Unarmed strikes normally do damage equal to (1 + Str mod).  If I punch someone and have a -2 Strength modifier, will I technically heal the target by 1 HP?
122567
A slightly humorous thought occurred to me (a recovering rules lawyer) after reading .     "None of the answers actually specify that 0 is the minimum damage."   Logically it wouldn't make sense for an attack to apply negative damage or healing, except in specific cases like hitting a flame elemental with a fire attack. Ruling that you could do negative damage would lead to an exploit to avoid costs of healing. As such I highly doubt any DM would make such a ruling. I definitely wouldn't except for the most absurd and humorous of games were failure is the expected result not success.  Another possibility (as suggested by Secespitus) is that negative damage would reflect back on the attacker. This could be seen as punching a strongman so hard (or in just the wrong way) as to injure your own hand.  This would also play well in a failure is the only option game, and if there is a rule suggesting that it would be an appropriate answer to this question as well.  Take the case of a person with less than 8 Strength, no levels in monk, and does not have a tavern brawler.  Would they do -1(1 - 2) damage on unarmed strikes? If so what would the result of the negative damage be?   "Healing" the target because such a puny hit actually raises their fighting spirits and makes them more capable of fighting Reflective Damage, the attacker actually takes 1 point of damage, representing injury to his hand or other damage   I am curious to know if there is an official rule stating that the minimum damage an attack can do is 0 or is there something in the damage calculation that I am missing that would otherwise prevent negative damage?
29385
So a situation came up last night where a player with a monk/rogue was flanking (I use the optional flanking rules to grant advantage) an enemy. He was armed with a shortsword, but even with advantage, he missed the attack roll and thus did not get to use his sneak damage.   Since he had taken the Attack action with a monk weapon (shortsword), he could make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, as granted by the monk's Martial Arts feature. He still has advantage on that role since nobody had moved and the attack hit. But then the issue came up; is unarmed strike a finesse weapon? Is it eligible for sneak attack?  I ruled yes and allowed the sneak damage on this attack, but should I have allowed this or strictly should this not have worked?
94113
Starting at first level monks can use their Martial Arts ability to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action (and later they get more than one attack with Flurry of Blows).     When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. (PHB page 78)   In the section of the PHB detailing the rules of attacking (page 195 for this quote), there is a paragraph about unarmed strikes that says     Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike [...] On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1  + your strength modifier.   Later on the same page, the PHB goes over the rules for two-weapon fighting (emphasis mine):     When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in the other hand.  You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.   Certain classes, such as fighters and rangers, get access to the fighting style Two-Weapon Fighting to get around this:     When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. (PHB page 91)   However, monks do not get this fighting style. So assuming that a monk would not have a negative modifier to their unarmed strikes, do monks not add their ability modifier to unarmed strikes used during their bonus action?  Does an unarmed strike count as an attack with a light melee weapon?
106450
I want to get a clearer ruling of unarmed strike. The way I've read/imagined it is using any part of a humanoid creature's body to hit something else. Fists, kicks, elbows, knees, headbutts, whatever. With a description like that, I imagine it's believable to be able to punch someone twice, go in for a knee-headbutt combo, or stab someone, then punch them. However, when looking at the "Unarmed Strike" in simple weapons, there are zero keywords. No "light" weapon for dual-wielding.  One of my players asked me about making a monk that "dual-wielded" unarmed attacks. Combine with Martial Arts, this type of fighting could yield one quarterstaff attack, one off-hand unarmed strike, and then a bonus unarmed strike from Martial Arts. I doubt I'd be opening any real kind of Pandora's box, but the question remains:  ...Can a monk (or someone with Two-Weapon Fighting) "tri-wield" unarmed attacks without Extra Attack?  [Would it be overly gamebreaking to consider Unarmed Strikes light weapons?]
54792
If a player has a +1 Dagger (example), and then he score a critical hit, is the "+1" thing doubled too or just the damage dice? Will the damage be 2d4 +1 +ability mod or 2d4 +2 +ability mod? If a sword deals 1d6 +2 necrotic damage, is only the "+2" necrotic or all of the damage? On the 2nd question, if crits, the +2 is doubled too?   I'm trying to use only the official rules.
62913
So I was filling out the character sheet and suddenly I saw an "ability modifier". I'm confused, and am asking these questions for clarification:   Where do you put your "Standard Array" number. In score? Abil Mod? Mod + 1/2 Lvl? What is MOD? (As my concern, Abil Mod is the table of chart from -5 to +5) In Fort, Ref, Will, do I put my total of score, abil mod, or mod + 1/2 lvl How many healing surges do I have? It says Ability Modifier, but in the score table, abil mod or mod + 1/2 lvl? Finally. In skill, what do I write in the Abil Mod + 1/2 lvl?   (Yes, you can tell me that I'm confused :p )  Follow up question:   I'm human. I can add +2 to one ability. Where should I put it, will it modify the score and the ability modifier? Since I'm human, my healing surge is 6 + constitution modifier. My Cons abil mod is 1, will it means that I got 7?
