Combat Rules
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Difficult Terrain
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Actions
Actions in combat are divided into three types: Actions, Bonus Actions, and Reactions. You can use one of each in each combat round.
Actions: Most actions fall into this category, including most ways to attack, most spells, and generally your most powerful features.
Bonus Actions: Most of the time, these actions are quicker to use, more minor in effect, or are meant to compliment your main actions.
Reactions: These are the only actions you can take on other creatures' turns. You get one reaction per round to use on any of your normal reaction options, and you get your reaction back at the beginning of each of your turns.
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Standard Actions
The following actions are available to all player characters and all creatures.
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Attack
Action
When you use the Attack action, you make an attack with a weapon you are holding against a creature within range of the weapon. If you are dual-wielding, you also make an attack with your off-hand weapon, though you have disadvantage on that attack unless you have the Two-Weapon Fighting Style. If you have more than one attack, you can make the attacks against separate targets, and you can move in between attacks.
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Attack of Opportunity
Reaction - 1 Creature
You can only make an attack of opportunity with a melee weapon. When a creature you can see moves at least 5 ft. further away from you while within reach of your weapon, you can make a single weapon attack against the creature. If you are not actively holding a melee weapon, you cannot make an Attack of Opportunity until you switch to a melee weapon.
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Dash
Action - Self
For this turn, your movement speeds are doubled. If your speed is reduced while you are dashing, apply the speed reduction and then double what remains.
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Disengage
Action - Self
For this turn, you do not trigger attacks of opportunity when moving away from a creature.
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Dodge
You focus entirely on avoiding attacks.
Action - Self
Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you make dexterity saving throws with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are incapacitated or if your speed drops to 0.
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Help
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task or help them land a devastating blow against an opponent.
Action - 1 Creature
When you use the Help action, you choose one of two effects.
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The creature you aid gains advantage on the next skill check they make to perform the task you are helping with, provided that they make the check before the start of your next turn.
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You aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, their first attack roll is made with advantage.
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Hide
Action - Self
You roll a stealth skill check. If you are hidden from view or otherwise have a way to avoid attention, and you roll equal to or higher than a creature's passive perception, then that creature cannot see you and does not know where you are.
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Influence
Action
You attempt to influence the behavior, opinions, or immediate actions of creatures who aren't already inclined to listen or follow your direction. Roll an Animal Handling (for animals), Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion skill check. Your GM will determine the results of your roll.
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Ready
Action or Bonus Action
You choose an action or bonus action you have available, readying your action for later. Alternatively, you can prepare to move up to your speed by readying a Dash action.
When you ready an action, it counts as if you immediately use the action, feature, or spell you are readying, thus consuming spell slots, item uses, or uses of an ability as soon as you ready the action.
You can then trigger your readied action at any time by using a reaction. If you do not use this readied action by your next turn, you must spend another action readying it if you want to keep it readied.
If you ready an attack, you can use abilities like Divine Smite or Stunning Strike that trigger on a weapon attack.
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If you ready a spell, you must maintain concentration on the spell while readying it, even if the spell does not normally require concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect and you lose your spell slot. For example, if you are concentrating on the web spell and ready magic missile, your web spell ends, and if you take damage before you release magic missile with your reaction, your concentration might be broken.
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Search
Action
You roll a Perception skill check. If you roll equal to or higher than the Stealth check total made by a hidden creature, you learn their location. At your GM's discretion, you may discover other hidden things.
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Study
Action
You attempt recall relevant information, study a creature, or figure out how something works.
You roll a skill check, usually Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Nature, or Religion.​ For information your character already knows, usually no skill check is necessary. Your GM will determine the results of your roll.
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Attacking
​When a character uses their action to take the Attack action or uses another ability to make a weapon attack, they must first roll to see if their attack deals damage to the target.
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The attacking character rolls a d20 die, then adds any relevant bonuses. First, a character must add their ability modifier. For most weapons, the character will add their strength modifier to the attack roll. For weapons with the 'ranged' property, the character must add their dexterity modifier to the attack roll instead. If a weapon has the 'finesse' property, the character uses strength or dexterity, whichever is higher. If the character is proficient with the weapon they are using, they add their proficiency bonus to the roll. Many characters are proficient with all 'Simple' weapons, or with all 'Simple' and 'Martial' weapons. You primarily learn weapon proficiencies from your class. Some characters will add other bonuses or penalties to their attack roll, such as Fighters with the Archery Fighting Style, which adds 2 to attack rolls made with ranged weapons.
A fighter with the archery fighting style attacks with a longbow:
Attack Roll = 1d20 + ability modifier + proficiency bonus (if proficient) + miscellaneous bonuses
eg. Level 3 Archer's Attack Roll = 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 2
eg. Level 3 Archer's Attack Roll = 1d20 + 7
If the total attack roll is greater than or equal to the target's Armor Class, then the attack hits.​​
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Switching Weapons
​Whenever you use the Attack action, you can switch to a different weapon or pair of weapons. When making attacking with thrown weapons, you automatically draw another throwing weapon after making an attack. Otherwise, it takes an action to draw or switch weapons.
