SWURPG

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Combat System

Combat in SWURPG is fast, dangerous, tactical, and cinematic. Players should care about where they stand, whether they have cover, how far away enemies are, whether they move before attacking, which traits or Force powers they spend, and whether to disable, kill, push, grapple, flank, hide, or retreat. The goal is not "stand still and attack" — it's play the scene.

Building an encounter? The Threat Rating (TR) system, encounter math, and HP-by-tier guidance for monsters and NPCs lives on the Monsters & NPCs page under GM Resources.

Initiative

At the start of combat, each participant rolls:

d20 + Dexterity Modifier + Proficiency Bonus

The GM determines whether any side is surprised. Surprised creatures cannot act during the first round and cannot take Reactions until their first turn ends.

Round and Turn Structure

Combat happens in rounds. Each round, every participant takes one turn in Initiative order. On each turn, a character may:

  • Move up to their Speed before acting
  • Take 1 Action
  • Take 1 Bonus Action if available
  • Use 1 Reaction during the round when triggered

Turn Flow

  1. Start of turn
  2. Movement
  3. Action
  4. Bonus Action, if available and conditions are met
  5. End of turn

Reactions happen outside the character's turn when triggered.

Object Interaction

Once per turn, you may interact with one object as part of your movement or another action — drawing or sheathing a weapon, opening a door, retrieving a stim, picking up a dropped item, activating a tool, etc. This first interaction is free. Additional object interactions in the same turn require your Action. Some species traits, class traits, or talents grant additional free interactions per turn (e.g., four-armed species can draw or swap weapons more freely).

Movement Restriction

By default, a character must complete movement before taking their Action. They cannot continue moving after acting unless a trait, Force power, or special feature allows it. This rule creates more meaningful tactical decisions and gives battlefield positioning real weight.

Core Combat Actions

ActionEffect
AttackMake a melee, ranged, unarmed, natural weapon, special attack, or Force power attack.
AimForgo all movement this turn to gain +1 to your next attack roll.
DashMove up to double your Speed this turn.
DodgeUntil the start of your next turn, attacks against you have Disadvantage and you make Dexterity saves with Advantage.
HelpGrant Advantage to an ally's next ability check or attack roll against a creature within 5 feet of you.
HideMake a Stealth check to become hidden if you have cover, darkness, concealment, or distraction — see Hiding and Being Unseen.
ReadyPrepare an Action to occur when a specific trigger happens.
Use a TraitActivate a class, subclass, species, or other trait that requires an Action.
Use a Force PowerActivate a Force Power that requires an Action.
Use an ObjectInteract with an item meaningfully — activate a device, open a blast door panel, throw a detonator, use specialized equipment.
PushAttempt to shove a creature away or knock it prone. Roll Athletics contested by the target's Athletics or Acrobatics.
GrappleUse the Attack action to attempt a grapple (contested Athletics vs. Athletics or Acrobatics). On success, the target gains the Grappled condition.
SearchLook for hidden creatures, traps, clues, weak points, concealed compartments, or environmental opportunities.
Treat InjuryUse a Medpac and the Treat Injury skill to heal or stabilize a creature.

Disengage is a Bonus Action, not an Action — see Opportunity Attacks.

Area Attacks

Autofire

A character may use a full-auto-capable weapon to spray a 2×2 area (10 ft × 10 ft). The attack roll takes a −5 penalty (−2 if the attacker is braced). Every creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw against the attack roll total. Creatures that fail take full damage; creatures that succeed take half damage.

Grenades and Explosives

Grenades do not require an attack roll, and no proficiency is needed to throw one — anyone can pull the pin. Designate a 10-ft radius blast zone. Every creature in the zone must make a Dexterity saving throw against DC 13. Failures take full damage (or suffer the grenade's full effect — Stunned, EMP shutdown, etc.); successes take half damage (or avoid the effect entirely for non-damage grenades). Area effects may reach creatures in Full Cover depending on positioning.

The base DC of 13 is character-independent — the grenade's own design fixes it, not the thrower's stats. Class traits like Tech Specialist's Grenadier raise the DC further (+1 / +2 / +3 / +4 at L3 / L7 / L13 / L17) and, from L13 onward, impose disadvantage on the save.

