Combat action

Combat actions are actions in which a creature makes an attack roll against a creature's Armor Class (AC) or an ability check through a contested check. Certain features, such as the Minor or Quick Combat Actions features, allow combat actions to be taken as Minor Actions or Quick Actions.

Common Modifiers

• Ability Modifier.
  • Strength is used for melee cleaving, splitting and bludgeoning attack and damage rolls.
    Dexterity is used for melee slashing and piercing attack and damage rolls, as well as ranged attack rolls (including throwing).
  • Draw strength determines the added ranged damage for drawn and loaded weapons, while the melee ability modifier (Strength or Dexterity) determines the thrown weapons added damage (i.e. a thrown bludgeoning weapon uses strength, while a piercing dagger will use Dexterity).
  • The ability modifier used for a spells depends on the Spellcasting ability of the spellcaster.
• Proficiency Bonus. You add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with which you have proficiency, as well as when you attack with a spell.
• Cover. Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover.

Cover

There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren't added together. For example, if a target is behind a creature that gives half cover and a tree trunk that gives three-quarters cover, the target has three-quarters cover.

Covers and bonuses

Half cover	+2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a creature, whether that creature is an enemy or a friend.
Three-quarters cover	+5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if about three-quarters of it is covered by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick tree trunk.
Total cover	Can't be targeted directly by an attack or a spell, although some spells can reach such a target by including it in an area of effect. A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle.