2014 DnD 5e Players Handbook (BnW OCR) PDF

 C ontents P r e f a c e 4 Pa r t 2...

 C ontents P r e f a c e 4 Pa r t 2 171 C hapter 7: U s in g A b il it y Sc o r e s...........173 I n t r o d u c t io n 5 Ability S c o r e s and M odifiers........................................173 W orlds o f A dven tu re................................................................... 5 Advantage and D isadvan tage...................................... 173 U sing Th is B o o k......................................................................... 6 P roficien cy B o n u s............................................................173 H ow to P la y................................................................................... 6 Ability C h e ck s................................................................... 174 A d v en tu res.................................................................................... 7 U sing E ach A bility...........................................................175 Saving T h r o w s................................................................ 179 P a r t 1 9 C h apter 8: A d v e n t u r in g...................... 181 C hapter 1: S t e p - b y - S tep C h a r a c t e r s..... 11 T im e........................................................................... 181 B eyon d 1st L ev el............................................................... 15 M ovem en t.......................................................................... 181 Th e E nvironm ent................................................... 183 C h apter 2 : R a c e s........................................................ 17 S o c ia l In tera ction........................................................... 185 C h oosin g a R a ce................................................................ 17 R e s tin g............................................................................... 186 D w a rf.................................................................................... 18 B etw een A dven tu res......................................................186 E l f...........................................................................................21 H alfling.................................................................................26 C h apter 9: C om bat................................................ 189 H u m an..................................................................................29 The O rder o f C om b a t.....................................................189 D ra g o n b o rn........................................................................ 32 M ovem ent and P o sitio n.................................................190 G n o m e..................................................................................35 A ctions in C o m b a t.......................................................... 192 H alf-E lf.................................................................................38 M aking an A ttack............................................................ 193 H a lf-O rc.............................................................................. 40 C over................................................................................... 196 T ie flin g.................................................................................42 D am age and H e a lin g.....................................................196 M ounted C om bat............................................................. 198 C h apter 3: C l a s s e s.................................................. 45 Underwater C om ba t....................................................... 198 B arbarian............................................................................ 46 B a r d...................................................................................... 51 P a r t 3 199 C leric.....................................................................................56 D ru id.....................................................................................64 C h ap ter 10 : S p e l l c a s t i n g.................................201 F igh ter..................................................................................70 W hat Is a S p e ll?...............................................................201 M o n k..................................................................................... 76 Casting a S p e ll................................................................ 202 P a la d in.................................................................................82 C h ap ter 11: S p e l l s..................................................... 207 R a n g e r..................................................................................89 Spell L ists..........................................................................207 R o g u e....................................................................................94 Spell D e scrip tio n s...........................................................211 S o r c e r e r.............................................................................. 99 W a rlo ck..............................................................................105 A p p e n d ix A : C o n d it io n s 290 W iz a r d................................................................................112 C h a p t e r 4 : P e r s o n a l it y a n d A p p e n d ix B: B a c k g r o u n d.................................................................. 121 G od s o f t h e M u l t iv e r se 293 Character D etails............................................................ 121 In spiration........................................................................ 125 B a ck g rou n d s.................................................................... 125 A p p e n d ix C: C hapter 5: E q u ip m e n t.........................................143 T h e P l a n e s o f E x is t e n c e 300 Starting E quipm ent....................................................... 143 The Material P lane.......................................................3 0 0 W e a lth................................................................................143 B eyond the M aterial.................................. 301 A rm or and S h ie ld s.........................................................144 W ea p on s............................................................................ 146 A p p e n d ix D: Adventuring G e a r...........................................................148 C r e a t u r e St a t is t ic s 304 T o o ls....................................................................................154 M ounts and V e h icle s..................................................... 155 A p p e n d i x E: Trade G o o d s..................................................................... 157 E x p en ses........................................................................... 157 In sp ir a t io n a l R e a d in g 312 T rink ets............................................................................. 159 In d e x 313 C hapter 6: C u s t o m iz a t io n O p t io n s.... 163 M ulticlassing.................................................................... 163 F e a t s...................................................................................165 C h aracter Sheet 317 Preface N OCE UPON A TIME, LONG, LONG AGO, IN A are likely to end up friends. It’s a c o o l side effect o f the realm called the M idw estern United gam e. Your next gam ing group is as clo se as the nearest States—specifically the states o f M inn e­ g am e store, online forum , or gam ing convention. sota and W iscon sin —a group o f friends The se co n d thing you n eed is a lively im agination gathered together to forever alter the or, m ore importantly, the w illin gn ess to u se whatever history o f gam ing. im agination you have. You d on ’t need to be a m aster It w asn ’t their intent to do so. Th ey w ere storyteller or a brilliant artist. You just n eed to aspire to tired o f m erely readin g tales about w orld s o f m agic, create, to have the cou rage o f som eon e w ho is w illing to m onsters, and adventure. They w anted to play in th ose build som eth in g and share it w ith others. w orlds, rather than ob serv e them. That they w ent on Luckily, just as D & D can strengthen your friendships, to invent D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s , and thereby ignite a it can help build in you the con fid en ce to create and revolution in gam ing that continu es to this day, sp eaks share. D & D is a gam e that teach es you to lo o k for the to tw o things. clever solution, share the sudden idea that can overcom e First, it sp eak s to their ingenuity and genius in fig­ a problem , and push y ou rself to im agine w hat cou ld be, uring out that gam es w ere the perfect w ay to explore rather than sim ply a ccep t what is. w orld s that could not oth erw ise exist. A lm ost every T he first characters and adventures you create w ill m od ern gam e, w hether played on a digital device or probably be a collection o f cliches. That’s true o f every­ a tabletop, ow es som e debt to D&D. one, from the greatest D u n geon M asters in history on S econ d , it is a testam ent to the inherent appeal o f the dow n. A ccep t this reality and m ove on to create the gam e they created. D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s sparked a secon d character or adventure, w hich w ill b e better, thriving global phenom enon. It is the first roleplaying and then the third, w h ich w ill be better still. R epeat that gam e, and it rem ains one o f the best o f its breed. over the cou rse o f time, and s o o n y ou ’ll be able to create To play D&D, and to play it w ell, you d on ’t n eed to anything, from a ch a ra cter’s backgrou n d story to an epic read all the rules, m em orize every detail o f the gam e, w orld o f fantasy adventure. or m aster the fine art o f rolling funny look in g dice. O nce you have that skill, it’s y ou rs forever. C ou n tless N one o f th ose things have any bea rin g on w hat’s best w riters, artists, and other creators can trace their beg in ­ about the game. nings to a few p ages o f D & D notes, a handful o f dice, W hat you need are tw o things, the first being friends and a kitchen table. with w h om you can share the gam e. Playing gam es with A bove all else, D&D is yours. The friendships you your friends is a lot o f fun, but D & D d oes som eth in g m ake around the table w ill be unique to you. The adven­ m ore than entertain. tures you em bark on, the characters you create, the Playing D & D is an exercise in collaborative creation. m em ories you m ake—th ese w ill be yours. D & D is your You and your friends create epic stories filled with ten­ p erson al corn er o f the universe, a place w here you have sion and m em orable dram a. You create silly in-jokes free reign to do as you wish. that m ake you laugh years later. The dice w ill be cruel G o forth now. R ead the rules o f the gam e and the to you, but you w ill soldier on. Your collective creativ­ story o f its w orlds, but always rem em ber that you are ity w ill build stories that you w ill tell again and again, the one w h o brings them to life. Th ey are nothing ranging from the utterly absurd to the stuff o f legend. w ithout the spark o f life that you give them. If you d on ’t have friends interested in playing, don ’t w orry. T h ere’s a sp ecia l alchem y that takes place M ike M earls around a D & D table that nothing else can m atch. Play M ay 2014 the gam e with som eon e enough, and the tw o o f you In t r o d u c t io n Th e D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s r o l e p l a y in g In the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e, each player gam e is about storytelling in w orld s o f creates an adventurer (also called a character) and sw ord s and sorcery. It sh ares elem ents team s up with other adventurers (played by friends). w ith ch ild h ood gam es o f m ake-believe. Like W orkin g together, the group might explore a dark dun­ th ose gam es, D & D is driven by im agina­ geon, a ruined city, a haunted castle, a lost tem ple deep tion. It’s about picturing the tow ering castle in a ju n gle, or a lava-filled cavern beneath a m ysterious beneath the storm y night sky and im agining m ountain. The adventurers can solve puzzles, talk with h ow a fantasy adventurer m ight react to the challen ges other characters, battle fantastic m onsters, and discover that scen e presents. fabulous m agic item s and other treasure. O ne player, however, takes on the role o f the D un geon M aster (D M ), the gam e’s lead storyteller and referee. Dungeon Master (DM): After passin g through the T h e DM creates adventures for the characters, w h o nav­ craggy peaks, the road takes a sudden turn to the east igate its h azards and d ecide w hich paths to explore. The and Castle Ravenloft towers before you. Crum blin g DM might d escrib e the entrance to Castle Ravenloft, towers of stone keep a silent watch over the approach. and the players decide what they w ant their adventurers to do. W ill they w alk a cro ss the dangerously w eathered They look like abandoned guardhouses. Beyond these, draw bridge? Tie them selves together with rope to m ini­ a wide chasm gapes, disappearing into the deep m ize the ch a n ce that som eon e w ill fall if the draw bridge fog below. A lowered drawbridge spans the chasm , gives way? Or cast a spell to carry them over the chasm ? leading to an arched entrance to the castle courtyard. Then the DM determ ines the results o f the adventur­ The chains o f the drawbridge creak in the wind, their ers’ actions and narrates what they e xperien ce. B ecau se rust-eaten iron straining with the weight. From atop the DM can im provise to react to anything the players attempt, D & D is infinitely flexible, and each adventure the high strong walls, stone gargoyles stare at you can be exciting and unexpected. from hollow sockets and grin hideously. A rotting The gam e has no real end; w hen on e story or quest wooden portcullis, green with growth, hangs in the w ra ps up, another one can begin, creating an on goin g entry tunnel. Beyond this, the main doors o f Castle story called a campaign. M any p eop le w h o play the Ravenloft stand open, a rich warm light sp illin g into gam e keep their cam p aign s going for m onths or years, m eetin g with their friends every w eek or s o to pick the courtyard. up the story w here they left off. T h e adventurers g row Phillip (playing Gareth): I want to look at the in m ight as the cam paign continues. Each m onster gargoyles. I have a feeling they’re not just statues. defeated, each adventure com pleted, and each treasure Amy (playing Riva): The drawbridge looks precarious? recovered not only adds to the continuing story, but also I want to see how sturdy it is. Do I think we can cross earns the adventurers n ew capabilities. T h is in crease it, or is it going to collapse under our weight? in pow er is reflected by an adventurer’s level. T h ere’s no w inning and losing in the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e—at least, not the way those term s are Unlike a gam e o f m ake-believe, D & D gives structure usually understood. Together, the D M and the players to the stories, a w ay o f determ ining the con seq u en ces create an exciting story o f bold adventurers w ho confront o f the adventurers’ action. Players roll dice to resolve deadly perils. S om etim es an adventurer m ight c om e to w hether their attacks hit or m iss or w hether their adven­ a grisly end, torn apart by ferociou s m onsters or done in turers can sca le a cliff, roll away from the strike o f a by a nefarious villain. Even so, the other adventurers can m agical lightning bolt, or pull o ff som e other dangerous search for pow erful m agic to revive their fallen com rade, task. Anything is possible, but the d ice m ake som e out­ or the player might c h o o s e to create a new character to c o m e s m ore probable than others. carry on. The group might fail to com plete an adventure successfully, but if everyone had a g ood time and created a m em orable story, they all win. Dungeon Master (DM): O K, one at a tim e. Phillip, you’re looking at the gargoyles? W orlds of A d v e n tu r e Phillip: Yeah. Is there any hint they m ight be The m any w orld s o f the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e creatures and not decorations? are places o f m agic and m onsters, o f brave w arriors and DM : Make an Intelligence check. sp ectacu lar adventures. They begin with a foundation Phillip: Does my Investigation skill apply? o f m edieval fantasy and then add the creatures, places, DM : Sure! and m agic that m ake these w orld s unique. T h e w orld s o f the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e exist Phillip (rolling a d20): Ugh. Seven. w ithin a vast c o s m o s called the multiverse, con n ected DM : They look like decorations to you. And Amy, in strange and m ysterious w ays to on e another and to Riva is checking out the drawbridge? other planes o f existence, such as the Elem ental Plane o f Fire and the Infinite D epths o f the A byss. W ithin this m ultiverse are an en dless variety o f w orlds. M any 2. The players describe what they want to do. S o m e ­ o f them have been published as official settings for the tim es on e player sp eak s for the w h ole party, saying, D & D game. T h e legends o f the Forgotten R ealm s, Drag- “W e’ll take the east door,” for exam ple. Other tim es, on lan ce, Greyhawk, D