Kompatti

Range Penalty: The range penalty for a ranged weapon depends
on the weapon and the distance to the target. All ranged weapons
have a range increment, such as 10 feet for a thrown dart or 100 feet
for a longbow (see Table 7–5: Weapons, page 116). Any attack from a
distance of less than one range increment is not penalized for range,
so an arrow from a shortbow (range increment 60 feet) can strike at
enemies up to 59 feet away with no penalty. However, each full
range increment causes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll. A
shortbow archer firing at a target 200 feet away takes a –6 penalty on
his attack roll (because 200 feet is at least three range increments but
not four increments).
Thrown weapons, such as throwing axes, have a maximum range
of five range increments. Projectile weapons, such as bows, can
shoot up to ten increments.

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

ATTACK BONUS
Your attack bonus with a melee weapon is:
Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier
With a ranged weapon, your attack bonus is:
Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier
+ range penalty
Strength Modifier: Strength helps you swing a weapon harder
and faster, so your Strength modifier applies to melee attack rolls.
Dexterity Modifier: Dexterity measures coordination and
steadiness, so your Dexterity modifier applies to attacks with ranged
weapons.
Size Modifier: The smaller you are, the bigger other creatures
are relative to you. A human is a big target to a halfling, just as an
ogre is a big target to a human. Since this same size modifier applies
to Armor Class, two creatures of the same size strike each other
normally, regardless of what size they actually are.

Range Penalty: The range penalty for a ranged weapon depends
on the weapon and the distance to the target. All ranged weapons
have a range increment, such as 10 feet for a thrown dart or 100 feet
for a longbow (see Table 7–5: Weapons, page 116). Any attack from a
distance of less than one range increment is not penalized for range,
so an arrow from a shortbow (range increment 60 feet) can strike at
enemies up to 59 feet away with no penalty. However, each full
range increment causes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll. A
shortbow archer firing at a target 200 feet away takes a –6 penalty on
his attack roll (because 200 feet is at least three range increments but
not four increments).
Thrown weapons, such as throwing axes, have a maximum range
of five range increments. Projectile weapons, such as bows, can
shoot up to ten increments.

INITIATIVE
Before the first round, each player makes an initiative check for his
or her character. The DM makes initiative checks for the opponents.
An initiative check is a Dexterity check (1d20+Dexterity modifier).
Characters act in order from highest initiative result to lowest, with
the check applying to all rounds of the combat.
A character is flat-footed until he or she takes an action.

ACTIONS
Every round, on your character’s turn, you may take a standard
action and a move action (in either order), two move actions, or one
full-round action. You may also perform one or more free actions
along with any other action, as your DM allows.

ATTACKS
In combat, the most prevalent standard action is an attack. You can
move your speed and make an attack in a round (a move action and a
standard action). Experienced characters can attack more than once,
but only if they don’t move (a full-round action). Making a ranged
attack provokes attacks of opportunity from opponents that threaten
you (see below).

Attack Roll
To score a hit that deals damage on your attack roll, your result must
equal or exceed the target’s Armor Class (AC).
Melee Attack Roll: 1d20 + base attack bonus + Strength modifier
+ size modifier.
Ranged Attack Roll: 1d20 + base attack bonus + Dexterity
modifier + size modifier + range penalty.

Damage
If you score a hit, roll damage and deduct it from the target’s current
hit points. Add your Strength modifier on damage rolls involving
melee and thrown weapons. If you’re using a weapon in your off
hand, add one-half your Strength modifier (if it’s a bonus). If you’re
wielding a weapon with both hands, add one and a half times your
Strength modifier (if it’s a bonus.)

Armor Class
A character’s Armor Class (AC) is the result you need to get on your
attack roll to hit that character in combat.
Armor Class: 10 + armor bonus + shield bonus + Dexterity
modifier + size modifier

Hit Points
Hit points represent how much damage a character can take before
falling unconscious or dying.

SPELLS
In most cases, you can move your speed and cast a spell in the same
round (a move action and a standard action). Casting a spell
provokes attacks of opportunity from opponents that threaten your
(see below).

SAVING THROWS
When you are subject to an unusual or magical attack, you generally
get a saving throw to negate or reduce its effect. To succeed on a
saving throw, you need a result equal to or higher than its Difficulty
Class.
Fortitude Saving Throw: 1d20 + base save bonus + Constitution
modifier
Reflex Saving Throw: 1d20 + base save bonus + Dexterity
modifier
Will Saving Throw: 1d20 + base save bonus + Wisdom modifier

MOVEMENT
Each character has a speed measured in feet. You can move that
distance as a move action. You can take a move action before or after
a standard action on your turn in a round.
You can instead forego a standard action and take two move
actions in a round, which lets you move double your speed. Or you
can run, which lets you move quadruple your speed but takes all of
your actions for the round.

