Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous – Combat Guide

Combat Guide

General

The game uses a roll of 20-sided die for combat and many other skill checks. Combat happens in real time, but you can pause the game at any time to assess the situation and give orders to your companions. To pause or unpause the game, press Space. By holding down  during pause you can set the time to go slowly to better control the course of the battle in a situation where every second counts. Click on an opponent in order to attack them.

Dice rolls

Most of the game’s mechanics are based on the rules of the table-top RPG Pathfinder, which uses dice for determining outcomes of various actions.

The most commonly used dice has 20 sides (denoted in the rules as a d20) – it’s the dice you roll during attacks, skill checks and many other cases. When you need to roll dice, the specific type of roll is denoted as XdN, where N is the number of the sides of the dice you use in this case, and X is the number of the dice rolled. For example, 1d20 means the result can be from 1 to 20 (one roll of a 20-sided die0, and 2d6 means from 2 to 12 (roll two 6-sided dice and add up the results).

There are many types of dice, but the most common are: d3, d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20.

Difficulty Class

 Whenever a creature attempts to perform an action whose success is not guaranteed they must make some sort of check (usually a skill check). To succeed the result of that check must meet or exceed the Difficulty Class (DC) – a specific number appointed to the action. Higher DC means a harder check.

Initiative

Whenever a combat begins, all creatures involved in the battle must make an initiative check to determine the order in which they will act during the combat. the higher the result of the check, the earlier a creature gets to act.

The initiative check is a d20 roll + Dexterity modifier + other bonus modifiers.

At the beginning of a combat, each character gains the flat-footed condition until they make their first action in the battle.

Check

You will encounter many challenges throughout the game. Sometimes you will need to persuade a character to do what you want, sometimes you will have to climb a shaky ladder, or protect yourself form an enemy spell. All these challenges are called checks. The most common types are attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws.

 To pass the check and succeed in the action you want to perform, you must roll a d20 and modify the result with various values, most commonly bonuses and penalties, coming from various of abilities and effects applied by your characters, enemies or environment. For your check to succeed the check result (sum of d20 roll and all the bonuses and penalties) must meet or exceed the Difficulty Class (DC) of this check.

Attack Roll

An attack roll is an attempt to strike your opponent.

Your attack roll result is calculated by the following formula: 

• d20 + Base Attack Bonus + ability score modifier (usually Strength for melee attacks, Dexterity for ranged attacks) + other modifiers

If your result equals or is higher than the target’s Armor Class, you’ve scored a hit and you will deal damage.

A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on an attack roll is always a miss. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a hit. A natural 20 is also a critical threat – it means a critical hit is possible.

There are many different kinds of attacks: 

• Melee Attacks
• Unarmed Attacks
• Ranged Attacks
• Attacks of Opportunity
• Natural Attacks
• Touch Attacks

Melee Attacks

Melee attack is an attempt to score a hit on your opponent in melee range with your weapon or a touch attack (i.e spell that requires you to touch your opponent).

Your attack bonus for a melee attack is:

• Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + other modifiers.

Unarmed Attacks

Striking for damage with punches, kicks, and headbutts are all variations of unarmed attacks.

In most cases attacking while unarmed is a bad idea, unless the attacker is a monk, an animal, etc. For such creatures unarmed attacks count as armed attacks and work as normal melee attacks.

in other cases the character will provoke an attack of opportunity (from their target only) before they land the unarmed attack.

Unarmed attack works like a normal melee attack, but deals bludgeoning damage depending on the size of the creature: 1d2 for Small, 1d3 for Medium, 1d4 for large character.

Ranged Attacks

Ranged attack is an attempt to score a hit on your opponent with a ranged weapon, shooting or throwing at any target that is within the weapon’s maximum range and in line of sight. This also applies for ranged touch attacks (i.e spells that require you to hit an enemy with a magic projectile or ray).

Your attack bonus for a ranged attack is:

• Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + other modifiers

Note: shooting or throwing into a melee gives you a -4 penalty on your attack roll.

Shooting or Throwing into a Melee

If you shoot, throw a ranged weapon, or cast a spell that requires an attack roll at a target engaged in melee, you take a -4 penalty on the attack roll. Two characters are engaged in melee if they are enemies of each other and either of them is threatening the other.

• Precise Shot: If you have the Precise Shot feat, you don’t take this penalty.
• Ranged touch attacks: This also applies for ranged touch attacks (i.e spells that require a ranged touch attack).

