Start here · Learn to play

New Player’s Guide

Never played? Follow these five steps and you’ll be ready for your first session.

  1. Step 1

    Watch one video

    Ten minutes of seeing real play explains more than an hour of reading. Start with the first video below.

    Jump to the videos ↓

  2. Step 2

    Read the new player guide

    The Player's Handbook guide covers the d20 Test, your turn in combat, dying and resting in plain language.

    Open the core rulebooks guide →

  3. Step 3

    Make (or borrow) a hero

    For your first game, use a Starter Set hero. When you're ready to build your own, the Character Creator walks you through every step of the 2024 rules and does the maths.

    Open the Character Creator →

  4. Step 4

    Play a first session

    Lost Mine of Phandelver from your Starter Set is made for this. Agree on tone and boundaries first, then just play.

    First-session checklist →

  5. Step 5

    Look things up as you go

    Keep the spell list and bestiary open on a phone at the table. Don't stop the game to hunt for a rule: make a call and check it later.

    Spell Compendium →

What a minute of play looks like

DM: "The corridor ends at an iron door. Scratches on the floor fan out from beneath it, and you hear wet breathing on the other side."

Rogue: "I check the door for traps." DM: "Make an Intelligence (Investigation) check." The rogue rolls 14, adds +5 and gets 19 against the DM's secret DC of 15. Success: a tripwire, carefully disarmed.

Fighter: "I kick it open." Behind the door, two goblins leap up. Everyone rolls Initiative. On the fighter's turn she moves 20 feet and attacks: 13 + 5 = 18 against the goblin's AC 15, a hit. She rolls 1d8 + 3 damage and the goblin falls.

The wizard casts Fire Bolt, a cantrip, so it costs no spell slot. The surviving goblin flees, and the DM asks what the party does next. That's the whole loop: describe, decide, roll, narrate.

Words you’ll hear at the table

Armor Class (AC)
How hard you are to hit. An attack must meet or beat it.
Hit Points (HP)
How much punishment you can take before dropping to 0.
Difficulty Class (DC)
The target number for a check or saving throw.
Proficiency Bonus
Your training bonus, +2 at level 1. Add it when you're proficient.
Modifier
The bonus from an ability score, e.g. 16 Strength gives +3.
Advantage / Disadvantage
Roll two d20s and keep the higher or the lower.
Saving throw
A roll to resist something bad happening to you.
Initiative
The turn order in combat, rolled with Dexterity.
Action / Bonus action / Reaction
What you can do on your turn, and once per round off-turn.
Spell slot
Fuel for casting a spell of a given level, regained on a Long Rest.
Concentration
Some spells last only while you focus. Only one at a time; taking damage forces a Constitution save to keep it.
Short / Long Rest
One hour to patch up, or eight hours to fully recover.
Challenge Rating (CR)
Roughly the party level a monster is a fair fight for.
DM / Player Character (PC) / NPC
The referee, the players' heroes, and everyone else in the world.

Video lessons

Free videos by independent creators. They open on YouTube.

Start here

Rules

Running the game