By default, grenades land in the chosen space without a skill check. At GM discretion, an Athletics or Acrobatics check may be required in extreme conditions (throws over 30 ft, high winds, zero gravity, tight openings). On failure, the grenade may scatter.

Improvised, Thrown & Falling Objects

When a creature throws a loose object as a weapon — by hand, telekinetically (see Move/Push/Pull Object and the Telekinesis rule in The Force), or flung by a shockwave — resolve it as a ranged attack against the target's AC, or as a Dexterity saving throw against the effect's DC for an area or a Force power. On a hit, the object deals bludgeoning (Kinetic) damage scaled to its size:

Object sizeImpact damage (guideline)
Tiny / Small (rock, tool, helmet)1d6
Medium (a person, a crate)2d6
Large (heavy crate, swoop bike)3d6
Huge (landspeeder)4d6
Gargantuan and larger (starfighter, walker)5d6+ (GM scales)

These numbers are guidance, not gospel — the GM adjusts for the object (a durasteel girder hits harder than a stack of empty crates), its speed, and what it strikes. An extreme or high-velocity impact may deal far more, knock the target Prone, or be ruled lethal outright. Falling objects and falling creatures use the same guideline by the faller's size and the distance dropped.

Area of Effect Shapes

  • Cone: Expands outward in a widening triangle from the origin. At 5 ft: ~1 square wide. At 10 ft: ~3 squares wide. At 15 ft: ~5 squares wide.
  • Burst (Radius): Spreads from a central point in all directions. A "10-ft radius" burst affects all spaces within 10 ft of the origin.
  • Line: Extends in a straight path from the origin. One square wide unless specified otherwise.
  • Square / Area: Covers its exact footprint on the grid (e.g., "10 × 10 ft").

Movement

Each character has a Speed in feet. Most Medium species have a Speed of 30 ft.

  • Move up to Speed before taking an Action.
  • Difficult terrain costs double movement.
  • Standing from prone costs half movement.
  • Crawling while prone costs double movement.
  • Movement after an Action requires a trait, feature, or special rule.

Flying

Some creatures and gear grant a flying speed — a winged species, a repulsor rig, or a jetpack. A flying speed is used in place of the creature's walking Speed for that movement and follows these rules:

  • Ignore the ground. A flyer ignores ground-based difficult terrain, hazards, gaps, and low obstacles, and can cross water or a chasm freely.
  • High ground. Firing on a target below from directly overhead — or a steep enough down-angle — ignores ground cover that only blocks level fire (low walls, cargo crates, barricades, an engine block) and cancels the −5 a Prone target normally imposes on ranged attackers, since from above its whole profile is exposed. Full Cover overhead — a roof, ledge, or canopy over the target — still blocks, and the GM calls borderline angles. This is a matter of positioning, not a bonus to hit: the flat Advantage for firing on a grounded foe is what the Aerial Ace trait adds on top. The trade is that a flyer has no cover of its own while aloft — it hangs in the open, exposed to fire from every side.
  • Hovering is not automatic. A flyer can stay in one spot in the air only if its source says it can hover; otherwise it must keep moving each turn or it descends. A jetpack's thrust lets its user hover.
  • Falling when flight ends. If a creature's flying speed ends while it is still aloft with no other means of support — it runs out of fuel, is knocked out, or ends the turn without re-establishing flight — it falls, taking falling damage per the Improvised, Thrown & Falling Objects guideline above and landing Prone.
  • Melee from the air. A flyer within an enemy's reach can be struck normally; a grounded creature can only make melee attacks against a flyer that is within its reach.

Flying speed granted by a jetpack has its own activation cost, fuel limit, and training requirement — see Jetpacks & Personal Flight.

Creature Sizes

SizeSpace
Tiny2.5 ft × 2.5 ft
Small5 ft × 5 ft
Medium5 ft × 5 ft
Large10 ft × 10 ft
Huge15 ft × 15 ft
Gargantuan20+ ft × 20+ ft

Hiding and Being Unseen

The Hide action gets you out of sight. This is what that's worth.

