Combat

Combat in You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) uses a streamlined system focused on clear choices, consistent resolution, and fast-paced action. On your turn, you can take one action and move up to your speed. This simple structure makes combat easy to learn while still offering tactical depth through positioning, spell selection, and resource management.

Turn Examples

Here are some examples of typical turns in combat:

  • Fighter: Move up to your speed, then take the Attack action (with Extra Attack, you make multiple attacks as part of this single action).
  • Wizard: Move into position, then cast fireball (1 action).
  • Cleric: Move to an injured ally, then cast healing word (1 action) to restore their hit points.
  • Rogue: Take the Dash action to move up to double your speed, positioning yourself for a surprise attack next turn.
  • Barbarian: Enter rage (free action), move to an enemy, then take the Attack action.

The Order of Combat

A typical combat encounter follows this sequence:

  1. Surprise. The Game Master determines whether anyone is surprised.
  2. Combat order. Participants act in combat order (players first by default; see Combat order below).
  3. Combat Rounds. Each round, participants act in combat order.
  4. End of Combat. The encounter ends when one side is defeated, flees, or surrenders.

Surprise

A band of adventurers sneaks up on a bandit camp, springing from the bushes. A gelatinous cube glides down a dungeon passage, unnoticed by the adventurers until the cube engulfs one of them. In these situations, one side of the battle gains surprise over the other.

The Game Master determines who might be surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the Game Master compares the Fitness (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Insight (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side. Any character or monster that doesn't notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter.

If you're surprised, you can't move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can't take a reaction until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren't.

Combat order

Combat order determines who acts when during a round. By default, the players go first, in whatever order best fits the narrative. The players decide among themselves in which order they take their turns. Monsters and other opponents act after the players, in an order that makes sense for the situation.

If the players are surprised, the monsters (or other threats) go first, in an order that fits the narrative. After they have acted, the players take their turns as above. Whether anyone is surprised can be determined by a check or by the situation; that is left to the Game Master.

Initiative (variant): Roll initiative using a Fitness check. The highest roll acts first. After the highest roll is determined, the players determine the order among themselves for their turns.

Your Turn

On your turn, you can move up to your speed and take one action. You decide whether to move first or take your action first, and you can split your movement, using some before and some after your action.

The basic action options are described below. Many class features and spells provide additional options for what you can do with your action.

Free Actions

In addition to your action and movement, you can perform minor activities that don't require significant time or effort. These are called free actions.

Object Interaction (Everyone)

Every character can interact with one object or feature of the environment for free during their turn, either during their movement or as part of their action. This represents simple, quick interactions that don't require focused effort. Examples include:

  • Draw or sheathe a weapon
  • Open or close a door
  • Pick up or drop an item
  • Pull a lever or push a button
  • Retrieve or stow an item from a pack

If you want to interact with a second object on your turn, you'll need to use the Use an Object action. Some objects, like magic items or complex mechanisms, always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions.

Class Feature Free Actions (When You Have Them)

Some class features and abilities can be activated as free actions, meaning they don't use your action for the turn. These are typically quick-activation abilities that enhance your combat effectiveness. Examples include:

  • Rage (Barbarian feature)
  • Wild Shape (Circle of the Moon Druid only - the enhanced, instant transformation)
  • Channel Divinity (certain quick-activation effects)
  • Other abilities specifically marked as free actions in their description

You can generally only activate one class feature free action per turn unless an ability says otherwise. You can still use your object interaction in addition to a class feature free action.

Movement

On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed. You can use as much or as little of your speed as you like on your turn, following the rules here.

Your movement can include jumping, climbing, and swimming. These different modes of movement can be combined with walking, or they can constitute your entire move. However you're moving, you deduct the distance of each part of your move from your speed until it is used up or until you are done moving.

Breaking Up Your Move

You can break up your movement on your turn, using some of your speed before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 30 feet, you can move 10 feet, take your action, and then move 20 feet.

Moving Around Other Creatures

You can move through a nonhostile creature's space. In contrast, you can move through a hostile creature's space only if the creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you. Remember that another creature's space is difficult terrain for you.

Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can't willingly end your move in its space.

Actions

On your turn, you can take one action. The most common actions you can take are described here. Many class features and other abilities provide additional options for your action.

Attack

The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action, whether you are swinging a sword, firing an arrow from a bow, or brawling with your fists.

