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

Glossary-- T

tactical speed: The number of feet a character moves in a standard action, as determined by race and armor (or other encumbrance). In general, each 10 feet per round of tactical speed equates to 1 mile per hour of overland speed.

take damage: Sustain damage (either real or subdual) from a successful attack. Note that damage dealt by an opponent does not necessarily equal damage taken, as various special defenses may reduce or negate damage from certain kinds of attacks.

take <<10>>: Reduce the chances of failure on certain skill checks by assuming an average die roll result. Taking <<10>> means that the character is taking special care with a task and trying not to make mistakes. To take <<10>>, do not roll 1d20 for the skill check. Instead, assume a die roll result of 10 and add the applicable modifiers to obtain the skill check result. Taking <<10>> automatically results in success for many routine tasks with low to average DCs. Distractions or threats make it impossible for a character to take <<10>>. In addition to normal skill checks, characters may take <<10>> on routine untrained skill checks or on ability checks not associated with a particular skill (such as breaking down a door). They cannot, however, take <<10>> on caster level checks.

take <<20>>: Greatly reduce the chances of failure for certain skill checks by assuming that the character makes sufficient retries to obtain the maximum possible check result. Characters who take <<20>> are assumed to repeat a task over and over until they get it right. It takes about twenty times as long as making a single check would take. To take <<20>>, do not roll 1d20 for the skill check. Instead, assume a die roll result of 20 and add the applicable modifiers to obtain the skill check result. Taking <<20>> results in success for any task that the character would normally have even a slight chance of success with. To exercise this option, a character must have plenty of time (generally 2 minutes for a skill that can normally be checked in 1 round, one full-round action, or one standard action), and the skill in question must carry no penalties for failure. Characters can also take <<20>> on ability checks of all sorts, but not on caster level checks.

target: The intended recipient of an attack, spell, supernatural ability, extraordinary ability, or magical effect. If a targeted spell is successful, its recipient is known as the subject of the spell.

teleportation: A spell descriptor denoting spells whose effects involve instantaneous travel between locations on the same plane.

temple: A building consecrated to one or more deities. A temple typically houses the ecclesiastical hierarchy of a church and provides space and facilities for worship. Temples devoted to good deities usually sell holy water at cost to aid followers in defending themselves and others against evil.

temporary hit points: Hit points gained for a limited time through certain spells (such as aid) and magical effects. Unlike effective hit point increases, temporary hit points are "extras" that do not count against the character’s current hit points when the effect that granted them ends. That is, when temporary hit points expire, the recipient’s current hit points drop back to what they were before the "extra" points were added. (If damage has already reduced the recipient’s current hit points below what they were when the temporary hit points were gained, the character’s current hit points remain the same when the effect ends.) For example, a cleric casts aid on a fighter, adding 6 temporary hit points to the figher’s current hit points (26) for a total of 32. While the spell is still in effect, 3 points of damage from an arrow drop the fighter’s hit points to 29. When the aid spell ends, the fighter’s current hit points drop back down to 26, as though no damage had occurred at all. Note that when temporary hit points are lost, they cannot be restored as real hit points can be, even by magic.

threat: A possible critical hit. A threat occurs when the attack roll result is in the threat range for the weapon used. At that point, a critical roll must be made immediately to determine whether a critical hit has occurred. To do this, roll 1d20 and add all the same modifiers that applied to the attack roll just made. If the critical roll results in a hit (but not necessarily a threat) against the target’s AC, the original hit is a critical hit. If the critical roll is a miss, then the hit is just a regular hit.

threaten: Able to make an attack of opportunity against an opponent within reach. Creatures threaten all areas into which they can make melee attacks, even when it is not their action.

threatened area: An area within an opponent’s reach. Generally, characters threaten all areas within 5 feet of them, though reach weapons can alter this range. Certain actions provoke attacks of opportunity when taken within a threatened area.

threat range: All natural die roll results that constitute in a threat when rolled for an attack roll. For most weapons, the threat range is 20, but some have threat ranges of 19–20 or even 18–20. However, any attack roll that does not result in a hit is not a threat, whether or not it lies within the weapon’s threat range.

