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

Glossary-- N

natural: Unmodified. A natural result on a roll or check is the actual number appearing on the die, not the modified result generated by adding bonuses or subtracting penalties. The word "natural" is typically used in conjunction with the result of a 1d20 roll (attack roll, skill check, or some other check). For example, a natural 20 means an unmodified result of 20 on a 1d20 roll.

natural ability: A nonmagical capability that a creature has by virtue of its species. Natural abilities include natural armor, natural attack routines, and similar gross physical qualities, such as an owl’s low-light vision. Likewise, mundane movement capabilities, such as walking, swimming (for aquatic creatures), and flight (for winged creatures) are natural, but magically enabled movements, such as blink, dimension door, plane shift, teleport, etc., are not.

natural armor: Unusually tough skin or scaly hide that grants a creature extra protection from harm. Natural armor typically represents scales, fur, or layers of huge muscles.

natural armor bonus: A modifier to AC resulting either from a creature’s naturally tough hide or from a spell, magic item, or magical effect that toughens the subject’s skin.

natural weapon: A body part capable of dealing slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage in combat. Natural weapons include teeth, claws, horns, tails, and other appendages.

natural attack routine: One or more attacks employing a creature’s natural weapons. Examples of natural attack routines include claw/claw/bite, swoop and rake, and constriction. Attacks that duplicate magical effects, such as petrification, breath weapons, energy drain, and energy effects are not considered natural.

nauseated: Experiencing stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move (or move-equivalent action) per turn. Creatures typically become nauseated as a result of a spell (such as stinking cloud) or magical effect.

Necromancy: A school of magic focusing on spells that manipulate the power of life and death. Spells dealing with undead creatures make up a large portion of this school.

necromancer: A wizard specializing in the Necromancy school of magic. A beginning necromancer must select any other single school as prohibited.

negate: Invalidate, prevent, or end an effect with respect to a designated area or target. For example, light spells negate darkness spells of lower spell level than themselves, and vice versa. Likewise, the damage-inflicting ability of a particular source (such as cold) can be negated by intense heat. Also, invisibility can be negated by certain visual abilities, such as blindsight.

negates: A saving throw descriptor for spells with effects that are negated by a successful saving throw. The type of saving throw required to negate the effect is listed in the entry.

negative energy: A black, crackling energy that originates on the Negative Material Plane. Negative energy and positive energy (from the Positive Material Plane) are two of the primal building blocks of the Material Plane. Evil clerics (and some neutral clerics) can channel negative energy to power undead creatures and inflict injury or even death on creatures of the Material Plane.

Negative Energy Plane: One of the Inner Planes. The Negative Energy Plane is where negative energy originates, though it can also be found in plenty on the Material Plane and elsewhere.

negative level: A loss of vital energy resulting from energy drain, spells, magic items, or magical effects. For each negative level gained, a creature suffers a –1 penalty to all skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws, plus a –1 effective level penalty. (That is, whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce its value by one for each negative level.) In addition to these penalties, a spellcaster so affected loses access to one spell per negative level from the highest spell level castable. If two or more spells fit this criterion, the caster decides which one becomes inaccessible. The lost spell becomes available again as soon as the negative level is removed, providing the caster would be capable of using it at that time. Negative levels remain in place for 24 hours after acquisition, or until removed with a spell such as restoration. After that period, the negative level goes away, but the afflicted creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC=10+1/2 the attacker’s Hit Dice+the attacker’s Charisma modifier) to determine whether there is a lasting effect. If the saving throw succeeds, there is no harm to the character. Otherwise, the creature’s character level drops by one and any benefits acquired with that level are lost. The afflicted creature must make a separate saving throw for each negative level possessed.

none: A saving throw descriptor for spells that allow no saving throws against their effects.

nonintelligent: Lacking an Intelligence score. Nonintelligent creatures include less powerful undead (such as skeletons and zombies) and other mindless beings. Mind-affecting spells do not affect nonintelligent creatures.

nonplayer character: A character controlled by the Dungeon Master (DM) rather than by one of the other players in a game session. The standard abbreviation for nonplayer character is NPC.

normal: Unharmed and unafflicted. A character in normal condition is at full hit points, free of disease, and unaffected by any spell, magic item, or magical effect.

normal damage: A hit point reduction resulting from real damage, as opposed to subdual damage.

NPC: Standard abbreviation for nonplayer character.