ark Sun, Mystara, and E berron different adventurers do different things: one adventurer settings are w oven together in the fabric o f the multi- m ight sea rch a treasure chest w hile a se c o n d exam in es verse. A longside these w orld s are hundreds o f thousands an esoteric sym b ol engraved on a w all and a third keeps m ore, created by generations o f D & D players for their w atch for m onsters. T h e players d on ’t n eed to take ow n gam es. A nd am id all the rich n ess o f the multiverse, turns, but the DM listens to every player and d ecides you m ight create a w orld o f your ow n. h ow to resolve th ose actions. All th ese w orlds share characteristics, but each w orld S om etim es, resolvin g a task is easy. If an adventurer is set apart by its ow n history and cultures, distinctive w ants to w alk a cross a room and op en a door, the DM m on sters and races, fantastic geography, ancient dun­ might just say that the d oor op en s and d escrib e w hat geons, and sch em in g villains. S o m e races have unusual lies beyond. But the d oor might b e lock ed, the floor traits in different w orlds. T h e halflings o f the Dark Sun m ight hide a deadly trap, or som e other circu m stan ce setting, for exam ple, are ju n gle-d w ellin g cannibals, m ight m ake it challen ging for an adventurer to com plete and the elves are desert n om ads. S om e w orld s feature a task. In th ose cases, the DM d ecid es w hat happens, races u nk n ow n in other settings, such as E b erron ’s w ar- often relying on the roll o f a die to determ ine the results forged, sold iers created and im bu ed with life to fight in o f an action. the Last War. S o m e w orld s are dom inated by on e great 3. The DM narrates the results o f the adventurers’ story, like the W ar o f the L an ce that plays a central role actions. D escribin g the results often leads to another in the D ragon lance setting. But they’re all D & D w orlds, d ecision point, w hich brin gs the flow o f the gam e right and you can u se the rules in this b o o k to create a char­ ba ck to step 1. acter and play in any one o f them. T h is pattern holds w hether the adventurers are cau ­ Your DM m ight set the cam paign on on e o f these tiously exploring a ruin, talking to a deviou s prince, or w orld s or on on e that he or she created. B eca u se there lock ed in m ortal com bat against a m ighty dragon. In is s o m uch diversity a m on g the w orlds o f D&D, you certain situations, particularly com bat, the action is sh ou ld ch eck w ith your DM about any h ou se rules that m ore structured and the players (and D M ) d o take turns w ill affect your play o f the gam e. Ultimately, the D un­ ch oosin g and resolvin g actions. But m ost o f the time, geon M aster is the authority on the cam paign and its play is fluid and flexible, adapting to the circu m stan ces setting, even if the setting is a published w orld. o f the adventure. Often the action o f an adventure takes place in the U s in g T h is B o o k im agination o f the players and DM, relying on the D M ’s verbal descriptions to set the scen e. S o m e D M s like to T h e Player’s Handbook is divided into three parts. use m usic, art, or r ecord ed sou n d effects to help set the Part 1 is about creating a character, providing the m ood , and m any players and D M s alike adopt different rules and g u id an ce you n eed to m ake the character v oices for the various adventurers, m onsters, and other y ou ’ll play in the gam e. It includes inform ation on the characters they play in the gam e. S om etim es, a DM various races, classes, backgrou n ds, equipm ent, and m ight lay out a m ap and u se tokens or m iniature figures oth er custom ization options that you can c h o o s e from. to represent each creature involved in a scen e to help M any o f the rules in part 1 rely on m aterial in parts 2 the players k eep track o f w here everyone is. and 3. If you co m e a cro ss a gam e con cep t in part 1 that you d on ’t understand, consult the b o o k ’s index. G a m e D ic e Part 2 details the rules o f h ow to play the gam e, beyon d the b a sics d escrib ed in this introduction. That T h e gam e u ses polyhedral dice w ith different num bers part covers the kinds o f die rolls you m ake to determ ine o f sides. You can find d ice like th ese in gam e stores and s u c ce s s or failure at the tasks your character attempts, in m any book stores. and d escrib es the three broad categories o f activity in In these rules, the different d ice are referred to by the the gam e: exploration, interaction, and com bat. letter d follow ed by the num ber o f sides: d4, d6, d8, d 10, Part 3 is all about m agic. It covers the nature o f m agic d 12, and d20. F or instance, a d6 is a six-sided die (the in the w orld s o f D&D, the rules for spellcasting, and the typical cu b e that m any g am es use). huge variety o f spells available to m agic-using ch a ra c­ P ercen tile dice, or d 100, w ork a little differently. You ters (and m onsters) in the game. generate a num ber b etw een 1 and 100 by rolling tw o different ten-sided d ice n um bered from 0 to 9. O ne die How to Pl a y (designated b efore you roll) gives the tens digit, and the other gives the on es digit. If you roll a 7 and a 1, for T he play o f the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e unfolds exam ple, the num ber rolled is 71. Tw o Os represent 100. a ccord in g to this basic pattern. S o m e ten-sided dice are num bered in tens (00, 10, 20, 1. The DM describes the environment. T h e DM and s o on), m akin g it easier to distinguish the tens digit tells the players w here their adventurers are and w hat’s from the o n es digit. In this case, a roll o f 70 and 1 is 71, around them, presenting the basic s c o p e o f options that and 0 0 and 0 is 100. present th em selves (h ow m any d oors lead out o f a room , W h en you n eed to roll dice, the rules tell you h ow w hat’s on a table, w h o ’s in the tavern, and so on). m any d ice to roll o f a certain type, as w ell as w hat m o d ­ ifiers to add. For exam ple, “ 3d8 + 5 ” m eans you roll three eight-sided dice, add them together, and add 5 3. Compare the total to a target number. If the total to the total. equals or e x ceed s the target num ber, the ability check, The sa m e d notation appears in the ex p ression s “ 1d 3 ” attack roll, or saving th row is a su ccess. O therw ise, it’s and “ 1d2.” To sim ulate the roll o f 1d3, roll a d6 and a failure. T h e D M is usually the on e w h o determ ines divide the num ber rolled by 2 (round up). To sim ulate target num bers and tells players w hether their ability the roll o f 1d2, roll any die and assign a 1 or 2 to the roll ch ecks, attack rolls, and saving th row s su cce e d or fail. depen din g on w hether it w as odd or even. (Alternatively, Th e target num ber for an ability ch eck o r a saving if the num ber rolled is m ore than h alf the num ber o f th row is called a Difficulty Class (D C). T h e target sides on the die, it’s a 2.) num ber for an attack roll is called an Arm or Class (AC). T h is sim ple rule governs the resolution o f m ost tasks T h e D 20 in D & D play. Chapter 7 provides m ore detailed rules for usin g the d 2 0 in the game. D o e s an adventurer’s sw ord sw in g hurt a dragon or just b ou n ce off its iron-hard sca les? W ill the ogre believe an A dva n t a ge a n d D isa d v a n t a g e ou trageous bluff? Can a character sw im a cross a raging river? Can a character avoid the m ain blast o f a fireball, S om etim es an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw or d o e s he or she take full dam age from the blaze? In is m od ified by sp ecia l situations called advantage and ca se s w h ere the ou tcom e o f an action is uncertain, disadvantage. Advantage reflects the positive circu m ­ the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e relies on rolls o f a stan ces su rrou nding a d2 0 roll, w hile disadvantage 20 -sid ed die, a d20, to determ ine s u c ce s s or failure. reflects the opposite. W h en you have either advantage or Every character and m onster in the gam e has capa­ disadvantage, you roll a se co n d d2 0 w h en you m ake the bilities defined by six ability scores. T h e abilities are roll. U se the higher o f the tw o rolls if you have advan­ Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, W isdom , tage, and u se the low er roll if you have disadvantage. and Charism a, and they typically range from 3 to 18 F or exam ple, if you have disadvantage and roll a 17 and for m ost adventurers. (M onsters m ight have s co re s as a 5, you use the 5. If you instead have advantage and roll low as 1 or as high as 30.) T h ese ability scores, and the th ose num bers, you use the 17. ability modifiers derived from them , are the basis for