Making the attempt. Hiding takes your Action, and you need something to hide behind — cover, darkness, concealment, or a distraction. In the open, there is nothing to attempt.

The contest. Roll Stealth, opposed by a Perception check from each enemy who might notice you. Both are active rolls — SWURPG has no passive scores. You are hidden from every creature whose Perception you beat, and plainly visible to the rest; against a mixed group you can be unseen by some and not others.

The circumstances shape both sides, as the GM judges them:

  • Darkness gives Advantage on your Stealth against anyone without darkvision — and no benefit at all against those who have it.
  • Heavier cover favours the hider; a thin pillar or a low crate is far less help than a blast door.
  • Size already swings this: Small and smaller roll Stealth with Advantage, Large and bigger with Disadvantage (see Size and Stealth).
  • Noise and light cut the other way. Heavy armor may impose a Stealth penalty, and a lit jetpack ruins the attempt outright.

While you are hidden from a creature:

  • Your attack rolls against it have Advantage — it cannot defend against what it cannot see.
  • It cannot target you with an attack or a single-target effect. It can still catch you in an area — a grenade, a cone, a blast doesn't need to see you.
  • It may move to where it last saw you, and the GM may allow a fresh Perception check when it comes close.

You are revealed the moment you attack — hit or miss — or step out of the cover that was screening you. Being revealed to one creature does not automatically give you away to the rest, though a shot fired usually does.

Opportunity Attacks

Reach means something. A creature that turns its back on an armed opponent and runs gives that opponent a free swing.

Trigger. A hostile creature you can see leaves your melee reach using its own movement.

Cost. Your Reaction — one per round, refreshed at the start of your turn.

Effect. Make one melee attack against it with a weapon you have drawn, resolved before it leaves your reach.

An opportunity attack is a single attack, not your Attack action — it grants no extra attacks from Multiattack or Extra Attack, and it cannot be traded for a Grapple, a Push, or a Force power.

What does not provoke

  • Disengaging. A creature may Disengage as a Bonus Action. Its movement provokes nothing for the rest of that turn.
  • Involuntary movement. Being shoved, pulled, thrown, or moved by a Force power is not the creature's own movement — it provokes nothing.
  • Moving inside your reach. Circling a foe, stepping to its flank, or closing distance never provokes. Only leaving the reach does.
  • A feature that says so. Many class and species traits read "move X ft without provoking opportunity attacks" — those override this rule for that movement.

A creature that cannot take Reactions — Stunned, Surprised in round 1, Confused, Shaken, unconscious — cannot make opportunity attacks at all.

Flanking

Two attackers working a single target from opposite sides split its attention. It cannot watch both.

When you and an ally are on directly opposite sides of a target, and both of you are within your own melee reach of it, each of you gains +2 on melee attack rolls against that target.

  • "Opposite sides" means the target is directly between you — straight across, or corner to corner on the diagonal. Standing beside each other, or at right angles, is not flanking.
  • Flanking applies to melee attacks only. It never improves a ranged attack, a thrown weapon, or a Force power.
  • Your flanking partner has to be able to press the advantage. An ally who is unconscious, Stunned, Restrained, or Incapacitated does not flank, and neither does one with no weapon drawn.
  • The bonus is +2 regardless of how many allies surround the target. Three attackers do not stack it — each one that has a partner directly opposite gets +2, and no more.
  • Flanking is not a player privilege. Enemies flank too, and a party that lets itself get surrounded will feel it.

Prone

A creature may drop prone as part of movement or instead of moving.

While prone:

  • Speed is 0 until the creature crawls or stands.
  • Standing costs half movement.
  • Melee attacks against the creature gain +5 to hit.
  • Ranged attacks against the creature suffer −5 to hit.
  • The prone creature suffers −5 on melee attack rolls.

Prone is a tactical tradeoff: useful against blaster fire, dangerous in melee.

Cover

Cover is central to SWURPG combat. Blaster fights should make the environment matter.

Cover TypeBonus
Standard Cover+2 to +5 AC and Dexterity saves
Improved Cover+6 to +10 AC and Dexterity saves
Full CoverCannot be directly targeted

Standard examples: low wall (+2), cargo crate (+2 to +4), speeder engine block (+4), rock outcropping (+3 to +5).