MOVEMENT
Each character has a speed measured in feet. You can move that
distance as a move action. You can take a move action before or after
a standard action on your turn in a round.
You can instead forego a standard action and take two move
actions in a round, which lets you move double your speed. Or you
can run, which lets you move quadruple your speed but takes all of
your actions for the round.

DEATH, DYING, AND HEALING
Your hit points represent how much damage you can take before
being disabled, knocked unconscious, or killed.
1 or More Hit Points: As long as you have 1 or more hit points,
you remain fully functional.
0 Hit Points: If your hit points drop to 0, you are disabled. You
can only take one move action or standard action per turn, and you
take 1 point of damage after completing an action.
–1 to –9 Hit Points: If your hit points drop to from –1 to –9 hit
points, you’re unconscious and dying, and you lose 1 hit point per
round. Each round, before losing that hit point, you have a 10%
chance of becoming stable. While stable, you’re still unconscious.
Each hour you have a 10% chance to regain consciousness, and if
you don’t, you lose 1 hit point instead.
–10 Hit Points: If your hit points fall to –10 or lower, you’re dead.
Healing: You can stop a dying character’s loss of hit points with a
DC 15 Heal check or with even 1 point of magical healing. If
healing raises a character’s hit points to 1 or more, the character can
resume acting as normal.

ARMOR CLASS
Your Armor Class (AC) represents how hard it is for opponents to
land a solid, damaging blow on you. It’s the attack roll result that an
opponent needs to achieve to hit you. The average, unarmored
peasant has an AC of 10. Your AC is equal to the following:

10 + armor bonus + shield bonus + Dexterity modifier
+ size modifier

Armor and Shield Bonuses: Your armor and shield each provide a bonus to your AC.
 This bonus represents their ability to protect you from blows.

Dexterity Modifier: If your Dexterity is high, you are adept at dodging blows,
if your Dexterity is low, you are inept at it.

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

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

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


SAVING THROWS
As an adventurer, you have more to worry about thank taking damage.
You also have to face the petrifying gaze of a medusa, a wyvern’s
lethal venom, and a harpy’s compelling song. Luckily, a tough
adventurer can survive these threats, too.
Generally, when you are subject to an unusual or magical attack,
you get a saving throw to avoid or reduce the effect. Like an attack
roll, a saving throw is a d20 roll plus a bonus based on your class,
level, and an ability score. Your saving throw modifier is:

Base save bonus + ability modifier

Saving Throw Types: The three different kinds of saving throws
are Fortitude, Reflex, and Will:
Fortitude: These saves measure your ability to stand up to physical
punishment or attacks against your vitality and health. Apply your
Constitution modifier to your Fortitude saving throws. Fortitude
saves can be made against attacks or effects such as poison, disease,
paralysis, petrification, energy drain, and disintegrate.
Reflex: These saves test your ability to dodge area  attacks. Apply
your Dexterity modifier to your Reflex saving throws. Reflex saves
can be made against attacks or effects such as pit traps, catching on
fire, fireball, lighting bolt, and red dragon breath.

Will: These saves reflect your resistance to mental influence as
well as many magical effects. Apply your Wisdom modifier to your
Will saving throws. Will saves can be made against attacks or effects
such as charm person, hold person, and most illusion spells.
Saving Throw Difficulty Class: The DC for a save is determined
by the attack itself. Two examples: A Medium monstrous centipede’s
poison allows a DC 11 Fortitude save. An ancient red dragon’s fiery
breath allows a DC 36 Reflex save.
Automatic Failures and Successes: A natural 1 (the d20 comes
up 1) on a saving throw is always a failure (and may cause damage to
exposed items; see Items Surviving after a Saving Throw, page 177).
A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a success.

INITIATIVE
Every round, each combatant gets to do something. The combatants’
initiative checks, from highest to lowest, determine the order in
which they act.
Initiative Checks: At the start of a battle, each combatant makes
an initiative check. An initiative check is a Dexterity check. Each
character applies his or her Dexterity modifier to the roll. The DM
finds out what order characters are acting in, counting down from
highest result to lowest, and each character acts in turn. In every
round that follows, the characters act in the same order (unless a
character takes an action that results in his or her initiative
changing; see Special Initiative Actions, page 160). Usually, the DM
writes the names of the characters down in initiative order so that
on subsequent rounds he can move quickly from one character to
the next. If two or more combatants have the same initiative check
result, the combatants who are tied act in order of total initiative
modifier (highest first). If there is still a tie, the tied characters
should roll again to determine which one of them goes before the
other.
Monster Initiative: Typically, the DM makes a single initiative
checks for monsters and other opponents. That way, each player gets
a turn each round and the DM also gets one turn. At the DM’s
option, however, he can make separate initiative checks for different
groups of monsters or even for individual creatures. For instance,
the DM may make one initiative checks for an evil cleric of Nerull
and another check for all seven of her zombie guards.
Flat-Footed: At the start of a battle, before you have had a chance
to act (specifically, before your first regular turn in the initiative
order), you are flat-footed. You can’t use your Dexterity bonus to AC
(if any) while flat-footed. (This fact can be very bad for you if you’re
attacked by rogues.) Barbarians and rogues have the uncanny dodge
extraordinary ability, which allows them to avoid losing their
Dexterity bonus to AC due to being flat-footed. A flat-footed
character can’t make attacks of opportunity.
Inaction: Even if you can’t take actions (for instance, if you
become paralysed or unconscious), you retain your initiative score
for the duration of the encounter. For example, when paralysed by a
ghoul, you may miss one or more actions, but once the cleric casts
remove paralysis on you, you may act again on your next turn.