M ore detailed rules for advantage and disadvantage alm ost every d2 0 roll that a player m a k es on a ch arac­ are presented in chapter 7. ter’s or m on ster’s behalf. Ability ch eck s, attack rolls, and saving throw s are the Sp e c if ic B e a ts G e n e r a l three m ain kinds o f d2 0 rolls, form in g the core o f the T h is b o o k contain s rules, esp ecia lly in parts 2 and 3, rules o f the gam e. All three follow th ese sim ple steps. that govern h ow the gam e plays. That said, m any racial 1. Roll the die and add a modifier. R oll a d2 0 and traits, class features, spells, m agic item s, m on ster abili­ add the relevant modifier. T h is is typically the m od ­ ties, and other gam e elem ents break the general rules in ifier derived from on e o f the six ability s cores, and it som e way, creating an exception to h ow the rest o f the som etim es includes a proficiency bon u s to reflect a char­ gam e w orks. R em em ber this: If a sp ecific rule contra­ acter’s particular skill. (S e e chapter 1 for details on each dicts a general rule, the sp ecific rule w ins. ability and h ow to determ ine an ability’s modifier.) E xception s to the rules are often m inor. For instance, 2. Apply circumstantial bonuses and penalties. A m any adventurers d on ’t have proficiency with lon gbow s, cla ss feature, a spell, a particular circu m stan ce, or som e but every w o o d elf d oes b e ca u se o f a racial trait. That other effect m ight give a b on u s or penalty to the check. trait creates a m in or exception in the gam e. Other exam ples o f rule-breaking are m ore con sp icu ou s. For instance, an adventurer ca n ’t n orm ally p ass through w alls, but som e sp ells m ake that possible. M agic accou n ts for m ost o f the m ajor exception s to the rules. Round D ow n T h ere’s on e m ore general rule you n eed to k n ow at the outset. W h enever you divide a num ber in the gam e, round dow n if you end up w ith a fraction, even if the fraction is on e-half or greater. A dventures T h e D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e con sists o f a group o f characters em barking on an adventure that the D un ­ geon M aster presen ts to them. Each character brings particular capabilities to the adventure in the form o f ability sc o r e s and skills, class features, racial traits, equipm ent, and m agic item s. Every character is dif­ ferent, w ith various strengths and w ea k n esses, s o the best party o f adventurers is on e in w h ich the characters com plem ent each other and cover the w ea k n esses o f their com pa n ion s. The adventurers must coop era te to that a captured scou t reveal the secret entrance to the su ccessfu lly com plete the adventure. goblin lair, getting inform ation from a rescu ed prisoner, T h e adventure is the heart o f the gam e, a story with pleading for m ercy from an orc chieftain, or persuading a beginning, a m iddle, and an end. An adventure might a talkative m agic m irror to sh ow a distant location to be created by the D u n geon M aster or p u rch ased off the the adventurers. shelf, tw eaked and m odified to suit the D M ’s n eeds and The rules in chapters 7 and 8 support exploration and desires. In either ca se, an adventure features a fantastic socia l interaction, as do m any cla ss features in chapter 3 setting, w hether it’s an u nderground dungeon, a cru m ­ and personality traits in chapter 4. bling castle, a stretch o f w ildern ess, or a bustling city. Combat, the focu s o f chapter 9, involves characters It features a rich cast o f characters: the adventurers and other creatu res sw in ging w eapon s, casting spells, created and played by the other players at the table, m aneuvering for position, and s o o n —all in an effort as w ell as nonplayer characters (N PC s). T h ose char­ to defeat their oppon en ts, w hether that m eans killing acters m ight b e patrons, allies, enem ies, hirelings, or every enemy, taking captives, or forcin g a rout. Com bat just backgrou n d extras in an adventure. Often, on e o f is the m ost structured elem ent o f a D & D session , with the N P C s is a villain w h ose agenda drives m uch o f an creatu res taking turns to m ake sure that everyone gets adventure’s action. a ch a n ce to act. Even in the context o f a pitched battle, Over the cou rse o f their adventures, the characters there’s still plenty o f opportunity for adventurers to are confronted by a variety o f creatures, objects, and attempt w acky stunts like surfing dow n a flight o f stairs situations that they must deal w ith in som e way. S o m e ­ on a shield, to exam ine the environm ent (perhaps by tim es the adventurers and other creatures do their pulling a m ysterious lever), and to interact with other best to kill or capture each other in com bat. At other creatures, including allies, en em ies, and neutral parties. tim es, the adventurers talk to another creature (or even a m agical object) w ith a goal in mind. A nd often, the T h e W o n d e r s o f M a g ic adventurers spend tim e trying to solve a puzzle, bypass Few D & D adventures end w ithout som eth in g m agical an obstacle, find som eth in g hidden, or unravel the cu r­ happening. W h eth er helpful or harm ful, m agic appears rent situation. M eanw hile, the adventurers explore the frequently in the life o f an adventurer, and it is the focu s w orld, m akin g decision s about w hich w ay to travel and o f chapters 10 and 11. w hat they’ll try to do next. In the w orld s o f D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s , practitioners A dventures vary in length and com plexity. A short o f m agic are rare, set apart from the m a sses o f people adventure m ight present only a few challen ges, and by their extraordinary talent. C om m on folk might see it m ight take no m ore than a single gam e session to eviden ce o f m agic on a regular basis, but it’s usually com plete. A long adventure can involve hundreds o f m in or—a fantastic m onster, a visibly an sw ered prayer, com bats, interactions, and other challen ges, and take a w izard w alking through the streets w ith an anim ated d ozen s o f session s to play through, stretching over shield guardian as a bodyguard. w eek s or m onths o f real tim e. Usually, the end o f an For adventurers, though, m agic is key to their sur­ adventure is m arked by the adventurers h eading back to vival. W ithout the healing m agic o f clerics and paladins, civilization to rest and enjoy the sp oils o f their labors. adventurers w ou ld quickly su ccu m b to their w oun ds. But that’s not the end o f the story. You can think o f W ithout the uplifting m agical su pport o f bards and an adventure as a single ep isod e o f a T V series, m ade clerics, w arriors m ight be overw helm ed by p ow erfu l up o f multiple exciting scen es. A cam paign is the w hole foes. W ithout the sh eer m agical p ow er and versatility s eries—a string o f adventures jo in e d together, with a o f w izards and druids, every threat w ou ld be m ag­ consistent group o f adventurers follow in g the narrative nified tenfold. from start to finish. M agic is also a favored tool o f villains. M any adven­ tures are driven by the m achinations o f spellcasters T h e T h r ee P il l a r s of A d v e n t u r e w h o are hellbent on using m agic for som e ill end. A cult A dventurers ca n try to do anything their players can leader seek s to aw aken a god w h o slum bers beneath im agine, but it can b e helpful to talk about their activ­ the sea, a hag kidnaps youths to m agically drain them ities in three broad categories: exploration, socia l o f their vigor, a m ad w izard labors to invest an arm y o f interaction, and com bat. autom atons with a facsim ile o f life, a dragon begin s a Exploration includes both the adventurers’ m ovem ent m ystical ritual to rise up as a god o f destruction —these through the w orld and their interaction with ob jects and are just a few o f the m agical threats that adventurers situations that require their attention. E xploration is the m ight face. W ith m agic o f their ow n, in the form o f give-and-take o f the players describin g what they want sp ells and m agic items, the adventurers m ight prevail! their characters to do, and the D u n geon M aster telling the players w hat h appen s as a result. On a large scale, that might involve the characters spen din g a day c r o s s ­ ing a rolling plain or an hour m aking their w ay through caverns underground. On the sm allest scale, it could m ean on e character pulling a lever in a dungeon room to see w hat happens. Social interaction features the adventurers talking to som eon e (or som eth in g) else. It might m ean dem anding C h a p t e r 1: S t e p - b y - S t e p C h a r a c t e r s OUR FIRST STEP IN PLAYING AN ADVENTURER IN THE cla sses (see