With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack. See the "Attacks and Defense" section in the Core rules for the rules on making attacks. If you are proficient with the weapon you're using, you gain advantage on the attack roll—see Weapon Proficiency in the Core rules for details.

Certain class features, such as the Fighter's Extra Attack, allow you to make more than one attack when you take the Attack action. These extra attacks are all part of the same action. See the Multiple Attacks section below for details.

Cast a Spell

Spellcasters such as wizards and clerics, as well as many monsters, have access to spells and can use them to great effect in combat. Each spell has a casting time, which specifies whether you can cast it as an action, a reaction, or with some other timing.

Most combat spells can be cast using your action:

  • Cantrips: Use your action to cast a cantrip (e.g., fire bolt, sacred flame)
  • Leveled Spells: Use your action to cast a leveled spell (e.g., fireball, healing word, cure wounds)
  • Reaction Spells: Some spells can be cast as a reaction outside your turn when triggered (e.g., shield, counterspell)

When you cast a spell that requires an action, it uses your action for the turn. You can still move on the same turn.

Dash

When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after applying any modifiers. With a speed of 30 feet, for example, you can move up to 60 feet on your turn if you dash.

Any increase or decrease to your speed changes this additional movement by the same amount. If your speed of 30 feet is reduced to 15 feet, for instance, you can dash up to 30 feet, rather than 60 feet.

Taking the Dash action uses your action for the turn.

Disengage

If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn't provoke reactions from enemies until the end of your turn. This allows you to move away from dangerous positions without triggering enemy responses. This action represents careful, defensive movement that keeps you ready to react to threats.

Taking the Disengage action uses your action for the turn.

Dodge

When you take the Dodge action, you focus entirely on avoiding attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you make Fitness saving throws with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are incapacitated or if your speed drops to 0.

Taking the Dodge action uses your action for the turn.

Help

You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn.

Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.

Taking the Help action uses your action for the turn.

Hide

When you take the Hide action, you make a Fitness (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide, following the rules for hiding. If you succeed, you gain certain benefits, as described in the "Unseen Attackers and Targets" section later in this chapter.

Taking the Hide action uses your action for the turn.

Ready

Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn.

First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it. Examples include "If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I'll pull the lever that opens it," and "If the goblin steps next to me, I move away."

When the trigger occurs, you can either take your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one reaction per round.

When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell's magic requires concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. 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.

Taking the Ready action uses your action for the turn.

Search

When you take the Search action, you devote your attention to finding something. Depending on the nature of your search, the Game Master might have you make a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.

Taking the Search action uses your action for the turn.

Use an Object

You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as when you draw a sword as part of an attack. When an object requires your action for its use, you take the Use an Object action. This action is also useful when you want to interact with more than one object on your turn.

Taking the Use an Object action uses your action for the turn.

Other Activity on Your Turn

Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require neither your action nor your move.

Communication: You can communicate however you are able through brief utterances and gestures as you take your turn. Speaking a few sentences, giving a short command, or describing your action are all part of your turn. Delivering a long speech or monologue, however, might require using your action at the Game Master's discretion.

Environmental Interactions: See the Free Actions section for details on interacting with objects and the environment during your turn.

The Game Master is the final arbiter of what activities require actions and what can be done as part of your turn's natural flow. When in doubt, describe what you want to do and the GM will tell you whether it requires an action.

Reactions

Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's.

One Reaction Per Round: You have one reaction available per round. When you take a reaction, you can't take another one until the start of your next turn. Your reaction refreshes at the beginning of your turn, giving you one reaction to use during each round of combat.

Reactions don't use your action and can be taken outside your turn when triggered. If the reaction interrupts another creature's turn, that creature can continue its turn right after the reaction.

Common Reactions

  • Spells: Some spells can be cast as reactions, such as shield (when you are hit by an attack) or counterspell (when you see a creature casting a spell within range).
  • Class Features: Many class features trigger as reactions, such as the Fighter's Riposte or the Monk's Deflect Missiles.
  • Readied Actions: When you use the Ready action, you hold your action to use as a reaction when a specific trigger occurs.

Multiple Attacks

When you take the Attack action, you normally make one attack. However, certain class features grant you the ability to make more than one attack with a single Attack action.

Extra Attack

Class features like the Fighter's Extra Attack allow you to make multiple attacks when you take the Attack action. All of these attacks are part of the same action and happen during your turn.