Improved examples: firing slit (+8), reinforced blast door partially open (+10), fortified barricade (+6 to +10).

Full Cover: if a creature is completely behind solid cover, it cannot be directly targeted. Area effects may still reach it depending on positioning.

Ranged Attacks and Distance

Every ranged weapon lists a range — the distance it was built to shoot accurately. A hold-out blaster is meant for across a table; a blaster rifle is meant for across a hangar. That number, not a fixed table of feet, is what a shot is measured against.

Call the weapon's listed range R. A weapon with a range under 20 ft uses 20 ft as its R, since anything is accurate at arm's length.

DistanceBandPenalty
0–20 ftPoint Blank0
within REffective0
up to 2 × RLong−2
up to 3 × RExtreme−5
up to 4 × RMaximum−10
beyond 4 × Rout of reach

So a blaster rifle (range 80 ft) shoots without penalty out to 80 ft, then −2 to 160, −5 to 240, −10 to 320. A hold-out blaster (range 30 ft) is clean to 30 ft, then −2 to 60, −5 to 90, −10 to 120. The rifle is the better long gun because its range says so, not because a table says an arbitrary distance is "short".

Attacks beyond 250 feet generally require specialized equipment (sniper scopes, targeting systems) whatever the weapon's range. Force powers that require ranged attack rolls use their own listed range the same way.

Point Blank is always 0–20 ft, whatever the weapon. Traits that key off Point-Blank Range — Point Blank Shot among them — measure against that 20 ft, not against R.

Ranged Attack & Damage Formulas

Attack bonus = DEX modifier + Proficiency Bonus + weapon upgrade bonuses + trait bonuses

Damage = weapon dice only + weapon upgrade bonuses + trait bonuses

Ranged weapons always use DEX — never STR. Ranged weapons do not add any ability modifier to damage; there are no per-weapon exceptions, since adding DEX to ranged damage would scale too aggressively at high levels.

Melee and Unarmed Attacks

Attack bonus = STR modifier (or DEX if the weapon has the finesse property and DEX > STR) + Proficiency Bonus + weapon upgrade bonuses + trait bonuses

Damage = weapon dice + STR modifier + weapon upgrade bonuses + trait bonuses

Melee weapons always add STR to damage, regardless of whether DEX was used for the attack roll.

Unarmed strikes deal 1 + STR modifier damage (or DEX if the character has a trait that permits it). Natural weapons may replace this damage if granted by species traits.

Critical Hits

A natural 20 on an attack roll is a critical hit. It always hits, regardless of the target's Armor Class, and it deals double damage: roll the hit's damage exactly as you normally would — dice, ability modifier, weapon upgrades, trait bonuses, every rider — then double the total. A 2d6 + 2 weapon that rolls 10 on a critical hit deals 20.

That is not the same as rolling the dice twice. A few features, Rapid Shot among them, roll a weapon's damage dice an extra time and add its bonuses once; a critical hit doubles everything, bonuses included.

Some weapons, class features, or traits widen a weapon's critical range so that a crit lands on a 19–20 or 18–20 instead of only a natural 20; a wider range means more of your hits crit. A few effects add an extra die or a rider on a critical hit — some class features grant a bonus damage die on a crit, and a Called Shot upgrades its effect when the strike crits. Those are added after the damage is doubled, not doubled with it. A natural 1 on an attack roll is always a miss, no matter how high your bonus.

Dual Wielding

A character may wield a weapon in each hand. Dual wielding applies to both melee and ranged combat — a Smuggler with two blaster pistols, a Jedi with two lightsabers, a four-armed Besalisk with twin vibroaxes.

Action Economy

  • Main-hand attack is taken with your Action.
  • Off-hand attack is taken with your Bonus Action on the same turn.
  • You may dual-wield without making the off-hand attack — wielding two weapons does not, by itself, force a Bonus Action.

Attack Penalty

While dual wielding (an off-hand weapon is also wielded), both attacks take a −5 penalty to the attack roll. This penalty is reduced by the Dual Wielder ASI Alternative Traits:

SourceOff-hand penalty
Default−5
Dual Wielder I (ASI)−2
Dual Wielder II (ASI; requires I)0

Four-armed species do not auto-grant Dual Wielder I — they must take it as an ASI like any other character.