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Dual-Wielding
If you are holding two weapons, then you make an additional off-hand attack with your second weapon whenever you take the Attack action, as long as the weapon in your off-hand is Light. However, unless you have the Two-Weapon Fighting Style, then you attack with disadvantage on this off-hand attack.​
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Armor Class
​​Armor class is an abstract concept that represents how difficult it is for a creature to damage you with an attack. It is usually abbreviated as AC. Every creature has an armor class, which is usually calculated with a combination of their dexterity and the armor they wear.
If a creature is wearing no armor and has no abilities that increase their AC, their AC is calculated as follows:
10 + dexterity modifier
Abilities such as the monk's Unarmored Defense provide an alternative way to calculate AC.
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When a creature makes an attack, their attack roll must be equal to or higher than the AC of their target in order to hit. On a hit, the creature deals damage. A miss usually does nothing.
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Damage
When an attack hits a creature, it deals damage. For most weapons, the damage equals the weapon's damage die plus the ability modifier the attacker used for the attack roll. Some characters will add other bonuses or penalties to their damage roll, such as fighters with the Dueling Fighting Style.
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A fighter deals damage with a longbow:
Damage Roll = weapon damage die + ability modifier + miscellaneous bonuses
eg. Archer's Damage Roll = 1d8 + 3
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Damage Types
Different attacks, damaging spells, and other harmful effects deal different types of damage:​
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Acid: a caustic substance eroding, dissolving, or eating away at something.
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Bludgeoning: blunt force, including hammers, falling, and being crushed.
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Cold: caused by a drop in temperature, whether by ice, cold air, or other means.
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Electric: caused by electrically charged objects, lightning, or static electricity.
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Fire: caused by an increase in temperature, whether by fire, hot air, or other means.
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Force: pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Force damage defies other classification. Most effects that deal force damage are spells.
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Necrotic: rot, decay, and other effects that cause the breakdown of material. Sometimes includes the damage caused by the passage of time.
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Piercing: stabbing, puncturing, and impaling attacks, whether by arrows, thrusting weapons, or a monster's teeth.
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Poison: substances that cause the breakdown, malfunction, or death of organic creatures. These can natural venoms, poisonous plants, or other substances that kill living creatures but do not affect inorganic material.
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Psychic: damage meant to unravel or damage the mind directly.
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Radiant: radiation, such as concentrated sunlight or a cleric's holy attacks.
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Slashing: cutting, slicing, or tearing, such as damage dealt by swords and monsters’ claws.
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Sonic: a concussive wave of sound or vibration, dealing both external and internal damage.
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Movement
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Every round in combat, a creature can move a number of ft. equal to their speed.
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A small or medium creature, like a player character, occupies a 5 ft. space.
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You move 5 ft. at a time.
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This does not take an action of any kind.​ ​​
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A creature can split their movement, doing any number of actions or attacks in between.
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Typically, each square on a square grid or each hex for a hex grid for combat is a 5 ft. space.
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If your speed is halved or otherwise reduced, round down to the nearest 5 ft.
Diagonal Movement on Square Grids​
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Option A: Moving diagonally takes only 5 ft. of movement.
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Option B: Every other diagonal step, starting with the first on a given turn, takes 10 ft. of movement.
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Movement Types
There are many types of movement. When moving in a specific way, you use a specific movement type. If you don't have a given movement type, you can't use it unless otherwise indicated.
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Walking: if not otherwise indicated, a creature's speed is a walking speed, which can only be used on the ground.
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Burrowing: used when traveling through sand, dirt, and other terrestrial material.
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Does not allow you to travel through hard materials like stone.​
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Without a burrowing speed, burrowing takes minutes or hours.
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Climbing: used when climbing ropes, trees, ladders, etc.
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A creature without a climbing speed moves at half their walking speed while climbing.
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Climbing some surfaces may require an athletics check, and some may be impossible to climb, at your GM's discretion.​
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Crawling: used when prone.
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A creature without a crawling speed moves at half their walking speed while prone.​
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Flying: used to fly.
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If a flying creature's speed is reduced to 0 for any reason, they fall if they ended their turn in the air.​
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Hovering: used to fly.
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A hovering creature doesn't fall if their speed is reduced to 0, but they do fall if they become incapacitated.​
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Swimming: used in water.
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A creature without a swimming speed moves at half their walking speed while swimming.​
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Combining Movement Types
You can combine movement types in a single turn. When you use one type of movement, record what percentage of your movement you've used. You can then use your remaining percentage on a different kind of movement. Round remaining movement down to the nearest 5 ft.
For example, if you have a walking speed of 40 and a swimming speed of 30, you could walk 20 ft. and then swim 15 ft.
