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Boring Legal Stuff

W
elcome to this Dungeon Masters Guild Proudly Produced By
supplement for the 5th edition of the world's
greatest roleplaying game! Within, you'll find a
brief guide for learning how to play the game,
helping you to sift through the rules that really
matter without getting overwhelmed by a
bunch of stuff that can wait for later.
Honestly you really could just be skipping this page; the
actual guide starts on the next page. This page is just here to
include some legally-required text and so forth. Don't worry
about it.
I hope you enjoy the guide; if so, then please consider
leaving a review so that other players can find it as well!
Thanks for reading, and best of luck in your adventure!
Designed by Jacob S Kellogg
Written by Jacob S Kellogg
Cover Art by Sandrine Nany
Other Art used under public domain, Creative Commons,
and/or permission from Wizards of the Coast
Check out PurpleAetherGames.com for more. Get early
access and other great perks by becoming a patron at
Patreon.com/jskellogg

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast,

Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon
ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product
names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards
of the Coast in the USA and other countries.
This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of
the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with
permission under the Community Content Agreement for
Dungeon Masters Guild.
All other original material in this work is copyright 2018 by
Purple Aether Games LLC and published under the
Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

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Welcome to D&D!

P
eople everywhere are discovering (or re-
discovering) the amazing game of heroic The Essential Mechanics
adventure that is Dungeons and Dragons. Okay, let's talk nuts and bolts. Don't worry, you don't have to
There's something special about gathering your know everything. Let's narrow our focus to the things you
friends and leading heroes of your own making really need to understand in order to play, and leave the rest
on adventures through a rich fantasy world full for once you get the hang of things.
of magic and monsters. If you're reading this,
then you've decided to give it a try as well, and that means Levels
we're in this together.
You may have noticed that rules are a bit extensive; the Your character's overall power is summarized with their
Player's Handbook is not a small document. It's rather level. In all likelihood, you'll be starting with a 1st-level PC.
daunting to try learning all those rules, so I suggest you don't. Very gradually, your level will go up and you'll get cool new
You see, much of what's in the PHB is stuff you can just abilities, but that's not something you need to understand
reference as you go. Instead of trying to learn it all right away, right away. There's plenty of time to learn how gaining levels
this guide will show you which key mechanics you need to works after you've started playing.
focus in on, and help you grasp the fundamentals of the
game, equipping you to play with confidence in a fraction of Abilities, Ability Scores, and
the time. Modifiers
Here's what we're going to cover: One of the most fundamental sets of information about your
The Big Idea. What's an RPG? Just what kind of a game is PC is their abilities, ability scores, and ability modifiers.
D&D, anyway? Abilities are six attributes which represent your PC's basic
The Essential Mechanics. Out of all the rules, which ones aptitude:
are you going to be using constantly, and how do they work? Strength (STR)
What to Expect. What comes up a lot, and what doesn't? Dexterity (DEX)
What terms do you need to recognize and respond to? Constitution (CON)
Character-Building Basics. What steps must you go Intelligence (INT)
through to build your first character? Wisdom (WIS)
Best Practices. What are some good habits to get into that Charisma (CHA)
will help your games go smoothly from day one?
These abilities more or less mean what they sound like. Your
We're going to cover all that, and we're going to do it without ability scores are numbers (usually ranging from about 7-18)
you having to spend all day reading. Are you ready? Let's go! which rate how much aptitude you have in each ability.
Finally, your ability modifier is a smaller number (0-5, could
be positive or negative) derived from an ability score.
The Big Idea Truth be told, you mostly only care about the ability
Okay, so what's the deal with this game at the most basic modifier, and the only purpose of the ability score is to
level? It's a game whose goal is to create a story of high- determine the modifier. (There's some old history for why
fantasy adventure, but without anybody knowing ahead of both numbers exist when you only care about one; you don't
time exactly how things will play out. need to know all that.) Your modifiers will be added (or
The players each have their own character, who serves as subtracted) from a lot of die rolls, and sometimes factored
one of the protagonists. The DM ("Dungeon Master") into other stats for your PC.
controls everything else, much like a narrator but without the
ability to control the protagonists. The DM presents a
situation, describing what the PCs (player characters) see
and hear. Then the players act out what they want their PCs
to do. Finally, the DM describes the effects of the PCs' Example of ability scores with modifiers in parentheses. Your
actions as well as how NPCs (non-player characters) DM will tell you how to generate your scores, and what their
respond. The players respond again, and the cycle continues. corresponding modifiers will be.
Along the way, sometimes the PCs or NPCs (or monsters)
will do things with uncertain results. For example, if the
monster tries to eat you but you try to jump out of the way, The Dice
what happens? Which of you is successful? That's when we Remember how the dice come up when you need to
use all those wacky dice you might have already seen or determine the outcome of something? Well, you can divide
heard of. The dice are named for their numbers of sides (d4, that concept into two categories, two questions that you'll be
d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20). relying on the dice to answer: "Yes or no?" and "How
Rolling the dice will resolve those uncertain moments, much?". The d20 answers the first question, and all the other
determining the results of risky or dramatic activities. This is dice take turns answering the second. Let's get into it.
why nobody knows how the story will go. That's part of the
fun!

