Sage Advice Compendium

Sage Advice Compendium
The Sage Advice Compendium collects questions and an- Volo’s Guide to Monsters
swers about the rules of Dungeons & Dragons (fifth edi- https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/VGtM-Errata.pdf
tion). The document’s version number changes when sub-
stantive additions or revisions have been made to the text. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
The newest material is preceded by the tag “[NEW]”. https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/XGtE-Errata.pdf
Rules References Official Rulings

The fifth edition of D&D has three official rulebooks, each Official rulings on how to interpret rules are made here in
of which was first published in 2014: the Sage Advice Compendium. The public statements of
the D&D team, or anyone else at Wizards of the Coast, are
• Player’s Handbook (abbreviated PH) not official rulings; they are advice. The tweets of Jeremy
• Monster Manual (abbreviated MM) Crawford (@JeremyECrawford), the game’s principal rules
• Dungeon Master’s Guide (abbreviated DMG) designer, are sometimes a preview of rulings that will
The free Basic Rules contains portions of those three books appear here.
and can be downloaded here: A Dungeon Master adjudicates the game and determines
whether to use an official ruling in play. The DM always has
https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
the final say on rules questions.
Play in the Adventurers League is also governed by the
Adventurers League Player’s Guide. Compiled Answers
Errata Sage Advice answers that are relevant to the current state
of the rules are compiled here.
Errata have been issued for certain fifth edition books and
can be downloaded at the following locations. The Role of Rules
Player’s Handbook Why even have a column like Sage Advice when a DM
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/PH-Errata.pdf can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes
D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling.
Monster Manual The game’s rules are meant to help organize, and even in-
https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/MM-Errata.pdf spire, the action of a D&D campaign. The rules are a tool,
and we want our tools to be as effective as possible. No
Dungeon Master’s Guide matter how good those tools might be, they need a group of
https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DMG-Errata.pdf players to bring them to life and a DM to guide their use.
The DM is key. Many unexpected things can happen in
Curse of Strahd a D&D campaign, and no set of rules could reasonably ac-
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/CoS-Errata.pdf count for every contingency. If the rules tried to do so, the
game would become unplayable. An alternative would be
Ghosts of Saltmarsh for the rules to severely limit what characters can do, which
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/GoS-Errata.pdf would be counter to the open-endedness of D&D. The direc-
tion we chose for the current edition was to lay a foundation
Hoard of the Dragon Queen of rules that a DM could build on, and we embraced the
https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/HotDQ-Errata.pdf DM’s role as the bridge between the things the rules ad-
dress and the things they don’t.
Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes In a typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/MTF-Errata.pdf decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvi-
ous. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group
Out of the Abyss keeps the game running. There are times, though, when the
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/OotA-Errata.pdf design intent of a rule isn’t clear or when one rule seems to
contradict another.
Princes of the Apocalypse Dealing with those situations is where Sage Advice
https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/PotA-Errata.pdf comes in. This column doesn’t replace a DM’s adjudication.
Just as the rules do, the column is meant to give DMs, as
Storm King’s Thunder
well as players, tools for tuning the game according to their
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/SKT-Errata.pdf
tastes. The column should also reveal some perspectives
Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide that help you see parts of the game in a new light and that
aid you in fine-tuning your D&D experience.
https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/SCAG-Errata.pdf
When I answer rules questions, I often come at them
Tomb of Annihilation from one to three different perspectives.
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/ToA-Errata.pdf RAW. “Rules as written”—that’s what RAW stands for.
When I dwell on the RAW interpretation of a rule, I’m
studying what the text says in context, without regard to the
designers’ intent. The text is forced to stand on its own.
Version 2.5 @2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. Page 1
Whenever I consider a rule, I start with this perspective; mind that some AC calculations, such as a monk’s Unar-
it’s important for me to see what you see, not what I wished mored Defense, prohibit the use of a shield.
we’d published or thought we’d published. Once you have your base AC, it can be temporarily mod-
RAI. Some of you are especially interested in knowing ified by situational bonuses and penalties. For instance,
the intent behind a rule. That’s where RAI comes in: “rules having half cover gives you a +2 bonus to your AC, and
as intended.” This approach is all about what the designers three-quarters cover gives a +5 bonus. Spells sometimes
meant when they wrote something. In a perfect world, RAW modify AC as well. Shield of faith, for example, grants a tar-
and RAI align perfectly, but sometimes the words on the get a +2 bonus to AC until the spell ends.
page don’t succeed at communicating the designers’ intent. Magic items can also enhance your AC. Here are a few
Or perhaps the words succeed with one group of players examples: +1 chain mail gives you an AC of 17, a ring of
but not with another. protection gives you a +1 bonus to AC no matter what you’re
When I write about the RAI interpretation of a rule, I’ll wearing, and bracers of defense grant you a +2 bonus to AC
be pulling back the curtain and letting you know what the if you’re not wearing armor or using a shield.
D&D team meant when we wrote a certain rule.
RAF. Regardless of what’s on the page or what the de- Racial Traits
signers intended, D&D is meant to be fun, and the DM is Does the Trance trait allow an elf to finish a long rest in
the ringmaster at each game table. The best DMs shape the 4 hours? If an elf meditates during a long rest (as described
game on the fly to bring the most delight to their players. in the Trance trait), the elf finishes the rest after only 4
Such DMs aim for RAF, “rules as fun.” hours. A meditating elf otherwise follows all the rules for a
We expect DMs to depart from the rules when running long rest; only the duration is changed.
a particular campaign or when seeking the greatest hap-
piness for a certain group of players. Sometimes my rules Do the lightfoot halfling and wood elf hiding racial traits
answers will include advice on achieving the RAF interpre- allow them to hide while observed? The lightfoot halfling
tation of a rule for your group. and wood elf traits—Naturally Stealthy and Mask of the
I recommend a healthy mix of RAW, RAI, and RAF! Wild—do allow members of those subraces to try to hide
in their special circumstances even when observers are
Character Creation nearby. Normally, you can’t hide from someone if you’re
in full view. A lightfoot halfling, though, can try to vanish
How do you calculate a creature’s Armor Class (AC)? behind a creature that is at least one size larger, and a
Chapter 1 of the Player’s Handbook (p. 14) describes how wood elf can try to hide simply by being in heavy rain, mist,
to determine AC, yet AC calculations generate questions falling snow, foliage, or similar natural phenomena. It’s as if
frequently. That fact isn’t too surprising, given the number nature itself cloaks a wood elf from prying eyes—even eyes
of ways the game gives you to change your AC! staring right at the elf! Both subraces are capable of hiding
Here are some ways to calculate your base AC: in situations when most other creatures can’t, but neither
Unarmored: 10 + your Dexterity modifier. subrace’s hiding attempt is assured of success; a Dexterity
Armored: Use the AC entry for the armor you’re wearing (Stealth) check is required as normal, and an observant foe
(see PH, 145). For example, in leather armor, you calcu- might later spot a hidden halfling or elf: “I see you behind
late your AC as 11 + your Dexterity modifier, and in chain that guard, you tricksy halfling!”
mail, your AC is simply 16. Can a dragonborn sorcerer with a draconic bloodline
Unarmored Defense (Barbarian): 10 + your Dexterity have two different kinds of Draconic Ancestry? A dragon-
modifier + your Constitution modifier. born sorcerer can choose a different ancestor for the racial
Unarmored Defense (Monk): 10 + your Dexterity modifier trait and for the Dragon Ancestor feature. Your choice for
+ your Wisdom modifier. the racial trait is your actual ancestor, while the choice for
Draconic Resilience (Sorcerer): 13 + your Dexter- the class feature could be your ancestor figuratively—the
ity modifier. type of dragon that bestowed magic upon you or your family
Natural Armor: 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your natural or the kind of draconic artifact or location that filled you
armor bonus. This is a calculation method typically used with magical energy.
only by monsters and NPCs, although it is also relevant
to a druid or another character who assumes a form that [NEW] How long do a shifter’s temporary hit points last?
has natural armor. Unless a feature says otherwise, temporary hit points last
until you finish a long rest (PH, 198).
These methods—along with any others that give you a for-
mula for calculating your AC—are mutually exclusive; you [NEW] Does all magical darkness block darkvision?
can benefit from only one at a time. If you have access to Magical darkness blocks darkvision only if the rules text for
more than one, you pick which one to use. For example, if a particular instance of darkness says it does. For example,
you’re a sorcerer/monk, you can use either Unarmored De- the darkness spell specifies that it produces a magical dark-
fense or Draconic Resilience, not both. Similarly, a druid/ ness that obstructs darkvision. That obstruction is a feature
barbarian who transforms into a beast form that has natu- of the spell, not of magical darkness in general.
ral armor can use either the beast’s natural armor or Unar-
mored Defense (you aren’t considered to be wearing armor
when you use natural armor).
What about a shield? A shield increases your AC by 2
while you use it. For example, if you’re unarmored and use
a shield, your AC is 12 + your Dexterity modifier. Keep in
Class Features Which spell scrolls can bards understand—spells from
the bard list only, or spells from the bard list plus spells
When you use Extra Attack, do you have to use the same from Magical Secrets? A bard can use any spell scroll that
weapon for all the attacks? Extra Attack imposes no lim- has a bard spell on it—including spells gained from the
itation on what you use for the attacks. You can use regular Magical Secrets feature, which are treated as bard spells
weapons, improvised weapons, unarmed strikes, or a com- for that character.
bination of these options for the attacks.
[NEW] Does using College of Valor’s Combat Inspiration
Artificer add to the damage of an attack count as a damage die for
[NEW] What is the timing of Flash of Genius? You use purposes of critical hits? Yes.
Flash of Genius immediately after the triggering d20 is
rolled and before any of the effects of the roll are applied. Cleric
Unless a rule tells you otherwise, a reaction occurs immedi- When a cleric uses the Destructive Wrath feature, does
ately after its trigger. it maximize all damage getting rolled, as long as some of
it is lightning or thunder? Destructive Wrath is meant to
[NEW] Which action is used to activate a Spell-Storing maximize lightning and thunder damage only.
Item? Activating a Spell-Storing Item uses the Use an Ob-
ject action. [NEW] If a Grave Domain cleric casts a spell that re-
stores hit points to multiple creatures and one of those
[NEW] Can an artificer dismiss one of their infusions on creatures has 0 hit points, does the spell restore the
an object early? No. An infusion lasts until one of the cir- maximum number of hit points to all targets of the
cumstances described in the “Infusing an Item” section of spell? No. Only a creature with 0 hit points benefits from
the Infuse Item feature. the hit-point-restoration portion of the Circle of Mortal-
ity feature.
Barbarian
Does the barbarian’s Danger Sense work against breath Druid
weapons and enemies’ special abilities? A barbarian’s What happens if a druid wears metal armor? The
Danger Sense benefits the Dexterity saving throw against druid explodes.
any effect that the barbarian can see. Well, not actually. Druids have a taboo against wearing
For the barbarian’s Reckless Attack, do you grant advan- metal armor and wielding a metal shield. The taboo has
tage to all enemies, or only to the target of your attack? been part of the class’s story since the class first appeared
If you use the barbarian’s Reckless Attack, all attack rolls in Eldritch Wizardry (1976) and the original Player’s Hand-
have advantage against you until the start of your next turn. book (1978). The idea is that druids prefer to be protected
by animal skins, wood, and other natural materials that
Bard aren’t the worked metal that is associated with civilization.
Do the benefits from Bardic Inspiration and the guid- Druids don’t lack the ability to wear metal armor. They
ance spell stack? Can they be applied to the same roll? choose not to wear it. This choice is part of their identity
Yes, different effects stack if they don’t have the same name. as a mystical order. Think of it in these terms: a vegetarian
If a creature makes an ability check while it is under the can eat meat, but chooses not to.
effect of a guidance spell and also has a Bardic Inspiration A druid typically wears leather, studded leather, or hide
die, it can roll both a d4 and a d6 if it so chooses. armor, and if a druid comes across scale mail made of a
Is the intent that a bard gets to know the number rolled material other than metal, the druid might wear it. If you
on an attack roll or ability check before using Cutting feel strongly about your druid breaking the taboo and don-
Words, or should they always guess? If used on a damage ning metal, talk to your DM. Each class has story elements
roll, does Cutting Words apply to any kind of damage roll mixed with its game features; the two types of design go
including an auto-hit spell like magic missile? You can hand in hand in D&D, and the story parts are stronger in
wait to use Cutting Words after the roll, but you must com- some classes than in others. Druids and paladins have an
mit to doing so before you know for sure whether the total especially strong dose of story in their design. If you want to
of the roll or check is a success or a failure. You can use depart from your class’s story, your DM has the final say on
Cutting Words to reduce the damage from any effect that how far you can go and still be considered a member of the
calls for a damage roll (including magic missile) even if the class. As long as you abide by your character’s proficiencies,
damage roll is not preceded by an attack roll. you’re not going to break anything in the game system, but
you might undermine the story and the world being created
Can a bard replace spells gained through Magical Se- in your campaign.
crets? When you gain a level in the bard class, the class’s
Spellcasting feature lets you replace one bard spell you Can a bound and gagged druid simply use Wild Shape to
know with another bard spell of an appropriate level. A get out? It’s hard to capture someone who can turn into
spell learned through your Magical Secrets feature counts a mouse at will. Transforming into a different size can be
as a bard spell for you, so it can be replaced upon gaining a an effective way of escaping, depending on the nature of
bard level later. But it must be replaced by a bard spell, ac- the bonds or confinement. All things considered, someone
cording to the rule in the Spellcasting feature. trying to keep a druid captive might be wise to stash the
prisoner in a room with an opening only large enough for
air to enter.
