Rules Glossary
Character Origins
This glossary includes game terms that have new or revised meaning in these playtest rules, as well as terms, such as Creature Type,that aren't defined in the 2014 Player's Handbook.The terms are organized alphabetically.
If a term doesn't appear here, use its definition in the 2014 Player's Handbook, and when playtesting this document, do not use the rules glossary of any other Unearthed Arcana article.
Arcane Spells
An Arcane Spell draws on the ambient magic of the multiverse. Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards harness this magic, as do Artificers.
Artisan's Tools
Artisan's Tools are a category of tool with which a character can gain Tool Proficiency. For a list of Artisan's Tools, see the 2014 Player's Handbook, but ignore the prices there; those tools now cost 15 GP apiece.
Creature Type
Every creature in D&D, including every 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.
Here's a list of the game's Creature Types in alphabetical order:
| Aberration | Beast | Celestial | Construct |
| Dragon | Elemental | Fey | 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 description of Cure Wounds specifies that the Spell doesn't benefit a Construct.
D20 Test
The term d20 Test encompasses the three main d20 rolls of the game: ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. If something in the game affects d20 Tests, it affects all three of those rolls.
The DM determines whether a d20 Test is warranted in any given circumstance.To be warranted, a d20 Test must have a target number no less than 5 and no greater than 30.
Rolling a 1
If you roll a 1 on the d20, the d20 Test automatically fails, regardless of any modifiers to the roll.
Rolling a 20
If you roll a 20 on the d20, the d20 Test automatically succeeds, regardless of any modifiers to the roll. A player character also gains Inspiration when rolling the 20, thanks to the remarkable success.
Rolling a 20 doesn't bypass limitations on the test, such as range and line of sight. The 20 bypasses only bonuses and penalties to the roll.
Critical Hits
Weapons and Unarmed Strikes have a special feature for player characters: Critical Hits. If a player character rolls a 20 for an attack roll with a Weapon or an Unarmed Strike, the attack is also a Critical Hit, which means it deals extra damage to the target; you roll the damage dice of the Weapon or Unarmed Strike a second time and add the second roll as extra damage to the target. For example, a Mace deals Bludgeoning Damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you score a Critical Hit with the Mace, it instead deals 2d6 + your Strength modifier.
If your Weapon or Unarmed Strike has no damage dice, it deals no extra damage on a Critical Hit.
Divine Spells
A Divine Spell draws on the power of gods and the Outer Planes. Clerics and Paladins harness this magic.
Gaming Set
Gaming Sets are a category of tool with which a character can gain Tool Proficiency. For a list of Gaming Sets, see the 2014 Player's;s Handbook, but ignore the prices there; those sets now cost 1 GP apiece.
Grappled [Condition]
While you are Grappled, you experience the following effects:
• Speed 0. Your speed is 0 and can't change.
• Attacks Affected. You have Disadvantage on attack rolls against any target other than the grappler.
• Movable. The grappler can drag or carry you, but the grappler suffers the Slowed Condition while moving, unless you are Tiny or two or more Sizes smaller than the grappler.
• Escape. While Grappled, you can make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw against the grapple's escape DC at the end of each of your turns, ending the Condition on yourself on a success. The Condition also ends if the grappler is Incapacitated or if something moves you outside the grapple's range without using your Speed.
Incapacitated [Condition]
While you are Incapacitated, you experience the following effects:
• Inactive. You can't take Actions or Reactions.
• No Concentration. Your Concentration is broken.
• Speechless.You can't speak.
• Surprised. If you are Incapacitated when you roll Initiative, you have Disadvantage on the roll.
Inspiration
When you have Inspiration, you can expend it to give yourself Advantage on a d20 Test. You must decide to do so before rolling the die.
Gaining Inspiration
The main way a character gains Inspiration is by rolling a 20 for a d20 Test. The DM can also award Inspiration to a character who's done something that is particularly heroic or amusing.
Only One at a Time
You can never have more than one instance of Inspiration. If something gives you Inspiration and you already have it, you can give Inspiration to a player character in your group who lacks it.
