How to play dnd
How to play dnd
RPGBOT
RPGBOTLast Updated: May 29, 2022
A number of excellent resources are available for learning how to play Dungeons and Dragons, and while those resources are fantastic on their own they are also limited. While they can teach you the rules of the game, in many cases you may still be left with questions, and it may be unclear where to look for answers.
This guide is intended to be a full, thorough introduction not only to the rules of Dungeons and Dragons, but to the act of how to play the game. When you finish this guide, you will not only understand the rules, but you will be ready to build your first character, to join your first group, and to play your first game with full confidence that you know the rules well enough to enjoy the game. I still recommend reading the Player’s Handbook to get the official text of the rules, but consider this guide a helpful companion, here to clarify and simplify the confusing parts of the official material.
This guide is a lot of text. I don’t expect you to read it all in one sitting any more than the Player’s Handbook expects that you will read it cover-to-cover in one sitting. This guide is equal parts guided walkthrough and reference document, and while it’s organized in a specific order, I fully expect that many readers may skip around, revisit sections, or skip sections entirely.
I encourage new players to read the full guide in order, but because the rules of the game all reference each other it will often be helpful to peek ahead at later sections for context or look back for reminders. If you’re the sort of person that learns by doing, consider skipping ahead to the Creating a Character section, then go back to previous sections when those sections become important to the character creation process.
This guide is intentionally presented in a different order from the Player’s Handbook. This guide is ordered to teach you the important concepts of the game before walking you through the process of creating a character so that you can begin the process of character creation confident that you understand what each of your decisions means when you make them.
0. Introduction
1. The Basics
2. Ability Scores, Skills, and Tools
Ability scores are a character’s most basic stats, and they are the primary contributor to your character’s chances of success and failure on any task which requires a d20 roll. There are six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each describes a specific aspect of your character’s capabilities, which are described in the sections below.
3. Exploration and Social Interaction
The first two pillars of the game, Exploration and Social Interaction cover the majority of a character’s life, at least in in-game time.
4. Combat
5. Items and Equipment
Material items are an important part of any character. You’ll spend a lot of time collecting treasure and spending it on equipment for your character, as well as mundane things like food and housing. In some cases, you may even encounter magic items with fantastic abilities.
6. Magic
Magic is a defining feature of fantasy, and Dungeons and Dragons would be a very different game without it. While magic can come in many forms, the most common is the casting of spells. Being a spellcaster opens up a lot of new options that aren’t available to characters who don’t cast spells, but it can also be complicated and intimidating for new players.
7. Creating a Character
If you read all of the previous sections start to finish, you probably have a lot of questions. A lot of things you just learned aren’t going to make much sense until you put them to use, but understanding them will make you next step make more sense.
It’s time to build your first character! Building a character can be intimidating because there are a lot of options to choose from, but don’t worry: You can make more than one character and pick which one you want to play when you start a campaign. If you never use a character you made, that’s perfectly fine. If you start making a character and want to start over, that’s perfectly fine. The goal of this section is to get you to the end with at least one complete character which you can then bring to a game ready to play.
This section will roughly follow the format of Chapter 1 of the Players’ Handbook, but will provide more guidance on making specific decisions like your race and class, and will provide specific advice on how to handle things like ability scores and buying equipment. It will not simply teach you how to build a character, it will teach how to build a character well.
8. Finding or Forming a Group
You know how to play and you’ve built your first character. Now it’s time to get into a game.
9. Conclusion
You’re ready! You know the rules, you have a group, and you have a character. You’re ready to start your first game. Welcome to the hobby. I hope you enjoy it for years to come.
If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to email me. I’m always happy to help.
Appendices
Учимся играть в Dungeons & Dragons онлайн
Независимо от того, являетесь ли вы опытным ветераном этой настольной игры или новичком, который хочет в первый раз окунуться в ролевую фэнтезийную игру, вам может захотеться поиграть в неё в интернете.
Вокруг D&D существует огромное онлайн-сообщество, от частных игр до трансляций в Twitch и массовых веб-сериалов/подкастов, таких как Critical Role (скоро появится мультсериал на Amazon Prime Video).
D&D также обеспечивает социализацию, давая друзьям возможность создавать и хранить совместную игровую историю, вне зависимости от того, хотят ли они отправиться в приключение по заранее подготовленному сценарию или реализовать собственные смелые идеи.
Игра также очень хорошо подходит для онлайна. Благодаря сочетанию словесного повествования и предсказуемой механики (которая основана главным образом на бросании кубиков и добавлении очков к вашей личной статистике) можно успешно играть в D&D через веб-камеру, и необязательно собираться вместе лично.
