Step #1: Finding a Group

Local Game Stores(LGS’s) - D&D Nights, D&D Games Hosted

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Check around for your local game store, as there usually is one in towns and multiple in larger cities. These game stores often have Dungeonmasters who run games in the store, or the store itself will have Dungeonmasters who run games through the store. Call the store in your area and ask if D&D is played or run there. If so, ask if there are any available spaces for you to try.

Online D&D Games & Finding Them

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There are many places to search for Online D&D Games. A Virtual Tabletop called Roll20 has posted online games, and social media sites like Reddit and Facebook are also options to find D&D Games.

The r/lfg subreddit on reddit is the best place on the site to locate available online games, or even starting your own!

Facebook Groups - DnD Group Finder(Free Games Only), and DnD Group Finder America are both active options. There are also group finders on facebook for other countries.

Choosing to be the Dungeon Master

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Another option for new players is to become the dm and make your own group. This is not an easy job, but it is an absolute delight to do, even if it does take more work. The best advice anyone can give is to simply start doing it. This kind of job is good for those who have big goals, an interest in worldbuilding, or want to make a great game for your friends.

Frequent Beginner Questions

  • A safe start for the most recent editions of dungeons and dragons(5e 2024 or 5e 2014) is to purchase the Players Handbook.

    There are also online resources that can help you search through rules as you so please, if the book is a little too expensive at the present time.

  • When you play TTRPG’s(Table Top Roleplaying Games) like Dungeons & Dragons, you are using a set of 7 dice, including a d20, d12, d10, percentile(paired with d10), d8, d6, and d4 die.

    You roll these dice and add your modifiers from your character sheet when you roll, in order to accomplish what you are trying to do.

    The list of things you can choose to do in Dungeons & Dragons and other TTRPG’s is unlimited. Your imagination and your requests of the game master or dungeon master are the only limit to what you can attempt to do while playing.

    Want to join a drinking contest? You can do that. Want to go hunting for food or foraging for berries? You can do that. Want to slay a god? You can do that. The options are limitless, and by simply stating what you want to do and being allowed to roll for the task means you are playing. Roleplay is also a heavy factor of playing this game, but not all groups are roleplay focused. Don’t feel embarrassed about your roleplay ability, that will get better with time, or you might not enjoy that aspect of the game, and you can find groups that are more combat focused.

    Build your character around what you want them to be good at, and study the skills on your character sheet to learn what they do.

    Playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons is the best way to truly learn to play, and all you need to do is follow the steps listed above to find a DM, or Dungeon Master to run a game for you. If you are interested in a trial run of Dungeons & Dragons, I offer pay-to-play beginner friendly one-shots(one session stories) and short campaigns for brand new players, and will guide you through the steps of character creation myself.

  • In online games, you don’t need a miniature, and there are plenty of ways to make tokens for online games with incredible ease that are also free to use.

    In In-Person games, you can use whatever you like as your character miniature, but most miniatures that are unpainted only cost $5.00 at local game stores, but you can find other 3D printed ones online on sites like Etsy.

    Your Dungeon Master(DM) might already have a miniature for you to use until you can pick one of your own from a store or online.

  • When you start playing, and have found a dungeon master, there is often something called Session Zero, which is where people’s boundaries, the DM’s house rules(rules different from the standard base rules), and what people are or are not comfortable with are discussed.

    The storyline of the campaign or one-shot will be mentioned in the Session Zero as well.

    Make a character that fits the setting(the world in which the story is happening) that is willing to undertake the adventure provided and your character will have a better start to the campaign.

    DM’s all have their own style of running their games, or if they are new, begin to develop their own style. An important thing to note is that the rules of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons are more malleable than other rule systems, and not all rules are going to be strictly followed. Following the rules to a fault is called a RAW game, meaning Rules As Written.

How to Make a 5th Edition D&D Character

Step By Step Instructions

  • When you begin the process of creating your first dungeons and dragons character, you may have an idea as to what kind of talents or abilities you want your character to have.

    You may want to replicate or lift your ideas from a source of media you enjoy, the lore of a historical person, or borrow the storyline of a notable character from fiction. These are all okay to do.

    Think of an idea and propose it to your Dungeon Master, who should assist you in making character creation choices to best make a character that matches your vision.

