Editing Damage

''For a comprehensive summary of the mechanics behind all rolls and modifiers, see [[Die Rolls]].''

[[Category:Gameplay Mechanics]]

A '''Damage Roll''' happens when the game wants to determine the damage done by a successful attack, area of effect spell, trap, and so on.  It can involve one or many dice of any type.  This is not to be confused with the [[Attack Roll]], which is a D20 roll deciding whether the attack hits at all.

For example, a successful attack with a [[Dagger]] leads to a D4 being rolled to determine the damage (referred to as 1d4) for a total damage of 1 to 4, and a successful attack with a [[Greatsword]] leads to two D6 being rolled (referred to as 2d6) for a total damage of 2 to 12.  Being caught in a [[Fireball]] will cause 8d6 points of damage, though a successful [[Saving Throw]] can reduce it to half.

== Modifiers ==

For [[Weapons|Weapon]] attacks, the attacking creature's [[Ability Score Modifier]] for Strength or Dexterity is added as a bonus to the total value of the damage roll.  For the damage of [[Spell]] attacks, no such modifier exists, unless explicitly granted by a magical item, spell, or class feature (such as the '''Agonising Blast''' [[Eldritch Invocation]] for [[Warlock]]s).

The [[Proficiency Bonus]] and [[Advantage]] mechanics don't apply to Damage Rolls.

=== Ability Score Modifier ===

A bonus or penalty may be applied to the result of the roll based on either Strength or Dexterity.  For rolls involving multiple dice, such as 2d4, the dice are rolled together, and the modifier is applied to the total result, not to each die.

Whether Strength or Dexterity is used depends on the weapon: usually Strength for melee weapons and Dexterity for ranged weapons.  The exceptions to this rule are [[Finesse]] weapons, which automatically select Strength or Dexterity, whichever score is higher; and [[Thrown]] weapons, which use Strength for both melee and ranged attacks.  If a weapon is both Thrown and Finesse, it uses the higher of Strength and Dexterity for both melee and ranged attacks.

Some examples, to make the possible combinations of Finesse and Thrown easier to understand:

* Using a [[Maul]] for a melee attack always uses Strength.
* Using a [[Rapier]] (Finesse) for a melee attack uses Strength or Dexterity; whichever the attacking creature has a higher score in.
* Shooting a [[Longbow]] for a ranged attack always uses Dexterity.
* Throwing a [[Handaxe]] (Thrown) for a ranged attack uses Strength.
* Throwing a [[Dagger]] (Finesse & Thrown) for a ranged attack uses Strength or Dexterity, whichever is higher.

Whether it's Strength or Dexterity that ends up being used, the following table defines the value of the modifier:

{{AbilityScoreModifierTable}}

== A bit of Mathematics ==

Note that due to the mathematics of dice rolls, the difference between, say, 1d8 and 2d4 is more than just the higher minimum value of 2 on the 2d4 roll.  With the d8, you have an equal chance of getting, say, a 5 and an 8.  On the other hand, the 2d4 roll is statistically more likely to lead to a total value of 5, than a total value of 8.  This is most easily explained with a table of all possible outcomes:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Possible results of a 2d4 roll, highlighting the number of possibilities resulting in a total value of 5
|-
! First roll !! Second roll !! Total value
|-
| 1 || 1 || 2
|-    
| 1 || 2 || 3
|-    
| 1 || 3 || 4
|-    
| 1 || 4 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
|-    
| 2 || 1 || 3
|-    
| 2 || 2 || 4
|-    
| 2 || 3 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
|-    
| 2 || 4 || 6
|-    
| 3 || 1 || 4
|-    
| 3 || 2 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
|-    
| 3 || 3 || 6
|-    
| 3 || 4 || 7
|-    
| 4 || 1 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
|-    
| 4 || 2 || 6
|-    
| 4 || 3 || 7
|-    
| 4 || 4 || 8
|}

