[Sticky] 2024 NEW RULE SUMMARIES

Many mechanics in the rules are dispersed far and wide, making it tedious and difficult to follow the logic or get a full picture of the mechanic’s operation. What follows is a centralized compilation of some of the general rule mechanics into one place.

STEALTH RULES:

HIDE [ACTION] (PHB24, p. 368)
With the Hide action, you try to conceal yourself.
To do so, you must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check while you're Heavily Obscured or behind Three-Quarters Cover or Total Cover, and you must be out of any enemy's line of sight; if you can see a creature, you can discern whether it can see you.

On a successful check, you have the Invisible condition. Make note of your check's total, which is the DC for a creature to find you with a Wisdom (Perception) check.
The condition ends on you immediately after any of the following occurs: you make a sound louder than a whisper, an enemy finds you, you make an attack roll, or you cast a spell with a Verbal component.

INVISIBLE [CONDITION] (PHB24, p. 370)
While you have the Invisible condition, you experience the following effects.
Surprise. If you're Invisible when you roll Initiative, you have Advantage on the roll.
Concealed. You aren't affected by any effect that requires its target to be seen unless the effect's creator can somehow see you. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying is also concealed.
Attacks Affected. Attack rolls against you have Disadvantage, and your attack rolls have Advantage. If a creature can somehow see you, you don't gain this benefit against that creature.

PERCEPTION: WHEN TO CALL FOR A CHECK (DMG24, p. 35)
An important time to call for a Wisdom (Perception) check is when another creature is taking the Hide action. Noticing a hidden creature is never trivially easy or automatically impossible, so characters can always try Wisdom (Perception) checks to do so.

Using Passive Perception. Sometimes, asking players to make Wisdom (Perception) checks for their characters tips them off that there's something they should be searching for, giving them a clue you'd rather they didn't have. In those circumstances, use characters' Passive Perception scores instead.

PASSIVE PERCEPTION (PHB24, p. 372)
Passive Perception is a score that reflects a creature's general awareness of its surroundings. The DM uses this score when determining whether a creature notices something without consciously making a Wisdom (Perception) check.

A creature's Passive Perception equals 10 plus the creature's Wisdom (Perception) check bonus. If the creature has Advantage on such checks, increase the score by 5. If the creature has Disadvantage on them, decrease the score by 5. For example, a level 1 character with a Wisdom of 15 and proficiency in Perception has a Passive Perception of 14(10 + 2 + 2). If that character has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks, the score becomes 19.

LIGHTLY OBSCURED (PHB24, p. 370)
You have Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to see something in a Lightly Obscured space. See also "Dim Light" and chapter 1 ("Exploration").

GROUP STEALTH (DMG24, p. 28)
Group checks aren't appropriate when one character's failure would spell disaster for the whole party, such as if the characters are creeping across a castle courtyard while trying not to alert the guards. In that case, one noisy character will draw the guards' attention, and there's not much that stealthier characters can do about it, so relying on individual checks makes more sense.

NEW STEALTH RULE ANALYSIS & SUMMARY:
2024 stealth rules have changed. Group stealth checks are no longer permitted, stealth has been redefined as the "invisible” condition, and a minimum DC of 15 is now required.

Under the 2014 rules the DC to succeed at stealth was an opposed check equal to the passive perception of a potential observer, and that same stealth roll became the DC for an observer to find the hidden creature on an active or passive perception check. Thus the old mechanic was simple:

Roll stealth, which becomes the DC for any observer's opposed active or passive Perception check to find you.

The new rule adds an absolute static minimum:

Make a stealth check with a DC equal to whichever is highest: 15 or the passive perception of a potential observer. On a success they gain the Invisible condition and the stealth score becomes the new DC for any potential observer to find the target with an active or passive perception check.

This will be most felt at low level. For example a low level hero attempting to sneak past low level minions (orcs, goblins, etc.) who might have only a 10 or 11 passive perception would now need to hit a minimum stealth DC of 15, while under the 2014 rules they would only need to meet the Passive Perception of the observer, which could commonly be 10 or 11.

Conversely, at higher levels stealth is more likely to function the same as with the 2014 rules, with the DC 15 floor becoming trivially irrelevant and the passive perception of an observer becoming the DC to beat.

The final effect is to put a minimum floor on stealth, so that even if you are trying to sneak up on a band of drunk orcs with a passive perception of 5 you still will need to hit the 15 DC to gain the "Invisible" condition.

CHARM & INFLUENCE ACTION RULES

Summary:
The 5e mechanics for most charm game effects have sharply diverged from the mechanics of previous editions.

Charming in 5e generally revolves around, and is dependent on, the rules around social interactions. It then follows that to understand and correctly use RAW charming mechanics in 5e we must first correctly understand and use the 5e RAW for social interactions. Failure to do so will fatally undermine builds that rely on charm effects, such as Bards and all charisma-based “face” builds.

ACTIONS (PHB24, p. 15)
Influence: Make a Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion) or Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to ALTER A CREATURE'S ATTITUDE.

