dnd-newcomers

[true musk]

Can you elaborate? The more specific you are, the more effectively others can help.

[uneven junco]

yay

[cobalt frigate]

Do you have a copy of the free Basic Rules handy?

[sterile oak]

hey, just wondering, do you usually make a character before or after you've found a group? like, have one set and ready or wait until stuff is set?

[cobalt frigate]

That way we can point to you the section you should be looking at.

[uneven junco]

honestly idk what to say,

for one i wanted to try to use my criminal/spy background but do it in secret but he says i have to say it in front of everybody, and i said i have piercing damage and he hasnt counted that

[uneven junco]

no

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[true musk]

Copy of the free basic rules is in the link above.

[uneven junco]

idk i just have a elf ranger that i made a few days ago, some of it i didnt understand ( like the rick and morty miencraft content thing)

[cobalt frigate]

We recommend you make a character when you find a group because the DM may have specifics restrictions, such as certain playable races aren't allowed in their campaign setting, or start at certain level.

In the meantime you can practice making characters.

[warped owl]

Any DMs in here I can message privately I just have questions about my initial character concepts (never played before). Just looking for perspective

[cobalt frigate]

The Rick & Morty and Minecraft are optional content, ignore those.

[cobalt frigate]

You can post your character in #character-discussion and we can help you out there.

[warped owl]

I'd prefer not to dump my character idea into a public channel, so that's why I'm asking. If there aren't any around that's okay. I spoke to someone earlier

[sterile oak]

ok, yeah that makes sense. i've been wanting to get into d&d for a while now but i don't really know anybody. i just made a character for the first time a few weeks ago because a friend was gonna start a campaign but i would've had to play separately from the other players due to time zones, so i don't really understand how anything works.

[true musk]

Generally it's recommended to have a basic understanding of how a class works and the game mechanics work before hand.
While fully creating a character should be reserved for after you found a group and know what type of campaign you'll be playing.
A character should ideally be based on the campaign you'll be playing so both your character and the campaign's setting and tone are compatible.

[warped owl]

For you DMs, what is the generally preferred method of generating initial ability scores?

[cobalt frigate]

Point Buy.

[true musk]

Allright wwhy don't we start at square one and work our way from there.

[warped owl]

I hope so lol. I did the 4d6 x7 thing using Google's dice and that seems like it could go very poorly lol

[uneven junco]

like make a new character and u guide me?

[uneven junco]

i didd

[true musk]

Most often DMs wont accept rolled stats unless they are present.

[foggy saffron]

i like rolling well enough but it's definitely a bit of a relic from when characters dying was a regular standard rather than a whole event

[warped owl]

That makes sense, thanks!

[true musk]

Yes, so for starters, what race did you pick?

[uneven junco]

wood elf

[true musk]

If you can provied a brief description, 1-2 sentences, I can prove feedback within the scope of new player advice.

[uneven junco]

wood elf,

my sheet is in #character-discussion

[true musk]

Okay, you picked your race, your class, and your background.

[true musk]

Starting with your race, is there anything you were confused about?

[warped owl]

Okay I mostly just want to know if an Air Genasi character would be accepted in a majority of circumstances? Or are there a lot of Homebrew campaigns that don't include Genasi in their array of races? I have a character in mind that I would really like to develop and use with the right group for my first game if I can find one.

[uneven junco]

well there was mutliple elf options, i didnt know what to pick so i chose wood elf cause i played skyrim as a wood elf

in long bow
what does Range:
150ft./600ft.

whats that mean and why are there 2 options

[true musk]

Any race is fine to pick for any class.
Was there anything about the wood else that you are confused about?

[true musk]

We can get to that, but first let's work are way through the first step of character creation so you can start with simple understanding and build up from there.

[true musk]

If you're using the Monsters of the Multiverse version it should be.
As that book has the most updated version of that race.
Still a good starting off point is to ask the DM what D&D source books are allowed.

[uneven junco]

no not really, just confused me that there was mutliple elfs and i didnt know what to pick

[warped owl]

Finding a DM is probably the hardest part by far lol. I browsed the looking for players channel but most of the games are homebrewed maps/worlds probably better suited for non first time players. I just want to find a standard campaign that takes place in the Forgotten Realms but I also suspect that experienced DMs would be a little bored with that and would be looking to expand and innovate

[true musk]

Okay to clarify on that.
Some races are going to have sub-race options.
Generally these races share some thing in common but will also have some differences to them as well.
For example a dragonborn's breath attack will deal fire, cold, lighting, or other damange type depending on the kind of dragonborn they are.

[warped owl]

Sorry for double-teaming you btw @true musk appreciate that you're here helping two different people in the channel

[uneven junco]

advancement, it says milestone/xp

hitpoint type,
feats and multiclass requirements,

[lime remnant]

This is definitely the challenge - just trying to filter out games that are unique worlds/advanced levels to narrow down what might work for me as a new player is hard in the games advertised in this discord. For someone without a DM, there are so many questions where the default answer is "ask the DM"!

[true musk]

Alot of the success on finding a group is going to depend on your approach.
One common pitfall new players fall into is focusing too much on finding a group, that they don't always go with the group that is right for them.
The key is to make certain choices to set yourself up for success.

[uneven junco]

should i just use a premade character instead until i understand the game more enough for me to make my own character?

[true musk]

Most commonly people go with milestone, which means when the characters get to a certain point in the story they automatically level up.
This approach one that GMs tend to enjoy because this makes it easier to prepare combat encounters to better fit a narrative.

[true musk]

You could if you want.
Though there is nothing wrong with building a character.

[uneven junco]

ah ok

[main fulcrum]

Unfortunately, simply is the answer for many questions. But that doesn't make you can't practice making characters or get familiar with the overall rules/character creations.

[lime remnant]

Suggestions for how to do that? Filtering options in find-a-game is difficult, and there's no explanation to what the "Delete" button does there - does it remove that post just from my view to make it easier to know if I've already looked at one.

[uneven junco]

ah

[warped owl]

I know right. I know that they know everybody was new once...but this is a very social activity largely populated by introverted individuals lol. Hubs like this discord definitely help a lot but it still feels like a lot of segmented and pocketed sections of players that know each other, or experienced players who stick together through newly innovated and homebrewed content. Ideally there would be just a bunch of DMs volunteering to sit around and guide brand new players through new campaigns but that would be a job that they should get paid to do. Who's going to pay them lol

[uneven junco]

imma try a premade character temporially until i understand the game more ( like how to get loot and all of stuff) and later i will read what everything does

[smoky adder]

Some people can and do run paid games.

The monthly Virtual D&D Weekends usually have some learn-to-play games available, for like $20.
https://discord.com/events/516367331358801950/1226937036859244614

[lime remnant]

I'm doing that, but reading about the mechanics and using them is different. I'm trying to keep track of both what I want the character to be if a DM allows vs the standard books...

[true musk]

Yeah, there are some recommendations.
The first is figure out what kind of campaign you are intersted in playing.
This questions are what I recommend to ask in a session zero, but it can also help to answer these questions for yourself.

• What kind of campaign does everyone want to play?
• Linear (The storyline usually follows a cause-and-effect relationship, where each event directly leads to the next.)
• Non-Linear (The storyline that has story events can done in any order. Think Legend of Zelda games)
• Sandbox (The storyline has no pre-determined events and no overarching plot.)
• How much role-play, exploration, and combat do you want in the campaign?
• 1 social, 1 combat, 1 dungeon encounter per session?
• Perhaps 1-3 social, 1-2 combat, 0-1 dungeon counters per session?
• What is the desired level difficult?
• Easy, medium, hard, deadly?
• How easily and often can characters be resurrected?
• How much of a time commitment does everyone want to invest in the campaign?
• Have the campaign be 3 session? 5-8 session? 12 sessions? 12+ sessions?
• Should each sessions be 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours? 2-4 hours?
• Would each session be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?
• What lines and veils need to be established?
• Lines are hard limits on themes, topics, actions someone doesn't want to engage in.
• Veils are soft limits where themes, topics, actions can be explored but not in great detail.
• Are everyone's preferences and expectations compatible?
• Do all players want to play the same type of campaign?
• Is the the type of game players want to participate in, the type of game the DM wants to run?

[true musk]

As for ways to find games, here are a few options.

For in person games you can:

• Visit tabletop game shops
• Visit local conventions
• Visit your local libraries
• Visit your school
• Search Meetup for local play groups.
  As these tend to host opportunities to play in person and tend to be very new player friendly.

Online options in this server:

• Follow the instructions in #find-a-game to learn how to make a post in #750812887697588356 .
• Reach out to people in the #looking-for-players channel.
• These posts are by DMs looking for players.
• Tip: Take your time to read these posts and see if they are compatible with your preferences and interests.
• Tip: Reply to these posts with your preferences and play styles to help the DM determine if you are compatible.
• Check out #looking-for-community as responses to postings will point you to communities that host dnd games.

Other options

• Learn about D&D's official community campaign called Adventures League in https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league
• This can be played in person and online.
• Then check out #1050206572535623690as you can find al events you can participate in.
• You can also search on the Looking for Group forums page of warhorn, roll20, dndbeyond, the website called startplaying, and dnd focused discord servers.

[main fulcrum]

My recommendation would probably be just to make both versions. Then whichever options are allowed, you've got them ready to go

[uneven junco]

in premade characters, what does vehciles (land) mean

[main fulcrum]

It means you have proficiency with using land vehicles

[lime remnant]

Introverted people/characters are still forced into the world (irl/in game!). Even if it isn't as popular for DMs it would still be nice to have a quicker way to match new players up with games. I'd love a one-shot or short campaign just to get the feel for how it all works in practice.

[main fulcrum]

Part of the problem is that there have always been infinitely more people who want to be players than DMs

[true musk]

Hitpoint type, is just how many hit points you get when you first build your character and how many more you get when your character levels up.

As for Feats, they are special abilities you can get at certain levels if you choose not to increase your base stats.

Multiclass requirements are stat requirements your character has to fufill to take a level in a class different from you.
Though since you are new, it is not recommend that you focus on multiclass until you have a good understand of the two classes you want to multiclass in.

[main fulcrum]

So you can't just match people up with the extra DMs who don't have games yet because those people don't exist

[warped owl]

I do feel like it would be nice to have more than just a newcomer "discussion"...like the way an MMO like WoW would have a tutorial area with easy quests that you basically can't fail...some tutorial level one shot campaigns run by volunteer DMs. Of course it's easier said than done. The demand might be too high and the volunteers too few

[true musk]

As Ratorskr and I have recommended, D&D is a good place to start as it's design is great for new players.

[cobalt frigate]

The thing is that D&D isn't a video game and like Ratatoskr said, there are waaaay more players than there are DMs.

[true musk]

That's fine.

[cobalt frigate]

If you really want to play then there's the option of paid DMs.

[sterile oak]

speaking of multiclass, the character i made for the campaign i would've played was a multiclass of a sorcerer and a warrior, but are there times where DMs would not allow multiclass?

[main fulcrum]

The problem is that would be asking people who are likely already running games to volunteer to run more games for strangers for no benefit. The closest you're probably going to get is conventions where people are running for whoever happens to be at their tables. Or maybe a game store that does organized play with open seating.

[uneven junco]

what is some of the best characters for brand new beginners

[true musk]

Multiclassing is something we don't recommend for new players.
Mainly because if you don't understand how both clasess work, you can easily create a character that is bad at what the individual classes excell at.

[warped owl]

I don't doubt that the community is welcoming at all. I can tell there are lots of DMs and players that are open to helping new players...yet there still is a bit of a disconnect in just knowing (as a brand new player who has never done a single session before) where we should start. If we already have friends with a connection, then great, that's our in. But not everyone has that. I'm sure there is a demand for total newbie groups that could be handheld by volunteer DMs lol

[cobalt frigate]

Check the Virtual D&D Weekend events under the Events.

[main fulcrum]

The learn to play events probably are the closest you're going to get to an outright D&D tutorial

As it is, there's no general incentive for DMs to volunteer to run those type of games. The demand exists but not the supply

[sterile oak]

i made the character based off of a preexisting OC of mine, and it's just how he fights in his lore that lead to me making him multi-class

i could send the sheet in the char-discussion tab if you want to look at it

[main fulcrum]

It's still likely not a great idea to multiclass if you're brand new

[warped owl]

Oh for sure, there is definitely no incentive. I wouldn't expect DMs to volunteer their time to games like that (unless they really wanted to already)

[main fulcrum]

Multiclassing is one of the few ways to accidentally make an incompetent character imo. If you stick to a single class and generally focus on what they're designed to do, they're usually at least functional 😅

[cobalt frigate]

This is why there are paid DMs. DMing is time consuming and some people want to be reimbursed for their time, effort, and money.

[warped owl]

I'm just saying in a lollipop, rose-colored glasses world, DMs would be lined up waiting for new groups of adventurers in this discord lol

[cobalt frigate]

Nope, because free time is precious. That's why I only DM to friends and excoworkers.

[true musk]

My recommendation would be to use a martial class such as fighter, barbarian, or monk.
Because their abilities are straightforward and don't require you to keep track much of anything.

If you want to use spells then I recommend the the cleric class because they have access to support, crowd control, and offense spells.
Also at the start of a new day you can select what spell you can prepare for the day, which would allow you to experiement without dealing with buyers remorse.

[main fulcrum]

It's a nice dream
But as it is, no one has the time or ability to walk every new player through how to play D&D individually.
If you want to play, I recommend casting your net far and wide

[uneven junco]

what does prepare mean,

i cant just switch spells in the middle of battle?