SURPRISE
When a combat starts, if you are not aware of your opponents and
they are aware of you, you’re surprised.

Determining Awareness
Sometimes all the combatants on a side are aware of their opponents,
sometimes none are, and sometimes only some of them are.
Sometimes a few combatants on each side are aware and the other
combatants on each side are unaware.
  The DM determines who is aware of whom at the start of a battle.
He may call for Listen checks, Spot checks, or other checks to see
how aware the adventurers are of their opponents. Some example
situations:
	The party (including Tordek, a fighter and Jozan, a cleric clanging along in metal armor) comes to a door in a dungeon.
The DM knows that the displacer beasts beyond the door hear the party.
Lidda listens at the door, hears guttural snarling, and warns the
rest of the party. Tordek breaks the door open. Both sides are
aware; neither is surprised. The characters and displacer beasts
make initiative checks, and the battle begins.

 The party explores a ruined armory, looking through the rusted
weapons for anything of value. Kobolds lurk in the nooks and
crannies, waiting for the right time to strike. Jozan spots one of
the kobolds, and the kobolds shriek and charge. The kobolds and
Jozan each get a standard action during the surprise round.
Kobolds that are close enough can charge adventurers and attack
them. Others can move to try to put themselves in advantageous
positions or shoot arrows at the flat-footed party members. Jozan
can cast a spell, attack, or take some other action. After the
surprise round, the first regular round begins.

 The party advances down a dark corridor, using light spells to see
where they’re going. At the end of the corridor, outside the range
of the illumination, a kobold sorcerer doesn’t want to be
disturbed, and she angrily casts a lightning bolt. That’s the surprise
round. After the lightning bolt, the first regular round begins with
the party in a tough spot, since they still can’t see who attacked
them.

The Surprise Round: If some but not all of the combatants are
aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular
rounds begin. Any combatants aware of the opponents can act in the
surprise round, so they roll for initiative. In initiative order (highest
to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their
opponents each take a standard action during the surprise round
(see Standard Actions, page 139). You can also take free actions
during the surprise round, at the DM’s discretion. If no one or
everyone is surprised, no surprise round occurs.
Unaware Combatants: Combatants who are unaware at the start
of battle don’t get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants
are flat-footed because they have not acted yet, so they lose any
Dexterity bonus to AC.

ATTACKS OF OPPORTUNITY

The melee combat rules assume that combatants are actively
avoiding attacks. A player doesn’t have to declare anything special
for her character to be on the defensive. Even if a character’s
miniature figure is just standing there on the battle grid, you can be
sure that if some orc with a falchion attacks the character, she is
weaving, dodging, and even threatening the orc with a weapon to
keep the orc a little worried for his own hide.
Sometimes, however, a combatant in a melee lets her guard down.
In this case, combatants near her can take advantage of her lapse in
defense to attack her for free. These free attacks are called attacks of
opportunity (see the diagram on the next page).
Threatened Squares: You threaten all squares into which you
can make a melee attack, even when it is not your action. Generally,
that means everything in all squares adjacent to your space
(including diagonally). An enemy that takes certain actions while in
a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If
you’re unarmed, you don’t normally threaten any squares and thus
can’t make attacks of opportunity (but see Unarmed Attacks, page
139).

Reach Weapons: Most creatures of Medium or smaller size have a
reach of only 5 feet. This means that they can make melee attacks
only against creatures up to 5 feet (1 square) away. However, Small
and Medium creatures wielding reach weapons (such as a longspear)
threaten more squares than a typical creature. For instance, a
longspear-wielding human threatens all squares 10 feet (2 squares)
away, even diagonally. (This is an exception to the rule that 2 squares
of diagonal distance is measured as 15 feet.) In addition, most
creatures larger than Medium have a natural reach of 10 feet or
more; see Big and Little Creatures in Combat, page 149.
Provoking an Attack of Opportunity: Two kinds of actions can
provoke attacks of opportunity: moving out of a threatened square
and performing an action within a threatened square.

Moving: Moving out of a threatened square usually provokes an
attack of opportunity from the threatening opponent. There are two
common methods of avoiding such an attack—the 5-foot-step (see
page 144) and the withdraw action (see page 143).

Moving: Moving out of a threatened square usually provokes an
attack of opportunity from the threatening opponent. There are two
common methods of avoiding such an attack—the 5-foot-step (see
page 144) and the withdraw action (see page 143).