Glossary

You take the Ready action to wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you take this action on your turn, which lets you act by taking a Reaction before the start of your next turn. First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your Reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your Speed in response to it. Examples include “If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever that opens it,” and “If the zombie steps next to me, I move away.” When the trigger occurs, you can either take your Reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. When you Ready a spell, you cast it as normal (expending any resources used to cast it) but hold its energy, which you release with your Reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of an action, and holding on to the spell’s magic requires Concentration, which you can maintain up to the start of your next turn. If your Concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect.

If you have Resistance to a damage type, damage of that type is halved against you (round down). Resistance is applied only once to an instance of damage. See also “Playing the Game” (“Damage and Healing”).

If you have a spell prepared that has the Ritual tag, you can cast that spell as a Ritual. The Ritual version of a spell takes 10 minutes longer to cast than normal. It also doesn’t expend a spell slot, which means the ritual version of a spell can’t be cast at a higher level. See also “Spells.”

Whenever you divide or multiply a number in the game, round down if you end up with a fraction, even if the fraction is one-half or greater. Some rules make an exception and tell you to round up.

Save is another name for a saving throw. See also “Saving Throw.”

A saving throw—also called a save—represents an attempt to avoid or resist a threat. You normally make a saving throw only when a rule requires you to do so, but you can decide to fail the save without rolling. The result of a save is detailed in the effect that allowed it. If a target is forced to make a save and lacks the ability score used by it, the target automatically fails. See also “Playing the Game” (“D20 Tests”).

When you take the Search action, you make a Wisdom check to discern something that isn’t obvious. The Search table suggests which skills are applicable when you take this action, depending on what you’re trying to detect. Search Skill Thing to Detect Insight Creature’s state of mind Medicine Creature’s ailment or cause of death Perception Concealed creature or object Survival Tracks or food

If an effect, such as Wild Shape or the Polymorph spell, lets you shape-shift, its description specifies what happens to you. Unless that description says otherwise, any ongoing effects on you—conditions, spells, curses, and the like—carry over from one form to the other. You revert to your true form if you die.

A Short Rest is a 1-hour period of downtime, during which a creature does nothing more strenuous than reading, talking, eating, or standing watch. To start a Short Rest, you must have at least 1 Hit Point. Benefits of the Rest. When you finish the rest, you gain the following benefits: Spend Hit Point Dice. You can spend one or more of your Hit Point Dice to regain Hit Points. For each Hit Point Die you spend in this way, roll the die and add your Constitution modifier to it. You regain Hit Points equal to the total (minimum of 1 Hit Point). You can decide to spend an additional Hit Point Die after each roll. Special Feature. Some features are recharged by a Short Rest. If you have such a feature, it recharges in the way specified in its description. Interrupting the Rest. A Short Rest is stopped by the following interruptions: - Rolling Initiative - Casting a spell other than a cantrip - Taking any damage An interrupted Short Rest confers no benefits.

If two or more things happen at the same time on a turn, the person at the game table—player or GM— whose turn it is decides the order in which those things happen. For example, if two effects occur at the start of a player character’s turn, the player decides which of the effects happens first.

A creature or an object belongs to a size category: Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan. A creature’s size determines how much space the creature occupies in combat. An object’s size affects its Hit Points. See also “Breaking Objects” and “Playing the Game” (“Combat”).

A skill is an area of specialization associated with an ability check. If you have proficiency in a skill, you can add your Proficiency Bonus when you make an ability check associated with that skill. See also “Playing the Game” (“Proficiency”).

A creature has a Speed, which is the distance in feet the creature can cover when it moves on its turn. See also “Climbing,” “Crawling,” “Flying,” “Jumping,” “Swimming” and “Playing the Game” (“Combat”). Special Speeds. Some creatures have special speeds, such as a Burrow Speed, Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed, each of which is defined in this glossary. If you have more than one speed, choose which one to use when you move; you can switch between the speeds during your move. Whenever you switch, subtract the distance 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 Fly Speed of 40, you could fly 10 feet, walk 10 feet, and leap into the air to fly 20 feet more. Changes to Your Speeds. If an effect increases or decreases your Speed for a time, any special speed you have increases or decreases by an equal amount for the same duration. For example, if your Speed is reduced to 0 and you have a Climb Speed, your Climb Speed is also reduced to 0. Similarly, if your Speed is halved and you have a Fly Speed, your Fly Speed is also halved.