Does the druid’s Elemental Wild Shape limit you to the Does the “when” in the Eldritch Knight’s War Magic fea-
four creatures listed, or can you turn into any creature ture mean the bonus attack comes after you cast the can-
with the elemental type? The creatures listed in Elemental trip, or can it come before? The bonus action comes after
Wild Shape—air, earth, fire, and water elementals—are spe- the cantrip, since using your action to cast a cantrip is what
cific creatures in the Monster Manual, not creature types or gives you the ability to make the weapon attack as a bonus
subtypes. Elemental Wild Shape allows you to transform action. That said, a DM would break nothing in the system
into one of those creatures. by allowing an Eldritch Knight to reverse the order of the
cantrip and the weapon attack.
Can a Circle of the Moon druid speak the languages it
knows while in the form of an elemental? Yes, since the If my Eldritch Knight casts true strike and has the War
elementals listed in Elemental Wild Shape can speak. Magic feature, is the attack granted by War Magic made
A literal interpretation (RAW) of Wild Shape could with advantage because of true strike? No. The attack
reasonably lead you to think that transformed druids from War Magic is made normally, and you get the benefit
can speak only languages that appear in an elemental’s of true strike on your next turn if the spell hasn’t ended.
stat block, but the intent (RAI) is that druids retain their [NEW] Can the Disarming Attack maneuver disarm a
knowledge, including of languages, when they transform creature of a shield it has donned? No. Disarming Attack
and can speak the languages they know if an adopted form forces a creature to drop an object it is holding. Donned
can speak. shields aren’t merely held.
If a druid in elemental form can speak, can the druid
cast spells? A druid can cast spells in a Wild Shape form Monk
only upon gaining the Beast Spells feature at 18th level. If a monk uses a staff or another versatile weapon two-
handed, does it still count as a monk weapon? Yes. A
If a druid takes the Magic Initiate feat and chooses
monk weapon must lack the two-handed property, but noth-
detect magic as their one spell, can the druid cast that
ing prevents a monk from wielding such a weapon with two
spell as a ritual? A druid’s Ritual Casting requires a ritual
hands. Fundamentally, a monk weapon counts as such no
to be prepared. The spell from Magic Initiate is known but
matter how a monk uses it.
not prepared.
The dart is not classified as a monk weapon, yet a monk
Fighter gets 10 darts as starting equipment. Why is that? Start-
Does the fighter’s Action Surge feature let you take an ing equipment often lends versatility to a character. In this
extra bonus action, in addition to an extra action? Action case, a monk’s darts provide a ranged attack option, not a
Surge gives you an extra action, not an extra bonus action. Martial Arts option.
(Recent printings of the Player’s Handbook no longer in- Does the Martial Arts feature turn monk weapons and
clude the wording that provoked this question.) unarmed strikes into finesse weapons? No. The feature
Can a fighter have two fighting styles active at once? grants a benefit that is similar to the finesse property, but
Dueling and Defense, for example. You can benefit from the feature doesn’t confer that property.
more than one Fighting Style option at a time, as long as When a monk using Deflect Missiles catches and throws
they don’t have conflicting requirements, as Dueling and a projectile, what is the damage of the attack? A missile
Great Weapon Fighting do. counts as a monk weapon if it is thrown using Deflect
Does the Archery fighting style work with a melee Missiles; it deals its damage or Martial Arts damage (the
weapon that you throw? No, the Archery feature benefits monk’s choice).
ranged weapons. A melee weapon, such as a dagger or Can a monk use Stunning Strike with an unarmed
handaxe, is still a melee weapon when you make a ranged strike, even though unarmed strikes aren’t weap-
attack with it. ons? Yes. Stunning Strike works with melee weapon
Is the Dueling fighting style intended to support a shield? attacks, and an unarmed strike is a special type of melee
Yes. A character with the Dueling option usually pairs a weapon attack.
one-handed weapon with a shield, a spellcasting focus, or a The game often makes exceptions to general rules, and
free hand. this is an important exception: that unarmed strikes count
as melee weapon attacks despite not being weapons.
If you use Great Weapon Fighting with a feature like Di-
vine Smite or a spell like hex, do you get to reroll any 1 or When a monk uses Empty Body, does the invisibility
2 you roll for the extra damage? The Great Weapon Fight- remain in effect after the monk attacks? Yes. The invis-
ing feature—which is shared by fighters and paladins—is ibility of the monk’s Empty Body isn’t ended by the monk
meant to benefit only the damage roll of the weapon used attacking.
with the feature. For example, if you use a greatsword Does a monk’s Purity of Body feature grant immunity to
with the feature, you can reroll any 1 or 2 you roll on the poison damage, the poisoned condition, or both? That
weapon’s 2d6. If you’re a paladin and use Divine Smite with feature grants immunity to both. As a result, a monk with
the greatsword, Great Weapon Fighting doesn’t let you re- Purity of Body can, for example, inhale a green dragon’s
roll a 1 or 2 that you roll for the damage of Divine Smite. poison breath unharmed. Similarly, the monk is unaffected
If my Battle Master fighter provokes an opportunity at- by ray of sickness, which both deals poison damage and im-
tack and it misses, can I use Riposte? Yes, you can use the poses the poisoned condition.
Riposte maneuver in response to an opportunity attack that
misses you, assuming your reaction is available.
Can the monk’s Open Hand Technique push a Large or Rogue
larger creature or knock it prone? The Open Hand Tech- Can a rogue use Sneak Attack more than once per
nique intentionally ignores creature size. A monk’s ki fuels round? The Sneak Attack description specifies that you
many extraordinary effects! If a feature is limited by crea- can use the feature once per turn, but it’s not limited to your
ture size, the feature tells you so. turn. The feature also doesn’t limit the number of times you
Does a monk need to spend any ki points to cast the mi- can use it in a round.
nor illusion cantrip granted by the Shadow Arts feature? You sometimes get a chance to use Sneak Attack on
No. The ki point cost in the feature applies only to the other someone else’s turn. The most common way for this to
spells in it. happen is when a foe provokes an opportunity attack from
you. If the requirements for Sneak Attack are met, your
For a Way of Shadow monk, can their silence be dis- opportunity attack can benefit from that feature. Similarly,
pelled? A spell is a spell, no matter its source. When you a fighter could use Commander’s Strike to grant you an
cast a spell through a feature, the spell is subject to the nor- attack on the fighter’s turn, and if the attack qualifies, it can
mal spellcasting rules, unless the feature says otherwise. use Sneak Attack. Both of those options rely on the use of
Can a monk of the Way of the Four Elements replace El- your reaction, so you could do only one of them in a round.
emental Attunement with another elemental discipline? Because you get only one reaction per round, you’re un-
Yes. Even though you know Elemental Attunement auto- likely to use Sneak Attack more than twice in a round: once
matically, without having to choose it, you can exchange it with your action and once with your reaction.
for a different discipline at 6th, 11th, or 17th level. For Sneak Attack, what if another enemy of your target
was 10 feet away with a polearm (which has a reach of
Paladin
10 feet), instead of 5 feet away? Would you still be able to
Would a Paladin’s Divine Sense register a tiefling due
use Sneak Attack? The 5-foot limitation in Sneak Attack
to their infernal heritage? A tiefling is a humanoid, not
is unaffected by the reach of a weapon. That other enemy
a fiend, and therefore escapes the notice of Divine Sense.
of the target is creating a close-up distraction, regardless of
The feature detects creatures that have the celestial, fiend,
the weapon in hand.
or undead creature type.
Does Uncanny Dodge work automatically against every
Can my paladin use a smite spell along with Divine
attack a rogue or ranger gets hit by? Spell attacks too?
Smite? As in, I cast wrathful smite, hit, then use Divine
A use of Uncanny Dodge works against only one attack,
Smite on the same attack? Yes, you can use Divine Smite
since it expends your reaction, and only if you can see the
on the same weapon attack that benefits from a smite spell,
attacker. It works against attacks of all sorts, including spell
such as wrathful smite—as long as the attack you make af-
attacks, but it is no help against a spell or other effect, such
ter casting the smite spell is a melee weapon attack. Divine
as fireball, that delivers its damage after a saving throw
Smite doesn’t work with any other kind of attack.
rather than after an attack roll.
[NEW] Can a paladin use Divine Smite when they hit us-
Can a rogue use Evasion if they are surprised? The rule
ing an unarmed strike? No. Divine Smite requires a melee
states that if you are surprised, you can’t move or take an
attack using a weapon. The rules don’t consider unarmed
action. A surprised rogue can use Evasion, since that fea-
strikes to be weapons.
ture doesn’t require the rogue to take an action or move.
Ranger Can the rogue’s Reliable Talent feature be used in con-
There is no component pouch option in the ranger’s junction with Remarkable Athlete or Jack of All Trades?
starting equipment. Does the class not need one, nor a No. Each of these features has a precondition for its use;
focus for spells? Like other spellcasters, the ranger follows Reliable Talent activates when you make an ability check
the rule on components in chapter 10 of the Player’s Hand- that uses your proficiency bonus, whereas the other two fea-
book. A ranger typically uses a component pouch for the tures activate when you make an ability check that doesn’t
material components of spells, but doesn’t start with one use your proficiency bonus. In other words, a check that
because rangers don’t have spells at 1st level. qualifies for Reliable Talent doesn’t qualify for Remarkable
Can a ranger move between the attack rolls of the Whirl- Athlete or Jack of All Trades. And Remarkable Athlete and
wind Attack feature? No. Whirlwind Attack is unusual, in Jack of All Trades don’t work with each other, since you can
that it’s a single attack with multiple attack rolls. In most add your proficiency bonus, or any portion thereof, only
other instances, an attack has one attack roll. The rule on once to a roll.
moving between attacks (PH, 190) lets you move between Can a thief use the Fast Hands feature to activate a
weapon attacks, not between the attack rolls of an excep- magic item? No. One of the benefits of Fast Hands is being
tional feature like Whirlwind Attack. able to take the Use an Object action as a bonus action, but
[NEW] Does a Monster Slayer ranger’s Supernatural using a magic item doesn’t fall under Use an Object, as ex-
Defense feature apply if a creature damages the ranger, plained in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (p. 141). In contrast,
thus causing the ranger to make a Constitution saving using a nonmagical item, such as a healer’s kit, is in the
throw to maintain concentration on a spell? Yes. domain of Use an Object.
For triggering the rogue’s Assassinate ability, when does
a creature stop being surprised? After their turn in the
round, or at the end of the round? A surprised creature
stops being surprised at the end of its first turn in combat.
[NEW] Does the Thief’s Use Magic Device feature allow If you know this rule yet are still unsure whether a particu-
them to use spell scrolls? Yes. The intent is that a Thief lar spell qualifies for Twinned Spell, consult with your DM,
can use spell scrolls with Use Magic Device. who has the final say. If the two of you are curious about
our design intent, here is the list of things that disqualify a
[NEW] Can a Thief use Fast Hands to use or apply
spell for us:
poisons? Yes. Administering poison uses the Use an Ob-
ject action. • The spell has a range of self.
• The spell can target an object.
Sorcerer • The spell allows you to choose more than one creature
If a sorcerer casts a spell with only verbal or somatic to be affected by it, particularly at the level you’re casting
components using Subtle Spell, can an opponent use the spell. Some spells increase their number of potential
counterspell against it? If a spell that’s altered by Subtle targets when you cast them at a higher level.
