Damage

When an attack succeeds, it deals damage. The weapon used determines the amount of damage dealt. Damage reduces a target’s current hit points, unless it’s specified as some other sort of damage. Certain attacks, creatures, and magical effects can cause other sorts of damage, such as ability damage, energy drain, or nonlethal damage. When you hit with such an attack, apply the effects of the attack as that attack’s description dictates.

DAMAGE MODIFIERS

Other factors in the situation might increase or reduce damage. Commonly, damage is modified by a magical effect. Effects that modify weapon damage apply to unarmed strikes and natural weapons.

MINIMUM DAMAGE

If penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of damage.

MULTIPLYING DAMAGE

Sometimes damage is multiplied, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage dice and add all modifiers multiple times. Total the results. Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal damage, such as those dealt by precision damage abilities (see Damage Types), are never multiplied.

Specifying Damage Dealt

You can specify that you are dealing lethal damage with a weapon that normally deals nonlethal damage before you make your attack roll, but you take a –4 penalty on that attack roll. You can also specify that you’re dealing nonlethal damage with a weapon that normally deals lethal damage, but you take a –4 penalty on that attack roll. See Injury, Healing, and Death.