> [!warning] > This page is a work in progress. Information on this page is subject to change. # 03. Game Phases ## Combat Adventurers encounter many dangerous monsters and nefarious villains. In those moments, combat often breaks out. ### Combat Order (Turns & Rounds) The game organizes combat into a cycle of rounds and turns. A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each participant in a battle takes a turn. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of combat when everyone rolls [[#Initiative]]. Once everyone has taken a turn, the fight continues to the next round if neither side is defeated. #### Combat Steps **1: Determining Surprise** The GM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is [[surprised]]. **2: Establish Starting Positions.** The Game Master determines where all the characters and monsters are located. Given the adventurers' marching order or their stated positions in the room or other location, the GM figures out where the adversaries are, how far away, and in what direction. **3: Roll Initiative.** Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls [[#Initiative]], determining the order of combatants' turns. **4: Take Turns.** Each participant in the battle takes a turn in Initiative order. When everyone involved in the combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat this step until the fighting stops. On your turn, you can move a distance up to your Speed and take one action. You decide whether to move first or take your action first. #### Combat End Combat ends when one side or the other is defeated, which can mean the creatures are killed or knocked out or have surrendered or fled. Combat can also end when both sides agree to end it. ### Initiative Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant rolls Initiative; they make a Dexterity check that determines their place in the Initiative order. The GM rolls for monsters. For a group of identical creatures, the GM makes a single roll, so each member of the group has the same Initiative. - **Surprise.** If a combatant is surprised by combat starting, that combatant has Disadvantage on their Initiative roll. For example, if an ambusher starts combat while hidden from a foe who is unaware that combat is starting, that foe is surprised. - **Initiative Order.** A combatant's check total is called their Initiative count, or Initiative for short. The GM ranks the combatants, from highest to lowest Initiative. This is the order in which they act during each round. The Initiative order remains the same from round to round. - **Ties.** If a tie occurs, the GM decides the order among tied monsters, and the players decide the order among tied characters. The GM decides the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character. #### Your Turn On your turn, you can move a distance up to your Speed and take one action. You decide whether to move first or take your action first. The main actions you can take are listed in "Actions" earlier in this chapter. A character's features and a monster's stat block also provide action options. "Movement and Position" later in this chapter gives the rules for movement. - **Communicating.** You can communicate however you are able-through brief utterances and gestures-as you take your turn. Doing so uses neither your action nor your move. Extended communication, such as a detailed explanation of something or an attempt to persuade a foe, requires an action. The [[Act|Influence]] action is the main way you try to influence a monster. Interacting with Things. You can interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or action. For example, you could open a door during your move as you stride toward a foe.  If you want to interact with a second object, you need to take the [[Interact|Utilize]] action. Some magic items and other special objects always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions. The GM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the GM might require you to take the Utilize action to open a stuck door or turn a crank to lower a drawbridge.  Doing Nothing on Your Turn. You can forgo moving, taking an action, or doing anything at all on your turn. If you can't decide what to do, consider taking the defensive Dodge action or the Ready action to delay acting. ##### Additional Turn Activity Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require neither your action nor your move. You can communicate however you are able, through brief utterances and gestures, as you take your turn. You can also interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or your action. For example, you could open a door during your move as you stride toward a foe, or you could draw your weapon as part of the same action you use to attack. If you want to interact with a second object, you need to use your action. Some magic items and other special objects always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions. The GM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the GM could reasonably expect you to use an action to open a stuck door or turn a crank to lower a drawbridge. ### Movement & Position On your turn, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move. Your movement can include climbing, crawling, jumping, and swimming (each explained in the rules glossary). These different modes of movement can be combined with your regular movement, or they can constitute your entire move.  