Losing Inspiration
If you still have Inspiration when you start a Long Rest, you lose that Inspiration.
Long Rest
A Long Rest is a period of extended downtime—at least 8 hours long—during which a creature sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.
Benefits of the Rest
At the end of a Long Rest, a creature regains all lost Hit Points. The creature also regains spent Hit Dice, up to half of the creature's total number of them (round down; minimum of one die).
A creature can't benefit from more than one Long Rest in a 24-hour period, and a creature must have at least 1 Hit Point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.
Interrupting the Rest
If a Long Rest is interrupted by combat or by 1 hour of walking, casting Spells, or similar activity, the rest confers no benefit and must be restarted; however, if the rest was at least 1 hour long before the interruption, the creature gains the benefits of a Short Rest.
Musical Instrument
Musical Instruments are a category of tool with which a character can gain Tool Proficiency. For a list of Musical Instruments, see the 2014 Player's Handbook, but ignore the prices there; those instruments now cost 20 GP apiece.
Primal Spells
A Primal Spell draws on the forces of nature and the Inner Planes. Druids and Rangers harness this magic.
Slowed [Condition]
Whileyou are Slowed, you experience the following effects:
• Limited Movement. You must spend 1 extra foot of movement for every foot you move using your Speed.
• Attacks Affected. Attack rolls against you have Advantage.
• Dexterity Saves Affected. You have Disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Tool Proficiency
If you have Proficiency with a tool, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to any ability check you make that uses that tool. If you have Proficiency in the Skill that's also used with that check, you have Advantage on the check too. This functionality means you can benefit from both Skill Proficiency and Tool Proficiency on the same ability check.
Tremorsense
A creature with Tremorsense can pinpoint the location of creatures and moving objects within a specific range, provided that the creature with Tremorsense and anything it's detecting are both in contact with the same surface (such as the ground, a wall, or a ceiling) or the same liquid.
Tremorsense can't detect creatures or objects in the air, and Tremorsense doesn't count as a form of sight.
Unarmed Strike
An Unarmed Strike is a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or shove a target within your Reach.
Your bonus to hit with an Unarmed Strike equals your Strength modifier plus your Proficiency Bonus. On a hit, your Unarmed Strike causes one of the following effects of your choice:
• Damage. The target takes Bludgeoning Damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier.
• Grapple. The target is Grappled, and the grapple's escape DC equals 8 + your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. This grapple is possible only if the target is no more than one Size larger than you and if you have a hand free to grab the target.
• Shove. You either push the target 5 feet away or knock the target Prone. This shove is possible only if the target is no more than one Size larger than you.
Expert Classes
This glossary includes game terms that have new or revised meaning in these playtest rules, as well as terms, such as Creature Type,that aren't defined in the 2014 Player's Handbook.The terms are organized alphabetically.
If a term doesn't appear here, use its definition in the 2014 Player's Handbook, and when playtesting this document, do not use the rules glossary of any other Unearthed Arcana article.
Ability Check
The Ability Check is one of three types of d20 Tests. The rules often call for an Ability Check, and the DM can also call for an Ability Check, determining which ability to use when a creature attempts something (other than an Attack Roll or a Saving Throw) that has a chance of meaningful failure. When the outcome is uncertain and narratively interesting, the dice determine the results.
The Ability Check has the following special rules:
Skills
When you make an Ability Check, the rules or the DM determines whether a Skill Proficiency is relevant to the check. If you have a relevant Skill Proficiency, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to the roll. For example, if a rule refers to a Strength Check (Acrobatics or Athletics), you can add your Proficiency Bonus to the check if you have Acrobatics or Athletics Proficiency.
Action Required
Making an Ability Check requires you to take an Action unless a rule says otherwise. Several of the named Actions—such as Hide and Influence—include Ability Checks.
The may override this requirement and allow a particular Ability Check to be made as part of a Bonus Action or as no Action at all.
Difficulty Class
The DM determines the Difficulty Class of an Ability Check and can override a DC specified in the rules. The Typical Difficulty Class table shows the most common DCs.