thrown weapon: A weapon that relies purely on the attacker’s muscle power to propel it toward a target. Thrown weapons include daggers, clubs, halfspears, shortspears, darts, javelins, throwing axes, light hammers, tridents, shuriken, and nets. Thrown weapons have a maximum range of five range increments and must be thrown one-handed. (A character can throw a two-handed weapon with one hand, but doing so counts as a full-round action because the weapon is bulkier and harder to handle than most thrown weapons.) Other common items, such as small rocks, small animals, vases, pitchers, etc., can also be used as improvised thrown weapons at an attack roll penalty of –4. These have They have a range increment of 10 feet and deal damage as determined by the DM. Strength bonuses apply to damage dealt by a thrown weapon.

Tiny: A size category of creature. A Tiny creature is between 1 and 2 feet in height or length and weighs between 1 and 8 pounds.

total defense: A standard action in which the character does nothing but defend and move normal speed. Total defense grants the character a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round, beginning at the start of the action.

total skill modifier: The sum of all applicable bonuses and penalties for a particular skill check. The total skill modifier includes ability modifier, rank bonus, and any miscellaneous modifiers, such as armor check penalty, racial bonuses, and situational modifiers.

touch: A range category for spells. Spells listed as touch range discharge when the caster successfully touches a target.

touch attack: An attack in which the attacker must touch the opponent to discharge a spell, supernatural ablity, or magical effect. Touch attacks may be either melee or ranged. Either type requires a successful hit with the appropriate kind of attack roll, and the target cannot benefit from any armor bonuses, shield bonuses, or natural armor bonuses to AC. (Other factors that can affect AC, such as size modifiers, Dexterity modifiers, and deflection bonuses, all apply normally to the target’s AC, however.) Touch attacks can deliver various spells, as well as energy drain and other effects. This type of attack is also used to execute certain special attacks, such as grabs and trips. Touch attacks do not provoke attacks of opportunity when discharged on armed opponents. See also melee touch attack and ranged touch attack.

touch spell: A spell that delivers its effect when the caster touches a target creature or object. The caster of a touch spell can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. Touching an opponent requires either a melee touch attack or a ranged touch attack, depending upon the spell. A caster who doesn’t discharge a touch spell on the round it is cast can hold its charge indefinitely. But if the caster touches anything or anyone, even unintentionally, while holding a charge, the spell discharges. A held touch spell dissipates if the caster casts another spell before discharging it.

trained: Having at least 1 rank in a skill. Many skills can be used untrained by making a successful skill check using 0 skill ranks. Others, such as Spellcraft, can be used only by characters who are trained in that skill.

Transmutation: One of the eight schools of magic. Transmutation spells transform the recipient physically or change the properties of some creature, thing, or condition in a more subtle way. A transmutation spell usually changes only one of the target’s properties, but it can be any property. A wizard who specializes in the Transmutation schools is called a transmuter.

transmute: Change one or more properties of a creature, object or situation by magic.

transmuter: A specialist in the Transmutation school of magic. A beginning transmuter must select a prohibited school or schools from among the following choices: (1) Conjuration, (2) Evocation, (2) any two of the following three schools: Abjuration, Enchantment, and Illusion, or (4) any three schools.

Travel: A spell domain composed of nine divine spells and a granted power focused on movement from one location to another.

