Wise Counsel: Rules and Rulings
Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Edition, is remarkably concise and streamlined, compared to previous editions. Unfortunately, this has limited the rules' clarity. The result is that many aspects of the game are vaguely defined or fall entirely to DM discretion.
This causes a few problems. DMs have to make many judgment calls during play, which can take a lot of time, and can heavily impact the game's mechanical balance and integrity. Because these judgments differ between games, players have to make a lot of inquiries before and during play to ensure their character operates correctly, even before considering any explicit house rules or variant rules.
Preface
This document has two main sections: Explanations of 5th edition mechanics, and rulings that cover ambiguities in the base rules. Both are written with D&D 5th Edition's normal balance and style in mind.
Explanations
The explanations lay out and clarify mechanics that are present but scattered or unclear in the core rulebooks. These explanations do not contradict the Rules As Written (RAW), but where RAW is ambiguous or missing, assumptions are made as necessary to ensure the rules are consistent and to remove the need for DMs to make judgement calls.
For example, the mounted combat rules in the Player's Handbook (PHB) note that "Intelligent creatures" act independently. Here, we assume "intelligent" to mean creatures with an Intelligence score of 8 or higher, to give DMs a defined cutoff to use that is both narratively reasonable and functional in play.
Variant Rules
This document also presents variant rules, contained within the pink sidebar boxes, that can help address problems in the base 5th edition rules. Like the variant rules presented in the PHB and Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), if you use this document, the DM will specify if any of these variant rules are used.
Rulings
The rulings section covers niche mechanical properties and interactions in much the same way as the Sage Advice compendiums and the tweets by Jeremy Crawford and Mike Mearls.
These rulings aim to be clear, self-consistent, and sufficiently balanced for play. Since Sage Advice and the designers' tweets don't always meet these criteria, this document occasionally contradicts those sources.
Page Number References
This document provides page number references for the 5th edition Player's Handbook (PHB), Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), and System Reference Document (SRD) where those resources are comprehensive, clear, and consistent.
Explanations
Stealth, Sight, and Sound
Introduction
The rules pertaining to hiding, vision, light, and hearing are scattered throughout the Player's Handbook and are generally quite messy. This is an attempt to, with minimal assumptions, allow the system to work logically and consistently.
Light, obstacles, and conditions all contribute to how creatures keep track of objects and of each other.
To any given viewer, a creature has three properties:
- Behind no cover, half cover, three-quarters cover, or total cover
- Unobscured, lightly obscured, or heavily obscured
- Hidden or not hidden
For example, a creature might be behind no cover, heavily obscured, and hidden to one viewer; while to another viewer it is behind half cover, lightly obscured, and not hidden.
All three of these properties have effects, as described below.
Cover
Cover represents hard physical obstacles between creatures, and is described on PHB p196 (SRD p96). It affects attacks, Dexterity saving throws, and stealth.
Opaque three-quarters cover causes light obscurement. A creature barely peeking out from around a solid obstacle has three-quarters cover.
Opaque total cover causes heavy obscurement. A creature must be able to fit entirely behind an obstacle for it to grant total cover. A creature can peek out from behind such an obstacle without spending any movement (though it still takes enough time for other creatures to react), and return similarly.
Obscurement
A creatures is obscured to a viewing creature if something is stopping the viewing creature from seeing it in its entirety.
If an area causes obscurement, such as an area of dim light, darkness, or magical fog, then everything inside the area is obscured to all viewers both inside and outside the obscurement.
Any area that causes obscurement except dim light or nonmagical darkness also obscures everything behind it to a viewer outside. Foliage and heavy rain help veil things behind them, and you can't see through opaque fog, the darkness spell, or similar effects to the other side.
If a creature isn't obscured to a particular viewer, that viewer interacts with that creature normally. There are two types of obscurement: light and heavy.
Light Obscurement
A viewer trying to see something that's lightly obscured has disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, and suffers the associated -5 penalty to its passive Wisdom (Perception) score in that situation. Such a check relies on sight if the target is outside hearing range (outlined under Hiding, below).
Some things that can cause light obscurement are:
- Dim light on the object or creature being looked at (twilight, bright full moons, outer radii of light sources)
- Foliage (60 feet of normal forest, 30 feet of dense jungle)
- Rain (1 mile of light or medium rain, 60 feet of heavy rain)
- 50 to 150 feet of nonmagical fog, depending on density
- 60 feet distance from direct sunlight in a cave or tunnel
Heavy Obscurement
A viewer trying to see something that's heavily obscured is subject to the properties of the blinded condition, suffering three effects:
- The viewer automatically fails any ability check that relies on sight (see Hiding, below)
- Attack rolls against the heavily obscured creature or object have disadvantage
- Attack rolls by a heavily obscured creature against the viewer have advantage
Such a viewer is not actually blinded, and despite the condition's name, can still perceive and know the location of anything that's heavily obscured but not hidden.