Spell has no material component, then it’s impossible for • The spell can force more than one creature to make a
anyone to perceive the spell being cast. So, since you can’t saving throw before the spell’s duration expires.
see the casting, counterspell is of no use. • The spell lets you make a roll of any kind that can
Metamagic rules state you can’t use multiple Metamagic affect more than one creature before the spell’s dura-
options on a single spell. Can you use one option multi- tion expires.
ple times? A sorcerer can use one Metamagic option once
in the casting of a spell, not the same option more than
Warlock
Do warlock spells granted by the Expanded Spell List
once. For instance, a sorcerer can’t quadruple the duration
feature count against the number of spells known? The
of a spell by spending 2 sorcery points on Extended Spell.
spells granted by that feature aren’t automatically known
Elemental Affinity improves one damage roll of a spell, by a warlock. Those spells are added to the warlock spell
not multiple rolls? So with scorching ray, I don’t add my list for the character, who can choose them when learning
Charisma modifier to each ray that hits? That’s correct. a new warlock spell of the appropriate level. Once learned,
Elemental Affinity benefits one damage roll per casting of such a spell does count against the number of spells the
a spell, even if the spell allows more than one roll. So, for warlock knows.
example, the feature improves one of the rays of a scorching
Does the Eyes of the Rune Keeper invocation work on
ray spell or one of the beams of an eldritch blast spell.
magical runes? Eyes of the Rune Keeper lets you read
Can Empowered Spell affect all the rays of a scorching any form of writing, including the linguistic meaning of a
ray spell, or just one? A sorcerer’s Empowered Spell could rune, if any.
affect more than one ray of a scorching ray, abiding by the
If a warlock uses Pact of the Blade to bond with a magic
feature’s die limit. For instance, if you create three rays
weapon, does that weapon have to be a melee weapon,
with the spell and you have a +3 Charisma modifier, you
and can the warlock change the weapon’s form? The
could reroll one of the damage dice for each ray, or two of
warlock’s Pact of the Blade feature (PH, 107–8) lets you
the damage dice for one ray and one of the damage dice for
create a melee weapon out of nothing. Whenever you do so,
another one.
you determine the weapon’s form, choosing from the melee
Does Quickened Spell allow a sorcerer to cast two spells weapon options in the Weapons table in the Player’s Hand-
a round of 1st level or higher? No, the sorcerer must fol- book (p. 149). For example, you can create a greataxe, and
low the rule for casting a spell as a bonus action and cast- then use the feature again to create a javelin, which causes
ing another spell on the same turn; the other spell must be the greataxe to disappear.
a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action. You can also use Pact of the Blade to bond with a magic
Can my sorcerer use Twinned Spell on a spell duplicated weapon, turning it into your pact weapon. This magic
by the casting of a wish spell? And if so, how many sor- weapon doesn’t have to be a melee weapon, so you could
cery points does it cost? Yes, you can. It costs the number use the feature on a +1 longbow, for instance. Once the
of sorcery points appropriate for the level of the spell you’re bond is formed, the magic weapon appears whenever you
duplicating. call your pact weapon to you, and you can’t change the
magic weapon’s form when it appears. For example, if you
Does a sorcerer’s Wild Magic Surge effect replace the bond with a flame tongue (longsword) and send the weapon
effect of the spell that triggered it, or do both effects to an extradimensional space, the weapon comes back as a
happen? The spell and the Wild Magic Surge effect both longsword when you summon it. You don’t get to turn it into
happen. As clarified in the errata for the Player’s Handbook, a club. Similarly, if you bond with a dagger of venom, you
a surge effect that normally requires concentration does not can’t summon it as a maul; it’s always a dagger.
require concentration in this case. The feature allows the conjuring forth of a melee weapon,
Can my sorcerer use Twinned Spell to affect a particular yet we allow more versatility when it comes to magic weap-
spell? You can use Twinned Spell on a spell that … ons. We didn’t want a narrow focus in this feature to make
a warlock unhappy when a variety of magic weapons ap-
• targets only one creature
pear in a campaign. Does this versatility extend outside the
• doesn’t have a range of self
melee theme of the feature? It sure does, but we’re willing
• is incapable of targeting more than one creature at the
to occasionally bend a design concept if doing so is likely to
spell’s current level
increase a player’s happiness.
If you’re a Pact of the Blade warlock, can someone parts. In the case of a book, if you have seen only the cover,
else wield your pact weapon? Yes. Someone other than then the duplicate created will be a copy of the cover, and
the warlock can use a pact weapon before the weapon the pages will be blank.
disappears. [NEW] Can a School of Divination wizard on the Ethe-
Does the warlock’s Awakened Mind feature allow two- real Plane use Portent on a creature that the wizard can
way telepathic communication? The feature is intended to see on the Material Plane? Yes. Portent requires you to be
provide one-way communication. The warlock can use the able to see the creature, but it has no range restriction.
feature to speak telepathically to a creature, but the feature [NEW] For a wizard to cast a ritual spell contained in
doesn’t give that creature the ability to telepathically reply. their spellbook, do they need to read from the book or
In contrast, the telepathy ability that some monsters have use it as part of the ritual? No. As written, the rule doesn’t
(MM, 9) does make two-way communication possible. require you to read from the book. The narrative intent,
Does using a bonus action break invisibility from a war- however, is that the wizard is reading from their book, but
lock’s One with Shadows invocation? Taking a bonus the only mechanical requirement is that the wizard has the
action breaks the invisibility of a warlock’s One with Shad- spell in their spellbook.
ows. A bonus action is an action.
Backgrounds
Wizard
Can you have more than one background? No. You can
Is an abjurer’s Arcane Ward healed only when the ward
have only one background. It establishes key aspects of
has 0 hit points? The ward regains hit points whenever the
your life before you embarked on a life of adventure. If
abjurer casts an abjuration spell of 1st level or higher, not
none of the backgrounds available matches your charac-
just when the ward has 0 hit points. As is normal for heal-
ter concept, talk with your DM and use the guidelines on
ing, the ward can’t regain more hit points than its hit point
page 125 of the Player’s Handbook to customize your own
maximum: twice the wizard’s level + the wizard’s Intelli-
background.
gence modifier.
Does casting alarm as a ritual heal Arcane Ward? Any Equipment
abjuration spell of 1st level or higher cast by an abjurer,
Does heavy armor reduce Dexterity saving throws or
including a ritual, can restore hit points to the abjurer’s Ar-
ability checks other than Stealth? If you have proficiency
cane Ward.
with it, heavy armor doesn’t affect Dexterity saving throws
How does Arcane Ward interact with temporary hit or ability checks, other than Stealth.
points and damage resistance that an abjurer might
If you attack with a shield—most likely as an improvised
have? An Arcane Ward is not an extension of the wizard
weapon—do you keep the +2 bonus to AC? Attacking with
who creates it. It is a magical effect with its own hit points.
a shield doesn’t deprive you of the shield’s bonus to AC.
Any temporary hit points, immunities, or resistances that
the wizard has don’t apply to the ward. Multiclassing
The ward takes damage first. Any leftover damage is
taken by the wizard and goes through the following game Are ability score improvements class-level dependent,
elements in order: (1) any relevant damage immunity, (2) rather than total level? Ability score improvements are
any relevant damage resistance, (3) any temporary hit based on your level in a particular class, not your total
points, and (4) real hit points. character level if you multiclass. For instance, if you’re a
4th-level multiclass character, you haven’t yet received the
An abjurer gains resistance to spell damage at 14th level. Ability Score Improvement feature because you haven’t at-
Does the abjurer’s Arcane Ward gain this resistance tained 4th level in one of your classes.
when a spell hits the abjurer? The abjurer, not the Arcane
Ward, gains the resistance at 14th level. Would a temporary stat bump fulfill a multiclass prereq-
uisite, or does the base score have to meet the require-
Does the evoker’s Potent Cantrip feature apply to can- ment? Your base score, not a temporary score, has to meet
trips with attack rolls or only to saves? Potent Cantrip af- a multiclassing prerequisite.
fects only cantrips that require a saving throw, such as acid
splash and poison spray. When multiclassing, do you get the cantrips from all
your classes? If any of your classes grants you cantrips,
Does the 14th-level illusionist ability let you make some- you get all of them.
thing real every round, or just once? Illusory Reality is
intended to make one illusory object real per illusion spell. Do you gain proficiency in more saving throws when
multiclassing? A class offers various starting proficiencies
For the Shapechanger feature of the School of Trans- that you get if it is your first class. If the class isn’t your first,
mutation, does polymorph need to be prepared if I only you get only the starting proficiencies listed for that class in
want to cast it without using a spell slot? A transmuter the Multiclassing Proficiencies table (PH, 164). No saving
must have polymorph prepared, as normal, to cast it with throw proficiencies are included in that table.
the Shapechanger feature. Regardless of whether a class is your first, you do gain
[NEW] Can Minor Conjuration create a copy of a book, any proficiencies that the class grants through its features.
complete with all its text, if the wizard hasn’t seen all the For instance, if you gain a level in cleric and choose the War
text? No. In the case of a multipart object, the intent is that Domain, you do benefit from the Bonus Proficiencies fea-
you must have seen all parts of the object to duplicate those ture, even if cleric isn’t your first class.
Can a barbarian/cleric use spiritual weapon to attack To dig deeper into this point, take a look at the following
while raging, if it is cast before entering rage? A barbar- sentence in the definition of the ammunition property:
ian’s Rage feature makes concentration impossible but has “Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or other
no effect on spells, like spiritual weapon, that don’t require container is part of the attack.” The sentence tells us two
concentration. important things. First, you’re assumed to be drawing—
that is, extracting with your hand—the ammunition from
Can a barbarian/fighter (Battle Master) use maneuvers
a container. Second, the act of drawing the ammunition is
while raging? Nothing in the barbarian’s Rage feature pre-
included in the attack and therefore doesn’t require its own
cludes the use of maneuvers.
action and doesn’t use up your free interaction with an ob-
Can a rogue/monk use Sneak Attack with unarmed ject on your turn.
strikes? The Sneak Attack feature works with a weapon What does that all mean for a hand crossbow? It means
that has the finesse or ranged property. An unarmed strike Crossbow Expert makes it possible to fire a hand crossbow
isn’t a weapon, so it doesn’t qualify. In contrast, a rogue/ more than once with a feature like Extra Attack, provided
monk can use Sneak Attack with a monk weapon, such that you have enough ammunition and you have a hand free
as a shortsword or a dagger, that has one of the required to load it for each shot.
properties.
Does Crossbow Expert let you fire a hand crossbow and
A wizard multiclasses into Wild Magic sorcerer. Do then fire it again as a bonus action? It does! Take a look
spells cast from their spellbook trigger Wild Magic at the feat’s third benefit. It says you can attack with a hand
Surge if they are on the sorcerer spell list, or do they crossbow as a bonus action when you use the Attack action
have to gain them from sorcerer to trigger? From the to attack with a one-handed weapon. A hand crossbow is
multiclassing rules: “Each spell you know and prepare is a one-handed weapon, so it can, indeed, be used for both
associated with one of your classes” (PH, 164). This rule attacks, assuming you have a hand free to load the hand
means only the spells gained from levels in sorcerer trigger crossbow between the two attacks.
Wild Magic Surge.
Dual Wielder
Feats Can my character wield two heavy weapons if she has
the Dual Wielder feat? No. The Dual Wielder feat lets you
Charger wield two one-handed weapons. Every heavy weapon in the
If you have the Charger feat, can you make your charge Player’s Handbook also has the two-handed property.
attack when your mount takes the Dash action? The
Charger feat relies on you, not your mount, taking the Elemental Adept
Dash action. Is Elemental Adept the only feat you can take more than
once? Elemental Adept is the only feat in the Player’s Hand-
Crossbow Expert book that you can take more than once.
Is it intentional that the second benefit of Crossbow Ex-
pert helps ranged spell attacks? Yes, it’s intentional. When Great Weapon Master
you make a ranged attack roll within 5 feet of an enemy, With the Great Weapon Master feat, do you have to take
you normally suffer disadvantage (PH, 195). The second the bonus action immediately, or could you move and
benefit of Crossbow Expert prevents you from suffering then use it on the same turn? You take the bonus action on
that disadvantage, whether or not the ranged attack is with your turn, anytime after you hit with the attack that grants
a crossbow. the bonus action. So yes, you can move before taking the
When designing a feat with a narrow use, we consider bonus action (if you have movement remaining).
adding at least one element that can benefit a character
more broadly—a bit of mastery that your character brings Lucky
from one situation to another. The second benefit of Cross- How does the Lucky feat interact with advantage and dis-
bow Expert is such an element, as is the first benefit of advantage? The Lucky feat represents extraordinary luck
Great Weapon Master. That element in Crossbow Expert that can help you when you need it most. It lets you spend a
shows that some of the character’s expertise with one type luck point; roll an extra d20 for an attack roll, ability check,
of thing—crossbows, in this case—transfers to other things. or saving throw; and then choose which d20 to use. This is
true no matter how many d20s are in the mix. For example,
Do the first and third benefits of Crossbow Expert turn a
if you have advantage or disadvantage on your attack roll,
hand crossbow into a semiautomatic weapon? The short
you could spend a luck point, roll a third d20, and then
answer is no.
decide which of the three dice to use. You still have advan-
The first benefit of the feat lets you ignore the loading
tage or disadvantage, since the feat doesn’t say it negates it,
property (PH, 147) of the hand crossbow if you’re proficient
but you get to pick the die. The upshot of this fact is that a
with that weapon. The upshot is that you can fire it more
rogue, for instance, who has disadvantage on an attack roll
than once if you have a feature like Extra Attack. You’re still
couldn’t use Sneak Attack even if the rogue uses the Lucky
limited, however, by the fact that the weapon has the am-
feat to pick the die.
munition property (PH, 146). The latter property requires
The Lucky feat is a great example of an exception to a
you to have a bolt to fire from the hand crossbow, and the
general rule. The general rule in this case is the one that
hand crossbow isn’t going to load itself (unless it’s magical
tells us how advantage and disadvantage work (PH, 173).
or a gnomish invention). You need to load each bolt into the
The specific rule is the Lucky feat, and we know that a
weapon, and doing so requires a hand.
specific rule trumps a general rule if they conflict with each
other (PH, 7).
