TEXT: Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 1
  Sage Advice Compendium
  Questions and answers about the rules of fifth edition 
  Dungeons & Dragons appear in Sage Advice, a monthly 
  column on the D&D website (dnd.wizards.com). This 
  document compiles most of them and organizes them by 
  topic, after first noting what the game’s official rules ref-
  erences are.
   If you have a question that you’d like addressed in Sage 
  Advice, please email it to sageadvice@wizards.com.
  Rules References
  The fifth edition of D&D has three official rulebooks, each 
  of which was first published in 2014:
  • Player’s Handbook (abbreviated PH)
  • Monster Manual (abbreviated MM)
  • Dungeon Master’s Guide (abbreviated DMG)
  The free Basic Rules contains portions of those three books 
  and can be downloaded here:
  http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
  Play in the Adventurers League, the D&D organized play 
  program, is also governed by the Adventurers League Play-
  er’s Guide.
  Errata
  Some corrections have been issued for the early printings 
  of the fifth edition Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide and can be downloaded at the fol-
  lowing locations:
  http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/PH_Errata_1.1.pdf
  http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/MM_Errata.pdf
  http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/DMG_Errata.pdf
  The corrections have been incorporated into more recent 
  printings of the books, as well as into the Basic Rules. A 
  corrected version of the book includes the following text 
  toward the bottom of its credits page:
  This printing includes corrections to the first printing.
  Official Rulings
  Official rulings on how to interpret unclear rules are made 
  in Sage Advice. The public statements of the D&D team, or 
  anyone else at Wizards of the Coast, are not official rulings; 
  they are advice. One exception: the game’s rules manager, 
  Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford), can make official 
  rulings and usually does so in Sage Advice.
  Compiled Answers
  Sage Advice answers that are relevant to the current state 
  of the rules are compiled here. In other words, an answer 
  that has become obsolete isn’t included in this compilation.
  The Role of Rules
   Why even have a column like Sage Advice when a DM 
  can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes 
  D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. 
  The game’s rules are meant to help organize, and even in-
  spire, the action of a D&D campaign. The rules are a tool, 
  and we want our tools to be as effective as possible. No 
  matter how good those tools might be, they need a group of 
  players to bring them to life and a DM to guide their use.
   The DM is key. Many unexpected things can happen in 
  a D&D campaign, and no set of rules could reasonably ac-
  count for every contingency. If the rules tried to do so, the 
  game would become unplayable. An alternative would be 
  for the rules to severely limit what characters can do, which 
  would be counter to the open-endedness of D&D. The direc-
  tion we chose for the current edition was to lay a foundation 
  of rules that a DM could build on, and we embraced the 
  DM’s role as the bridge between the things the rules ad-
  dress and the things they don’t.
   In a typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules 
  decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvi-
  ous. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group 
  keeps the game running. There are times, though, when the 
  design intent of a rule isn’t clear or when one rule seems to 
  contradict another.
   Dealing with those situations is where Sage Advice 
  comes in. This column doesn’t replace a DM’s adjudication. 
  Just as the rules do, the column is meant to give DMs, as 
  well as players, tools for tuning the game according to their 
  tastes. The column should also reveal some perspectives 
  that help you see parts of the game in a new light and that 
  aid you in fine-tuning your D&D experience.
   When I answer rules questions, I often come at them 
  from one to three different perspectives.
   RAW. “Rules as written”—that’s what RAW stands for. 
  When I dwell on the RAW interpretation of a rule, I’m 
  studying what the text says in context, without regard to the 
  designers’ intent. The text is forced to stand on its own.
   Whenever I consider a rule, I start with this perspective; 
  it’s important for me to see what you see, not what I wished 
  we’d published or thought we published.
   RAI. Some of you are especially interested in knowing 
  the intent behind a rule. That’s where RAI comes in: “rules 
  as intended.” This approach is all about what the designers 
  meant when they wrote something. In a perfect world, RAW 
  and RAI align perfectly, but sometimes the words on the 
  page don’t succeed at communicating the designers’ intent. 
  Or perhaps the words succeed with one group of players 
  but fail with another.
   When I write about the RAI interpretation of a rule, I’ll 
  be pulling back the curtain and letting you know what the 
  D&D team meant when we wrote a certain rule.
   RAF. Regardless of what’s on the page or what the de-
  signers intended, D&D is meant to be fun, and the DM is 
  the ringmaster at each game table. The best DMs shape the 
  game on the fly to bring the most delight to his or her play-
  ers. Such DMs aim for RAF, “rules as fun.”
   We expect DMs to depart from the rules when running 
  a particular campaign or when seeking the greatest hap-
  piness for a certain group of players. Sometimes my rules 
  answers will include advice on achieving the RAF interpre-
  tation of a rule for your group.
   I recommend a healthy mix of RAW, RAI, and RAF!
   Why does the errata change X and not Y? The errata for 
  the first printing of the Player’s Handbook sparked a num-
  ber of questions. Why did we make the changes we made? 
  Why didn’t we make other changes? Did we change certain 
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 2
  more than one, you pick which one to use. For example, if 
  you’re a sorcerer/monk, you can use either Unarmored De-
  fense or Draconic Resilience, not both. Similarly, a druid/
  barbarian who transforms into a beast form that has natu-
  ral armor can use either the beast’s natural armor or Unar-
  mored Defense (you aren’t considered to be wearing armor 
  with natural armor).
   What about a shield? A shield increases your AC by 2 
  while you use it. For example, if you’re unarmored and use 
  a shield, your AC is 12 + your Dexterity modifier. Keep in 
  mind that some AC calculations, such as a monk’s Unar-
  mored Defense, prohibit the use of a shield.
   Once you have your base AC, it can be temporarily mod-
  ified by situational bonuses and penalties. For instance, 
  having half cover gives you a +2 bonus to your AC, and 
  three-quarters cover gives a +5 bonus. Spells sometimes 
  modify AC as well. Shield of faith, for example, grants a tar-
  get a +2 bonus to AC until the spell ends.
   Magic items can also enhance your AC. Here are a few 
  examples: +1 chain mail gives you an AC of 17, a ring of 
  protection gives you a +1 bonus to AC no matter what you’re 
  wearing, and bracers of defense grant you a +2 bonus to AC 
  if you’re not wearing armor or using a shield.
  Racial Traits
  	 Does	the	Trance	trait	allow	an	elf	to	finish	a	long	rest	
  in 4 hours? The intent is no. The Trance trait does let an elf 
  meditate for 4 hours and then feel the way a human does 
  after sleeping for 8 hours, but that isn’t intended to shorten 
  an elf’s long rest. A long rest is a period of relaxation that is 
  at least 8 hours long. It can contain sleep, reading, talking, 
  eating, and other restful activity. Standing watch is even 
  possible during it, but for no more than 2 hours; maintain-
  ing heightened vigilance any longer than that isn’t restful. 
