Questions tagged [melee-combat]
For questions primarily related to melee combat, combat interactions with a target that is adjacent to you or otherwise considered a valid target for a melee attack.
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Clarification on semantics around melee attacks
The game uses various ways of describing a physical melee attack:
Melee Weapon Attack
melee attack with/using a weapon
attack with/using a melee weapon, or attack with/using a weapon (without the ...
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Can a creature chose different targets for each attack on a turn using information about the outcome of previous attacks? [duplicate]
A 4th-level ranger with a light melee weapon each hand and the Two Weapon Fighting fighting style can make 2 attacks in a turn (1 with the Attack action for the first hand, 1 as a bonus action for the ...
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In Fallout: The Roleplaying Game (2d20 system by Modiphius), is it intended that gun bashing with a missile launcher would have the blast quality?
I have noticed that gun bash simply states a one-handed gun or a two-handed gun, so there seems no reason you could not gun bash with a big gun (which are all two-handed guns). The part where it gets ...
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Which roguish archetype and build will deliver maximum melee damage for a Bugbear rogue?
I'm an old school D&D player returning to the game with a vengeance after an absence of a few years and trying to process all the new races, class features and options that are currently available ...
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What are the Rules for Entangling Weapons in Oriental Adventures 1st Edition?
In AD&D 1st edition, Oriental Adventures, some weapons are flagged as "entangling", with a footnote marker "g" and the vague footnote, "These weapons make entangling ...
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How Exactly Do I Balance Combat Encounters In D&D With The Rules From The DMG?
So, I have a quick question about the encounter balancing. Now, I know HOW to do it, and I have done it the same way all the way through CoS...but I'm starting to think I might be wrong here. When it ...
3
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1
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How can melee attackers do damage if they can't end their turn in someone else's space?
I'm a DM of a party of 3. As a new DM, I'm still learning the rules (yes, I screw up. I'm not the best DM) but the rules on space are very confusing. All 3 PCs are melee attackers - a phantom rogue, a ...
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What land speed would be the minimal requirement for utilising Spring Attack?
In many build guides (e.g. RPGBOT), I see people saying this feat sucks for having so many prereq feats and providing so few character tactical options, except for certain classes like the Scout, who ...
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Is melee attacks' reach always written?
So, a group of mine made this doubt pop up: do huge creatures have reach just because of their size?
From what I understand, a creature has reach on a melee attack only if it's written as this one (an ...
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Wall of Fire - Melee Attack with Reach
A huge creature, having melee attacks with a 15-foot range, can attack a target (the red target in the picture) on the opposite side of the wall of fire without necessarily going through the wall.
In ...
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Ways to increase rapier damage without multiclassing or items
I'm trying to increase my melee damage as currently I'm focused on support and don't really have anything to do after I cast my support and debuff spells. I'm looking for ways to boost my melee damage ...
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Can a teammate trigger more thunder damage from my Booming Blade?
Booming Blade's rule text says:
At Higher Levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d8 thunder damage to the target on a hit
and
Duration: 1 round
At first I cast Booming Blade and it ...
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Can you make an opportunity attack at a creature moving past you while you're engaged in combat with a separate creature?
This issue broke my group.
One player's character was engaged in combat with a creature. While that character was engaged, another creature not in combat range wanted to move 20 feet from their safe ...
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How to encourage melee combat when ranged is a stronger option
I'm playing in a 5E campaign based on the Grim Hollow guide. My character is Level 3 Rogue Assassin multiclassed with Level 3 Ranger Gloom Stalker, with all future levels going into Rogue.
I had ...
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Does grappling a prone creature effectively create the restrained condition?
I need some clarification. I’m playing a barbarian (5e), Path of the Storm Wielder (Journey to Ragnarok) level 5 as of now. If he uses an attack action to shove an opponent prone (and wins the ...
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Can we ignore cover with melee weapons?
There are a number of feats that allow a ranged attack to ignore cover, most notably Improved Precise Shot.
However, ranged attacks aren’t the only ones that are subject to cover. Melee attacks with ...