If a DM wants advantage and disadvantage to play their Does the benefit of the Savage Attacker feat apply to ad-
normal roles even when the Lucky feat is used, here’s a ditional effects like the rogue’s Sneak Attack or the pal-
way to do so: roll two d20s for advantage/disadvantage, roll adin’s Divine Smite? No. The benefit of Savage Attacker
a third d20 for Lucky, eliminate one of the three dice, and applies only to rolls of the weapon’s damage dice, not to any
then use the higher (for advantage) or lower (for disadvan- extra damage that a feature or other ability might grant.
tage) of the two dice that remain.
Sentinel
Magic Initiate Does the attack granted by the third benefit of the Senti-
If you’re a spellcaster, can you pick your own class when nel feat take place before or after the triggering attack?
you gain the Magic Initiate feat? Yes, the feat doesn’t The bonus attack takes place after the triggering attack.
say you can’t. For example, if you’re a wizard and gain the Here’s why: the feat doesn’t specify the bonus attack’s tim-
Magic Initiate feat, you can choose wizard and thereby ing, and when a reaction has no timing specified, the reac-
learn two more wizard cantrips and another 1st-level tion occurs after its trigger finishes (DMG, 252). In contrast,
wizard spell. an opportunity attack specifically takes place before its trig-
ger finishes—that is, right before the target creature leaves
If you have spell slots, can you use them to cast the 1st-
your reach (PH, 195).
level spell you learn with the Magic Initiate feat? Yes, but
only if the class you pick for the feat is one of your classes. How does the Sentinel feat work against an enemy that
For example, if you pick sorcerer and you are a sorcerer, the has Fancy Footwork or the Mobile feat? Does the charac-
Spellcasting feature for that class tells you that you can use ter with the Sentinel feat still get the opportunity attack?
your spell slots to cast the sorcerer spells you know, so you The second benefit of the Sentinel feat is intended to coun-
can use your spell slots to cast the 1st-level sorcerer spell teract the Disengage action only. An enemy with the Fancy
you learn from Magic Initiate. Similarly, if you are a wizard Footwork feature (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide) or one
and pick that class for the feat, you learn a 1st-level wizard that has the Mobile feat can avoid provoking opportunity
spell, which you could add to your spellbook and subse- attacks from someone who has the Sentinel feat, as long as
quently prepare. that enemy doesn’t take the Disengage action.
In short, you must follow your character’s normal
spellcasting rules, which determine whether you can Shield Master
expend spell slots on the 1st-level spell you learn from The Shield Master feat lets you shove someone as a bo-
Magic Initiate. nus action if you take the Attack action. Can you take
that bonus action before the Attack action? No. The bo-
Polearm Master nus action provided by the Shield Master feat has a precon-
Can I add my Strength modifier to the damage of the dition: that you take the Attack action on your turn. Intend-
bonus attack that Polearm Master gives me? Yes. If you ing to take that action isn’t sufficient; you must actually take
have the feat and use the Attack action to attack with a it before you can take the bonus action. During your turn,
glaive, halberd, or quarterstaff, you can also strike with the you do get to decide when to take the bonus action after
weapon’s opposite end as a bonus action. For that bonus at- you’ve taken the Attack action.
tack, you add your ability modifier to the attack roll, as you This sort of if-then setup appears in many of the game’s
do whenever you attack with that weapon, and if you hit, rules. The “if” must be satisfied before the “then” comes
you add the same ability modifier to the damage roll, which into play.
is normal for weapon damage rolls (PH, 196).
A specific rule, such as the rule for two-weapon fighting Tough
(PH, 195), might break the general rule by telling you not Does the Tough feat have an effect for a druid while in
to add your ability modifier to the damage. Polearm Master beast form? The intent is no. The Tough feat affects a dru-
doesn’t have such a rule. id’s hit points, which are replaced by the beast’s hit points
while using Wild Shape.
Does Polearm Master let me make an opportunity at-
tack against a target that is being forced to approach Ability Checks
me? A creature doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack if it
is moved without the use of its movement, its action, or its Are attack rolls and saving throws basically specialized
reaction. For example, the effect of the antipathy/sympathy ability checks? They aren’t. It’s easy to mistake the three
spell requires the target to use its movement, meaning rolls as three faces of the same thing, because they each
that it would provoke opportunity attacks when it does so. involve rolling a d20, adding any modifiers, and compar-
Similarly, dissonant whispers requires the target to move ing the total to a Difficulty Class, and they’re all subject to
using its reaction (if available), so that activity also provokes advantage and disadvantage. In short, they share the same
opportunity attacks. In contrast, a creature that’s pushed by procedure for determining success or failure.
a gust of wind spell does not provoke opportunity attacks. Despite this common procedure, the three rolls are sep-
arate from each other. If something in the game, like the
Savage Attacker guidance spell, affects one of them, the other two aren’t
Does the Savage Attacker feat work with unarmed affected unless the rules specifically say so. The next few
strikes? No. Savage Attacker relies on a weapon’s damage questions touch on this point again.
dice, and an unarmed strike isn’t a weapon (a point that Can you get a critical hit on an ability check? For ex-
was clarified in the Player’s Handbook errata). ample, 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 What happens after 20th level? Is there a cap to char-
1 on an ability check or a saving throw is not an automatic acter levels? The highest level is 20th. The “Epic Boons”
failure. A 1 is an automatic miss for an attack roll. section in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (p. 231) offers ideas
for further advancement.
If you cast the hex spell and choose Strength as the af-
fected ability, does the target also have disadvantage on [NEW] The frightened condition says “while the source
attack rolls and saving throws that use Strength? No, the of its fear is within line of sight.” Does that mean you
hex spell’s description says it affects ability checks that use have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks even
the chosen ability. The description says nothing about af- if the source is invisible but you have a clear line to its
fecting attack rolls or saving throws. This means, for exam- space? No. If you can’t see something, it’s not within your
ple, that if you choose Constitution, the spell’s target doesn’t line of sight. Speaking of “line of sight,” the game uses the
suffer disadvantage when trying to maintain concentration English meaning of the term, which has no special meaning
on a spell, since concentration requires a Constitution sav- in the rules.
ing throw, not a Constitution check. [NEW] Does casting a spell while taking a short rest in-
Curious about the spell’s intent? The spell is meant to be terrupt the rest? Yes. Spellcasting is more strenuous than
a classic jinx—the sort seen in folklore—that is useful in the activities listed on page 186 of the Player’s Handbook:
and out of combat. In combat, the spell provides some extra “eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.”
necrotic damage. Outside combat, you could foil a cunning
diplomat, for example, by casting the spell and imposing Combat
disadvantage on his or her Charisma checks.
Does surprise happen outside the initiative order as a
Does the bard’s Jack of All Trades feature apply to attack special surprise round? No, here’s how surprise works.
rolls and saving throws that don’t use the bard’s profi- The first step of any combat is this: the DM determines
ciency bonus? No. The feature benefits only ability checks. whether anyone in the combat is surprised (reread “Combat
Don’t forget that initiative rolls are Dexterity checks, so Jack Step by Step” on page 189 of the Player’s Handbook). This
of All Trades can benefit a bard’s initiative, assuming the determination happens only once during a fight and only at
bard isn’t already adding his or her proficiency bonus to it. the beginning. In other words, once a fight starts, you can’t
When you make a Strength (Athletics) check to grapple be surprised again, although a hidden foe can still gain the
or shove someone, are you making an attack roll? No. normal benefits from being unseen (see “Unseen Attackers
That check is an ability check, so game effects tied to attack and Targets” on page 194 of the Player’s Handbook).
rolls don’t apply to it. Going back to an earlier question, the To be surprised, you must be caught off guard, usually
hex spell could be used to diminish a grappler’s effective- because you failed to notice foes being stealthy or you were
ness. And if the grappler’s target is under the effect of the startled by an enemy with a special ability, such as the
Dodge action, that action doesn’t inhibit the grapple, since gelatinous cube’s Transparent trait, that makes it exception-
Dodge doesn’t affect ability checks. ally surprising. You can be surprised even if your compan-
ions aren’t, and you aren’t surprised if even one of your foes
Adventuring fails to catch you unawares.
If anyone is surprised, no actions are taken yet. First,
Is there a hard limit on how many short rests charac-
initiative is rolled as normal. Then, the first round of com-
ters can take in a day, or is this purely up to the DM to
bat starts, and the unsurprised combatants act in initiative
decide? The only hard limit on the number of short rests
order. A surprised creature can’t move or take an action
you can take is the number of hours in a day. In practice,
or a reaction until its first turn ends (remember that being
you’re also limited by time pressures in the story and foes
unable to take an action also means you can’t take a bonus
interrupting.
action). In effect, a surprised creature skips its first turn
Are extradimensional spaces, such as a demiplane or in a fight. Once that turn ends, the creature is no longer
the space created by rope trick, considered to be on a dif- surprised.
ferent plane of existence? An extradimensional space (aka In short, activity in a combat is always ordered by initia-
an extraplanar space) is outside other planes. Therefore, tive, whether or not someone is surprised, and after the first
if you’re on the Material Plane and your foe is in an extra round of combat has passed, surprise is no longer a factor.
dimensional space, the two of you aren’t on the same plane You can still try to hide from your foes and gain the benefits
of existence. conferred by being hidden, but you don’t deprive your foes
How do I tell if something in the game is magical? For of their turns when you do so.
an extensive discussion of this topic, see the question “Is Surprise rules work for two opposing sides. What hap-
the breath weapon of a dragon magical?” in the “Monsters” pens with surprise when a third group of combatants
section below. sneaks up, hidden from the melee, and ambushes? The
What’s an example of an effect that can reduce exhaus- surprise rule is relevant only when a combat is starting.
tion? The greater restoration spell can reduce exhaustion. Any ambushes during the fight use the rules for Dexterity
(Stealth) checks.
Is there a way to get lost Intelligence back, such as after
an intellect devourer zeroes it? The greater restoration If a wizard casts a spell like fireball during a surprise
spell can remove the reduction to an ability score. round, do the enemies get disadvantage on their saving
throw? Being surprised has no effect on saves. If you’re
surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first
turn of the combat and you can’t take a reaction until that
turn ends (PH, 189).
Can you delay your turn and take it later in the round? whether a friend or an enemy—the space is difficult terrain
No. When it’s your turn, either you do something or you for you, and you can’t willingly end your move there. See
don’t. If you don’t want to do anything, consider taking the Player’s Handbook, page 190–2, for more on movement
the Dodge action so that you’ll, at least, have some extra in combat.
protection. If you want to wait to act in response to some- Does travel pace apply to movement in combat, or just
thing, take the Ready action, which lets you take part of when traveling? The travel pace rule (PH, 181–2) doesn’t
your turn later. apply in combat.
For a variety of reasons, we didn’t include the option to
delay your turn: If you have a feature like Cunning Action or Step of the
Wind, can you take the Dash action more than once on
• Your turn involves several decisions, including where your turn? If you can take the Dash action as a bonus ac-
to move and what action to take. If you could delay your tion, nothing in the rules prevents you from taking the Dash
turn, your decision-making would possibly become action with your regular action too. The same principle
slower, since you would have to consider whether you holds when you use a feature like Action Surge; you could
wanted to take your turn at all. Multiply that extra use both of your actions to take the Dash action.
analysis by the number of characters and monsters in
a combat, and you have the potential for many slow- My rogue/wizard can get a bonus action to Dash by using
downs in play. Cunning Action, and I can cast expeditious retreat on
• The ability to delay your turn can make initiative mean- myself to get a bonus action to Dash. Do I get two bonus
ingless, as characters and monsters bounce around in the actions to Dash? No. You can take only one bonus action
initiative order. If combatants can change their place in on your turn (PH, 189). If you have two or more ways to
the initiative order at will, why use initiative at all? On top use a bonus action, you must choose which one (if any) you
of that, changing initiative can easily turn into an unwel- want to employ on your turn.
come chore, especially for the DM, who might have to If you use the Help action to distract a foe, do you have
change the initiative list over and over during a fight. to stay within 5 feet of it for the action to work? No, you
• Being able to delay your turn can let you wreak havoc on can take the action and then move away. The action itself
the durations of spells and other effects, particularly any is what grants advantage to your ally, not your staying next
of them that last until your next turn. Simply by changing to the foe.
when your turn happens, you could change the length
of certain spells. The way to guard against such abuse If I’m invisible and I become visible when I shoot an
would be to create a set of additional rules that would arrow at a target, does hiding again require an action?
limit your ability to change durations. The net effect? Without a special ability, hiding in combat requires the
More complexity would be added to the game, and with Hide action.
more complexity, there is greater potential for slower play. If I use the Ready action to deal damage to someone
Two of our goals for combat were for it to be speedy and who’s moving, do I deny the target the rest of its move-
for initiative to matter. We didn’t want to start every combat ment? Dealing damage to a moving target doesn’t halt its
by rolling initiative and then undermine turn order with a movement, unless the damage is accompanied by an ability
delay option. Moreover, we felt that toying with initiative that stops movement. Things like the Sentinel feat give you
wasn’t where the focus should be in battle. Instead, the dra- such an ability. Reducing a moving creature to 0 hit points
matic actions of the combatants should be the focus, with is also usually an effective way to stop it!
turns that happen as quickly as possible. Can you use the Ready action to take the Dash action on
I have a readied action. Can I stop readying to take an someone else’s turn and then combine the Charger feat
opportunity attack? Or is ready a full turn commitment? with it? No, since you can’t take a bonus action on someone
If you have an action readied, you can make an opportunity else’s turn.
attack, which causes you to stop readying. For readying a spell or other action, does the target have
Can a bonus action be used as an action or vice versa? to be in range? Your target must be within range when you
For example, can a bard use a bonus action to grant take a readied action, not when you first ready it.
a Bardic Inspiration die and an action to cast healing How does readying a spell work? Do you lose your spell
word? No. Actions and bonus actions aren’t interchange- slot if the trigger never occurs? A readied spell’s slot is
able. In the example, the bard could use Bardic Inspiration lost if you don’t release the spell with your reaction before
or healing word on a turn, not both. the start of your next turn.