  In short, a long rest and sleep aren’t the same thing; you 
  can sleep when you’re not taking a long rest, and you can 
  take a long rest and not sleep. 
   Here’s what this all means for an elf. An elf can spend 4 
  hours in a trance during a long rest and then has 4 addi-
  tional hours of light activity. While an elf’s companions are 
  snoozing, the elf can be awake and engaged in a variety 
  of activities, including carving a lovely trinket, composing 
  a sonnet, reading a tome of ancient lore, attempting to 
  remember something experienced centuries before, and 
  keeping an eye out for danger. The Trance trait is, ulti-
  mately, meant to highlight the otherworldly character of 
  elves, not to give them an edge in the game. 
   That all said, if you’re the DM and you decide to let 
  Trance shorten an elf’s long rest, you’re not going to break 
  the game. You are making a world-building choice if you do 
  so. You’re deciding that elves, on a global scale, are ready to 
  reenter a fight before anyone else, that they heal faster than 
  most humanoids, and that they regain their magical energy 
  faster. Such a choice would make sense in a world where 
  elves are the dominant race, where they not only live longer 
  than others, but also recover faster.
   Do	the	lightfoot	halfling	and	wood	elf	hiding	racial	
  traits allow them to hide while observed? The lightfoot 
  halfling and wood elf traits—Naturally Stealthy and Mask 
  of the Wild—do allow members of those subraces to try to 
  hide in their special circumstances even when observers 
  are nearby. Normally, you can’t hide from someone if you’re 
  in full view. A lightfoot halfling, though, can try to vanish 
  things, such as Empowered Evocation, because they were 
  overpowered?
   The answer to such questions is straightforward: we fixed 
  mistakes in the text. The errata fixes text that was incom-
  plete or off the mark in the original printing of the book. In 
  the new edition, the errata process is strictly for the cor-
  rection of such things. Rebalancing and redesigning game 
  elements is the domain of playtesting, Unearthed Arcana 
  articles, new design, and possible revision later in the edi-
  tion’s lifespan.
   We play the game often, and we regularly review Twitter 
  posts, Reddit discussions, website forums, survey results, 
  emails, and customer service reports about the game. You 
  have concerns about the contagion spell? We know about 
  them. You feel the Beastmaster is underpowered? We’ve 
  had our eye on that subclass for a while. In fact, we have 
  a long list of things in the game that we keep an eye on 
  and that we expect to experiment with in the months and 
  years ahead.
   But that experimentation is unrelated to errata. Correc-
  tions—that’s what errata is about. If you read the errata 
  document and think, “We were already playing Empowered 
  Evocation the way it appears in the errata,” then the errata 
  process is working as intended. It’s not intended to be filled 
  with new design surprises. It’s meant to repair spots where 
  we forgot to tell you something, where we inadvertently told 
  you the wrong thing, or where some of you grasped our de-
  sign intent and others didn’t, as a result of the text not being 
  clear enough.
   Fifth edition now belongs to the thousands of groups 
  playing it. It would be inappropriate for the design team to 
  use errata as a way to redesign the game. When we come 
  across something that is more of a redesign than a correc-
  tion, we put it into a queue of things to playtest and possibly 
  publish at a later date. We’ll let you know if a redesign is 
  around the corner!
  Character Creation
   How do you calculate a creature’s Armor Class (AC)? 
  Chapter 1 of the Player’s Handbook (p. 14) describes how 
  to determine AC, yet AC calculations generate questions 
  frequently. That fact isn’t too surprising, given the number 
  of ways the game gives you to change your AC! 
   Here are some ways to calculate your base AC:
  Unarmored: 10 + your Dexterity modifier.
  Armored: Use the AC entry for the armor you’re wearing 
  (see PH, 145). For example, in leather armor, you calcu-
  late your AC as 11 + your Dexterity modifier, and in chain 
  mail, your AC is simply 16.
  Unarmored Defense (Barbarian): 10 + your Dexterity 
  modifier + your Constitution modifier.
  Unarmored Defense (Monk): 10 + your Dexterity modifier 
  + your Wisdom modifier.
  Draconic Resilience (Sorcerer): 13 + your Dexter-
  ity modifier.
  Natural Armor: 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your natural 
  armor bonus. This is a calculation method typically used 
  only by monsters and NPCs, although it is also relevant 
  to a druid or another character who assumes a form that 
  has natural armor.
  These methods—along with any others that give you a for-
  mula for calculating your AC—are mutually exclusive; you 
  can benefit from only one at a time. If you have access to 
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 3
  The Sneak Attack description specifies that you can use the 
  feature once per turn, but it’s not limited to your turn. The 
  feature also doesn’t limit the number of times you can use it 
  in a round.
   This rule is relevant because you sometimes get a chance 
  to use Sneak Attack on someone else’s turn. The most 
  common way for this to happen is when a foe provokes an 
  opportunity attack from you. If the requirements for Sneak 
  Attack are met, your opportunity attack can benefit from 
  that feature. Similarly, a fighter could use Commander’s 
  Strike to grant you an attack on the fighter’s turn, and if the 
  attack qualifies, it can use Sneak Attack. Both of those op-
  tions rely on your reaction, so you could do only one of them 
  in a round.
   Because of getting only one reaction per round, you’re un-
  likely to use Sneak Attack more than twice in a round: once 
  with your action and once with your reaction.
   Can a thief use the Fast Hands feature to activate a 
  magic item? No. One of the benefits of Fast Hands is being 
  able to take the Use an Object action as a bonus action, but 
  using a magic item doesn’t fall under Use an Object, as ex-
  plained in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (p. 141). In contrast, 
  using a nonmagical item, such as a healer’s kit, is in the 
  domain of Use an Object.
   Does Uncanny Dodge work automatically against every 
  attack a rogue or ranger gets hit by? Spell attacks too? 
  A use of Uncanny Dodge works against only one attack, 
  since it expends your reaction, and only if you can see the 
  attacker. It works against attacks of all sorts, including spell 
  attacks, but it is no help against a spell or other effect, such 
  as fireball, that delivers its damage through a saving throw 
  rather than an attack roll.
   Does Quickened Spell allow a sorcerer to cast two 
  spells a round of 1st level or higher? No, the sorcerer must 
  follow the normal rule for casting a bonus action spell and a 
  second spell; the second spell must be a cantrip with a cast-
  ing time of 1 action.
   Does	a	sorcerer’s	Wild	Magic	Surge	effect	replace	
  the	effect	of	the	spell	that	triggered	it,	or	do	both	ef-
  fects happen? The spell and the Wild Magic Surge effect 
  both happen.
   Do warlock spells granted by the Expanded Spell List 
  feature count against the number of spells known? The 
  spells granted by that feature aren’t automatically known 
  by a warlock. Those spells are added to the warlock spell 
  list for the character, who can choose them when learning 
  a new warlock spell of the appropriate level. Once learned, 
  such a spell does count against the number of spells the 
  warlock knows.