[cobalt frigate]

Or look at paid DMs.

[warped owl]

You got any open slots? lol

[cobalt frigate]

You can't switch out prepared spells until a long rest.

[uneven junco]

so whenever i sleep then i can change what spells i can use until the next rest?

[main fulcrum]

If you happen to show up at the game store where I run open games, sure. I've generally quit running online

[cobalt frigate]

I highly recommend checking out iamrazorwing's guide to finding games online.

[warped owl]

What region are you in lol (so as not to be specific or risk any doxxing)

[main fulcrum]

That said, even there it's an eternal struggle to have enough DMs to cover the tables

And midwest-ish

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to make DMing mandatory one of these days once people have been coming long enough

[warped owl]

Damn...is the supply-to-demand ratio (DM-to-player) ratio really that bad everywhere? I can see that being a problem for the community overall

[cobalt frigate]

The first and last time I did a looking for players that wasn't friends/coworkers I got two bites within 30 minutes of posting. Openings get filled VERY quickly. This is why you have to keep looking.

It may take you days to months to find a good table.

[uneven junco]

when it says u have advantage on a roll, what does that mean @true musk

[cobalt frigate]

Advantage means you roll two d20 dice and take the highest of the two numbers.

[steady swallow]

Is there another way to find campaigns other then looking channels no replies for days

[sterile oak]

oh i can answer that

it means that whatever you roll, your advantage gives you extra points to that roll

[cobalt frigate]

Check out iamrazorwing's guide to finding games online.

Check out other D&D-related Discord servers' LFG channels (most D&D Youtubers have Discord servers).

[warped owl]

I don't have the experience to DM...but I'd actually love to help a DM with worldbuilding and writing NPCs...that would be a fun job

[steady swallow]

I know a friend that does that

[cobalt frigate]

No, advantage does no such thing.

[smoky adder]

You could check out #dm-world-building if you do want to bounce around ideas.

[sterile oak]

oh...

[uneven junco]

and surrounds a creature of your choice within range, granting it a +2 bonus to AC for the duration.

what does ac mean

[sterile oak]

now my soul hurts...

[steady swallow]

It means you can roll twice then take higher of the two

[uneven junco]

then whats it do

[cobalt frigate]

Advantage: roll two d20s and take the highest of the two.
Disadvantage: roll two d20s and take the lowest of the two.

[true musk]

realized I didn't specificy things. I was referring to D&D Adventurers League https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league#How_Does_Adventurers_League_Work

I recommend it to new players for the following reasons:

• Games are broken up in tiers, ranges of levels.
• Tier 1 games, characters level 1 -4, are designed to be new player friendly by teaching you as you play.
• It allows new players to play as often or as little as they can.
• Which covers the difficult of figuring out everyone's schedules and availability
• Uses rules as written guidelines.
• This ensures you learn the actuals rules and not something that was homebrewed.
• Allows players to rebuild their characters between adventures.
• Which promotes experimentation of ideas.
• Provides the opportunity to play with different DMs and players.
• This can help build an understanding of what DMing and play styles you are compatible with.

[smoky adder]

When you have either advantage or disadvantage, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage. For example, if you have disadvantage and roll a 17 and a 5, you use the 5. If you instead have advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 17.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/introduction#AdvantageandDisadvantage

[uneven junco]

oh all right

[sterile oak]

oh wait im thinking of the other things, not the advantage

[main fulcrum]

I'm trying to cover 4-6 games minimum without anyone (but me) required to run more than 1 table a month unless they want to. So even though I roll with a lot of DMs, it's still an ongoing balancing act.

But that's not really a conversation for this channel beyond saying that finding a group and scheduling is the true BBEG of D&D. So be patient and be persistent. And don't settle for a bad fit just cause you want to play.

[smoky adder]

Proficiency?

[uneven junco]

all right im probably gonna do torrga the drawf cleric

[sterile oak]

yeah, i think thats what im thinking of?

[true musk]

That may be the case, though as Ratoskr and others mentioned, not recommended for new players.
Especially you can't multiclass at level 1, and level 1 is recommend for new players to start at.

[steady swallow]

Im still new so thats all i know about that basic rule

Learned about it while reading at 1 rules

[sterile oak]

oh well the stuff for the campaign i was going to run in the start was lvl 3, so that probably plays into this too

[true musk]

Prepare means having certain spells ready to use for the day.

[steady swallow]

Level 3 gives subclass right? So be better not going into more classes until later

[main fulcrum]

Depends on the class. You may pick your subclass at level 1, 2 or 3

But it's definitely something to take into consideration
Every level you take in a second class is a level you aren't taking in the first one. So you have to determine if it's worth it

[true musk]

For ever 1 DM, you will often have 5-6 players.

[true musk]

For in person games you can:

• Visit tabletop game shops
• Visit local conventions
• Visit your local libraries
• Visit your school
• Search Meetup for local play groups.
  As these tend to host opportunities to play in person and tend to be very new player friendly.

Online options in this server:

• Follow the instructions in #find-a-game to learn how to make a post in #750812887697588356 .
• Reach out to people in the #looking-for-players channel.
• These posts are by DMs looking for players.
• Tip: Take your time to read these posts and see if they are compatible with your preferences and interests.
• Tip: Reply to these posts with your preferences and play styles to help the DM determine if you are compatible.
• Check out #looking-for-community as responses to postings will point you to communities that host dnd games.

Other options

• Learn about D&D's official community campaign called Adventures League in https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league
• This can be played in person and online.
• Then check out #1050206572535623690as you can find al events you can participate in.
• You can also search on the Looking for Group forums page of warhorn, roll20, dndbeyond, the website called startplaying, and dnd focused discord servers.

[warped owl]

I feel like there are more people in the...let's call it the Astral Sea of potential players....that want to play but don't know how per 1 DM. I bet that ratio is more like 50:1

[uneven junco]

so what does the 2 range numbers mean, like range 150ft/600ft

[true musk]

As old man said you roll your d20 twice and you take the hightest of the two results.

[cobalt frigate]

150 ft is the normal range distance (1' to 150') and 600 ft is the long distance (151' to 600'), which has disadvantage to attack rolls.

[uneven junco]

oh so the 2nd number is disavantage, so a dagger with 20ft/60ft would have disadvantage to the 60, all right

[true musk]

Whenever you see range X/Y.
It means that that if the target is within X range, you make a normal attack roll.
Anything between X and Y you roll with disadvantage.
Anything farther than Y, you miss automatically.

[true musk]

Yeah, but of those ocean of players.
One of those new players can DM a one shot for the other potential new players.

[uneven junco]

so when u have a spell that regaings via shortrest

what if u long rest, do u still get it back , or does it have to spefically be shortrest?

[warped owl]

Ohhh.......that's not how I thought that worked lol. I thought between X-Y was normal but lower than X was too close so disadvantage 😬

[true musk]

You can read about it further in the Weapon Properties section of the free basic rules here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/equipment#WeaponProperties

[warped owl]

Do you think a brand new DM who has never played before could guide brand new players through a session/campaign? It would be awesome if they could but there are so many things that could go wrong and nobody would have the answer

[main fulcrum]

I know people who actually did start with DMing instead of playing
It's a bit more work, but it's definitely possible

[true musk]

Generally leveled spells are only regained through a long rest.
Depending on your class, there are some exceptions.
This is why spell casters also have cantrips, which are spells that you can use as many times as you want.

[smoky adder]

Yeah, especially if everyone knows you’re all learning together, it’ll be fine.

[true musk]

A session yes.
A campaign, that would require a bit more work but it is doable.
This is why adventure books exist.
Some are specifically designed for people new to D&D.

[sterile oak]

on this topic, what about font of magic? does that make it so that instead of only one spell you are able to prepare three to use? because reading its desc makes it sound like thats what it does

[smoky adder]

It’s totally fine to pause the game while you look up a rule, or to ask your players if they know, or to make something up to keep the game going and research later.

As long as everyone has fun, you’ve done it the right way.

[uneven junco]

all right,

found one, breath weapon(gold)
that regains via shortrest,

if i longrested instead of shortrested would breathweapon regain charge,

[uneven junco]

so i have 4 options
torrga, the drawf cleric
vandross the human fighter,
surina the dragonborn paladin
and cleria the high elf bard

[true musk]

That is class specific.
And at this point it would be more effective to to build your understanding with one class, as oppose jumping around to different topics.
Focusing one class at a time establish a foundation of understanding that you can build off of.

[smoky adder]

After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

[uneven junco]

thats not the question, if i longrested then would it still give the charge back, even tho it specifally states shortrest

[sterile oak]

well i do kinda want to mainly focus on sorcerer, so would you mind informing me?

[uneven junco]

@true musk which one do u recommend out of these

[true musk]

Fighter or cleric for the reasons I specified earlier.
Thoug I'm pretty sure dnd beyond does offere premades for just about every class.

[main cedar]

Hey whats the best class for newcomers

[smoky adder]

It explicitly states short or long rest, meaning it works with either.

[uneven junco]

all 4 of those are premades ( i orignally was typing 5 but decided against the high elf rogue while i was typing, forgot hte name of the character itself)

[true musk]

These are my recommendations here: #dnd-newcomers message

[lyric fjord]

hi there

[true musk]

Sure.

[smoky adder]

Oh, are you looking at some premade character sheet that abbreviated the text?

The full rules for dragonborn do state short or long:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/16-dragonborn

[main cedar]

I saw a video about Chromatic Dragonborns https://youtube.com/shorts/rUoFlfVyTps?si=1FlpHvP1dtXrNvoi

[true musk]

I recommend starting with this handbooker helper video on the class: https://youtu.be/B-EW_aIP4NI?si=k6SHdTqXskpSweA2

[main cedar]

Thats why I asked

[main cedar]

sorry not class

[true musk]

Wlecome to the hobby and the server.

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[true musk]

The bot post above has pently of resources to help you get started.

[true musk]

Generally any race can work with any class.

[uneven junco]

vandross Ephrates
HumanFighter 1

Torgga Brawnanvil
Hill DwarfCleric 1

i have decreased it to 2 options

look in character discussion, which of these 2 do u recommend

[true musk]

They are both good options.
If anything try out both.
Try the fighter in one shot, and the cleric in the other one shot.
See which you enjoy playing.
For context, a one shot is a an adventure that you complete in a single session.

[sterile oak]

the video mentioned flexible casting (which i didn't grab on my guy) and metamagic, but it didn't mention anything about font of magic

[uneven junco]

all right that makes sense

is it possible to gain profiency? ( like if i REALLY wanna use a bow, can i get profiency in it?) cause if so then that decides it for me

[smoky adder]

Fighters are essentially proficient in all weapons already.

[uneven junco]

but can a cleric become proficient in a bow

i love archery and so i like using bows in games

[uneven junco]

like if u didnt have it at character creation then can you gain it later?

[smoky adder]

Clerics are proficient in simple weapons, which includes shortbows.

Some cleric subclasses also provide martial weapon proficiency, too.

You could potentially swap to a race that provides those proficiencies as well, like an elf.

Or you could get the Weapon Training feat later.

[uneven junco]

ok so yes?

[true musk]

Flexible magic is simply saying that sorcerors have a variety of spells.
And he did mention font of magic. Font magic refers to sorcery points.
Metamagic is something you get at 3rd level.

[uneven junco]

i just wanna use a bow but the cleric sounds so good

[sterile oak]

oh ok then. and as i mentioned before, i created my char at lvl three (as told to do so by the DM) so i did have metamagic.

[uneven junco]

if the weapon doesnt state 2 handed ( the warhammer doesnt say 2handed in propeites but its a warhammer come on)

if it doesnt say 2handed does that always mean its 1 handed ?

[main fulcrum]

Though warhammers happen to be versatile, which means you can also use 2-hands instead

[uneven junco]

dope so i can use a warhammer and a shield and it will still be just as effective?

[main fulcrum]

The damage die is lower for 1 hand than 2, but in general yes
Warhammers work fine as one-handed weapons

[true musk]

Starting at level 3 as a new player is going to increase the difficulty.
Have you already read abou t the class in the free basic rules here?: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/classes#Sorcerer

[sterile forge]

So whats damage die?

[uneven junco]

@true musk can u confirm this,

so there are ways i can gain profiency in archery later if i dont have it at character creation?

[sterile oak]

well i'm not going to be playing that campaign anymore as i ended up being in a very different timezone from the other players (7&8 hour difference) so i could probably recreate or altar my char to be lvl 1

[uneven junco]

what does chainmail causes disadvantage on stealth mean?

[true musk]

Ah bummer.
Time zone shouldn't matter as it's more about availability.
Hopefully you find something that fits your schedule.

[uneven junco]

if its yes then that decides it for me

[true musk]

Let me re-read just to get caught up.

[sterile oak]

yeah, i'm just trying to learn a little more about the game before i start looking for a campaign to join into or at the beginning of it

[main fulcrum]

Disadvantage means rolling 2 dice and taking the lower number

[uneven junco]

i got that but what does that mean on stealth checks

[main fulcrum]

When your DM tells you to make a stealth check, you roll with disadvantage

[sterile oak]

harder to stealthify?

[uneven junco]

does that mean when i try to be stealthy i get disadvantage or does that mean i get disavantage against stealthy enemies?

[uneven junco]

oh all right that explains it

[true musk]

Yes, you can gain proficiency in different weapons at later levels.
Though need to understand that bows are impacted by your dexterity.
If you have a high dexterity score, you will be more accurate and deal more damage with them.
If you have a low dexterity score, you will be less acurrate and deal less damage.