Notice how often the 5 appears in the possibilities for the '''total value''' (4 out of 16 possibilities) vs. how often the 8 appears (1 out of 16).  This means a 2d4 roll has a 25% chance of resulting in 5 points of damage, but only a 6.125% chance of resulting in 8 points of damage.  Meanwhile, the 1d8 roll actually has a higher chance of resulting in the maximum damage value of 8, since 1 out of 8 possibilities (12.5%) result in an 8.
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{PageSeo
+''For a comprehensive summary of the mechanics behind all rolls and modifiers, see [[Die Rolls]].''
-| title = Damage
-| description = Damage is a number that represents how deadly a threat is. When a creature takes damage, they subtract that amount of damage from their current amount of hit points.
-| image = File:1d4 + 1d6 Poison.png
-| type = article
-}}
-{{hatnote|For a comprehensive overview of the game's damage calculations, see [[Damage mechanics]].}}
-[[File:1d4 + 1d6 Poison.png|right]]
-'''Damage''' is a number that represents how deadly a threat is. When a [[creatures|creature]] ''takes damage'', they subtract that amount of damage from their current amount of [[hit points]].
-Damage is ''dealt'' with [[attacks]] and other harmful [[actions]], as well as by a variety of [[conditions]].
+[[Category:Gameplay Mechanics]]
-== Damage rolls ==
+A '''Damage Roll''' happens when the game wants to determine the damage done by a successful attack, area of effect spell, trap, and so on.  It can involve one or many dice of any type.  This is not to be confused with the [[Attack Roll]], which is a D20 roll deciding whether the attack hits at all.
-{{Excerpt|Dice rolls|Damage rolls|subsections=yes|templates=SAI, InfoBlob, note}}
-==== Example ====
+For example, a successful attack with a [[Dagger]] leads to a D4 being rolled to determine the damage (referred to as 1d4) for a total damage of 1 to 4, and a successful attack with a [[Greatsword]] leads to two D6 being rolled (referred to as 2d6) for a total damage of 2 to 12.  Being caught in a [[Fireball]] will cause 8d6 points of damage, though a successful [[Saving Throw]] can reduce it to half.
-A successful attack with a {{WeaponIcon|Daggers}} [[Daggers|Dagger]] does a base of {{DamageText|1d4|Piercing}} damage (1~4). This means a single four-sided die [[File:D4_Piercing.png|20px|link=]] is rolled to determine the damage, for a total of 1 to 4 piercing damage. Most weapons use a single damage die, but some two-handed weapons use two: a successful attack with a {{WeaponIcon|Greatswords}} [[Greatswords|Greatsword]] does {{DamageText|2d6|Slashing}} damage (2~12), rolling two six-sided dice [[File:D6_Slashing.png|20px|link=]] for a total of 2 to 12 slashing damage. Damaging spells typically roll more dice: for example, being caught in a {{SAI|Fireball}} will cause {{DamageText|8d6|Fire}} damage (8~48), though a successful [[Saving Throw]] can reduce it to half.
-=== Attacks ===
+== Modifiers ==
-In order to damage a target when making an attack, creatures must first make an attack roll. Attack rolls are rolled against the target's AC. If the attempt is successful, the attack ''hit'', and the attacker rolls for damage. If the result was less than the target AC, the attack was a ''miss''.
-==== Attack roll modifiers ====
+For [[Weapons|Weapon]] attacks, the attacking creature's [[Ability Score Modifier]] for Strength or Dexterity is added as a bonus to the total value of the damage roll.  For the damage of [[Spell]] attacks, no such modifier exists, unless explicitly granted by a magical item, spell, or class feature (such as the '''Agonising Blast''' [[Eldritch Invocation]] for [[Warlock]]s).
-{{Excerpt|Dice rolls|Attack roll modifiers|templates=SAI, InfoBlob, note}}
-==== Critical hits ====
+The [[Proficiency Bonus]] and [[Advantage]] mechanics don't apply to Damage Rolls.
-{{Excerpt|Dice rolls|Critical hits|templates=SAI, InfoBlob, note}}
-== Damage types ==
+=== Ability Score Modifier ===