However you're moving with your Speed, you deduct the distance of each part of your move from it until it is used up or until you are done moving, whichever comes first. A character's Speed is determined during character creation. A monster's Speed is noted in the monster's stat block. See the rules glossary for more about [[Speed]] as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed. #### Additional Movement Options You can break up your movement on your turn, using some of your speed before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 30 feet, you can move 10 feet, take your action, and then move 20 feet. ##### Using Different Speeds If you have more than one speed, such as your walking speed and a flying speed, you can switch back and forth between your speeds during your move. Whenever you switch, subtract the distance you’ve already moved from the new speed. The result determines how much farther you can move. If the result is 0 or less, you can’t use the new speed during the current move. For example, if you have a speed of 30 and a flying speed of 60 because a wizard cast the [[fly]] spell on you, you could fly 20 feet, then walk 10 feet, and then leap into the air to fly 30 feet more. ##### Moving Between Attacks If you take an action that includes more than one weapon attack, you can break up your movement even further by moving between those attacks. For example, a fighter who can make two attacks with the Extra Attack feature and who has a speed of 25 feet could move 10 feet, make an attack, move 15 feet, and then attack again. ##### Moving Around Other Creatures You can move through a nonhostile creature’s space. In contrast, you can move through a hostile creature’s space only if the creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you. Remember that another creature’s space is [[#difficult terrain]] for you. Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can’t willingly end your move in its space. If you leave a hostile creature’s reach during your move, you provoke an [[#opportunity attacks|opportunity attack]], as explained later in this section. ##### Flying Movement Flying creatures enjoy many benefits of mobility, but they must also deal with the danger of falling. If a flying creature is knocked [[prone]], has its speed reduced to 0, or is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the creature falls, unless it has the ability to hover or it is being held aloft by magic, such as by the [[fly]] spell. #### Difficult Terrain Combat rarely takes place in bare rooms or on featureless plains. Boulder-strewn caverns, briar-choked forests, treacherous staircases — the setting of a typical fight contains difficult terrain. Every foot of movement in difficult terrain costs 1 extra foot. This rule is true even if multiple things in a space count as difficult terrain. Low furniture, rubble, undergrowth, steep stairs, snow, and shallow bogs are examples of difficult terrain. The space of another creature, whether hostile or not, also counts as difficult terrain. ### Size & Space Each creature takes up a different amount of space. Creature sizes are displayed in the table below. The table shows how much space a creature of a particular size controls in combat. Objects sometimes use the same size categories. | Size | Space | | -------------- | ---------------------- | | [[Tiny]] | 2 ½ by 2 ½ ft. | | [[Small]] | 5 by 5 ft. | | [[Medium]] | 5 by 5 ft. | | [[Large]] | 10 by 10 ft. | | [[Huge]] | 15 by 15 ft. | | [[Gargantuan]] | 20 by 20 ft. or larger | #### Space in Combat A creature’s space is the area in feet that it effectively controls in combat, not an expression of its physical dimensions. A typical [[Medium]] creature isn’t 5 feet wide, for example, but it does control a space that wide. If a Medium hobgoblin stands in a 5-foot-wide doorway, other creatures can’t get through unless the hobgoblin lets them. A creature’s space also reflects the area it needs to fight effectively. For that reason, there’s a limit to the number of creatures that can surround another creature in combat. Assuming Medium combatants, eight creatures can fit in a 5-foot radius around another one. Because larger creatures take up more space, fewer of them can surround a creature. If four Large creatures crowd around a Medium or smaller one, there’s little room for anyone else. In contrast, as many as twenty Medium creatures can surround a Gargantuan one. #### Squeezing into a Smaller Space A creature can squeeze through a space that is large enough for a creature one size smaller than it. Thus, a [[Large]] creature can squeeze through a passage that’s only 5 feet wide. While squeezing through a space, a creature must spend 1 extra foot for every foot it moves there, and it has [[disadvantage]] on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the creature have [[advantage]] while it’s in the smaller space. ### Attacking Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has a simple structure. 1. **Choose a target.** Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location. 2. **Determine modifiers.** The GM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have [[advantage]] or [[disadvantage]] against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll. 3. **Resolve the attack.** You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage. If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack. #### Melee Attacks Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack allows you to attack a foe within your reach. A melee attack typically uses a handheld weapon such as a sword, a warhammer, or an axe. A typical monster makes a melee attack when it strikes with its claws, horns, teeth, tentacles, or other body part. A few spells also involve making a melee attack. Most creatures have a 5-foot **reach** and can thus attack targets within 5 feet of them when making a melee attack. Certain creatures (typically those larger than [[Medium]]) have melee attacks with a greater reach than 5 feet, as noted in their descriptions. Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an **unarmed strike**: a punch, kick, head-butt, or similar forceful blow (none of which count as weapons). On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier. You are proficient with your unarmed strikes. #### Ranged Attacks You can make ranged attacks only against targets within a specified range. If a ranged attack, such as one made with a spell, has a single range, you can't attack a target beyond this range. Some ranged attacks, such as those made with a [[Longbow]], have two ranges. The smaller number is the normal range, and the larger number is the long range. Your attack roll has [[Disadvantage]] when your target is beyond normal range, and you can't attack a target beyond long range. #### Ranged Attacks in Close Combat Aiming a ranged attack is more difficult when a foe is next to you. When you make a ranged attack with a weapon, a spell, or some other means, you have [[disadvantage]] on the attack roll if you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature who can see you and who isn’t [[incapacitated]]. #### Opportunity Attacks In a fight, everyone is constantly watching for a chance to strike an enemy who is fleeing or passing by. Such a strike is called an opportunity attack. You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack occurs right before the creature leaves your reach. You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by taking the [[Disengage]] action. You also don’t provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction. For example, you don’t provoke an opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of a foe’s reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy. #### Attacking the Unseen When you attack a target that you can’t see, you have [[disadvantage]] on the attack roll. This is true whether you’re guessing the target’s location or you’re targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn’t in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, but the GM typically just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed the target’s location correctly. When a creature can’t see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it. If you are hidden — both unseen and unheard — when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses. #### Glancing Blows When an attack of any kind meets a defending creature's [[Armor Class|AC]] score, the attack becomes a glancing blow and the defending creature takes half damage instead. This logic only applies to attacks, not [[Difficulty Class|DC]] checks for spells or other abilities. ### Cover Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover. There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren’t added together. For example, if a target is behind a creature that gives half cover and a tree trunk that gives three-quarters cover, the target has three-quarters cover. #### Half Cover A target with **half cover** has a +2 bonus to [[Armor Class|AC]] and Dexterity saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a creature, whether that creature is an enemy or a friend. #### Three-Quarters Cover A target with **three-quarters** cover has a +5 bonus to [[Armor Class|AC]] and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if about three-quarters of it is covered by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick tree trunk. #### Total Cover A target with **total cover** can’t be targeted directly by an attack or a spell, although some spells can reach such a target by including it in an area of effect. A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle. ### Mounted Combat A knight charging into battle on a [[warhorse]], a wizard casting spells from the back of a [[griffon]], or a cleric soaring through the sky on a [[pegasus]] all enjoy the benefits of speed and mobility that a mount can provide. A willing creature that is at least one size larger than you and that has an appropriate anatomy can serve as a mount, using the following rules. #### Mounting and Dismounting Once during your move, you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount. Doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed. For example, if your speed is 30 feet, you must spend 15 feet of movement to mount a horse. Therefore, you can’t mount it if you don’t have 15 feet of movement left or if your speed is 0. If an effect moves your mount against its will while you’re on it, you must succeed on a [[Difficulty Class|DC]] 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall off the mount, landing [[prone]] in a space within 5 feet of it. If you’re knocked [[prone]] while mounted, you must make the same saving throw. If your mount is knocked [[prone]], you can use your reaction to dismount it as it falls and land on your feet. Otherwise, you are dismounted and fall [[prone]] in a space within 5 feet it. #### Controlling a Mount While you’re mounted, you have two options. You can either control the mount or allow it to act independently. Intelligent creatures, such as dragons, act independently. You can control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider. Domesticated horses, donkeys, and similar creatures are assumed to have such training. The [[#initiative]] of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it. It moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: [[Dash]], [[Disengage]], and [[Dodge]]. A controlled mount can move and act even on the turn that you mount it. An independent mount retains its place in the initiative order. Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes. It might flee from combat, rush to attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes. In either case, if the mount provokes an [[#opportunity attack]] while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the mount. ### Underwater Combat When adventurers fight off sharks in an ancient shipwreck, or find themselves in a flooded dungeon room, they must fight in a challenging environment. While underwater the following rules apply. When making a melee weapon attack, a creature that doesn’t have a [[#Using Different Speeds|swimming speed]] (either natural or granted by magic) has disadvantage on the attack roll unless the weapon is a [[dagger]], [[javelin]], [[shortsword]], [[spear]], or [[trident]]. A ranged weapon attack automatically misses a target beyond the weapon’s normal range. Even against a target within normal range, the attack roll has [[disadvantage]] unless the weapon is a [[crossbow]], a [[net]], or a weapon that is thrown like a [[javelin]] (including a [[spear]], [[trident]], or [[dart]]). Creatures and objects that are fully immersed in water have resistance to [[fire]] damage. --- ## Exploration Exploration involves delving into places that are dangerous and full of mystery. The rules in this section detail some of the ways player characters interact with the environment in such places. ### Time In situations where keeping track of the passage of time is important, the GM determines the time a task requires. The GM might use a different time scale depending on the context of the situation at hand. In a dungeon environment, the adventurers' movement happens on a scale of **minutes**. It takes them about a minute to creep down a long hallway, another minute to check for traps on the door at the end of the hall, and a good ten minutes to search the chamber beyond for anything interesting or valuable. In a city or wilderness, a scale of **hours** is often more appropriate. Adventurers eager to reach the lonely tower at the heart of the forest hurry across those fifteen miles in just under four hours' time. For long journeys, time may be measured in the scale of ***days.*** See the section regarding [[#Downtime|downtime]] for more information on activities had between adventures. ### Travel While traveling, a group of adventurers can move at a normal, fast, or slow pace, as shown on the Travel Pace table below. The table states how far the party can move in a period of time and whether the pace has any effect. A fast pace makes characters less perceptive, while a slow pace makes it possible to sneak around and to search an area more carefully. **_Forced March._** The Travel Pace table assumes that characters travel for 8 hours in day. They can push on beyond that limit, at the risk of [[exhaustion]]. For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of [[exhaustion]] (see [[Codex#Conditions|Codex]]). **_Mounts and Vehicles._** For short spans of time (up to an hour), many animals move much faster than humanoids. A mounted character can ride at a gallop for about an hour, covering twice the usual distance for a fast pace. If fresh mounts are available every 8 to 10 miles, characters can cover larger distances at this pace, but this is very rare except in densely populated areas. Characters in wagons, carriages, or other land vehicles choose a pace as normal. Characters in a waterborne vessel are limited to the speed of the vessel, and they don't suffer penalties for a fast pace or gain benefits from a slow pace. Depending on the vessel and the size of the crew, ships might be able to travel for up to 24 hours per day. Certain special mounts, such as a [[pegasus]] or [[griffon]], or special vehicles, such as a [[Carpet of Flying (3×5 ft., 1 passenger)|carpet of flying]], allow you to travel more swiftly. | Pace | Minute | Hour | Day | Effect | | ------ | -------- | ------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | | Fast | 400 feet | 4 miles | 30 miles | -5 penalty to passive [[Wisdom]] ([[Perception]]) scores | | Normal | 300 feet | 3 miles | 24 miles | - | | Slow | 200 feet | 2 miles | 18 miles | Able to use stealth | ### Difficult Terrain The travel speeds given in the Travel Pace table assume relatively simple terrain: roads, open plains, or clear dungeon corridors. But adventurers often face dense forests, deep swamps, rubble-filled ruins, steep mountains, and ice-covered ground — all considered difficult terrain. You move at half speed in difficult terrain — moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed — so you can cover only half the normal distance in a minute, an hour, or a day. ### Hazards By its nature, adventuring involves delving into places that are dark, dangerous, and full of mysteries to be explored. The rules in this section cover some of the most important ways in which adventurers interact with the environment in such places. Some of the most common ways for player characters to meet their demise is through the following: - ***Falling.*** A fall from a great height is one of the most common hazards facing an adventurer. At the end of a fall, a creature takes 1d6+6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it fell. The creature lands [[prone]], unless it avoids taking damage from the fall. - ***Suffocating.