step 2). For exam ple, the racial traits o f D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s gam e is to im agine lightfoot halflings m ake them exceptional rogues, and and create a character o f your ow n. Your high elves tend to be pow erfu l w izards. S om etim es character is a com bination o f gam e statistics, playing against type can b e fun, too. H alf-orc paladins roleplaying h ook s, and your im agination. You and m ountain dw arf w izards, for exam ple, can b e c h o o s e a race (such as hum an or halfling) and unusual but m em orable characters. a class (such as fighter or w izard). You also Your race also in creases on e or m ore o f your ability invent the personality, appearance, and backstory o f scores, w hich you determ ine in step 3. N ote these your character. O n ce com pleted, your character serves in creases and rem em ber to apply them later. as your representative in the gam e, your avatar in the R e co rd the traits granted by your race on your D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s w orld. character sheet. B e sure to note your starting B efore you dive into step 1 below , think about the languages and your ba se sp eed as w ell. kind o f adventurer you w ant to play. You m ight be a cou ra g eou s fighter, a skulking rogue, a fervent cleric, or B u i l d i n g B r u e n o r , St e p 1 a flam boyant w izard. Or you m ight be m ore interested B ob is sitting dow n to create his character. H e d ecides in an u nconventional character, such as a braw ny rogue that a gru ff m ountain dw arf fits the character he w ants w h o likes hand-to-hand com bat, or a sh arpsh ooter w ho to play. He notes all the racial traits o f dw arves on his picks o ff en em ies from afar. D o you like fantasy fiction character sheet, including his sp eed o f 25 feet and the featuring dw arves or elves? Try building a character o f languages he kn ow s: C om m on and D w arvish. on e o f th ose races. D o you w ant your character to be the toughest adventurer at the table? C on sider a class like 2. C hoose a C lass barbarian or paladin. If y ou d on ’t k n ow w here else to Every adventurer is a m em ber o f a class. C lass broadly begin, take a lo o k at the illustrations in this b o o k to see d escrib es a character’s vocation, w hat sp ecia l talents he w hat catch es y ou r interest. or sh e p o s se ss e s, and the tactics he or she is m ost likely O nce you have a character in mind, follow these steps to em ploy w hen exploring a dungeon, fighting m onsters, in order, m akin g decision s that reflect the character you or engaging in a tense negotiation. T h e character want. Your con cep tion o f your character m ight evolve cla sses are d escrib ed in chapter 3. with each c h o ice you m ake. W h a t’s im portant is that you Your character receives a num ber o f benefits from co m e to the table w ith a character you ’re excited to play. your ch oice o f class. M any o f th ese benefits are class T h rou gh ou t this chapter, w e u se the term character features—capabilities (including spellcastin g) that set sheet to m ean w hatever you u se to track your character, your character apart from m em bers o f other classes. w hether it’s a form al character sheet (like the on e at the You also gain a num ber o f proficiencies: armor, end o f this book ), so m e form o f digital record, or a piece w eapon s, skills, saving throw s, and som etim es tools. o f n oteb ook paper. A n official D & D character sheet is a Your p roficien cies define m any o f the things your fine place to start until you k n ow w hat inform ation you character can do particularly w ell, from u sing certain need and h ow you u se it during the gam e. w ea p on s to telling a convin cin g lie. On your character sheet, record all the features that B u il d in g B r u e n o r your class gives you at 1st level. E ach step o f character creation includes an exam ple o f that step, w ith a player nam ed B ob building his dw arf L evel character, Bruenor. Typically, a character starts at 1st level and advances in level by adventuring and gaining experience points 1. C h o o s e a R a ce (X P). A 1st-level character is in exp erien ced in the Every character b elon g s to a race, on e o f the m any adventuring w orld, although he or she m ight have been intelligent h um anoid sp e cie s in the D & D w orld. The a soldier or a pirate and don e dangerou s things before. m ost co m m o n player character races are dw arves, elves, Starting off at 1st level m arks your character’s entry halflings, and hum ans. S o m e races also have subraces, into the adventuring life. If you ’re already fam iliar such as m ountain dw arf or w o o d elf. Chapter 2 provides w ith the gam e, or if you are join in g an existing D & D m ore inform ation about th ese races, as w ell as the less cam paign, your DM might d ecide to have you begin at a w idesp rea d races o f dragonborn, gnom es, half-elves, higher level, on the assum ption that your character has half-orcs, and tieflings. already survived a few harrow in g adventures. The race you c h o o s e contributes to your character’s identity in an im portant way, by establishing a general Q u ic k B u il d appearance and the natural talents gained from culture Each class description in chapter 3 includes a section and ancestry. Your character’s race grants particular offering suggestions to quickly build a character o f that racial traits, such as sp ecial sen ses, proficiency with class, including how to assign your highest ability scores, certain w eapon s or tools, proficiency in on e or m ore a background suitable to the class, and starting spells. skills, or the ability to use m inor spells. T h ese traits som etim es dovetail with the capabilities o f certain PART 1 S T E P -B Y -S T E P C H A R A C T E R S  R e co rd your level on your character sheet. If you ’re At 1st level, your character has 1 Hit D ie, and the starting at a h igher level, record the additional elem ents die type is determ ined by your class. You start w ith hit your class gives you for your levels past 1st. A lso record points equal to the h ighest roll o f that die, as indicated in your exp erien ce points. A 1st-level character has 0 your class description. (You also add your Constitution X P A higher-level character typically beg in s w ith the modifier, w h ich you ’ll determ ine in step 3.) T h is is also m inim um am ount o f X P required to reach that level your hit point maxim um. (see “B eyond 1st L evel” later in this chapter). R e c o rd y ou r character’s hit points on your character sheet. A lso record the type o f Hit D ie your character H it P o in t s and H it D ic e u ses and the num ber o f Hit D ice you have. A fter you Y our character’s hit points define h ow tough your rest, you can sp end Hit D ice to regain hit points (see character is in com bat and other dangerou s situations. “R estin g ” in chapter 8). Your hit points are determ ined by your Hit D ice (short for Hit Point Dice). P r o f ic ie n c y B o n u s Th e table that appears in your class description sh ow s A b il it y S c o r e S u m m a r y your proficiency bonus, w h ich is +2 for a 1st-level Strength character. Your p roficiency bon u s applies to m any o f the M easures: Natural athleticism, bodily power num bers y ou ’ll be record in g on your character sheet: Im p ortan t for: Barbarian, fighter, paladin A ttack rolls using w ea p on s y ou ’re proficient with R acial Increases: A ttack rolls w ith spells you cast Mountain dwarf (+2) Half-orc (+2) Ability ch eck s using skills y ou ’re proficient in Dragonborn (+2) Human (+1) Ability ch eck s using tools y ou ’re proficient with Saving th row s y ou ’re proficient in Dexterity Saving th row D C s for spells you cast (explained in each sp ellcastin g class) M easures: Physical agility, reflexes, balance, poise Im p ortan t for: Monk, ranger, rogue Y our class determ ines your w ea p on proficiencies, R acial Increases: your saving th row p roficiencies, and som e o f your skill Elf (+2) Forest gnome (+1) and tool proficiencies. (Skills are d escrib ed in chapter 7, Halfling (+2) Human (+1) tools in chapter 5.) Y our backgrou n d gives you additional skill and tool proficiencies, and so m e races give you m ore proficiencies. B e sure to note all o f these Constitution proficiencies, as w ell as your proficiency bonus, on your M easures: Health, stamina, vital force character sheet. Im p ortan t for: Everyone Your proficiency bon u s can ’t be added to a single die R acial Increases: roll or other n um ber m ore than on ce. O ccasionally, your Dwarf (+2) Half-orc (+1) proficiency bon u s m ight be m od ified (doubled or halved, Stout halfling (+1) Human (+1) for exam ple) before you apply it. If a circu m stan ce Rock gnome (+1) su ggests that