ACTION POINTS
Usually abbreviated to "AP".
All PCs start the day with 1AP. At the end of each milestone (typically two encounters, whether combat or social), PCs gain an additional AP.
APs may be used to gain another action (move, minor or standard) during a PCs turn.
- Only one AP may be used per encounter.
- You may use an AP to take an additional action while Dazed.
- You may use an AP to take an additional action following a charge.
AP do not carry over. If you have 3 at the start of an extended rest, they will be lost and your AP will reset to 1 at the end of the extended rest.
Note that Elite monsters have 1AP and solo monsters have 2APs. Solo monsters may use both their APs over the course of an encounter.
AOE ATTACKS/MULTIPLE TARGET ATTACKS
When making an area attack, you roll versus each target individually.
HOWEVER - you only roll one set of damage which is applied to all the targets you hit.
Bursts and Blasts
- A burst is an area effect centred on a specific point and extending a number of squares in all directions around that point.
- A blast is an area effect centered on a single square adjacent to the caster and extending in a square from that point.
- A close burst is an area effect centered on the caster and extending a number of squares in all directions from the caster.
Examples:
An area burst 1 within 10 allows the caster to pick a square up to 10 away and apply the powers effects to all creatures within the 9 square zone.
- A close blast 3 allows the caster to select an adjacent square and apply the powers effects to all creatures within the 9 square zone.
- A close burst 5 allows the caster to use himself as the targeting point and apply the effects of the power within the 25 square zone.
Note that some powers affect allies differently to monsters.
Note also that if allies are in the burst/blast area, you have to roll against them as well. Particularly true of many wizard powers.
Multiple target attacks work slightly differently. If a ranger makes a Twin Strike attack against two different targets, he rolls an attack for each target AND damage for each target.
ATTACKS
All attacks are made against a specific defence. Armor Class, Fortitude, Reflex or Will. Abbreviated to AC/R/F/W.
If the attack roll is the same or higher than the target's defence, the attack hits. Targets do not get a saving throw to prevent the damage.
Thus, if a fighter has a power which attacks Fort and rolls the same or higher than the target's Fort, that attack hits and the fighter rolls damage.
Similarly if a monster attacks a PC versus a defence, if the attack roll is the same or higher than the named defence, that attack hits and the PC does not make a save to prevent the damage.
CHARGE
A charge is a standard action.
To charge, you must be more than two squares away from the target and must charge to the nearest point where you can hit the target.
You may not charge further than your move allows (i.e. if you have move 5, that's how far you can charge).
Charge attacks are made at +1 to the attack roll and automatically end your turn.
You can, therefore, use your move action to set up a charge and then use your standard action to charge (effectively doubling your move).
CRITICAL HITS
A natural 20 is a critical hit. You don't have to roll to confirm it, it just is. You automatically do maximum damage for whatever attack you were using and any extra damage granted by your weapon. Typically this is an extra die per plus, but it can vary. Jagged weapons, for example don't roll extra damage, but automatically do 10 ongoing damge (se).
COMBAT ADVANTAGE
Abbreviated to "CA".
A creature granting CA is more vulnerable to attacks. Attack rolls against such a target are made at +2.
Flanking and Daze are the most common causes of CA.
DYING AND DEATH SAVES
At 0hp a creature is unconscious. Creatures on 0hp or less must make a death save in order to stabilise themselves. A death save is like any other save (with one exception noted below). Roll 10 or higher. If you fail three death saves, you are dead. Failed death saves accumulate over the course of the adventuring day.
A creature also dies if it reaches minus its bloodied value. Luthiel the Luckless has 24hp and when he's knocked unconscious has -6hp and is taking 6 ongoing damage. Unless someone helps him with a heal before the start of his next turn, he is going to die because the 6 ongoing damage will take him to -12 (his negative bloodied value).
The Death Save Exception:
If you roll a natural 20 when making a death save, you can immediately spend a healing surge (if you have one). Like all healing, it counts from 0. You don't have to heal the negative value.
FLANKING
Creatures are considered to be flanking if they are opposite each other around a medium sized target. They may be on a diagonal to flank.
In the case of larger or bigger targets, creatures are considered to be flanking if they are adjacent to the target on different sides of it - i.e. they do not have to be exactly opposite each other to flank something bigger than medium.
Flanking grants Combat Advantage (CA) and allows a creature to make attack rolls at +2.
Rogues can use their Sneak Attack bonus when they have flanking.
FORCED MOVEMENT
Certain powers allow forced movement, either or allies or enemies or both.
