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Returning 35 results for 'before below doesn’t check rules'.
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Monsters
Quests from the Infinite Staircase
, Phantasmal Force
1/day each: Fabricate (as an action), MisleadAstonishing Luck. When the leprechaun fails an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw, it can roll a new d20 and choose which
roll to use, potentially turning the failure into a success.Leprechauns are manifestations of the Feywild rules of hospitality and reciprocity. These rules infuse leprechauns with a deep connection to
Monsters
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
armor, mage hand, prestidigitationProbability Loophole (3/Day). When the law bender or a creature it can see makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, the law bender can cause the roll
to be made with advantage or disadvantage.Members of the Fraternity of Order find and exploit loopholes in the laws of the multiverse. Law benders are magistrates who skirt the rules of probability
Monsters
Curse of Strahd
successful DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check.
Regeneration. The wereraven regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the wereraven takes damage from a silvered weapon or a spell, this trait
, modestly give money to charity. They take steps to keep magic items out of evil hands by stashing them in secret hiding places.
Characters as Wereravens. The Monster Manual has rules for characters
Proficiency Bonus
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Rules
Characters have a proficiency bonus determined by level, as detailed in chapter 1. Monsters also have this bonus, which is incorporated in their stat blocks. The bonus is used in the rules on ability
checks, saving throws, and attack rolls.
Your proficiency bonus can’t be added to a single die roll or other number more than once. For example, if two different rules say you can add your
Senses (Passive Checks)
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Rules
Passive Checks
A passive check is a special kind of ability check that doesn't involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for
how to determine a character's total for a passive check:
10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check
If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Passive Checks A passive check is a special kind of ability check that doesn’t involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for
refers to a passive check total as a score. For example, if a 1st-level character has a Wisdom of 15 and proficiency in Perception, he or she has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14. The rules on
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
monsters have special attacks that allow them to quickly grapple prey. When a monster hits with such an attack, it doesn’t need to make an additional ability check to determine whether the grapple
Reactions If a monster can do something special with its reaction, that information is contained here. If a creature has no special reaction, this section is absent. GRAPPLE RULES FOR MONSTERS
Many
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
The Bonus Doesn’t Stack Your Proficiency Bonus can’t be added to a die roll or another number more than once. For example, if a rule allows you to make a Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check, you
(doubled or halved, for example) before being added. For example, the Expertise feature (see the rules glossary) doubles the Proficiency Bonus for certain ability checks. Whenever the bonus is used, it can be multiplied only once and divided only once.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
The Bonus Doesn’t Stack Your Proficiency Bonus can’t be added to a die roll or another number more than once. For example, if a rule allows you to make a Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check, you
(doubled or halved, for example) before being added. For example, the Expertise feature (see the Rules Glossary) doubles the Proficiency Bonus for certain ability checks. Whenever the bonus is used, it can be multiplied only once and divided only once.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
Actions When you do something other than moving or communicating, you typically take an action. The Action table lists the game’s main actions, which are defined in more detail in the rules glossary
. Actions Action Summary Attack Attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike. Dash For the rest of the turn, give yourself extra movement equal to your Speed. Disengage Your movement doesn’t provoke
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Actions When you do something other than moving or communicating, you typically take an action. The Action table lists the game’s main actions, which are defined in more detail in the Rules Glossary
. Actions Action Summary Attack Attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike. Dash For the rest of the turn, give yourself extra movement equal to your Speed. Disengage Your movement doesn’t provoke
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
check; just tell the player what happens. Likewise, if there’s no way anyone could accomplish the task, just tell the player it doesn’t work. Otherwise, answer these three simple questions: What kind of
ability check? How hard is it? What’s the result? Use the descriptions of the ability scores and their associated skills in the Basic Rules to help you decide what kind of ability check to use. Then
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
requires 1d6 minutes followed by a DC 20 Intelligence (Nature) check. (Proficiency with the poisoner’s kit applies to this check if the character doesn’t have proficiency in Nature). On a successful
Crafting and Harvesting Poison During downtime between adventures, a character can use the crafting rules in the Player’s Handbook to create basic poison if the character has proficiency with a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
player do it), and the game continues. Sometimes mediating the rules means setting limits. If a player tells you, “I want to run up and attack the orc,” but the character doesn’t have enough movement
Part 3: Master of Rules Dungeons & Dragons isn’t a head-to-head competition, but it needs someone who is impartial yet involved in the game to guarantee that everyone at the table plays by the rules
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak
being the DM by default, but that doesn’t have to be the case. DM Tips As the DM, you are the final authority when it comes to rules questions or disputes during the game. Here are some guidelines to
for an ability check. Just tell the player what happens. Conversely, if there’s no way anyone could accomplish the task, just tell the player it doesn’t work. If and when you decide that an ability
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
’ comfort with these rules. If some players want to use these rules and other players don’t, using these rules only for some characters, or not using them at all, doesn’t unbalance these adventures. Similarly
Session Zero If you’re interested in using these rules in your game, consider holding a session zero to introduce the rules to the players. Such a session zero allows you to ascertain players
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
of dark gray basalt—volcanic rock originating from Sharruth’s undersea tomb. The walls provide hand- and footholds, so climbing the walls doesn’t require an ability check. Fumes. Toxic volcanic fumes
. Light. The interior caves are illuminated by bioluminescent fungi, which provide dim light throughout the area. See “Vision” in the Basic Rules. Walls. The cave walls are formed from hexagonal columns
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
or use the social interaction rules in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Consider granting the characters advantage on any ability check they make to communicate with a creature if they offer something it
Parleying with Monsters Why fight if a lively chat is possible? If things get out of hand, just show yourself out with a dimension door.
