4SRD:Basics

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COMBAT I (BASICS)

(N.B. Specific rules which apply to the 4SRD project are marked with an asterisk.*)
HOW COMBAT WORKS Combat is cyclical; everybody acts in turn in a regular cycle of rounds. Combat follows this sequence: 1. Each combatant starts out flat-footed. Once a combatant acts, he or she is no longer flat-footed. 2. Determine which characters are aware of their opponents at the start of the battle. If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds of combat begin. The combatants who are 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 one action (either a standard action or a move action) during the surprise round. Combatants who were unaware do not get to act in the surprise round. If no one or everyone starts the battle aware, there is no surprise round. 3. Combatants who have not yet rolled initiative do so. All combatants are now ready to begin their first regular round of combat. 4. Combatants act in initiative order (highest to lowest). 5. When everyone has had a turn, the combatant with the highest initiative acts again, and steps 4 and 5 repeat until combat ends.

COMBAT STATISTICS

This section summarizes the statistics that determine success in combat, and then details how to use them.

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.

• If the attack would hit normally with a 20 plus the applicable modifiers then it is a critical hit.

ATTACK BONUS

• Your attack bonus with a basic melee attack or a basic ranged attack with a heavy thrown weapon is:
• ½ level rounded down + Strength modifier (+range penalty for thrown)
• With a basic ranged attack with a ranged weapon or with a light thrown weapon, your attack bonus is:
• ½ level rounded down + Dexterity modifier + range penalty

DAMAGE

When your attack succeeds, you deal damage. The type of weapon used determines the amount of damage you deal. Effects that modify weapon damage apply to unarmed strikes and the natural physical attack forms of creatures. Damage reduces a target’s current hit points. Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of damage.

• Strength Bonus: When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon, including a sling, add your Strength modifier to the damage result.
• Multiplying Damage: Sometimes you multiply the damage on the dice by some factor, such as for specific powers. Roll the dice multiple times and total the results. Add the bonuses to the rolled damage afterward. You do not add bonuses from Abilities, Feats, Enhancements or other sources multiple times.
  

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.

• Your AC is equal to the following: 10 + armor bonus + shield bonus (+ Dexterity or Intelligence modifier in Light Armour)

• Sometimes you can’t use your Dexterity or Intelligence 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 or Intelligence bonus, nothing happens.)

Other Modifiers: Many other factors modify your AC. Enhancement Bonuses: Enhancement effects make your armor better.

• Feat Bonus: Certain feats improve your AC.
• Power Bonus: Certain feats, powers or items provide “power bonuses” to improve your AC.
• Item Bonus: Certain feats, powers or items provide “item bonuses” to improve your AC.
  

*OTHER DEFENSES

• Attackers can also target your Fortitude, Reflex or Will defenses instead of your Armour Class:
• Your Fortitude defense is equal to the following: 10 + Strength or Constitution modifier
• Your Reflex defense is equal to the following: 10 + Dexterity or Intelligence modifier
• Your Will defense is equal to the following: 10 + Wisdom or Charisma modifier

• Other Modifiers: Many other factors modify your non-armour class defenses.
• Enhancement Bonuses: Enhancement on an item which occupies the Neck item slot makes your defenses better.
• Feat Bonus: Certain feats improve your defenses.
• Power Bonus: Certain feats, powers or items provide “power bonuses” to improve your defenses.
• Item Bonus: Certain feats, powers or items provide “item bonuses” to improve your defenses.

HIT POINTS

• When your hit points are half your total, you are bloodied. When your hit points are at 0, you are unconscious. When your hits are below 0, you are dying. When your hit point total is as far below 0 as your bloodied value, or you fail three saving throws against death, you are dead.
  

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 25 feet (5 squares), or 20 feet (4 squares) when wearing heavy armor (except for dwarves, who move 25 feet in any armor).
• Elves have a speed of 35 feet (7 squares), or 30 feet (6 squares) in heavy armor.
• All other races have a speed of 30 feet (6 squares), or 25 feet (5 squares) in 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 run all out, you can move your speed plus 10 additional feet (2 squares). Running incurs combat advantage against you, and you take a -5 penalty to attack until the start of your next turn.