Can a flying creature without the hover trait stay in Can a readied action occur during an enemy’s triggering
one place while airborne, or does it need to move each action, such as between its first and second attacks when
round? A flyer that lacks the hover trait can stay aloft with- it uses Multiattack? A readied action occurs immediately
out moving each round. after its trigger. If you defined the trigger as an attack, your
Can you move through the space of a prone enemy? The action happens after that attack.
prone condition doesn’t override the rule that prevents you
from moving through an enemy’s space, unless that enemy
is at least two sizes larger or two sizes smaller than you.
If you do move through the space of another creature—
How do I know which ability modifier to use with an weapon, such as a glaive or a halberd, you can do so when
attack roll and its damage roll? The Player’s Handbook a creature leaves the reach you have with that weapon. For
specifies which ability modifier to use with an attack roll (p. example, if you’re wielding a halberd, a creature that is
194) and which one to use with the corresponding damage right next to you could move 5 feet away without triggering
roll (p. 196). Here’s a summary: an opportunity attack. If that creature tries to move an addi-
tional 5 feet—beyond your 10-foot reach—the creature then
Attack Type Attack Roll Damage Roll triggers an opportunity attack.
Melee weapon attack Strength mod.* Strength mod.
Can a blinded creature make an opportunity attack? An
Ranged weapon attack Dexterity mod.* Dexterity mod.
opportunity attack is triggered by “a hostile creature you
Spell attack Spellcasting ability Depends on effect can see” (PH, 195). If you can’t see an enemy, you can’t
mod.** make an opportunity attack against it. Creatures with blind-
* Add your proficiency bonus if you’re using a weapon with which sight are an exception to this rule, because that ability lets
you’re proficient. those creatures “see” within a certain radius.
** Add your proficiency bonus. Your spellcasting ability is Can an opportunity attack be used to make a grapple or
determined by your class or whatever feature gave you the ability a shove? Grappling and shoving are special melee attacks
to make the spell attack. that require the Attack action (PH, 195). An opportunity at-
tack is a special reaction. Take the Ready action if you want
For example, if you make a melee weapon attack with a to attempt a grapple or a shove as a reaction.
longsword, you add your Strength modifier to the attack
When you use two-weapon fighting, can you draw and
and damage rolls of the attack. In contrast, if you make
throw two weapons on your turn? You can throw two
the spell attack of the fire bolt cantrip, you add your spell-
weapons with two-weapon fighting (PH, 195), but that rule
casting ability modifier to the attack roll. If you’re a wizard,
doesn’t give you the ability to draw two weapons for free.
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability, so add your Intelli-
On your turn, you can interact with one object for free,
gence modifier. Fire bolt doesn’t tell you to add your modi-
either during your move or during an action (PH, 190). One
fier to its damage roll, though, so you don’t.
of the most common object interactions is drawing or stow-
Various features in the game make explicit exceptions
ing a weapon. Interacting with a second object on the same
to the rule. For example, a weapon that has the finesse
turn requires an action. You need a feature like the Dual
property lets you choose whether to use your Strength or
Wielder feat to draw or stow a second weapon for free.
Dexterity modifier with it. Another example: when you use
the two-weapon fighting option in the Player’s Handbook With two-weapon fighting, can I use both attacks (nor-
(p. 195), you don’t add your ability modifier to the damage mal and bonus) to shove a creature? No. Two-weapon
of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. You fighting (PH, 195) doesn’t grant the bonus attack unless the
do, however, still add your ability modifier to the attack roll, first attack is made with a light melee weapon. Shoving a
since the option doesn’t tell you not to. In other words, you creature is a special melee attack that does not involve the
follow the general rule until an exception in the game tells use of a weapon.
you not to. If a creature is grappled, can it still attack and use its
What about unusual cases like the green-flame blade special abilities? The grappled condition limits movement,
spell? The spell, which appears in the Sword Coast Ad- not attacks, spellcasting, and the like. That said, many grap-
venturer’s Guide, tells you to make a melee attack with a pling abilities, such as a roper’s tendril attack, also deliver
weapon. Look at the table above, and you see that, under effects like the restrained condition.
normal circumstances, you use your Strength modifier
when you make a melee weapon attack. It doesn’t matter Is the grappling rule in the Player’s Handbook usable
that a spell told you to attack. If a spell expects you to by a handless creature? The grappling rule (PH, 195) was
make a spell attack, the spell’s description says so. For written for a grappler with at least one hand, but a DM can
examples, take a look at fire bolt and ray of frost. Both say easily adapt the rule for a handless creature that has a bite
it—“spell attack.” or an appendage, such as a tentacle, that could reasonably
seize someone. A wolf, for example, could plausibly try to
What does “melee weapon attack” mean: a melee attack seize a person with its bite, and the animal wouldn’t be able
with a weapon or an attack with a melee weapon? It to use its bite attack as long as it held onto the person.
means a melee attack with a weapon. Similarly, “ranged Keep in mind that the grappling rule in the Player’s Hand-
weapon attack” means a ranged attack with a weapon. book requires the Attack action, so a creature must take
Some attacks count as a melee or ranged weapon attack that action—rather than Multiattack or another action in
even if a weapon isn’t involved, as specified in the text of the creature’s stat block—when it uses that rule. A monster,
those attacks. For example, an unarmed strike counts as a such as a roper, that has a special grappling attack doesn’t
melee weapon attack, even though the attacker’s body isn’t follow that rule when using its special attack.
considered a weapon.
Here’s a bit of wording minutia: we would write “melee- Does a grapple or a shove trigger the Tempest cleric’s
weapon attack” (with a hyphen) if we meant an attack with Wrath of the Storm or a Battle Master’s Riposte? The
a melee weapon. answer to both questions is no. The grappling and shoving
options (PH, 195) don’t result in a hit or a miss.
How does a reach weapon work with opportunity at-
tacks? An opportunity attack is normally triggered when a Say I grapple you, then I drop prone. Are we now prone
creature you can see moves beyond your reach (PH, 195). together? No. A creature you’re grappling isn’t knocked
If you want to make an opportunity attack with a reach prone if you become prone. You’re now holding onto the
creature from a prone position.
Target at range caught in melee combat—does that tar- Do spellcasters have to learn a ritual version of a spell
get get some kind of cover or do I get disadvantage? Your apart from the normal version, or are they the same?
target has half-cover if another creature is between you and To cast the ritual version of a spell you know, you need a
the target (PH, 196). feature, such as Ritual Casting, that gives you the ability to
cast the spell as a ritual. You don’t need to also learn a spe-
Can damage be reduced to 0 by resistance or another
cial version of the spell.
form of damage reduction? There is no damage minimum
in the rules, so it is possible to deal 0 damage with an at- Can spellcasters prepare spells not all at once, but
tack, a spell, or another effect. prepare spells at various times in the day? You prepare
your list of spells only at the end of a long rest. You can’t
A dragon uses a breath weapon against me. I succeed on
prepare some spells at the end of the rest and then prepare
the save, and I have resistance to the damage. Do I take
more later.
only one-quarter of the damage? Yes, because resistance
is applied after all other modifiers to damage (PH, 197). If Do you always know when you’re under the effect of a
you succeed on a save and still take damage, that damage is spell? You’re aware that a spell is affecting you if it has a
halved if you have the right resistance. perceptible effect or if its text says you’re aware of it (see
PH, 204, under “Targets”). Most spells are obvious. For
Is the intent that only melee weapon attacks can knock
example, fireball burns you, cure wounds heals you, and
foes unconscious, or can melee spell attacks as well? If
command forces you to suddenly do something you didn’t
you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack,
intend. Certain spells are more subtle, yet you become
you can knock the creature out (PH, 198). That melee attack
aware of the spell at a time specified in the spell’s descrip-
isn’t restricted to weapons. Even a melee spell attack can be
tion. Charm person and detect thoughts are examples of
used to knock a creature out.
such spells.
Are attacks with a net always made with disadvantage?
Some spells are so subtle that you might not know you
Unless you have a special ability that says otherwise, any
were ever under their effects. A prime example of that sort
net attack has disadvantage because you’re either within 5
of spell is suggestion. Assuming you failed to notice the
feet of your target (see PH, 149) or you’re attacking at long
spellcaster casting the spell, you might simply remember
range, which is between 5 and 15 feet for a net.
the caster saying, “The treasure you’re looking for isn’t
Can a non-Battle Master attempt to disarm someone? here. Go look for it in the room at the top of the next tower.”
The Disarming Attack maneuver is designed for the Battle You failed your saving throw, and off you went to the other
Master archetype, but anyone can try to disarm a foe. The tower, thinking it was your idea to go there. You and your
Disarm action option (DMG, 271) provides one way a DM companions might deduce that you were beguiled if ev-
might adjudicate the activity. idence of the spell is found. It’s ultimately up to the DM
[NEW] Are natural weapons considered weapons? whether you discover the presence of inconspicuous spells.
Things designated as weapons by the rules, including nat- Discovery usually comes through the use of skills like
ural weapons, are indeed weapons. In contrast, unarmed Arcana, Investigation, Insight, and Perception or through
strikes are not weapons. They are something you do with spells like detect magic.
an unarmed part of your body. [NEW] If I’m concentrating on a spell and I cast another
[NEW] Can I make an attack with one weapon, then spell that requires concentration, when does my concen-
draw a second weapon with my other hand and qualify tration on the first spell end? If you’re concentrating on a
to use two-weapon fighting? To use the two-weapon fight- spell, your concentration on it ends immediately when you
ing bonus action (PH, 195), you must have both weapons start casting another spell that requires concentration.
in hand when you make the first attack. If you’re instead
fighting with two or more weapons as part of the Extra
Spell Attacks
Attack feature, the rule for the two-weapon fighting bonus Is a touch range spell considered a melee attack for
action doesn’t apply. The rule for that bonus action applies purposes of subduing foes rather than killing? Having
only to itself, not to any other use of two or more weapons a range of touch doesn’t mean a spell is a melee attack. A
in the game. spell tells you if it delivers such an attack.
Can spell attacks score critical hits? A spell attack can
Spellcasting definitely score a critical hit. The rule on critical hits applies
Can a spellcaster cast spells off-target to minimize to attack rolls of any sort.
damage to party members from a spell like shatter? The When casting a spell that affects multiple targets, such
spellcaster chooses where to place the point of origin of a as scorching ray or eldritch blast, do I fire one ray or
spell like shatter and may, therefore, choose a position that beam, determine the result, and fire again? Or do I have
is advantageous to allies. to choose all the targets before making any attack rolls?
Can permanent magical effects be dispelled? Or are they Even though the duration of each of these spells is instanta-
no longer considered magical effects once permanent? If neous, you choose the targets and resolve the attacks con-
the effect of a spell becomes permanent, it can be dispelled, secutively, not all at once. If you want, you can declare all
unless its description says otherwise (such as in the wall of your targets before making any attacks, but you would still
stone spell). roll separately for each attack (and damage, if appropriate).
Can a spell with an attack roll be used as the attack in Here are some examples:
the Attack action or as part of the Extra Attack feature? • The warlock’s Chains of Carceri feature lets a warlock
The short answer is no. cast hold monster without using a spell slot. That casting
As explained in the Player’s Handbook, you can take one of hold monster is, therefore, 5th level, which is the lowest
action on your turn in combat, in addition to moving. You possible level for that spell.
choose your action from the options available to everyone— • The warlock’s Thief of Five Fates feature lets a warlock
options such as Attack, Cast a Spell, and Dash—or you cast bane using a spell slot, which means the spell is 1st
choose from among the special actions you’ve gained from level or higher, depending on the slot that the warlock
a class, a feat, or another source. expends to cast it.
If you want to cast a spell on your turn, you take the Cast • The monk’s Disciple of the Elements feature lets the
a Spell action. Doing so means you’re not taking the Attack monk spend ki points, rather than a spell slot, to increase
action or any other action. It is true that a number of spells, the level of a spell.
such as fire bolt and ray of frost, involve making an attack,
but you can’t make such an attack without first casting the This rule is true for player characters and monsters alike,
spell that delivers it. In other words, just because some- which is why the innate spellcasters in the Monster Manual
thing involves an attack doesn’t mean the Attack action is must cast an innate spell at its lowest possible level.
being used.