The default DC for a check is 15, and it is rarely worth calling for an Ability Check if the DC is as low as 5, unless the potential failure is narratively interesting.
| Task Difficulty | DC |
|---|---|
| Very Easy | 5 |
| Easy | 10 |
| Medium | 15 |
| Hard | 20 |
| Very Hard | 25 |
| Nearly Impossible | 30 |
Arcane Spells
An Arcane Spell draws on the ambient magic of the multiverse. Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards harness this magic, as do Artificers.
Armor Training
Armor Training is the new name for Armor Proficiency. Any existing rule that involves Armor Proficiency now applies to Armor Training.
If you wear Light, Medium, or Heavy Armor and lack Armor Training with that type of Armor, you have Disadvantage on any d20 Test you make that involves Strength or Dexterity, and you can't cast Spells.
If you equip a Shield and lack ArmorTraining with Shields, you don't gain the Armor Class bonus of the Shield.
Artisan's Tools
Artisan's Tools are a category of tool with which a character can gain Tool Proficiency. For a list of Artisan's Tools, see the 2014 Player's Handbook, but ignore the prices there; those tools now cost 15 GP apiece.
Attack [Action]
When you take the Attack Action, you can make one attack with a Weapon or an Unarmed Strike.
Equipping Weapons
You can equip or unequip one Weapon before or after any attack you make as part of this Action, even if the attack is with an Unarmed Strike.
Moving Between Attacks
If you Move on your turn, you can use some or all of that movement to move between the attacks of this Action if you have a feature, such as Extra Attack, that gives you more than one attack as part of the Attack Action.
Attack Roll
The Attack Roll is one of three types of d20 Tests. This Unearthed Arcana article uses the rules for attack rolls and critical hits found in the 2014 Player's Handbook.
Barkskin [Spell]
Here's a new version of the Barkskin Spell.
Barkskin
2nd-Level Transmutation Spell (Primal)
Casting Time: Bonus Action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a handful of bark)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You touch one willing creature to protect it with regenerating bark. Until the Spell ends, the target's skin assumes a bark-like appearance, and at the start of each of the target's turns, the target gains a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to your Spellcasting Ability Modifier plus your Proficiency Bonus.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this Spell using a Spell Slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target one additional willing creature for each slot level above 2nd.
Blindsight
If you have Blindsight, you can effectively see within a specific range without relying on physical sight.Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind Total Cover, even if you're Blinded or in Darkness. Moreover, you can effectively see a Hidden or an Invisible creature in that range.
Climb Speed
A Climb Speed can be used to move on a vertical surface without expending the extra movement normally associated with climbing. A Climb Speed can also be used in any situation in which your Speed is usable.
Some creatures have the Spider Climb trait, which allows their Climb Speed to work even on the underside of horizontal surfaces.
Creature Type
Every creature in D&D, including every 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.
Here's a list of the game's Creature Types in alphabetical order:
| Aberration | Beast | Celestial | Construct |
| Dragon | Elemental | Fey | 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 description of Cure Wounds specifies that the Spell doesn't benefit a Construct.
D20 Test
The term d20 Test encompasses the three main d20 rolls of the game: Ability Checks, Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws. If something in the game affects d20 Tests, it affects all three of those rolls.
Whenever a player character rolls a 1 for a d20 Test, that character gains Heroic Inspiration.
The DM determines whether a d20 Test is warranted in any given circumstance.
Dash [Action]
Taking the Dash Action allows you to make a bonus Move during the current turn.
Difficult Terrain
If a space is Difficult Terrain, every foot of movement in that space costs 1 extra foot. For example, moving 5 feet through Difficult Terrain costs 10 feet of movement. Difficult Terrain isn't cumulative; either a space is Difficult Terrain or it isn't.
A space is Difficult Terrain for a creature if the space contains any of the following:
- Creature that isn't Tiny
- Furniture that is Small or larger
- Heavy snow
- Heavy undergrowth
- Ice
- Liquid that's between shin- and waist-deep (any deeper and you need to Swim)
- Narrow opening that is sized for a creature one Size smaller
- Pit or another gap of 2-5 feet
- Rubble
- Slope of 20 degrees or more
The DM may determine that other things count as Difficult Terrain based on the examples here.
