Reference
Glossary
Searchable index of every AD&D 2e term the app surfaces in tooltips.
81 of 81 entries
Ability
also: abilities, ability score, ability scores
One of the six core traits defining a character: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Scores are generated at creation and drive most success/failure checks.
Ability check
also: ability checks
A 1d20 roll against one of your ability scores. The roll succeeds if the result is equal to or less than the score (after any modifiers).
See alsoAbilityAlignment
also: alignments
A character's basic moral and ethical outlook, chosen at creation, on two axes: law-chaos and good-evil, for nine categories total. Some classes restrict allowed alignments.
See alsoNeutralityArea of effect
also: area-of-effect
The region a spell or breath weapon affects. Creatures inside are affected unless a successful saving throw applies.
Armor Class
also: AC
A rating of how hard a character is to hit, from 10 (unarmored) down to 0 and into negatives (better). Lower AC is better.
Attack roll
also: to-hit roll, to hit roll
The 1d20 roll that determines whether an attack hits, compared against the target's AC using the attacker's THAC0.
Bend bars/lift gates roll
also: bend bars, lift gates
A percentile feat-of-strength check to bend metal bars, lift a portcullis, or perform a similar heavy exertion. The chance is set by Strength.
See alsoStrengthBonus spells
also: bonus spell
Extra priest spells granted for high Wisdom, added on top of the normal per-level allotment.
Breath weapon
also: breath weapons
An exhaled attack (such as a dragon's) that affects an area without an attack roll; targets in the area roll a saving throw.
Chance of spell failure
also: spell failure
The percentage chance a priest's spell fails when cast, derived from Wisdom.
See alsoWisdomChance to learn spell
also: chance to know spell, chance to learn a spell
A wizard's percentage chance to successfully learn a new spell, derived from Intelligence.
Charisma
also: Cha
The ability score for force of personality, persuasiveness, and leadership. Governs henchman limits and NPC reactions.
Class
also: character class, classes
A character's profession (Fighter, Mage, Cleric, Thief, etc.), which sets Hit Dice, allowed weapons/armor, abilities, and advancement.
Common
The shared trade language all player characters speak. Other languages may cost proficiency slots to learn.
See alsoProficiencyConstitution
also: Con
The ability score for health, stamina, and physique. Affects hit points, system shock, and resurrection survival.
Damage
The hit-point loss from a successful attack or other harmful effect, expressed in points.
See alsoHit pointsDemihuman
also: demihumans
A non-human player race: dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, or halfling.
Dexterity
also: Dex
The ability score for agility, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. Affects missile attacks, AC, and initiative.
Dice notation
also: d, d3, d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, die, dice
Shorthand for dice rolls: the number after 'd' is the die's faces (d6 = six-sided). A leading number means that many dice (2d6). A d3 is read off a d6 (1-2=1, 3-4=2, 5-6=3); a d100 uses two d10s as percentile dice.
See alsoPercentile diceDMG
Abbreviation for the Dungeon Master Guide, the companion rulebook for the person running the game.
Dual-class character
also: dual-class, dual class
A human who advances in one class, then switches to a second class and starts over in it. Only humans can dual-class.
Encumbrance
also: encumbered
The total weight a character carries, in pounds. Heavier loads reduce movement rate; based on Strength. (Optional rule.)
Energy drain
also: level drain, energy-drain
An attack (often by undead) that strips experience levels from a character in addition to hit-point loss.
Experience points
also: XP, experience point
Points awarded by the DM for completing adventures, class-appropriate deeds, and solving problems. Accumulated XP raises a character's level.
Follower
also: followers
An NPC drawn to a character's reputation who serves for pay, often arriving at higher levels (e.g., a fighter's troops).
Gaze attack
also: gaze attacks
An attack (such as a basilisk's) that takes effect simply by making eye contact with the victim.
See alsoSaving throwHenchmen
also: henchman
Loyal NPCs who follow a character out of loyalty and love of adventure rather than pay. The number allowed is set by Charisma; player and DM share control.
Hireling
also: hirelings
An NPC who works purely for money and is entirely under the DM's control.
Hit Dice
also: Hit Die, HD
The dice rolled to determine a character's hit points, gained per level up to a class-dependent cap. A fighter uses d10s, a wizard d4s, and so on.
Hit points
also: hp, hit point
A number tracking how much damage a character can take before death, set by Hit Dice. Lost hit points are usually regained by rest or healing.
Infravision
The ability to see heat in the dark, common to demihumans, typically out to 60 feet.
See alsoDemihumanInitiative
The determination of who acts first in a combat round, usually a d10 roll modified by Dexterity, weapon speed, and circumstances.
Intelligence
also: Int
The ability score for reasoning and memory. Sets a wizard's spell capacity, chance to learn spells, and number of languages.
See alsoChance to learn spellItalic type
also: italics
In the rules, italic text marks the names of magical items and spells.
Level
also: levels, experience level
A measure of a character's power and experience within a class, starting at 1st and rising as experience points accumulate.
Loyalty base
also: loyalty
A Charisma-derived modifier to the loyalty of a character's henchmen and followers.
Magic resistance
also: MR
A percentage chance for a creature to ignore magic that targets it, checked before any saving throw.
Magical defense adjustment
also: magic defense adjustment
A Wisdom-based bonus or penalty to saving throws against mind-affecting magic (charm, hold, fear, and the like).
Maneuverability class
also: maneuverability
A rating (A-E) describing how tightly a flying creature can turn and maneuver.
Material component
also: material components, M
A physical substance a spell consumes or requires when cast; abbreviated M in spell descriptions.
Maximum press
The greatest weight a character can lift overhead, determined by Strength.
See alsoStrengthMelee
Hand-to-hand combat at close range, as opposed to missile combat.