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How do I make a phalanx fighter?
I have been toying with running Red Hand of Doom again (I last ran it about eight years ago).
One thing I found unsatisfying then was that the hobgoblin foot soldiers are described as professional ...
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Is there a lower limit on range of a thrown weapon?
Specifically, as a fighter with a javelin, would I be able to throw it at a target in melee range, rather than using it as a melee weapon? I’m curious if I could get the extra damage from a Javelin of ...
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Wand with Melee Spell for noncaster
In a DND 5e campaign, my party has received a Wand of Shocking Grasp. It's currently in the hands of a non-caster. Shocking Grasp is a touch melee spell. I have 2 questions:
When the spell is cast, ...
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Can a player begin and end its movement inside a swarm's space and not incur an opportunity attack?
Dirk, Hermes, Necryx, Jomil and Sing Lore- avert your eyes, or incur the wrath of Spuggroth the Humbled and Aflame!
I'm designing an encounter where the party is trying to confront some foes in the ...
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What happens when a panic roll is made while using a melee weapon?
Triggering a Panic Roll (rolling a 1 on a Stress die) while using a ranged weapon causes the character to empty their magazine, firing wildly, and requiring a reload of precious ammunition to continue ...
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Does the Brace maneuver work with Unarmed Strikes
The brace maneuver from Tasha's reads:
When a creature you can see moves into the reach
you have with the melee weapon you're wielding,
you can use your reaction to expend one superiority
die and ...
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How to fight a Balor as a melee character (reduce fire damage on hit?)
In my party we have a ranger, a sorcerer and a monk. We recently had a fight with a Balor and I had to keep introducing things in order for the monk to feel like he was contributing in any way.
For ...
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When a melee fighting character wants to stun a monster, and the monster wants to be killed, can they instead take a fatal blow?
Mainly what was asked above. I know that a melee attack can stun an opponent by reducing them to 0 HP instead of killing them, but can a monster somehow lay down in such a way that the blow is fatal?
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Are there any Feats for / ways to use spears that reflect its dominance over shorter melee weapons?
Spear are wildly effective weapons, in small-ish Combat Groups.
In particular, when used defensively, they can keep melee attackers at bay with no ability to retaliate relatively easily. You would, ...
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Are there two versions of a 'shove', and if so, what further effects do the different versions possibly allow? [closed]
As I see it there are two versions of 'shoving' in 5e: a physical verion and a magical version.
The physical version allows pushing an opponent backwards OR knocking them prone, while the magic ...
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If Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade are counterspelled, does the attack still go through?
Booming Blade says:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range.
Counterspell reads:
You attempt to ...
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Is there a feat or a class feature in 3.5e that is similar to Step Up (Combat) from Pathfinder?
I am looking for a feat that in some way resembles Step Up from Pathfinder:
Step Up (Combat)
You can close the distance when a foe tries to move
away.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: ...
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Does the damage bonus from the Circle of Spores druid's Symbiotic Entity feature apply to melee spell attacks?
The Circle of Spores druid has the class feature Symbiotic Entity, which lets you expend a use of Wild Shape to gain a number of benefits, one of which is (GGtR, p. 27):
Your melee weapon attacks ...
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Does a Leomund's Tiny Hut prevent physical melee attacks from outside vs targets inside?
The wording of Leomund's Tiny Hut of course says:
Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing ...
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What is the interaction between Empowered Spell and Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade?
Can you reroll the damage dice that come as part of the melee weapon attack? That is, is the melee weapon attack part of the damage for the spell?
Empowered Spell reads:
When you roll damage for a ...
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What is the most damage that can be done in a single melee attack without features that double damage?
I've been trying to come up with builds that maximise burst damage recently, but I'm not much of an optimiser, usually preferring themes and/or roleplay.
I'd come up with something along the lines of ...
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Are there any melee alternatives to Power Word Kill?
The 9th Level Enchantment spell Power Word Kill outright kills any creature with less than 100 hitpoints.
I've had a look, but I can't see anything that would be similar via any melee action of feat, ...