your p roficiency b on u s applies m ore than on ce to the sa m e roll or that it sh ou ld be m ultiplied Intelligence m ore than on ce, you n evertheless add it only on ce, M easures: Mental acuity, information recall, analytical skill multiply it only on ce, and halve it only on ce. Im p ortan t for: Wizard B u il d in g B r u e n o r , St e p 2 Racial Increases: B ob im agines B ruenor chargin g into battle w ith an axe, High elf (+1) Tiefling (+1) on e horn on his helm et broken off. H e m akes B ru enor a Gnome (+2) Human (+1) fighter and notes the fighter’s proficien cies and 1st-level class features on his character sheet. W isdom A s a 1st-level fighter, B ru enor has 1 Hit D ie—a d 10— M easures: A w a re n e ss, intuition, insight and starts with hit poin ts equal to 10 + his Constitution Im p ortan t for: Cleric, druid m odifier. B ob notes this, and w ill record the final R acial Increases: num ber after he determ ines B ru en or’s Constitution Hill dwarf (+1) Human (+1) sc o r e (see step 3). B ob a lso notes the proficiency bon u s for a 1st-level character, w hich is +2. Wood elf (+1) 3. D eterm in e A b ilit y S co res Charisma M uch o f w hat your character d o e s in the gam e depends M easures: Confidence, eloquence, leadership on his or her six abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Im p ortan t for: Bard, sorcerer, warlock Constitution, Intelligence, W isdom , and Charisma. R acial Increases: Each ability has a score, w h ich is a num ber you record Half-elf (+2) Dragonborn (+1) on your character sheet. Drow (+1) Human (+1) T h e six abilities and their u se in the gam e are Lightfoot halfling (+1) Tiefling (+2) describ ed in chapter 7. T h e Ability S c o r e S u m m ary table provides a quick referen ce for w hat qualities A b il it y S c o r es a n d M o d if ie r s are m easu red by each ability, w hat races in creases Score Modifier Score Modifier w hich abilities, and what cla sses con sid er each ability 1 -5 16-17 +3 particularly im portant. 2-3 -4 18-19 +4 You generate your character's six ability scores 4 -5 -3 20-21 +5 randomly. R oll fou r 6-sided dice and record the total o f the highest three dice on a p iece o f scratch paper. D o 6-7 -2 22-23 +6 this five m ore tim es, s o that you have six num bers. If 8-9 -1 24-25 +7 you w ant to save tim e or d on ’t like the idea o f random ly 10-11 +0 26-27 +8 determ ining ability scores, you can u se the follow in g 12-13 +1 28-29 +9 s c o r e s instead: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. 14-15 +2 30 +10 N ow take your six n um bers and w rite each num ber b eside on e o f your character’s six abilities to assign average and nearly equal (13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12), or any sco re s to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, set o f num bers betw een th ose extrem es. W isdom , and Charism a. A fterw ard, m ake any changes to your ability s c o r e s as a result o f your race choice. 4. D e sc rib e Y o u r C h a r a c t e r After assign in g your ability s cores, determ ine O nce you kn ow the ba sic gam e asp ects o f your your ability modifiers using the Ability S c o r e s and character, it’s tim e to flesh him or her out as a person. M odifiers table. To determ ine an ability m odifier without Your character n eeds a nam e. S p en d a few m inutes consulting the table, subtract 10 from the ability score thinking about w hat he or she look s like and h ow he or and then divide the result by 2 (round down). W rite the she beh aves in general terms. m odifier next to each o f your scores. U sing the inform ation in chapter 4, you can flesh out B u il d in g B r u e n o r , St e p 3 your character’s physical appearan ce and personality B ob d ecid es to u se the standard set o f s c o r e s (15, 14, traits. C h oose your character’s alignment (the m oral 13, 12, 10, 8) for B ru enor’s abilities. S in ce h e’s a fighter, c om p a ss that guides his or her decisions) and ideals. he puts his h ighest score, 15, in Strength. H is next- Chapter 4 also helps you identify the things your highest, 14, g oes in Constitution. B ruenor m ight be a character holds m ost dear, called bonds, and the flaws brash fighter, but B ob d ecid es he w ants the dw arf to that cou ld one day u nderm ine him or her. be older, w iser, and a g o o d leader, so he puts decent Your character’s background d escrib es w here he or sc o r e s in W isd om and Charism a. After applying his she ca m e from , his or her original occu pation , and the racial benefits (in creasin g B ru en or’s Constitution by character’s place in the D & D w orld. Your DM might 2 and his Strength by 2), B ru en or’s ability s c o r e s and offer additional ba ckgrou n ds beyon d the on es included m odifiers look like this: Strength 17 (+3), Dexterity 10 (+0), Constitution 16 (+3), Intelligence 8 (-1), W isd om 13 (+1), C harism a 12 (+1). B ob fills in B ru enor's final hit points: 10 + his Constitution m odifier o f +3, for a total o f 13 hit points. Va r ia n t : C u s t o m iz in g A b il it y Scores At your D u n geon M aster’s option, you can use this variant for determ ining your ability scores. The m ethod describ ed here allow s you to build a character w ith a set o f ability s c o r e s you c h o o s e individually. You have 27 points to spend on your ability scores. T h e co st o f each sc o r e is sh ow n on the Ability S c o r e Point C ost table. F or exam ple, a sc o r e o f 14 costs 7 points. U sing this m ethod, 15 is the highest ability score you can end up with, b efore applying racial in creases. Y ou ca n ’t have a sc o r e low er than 8. T h is m ethod o f determ ining ability s c o r e s enables you to create a set o f three high num bers and three low on es (15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8), a set o f num bers that are above A b il it y S c o r e Po in t C o st Score Cost Score Cost 8 0 12 4 9 1 13 5 10 2 14 7 11 3 15 9 in chapter 4, and m ight b e w illing to w ork w ith you to H is flaw is tied to his caring, sensitive nature—he has a craft a b a ckgrou n d that’s a m ore p recise fit for your soft spot for orphans and w ayw ard souls, leading him to character concept. sh ow m ercy even w hen it m ight not b e w arranted. A b ackgrou n d gives your character a backgrou n d feature (a general benefit) and proficiency in tw o skills, 5. C h o o s e E q u ip m en t and it m ight also give you additional languages or Your class and backgrou n d determ ine your character's proficiency w ith certain kinds o f tools. R e c o rd this starting equipment, including w eapon s, armor, and inform ation, along w ith the person ality inform ation other adventuring gear. R e c o rd this equipm ent on your you develop, on your character sheet. character sheet. All such item s are detailed in chapter 5. Instead o f taking the gear given to you by your class Y our C h a r a c t e r ’s A b il it ie s and backgrou n d, you ca n p u rch ase your starting Take your character’s ability s c o r e s and race into equipm ent. You have a num ber o f gold pieces (gp) accou n t as you flesh out his or her appearance to spend ba sed on your class, as sh ow n in chapter 5. and personality. A very stron g character w ith low Extensive lists o f equipm ent, w ith prices, a lso appear in Intelligence m ight think and behave very differently that chapter. If you w ish, you can also have on e trinket from a very sm art character w ith low Strength. at n o cost (see the trinket table at the end o f chapter 5). For exam ple, high Strength usually c o rresp on d s Your Strength sc o r e lim its the am ount o f gear you can w ith a burly or athletic body, w hile a character with carry. Try not to pu rch ase equipm ent w ith a total w eight low Strength m ight be scraw ny or plump. (in pounds) ex ceed in g your Strength sco re tim es 15. A character w ith high D exterity is probably lithe and Chapter 7 has m ore inform ation on carrying capacity. slim , w hile a character w ith low D exterity m ight be either gangly and aw kw ard or heavy and thick-fingered. A rmor C lass A character w ith high Constitution usually look s Your A rm or Class (AC) represents h ow w ell your healthy, w ith bright eyes and abundant energy. A character avoids being w ou n d ed in battle. T h in gs that character w ith low Constitution m ight b e sickly or frail. contribute to your AC include the arm or you w ear, the A character with high Intelligence m ight be highly shield you carry, and your D exterity m odifier. Not all inquisitive and studious, w hile a character w ith low characters w ea r arm or or carry shields, however. Intelligence might sp eak sim ply or easily forget details. W ithout arm or or a shield, your character’s AC equals A character w ith high W isd om has g oo d judgm ent, 