Every Type of Roll in 5e, Explained

Almost every roll in fifth edition is one of three d20 rolls: an ability check, a saving throw or an attack roll. Around those sit damage rolls, initiative, death saving throws and hit dice, plus advantage and disadvantage. Here is each one: what you roll, what you add, and when.

The three d20 rolls

All three work the same way. Roll a d20, add a modifier, and compare the total to a target number. Meet or beat it and you succeed.

The 2024 rules group these three under one name, "D20 Tests".

Ability checks and skills

Your DM calls for an ability check when you try something with a real chance of failing: climbing a wet wall, persuading a guard, picking a lock. You roll a d20 and add the modifier for the ability that fits, such as Strength for climbing.

Skills are narrower areas inside an ability. Athletics sits under Strength, Stealth under Dexterity, Perception under Wisdom. If you're proficient in the skill, you add your proficiency bonus. If not, you still roll, just with the plain ability modifier. Your skills are chosen when you make your character.

The DM sets the Difficulty Class (DC). The SRD gives a simple ladder: 5 is very easy, 10 easy, 15 medium, 20 hard, 25 very hard and 30 nearly impossible.

Saving throws

A saving throw, or "save", is how you resist something: Dexterity to dive away from a blast, Constitution to fight off poison, Wisdom to shake off a charm. Roll a d20 and add the matching ability modifier, plus your proficiency bonus if you're proficient in that save. Every class makes you proficient in two.

Holding a spell after you take damage is a Constitution save too. See how concentration works for the DC.

Attack rolls

Swing a sword, loose an arrow or cast a spell that asks for a spell attack, and you make an attack roll. Melee weapons usually use Strength, ranged weapons use Dexterity, and spell attacks use your spellcasting ability. If the total equals or beats the target's Armour Class (AC), you hit.

Natural 20s and natural 1s

A "natural" roll means the number showing on the die, before you add anything.

On an attack roll, a natural 20 always hits, whatever the target's AC, and it is a critical hit. A natural 1 always misses. On a critical hit you roll all of the attack's damage dice twice, then add your modifier once. Extra dice such as Sneak Attack are doubled too.

Damage rolls

Once you hit, you roll damage. For a weapon, roll its damage dice and add the same ability modifier you used for the attack. Spells list their own damage dice.

Advantage and disadvantage

With advantage, roll two d20s and use the higher. With disadvantage, roll two and use the lower. Either can apply to checks, saves and attacks.

They don't stack: three reasons for advantage still means two dice. If you have both, they cancel out and you roll one d20, however many of each you have.

Contested checks

Sometimes two creatures push directly against each other, like one holding a door shut while the other forces it open. Both make ability checks and compare totals instead of beating a DC. The higher total wins. On a tie, nothing changes: the door stays shut.

Passive checks

A passive check uses no dice at all. Your score is 10 plus every modifier you would normally add to that check. Advantage adds 5 and disadvantage takes away 5.

The one you'll see most is passive Perception, which the DM uses to decide quietly whether you notice something. A character with a Wisdom modifier of +2 who is proficient in Perception at 1st level (+2) has a passive Perception of 14.

Initiative

When a fight starts, everyone rolls initiative, which is simply a Dexterity check. Highest goes first, and the order holds for the whole fight. Players settle ties between their own characters; the DM settles the rest.

Death saving throws

At 0 hit points, you roll a plain d20 at the start of each turn. 10 or higher is a success. Three successes and you're stable; three failures and your character dies. Our guide to death saving throws covers natural 20s, natural 1s and the rest.

Hit dice

Hit dice are for healing, not fighting. You get one per level, and its size comes from your class, from a d6 for a Wizard to a d12 for a Barbarian. During a short rest you can spend them: roll each one, add your Constitution modifier, and regain that many hit points. See short rest vs long rest for how you get them back.

Want to try any of these? Our free online dice roller handles advantage, disadvantage and modifiers. And if spells are new to you, start with how spell slots work.

Questions

What are the main types of rolls in D&D 5e?

There are three main d20 rolls: ability checks (including skill checks), saving throws and attack rolls. Around them sit damage rolls, initiative (which is a Dexterity check), death saving throws and hit dice.

Does a natural 20 automatically succeed on a skill check in 5e?

Not under the SRD rules. A natural 20 only has a special effect on attack rolls, where it always hits and is a critical hit, and on death saving throws. On an ability check or a saving throw, a 20 is simply a high roll. Some tables house-rule it differently.

What is the difference between an ability check and a saving throw?

An ability check is you trying to do something, like climbing a wall or picking a lock. A saving throw is you resisting something being done to you, like dodging a fireball or shrugging off poison. Both are a d20 plus an ability modifier, but proficiency comes from different places: skills for checks, your class for saves.