   Does the warlock’s Awakened Mind feature allow two-
  way telepathic communication? The feature is intended to 
  provide one-way communication. The warlock can use the 
  feature to speak telepathically to a creature, but the feature 
  doesn’t give that creature the ability to telepathically reply. 
  In contrast, the telepathy ability that some monsters have 
  (MM, 9) does make two-way communication possible.
   Does the wizard’s Potent Cantrip feature apply to can-
  trips with attack rolls or only to saves? Potent Cantrip af-
  fects only cantrips that require a saving throw, such as acid 
  splash and poison spray.
  behind a creature that is at least one size larger, and a 
  wood elf can try to hide simply by being in heavy rain, mist, 
  falling snow, foliage, or similar natural phenomena. It’s as 
  if nature itself cloaks a wood elf from prying eyes—even 
  eyes staring right at the elf! Both subraces are capable of 
  hiding in situations unavailable to most other creatures, 
  but neither subrace’s hiding attempt is assured of success; 
  a Dexterity (Stealth) check is required as normal, and an 
  observant foe might later spot a hidden halfling or elf: “I see 
  you behind that guard, you tricksy halfling!”
  Class Features
   When	you	use	Extra	Attack,	do	you	have	to	use	the	
  same weapon for all the attacks? Extra Attack imposes 
  no limitation on what you use for the attacks. You can use 
  regular weapons, improvised weapons, unarmed strikes, or 
  a combination of these options for the attacks.
   Does	the	fighter’s	Action	Surge	feature	let	you	take	an	
  extra	bonus	action,	in	addition	to	an	extra	action? Action 
  Surge gives you an extra action, not an extra bonus action.
   Does	the	Archery	fighting	style	work	with	a	melee	
  weapon that you throw? No, the Archery feature benefits 
  ranged weapons. A melee weapon, such as a dagger or 
  handaxe, is still a melee weapon when you make a ranged 
  attack with it.
   Is	the	Dueling	fighting	style	intended	to	support	a	
  shield? Yes. A character with the Dueling option usually 
  pairs a one-handed weapon with a shield, a spellcasting fo-
  cus, or a free hand.
   If	a	monk	uses	a	staff	or	another	versatile	weapon	
  two-handed,	does	it	still	count	as	a	monk	weapon? Yes. A 
  monk weapon must lack the two-handed property, but noth-
  ing prevents a monk from wielding such a weapon with two 
  hands. Fundamentally, a monk weapon counts as such no 
  matter how a monk uses it.
   Does the Martial Arts feature turn monk weapons and 
  unarmed	strikes	into	finesse	weapons? Nope. The feature 
  grants a benefit that is similar to the finesse property, but 
  the feature doesn’t confer that property. It would say so 
  if it did.
   Does a monk’s Purity of Body feature grant immunity 
  to	poison	damage,	the	poisoned	condition,	or	both? That 
  feature grants immunity to both. As a result, a monk with 
  Purity of Body can, for example, inhale a green dragon’s 
  poison breath unharmed.
   Does a monk need to spend any ki points to cast minor 
  illusion granted by the Shadow Arts feature? No. The ki 
  point cost in the feature applies only to the other spells in it.
   Can a ranger move between the attack rolls of the 
  Whirlwind Attack feature? No. Whirlwind Attack is un-
  usual, in that it’s a single attack with multiple attack rolls. 
  In most other instances, an attack has one attack roll. The 
  rule on moving between attacks (PH, 190) lets you move 
  between weapon attacks, not between the attack rolls of an 
  exceptional feature like Whirlwind Attack.
   Can a rogue use Sneak Attack more than once per 
  round? Yes, but no more than once per turn. In combat, a 
  round comprises the turns of the combatants (see the Play-
  er’s Handbook, p. 189). Many features in the game, such 
  as Extra Attack, specify that they work only on your turn. 
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 4
   Do	the	first	and	third	benefits	of	Crossbow	Expert	turn	
  a hand crossbow into a semiautomatic weapon? The 
  short answer is no.
   The first benefit of the feat lets you ignore the loading 
  property (PH, 147) of the hand crossbow if you’re proficient 
  with that weapon. The upshot is that you can fire it more 
  than once if you have a feature like Extra Attack. You’re still 
  limited, however, by the fact that the weapon has the am-
  munition property (PH, 146). The latter property requires 
  you to have a bolt to fire from the hand crossbow, and the 
  hand crossbow isn’t going to load itself (unless it’s magical 
  or a gnomish invention). You need to load each bolt into the 
  weapon, and doing so requires a hand.
   To dig deeper into this point, take a look at the following 
  sentence in the definition of the ammunition property: 
  “Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or other 
  container is part of the attack.” The sentence tells us two 
  important things. First, you’re assumed to be drawing—
  that is, extracting with your hand—the ammunition from 
  a container. Second, the act of drawing the ammunition is 
  included in the attack and therefore doesn’t require its own 
  action and doesn’t use up your free interaction with an ob-
  ject on your turn.
   What does that all mean for a hand crossbow? It means 
  Crossbow Expert makes it possible to fire a hand crossbow 
  more than once with a feature like Extra Attack, provided 
  that you have enough ammunition and you have a hand free 
  to load it for each shot.
   Does	Crossbow	Expert	let	you	fire	a	hand	crossbow	
  and	then	fire	it	again	as	a	bonus	action? It does! Take a 
  look at the feat’s third benefit. It says you can attack with a 
  hand crossbow as a bonus action when you use the Attack 
  action to attack with a one-handed weapon. A hand cross-
  bow is a one-handed weapon, so it can, indeed, be used for 
  both attacks, assuming you have a hand free to load the 
  hand crossbow between the two attacks.
  Lucky
   How does the Lucky feat interact with advantage and 
  disadvantage? The Lucky feat lets you spend a luck point; 
  roll an extra d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving 
  throw; and then choose which d20 to use. This is true no 
  matter how many d20s are in the mix. For example, if you 
  have disadvantage on your attack roll, you could spend a 
  luck point, roll a third d20, and then decide which of the 
  three dice to use. You still have disadvantage, since the feat 
  doesn’t say it gets rid of it, but you do get to pick the die.
   The Lucky feat is a great example of an exception to a 
  general rule. The general rule I have in mind is the one 
  that tells us how advantage and disadvantage work (PH, 
  173). The specific rule is the Lucky feat, and we know that a 
  specific rule trumps a general rule if they conflict with each 
  other (PH, 7).
  Magic Initiate
  	 If	you’re	a	spellcaster,	can	you	pick	your	own	class	
  when you gain the Magic Initiate feat? Yes, the feat doesn’t 
  say you can’t. For example, if you’re a wizard and gain the 
  Magic Initiate feat, you can choose wizard and thereby 
  learn two more wizard cantrips and another 1st-level 
  wizard spell.