*** A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal half its hit die maximum (minimum of 30 seconds). When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its [[Constitution]] modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again. For example, a creature with a 1d8 hit die and 14 Constitution can hold its breath for 4 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points. --- ### Movement Types Movement through dangerous dungeons or wilderness areas often involves more than simply walking. Adventurers might have to climb, crawl, swim, or jump to get where they need to go. #### Climbing, Swimming, and Crawling Each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot (2 extra feet in [[#difficult terrain]]) when you’re climbing, swimming, or crawling. You ignore this extra cost if you have a climbing speed and use it to climb, or a swimming speed and use it to swim. At the GM’s option, climbing a slippery vertical surface or one with few handholds requires a successful [[Strength]] ([[Athletics]]) check. Similarly, gaining any distance in rough water might require a successful [[Strength]] ([[Athletics]]) check. #### Jumping Your [[Strength]] determines how far you can jump. - **_Long Jump._** When you make a long jump, you cover a number of feet up to your Strength score if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing long jump, you can leap only half that distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement. This rule assumes that the height of your jump doesn't matter, such as a jump across a stream or chasm. At your GM's option, you must succeed on a DC 10 [[Strength]] ([[Athletics]]) check to clear a low obstacle (no taller than a quarter of the jump's distance), such as a hedge or low wall. Otherwise, you hit it. When you land in [[#difficult terrain]], you must succeed on a DC 10 [[Dexterity]] ([[Acrobatics]]) check to land on your feet. Otherwise, you land prone. - **_High Jump._** When you make a high jump, you leap into the air a number of feet equal to 3 + your Strength modifier (minimum of 0 feet) if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement. In some circumstances, your GM might allow you to make a [[Strength]] ([[Athletics]]) check to jump higher than you normally can. You can extend your arms half your height above yourself during the jump. Thus, you can reach above you a distance equal to the height of the jump plus 1 1/2 times your height. ### Resting During rest, a character may spend adequate time recovering or tending to their wounds. For all rest types, it is important that characters aren't interrupted. If characters spend 1/10th of their total rest time performing ***strenuous activity*** (such as traveling, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity), they must restart the rest cycle to gain benefits from it. Additionally, a character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits. Lastly, a player character may only recover from a [[#lingering injury]] if the injury suggests so in its description, otherwise, the player character's lingering injury persists. #### Recovery Activities During any length of rest, a character may perform one ***recovery activity***. Regardless of the action chosen, a character may recover 1d4 plus their constitution modifier as hit points upon expending the physical materials to successfully perform said action. You can use your recovery activity to benefit yourself or expend it to help another. For example, if a character wishes to eat a meal as a recovery activity, they'd expend at least 🅢5 worth of food and successfully complete their recovery activity. For recovery activities that require skill checks, such as a Wisdom ([[Medicine]]), the DC is always 10—meaning there is the potential to fail the recovery activity and loose the materials offered. However, on a natural 20, the character will be rewarded, and the roll will be treated as if it was a critical. The player will reroll 1s and double the final roll's value. Additionally, on a natural 20, the character will receive ***[[02. Game Fundamentals#Inspiration|inspiration]]***. ##### Example Recovery Activities **Eating a meal.** - Requires at least 🅢5 worth of food. **Tending to wounds with a successful Wisdom ([[Medicine]]) check.** - Requires at least 🅢5 worth of bandages, medicinal herbs, or first aid supplies. **Meditating, communing with nature, praying, etc.** - Requires at least 🅢5 worth of incense, trinkets, totems, offerings, etc. #### Quick Rests A period of downtime lasting at least 1 hour. Characters may benefit from two quick rests per short or long rest. #### Short Rest A period of downtime lasting at least 8 consecutive hours where a character must sleep for at least 6 hours but may perform light activity such as eating, drinking, reading, tending to wounds, or standing guard. Upon completing a short rest, a character recovers spells, up to their proficiency bonus in spell slots, and can spend one or more Hit Dice, up to the character's maximum number of Hit Dice (which is equal to the character's level). For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character's Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total (minimum of 0). The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon finishing a ***long rest***, as explained below. For every hour past a 24-hour period without a short or long rest, players must roll a Constitution Saving Throw or suffer 1 point of [[exhaustion]]. The DC starts at 10 and increases by 5 for each hour beyond the first saving throw rolled. A character can't benefit from more than one short rest in a 24-hour period. #### Long Rest A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 5 consecutive days long, where a character avoids ***strenuous activity*** (mentioned in [[#Short Rest]]). If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity — a period greater than 8 hours of traveling, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity — the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it. At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains all spent [[02. Game Fundamentals#Hit Points|Hit Dice]] upon completing a long rest. A character can't benefit from more than one long rest in a 10-day period. #### Resting At a Glance Below is a table to captures the mechanics of all rests in one, easy-to-view snapshot. | | Rest Length | Rests per Period | Hit Dice Recovery | Recovery Activities | | --------------- | ----------- | ------------------------ | ----------------- | ------------------- | | [[#Quick Rest]] | 1 Hour | 2 per Short or Long Rest | 0 Hit Dice | 1 | | [[#Short Rest]] | 8 Hours | 1 per 24-Hour Period | 0 Hit Dice | 1 | | [[#Long Rest]] | 5+ Days | 1 per 10-Day Period | Half of Total | 1 perday | ### Lifestyle & Expenses Between adventures, you choose a particular quality of life and pay the cost of maintaining that lifestyle. Living a particular lifestyle doesn't have a huge effect on your character, but your lifestyle can affect the way other individuals and groups react to you. For example, when you lead an aristocratic lifestyle, it might be easier for you to influence the nobles of the city than if you live in poverty. Below are several kinds of lifestyles one can select: | Lifestyle | Cost per Day | | ---------------- | -------------- | | [[Wretched]] | - | | [[Squalid]] | 🅖1 | | [[Poor]] | 🅖2 | | [[Modest]] | 🅖1 | | [[Comfortable]] | 🅖2 | | [[Wealthy]] | 🅖4 | | [[Aristocratic]] | 🅖10 (minimum) | ### Downtime Between adventures, the GM might ask you what your character is doing during his or her downtime. Periods of downtime can vary in duration, but each downtime activity requires a certain number of days to complete before you gain any benefit, and at least 8 hours of each day must be spent on the downtime activity for the day to count. The days do not need to be consecutive. If you have more than the minimum amount of days to spend, you can keep doing the same thing for a longer period of time, or switch to a new downtime activity. Downtime activities other than the ones presented below are possible. If you want your character to spend his or her downtime performing an activity not covered here, discuss it with your GM. #### Crafting You can craft nonmagical objects, including adventuring equipment and works of art. You must be proficient with tools related to the object you are trying to create (typically artisan’s tools). You might also need access to special materials or locations necessary to create it. For example, someone proficient with [[Smith's Tools]] needs a forge in order to craft a sword or suit of armor. For every day of downtime you spend crafting, you can craft one or more items with a total market value not exceeding 🅖5, and you must expend raw materials worth half the total market value. If something you want to craft has a market value greater than 🅖5, you make progress every day in 5-gp increments until you reach the market value of the item. For example, a suit of [plate armor](https://www.dndbeyond.com/equipment/18-plate) (market value 🅖1,500) takes 300 days to craft by yourself. Multiple characters can combine their efforts toward the crafting of a single item, provided that the characters all have proficiency with the requisite tools and are working together in the same place. Each character contributes 🅖5 worth of effort for every day spent helping to craft the item. For example, three characters with the requisite tool proficiency and the proper facilities can craft a suit of plate armor in 100 days, at a total cost of 🅖750. While crafting, you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay 🅖1 per day, or a comfortable [[#Lifestyle & Expenses|lifestyle]] at half the normal cost. #### Practicing a Profession You can work between adventures, allowing you to maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay 🅖1 per day. This benefit lasts as long you continue to practice your profession. If you are a member of an organization that can provide gainful employment, such as a temple or a thieves' guild, you earn enough to support a comfortable lifestyle instead. If you have proficiency in the [[Performance]] skill and put your performance skill to use during your downtime, you earn enough to support a wealthy lifestyle instead. #### Recuperating You can use downtime between adventures to recover from a debilitating injury, disease, or poison. After three days of downtime spent recuperating, you can make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, you can choose one of the following results: - End one effect on you that prevents you from regaining hit points. - For the next 24 hours, gain [[advantage]] on saving throws against one disease or poison currently affecting you. #### Researching The time between adventures is a great chance to perform research, gaining insight into mysteries that have unfurled over the course of the campaign. Research can include poring over dusty tomes and crumbling scrolls in a library or buying drinks for the locals to pry rumors and gossip from their lips. When you begin your research, the GM determines whether the information is available, how many days of downtime it will take to find it, and whether there are any restrictions on your research (such as needing to seek out a specific individual, tome, or location). The GM might also require you to make one or more ability checks, such as an Intelligence ([[Investigation]]) check to find clues pointing toward the information you seek, or a Charisma ([[Persuasion]]) check to secure someone's aid. Once those conditions are met, you learn the information if it is available. For each day of research, you must spend 