Attack of Opportunity

Attacks of opportunity (AoO) are special melee attacks. A character can perform them during an enemy’s turn if that enemy provokes it while being in their threatened area, creating an opening for a hit. The number of such attacks a creature can make per round is limited – usually a creature can’t perform it more than once, even if it’s provoked again during the same turn.

Following actions provoke AoO when an enemy attempts them while standing in a threatened area:

• Attempt to leave melee
• Ranged Attack
• Attempt to stand up from being prone
• Casting a spell
• Drinking a potion

In most cases, an AoO can be avoided. Characters leaving melee can use a special ability to make a Mobility skill check and attempt doing it without provoking an attack. In turn-based mode character can use a 5-foot step to leave melee without provoking an attack. Spellcasters, when they cast in melee, automatically make an attempt to cast defensively.

Natural Attacks

Natural attacks are attacks made with natural weapons, such as claws, bites or wings. Creature doesn’t receive additional natural attacks for a high base attack bonus, but can gain additional attacks from various effects like the haste spell. Creatures like animal companions can have one or more natural attacks, and are able to gain additional attacks (depending on available limbs) with level progression.

There are two main types of natural attacks: primary, such as claws or bites, and secondary, such as hoofs or wings.

Primary natural attacks add Strength modifier to the damage dealt. If it’s the only attack of a creature, it adds 1.5 x Strength modifier to the damage dealt.

Secondary natural attacks have a -5 penalty to attack rolls and add half the Strength modifier to the damage dealt.

In case a creature has weapon attacks and natural attacks, weapon attacks always go first and work normally (with additional attacks for base attack bonus), and all natural attacks will always work as secondary natural attacks. A limb that holds a weapon can’t be used to perform a natural attack.

Touch Attacks

To perform some attacks the aggressor needs only to touch a foe for such an attack to take full effect. In these cases, the attacker makes a touch attack roll against the enemy’s touch AC, which is usually significantly lower than full AC. Touch attacks are mostly used for spells.

Touch attacks come in two types: melee touch attacks and ranged touch attacks.
Since touch attacks like the shocking grasp spell are melee, they add the attacker’s Strength modifier to the attack roll. To hit with ranged touch attacks like the scorching ray spell, the spell casters should increase their Dexterity score and get the Precise Shot feat.

Hitting an opponent with a touch spell is considered to be an armed attack and therefore does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The act of  casting a spell, however, does provoke an attack of opportunity.

Note: spells that deal damage with either type of touch attack can score critical hits.

Threatened Area

It is an area around a creature where it can make melee attacks without moving. Against all enemies in this area, the creature threatens to make attacks of opportunity, making movement around it unsafe. Size of such an area depends on the weapon range and the creature’s size category.

Damage

If your attack succeeds, you deal the target some damage. Damage calculation is a dice roll with bonuses and penalties depending on weapon you use to attack and different factors. Damage reduces the target’s current hit points.

Minimum Damage

If the attacker’s penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of damage. This damage still can be reduced by enemy abilities like Damage Reduction or Energy Resistance.

Strength Bonus

When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon, add your Strength modifier to the damage result.

When you deal damage with a weapon in your off hand, you add only half your Strength Bonus. If you have a Strength penalty, the entire penalty applies.

When you deal damage with weapon that you are wielding two-handed, you add 1.5 times your Strength bonus (Strength penalties are not multiplied). You don’t get this higher Strength bonus, however, when using a light weapon with two hands. 

Type of Damage

There are two main types of damage: energy damage and physical damage.

Physical Damage

Physical damage is typically dealt with weapon melee attacks, ranged attacks, unarmed attacks and natural attacks. 

Physical damage as subtypes: Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing.
Some abilities, items or spells can give a creature damage reduction that reduced all, or most of the received damage. 

The other main type of damage is energy damage.

Energy Damage

Energy damage is generally dealt by spells. Spells or effects with any of the descriptors like [acid], [sonic] or [electricity] deal energy damage.

A creature must have energy resistance to reduce the amount of damage it takes from one of those sources. Creature’s special ability Energy Immunity allows it to completely negate certain energy damage type.

The other main type of damage is physical damage.

Ability Damage

Diseases, poisons, spells, and other effects can deal damage directly to your ability scores. This damage temporarily reduces an ability and applies a penalty to the skills and statistics that are based on that ability.

Fore every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, a -1 penalty is applied to skills, hit points in case of Constitution, and statistics listed with the relevant ability.