   If	you	have	spell	slots,	can	you	use	them	to	cast	the	1st-
  level spell you learn with the Magic Initiate feat? Yes, but 
   Is an abjurer’s Arcane Ward healed only when the 
  ward has 0 hit points? The ward regains hit points when-
  ever the abjurer casts an abjuration spell of 1st level or 
  higher, not just when the ward has 0 hit points.
   Does casting alarm as a ritual heal Arcane Ward? Any 
  abjuration spell of 1st level or higher cast by an abjurer can 
  restore hit points to his or her Arcane Ward. As is normal 
  for healing, the ward can’t regain more hit points than its 
  hit point maximum: twice the wizard’s level + the wizard’s 
  Intelligence modifier.
   How does Arcane Ward interact with temporary hit 
  points and damage resistance that an abjurer might 
  have? An Arcane Ward is not an extension of the wizard 
  who creates it. It is a magical effect with its own hit points. 
  Any temporary hit points, immunities, or resistances that 
  the wizard has don’t apply to the ward.
   The ward takes damage first. Any leftover damage is 
  taken by the wizard and goes through the following game 
  elements in order: (1) any relevant damage immunity, (2) 
  any relevant damage resistance, (3) any temporary hit 
  points, and (4) real hit points.
  Equipment
   If you attack with a shield—most likely as an impro-
  vised weapon—do you keep the +2 bonus to AC? Attack-
  ing with a shield doesn’t deprive you of the bonus to AC.
  Backgrounds
   Can you have more than one background? You can have 
  only one background. It represents key aspects of your life 
  before you embarked on a life of adventure. If none of the 
  backgrounds available matches your character concept, talk 
  with your DM and use the guidelines on page 125 of the 
  Player’s Handbook to customize your own background.
  Multiclassing
   Can a rogue/monk use Sneak Attack with unarmed 
  strikes? The Sneak Attack feature works with a weapon 
  that has the finesse or ranged property. An unarmed strike 
  isn’t a weapon, so it doesn’t qualify. In contrast, a rogue/
  monk can use Sneak Attack with a monk weapon, such 
  as a shortsword or a dagger, that has one of the required 
  properties.
  Feats
  Crossbow Expert
  	 Is	it	intentional	that	the	second	benefit	of	Crossbow	Ex-
  pert helps ranged spell attacks? Yes, it’s intentional. When 
  you make a ranged attack roll within 5 feet of an enemy, 
  you normally suffer disadvantage (PH, 195). The second 
  benefit of Crossbow Expert prevents you from suffering 
  that disadvantage, whether or not the ranged attack is with 
  a crossbow.
   When designing a feat with a narrow use, we consider 
  adding at least one element that can benefit a character 
  more broadly—a bit of mastery that your character brings 
  from one situation to another. The second benefit of Cross-
  bow Expert is such an element, as is the first benefit of 
  Great Weapon Master. That element in Crossbow Expert 
  shows that some of the character’s expertise with one type 
  of thing—crossbows, in this case—transfers to other things.
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 5
  the chosen ability. The description says nothing about af-
  fecting attack rolls or saving throws. This means, for exam-
  ple, that if you choose Constitution, the spell’s target doesn’t 
  suffer disadvantage when trying to maintain concentration 
  on a spell, since concentration requires a Constitution sav-
  ing throw, not a Constitution check.
   Curious about the spell’s intent? The spell is meant to be 
  a classic jinx—the sort seen in folklore—that is useful in 
  and out of combat. In combat, the spell provides some extra 
  necrotic damage. Outside combat, you could foil a cunning 
  diplomat, for example, by casting the spell and imposing 
  disadvantage on his or her Charisma checks.
   Does the bard’s Jack of All Trades feature apply to 
  attack rolls and saving throws that don’t use the bard’s 
  proficiency	bonus? Nope. The feature benefits only abil-
  ity checks. Don’t forget that initiative rolls are Dexterity 
  checks, so Jack of All Trades can benefit a bard’s initiative, 
  assuming the bard isn’t already adding his or her profi-
  ciency bonus to it.
   When you make a Strength (Athletics) check to grapple 
  or	shove	someone,	are	you	making	an	attack	roll? Again, 
  the answer is no. That check is an ability check, so game 
  effects tied to attack rolls don’t apply to it. Going back to an 
  earlier question, the hex spell could be used to diminish a 
  grappler’s effectiveness. And if the grappler’s target is under 
  the effect of the Dodge action, that action doesn’t inhibit the 
  grapple, since Dodge doesn’t affect ability checks.
  Adventuring
   Are	extradimensional	spaces,	such	as	a	demiplane	or	
  the space created by rope trick,	considered	to	be	on	a	dif-
  ferent plane of existence? An extradimensional space (aka 
  an extraplanar space) is outside other planes. Therefore, if 
  you’re on the Material Plane and your foe is in an extradi-
  mensional space, the two of you aren’t considered to be on 
  the same plane of existence.
  	 What’s	an	example	of	an	effect	that	can	reduce	exhaus-
  tion? The greater restoration spell can reduce exhaustion.
  Combat
   Does surprise happen outside the initiative order as a 
  special surprise round? No, here’s how surprise works.
  The first step of any combat is this: the DM determines 
  whether anyone in the combat is surprised (reread “Combat 
  Step by Step” on page 189 of the Player’s Handbook). This 
  determination happens only once during a fight and only at 
  the beginning. In other words, once a fight starts, you can’t 
  be surprised again, although a hidden foe can still gain the 
  normal benefits from being unseen (see “Unseen Attackers 
  and Targets” on page 194 of the Player’s Handbook).
   To be surprised, you must be caught off guard, usually 
  because you failed to notice foes being stealthy or you were 
  startled by an enemy with a special ability, such as the 
  gelatinous cube’s Transparent trait, that makes it exception-
  ally surprising. You can be surprised even if your compan-
  ions aren’t, and you aren’t surprised if even one of your foes 
  fails to catch you unawares.
   If anyone is surprised, no actions are taken yet. First, 
  initiative is rolled as normal. Then, the first round of com-
  bat starts, and the unsurprised combatants act in initiative 
  order. A surprised creature can’t move or take an action 
  or a reaction until its first turn ends (remember that being 
  only if the class you pick for the feat is one of your classes. 
  For example, if you pick sorcerer and you are a sorcerer, the 
  Spellcasting feature for that class tells you that you can use 
  your spell slots to cast the sorcerer spells you know, so you 
  can use your spell slots to cast the 1st-level sorcerer spell 
  you learn from Magic Initiate. Similarly, if you are a wizard 
  and pick that class for the feat, you learn a 1st-level wizard 
  spell, which you could add to your spellbook and subse-
  quently prepare.
   In short, you must follow your character’s normal 
  spellcasting rules, which determine whether you can 
  expend spell slots on the 1st-level spell you learn from 
  Magic Initiate.