Divine Spells
A Divine Spell draws on the power of gods and the Outer Planes. Clerics and Paladins harness this magic.
Exhausted [Condition]
While you are subjected to the Exhausted Condition (known in older books as Exhaustion), you experience the following effects:
• Levels of Exhaustion. This Condition is cumulative. Each time you receive it, you gain 1 level of exhaustion. You die if your exhaustion level exceeds10.
• d20 Rolls Affected. When you make a d20 Test, you subtract your exhaustion level from the d20 roll.
• Spell Save DCs Affected. Subtract your exhaustion level from the Spellsave DC of any Spell you cast.
• Ending the Condition. Finishing a Long Rest removes 1 of your levels of exhaustion. When your exhaustion level reaches 0, you are no longer Exhausted.
Expertise
Expertise is a special feature that enhances your use of a particular Skill Proficiency. If you gain Expertise, you gain it in one Skill in which you have Proficiency. You can never have Expertise in the same Skill Proficiency more than once.
When you make an Ability Check with a Skill Proficiency in which you have Expertise, your Proficiency Bonus is doubled for that check.
Fly Speed
A Fly Speed can be used to move through the air. While you have a Fly Speed, you can stay aloft until you land, fall, or die.
While flying, you fall if you are Incpacitated or Restrained. If you have the Hover trait, you can stay aloft even while Incpacitated or Restrained.
Gaming Set
Gaming Sets are a category of tool with which a character can gain Tool Proficiency. For a list of Gaming Sets, see the 2014 Player's;s Handbook, but ignore the prices there; those sets now cost 1 GP apiece.
Grappled [Condition]
While you are Grappled, you experience the following effects:
• Speed 0. Your speed is 0 and can't change.
• Attacks Affected. You have Disadvantage on Attack Rolls against any target other than the grappler.
• Movable. The grappler can drag or carry you, but the grappler suffers the Slowed Condition while moving, unless you are Tiny or two or more Sizes smaller than the grappler.
• Escape. While Grappled, you can make a Dexterity or Strength Saving Throw against the grapple's escape DC at the end of each of your turns, ending the Condition on yourself on a success. The Condition also ends if the grappler is Incapacitated or if something moves you outside the grapple's range without using your Speed.
Guidance [Spell]
Here's a new version of the Guidance Spell.
Guidance
0-Level Divivnation Spell (Divine, Primal)
Casting Time: Reaction, which you take in response to you or an ally within 30 feet of youfailing an Ability Check
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
You channel magical insight to the creature who failed the Ability Check. That creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the check, potentially turning it into a success.
Once a creature rolls the die for this Spell, that creature can't benefit from the Spell again until the creature finishes a Long Rest.
Help [Action]
When you take the Help Action, you do one of the following:
Assist Ability Check. Choose one of your Skill Proficiencies and one ally who can see or hear you. You give Advantage to the next Ability Check that ally makes with the chosen Skill. This benefit expires if the ally doesn't use it before the start of your next turn. To give this assistance, you must be near enough to the ally to assist verbally or physically when the ally makes the check. The DM has final say on whether your assistance is possible.
Assist Attack Roll. You momentarily distract an enemy within 5 feet of you, granting Advantage to the next Attack Roll by one of your allies against thatenemy. This benefit expires at the start of your next turn.
Heroic Inspiration
When you have Heroic Inspiration (also called Inspiration), you can expend it to give yourself Advantage on a d20 Test. You decide to do so immediately after rolling the d20.
Gaining Heroic Inspiration
A player character gains Heroic Inspiration if the character rolls a 1 for a d20 Test. That 1 must be on the d20 used for the test's total, not on a d20 that was rerolled or discarded. This Heroic Inspiration represents a character's resolve to do better after fumbling an attempt.
The DM can also award Heroic Inspiration to a player character who's done something that is particularly heroic or in character.