[uneven junco]

oh, i remembered the dexterity part but i only just now noticed the dexitery of the cleric

hm im just gonna choose the cleric and not use a bow then,

and then when i understand the game better then use a archer character ( like a ranger)

why does this have 2 damage values
for the warhammer
Damage:
1d8+2(1d10+2)

[true musk]

Yeah that's a good a approach.
Clerics already have access to long range attacks such as with sacred flame and guiding bolt.

Plus you could also make a dexterify based fighter.

[uneven junco]

all right thanks

[sterile oak]

i have no idea myself but i want to take a gander. base damage and then special damage (like blunt or something)?

[uneven junco]

so for 1st level magic, it has 2 slots things, whats that mean

[uneven junco]

but it has bludgeoning on both of them

it also says this Properties:
Versatile (1d10)

[true musk]

When you attack with the warhammer using one hand, you deal 1d8 damage, when you are using both hands you deal 1d10.

[uneven junco]

OHHH

[uneven junco]

what does that mean

[sterile oak]

i feel like they coulda written that out better...

[true musk]

They did in the basic rules.

[sterile oak]

... hehe...

[main fulcrum]

If you read the versatile section in the weapon rules, it explains what it means

The weapon table/weapon text is just the shorthand

[true musk]

Best resource is always going to be the free basic rules: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/equipment#WeaponProperties

[main cedar]

nvm

Almost Prob got doxed

[uneven junco]

it has 5 spells but says 2 slots, and if i click the cast button one thing lights up

im confused

[true musk]

If you're trying to share a character sheet, best way to do that is to make it on dndbeyond, set it to public, and provide the shareable link.

[main cedar]

ah ok

[main fulcrum]

There's a difference between the number of spells you know (apparently 5) and the number of spell slots you have to cast them (2)

When you cast a spell, the sheet marks a spell slot as used

[uneven junco]

and used means what exactly? i cant use anymore for that day?

[main cedar]

how do I do that

[main fulcrum]

That's correct. Spell slots come back after a long rest, unless you have some other feature you can use to get them back

[true musk]

dnd beyond character builder is right here https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/builder

Click the check mark beginner so it provides the Help text.

[uneven junco]

all right, so i can use any of those 5 spells but only 2 of them can actually be used

[uneven junco]

how do i get more slots

[main cedar]

already done

[uneven junco]

idk man, with 30 bandits atttacking at once and having to attack 50 goblins for a job, it seems impossible with only 2 slots

[main fulcrum]

You'll get more as you gain levels

[uneven junco]

all right

[main fulcrum]

That's what cantrips are for. They don't take spell slots

[true musk]

The character is already done? Or do you mean the checkbox?

[main fulcrum]

Also, I really hope you're not fighting 30 bandits at level 1

[uneven junco]

oh dope

[sterile oak]

i feel a little weird about just posting the link in char disc, so could i just put it here and some of y'all take a look at it? (keep in mind i made this to start at lvl 3)

[main cedar]

I made the characters

[uneven junco]

we did, all 3 of us

[uneven junco]

i literally got my ear cut off and then my teammate wanted to cut off my other ear

[sterile oak]

lol

[true musk]

In the home tab of the character builder, under character privacy, is it set to public?

[uneven junco]

fought 50 goblisn, then got ambushed by 30 bandits along the way to a nearby town right after the goblin fight, it hasnt even been 1 ingame day since we started

HE LITERALLY SAID 9 BANDITS BREAK FROM THE FIGHT AND START SUMMONING SOMETHING IN A DEMONIC CHANT, tho the check failed and they died from it but still, we are level 1

[main fulcrum]

I mean, that sounds like your DM is bad at scaling to me 😅

[main cedar]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/123088727
that work?

[true musk]

Yeah, the DM doesn't know about encounter balancing.
Which is why premade adventures are commended for new players.

[uneven junco]

and im pretty sure it isnt even being done right, like he doesnt do + profiency movement range, i literally said i wanted to addd my +2 profiency to my bow and he is like nah we aint doing that thats too op

[uneven junco]

theres premade ones? how do u do those

[main fulcrum]

Also, on a totally different topic. If you click that little '@ON' button when replying, it'll turn off the ping.

[uneven junco]

and the other player got annoyed cause i wanted to keep using oppurnity attack on each bandit that left my range,
IF ITS IN MY ABILITY LIST I SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE IT, U ARE LITERALLY DOING THINGS U SHOULDNT BE ABLE TO DO)

[true musk]

You don't have to type in full caps.

[sterile oak]

he mad though

[uneven junco]

wait i can do that here
why does the option not show up in my friends gorupchat, i just assumed i couldnt do it on computer and it was a phone only thing

[true musk]

Dndbeyond offers some free legal adventures here:

• Intro to Stormwreck Isle: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/itsi/intro-to-stormwreck-isle
• D&D Adventurers League adventures: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/d-d-adventurers-league/1664-d-d-adventurers-league

You can also find some in the DMsguild website

[true musk]

The link works.

[main fulcrum]

No idea. Group DMs might always ping

[main cedar]

Can you see the description?

[gilded mauve]

Hello, I’ve been interested in D&D for a while now and I have been doing some research on the lore and how to play is there anything I should know about?

[true musk]

No, though I don't really need to.
From a glance, some things don't look right.

For starters your stats should stick to standard array or point buy.

[main cedar]

Wdym I just did random for it

[gilded mauve]

Can you elaborate pls😅

Oh

[main fulcrum]

I don't think that's the command. Maybe...

[exotic remnant]

Abilities

Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature's physical and mental characteristics: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

For each ability, your character has an ability score, a number from 1 to 20. There are three ways to determine ability scores, and your DM will let you know which to use. (If you don’t have a DM yet, choose Standard Array or Point Buy.)

• Roll the Dice. Roll 4d6 and record the total of the highest three. Do this six times, and then assign each total to a different ability.
• Standard Array. Assign each of the following numbers to a different ability: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8.
• Point Buy. Choose your own ability scores by spending points.

After assigning your ability scores (and adding any bonuses from your race), determine your ability modifiers, a number from -5 to +5, using the Ability Scores and Modifiers table.

[true musk]

There we go

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[uneven junco]

and intro to stormwreck is perfect for a brand new dm and 3 brand new players?

[true musk]

Doing it random is kind of the issue.

[main cedar]

oh

[true musk]

This is why communication and setting expectations are important to establish before a group starts playing together.

[gilded mauve]

We have online campaigns here right?

[sterile oak]

defo true, i know that much even without having played a campaign yet

[true musk]

It also looks like you randomly added currently instead of going with the starting gold you get based on your chosen background.

[main cedar]

I can fix it

[uneven junco]

This merrow looks fearsome but doesn't present too much of a threat to the characters. They should be able to defeat it in 1–2 rounds.

ya knowing us and the dm, its gonna be over in like 6 rounds

does rounds mean turns?

[true musk]

Welcome to the hobby by the way, I recommend check out the resources in the bot post.
They are great free and legal resources you can use.
If you're more of a visual learner, check out the handbooker helper videos.

[true musk]

There are others that I consider to be better for new players, but that intro adventure is a good place to start with for a budget of free.

[main fulcrum]

No. One round is done after everyone in the combat takes their turn.

[gilded mauve]

Ah thank you, I’ve been playing with a group for a while but they don’t really play by traditional rules and they don’t know much lore i’ll talk about it when it relates to our campaign but they judge me for it so I thought I should learn from people more experienced

[main fulcrum]

But a round is always 6 seconds in game no matter how many people there are

[uneven junco]

so the others costs money, all right, imma try to convince him to do this one then

[uneven junco]

all right so ya its gonna take everyone like 6 turns for this

[true musk]

This video can be a good reference, it's a 3 minute video https://youtu.be/zONEcUAYDfU

[sonic shoal]

I'm new to DND. Any tips?

[true musk]

This server specifically doesn't host games but it does provide resources and avenues to find online games.

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[true musk]

Check out the bot post above for resources, and check out this quick beginners guide by one shot questers: https://youtu.be/zONEcUAYDfU

[gilded mauve]

Ah so basically you find people and make your own group

[sonic shoal]

Ok ty

Why the link like that?

[true musk]

For in person games you can:

• Visit tabletop game shops
• Visit local conventions
• Visit your local libraries
• Visit your school
• Search Meetup for local play groups.
  As these tend to host opportunities to play in person and tend to be very new player friendly.

Online options in this server:

• Follow the instructions in #find-a-game to learn how to make a post in #750812887697588356 .
• Reach out to people in the #looking-for-players channel.
• These posts are by DMs looking for players.
• Tip: Take your time to read these posts and see if they are compatible with your preferences and interests.
• Tip: Reply to these posts with your preferences and play styles to help the DM determine if you are compatible.
• Check out #looking-for-community as responses to postings will point you to communities that host dnd games.

Other options

• Learn about D&D's official community campaign called Adventures League in https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league
• This can be played in person and online.
• Then check out #1050206572535623690as you can find al events you can participate in.
• You can also search on the Looking for Group forums page of warhorn, roll20, dndbeyond, the website called startplaying, and dnd focused discord servers.

[main cedar]

fixed

[gilded mauve]

Thanks for the help

[true musk]

Better, though you don't start with 4 electrum.
The haunted background starts with 1 silver piece (sp)
You should also change your starting stats to standard array or point buy, as most DMs won't accept rolled stats unless they were present when those stats were rolled.
Some also just prefer standard array or point buy because it makes it easier to balance combat encounters.

[sonic shoal]

If I don't have a irl dice does anyone have a online link?

[sterile oak]

the site has imbedded dice, don't it?
yeah, bottom left of the page

[main cedar]

I only understood 2 line of that the first 2

[true musk]

Also here is a handbooker helper video on barbarians that can be a good reference for you. https://youtu.be/TRUuhZxWxEk

[sonic shoal]

What site?

[inner fable]

I am both experienced and a newb. I last played adnd when it was in its 1st edition (2nd was coming out, but I still have all the 1st level books). Now I would like to play 5ed online (because all the old farts my age have moved on). So I have been exploring and decided that I would like to play a fairy bard. Given the directions from here, I went to D&D Beyond and the possibility to play a fairy doesn't seem to be available or at least I could not work out how to select it). Can anybody help me. I have already managed to create quite a back story working up to this point and would hate to have to reimagine a new character. TIA

[true musk]

?tag new abilities

[exotic remnant]

Abilities

Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature's physical and mental characteristics: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

For each ability, your character has an ability score, a number from 1 to 20. There are three ways to determine ability scores, and your DM will let you know which to use. (If you don’t have a DM yet, choose Standard Array or Point Buy.)

• Roll the Dice. Roll 4d6 and record the total of the highest three. Do this six times, and then assign each total to a different ability.
• Standard Array. Assign each of the following numbers to a different ability: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8.
• Point Buy. Choose your own ability scores by spending points.

After assigning your ability scores (and adding any bonuses from your race), determine your ability modifiers, a number from -5 to +5, using the Ability Scores and Modifiers table.

[sonic shoal]

What site?

[true musk]

Standard array and point buy are explained in the bot post above.

[main fulcrum]

You have to buy the Fairy option to select a Fairy in DDB. It's not one of the free options.

Only the race and class options in the basic rules/SRD are free

[sonic shoal]

What site??? I'm confused

[sterile oak]

oh i forget this sin't a site-specific server since i got in here from D&D Beyond. i mean D&D Beyond

[sonic shoal]

Can dm me link?

[true musk]

dndbeyond

[inner fable]

@main fulcrum I got that, only when I went to the market place I could work out what it is that I needed to buy

[sterile oak]

i mean just, https://www.dndbeyond.com/

[main fulcrum]

You can also literally roll by just typing into Google.

[sterile oak]

true

[true musk]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/how-to-play-dnd

[main fulcrum]

There are plenty of free dice rollers online

[main fulcrum]

It's in Monsters of the Multiverse, iirc. Though I think you can buy it individually. Someone else would have to give you more detailed instructions though since I don't use DDB for characters

[inner fable]

Thanks

[true musk]

Alright I'm turning in for the night.

[sterile oak]

night mate, thanks for the advice!

[sterile oak]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/marketplace/sourcebooks/mordenkainen-presents-monsters-of-the-multiverse
scroll down or ctrl+f to fairy and you might be able to buy it alone. it has a price but when i tab clicked it it said there was an error
yeah, you can buy it alone, reason there was an error is cause it just adds it to your cart

[inner fable]

Thanks I had just worked it out myself, but really do appreciate the help

[sterile oak]

np, newbies (or i guess in your case returners) have to stick together amirite?

[inner fable]

👍

[sonic shoal]

I need help making a character without reading to much.

[warped yacht]

That's gonna be a real roadblock, I'm sorry to say.

[sonic shoal]

I'm so confused

[golden minnow]

New to Dming for a small Group. Trying to find software that make Building a village/city easier.

[warped yacht]

Most of this hobby is reading, if that wasn't clear. You can certainly ask for help though in #character-discussion

[sonic shoal]

Ok

[warped yacht]

I think inkarnate has free options, not sure how in-depth it is without paying though

[golden minnow]

Thank you, i've got a variety of programs but none realy do much justice for towns/cityscapes

[warped yacht]

i can send some things I've made with the paid for version

if you wanna see what it can make

[golden minnow]

All good, already grabbed pro.

in a time crunch First session is in about 2 weeks

[warped yacht]

damn, good luck captain

there's also an explore section if you want to grab maps other people have made. there are really talented people on there

[golden minnow]

Seen some, as i did a quick search by img

Got 2 more hours to work on it, Gonna try to get a world Map layout going.

