Secret Lesson 20

Making an Attack: Targets, Modifiers, and Attack Resolution

You now know:

  • when your turn occurs

  • how movement works

  • where creatures can position themselves

Now we reach one of the central mechanics of combat:

MAKING AN ATTACK

An attack might involve:

  • swinging a sword

  • firing a bow

  • throwing a weapon

  • making an Unarmed Strike

  • using a spell that requires an Attack Roll

Although these attacks may look very different in the story, the SRD gives them a common structure.

An attack is resolved in:

THREE STEPS

  1. Choose a Target

  2. Determine Modifiers

  3. Resolve the Attack

 

ATTACK VS. ATTACK ACTION

First, we need to distinguish two related terms:

ATTACK

and:

ATTACK ACTION

They are not exactly the same thing.

THE ATTACK ACTION

When you take the:

ATTACK ACTION

you normally make:

ONE ATTACK ROLL

with:

  • a weapon

  • or an Unarmed Strike

 

BUT ATTACKS CAN COME FROM OTHER SOURCES

The Attack action isn't the only way an attack can happen.

The combat rules state that some:

  • other Actions

  • Bonus Actions

  • Reactions

can also allow you to make an attack.

So remember:

EVERY ATTACK ACTION CAN PRODUCE AN ATTACK

but:

NOT EVERY ATTACK NECESSARILY COMES FROM THE ATTACK ACTION

EXAMPLE

You take:

ATTACK ACTION

and make an attack with your sword.

That is straightforward.

But a Reaction might also tell you:

“Make one melee attack.”

You are still making an attack even though you didn't take the Attack action.

SPELL ATTACKS

Some spells also require:

AN ATTACK ROLL

The SRD explicitly includes spell attacks in the general attack structure.

So the same fundamental process still applies:

choose target

↓

determine modifiers

↓

make Attack Roll

↓

determine hit or miss

THE THREE-STEP ATTACK STRUCTURE

Let's examine each step carefully.

STEP 1 — CHOOSE A TARGET

The first thing you do is select:

WHAT YOU ARE ATTACKING

The target must be within the attack's range.

The SRD allows an attack target to be:

A CREATURE

AN OBJECT

or:

A LOCATION

 

TARGETING A CREATURE

This is the most common form of attack.

For example:

“I attack the Orc.”

“I shoot the dragon.”

“I make a spell attack against the enemy Wizard.”

The selected creature must be within the range allowed by that particular attack.

TARGETING AN OBJECT

Objects can also be attacked.

For example:

“I attack the wooden door.”

“I shoot the rope.”

“I strike the lock.”

You already learned in Lesson 15 that objects can have:

  • Armor Class

  • Hit Points

  • damage-related rules

when the GM uses the Breaking Objects system.

TARGETING A LOCATION

An attack can also target:

A LOCATION

This is particularly important when dealing with something you cannot see.

You might know or guess where a hidden or unseen creature is located and attack that location.

EXAMPLE — UNSEEN CREATURE

You hear something moving in the Darkness.

You cannot see it.

You believe it is standing beside the pillar.

You say:

“I attack that space beside the pillar.”

You have chosen:

A LOCATION

But whether there is actually a creature there remains another question.

RANGE MATTERS BEFORE THE ATTACK ROLL

Your target must be:

WITHIN YOUR ATTACK'S RANGE

 

Different attacks have different ranges.

A melee weapon, ranged weapon, thrown weapon, and spell can all use different distance rules.

We will study:

RANGED ATTACK RANGE

in Lesson 21,

and:

MELEE REACH

in Lesson 22.

For now:

CHECK RANGE BEFORE ROLLING.

YOU CANNOT ATTACK SOMETHING BEYOND THE ATTACK'S ALLOWED RANGE

Suppose your attack can reach only:

5 feet

and the target is:

20 feet away

You cannot simply make the Attack Roll and hope for a high result.

The target must first be a legal target for the attack.

STEP 2 — DETERMINE MODIFIERS

Once the target is chosen, determine what circumstances modify the Attack Roll.

The SRD tells the GM to determine:

  • whether the target has Cover

  • whether the attacker has Advantage

  • whether the attacker has Disadvantage

Other effects can also provide:

  • bonuses

  • penalties

 

SOURCES OF ATTACK MODIFIERS

Potential modifiers can come from:

  • positioning

  • visibility

  • Cover

  • spells

  • class features

  • special abilities

  • conditions

  • weapon properties

  • other game effects

The exact rule tells you what applies.

ADVANTAGE

If you have Advantage on the Attack Roll:

ROLL 2D20

and use:

THE HIGHER RESULT

You learned this in Lesson 8.