10 + his or her Dexterity m odifier. If your character empathy, and a general aw aren ess o f w hat’s going on. w ea rs arm or, carries a shield, or both, calculate your A character w ith low W isd om m ight be absent-m inded, AC using the rules in chapter 5. R e co rd your AC on foolhardy, or oblivious. your character sheet. A character with high C harism a exudes confidence, Your character n eeds to be proficient w ith arm or and w h ich is usually m ixed w ith a graceful or intim idating shields to w ea r and u se them effectively, and your arm or presen ce. A character w ith a low C harism a m ight co m e and shield proficien cies are determ ined by your class. a cross as abrasive, inarticulate, or timid. T h ere are draw backs to w earin g arm or or carryin g a shield if you lack the requ ired proficiency, as explained B u i l d i n g B r u e n o r , St e p 4 in chapter 5. B o b fills in so m e o f B ru enor’s ba sic details: his nam e, S o m e spells and class features give you a different his sex (male), his height and w eight, and his alignm ent w ay to calculate your AC. If you have multiple features (law ful good). H is high Strength and Constitution that give you different w ays to calculate you r AC, you suggest a healthy, athletic body, and his low Intelligence c h o o s e w hich one to use. su ggests a degree o f forgetfulness. B ob d ecid es that B ru enor c o m e s from a n oble line, W eapons but his clan w as expelled from its hom eland w hen For each w eap on your character w ields, calculate the B ru enor w as very young. He g rew up w ork in g as a sm ith m odifier you u se w h en you attack w ith the w ea p on and in the rem ote villages o f Icew ind Dale. But B ruenor the dam age you deal w hen you hit. has a h eroic destiny—to reclaim his h om eland—so W h en you m ake an attack w ith a w eapon , you roll B ob c h o o s e s the folk h ero back grou n d for his dwarf. a d2 0 and add your proficiency bon u s (but only if you H e notes the proficiencies and sp ecia l feature this are proficient w ith the w eapon ) and the appropriate ba ck grou n d gives him. ability modifier. B ob has a pretty clear picture o f B ru en or’s personality in mind, so he skips the person ality traits su ggested in F or attacks w ith m elee weapons, use your Strength the folk h ero backgrou n d, noting instead that B ru enor is m odifier for attack and dam age rolls. A w eap on that a caring, sensitive d w arf w h o genuinely loves his friends has the fin esse property, such as a rapier, ca n u se your and allies, but he hides this soft heart behind a gruff, D exterity m odifier instead. snarling dem eanor. H e c h o o s e s the ideal o f fairn ess F or attacks w ith ranged weapons, u se your D exterity from the list in his backgrou n d, noting that Bruenor m odifier for attack and dam age rolls. A w ea p on that believes that n o on e is above the law. has the throw n property, such as a handaxe, can use G iven his history, B ru en or’s bon d is obvious: he your Strength m odifier instead. aspires to som eday reclaim M ithral Hall, his hom eland, from the sh ad ow dragon that drove the dw arves out. B u i l d i n g B r u e n o r , St e p 5 T iers o f P l a y B ob w rites dow n the starting equipm ent from the The shading in the Character Advancement table show s fighter cla ss and the folk h ero background. His starting the four tiers o f play. The tiers don’t have any rules equipm ent includes chain m ail and a shield, w hich associated with them; they are a general description o f how com bin e to give B ru enor an A rm or C lass o f 18. the play experience changes as characters gain levels. For B ru en or’s w eapon s, B ob c h o o s e s a battleaxe In the first tier (levels 1 -4 ), characters are effectively and tw o handaxes. H is battleaxe is a m elee w eapon, apprentice adventurers. Th ey are learn in g the features so B ru enor u ses his Strength m odifier for his attacks that define them as m em bers o f particular classes, and dam age. H is attack bon u s is his Strength m odifier including the m ajor ch o ice s that flavor their class (+3) plus his proficiency bon u s (+2), for a total o f +5. features as they advance (such as a w iza rd ’s A rcane T he battleaxe deals 1d8 slashing dam age, and B ruenor Tradition or a fighter’s M artial Archetype). The threats adds his Strength m odifier to the dam age w hen he they face are relatively minor, usually p o sin g a danger to hits, for a total o f 1d8 + 3 slashing dam age. W h en local farm steads or villages. throw ing a handaxe, B ru enor has the sam e attack bonus In the secon d tier (levels 5 -1 0 ), characters c om e into (handaxes, as throw n w eapon s, u se Strength for attacks their ow n. M any spellcasters gain a c c e s s to 3rd-level and dam age), and the w eap on deals 1d6 + 3 slashing spells at the start o f this tier, crossin g a new threshold o f dam age w hen it hits. m agical p ow er with spells such as fireball and lightning bolt. At this tier, m any w eapon -usin g cla sses gain the 6. C om e T ogether ability to m ake multiple attacks in on e round. T h ese M ost D & D characters d on ’t w ork alone. E ach character characters have b e c o m e im portant, facing dangers that plays a role w ithin a party, a group o f adventurers threaten cities and kingdom s. w orkin g together for a com m on p u rpose. Team w ork In the third tier (levels 11-16), characters have and coop era tion greatly im prove your party’s ch a n ces reached a level o f p ow er that sets them high above to survive the m any p erils in the w orld s o f D u n g e o n s the ordinary pop u la ce and m akes them sp ecia l even & D r a g o n s. Talk to your fellow players and your DM am ong adventurers. At 11th level, m any spellcasters to decide w hether your characters k n ow on e another, gain a c c e s s to 6th-level spells, so m e o f w h ich create h ow they met, and w hat sorts o f quests the group effects previously im possible for player characters to m ight undertake. achieve. Other characters gain features that allow them to m ake m ore attacks or do m ore im pressive things with B e y o n d 1s t L e v e l th ose attacks. T h ese m ighty adventurers often confront A s your character g o e s on adventures and ov ercom es threats to w h ole region s and continents. challen ges, he or she gains experience, represented by At the fourth tier (levels 17 -20 ), characters achieve experien ce points. A character w h o reach es a sp ecified the pinnacle o f their cla ss features, b ecom in g h eroic (or experien ce point total advances in capability. This villainous) archetypes in their ow n right. The fate o f the w orld or even the fundam ental order o f the m ultiverse advancem ent is called gaining a level. might hang in the balance during their adventures. W h en your character gains a level, his or her class often grants additional features, as detailed in the C h a r a ct er A d v a n c e m e n t class description. S o m e o f these features allow you to in crease your ability scores, either increasin g tw o Experience Points Level Proficiency s c o r e s by 1 each or in creasin g on e sco re by 2. You c a n ’t 0 1 +2 in crease an ability s c o r e above 20. In addition, every 300 2 +2 character’s proficiency bon u s in creases at certain levels. 900 3 +2 Each tim e you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit 2,700 4 +2 Die. R oll that Hit Die, add your Constitution m odifier 6,500 5 +3 to the roll, and add the total to your hit point m axim um. 14,000 6 +3 Alternatively, you can use the fixed value sh ow n in your 23,000 7 +3 class entry, w hich is the average result o f the die roll (rounded up). 34,000 8 +3 W h en your Constitution m odifier in creases by 1, your 48,000 9 +4 hit point m axim u m in creases by 1 for each level you have 64,000 10 +4 attained. F or exam ple, w hen B ruenor reaches 8th level 85,000 11 +4 as a fighter, he in creases his Constitution sco re from 17 100,000 12 +4 to 18, thus increasin g his Constitution m odifier from +3 120,000 13 +5 to +4. H is hit point m axim um then in creases by 8. 140,000 14 +5 T h e Character A dvancem ent table su m m arizes the 165,000 15 +5 X P you n eed to advance in levels from level 1 through 195,000 16 +5 level 20, and the proficien cy b on u s for a character o f that 225,000 17 +6 level. C onsult the inform ation in your character’s class 265,000 18 +6 d escription to see w hat other im provem ents you gain 305,000 19 +6 at each level. 