See also: [[00-Genies and Giants/House Rules/House Rules|House Rules]] ### *Actions in Combat* *A5E has a few new actions types available: Fall Back, Press the Attack, Search, Sprint, Tumble, Use a Maneuver. Full details are found [here](https://a5e.tools/rules/movement-and-position).* *Also remember that Help grants an ally advantage on their attack roll.* ### Armor Some non-steel armor has [flaws](https://a5e.tools/rules/materials), but each also has benefits. ### Critical Hits You can avoid taking a critical hit by taking a level of fatigue or [sacrificing your shield](https://a5e.tools/rules/shields). ### Fatigue You gain a level of fatigue when: - **Each time** you take damage that makes you fall unconscious during an encounter. - You are hit by a critical hit while at 0 hit points. - When you take a critical hit, you can use your **reaction** to block it, turning the critical hit into a regular hit and suffering a level of fatigue (if you have a shield, you can [Sacrifice Shield](https://a5e.tools/rules/shields) instead). Once you have turned a critical hit into a regular hit in this way, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest. ~~The effects of fatigue gained during combat are only felt after the encounter in which they were inflicted has ended. During the heat of battle it is easy to fight on without realizing the extent of your injuries.~~ See our [[00-Genies and Giants/House Rules/House Rules#Fatigue and Strife During Combat|House Rules]] for changes. If you gain 7 levels of fatigue, you are [Doomed to die](https://a5e.tools/rules/conditions), as your combined injuries mean you’re beyond the aid of all but the most powerful healing magics. A creature can recover from the **initial** level of fatigue during a long rest anywhere. But once you have two or more levels of fatigue, you require long rests taken at a Haven before you can reduce it at all. You reduce its level of fatigue by one level for each long rest in a Haven, and once you've returned to only one level it can again be recovered during a long rest anywhere. ### Initiative Creatures **can** take reactions before their first turn in initiative, unless they're surprised. ### Knocking a Creature Out When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can knock the creature out. This choice is made the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious, gains a level of fatigue, and is stable. ### Massive Damage and Instant Death Massive damage can injure or kill you instantly. If you are reduced to 0 hit points after taking an amount of damage equal to or greater than **20 + three times your character level** (or Hit Dice for creatures), you make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, you die instantly, while on a successful result you live, but suffer one level of fatigue and one level of strife. For an example, see the "Massive Damage and Instant Death" section [here](https://a5e.tools/rules/damage-and-recovery). ### Movement You don't take the extra movement during your Dash action, Dash just doubles your Speed (after all other modifiers are applied!). This is important because you can break up your Speed however you want on your turn -- move, attack, move, etc -- **but you can't break up additional movement** from things like combat maneuvers **unless they specify they improve your Speed**. ### Natural 1s and 20s Rolling a natural 1 or a natural 20 are auto-successes/auto-failures for **attack rolls and saving throws**, but not for other checks. For skill checks, if you roll a 1 and that would be a failure for you, it's a critical failure. If you roll a 20 and that would be a success for you, it's a critical success. In both cases, we roll for extra stuff that happens! ### *Prone* *You can drop prone without using any movement. You can also drop prone as a **reaction** to being targeted by a ranged attack you can see. Other details are found in the Being Prone section of [this page](https://a5e.tools/rules/movement-and-position).* ### Recovering from Fatigue or Strife A creature can recover from the **initial** level of fatigue or strife during a long rest anywhere. But once a creature has two or more levels of either condition, it requires long rests taken at a Haven before it can reduce the condition at all. The condition is reduced by one level for each long rest in a Haven. Once the condition is returned to only one level, it can again be recovered during a long rest anywhere. ### Spells per Round You can't cast 2 spells using your action and bonus action unless one of them is a cantrip. There is no such restriction for spells that are reactions. ### Strife Intense study of potent arcana, truly rigorous intellectual challenges, and psychically demanding magics can increase one’s strife. Strife represents corruption, despair, fear, loss of resolve, and other mental factors which gradually undo a creature’s very soul. A creature which reaches the 7th level of the strife track suffers a special, permanent effect, which is either randomly selected or decided by the Narrator. This might involve the creature shutting down completely, or being impacted in such a way that it is forever changed. Strife gained during combat is suffered **immediately**. You gain strife when: - You roll a 1 on a death save - You take damage from an attack while at 0 hit points -- the attacker can choose to make you suffer another death save, a level of fatigue, or a level of strife - Some creatures have attacks which inflict strife - Some spells, magic items, diseases, poisons, or curses inflict strife - You suffer a strong moral quandary, such as a Knight breaking their code, or a Champion failing to complete their quest