Missile combat
also: missile attack, missile fire
Ranged combat using thrown or fired weapons (bows, slings, hurled spears), affected by range and Dexterity.
Movement rate
also: movement, move
How far a character can travel in a given time, reduced by encumbrance. Used for both exploration and combat positioning.
Multi-class character
also: multi-class, multiclass, multi class
A demihuman who advances in two or more classes at once, splitting experience among them and using the best combat and saving-throw values.
Mythos
also: mythoi
The deity, religion, or pantheon a priest serves, which defines that priest's powers, allowed weapons, spheres, and ethos.
Neutrality
also: neutral
On the law-chaos axis, indifference to order versus chaos; on the good-evil axis, unwillingness to commit to either. True Neutral seeks balance among all forces. Unintelligent creatures are treated as neutral by default.
See alsoAlignmentNonhuman
also: non-human
Any character or creature that is not human; demihumans are the playable nonhuman races.
Nonplayer character
also: NPC, NPCs, nonplayer characters
Any character controlled by the DM rather than a player, including henchmen, hirelings, and followers.
Open doors roll
also: open doors
A Strength-based check to force open a stuck or barred door.
See alsoStrengthOpposition school
also: opposition schools
The school(s) of magic a specialist wizard is barred from, opposite their chosen school on the schools diagram.
Percentage chance
also: percent chance, percentage
A probability expressed out of 100, resolved by rolling percentile dice.
See alsoPercentile dicePercentile dice
also: percentile, d100
Two ten-sided dice (or one d100) read together to produce a result from 1 to 100; one die is the tens, the other the ones.
Player character
also: PC, PCs, player characters
A character controlled by a player, as opposed to one run by the DM.
See alsoNonplayer characterPoison save
also: save vs. poison, poison saving throw
A saving throw to resist or reduce the effect of a poison.
See alsoSaving throwPrime requisite
also: prime requisites, prime-requisite
The ability score(s) most important to a class. Scoring 16+ in all of a class's prime requisites grants a +10% experience bonus.
Proficiency
also: proficiencies, proficiency slot, proficiency slots
A learned capability bought with proficiency slots: weapon proficiencies (which weapons you use without penalty) and nonweapon proficiencies (skills like swimming or cooking). Optional rules.
Proficiency check
also: proficiency checks
A check to use a nonweapon proficiency: roll 1d20 against the governing ability score plus any proficiency modifier, succeeding on equal or lower.
Race
also: races
A character's species - human or one of the demihuman peoples - which adjusts ability scores and may limit class and level choices.
Rate of fire
also: ROF
How many times a missile weapon can be used per combat round (e.g., a bow may fire twice).
Reaction adjustment
also: reaction adjustments
A Charisma-derived modifier to how NPCs and creatures initially respond to a character.
See alsoCharismaRegeneration
also: regenerate
The ability to recover lost hit points rapidly and automatically, sometimes regrowing limbs.
See alsoHit pointsResistance
also: resistant
A reduced vulnerability to a type of attack or energy, often expressed as halved damage or a saving-throw bonus.
Resurrection survival
also: resurrection survival chance
A Constitution-based percentage chance to survive being raised or resurrected from death.
Reversible
also: reversed, reverse
A spell that can be cast in an opposite form (for example, a healing spell reversed to cause harm).
See alsoSphere of influenceRound
also: rounds, combat round
The basic unit of combat time, about one minute, in which each combatant gets to act. Ten rounds make a turn.
Saving throw
also: saving throws, save, saves
A d20 roll to avoid or reduce a harmful effect (spell, poison, breath weapon, etc.); rolling the target number or higher succeeds.
School of magic
also: schools of magic, school
One of the categories wizard spells are grouped into (Abjuration, Alteration, Conjuration/Summoning, and so on). A specialist wizard concentrates in one school.
Somatic component
also: somatic components, S
A required gesture or hand motion for casting a spell; abbreviated S. Casting can fail if the hands are bound or the caster is armored.
Specialist
also: specialist wizard, specialists
A wizard who focuses on a single school of magic, gaining extra spells and save bonuses within it but barred from opposition schools. (Also used for specialty priests of a mythos.)
Spell immunity
Complete protection from a specific spell or category of magic, which automatically has no effect.
Sphere of influence
also: sphere, spheres, sphere of access
A thematic group of priest spells (Healing, Combat, Plant, etc.). A priest's deity grants major or minor access to particular spheres.
Strength
also: Str
The ability score for muscle and physical power. Affects melee attack and damage, weight allowance, and feats like forcing doors.
Surprise roll
also: surprise
A check at the start of an encounter to see whether one side is caught off guard, granting the surprising side a free moment to act.
System shock
also: system shock roll
A Constitution-based percentage roll to survive a major physical stress such as being petrified, polymorphed, or magically aged.
THAC0
also: thac0
"To Hit Armor Class 0" - the attack-roll number a character needs to hit AC 0. Subtract the target's AC from your THAC0 to get the roll you need. Lower THAC0 is better.
Turn
also: turns
A unit of game time equal to ten combat rounds, about ten minutes, used mainly for exploration and spell durations.
Turn undead
also: turning undead
A priest's (or paladin's) granted power to drive off or destroy undead and certain evil creatures by presenting a holy symbol.
See alsoMythosVerbal component
also: verbal components, V
Required spoken words or sounds for casting a spell; abbreviated V. A silenced or gagged caster cannot provide it.
Weapon speed
also: weapon speed factor, speed factor
A rating of how quickly a weapon can be used, applied as a modifier to initiative; lower is faster.
See alsoInitiativeWisdom
also: Wis
The ability score for insight, willpower, and intuition. Sets a priest's bonus spells and chance of spell failure, and adjusts saves against mind magic.