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Yes or No? Actions and Combat

When it comes time to see whether or not you succeed at There's a lot of combat in D&D. When combat starts,
something, you'll end up rolling a d20. These d20 rolls come suddenly the rules get a little more picky, but don't worry! It's
with lots of different names (attack rolls, ability checks, not that bad as long as you get the basics down. In combat,
saving throws, etc), but they all use the same process. Learn everybody takes turns, and you have a certain assortment of
the process, and the rest will fall into place. There are three things you can do on your turn: an action, a bonus action,
parts to a d20 roll: the die, the modifier, and proficiency. and some movement. You also get one reaction that you can
The Die. Roll the d20 and see what number comes up. use whether it's your turn or not! Let's go over how these
The higher the better: you're looking to roll at least as high as work.
a certain target number. There's some math to do (see below), Action. You have one action on your turn, and can use it to
but roll first, because if you roll exceptionally high or low then attack with a weapon, cast a magic spell, drink a potion, or do
you can probably skip the math. any miscellaneous things that make sense but aren't listed
The Modifier. Remember how your abilities have modifier anywhere. Since you only get one action per turn, you'll often
numbers associated with them? The main use of those have to make hard choices.
numbers is to modify your d20 rolls. (That's why they're Bonus Action. Sometimes a class feature or spell says it
called "modifiers".) For any given d20 roll, you'll be adding uses a bonus action. You get one bonus action on your turn,
one of your ability modifiers. Which ability? It depends on but can only use it for something that specifically says it costs
what you're doing, and we'll get to that later. For now, just a bonus action. If you don't have such an ability, you can't use
understand that if you're rolling a d20, you're adding an ability your bonus action.
modifier. Movement. You have a pool of movement (usually about 30
Proficiency. Every character has a "proficiency bonus". feet) that you can hustle-walk on your turn. If you're slowed
The size of this bonus depends on your level (at 1st level, it's down by bad terrain or trying to climb or swim, your
+2). Your character will have certain skills, weapons, and/or movement costs double. Standing up from prone costs half
tools in which they're proficient. If you're rolling a d20 for your pool. You can double your pool by spending your action
something you're proficient with, then you add your to Dash.
proficiency bonus. If you're rolling for anything else, then you Reaction. You get one reaction per round, and can use it
don't. even when it's not your turn. For the most part, you can only
use a reaction as specified by a spell or class feature.
That's d20 rolls in a nutshell: d20 + ability mod, then also add However, there is one universal reaction, called the
proficiency if you're proficient. It doesn't matter if it's a saving opportunity attack. If an enemy is within striking distance
throw, a skill check, an attack roll, or a tool check; they all and tries to leave, you can use your reaction to make one
follow this formula. You'll be using this mechanic more than attack. Enemies can do this too, so watch out! However, if you
any other in the entire game, so make sure you've got it! use your action to Disengage, you can move without fear of
an opportunity attack.
Rest and Recovery
Something your character will be doing a lot of is resting up
from their adventures (and boo-boos). Ignoring the fringe
applications of resting, let's go over the fundamentals. Hit
points ("HP") show how much damage you can take, and are
influenced by your hit dice ("HD") which don't really
How much? represent anything at all but are still important. Both HP and
While the d20 answers "Yes or no?", the question of "How HD come into play when you rest. Resting comes in two
much?" is answered by the other dice. Most of the time, this types: short and long.
question is being asked about damage during combat. Each Short Rest. You can recover a little bit of your HP by
PC, NPC and monster has a pool of HP ("hit points") which resting for 1 hour. You do so by rolling hit dice, but be careful:
represent how sturdy and healthy they are. When someone you only have a number of HD equal to your level. Check your
gets hurt, they lose HP, and if their HP hits zero, they hit the class to see what type of die your HD is, and also be sure to
dirt. The dice, then, tell you how much damage is subtracted add your CON modifier to each hit die you roll. The roll plus
from someone's HP, or how much HP is replenished by a your CON mod is how much HP you recover.
healing potion or curative spell. Long Rest. A long rest is basically a good night's sleep. You
The item, spell, or effect you're using will generally tell you recover all of your HP. Also, remember those hit dice you
which dice to roll. The main thing you really need to learn spent during your short rest? You get some of those back, but
about these rolls is this: if you're rolling for the damage dealt no more than half your level (rounded up).
by a weapon, you will also add an ability modifier to the Also, every class has certain abilities that refresh on a short
result (it will be the same ability as the attack roll). Lots of and/or long rest, so expect to take a lot of breathers if you
people forget this, because every other non-d20 roll is dice- don't want to die.
only unless otherwise specified, so make sure this sticks:
weapon damage gets a modifier added.

