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Rules Quick Reference

Essential 5e rules at a glance for players and DMs.

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Actions in Combat

Attack Make a melee or ranged attack. At higher levels, fighters gain Extra Attack.
Cast a Spell Cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action. Some spells use bonus actions or reactions instead.
Dash Gain extra movement equal to your speed for the current turn.
Disengage Your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn.
Dodge Attack rolls against you have disadvantage, and you make DEX saves with advantage until your next turn.
Help Give an ally advantage on their next ability check or attack roll against a target within 5 feet of you.
Hide Make a DEX (Stealth) check to become hidden, gaining advantage on your next attack.
Ready Prepare an action to trigger in response to a specific event. Uses your reaction when triggered.
Search Make a WIS (Perception) or INT (Investigation) check to find something.
Use an Object Interact with a second object on your turn, drink a potion, or use an item that requires an action.

Conditions

Blinded Severe

Can't see. Auto-fail sight checks. Attack rolls have disadvantage. Attacks against have advantage.

Charmed Special

Can't attack the charmer. Charmer has advantage on social checks.

Deafened Impaired

Can't hear. Auto-fail hearing checks.

Exhaustion Severe

Levels 1-6: -2 per level on d20 rolls. Speed reduced. Level 6 = death.

Frightened Major

Disadvantage on ability checks and attacks while source is in line of sight. Can't willingly move closer.

Grappled Impaired

Speed becomes 0. Ends if grappler is incapacitated or target is moved out of reach.

Incapacitated Severe

Can't take actions or reactions.

Invisible Special

Can't be seen without magic/special sense. Advantage on attacks. Attacks against have disadvantage.

Paralyzed Severe

Incapacitated. Can't move or speak. Auto-fail STR/DEX saves. Attacks have advantage. Melee hits are crits.

Petrified Severe

Turned to stone. Weight x10. Incapacitated. Resistance to all damage. Immune to poison/disease.

Poisoned Major

Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Prone Impaired

Can only crawl. Disadvantage on attacks. Melee attacks have advantage, ranged have disadvantage.

Restrained Major

Speed 0. Disadvantage on attacks and DEX saves. Attacks against have advantage.

Stunned Severe

Incapacitated. Can't move. Can speak only falteringly. Auto-fail STR/DEX saves. Attacks have advantage.

Unconscious Severe

Incapacitated. Can't move or speak. Unaware. Drop held items. Fall prone. Auto-fail STR/DEX saves. Attacks have advantage. Melee hits are crits.

Spellcasting Rules

Concentration Some spells require concentration. You lose concentration if: you cast another concentration spell, take damage and fail a CON save (DC 10 or half damage, whichever is higher), you're incapacitated, or you die.
Spell Components V (Verbal): spoken words. S (Somatic): gestures with a free hand. M (Material): specific items or a spellcasting focus. Components with a cost listed must be provided specifically.
Ritual Casting Spells with the ritual tag can be cast as a ritual, adding 10 minutes to the casting time but not expending a spell slot. Only classes with the Ritual Casting feature can do this.
Spell Slots Casting a spell expends a slot of the spell's level or higher. Cantrips don't use spell slots. All spell slots are restored on a long rest (Warlock pact slots restore on a short rest).
Upcasting Many spells have enhanced effects when cast using a higher-level spell slot. The spell's description specifies what changes at higher levels.

Combat Rules

Initiative At the start of combat, every creature makes a DEX check to determine turn order. Higher rolls go first. Ties are broken by the DM.
Surprise If you're surprised, you can't move or take an action on your first turn of combat, and you can't take a reaction until that turn ends.
Opportunity Attack When a hostile creature you can see moves out of your reach, you can use your reaction to make one melee attack against it. Disengage action prevents this.
Death Saves When you start your turn at 0 HP, roll a d20. 10+ = success, 9- = failure. 3 successes = stabilize. 3 failures = death. Natural 20 = regain 1 HP. Natural 1 = 2 failures.
Two-Weapon Fighting When you attack with a light melee weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon in your other hand. Don't add ability modifier to damage unless it's negative.
Grappling Use the Attack action to grapple (STR (Athletics) vs. target's STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics)). Success: target's speed becomes 0. Escape requires the same contested check.
Shoving Use the Attack action to shove (STR (Athletics) vs. target's STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics)). Success: push target 5 feet away or knock it prone.

Cover

Half +2 bonus to AC and DEX saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body.
Three-Quarters +5 bonus to AC and DEX saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if about three-quarters of it is covered by an obstacle.
Total A target with total cover can't be targeted directly by an attack or spell, although some spells can reach such a target by including it in an area of effect.

Rest

Short Rest

At least 1 hour of downtime. A character can spend one or more Hit Dice to regain hit points, rolling each die and adding their CON modifier. Some class features also recharge on a short rest.

Long Rest

At least 8 hours of extended rest (sleep or light activity). The character regains all lost hit points and half of their total Hit Dice (minimum 1). Most class features and all spell slots are restored.

Movement

Difficult Terrain Every foot of movement in difficult terrain costs 1 extra foot. This rule applies even when multiple things count as difficult terrain.
Climbing / Swimming / Crawling Each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot (2 extra in difficult terrain) unless the creature has a climbing or swimming speed.
Long Jump With a 10-foot running start, cover a number of feet equal to your STR score. Standing long jump covers half that distance.
High Jump With a 10-foot running start, leap 3 + STR modifier feet into the air. Standing high jump covers half that distance.

Equipment Rules

Weapon Properties

Ammunition Requires ammunition for ranged attacks. Drawing ammunition is part of the attack. You need a free hand to load.
Finesse Use STR or DEX modifier for attack and damage rolls (your choice).
Heavy Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons.
Light Ideal for two-weapon fighting. When you attack with a light weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with another light weapon.
Loading You can fire only one piece of ammunition per action, bonus action, or reaction, regardless of Extra Attack.
Reach Adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack, and for opportunity attacks.
Thrown Can be thrown for a ranged attack using the same ability modifier as a melee attack.
Two-Handed Requires two hands to use.
Versatile Can be used with one or two hands. The two-handed damage is shown in parentheses.

Armor Rules

Light Armor AC = armor's AC bonus + DEX modifier. No STR requirement.
Medium Armor AC = armor's AC bonus + DEX modifier (max 2). Some impose stealth disadvantage.
Heavy Armor AC = armor's AC bonus (no DEX). All impose stealth disadvantage. Some require minimum STR.
Shield +2 AC. Requires one hand to wield. You can benefit from only one shield at a time.

Environmental Rules

Falling A creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it falls, to a maximum of 20d6. The creature lands prone unless it avoids taking damage from the fall.
Vision & Light Bright light: normal vision. Dim light: lightly obscured, disadvantage on Perception checks relying on sight. Darkness: heavily obscured, effectively blinded.
Darkvision Treat darkness as dim light (within range) and dim light as bright light. Cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Suffocating A creature can hold its breath for 1 + CON modifier minutes (min 30 seconds). When out of breath, it can survive for CON modifier rounds (min 1), then drops to 0 HP.

Advantage & Disadvantage

Advantage

Roll two d20s and use the higher roll. Granted by favorable circumstances, spells, class features, or the Help action.

Disadvantage

Roll two d20s and use the lower roll. Imposed by unfavorable circumstances, conditions, or environmental hazards.

If you have both advantage and disadvantage, they cancel out and you roll normally. Multiple sources of advantage or disadvantage do not stack -- you still only roll two dice.