Combat Statistics

This section summarizes the statistics that determine success in combat, and then details how to use them.

ATTACK ROLL
An attack roll represents your attempt to strike your opponent on
your turn in a round. When you make an attack roll, you roll a d20
and add your attack bonus. (Other modifiers may also apply to this
roll.) If your result equals or beats the target’s Armor Class, you hit
and deal damage.
Automatic Misses and Hits: A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1)
on an attack roll is always a miss. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20)
is always a hit. A natural 20 is also a threat—a possible critical hit
(see the Critical Hits sidebar, page 140).

ATTACK BONUS
Your attack bonus with a melee weapon is:
Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier
With a ranged weapon, your attack bonus is:
Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier
+ range penalty
Strength Modifier: Strength helps you swing a weapon harder
and faster, so your Strength modifier applies to melee attack rolls.
Dexterity Modifier: Dexterity measures coordination and
steadiness, so your Dexterity modifier applies to attacks with ranged
weapons.
Size Modifier: The smaller you are, the bigger other creatures
are relative to you. A human is a big target to a halfling, just as an
ogre is a big target to a human. Since this same size modifier applies
to Armor Class, two creatures of the same size strike each other
normally, regardless of what size they actually are.
Table 8–1: Size Modifiers
Size Size Modifier Size Size Modifier
Colossal –8 Small +1
Gargantuan –4 Tiny +2
Huge –2 Diminutive +4
Large –1 Fine +8
Medium +0
Range Penalty: The range penalty for a ranged weapon depends
on the weapon and the distance to the target. All ranged weapons
have a range increment, such as 10 feet for a thrown dart or 100 feet
for a longbow (see Table 7–5: Weapons, page 116). Any attack from a
distance of less than one range increment is not penalized for range,
so an arrow from a shortbow (range increment 60 feet) can strike at
enemies up to 59 feet away with no penalty. However, each full
range increment causes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll. A
shortbow archer firing at a target 200 feet away takes a –6 penalty on
his attack roll (because 200 feet is at least three range increments but
not four increments).
Thrown weapons, such as throwing axes, have a maximum range
of five range increments. Projectile weapons, such as bows, can
shoot up to ten increments.

DAMAGE
When your attack succeeds, you deal damage. The type of weapon
used (see Table 7–5: Weapons, page 116) determines the amount of
damage you deal. Effects that modify weapon damage apply to
unarmed strikes and the natural physical attack forms of creatures.
Damage reduces a target’s current hit points.
Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage result to less
than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of damage.
Strength Bonus: When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon,
including a sling, add your Strength modifier to the damage result.
A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies on attacks made with a
bow that is not a composite bow.
Off-Hand Weapon: When you deal damage with a weapon in your
off hand, you add only 1/2 your Strength bonus.
Wielding a Weapon Two-Handed: When you deal damage with a
weapon that you are wielding two-handed, you add 1-1/2 times your
Strength bonus. However, you don’t get this higher Strength bonus
when using a light weapon with two hands (see Light, One-Handed,
and Two-Handed Melee Weapons, page 113).
Multiplying Damage: Sometimes you multiply damage by some
factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers)
multiple times and total the results. Note: When you multiply
damage more than once, each multiplier works off the original,
unmultiplied damage (see Multiplying, page 304).
Exception: Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal
damage, such as that dealt by a sneak attack or the special ability of a
flaming sword, are never multiplied.
For example, Krusk the half-orc barbarian has a Strength bonus of
+3. That means he gets a +3 bonus on damage rolls when using a
longsword, a +4 bonus on damage when using a greataxe (twohanded),
and a +1 bonus to damage when using a weapon in his off
hand. His critical multiplier with a greataxe is ×3, so if he scores a
critical hit with that weapon, he would roll 1d12+4 points of damage
three times (the same as rolling 3d12+12).
Ability Damage: Certain creatures and magical effects can cause
temporary ability damage (a reduction to an ability score). The
Dungeon Master’s Guide has details on ability damage.