Off-Hand Damage

The off-hand attack deals basic weapon damage only — the weapon's listed damage dice, with no positive ability-modifier bonus, no class trait bonuses (e.g., specialization, expertise, Lightsaber Discipline), and no species damage bonuses.

STR penalty exception: if your Strength modifier is negative, the penalty still applies to off-hand damage. You don't get the bonus when STR is positive, but you can't escape the penalty when it's negative. Both hands feel a weak swing.

Melee damage always uses STR, even on finesse weapons (finesse affects the attack roll only, not the damage). The main-hand attack uses normal damage rules.

Per-weapon upgrade contributions (crystals, lenses, energy cells) do still apply to off-hand damage — they are properties of the weapon, not the wielder. Only positive ability/class/species mods are suppressed.

Off-Hand Weapon Restrictions

Off-hand weaponAllowed?
Two-handed (any size; weapons with the two-handed property)Not allowed unless the wielder is four-armed and has Strength 14+
Light (size Small/Tiny, or Ranged Light, or any weapon ≤ 1.5 kg)Always allowed
Medium (size Medium > 1.5 kg, or Ranged Medium, not two-handed)Requires Strength 13+
Heavy (size Large+, or Ranged Heavy, not two-handed)Not allowed

The 1.5 kg threshold reclassifies physically-light Medium-size weapons (lightsabers, vibrorapier, lightweight pistols) as light for off-hand purposes — a 1 kg lightsaber is wieldable one-handed regardless of its Medium size class.

Four-Armed Species Exception

Species whose anatomy provides four functional arms — Besalisk, Codru-Ji, Hysalrian — may wield two two-handed weapons at once if their Strength is 14+. The four-arms anatomy gives the capability; it does not grant Dual Wielder I — the standard −5 dual-wield penalty still applies until the player picks up the ASI feat.

Stacking Bonuses

Bonuses that apply specifically to dual wielding (e.g., the Shoto Grip lightsaber upgrade: "+1 to attack with the off-hand shoto when dual-wielding") apply only to the indicated hand. The dual-wield penalty is computed first; the bonus is added on top.

Called Shots

A called shot trades accuracy for a specific, disabling result — knock a blaster from a hand, blind a sensor, buckle a knee, or take a limb off. Because a well-placed strike can neutralize even a powerful foe, called shots are deliberately hard: the harder the outcome you want, the harder the roll. Declare a called shot before you make a single-target attack — melee or ranged (a vibroblade to the knee, a blaster bolt to an eye). It cannot be used with Autofire or area attacks, and a body part that has already been disabled cannot be disabled again.

Declaring the Shot

Name the location and the outcome you want — that outcome sets the difficulty. There is no separate tier to track; you choose how hard the roll is by choosing how much you want to accomplish.

A passing disable → the attack is made with Disadvantage. A maiming blow → the attack is made with Disadvantage and −5.

A passing disable rattles or hampers (Dazed, halved Speed, a dropped weapon); a maiming blow is lasting (a blinded eye, a severed limb). The same location can be targeted either way — you can buckle a leg (Disadvantage) or take it off (Disadvantage and −5).

Target size is the GM's dial, not a penalty. A bigger creature is easier to hit, so there is no size penalty to attempt a called shot. Instead, the GM may lower the difficulty for an unusually large or exposed part (a rancor's tree-trunk leg) and raise it for a tiny or sealed one (a droid's armored optic) — and may rule a foe simply immune where a location is meaningless (a droid has no head to rattle; an ooze has no limbs).

Resolving the Shot

On a hit, the target takes normal damage and must resist the called-shot effect. It rolls the higher of its Dexterity or Constitution modifier against your attack roll total — twisting away from the strike, or enduring the wound — so a nimble duelist and a resilient brute are both hard to cripple.

ResultEffect
FailThe full called-shot effect (see the table below).
Succeed by 1–3A lesser version — a graze (see the table).
Succeed by 4+Shrugged off — damage only.

The damage always lands; the save decides only whether the special effect happens. A called shot is a gamble, never a save-or-lose.