Some things that can cause heavy obscurement are:
- Darkness at the object or creature being looked at (starlight, most moonlight, unlit interiors)
- Twice as much foliage, rain, or nonmagical fog as causes light obscurement
- 120 feet distance from direct sunlight in a cave or tunnel
- Any area of magical fog
- Any area of magical darkness
- The object or creature being invisible
Hiding
Creatures can try to hide from others that might find them.
You can take the Hide action, making a Dexterity (Stealth) check. Note the check's total; it stands until you are discovered by all relevant creatures or decide to stop trying to hide (no action required).
For each viewer to which you are heavily obscured (not lightly obscured), check that viewer's passive Wisdom (Perception) score. Apply a +5 bonus for advantage or a -5 penalty for disadvantage if the viewer has either. If the result is lower than your noted Dexterity (Stealth) check, you are hidden to that viewer. If it is equal or higher, you aren't.
A creature is automatically hidden to a viewer (no action required) while is both heavily obscured and outside the range of hearing for any sound it is making.
A creature stops being hidden to a viewer if any of the following happen:
- It it no longer lightly or heavily obscured to that viewer
- It hits or misses anything with an attack
- It deliberately makes a sound the observer can hear, such as a verbal spell component
If a viewer takes the Search action to look for hidden creatures, it makes a Wisdom (Perception) check and finds each creature hiding from it with an equal or lower noted Dexterity (Stealth) check.
A viewer that knows where a creature is can communicate its location (on a grid, the creature's square/hex) to another viewer, but this doesn't stop the creature being hidden from the second viewer.
Effects of Hiding. While you are hidden from a viewer, it can't track where you are. If it wants to attack you, it must first choose a space (on a grid, a square/hex) to attack at disadvantage, missing if it chose incorrectly.
Additionally, if you attack a creature you are hidden from, you have advantage on that attack because you are an unseen attacker, even if you've only lightly obscured to that creature when you make the attack.
Hearing
Creatures are always making sound, accidentally or not.
To determine the distance within which a sound can be heard, use the Hearing Ranges table, derived from the official D&D 5e DM Screen.
A hearing range represents the distance within which hearing can reasonably be used to find a creature or object. To find the distances within which speech can be understood, halve the hearing range for that speech's volume.
Hearing Ranges
| Noise Level Examples | Distance |
|---|---|
| Whispers, actively Hiding | 30 feet |
| Normal speech, movement without Hiding, verbal spell components | 60 feet |
| Shouting, fighting, loud music, small explosions | 300 feet |
| Large explosions, war horns, massed battlecries | 1 mile |
Special Senses
Some special senses affect stealth, as listed below. Some of these senses have additional unrelated effects not listed here.
Darkvision
Within its range, a creature with darkvision treats dim light as bright light, and thus ignores the light obscurement caused by dim light.
It treats darkness within range as dim light, thus treating the heavy obscurement caused by darkness as light obscurement instead. It can't discern color in that darkness, only shades of gray. This light obscurement still causes disadvantage on relevant Wisdom (Perception) checks and thus a -5 penalty to the creature's passive Wisdom (Perception) score for that situation.
Darkvision has no effect outside its range.
Blindsight
A creature with blindsight completely ignores obscurement within its radius of blindsight, even obscurement caused by cover. You cannot hide from a creature with blindsight within this radius.
Truesight
A creature with truesight, among other things, ignores obscurement caused by normal and magical darkness and by invisibility. Since it automatically detects visual illusions and succeeds on saving throws against them, it typically also ignores obscurement that would be caused by an illusion.
It does not ignore obscurement caused by physical objects such as fog, even if they're magically created.
Variant Rule: Using Keen Senses
Some creatures have the Keen Smell and/or Keen Hearing trait. You can use this rule to let these senses impact stealth.
Keen Smell. A creature with the Keen Smell trait can find creatures by smell within 60 feet of it, or up to 1 mile directly upwind. It has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to do so, and gains the associated +5 bonus to passive Wisdom (Perception) for that situation.
Such a creature can find hidden creatures it can smell (either with passive Wisdom (Perception) or taking the Search action) even if it can't hear those creatures and they are heavily obscured to it.
Keen Hearing. Double the hearing ranges for any creature with keen hearing. It has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to find creatures within range for the sounds they're making, and gains the associated +5 bonus to passive Wisdom (Perception) for that situation.
Further Notes
You need heavy obscurement to hide from a creature, but can use either light or heavy obscurement to remain hidden. This is what lets you peek out and attack unseen.
Typically, finding a creature that's hiding in the dark is hard. If you don't have darkvision, you'll usually need to be within 30 feet of the creature to be within hearing range and thus have any chance of finding it at all.
Cover applies to melee attacks just like to ranged attacks. If you manage to be hidden within melee reach of someone by a thin obstacle (a tree trunk, wall corner, etcetera) between you and them, you can attack them while unseen. Your target will usually get the benefit of that cover too, though.
Objects are generally visible when heavily obscured by nonmagical darkness, but if they're at all hidden or difficult to find (and would thus require a Wisdom (Perception) check to find), they can't be found by plain eyesight alone.
