---

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aliases:

• Rules Glossary
  created: 2026-03-09T12:15:34.395-04:00
  modified: 2026-03-09T12:15:34.395-04:00
  published: 2026-03-09T12:15:34.395-04:00
  tags:
• ttrpg-cli/compendium/src/5e/xphb
  cssclasses:
• json5e-note
  obsidianUIMode: preview

---

Rules Glossary

Source: Player’s Handbook (2024), p. 360

Glossary Conventions

The glossary uses the following conventions:

• Tags in Brackets. Some entries have a tag in brackets after the entry’s name, as in “Attack [Action].” A tag—Action, Area of Effect, Attitude, Condition, or Hazard—indicates that a rule is part of a family of rules. The tags also have glossary entries.
• “You. ” The game’s rules—in this glossary and elsewhere—often talk about something happening to you in the game world. That “you” refers to the creature or object that the rule applies to in a particular moment of play. For example, the “you” in the Prone condition is a creature that currently has that condition.
• “See Also. ” Some glossary entries include a See also section that points to other entries in the glossary, to chapters in this book, or both.
• No Obsolete Terms. The glossary contains definitions of current rules terms only. If you’re looking for a term from an earlier version of the fifth edition rules, consult the index.
• Abbreviations. The abbreviations listed below appear in this glossary and elsewhere in the rules.

Rules Definitions

Here are definitions of various rules.

Ability Check

Ability Score and Modifier

Action

Advantage

Adventure

Alignment

Ally

Area of Effect

Armor Class

Armor Training

Attack

Attack Roll

Attitude

Attunement

Blinded

Blindsight

Bloodied

Bonus Action

Breaking Objects

Bright Light

Burning

Burrow Speed

Campaign

Cantrip

Carrying Capacity

Challenge Rating

Character Sheet

Charmed

Climbing

Climb Speed

Concentration

Condition

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Cover

Crawling

Creature

Creature Type

Critical Hit

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Curses

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D20 Test

Damage

Damage Roll

Damage Threshold

Damage Types

Darkness

Darkvision

Dash

Dead

Deafened

Death Saving Throw

Dehydration

Difficult Terrain

Difficulty Class

Dim Light

Disadvantage

Disengage

Dodge

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Encounter

Enemy

Exhaustion

Experience Points

Expertise

Falling

Flying

Fly Speed

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Frightened

Grappled

Grappling

Hazard

Healing

Heavily Obscured

Help

Heroic Inspiration

Hide

High Jump

Hit Point Dice

Hit Points

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Hover

Illusions

Immunity

Improvised Weapons

Incapacitated

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Influence

Initiative

Invisible

Jumping

Knocking Out a Creature

Lightly Obscured

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Long Jump

Long Rest

Magic

Magical Effect

Malnutrition

Monster

Nonplayer Character

Object

Occupied Space

Opportunity Attack

Paralyzed

Passive Perception

Per Day

Petrified

Player Character

Poisoned

Possession

Proficiency

Prone

Reaction

Ready

Resistance

Restrained

Ritual

Round Down

Save

Saving Throw

Search

Shape-Shifting

Short Rest

Simultaneous Effects

Size

Skill

Speed

Spell

Spell Attack

Spellcasting Focus

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Stable

Stat Block

Study

Stunned

Suffocation

Surprised

Swimming

Swim Speed

Target

Telepathy

Teleportation

Temporary Hit Points

Tremorsense

Truesight

Unarmed Strike

Unconscious

Unoccupied Space

Utilize

Vulnerability

Weapon

Weapon Attack