Only One at a Time
You can never have more than one instance of Heroic Inspiration. If something gives you Heroic Inspiration and you already have it, you can give Heroic Inspiration to a player character in your group who lacks it.
Hidden [Condition]
While you are Hidden, you experience the following effects:
• Concealed. You aren't affected by any effect that requires its target to be seen.
• Surprise. If you are Hidden when you roll Initiative, you have Advantage on the roll.
• Attacks Affected. Attack Rolls against you have Disadvantage, and your Attack Rolls have Advantage.
• Ending the Condition. The Condition ends on you immediately after any of the following occurrences: you make a sound louder than a whisper, an enemy finds you, you make an Attack Roll,you cast a Spell with a verbal component,or you aren't Heavily Obscured or behind any Cover.
Hide [Action]
With the Hide Action, you try to conceal yourself. To do so, you must make a DC 15 Dexterity Check (Stealth) while you're Heavily Obscured or behind Three-Quarters Cover or Total Cover, and you must be out of any visible enemy's line of sight; if you can see a creature, you can discern whether it can see you.
On a successful check, you are Hidden. Make note of your check's total, which becomes the DC for a creature to find you with a Wisdom Check (Perception).
Incapacitated [Condition]
While you are Incapacitated, you experience the following effects:
• Inactive. You can't take Actions or Reactions.
• No Concentration. Your Concentration is broken.
• Speechless.You can't speak.
• Surprised. If you are Incapacitated when you roll Initiative, you have Disadvantage on the roll.
Influence [Action]
With the Influence Action, you can try to influence another creature to do something you request or demand. This Action can be used only on creatures controlled by the DM, and it isn't mind control; it can't force a creature to do something that is counter to the creature's alignment or that is otherwise repugnant to the creature.
This Action has three main parts: Attitude, Interaction, and a Charisma Check:
Attitude
A creature's Attitude determines how a character can influence that creature. Each DM-controlled creature has one of the following Attitudes toward the player characters:
• Indifferent. This is the default Attitude for DM-controlled creatures. An Indifferent creature might help or hinder the party, depending on what the creature sees as most beneficial. A creature's indifference doesn't necessarily make it standoffish or disinterested. Indifferent creatures might be polite and genial, surly and irritable, or anything in between. A successful Charisma Check is often necessary when the adventurers try to persuade an Indifferent creature to do something.
• Friendly. A Friendly creature wants to help the adventurers and wishes for them to succeed. For tasks or actions that require no particular risk, effort, or cost, Friendly creatures often help happily. If an element of personal risk is involved, a successful Charisma Check might be required to convince a Friendly creature to take that risk.
• Hostile. A Hostile creature opposes the adventurers and their goals but doesn't necessarily attack them on sight. The adventurers need to succeed on one or more challenging Charisma Checks to convince a Hostile creature to do anything on the party's behalf; however,the DM might determine that the Hostile creature is so ill-disposed toward the characters that no Charisma Check can sway it, in which case the first check fails automatically and no further Influence attempts can be made on the creature unless its Attitude shifts.
Interaction
When you take the Influence Action, either roleplay how your character interacts with the creature or describe your character's behavior—focusing on your character's request or demand. If the interaction is especially suited to the creature's desires and outlook, the DM might grant Advantage to your subsequent check or might temporarily shift a Hostile creature to Indifferent or an Indifferent creature to Friendly.
Similarly, if the interaction is particularly irksome to the creature, the DM might impose Disadvantage on your subsequent check or might temporarily shift a Friendly creature to Indifferent or an Indifferent creature to Hostile.
Ability Check
To determine whether your request or demand is successful, you make a Charisma Check(Animal Handling, Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion); the applicable Skill depends on the interaction, with Animal Handling being reserved for Beasts and Monstrosities. Also, each request or demand requires a different check.