[urban valley]

Anyone who is fimiliar with dragonborn. What does it mean exactly when the guide says they hold mastery over a particular skill as a lifetime goal? like, is it if they want to be a great swordsmith, a dragonborn would mostly focus on improving their skill as a smith?

at this point particularly: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/races#:~:text=A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal.

[steady horizon]

I mean that explains their culture exactly

They will hyperfixate on 1 thing and do what they can to be great on it

[urban valley]

ohhh, okay. thank you!

[lilac ice]

Hey I'm looking to try to DM for one player. What's some good resources to use for DND over discord more then tale spire and DND beoynd

[vague thicket]

I was wondering if there was anyway to specialize in a more kicking based combat style rather than weapons?

[cobalt frigate]

Talespire has a cost per person and since it's a 3D VTT you may need a powerful PC.

Look at simpler (and free) 2D VTTs like owlbear.rodeo or Roll20.

[cobalt frigate]

Monk class.

[lilac ice]

I know what tale spire is. As that's what we been running. But I wanted to explore other options to try em out

[vague thicket]

Any race would be fine?

[cobalt frigate]

Well, take a look at Roll20, owlbear.rodeo, Foundry

[cobalt frigate]

Pick whichever race you find interesting.

[lilac ice]

Thanks. :

[vague thicket]

Thank You. 🙂

[tulip zenith]

Hey guys! Do you recommend building a character on my own before joining a campaign or after based on what the campaign is about?

[vague thicket]

Practice with a few characters on your own then once you get in a campaign craft the perfect character for you

[tulip zenith]

Love that idea, thank you!

I actually used the d&d character builder yesterday to get an idea of the details that go into character building. Super cool.

[obtuse wasp]

hello

im very very new and on a quest to look for an experience to guide me and my friends

[solemn light]

Are you looking for a game to join or looking for tips on how to DM and run a game for your friends?

[unique gate]

Hello!! im new here, I joined to ask advice about character creation since i've been thinking about plying D&D and i heard the first step is to have a character, Im currecty on path to create a half-elf pirate oc and im a bit stuck on the appearance part, Can the hair of my character be any colour like brown and what options are there for the eyes? I wanna be as specific as i can lol

[smoky adder]

You can make them look however you like.

Your character sheet outlines the things your character can do. How you describe your character within the narrative of the game is all up to you.

[solemn light]

Ah, so the main answer is going to often be 'up to your DM' in that what world or setting you play in might have certain lore or house rules. Some DMs are fine with your pc having bright pink hair for example, others might say "well as a half elf with this human and elven heritage, your hair really would be one of these shades". Appearance is usually up to you the player though.

[unique gate]

Oh! thank you both, making the character is really fun tbh and i was just on the fence about this

Thanks!! have a nice day!!

[zealous widget]

Hey everyone

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[solemn light]

The above resources can help you get started! You don't need to read all of the rules before finding a game, but having a look over character creation and combat rules before finding a game can help speed things up. And of course you can ask questions here!

Character Creation is one of the things you can have a go at before finding a game. There are step by step guides, and as a practice PC you don't need to think too hard. You can just pick any 'Basic rules' class and race and see if you can make it- once you've made one PC you've basically got the idea for making any PC.

Then really it's finding a game.

[vernal roost]

Hi! Just made a character and looking for group to join!

[exotic remnant]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

Visit #find-a-game for everything you need to start your search, including:

• Instructions for finding a game here on the server (including how to post in our #looking-for channels).
• Suggestions for finding a game outside of this server.
• Basic advice to help you in your hunt.

[velvet jetty]

What character did you make?

[solemn light]

The above channel ( #find-a-game ) can help you use the Looking-for-X channels here. Be sure to read the instructions carefully on how to use the bot to post to the Looking-For- channels (you'll likely want to post in #750812887697588356 and look through #looking-for-players and #looking-for-community to find a game tha interests you)

[zealous widget]

Hey I'm a bit confused about making a character I've read through the race classes and alignments and have a decent idea of what I want to make but how do I actually make it? Do I just write it down or is there a tool or something

[lyric fjord]

In D&D, when I want to make a new character I begin with class first. Depending on the class it will help you see what your character needs. Do not multi-class in the beginning bad choice. Let's say you want to be a Rouge, that would take out some of the more "loud" races like orc, and big creatures. A halfing or trifling would work. I usually have one notebook pet campaign and before it starts I write down ideas for two of my characters and transfer that to D&D beyond. If you have a issue with picking weapons etc. I would base it off personal pick or just class pick

[warped yacht]

Dndbeyond has a good builder but you need to own the books to use the options

[lyric fjord]

That's the worse part of it. I just bought the starter pack and expansion pack in person for dice, sheets, etc and from that used the discount code for the book. After that I wanted to be a DM so I bought all 3 of the books in paper and digital in some bundle and use it.

I also have a friend who has the master tier in DnD beyond so he has a group that shares the other books with us. Very kind of him and useful

[warped yacht]

Those are a good place to start

[hoary storm]

Can you move diagonally if so does it cost same amount of movement as normal?

[warped yacht]

Default yes

To both questions

[lyric fjord]

In D&D, you can move horizontal, vertical(need to fly), or diagonally. For some reason it would be the same amount

[zealous widget]

Oh alright. So I have decided on the following

Race
Class
Personality and alignments
Background and story
And weapons

Do I need something else

[lyric fjord]

Seams thst everything is good to go, you just need to run it by DM and get the amount of money you need. It should be good then. Good job

[solemn light]

You can print off / fill in a PDF character sheet manually, or use a character maker like dndbeyonds

[zealous widget]

Oh. Perfect. Thanks a lot for the help

[zealous widget]

Got it

[lyric fjord]

I usually transfer them to DnD beyond

[zealous widget]

Do I just go for the standard option on DnD beyond?

[lyric fjord]

I did manually, that means you have to either roll or insert your stats there. I would listen to Elgate because I'm just a DM/player. I don't play alot

[solemn light]

For example you can use the printable/ editable character sheets from WotC such as this fillable form version or you can create a character on Dndbeyond

Note that on dndbeyond your access to options will be limited to the free access races and creatures unless you purchase more, or homebrew. Standard options help- I'd choose standard array, no homebrew, XP or milestone, and don't worry about any extra options like 'Faith' or such

Some of the options are for when you actually join a campaign and the DM uses optional rules (like encumberance). When making a test character, these won't mean much to you.

[zealous widget]

Got it

[analog cypress]

I’m learning how to dm for some friends to try dnd, any tips?

[hoary storm]

Do you prefer paper over online like dd&b? Just curious as I use online cause I feel it’s easier to manage but what are the benefits of paper

[solemn light]

I've used paper when in person, but honestly I've played nearly exclusively online using VTTs (virtual table tops) like Roll20, and will use online character sheets for that. Or just excel sheets shared online, so the DM can see them, and I can reference them when playing (I have at times had all my important details simply on a sticky note stuck to my screen, and only referenced the actual sheet when needed )

[hoary storm]

Interesting I just feel like dd&b or just online in general helps like sort weapons and items alongside help make spells easier to understand but I may try paper eventually. Especially with like level up features how do you add that to ur sheet?

[main fulcrum]

Manually 🤣

[smoky adder]

You’d write down anything new, and update anything that needs updated.

[solemn light]

Honestly often with sheets I just make notes where to find things. Like rather than write down an entire ability, I'll write a short hand and a page number in case I need to double check the wording on something.

[zealous widget]

Hey I have made my first character can I share it to get some feedback?

[edgy onyx]

Share it in #character-discussion 😎

[zealous widget]

Got it thanks a bunch

[little crest]

How to do my first character ?

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[exotic wren]

this may sound dumb but if i an elf have proficienty with longsword what does it mean exactly

[smoky adder]

It means you add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls made with a longsword.

In effect: you’re more likely to land a hit with that weapon.

[exotic wren]

i see thanks

[solemn light]

If you are proficient with a weapon (or many things) it means you can add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll along with ability modifier. This shows that your character knows how to use that weapon well.
If you weren't proficient you'd just roll a d20 + ability modifier, because you're not actually trained to use it.
This is pretty much the same thing if you're proficient with saves, checks, tools so on.

[solemn light]

The above resources can help you get started! You don't need to read all of the rules before finding a game, but having a look over character creation and combat rules before finding a game can help speed things up. And of course you can ask questions here!

Character Creation is one of the things you can have a go at before finding a game. There are step by step guides, and as a practice PC you don't need to think too hard. You can just pick any 'Basic rules' class and race and see if you can make it- once you've made one PC you've basically got the idea for making any PC.

For character sheets you can use the printable/ editable character sheets from WotC such as this fillable form version or you can create a character on Dndbeyond

Note that on dndbeyond your access to options will be limited to the free access races and creatures unless you purchase more, or homebrew. Feel free to ask here if confused by anything.

[lyric fjord]

Hey everyone

[smoky adder]

Welcome!

[harsh fjord]

While the whole guide is worth reading, these are solid tips (https://howtogm.guide/dnd-5e/cheat-sheet). Read the pins in #dm-discussion. Search the server for dm tips. And I have my own list here: #dnd-newcomers message

[lone grove]

Does anyone know how to find games that run on a bst time zone

[harsh fjord]

Head to the search function in the server. Type in: looking for players then type bst. I got multiple results. Other LFG places outside of Discord may have other search filters.

[lone grove]

Ok thanks

[harsh fjord]

Another option is to figure out what lines up with your schedule in other time zones. So if you're free from 2-7 PM BST, knowing what that time means for people in other parts of the world would allow you to browse those listings and eliminate them.

For example, if I'm free Saturdays from 2-7 Eastern, then I know that means 1-6 Central, 12-5 Mountain, etc. Scanning ads in other time zones would be quick if they don't meet the criteria I've created for myself.

[iron drum]

hello?

[fleet field]

hi

[iron drum]

ive never played but i want to! i just made a character

[harsh fjord]

Have you looked over the rules at all?

[iron drum]

a little! pus my dad is teaching me..

i want to play but i cant find a group

[exotic remnant]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

Visit #find-a-game for everything you need to start your search, including:

• Instructions for finding a game here on the server (including how to post in our #looking-for channels).
• Suggestions for finding a game outside of this server.
• Basic advice to help you in your hunt.

[tired geyser]

hello

[iron drum]

does anyone have a group i can join?

[solemn light]

Please check the instructions on how to use #find-a-game above, to use the bot to post to our dedicated looking-for-group channels.

[hasty onyx]

Hi guys

What's up

[brittle tendon]

[ripe bay]

Hello, new to DND, my friend group is interested in starting an entirely-online campaign. We collectively have 0 experience. can someone point me in the right direction for best resources to host an online campaign and what we should prep for ahead of time

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[cobalt frigate]

Read the free Basic Rules (at least the first four chapters on character creation).

I highly recommend you check out Critical Role's "Handbooker Helper" video tutorial series on Youtube.

After you read the rules and/or watch the tutorial videos, feel free to ask questions here.

[ripe bay]

Thank you - will these resources also discuss the logistics of playing/hosting games entirely virtual?

[cobalt frigate]

No, those only discuss the rules of the game You can ask here though.

[ripe bay]

I’ll definitely read through the rules of the game, but would love to know if there’s a “best” VTT to use. Preferably free - I’ve seen roll20 and dnd beyond but there’s so many options

[harsh fjord]

?tag new online

[exotic remnant]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/750-new-players-guide-how-to-play-d-d-online

[ripe bay]

Thank you

[harsh fjord]

There's no best VTT as folks want different features. #third-party is the best place to ask for more specifics.

[sage flint]

how do i create a character

[smoky adder]

There’s some helpful links here that cover the basics:

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[cunning parrot]

Hi! Very new player starting a mini session with friends from work! Starting as a Human Barbarian so excited to start!

[smoky adder]

But you can start by choosing a race, class, and background.

You’ll find those in the first few chapters of the Basic Rules, linked above.

[smoky adder]

Nice! Welcome!

[lone grove]

what’s the best way to find a game?

[heavy ocean]

Anyone wanna be a dm for dragons of storm wreck isle

[uneven junco]

@true musk i cant remember which of u asked how he was doing wrong but i just found out it doesnt take your action to switch your weapons or take a item out of your backpack, he says it does

[main fulcrum]

That's actually a bit fuzzy. You do generally get one free object interaction a turn, which might include pulling out a weapon or an item. But if you try to do that more often, taking an Action does become the default.