The Called-Shot Table

You call…DifficultyOn a failed save (a graze on Succeed by 1–3)
Head — rattle itDisadvantageDazed until the end of its next turn (Disadvantage on attacks). A critical hitStunned until the end of its next turn instead. (Graze: Dazed, but it ends the moment the target makes its next attack.)
Weapon hand — rap itDisadvantageTarget drops one held item of your choice at its feet. Retrieving it costs an Object Interaction (or an Action if it is no longer adjacent). (Graze: it keeps the weapon but has Disadvantage on its next attack with it.)
Leg — buckle itDisadvantageTarget's Speed is halved until the end of its next turn. With a cleaving weapon or a critical hit, it is knocked Prone instead. (Graze: Speed halved only until the start of its next turn.)
Eye / sensor — blind itDisadvantage −5Target is Blinded for 1 minute (it may repeat the save at the end of each of its turns to end it early). A droid's sensor is destroyed until repaired with a DC 15 Mechanics check. (Graze: Dazed until the end of its next turn.)
Arm or leg — sever itDisadvantage −5The limb is severed — possible only with a cleaving weapon (see below). The limb's function is lost permanently (the GM tracks it; prosthetics are common in the galaxy). Severing a limb does not by itself kill — 0 HP remains the only way to drop a target — so it disables but never instantly wins. (Graze: a deep, Bleeding wound; the limb holds.)
Vital spot — kill itGM's callA killing blow — a sai cha beheading, a bolt through the heart — is a finishing move only: allowed against a helpless or near-dead foe, or with the GM's express permission. It is never a save-or-die against a healthy target.

Cleaving weapons. The sever and the knock-Prone-on-hit results require a cutting edge: any lightsaber, or any melee weapon that deals Slashing damage (vibro-axes, vibroblades, vibroswords, war swords, and the like). A blaster or a bludgeon can rattle, blind, or disarm a foe — but it cannot take a limb.

Marks of Contact. Lightsaber duelists name their called shots after the classic marks: sun djem (disarm — destroy or knock away the weapon), cho mai (sever the weapon hand), cho sun (sever the weapon arm), cho mok (sever a limb), sai cha (behead), and mou kei (dismember). The severing marks belong to a warrior willing to maim — a Jedi who reaches for sai cha against a helpless foe has taken a step toward the dark.

Damage Types

TypeExamples
EnergyBlasters, lightsabers, turbolasers, plasma casters.
KineticUmbrella for all physical impact damage (see subtypes below).
— BludgeoningClubs, fists, blunt impacts, falling debris, shockwaves.
— SlashingBlades, claws, vibro-weapons, cutting edges.
— PiercingSlug rounds, spears, bowcaster bolts, shrapnel.
FireExplosions, plasma torches, flamethrowers, burning fuel.
ColdCryogenic weapons, vacuum exposure, freezing environments.
IonDroid and electronics-disrupting weapons.
ElectricForce lightning, shock batons, arc emitters.
Chemical / ToxicVenom, toxins, gas, poison, biological weapons.
ForceRaw Force energy from select powers (often, but not exclusively, dark-side techniques like Force Crush).
StunStun bolts, stun batons (see Stun Damage below; does not reduce HP).
SonicSonic grenades, sound-based weapons.

Resistances and immunities can apply at the broad Kinetic level (covering all three subtypes) or at the subtype level (e.g., resistance to Bludgeoning only). When a trait or species ability specifies a Kinetic subtype, it applies only to that subtype.

Resistance and Vulnerability

  • Resistance halves incoming damage of a type.
  • Vulnerability doubles incoming damage of a type.
  • Immunity negates all damage of a type entirely.

Apply Resistance, Vulnerability, or Immunity after all other modifiers.

Stacking Rules

  • Multiple sources of Resistance to the same damage type do not stack — you simply have Resistance.
  • If you have both Resistance and Vulnerability to the same damage type, they cancel out and you take normal damage.
  • Immunity always overrides Resistance and Vulnerability for that type.