355,000 20 +6 C h a p t e r 2: R a c e s VISIT TO ONE OF THE GREAT CITIES IN THE A R a cia l T r a i t s w orld s o f D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s — The description o f each race in cludes racial traits that W aterdeep, the F ree City o f G reyhawk, or are com m on to m em bers o f that race. T h e follow in g even u ncanny Sigil, the City o f D o o r s — entries appear am ong the traits o f m ost races. overw helm s the sen ses. V oices chatter in cou n tless different languages. T h e sm ells A b il it y Sco re In crease o f c o o k in g in d ozen s o f different cuisin es Every race in crea ses one or m ore o f a character’s m ingle w ith the od ors o f crow d ed streets and p oor ability s cores. sanitation. B uildings in m yriad architectural styles display the diverse origin s o f their inhabitants. A ge And the p eop le th em selves—p eop le o f varying size, T h e age entry notes the age w hen a m em ber o f the race shape, and color, d ressed in a dazzling sp ectru m is con sid ered an adult, as w ell as the race’s expected o f styles and h ues—represent m any different races, lifespan. T h is inform ation can help you d ecide h ow from dim inutive halflings and stout dw arves to old your character is at the start o f the gam e. You m ajestically beautiful elves, m inglin g a m on g a variety can c h o o s e any age for your character, w h ich cou ld o f hum an ethnicities. provide an explanation for so m e o f your ability scores. Scattered a m on g the m em bers o f these m ore com m on For exam ple, if you play a youn g or very old character, races are the true exotics: a hulking dragonborn here, your age cou ld explain a particularly low S trength or pushing his w ay through the crow d, and a sly tiefling Constitution score, w hile advanced age cou ld accoun t there, lurking in the sh ad ow s w ith m isch ief in her eyes. for a high Intelligence or W isdom. A group o f g n om es laughs as on e o f them activates a clever w o o d e n toy that m oves o f its ow n accord. H alf- A l ig n m e n t elves and h alf-orcs live and w ork alongside hum ans, M ost races have tendencies tow ard certain alignm ents, w ithout fully belon gin g to the races o f either o f their d escribed in this entry. T h ese are not binding for player parents. A n d there, w ell out o f the sunlight, is a lone characters, but con siderin g w hy your d w arf is chaotic, d row —a fugitive from the subterranean expan se o f for exam ple, in defiance o f lawful dw arf society can help the Underdark, trying to m ake his w ay in a w orld you better define your character. that fears his kind. S iz e C h o o s i n g a Race Characters o f m ost races are M edium , a size category including creatures that are roughly 4 to 8 feet tall. H um ans are the m ost com m on p eople in the w orld s o f M em bers o f a few races are Sm all (betw een 2 and 4 feet D&D, but they live and w ork alongside dw arves, elves, tall), w hich m eans that certain rules o f the gam e affect halflings, and cou n tless other fantastic sp ecies. Your them differently. T h e m ost im portant o f th ese rules character belon g s to on e o f th ese p eoples. is that S m all characters have trouble w ieldin g heavy Not every intelligent race o f the m ultiverse is w eapon s, as explained in chapter 6. appropriate for a player-controlled adventurer. D w arves, elves, halflings, and hum ans are the m ost com m on Speed races to p rod u ce the sort o f adventurers w h o m ake up Your sp eed determ ines h ow far you can m ove w hen typical parties. D ragonborn, g n om es, half-elves, half- traveling (chapter 8) and fighting (chapter 9). orcs, and tieflings are less com m on as adventurers. D row , a su brace o f elves, are also u ncom m on. L anguages Your ch oice o f race affects m any different aspects o f By virtue o f your race, your character can speak, read, your character. It establishes fundam ental qualities that and w rite certain languages. Chapter 4 lists the m ost exist throughout your character’s adventuring career. co m m o n languages o f the D & D multiverse. W h en m akin g this decision, keep in m ind the kind o f character you w ant to play. F or exam ple, a halfling could Su b r a c e s be a g o o d ch oice for a sneaky rogue, a dw arf m akes a S o m e ra ces have subraces. M em bers o f a subrace tough warrior, and an elf can b e a master o f arcane m agic. have the traits o f the parent race in addition to the Y our character race not only affects your ability s c o r e s traits sp ecified for their subrace. R elationships am ong and traits but also provides the cu e s for building your su braces vary significantly from race to race and character’s story. E ach race’s description in this chapter w orld to w orld. In the D ragon lance cam p aign setting, includes inform ation to help you roleplay a character of for exam ple, m ountain dw arves and hill dw arves live that race, including personality, physical appearance, together as different clans o f the sam e people, but in features o f society, and racial alignm ent tendencies. the Forgotten R ealm s, they live far apart in separate T h ese details are su ggestion s to help you think about kin gdom s and call th em selves shield dw arves and your character; adventurers can deviate w idely from the gold dw arves, respectively. n orm for their race. It’s w orthw h ile to con sid er w hy your character is different, as a helpful w ay to think about y ou r character’s backgrou n d and personality.  S h o r t a n d St o u t B old and hardy, dw arves are kn ow n as skilled w arriors, m iners, and w orkers o f stone and metal. T h ough they stand w ell under 5 feet tall, dw arves are so broad and com pact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly tw o feet taller. Th eir cou rag e and endurance are also easily a match for any o f the larger folk. D w arven skin ranges from deep brow n to a paler hue tinged with red, but the m ost com m on sh ades are light brow n or deep tan, like certain ton es o f earth. Th eir hair, w orn long but in sim ple styles, is usually black, gray, or brow n, though paler dw arves often have red hair. M ale dw arves value their beard s highly and g room them carefully. L ong M em ory, L ong G rudges D w arves can live to be m ore than 4 0 0 years old, so the oldest living dw arves often rem em ber a very different D warf w orld. F or exam ple, som e o f the oldest dw arves living in Citadel Felbarr (in the w orld o f the Forgotten R ealm s) “Y e r l a t e , e l f !” c a m e t h e r o u g h e d g e o f a f a m i l i a r can recall the day, m ore than three centuries ago, w hen voice. Bruenor Battlehammer walked up the back of his or c s con q u ered the fortress and drove them into an exile dead foe, disregarding the fact that the heavy monster lay that lasted over 2 5 0 years. T h is longevity grants them a perspective on the w orld that shorter-lived races such as on top of his elven friend. In spite of the added discomfort, hum ans and halflings lack. the dwarf’s long, pointed, often-broken nose and gray- D w arves are solid and enduring like the m ountains streaked though still-fiery red beard came as a welcome they love, w eathering the pa ssa ge o f centuries with stoic sight to Drizzt. “Knew I’d fi ndy e in trouble if I came out endurance and little change. Th ey resp ect the traditions o f their clans, tracing their an cestry ba ck to the an' lookedfor ye!" fou nding o f their m ost ancient stron gholds in the youth —R. A. S a lvatore, The Crystal Shard o f the w orld, and don't abandon th ose traditions lightly. Part o f th ose traditions is devotion to the g od s o f the K in gdom s rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the dw arves, w h o uphold the dw arven ideals o f industrious roots o f m ountains, the ech oin g o f picks and h am m ers labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge. in deep m ines and blazing forges, a com m itm en t to Individual dw arves are determ ined and loyal, true to clan and tradition, and a burning hatred o f goblins and their w ord and decisive in action, som etim es to the point orc s —th ese co m m o n threads unite all dw arves. o f stu bborn n ess. M any dw arves have a strong sen se o f ju stice, and they are slow to forget w ron g s they have S lo w to T r u st suffered. A w ron g don e to one dw arf is a w ron g done to Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. “The the d w a rf’s entire clan, so w hat begin s as on e dw arf’s difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hunt for ven gean ce can b e c o m e a full-blow n clan feud. hundred years,” is a dwarf saying that might be hyperbole, but certainly points to how difficult it can be for a member o f C la n s a n d K in g d o m s a short-lived race like humans to earn a dwarf’s trust. Elves. “ It’s not wise to depend on the elves. No telling what D w arven kin gdom s stretch deep beneath the m ountains an elf will do next; when the hammer meets the orc’s head, w here the dw arves m ine gem s and preciou s m etals they’re as apt to start singing as to pull out a sword. They’re and forge item