A spell is a magical effect that has the characteristics described in “Spells.”

A spell attack is an attack roll made as part of a spell or another magical effect. See also “Spells” (“Casting Spells”).

A Spellcasting Focus is an object that certain creatures can use in place of a spell’s Material components if those materials aren’t consumed by the spell and don’t have a cost specified. Some classes allow its members to use certain types of Spellcasting Focuses. See also “Spells” (“Casting Spells”).

A Sphere is an area of effect that extends in straight lines from a point of origin outward in all directions. The effect that creates a Sphere specifies the distance it extends as the radius of the Sphere. A Sphere’s point of origin is included in the Sphere’s area of effect.

A creature is Stable if it has 0 Hit Points but isn’t required to make Death Saving Throws. See also “Playing the Game” (“Damage and Healing”).

A stat block contains the game statistics of a monster. Each stat block includes the following information presented after the monster’s name. Size. A monster is Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan. See also “Size.” Creature Type. This entry notes the family of beings a monster belongs to, along with any descriptive tags. See also “Creature Type.” Alignment. An alignment is suggested for the monster, with the GM determining its actual alignment. See also “Alignment.” AC, Initiative, and HP. These entries give the monster’s Armor Class, Initiative, and Hit Points, which are detailed in “Playing the Game.” In parentheses after the Hit Points, the monster’s Hit Point Dice are provided, along with the contribution of its Constitution, if any, to its Hit Points. Following the Initiative modifier is an Initiative score. Some creatures that are created by magic lack Hit Dice and Initiative information. Speed. Here the monster’s Speed is provided, along with any special speeds. See also “Burrow Speed,” “Climb Speed,” “Fly Speed,” and “Swim Speed.” Ability Scores. A table provides the monster’s ability scores, modifiers, and saving throw modifiers, all of which are detailed in “Playing the Game.” Skills. This entry lists the monster’s skill proficiencies, if any. See also “Playing the Game” (“Proficiency”). Resistances and Vulnerabilities. These entries list the monster’s Resistances and Vulnerabilities, if any. See also “Resistance” and “Vulnerability.” Immunities. This section lists the monster’s damage and condition Immunities, if any. See also “Immunity.” Gear. If the monster has any equipment that can be given away or retrieved, it’s listed in this entry. Senses. This entry lists the monster’s special senses, such as Darkvision, and its Passive Perception. See also “Passive Perception.” Languages. This entry lists any languages the monster knows. CR. Challenge Rating summarizes the threat a monster poses and is detailed in “Monsters.” The Experience Points characters receive for defeating a monster and its Proficiency Bonus follow. Some creatures that are created by magic have no CR. See also “Challenge Rating” and “Experience Points.” Traits. The monster’s traits, if any, are features that are active at all times or in certain situations. Actions. The monster can take these actions in addition to those detailed in this glossary. See also “Playing the Game” (“Actions”). Bonus Actions. If the monster has Bonus Action options, they are listed in this section. Reactions. If the monster can take special Reactions, those are listed in this section. Attack Notation. The entry for a monster’s attack starts by identifying whether the attack is a melee or a ranged attack and then provides the attack roll’s bonus, its reach or range, and what happens on a hit. An attack is against one target unless its entry says otherwise. Saving Throw Effect Notation. If an effect forces a saving throw, the effect’s entry starts by identifying the kind of saving throw required and then provides the save’s DC, a description of which creatures must make the save, and what happens on a failed or a successful save. Damage Notation. A stat block usually provides both a static number and a die expression for each instance of damage. For example, an attack might deal 4 (1d4 + 2) damage on a hit. The GM determines whether you use the static number or the die expression in parentheses; you don’t use both.

When you take the Study action, you make an Intelligence check to study your memory, a book, a clue, or another source of knowledge and call to mind an important piece of information about it. The Areas of Knowledge table suggests which skills are applicable to various areas of knowledge. Areas of Knowledge Skill Areas Arcana Spells, magic items, eldritch symbols, magical traditions, planes of existence, and certain creatures (Aberrations, Constructs, Elementals, Fey, and Monstrosities) History Historic events and people, ancient civilizations, wars, and certain creatures (Giants and Humanoids) Investigation Traps, ciphers, riddles, and gadgetry Nature Terrain, flora, weather, and certain creatures (Beasts, Dragons, Oozes, and Plants) Religion Deities, religious hierarchies and rites, holy symbols, cults, and certain creatures (Celestials, Fiends, and Undead)