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: Choose a target, determine modifiers (such as cover, advantage and disadvantage, items, spells, special abilities, etc.), and resolve the attack. 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. <br> ___ ### Attack Rolls When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. The AC of a character is determined at character creation, whereas the AC of a monster is in its stat block. <br><br> ##### Modifiers to the Roll When a character makes an attack roll, the two most common modifiers to the roll are an ability modifier and the character's proficiency bonus. When a monster makes an attack roll, it uses whatever modifier is provided in its stat block. <br> **Ability Modifier** >The ability modifier used for a melee weapon attack is Strength, and the ability modifier used for a ranged weapon attack is Dexterity. Weapons that have the finesse or thrown property break this rule. > >Some spells also require an attack roll. The ability modifier used for a spell attack depends on the [[Spellcasting#Saving Throws|spellcasting ability]] of the spellcaster. <br> **Proficiency Bonus** >You add your [[Levels & Proficiency Bonus#Proficiency Bonus|proficiency bonus]] to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with which you have proficiency, as well as when you attack with a spell. <br><br> ##### Rolling 1 or 20 🛠 Sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing the novice to hit and the veteran to miss. If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target's AC. This is called a [[Damage and Healing#Critical Hits|critical hit]], which is explained later in this section. If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target's AC. The creature then earns [[Alignment & Inspiration|inspiration]] to hopefully get them out of their unlucky streak. <br> ___ ### Unseen Attackers and Targets Combatants often try to escape their foes' notice by [[Actions in Combat#Hide|hiding]], casting the [[Arcane Spells#Invisibility|invisibility]] spell, or lurking in [[Exploration & Environment#Darkness|darkness]]. When you attack a target that you can't see, you have [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|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 DM 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 [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]] on attack rolls against it. If you are [[Actions in Combat#Hide|hidden]],--both unseen and unheard--when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses. <br> ___ ### Ranged Attacks When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow, hurl a handaxe, or otherwise send projectiles to strike a foe at a distance. A monster might shoot spines from its tail. Many spells also involve making a ranged attack. <br><br> ##### Range 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 or a shortbow, 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 the long range. <br><br> ##### 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, unless otherwise specified 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 [[Conditions#Stunned|stunned]], [[Conditions#Unconscious|unconscious]] or [[Conditions#Dying 🛠|dying]]. <br> ___ ### Melee Attacks 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. <br><br> ##### Disarming 🛠 A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or another item from a target’s grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll contested by the target’s Strength check or Dexterity check. If the attacker wins the contest, the attack causes no damage or other ill effect, but the defender drops the item it's holding. The attacker has [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|disadvantage]] on its attack roll if the target is holding the item with two or more hands. The target has [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]] on its ability check if it is larger than the attacking creature, or [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|disadvantage]] if it is smaller. When you disarm a creature, you can pick up the object as an [[Order of Combat#Other Activity on Your Turn|object interaction]] if you have at least one free hand. Otherwise you might kick, toss, or in someway move the item or weapon a number of feet equal to 5 + your reach or the reach of the weapon you used. <br><br> ##### Grapple 🛠 When you want to grab a creature or wrestle with it, you can use the attack action to make a special melee attack, a grapple. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them. The target of your grapple must be within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a grapple check instead of an attack roll: a Strength check contested by the target’s Strength or Dexterity check (the target chooses the ability to use). The target has [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]] on its ability check if it is larger than the attacking creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller. You succeed automatically if the target is [[Conditions#Stunned|stunned]], [[Conditions#Unconscious|unconscious]] or [[Conditions#Dying 🛠|dying]]. If you succeed, and the target of your grapple is no more than one size larger than you, you subject the target to the [[Conditions#Restrained|restrained]] condition. The condition specifies the things