Weapon Attack

Making a weapon attack

To make a weapon attack we will need to roll D20 dice, and calculate the total attack roll. This is comprised of the Base Roll (on the d20) the character’s dexterity modifier, the character’s weapon level for the weapon used in the attack, and any additional bonuses from magical items, spells, or buffs. The final attack roll number is then compared to the target’s Armor Class to determine if the attack lands successfully or not.

If the attack is successful, then the player rolls the associated weapon’s damage dice and adds in the applicable modifiers to determine total damage dealt. The damage roll uses the strength attribute modifier instead of dexterity to determine the amount of damage dealt. The general assumption is that the more dexterous you are (better hand-eye coordination and more nimble) the more likely you are to land a hit. The stronger you are, the more damage that hit will do to your enemy. Attack Rolls will always use the dexterity modifier unless the weapon has a special attribute. Likewise, Damage Rolls will always use the strength modifier unless the weapon has a special attribute. Basic Weapon Attack Roll Chart

Example - Boris swings his mighty long sword at his enemy, a stunned and confused looking little old lady. Boris doesn’t seem concerned since he has tons of experience swinging around his long sword, and is level 3 with that particular class of weapon. Also, Boris has a Strength Modifier of +2 and a Dexterity Modifier of +1 (what a stud!) His player has rolled an 8 on his D20 attack dice, but his roll to hit is 12. Let’s take a look at the attack roll break down.

Since the tiny and defenseless little old lady’s AC a paltry 5, Boris lands his devastating blow almost effortlessly. Now comes the fun part. Let’s see how much physical pain and anguish Boris has dealt to this poor old lady who is most likely somebody’s Grandma, and then quantify it numerically!!! For this calculation, we will need to keep in mind that Boris is level 3 with a longsword, has a Strength Modifier of +2, and will be using the damage dice dictated by the weapon (D8) for the base roll. Boris’ player has rolled a 3 on the D8 damage dice, let’s break down the damage roll total.

Boris has scored a direct hit with his longsword, and has dealt a total of 13 damage to the confused and now deceased innocent old lady who had a hit point total of 4. Huzzah for Boris, the champion of the day! Ranged Attacks use Dexterity Modifier for the attack roll, but do NOT benefit from any attribute modifier on damage roll (only weapon level and other applicable bonuses).