Damage Resistance X (Flat)

Some armor upgrades and abilities grant Damage Resistance X vs a specific damage type — for example, "Damage Resistance 2 vs Energy damage." This subtracts X from each incoming hit of that type before applying other modifiers. Minimum damage after reduction is 0. Flat Damage Resistance and halving Resistance are separate mechanics and do not combine — if both apply to the same hit, apply the flat reduction first, then halve the remainder.

Regeneration X

Some armor upgrades and abilities grant Regeneration X. At the start of each of the creature's turns, it regains X HP. Regeneration does not function while the creature is at 0 HP.

Stun Damage

Stun damage does not reduce Hit Points. Instead, it forces the target to resist incapacitation through a Constitution saving throw.

Stun DC = Weapon Base DC + attacker's Proficiency Bonus

Weapon CategoryBase DC
Light Weapons8
Medium Weapons10
Heavy Weapons12
ResultEffect
FailTarget gains the Stunned condition.
Succeed by 1–3Target becomes Dazed until end of its next turn (Disadvantage on attacks).
Succeed by 4+No effect.

At the end of each of its turns, a Stunned target may repeat the Constitution saving throw against the same DC. On a success, the Stunned condition ends. Force Powers that cause stun effects use their own Force DCs and are not affected by this rule.

Armor Class

AC = 10 + Dexterity modifier (limited by armor) + Armor Bonus + Shield Bonus + Size Modifier + other modifiers

Armor has a Maximum Dexterity Bonus. A character wearing armor cannot apply more Dexterity to AC than the armor allows.

Size Modifiers to AC

SizeModifier
Gargantuan−3
Huge−2
Large−1
Medium+0
Small+1
Tiny+2
Diminutive+3

Size and Stealth

  • Diminutive, Tiny, or Small: Advantage on Stealth checks.
  • Medium: No modifier.
  • Large, Huge, or Gargantuan: Disadvantage on Stealth checks.

If a species trait also grants advantage or disadvantage on Stealth, advantage and disadvantage cancel out as normal.

Armor Categories

  • Light Armor: AC bonus +1 to +4. Full Dexterity modifier applies (Max Dex +4 or higher). No speed limit. No inherent Stealth penalty.
  • Medium Armor: AC bonus +4 to +8. DEX modifier capped at +1 to +3. Speed may be capped at 20 ft (most medium armor) or unrestricted (lighter medium variants).
  • Heavy Armor: AC bonus +6 to +10. DEX modifier capped at +0 to +1. Speed capped at 20 ft. May impose Stealth penalties.

A few rare armors fall outside these bands by design — flagged in their stat block's notes. Examples: legendary biological armor (Vonduun Crabshell — above-band Light AC) and survival gear (Vacuum Pod — below-band Heavy AC, since it's a vehicle, not combat armor). Treat them as the explicit exceptions they are.

Armor Proficiency

A character can only wear armor in a category they are proficient with. Proficiency is granted by your class or subclass; additional categories can be acquired through the Armor Proficiency ASI Alternative Trait. Without the appropriate proficiency, a character cannot effectively wear that armor — it is too unfamiliar to provide its protective benefit.

Unarmored Defense

Unarmored characters use: AC = 10 + Dexterity modifier + Size Modifier + other bonuses.

Certain classes or subclasses grant Defensive Training, which adds a scaling AC bonus to unarmored defense. This stacks with Dexterity and species bonuses but does not stack with replacement AC formulas.

Examples

Hit Points and 0 HP

Hit Points represent vitality, stamina, luck, grit, and survival under fire. Temporary HP absorbs damage before regular HP and is lost first. Temporary HP does not stack — if you receive Temporary HP while already having some, take the higher value.

When damage reduces a creature to 0 HP, it falls Unconscious and begins Death Saving Throws.

Death Saving Throws

At the start of each of its turns, the unconscious creature rolls 1d20:

ResultOutcome
10+1 success.
9 or lower1 failure.
Natural 20Regain 1 HP, become conscious, act normally on this turn.
Natural 1Counts as 2 failures.
  • 3 Successes: Stabilized. The creature remains Unconscious at 0 HP and no longer makes Death Saving Throws.
  • 3 Failures: The creature dies.
  • Damage while at 0 HP: Each hit causes 1 automatic failure. A Critical Hit causes 2 failures.

