Making an Attack (PSR Supplement)

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Slashing with a sword, shooting a firearm, throwing a kick, or attacking with a spell—each of these is an attack. An attack has a straightforward structure.

1. Choose target. Pick a target within your attack's range: a creature, an object, or a location. For melee weapons and unarmed strikes the range is 5 feet.
2. Modifiers. Your narrator determines if the target has cover, and if you have advantage or disadvantage on your attack roll. Spells and other effects can add or subtract modifiers from the attack roll too.
3. Attack roll. Roll a d20, adding modifiers to your attack roll as determined in the previous step. If the attack roll equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. Otherwise the attack misses.
4. Damage. On a hit, you make a damage roll. Your weapon or effect specifies the damage roll. Some attacks have effects in addition to or instead of damage.

Attack Roll

When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll the d20 and add certain modifiers. If the total of the roll plus the modifiers equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. Otherwise, the attack misses.

Your AC is determined primarily by what attire you wear. The AC of a monster is noted in its stat block.

When you make an attack roll, you're making an "attack." If there isn’t an attack roll, it isn’t an attack.

Modifiers to the Attack Roll

When you make an attack roll, the two most common modifiers to the roll are an ability modifier and your PB. When a monster makes an attack roll, it uses the modifier noted its stat block.

Ability Modifier. The ability modifier used for an attack with a weapon or unarmed strike is Strength. Weapons with the finesse property can instead use Dexterity. Weapons with the aimed property can use either Dexterity or Wisdom. Some other effects, like spells, use a different ability modifier entirely.

Proficiency Bonus. Add your PB to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with which you have proficiency, when you make an unarmed strike, and when you attack with a spell.

Hindrance

If an effect imposes "hindrance" to your attack roll, or your attack roll is "hindered," then you don't add your PB to the attack roll. If you wouldn't add your PB anyway, then you can't make the attack. If your attack is hindered twice over, for example, then you can't use that attack.

Rolling 1 or 20: Critical Hits & Critical Misses

Critical Hit. If the d20 for an attack roll lands on 20, this is called a natural 20. The attack hits regardless of the target's AC, so long as it doesn't have total cover against your attack. This is called a critical hit, and as detailed under damage rolls a critical hit will deal max damage. Some effects can turn attack rolls into a critical hit, even if they don't land on a natural 20.

Critical Miss. If the d20 lands on 1, this is called a natural 1. The attack misses regardless of the target's AC.

Unseen Attacks & Targets

If you can’t see a creature, it is effectively Invisible to you. When you attack an Invisible target, you suffer disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you're guessing the target's location or you're targeting a creature you can hear but can't see. If the target isn't within a 5-foot square of the guessed location, your attack misses regardless of the attack roll, but typically the narrator merely says that the attack missed—not if you guessed the correct location.

When a creature can't see you, on the other hand, you have advantage on attack rolls targeting that creature.

These effects are summarized in the Invisible condition. When you use the Hide action you can gain these benefits.

Ranged Attack

When you make a ranged attack, you send a projectile to strike a foe from a distance. This could be shooting a bow, hurling a boomerang, tossing a stone, or casting a spell to send a magic bolt, among other possibilities.

Range. You can only make ranged attacks within a range specified by the attacking effect.

Short and Long Ranges. Many ranged attacks specify two ranges: a short and long range. If the target is beyond your short range, you have hindrance.

Ranged Attacks in Close Combat. You are Threatened whenever you are within 5 feet of an enemy who can see you and who isn't Incapacitated. While you are Threatened, you have disadvantage on any ranged attack roll you make. This remains true even if the threatening enemy is Invisible to you.

Melee Attack

Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack aims to hit a target within your reach. A melee attack is typically made with a handheld weapon like a sword or a club. Sometimes casting a spell, like blast bolt, involves a melee attack. You can also make a special attack called an unarmed strike without a weapon. Some creatures can make natural melee attacks with claws, bites, or the like.

Reach. You have a 5-foot reach and thus you can make a melee attack against a target within 5 feet of you. Some creatures have a reach even greater than this. When wielding a reach weapon like a halberd or whip, your reach with that weapon extends by another 5 feet, becoming 10 feet instead.