Trickery: A spell domain composed of nine divine spells and a granted power focused on chicanery, deception, and duplicity.

trigger: A, action, word, or condition that discharges a spell, trap, or held action. For example, a trap might discharge when more than ten pounds of weight rests upon a particular section of floor, or a spell might discharge when a living creature passes within 5 feet. Some triggers can be bypassed by taking special precautions. For example, a careful rogue might discover the tripwire that triggers a pit trap and step over it. Normal darkness does not defeat a visual trigger, but magical darkness or invisibility does. Silent movement or magical silence defeats audible triggers.

trip: A special melee attack that leaves the opponent prone rather than dealing damage. Tripping an enemy requires a melee touch attack. If this is successful, the attacker then makes a Strength check opposed by the defender’s Dexterity or Strength check (whichever has the higher modifier). Bonuses or penalties based on size category (+4 for every size category larger than Medium-size and –4 penalty for every size category maller than Medium-size) apply to both the attacker’s and defender’s rolls. A defender with more than two legs (or one who is otherwise more stable than a normal humanoid) also gains a +4 stability bonus to this roll. If the attacker wins, the defender trips. Otherwise, the defender may immediately attempt to trip the attacker with another such opposed check. A trip attack against a mounted opponent allows the defender to oppose the attempt with a Ride skill check instead of the Dexterity or Strength check, if desired. If the attacker succeeds, the defender is pulled from the mount. Characters can attempt trip attacks against opponents up to one size larger than themselves.

turn: The portion of each combat round in which a particular character acts. A character’s turn occurs at the same point in the initiative order throughout an entire battle, unless the character takes an action (such as delaying or refocusing) that alters it.

turning check: A method of deciding how much positive or negative energy a cleric is able to channel when attempting to turn or rebuke undead. To make a turning check, roll 1d20 and add the cleric’s Charisma modifier. This total is called the check result. (Higher results are always better.) Compare the check result with Table 9–15: Turning Undead to determine the most powerful undead creature that can be turned (or rebuked) with that attempt. With a given turning attempt, a cleric can turn undead creatures whose Hit Dice are less than or equal to, but not exceeding, the result on this table. The total number of undead turned is determined by the turning damage roll.

turning damage: The number of Hit Dice of undead that are turned or rebuked with a particular turning check. Turning damage = 2d6 + cleric level + Charisma modifier. If the turning damage roll indicates fewer Hit Dice turned than any of the undead creatures within 60 feet possess, the cleric does not have the power to turn even a single undead creature. The cleric may skip over already turned undead that are still within range so as not to waste turning capacity on them.

turning undead: The supernatural ability of good clerics and paladins, to drive off or destroy undead by channeling positive energy. Those neutral clerics who have chosen to channel positive energy can turn undead as well. Evil clerics and neutral clerics who have chosen to channel negative energy can rebuke, command, or bolster undead in the same manner. The exceptions to this rule are lawful neutral clerics of Wee Jas, who rebuke undead rather than turning them, plus all clerics of St. Cuthbert and all nonevil clerics of Obad-Hai, who turn undead rather than rebuking them.

Turning is an attack that requires presentation of the cleric’s holy symbol. To turn undead, make a turning check and consult Table 9–15: Turning Undead to determine the most powerful undead creature that can be turned with this check. Next, roll turning damage to see how many Hit Dice of undead actually turn. (If the cleric has at least twice as many levels as the undead have Hit Dice, any that would normally turn are destroyed instead.) The range of the turning effect is 60 feet from the cleric, with the closest turnable undead reacting first. Undead with total cover relative to the cleric are not affected in any case.

Turned undead flee from the cleric for 10 rounds (1 minute) by the best and fastest means available to them. If they cannot flee, they cower (treat as stunned). If the cleric approaches within 10 feet of them, however, they overcome being turned and act normally. The cleric can attack the turned undead with ranged attacks from 10 feet or more away, and others can attack them in any fashion without breaking the turning effect.

Turning may be attempted a number of times per day equal to 3 plus the cleric’s Charisma modifier. Turning undead is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

turn resistance: An undead creature’s capacity for avoiding turning.

two-handed weapon: A weapon with a size category one step larger than that of the wielder. For example, a greataxe (Large) is a two-handed weapon for a human (Medium-size) wielder. One-and-a-half times the character’s Strength bonus may be added to damage dealt with a two-handed melee weapon. No Strength bonus applies to damage with a two-handed projectile weapon, however, unless it’s a mighty bow. A character can also throw a two-handed weapon with one hand, but doing so counts as a full-round action. A character using a two-handed weapon may not use a shield.