DISADVANTAGE

If you have Disadvantage:

ROLL 2D20

and use:

THE LOWER RESULT

ADVANTAGE + DISADVANTAGE

If both apply:

THEY CANCEL

and you roll:

ONE D20

regardless of how many sources of each you have.

EXAMPLE

You have:

two sources of Advantage

and:

one source of Disadvantage

You don't end up with “one Advantage left over.”

Instead:

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE CANCEL COMPLETELY

Roll one d20 normally.

COVER

The GM also determines whether the target benefits from:

COVER

Walls, creatures, trees, and other obstacles can make a target harder to affect.

For now, remember only:

COVER CAN MODIFY AN ATTACK'S CHANCE OF SUCCESS

The complete Half Cover, Three-Quarters Cover, and Total Cover rules belong to:

LESSON 21

OTHER BONUSES AND PENALTIES

Spells, special abilities, and other effects can also modify the Attack Roll.

For example, a specific rule might provide:

+2

or:

−1

or another numerical adjustment.

These are applied according to the wording of the effect.

STEP 3 — RESOLVE THE ATTACK

Now you:

MAKE THE ATTACK ROLL

Then determine whether the attack:

HITS

or:

MISSES

 

BASIC ATTACK ROLL FORMULA

A typical Attack Roll looks like:

1D20

+ RELEVANT ABILITY MODIFIER

+ PROFICIENCY BONUS IF APPLICABLE

+ OTHER MODIFIERS

Then compare the result against:

THE TARGET'S ARMOR CLASS

An Attack Roll hits when its total:

EQUALS OR EXCEEDS THE TARGET'S AC

 

ATTACK TOTAL < AC

MISS

ATTACK TOTAL = AC

HIT

ATTACK TOTAL > AC

HIT

EXAMPLE — BASIC ATTACK

Target AC:

15

Your Attack Roll:

1d20 + 5

You roll:

9

Calculation:

9 + 5 = 14

Compare:

14 < 15

Result:

MISS

EXAMPLE — EXACTLY EQUAL

Target AC:

15

Roll:

10

Attack modifier:

+5

Total:

15

Because:

ATTACK TOTAL = AC

the attack:

HITS

EXAMPLE — HIGHER THAN AC

Target AC:

15

Roll:

14

Modifier:

+5

Total:

19

Result:

HIT

WHICH ABILITY MODIFIER DO YOU USE?

Different attacks normally use different abilities.

The SRD provides these defaults:

Attack Type Ability
Melee weapon attack Strength
Unarmed Strike attack Strength
Ranged weapon attack Dexterity
Spell attack Determined by the spellcasting feature

 

MELEE WEAPON ATTACK

The normal ability is:

STRENGTH

Example:

Strength Modifier:

+3

Proficiency Bonus:

+2

If proficient with the weapon:

Attack modifier:

+5

RANGED WEAPON ATTACK

The normal ability is:

DEXTERITY

Example:

Dexterity Modifier:

+4

Proficiency Bonus:

+2

If proficient:

Attack modifier:

+6

SPELL ATTACK

A spell attack uses the ability determined by the creature's:

SPELLCASTING FEATURE

 

Different spellcasting classes can therefore use different abilities.

Spellcasting will receive its own complete section later in the course.

SPECIFIC RULES CAN CHANGE THE ABILITY

The normal ability isn't always mandatory.

For example, the SRD notes that a weapon with the:

FINESSE PROPERTY

can allow the wielder to use:

STRENGTH OR DEXTERITY

rather than following the normal melee-weapon default.

We will study every weapon property in Lesson 62.

PROFICIENCY BONUS ON ATTACKS

You add your Proficiency Bonus when attacking with:

A WEAPON YOU ARE PROFICIENT WITH

The SRD also states that spell attacks include your:

PROFICIENCY BONUS

 

EXAMPLE — PROFICIENT WEAPON

Strength:

+3

Proficiency Bonus:

+2

Weapon proficiency:

Yes

Attack bonus:

+3 +2

=

+5

EXAMPLE — NOT PROFICIENT

Strength:

+3

Proficiency Bonus:

+2

Weapon proficiency:

No

You do not add the Proficiency Bonus.

Attack modifier:

+3

PROFICIENCY DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY APPLY TO EVERY WEAPON

You learned this in Lesson 9.

A creature can wield a weapon without being proficient with it.

But without proficiency:

DON'T ADD THE PROFICIENCY BONUS TO THE ATTACK ROLL

unless another rule says otherwise.