  • Now that you have an idea what kind of character you would like to make, their themes, their weapons, or any idea you had in the first stage of character creation, you can look through the available Classes, which are the main factor of your characters abilities. There are a small number of classes to choose from in 5th Edition. You can find these classes listed on many sites, including D&D Beyond, Online SRD’s, and Roll20(A Virtual Online Tabletop to play TTRPG’s Online from home) searches.

    There will come a stage where your characters level(How your character increases in health, power, and abilities) allows you to take something called a Subclass. You may start at a level high enough for this or you may start at 1st level and not yet have a subclass. These subclasses will really jumpstart your character concept and make you better at specific things and grant you new abilities that will get better as you level up more in that specific class and subclass.

    Choosing your class and subclass is perhaps the most important part of making your vision a reality.

  • When you have chosen your characters class, now it’s time for you to determine your stats.

    You have 6 Main Stats - Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These stats, once there are number in them, add modifiers to your abilities increasing by increments of 2. Ex: A 16 in Dexterity makes your Dexterity Modifier a +3, and a 14 in Dexterity makes your Dexterity Modifier a +2. If your stat is a 10, it’s modifier is +0, and going beneath 10 brings your modifier into the negatives, meaning you would subtract your negative modifier from rolls using that stat. These modifiers are crucial and are a major piece of your character.

    Your DM will have chosen a way for you to determine your stats, and the following are the most popular and common methods;

    Standard Array - With this method, you are given a series of 6 numbers that you can place as the base number in stats of your choice. The Standard Array numbers are; 15, 14. 13, 12, 10, 8.

    27 Point Buy - This method involves you placing points into each of your stats, each stat starting at 8 and then increasing as you put points into them. You can only put up to 15 in any of your stats with this method. You have 27 points to place in your stats. Sometimes people will use 32 Point Buy, which is the same but with more points to place, but this is uncommon.

    Rolling for Stats - This is the original way of deciding your stats. This entails rolling 4d6 dice. When they have been rolled, you remove the lowest number of all the 4 dice, and add up the total of the remaining rolled dice numbers, and that number becomes one of 6 that you can place in your 6 main stats however you like. You would do this 6 times to cover each available stat.

  • Now that your stats are settled, you need to choose what your hero’s race or species is. Dungeons & Dragons has dozens of unique species to choose from, but some species and races might not be available in the campaign that you are playing in, as the races and species available are up to the Dungeon Master, who is running the game and running the world that you will be interacting with.

    These races and species grant bonuses to your stats. Choosing a race that benefits your class is always a safe bet, but creative choices and buffing your weaker stats is also a good option.

    Here is where more of your creative choices become prevalent, because the races all have unique abilities on their own, some even give you spells, different rules for sight and sleeping, and other features. Depending on the world your game is set in, lore for the races and species might differ from standard Dungeons & Dragons lore.

    Consult with your DM about what race/species you would like to play and where your character might have come from. This can assist in the next steps of character creation.

  • Now that you have settled most of the numbers and stats, chosen your species/race, and have most of your character completed, it’s time for your creative vision to take the forefront.

    In this step, you start by picking your Background, which is an additional layer of depth to your character and goes hand in hand with a characters personal backstory. Backgrounds are mechanics that give you access to certain places, gives skill proficiencies, and other benefits. The background options are listed in the D&D 5e Sourcebooks.

    Then, you work on your backstory, or your backstory idea can inspire your choice of Background. Most Dungeon Masters would like a simple backstory for low-level characters, but higher level characters to start with may have more in their backstory.

    Some good things to have in your backstory;

    • Family history

    • Why you are adventuring and taking on the campaigns quest?

    • How did you end up at the starting location of the campaign?

    • What experience has shaped your character the most?

    • What are your characters big goals over the course of the campaign?

    These two factors will play the largest role in your characters important moments throughout the game, and may open doors later on for changes and character growth. These factors will also play a role in your Dungeon Master setting up personal storylines over the course of the game.

  • There are many weapons, armor types, magic items, and basic adventuring gear items in the game.

    You may start with a selected “Pack”
    that includes such items like a Bedroll, Backpack, Shovel, Mess Kit, Flint and Steel… The essentials of an adventurer and living on the road.

    Now you get to pick your weapons that you use in combat, your staff or magic enabling items if you are playing a spellcaster. There is an adventuring gear list in the Players Handbook, and lists what they are for. These items in the book have listed prices to purchase them.

    You will likely start with your chosen weapons, a set of armor if you need it, and or the base items needed for your character to function, but purchasing other items might include the use of something called, “Starting Gold.”