Итак, что потребуется, чтобы играть в D&D онлайн?
Это руководство расскажет вам, какое оборудование потребуется для игры, какое программное обеспечение установить для трансляции видео, как весело провести время в сражениях с гигантами, эльфами или кем-то ещё.
Планируйте и создавайте своих персонажей
В D&D требуется создавать персонажа, выбрав список функций и способностей из официального руководства Dungeons and Dragons Player. В классической игре игрок записывает эту информацию на свой лист персонажа. При этом Мастеру подземелья будет сложно отслеживать данные игроков при игре в сети, поэтому можно воспользоваться несколькими современными сервисами, чтобы упростить эту задачу.
DND Beyond представляет собой официальный цифровой сборник содержимого Dungeons and Dragons. Тут есть не только весь доступный контент из исходников, но также интегрированная система для создания цифровых листов персонажей и настроек кампании.
Это может очень помочь Мастеру подземелья, запускающему онлайн-игру, поскольку так он сможет организовать игровой процесс, получив доступ к электронным листам персонажей игроков для того, чтобы следить за хит-поинтами, дарить дополнительные предметы и управлять очками опыта, если это необходимо. Кроме того, в DND Beyond есть множество функций для повышения удобства игры, таких как бета-версия Encounter Builder, которая позволит Мастерам подземелий проверить вероятность того, что их игроки выживут в предстоящей битве.
Также вы можете бросать цифровые кубики, которые подсчитают счёт за вас. Это удобно для новичков, которые ещё не знакомы с математической стороной игры. Сервис предлагает несколько наборов кубиков на выбор, а также возможность включить звуки бросания кубика для тех, кому их не хватает.
How to Play Dungeons and Dragons
wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 74 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.
This article has been viewed 1,340,338 times.
Dungeons & Dragons is a really good game to play while you are bored, or if you want to expand the realms of your imagination. After all, a game with a depth such as this really needs a lot of work to be played right. Here are some things to do to be able to play this magnificent game.
Sample Campaigns
Support wikiHow and unlock all samples.
Support wikiHow and unlock all samples.
Support wikiHow and unlock all samples.
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
\u00a9 2022 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n
You Might Also Like
About This Article
Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy roleplaying game designed for 2-8 players, although playing with 4-5 players is ideal. Unlike most games, Dungeons and Dragons isn’t a game where you’re competing against your friends—the goal is to tell a story and have fun with your friends by acting out characters, defeating enemies in combat, and completing objectives. While Dungeons and Dragons often uses small game-pieces to represent characters in combat, the vast majority of the game relies on the story and character building you do out loud and in your mind. All you need to play are some dice and a copy of the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook, which is the official rulebook for the current version of the game. You also need one player to volunteer as the Dungeon Master, or DM for short. The DM’s job is to script the game (called a campaign), control non-player characters (called NPCs), and answer questions about the in-game world. When playing, it is the DM’s job to narrate action and make rulings on what is and isn’t allowable in the game. For example, a player may ask the DM, “What do I see when I look out the window?” or “Do I know where we are?” and it’s the DM’s job to answer them and describe what’s going on. The DM also prompts players to roll dice to perform certain actions. A player may say, “I want to pickpocket this innkeeper,” and the DM may say, “Ok, roll stealth to see if you’re successful,” or “You go to reach into their pocket and the innkeeper jumps back in confusion.” Players are only responsible for their specific character (called a PC, for player character), and they create their character before the game starts. Each player chooses their character’s race, such as human, elf, gnome, or dwarf, and class, such as wizard, fighter, rogue, or warlock. Every race and class are unique, so read their section at the beginner of the Player’s Handbook to learn their rules and abilities. Once a player chooses their race and class, they create a character sheet for their PC. This sheet describes everything from the character’s strength and dexterity, to their ability to perform sleight of hand tricks and handle wild animals. The numbers on this sheet are based on random dice you roll for your characteristics, and every class and race gets certain bonuses or penalties based on what they’re naturally good at. While the game will seem complicated at first, it’s really quite simple: players roll dice based on what’s on their character sheet to perform actions. For example, if you have a high score in something like dexterity, it’s easier for you to climb a tree, fire a crossbow, or jump across a creek. Every game of Dungeons and Dragons is unique, but most games pick up where the last game left off. DMs can create a world from scratch, although you can always play a pre-constructed campaign you find online to keep things simple. For an example of the beginning of a game, scroll down!
What is D&D?
