Complete General Guidelines and Glossary
Exclusive Unabridged Version!
Compiled by Kim Mohan

Glossary-- R

race: A grouping of people who have common ancestries. The common races are human, dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, half-orc, and halfling. Race and class are selected for a new character just after ability scores are rolled. Racial modifiers are then applied to ability scores for characters of all races except human. These modifiers can bring a score above 18 or below 3, with the exception of Intelligence, which cannot drop below 3. Although all classes are available to all races, certain races perform better at certain classes.

range increment: A measurement in feet of the distance at which a particular weapon type can be used at optimal effectiveness. Any attack at less than the range increment is not penalized for range. Beyond that, each full range increment of distance between the attacker and the target incurs a cumulative –2 penalty to the ranged attack roll. Thrown weapons have a maximum range of five range increments. Projectile weapons have a maximum range of ten range increments.

range penalty: A modifier applied to a ranged attack roll based on distance. The range penalty is a cumulative –2 per full range increment of distance between attacker and target.

ranged attack: Any attack made at a distance with a ranged weapon. Ranged attacks can be made against any target within the weapon’s maximum range and the attacker’s line of sight. Making a ranged attack provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening enemies. Strength penalties (but not bonuses) are added to the damage from bows and slings, but not crossbows.

ranged attack roll: A number that represents the overall outcome of a creature’s attempt to strike an opponent from a distance. To make a ranged attack roll, roll 1d20 and add the appropriate modifiers for the attack type, as follows: ranged attack roll = 1d20 + base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier + range penalty. The result is the AC hit. Therefore, to score a hit that deals damage, the ranged attack roll must equal or exceed the target’s Armor Class.

ranged touch attack: A ranged attack that disregards target armor in the same manner as a melee touch attack does. This type of attack requires a successful hit with a ranged attack roll, but the target cannot benefit from any armor bonuses, shield bonuses, or natural armor bonuses to AC. (Size modifiers, Dexterity modifiers, and deflection bonuses all apply normally to the target’s AC, however.) Ranged touch attacks can deliver various spells (usually as rays), as well as energy drain and other effects. Attacks with grenadelike weapons are also ranged touch attacks.

ranged weapon: A weapon designed for ranged attacks. Ranged weapons are thrown or projectile weapons that are generally not effective in melee. Thrown weapons include darts, javelins, and throwing axes. Projectile weapons include bows, crossbows, and slings. Ranged weapons can inflict bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. Strength bonuses apply to damage dealt by thrown weapons, but not by projectile weapons (except mighty bows). All ranged weapons have range increments that define their optimum ranges. Strength penalties (but not bonuses) are added to the damage from bows and slings, but not crossbows.

ranger: A skilled hunter, stalker, and warrior of the wilderness. Rangers frequently serve as woodland protectors, aiding those who live in or travel through the forests. They have skills that allow them to survive in the wilderness, to find their prey, and to avoid detection. Finally, experienced rangers have such ties to nature that they can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as druids do. In addition, they often carry grudges against certain types of creatures and look for opportunities to find and destroy them. A ranger often has one or more animal companions that provide aid and protection. The standard abbreviation for ranger is Rgr.

rank bonus: A skill check modifier equal to the number of ranks a character has in that skill. A character with no ranks in a particular skill is untrained in it and does not get a rank bonus.

ray: An effect descriptor for spells and magical effects. A ray is a ranged touch attack that the caster aims as though using a ranged weapon. To score a hit, the caster must make a successful ranged touch attack. Unlike a targeted spell, a ray can be fired into the dark or at an invisible creature, though the appropriate penalties for blocked line of sight apply. If a ray spell is listed with a duration, that value is the duration of the spell’s effect.

reach weapon: A long melee weapon, or one that has a long haft. Reach weapons allow the user to threaten or strike at opponents 10 feet away with a melee attack roll. Most such weapons cannot be used to attack adjacent foes, however.