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Could I cast a range spell as a melee attack?
I'm wanting to make a sorcerer that throws a little flare in his spell attacks. I was wondering if I could use a range spell attack as a melee attack. Like casting firebolt, but punching with it ...
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Melee two handed vs melee polearm
After looking through the WFRP 4E core rulebook I cannot find any information on the difference between the melee specializations polearm and two handed and all the weapons listed under the polearm ...
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Optimising Longsword/Rapier Wielding Character
Due to plot reasons, I'm entering a Curse of Strahd Campaign where I know in advance that my Paladin will eventually be wielding the Sunsword.
The Sunsword is essentially a Sun Blade; a magic ...
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Why is targeting an adjacent attacker with a 5 foot cube area attack considered a ranged attack?
An opponent has moved adjacent up into a character's face and swung at them. On their turn, in retaliation, the character would like to attack back with their favoured cube area attack, made at the ...
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How to balance combat to promote the Fighter's role?
Our family game consists of Fighter-Rogue-Cleric, playing through Dragon of Icespire Peak. The characters have reached L4 now. In combat the Fighter typically does 1d6+3 bow damage per turn and the ...
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For a 1st level human warpriest, what is the point of using a melee weapon if I can cast Divine Lance cantrip spell?
I am trying to familiarize myself with Pathfinder 2e, which is also my first role-playing game in which I will be actively participating in live sessions. I am interested in creating a 1st level human ...
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Does Armor of Agathys work for melee spell attacks like Spiritual Weapon?
Armor of Agathys (PHB 215) states:
If a creature hits you with a melee attack while you have these hit points, the creature takes 5 cold damage.
Since it doesn't specify that it has to be a weapon ...
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How does grappling interact with the Armor of Agathys spell?
The description of the Armor of Agathys spell says (PHB 215, emphasis mine):
A protective magical force surrounds you, manifesting as a spectral frost that covers you and your gear. You gain 5 ...
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How does the bite attack from the 'fangs' talent work, with other abilities, actions and features?
The species hybrid—lupine has the special talent fangs that says:
Once per round, the agent may declare he is making a bite attack against his opponent as a free action. This attack inflicts 1d4 ...
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Can ranged weapons ever count as melee weapons?
In Pathfinder, is it possible to use a ranged weapon with feats and abilities like Diva Strike which normally require a melee weapon, if the weapon is fired at melee range? It's fairly easy (albeit ...
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When is a reasonable level range for Gurt's Greataxe to be offered to a player?
As suggested in the title, I ran into Gurt's Greataxe. I was looking up magic items in my free time since I was curious, and I thought why not search for magic items related to greataxes, since my ...
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Does the Combat Expertise feat still apply while Dazed?
Question about Combat Expertise in an intense high-level encounter:
To simplify there are 6 creatures in this fight. The enemy is a Dragon that goes third in initiative. The Dragon has the feat ...
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Can the Improved Cleaving Finish feat be triggered again by the attack it grants?
The Improved Cleaving Finish feat says:
If you make a melee attack, and your target drops to 0 or fewer hit points as a result of your attack, you can make another melee attack using your highest ...
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How does melee combat work between fighters with different weapon ranges?
Let's say in a classic fantasy medieval world there are two warriors fighting, one with a spear and the other with a sword or one with a halberd and the other using martial arts with bare hands.
I ...
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Are there rules for combat involving one fighter using a weapon against an unarmed one?
Context: A player is engaged in a fight with a unarmed peasant in a tavern. The player had a hand weapon.
There are rules for fights between two fighters who are both unarmed, but I don't know what ...
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Does the Green-Flame Blade cantrip work if I've cast the Shillelagh cantrip on my staff?
The Shillelagh cantrip says that your attacks become magical, but the green-flame blade cantrip (SCAG, p. 143) says it works with a melee attack.
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you ...
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Does a Melee spell attack count as a Weapon attack?
I'm relatively new to D&D and I've been thinking through on some builds when I thought about something I strangely hadn't thought of for a while; Ranger, specifically Horizon walker, Planar ...