  Polearm Master
  	 Can	I	add	my	Strength	modifier	to	the	damage	of	the	
  bonus attack that Polearm Master gives me? Yep! If you 
  have the feat and use the Attack action to attack with a 
  glaive, halberd, or quarterstaff, you can also strike with the 
  weapon’s opposite end as a bonus action. For that bonus at-
  tack, you add your ability modifier to the attack roll, as you 
  do whenever you attack with that weapon, and if you hit, 
  you add the same ability modifier to the damage roll, which 
  is normal for weapon damage rolls (PH, 196).
   A specific rule, such as the rule for two-weapon fighting 
  (PH, 195), might break the general rule by telling you not 
  to add your ability modifier to the damage. Polearm Master 
  doesn’t do that.
  Savage Attacker
   Does the Savage Attacker feat work with unarmed 
  strikes? No. Savage Attacker relies on a weapon’s damage 
  dice, and an unarmed strike isn’t a weapon (a point that 
  was clarified in the Player’s Handbook errata).
  Sentinel
   Does	the	attack	granted	by	the	third	benefit	of	the	Sen-
  tinel feat take place before or after the triggering attack? 
  The bonus attack takes place after the triggering attack. 
  Here’s why: the feat doesn’t specify the bonus attack’s tim-
  ing, and when a reaction has no timing specified, the reac-
  tion occurs after its trigger finishes (DMG, 252). In contrast, 
  an opportunity attack specifically takes place before its trig-
  ger finishes—that is, right before the target creature leaves 
  your reach (PH, 195).
  Ability Checks
   Are attack rolls and saving throws basically special-
  ized ability checks? They aren’t. It’s easy to mistake the 
  three rolls as three faces of the same thing, because they 
  each involve rolling a d20, adding any modifiers, and com-
  paring the total to a Difficulty Class, and they’re all subject 
  to advantage and disadvantage. In short, they share the 
  same procedure for determining success or failure.
   Despite this common procedure, the three rolls are sep-
  arate from each other. If something in the game, like the 
  guidance spell, affects one of them, the other two aren’t 
  affected unless the rules specifically say so. The next few 
  questions touch on this point again.
   If you cast the hex spell and choose Strength as the af-
  fected	ability,	does	the	target	also	have	disadvantage	on	
  attack rolls and saving throws that use Strength? No, the 
  hex spell’s description says it affects ability checks that use 
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 6
  tion with your regular action too. The same principle holds 
  when you use a feature like Action Surge; you could use 
  both of your actions to take the Dash action.
   If	you	use	the	Help	action	to	distract	a	foe,	do	you	have	
  to stay within 5 feet of it for the action to work? No, you 
  can take the action and then move away. The action itself 
  is what grants advantage to your ally, not you staying next 
  to the foe.
   Can you use the Ready action to take the Dash action 
  on someone else’s turn and then combine the Charger 
  feat with it? No, since you can’t take a bonus action on 
  someone else’s turn.
  	 How	do	I	know	which	ability	modifier	to	use	with	an	
  attack roll and its damage roll? The Player’s Handbook 
  specifies which ability modifier to use with an attack roll (p. 
  194) and which one to use with the corresponding damage 
  roll (p. 196). Here’s a summary:
  Attack Type
  Attack Roll
  Damage Roll
  Melee weapon attack
  Strength mod.*
  Strength mod.
  Ranged weapon attack
  Dexterity mod.*
  Dexterity mod.
  Spell attack
  Spellcasting ability 
  mod.**
  Depends on effect
   *Add your proficiency bonus if you’re using a weapon with 
  which you’re proficient.
   **Add your proficiency bonus. Your spellcasting ability is 
  determined by your class or whatever feature gave you the ability 
  to make the spell attack.
   For example, if you make a melee weapon attack with a 
  longsword, you add your Strength modifier to the attack 
  and damage rolls of the attack. In contrast, if you make 
  the spell attack of the fire bolt cantrip, you add your spell-
  casting ability modifier to the attack roll. If you’re a wizard, 
  Intelligence is your spellcasting ability, so add your Intelli-
  gence modifier. Fire bolt doesn’t tell you to add your modi-
  fier to its damage roll, though, so you don’t.
   Various features in the game make explicit exceptions 
  to the rule. For example, a weapon that has the finesse 
  property lets you choose whether to use your Strength or 
  Dexterity modifier with it. Another example: when you use 
  the two-weapon fighting option in the Player’s Handbook 
  (p. 195), you don’t add your ability modifier to the damage 
  of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. You 
  do, however, still add your ability modifier to the attack roll, 
  since the option doesn’t tell you not to. In other words, you 
  follow the general rule until an exception in the game tells 
  you not to.
   What about unusual cases like the green-flame blade 
  spell? The spell, which appears in the Sword Coast Ad-
  venturer’s Guide, tells you to make a melee attack with a 
  weapon. Look at the table above, and you see that, under 
  normal circumstances, you use your Strength modifier 
  when you make a melee weapon attack. It doesn’t matter 
  that a spell told you to attack. If a spell expects you to 
  make a spell attack, the spell’s description says so. For 
  examples, take a look at fire bolt and ray of frost. Both say 
  it—“spell attack.”
   What does “melee weapon attack” mean: a melee 
  attack with a weapon or an attack with a melee weapon? 
  It means a melee attack with a weapon. Similarly, “ranged 
  weapon attack” means a ranged attack with a weapon. 
  Some attacks count as a melee or ranged weapon attack 
  unable to take an action also means you can’t take a bonus 
  action). In effect, a surprised creature skips its first turn 
  in a fight. Once that turn ends, the creature is no longer 
  surprised.
   In short, activity in a combat is always ordered by initia-
  tive, whether or not someone is surprised, and after the first 
  found of combat has passed, surprise is no longer a factor. 
  You can still try to hide from your foes and gain the benefits 
  conferred by being hidden, but you don’t deprive your foes 
  of their turns when you do so.
   Can you delay your turn and take it later in the round? 
  Nope. When it’s your turn, either you do something or you 
  don’t. If you don’t want to do anything, consider taking the 
  Dodge action so that you’ll, at least, have some extra pro-
  tection. If you want to wait to act in response to something, 
  take the Ready action, which lets you take part of your 
  turn later.
   For a variety of reasons, we didn’t include the option to 
  delay your turn:
  • Your turn involves several decisions, including where 
  to move and what action to take. If you could delay your 
  turn, your decision-making would possibly become 
  slower, since you would have to consider whether you 
  wanted to take your turn at all. Multiply that extra 
  analysis by the number of characters and monsters in 
  a combat, and you have the potential for many slow-
  downs in play.
  • The ability to delay your turn can make initiative mean-
  ingless, as characters and monsters bounce around in the 
  initiative order. If combatants can change their place in 
  the initiative order at will, why use initiative at all? On top 
  of that, changing initiative can easily turn into an unwel-
  come chore, especially for the DM, who might have to 
  change the initiative list over and over during a fight.
  • Being able to delay your turn can let you wreak havoc on 
  the durations of spells and other effects, particularly any 
  of them that last until your next turn. Simply by changing 
  when your turn happens, you could change the length 
  of certain spells. The way to guard against such abuse 
  would be to create a set of additional rules that would 
  limit your ability to change durations. The net effect? 