The creature's Attitude determines the DC required to achieve a specific response, as shown in the Influence Responses table.
| DC | Indifferent Creature's Response |
|---|---|
| 10 | The creature does as asked, as long as no risks or sacrifices are involved. |
| 20 | The creature accepts a minor risk or sacrifice to do as asked. |
| DC | Friendly Creature's Response |
| 10 | The creature accepts a minor risk or sacrifice to do as asked. |
| 20 | The creature accepts a significant risk or sacrifice to do as asked. |
| DC | Hostile Creature's Response |
| 10 | The creature offers no help but does no harm. |
| 20 | The creature does as asked, as long as no risks or sacrifices are involved. |
Invisible [Condition]
While you are Invisible, you experience the following effects:
• Unseeable. You can't be seen, so you aren't affected by any effect that requires its target to be seen. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying also can't be seen.
• Surprise. If you are Invisible when you roll initiative, you have Advantage on the roll.
• Attacks Affected. Attack Rolls against you have Disadvantage, and your Attack Rolls have Advantage.
Jump [Action]
With the Jump Action, you attempt to leap more than 5 feet (a jump of 5 feet or less is treated as Difficult Terrain). When you take this Action, your Speed must be greater than 0, and you must make a DC 10 Strength Check (Acrobatics or Athletics). If you don't Move at least 10 feet immediately before this Action, you have Disadvantage on the check.
On a failed check, you leap 5 feet horizontally or vertically.
On a successful check, the check's total determines the distance in feet that you can clear horizontally, or half that total if you're jumping vertically (round down). This jump doesn't expend your movement, but the distance you clear can't exceed your Speed.
Light [Weapon Property]
When you take the Attack Action on your turn and attack with a Light weapon in one hand, you can make one extra attack as part of the same Action. That extra attack must be made with a different Light weapon in the other hand, and you don't add your Ability Modifier to the extra attack's damage. You can make this extra attack only once on each of your turns.
For example, if you take the Attack Action on your turn and have a Shortsword in one hand and a Dagger in the other—each of which has the Light property—you can make one attack with each weapon, but you don't add your Strength or Dexterity Modifier to the damage roll of the second weapon.
Long Rest
A Long Rest is a period of extended downtime—at least 8 hours long—during which a creature sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.
Benefits of the Rest
When you finisha Long Rest, you gain the following benefits:
• Regain All HP. You regain all lost Hit Points.
• Regain All HD. You regain all spent Hit Dice.
• HP Max Restored. If your Hit Point Maximum was reduced, it returns to normal.
• Ability Scores Restored. If any of your Ability Scores were reduced, they return to normal.
You can't benefit from more than one Long Rest in a 24-hour period, and you must have at least 1 Hit Point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.
Interrupting the Rest
If a Long Rest is interrupted by combat or by 1 hour of walking, casting Spells, or similar activity, the rest confers no benefit and must be restarted; however, if the rest was at least 1 hour long before the interruption, the creature gains the benefits of a Short Rest.
Magic [Action]
When you take the Magic Action, you cast a Spell that has a casting time of an Action, or you use a Magic Item that requires an Action to be activated.
If you cast a Spell that has a casting time of 1 minute or longer, you must take the Magic Action on each turn of that casting, and you must maintain Concentration while you do so. If your Concentration is broken, the Spell fails, but you don't expend a Spell Slot.
Move
When you Move, you can go a distance equal to your Speed or less. For example, if you have a Speed of 30 feet, you can go up to 30 feet when you Move. Difficult Terrain can slow you down.
Breaking Up Your Move
You can break up your Move, using some of its movement before and after any Action you take on the same turn. For example, if you have a Speed of 30 feet, you could go 10 feet, take an Action, and then go 20 feet.
Moving Around Other Creatures
During your Move, you can pass through the space of an ally, an Incapacitated creature, a Tiny creature, or a creature who is two Sizes larger or smaller than you.
Another creature's space is Difficult Terrain for you, unless that creature is Tiny.
You can't willingly end your Move in a space occupied by another creature.
Climbing and Swimming
You can use your Speed to climb or swim. Some creatures also have a Climb Speed or a Swim Speed.
If you use your Speed to climb or swim, each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot. For example, if you swim or climb 5 feet, you must spend 10 feet of movement to do sowith your Speed.If you're swimming or climbing through Difficult Terrain, that 5 feet of movement costs 15 feet!