🅖1 to cover your expenses. This cost is in addition to your normal lifestyle expenses. #### Training You can spend time between adventures learning a new language or training with a set of tools. Your GM might allow additional training options. First, you must find an instructor willing to teach you. The GM determines how long it takes, and whether one or more ability checks are required. The training lasts for 250 days and costs 🅖1 per day. After you spend the requisite amount of time and money, you learn the new language or gain proficiency with the new tool. --- ## Social Interaction During their adventures, player characters meet many different people and face some monsters that would rather talk than fight. In those situations, it's time for social interaction, which takes many forms. For example, you might try to convince a burglar to confess to wrongdoing or try to flatter a guard. The GM assumes the roles of any non-player characters (NPCs) who are participating. An NPC's attitude toward your character is [[Attitude#Friendly|Friendly]], [[Attitude#Indifferent|Indifferent]], or [[Attitude#Hostile|Hostile]], as defined in the section: [[Codex]]. Friendly NPCs are predisposed to help, and Hostile ones are inclined to hinder. Social interactions progress in two ways: through [[#roleplaying]] and [[#checks]]. #### Roleplaying Roleplaying is, literally, the act of playing out a role. In this case, it's you as a player determining how your character thinks, acts, and talks. Roleplaying is part of every aspect of the game, and it comes to the forefront during social interactions. As you roleplay, consider whether you prefer an active approach or a descriptive approach, each has its pros and cons. The GM uses an NPC's personality and your character's actions and attitudes to determine how an NPC reacts. A cowardly bandit might buckle under threats of imprisonment. A stubborn merchant refuses to help if the characters badger her. A vain dragon laps up flattery. When interacting with an NPC, pay attention to the GM's portrayal of the NPC's personality. You might be able to learn an NPC's goals and then use that information to influence the NPC.  If you offer NPCs something they want or play on their sympathies, fears, or goals, you can form friendships, ward off violence, or learn a key piece of information. On the other hand, if you insult a proud warrior or speak ill of a noble's allies, your efforts to convince or deceive will likely fail. ##### Descriptive Roleplaying With this approach, you describe your character’s words and actions to the GM and the other players. Drawing on your mental image of your character, you tell everyone what your character does and how he or she does it. For instance, Chris plays Tordek the dwarf. Tordek has a quick temper and blames the elves of the Cloakwood for his family’s misfortune. At a tavern, an obnoxious elf minstrel sits at Tordek’s table and tries to strike up a conversation with the dwarf. Chris says, “Tordek spits on the floor, growls an insult at the bard, and stomps over to the bar. He sits on a stool and glares at the minstrel before ordering another drink.” In this example, Chris has conveyed Tordek’s mood and given the GM a clear idea of his character’s attitude and actions. When using descriptive roleplaying, keep the following things in mind: - Describe your character’s emotions and attitude. - Focus on your character’s intent and how others might perceive it. - Provide as much embellishment as you feel comfortable with. Don’t worry about getting things exactly right. Just focus on thinking about what your character would do and describing what you see in your mind. ##### Active Roleplaying If descriptive roleplaying tells your GM and your fellow players what your character thinks and does, active roleplaying _shows_ them. When you use active roleplaying, you speak with your character’s voice, like an actor taking on a role. You might even echo your character’s movements and body language. This approach is more immersive than descriptive roleplaying, though you still need to describe things that can’t be reasonably acted out. Going back to the example of Chris roleplaying Tordek above, here’s how the scene might play out if Chris used active roleplaying: Speaking as Tordek, Chris says in a gruff, deep voice, “I was wondering why it suddenly smelled awful in here. If I wanted to hear anything out of you, I’d snap your arm and enjoy your screams.” In his normal voice, Chris then adds, “I get up, glare at the elf, and head to the bar.” ##### Results of Roleplaying The GM uses your character’s actions and attitudes to determine how an NPC reacts. A cowardly NPC buckles under threats of violence. A stubborn dwarf refuses to let anyone badger her. A vain dragon laps up flattery. When interacting with an NPC, pay close attention to the GM’s portrayal of the NPC’s mood, dialogue, and personality. You might be able to determine an NPC’s [[personality traits]], [[ideals]], [[flaws]], and [[bonds]], then play on them to influence the NPC’s attitude. Interactions in-game are much like interactions in real life. If you can offer NPCs something they want, threaten them with something they fear, or play on their sympathies and goals, you can use words to get almost anything you want. On the other hand, if you insult a proud warrior or speak ill of a noble’s allies, your efforts to convince or deceive will fall short. --- ## Learn More > [!multi-column] > >> [!EXAMPLE] **Rules** >> - [[01. Introduction]] >> - [[02. Game Fundamentals]] >> - ***03. Game Phases*** >> - [[04. Character Creation]] > >> [!ABSTRACT] **Additional Info** >> - [[Codex]] >> - [[Glossary]] >