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Race
What to Expect Choose a race for your character. This will give you an
Sometimes it can be hard to fully grasp the rules of a game assortment of benefits which you can apply to your character,
without understanding how those rules are actually applied the most universal of which is to increase two or more of
in play, so let's talk a bit about what gameplay will be like. your ability scores. Record all these things on your character
sheet, then compare your ability scores to the chart at the top
Make a What Now? of page 13 of the PHB to determine your ability modifiers.
All the time during the game, you'll be told to do things like Write these down as well.
make a Perception check, make a DEX save, or make an
attack roll. These are all different types of d20 rolls, but Background
you're not worried because you remember how all these d20 Your background represents what your character used to do
rolls work basically the same way. before taking up a life of adventure. Your choice of
If the DM tells you to make a certain type of check, it's background will give you a few things: skills, tools, languages,
usually a skill or tool. You will have already marked on your equipment, a feature and some personality characteristics.
sheet whether you're proficient or not, so you'll be ready to
roll a d20, add an ability modifier, and possibly add your Skills
proficiency bonus. The same goes for saving throws Your background will list two skills in which you become
(sometimes abbreviated to "saves"), which usually happen proficient. Remember, this means that whenever you roll a
when an enemy uses a spell or special ability against you, as d20 to use that skill, you'll get to add your proficiency bonus
well as for attack rolls. to the roll.
Advantage and Disadvantage Tools
Sometimes, the thing you're trying to do will be made harder Your background may or may not give you proficiency with
or easier due to circumstances, spell effects, or even one or more tools. If it does, this has the same effect as a skill
assistance or interference from other people. This is proficiency: when you roll a d20 for that tool, you get to add
represented with the advantage and disadvantage your proficiency bonus.
mechanics.
Both of these mechanics mean that you roll your d20 twice Languages
but only keep one result, ignoring the other. If your roll has If your background says you know one or more languages,
advantage, you keep the higher roll; for disadvantage, you choose them from the lists on page 123, but ask your DM if
keep the lower. Simple, right? any of them are off-limits first.