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Difficult Terrain
Difficult terrain is any area that is difficult to move through. It might be mundane, like waist-deep water or a crowd of people, or it might be magical, like a Sleet Storm spell.
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Moving into a space that is difficult terrain takes twice as much movement.
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Multiple causes of difficult terrain in an area do not cause any additional penalties.
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Squeezing
If a creature enters a space that is not big enough to contain them comfortably, they are squeezing.
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A space in which a creature has to squeeze counts as difficult terrain for them.
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A squeezing creature has disadvantage on attacks, and attacks against them have advantage.
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A creature counts as squeezing if they have to fit in a space smaller than their space requirement.
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A GM can decide a creature needs to squeeze in other circumstances, like in crowded streets or with a low ceiling.
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Moving Through Creatures
Under some circumstances, a creature can enter the space of another creature.
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A creature can squeeze to enter the space of a willing creature. Both creatures are squeezing while occupying the same space.
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Unconscious or dead creatures might be difficult terrain, at the GM's discretion, but do not usually block movement.
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A creature can enter the space of an unwilling creature that is two sizes bigger or smaller. Neither creature is squeezing.
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Leaving the space of an unwilling creature can trigger an attack of opportunity.​
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Other Standard Movement
These movement options are available to all creatures.
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Dropping and Standing Up From Prone
If your speed is not 0, you can drop prone using 5 ft. of movement and stand up from prone using half your movement.
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Falling
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All falling is instant, even if it's not your turn.
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If you fall at least 10 ft., you take falling damage and fall prone. The damage equals 1d10 bludgeoning damage for every 10 ft. you fall (rounded up).
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If you are trained in acrobatics, you can use your reaction to roll an acrobatics check and reduce your falling damage by that amount. If you reduce the damage to 0, you do not fall prone.
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Jumping
When you jump, you expend movement points as if you were walking. You might need to dash or wait for your next turn to have enough movement points to complete a jump.
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Long Jump: You can jump a number of ft. equal to your strength.
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High Jump: You can high jump a number of ft. equal to 2 + your strength modifier.
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Standing Jumps: If you don't move at least 10 ft. before jumping, your jump distance is halved.
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See Also
Mounts
A mount is a creature that you can ride. Any time you're mounting a creature, the creature is either trained or untrained.
Untrained Mounts
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You must grapple the mount, and you may need to roll animal handling checks to keep the mount going in the general direction you want.
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The mount rolls its own initiative and generally does what its instincts tell it to.
Trained Mounts​
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The mount does not roll initiative, instead acting as part of your turn.
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You can replace one of your attacks every turn with one of the mount's attacks if you want.
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You use your movement on your turn to move the mount up to its speed.
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See the Mounted Combat Fighting Style if you want to be more specialized in fighting while riding a mount.
General Mount Rules
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A mount must be at least one size larger than you.
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Mounting or dismounting costs half your movement.
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Generally, a mount can carry one or two passengers of one size smaller, or more if the passengers are smaller than that. If there are more than 1 passenger, the mount acts on the initiative of the one driving the mount.
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If you or the mount dies or falls prone, or if you are pushed or become incapacitated, you fall prone in a space of your choice within 5 ft. of the mount.
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If you are incapacitated, the mount takes its own turn after your initiative count if you are still incapacitated by the time of its turn.
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Alternative Attack Options
When a character or creature makes an attack for any reason, they can attempt a grapple or a shove instead of rolling an attack roll as normal. They can also attempt to escape a grapple.
Grappling
Usually this requires that the grappler uses an empty hand or appendage to grab the grappled creature.
To grapple a creature, you must have a free hand or otherwise be able to hold the target. So long as you hold the grapple, your hand cannot be used for anything else.
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You can grapple any time you would make a melee attack on your turn.
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Instead of rolling your melee attack, you roll an athletics skill check.
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Your target can roll either an athletics or acrobatics skill check.
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If you roll equal or higher than your target, your target is grappled. Some creatures have other abilities that allow them to grapple without this contested skill check. A creature can willingly be grappled without rolling. Two creatures can also grapple each other.
This condition ends if the grappler becomes incapacited, or if any effect forces either the grappler or grappled creature to move (such as a shove attack).
The Grappler​
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Can end the grapple at any time, including during another creature's turn.
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Can hang on to the grappled creature instead of falling. If the grappled creature is smaller, they both fall instead.
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Has their speed halved.
The Grappled Creature
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If grappled by a creature (rather than a spell or other ability), they can replace one of their weapon attacks on their turn with an escape attempt. They roll either acrobatic or athletics, and their grappler rolls athletics. If the grappled creature rolls equal to or higher than the grappler, they break free. If the grappled creature escaped with athletics, they can choose to make this a shove attack and push the grappler either 5 ft. or knock them prone. Size advantage or disadvantage (listed below) applies.
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To see the full effects of being grappled, click here.