If the amount of ability damage you have taken equals or exceeds your ability score, you immediately fall unconscious until the damage becomes less than your ability score, or in case of Constitution, immediately die. Unless otherwise noted, damage to your ability scores is healed at the rate o 1 day to each ability score that has been damaged. Ability damage can be healed through the use of spells, such as lesser restoration.

Critical Hits

With critical hits you can deal increased damage if you are lucky.

When you make an attack roll and get a number that lies within your weapon’s critical threat range, you have scored a “critical threat,” meaning the hit might be a critical hit (or “crit”). For all weapons a natural 20 is always a threat, but for some weapons threat range is greater than just 20, for example, 18-20 (you still need to make a successful hit to score a threat). A weapon’s threat range is specified in its description. To turn a threat into a proper critical hit, you immediately make an attempt to “confirm” it – another attack roll with all the same modifiers as the attack roll you just made. If the confirmation roll results in a hit against the target’s AC, your original hit becomes a critical hit. The confirmation roll just needs to hit to give you a crit, it doesn’t need to fit the threat range again.

A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once, with all your usual bonuses, and add the rolls together. Most weapons let you roll your damage twice, but some weapons, for example bows, axes and most two-handed weapons, deal better than double damage on a critical hit. It is specified in their description.

Precision Damage

Precision damage (such as from a rogue’s sneak attack) and additional damage dice from weapon special abilities (such as flaming) are not multiplied when you score a critical hit.

Spells and Critical Hits

A spell that requires an attack roll (as a touch attack in most cases) can score a critical hit and deal double damage. If a spell causes ability damage or drain, the damage or drain is doubled on a critical hit.

Armor Class

Your Armor Class (AC) represents how hard it is for opponents to land a solid, damaging blow on you. An opponent needs to make an attack roll equal or higher to your AC to hit you.

Your AC is equal to the following:

• 10 + armor bonus + shield bonus + Dexterity modifier + other modifiers

Note that armor limits the wearer’s maximum Dexterity bonus.

Flat Footed AC

This is Armor Class for situations when you are under the flat-footed condition. A flat-footed character loses their Dexterity bonus to AC (and all effects that depend on it, like Dodge feat) and Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD) (if they have any). If a character doesn’t have a Dexterity bonus, their AC does not change.

Touch AC

This is your Armor Class for situations when somebody tries to hit you with a touch attack, for example with a spell.

When you are the target of a touch attack, your AC doesn’t include your armor bonus, shield bonus, or natural armor bonus. All other modifiers, such as your size modifier, Dexterity modifier, and deflection bonus (if you have any) apply normally.

Note: there is a special case of touch attack – Incorporeal Touch Attack.

Base Attack Bonus (BAB)

Each creature has a base attack bonus and it represents its combat power. As a creature gains levels or Hit Dice, their base attack bonus improves. When a creature’s base attack bonus reaches +6, +11, or +16, it receives an additional attack in combat when making a full attack. Base attack bonuses increase at different rates for different character classes.

Each consecutive attack gained from base attack bonus has a cumulative -5 penalty. For example, if your BAB is +12, the first attack has a +12 bonus, the second attack has a +7 bonus, and the third attack has a +2 bonus. 

Caster Level

A spell’s damage, effect duration and overall effectiveness often depends on its caster level, which for most spellcasting characters is equal to their character level. For multiclass characters it is equal to class level in the class they’re using to cast the spell magic items that cast spells usually have a fixed caster level denoted in their description.

Caster level is also used in checks to overcome your target’s spell resistance.

Character Class

A character’s class is one of their defining features. It’s the source of most of their powers and it gives them a specific role in any adventuring party.

Character Level

The total level of the character, which is the sum of all class levels held by that character.

Class Level

The level of a character in a particular class. For a character with levels in only one class, class level and character level are the same.

Size

All characters and creatures, depending on how large they are, are separated into different size categories – Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge and Gargantuan. For example, humans are of Medium size, halflings and gnomes are Small.

Size modifiers of different kinds apply to armor class, attack rolls, stealth checks, combat maneuver checks, and various other checks.

Size modifier for a creature’s AC and attack rolls is as follows:
Tiny +2, Small +1, Medium +0, Large +1, Huge -2, Gargantuan +4

The special size modifier for a creature’s Combat Maneuver Bonus is as follows: 
Tiny -2, Small -1, Medium +0, Large +1, Huge +2 Gargantuan +4

The bigger the creature is, the bigger its threatened area is. For medium and small creatures it matches with their melee weapon range.