It's All Gone Wrong... or Right? Feature and Characteristics

Each background gives you some kind of special ability called
Because success and failure depends on d20 rolls, it's a feature. They do what they say. You'll also be offered lists of
inevitable that sometimes you'll fail at things you thought you quirks and traits to choose from. You can use these to help
were good at, but also that you'll get lucky and succeed even you define your PC's personality, or you can skip them.
when your character doesn't know what they're doing. That's Whichever is easier for you is fine.
okay!
Part of the fun of D&D is not knowing what will happen, so Class
just go with it! Many people's best memories of D&D come
from salvaging an improbably bad series of rolls or defying all Finally, your class is what will determine most of your
odds to save the day. Remember, even if your character dies, character's capabilities. Note that each class cares more
you can always make a new one and keep playing. Plus, about certain ability scores than others, described early in the
nobody can ever take away the fond memories. class description. You can either shop around for a class that
uses your best score(s), or you can find a class that looks cool
and make sure you put good scores into its primary abilities.
Character-Building Basics Your class will tell you how many hit points you start off
Creating your first character doesn't have to be scary. You with, give you some more proficiencies, give you some
create your character by assembling four main components: starting equipment, and describe a couple of class features
ability scores, race, background, and class. Each of these that let you do cool stuff. Write all this down.
elements will contribute different things to the final
character. You can do these steps in any order (and even Writing Down Numbers
bounce around if you change your mind about something), It's boring, but you've got to do it: write down a lot of
but the order below might be the easiest to start with. numbers. See the list of skills? Each one is associated with a
certain ability score. If you're proficient, add the ability
Ability Scores modifier and your proficiency bonus, and write the total next
First, you'll need to generate ability scores. There is more to the skill. (This will save you some math later, only having to
than one way to do this; ask your DM which method to use. add a single number to your d20 roll.) If you're not proficient,
Once you've assembled a set of six scores, assign them to just copy over your ability modifier by itself. Now you'll have
your six abilities in whatever order you please. numbers next to all your skills, so you'll know exactly what to
add when you roll a d20.

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Do the same thing with your saving throws, pre-mathing the Learn Your Bread and Butter
ones you're proficient in and copying down the ability
modifiers for the rest. Again with weapons: presumably you Speaking of being ready in combat, you'll quickly find that
have weapons you're proficient with, so you can write down you have certain actions you use again and again. Maybe it's
the total you'll add to your d20 rolls with those weapons. You your best cantrip or your favorite weapon. Whatever it is that
can also write down the damage for those weapons: the dice you're doing consistently, have its details ready. Nothing gets
listed on page 149 and the relevant ability modifier. old faster than having to search through the rulebook to
Fill in your armor class by finding your armor on page 145 verify the damage die of the same sword you've been using
and following instructions. (Note that you never make d20 for the past three months.
rolls for your armor, so being "proficient" with armor just
means it's okay to wear it.) Also fill in your speed, HP, and Share the Spotlight
anything else you haven't written down yet. You're playing one of the heroes of this story, but so is each of
the other players. Before you jump into action to save the day,
think about how often you've already done so. If you've been
on center stage for a while, maybe stay quiet and let other
players be heroes for a while. In fact, you could even have
your character ask one of the other characters what they
think would be a good course of action.
Of course, this goes the other way too. If you've not been
very involved lately, speak up! Jump in with both feet, and
don't be afraid to get involved in the scene. The magic of
D&D happens when players react to each other, so it's best
when everyone is involved!
Roll With It
Sometimes, something will come up and nobody's sure how
the rules are supposed to work for it, or two people disagree.
Remember, this isn't a grad school thesis, it's a game; it
doesn't have to be perfect! If the consequences are minor, just
have the GM pick a way to handle it for the moment, and then
you can all figure it out after the game.

Game On!
I hope this quick-start guide has been helpful. Remember,
even long-time gamers make mistakes and ask questions
sometimes, so don't be afraid to be new! Ask for help, learn as
you go, and remember the basics that you learned here.
If you liked this guide, you can support my work by leaving
a review or by leaving me a tip at https://ko-fi.com/jskellogg,
or if you like more than just D&D you can get cool stuff by
supporting my design work at https://patreon.com/jskellogg.
Best Practices Finally, if you want to see more of my D&D content (like
new backgrounds and classes), you can see it all on the DM's
Here are some things to keep in mind when playing, which Guild here: https://bit.ly/2MxD64i
should keep things going smoothly even without you having
to memorize a 300-page book first.
Think Ahead
Especially in combat, you will often have a moment to think
about what you might like to do next before you actually have
to commit. Think about what you might like to do next, and if
necessary, look up the relevant rules. For example, if your
wizard is in a fight, think of which spell you might cast and
look it up while other people are taking their turns. Then,
when your turn comes around, you'll be all set!

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