An unarmed strike in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is a basic melee attack your character can make without wielding a weapon, using their body to strike. These can include punches, kicks, headbutts, or even grapples and shoves, though the latter two are specific combat options rather than direct damage-dealing strikes.
Making an Unarmed Strike Attack Roll
To determine if your unarmed strike hits its target, you make an attack roll. This roll combines your character's natural prowess and combat training.
The formula for an unarmed strike attack roll is:
1d20 + Your Strength Modifier + Your Proficiency Bonus
- 1d20: This is the twenty-sided die roll that forms the basis of most actions in D&D 5e.
- Your Strength Modifier: Unarmed strikes primarily rely on your physical might, so your Strength ability score is crucial.
- Your Proficiency Bonus: If you are proficient with simple weapons (which most characters are), or if your class or race grants you proficiency with unarmed strikes, you add your proficiency bonus to the roll. Most characters are proficient with unarmed strikes by default.
Attack Roll Components
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| d20 Roll | The core dice roll for success or failure. |
| Strength Modifier | Represents your character's physical power and effectiveness in a close-quarters strike. |
| Proficiency Bonus | Reflects your character's training and skill in basic combat. |
Calculating Unarmed Strike Damage
Upon a successful hit, you then determine the damage dealt by your unarmed strike. Unlike most weapons, unarmed strikes have a fixed base damage that is quite low, emphasizing their role as a last resort or a setup for other actions unless empowered by specific features.
The standard formula for unarmed strike damage is:
1 + Your Strength Modifier
- 1 (Base Damage): This is the flat base damage for an unarmed strike. It does not use a damage die (like 1d4 or 1d6).
- Your Strength Modifier: Your Strength modifier is added to the base damage, just as it is for melee weapon attacks.
Important Exceptions and Enhancements
While the basic damage for an unarmed strike is low, many class features, racial abilities, or feats can significantly alter its damage output and effectiveness. For example:
- Monks: A Monk's Martial Arts feature replaces the standard 1 damage with a larger die (e.g., 1d4, 1d6, etc.) that increases as they gain levels. Monks also gain additional benefits when making unarmed strikes.
- Racial Features: Some races, such as the Lizardfolk (with their Bite attack), Minotaurs (with their Horns), or Tabaxi (with their Claws), have natural weapons that count as unarmed strikes but deal a specific damage die (e.g., 1d4 or 1d6) instead of 1.
- Feats: Certain feats might grant benefits to unarmed strikes, though they are less common than class features.
These features allow characters specialized in unarmed combat to deal significant damage, turning their fists and feet into formidable weapons.
Practical Example
Let's say you have a Fighter with a Strength score of 16 (giving a +3 Strength modifier) and a proficiency bonus of +2.
- Attack Roll: You roll a d20. If you roll a 12, your total attack roll is 12 (d20) + 3 (STR modifier) + 2 (Proficiency Bonus) = 17. You then compare this to the target's Armor Class (AC) to see if you hit.
- Damage Roll: If you hit, you deal 1 (base damage) + 3 (STR modifier) = 4 bludgeoning damage.
Understanding these mechanics is key to effectively using unarmed strikes in your D&D 5e adventures, whether as a default option or as a specialized combat style. For more in-depth rules on combat, refer to the D&D Beyond Basic Rules.