Character can only ride an animal companion that is bigger than the character himself.

Combat Maneuvers

During combat, you can attempt to perform a number of maneuvers that can hinder or even cripple your foe. Although these maneuvers have vastly different results, they all use a similar mechanic to determine success.

Result of combat maneuver is calculated by the following formula: 

• 1d20 roll result  + CMB + other modifiers.

The result of CMB check must be equal or higher than CMD of the targeted creature for maneuver to be successful.

Combat maneuvers include abilities like Trip, Disarm or Sunder Armor. Certain creatures can perform some of these maneuvers and some maneuvers are available with certain feats.

Combat Maneuver Bonus

Each character and creature have a Combat Maneuver Bonus (or CMB) that represents its skill at performing combat maneuvers. A creature’s CMB is determined using the following formula: 

• CMB = Base Attack Bonus (BAB) + Strength modifier + special size modifier.

Combat Maneuver Defense

Each character and creature have a Combat Maneuver Defense (or CMD) that represents its ability to resist combat maneuvers. A creature’s CMD is determined using the following formula:

• CMD = 10 + Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + Dexterity modifier + special size modifier + miscellaneous modifiers.

A creature adds any circumstance, deflection, dodge, insight, luck, morale, profane, and sacred bonuses it has to AC to its CMD. Any penalties to a creature’s AC also apply to its CMD. A flat-footed creature does not add its Dexterity bonus to its CMD.

Spell

A spell is a one-time magical effect. Spells can do a variety of amazing things; deal damage, bestow curses or negative effects upon enemies, restrict their movement, empower you and your allies, heal and remove negative effects, teleport and much more.

Spells come in two types: arcane (cast by bards, sorcerers, wizards, etc) and divine (cast by clerics, druids, inquisitors, etc). 

Spells can be of different levels, from 1 (weakest) to 9 (strongest). Some casters have access to all 9 spell levels, while others can have only 6 or 4 maximum levels. Spell level is used in calculation of the saving throw DC against the spell (the higher it is, the better for the caster, and the worse for the target), and concentration checks.

Some spellcasters select their spells in advance – whether form a spellbook or through prayers – while others cast spells spontaneously without preparation. Despite these differences in ways the characters use to learn or prepare for their spells, when it comes to casting them, the processes of casting a spell are very much alike.

Arcane spells of 0 level are called cantrips, and Divine spells of 0 levels are called orisons. Unlike other spells they can be cast as many times per day as you want.

Note: Most spells that allow you to do a saving throw don’t have an attack component and don’t have to overcome Touch AC.

Also note: player can click RMB on a spell to activate its automatic casting. It can be especially useful for cantrips.

Concentration

To cast a spell, you must concentrate. Receiving damage or becoming the target of some spell effects like entangle can interrupt your concentration while you’re casting and you must make a concentration check or lose the spell.

Formula to determine your concentration check result:

• d20 roll result + caster level + ability score modifier (different classes use different abilities to cast spells: for example, wizards use Intelligence; while clerics use Wisdom).

The more damage you receive and the higher the level of the spell you are trying to cast, the higher the DC of this check. If you fail the check, you lose the spell just as if you had cast it to no effect.

Feat

Feats are abilities that are not tied to your race, class, or skill -things like particularly quick reflexes that allow you to react to danger more swiftly, the training to deliver powerful strikes with melee weapons, or the knack for deflecting arrows fired at you.

Some feats are more useful to certain types of characters than others. Many of them alter or enhance abilities or soften class restrictions, while others might apply bonuses to your statistics or grant you the ability to take actions otherwise prohibited to you.

By selecting feats, you can customize and adapt your character to be uniquely yours.

Traits

Traits are abilities bound to certain races and backgrounds.

Hit Dice

As a creature gains levels it gains additional hit dice. Hit ice are used to determine a creature’s total hit points.
For player characters, hit dice equals their character level. To learn a creature’s hit dice, you can inspect it.

Hit dice is often used to determine spell effects.

Hit Points

Your hit points measure how hard you are to kill. The most common way that your character gets hurt is losing hit points by taking damage.

Some abilities and spells grant temporary hit points that disappear after a specific duration. When creature takes damage, it loses temporary hit points first. 

When a creature’s hit points drop to 0 or lower, it becomes unconscious. When a creature’s hit points reach a negative total equal to its Constitution score, it dies.

Note: Injury and death conditions.