COMPLETE ATTACK EXAMPLE

Your Fighter uses a melee weapon.

Statistics:

Strength Modifier +3

Proficiency Bonus +2

The Fighter is proficient with the weapon.

Target:

AC 16

Attack modifier:

+3 +2 = +5

Roll:

12

Total:

17

Compare:

17 ≥ 16

Result:

HIT

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A HIT?

Normally:

ROLL DAMAGE

unless the specific attack says otherwise.

But not every successful attack works exactly the same way.

Some attacks can cause:

SPECIAL EFFECTS

either:

  • in addition to damage

  • instead of damage

 

EXAMPLE

An attack might:

hit → deal damage

Another attack might:

hit → deal damage + cause another effect

Another might:

hit → produce a special effect instead of ordinary damage

Always read the individual attack.

DAMAGE IS NOT PART OF THE ATTACK ROLL

This distinction is fundamental.

First determine:

DID THE ATTACK HIT?

Then, if appropriate:

DETERMINE DAMAGE

These are separate rolls.

EXAMPLE

Attack:

1d20 + 5

Damage:

1d8 + 3

Do not roll:

1d20 + 1d8 + 8

The Attack Roll answers:

DID I HIT?

The damage roll answers:

HOW MUCH DAMAGE DID THE HIT CAUSE?

We will study damage in detail beginning with Lesson 24.

NATURAL 20

If the d20 itself shows:

20

on an Attack Roll:

THE ATTACK HITS REGARDLESS OF MODIFIERS OR AC

and it is a:

CRITICAL HIT

 

IMPORTANT: NATURAL 20 MEANS THE DIE SHOWS 20

Suppose you roll:

15

and add:

+5

Total:

20

That is:

NOT A NATURAL 20

It may still hit, but it isn't a Critical Hit merely because the final total equals 20.

A natural 20 means:

THE D20 ITSELF ROLLED 20

CRITICAL HIT DAMAGE

A Critical Hit allows you to roll the attack's damage dice twice and add them together before applying relevant modifiers.

We will examine Critical Hit damage fully in Lesson 24.

For now:

NATURAL 20 = AUTOMATIC HIT + CRITICAL HIT

NATURAL 1

If the d20 itself shows:

1

on an Attack Roll:

THE ATTACK MISSES REGARDLESS OF MODIFIERS OR AC

 

EXAMPLE

Target AC:

10

Your attack bonus:

+12

You roll:

NATURAL 1

Mathematically:

1 + 12 = 13

But the rule overrides the total.

Result:

MISS

NATURAL 20 EXAMPLE

Target AC:

30

Your attack modifier:

+2

You roll:

NATURAL 20

Total would normally be:

22

which is below AC 30.

But:

NATURAL 20 HITS REGARDLESS OF AC

and scores a Critical Hit.

UNSEEN TARGETS

Visibility can modify the attack.

If you attack a target:

YOU CANNOT SEE

your Attack Roll has:

DISADVANTAGE

This applies whether:

  • you are guessing the target's location

  • you can hear the creature but can't see it

 

GUESSING THE WRONG LOCATION

If you attack an unseen creature's supposed location, but the creature is not actually there:

YOU MISS

 

It does not matter how high your Attack Roll would have been.

EXAMPLE

You believe an invisible enemy occupies square A.

You attack square A.

The enemy is actually in square B.

Result:

MISS

because you chose the wrong location.

UNSEEN ATTACKER

The reverse is also important.

When a creature:

CANNOT SEE YOU

you have:

ADVANTAGE ON ATTACK ROLLS AGAINST IT

 

WHEN NEITHER CAN SEE THE OTHER

Suppose:

you cannot see the target

and:

the target cannot see you

You have:

Disadvantage because you cannot see it.

You have:

Advantage because it cannot see you.

Result:

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE CANCEL

Roll normally.

ATTACKING WHILE HIDDEN

If you are hidden and make an Attack Roll:

YOU GIVE AWAY YOUR LOCATION

whether the attack:

  • hits

  • or misses

 

This connects directly with the hiding rules from Lesson 14.

YOU STILL REVEAL YOUR LOCATION IF YOU MISS

This is important.

Suppose you are hidden.

You fire an arrow.

Attack misses.

You might think:

“They don't know where I am because I missed.”

But the SRD explicitly states otherwise.

Whether the hidden attack:

HITS OR MISSES

you give away your location.

ATTACK MODIFIERS SHOULD BE DETERMINED BEFORE ROLLING

The attack sequence matters.