Stabilization

A dying character can be stabilized in the following ways:

  • Medpac: Applying a Medpac restores Hit Points and immediately ends the dying state.
  • Treat Injury (DC 25): A successful DC 25 Treat Injury check stabilizes the target without a Medpac.
  • Any healing: Any effect that restores at least 1 HP ends the dying state and returns the character to consciousness.

Unconscious Effects

  • Incapacitated.
  • Falls Prone.
  • Drops held items.
  • Speed becomes 0.
  • Automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
  • Attacks against the creature have Advantage.
  • Any melee hit from within 5 feet is a Critical Hit.

Conditions

Stunned

  • Cannot move or take Actions, Bonus Actions, or Reactions.
  • Automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
  • Attackers have Advantage against the creature.
  • At the end of each of its turns, the creature may repeat the Constitution saving throw (same DC) — on a success, the condition ends.

Dazed

  • Disadvantage on attack rolls.
  • Duration: until end of the creature's next turn.

Grappled

  • Speed becomes 0.
  • Disadvantage on attacks not targeting the grappler.
  • Escape using an Action: contested Athletics or Acrobatics vs. grappler's Athletics.
  • If the grappler becomes Incapacitated or is moved out of reach, the grapple ends.

Prone

  • Melee attacks against the creature gain +5 to hit.
  • Ranged attacks against the creature suffer −5 to hit.
  • The creature suffers −5 on its own melee attack rolls.
  • Standing from prone costs half movement.

Bleeding

  • Takes 1d8 kinetic damage at the end of each of its turns.
  • Cured by a Medpac, Force healing, or a DC 12 Treat Injury check.
  • Does not stack — applying Bleeding again does not increase the damage.

Burning

  • Takes 1d6 fire damage at the start of each of its turns.
  • May have Disadvantage on delicate Dexterity checks at GM discretion.
  • The creature or an adjacent ally can use an Action to extinguish the flames.
  • Entering water or being fully doused ends the condition immediately.

Frightened

  • Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks while the source of fear is visible.
  • Cannot willingly move closer to the source of fear.
  • Must use movement to move away from the source if within 20 feet.
  • If moving away would provoke opportunity attacks, the creature may Disengage as a Bonus Action.
  • At the end of each of its turns, the creature may repeat the Wisdom saving throw to end the condition.

Poisoned

  • Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
  • Some poisons inflict ongoing damage or additional effects.
  • Many poisons allow a Constitution saving throw at the end of each turn to end the condition.

Unconscious

  • Incapacitated and unaware of surroundings.
  • Falls Prone.
  • Drops held items.
  • Speed becomes 0.
  • Automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
  • Attacks against the creature have Advantage.
  • Any melee hit from within 5 feet is a Critical Hit.

Surprised

  • On the first round of combat only, cannot take Actions, Bonus Actions, or Reactions.
  • Still rolls Initiative normally.
  • The condition ends at the end of the first round.

Blinded

  • Cannot see; automatically fails sight-based checks.
  • Attack rolls against the creature have Advantage.
  • The creature's attack rolls have Disadvantage unless it has special senses.

Charmed

  • Cannot intentionally harm the creature that Charmed it.
  • The charmer has Advantage on social checks against the creature.
  • If the charmer or their allies harm the creature, it usually gets an immediate saving throw or the condition ends.

Confused

  • Cannot take Reactions.
  • At the start of each of its turns, roll 1d6: 1–2 the creature attacks the nearest creature; 3–4 it moves in a random direction and takes no Action; 5–6 it acts normally.
  • At the end of each of its turns, the creature may repeat the saving throw to end the condition.

Shaken

  • Cannot take Reactions.
  • −1 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws.
  • Disadvantage on saving throws against fear or Intimidation effects.
  • At the end of each of its turns, the creature may repeat the saving throw (if one was allowed) to end the condition.

Freezing

  • Speed is halved.
  • Disadvantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.
  • May take cold damage each round as specified by the effect.
  • Heat sources or a successful saving throw can end the condition.

Paralyzed

  • Incapacitated; cannot move or speak.
  • Automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
  • Attack rolls against the creature have Advantage.
  • Any melee hit from within 5 feet is a Critical Hit.

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