ARMOR CLASS
Your Armor Class (AC) represents how hard it is for opponents to
land a solid, damaging blow on you. It’s the attack roll result that an
opponent needs to achieve to hit you. The average, unarmored
peasant has an AC of 10. Your AC is equal to the following:
10 + armor bonus + shield bonus + Dexterity modifier
+ size modifier
Armor and Shield Bonuses: Your armor and shield each provide
a bonus to your AC. This bonus represents their ability to protect
you from blows.
Dexterity Modifier: If your Dexterity is high, you are adept at
dodging blows. If your Dexterity is low, you are inept at it. That’s
why you apply your Dexterity modifier to your AC.
Note that armor limits your Dexterity bonus, so if you’re wearing
armor, you might not be able to apply your whole Dexterity bonus to
your AC (see Table 7–6: Armor and Shields, page 123).
Sometimes you can’t use your Dexterity bonus (if you have one).
If you can’t react to a blow, you can’t use your Dexterity bonus to
AC. (If you don’t have a Dexterity bonus, nothing happens.) You lose
your Dexterity bonus when, for example, an invisible opponent
attacks you, you’re hanging on the face of a crumbling cliff high
above a river of lava, or you’re caught flat-footed at the beginning of
a combat.
Size Modifier: The bigger a creature is, the easier it is to hit in
combat. The smaller it is, the harder it is to hit. Since this same
modifier applies to attack rolls, a halfling, for example, doesn’t have a
hard time hitting another halfling. See Table 8–1: Size Modifiers,
page 134.
Other Modifiers: Many other factors modify your AC.
Enhancement Bonuses: Enhancement effects make your armor
better (+1 chainmail, +2 large shield, etc.).
Deflection Bonus: Magical deflection effects ward off attacks and
improve your AC.
Natural Armor: Natural armor improves your AC. (Members of the
common races don’t have natural armor, which usually consists of
scales, fur, or layers of huge muscles.)
Dodge Bonuses: Some other AC bonuses represent actively
avoiding blows, such as the dwarf’s AC bonus against giants or the
AC bonus for fighting defensively. These bonuses are called dodge
bonuses. Any situation that denies you your Dexterity bonus also
denies you dodge bonuses. (Wearing armor, however, does not limit
these bonuses the way it limits a Dexterity bonus to AC.) Unlike
most sorts of bonuses, dodge bonuses stack with each other. A
dwarf’s +4 dodge bonus against giants and his +2 dodge bonus for
fighting defensively combine to give him a +6 bonus.
Touch Attacks: Some attacks disregard armor, including shields
and natural armor. For example, a wizard’s touch with a shocking
grasp spell hurts you regardless of what armor you’re wearing or how
thick your skin happens to be. In these cases, the attacker makes a
touch attack roll (either ranged or melee). When you are the target
of a touch attack, your AC doesn’t include any armor bonus, shield
bonus, or natural armor bonus. All other modifiers, such as your size
modifier, Dexterity modifier, and deflection bonus (if any) apply
normally.
For example, if a sorcerer tries to touch Tordek with a shocking
grasp spell, Tordek gets his +1 Dexterity bonus, but not his +4 armor
bonus for his scale mail or his +2 shield bonus for his large wooden
shield. His AC is only 11 against a touch attack.

HIT POINTS
Your hit points tell you how much punishment you can take before
dropping. Your hit points are based on your class and level, and your
Constitution modifier. applies Most monsters’ hit points are based
on their type, though some monsters have classes and levels, too.
(Watch out for medusa sorcerers!)
When your hit point total reaches 0, you’re disabled. When it
reaches –1, you’re dying. When it gets to –10, your problems are
over—you’re dead (see Injury and Death, page 145).

SPEED
Your speed tells you how far you can move in a round and still do
something, such as attack or cast a spell. Your speed depends mostly
on your race and what armor you’re wearing.
Dwarves, gnomes, and halflings have a speed of 20 feet (4
squares), or 15 feet (3 squares) when wearing medium or heavy
armor (except for dwarves, who move 20 feet in any armor).
Humans, elves, half-elves, and half-orcs have a speed of 30 feet (6
squares), or 20 feet (4 squares) in medium or heavy armor.
If you use two move actions in a round (sometimes called a
“double move” action), you can move up to double your speed. If you
spend the entire round to run all out, you can move up to quadruple
your normal speed (or triple if you are in heavy armor).

SAVING THROWS
As an adventurer, you have more to worry about than taking damage. You also have to face the petrifying gaze of a medusa, a wyvern’s lethal venom, and a harpy’s compelling song. Luckily, a tough adventurer can survive these threats, too. Generally, when you are subject to an unusual or magical attack, you get a saving throw to avoid or reduce the effect. Like an attack roll, a saving throw is a d20 roll plus a bonus based on your class, level, and an ability score. Your saving throw modifier is:
Base save bonus + ability modifier
Saving Throw Types: The three different kinds of saving throws are Fortitude, Reflex, and Will:
Fortitude: These saves measure your ability to stand up to physical punishment or attacks against your vitality and health. Apply your Constitution modifier to your Fortitude saving throws. Fortitude saves can be made against attacks or effects such as poison, disease, paralysis, petrification, energy drain, and disintegrate.
Reflex: These saves test your ability to dodge area attacks. Apply your Dexterity modifier to your Reflex saving throws. Reflex saves can be made against attacks or effects such as pit traps, catching on fire, fireball, lighting bolt, and red dragon breath.
Will: These saves reflect your resistance to mental influence as well as many magical effects. Apply your Wisdom modifier to your Will saving throws. Will saves can be made against attacks or effects such as charm person, hold person, and most illusion spells.
Saving Throw Difficulty Class: The DC for a save is determined by the attack itself. Two examples: A Medium monstrous centipede’s poison allows a DC 11 Fortitude save. An ancient red dragon’s fiery breath allows a DC 36 Reflex save.
Automatic Failures and Successes: A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on a saving throw is always a failure (and may cause damage to exposed items; see Items Surviving after a Saving Throw, page 177). A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a success.