ATTITUDE (PHB24, p. 361)
A monster has a starting attitude toward a player character: Friendly, Hostile, or Indifferent. See also
"Friendly," "Hostile," "Indifferent," and "Influence."

FRIENDLY [ATTITUDE] (PHB24, p. 367)
A Friendly creature views you FAVORABLY. You have ADVANTAGE on an ability check to influence a Friendly creature. See also "Influence."

HOSTILE [ATTITUDE] (PHB24, p. 369)
A Hostile creature views you UNFAVORABLY. You have DISADVANTAGE on an ability check to influence a Hostile creature. See also "Influence."

INDIFFERENT [ATTITUDE] (PHB24, p. 369)
An Indifferent creature has no desire to help or hinder you. Indifferent is the DEFAULT ATTITUDE of a monster. See also "Influence."

ATTITUDE: DMG24 p. 32-33
Each creature controlled by the DM has one of the following attitudes toward the adventurers:
Friendly, Indifferent, or Hostile. The "Monster Behavior" section in chapter 4 offers guidance to help you determine a creature's initial attitude….

Sidebar:
MONSTER BEHAVIOR (DMG24 p. 116-7)
The attitudes, motivations, and behavior of the monsters in an encounter help determine how a social interaction plays out (and whether it might erupt into combat) and influence the course of combat.

INITIAL ATTITUDES
A published adventure typically notes or implies whether a creature's initial attitude toward the adventurers is Friendly, Indifferent, or Hostile.

REMINDER: Indifferent is the default attitude of a monster. (PHB24, p. 369)

ATTITUDE (cont.): (DMG24 p. 32-33)
Characters can SHIFT A CREATURE'S ATTITUDE by their words or actions. For example, buying drinks for an Indifferent group of miners might shift their attitude to Friendly. When a shift occurs, describe it to your players. For example, the miners might display their newfound friendliness by imparting some useful information, offering to repay the kind gesture at a future date, or challenging the characters to a friendly drinking contest.

ABILITY CHECKS IN SOCIAL INTERACTION
You decide the extent to which ability checks shape the outcome of a social interaction. A simple social interaction might involve a brief conversation and a single Charisma check, while a more complex encounter might involve multiple ability checks helping to steer the course of the conversation.

INFLUENCE [ACTION] (PHB24, p. 369)
With the Influence action, you URGE A MONSTER TO DO SOMETHING. Describe or roleplay how you're communicating with the monster. Are you trying to deceive, intimidate, amuse, or gently persuade?
The DM then determines whether the monster feels willing, unwilling, or hesitant due to your interaction; this determination establishes whether an ability check is necessary, as explained below.

Willing: If your urging aligns with the monster's desires, no ability check is necessary; the monster fulfills your request in a way it prefers.

Unwilling: If your urging is repugnant to the monster or counter to its alignment, no ability check is necessary; it doesn't comply.

Hesitant: If you urge the monster to do something that it is hesitant to do, you must make an ability check, which is affected by the monster's attitude: Indifferent, Friendly, or Hostile, each of which is defined in this glossary.

The Influence Checks table suggests which ability check to make based on how you're interacting with the monster. The DM chooses the check, which has a default DC equal to 15 or the monster's Intelligence score, whichever is higher. On a successful check, the monster does as urged. On a failed check, you must wait 24 hours (or a duration set by the DM) before urging it in the same way again.

CHARM MECHANICS:

CHARMED [CONDITION] (PHB24, p. 363)
While you have the Charmed condition, you experience the following effects.
Can't Harm the Charmer. You can't attack the charmer or target the charmer with damaging abilities or magical effects.
Social Advantage. The charmer has Advantage on any ability check to interact with you socially.

FRIENDS (PHB24, p. 277)
You magically emanate a sense of friendship toward one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Charmed condition for the duration. When the spell ends, the target knows it was Charmed by you.

ANIMAL FRIENDSHIP (PHB24, p. 239)
Target a Beast that you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Charmed condition for the duration. (Note the absence of: “When the spell ends, the target knows it was Charmed by you.”)

CHARM PERSON (PHB24, p. 249)
On a failed save, the target has the Charmed condition until the spell ends or until you or your allies damage it. The Charmed creature is Friendly to you. When the spell ends, the target knows it was Charmed by you.

CHARM MONSTER (PHB24, p. 249)
On a failed save, the target has the Charmed condition until the spell ends or until you or your allies damage it. The Charmed creature is Friendly to you. When the spell ends, the target knows it was Charmed by you.

CALM EMOTIONS (PHB24, p. 249)
Each Humanoid in a 20-foot-radius Sphere centered on a point you choose within range must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be affected by one of the following effects (choose for each creature):
• The creature becomes Indifferent about creatures of your choice that it's Hostile toward. This indifference ends if the target takes damage or witnesses its allies taking damage. When the spell ends, the creature's attitude returns to normal.

SUGGESTION (PHB24, p. 321)
The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Charmed condition for the duration or until you or your allies deal damage to the target. (Note the absence of: “When the spell ends, the target knows it was Charmed by you.”)
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