  More complexity would be added to the game, and with 
  more complexity, there is greater potential for slower play.
   Two of our goals for combat were for it to be speedy and 
  for initiative to matter. We didn’t want to start every combat 
  by rolling initiative and then undermine turn order with a 
  delay option. Moreover, we felt that toying with initiative 
  wasn’t where the focus should be in battle. Instead, the 
  dramatic actions of the combatants should be the focus, 
  with turns that could happen as quickly as possible. Plus, 
  the faster your turn ends, the sooner you get to take your 
  next turn.
   Can a bonus action be used as an action or vice versa? 
  For	example,	can	a	bard	use	a	bonus	action	to	grant	
  a Bardic Inspiration die and an action to cast healing 
  word? No. Actions and bonus actions aren’t interchange-
  able. In the example, the bard could use Bardic Inspiration 
  or healing word on a turn, not both.
   If you have a feature like Cunning Action or Step of the 
  Wind,	can	you	take	the	Dash	action	more	than	once	on	
  your turn? If a bonus action lets you take the Dash action, 
  nothing in the rules prevents you from taking the Dash ac-
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 7
  choose from among the special actions you’ve gained from 
  a class, a feat, or another source.
   If you want to cast a spell on your turn, you take the Cast 
  a Spell action. Doing so means you’re not taking the Attack 
  action or any other action. It is true that a number of spells, 
  such as fire bolt and ray of frost, involve making an attack, 
  but you can’t make such an attack without first casting the 
  spell that delivers it. In other words, just because some-
  thing involves an attack doesn’t mean the Attack action is 
  being used.
   By extension, the Extra Attack feature (given by several 
  classes, including the fighter and paladin) doesn’t let you 
  cast extra attack spells. That feature specifically relies 
  on the Attack action, not the Cast a Spell action or any 
  other action.
   In summary, to make a spell attack, you have to first cast 
  a spell or use a feature that creates the spell’s effect. A 
  game feature, such as Extra Attack, that lets you make an 
  attack doesn’t let you cast a spell unless it says it does.
   Can you use a melee spell attack to make an opportu-
  nity attack? You can’t if the spell attack is created by cast-
  ing a spell. When a creature triggers an opportunity attack 
  from you, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack 
  against it. The opportunity attack doesn’t suddenly give you 
  the ability to cast a spell, such as shocking grasp.
   Each spell has a casting time. A game feature, such as 
  an opportunity attack, doesn’t let you bypass that casting 
  time, unless the feature says otherwise. The War Caster 
  feat is an example of a feature that does let you bypass a 
  1-action casting time to cast a spell in place of an opportu-
  nity attack.
   A few monsters can make opportunity attacks with melee 
  spell attacks. Here’s how: certain monsters—including the 
  banshee, lich, and specter—have a melee spell attack that 
  isn’t delivered by a spell. For example, the banshee’s Cor-
  rupting Touch action is a melee spell attack but no spell is 
  cast to make it. The banshee can, therefore, make opportu-
  nity attacks with Corrupting Touch.
  Spell Level
   What level is a spell if you cast it without a spell slot? 
  Such a spell is cast at its lowest possible level, which is the 
  level that appears near the top of its description. Unless you 
  have a special ability that says otherwise, the only way to 
  increase the level of a spell is to expend a higher-level spell 
  slot when you cast it.
   Here are some examples:
  • The warlock’s Chains of Carceri feature lets a warlock 
  cast hold monster without a spell slot. That casting of 
  hold monster is, therefore, 5th level, which is the lowest 
  possible level for that spell.
  • The warlock’s Thief of Five Fates feature lets a warlock 
  cast bane with a spell slot, which means the spell is 1st 
  level or higher, depending on the slot that the warlock 
  expends to cast it.
  • The monk’s Disciple of the Elements feature lets the 
  monk spend ki points, rather than a spell slot, to increase 
  the level of a spell.
  This rule is true for player characters and monsters alike, 
  which is why the innate spellcasters in the Monster Manual 
  must cast an innate spell at its lowest possible level.
  even if a weapon isn’t involved, as specified in the text of 
  those attacks. For example, an unarmed strike counts as a 
  melee weapon attack, even though the attacker’s body isn’t 
  considered a weapon. 
   Here’s a bit of wording minutia: we would write “melee-
  weapon attack” if we meant an attack with a melee weapon.
   How does a reach weapon work with opportunity at-
  tacks? An opportunity attack is normally triggered when a 
  creature you can see moves beyond your reach (PH, 195). 
  If you want to make an opportunity attack with a reach 
  weapon, such as a glaive or a halberd, you can do so when 
  a creature leaves the reach you have with that weapon. For 
  example, if you’re wielding a halberd, a creature that is 
  right next to you could move 5 feet away without triggering 
  an opportunity attack. If that creature tries to move an addi-
  tional 5 feet—beyond your 10-foot reach—the creature then 
  triggers an opportunity attack.
   When	you	use	two-weapon	fighting,	can	you	draw	and	
  throw two weapons on your turn? You can throw two 
  weapons with two-weapon fighting (PH, 195), but that rule 
  doesn’t give you the ability to draw two weapons for free. 
   On your turn, you can interact with one object for free, 
  either during your move or during an action (PH, 190). One 
  of the most common object interactions is drawing or stow-
  ing a weapon. Interacting with a second object on the same 
  turn requires an action. You need a feature like the Dual 
  Wielder feat to draw or stow a second weapon for free.
   Is the grappling rule in the Player’s Handbook usable 
  by a handless creature? The grappling rule (PH, 195) was 
  written for a grappler with at least one hand, but a DM can 
  easily adapt the rule for a handless creature that has a bite 
  or an appendage, such as a tentacle, that could reasonably 
  seize someone. A wolf, for example, could plausibly try to 
  seize a person with its bite, and the animal wouldn’t be able 
  to use its bite attack as long as it held onto the person. 
   Keep in mind that the grappling rule in the Player’s Hand-
  book requires the Attack action, so a creature must take 
  that action—rather than Multiattack or another action in 
  the creature’s stat block—when it uses that rule. A monster, 
  such as a roper, that has a special grappling attack doesn’t 
  follow that rule when using its special attack.
   Is the intent that only melee weapon attacks can knock 
  foes	unconscious,	or	can	melee	spell	attacks	as	well? If 
  you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, 
  you can knock the creature out (PH, 198). That melee at-
  tack isn’t restricted to weapons. Even a melee spell attack 
  can be used to knock a creature out.
  Spellcasting
  Spell Attacks
   Can spell attacks score critical hits? A spell attack can 
  definitely score a critical hit. The rule on critical hits applies 
  to attack rolls of any sort.
   Can a spell with an attack roll be used as the attack in 
  the Attack action or as part of the Extra Attack feature? 
  The short answer is no.