And the DM can always say that for whatever reason, this particular object interaction is hard enough to always take a full action.
But it still sounds like they're bad at scaling to me 😅

[uneven junco]

he wouldnt let me take my bow off my back so i can use it for a attack

so rangers learn 2 spells at level 2, and he wont let me learn them , hes like u are gonna have to find a spellbook

and hes like for the contant u never told me anything about them, how u met and all that

IDK ITS MY BACKGROUND DUDE,

and hes like u cant do stuff in secret from the other players, only their characters

[lone grove]

I am still new to DND but I don't think rangers need a spell book

[uneven junco]

i wanted to scrap my character and make a new one now that i have learned some stuff about the game but he wont let me do that ( my character literally lost both his ears why would i wanna keep using that)

[uneven junco]

thats what im saying

tho i think he meant like read it and learn it from a spellbook but still

[lone grove]

Again you don't need to do that

It's only a mechanic used for wizards

[uneven junco]

I KNOW MAN

i know hes the dm but hes changing so many rules

[lone grove]

Is he new to DND

[uneven junco]

( im explaing to him i found out what disadvantage and advantage means) "and disadvantage means that u roll 2 die and take the lower number"

"Not for me thooo

How I do disadvantage I just make u lose some points depending on the circumstances"

bro u keep changing so many rules

[uneven junco]

we all 4 are , except im the only one who actually wants to follow the rules

which i barely even know but the rules i do know he keeps changing

like dude i should be allowed to use my action to cut ropes off our giant with my 2 swords and then pull my bow off of my back ( but i cant cause he says thats a action)

[lone grove]

I mean I am not sure how the rules say it is but that just seems wrong

[uneven junco]

it is wrong

[lone grove]

Even so it should be a bonus action or no action

[uneven junco]

THATS WHAT I TOLD HIM

what do u mean, i literally learn them as soon as i hit level 2
ELIJAH
Keep it character,and il give u a chance to learn some low level spells
Chris,no you dont
ME
rangers get 2 free spells at level 2
ELIJAH
Your character has to learn them unless you start with them
Well Chris guess what
ME
THEN WHY DID IT GIVE ME THE OPTION TO GET CANTRIPS
ELIJAH
IM THE DM
I say you learn them that means you learn them
ME
how do i learn them then
i should of started with high elf, then i would of got 1 spell for free
ELIJAH
4:47 PM
By spell books or someone else who does
If you put learning it in your backstory

This isn't a video game Chris,you have to learn stuff like in real life

[warm ruin]

I believe switching weapons is a free action but only once a turn? That’s how I rule it at my table.

[true musk]

From it looks of things, it seems that the type of game your DM wants to run is not the type of game you want to play.
You should set some time outside of the game and talk to your DM about it.
If it is a compatibility issue, it might be best to opt out of the game.
In the same way that not all friends can be roommates, not all friends can play game of D&D together.

[wheat crystal]

Not every table fits every player, and not every player fits every table. No D&D is better than bad D&D, and it seems you’d enjoy playing at a different table a lot more.

[wheat crystal]

Drawing a weapon and dropping a weapon RAW are both object interactions which technically means you can only do 1 of the 2 per turn w/o using the “Use an Object” action. However, iirc RAI dropping something is supposed to require nothing (thanks to a tweet by Jeremy Crawford, but note tweets aren’t definite rulings)

[true musk]

100% agree. This is why communication and having a session zero to set expectations is important for a dnd group.
While this doesn't cover everything, there are key things a group should ask to set themselves up for success.
Session 0 questions to ask.

• What kind of campaign does everyone want to play?
• Linear (The storyline usually follows a cause-and-effect relationship, where each event directly leads to the next.)
• Non-Linear (The storyline that has story events can done in any order. Think Legend of Zelda games)
• Sandbox (The storyline has no pre-determined events and no overarching plot.)
• How much role-play, exploration, and combat do you want in the campaign?
• 1 social, 1 combat, 1 dungeon encounter per session?
• Perhaps 1-3 social, 1-2 combat, 0-1 dungeon counters per session?
• What is the desired level difficult?
• Easy, medium, hard, deadly?
• How easily and often can characters be resurrected?
• How much of a time commitment does everyone want to invest in the campaign?
• Have the campaign be 3 session? 5-8 session? 12 sessions? 12+ sessions?
• Should each sessions be 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours? 2-4 hours?
• Would each session be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?
• What lines and veils need to be established?
• Lines are hard limits on themes, topics, actions someone doesn't want to engage in.
• Veils are soft limits where themes, topics, actions can be explored but not in great detail.
• Are everyone's preferences and expectations compatible?
• Do all players want to play the same type of campaign?
• Is the the type of game players want to participate in, the type of game the DM wants to run?

[warm ruin]

Yeah, I think I’ll take the RAI on this, it’s demoralising wasting your action switching weapons in my opinion.

But thanks for the info!

[lone grove]

What's the best way I can find a game/one shot

[true musk]

For in person games you can:

• Visit tabletop game shops
• Visit local conventions
• Visit your local libraries
• Visit your school
• Search Meetup for local play groups.
  As these tend to host opportunities to play in person and tend to be very new player friendly.

Online options in this server:

• Follow the instructions in #find-a-game to learn how to make a post in #750812887697588356 .
• Reach out to people in the #looking-for-players channel.
• These posts are by DMs looking for players.
• Tip: Take your time to read these posts and see if they are compatible with your preferences and interests.
• Tip: Reply to these posts with your preferences and play styles to help the DM determine if you are compatible.
• Check out #looking-for-community as responses to postings will point you to communities that host dnd games.

Other options

• Learn about D&D's official community campaign called Adventures League in https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league
• This can be played in person and online.
• Then check out #1050206572535623690as you can find al events you can participate in.
• You can also search on the Looking for Group forums page of warhorn, roll20, dndbeyond, the website called startplaying, and dnd focused discord servers.

[idle yacht]

How does the relationship between level and CR work? For example: would three level 12 players be able to defeat an enemy with a CR of 17?

[lone grove]

ok thanks

[true musk]

The Challenge Rating and the Average Party Level should be relatively close in number.
ACR 17 monster versus a party of 3 with APL 12 would be be considered a deadly encounter.
Though there are more nuances to combat difficulty.
The party's stats, their composition, whether or not they have any magic items, player's teamwork and level of skill can have a significant impact in the level of difficulty to a combat encounter.

For example, my players almost got TPKed because I expected them to take a short rest but opted not to.

[wheat crystal]

Iirc as a general rule a CRX monster is an appropriate challenge for 4 players of level X

[idle yacht]

And is there any way to determine what kind of monster would be appropriate for a party? Any system or something similar to this?

[marsh perch]

There's an encounter simulator on D&D Beyond for that

https://www.dndbeyond.com/encounter-builder

[glass summit]

Chapter 3 of the DMG has WOTC's guidance on how to calculate encounter balance using the CR system. It is imperfect, but can function.

Otherwise, if the tool Mills linked doesnt fit your fancy, there is also Kobold Fight Club

[analog cypress]

Thanks, appreciate it

[idle yacht]

thanks for the help

I ended up asking this because I had seen a level 12 party (with a Myrmidon and a Planar Ally) almost suffer a TPK against a Bronze Dragon that was at level 17. Then I got curious about the system

[stark badger]

how to play

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[wind stone]

I need some help with Blade Flourish from Bards College of Swords. for some of the options it says to roll Bardic Inspiration die, but i thought you couldn't cast bardic Inspiration on yourself. is casting Bardic inspiration and rollin the die 2 seperate things?

[main fulcrum]

You can't give yourself bardic inspiration. But, some subclasses let you do things with the inspiration dice that do affect you.

[glass summit]

So, you use the dice you use for Bardic Inspiration as the way to calculate the Blade Flourish effect, and you expend a use of one of your Bardic Inspirations to do so

But, you dont need to have been Bardicly Inspired to do so, you're just using the same resource you would use to Bardicly Inspire, as you do for Blade Flourishes

[fervent igloo]

Hi, good night to everyone. I've just joined the server. Lately due to social media, I've been exposed to D&D-related content and would love to get into its universe/lore and games.
Where should I start?

[glass summit]

The most common is to find a game to join and play with, but no promises they use the same lore you've maybe been exposed to

Otherwise, theres been many video games and books written using the Forgotten Realms lore

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[true musk]

The bot post above has everything you need to get started.

[fervent igloo]

Thanks!

[fervent igloo]

No worries about it, every lore is welcomed as far as I'm able to participate in and get into it.

[little crane]

I’m extremely new to DnD and I really wanna get in to it with a group.. but I’m having an extremely hard time finding a group. Any suggestions??

[true musk]

For in person games you can:

• Visit tabletop game shops
• Visit local conventions
• Visit your local libraries
• Visit your school
• Search Meetup for local play groups.
  As these tend to host opportunities to play in person and tend to be very new player friendly.

Online options in this server:

• Follow the instructions in #find-a-game to learn how to make a post in #750812887697588356 .
• Reach out to people in the #looking-for-players channel.
• These posts are by DMs looking for players.
• Tip: Take your time to read these posts and see if they are compatible with your preferences and interests.
• Tip: Reply to these posts with your preferences and play styles to help the DM determine if you are compatible.
• Check out #looking-for-community as responses to postings will point you to communities that host dnd games.

Other options

• Learn about D&D's official community campaign called Adventures League in https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league
• This can be played in person and online.
• Then check out #1050206572535623690as you can find al events you can participate in.
• You can also search on the Looking for Group forums page of warhorn, roll20, dndbeyond, the website called startplaying, and dnd focused discord servers.

[zinc ore]

#find-a-game and #looking-for-players

[little crane]

Okay I am on the right path then I read that and have started the process through those steps just wanted to make sure I was going about it correctly 😅

[harsh fjord]

If you think you need advice/avenues beyond Zero's excellent post, I have a guide with other places you might check out.

[little crane]

Yes I’d love that!

[harsh fjord]

It's linked in the message above in the blue text.

[little crane]

Oh sorry wasn’t paying attention 😅

[primal bison]

I am new to D&D and want to join a group how do I do that

[true musk]

My post here can point to a few options: #dnd-newcomers message

I also recommend checking out razorwing's post here#dnd-newcomers message

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[true musk]

The bot post above can also point you to understanding the basics of D&D.

[flat jasper]

What does cast as ritual mean?

Or how does it work?

[zinc ore]

It adds ten minutes to the casting time and doesn't take a spell slot, only certain spells can do it though

[sharp sky]

Is there a cyberpunk dnd campaign? ;w;

[zinc ore]

There's a cyberpunk ttrpg actually, but you can probably find a cyberpunk themed game here somewhere

[wheat crystal]

Cyberpunk has its own ttrpg, the most recent edition is called Cyberpunk Red.

If you’re talking about the genre in general, or a 5e conversion of CP2077 you’d have to look around for a DM that runs one as no official cyberpunk content exists (aside from some “futuristic/modern” weapons in the DMG and some subclasses/spells in an old UA doc)

[rain saddle]

yo

I am utterly new to D&D

got introduced through big bang theory sitcom

Is there any way I can jump right into the game?

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[zinc ore]

This should have some stuff to get you started!

Fair warning, the game is not often portrayed accurately! Lol

[rain saddle]

okay thx, very helpful : )

[gritty blaze]

Hi I'm attending my first live session of 5e this week. It's a one shot that lasts about 6 hours, and we start at level three. I was thinking some kind of Warlock, cause I like the hexing and controlling the enemies with pushing Eldrich Blast. Any tips on effective dieties and builds that are more straight forward at that that level as I'm not used to playing this stuff with pen and paper?

[echo kelp]

I'd suggest checking with folks in #character-discussion as they may have some good ideas on useful builds. There's also #optimization if you like math and opinions on the "best" build for a particular goal of what you're optimizing for.

[gritty blaze]

Are there also any pages online where you can input your character and it calculates your proficiencies and bonuses automatically?

[velvet jetty]

Dndbeyond does that i think

[echo kelp]

Yeah - DnDBeyond's character tool is good at that.

Can also export your sheet as a PDF to print.

[gritty blaze]

Thanks a bunch

[thorn ermine]

Hello

[gritty blaze]

Hm, unfortunately it seems that if I want to chose between all available dieties for warlock Ibhabe to pay on the DnD beyond creator.

[crude musk]

Yes, if you want a tool that automates the addition of paid content, you will have to pay for that content (or add it to the tool yourself)

[bleak badger]

Hello

[smoky adder]

Welcome!

[fleet field]

Also, they aren’t deities

They’re patrons, which are expressly not deities

[lyric fjord]

Hello

I know 0 about DnD
Just the basic that everyone can see in series (like stranger things)

I would love to play but thats the problem, i know 0

[urban valley]

@lyric fjord I've been referred to a great website "d&d beyond" which has a beginners guide and all. But the first step I'd say is reading the rule book (which is more of a beginners beginners guide with some general rules in there too)

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules

https://www.dndbeyond.com/how-to-play-dnd

[late sonnet]

D&D Beyond automates all that!

[surreal prism]

hello love dnd and dnd beyond

[lyric fjord]

I was reading and i still understand 0

[urban valley]

Hahaha, I imagine we all go through that

Maybe you could watch a few campaigns if you want

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[urban valley]

Haha, @lyric fjord Perfect timing

[surreal prism]

i made an arena of sorts: 20 levels getting progressivly harder . i open the arena on sudays from 12pm to 5pm running five levels a session. beating level 1 gets you to 2 and so on all the way to 20. if you would like to join the arena and play with me and my friends on sundays let me know , this is for new and old players just wanting to practice a character or just learn the basics in general please hit me up and ill sen you the link.

[lyric fjord]

I think im gonna watch some YouTube tutorials

[carmine shuttle]

That more properly belongs in #looking-for-players , Lavander

[surreal prism]

ok'

[crude vortex]

I kinda just wanna share a character sheet.

[carmine shuttle]

#character-discussion

[idle yacht]

How does AC work? How do I determine the amount of damage my character receives when hit? And how do I determine the minimum die result for someone to hit me?

[smoky adder]

AC is used to determine whether an attack hits or misses the target.

If the attack roll is greater than or equal to the AC, that's a hit.

Anything less is a miss.

By default, a character has an AC of 10 + their Dexterity modifier, but there's lots of other things that provide different ways to calculate an AC.