Mounted Combat
Introduction
The rules handling mounted combat work oddly, especially in how they interact with initiative. This is an explanation of what they're trying to say, with the gaps filled in.
A valid mount can be either controlled or independent, which affects when and how it can act. Mounts might be trained to accept a rider or not.
Creatures that can Serve as Mounts
A willing creature that is at least one size larger than you can serve as a mount, as long as it has appropriate anatomy, which means there must be a place you can stably sit or lie on the mount without impairing its movement. Most quadrupeds have the appropriate anatomy to support a humanoid, but most humanoids don't.
The mount must be able to carry the weight of you and your equipment. Mounts with a swim or fly speed require an exotic saddle (PHB p157, SRD p71) to be mounted.
Mounting and Dismounting
Mounting, dismounting, and saving throws to stay mounted are described clearly on PHB p198 (SRD p99).
Space and Reach
While mounted, you occupy the space directly above the center of your mount. If your mount is an odd number of sizes larger than you, treat your space as one size larger than normal for the purposes of cover, areas of effect, and reach. Any other effects of size, such as on grappling or carrying capacity, are unaffected. Treat Small and Medium as one size for this rule, since they both control 5-foot spaces.
For example, a Medium humanoid on a Large horse can typically reach 5 feet from the horse, and medium creatures on the ground within 5 feet of the horse can reach the mounted creature. If any of the Large space is included in an area of effect, the Medium creature is in that area.
Controlling a Mount
When you mount a creature, choose whether you are using it as a controlled mount or as an independent mount. Two kinds of mount are always independent and can't be controlled:
- A mount that hasn't been trained to accept a rider
- A mount with an Intelligence score of 8 or more
Domesticated donkeys, riding horses, warhorses, and similar creatures are assumed to have been trained to accept a rider. Magical mounts, such as that summoned by the find steed spell, are assumed to be trained for riding and combat.
At any time (no action required), you can choose to allow the mount to act independently or control it, as long as it could be either.
Controlled Mounts
When your mount becomes controlled, it ceases to have a seperate turn in the initiative order. Instead, it takes its turn at the same time you do, and moves and acts exactly how you specify.
On each of your turns, your mount can move and act before or after anything you do, and can break up its movement any time you could. If you mount such a mount on your turn and it hasn't had a turn yet that round, it can take its turn in that turn.
A controlled mount can't take any action other than Dash, Disengage, or Dodge.
Variant Rule: Combat Stress
You can use this rule to model the difference between mounts that are trained for combat, such as a warhorse, and mounts that aren't.
At the start of your turn in combat, if you are riding a controlled mount that isn't trained for combat (such as a typical riding horse), make a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. On a failure, you lose control and the mount becomes independent until it is out of combat, or until you take an action or bonus action to make a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check and succeed.
Independent Mounts
An independent mount has a place in the initiative order like any other creature. It rolls initiative when it is first independent in combat. It takes its turn as normal, and bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take. If it is hostile or untrained for combat, it might flee from combat, rush to attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes.
An independent mount skips its turn if it already took a turn as a controlled mount this round. If a mount becomes independent multiple times in a fight, it retains the same initiative each time.
Overland Travel
Introduction
Adjudicating travel involves a lot of DM decisions in a short amount of game time, from encounters to consumables to terrain. This explanation aims to help give reference points for some of these decisions.
A party travels at a slow, normal, or fast pace. While traveling, each creature in a party is either watching for danger or doing some other activity.
Travel Speed
A party of humanoids travels at a consistent pace, even if their speeds in combat differ or they are mounted.
A full day's travel is 8 hours of travel; traveling for longer in a day is considered a Forced March, described below.
Travel Pace
| Pace | Per Minute | Per Hour | Per Day (8 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast | 400 feet | 4 miles | 30 miles |
| Normal | 300 feet | 3 miles | 24 miles |
| Slow | 200 feet | 2 miles | 18 miles |
Fast and Slow Paces
A travelling party chooses whether to travel at a fast, normal, or slow pace. Fast and slow paces have additional effects.
Travelling at a fast pace gives characters disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to spot danger, and thus the -5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) for that purpose.
Travelling at a slow pace allows a party the option of moving stealthily (see Activity During Travel, below).
Variant Rule: Proportional Pace
Some creatures walk faster than others, based on species, physique, and load. If you want this to affect extended travel, use this rule.
Under this rule, the Special Travel Pace rules (DMG p142) applies to all traveling creatures: In 1 hour, you can move a number of miles equal to your speed (in feet) divided by 10. For creatures with a walking speed of 30 feet, this matches the Travel Pace table at a normal pace. A group can only travel as fast as its slowest member.
For a fast pace, increase the rate of travel by one-third; for a slow pace, decrease it by one-third.
For example, a riding horse has a speed of 60 feet, and would thus travel 6 miles in an hour at a normal pace, making 48 miles in 8 hours of travel. A fit horse on good ground can carry a rider much faster than a typical rider can walk.
