Crib Sheet for D&D Fifth Edition

What can I do in combat?

can do nothing strenuous at all, simply eating, reading,
There are four things that every player can do every
talking, the like. At the end of a Long Rest, some
round in Fifth Edition:
abilities from your class will be refreshed, allowing you
to prepare new spells, refresh your spell slots, regain up
Movement. You can move a total of feet equal
to half of your maximum Hit Dice, and all of your lost hit
to your movement ever round. It need not be all
points.
at once, but remember that trying to withdraw
from combat may give your enemy a free shot at
What is Advantage?
you.
Advantage is a special condition where, if the
Action. You get one Action on your turn. With it
DM feels you are in a situation that gives you a decent
you may: Attack, Cast a Spell, Dash (move up
upper hand, you may roll two d20s on a task attempt
to your Movement in feet), Disengage (your
instead of one, and take the higher of the two rolls.
movement doesnt provoke opportunity attacks
for the rest of the turn), Dodge (you do not
What is Disadvantage?
attack, but focus on defense, making your
Disadvantage is the opposite of Advantage. It is
attackers have Disadvantage, and gaining
a special condition where, if the DM feels you are in a
Advantage on Dexterity saving throws), Help
situation that puts you at a distinct deficiency, you must
(assist another character with something), Hide,
roll two d20s on a task attempt instead of one, and take
Ready (letting you set a condition to use your
the lower of the two rolls.
Reaction, below), Search (devote your attention
to finding something), Use an Object.
Can I have both Advantage and Disadvantage?
Remember, you only get to do one of these.
No. No matter how many Advantage
Bonus Action. You get one Bonus Action per
circumstance
you have, a single instance of
turn. These are usually available because of a
Disadvantage cancels it completely, leaving you at just
class ability, or from choices like two-weapon
the single d20 roll. The opposite is also true. If you have
fighting. Remember, you only get one.
Reaction. You get one Reaction per turn. This is a number of circumstances giving you Disadvantage,
and a single Advantage, you dont have to roll two d20s
used for certain kinds of spells, some class
and take the worse roll.
abilities, and for opportunity attacks when
someone doesnt Disengage. Remember, you
What is Inspiration?
only get one.
Inspiration is a special reward from the DM for
you
playing
in character well, indulging in Flaws,
What is a Short Rest?
showing your personality and ideals, and generally
Short Rests are quick, one hour downtimes that you
playing the type of character you have described
take during adventuring to patch yourselves up, refresh
yourself to be. You either have Inspiration or you dont,
yourself, and take a moment to refresh yourself. During
and if you do, you may spend it. Once you do, you
your Short Rest, some abilities you have may reset,
including regaining some expended spell slots, such as in receive Advantage on a single die roll.
the case of the Wizards Arcane Recovery ability. During
Whats the deal with Proficiency?
that Short Rest, you may not undertake any strenuous
Proficiency is a term that describes your skill with
activity, such as you normally do during adventuring. If
certain
types
of Skills, Saving Throws, Weapons, Armor,
you do, the effects of the Short Rest are nullified.
Tool Kits, Languages in short, its what youve trained
Spending Hit Dice. During Short Rests, you
to do. It is a bonus granted by your level, and what you
may spend your Hit Dice, as recorded on your
have Proficiency in is dictated by your choices from your
character sheet. When you do, you roll the
Class and Background. In play, you can spend money
appropriate die and regain that many Hit Points,
and downtime to gain Proficiency in other things, like
plus your Constitution modifier, up to your
normal Maximum. You may not spend more Hit Languages, Skills, and Tool Kits. Remember, though,
even if you arent Proficient in something, it doesnt
Dice than you currently have stored up.
mean you cant do it; it just means you are more at the
mercy of the dice than someone that has trained to do
What is a Long Rest?
it!
Long Rests are more extensive periods of
downtime, at least 8 hours long. During this time you

Combat Step by Step

1. Determine surprise. The DM determines whether
anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised.
2. Establish positions. The DM decides where all the
characters and monsters are located. Given the
adventurers marching order or their stated positions in
the room or other location, the DM figures out where
the adversaries arehow far away and in what
direction.
3. Roll initiative. Everyone involved in the combat
encounter rolls initiative, which is a Dexterity check,
determining the order of combatants turns.
4. Take turns. Each participant in the battle takes a turn
in initiative order.
5. Begin the next round. When everyone involved in the
combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat step 4
until the fighting stops.
Interacting with Objects Around You
Here are a few examples of the sorts of thing you
can do in tandem with your movement and action:
draw or sheathe a sword
open or close a door
withdraw a potion from your backpack
pick up a dropped axe
take a bauble from a table
remove a ring from your finger
stuff some food into your mouth
plant a banner in the ground
fish a few coins from your belt pouch
drink all the ale in a flagon
throw a lever or a switch
pull a torch from a sconce
take a book from a shelf you can reach
extinguish a small flame
don a mask
pull the hood of your cloak up over your head
put your ear to a door
kick a small stone
turn a key in a lock
tap the floor with a 10-foot pole
hand an item to another character
Improvising an Action
Your character can do things not covered by
the actions in this chapter, such as breaking down
doors, intimidating enemies, sensing weaknesses in
magical defenses, or calling for a parley with a foe. The
only limits to the actions you can attempt are your
imagination and your characters ability scores.
When you describe an action not detailed
elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that

action is possible and what kind of roll you need to

make, if any, to determine success or failure.
Exhaustion
Some special abilities and environmental
hazards, such as starvation and the long-term effects of
freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a
special condition called exhaustion. Exhaustion is
measured in six levels. An effect can give a creature
one or more levels of exhaustion, as specified in the
effects description.
Level Effect
1 Disadvantage on ability checks
2 Speed halved
3 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws
4 Hit point maximum halved
5 Speed reduced to 0
6 Death
If an already exhausted creature suffers another
effect that causes exhaustion, its current level of
exhaustion increases by the amount specified in the
effects description.
A creature suffers the effect of its current level
of exhaustion as well as all lower levels. For example, a
creature suffering level 2 exhaustion has its speed
halved and has disadvantage on ability checks.
An effect that removes exhaustion reduces its level as
specified in the effects description, with all exhaustion
effects ending if a creatures exhaustion level is reduced
below 1.
Finishing a long rest reduces a creatures
exhaustion level by 1, provided that the creature has
also ingested some food and drink.
And remember this, have fun. Above all other things,
HAVE FUN!