20051
Lets say I'm a fighter that just leveled up to level 4, and decide to bring my Constitution up from 16 to 18. How many hit points do I have?  Level 1 = 10 (base) + 3 (Con mod) = 13.  Level 2 = 10 + 6 (average HP per fighter level) + 3 (Con mod) x 2 = 22  Level 3 = 10 + 6 (average) x 2 + 3 (Con mod) x 3 = 31  Level 4 = 10 + 6 (avg) x 3 + 3 (Con mod) x 3 (3 level-ups) + 4 (increased Con mod, which is now 4) x 1 = 41?  OR  Level 4 = 10 + 6 (avg) x 3 + 4 x 4 (4 times current Con mod) = 44?  If it's the first option, it's simply better to level Constitution up at earlier levels.
63656
As someone who typically GMs, I'm accustomed to seeing resistances specified in monster stat blocks as "resistant to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from non-magical weapons".  However the barbarian class feature Rage states that a benefit of raging is "You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage," neglecting any mention of magical weapons.   Though PCs encountering magical weapons may be rare, are there any other rules which stipulate that the basic rage resistances don't apply towards magical weapons?
116281
Here's the logic: You have a level 4 Fighter who has Tavern Brawler and Dual wielder. He is using the shield as an (improvised) melee weapon and his empty main hand as the other. That logic leads me to believe this could work per the Dual Wielder feat (PHB page 165):     You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.   Now, Tavern Brawler implies the unarmed strike is a melee weapon. If that's not the case, you could grab a "stick" to count as a weapon.  My question is, can I get the +1 AC from Dual Wielder in this situation?
22549
Assume the character build Any Monk 5/Moon Druid 2, wildshaped into a Brown Bear:  On their turn, can they use their attack action twice to multiattack?
9488
I'm gonna be playing my very first D&amp;D game pretty soon and I'm really excited. I'm playing a Lizardfolk monk, and I just finished my character sheet, but I was confused about something.  We're starting out at level 2. At level 2, the monk gets the Martial Arts feature, which lets them use a bonus action to make an unarmed strike. However, the Lizardfolk has a bite attack that can be used to make an unarmed strike that does 1d6 + Strength mod piercing damage.  Am I allowed to use my Bite as my lizardfolk monk's bonus-action unarmed strike? Or is that not allowed, since that's some different ability or something?
61747
The Spell  states:     Your touch deals 1d6 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum   10d6). You gain temporary hit points equal to the damage you deal. You   can't gain more than the subject's current hit points + the subject's   Constitution score   So could you cast the spell on yourself, gain up to your own Hits+Constitution in  and then subsequently get a cure to get yourself extra hit points?  Note: For interests sake (and so the caster doesn't potentially kill themselves) you can  as long as it's high enough to cast said spell.
98718
Suppose, as happened last night, a character intends to subdue rather than kill an opponent. She made a melee attack, hit, declared her intent to knock out. The damage roll was enough to reduce the opponent to zero and the remaining damage exceeded the opponent's maximum HP. Now we would seem to have two rules invoked:  Instant Death. Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum. (PHB p.197) Knocking a Creature Out. When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can knock the creature out. The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious and is stable. (PHB p.198)  So which rule takes precedence? Or is it neither?
63301
So, I got intrigued by grappling after reading  for 5e. It didn't mention if wild shape attacks were considered unarmed strikes, especially in regards to the Tavern Brawler feat's last bullet, which enables a grapple attempt after hitting with an unarmed strike.  It doesn't say in the PHB under the Druid section. In the MM, it says that a beast's attacks are Melee Weapon Attacks. However, the Alter Self spell says that the claws, fangs, etc are unarmed strikes. So, are they or are they not considered unarmed strikes?
34033
I want to make a fighter whose primary weapons are his unarmed attacks using the Tavern Brawler feat. If I take the Two Weapon Fighting style would that work with 2 unarmed strikes? In the weapons table it doesn't have the light property generally required for fighting with two weapons, but they're fists.
28906
I'm not entirely sure I understand what the PHB is telling me about spell attacks.  Say I'm a wizard who's casting Fire Bolt (I could also be a Cleric casting Inflict Wounds or what-have-you), the spell itself doesn't say anything about making an attack roll or the enemy making a saving throw.    So do I make an attack roll and then add in my INT mod + proficiency bonus?  Or does the target have to make a saving throw against a DC of 8+ my INT mod + proficiency bonus?  And, assuming I hit, do I add my INT mod + proficiency bonus to the damage?
77676
I understand that you have to use the two weapon fighting style to add your ability modifier to damage, but I was wondering if there were any penalties to the offhand attack modifier?