This rule is best used alongside the Encumbrance variant rule (PHB p176) or similar, as load strongly affects a creature's ability to travel long distances, especially for mounts.
Forced March
A party can travel for more than 8 hours in a day, at the risk of exhaustion.
For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours in a single day, the characters cover the distance shown in the Per Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion.
For example, the DC is 11 for the 9th hour of travel, 12 for the 10th hour, and so on.
When a mounted character undergoes a forced march, the mount makes this saving throw and the rider doesn't. Characters in vehicles also don't make this saving throw.
Activity During Travel
Each member of the party is engaged in an activity during travel. By default, a character is watching for danger if they aren't doing anything else. This list covers the most common activities.
Watching for Danger. The character's passive Wisdom (Perception) score is used to notice threats, such as creatures sneaking nearby. The DM may determine that a particular threat can only be noticed by particular characters; for example, someone at the front of the party or someone at the back.
Drawing a Map. The character charts the group's progress, if they have materials. This can help the party if they get lost. No ability check is required.
Tracking. The character makes a Wisdom (Survival) check to track other creatures. The DMG (p244) covers tracking.
Navigating. The character might make a Wisdom (Survival) check at the DM's discretion to avoid becoming lost. The check stands until the travel ends or is interrupted, or the environment substantially changes. The DMG (p111) covers navigation in detail.
Foraging (slow or normal pace only). The character makes a Wisdom (Survival) check to gather food and water. One check represents eight hours of of foraging while traveling. With a successful check, a character finds 1d6 + their Wisdom modifier pounds of food and 1d6 + their Wisdom modifier gallons of water. The DMG (p111) covers foraging in detail.
Moving Stealthily (slow pace only). The character hides, making a Dexterity (Stealth) check as per the hiding rules. The result stands until the travel ends or is interrupted.
Further Notes
In a lot of games and scenarios, the intricacies of travel aren't particularly relevant. It's generally safe to ignore everything on this page except the Travel Pace table.
The travel paces outlined here are fairly reasonable, given good rations, fit travelers, and appropriate clothing. A lot of real-world hiking is the equivalent of traveling with a heavy load and/or over difficult terrain. Adventurers walking 30 miles day after day should try to stop for a day's rest every so often.
Improvised Weapons
Introduction
The way that improvised weapons are explained in the Player's Handbook is ambiguous even with careful reading. This explanation aims to cleanly delineate how they work, keeping combat balance in mind.
There are two kinds of improvised weapons:
- Objects that closely resemble actual weapons
- Objects that don't resemble weapons, including weapons used in ways they weren't designed for
The former are treated as the weapon they resemble, while the latter have special rules.
Objects that Resemble Weapons
An object that closely resembles an actual weapon (as determined by the DM) is treated as that weapon at all times for the purposes of combat, using its characteristics, properties, and damage dice. Some examples include:
- A table leg is a club
- A 10-foot pole cut down to 6 feet is a quarterstaff
- A hefty branch is a greatclub
- A pitchfork is a trident
Typically, simple weapons are more likely to be approximated this way than martial ones. For example, an object is more likely to function as a spear than as a glaive.
Such an objects acts as the weapon it resembles in all mechanical ways, including proficiency; a character is proficient with the object if they are proficient with the weapon it resembles.
Objects that Don't Resemble Weapons
Any object that doesn't closely resemble an actual weapon can be used as an improvised weapon to make a weapon attack. All improvised weapons of this kind have identical characteristics, properties, and damage dice, described below.
This category includes using weapons in ways they aren't designed for, such as making a melee attack with a bow or throwing a sword. In this case, the weapon's characteristics, properties, and damage dice are completely ignored; the fact that the object happened to be a different kind of weapon (and anything associated with that state) is irrelevant, and it is treated exactly the same as any other improvised weapon of this kind.
Most characters aren't proficient with this kind of improvised weapons, and so don't add their proficiency bonus to attack rolls with them. If the Feats optional rule is used, the Tavern Brawler feat is one way to acquire such a proficiency.
The State of Being a Weapon
An object that doesn't resemble a weapon (which you may want to use as an improvised weapon) isn't a weapon for mechanical purposes except while you are making a weapon attack with it.
For example, when you are idly holding such an object, you are not considered to be wielding a weapon, and you can't apply effects to it that can only be applied to weapons. However, if you then make a melee attack with the object, it is treated as a melee weapon for that attack, and so features that require making an attack with a melee weapon or hitting or missing an attack with a melee weapon can apply.
Improvised Melee Attacks
If you make a melee weapon attack with an object that doesn't resemble a weapon, it has the following characteristics for that attack:
- It has a reach of 5 feet.
- It deals 1d4 damage on hit, of a type decided by the DM (typically bludgeoning).
- The attack and damage rolls add your Strength modifier, as normal for melee weapon attacks.
Such an attack is an attack with a melee weapon, but not an attack with a simple or martial weapon.
Improvised Ranged Attacks
If you make a ranged weapon attack with an object that doesn't resemble a weapon, you can do so by throwing it, and it has the following characteristics and properties for that attack:
- It has the Thrown property, with a range of 20/60.
