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Combat Rules
The following combat rules have been added or changed from D&D 2025, or in some cases, highlighting options the players may not have considered during combat.
These rules are under review and may change in the future.
Incidental actions are an action type, defining options that require little effort on a character's part during combat. Once on a character's turn, they may perform an Incidental Action, with some examples below:
Thus an Incidental Action could be considered an action that requires little to no movement or use of hands. An Incidental Action is NOT:
Example:
Maxes' character, Vaxis, is at the back of a cave during an encounter, but cannot hit any opponent at range; they are all behind cover or engaged with an ally. Max decides Vaxis should, at the start of his turn, look around the cave and see if there's something else he can shoot at. Vaxis makes a perception skill check, and upon passing, is told there is an enormous stalactite hanging right over the enemies position. Max then uses a magical action to cast thunderwave, and Vaxis brings down the stalactite over his opponents.
Allies can only be commanded to perform their turn by a player using an Incidental Action. Allies cannot perform the Help or Ready actions, as their abilities and actions already provide significant advantage to player character.
Allies whose HP reaches 0 become Fallen or Unconscious, and must make death saving throws, dying on three failures.
When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy and on opposite sides or corners of the enemy’s space, they flank that
enemy, and each of them has advantage on melee attack rolls against that enemy.
Creatures can opt instead to replace the effect for Combo Attacks.
A combo attack is simple; both flanking creatures spend their advantage to perform one simultaneous action, during the turn of the creature with higher initiative. If one character succeeds on their skill check, both characters succeed. Once performed, the lower initiative creature loses their first action this round of combat.
This allows for creative planning and options in combat that aren't necessarily attacks.
Example:
Reidy's' character, Orin, is flanking with Harrison's character Aingrim against a medium enemy. Both decide to spend their advantage to perform a combo attack. Orin first performs a grapple on the enemy, Reidy describing Orin as picking the enemy up and swinging them by their legs, as Harrison makes Aingrim prepare to swing his axe into the incoming foe. Orin fails the acrobatics check required, but Aingrim succeeds on his attack roll. Because Orin's grapple was successful and decided as the first of the two actions, Aingrim retrospectively gets advantage from attacking a grappled enemy, and Harrison rolls a critical success. Orin successfully picks the enemy up and leg-swings him into Aingrim's axe, killing the target instantly. Aingrim later is forced to skip his first action, and moves to cover, drinking a potion with his remaining bonus action.