Armor, spells, class or race features, etc.

[idle yacht]

So, in the case of my character, someone would have to roll at least 19 out of 1d20 to hit me?

[smoky adder]

Assuming you have an AC of 19, then yes...ish.

Depending on what they attack with, they'll probably add something to their roll.

So if they had a +4 for that attack, the die itself would need to be a 15 or higher (since 15+4 = 19).

[idle yacht]

So...AC just determines the die result I need for my character to be the target of an attack? Does it not interfere with measures related to resistance and damage reduction?

[edgy onyx]

Nope! It's literally just for "does the attack hit?"

[smoky adder]

The total for their attack roll needs to meet or beat the AC.

Not just the number on the die alone.

1. They choose their target (you).
2. They make an attack roll (1d20 + any applicable modifiers)
3. They compare the total to your AC.
4. If the total meets or beats your AC, they roll for damage.

[idle yacht]

All good. I thought that AC also determined the part of the damage received, but knowing that at level 1 someone would need to roll a 19 to hit me already seems pretty strong.

[carmine shuttle]

Also - within the fiction, AC represents them hitting hard enough to do something to your ability to fight. Failing to hit you could be no contact, it could be you intercepting an attack on your shield, it could be a bind on their blade, it could be a parry, it could be a dodge....

Again, to echo spamandtuna - not "roll" on the die a 19. <die roll + modifier> >= 19. Most monsters you'd encounter at low level probably have a modifier of +4 or so, so it's really a 15 on the die.

[carmine shuttle]

Similarly, HP are not all "body damage" - they roll in focus, fatigue, actual injury. Not necessarily "body damage" until you drop to 0.

[idle yacht]

ok, so the right way to say it would be something like "Total result" instead of "Dice result", right?

[smoky adder]

Yeah

Most people would just say "you need a 19", and then it's generally understood that means the total after any modifiers.

[carmine shuttle]

It's also important because there are two dice results that matter for attack rolls specifically -- a 1 on the die will always miss if it's an attack roll; a roll of a 20 will always hit. And if you'd hit it normally with that result (which is most of the time), it's a kind called a "critical hit" that potentially deals more damage.

[smoky adder]

(Referring to the die roll itself is the exception, not the norm.)

[subtle musk]

Hello! I'm new

where should I start from? I've only got some basic knowledge about the game

[smoky adder]

Welcome! There's some good links here to get you started:

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[half salmon]

Hello there, I am quite new to this game, I only played this game once, and I have a hard time finding any DND people where I like (Alps, France, eu) so I was wondering if there was an easy way to find a table online since it would be quite hard to find a game where I live

[exotic remnant]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

Visit #find-a-game for everything you need to start your search, including:

• Instructions for finding a game here on the server (including how to post in our #looking-for channels).
• Suggestions for finding a game outside of this server.
• Basic advice to help you in your hunt.

What is the Adventurers League?

The D&D Adventurers League is an ongoing official campaign for Dungeons & Dragons. It uses the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, and features the Forgotten Realms setting. You can play D&D Adventurers League games literally anywhere. Players use the fifth edition rules to create a character and bring that character to games anywhere D&D Adventurers League play is happening.
[Find out more](#al-rules-compendium message)

Are you interested in the Adventurers League?
We have several channels to discuss Adventurers League play:

• #al-admin-questions — Ask the AL Admins questions
• #adventurers-league — Chat about AL games, events, how to get started, AL characters, or other general AL chatter.
• #1050206875079155742 — Adventurers League rules discussion and questions. General D&D rules discussion belongs in #dnd-rules
• #al-dm-discussion — [SPOILER WARNING] A place for AL Dungeon Masters of all levels of experience to discuss their games, share tips, or share constructive feedback.
• #al-dungeoncraft — [SPOILER WARNING] A place for fledgling or experienced AL authors to discuss the Dungeoncraft program, ask questions, offer tips, or share constructive feedback.

[ebon coyote]

Do you guys reccomend to buy from HeroForge? i watched some previews and the figures can turn out really bad from what i've seen..

[cobalt frigate]

That's something probably to ask in #dnd-minis

[carmine shuttle]

Somebody has even pointed out there's a dedicated HeroForge channel.

#dnd-heroforge-etc

[subtle musk]

thanks!

[golden garden]

I think I got my character ready even though I’m not really sure for sure so how do I find a DM

[exotic remnant]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

Visit #find-a-game for everything you need to start your search, including:

• Instructions for finding a game here on the server (including how to post in our #looking-for channels).
• Suggestions for finding a game outside of this server.
• Basic advice to help you in your hunt.

[golden garden]

I posted well but if I was going to do a community game do I need DND beyond or Roll20

[cobalt frigate]

That depends if the DM uses either of those.

[golden garden]

Well I got my sheet ready at least or at least hopefully it’s good hopefully his species can be found if he’s forced to be human….

[cobalt frigate]

Don't be locked to your character but be prepared to create a new one from scratch (but you can probably use the same theme/background) when you find a DM because the DM may think your character may not fit with their campaign setting.

[golden garden]

If I do I’m not sure if I can do one as basic as him if I’m just going to use a blank slate character by the end of it….. well he’s just supposed to be a simple idea I have

[dark violet]

Is there such thing as a group i can play with without needing to pay?

[crude musk]

Yes, that's literally every group advertised in #looking-for-players

Any paid games being promoted there are in violation of server rules (paid games should only be posted in #paid-looking-for-game )

[dark violet]

I gotcha, thank you

[golden garden]

Does dnd have beast men…?

[crude musk]

Depends on what you mean by "beast men"

It has species that are anthropomorphic animals such as tabaxi (cat folk), aarakocra (bird folk), and tortles (tortoise folk)

[glad steppe]

Or maybe you want a class that embodies animal like aspect with Beast Barbarian?

[golden garden]

Is there anything for canines or is that all

[cobalt frigate]

I recommend you stick with the playable races found in the Basic Rules for now. DMs may not allow homebrew playable races.

There are no official canine-like races in 5E.

[crude musk]

That's not all (hence why I said 'such as'). There are no explicity canine coded anthropomorphic species, but some close ones such as the lyanthrope adjacent shifters

[golden garden]

Thanks well thanks anyways I’ll have to look somewhere else then

[glad steppe]

Why not just use a ready race and describe it as looking canine?

[cobalt frigate]

Yes, flavour is free.

[golden garden]

I can do that?

[cobalt frigate]

With DM's approval.

[golden garden]

Well my boy is supposed to be a bard because I don’t think he’s much of a combat boy he’s just pretty much what a traveler is wondering in the world that’s why I vision him

[wheat crystal]

Reflavoring Leonin, Shifter, or Minotaur, might work well for describing a canine race

There’s also custom lineage, which is sort of like a catch-all for any idea that doesn’t fit within the official options

[golden garden]

Well I have DND beyond and I have some sheets ready if you wanna look through them or not which is OK I’m just pretty much a noob….😞

[golden garden]

I’m just gonna go do my own thing until people can talk to me about my stuff I’ll leave you guys alone now

[fallen surge]

If you'd like to share your character sheets so that other people can review them, go ahead and post a link to it in #character-discussion

[shy dune]

is anyone able to help me make a character on dnd beyond the only dnd stuff i know is from bg3 lol

[austere crystal]

Sure! I can't do voice chat, though.

I can help answer any questions.

To the best of my ability

[fallen surge]

That’s what our #character-discussion channel is for! Feel free to post any and all questions you have there

Ah. Well, this channel is for questions about how things work. What each class is/does, how the basic rules of the game work, what each box on a character sheet actually means, etc. Once we start working on someone's specific character, and designing a build and backstory for them, that's when it should be moved to #character-discussion

[smoky adder]

#learn-to-play 👀

[fallen surge]

What a great new addition!

Is that meant to replace this channel, or will this place still exist for discussions?

[inner thistle]

It's a ressource hub so to speak :) No plans to get rid of this channel

[carmine shuttle]

It looks like it's read-only?

[smoky adder]

Yes

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[slender gull]

I need a group

That doesn’t force me to pay

[echo kelp]

Check #looking-for-players and #looking-for-community

[idle yacht]

Does anyone know how to share Character Sheets? the one in DnD_5E_CharacterSheet_FormFillable.pdf

[wheat crystal]

If you’ve made it in D&DBeyond the site has its own share link, you just need to make sure your characters share settings are set to public

If you’ve filled out the pdf file manually you can try uploading it to Google drive and sharing the uploaded pdf link

[idle yacht]

I end up not using D&DBeyond because some background options and other things don't seem to be available (at least from what I remember), so I end up not using the site.
There must be a tutorial on how to upload PDFs to the drive, right?

Thank you for your help

[echo kelp]

You can use a reputable file sharing site/service (Google Drive for example) and share a link to your PDF that way.

[torn garden]

im a level 6 wizard, can I change my level 1 spells on a long rest? or is that only cantrips. I understand that at level 6, I can know 8 level 1 spells, 4 level 2 spells, and 4 level 3 spells...but I can prepare [however many] spells. Is there a specific situation needed to change my level 1 spells? thank you

[smoky adder]

A wizard can change their prepared spells after a long rest, selecting from the spells in their spellbook.

Every time you level up, you can add two new spells to your spellbook.

[echo kelp]

To quote from the rules:

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

[torn garden]

tygsm!

[fleet field]

Fyi cantrips are the only spells you can’t swap on long rests as a wizard

[fleet field]

Also your known spells aren’t necessarily divided like that. You know 6 1st level (starting spells) + 2 1st level (from level 2) + 4 1st or 2nd level (from levels 3 and 4) + 4 1st or 2nd or 3rd (from levels 5 and 6)

[fleet field]

You prepare wizard level + int mod spells per long rest from your known spells. The level of spells you prepare doesn’t matter

[twilit crane]

Does anybody know where I can find groups that do demon slayer or hunter x hunter sessions

[echo kelp]

If it's not specifically using D&D, then this is not the server. I'd suggest checking out more general TTRPG servers or forums

[lyric fjord]

hihiii

im new to dnd and really want to get into it

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[zinc ore]

That's some useful beginning information!

Also there's the #learn-to-play channel

[bright rock]

does plasmoids have genders? or are they just blobs with sentience

[magic token]

They do not have gender, they are creature type ooze and their description says "Plasmoids don't have internal organs of any sort ..." meaning they do not have reproductive organs and with that no gender . They probably reproduce like cells, by mitosis or meyosis although I couldn't find a source saying just that.

unless, I guess they would identify as one or another, but this is biologically speaking

[crude musk]

The description suggests they don't have sex but they may have gender

Much like warforged

[tight burrow]

Ello I'm new to this um and where should i start? (I'm a bit nervous for this ngl lol)

[edgy thunder]

Hiii! Just joined the server and I'm veeery new to Dnd!!

Rn I'm reading the Dnd Beyond Introduction so I'll probably be back later with some questions LMAO

[edgy thunder]

I'm new to this aswell! I just started reading the Dnd Beyond Intro for Beginners and I can honestly say that it's helping a lot!! It's a lot to read tho, so take your time!

[ember mirage]

um like excuse me does anyone know how I completely start? Like i have no clue where or how to make a character or anything like can someone please help me? sorry if this is wrong place to ask, I have no idea how this server works lol

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[echo kelp]

^ Start with these resources and also check out #learn-to-play. Feel free to ask any specific questions here or in an aproppriate channel (see #channel-guide for info on our many channels for specific D&D topics)

[ember mirage]

omg thank you so much! and sorry for posting in wrong channel! I appreciate the help regardless ^^

[echo kelp]

Oh you're fine! This is the right channel for folks new to D&D to ask questions!

[hollow edge]

Hello everyone! Looking to join a campaign!

[exotic remnant]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

Visit #find-a-game for everything you need to start your search, including:

• Instructions for finding a game here on the server (including how to post in our #looking-for channels).
• Suggestions for finding a game outside of this server.
• Basic advice to help you in your hunt.

[fluid wharf]

Hey 👋

I am sure this question has been asked a million times before-

Is there groups that do DnD games online where you can play using DnD Beyond?

I am very keen to play with my lady, but we would really benefit from being treated like the newbies we are and having a digital platform that can ensure we have set ourselves up suitably.

Have I come to the right place? Or can anyone help point me?

[echo kelp]

Please read the info and instructions in #find-a-game to learn how to use our Looking For Game channels to find a group/game to join.

[exotic remnant]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/750-new-players-guide-how-to-play-d-d-online

[tight burrow]

Alrighttt ty!! :D

[sinful spear]

Hello, Good People. I wanted to try to learn and find a group to play d&d but there are tons of information in the internet and my head started to hurt after some point so I just came here to find a good person to help me. Am I in the right place?😅

[smoky adder]

Yes indeed! What kind of help were you looking for specifically? Did you need a hand with your character, or is there a particular rule you had questions about, or something else?

[sinful spear]

Hey man! Thank you so much for helping. To be honest I dont know much about the game much but Right now I didnt wanted to be a much burden so I am just reading the d&d beyond page you guys posted for new beginners. After Im done with that I will be here with more questions honestly 😅

[fluid wharf]

Thanks @echo kelp. Would it be best to pay a DM to setup a newbie game and kind of teach you the ropes. I read the post, just don't want to dive into LF DM when I don't even know what I need to be looking for. 🤪

@sinful spear we basically sound the same. Maybe all us newbies should just go get a DM and make our own newbie game 😅

[sinful spear]

I Would love to be there if you would bare my '' No info beginner'' style 😅

Right now I know I need a character sheet and learn my character's class feature

[fluid wharf]

Once I break from work properly I will download the Beyond and try a character creation. If my gf is still up for trying it then we can get maybe 5 of us and I don't mind paying a DM to set us up, help us and do a game online to break the ice

[sinful spear]

I always wanted to try playing d &d and at last,I have free time so I would love to attend

[sinful spear]

Wecan maybe find a dm from the server, cant we?