Special Speeds
Some creatures have special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, a Fly Speed, or a Swim Speed. If you have more than one speed, you must choose which one to use each time you take your Move. For example, if you have a Speed and a Climb Speed, you can use one of those speeds when you Move, not both during the same Move.
If you take more than one Move on a turn and have more than one speed, each Move can use the same speed or a different one. For example, if you have both a Speed and a Fly Speed and you take the Dash Action on your turn, you could use your Speed for the Move and your Fly Speed for the Dash or vice versa.
Speed of 0
If an effect zeroes your Speed for a time, any special speed you have is also zeroed for the same duration. For example, if you have a Speed and a Climb Speed, both speeds are zeroed if you're subjected to the Grappled Condition.
Musical Instrument
Musical Instruments are a category of tool with which a character can gain Tool Proficiency. For a list of Musical Instruments, see the 2014 Player's Handbook, but ignore the prices there; those instruments now cost 20 GP apiece.
Primal Spells
A Primal Spell draws on the forces of nature and the Inner Planes. Druids and Rangers harness this magic.
Ritual Casting
If you have a Spell prepared that has the Ritual tag, you can cast that Spell as a Ritual. A special feature is no longer required for Ritual casting. All the other rules on Rituals in the 2014 Player's Handbook still apply.
Search [Action]
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.
| Skill | Thing to Detect |
|---|---|
| Insight | Creature's state of mind |
| Medicine | Creature's ailment |
| Perception | Concealed creature or object |
| Survival | Tracks or food |
Shortsword [Weapon]
A Shortsword is now a Simple Weapon, rather than a Martial Weapon.
Slowed [Condition]
Whileyou are Slowed, you experience the following effects:
• Limited Movement. You must spend 1 extra foot of movement for every foot you move using your Speed.
• Attacks Affected. Attack Rolls against you have Advantage.
• Dexterity Saves Affected. You have Disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Study [Action]
When you take the Study Action, you make an Intelligence Check to study your memory, a book, a creature, a clue, an object, 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 when you take this Action, depending on the area of knowledge the Intelligence Check is about.
| 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) |
Swim Speed
A Swim Speed can be used to move through a liquid without expending the extra movement normally associated with swimming.
Tool Proficiency
If you have Proficiency with a tool, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to any Ability Check you make that uses that tool. If you have Proficiency in the Skill that's also used with that check, you have Advantage on the check too. This functionality means you can benefit from both Skill Proficiency and Tool Proficiency on the same Ability Check.
Teleportation
Teleportation is a special kind of magical transportation. If you teleport, you disappear and reappear elsewhere instantly, without moving through the intervening space. This transportation doesn't expend movement, unless a rule tells you otherwise, and teleportation never provokes Opportunity Attacks.
When you teleport, all the equipment you are wearing and carrying teleports with you. If you are touching another creature when you teleport, that creature doesn't teleport with you, unless the teleportation effect says otherwise.
If the destination space of your teleportation is occupied by another creature or blocked by a solid obstacle, you instead appear in the nearest unoccupied space of your choice.
The description of a teleportation effect tells you if you must see the teleportation's destination.
Tremorsense
A creature with Tremorsense can pinpoint the location of creatures and moving objects within a specific range, provided that the creature with Tremorsense and anything it's detecting are both in contact with the same surface (such as the ground, a wall, or a ceiling) or the same liquid.
Tremorsense can't detect creatures or objects in the air, and Tremorsense doesn't count as a form of sight.
Unarmed Strike
An Unarmed Strike is a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or shove a target within your Reach.
Your bonus to hit with an Unarmed Strike equals your Strength modifier plus your Proficiency Bonus. On a hit, your Unarmed Strike causes one of the following effects of your choice:
• Damage. The target takes Bludgeoning Damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier.
• Grapple. The target is Grappled, and the grapple's escape DC equals 8 + your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. This grapple is possible only if the target is no more than one Size larger than you and if you have a hand free to grab the target.
• Shove. You either push the target 5 feet away or knock the target Prone. This shove is possible only if the target is no more than one Size larger than you.