-All damage has a ''damage type'', of which there are 13:
-<gallery mode="nolines" heights="40px">
+A bonus or penalty may be applied to the result of the roll based on either Strength or Dexterity.  For rolls involving multiple dice, such as 2d4, the dice are rolled together, and the modifier is applied to the total result, not to each die.
-Bludgeoning Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Bludgeoning|Bludgeoning}}
-Piercing Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Piercing|Piercing}}
-Slashing Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Slashing|Slashing}}
-Cold Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Cold|Cold}}
-Fire Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Fire|Fire}}
-Lightning Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Lightning|Lightning}}
-Thunder Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Thunder|Thunder}}
-Acid Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Acid|Acid}}
-Poison Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Poison|Poison}}
-Radiant Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Radiant|Radiant}}
-Necrotic Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Necrotic|Necrotic}}
-Force Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Force|Force}}
-Psychic Damage Icon.png|{{DamageColor|Psychic|Psychic}}
-</gallery>
-Bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage are sometimes collectively referred to as {{DamageColor|Physical|'''Physical damage'''}}. Almost all weapons, melee or ranged, deal one of the physical damage types, although there are exceptions such as the [[Ne'er Misser]].
+Whether Strength or Dexterity is used depends on the weapon: usually Strength for melee weapons and Dexterity for ranged weapons.  The exceptions to this rule are [[Finesse]] weapons, which automatically select Strength or Dexterity, whichever score is higher; and [[Thrown]] weapons, which use Strength for both melee and ranged attacks.  If a weapon is both Thrown and Finesse, it uses the higher of Strength and Dexterity for both melee and ranged attacks.
-The wiki sometimes uses the term {{DamageColor|Physical|'''Weapon damage'''}} when the type of damage is based on the ''primary'' damage type of the weapon being used. This is almost always one of the physical damage types, but can be something else in rare cases. For example, after casting [[Hunter's Mark]] on an enemy, an attack with most longswords would deal additional slashing damage, and an attack with most hand crossbows would deal additional piercing damage. However, an attack with the [[Ne'er Misser]] would deal additional force damage, because the Ne'er Misser uses force as its primary damage type. Another example would be using [[Sneak Attack (Melee)|Sneak Attack]] with a [[Flame Blade (weapon)|Flame Blade]] or [[Shadow Blade (weapon)|Shadow Blade]], which would make the sneak attack deal fire or psychic damage, respectively.
+Some examples, to make the possible combinations of Finesse and Thrown easier to understand:
-If a source of damage mixes different sizes of dice or damage types, they will be listed separately with a plus sign between them, e.g. {{DamageText|1d8|piercing}} + {{DamageText|1d4|fire}}. Each type is dealt separately, though see [[damage mechanics]] for more details.
+* Using a [[Maul]] for a melee attack always uses Strength.
+* Using a [[Rapier]] (Finesse) for a melee attack uses Strength or Dexterity; whichever the attacking creature has a higher score in.
+* Shooting a [[Longbow]] for a ranged attack always uses Dexterity.
+* Throwing a [[Handaxe]] (Thrown) for a ranged attack uses Strength.
+* Throwing a [[Dagger]] (Finesse & Thrown) for a ranged attack uses Strength or Dexterity, whichever is higher.
-=== Resistance, Vulnerability and Immunity ===
+Whether it's Strength or Dexterity that ends up being used, the following table defines the value of the modifier:
-{{main|Resistances}}