that end it, and you can release your grapple whenever you like (no action required). <br> ###### Drag >While you are grappling a creature, you can drag or carry the grappled creature with you, but your speed is halved, unless the creature is two or more sizes smaller than you. You can use the [[#Shoving a Creature|shove]] action to move a creature that you have grappled to another space within your reach without breaking the grapple. > >Alternatively, you can use an attack action to make a special melee attack to drag the grappled creature. If you can make multiple attacks with the attack action, this attack replaces one of them. Roll an [[Abilities & Skills#Athletics|Athletics]] check against the grappled creature's Strength Score. If you succeed, your speed is not halved for the turn while you move the grappled creature with you. <br> ###### Toss >While you are grappling a creature, you can use the attack action to make a special melee attack to hurl the grappled creature. If you can make multiple attacks with the attack action, this attack replaces one of them. > >To Toss another creature, you must make a successful [[Abilities & Skills#Athletics|Athletics]] check, with the DC determined by both your size and the size of the other creature, as seen below. If you succeed, you toss the creature a distance up to 5 times your Strength modifier + 5 feet. When it hits a surface, the thrown creature takes bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it travelled while thrown, as if it had taken damage for [[Exploration & Environment#Falling|falling]] from a height of the same distance. If you choose to throw the creature a shorter distance, it takes the same amount of damage as if you had thrown it the full distance. > >The tossed creature lands [[Conditions#Prone|prone]] unless it succeeds on a [[Abilities & Skills#Acrobatics|Acrobatics]] check with a DC equal to the [[Abilities & Skills#Athletics|Athletics]] check used to toss, or uses a feature or spell (such as [[Arcane Spells#Feather Fall|feather fall]]) to land safely. > >The larger a creature, the higher the DC to throw it: > >|Size|TossDC| >|---|---| >|Tiny|5| >|Small|11| >|Medium|17| >|Large|23| >|Huge|29| >|Gargantuan|35| > >The larger you are, the easier it is to throw other creatures. The opposite holds true if you are smaller. The DCs to toss another creature increases by 5 if your size is Small, and 10 if your size is Tiny. The DC decreases by 5 if your size is Large, by 10 if your size is Huge, and by 15 if your size is Gargantuan. > >No upper limit exists on the size of Gargantuan creatures, so the DM sets the DC to Toss a Gargantuan creature based on that particular creature's size. <br><br> ##### Opportunity Attacks 🛠 In a fight, expert fighters may be watching for a chance to strike an enemy who is fleeing or passing by. Such a strike is called an opportunity attack. You may only perform an opportunity attack if you have an ability or feature that allows you to do so. If you have such an ability, it will specify when you can make your opportunity attacks. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by taking the [[Actions in Combat#Disengage|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, bonus 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 [[Exploration & Environment#Falling|fall]] past an enemy. <br> **Mounts** >When you are [[Companions, Mounts & NPCs#Mounts|mounted]], you assume the movement speeds of your mount as though it were your own. Because of this, if a mount moves away from an attacker, the rider of the mount can still be subject to opportunity attacks despite not using their "own movement" to move. > >Unless both rider and mount use a [[Actions in Combat#Disengage|Disengage]] action, either may be the target of an opportunity attack when trying to flee. <br><br> ##### Shoving a Creature Using the attack action, you can make a special melee attack to shove a creature, either to knock it [[Conditions#Prone|prone]] or push it away from you. If you're able to make multiple attacks with the attack action, this replaces one of them. The target must be no more than one size larger than the attacker and must be within reach. Instead of making an attack roll, the attacker makes a Strength check contested by the target's Strength or Dexterity check (the target chooses the ability to use). The target has advantage on its ability check if it is larger than the attacker, or disadvantage if it is smaller. The shove succeeds automatically if the target is [[Conditions#Stunned|stunned]], [[Conditions#Unconscious|unconscious]] or [[Conditions#Dying 🛠|dying]]. If the shove is successful, the target is either knocked [[Conditions#Prone|prone]] or pushed 5 feet away from the attacker in a direction they choose. <br><br> ##### Two-Weapon Fighting When you take the attack action and attack with a [[Armour & Weapons#Weapon Properties#Light|light]] melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in another other hand. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. If either weapon has the [[Armour & Weapons#Weapon Properties#Thrown|thrown]] property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it. <br><br> ##### Unarmed Strikes 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, and they are considered to have the [[Armour & Weapons#Nonlethal|nonlethal]] property.