By extension, the Extra Attack feature (given by several Casting Time
classes, including the fighter and paladin) doesn’t let you Is there a limit on the number of spells you can cast on
cast extra attack spells. That feature specifically relies your turn? There’s no rule that says you can cast only X
on the Attack action, not the Cast a Spell action or any number of spells on your turn, but there are some practical
other action. limits. The main limiting factor is your action. Most spells
In summary, to make a spell attack, you have to first cast require an action to cast, and unless you use a feature like
a spell or use a feature that creates the spell’s effect. A the fighter’s Action Surge, you have only one action on
game feature, such as Extra Attack, that lets you make an your turn.
attack doesn’t let you cast a spell unless it says it does. If you cast a spell, such as healing word, with a bonus
action, you can cast another spell with your action, but that
Can you use a melee spell attack to make an opportunity other spell must be a cantrip. Keep in mind that this partic-
attack? You can’t if the spell attack is created by casting ular limit is specific to spells that use a bonus action. For
a spell. When a creature triggers an opportunity attack instance, if you cast a second spell using Action Surge, you
from you, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack aren’t limited to casting a cantrip with it.
against it. The opportunity attack doesn’t suddenly give you
the ability to cast a spell, such as shocking grasp. Does the rule on casting a bonus action spell apply
Each spell has a casting time. A game feature, such as an when you take a bonus action granted by a spell? The
opportunity attack, doesn’t let you bypass that casting time, rule on casting a spell as a bonus action (see PH, 202)
unless the feature says otherwise. The War Caster feat is applies only on the turn you cast the spell. For example,
an example of a feature that does let you bypass a 1-action spiritual weapon can be cast as a bonus action, and it lasts
casting time to cast a spell in place of making an opportu- for 1 minute. On the turn you cast it, you can’t cast another
nity attack. spell before or after it, unless that spell is a cantrip with
A few monsters can make opportunity attacks with me- a casting time of 1 action. Until spiritual weapon ends, it
lee spell attacks. Here’s how: certain monsters—including gives you the option of controlling its spectral weapon as a
the banshee, the lich, and the specter—have a melee spell bonus action. That bonus action does not involve casting a
attack that isn’t delivered by a spell. For example, the ban- spell, despite the fact that it’s granted by a spell, so you can
shee’s Corrupting Touch action is a melee spell attack but control the weapon and cast whatever spell you like on the
no spell is cast to make it. The banshee can, therefore, same turn.
make opportunity attacks with Corrupting Touch. Can you cast a reaction spell on your turn? You sure can!
Some spells (like eldritch blast) target a creature. Some Here’s a common way for it to happen: Cornelius the wizard
others (like fire bolt) target objects too. Does this mean is casting fireball on his turn, and his foe casts counterspell
that I can’t attack the door with eldritch blast? The target on him. Cornelius also has counterspell prepared, so he
specifications (creature, object, or something else) in spells uses his reaction to cast it and break his foe’s counterspell
are intentional. before it can stop fireball.
Does a melee spell attack count as a melee attack for Does casting a spell as a ritual require concentration if
Touch of Death? A melee spell attack is, indeed, a me- the spell doesn’t normally require it? Concentration is
lee attack and can qualify for the Death cleric’s Touch of required when casting any spell, including a ritual version,
Death feature. for longer than 1 action (see PH, 202). Once the casting is
complete, the spell requires concentration only if its dura-
Spell Level tion entry says it does.
What level is a spell if you cast it without a spell slot?
Such a spell is cast at its lowest possible level, which is the Components
level that appears near the top of its description. Unless you Does a spell consume its material components? A spell
have a special ability that says otherwise, the only way to doesn’t consume its material components unless its de-
increase the level of a spell is to expend a higher-level spell scription says it does. For example, the pearl required by
slot when you cast it. the identify spell isn’t consumed, whereas the diamond re-
quired by raise dead is used up when you cast the spell.
If a spell’s material components are consumed, can a Specific Spells
spellcasting focus still be used in place of the consumed [NEW] Can I cast animate dead on the humanoid-shaped
component? No. A spellcasting focus can be used in place corpse of an undead creature such as a zombie or a
of a material component only if that component has no ghast? No. Animate dead targets only the corpses of crea-
cost noted in the spell’s description and if that component tures that have the humanoid creature type.
isn’t consumed.
[NEW] Does casting animate objects during a time stop
What’s the amount of interaction needed to use a spell- spell end the time stop? No. Commanding the newly
casting focus? Does it have to be included in the somatic created creatures with your bonus action does end time
component? If a spell has a material component, you need stop, however.
to handle that component when you cast the spell (PH,
Can you extend the duration of armor of Agathys by gain-
203). The same rule applies if you’re using a spellcasting
ing more temporary hit points? The spell is meant to work
focus as the material component.
only as long as you have the temporary hit points that the
If a spell has a somatic component, you can use the hand
spell grants. When those temporary hit points are gone, the
that performs the somatic component to also handle the
spell is done.
material component. For example, a wizard who uses an
Keep in mind that temporary hit points aren’t cumulative
orb as a spellcasting focus could hold a quarterstaff in one
(see PH, 198). If you have temporary hit points and receive
hand and the orb in the other, and he could cast lightning
more of them, you don’t add them together, unless a game
bolt by using the orb as the spell’s material component and
feature says you can. You decide which temporary hit points
the orb hand to perform the spell’s somatic component.
to keep. As an example, let’s say you’re a warlock with the
Another example: a cleric’s holy symbol is emblazoned
Dark One’s Blessing feature, which gives you temporary hit
on her shield. She likes to wade into melee combat with a
points when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points. You cur-
mace in one hand and a shield in the other. She uses the
rently have 2 temporary hit points remaining from armor
holy symbol as her spellcasting focus, so she needs to have
of Agathys, you just slew a monster, and your Dark One’s
the shield in hand when she casts a cleric spell that has a
Blessing can now give you 4 temporary hit points. If you
material component. If the spell, such as aid, also has a so-
take those temporary hit points, they replace the ones from
matic component, she can perform that component with the
armor of Agathys and end that spell, so you might not want
shield hand and keep holding the mace in the other.
to take them and keep the spell going instead, so as to con-
If the same cleric casts cure wounds, she needs to put the
tinue benefiting from the cold damage it delivers.
mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a
material component but does have a somatic component. How does barkskin work with shields, cover, and other
She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s ges- modifiers to AC? Barkskin specifies that your AC can’t
tures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this be lower than 16 while you are affected by the spell. This
restriction. means you effectively ignore any modifiers to your AC—in-
cluding your Dexterity modifier, your armor, a shield, and
Duration cover—unless your AC is higher than 16. For example, if
If you’re concentrating on a spell, do you need to main- your AC is normally 14, it’s 16 while barkskin is on you. If
tain line of sight with the spell’s target or the spell’s your AC is normally 15 and you have half cover, your AC is
effect? You don’t need to be within line of sight or within 17; barkskin isn’t relevant in this case.
range to maintain concentration on a spell, unless a spell’s
Does the blinding smite spell deal extra radiant damage
description or other game feature says otherwise.
on every successful attack I make while I’m concentrat-
If I have 10 temporary hit points and I take 30 damage ing on the spell, or only on the first one? “The next time”
from an attack while concentrating on a spell, what is in the spell description indicates that the extra damage
the DC of the Constitution save to maintain my concen- applies only once, the first time you hit a creature after you
tration? The DC is 15 in that case. When temporary hit finish casting the spell.
points absorb damage for you, you’re still taking damage,
Is the chill touch spell intended as a way of foiling any
just not to your real hit points.
creature that has Regeneration? Chill touch does, indeed,
In contrast, a feature like the wizard’s Arcane Ward can
stop the target it hits from regaining hit points until the
take damage for you, potentially eliminating the need to
spell ends. This is true even if the target takes none of the
make a Constitution saving throw or, at least, lowering the
necrotic damage, whether because of immunity or some
DC of that save.
other reason.
Can a spellcaster dismiss a spell after casting it? You
Using 5-foot squares, does cloud of daggers affect a sin-
can’t normally dismiss a spell that you cast unless (a) its
gle square? Cloud of daggers (5 ft. cube) can affect more
description says you can or (b) it requires concentration
than one square on a grid, unless the DM says effects snap
and you decide to end your concentration on it. Otherwise,
to the grid. There are many ways to position that cube.
a spell’s magic is unleashed on the environment, and if you
want to end it, you need to cast dispel magic on it. [NEW] Can a creature under the effect of compelled duel
teleport more than 30 feet away from the caster? No. You
can’t move farther than 30 feet away from the caster of com-
pelled duel by any means, including teleportation.
Is the damage dealt by a beast from conjure animals Can you use dispel magic to dispel a magical effect like a
considered magical? The stat block of a conjured creature vampire’s Charm ability or a druid’s Wild Shape? Dispel
determines the nature of the creature’s damage, unless the magic has a particular purpose: to break other spells. It has
spell says otherwise. no effect on a vampire’s Charm ability or any other magical
effect that isn’t a spell. It also does nothing to the proper-
[NEW] Can conjure animals summon a swarm? No. Con-
ties of a magic item. It can, however, end a spell cast from
jure animals summons individual creatures, and swarms
a magic item or from another source. Spells—they’re what
are groups of creatures.
dispel magic is about. For example, if you cast dispel magic
When you cast a spell like conjure woodland beings, on a staff of power, the spell fails to disrupt the staff’s mag-
does the spellcaster or the DM choose the creatures that ical properties, but if the staff’s wielder casts hold monster
are conjured? A number of spells in the game let you sum- from the staff, dispel magic can end that spell if cast on the
mon creatures. Conjure animals, conjure celestial, conjure target of hold monster.
minor elementals, and conjure woodland beings are just a There are abilities and other spells that can end or sus-
few examples. pend magical effects that aren’t spells. For example, the
Some spells of this sort specify that the spellcaster greater restoration spell can end a charm effect of any sort
chooses the creature conjured. For example, find familiar on a target (such as a vampire’s Charm or a dryad’s Fey
gives the caster a list of animals to choose from. Charm), and a paladin’s Aura of Devotion can prevent or
Other spells of this sort let the spellcaster choose from suspend such an effect.
among several broad options. For example, conjure minor Three of the most versatile spells for ending certain mag-
elementals offers four options. Here are the first two: ical effects are lesser restoration, greater restoration, and
• One elemental of challenge rating 2 or lower remove curse.
• Two elementals of challenge rating 1 or lower Can you use dispel magic on the creations of a spell like
The design intent for options like these is that the spell- animate dead or affect those creations with antimagic
caster chooses one of them, and then the DM decides what field? Whenever you wonder whether a spell’s effects can
creatures appear that fit the chosen option. For example, be dispelled or suspended, you need to answer one ques-
if you pick the second option, the DM chooses the two ele- tion: is the spell’s duration instantaneous? If the answer is
mentals that have a challenge rating of 1 or lower. yes, there is nothing to dispel or suspend. Here’s why: the
A spellcaster can certainly express a preference for what effects of an instantaneous spell are brought into being by
creatures shows up, but it’s up to the DM to determine if magic, but the effects aren’t sustained by magic (see PH,
they do. The DM will often choose creatures that are ap- 203). The magic flares for a split second and then vanishes.
propriate for the campaign and that will be fun to introduce For example, the instantaneous spell animate dead har-
in a scene. nesses magical energy to turn a corpse or a pile of bones
into an undead creature. That necromantic magic is present
[NEW] Does counterspell target the caster or the spell for an instant and is then gone. The resulting undead now
you’re trying to counter? Counterspell targets the other exists without the magic’s help. Casting dispel magic on the
spellcaster. creature can’t end its mockery of life, and the undead can
[NEW] If a wizard with Inured to Undeath spends Hit wander into an antimagic field with no adverse effect.
Dice to raise the hit point maximum of a homunculus Another example: cure wounds instantaneously restores
created by the create homunculus spell, does it still de- hit points to a creature. Because the spell’s duration is in-
crease the wizard’s hit point maximum? Spending the Hit stantaneous, the restoration can’t be later dispelled. And
Dice affects the homunculus as described in the spell, but you don’t suddenly lose hit points if you step into an anti-
the wizard’s hit point maximum isn’t decreased. magic field!