For example, a 5th-level Fighter with Extra Attack takes the Attack action and makes two attacks. Both attacks are part of a single Attack action, and the Fighter can still move before, after, or between these attacks.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you take the Attack action and are wielding a light melee weapon in each hand, you can make an additional attack with your off-hand weapon as part of the same Attack action. This doesn't require a separate action or bonus action - it's all part of your Attack action.

You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the off-hand attack unless the modifier is negative, or unless you have a feature that specifically allows you to add it.

Class Features and Abilities

Many D&D 5e abilities that originally granted bonus action attacks (such as Polearm Master, Crossbow Expert, or Martial Arts) now allow an additional attack as part of your Attack action in You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT).

When converting from D&D 5e, follow these guidelines:

  • Bonus action attacks: Most become additional attacks as part of the Attack action (like Two-Weapon Fighting above)
  • Features that enhance attacks: These work as part of the Attack action (e.g., Sneak Attack, Divine Smite)
  • Quick activations: Abilities like Rage, Channel Divinity, or Circle of the Moon's Wild Shape become free actions

Distributing Attacks

You can direct your attacks at one target or divide them among multiple targets, as long as all targets are within your reach (for melee attacks) or range (for ranged attacks). You must declare all targets before making any attack rolls.

Tactical Positioning

You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) does not include specific rules for tactical positioning such as flanking, facing, or similar mechanics. These elements are left to Game Master discretion. The GM may choose to grant advantage, impose disadvantage, or apply other modifiers based on tactical positioning and narrative circumstances as they see fit for their game.

Variant: 3 Moments System

For groups that want more tactical flexibility and granular action economy, you can use the 3 Moments System. This variant allows characters to split their turn into smaller units for more complex tactical choices.

How It Works

Each turn consists of 3 Moments. You can spend these Moments on movement, actions, and spellcasting as follows:

  • Movement: 1 Moment to move up to your speed
  • Attack: 1 Moment per attack
  • Cantrip: 1 Moment
  • Leveled Spell: 2 Moments
  • Most other actions: 1 Moment (Dash, Dodge, Hide, Help, etc.)

Stacking Disadvantage

When you make multiple attacks during your turn using the 3 Moments System, each attack after the first suffers stacking Disadvantage. This represents the difficulty of maintaining accuracy and power when attacking rapidly. This system is inspired by Nimble (1e).

  • First attack: No Disadvantage. Make your attack roll normally.
  • Second attack: Disadvantage on the attack roll (roll 2d20, take lowest).
  • Third attack: Disadvantage on Disadvantage (roll 3d20, take lowest).

Agile Weapons

Some weapons are designed for rapid, fluid combat and reduce the stacking Disadvantage. When wielding a weapon with the agile property, the second attack in a turn does not suffer Disadvantage. The third attack still suffers Disadvantage (not Disadvantage on Disadvantage), and subsequent attacks continue to stack normally.

Examples of agile weapons include shortswords, scimitars, daggers, and handaxes.

Extra Attack and Class Features

In the 3 Moments System, class features like Extra Attack work differently. When you have Extra Attack, you can make multiple attacks by spending Moments, but you still benefit from your class feature by getting reduced or eliminated Disadvantage penalties on those attacks, as specified in the class feature description.

Turn Examples with 3 Moments

Here are some examples of how you might spend your 3 Moments:

  • Mobile Fighter: Move (1 Moment), Attack (1 Moment), Attack (1 Moment, with Disadvantage)
  • Wizard: Cast fireball (2 Moments), Move away to safety (1 Moment)
  • Aggressive Combatant: Attack (1 Moment), Attack (1 Moment, with Disadvantage), Attack (1 Moment, with double Disadvantage)
  • Tactical Rogue: Hide (1 Moment), Move into position (1 Moment), Attack with Advantage from hiding (1 Moment)

When to Use This Variant

The 3 Moments System is best suited for groups that enjoy:

  • More tactical decision-making during combat
  • Flexibility to mix movement and actions in creative ways
  • A faster-paced combat where characters can do multiple things per turn

The standard action system (1 action + movement) is recommended for new players or groups that prefer simpler, faster combat resolution.

Cover

Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover.

There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren't added together. For example, if a target is behind a creature that gives it half cover and a tree trunk that gives it three-quarters cover, the target has three-quarters cover.

Half Cover

A target with half cover has a +2 bonus to AC and Fitness saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a creature, whether that creature is an enemy or a friend.

Three-Quarters Cover

A target with three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC and Fitness saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if an obstacle blocks at least three-quarters of its body. The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick tree trunk.