Injury and Death

Effects of Hit Point Damage

If a character’s current number of hit points is 0 or negative, but the number of negative HP is less than its Constitution score, it is unconscious.  When your negative hit point total becomes equal to your Constitution score, you’re dead. Characters never die on Story Mode.

Unconscious

Unconscious is one of the Helpless conditions when you can take no actions. After a battle, unconscious characters heal some hit points, gain consciousness and stand up.

Death Door 

When character dies for the first time, he revives after the battle, but gains “at death door” effect. Next time such character will die for real and will have to be revived. This happens only on Daring or lower difficulty or if special option is turned on.

Dead

Dead characters can be revived with some spells or scrolls like raise dead or resurrection. If you don’t have a character who can cast the required spell, you can find an NPC in a safe place, i.e camp or city, who will cast it for you.

Initiative

Whenever a combat begins, all creatures involved in the battle must make an initiative check to determine the order in which they will act during the combat. The higher the result of the check, the earlier a creature gets to act.

The initiative check is d20 roll + Dexterity modifier + other bonus modifiers.

At the beginning of a combat, each character gains the flat-footed condition until they make their first action in the battle.

Speed

Speed measures how fast can a character move. It is measured in the amount of feet that character can move in 3 seconds (or half its turn). Out of combat party always moves with the speed of the slowest party member.

Experience Points (XP)

As a character overcomes challenges, defeats monsters, and completes quests, they gain experience points. These points accumulate over time, and when they reach or surpass a specific value, the character gains a new level. 

Bonus Types

Bonuses are numerical values that are added to checks and statistical scores.

Most bonuses have a type, and as a general rule, bonuses of the same type are not cumulative (do not “stack”) for the same purpose – only the greater bonus granted applies. Examples for bonus types are Size, Luck, Enhancement, Morale, etc.

Penalty

Penalties are numerical values that are subtracted from attack roll, checks or ability scores. Penalties do not have a type and most penalties stack with one another, but only if they originate from different sources (different spells, for example).

Camera

To move the camera, use the WASD and ARROW KEYS or press and hold the middle mouse button. You can also use a scroll wheel to zoom in and out. 

Companions

There can be up to five companions in your party. To select a single character, click on their portrait or press a corresponding key. To select multiple characters at once and give them the same order, draw a frame around them while holding down the left mouse button. To select all characters press [BACKSPACE].

Equipment

To equip an item, open your Inventory by pressing I and double-click on it or drag it to a suitable slot. Hover your mouse cursor over an object to see a tooltip with its description, stats, and comparison to any equipment currently in that slot

Formations

A good group formation is half of the victory. The formation system helps to hold the line in combat. By clicking this button, you can select one of the standard formations, for example, triangle formation, or you can create your own.

Inspecting a Creature

Your party members can use their Knowledge and Lore skills to inspect hostile creature and try to determine its basic characteristics, defense, attacks and special abilities. During the first encounter with a creature, every party member makes a check of an appropriate Knowledge or Lore skill. The greatest check result determines how much information the party learns. If the checks were unsuccessful, you get another chance to inspect a creature after you kill it, or after you increase the skill rank after levelling up.

To see what your party knows about a creature, press [Y] or the “Inspect” button.

Journal

The Journal contains your current quest and tasks. When their status changes, you will also see a notification on the main screen. To open Journal, press J.

Map Movement

To set out for a location, click on one of the arrows near your party token. You can learn the whereabouts of significant locations by talking to characters or happening upon them during your journey. After learning about a location, you must find the way there yourself. Along the way, random encounters await. You may be attacked by monsters, or you may meet new acquaintances. After exiting the location of a random encounter, you will not be able to return there.

Click this icon to exit the area. 

Movement

Click on the location you want to walk to, and your character will start moving toward it. The location will be marked with a special symbol. If the location is inaccessible, the symbol will instead appear.

Trophies

You can interact with various objects, such as the bodies of dead opponents, by clicking on them. Interactive objects are highlighted with an outline when you hover your mouse over them or when you hold Tab.

Hidden object can be found after rolling a successful Perception skill check. 

All successful check results can be found in the Combat Log.

During your travels, you may also encounter chests that may contain special rewards. Its contents depend on your game version and other achievements.