ready: A standard action that lets a character prepare a partial action but delay its execution. Characters wishing to ready actions may do so on their regular turns in the initiative order. Such a character must specify both the action and the circumstances under which it will occur. Then the readied partial action may be taken at any time before the character’s next turn. (The partial action can even come before the action that triggers it.) For the rest of the fight, that character’s initiative result is the count on which the readied action occurred. If the character’s turn arrives again before the readied action has been taken, the readied action is lost, though the character can ready the same action a second time. Readying an action does not provoke an attack of opportunity, though the action being readied might. Readied actions are often used against spellcasters to disrupt casting or cast counterspells. Another common use is to ready long, piercing weapons against a charge. A readied weapon of this type deals double damage if the user hits a charging character with it.

rebuke undead: A supernatural ability of evil clerics based on channeling negative energy. To use this ability, the evil cleric makes a turning check as if attempting to turn undead. Any undead that would normally be turned with that result are rebuked instead. A rebuked undead creature cowers from the rebuker. The effect lasts 10 rounds.

Reflex save: One of the three types of saving throws. Reflex save = 1d20 + Reflex base save bonus + Dexterity modifier.

refocus: Refocusing is a full-round action that improves a character’s initiative result for succeeding combat rounds. To refocus, a character must take no actions at all (not even movement) for an entire round. On the next combat round, the character’s initiative result becomes 20 plus any initiative modifiers that would have applied to the original initiative check (for Dexterity or the Improved Initiative feat, for example). The character maintains this new initiative result for the remainder of the combat, or until some other action (such as delay) alters it.

regenerate: Regrow severed body parts and ruined organs, repair broken bones, and heal other damage through a spell, magic item, magical effect, or extraordinary ability. Severed body parts that are not reattached simply die, and the regenerating creature grows replacements at a rate specified in the individual spell or monster description. Most damage dealt to a naturally regenerating creature is treated as subdual damage, which heals at a fixed rate (see individual creature descriptions). However, certain attack forms (typically fire and acid) deal damage that does not covert to subdual damage. Such damage is not regenerated. Regeneration does not alter conditions that do not deal damage in hit points, such as poisoning or disintegration.

resistance bonus: A modifier to saving throws that provides extra protection against magic or harm. Resistance bonuses typically result from spells, magic items, or magical effects.

result: The numerical outcome of a check, attack roll, saving throw, or other 1d20 roll. The result is the sum of the actual die roll and all applicable modifiers.

Rgr: Standard abbreviation for ranger.

Rog: Standard abbreviation for rogue.

rogue: One of the eleven character classes. Rogues can be diplomats, spies, thugs, burglars, scouts, scoundrels, or any other profession involving trickery and skill at sneaking. In combat, a rogue can deliver extra damage with a sneak attack. The higher the rogue’s level, the more damage the sneak attack can inflict. Though rogues are not spellcasters themselves, they can figure out magic well enough to cast spells from scrolls, activate wands, and use just about any other magic item. Some rogues are members of an organized fellowship of rogues (a "guild of thieves"). Most, however, learned their skills from an independent mentor or are self-taught. The standard abbreviation for rogue is Rog.

roll: Throw one or more dice to resolve an attack, check, saving throw, or other game function.

round: A 6-second unit of game time used to manage combat. Every combatant may make at least one action every round. Also known as a combat round.

run: A movement action that allows a character to move up to four times normal speed (about 12 mph for an unencumbered human) in a straight line. A running character cannot avoid attacks and therefore cannot use any Dexterity bonuses that would normally apply to AC. Characters can run for a number of rounds equal to their individual Constitution scores. Upon reaching that limit, a character must succeed at a Constitution check (DC 10) to keep running. Each round, a new check (at a DC 1 point higher than the last) is required to continue. A character who fails this check must stop running immediately and rest for 1 minute (10 rounds) before running again. During a rest period, the character can move no faster than normal speed. Running is a full-round action that does not permit a 5-foot step.