The SRD places:

DETERMINE MODIFIERS

before:

RESOLVE THE ATTACK

 

That means the usual sequence is:

choose target

↓

determine Cover

↓

determine Advantage/Disadvantage

↓

apply other bonuses/penalties

↓

roll

rather than rolling first and only afterward deciding what conditions applied.

COMPLETE ATTACK RESOLUTION FLOW

Use this every time you make an attack.

STEP 1 — WHAT KIND OF ATTACK IS IT?

Weapon?

Unarmed Strike?

Spell attack?

Another special attack?

STEP 2 — CHOOSE THE TARGET

Creature?

Object?

Location?

STEP 3 — CHECK RANGE

Is the target within the attack's permitted range?

If not:

THE ATTACK CAN'T BE MADE AGAINST THAT TARGET

under that attack's normal rules.

STEP 4 — DETERMINE THE ABILITY MODIFIER

Normally:

Melee weapon / Unarmed Strike

STRENGTH

Ranged weapon

DEXTERITY

Spell attack

SPELLCASTING FEATURE DETERMINES IT

Specific rules can change these defaults.

STEP 5 — DETERMINE PROFICIENCY

Proficient with the weapon?

Add:

PROFICIENCY BONUS

Spell attack?

Add:

PROFICIENCY BONUS

 

STEP 6 — DETERMINE SITUATIONAL MODIFIERS

Check:

  • Cover

  • Advantage

  • Disadvantage

  • spells

  • special abilities

  • bonuses

  • penalties

STEP 7 — ROLL THE D20

Calculate:

D20 + APPLICABLE MODIFIERS

STEP 8 — CHECK FOR NATURAL 20 OR 1

Natural 20

HIT + CRITICAL HIT

Natural 1

MISS

 

STEP 9 — OTHERWISE COMPARE WITH AC

If:

TOTAL ≥ AC

Hit.

If:

TOTAL < AC

Miss.

STEP 10 — RESOLVE THE HIT

Normally:

ROLL DAMAGE

unless the attack specifies another result.

Some attacks also cause special effects.

COMPLETE EXAMPLE — MELEE ATTACK

Fighter statistics:

Strength Modifier +4

Proficiency Bonus +3

Proficient weapon.

Target:

AC 17

Attack bonus:

+7

The GM determines:

  • no Cover

  • no Advantage

  • no Disadvantage

  • no additional modifier

Roll:

11

Total:

18

Because:

18 ≥ 17

HIT

The Fighter now rolls the weapon's damage.

COMPLETE EXAMPLE — ADVANTAGE

Attack modifier:

+6

Target AC:

16

You have Advantage.

Roll:

7 and 14

Use:

14

Add modifier:

14 + 6 = 20

Result:

HIT

COMPLETE EXAMPLE — DISADVANTAGE

Attack modifier:

+6

Target AC:

16

You have Disadvantage.

Roll:

18 and 8

Use:

8

Total:

8 + 6 = 14

Result:

MISS

COMPLETE EXAMPLE — NATURAL 20 WITH DISADVANTAGE

You roll two dice because you have Disadvantage:

20 and 9

With Disadvantage, you must use:

9

Therefore:

you did not roll a natural 20 for the resolved Attack Roll.

The 20 is discarded by the Disadvantage mechanic.

Resolve the attack using:

9

COMPLETE EXAMPLE — NATURAL 20 WITH ADVANTAGE

You roll:

20 and 5

With Advantage:

use:

20

Result:

CRITICAL HIT

because the selected d20 result is a natural 20.

TARGET AC IS THE NUMBER YOU MUST REACH

A simple mental shortcut:

ATTACK TOTAL VS. ARMOR CLASS

If the attack total reaches the AC:

HIT

If it doesn't:

MISS

except that the natural 20 and natural 1 rules override the normal comparison.

ATTACKS CAN AFFECT OBJECTS TOO

Suppose you attack:

A WOODEN DOOR

If the GM uses the object rules from Lesson 15, the door might have:

AC 15

Your attack total:

17

Result:

HIT

Then resolve damage according to the object's rules.

This uses the same basic Attack Roll mechanism as attacking a creature.

ATTACKING A LOCATION IS NOT THE SAME AS AUTOMATICALLY HITTING A CREATURE THERE

Choosing a location is only:

STEP 1

If there is a target there, you still resolve the attack under the applicable rules.

And if your guessed location is wrong:

MISS

when dealing with an unseen target.

ATTACKING DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN DEALING DAMAGE

The SRD explicitly leaves room for attacks that produce:

SPECIAL EFFECTS

instead of ordinary damage.

This is important because later you will encounter attacks and attack-like mechanics with effects beyond simply reducing Hit Points.