In contrast, a spell like conjure woodland beings has a
Can you cast darkness with a higher-level slot to end a
non-instantaneous duration, which means its creations can
spell of 3rd level or higher that creates light? No. The
be ended by dispel magic and they temporarily disappear
darkness spell can dispel only a light-creating spell of 2nd
within an antimagic field.
level or lower, no matter what spell slot is used for dark-
ness. Similarly, the daylight spell can dispel only a dark- Can you ready dispel magic to stop another spell from
ness-creating spell of 3rd level or lower, regardless of the taking effect? The easiest way to stop a spell is to cast
spell slot used. counterspell on its caster while it’s being cast. If successful,
counterspell interrupts the other spell’s casting, and that
If the damage from disintegrate reduces a half-orc to
spell fails to take effect. Counterspell works against any
0 hit points, can Relentless Endurance prevent the orc
spell, regardless of a spell’s casting time or duration.
from turning to ash? Yes. The disintegrate spell turns you
With the Ready action, dispel magic can be cast in re-
into dust only if the spell’s damage leaves you with 0 hit
sponse to another spell being cast, yet dispel magic can’t
points. If you’re a half-orc, Relentless Endurance can turn
substitute for counterspell. The main reason is that dispel
the 0 into a 1 before the spell can disintegrate you.
magic removes a spell that is already on a target, whether
What happens if a druid using Wild Shape is reduced to that target is a creature, an object, or some other phenom-
0 hit points by disintegrate? Does the druid simply leave enon. Dispel magic can’t dispel something in advance. If
beast form? The druid leaves beast form. As usual, any left- a spell isn’t already present on a target, dispel magic does
over damage then applies to the druid’s normal hit points. nothing to that target. The best that a readied dispel magic
If the leftover damage leaves the druid with 0 hit points, the can do is dispel a spell immediately after the spell has been
druid is disintegrated.
cast to prevent it from having any effect after the action Second, neither green-flame blade nor booming blade
used to cast it. For example, on your turn you could say works with Extra Attack or any other feature that requires
something like this: “I ready dispel magic, and if the high the Attack action. Like other spells, these cantrips require
priest casts a spell on anyone, I cast dispel magic on the the Cast a Spell action, not the Attack action, and they can’t
target if the spell takes hold.” If the high priest then cast be used to make an opportunity attack, unless a special fea-
hold person on your companion who fails the save against ture allows you to do so.
it, you could unleash your readied dispel magic and end Third, these weapon attacks work with Sneak Attack if
hold person. they fulfill the normal requirements for that feature. For
example, if you have the Sneak Attack feature and cast
Can dispel magic end globe of invulnerability? Yes, dispel
green-flame blade with a finesse weapon, you can deal
magic can dispel the barrier created by globe of invulner-
Sneak Attack damage to the target of the weapon attack if
ability, but not any magical effects that are active inside
you have advantage on the attack roll and hit.
the barrier.
[NEW] When a creature successfully saves against
If dispel magic targets the magical effect from bless cast
guardian of faith and takes 10 radiant damage, how
by a cleric, does it remove the effect on all the targets?
much damage does that count against the total amount
Dispel magic ends a spell on one target. It doesn’t end the
of damage the spell can deal? Is it 20 because that’s how
same spell on other targets.
much it dealt or 10 because that’s how much the target
Can the familiar you conjure with the find familiar spell took? It dealt 10 damage to the creature, so 10 is subtracted
use the Help action to grant you advantage on your at- from the total.
tack roll? A familiar can’t attack, but it can take non-attack
For the spell hail of thorns, does it last for the initial
actions, including Help. As the text of the Help action indi-
attack or as long as you maintain concentration? Hail of
cates (PH, 192), the action doesn’t require you to be able to
thorns lasts until you hit a creature with a ranged weapon
attack; you simply need to be able to provide some sort of
attack or your concentration ends, whichever comes first.
distraction.
Can the extra action granted by haste be used to activate
Does the familiar of find familiar count as an ally for the
a magic item? No. Activating a magic item isn’t a function
purposes of Sneak Attack? A familiar is an allied creature.
of the Use an Object action (DMG, 141).
Its proximity to a target can allow you to use the Sneak At-
tack feature or any other feature that requires the presence Does the heroes’ feast spell grant immunity to poison
of an ally. damage or just the poison condition? The heroes’ feast
spell grants immunity to poison in any form—damage and
[NEW] When you dismiss the familiar you conjure with
the condition.
the find familiar spell to its pocket dimension, can it take
any objects it’s wearing or carrying with it? No, the intent Do the temporary hit points from heroism accumulate
of find familiar is that any objects are left behind when the each round? Temporary hit points aren’t cumulative. The
familiar vanishes. This intent will be reflected in future spell would tell you if you were meant to add together the
printings of the Player’s Handbook. temporary hit points it provides. At the start of each of your
turns, the spell, effectively, refreshes the number of tempo-
Can a spell such as fireball go past its 20-foot radius
rary hit points you have from it; if you lost some or all of the
if the point of origin is set in an enclosed space that’s
temporary hit points, the spell gives them back to you.
less than 40 feet across? The fire of the fireball spell can
spread around corners, but it’s limited by the spell’s 20-foot If the heroism spell is cast on a character that is already
radius. It doesn’t extend farther than 20 feet from the point frightened, does it remove the frightened effect? The
of origin no matter where it is cast. heroism spell would suppress a frightening effect that was
If I’m a cleric/druid with the Disciple of Life feature, does already on its target. When the spell ends, the target’s im-
munity goes away and the frightening effect resumes if it
the goodberry spell benefit from the feature? Yes. The
has not expired or been removed.
Disciple of Life feature would make each berry restore 4
hit points, instead of 1, assuming you cast goodberry with a Does the extra damage from hex only apply if there is an
1st-level spell slot. attack roll? The extra damage in the hex spell requires an
attack that hits.
Can you use green-flame blade and booming blade with
Extra Attack, opportunity attacks, Sneak Attack, and Since resting identifies magic items, and the identify
other weapon attack options? Introduced in the Sword spell doesn’t spot curses, what is the role of the identify
Coast Adventurer’s Guide, the green-flame blade and boom- spell? The most important factors are time and conve-
ing blade spells pose a number of questions, because they nience. During a short rest, which takes at least 1 hour,
each do something unusual: require you to make a melee a character who meets the qualifications can determine
attack with a weapon as part of the spell’s casting. the properties of one magic item (see “Identifying a Magic
First, each of these spells involves a normal melee Item” on page 136 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). In
weapon attack, not a spell attack, so you use whatever abil- contrast, casting the identify spell takes only 1 minute (or
ity modifier you normally use with the weapon. (A spell tells 11 minutes if it is cast as a ritual) and can be done when a
you if it includes a spell attack, and neither of these spells quick determination is needed.
do.) For example, if you use a longsword with green-flame
blade, you use your Strength modifier for the weapon’s at-
tack and damage rolls.
What happens when a jump spell gives a creature a jump Does moonbeam deal damage when you cast it? What
distance greater than its walking speed? Your jump is about when its effect moves onto a creature? The an-
limited by how far you can move; each foot jumped uses a swer to both questions is no. Here’s some elaboration on
foot of movement. You can take the Dash action if you want that answer.
to extend how far you can move on your turn. Some spells and other game features create an area of
For example, if you have a Strength score of 15, you can effect that does something when a creature enters that area
normally leap 15 feet when you make a long jump if you for the first time on a turn or when a creature starts its
move at least 10 feet immediately beforehand. If the jump turn in that area. On the turn when you cast such a spell,
spell is cast on you, that potential jump distance is tripled. you’re primarily setting up hurt for your foes on later turns.
That’s a jump of 45 feet! If your speed is 30 feet, you can Moonbeam, for example, creates a beam of light that can
use only 30 feet of that jump distance on your turn, unless damage a creature who enters the beam or who starts its
you take the Dash action, which allows you to leap the turn in the beam.
full 45 feet. Here are some spells with the same timing as moonbeam
for their areas of effect:
Can you use a shield with mage armor? Mage armor
works with a shield. Shields are grouped with armor in blade barrier forbiddance
the equipment rules in the Player’s Handbook, but various cloudkill moonbeam
game features distinguish between the armor you wear cloud of daggers sleet storm
and a shield you wield. Take a look at the monk’s Unar- Evard’s black tentacles spirit guardians
mored Defense feature and compare it to the barbarian’s Reading the description of any of those spells, you might
version. In the monk’s version, you must both forgo wearing wonder whether a creature is considered to be entering the
armor and forgo wielding a shield if you want to benefit spell’s area of effect if the area is created on the creature’s
from the feature, whereas a barbarian must only forgo
space. And if the area of effect can be moved—as the beam
wearing armor. of moonbeam can—does moving it into a creature’s space
Does Unarmored Defense work with a spell like mage count as the creature entering the area? Our design intent
armor? Unarmored Defense doesn’t work with mage ar- for such spells is this: a creature enters the area of effect
mor. You might be asking yourself, “Why don’t they work when the creature passes into it. Creating the area of ef-
together? Mage armor specifies that it works on a creature fect on the creature or moving it onto the creature doesn’t
who isn’t wearing armor.” It’s true that the target of mage count. If the creature is still in the area at the start of its
armor must be unarmored, but mage armor gives you a new turn, it is subjected to the area’s effect.
way to calculate your AC (13 + your Dexterity modifier) and Entering such an area of effect needn’t be voluntary,
is therefore incompatible with Unarmored Defense or any unless a spell says otherwise. You can, therefore, hurl a
other feature that provides an AC calculation. creature into the area with a spell like thunderwave. We
consider that clever play, not an imbalance, so hurl away!
I find it confusing that the mage armor spell is named
Keep in mind, however, that a creature is subjected to such
that when it doesn’t count as armor. Some spells and
an area of effect only the first time it enters the area on a
class features have figurative, not literal, names. The text of
turn. You can’t move a creature in and out of it to damage it
the spell or class feature explains what it does. In this case,
over and over again on the same turn.
mage armor (PH, 256) surrounds the target with “protective
In summary, a spell like moonbeam affects a creature
magical force”; the spell doesn’t provide armor.
when the creature passes into the spell’s area of effect and
Can an object created with minor illusion move? For ex- when the creature starts its turn there. You’re essentially
ample, a wall sliding down a corridor? An illusory object creating a hazard on the battlefield.
created by minor illusion doesn’t move. Compare to spells
[NEW] What happens to objects brought inside and left
like major image and mislead, which talk about moving.
inside Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion when the
Could minor illusion create a fog cloud? If so, would spell ends? The intent is that the objects are ejected from
shooting an arrow through it cancel the illusion? An the mansion when the spell ends and appear in unoccupied
illusory object made by minor illusion is meant to be like a spaces closest to where the door was. This intent will be re-
stool or a rock, not an atmospheric effect. flected in future printings of the Player’s Handbook.
[NEW] Misty step doesn’t say the caster can bring worn Does planar binding summon the creature to be bound,
or carried equipment with them. Are they intended to or is that done separately? Planar binding doesn’t sum-
leave everything, including their clothes, behind? No, mon a creature. It attempts to bind a creature that is within
the caster’s worn and carried equipment are intended to go the spell’s range.
with them.
Can you concentrate on a spell while transformed by
Some teleportation effects do specify that you teleport
polymorph? You can’t cast spells while you’re transformed
with your gear; such specification is an example of a rule
by polymorph, but nothing in the spell prevents you from
being needlessly fastidious, since no teleportation effect in
concentrating on a spell that you previously cast before be-
the game assumes that you teleport without your clothes,
ing transformed.
just as the general movement rules don’t assume that you
drop everything when you walk. Does a willing creature under the effects of polymorph
have to take the mental stats of the new form? Yes. Un-
less a spell tells you otherwise, its effect is no different for a
willing creature than it is for an unwilling one.
[NEW] If a creature under the effects of polymorph takes The wording in Tasha’s hideous laughter implies that
enough fire damage to revert to its true form and that the incapacitated effect applies only if the target is made
form has fire resistance, does the true form take the full prone. Is this right? Failing a save against Tasha’s hid-
remaining damage or only half due to resistance? When eous laughter means you’re incapacitated even if you can’t
the creature reverts to its true form, any leftover damage is fall prone.
subject to that form’s damage resistances, if any. [NEW] If you are affecting a target with telekinesis and
[NEW] Can a creature under the effects of polymorph an ally put you inside Otiluke’s resilient sphere, can you
have other spell effects on them, or are those game continue affecting the target or other targets with the ex-
statistics also replaced by the those of the beast form? isting telekinesis spell? You can maintain your telekinetic
Polymorph replaces only the target’s character sheet or stat grip on a target you were already affecting, but you can’t af-
block with the stat block of the chosen form. Other effects, fect a new target. The sphere provides total cover that stops
such as other spells, still exist. you from targeting anything outside it.
[NEW] What happens if I’m polymorphed or Wild [NEW] If two creatures are under the effect of tether
Shaped into a creature with fewer than 100 hit points essence and they are both damaged by an area effect
and then I’m targeted by power word kill? You die. such as a dragon’s breath, do they each take the damage
twice? Yes.
What kinds of things count as “nonmagical trinkets” for
prestidigitation? Prestidigitation can create a little bauble, Can I use unseen servant to act as an ally when using a
the nature of which is up to the spellcaster and the DM. See class feature like Sneak Attack? Unseen servant creates
the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook (p. 160–61) “an invisible, mindless, shapeless force” (PH, 284). In com-
for examples. bat, it doesn’t act as a creature, an enemy, or an ally.