Traps

There are many trap awaiting you on your adventures. When any of your character approaches a trap, they will automatically make a Perception skill check. On success, you will see the trap’s location and the game will automatically pause. Traps vary in effect as well as difficulty to detect. Having encountered a trap, you can click on it to order one of the characters to make a Trickery skill check to disable it. On success, the trap will be disabled. On failure, it will remain in place. However, if the result of a skill roll is less than the trap’s difficulty by 5 or more, the trap will go off as if the character had triggered it. All check results can be found in the Combat Log.

Scrolls

Scrolls are expendable items that allow you to use the spells written on it once. To use it, the character must know how to cast the written spell, have the Use Magic Device skill, or it should be on one of the spell lists o one of the character’s classes. For convenience, it is best to place things like scrolls into a character’s quick slots.

Effects and Conditions

Characters can be affected by different effects and conditions that can be positive as well as negative. To notify you that a character has an active effect or condition, a symbol will appear near their portrait. To find out more about the effects and conditions affecting the character, open their Character screen.

Combat

The game uses a roll of 20-sided die for combat and many other skill checks. Combat happens in real time, but you can pause the game at any time to assess the situation and give orders to your companions. To pause or unpause the game, press Space. By holding down <unknown binding> during pause you can set the time to go slowly to better control the course of the battle in a situation where every second counts. Click on an opponent in order to attack them.

Initiative

When a battle starts, each combatant makes an initiative check. The higher their initiative, the earlier the character can act. Initiative scores can be viewed in the Combat Log. Combat is divided into rounds, with each round lasting 6 seconds. Initiative score is determined once for the entire combat and does not change between rounds.

Attack Roll

An attack is a character’s attempt to strike an opponent. The result of an attack roll depends on many factors: wielded weapons, the attack automatically hits, regardless of the target’s AC.

Damage

The amount of damage numbers can be found in the Combat Log.

Armor Class

The higher a character’s Armor Class, the more difficult it is to successfully attack them. It combines a base defense of 10 with other factors, such as equipment stats, Dexterity bonus, passive abilities, etc.

Attack of Opportunity

Some actions performed close to an armed opponent can provoke an additional attack upon your character without waiting for the opponent’s turn. Such actions include, among other things, casting spells, attempts to move away from an opponent, and shooting ranged weapons. 

Health and Death

Each character has a certain number of hit points (HP). Depending on which game difficulty you’ve chosen the rules will vary.

If you chose the Story Mode, your characters never die. When their HP value drops to 0, they lose consciousness. After the combat is over, the character will get up and can be controlled again. You only lose the game if your whole party is unconscious. 

If you chose the Easy Mode, when a character’s HP value drops to 0, they lose consciousness. After the combat is over, the character will get up and can be controlled again. A character’s HP value can drop into negative numbers without kill them. However, if a character is reduced to a negative amount of hit points equal to their Constitution score, they die. To resurrect them, you will need a special spell.

If you chose the Normal Mode, a character will not die after suffering a deadly injury for the first time. Instead, Death’s Door condition will afflict them. If a character with this condition suffers a deadly injury again, they will die. The game will be over if all party members suffer deadly injuries.

If you chose the Challenging Mode or higher, your characters will die after suffering a deadly injury. If your main character dies, the game is over.

To restore the lost hit points, you can use healing spells, options, or rest. Healing potions can be bought from merchants or obtained as trophies after combat. Healing spells are accessible to the following classes: bard, druid, cleric, inquisitor, and a paladin.

To use expendable items, such as scrolls, potions, and wands, open your inventory and place them into a quick slot.

Spells

Some characters in your party are capable of casting spells. To use a spell or ability, click on its icon in the action panel or in the Spells menu, and then on the target (your companion or an enemy, depending on the desired effect). Spells have various characteristics, such as range, duration, school, etc.

To review all the spells available to a character, open their spell book by pressing B. Clerics, Druids, Magi, Paladins, Rangers and Wizards select their allotment of spells for the day in spellbook. A daily spellbook slot is expended after being cast and the character must rest before casting it again. Bards, Inquisitors and Sorcerers can use their spells several times per day, but their spell repertoire is limited. Most character also have usable abilities and they might be limited by the amount of charges depending on the ability.

Saving Throw

When you are subject an unusual or magical impact, you often get a chance to make a saving throw (also called a save) to avoid or reduce the effect. 

Your saving throw is:

d20 roll + Base save bonus + ability score modifier + other bonuses

Saving throw results

The three different kinds of saving throws are Fortitude, Reflex and Will:

• Fortitude: These saves measure your ability to stand up to physical punishment or attacks against your vitality and health. Apply your Constitution modifier to your Fortitude saving throws
• Reflex: These saves test your ability to dodge area attacks and unexpected situations. Apply your Dexterity modifier to your Reflex saving throws.
• Will: These saves reflect your resistance to mental influence as well as many magical effects. Apply your Wisdom modifier to your Will saving throws.