- A push must move the target away from the originator of the effect.
- A pull must move the target closer to the originator of the effect.
- A slide may move the target in any direction.
HEALING
Anyone can attempt to heal an ally. If that ally has not yet used their Second Wind (see below) in the encounter, anyone can use a Heal check at a DC10 to activate it for them. Think of it as applying emergency CPR.
Dying allies can be stabilised at a DC15, which means they no longer have to make death saves.
You need to be adjacent to the relevant ally to do either of these things.
Healing is otherwise the province of leaders, who have powers to help out.
Healing potions can be tipped down someone's throat as a minor action.
Note that healing applied to creatures on 0hp or less heal from 0. In other words, if Luthiel the Luckless is given a surge after he drops unconscious, he immediately gets 6hp and is fully alive and functional.
MARKING
A marked creature must attack at a -2 penalty if it does not include the marker in its attack.
Some classes (Fighters, Wardens and Swordmages for example) can mark a target and force them to take major penalties for ignoring them.
Paladins can divinely challenge a creature with a similar effect – if the creature attacks something other than the paladin, they take damage.
Note that creatures cannot be marked by more than one opponent at a time.
HOWEVER – not all mark-type powers cancel each other out. A Ranger CAN place Hunter’s Quarry on a marked creature and apply extra damage. A Warlock CAN curse a marked and quarried creature and apply extra damage. Neither of these over-rides the mark. Likewise a Fighter or Paladin can mark a cursed or quarried creature without removing either effect.
MOVEMENT
Moving from any square to any other square costs one movement point. There is no penalty for moving diagonally.
OPPORTUNITY ATTACKS
Abbreviated to "OA".
Opportunity attacks trigger under a variety of conditions. The two most common are the following:
- an OA is provoked by moving away from an opponent WITHOUT SHIFTING.
- an OA is provoked when using a ranged attack adjacent to an enemy.
OAs are made using basic attacks, not At-Wills unless the power specifically says you may do so (e.g. Eldritch Blast counts as a ranged basic attack for warlocks).
POWERS
These come in three glorious flavours:
At-Will. As you would expect, At-Will powers can always be used. They are your basic bread and butter attacks.
Encounter. These powers are useable once per encounter (with the sole exception of healing word, inspiring word and such like, which can be used twice). They recharge at the end of a short rest.
Daily. These powers call on your greatest resources, skills and knowledge and can only be used once. They recharge at the end of an extended rest.
RESTING
Short rests. PCs may take as many short rests as they want between extended rests. Typically these occur after an encounter and last about 5 minutes. You are gathering your resources for the next stage of work to be done.
During a short rest, PCs may use as many surges as they like to restore HP. Some classes have powers which allow additional HP to be regained per surge, making them more efficient.
Extended rests. A typical extended rest lasts 8 hours. During that time, all powers, HP and surges are restored to full. APs reset to 1.
SAVE ENDS
Usually abbreviated in my games to "se".
A condition with an "se" appended to it continues until the affected creature rolls a save. A save is made at the end of the creature's turn. To do so, roll 1d20 (with any modifiers granted by anyone/anything) and hope it comes up at 10 or over.
SECOND WIND
Once per encounter, a PC may use a standard action to take a Second Wind. Dwarves (being awesome) may do so using a minor action.
If a PC takes a second wind, they use a healing surge and gain a +2 to all their defences until the start of their next turn.
Monsters do not have Second Wind.
SHIFTING
A shift is a move action.
Typically a shift is a one square move that does not provoke an OA. Some powers increase the number of squares a creature can shift.
Most creatures cannot shift in difficult terrain unless they have a power or racial ability that allows them to do so.
SURGES
Surges represent the number of times a PC can heal or be healed during the course of an adventuring day. In 4e, surge management is really the key to how many encounters a party can deal with.
When a healing power is used, typically a surge-worth of HP is granted to the PC in question. The PC spends the surge and gains the HP. Once all surges are used, the PC usually cannot gain the benefit of healing.
TEMPORARY HP
Temp hp are a useful mechanic that help get PCs through fights. When a power grants Temp hp, they are added to the current HP total but do not count towards whether a creature is bloodied or not.
For example, if Luthiel the wizard has 24 hp, is bloodied at 12hp and currently has 10hp, when Grognar the warlord grants him 5 temp hp, Luthiel is still bloodied, but has an hp cushion giving him a temporary total of 15hp.
If Luthiel then takes another 6 damage, he uses the Temp hp first – taking him down to 9 hp. Any temp hp left over at the end of the encounter vanish.