COMMON BEGINNER MISTAKES

MISTAKE 1 — CONFUSING “ATTACK” WITH “ATTACK ACTION”

The Attack action is one way to make an attack.

Other Actions, Bonus Actions, Reactions, and spells can also involve attacks.

MISTAKE 2 — ROLLING BEFORE CHOOSING A TARGET

The first step is:

CHOOSE A TARGET

The attack has to be directed at a creature, object, or location within its range.

MISTAKE 3 — IGNORING RANGE

A high Attack Roll doesn't allow you to ignore an attack's range limitation.

MISTAKE 4 — FORGETTING TO DETERMINE MODIFIERS FIRST

Cover, Advantage, Disadvantage, bonuses, and penalties are determined before resolving the Attack Roll.

MISTAKE 5 — USING DEXTERITY FOR EVERY ATTACK

Normal defaults:

Melee weapon → Strength

Ranged weapon → Dexterity

Spell attack → spellcasting feature

Specific rules can change these.

MISTAKE 6 — ADDING PROFICIENCY WITH A WEAPON YOU AREN'T PROFICIENT WITH

Weapon proficiency determines whether you add your Proficiency Bonus to that weapon's Attack Roll.

MISTAKE 7 — THINKING TOTAL 20 MEANS CRITICAL HIT

A Critical Hit requires:

NATURAL 20 ON THE D20

not merely a final total of 20.

MISTAKE 8 — THINKING NATURAL 1 CAN HIT WITH A LARGE BONUS

Natural 1:

AUTOMATIC MISS

regardless of modifiers or AC.

MISTAKE 9 — THINKING YOU MUST EXCEED AC

You only need to:

EQUAL OR EXCEED AC

 

MISTAKE 10 — ROLLING DAMAGE BEFORE KNOWING WHETHER YOU HIT

First:

ATTACK ROLL

Then, on a hit:

DAMAGE OR OTHER EFFECT

unless the attack says otherwise.

MISTAKE 11 — ATTACKING AN UNSEEN TARGET WITHOUT DISADVANTAGE

If you can't see the target:

DISADVANTAGE

 

MISTAKE 12 — THINKING A HIDDEN ATTACKER STAYS HIDDEN AFTER ATTACKING

Making the Attack Roll gives away your location:

HIT OR MISS

 

LESSON 20 — KEY TAKEAWAYS

AN ATTACK HAS THREE STEPS

1. CHOOSE A TARGET

2. DETERMINE MODIFIERS

3. RESOLVE THE ATTACK

 

A TARGET CAN BE

A CREATURE

AN OBJECT

A LOCATION

and must be within the attack's range.

BASIC ATTACK FORMULA

1D20

+ ABILITY MODIFIER

+ PROFICIENCY BONUS IF APPLICABLE

+ OTHER MODIFIERS

NORMAL ABILITY MODIFIERS

Melee weapon / Unarmed Strike → Strength

Ranged weapon → Dexterity

Spell attack → determined by spellcasting feature

 

PROFICIENCY

Add your Proficiency Bonus when:

  • attacking with a weapon you are proficient with

  • making a spell attack

 

HIT

ATTACK TOTAL ≥ AC

 

MISS

ATTACK TOTAL < AC

NATURAL 20

AUTOMATIC HIT + CRITICAL HIT

NATURAL 1

AUTOMATIC MISS

 

ON A HIT

Normally roll damage unless the attack specifies otherwise.

An attack can also cause a special effect in addition to or instead of damage.

UNSEEN TARGET

DISADVANTAGE

If you guessed its location incorrectly:

MISS

UNSEEN ATTACKER

If the target cannot see you:

ADVANTAGE

 

HIDDEN ATTACKER

Once you make the Attack Roll:

YOUR LOCATION IS REVEALED

whether you hit or miss.

NEXT LESSON

LESSON 21 — RANGED ATTACKS, RANGE, LONG RANGE, AND COVER

Now you understand the complete basic attack sequence.

Next, we will focus specifically on attacking from a distance.

In Lesson 21, we will study:

  • what counts as a Ranged Attack

  • normal range

  • long range

  • attacks beyond normal range

  • attacks beyond long range

  • ranged attacks in close combat

  • the exact conditions that impose Disadvantage when an enemy is near you

  • Cover

  • Half Cover

  • Three-Quarters Cover

  • Total Cover

  • AC bonuses from Cover

  • Dexterity Saving Throw bonuses from Cover

  • why multiple degrees of Cover don't stack

  • creatures acting as Cover

  • determining whether Cover lies between attacker and target

SRD 5.2.1 ATTRIBUTION

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.