   As explained in the Player’s Handbook, you can take one 
  action on your turn in combat, in addition to moving. You 
  choose your action from the options available to everyone—
  options such as Attack, Cast a Spell, and Dash—or you 
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 8
  material component but does have a somatic component. 
  She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s ges-
  tures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this 
  restriction.
  Duration
  	 If	you’re	concentrating	on	a	spell,	do	you	need	to	main-
  tain line of sight with the spell’s target or the spell’s 
  effect? You don’t need to be within line of sight or within 
  range to maintain concentration on a spell, unless a spell’s 
  description or other game feature says otherwise.
   If I have 10 temporary hit points and I take 30 damage 
  from	an	attack	while	concentrating	on	a	spell,	what	is	the	
  DC of the Constitution save to maintain my concentra-
  tion? The DC is 15 in that case. When temporary hit points 
  absorb damage for you, you’re still taking damage, just not 
  to your real hit points.
   In contrast, a feature like the wizard’s Arcane Ward can 
  take damage for you, potentially eliminating the need to 
  make a Constitution saving throw or, at least, lowering the 
  DC of that save.
   Can a spellcaster dismiss a spell after casting it? You 
  can’t normally dismiss a spell that you cast unless (a) its 
  description says you can or (b) it requires concentration 
  and you decide to end your concentration on it. Otherwise, 
  a spell’s magic is unleashed on the environment, and if you 
  want to end it, you need to cast dispel magic on it.
  Specific Spells
   Can you extend the duration of armor of Agathys by 
  gaining more temporary hit points? The spell is meant to 
  work only as long as you have the temporary hit points that 
  the spell grants. When those temporary hit points are gone, 
  the spell is done.
   Keep in mind that temporary hit points aren’t cumulative 
  (see PH, 198). If you have temporary hit points and receive 
  more of them, you don’t add them together, unless a game 
  feature says you can. You decide which temporary hit points 
  to keep. As an example, let’s say you’re a warlock with the 
  Dark One’s Blessing feature, which gives you temporary hit 
  points when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points. You cur-
  rently have 2 temporary hit points from armor of Agathys, 
  you just slew a monster, and your Dark One’s Blessing can 
  now give you 4 temporary hit points. If you take those tem-
  porary hit points, they replace the ones from armor of Ag-
  athys and end that spell, so you might not want to take them 
  and keep the spell going.
   How does barkskin	work	with	shields,	cover,	and	other	
  modifiers	to	AC? Barkskin specifies that your AC can’t 
  be lower than 16 while you are affected by the spell. This 
  means you effectively ignore any modifiers to your AC—in-
  cluding your Dexterity modifier, your armor, a shield, and 
  cover—unless your AC is higher than 16. For example, if 
  your AC is normally 14, it’s 16 while barkskin is on you. If 
  your AC is 15 and you have half cover, your AC is 17; bark-
  skin isn’t relevant in this case.
   When you cast a spell like conjure woodland beings,	
  does the spellcaster or the DM choose the creatures that 
  are conjured? A number of spells in the game let you sum-
  mon creatures. Conjure animals, conjure celestial, conjure 
  minor elementals, and conjure woodland beings are just a 
  few examples.
  Cantrips
  	 If	a	character	has	levels	in	more	than	one	class,	do	
  the character’s cantrips scale with character level or 
  with the level in a spellcasting class? Cantrips scale with 
  character level. For example, a barbarian 2 / cleric 3 casts 
  sacred flame as a 5th-level character.
  Casting Time
   Is there a limit on the number of spells you can cast 
  on your turn? There’s no rule that says you can cast only X 
  number of spells on your turn, but there are some practical 
  limits. The main limiting factor is your action. Most spells 
  require an action to cast, and unless you use a feature like 
  the fighter’s Action Surge, you have only one action on 
  your turn.
   If you cast a spell, such as healing word, with a bonus 
  action, you can cast another spell with your action, but that 
  other spell must be a cantrip. Keep in mind that this partic-
  ular limit is specific to spells that use a bonus action. For 
  instance, if you cast a second spell using Action Surge, you 
  aren’t limited to casting a cantrip with it.
   Can you also cast a reaction spell on your turn? You 
  sure can! Here’s a common way for it to happen: Cornelius 
  the wizard is casting fireball on his turn, and his foe casts 
  counterspell on him. Cornelius has counterspell prepared, 
  so he uses his reaction to cast it and break his foe’s counter-
  spell before it can stop fireball.
  Components
   Does a spell consume its material components? A 
  spell doesn’t consume its material components unless its 
  description says it does. For example, the pearl required 
  by the identify spell isn’t consumed, whereas the diamond 
  required by raise dead is used up when you cast the spell.
  	 If	a	spell’s	material	components	are	consumed,	can	a	
  spellcasting focus still be used in place of the consumed 
  component? Nope. A spellcasting focus can be used in 
  place of a material component only if that component has 
  no cost noted in the spell’s description and if that compo-
  nent isn’t consumed.
   What’s the amount of interaction needed to use a spell-
  casting focus? Does it have to be included in the somatic 
  component? If a spell has a material component, you need 
  to handle that component when you cast the spell (PH, 
  203). The same rule applies if you’re using a spellcasting 
  focus as the material component.
   If a spell has a somatic component, you can use the hand 
  that performs the somatic component to also handle the 
  material component. For example, a wizard who uses an 
  orb as a spellcasting focus could hold a quarterstaff in one 
  hand and the orb in the other, and he could cast lightning 
  bolt by using the orb as the spell’s material component and 
  the orb hand to perform the spell’s somatic component.
   Another example: a cleric’s holy symbol is emblazoned 
  on her shield. She likes to wade into melee combat with a 
  mace in one hand and a shield in the other. She uses the 
  holy symbol as her spellcasting focus, so she needs to have 
  the shield in hand when she casts a cleric spell that has a 
  material component. If the spell, such as aid, also has a so-
  matic component, she can perform that component with the 
  shield hand and keep holding the mace in the other.
   If the same cleric casts cure wounds, she needs to put the 
  mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a 
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 9
  from concentrating on a spell that you cast before being 
  transformed.
   If I cast shillelagh	on	my	quarterstaff	and	have	the	
  Polearm	Master	feat,	does	the	bonus	attack	use	a	d4	or	a	
  d8 for damage? The bonus attack uses a d4. That attack is 
  a function of the feat, not the weapon being used.
  Monsters
   Is natural armor considered light armor? No. Natural 
  armor doesn’t fit into the categories of light, medium, and 
  heavy armor, and when you have it, it isn’t considered to be 
  an armor you’re wearing.
   Does natural armor cap a creature’s Dexterity bonus? 
  Natural armor doesn’t limit a creature’s Dexterity bonus.
   Is the breath weapon of a dragon magical? If you cast 
  antimagic field, don armor of invulnerability, or use another 
  feature of the game that protects against magical or non-
  magical effects, you might ask yourself, “Will this protect 
  me against a dragon’s breath?” The breath weapon of a typi-
  cal dragon isn’t considered magical, so antimagic field won’t 
  help you but armor of invulnerability will.