The World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game
Find out why millions of players worldwide have stepped into the boots of mighty heroes (and sneaky antiheroes) to create their own stories.
WELCOME TO D&D
On these pages, you’ll find guidance and resources to learn the game and continue your journey. As a first step, we also recommend the D&D Starter Set, which contains everything you need to play Dungeons & Dragons!
In Dungeons & Dragons, the players form an adventuring party who explore fantasy worlds together as they embark on epic quests and level up in experience. The Dungeon Master (also known as the DM) is the game’s referee and storyteller. There’s no winning or losing in D&D—at least, not in the conventional way.
At its heart, D&D is a game that focuses on storytelling. The dice just help you along. Everything is your decision, from what you look like, to how you act, to what happens next.
The collective creativity in your D&D game builds stories that you’ll tell again and again—ranging from the stuff of legend to absurd incidents that’ll make you laugh years later.
Have fun and remember the golden rule—never split the party!
A beginner’s guide to playing Dungeons and Dragons
Roll for initiative
If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
Share this story
Share All sharing options for: A beginner’s guide to playing Dungeons and Dragons
Whether you watched the Stranger Things kids fight a demogorgon, listened to Taako, Merle and Magnus hunt down relics on The Adventure Zone, or watched and listened to “a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons” on Critical Role, chances are you’ve consumed D&D in some form of media.
The iconic fantasy role-playing game is having a moment. Publisher Wizards of the Coast confirmed to Syfy Wire that 2017 was its biggest sales year in history, thanks in large part to streaming. When high profile nerds like Dan Harmon and Felicia Day bring their celebrity friends to the table and put it on the internet, their fans are introduced to the joys of fantasy roleplaying without ever picking up a 20-sided die.
Watching live D&D campaigns can be alternately inspiring and intimidating for potential players looking to get into the hobby. I spoke to Nathan Stewart and Greg Tito, two representatives from Wizards of the Coast, who both compared watching D&D streams to watching professional athletes. You can appreciate the “sport” while recognizing that you won’t reach that level of mastery without years of practice.
Whether you’ve watched a ton of D&D streams and are ready to run your own games or you have never seen a roleplaying game in action, this guide will help you figure out where to start. It can be daunting, but the good news is that there are so many resources out there for new D&D players.
Why D&D?
While Dungeons and Dragons is definitely the most popular tabletop roleplaying game, it’s not the only one. There are tons of RPGs with different settings and mythologies. There are Star Wars games, games based on tarot cards, and even a Wet Hot American Summer game. All come in varying levels of rule complexity and structure.
Dungeons and Dragons is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum — the rules are simple enough to follow as a beginner, but there’s a very clear structure to work within. Players have room to get creative without feeling paralyzed by infinite choices or bogged down by complicated rules. Unless you’re looking for something extremely specific, I’d recommend starting with D&D and branching out from there once you get the hang of roleplaying.
Getting Started with D&D
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5877615/D_D_-_Starter_Set.0.jpg "How to play dnd. Смотреть фото How to play dnd. Смотреть картинку How to play dnd. Картинка про How to play dnd. Фото How to play dnd")
Wizards of the Coast
One of the great things about D&D is that you only really need a copy of the rules, some pencils and paper, a set of dice, and your imagination. Wizards of the Coast put a PDF of the basic rules online for free because they “want to reduce the barrier to entry as much as possible,” according to communications director, Greg Tito. The pared down version of the ruleset cover the core mechanics and math of the game, a step-by-step character creation guide, and information on monsters.
D&D famously uses a bunch of weird-looking dice, which some players collect like they’re Pokémon cards. If you’re super into that aspect of the hobby, you can fall down an Etsy wormhole of unique handmade dice sets. (I’ve never been one of those players, but will admit that I backed a Kickstarter to get a set that looks like the bisexual pride flag.) For everyone else, a standard set of polyhedral dice from Amazon works just as well.
The best place to start is with, well, the Starter Set. The box includes everything you need to get started: an essential rules handbook, an introductory adventure (which fans of The Adventure Zone might recognize from the first few episodes of the podcast), five pre-made character sheets, and a set of dice. There’s even a Stranger Things Starter Set, with an adventure based on Mike’s homebrew campaign to fight the demogorgon.
Players are sometimes disappointed that they don’t get to make their own characters, but trust me, all those pre-made character sheets do is get a bunch of math out of the way for you. The personality traits, motivations, and relationships listed on the sheets are meant to serve as inspiration, not hem you in.
Of course if you really want to create a character from scratch, you can do that too. The website D&D Beyond offers a character creator tool that can help.