- It deals 1d4 damage on hit, of a type decided by the DM (typically bludgeoning).
- The attack and damage rolls add your Dexterity modifier, as normal for ranged weapon attacks.
Such an attack is an attack with a ranged weapon, but not an attack with a simple or martial weapon.
Terminology
Clarification of some of 5e's heavily overloaded attack terminology:
Attack action. An action a creature can take which allows them to make one weapon attack. Some rules and features allow more or different attacks to be made using this action.
Attack. The process of making a single attack, which can be initiated by various actions and features. Attacks usually have an attack roll, and usually have a damage roll.
Weapon Attack. An attack using a weapon (including a natural weapon), or an unarmed strike.
Spell Attack. An attack using magic, with parameters determined by the feature, trait, or spell that describes it.
Melee Attack. An attack that has a limited reach and does not involve projectiles.
Ranged Attack. An attack that has a limited range and involves a projectile.
Adventuring Gear
Introduction
Some adventuring gear descriptions are exceptionally ambiguous. These are clarified and expanded upon here.
Items Used as Improvised Weapons
When used offensively, some adventuring gear items are treated as improvised weapons and thus inherit the properties of improvised weapons that don't resemble existing weapons. However, each of these items replaces the normal damage of an improvised weapon with something else. You can't use these items as ordinary improvised weapons.
Additionally, Acid, Alchemist's Fire, and Oil are used with the Use an Object action. Even though their use involves a weapon attack, you can't use them as part of the Attack action, and thus Extra Attack and similar class features don't apply to them.
Most characters aren't proficient with improvised weapons, and so don't add their proficiency bonus to attack rolls with them. Again, if the Feats optional rule is used, the Tavern Brawler feat is one way to acquire such a proficiency.
Acid (vial)
You can take the Use an Object action to either splash the contents of this vial onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw the vial up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged weapon attack against a creature or object, treating the acid as an improvised weapon. On a hit, the target takes 2d6 acid damage, plus your Dexterity modifer in acid damage as normal for a ranged weapon attack.
Since it is always a ranged weapon attack, when splashing the acid onto a creature within 5 feet, you still use Dexterity for the attack roll and will usually have disadvantage on the attack roll from being within 5 feet of a hostile creature who can see you.
A single vial of acid is used up entirely after hitting or missing either kind of attack, but the glass vial remains intact if you splashed its contents.
Alchemist's Fire (flask)
You can take the Use an Object action to throw this flask up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a ranged attack against a creature or object, treating the alchemist's fire as an improvised weapon.
The flask, by itself, does not deal damage on a hit. Instead, the target is set aflame. At the start of each of the target's turns, they take 1d4 fire damage plus your Dexterity modifier in fire damage, since these are still damage rolls from a weapon attack.
The fire continues indefinitely until extinguished. Any creature within 5 feet of the target, which could be the target or another creature, can take an action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check. On a success, the flames are extinguished and no alchemist's fire remains.
Oil (flask)
1-pint flasks of oil have two main combat uses: Covering creatures, or pouring on the ground.
Covering a Creature. You can take the Use an Object action to either splash the oil in the flask onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw the flask up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged weapon attack against a creature or object, treating the oil as an improvised weapon.
Since it is always a ranged weapon attack, when splashing the oil onto a creature within 5 feet, you still use Dexterity for the attack roll and will usually have disadvantage on the attack roll from being within 5 feet of a hostile creature who can see you.
On a hit, the oil or flask, by itself, does not deal damage. Instead, the target is covered in oil. Whenever the target takes fire damage before the oil dries, the target takes an extra 5 fire damage from burning oil. This can happen any number of times before the oil dries. The oil dries after 1 minute.
Pouring on the Ground. You can take the Use an Object action to pour the oil on the ground, covering a 5-foot-square area, provided that the ground is level (which most floors and many outdoor areas are). If lit, such as by touching a torch to it (as a free object interaction), taking the Use an Object action with a tinderbox, or casting a spell like fireball, the oil catches fire and remains burning for 2 rounds (ending at the end of the turn of the same creature whose turn it was when the oil was lit).
While the oil burns, whenever a creature enters the area or ends its turn in the area, that creature takes 5 fire damage. A creature can't take this damage more than once in a single turn (though it might take it more than once in a single round).
A single flask of oil is used up entirely after a single use (either to try cover a creature or poured on the ground), but the clay flask remains intact if you splashed or poured out its contents.
Torch
A torch, once lit, burns for 1 hour, providing bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.
A burning torch, in addition to providing light, can be used to easily ignite flammable material. For oil, fine kindling, straw, and similarly inflammable things, this only requires a touch (an object interaction, if the target isn't a creature).
You can make a melee weapon attack with a burning torch, treating it as an improvised weapon. It does not use the normal improvised weapon damage. Instead, on a hit, the target takes 1 fire damage, plus your Strength modifier in fire damage as normal for a melee weapon attack.
Variant Rule: Alternate Alchemist's Fire
If you want a less quirky alchemist's fire, replace it with this variant.