   You might be thinking, “Dragons seem pretty magical 
  to me.” And yes, they are extraordinary! Their description 
  even says they’re magical. But our game makes a distinc-
  tion between two types of magic:
  • the background magic that is part of the D&D 
  multiverse’s physics and the physiology of many 
  D&D creatures
  • the concentrated magical energy that is contained in a 
  magic item or channeled to create a spell or other focused 
  magical effect
  In D&D, the first type of magic is part of nature. It is no 
  more dispellable than the wind. A monster like a dragon 
  exists because of that magic-enhanced nature. The second 
  type of magic is what the rules are concerned about. When 
  a rule refers to something being magical, it’s referring to 
  that second type. Determining whether a game feature is 
  magical is straightforward. Ask yourself these questions 
  about the feature:
  • Is it a magic item?
  • Is it a spell? Or does it let you create the effects of a spell 
  that’s mentioned in its description?
  • Is it a spell attack?
  • Does its description say it’s magical?
  If your answer to any of those questions is yes, the feature 
  is magical.
   Let’s look at a white dragon’s Cold Breath and ask our-
  selves those questions. First, Cold Breath isn’t a magic 
  item. Second, its description mentions no spell. Third, it’s 
  not a spell attack. Fourth, the word “magical” appears no-
  where in its description. Our conclusion: Cold Breath is not 
  considered a magical game effect, even though we know 
  that dragons are amazing, supernatural beings.
  Magic Items
   Which is correct in the Dungeon Master’s Guide,	the	
  rule for scrolls or the rule for a spell scroll? They’re both 
  correct. The rule for scrolls (p. 139) is for scrolls in general, 
  including a scroll of protection, and it allows you to try to 
  activate a spell if you’re literate. The rule for a spell scroll is 
   Some spells of this sort specify that the spellcaster 
  chooses the creature conjured. For example, find familiar 
  gives the caster a list of animals to choose from.
   Other spells of this sort let the spellcaster choose from 
  among several broad options. For example, conjure minor 
  elementals offers four options. Here are the first two:
  • One elemental of challenge rating 2 or lower
  • Two elementals of challenge rating 1 or lower
  The design intent for options like these is that the spell-
  caster chooses one of them, and then the DM decides what 
  creatures appear that fit the chosen option. For example, 
  if you pick the second option, the DM chooses the two ele-
  mentals that have a challenge rating of 1 or lower.
   A spellcaster can certainly express a preference for what 
  creatures shows up, but it’s up to the DM to determine if 
  they do. The DM will often choose creatures that are ap-
  propriate for the campaign and that will be fun to introduce 
  in a scene.
   Can you cast darkness with a higher level slot to end 
  a spell of 3rd level or higher that creates light? No. The 
  darkness spell can dispel only a light-creating spell of 2nd 
  level or lower, no matter what spell slot is used for dark-
  ness. Similarly, the daylight spell can dispel only a dark-
  ness-creating spell of 3rd level or lower, regardless of the 
  spell slot used.
   Can dispel magic end globe of invulnerability? Yes, 
  dispel magic can dispel the barrier created by globe of invul-
  nerability, but not anything inside the barrier.
   If	I’m	a	cleric/druid	with	the	Disciple	of	Life	feature,	
  does the goodberry	spell	benefit	from	the	feature?	Yes. 
  The Disciple of Life feature would make each berry restore 
  4 hit points, instead of 1, assuming you cast goodberry with 
  a 1st-level spell slot.
   For the spell hail of thorns,	does	it	last	for	the	initial	
  attack or as long as you maintain concentration? Hail of 
  thorns lasts until you hit a creature with a ranged weapon 
  attack or your concentration ends, whichever comes first.
   Do the temporary hit points from heroism accumulate 
  each round? These temporary hit points aren’t cumu-
  lative. The spell would tell you if you were meant to add 
  them together. At the start of each of your turns, the spell, 
  effectively, refreshes the number of temporary hit points 
  you have from it; if you lost some or all of the temporary hit 
  points, the spell gives them back to you.
   Does Unarmored Defense work with a spell like mage 
  armor? Unarmored Defense doesn’t work with mage ar-
  mor. You might be asking yourself, “Why don’t they work 
  together? Mage armor specifies that it works on a creature 
  who isn’t wearing armor.” It’s true that the target of mage 
  armor must be unarmored, but mage armor gives you a new 
  way to calculate your AC (13 + your Dexterity modifier) and 
  is therefore incompatible with Unarmored Defense or any 
  other feature that provides an AC calculation.
   Does planar binding summon the creature to be 
  bound,	or	is	that	done	separately? Planar binding doesn’t 
  summon a creature. It attempts to bind a creature that is 
  within the spell’s range.
   Can you concentrate on a spell while transformed 
  by polymorph? You can’t cast spells while you’re trans-
  formed by polymorph, but nothing in the spell prevents you 
  
  Version 1.07 
  @2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only. 
   Page 10
  specific to that type of scroll and introduces an additional 
  requirement: the spell on the scroll must be on your class’s 
  spell list for you to read the scroll.
   A spell scroll can be named in a variety of ways: spell 
  scroll, scroll of X (where X is the name of a spell), or spell 
  scroll of X (where X, again, is the name of a spell). No 
  matter how its name appears, a spell scroll follows the 
  same rule.
   For you to meet a spell scroll’s requirement, the spell 
  on the scroll needs to be on whatever spell list is used by 
  your class. Here are two examples. If you’re a cleric, the 
  spell must be on the cleric spell list, and if you’re a fighter 
  with the Eldritch Knight archetype, the spell must be on 
  the wizard spell list, because that is the spell list used by 
  your class.
   Do the AC bonuses from a ring of protection and brac-
  ers of defense stack? Yes. In general, bonuses stack, un-
  less they’re from the same spell (see “Combining Magical 
  Effects” in the Player’s Handbook, p. 205). You also can’t 
  benefit from more than one ring of protection, for instance, 
  since you can’t attune to more than one copy of an item 
  at a time.
   Do magic weapons give you a bonus to attack and dam-
  age rolls? A magic weapon gives you a bonus to attack rolls 
  and damage rolls only if its description says it does. Every 
  magic weapon can bypass resistances and immunities to 
  damage from nonmagical attacks, but only certain magic 
  weapons are more accurate and damaging than their non-
  magical counterparts. For example, a +1 longsword and 
  a giant slayer both give you a +1 bonus to attack rolls and 
  damage rolls, whereas neither a flame tongue nor a frost 
  brand provides such a bonus. All four weapons, however, 
  can bypass an earth elemental’s resistance to bludgeoning, 
  piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.
   In short, a bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls is con-
  sidered a special property of a magic weapon, not some-
  thing that all magic weapons provide automatically.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/Rulebooks/Extras/Sage Advice Compedium.pdf