[fluid wharf]

Ye I will have a look

[sinful spear]

Roger That 🫡

[sinful spear]

Hey mr mod. Can you tell us if d&d beyond app is enough for character creation? We thought we can use also the roll20 site for the gameplay but we are not sure

[echo kelp]

DnDBeyond is an official digital toolset and services for D&D 5th Edition (current edition of the game) and provides a character builder, digital books, encounter builder and combat tracker, and recently added maps. They also manage and develop the Avrae Discord bot to help run D&D over Discord. All of these are tools you can use to help run D&D in your games.

But you can run a D&D game just with the free basic rules, a character sheet (print or digital), dice (real or digital) and a way to communicate with those playing (digital or in person)

[sinful spear]

So as newbies can we use that digital toolset or should we just stick to the basics.

[smoky adder]

Ultimately whatever tools a group does or doesn’t want to use is up to that group.

If you want to use both D&D Beyond and Roll20, go for it.

[sinful spear]

Thank you soooo much man. I really appreciate the help from both of you guys 🙏

Can we come here again if we have extra questions?😅

[smoky adder]

I like using D&D Beyond, Owlbear Rodeo and Avrae.

[smoky adder]

Definitely! That’s what the channel’s here for!

[sinful spear]

what is owlbear rodeo and avrae?

[echo kelp]

You can look at the #looking-for-players posts to find DMs looking for players as well as #looking-for-community for other D&D servers that may run a variety of styles of D&D games. I’d also recommend checking out your local game shops/book stores, college/university, and even public libraries and see if they have some D&D games/groups you can participate in.

I wouldn’t worry about “new to D&D” status - read the free basic rules, watch some D&D liveplay streams, make a chat sheet or two, then find a group and continue learning by playing.

[sinful spear]

You guys are the best, thank you so much for the help man.

[echo kelp]

Avrae is a Discord bot that helps folks run D&D games on Discord - see #ddb-avrae-help for more info.
Owlbear.rodeo is a virtual tabletop that provides maps and tokens so folks can see where their character is in relationship to other things

[sinful spear]

Have a wonderful day (or night) and take care. I will be back after some time again 😅

[smoky adder]

Owlbear is a VTT, so it’s used to display maps. Avrae is a Discord bot that lets you roll dice and more. You can click the links there if you want to learn more about either one.

[fluid wharf]

Thanks spam and undying. Appreciate your help.

[crisp meteor]

Waddup gang

[austere crystal]

Hallo

[sinful spear]

Hey👋

[smoky adder]

Welcome!

[frigid halo]

Hello I'm new here

[broken cargo]

Hey guys

Just joined

[austere crystal]

Hello :)

Welcome!

[frigid halo]

So I have a question

[timid locust]

Shoot!

[gusty geyser]

New to D&D on the computer, but been playing since 1978…
Any OLD players here?

[cobalt frigate]

Yes, there are many of us here.

[gusty geyser]

Mr Burns hands Excellent. Looking forward to gaming with you

[cobalt frigate]

If you want to chat about older editions then head on over to #dnd-elder-editions

This channel is to help players learn the rules of 5E.

[smoky adder]

You're always welcome to ask. That's what the channel's here for!

[gusty geyser]

Thanks. I always enjoy learning new things.

[broken cargo]

I just want to get into it in general lol

Never heard of it but seen snippets

Looks fun

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[timid locust]

If you're looking to start getting into DnD 5th edition, check out the links above!

[broken cargo]

Thank you

[lyric fjord]

Hello new to the server 'nd new to DND but I've heard of what it is awhile back just never tried learning to play but here we are

[alpine anchor]

Welcome to the community bro

[frigid halo]

So I created my character, but i need to learn the basics of the game, and what I need to play

[smoky adder]

There’s some handy links a few messages up that can get you started with that.

[hallow steppe]

Hiya! Im new here and Ive been playing dnd for around three years but I've not really grasped it and just followed the crowd and it kinda bit me in the butt, so that's why I came here, I'm also really rusty because our dm decided to drop my group for a year so I don't really remember much anymore 😅

I have a hard time learning things without being tested or without doing it often so I hope this server helps =] 😅

[lyric fjord]

Damn this place is kind of intimidating looking at the experienced talk about stuff I've yet to learn haha

[hallow steppe]

I know what you mean😅

[austere crystal]

Yeah it can seem like a lot, but it's not that bad. Once you just understand the basics, conversations here will start to make a lot more sense.

[hallow steppe]

That's true

[smoky adder]

Pop quiz! What's Armor Class (AC)?

[smoky adder]

Don't sweat it! If you've got questions, that's what this channel is here for.

You don't need to be an expert to be able to play.

[lyric fjord]

Alright thankss

Definitely gonna start with reading into how the game works and all that

[hallow steppe]

It's how hard the attacker need to hit you when rolling for an attack

[austere crystal]

The Basic Rules on D&D Beyond are really all you need to get started.

If you want to keep moving forward with 5th Edition, then the Dungeon Master's Guide (for the dungeon master) and Player's Handbook become really helpful.

[smoky adder]

A+!

[austere crystal]

More like, how accurate the attack needs to be. Attacking is typically two rolls: an attack roll and a damage roll.

The attack roll (d20) is like how accurate your hit is.

The **damage roll **is like how hard you're hitting, or however you want to flavor it.

[hallow steppe]

Like I said I'm really rusty but thank you for clarifying =]

[austere crystal]

NP!

[frigid halo]

Where do I find them?

[smoky adder]

This is the message I was referring to: #dnd-newcomers message

[hallow steppe]

With my previous DM, I often felt too embarrassed to ask about certain things, especially if I didn't understand them. Instead, I would just copy what other people did, but I think that ended up being a mistake because I never really learned or retained all of the information I was given. Now I know that it's important to speak up, especially if I don't know what to do, and to learn from the experience.

[austere crystal]

Gotcha! Well, people are always willing to answer questions on here.

[smoky adder]

A good plan! D&D is ultimately a game of communication, so you shouldn't worry about asking questions when you have them.

(If you do ask questions and your group makes you regret it, that may be a sign you'd be happier with another group.)

[broken cargo]

You know how in d&d there's like a character someone is?

[smoky adder]

Yep

[broken cargo]

Do we talk about our character when the session begins?

Idk how it works my bad

[smoky adder]

Some groups get together to make their characters.

[cobalt frigate]

That's up to your DM.

[smoky adder]

Some ask everyone to just show up with a character.

It really depends.

But nothing stops you from creating a few loose character ideas as practice.

[hallow steppe]

Thank you, it wasn't really my group it was my dm, he was in his like late 40s maybe early 50s

[smoky adder]

Then when you do get together with your group, you can see if any of those are a good fit and add any finishing details.

[hallow steppe]

Thank you, I'm really glad about that =]

[broken cargo]

Appretiate that thank you

[barren anvil]

I have never played DnD before but i want to learn and i also don have anyone to play with so like were do i even start

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[cobalt frigate]

Read the free Basic Rules (at least the first four chapters on character creation).

I highly recommend you check out Critical Role's "Handbooker Helper" video tutorial series on Youtube.

After you read the rules and/or watch the tutorial videos, feel free to ask questions here.

[misty hawk]

Howdy, guys. D&D newcomer here.

👋

[hallow epoch]

Thought I'd say hi returning player just got in a campaign first one since the 90s

[foggy saffron]

welcome back to the hobby!

[alpine anchor]

90s?? Goddamn

[alpine anchor]

Welcome to the community too 😊

[hallow epoch]

Lol I played alot of table top games

[timid locust]

Ask your DM! It's to to the DM to determine what counts as a mount.

[cold ledge]

Yet anudder one over ‘ere. Came ‘ere for the games. Leavin with the games.

[oblique spade]

Hello! I'm new to D&D but I've been playing in 2022 with homebrew and Old School Essentials campaigns. Nice to meet you all! 😊

[zinc ore]

Heyo!

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[fallen surge]

Welcome! Check out the bot post above for some great resources to get you started and teach you more about 5e, or read through our #learn-to-play channel for even more detailed guides and resources

[shadow rampart]

G'day to all.

[alpine anchor]

G'Day mate

[hazy portal]

new to the game
am i so late ?! 😄

good day to all!

[fallen surge]

Welcome

Its never too late to start playing D&D!

Just as an FYI, its against our server rules to share personally identifyable information like your age. You may want to edit your message to remove that part

[hazy portal]

lol! now it is obvious that iam new 😃

anyway nice to meet you my friend

[fallen surge]

Likewise

[lyric fjord]

Can I join your campaign.

[cobalt frigate]

Check #find-a-game for games to join.

[echo kelp]

Okay folks - if you’re looking for a game or trying to organize one, first read #find-a-game carefully

[chrome quiver]

hihi! new to the server and (kinda) the game. i know some of the basic rules and how things work but id still consider myself new, as ive never played a game of it before :')

i heard this server was a good place to start but im a lil unsure of how to put myself out there and get involved-

[echo kelp]

Check the pinned messages for useful links/resources to get you started

[chrome quiver]

will do, tyty!

[limber epoch]

Hello 👋

[hazy portal]

hello hello 👋

[hushed vapor]

Hi

[astral tulip]

Can anyone recommend an easy one shot for a 1st time dm? I want my gf to get into dm’ing but most modules are a bit complicated and require a good grasp on ruling and improv. Im looking for something that can be ran for just one player (not including the dm) so i can help her through it from the player side but not entirely hold her hand

[cobalt frigate]

Already [answered](#dnd-discussion message) in #dnd-discussion. I also recommend that you head on over to #dm-discussion if you are looking for DMing advice.

[astral tulip]

Yes sorry, i double posted i didnt think anyone was getting to me but i shouldve been more patient

[warm sluice]

I think I’m interested in being a dm (even though I’m still incredibly new to the game as a player)

But a lot of it seems overwhelming

[cobalt frigate]

Head on over to #dm-discussion if you're curious and want DMing advice.

[harsh fjord]

Briefly, I think folks believe they have to reach some fictitious state of game mastery to run. Not so. You have to actually do it to get past the thoughts that tell you that you can't. You can be more ready or less ready, sure, but it's doable if you try not to worry about every skill DMing entails all at once.

[thick marlin]

Hey there chat, I've recently had the urge to play D&D with a few friends of mine, but there is a small issue, none of us have ever played D&D before, we don't really have anything (a "book"?, dice, and whatever else you need). So here I am to ask if there is anything that would be recommended as a VERY beginner group of friends (such as what to purchase, what kind of things would we could expect, and how the game actually works), we would greatly appreciate if anyone could DM me a thorough explanation of how to actually get this started.

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[cobalt frigate]

Read the free Basic Rules (at least the first four chapters on character creation).

I highly recommend you check out Critical Role's "Handbooker Helper" video tutorial series on Youtube.

After you read the rules and/or watch the tutorial videos, feel free to ask questions here.

[fallen surge]

Welcome! You can check the bot post above for some great resources to get you started, or go to #learn-to-play for a more detailed guide.

[cobalt frigate]

There are not a lot of DMs compared to the number of players so it's unlikely you'll get a personal tutorial. Read through the Basic Rules to get the fundamentals of the game first.

[glass summit]

Pooling your funds together for the D&D Starter Kit would be a good way to start imo
https://dnd.wizards.com/products/starter-set

[thick marlin]

The only reason I have contacted here first is because I'm currently in the middle of college work, and was unable to free the time to actually find these materials, so I appreciate everything

[keen cairn]

Is this good for lore? https://www.worldanvil.com/w/faerun-tatortotzke/t/a-brief-history-timeline

[smoky adder]

I’d recommend asking the folks in #dm-world-building!

[unborn pagoda]

hey anyone know a good place to find active games ?

*online

[true musk]

For in person games you can:

• Visit tabletop game shops
• Visit local conventions
• Visit your local libraries
• Visit your school
• Search Meetup for local play groups.
  As these tend to host opportunities to play in person and tend to be very new player friendly.

Online options in this server:

• Follow the instructions in #find-a-game to learn how to make a post in #750812887697588356 .
• Reach out to people in the #looking-for-players channel.
• These posts are by DMs looking for players.
• Tip: Take your time to read these posts and see if they are compatible with your preferences and interests.
• Tip: Reply to these posts with your preferences and play styles to help the DM determine if you are compatible.
• Check out #looking-for-community as responses to postings will point you to communities that host dnd games.

Other options

• Learn about D&D's official community campaign called Adventures League in https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league
• This can be played in person and online.
• Then check out #1050206572535623690as you can find al events you can participate in.
• You can also search on the Looking for Group forums page of warhorn, roll20, dndbeyond, the website called startplaying, and dnd focused discord servers.

[river steeple]

Hi

[limber epoch]

How is everyone ? I am still new to dnd but I've played in some groups in the past. Still wanting to see if I can play again with a group 😅

[lyric fjord]

Anyone know where I can find players?

[lyric fjord]

Pretty good homie, goodluck finding a group

[smoky adder]

#find-a-game can point you in the right direction.

[lyric fjord]

Thanks homie

[magic karma]

Hello all brand new to D&D and excited to join in an adventure!