Alchemist's Fire (flask). You can take the Use an Object action to throw this flask up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a ranged attack against a creature or object, treating the alchemist's fire as an improvised weapon.
On a hit, the flask deals the normal 1d4 + your Dexterity modifier bludgeoning damage of an improvised weapon. Additionally, it sets the target aflame. At the start of each of the target's turns, they take 2d4 fire damage (no ability modifier).
The fire continues for up to 1 minute or until extinguished. Any creature within 5 feet of the target, which could be the target or another creature, can take an action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check. On a success, the flames are extinguished and no alchemist's fire remains.
Variant Rule: Alternate Oil
If you want less quirky mechanics for oil flasks, replace them with this variant.
Oil (flask). 1-pint flasks of oil have two main combat uses: Covering creatures, or pouring on the ground.
Covering a Creature. You can take the Use an Object action to throw this flask up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a ranged attack against a creature or object, treating the oil as an improvised weapon.
On a hit, the flask deals the normal 1d4 + your Dexterity modifier bludgeoning damage of an improvised weapon. Additionally, the target is covered in oil. If unburnt, the oil dries and becomes useless after 1 minute.
If the target takes fire damage while the oil is unlit and before the oil dries, the oil lights on fire and the target immediately takes 2d4 fire damage from the oil. At the start of its next turn, the target takes 2d4 fire damage and the oil finishes burning, after which no oil remains.
Pouring on the Ground. You can take the Use an Object action to pour the oil on the ground, covering a 5-foot-square area, provided that the ground is level (which most floors and many outdoor areas are). If unburnt, the oil dries and becomes useless after 1 minute. If lit, the oil catches fire and remains burning for 2 rounds (ending at the end of the turn of the same creature whose turn it was when the oil was lit).
When a creature enters the area of the burning oil for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it takes 2d4 fire damage.
Items Dependent on Movement
Ball bearings and caltrops allow creatures to avoid making a saving throw by moving at 'half speed'. Moving at half speed means spending twice as much movement to cross a space as you would otherwise. You can't move at half speed if you're not spending movement, such as if you are thrown or dragged through the space.
For example, a creature moves down a 15 ft. long hallway. If it decides to move at half speed, it spends 30 feet of movement to get to the other end of the hallway, and if there are ball bearings, caltrops, or similar hazards in the space, it doesn't need to make a saving throw.
These low hazards don't threaten creatures that aren't touching the ground, such as creatures that are flying.
Ball Bearings (bag of 1,000)
You can take the Use an Object action to spill these tiny metal balls to cover a level 10-foot-square area. When a creature enters the area, it must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. This can happen more than once in a turn if a creature enters the area multiple times.
A creature using movement to enter the area can choose to move at 'half speed', spending twice as much movement to enter and move within the area as it would otherwise. If it does, it doesn't need to make the saving throw.
Caltrops (20)
You can take the Use an Object action to spread a single bag of 20 caltrops to cover a 5-foot-square area. When a creature enters the area, it makes a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. This can happen more than once in a turn if a creature enters the area multiple times.
On a failed save, the creature takes 1 piercing damage and its speed becomes 0 for the rest of the turn. Thereafter, its walking speed is reduced by 10 feet until it regains at least 1 hit point in any way, typically from resting or magical healing.
A creature using movement to enter the area can choose to move at 'half speed', spending twice as much movement to enter and move within the area as it would otherwise. If it does, it doesn't need to make the saving throw.
Further Notes
Adventuring gear like this is most relevant at early levels, or with a Thief rogue in the party.
Attacks that do not deal damage on a hit can still have extra damage added. This doesn't break anything damage-wise; it merely makes things like the net reasonable to use. If the effect doesn't specify a damage type (such as is the case with Sneak Attack and hunter's mark), assume that the damage is bludgeoning.
DMs should consider lowering the common prices of Acid, Alchemist's Fire, and poisons to put the prices more in line with their function. 10gp for a vial of acid and 20gp for a flask of Alchemist's Fire is a reasonable new price point.
Magic Items
Introduction
Some magic item descriptions are exceptionally ambiguous. This section has alternate descriptions that attempt to clarify the scope of these magic items' function.
Broom of Flying
Wondrous item, uncommon
This wooden broom, which weighs 3 pounds, functions like a mundane broom until you speak one of its command words, which could be in any language (or might be gibberish). Speaking a command word doesn't take an action.
The command words allow the broom to fly, with a flying speed of 50 feet. Regardless of the command word used, it can carry up to 400 pounds, but its flying speed becomes 30 feet while carrying over 200 pounds. It can't carry more than two Small or Medium creatures at a time, and it can't carry a Large or larger creature, regardless of weight.
Word of Flight. When you speak this command word, the broom begins to hover in place, and can be ridden in the air. Mounting the broom can be done before or after speaking the command word, and doesn't cost movement. Treat the speed of the broom as a flying speed of the rider, except that it can't be increased or reduced unless it is reduced to 0. The broom stops hovering when the rider lands.