If you grapple or shove an enemy creature, does that end Whenever you cast wish, do you always have a 33 per-
a sanctuary spell cast on you? If you use the grapple or cent chance of never casting it again? If you cast wish
shove option in the combat rules (PH, 195), the sanctuary to duplicate a spell of level 0–8, there are no detrimental
spell does end on you, since you have made an attack. effects. However, if you do anything other than duplicate
a spell of level 0–8, you suffer the stress described in the
[NEW] Can I hand a shadow blade to another PC? It only
final paragraph of the spell. As soon as that stress affects
says the blade dissipates as I throw or drop it. No. The
you, there is a 33 percent chance that you are unable to cast
intent is the blade vanishes when you let go of it (that’s one
wish again.
of the meanings of the word “drop”).
If I cast shillelagh on my quarterstaff and have the Monsters
Polearm Master feat, does the bonus attack use a d4 or a
Is natural armor considered light armor? No. Natural
d8 for damage? The benefit from Polearm Master applies
armor doesn’t fit into the categories of light, medium, and
to the opposite end of the weapon and always uses a d4 for
heavy armor, and when you have it, it isn’t considered to be
damage rather than the weapon’s normal damage die. This
an armor you’re wearing.
is true for a quarterstaff enhanced with shillelagh just as it
is for a normal one. Does natural armor cap a creature’s Dexterity bonus?
Natural armor doesn’t limit a creature’s Dexterity bonus.
[NEW] If a spellcaster is affected by slow and takes two
turns to finish casting a spell, what happens if their tar- A monster is immune to damage from nonmagical blud-
get has moved out of range or out of sight? You choose geoning weapons. Does it still take damage from falling?
the targets of a spell when you complete casting a spell, not Yes, that monster is still going to feel the hurt of a fall, be-
when you start. cause a fall is not a weapon.
The stinking cloud spell says that a creature wastes its What actions can monsters use to make opportunity
action on a failed save. So can it still use a move or a bo- attacks? Are Multiattack and breath weapon actions
nus action or a reaction? Correct. The gas doesn’t immo- allowed? A monster follows the normal opportunity attack
bilize a creature or prevent it from acting altogether, but the rules (PH, 195), which specify that an attack of opportunity
effect of the spell does limit what it can accomplish while is one melee attack. That means a monster must choose
the cloud lingers. a single melee attack to make, either an attack in its stat
block or a generic attack, like an unarmed strike. Multi
Do the effects of storm of vengeance stack? Or do the
attack doesn’t qualify, not only because it’s more than one
effects change each turn? In the spell storm of vengeance,
attack, but also because the rule on Multiattack (MM, 11)
each new effect replaces the effect of the previous round.
states that this action can’t be used for opportunity attacks.
Is the sentence of suggestion in the suggestion spell the An action, such as a breath weapon, that doesn’t include an
verbal component, or is the verbal component separate? attack roll is also not eligible.
Verbal components are mystic words (PH, 203), not normal
The bite attacks of ghouls and ghasts don’t appear to
speech. The spell’s suggestion is an intelligible utterance
have proficiency bonus added in. Intentional or mistake?
that is separate from the verbal component. The com-
Intentional; it’s a ghoul/ghast thing. They’re exceptionally
mand spell is the simplest example of this principle. The
bad at biting, compared to their claw attacks. Monsters
utterance of the verbal component is separate from, and
sometimes have stat quirks like that.
precedes, any verbal utterance that would bring about the
spell’s effect.
The Monster Manual says gnolls speak Gnoll, but the where in its description. Our conclusion: Cold Breath is not
Player’s Handbook doesn’t mention that language. considered a magical game effect, even though we know
What is correct? The Player’s Handbook language tables that dragons are amazing, supernatural beings.
don’t list every language in the D&D multiverse. The Mon- Does the movement from a dragon’s Wing Attack legend-
ster Manual mentions other languages, including Gnoll, ary action draw attacks of opportunity if it moves out of
Modron, Sahuagin, and Slaad. reach? Yes. Wing Attack does not protect the dragon from
Does a monster with at-will spellcasting ability mean opportunity attacks.
it can cast a spell as an action or as a bonus action? If a Does a creature with Magic Resistance have advantage
monster has the ability to cast a spell at will, that spell is on saving throws against Channel Divinity abilities, such
cast using its normal casting time. as Turn the Faithless? Channel Divinity creates magical
If a monster makes a melee attack that uses its Dexterity effects (as stated in both the cleric and the paladin). Magic
modifier, is it considered to have used a finesse weapon? Resistance applies.
A weapon doesn’t have the finesse property unless its de- Do air, fire, and water elementals suffer any penalties for
scription says so, and using Dexterity for an attack doesn’t fighting or using skills while they are squeezing into a
confer the finesse property. If a weapon does have that space that’s 5 feet wide or less? An air/fire/water elemen-
property, you can use Strength or Dexterity with it. tal ignores the movement part of the squeezing rule (PH,
The Monster Manual notes that a mezzoloth exhales 192) in a 1+ inch space, as a result of its special trait, Air
toxic fumes that can choke and kill whole groups of Form, Fire Form, or Water Form.
creatures. However, its cloudkill is listed under Innate Can an earth elemental grapple with a creature and
Spellcasting. Because of that, would a paladin’s Aura of then pull it underground and leave it there to die? No.
Warding resist it? Yes, because cloudkill is a spell, Aura of
An earth elemental’s Earth Glide is meant to apply to itself
Warding would be able to grant you and friendly creatures only. The elemental doesn’t take other creatures with it
within 10 feet of you resistance to it. when it moves in this way.
Is the breath weapon of a dragon magical? If you cast Does the lich’s Disrupt Life ability affect animated ob-
antimagic field, don armor of invulnerability, or use another jects and other constructs? The ability targets creatures
feature of the game that protects against magical or non- that aren’t undead, so yes, it does affect constructs (as well
magical effects, you might ask yourself, “Will this protect as all other kinds of creatures).
me against a dragon’s breath?” The breath weapon of a typi-
cal dragon isn’t considered magical, so antimagic field won’t If a shadow rolls a critical hit, does it reduce the target’s
help you but armor of invulnerability will. Strength by 2d4, as well dealing the extra necrotic dam-
You might be thinking, “Dragons seem pretty magical age? No. A critical hit lets you roll damage dice twice. An
to me.” And yes, they are extraordinary! Their description effect that deals damage is one that reduces the target’s hit
even says they’re magical. But our game makes a distinc- points. The shadow’s Strength reduction isn’t damage, be-
tion between two types of magic: cause it has no effect on the target’s hit points.
• the background magic that is part of the D&D [NEW] Since game features of the same name don’t
multiverse’s physics and the physiology of many stack, does that mean a target can’t be affected by a
D&D creatures shadow’s Strength Drain more than once between
• the concentrated magical energy that is contained in a rests? The intended function of Strength Drain is that it
magic item or channeled to create a spell or other focused stacks with itself, as signaled by the fact that you die if your
magical effect Strength is reduced to 0 by it.
In D&D, the first type of magic is part of nature. It is no Is a vampire affected by hold person or calm emotions?
more dispellable than the wind. A monster like a dragon Many spells affect not just any creatures, but only certain
exists because of that magic-enhanced nature. The second types, as specified in the spell. Hold person and calm
type of magic is what the rules are concerned about. When emotions work only on humanoids, and a vampire is not
a rule refers to something being magical, it’s referring to a humanoid.
that second type. Determining whether a game feature is Is there a limit to the number of creatures a vampire
magical is straightforward. Ask yourself these questions can charm at once? No, there is no limit on the number of
about the feature: creatures a vampire can have charmed at once. A vampire
• Is it a magic item? can target a different humanoid each time it uses its Charm
• Is it a spell? Or does it let you create the effects of a spell action, potentially causing an entire group of enemies to be-
that’s mentioned in its description? come charmed if their saving throws aren’t successful.
• Is it a spell attack? How does a monster’s Leadership ability work? A crea-
• Is it fueled by the use of spell slots? ture turns on Leadership as an action. Until the benefit
• Does its description say it’s magical? ends, the creature can grant a die whenever a visible ally in
If your answer to any of those questions is yes, the feature range makes an attack roll or a saving throw.
is magical. [NEW] Does a gauth’s Devour Magic eye ray end a crea-
Let’s look at a white dragon’s Cold Breath and ask our- ture’s attunement to an attuned magic item the ray af-
selves those questions. First, Cold Breath isn’t a magic fects? No.
item. Second, its description mentions no spell. Third, it’s
not a spell attack. Fourth, the word “magical” appears no-
[NEW] Can a creature that burrows grapple a target a giant slayer both give you a +1 bonus to attack rolls and
and drag them into the ground by burrowing? No. A damage rolls, whereas neither a flame tongue nor a frost
burrowing creature can drag another creature with them brand provides such a bonus. All four weapons, however,
only if they have the ability to leave a tunnel. For example, can bypass an earth elemental’s resistance to bludgeoning,
a purple worm has the Tunneler trait, so it can drag a piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.
grappled creature into a tunnel it creates when burrowing. In short, a bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls is con-
Conversely, an earth elemental can’t drag a creature into sidered a special property of a magic weapon, not some-
the ground with it. thing that all magic weapons provide automatically.
[NEW] Can a hydra use Reactive Heads to make multiple My fighter attacks a creature with a magical longbow
opportunity attacks against one creature at the same and nonmagical arrows. Is the attack magical? The at-
time when it provokes? Yes. For that reason, we recom- tacks made by a magical ranged weapon are magical, even
mend taking the Disengage action when you’re going to if the ammunition isn’t magical. (This point was clarified in
move away from a hydra. the errata for the Dungeon Master’s Guide.)
Are magic weapons with the thrown property (javelins
Magic Items and the like) assumed to return to their owner after
Can potions be administered to unconscious characters being thrown? If a magic weapon returns to you after you
as an action? Yes, you can administer a potion to someone throw it, its description says so, as in the dwarven thrower
else as an action (DMG, 139). (DMG, 167).
If a potion doesn’t duplicate a spell, does it require con- If a rogue with the Assassinate feature uses a vorpal
centration? A potion’s effect requires concentration only if sword, isn’t the surprise attack an instant kill? No. A vor-
its description says so or if it duplicates a spell that requires pal sword requires you to roll a 20 on the attack roll to de-
concentration. capitate someone. A rogue with the Assassin archetype that
For the hat of disguise, how do I set the spell save DC for attacks a surprised target using a vorpal sword scores an
disguise self ? Does the wearer have to be a caster? Use automatic critical hit if the attack roll is successful, but un-
your spellcasting ability modifier to set the DC. If you don’t less the attack roll was a 20, the target gets to keep its head.
have a spellcasting ability, use your proficiency bonus to set Would an elf get a saving throw versus a philter of love
it (see the rule on page 141 of the DMG, under “Spells”). as it’s a charm? The description implies there is no save.
Which is correct in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, the There is no save against the philter of love. The love is just
rule for scrolls or the rule for a spell scroll? They’re both that strong.
correct. The rule for scrolls (p. 139) is for scrolls in general, [NEW] Does the ring of the ram use spell attacks or
including a scroll of protection, and it allows you to try to weapon attacks? The text doesn’t specify. The attack of the
activate a spell if you’re literate. The rule for a spell scroll is ring of the ram is a ranged spell attack. Future printings of
specific to that type of scroll and introduces an additional the Dungeon Master’s Guide will reflect that intent.
requirement: the spell on the scroll must be on your class’s
[NEW] When using a rope of entanglement, do I keep
spell list for you to read the scroll.
holding one end in my hand, or does the entire rope
A spell scroll can be named in a variety of ways: spell
wrap around the target? You are still holding the rope
scroll, scroll of X (where X is the name of a spell), or spell
while the other end entangles the target.
scroll of X (where X, again, is the name of a spell). No
matter how its name appears, a spell scroll follows the [NEW] Can a sphere of annihilation enter a Leomund’s
same rule. tiny hut? Yes. The sphere destroys the dome.
For you to meet a spell scroll’s requirement, the spell [NEW] Can you gain the magical bonus of a +2 shield if
on the scroll needs to be on whatever spell list is used by you are holding the shield without taking an action to
your class. Here are two examples. If you’re a cleric, the don it? Yes, but only the magical +2, which says you gain it
spell must be on the cleric spell list, and if you’re a fighter when holding the shield. You gain the shield’s base AC bo-
with the Eldritch Knight archetype, the spell must be on nus only if you use your action to don the shield as normal
the wizard spell list, because that is the spell list used by (see “Getting Into and Out of Armor” in chapter 5 of the
your class. Player’s Handbook).
Do the AC bonuses from a ring of protection and bracers [NEW] If a character hits a monk with a dwarven
of defense stack? Yes. In general, bonuses stack, unless thrower and the monk uses Deflect Missiles, does the
they’re from the same spell (see “Combining Magical hammer return to the attacker first, or can the monk
Effects” in the Player’s Handbook, p. 205). You also can’t catch it? The monk can catch it.
benefit from more than one ring of protection, for instance,
since you can’t attune to more than one copy of an item
at a time.
Do magic weapons give you a bonus to attack and dam-
age rolls? A magic weapon gives you a bonus to attack rolls
and damage rolls only if its description says it does. Every
magic weapon can bypass resistances and immunities to
damage from nonmagical attacks, but only certain magic
weapons are more accurate and damaging than their non-
magical counterparts. For example, a +1 longsword and

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