Glossary

*Deadly Trap (Levels 1–4)* Trigger: A creature moves onto a pressure plate Duration: Instantaneous, and the trap resets at the start of the next turn if it has activated fewer than three times When a creature moves onto this trap’s pressure plate for the first time on a turn, poisoned darts shoot from tubes embedded in the surrounding walls. The holes that house these tubes are obscured by dust and cobwebs or skillfully hidden amid bas-reliefs, murals, or frescoes. Each creature in the darts’ path must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by 1d3 darts, taking 3 (1d6) Poison damage per dart. Detect and Disarm. As a Search action, a creature can examine the walls and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, detecting the holes on a successful check. Plugging all the holes with wax, cloth, or detritus prevents the darts from firing. As a Search action, a creature can examine the section of floor that forms the pressure plate and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, detecting the pressure plate on a successful check. Wedging an Iron Spike or a similar object under the pressure plate prevents the trap from triggering. At Higher Levels. You can scale the trap for higher levels by increasing each dart’s Poison damage as follows: 7 (2d6) at levels 5–10, 14 (4d6) at levels 11–16, or 24 (7d6) at levels 17–20.

*Nuisance Trap (Levels 1–4)* Trigger: A creature opens the trap’s lock improperly or fails to disarm the trap Duration: Instantaneous A poisoned needle is hidden in a lock. When a creature opens the lock with any object other than the proper key, the needle springs out and stabs the creature. The creature makes a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 5 (1d10) Poison damage and has the Poisoned condition for 1 hour. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage only. Avoid. The trap doesn’t trigger if the lock is opened using a Knock spell or similar magic. Detect and Disarm. As a Search action, a creature can examine the trapped lock and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, detecting the needle on a successful check. Once the trap is detected, a character can take an action to try to disarm the trap, doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. On a failed check, the creature triggers the trap. At Higher Levels. You can scale the trap for higher levels by increasing the damage and the save DC, as shown in the following table. Levels Poison Damage Save DC 5–10 11 (2d10) 13 11–16 22 (4d10) 15 17–20 55 (10d10) 17

Some effects cause a creature to be possessed by another creature or entity. A possessing effect defines how the possession operates. Possession can be prevented by the Protection from Evil and Good spell and ended by the Dispel Evil and Good spell.

If you have proficiency with something, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to any D20 Test you make using that thing. A creature might have proficiency in a skill or saving throw or with a weapon or tool. See also “Playing the Game” (“Proficiency”).

*Injury Poison, 2,000 GP* A creature subjected to Purple Worm Poison makes a DC 21 Constitution saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) Poison damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

A creature has a reach of 5 feet unless a rule says otherwise.

A Reaction is a special action taken in response to a trigger defined in the Reaction’s description. You can take a Reaction on another creature’s turn, and if you take it on your turn, you can do so even if you also take an action, a Bonus Action, or both. Once you take a Reaction, you can’t take another one until the start of your next turn. The Opportunity Attack is a Reaction available to all creatures. See also “Opportunity Attacks” and “Playing the Game” (“Actions”).

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.”

*Deadly Trap (Levels 11–16) or Nuisance Trap (Levels 17–20)* Trigger: A creature moves onto a pressure plate Duration: Until the stone stops rolling When a creature moves onto a hidden pressure plate, a 5-foot-radius orb of solid stone is released from a secret compartment and begins to roll. The stone and all creatures nearby roll Initiative; the stone gets a +8 bonus on its Initiative roll. On its turn, the stone moves 60 feet in one direction, changing course if redirected by an obstacle. The stone can move through creatures’ spaces, and creatures can move through the stone’s space, treating it as Difficult Terrain. Whenever the stone enters a creature’s space for the first time on a turn or a creature enters the stone’s space while the stone is rolling, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 55 (10d10) Bludgeoning damage and have the Prone condition. The stone stops when it hits a wall or similar barrier. It can’t go around corners, but creative dungeon builders incorporate curving turns into nearby passages that allow the stone to keep moving. Detect and Disarm. As a Study action, a creature can examine the section of floor that forms the pressure plate and make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, deducing the pressure plate’s function on a successful check. Wedging an Iron Spike or a similar object under the pressure plate prevents the trap from triggering. Destroy the Stone. The stone is a Large object that has AC 17, HP 100, a Damage Threshold of 10, and Immunity to Poison and Psychic damage. Slow the Stone. As an action, a creature can try to slow down the stone with a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. If the check is successful, the distance the stone moves on its turn is reduced by 15 feet. If that distance drops to 0, it stops moving and is no longer a threat.

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

*Injury Poison, 200 GP* A creature subjected to Serpent Venom must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) Poison damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

*Magical Contagion* Fouled potions and alchemical waste can give rise to Sewer Plague, which incubates in sewers and refuse heaps and is sometimes transmitted by creatures that dwell in such areas, including otyughs and rats. Any Humanoid that is wounded by a creature that carries the contagion or that comes into contact with contaminated filth or offal must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become infected with Sewer Plague. A creature suffers the following effects 1d4 days after infection: Fatigue. The creature gains 1 Exhaustion level. Weakness. While the creature has any Exhaustion levels, it regains only half the normal number of Hit Points from spending Hit Point Dice. Restlessness. While the creature has any Exhaus- tion levels, finishing a Long Rest neither restores lost Hit Points nor reduces the creature’s Exhaustion level. Fighting the Contagion. Daily at dawn, an infected creature makes a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature gains 1 Exhaustion level as its fatigue worsens. On a successful save, the creature’s Exhaustion level decreases by 1. If the creature’s Exhaustion level is reduced to 0, the contagion ends on the creature.

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.

*Magical Contagion* Any Beast or Humanoid that drinks water tainted by Sight Rot must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have the Blinded condition until the contagion ends. Fighting the Contagion. Magic such as a Heal or Lesser Restoration spell ends the contagion immediately. A character who is proficient with an Herbalism Kit can use it to create one dose of nonmagical ointment, which takes 1 hour. When applied to the eyes of a creature suffering from Sight Rot, the ointment suppresses the contagion on that creature for 24 hours. If the contagion is suppressed in this way for a total of 72 hours (requiring three doses and applications of the ointment), the contagion ends on the creature. Spreading the Contagion. Any Humanoid that makes skin contact with a creature infected with Sight Rot must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or also become infected with the contagion. On a successful save, the Humanoid can’t catch the contagion from that particular infected creature for the next 24 hours.