-A creature's [[resistances]] determine which damage types they are immune, resistant or vulnerable to:
-* Damage dealt to a creature with '''resistance''' to that damage type is ''halved''.
-* Damage dealt to a creature with '''vulnerability''' to that damage type is ''doubled''.
-* Damage dealt to a creature with '''immunity''' to that damage type is ''reduced to zero''.
-Resistance and vulnerability to the same type cancel each other out, but don't affect immunity.
+{{AbilityScoreModifierTable}}
-== A bit of mathematics ==
+== A bit of Mathematics ==
-Note that due to the mathematics of dice rolls, the difference between, say, 1d8 and 2d4 is more than just the higher minimum value of 2 on the 2d4 roll. With the d8, you have an equal chance of getting, say, a 5 and an 8.  On the other hand, the 2d4 roll is statistically more likely to lead to a total value of 5, than a total value of 8. This is most easily explained with a table of all possible outcomes:
-{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; width: 15em;"
+Note that due to the mathematics of dice rolls, the difference between, say, 1d8 and 2d4 is more than just the higher minimum value of 2 on the 2d4 roll.  With the d8, you have an equal chance of getting, say, a 5 and an 8.  On the other hand, the 2d4 roll is statistically more likely to lead to a total value of 5, than a total value of 8.  This is most easily explained with a table of all possible outcomes:
-|+ Possible results of a 2d4 roll, highlighting the outcomes resulting in a total value of 5
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
+|+ Possible results of a 2d4 roll, highlighting the number of possibilities resulting in a total value of 5
 |-
-! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | +
+! First roll !! Second roll !! Total value
-! colspan="4" scope="col" | 2<sup>nd</sup> roll
 |-
-! scope="col" | '''1'''
+| 1 || 1 || 2
-! scope="col" | '''2'''
+|-
-! scope="col" | '''3'''
+| 1 || 2 || 3
-! scope="col" | '''4'''
+|-
-|-
+| 1 || 3 || 4
-! rowspan="4" scope="row" | '''1<sup>st</sup> roll'''
+|-
-! scope="row" | '''1'''
+| 1 || 4 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
-| 2 || 3 || 4 || {{colour|red|'''5'''}}
+|-
+| 2 || 1 || 3
+|-
+| 2 || 2 || 4
+|-
+| 2 || 3 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
+|-
+| 2 || 4 || 6
+|-
+| 3 || 1 || 4
+|-
+| 3 || 2 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
+|-
+| 3 || 3 || 6
+|-
+| 3 || 4 || 7
+|-
+| 4 || 1 || {{color|red|'''5'''}}
 |-
-! scope="row" | '''2'''
+| 4 || 2 || 6
-| 3 || 4 || {{colour|red|'''5'''}} || 6
 |-
-! scope="row" | '''3'''
+| 4 || 3 || 7
-| 4 || {{colour|red|'''5'''}} || 6 || 7
 |-
-! scope="row" | '''4'''
+| 4 || 4 || 8
-| {{colour|red|'''5'''}}|| 6 || 7 || 8
 |}
-Notice how often the 5 appears in the possibilities for the '''total value''' (4 out of 16 possibilities) vs. how often the 8 appears (1 out of 16).  This means a 2d4 roll has a 25% chance of resulting in 5 points of damage, but only a 6.125% chance of resulting in 8 points of damage.  Meanwhile, the 1d8 roll actually has a higher chance of resulting in the maximum damage value of 8, since 1 out of 8 possibilities (12.5%) result in an 8. However, the average roll of 2d4 is 5 damage, while the average roll of 1d8 is only 4.5, because 2d4 can never roll a 1. Therefore, 2d4 is generally more consistent in damage output and will result in higher rolls in the long run.
+Notice how often the 5 appears in the possibilities for the '''total value''' (4 out of 16 possibilities) vs. how often the 8 appears (1 out of 16).  This means a 2d4 roll has a 25% chance of resulting in 5 points of damage, but only a 6.125% chance of resulting in 8 points of damage.  Meanwhile, the 1d8 roll actually has a higher chance of resulting in the maximum damage value of 8, since 1 out of 8 possibilities (12.5%) result in an 8.
-== See also ==
-* [[:Category:Sources of damage]]
-== Footnotes ==
-{{notelist}}
-{{NavGameplay}}
-[[Category:Gameplay mechanics]]