Tasha
Meeting a monster doesn’t have to spark a fight. An
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
refers to a passive check total as a score. For example, if a 1st-level character has a Wisdom of 15 and proficiency in Perception, he or she has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14.
The rules on hiding in the “Dexterity” section below rely on passive checks, as do the exploration rules.
Passive Checks A passive check is a special kind of ability check that doesn't involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse
, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.
Creature Type Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Ten Rules to Remember 1. The DM Adjudicates the Rules The rules of D&D cover many of the twists and turns that come up in play, but the possibilities are so vast that the rules can’t cover
everything. When you encounter something that the rules don’t cover or if you’re unsure how to interpret a rule, the DM decides how to proceed, aiming for a course that brings the most enjoyment to your whole
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Difficulty Class It’s your job to establish the Difficulty Class for an ability check or a saving throw when a rule or an adventure doesn’t give you one. Sometimes you’ll even want to change such
succeeds on any ability check with a DC less than or equal to the relevant ability score minus 5. So in the example above, the fighter would automatically kick in the door. This rule doesn’t apply to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
the rules specifically say so. The next few questions touch on this point again. Can you get a critical hit on an ability check? For example, on a grapple attempt, does a critical win, or the highest
number? Ability checks don’t score critical hits. Attack rolls do. Is a 1 on an ability check an automatic failure? Rolling a 1 on an ability check or a saving throw is not an automatic failure. A 1
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
Condition A condition is a temporary game state. The definition of a condition says how it affects its recipient, and various rules define how to end a condition. This glossary defines these
conditions: Blinded
Charmed
Deafened
Exhaustion
Frightened
Grappled
Incapacitated
Invisible
Paralyzed
Petrified
Poisoned
Prone
Restrained
Stunned
Unconscious
A condition doesn’t
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Condition A condition is a temporary game state. The definition of a condition says how it affects its recipient, and various rules define how to end a condition. This glossary defines these
conditions: Blinded
Charmed
Deafened
Exhaustion
Frightened
Grappled
Incapacitated
Invisible
Paralyzed
Petrified
Poisoned
Prone
Restrained
Stunned
Unconscious
A condition doesn’t
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
describes what happens. Sometimes, however, rules govern what you can do with an object, as detailed in the following sections. What Is an Object? For the purpose of the rules, an object is a discrete
Wisdom (Perception) check, provided you describe the character searching in the hidden object’s vicinity. On a success, you find the object, other important details, or both. If you describe your
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
describes what happens. Sometimes, however, rules govern what you can do with an object, as detailed in the following sections. What Is an Object? For the purpose of the rules, an object is a discrete
Wisdom (Perception) check, provided you describe the character searching in the hidden object’s vicinity. On a success, you find the object, other important details, or both. If you describe your
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
participant has disadvantage on their Dexterity (Arcana) check. After setting the scene and explaining the rules, reveal that a bag of tricks (gray) will be awarded to the winner of the next game. The bag
Game In this scene, the characters have the opportunity to play a game of Wizard Gizzard for a prize. A character can participate in the fun in one of the following ways: Play the Game. The rules are
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
a cipher. The DM and the rules often call for an ability check when a creature attempts something other than an attack that has a chance of meaningful failure. When the outcome is uncertain and
ability check represents the task’s difficulty. The more difficult the task, the higher its DC. The rules provide DCs for certain checks, but the DM ultimately sets them. The Typical Difficulty
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the text of the cure wounds spell specifies that the spell doesn’t work on a creature that
Creating Your Character If you create a kender character, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the text of the cure wounds spell specifies that the spell doesn’t work on a creature that
Creating Your Character If you create an owlin character, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
a cipher. The DM and the rules often call for an ability check when a creature attempts something other than an attack that has a chance of meaningful failure. When the outcome is uncertain and
ability check represents the task’s difficulty. The more difficult the task, the higher its DC. The rules provide DCs for certain checks, but the DM ultimately sets them. The Typical Difficulty
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
” box whenever they gain a Student Die, and they should erase the check mark when they expend the die. OPTING OUT OF THESE RULES
The rules for Extracurriculars, Jobs, Exams, and Relationships
Strixhaven Tracking Sheet The sections on the following pages give special rules for certain aspects of university life. Players can use the sheet below to keep track of the effects of those rules on
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Rules House rules include optional rules, such as those presented in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and rules you create. If you plan to use any house rules, session zero is a good time to
discuss those rules with the players and solicit their input. House rules are best presented as experiments, and time will tell if they’re good for your game. If you introduce a house rule in session
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
bonus is used in the rules on ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls. Your proficiency bonus can’t be added to a single die roll or other number more than once. For example, if two different
rules say you can add your proficiency bonus to a Wisdom saving throw, you nevertheless add the bonus only once when you make the save. Occasionally, your proficiency bonus might be multiplied or divided






