only by a certain damage type or types – for example, injected poison may require that the damage type be piercing or slashing. Damaging hits A damaging hit is a successful attack that deals hp (bp and/or rp) damage. Damage effects (which might include stunning) are triggered by damaging hits (including those that are also wounding hits), but not by any other sort of attack. They are therefore prevented if damage reduction or other factors prevent the attack doing any hp damage. A damaging hit also counts as a hit and a touch. Hits A hit is any successful attack that allows a damage roll, whether or not damage is actually inflicted. Hit effects (which might include ability drain) are triggered by hits but not by any other attack. A hit also counts as a touch. Touches A touch is any direct contact between your body (or equipment on your body) and your target’s body (or equipment on your target’s body). Touch effects (which might include magic spells) are triggered by any touch, whether or not it is a hit that allows a damage roll. Non-combat Touches and Touch Attacks Sometimes you are just attempting to touch your target, not land a damaging hit on a vital area. In a non-combat situation, attack rolls are often not made. The GM will determine whether a touch has been made and may choose to, but does not have to, use an ad hoc attack roll or handle the attempt with full combat rules. In combat, or any other time an attack roll is required to make a touch, you can declare a melee attack as a touch attack. Touch attacks gain a +2 bonus to the attack roll because it is easier to lightly touch an opponent than to land a damaging hit. A successful touch attack results only in a touch, not a hit, and so does not trigger hit effects, damage effects, wound effects or weapon damage. Ranged attacks cannot benefit from a touch attack bonus, but you can make a touch attack with a melee weapon as well as with your empty hand – weapon or natural attack damage is not rolled in either case. Hit Points Hit points comprise body points and resilience points. Body points (bp) represent your ability to take physical damage; resilience points (rp) represent your ability to avoid serious physical damage. As long as you have at least 1 bp and at least 0 rp, you can act normally. If you have zero or negative bp and/or negative rp, you have restrictions and/or penalties on your actions. Also, if you have negative bp, you’re dying, and if your bp reach -10, you’re dead. Full rules for the effects of zero or negative totals are found in the Injury and Death section. Speed Your speed tells you how far you can move in a round and still do something, such as attack or cast a spell. Your base speed is one of your Body stats, and your current speed can be also be affected by factors including the weight of armour and other gear you have on you. If you use two move actions in a round (sometimes called a "double move" action), you can move up to double your speed. If you spend the entire round to run all out, you can move up to quadruple your speed (or triple if you are heavily encumbered with armour or other gear). Saving Throws Often, when you are subject to an unusual or magical attack (and especially if you cannot use Evasion to avoid it), you get a saving throw to avoid or reduce the effect. Like an attack roll, a saving throw is a d20 roll plus a bonus based on your class levels, a relevant ability modifier, and any other applicable modifiers. Your saving throw modifier is: Base save bonus + ability modifier + other modifiers Base Save Bonus A saving throw modifier derived from class levels (primarily body levels for Fortitude save and mind levels for Will save). If you gain additional base save bonuses from any other classes, they stack. Saving Throw Types In initial playtest, there are just two different kinds of saving throws: Fortitude and Will. Fortitude These saves measure your ability to stand up to physical punishment or attacks against your vitality and health. Apply your Constitution modifier to your Fortitude saving throws. Will These saves reflect your resistance to mental influence as well as many magical effects. Apply your Wisdom modifier to your Will saving throws. Saving Throw Difficulty Class The DC for a save is determined by the attack itself. Automatic Failures and Successes A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on a saving throw is always a failure (and may cause damage to exposed items; see Items Surviving after a Saving Throw). A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a success. Roll reversal When an attack or effect of yours requires a monster or NPC to make a save, the GM may roll a save for the monster as above, or may require you to roll d20 and add your applicable bonus (your save DC minus 10). If your result equals or beats the monster’s save score (11 plus save bonus), then the monster fails its save. If your result is less than the save score, the monster successfully saves. In this case, a natural 20 on your roll is always a failure for the monster’s save (and may cause damage to exposed items; see Items Surviving after a Saving Throw), and a natural 1 is always a success.