The hardcover Player’s Handbook, which covers everything in the Basic Rules with additional character customization options and beautiful art, is good to have at the table to reference spells and abilities while you’re playing. The Dungeon Master can also pick up the Dungeon Master’s Guide, which covers how to create memorable stories, and the Monster Manual with stats for creatures to challenge your players.
Becoming the Dungeon Master
The Dungeon Master (DM for short) refers to the player who acts as narrator, antagonist, and guide to the rest of the players in D&D. (In non-D&D games they’re called the Game Master/GM.) According to Wizards of the Coast brand director Nathan Stewart, rule number one for aspiring DMs is “you don’t have to know all the rules.” In fact, he shared a quote from the creator of Dungeons and Dragons, Gary Gygax.
“The secret we should never let the game masters know is that they don’t need any rules.”
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10814363/Tinker_Gnomes.png "How to play dnd. Смотреть фото How to play dnd. Смотреть картинку How to play dnd. Картинка про How to play dnd. Фото How to play dnd")
Art from the new D&D supplement, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. Wizards of the Coast
Do you have to create a story from scratch?
As a new DM, it’s usually easier to run a pre-existing adventure rather than immediately come up with your own story. You certainly don’t have to — former Polygon producer and current GM on The Adventure Zone, Griffin McElroy, says that “one of the best starting points is to take something you like and figure out how to D&D-ify it” because the rules are so easy to tailor to what you want to do. However if you’d prefer to start with a pre-written adventure, your options are practically endless.
The adventure included in the Starter Set is called Lost Mines of Phandelver and is a good introduction to how stories work in D&D, as well as its settings and lore. Wizards of the Coast also periodically publishes full campaigns that are either stand-alone adventures or part of a series. These assume that you have a regular group playing together frequently, because campaigns are meant to be played out over several weeks or months. For shorter one-off dungeons that can be finished in one sitting, you can check out the anthology Tales from the Yawning Portal.
Buy Tales from the Yawning Portal here: Amazon | Target | Barnes & Noble
Officially published adventures are only the beginning. D&D is a hobby that is very easily crowdsourced and people publish their own adventures on the internet all the time, many of which are free. You can find a bunch of free, cheap, and premium adventures on DriveThruRPG, which is a lot like Steam for roleplaying games, or their D&D specific site, Dungeon Masters Guild.
Adventure Time
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10852065/tumblr_p5sziviQtC1tv4rl5o1_1280.jpg "How to play dnd. Смотреть фото How to play dnd. Смотреть картинку How to play dnd. Картинка про How to play dnd. Фото How to play dnd")
Once you’ve decided on your adventure and have assembled your players (the website Roll 20 has a matchmaking-type service for virtual groups), you’re ready to get started. Assuming you’re not using the pre-made characters in the Starter Set, you’ll probably spend the first session creating characters together, discussing your characters’ relationships to each other and setting the scene for the adventure.
I’d also recommend talking about what kind of game you’ll be running. Do you want to run a serious, by-the-book campaign, or is there room to get silly and loose with the rules? Neither option is necessarily better, it’s just a matter of preference, but it’s good to be on the same page with your players about the tone your sessions will take.
When you start running your adventure, you’ll probably be referencing the book a lot and that’s totally okay. No one expects you to have every spell and monster memorized. A Dungeon Master’s Screen can help here. It does double duty since it hides notes and die rolls from the players and has handy references to the stats and rules you’ll use most often while playing.
Once you start running your adventure, you may find that the dungeon crawls and combat simulations are a lot easier with visual aids. These are generally referred to as “maps and minis” and they can become a hobby unto themselves. If you don’t want to fall down the rabbit hole of drawing/painting/3-D printing your own maps and figures, you can just pick up a dry erase adventure grid and some dry erase markers. (For running a virtual game, Roll 20 has a marketplace full of digital maps and tokens you can buy.)
The real treasure was the friends we made along the way
Playing D&D, like any game, gets easier the more you practice. It can feel awkward getting started, but as long as you have an open, supportive group, that awkwardness goes away quickly. The game is as much about relationships as it is about fighting monsters, so make sure that the people you bring to your table are people you’d be willing to get trapped in a dungeon with.
The online community of players and DMs is (for the most part) incredibly supportive and encouraging of new players. They can answer any questions you have, no matter how dumb you think they are. Case in point: the most googled D&D-related question is “are dnd dragons immortal.” (No, they live a long time but they can be killed.) The subreddits r/dnd and r/dndnext are great resources as well.
Thinking of starting a campaign and don’t know where to start? Have specific questions about running a game? Feel free to post them in the comments below!