Special Abilities

A number of classes and creatures gain the use of special abilities, many of which function like spells.

Spell-like Abilities

Usually, a spell-like ability works just like the spell of the same name. Spell-like ability can’t fail due to armor arcane spell failure chance, even if the ability resembles an arcane spell.
A spell-like ability has a casting time of 1 standard action unless noted otherwise in the ability or spell description. In all other ways including concentration, a spell-like ability functions just like a spell.
Spell-like abilities inherit interaction with spell resistance and dispel magic from the spell they were made from.

Supernatural Abilities

Supernatural abilities are magical but not spell-like.
They are not subject to spell resistance and their effects cannot be dispelled. They also cannot be disrupted in combat and generally don’t provoke attacks of opportunity.

Extraordinary Abilities

Extraordinary abilities are nonmagical, though they may break the laws of physics.
They are not subject to spell resistance and their effects cannot be dispelled. They also cannot be disrupted in combat and generally don’t provoke attacks of opportunity.

Dialogue Skill Checks

Sometimes Skills are checked over the course of dialogue – for example, when trying to convince a character of something. The check result will determine the way the dialogue develops. The character in the party with the highest rank in the desired skill is usually used to determine such a check.

Moral Choices

Sometimes your character has to make difficult decisions, relying on their conscience (or lack thereof). Such decisions impact your character’s alignments, gradually shifting your character toward good, or evil, lawful or chaotic. Some dialogues feature special options that are available only to characters with certain alignments. You choices may also have negative consequences for your character, especially for classes that heavily rely on the deities (paladin, clerics, inquisitors, druids, etc).

Illustrated Book Episodes

Some game events play out as illustrated book episodes. The decisions you make during these episodes can have a drastic impact on the development of the game’s plot. As with dialogues, you will often need to make various skill checks during these episodes. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes you will need to choose one of your party members to perform an action, and sometimes an action will be automatically performed by the character with the highest skill rank.

Level up

Victories in combat and other successes will reward your characters with experience points. After gaining a certain amount of experience, a character will achieve a new level. This allows them to gain a new class or increase their level in one of their already taken classes. This also provides other benefits, such as increasing the character’s total hit points. If you are new to the game and want to learn how the game works first, try to stick to the class you’ve chosen first until you feel confident enough to take on another one.

Health and Death

Each character has a certain number of hit points (HP). When a character’s HP value drops to 0, they lose consciousness. After combat is over, the character will get up and can be controlled again. A character’s HP value can drop into negative numbers. A character can survive some negative hit points, but if their amount becomes equal to their Constitution score, the character dies. To resurrect them, you will need a special spell.

To restore lost hit points, you can use healing spells, potions, or rest. Healing potions can be bought from merchants or obtained as trophies after combat. Healing spells are accessible to the following classes: bard, druid, cleric, inquisitor, paladin and ranger.

To use expendable items, such as scrolls, potions, and rods, open a character’s inventory and place them in the quick slots on their belt. Return to the main screen and click the Belt button on the action panel to access these items. You cannot use an expendable item on the inventory screen.

Advanced Combat

Spells: To use a spell, click on its icon in the action panel or in the Spells menu, and then on the target (your companion or an enemy, depending on the desired effect). For clerics, druids, magi, paladins, rangers and wizards, spells are prepared in advance and expended when cast. The character must then rest before casting it again Bards, inquisitors and sorcerers can use their spells several times per day, but their spell repertoire is limited. Spells have various characteristics, such as range, duration, school, etc.

To review all the spells available to a character, open their spellbook by pressing B. When a character acquires a new spell or ability, it automatically appears in the first free slot on their action panel (for spontaneous casters it happens as soon as they get it, for casters who have to prepare their spells, it happens when they prepare it for the first time). If you remove a spell from the action panel, it won’t appear there automatically again.

Abilities: Most characters have usable abilities, which may be limited to a certain number of charges. To use an ability, click on its icon in the action panel or in the Special Abilities menu, and then on a target. (You might target a companion or an enemy, depending on the desired effect.) Some abilities do not revile targeting, or can be switched on and off.

