Exploration
Exploration involves delving into places that are dangerous and full of mystery. The rules in this section detail some of the ways adventurers interact wiht the environment in such places.
Adventuring Equipment
As adventures explore, their equipment can help them in many ways. For example, they can reach out-of-the-way places with a ladder, or perceive things they wouldn't otherwise with a Torch or another light source, bypass locked doors and containers with Thieve's Tools, abnd create obstacles with Caltrops.
Vision and Light
Some adventuring tasks—such as noticing dangers, hitting an enemt, and targeting certain spells—are affected by sight, so effects that obscure vision can hinder you, as explained below:
Obscured Areas
An area might be Lightly or Heavily Obscured. In a Lightly Obscured area—such as an area with Dim Light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage—you have Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
A Heavily Obscured Area—such as an area with Darkness, heavy fog, or dense foliage—is opaque. You have the Blinded condition when trying to see something there.
Light
The presence of absence of light determines the category of illumination in an area, as defined below.
Bright Light
Bright Light lets most creatures see normally, Even gloomy days provide Bright Light as do torches, lanterns, fires, and other sources of illumination within a specific radius.
Dim Light
Dim Light, also called shadows creates a Lightly Obscured area. An area of Dim Light is usuallt a boundary between Bright Light and surrounding Darkness. The soft light of twilight and dawn also countt as Dim Light. A full mon might bathe the land in Dim Light.
Darkness
Darkness creates a Heavily Obscured area. Characters face Darkness outdoors at night (even most moonlit night), within the confines of an unlit dungeon, or in area of magical Darkness.
Special Senses
Some creatures have special senses that help them perceive things in certain situations as follow:
- Blindsight
- Darkvision
- Tremorsense
- Truesight
Hiding
Adventures and monsters often hide, whenever to spy one another, sneak past a guardian, or set an ambush, The DM decides when circumstances are appropriate for hiding. When you try to hide you take the Hide action.
Interacting with Objects
Interacting wiht objects is often simple to resolve. The players tells the DM that their character is doing something, such as moving a lever or opening a door, and the DM describes what happens. Sometimes, however, rules govern what you can do with an object, as defined in the following sections:
What is an Object?
For the purpose of the rules, an object is a discrete inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or tone. It isn't a building or a vehicle which are composed of many objects
Time-Limited Object Interaction
When time is short, such as in combat, interractions with objects are limited: one free interaction per turn. That iteraction must occur during a creature's Movement or action. Any additional interaction require the Utilise action, as explained in Combat in later section.
Finding Hidden Objectts
When your character searches for hidden things, such as a secret door or a trap, the DM typically asks you to make a Wisdom (Perception) check, provided tou describe the character searching in the hidden object's vicinity. On success, you find the objext, other important detail, or both.
If you desccribe your character searching nowhere near a hidden object, a Wisdom (Perception) check won't reveal the object, no matter the check's total.
Carrying Onjects
You can usually carry your gear and treasure with out worrying about the weight of these objects. If you try to haul an unnusually heavy object or a massive nmumber of lighter objects, the DM migh require you to abide by the rules for carrying capacity.
Breaking Objects
Objects can be harmed by attacks and by some spells, using the rules below. If an object is exceedingly fragile, the DM may allow a creature to break it automatically with the Attack or Utilise action.
Armour Class The Object Armour Class table suggests ACs for various substances.
Object Armour Class
| AC | Substance |
|---|---|
| 11 | Cloth, Paper, Rope |
| 13 | Crystal. Glass, Ice |
| 15 | Wood |
| 17 | Stone |
| 19 | Iron, Steel |
| 21 | Mithral |
| 23 | Adamantine |
Hit Points An object is destroyed when it has 0 Hit Points. The Object Hit Points table suggests Hit Points for fragile and resilient objects that are Large or smaller. To track Hit Points for a Huge or Gargantuan object, divide it into Large or smaller sections, and track each section's Hit Points separately. The DM determines whether destroying part of an object causes the whole thing to collapse.
Object Hit Points
| Size | Fragile | Resilient |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny (Bottle, Lock) | 2 (1d4) | 5 (2d4) |
| Small (Chest, Lute) | 3 (1d6) | 10 (3d6) |
| Medium (Barrel, Chandelier) | 4 (1d8) | 18 (4d8) |
| Large (Cart, Dining Table) | 5 (1d10) | 27 (5d10) |
Damage Types and Objects Objects have Immunity to Poison and Psychic damage. The DM might decide that some damage types are more or less effective against an object. For example, Bludgeoning damage works well for smashing things but not for cutting. Paper or cloth objects might have Vulnerability to Fire damage.
Damage Threshold Big objects, such as castle walls, often have extra resilience represented by a damage threshold.
No Ability Scores An object lacks ability scores unless a rule assigns scores to the object. Without ability scores, an object can't make ability checks, and it fails all saving throws.
Hazards
Monsters are the main perils characters face, but other dangers awaits as follow:
Burning
A burning creature or object takes 1d4 Fire damage at the start of each of its turns. As an Action, you can extinguish fire on yourself by giving yourself the Prone condition and rolling on the ground. The fire also goes out if it is doused, submereged, or suffocated
Dehydration
A creature requires an amount of water per day based on its size, as shown in the Water Needs oer Day table. A creature that drinks less than half the required water for a day gains 1 Exhaustion level as the day's end. Exhaustion caused by dehydration can;t be removed until the creature drinks the full amount of water required for a day.
Water Needs per Day
| Size | Water |
|---|---|
| Tiny | 1/4 gallon |
| Small | 1 gallon |
| Medium | 1 gallon |
| Large | 4 gallons |
| Huge | 16 gallons |
| Gargantuan | 64 gallons |
Falling
A creature that falls take 1d6 Bludgeoning damage at the end of the fall for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6. When the creature lands, it has the Prone condition unless it avoids taking damage from the fall.
A creature that falls into water or another liquid can use its REaction to make a DC 15 Strength (Athlethics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to hit the surface head or feet first. On a successful check, any damage resulting from the fall is halved.
Malnutrition
A creature needs an amount of food per day based on its size, as shown in the Food Needs per Day table. A creature that eats but consumes less than half the required food for a day must suvveed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain 1 Exhaustion level at the day's end. A creature that eats nothing for 5 days automatically gains 1 Exhaustion level at the end of the fifth day as well as an additional level at the end of each subsequent day without food.
Exhaustion caused by malnutriion can;t be removed untul the creature eats the full amount og the food required for a day.
Food Needs per Day
| Size | Food |
|---|---|
| Tiny | 1/4 pound |
| Small | 1 Pound |
| Medium | 1 Pound |
| Large | 4 Pound |
| Huge | 16 Pound |
| Gargantuan | 64 Pound |
Suffocation
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minute equal to 1 plus its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds) before suffocation begins. When a creature runs out of breath or its choking, it gains 1 Exhaustion level at the end of each of its turns. When a creature can breathe again, it removes all levels of Exhaustion it gained from suffocating.