Word of Travel. When you speak this command word, if the broom isn't currently being ridden by a creature, you can send the broom to travel at its speed to a destination within 1 mile of you if you speak the command word, name the location, and have been in that place observing it at least once. On the way, the broom can navigate around simple physical obstacles.
Word of Recall. When you speak this command word, the broom can respond from up to 1 mile away. If you are the last creature that has ridden the broom, it returns to you at its speed. On the way, the broom can navigate around simple physical obstacles.
Variant Rule: Difficult Brooms
If you want a broom of flying that is not so safe to use in combat, alter it in the following ways:
Mounting the broom costs movement equal to half your speed.
If you are moved against your will or fall prone while riding the broom, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall off the broom, landing prone.
If you fall unconscious while riding the broom, you fall off the broom, landing prone.
Mask of the Dragon Queen
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
This item, from the Rise of Tiamat adventure, is created by magically assembling two or more of the individual dragon masks. Each mask shrinks to become the modeled head of a chromatic dragon, appearing to roar its devotion to Tiamat; the heads are arranged crown-like on the wearer's head. Below them, a new mask shapes itself, granting the wearer a draconic visage that covers the face, neck, and shoulders.
The mask reshapes to fit a wearer attuned to it, just as the individual masks do.
When you attune to the mask, choose one of the component masks it contains. While you wear the Mask of the Dragon Queen, you can access all the properties of that component mask except the Damage Absorption and Legendary Resistance properties.
Additionally, regardless of the component masks it contains, you gain the following benefits while wearing the mask:
Damage Absorption. You have resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and poison damage. If you already have resistance to one or more of these damage types from another source, you instead have immunity to those types. If you already have immunity to one or more of these damage types from another source, whenever you are subjected to that type of damage, you take none of that damage and regain a number of hit points equal to half the damage dealt of that type.
Legendary Resistance (5/day). If you fail a saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead. You can use this property five times; the mask regains expended uses daily at dawn.
Further Notes
Remember that speed and movement are different things: you can't alter a broom of flying's speed using longstrider or slow on the rider, but it's still affected by difficult terrain and the rider can still take the Dash action to fly further with the broom.
As per DMG p141, if a magic item requires an action to activate, that action isn't a function of the Use an Object action, so a feature such as the rogue's Fast Hands can't be used to activate the item.
Rulings
Preface
These rulings aim to be clear, self-consistent, and sufficiently balanced for play. This goal means that they occasionally contradict rulings or expressions of intent from Jeremy Crawford or Mike Mearls, two of the game's designers.
Willing Creatures
Some effects, such as the spells haste and fly, require a willing target. What constitutes a willing target?
A creature who knows of the existence of an effect and decides to accept it at the moment the effect begins is a willing target. A useful rule of thumb is "Given a few seconds and the ability to speak, would they express verbal consent?"
In line with that, unconscious creatures and creatures that are unaware of the effect's existence aren't willing targets.
Just like deception or coercion can cause someone to be willing when they normally wouldn't be, magic that affects the mind (such as the spells suggestion or dominate person) can too.
Therefore, what can trigger the additional damage on movement from the spell booming blade?
You can use similar conditions for booming blade's movement-triggered damage as are used for opportunity attacks: When the creature uses its movement, action, or reaction to move, the damage triggers. It doesn't trigger if the target falls prone, stands up from prone, teleports, or is moved by something like shoving or the thunderwave spell.
This contradicts Jeremy Crawford's ruling, because (a) that ruling gives booming blade the ability to detect if someone is under an effect like dominate person, which is a 'radar problem' and out of the spell's scope, and (b) the spell remains at a balanced power level when it can synergize with spells such as command and dissonant whispers.
Spell Targets
For the purposes of effects like the Twinned Spell metamagic, find steed's spell-twinning effect, and contingency, what constitutes a spell's targets?
Magical Effect Interactions
If the same spell is cast twice on a single target, such as two different warlocks casting hex on the same foe, what happens?
Combining Magical Effects in the PHB (p205) covers this in its basic form: The durations overlap, and for the time that both effects exist, the most potent effect is the only one that applies, or the most recent for effects of equal potency.
Two instances of the same spell only differ in 'potency' if they differ in some way other than duration, number of targets, or choices made during the casting of the spell. Spell level, by itself, does not affect potency, though an 'At Higher Levels' effect might. If they do differ in potency, it's typically fairly clear which is more potent: a higher number, more damage dice, or something along those lines.
For instances of equal potency (which is more likely), the most recently cast instance is active, and all other instances are inactive.
For the example of hex, since there's no way for two hex spells to differ in potency, only the instance that was most recently cast is active. Therefore, only that instance's caster will get the 1d6 extra necrotic damage on a hit attack, and only that instance inflicts disadvantage to the chosen ability's checks for the target. Each other instance does nothing.
The durations of effects like this overlap and don't interfere with each other. For example, if that most recently cast hex ends, such as by the caster dropping concentration, then the next most recent among the other instances will be in effect.