[smoky adder]

Welcome!

[wanton wind]

Just joined the party! Excited to one day be a master of the game

[zinc ore]

The pinned messages here have a bunch of knowledge that can help ya out!

That and #learn-to-play

[wanton wind]

Can you guide me to where I can learn how to play solo first?

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[zinc ore]

There are a bunch of basic rules and stuff for ya!

I hope that helps you out (or what you meant lol)

[wanton wind]

Thanks! I'm really big on opening my mind first to be able to play by myself

Will check these out!

[zinc ore]

If you go into a campaign and warn them "hey this is my first time playing" then most people would be happy to help you learn and be there to catch you if/when you make mistakes. It's a social game afterall, but I do understand wanting to test things out on your own

[wanton wind]

Very true, I have some friends that has been playing for a long time since they were young and I never touched on it until recently was I interested. I guess I'm a bit intimidated since they've been playing for years and I barely want to start

Thanks for the peace of mind lol

[zinc ore]

99% of dnd people love introducing new people to the hobby

[dense hazel]

hi

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[zinc ore]

There's some useful information for you! As well as #learn-to-play

[dense hazel]

ty

[zinc ore]

No prob!

[neat inlet]

Hi folks, I am pretty new to dnd, I've play Baldur's Gate 3 and I guess I learn some basics from the game, now I want to play a the traditional way, could anyone let me know where do I start, anything I should know about apart from the basics I learn from BG3 (I guess the video game have some tweaks)?

[zinc ore]

The video game definitely has some tweaks, but you'll learn to seperate those over time! Check out #learn-to-play

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[zinc ore]

And here's some other useful info for ya

[neat inlet]

Thanks!

[pulsar prawn]

as a beginner, where would i be able to find other beginners? id like to start some place, but playing with experienced people sounds very scary lol

[solemn light]

You can always use our Looking-For-X channels to look for DMs who are new and running for new players in #looking-for-players . #find-a-game has instructions on how to use those channels, including how to use the bot to post to #750812887697588356 and how to reply to threads in #looking-for-community and #looking-for-players .

[pulsar prawn]

thank you !

[wet nimbus]

im new to dnd and would like to get other peoples experiences in a dnd game (if you want)

[lyric fjord]

Good morning y'all, I'm new as well, ✨

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[ember loom]

I'm new and need some help with my character design any advice or tips ok what I should do

[echo kelp]

Have you read the first chapter of the free basic rules yet (see https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules) ? It has a step by step instructions on how to build a character.
But start with what kind of class sounds fun to you? A fighter darting in and attacking multiple times a turn? A rogue sneaking behind the enemies and striking with a powerful sneak attack? A barbarian raging and soaking up damage without fear while laying waste to enemies with their greataxe? A bard who inspires their party and provides a useful set of skills for the team? A wizard who casts powerful spells? etc....

[ember loom]

I've got stats and stuff done I just don't know if there is anything else I need to do

[echo kelp]

Nice! I'd try and understand your class features and the core game mechanics (attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks) - but you should be set for playing!
As a note, you may need to tweak your characters depending on what group/game you join to make it best fit the kind of D&D that group is playing as well as work well with the other player's characters.

[ember loom]

I think I'll change to a rogue but I know hot to do stats but I need to find some things so I understand saving thrown and ect

[trim terrace]

Uuh ok so Ive never played dnd and I dont even really know how it works but it seems interesting

Anyone able to tell me more about it

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[cobalt frigate]

Read the free Basic Rules (at least the first four chapters on character creation).

I highly recommend you check out Critical Role's "Handbooker Helper" video tutorial series on Youtube.

After you read the rules and/or watch the tutorial videos, feel free to ask questions here.

[trim terrace]

Alright thanks man 👍

[austere crystal]

If you are looking for a brief description:

It's a social tabletop roleplaying game, taking place in fantasy settings. Typically, one person is the Dungeon Master AKA Game Master, who controls the flow of the game. and everyone else is actually playing the game as players.

[trim terrace]

They play with whatever the DM describes to them is happening?

Like go with the flow type of thing

[carmine shuttle]

Rather like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, with one person as the "book" and rules to prevent "I hit it in the face" "No you don't."

[fallen surge]

Yes and no. At its absolutely most basic level, the core concept of D&D is extremely simple:

The DM describes the world and the situation your characters are in. Then you describe what you would like to do. Then your DM describes how that action affects the world. If there is a chance your action might fail, the DM will decide how difficult that task is, and assign it a "Difficulty Class" (DC) which is a number from 1 to 30. You roll a d20, and add your skill modifier to that number. If you roll equal to or greater than that DC number you succeed. If you roll below it, you fail. Then the DM describes how that success or failure impacts the world, and you do it all again

all of the rest of the rules govern the finer details about what you can or cannot do, when you can do it, how combat works, etc. Do not feel like you need to memorize everything before you try your first game. Of course, it will greatly help you to have a base line familiarity with things, and it will make the game run smoother, but there will be 4-5 other people at the table with you to help you remember things, and you can always just pull out a rule book whenever you need to double check something.

[carmine shuttle]

Also (if you're old like me), like the Infocom games.

[austere crystal]

Yeah! So there are a lot of rules that have to be followed in D&D 5th Edition. The Dungeon Master still gets to describe everything (like you're reading a book), but there are set rules about everything you can do.

[trim terrace]

Alright fair nuff

Can I have guns in the game for my character?

[austere crystal]

Depends on if the Dungeon Master allows them in your setting.

[fallen surge]

firearms are an optional rule, so it would be up to the DM to decide if their world has them or not

[carmine shuttle]

Usually not, for D&D specifically. There are lots of other games of this type, in lots of different settings. Some/many of them are more modern/futuristic settings and have guns available.

"Default" D&D is maybe more like early Renaissance, plus fantasy.

[austere crystal]

Tabletop roleplaying games are considered to have "flexible rules." The Dungeon Master gets to decide all the rules before a campaign (and sometimes during), but it's also their responsibility to keep you informed of changes to the rules.

[trim terrace]

I see I see

Thanks guys, seems really interesting

[austere crystal]

And also sometimes the Dungeon Master has to be the judge of certain things, like whether something would "realistically work."

Usually this is done by setting a Difficulty Class. For example, the Dungeon Master thinks it will be tricky to scale a steep slope, so they set a Difficulty Class of 15.

The players will then roll a die called a D20 (a die with 20 sides). If they roll higher than 15, then they get to succeed and scale the slope.

Otherwise, they might just be described as rolling alll the way back down on their way up, because they failed.

And sometimes the Dungeon Master just has to say, "no. That's impossible. Don't even roll for that."

[dry gulch]

Hello

[carmine shuttle]

A good GM won't make you roll dice unless both outcomes are possibly interesting.

[austere crystal]

debatable

[echo kelp]

DMs do decide if and when dice rolls are needed - I’m not sure why that’s debatable.

But that’s one of the roles of the DM

[austere crystal]

If something a particular outcome is not inherently obvious, then it's okay to have players roll dice for no good reason IMO. This is very, very much an edge case. It has to be an extremely unobvious result.

[echo kelp]

Ah okay - I see where you’re coming from

[carmine shuttle]

I would contend that falls into "both outcomes are potentially interesting"

[echo kelp]

Anyway this is getting into #dm-discussion territory

[carmine shuttle]

True... which is also what I was about to say. 🤣

[heavy pawn]

Heya all!

Would wolves of Welton be a good first oneshot to run if I was to be a DM for the first time?

[sacred ermine]

Hello 👋🏽 so I am new to dnd but I did make a character a few hours ago I wanted to know if I can get some help understanding the game and to see if my character is good

[wheat crystal]

#character-discussion would be a great place to share your sheet for feedback!

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[sacred ermine]

Ok tysm

[fallen surge]

Welcome! If you want to learn more about the game, this bot post above has great resources to get you started, or you can check out the #learn-to-play for even more detailed guides. And if you have any specific questions, let us know and we'll be happy to help.

[sacred ermine]

I most definitely will

[harsh fjord]

I've heard that's a pretty popular choice. Some other adventures (e.g., Peril in Pinebrook, The Silvyr Tower) are a little more hand-holdy about running, which may or may not be useful to you.

[molten wraith]

Hello I am brand new and I looked through the channels on how to play I would like to know how to create my character

[wheat crystal]

Welcome! The free basic rules linked in this channel’s pins cover character creation in Part 1

[harsh fjord]

This is the specific link: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/step-by-step-characters

[earnest badger]

o/ might be the wrong channel but is there any dms looking to run a campaign that wouldnt mind walking a newbie through it?

[zinc ore]

#looking-for-players #find-a-game Are two useful channels for ya

[cobalt frigate]

There are very few DMs compared to the number of players so it's unlikely you'll get a private tutorial. Your best bet is to find a new player friend game.

[zinc ore]

Find a game comes first, sorry lol bad ordering on my part

[earnest badger]

Im not looking for a tutor, more just someone running a campaign that wouldnt mind adding a bit of a newbie to it

[cobalt frigate]

In the meantime while you find a table to play at read the free Basic Rules.

[zinc ore]

Many tables are open to new players, alot of us love sharing this hobby with new people

[earnest badger]

I've only played a one shot and a campaign that got cancelled due to scheduling conflicts

both on 5e

[zinc ore]

Check out the channels I linked earlier, those'll get you where you wanna go

[earnest badger]

thanks a ton

[cobalt frigate]

Also check out iamrazorwing's guide to finding games online.

[molten wraith]

I created my character but I'm not the best at creating a back story for it is there anything to help me with it

[cobalt frigate]

Unless you already found a table to play at don't worry about the details of your backstory because you don't know the DM's setting.

[molten wraith]

Alright thank you

[austere crystal]

You can always fill in your personality traits, flaws, and ideals though!

If you feel like it.

[cold marsh]

Hey does anyone have an open space in an online campaign i haven't played in abit n i want to give it another go but i dont know where to actually look for this stuff

[austere crystal]

Check out #find-a-game!

[cold marsh]

Oh its that simple XD my bad mate cheers

[honest lodge]

I have never played d&d before. But it looks really fun. I like fantasy and role-playing. But I really have no idea how to get started

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[fallen surge]

Welcome! If you want to learn more about the game, this bot post above has great resources to get you started, or you can check out the #learn-to-play channel for even more detailed guides. And if you have any specific questions, let us know and we'll be happy to help.

[honest lodge]

Thanks I just downloaded d&d beyond. I guess I'll just start with making a character. It was just really cool watching this video. The dungeon master was so good and creative it was like I was watching a movie.

[true musk]

I would recommend D&D’s Adventurers League , it’s very new player friendly. Details can be found here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1676-what-is-adventurers-league

You can also find AL events to participate in here: #1050206572535623690

[fallen surge]

If you are looking for a DM, go to #find-a-game and read through the instructions there to see how to make a post in #750812887697588356

This is not the right channel to try to organize a game

[true musk]

I would also recommend looking for youth dnd groups at your school, local library, and tabletop game stores.

[sand oriole]

What is a "Community game"?

[honest lodge]

So I was trying to find a game but haven't really been getting responses. Am I supposed to just make a character at this point. And hope someone responds?

[slow hawk]

You can make as many characters as you want to learn, practice and explore

[fallen surge]

Finding a game and organizing a time to play is a process that can sometimes take days or even weeks. Its far too early to give up

[slow hawk]

For a campaign you’ll need to fit what your DM wants so do not assume any existing concept will be directly portable

[vital lotus]

How do I create a character?

[slow hawk]

Better to learn the process, keep ideas loose, be prepared

[slow hawk]

Read the basic rules

[vital lotus]

K

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[slow hawk]

See above and the additonal materials

[fallen surge]

the first 4 chapters of the Basic Rules (or the player's handbook) are a step-by-step guide to making a character. If you get confused or stuck along the way, you can ask us any specific questions you have.

[warm sluice]

Are some games just not as roleplay heavy as others

[fallen surge]

Yep. Everything is dependent on the group

[warm sluice]

I’m kind of hoping to find a roleplay heavy group

[fallen surge]

That's the fun of TTRPGs. Everything can be customized

If you want to find a game that is more heavy on Role Play, then you just need to ask the DM and the other players how they feel about role play and what importance they plan to place on it in their game. If your desires and expectations don't match with the rest of the group, then you can just find a different group.

[autumn flame]

Im new and never played DnD but im excited to learn

[exotic remnant]

What is D&D?

• Learn the basics and enjoy a short adventure with our quick introductory demo.

How does it work?

• The Basic Rules are available at no cost and cover everything you need to know to play.
• For bite-sized video explanations, check out Critical Role's Handbooker Helper series.

Where do I start?

• Create a character digitally on D&D Beyond or print a character sheet to fill out by hand.
• Check out #find-a-game to find a group to join.

[harsh fjord]

The links above will help, and #learn-to-play also has useful info!

[autumn flame]

thank you im o nthere making a character now

[lusty bone]

Im a new comer, been tryna use chatgpt to play has not gone well can someone help me? im gonna see if i can try to find my first in person session one day (i might call that my first session) and online as soon as i can!

[echo kelp]

Don't rely on AI to actually get you anything more than ideas.

But here's the free basic rules: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules

[cobalt frigate]

ChatGPT is not a good substitute for a real person as a DM. Artificial Intelligence isn't really intelligent...

[lusty bone]

Ill check it out!

[zinc ore]

You can't really replace a real DM due to how empathy works with cooperative play

[lusty bone]

Ive been tryna make chatgpt act like a dm but yeah its not working.