Attack of Opportunity: Some actions performed close to an armed opponent can provoke an additional attack upon your character even when it’s not the opponent’s turn. Such actions include, among other things, casting spells, attempting to move away from an opponent, and shooting ranged weapons.

Tactical time flow: By holding down Shift+Space while the game is paused, you can make time move slowly, for better combat control.

Rest

As time passes, your characters become tired and act less effectively. You can see this by the “fatigue” and “exhaustion” condition icons on their portraits. This is why they need a regular rest.

To replenish your powers, set up camp and have a rest. Set up camp by using the Camp function (hotkey [R]. After activating the function, you will have to select a location for the camp.
Camps take up a lot of space, so find the right location.

During a rest, all characters restore a portion of their lost hit points. Spellcasters also replenish their spells.
The rest also helps you get rid of some of the negative conditions. Resting takes at least 8 hours. 

Surprise Round

If you initiate an attack on an enemy that didn’t see you before the attack, for example in case of attack from invisibility or ranged attack, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin.

In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take a standard or move action during the surprise round. You can also take free actions during the surprise round.

Action Types

During combat, you can perform different actions. Moving, attacking, casting a spell, drinking potion, etc  – all are actions. Actions can be of different types

An actions type essentially tells you how long the action takes to perform (within the framework of the 6-second combat round) and how movement is treated.

There are five types of actions:

• Standard action
• Move action
• Full-round action
• Swift action
• Free action

In a normal round, you can perform a standard action and a move action, or you can perform a full-round action. You can perform one swift action and several free actions. You can always take an additional move action in place of a a standard action.

In some situations (such as surprise round) you may be limited to taking only a single more action or standard action.

Standard Action

Most of the general actions characters take, aside from movement, fall into the realm of standard actions. The most common examples are attacking or casting a spell.

Full-Round Action

A full-round action requires an entire round to complete. Thus, it can’t be coupled with a standard or move action, though you can take a 5-foot step. You can also perform free actions and a swift action.

A few combat options are full-round actions or modify specific full-round actions.

Move Action

A move action allows you to move up to your speed or perform an action that takes a similar amount of time.

You can take an additional move action in place of a standard action and move double your speed.

Swift Action

A swift action consumes a very small amount of time but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. You can perform only one swift action per turn.

Several combat options are swift actions that modify one or more attacks you take after that swift action. Example of swift action is paladin’s Smite Envil ability.

Free Action

Free actions consume a very small amount of time and effort. You can perform one or free actions while taking another action normally. Some combat options are free actions meant to be combined with an attack. Often, these are feats, like Perfect Strike, with specific limitations defined within the feat. Free actions are relatively rare.

Healing

After taking damage, you can recover the lost hit points through healing, either natural or magical.

Natural Healing

With a full night’s rest (8 hours of sleep or more), you recover 1 hit point per character level.

Magical Healing

Various abilities and spells can restore hit points, like cure light wounds, heal or lay on hands.

Healing Ability Damage

Temporary ability damage returns at the rate of 1 point per night of rest (8 hours) for each affected ability score.

Combat Modifiers

A number of factors and conditions can influence an attack roll. Many of these situations grant a bonus or penalty on attack rolls or to defender’s Armor Class.

Concealment

Some magical effects provide concealment against attacks.

• Concealment Miss Chance: Concealment gives the target a successful attack a 20% chance that the attacker missed. Multiple concealment effects do not stack.
• Total Concealment: A successful attack against an enemy with total concealment has a 50% miss chance. You can’t execute an attack of opportunity against an opponent with total concealment.
• Ignoring Concealment: Concealment isn’t always effective. For example, while invisibility provides total concealment, opponents may still use spells like see invisibility, true seeing or echolocation to ignore the concealment effects.

Flanking

When making a melee attack, a character gets a +2 flanking bonus if an opponent is threatened by an ally of the character.

Helpless Condition

A helpless opponent is sleeping, paralyzed, unconscious, or otherwise at your mercy.

Melee attacks against a helpless target get a +4 bonus. In addition, a helpless character is treated as having a Dexterity of 0, giving them an appropriate penalty to AC. Rogues, Slayers and other characters who have sneak attack ability can apply it to helpless targets.

Flat-Footed Condition

A character who has not yet acted during a combat is flat-footed, unable to react normally to the situation. A flat-footed character loses their Dexterity bonus to AC (and all effects that depend on it, like dodge) and Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD) (if they have any). In this condition characters are vulnerable to rogue and slayer’s sneak attacks.

Flat-footed character cannot perform attacks of opportunity.