If a spell or other magical effect's target stops being a valid target after the spell was cast (or effect began) but before it ends, what happens?
Some examples of this situation:
- A creature under the effect of the haste spell stops being willing
- A druid under the effect of dominate person is commanded to use Wild Shape, therefore no longer being humanoid
- A zombie under the effect of a cleric's Turn Undead becomes affected by polymorph, therefore no longer being undead
- A creature possessed via magic jar (which can only be used to possess humanoid targets) becomes affected by polymorph, therefore no longer being humanoid
- A creature under the effect of polymorph being killed instantly without damage
(Despite this having important mechanical and narrative consequences, there is no official ruling or advice on this point.)
If you use find steed to cause a spell like contingency or wish to have a second target, what happens?
Funky things.
How do the spells magic jar and death ward interact?
Oh, boy. First we need to answer "What is a creature?" with respect to bodies and souls.
...What about magic jar with clone or astral projection?
Now you're just fucking with me.
Jokes aside, the intricacies of soul magic in 5th edition remain essentially undefined by the rules. Some simple ways to rule these spells in particular:
- Clone creates a backup body in the shape of the target's current body for the soul currently in the target.
- Astral bodies act like real bodies for the duration of astral projection. The catatonic material bodies are empty vessels; they can be possessed, but no soul resides within to be displaced. Since spell effects don't interfere with each other unless specified, if astral projection then ends, two souls end up residing in one body, with whatever ramifications the DM sees fit.
Single Spells
With the shield spell, does the caster know the attack roll's result before deciding whether to cast shield?
Yes. The caster gets to know the attack roll's result before deciding whether or not the cast shield. It's impossible to accidentally 'waste' shield from not knowing whether the attack roll is high enough to hit regardless.
However, the caster does not know whether the hit is a critical hit by the time they have to decide whether to cast shield. If the incoming hit is a critical hit, the caster still only knows the final result of the attack roll (the die plus any modifiers), and because critical hits hit regardless of AC, the caster might unwittingly cast a shield that can't block that hit. (The shield will still persist for its full duration, as normal.)
With a spell such as enhance ability that lets the caster choose from one of multiple options, if there are multiple targets, can the caster choose different options for different targets?
No. Unless the the spell explicitly states otherwise (such as animal shapes does), the caster makes one choice, which applies to each target.
A few ways this situation can come about are:
- Casting spells like command or enhance ability with a higher-level spell slot
- The sorcerer's Twinned Spell metamagic
- The find steed spell
In each case, you are altering what the spell targets, but nothing else. You are not casting the spell multiple times. For example, enhance ability states "You touch a creature and bestow upon it a magical enhancement. Choose one of the following effects (...)" When you cast enhance ability with a 3rd-level or higher level slot, this effectively becomes "You touch multiple creatures and bestow upon them a magical enhancement. Choose one of the following effects (...)"
If the spell has constraints based on the target, such as polymorph requiring the new form to have CR equal to or less than the target's CR or the target's level, then those constraints apply for each target. For example, if you cast polymorph on two targets using Twinned Spell, the form you choose must have a CR equal to or less than each target's CR (or level).
Lastly, attack rolls always have a single target. If you cause a spell with an attack roll to target additional creatures, a separate attack roll is made for each target. Just like with other spells, however, damage rolls are still only rolled once and used for each target they apply to.
Can there be any benefit to casting aid on a target that already has aid active on it?
The spell aid is peculiar in that one of its ongoing effects—increasing current hit points—can essentially end before the spell does, and it's unique in that the spell doesn't specify when that happens, since there's nothing in the text to distingush which of your hit points are from aid.
Treat aid's effect on current hit points as 'beneath' the existing hit points, and therefore the last to go when you take damage.
If the new casting of aid is at a lower level than the previous, nothing very useful happens. The new spell is less potent (since it provides a smaller number of hit points / max hit points), and therefore is entirely inactive until the existing aid spell ends.
If the new spell is at the same or higher level than the existing aid, the new spell has precedence (by potency or recency), and so the existing aid spell becomes inactive and the new one is active. The target's current hit points stay the same unless they're below the amount specified in the spell, in which case they are increased to that amount.
Under this ruling, casting aid a second time (as long as it isn't at a lower level) works a lot like how things work if the first aid were dispelled before the second was cast. In both cases, the earlier aid is no longer doing anything, and the later aid is in full effect.
With find steed or find greater steed, what does 'a spell that targets only you' mean? What spells can I use the steeds' 'twinning' effect with?
Whew. Okay, this one's a bit noodly, in that—
What does 'reasonable' mean in the description of suggestion?
Um, this is actually—
The spell prestidigitation can temporarily create trinkets. What does 'trinket' mean in this context?
Just give me some time! Sheesh!
The Author
You can find me on Reddit (u/feathered_kvothe), or in the Haven discord server, a D&D discussion server with an active homebrew community. I'm happy to field questions in either place.
I also have a (very young) blog—Design & Counsel—where I post homebrew, essays on 5e, and other thoughts.