Total Cover

A target with total cover can't be targeted directly by an attack or a spell, although some spells can reach such a target by including it in an area of effect. A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle.

Damage and Healing

Injury and the risk of death are constant companions of those who explore fantasy gaming worlds. The thrust of a sword, a well-placed arrow, or a blast of felfire magic all have the potential to damage, or even kill, the hardiest of creatures.

In You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT), damage is expressed in hits rather than hit points. A successful attack deals 1 hit. A critical hit deals 2 hits. See the Attacks and Defense section for more details.

Damage Types

Different attacks, damaging spells, and other harmful effects deal different types of damage. Damage types have no rules of their own, but other rules, such as damage resistance, rely on the types.

The damage types follow, with examples to help a Game Master assign a damage type to a new effect.

  • Acid. The corrosive spray of a black dragon's breath and the dissolving enzymes secreted by a black pudding deal acid damage.
  • Bludgeoning. Blunt force attacks—hammers, falling, constriction, and the like—deal bludgeoning damage.
  • Cold. The infernal chill radiating from an ice devil's spear and the frigid blast of a white dragon's breath deal cold damage.
  • Fire. Red dragons breathe fire, and many spells conjure flames to deal fire damage.
  • Force. Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile and spiritual weapon.
  • Lightning. A lightning bolt spell and a blue dragon's breath deal lightning damage.
  • Necrotic. Necrotic damage, dealt by certain undead and some spells, withers matter and even the soul.
  • Piercing. Puncturing and impaling attacks, including spears and monsters' bites, deal piercing damage.
  • Poison. Venomous stings and the toxic gas of a green dragon's breath deal poison damage.
  • Psychic. Mental abilities such as a psionic blast deal psychic damage.
  • Radiant. Radiant damage, dealt by a cleric's flame strike spell or an angel's smiting weapon, sears the flesh like fire and overloads the spirit with power.
  • Slashing. Swords, axes, and monsters' claws deal slashing damage.
  • Thunder. A concussive burst of sound, such as the effect of the thunderwave spell, deals thunder damage.

Damage Resistance and Vulnerability

Some creatures and objects are exceedingly difficult or unusually easy to hurt with certain types of damage.

If a creature or an object has resistance to a damage type, attacks that deal damage of that type are made with disadvantage against it. If a creature or an object has vulnerability to a damage type, attacks that deal damage of that type are made with advantage against it.

Resistance and vulnerability affect the attack roll only; they do not change the number of hits dealt on a successful hit. For example, a creature with resistance to bludgeoning is attacked with a bludgeoning weapon: the attacker rolls the attack with disadvantage. If the attack hits, it still deals its normal hits (e.g. 1 hit, or 2 on a critical).

Multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability that affect the same damage type count as only one instance. A creature with several sources of resistance to fire still imposes disadvantage only once on fire attacks; a creature with several sources of vulnerability to fire still grants advantage only once.

Healing

Unless it results from death, damage isn't permanent. Even death is reversible through powerful magic. Rest can restore a creature's hit points (as explained in the Recovery Points and Rest section), and magical methods such as a cure wounds spell or a potion of healing can remove damage in an instant.

When a creature receives healing of any kind, hit points regained are added to its current hit points. A creature's hit points can't exceed its hit point maximum, so any hit points regained in excess of this number are lost. For example, a druid grants a ranger 3 hit points of healing. If the ranger has 14 current hit points and has a hit point maximum of 20, the ranger regains 3 hit points, increasing their current hit points to 17, not 20.

A creature that has died can't regain hit points until magic such as the revivify spell has restored it to life.

Life and Death Saves

A character has 3 hearts (lives). When a character reaches 0 HP, they must make a Death Save to stay alive. This is a Willpower saving throw.

On a failed save, the character loses one heart and becomes weakened by 1 level. Each level of weakening applies stacking Disadvantage to all rolls (first weakening: Disadvantage; second weakening: Disadvantage on Disadvantage, and so on) and reduces the number of available Moments per turn by 1.

As long as the character remains at 0 HP, they must make a new Death Save each time they take damage. This process repeats until all hearts are lost; upon losing the last heart, the character dies.

Restoring a lost heart requires one long rest. During this rest, however, no HP is restored; HP must be regained separately through spells, healing, or other effects. Only when the number of hearts is back to 3 does a long rest also restore HP again.

The order of recovery during a long rest is always: first hearts, then HP.