What Is D&D?

Dungeons and Dragons is a collaborative storytelling adventure game where the heroes are
controlled by the players and everyone and everything else is controlled by the Dungeon Master
(DM). The handbooks (rules) are the guidelines; the imagination is the driving force. In this game,
you simply tell the DM what you’d like your character to do and the DM will tell you if and how
your character succeeds or fails. Most tasks are simple enough that they automatically happen (like
walking across a room). Other more difficult tasks will be accompanied by a request from your DM
to roll a 20-sided die (called a “D20”). This is called a skill check or simply a check. A check is a D20
roll + whatever modifiers may be appropriate (your DM will inform you of which).

Example Interaction:
PC: My character takes a few steps back, measuring the distance in her mind and bolts
as fast as she can and tries to jump over the giant crevasse.
DM: Okay. Make an Athletics check.
PC: Rolls a D20
I rolled a 16. 16 plus my Athletics score (called a “modifier”) of +2 makes my total 18.
DM: You succeed! Your character races towards the edge, quickly curls her feet around
the edge at the last possible moment, pushing herself just far enough to clear the
gap. Great job!

Advantage and Disadvantage

Rolling with advantage means that you roll your D20 twice and choose the higher number.
Rolling with disadvantage means that you roll your D20 twice and choose the lower number.

Creating Your Character

Every character will choose a race and a class.
Feel free to use DnDBeyond.com to do this otherwise I will build your character for you using
whatever information you’ve given me.

Additionally, I will request that each player comes up with some sort of backstory. Your backstory
can be a paragraph about your upbringing as a thief or it can be five pages about your family’s
history and your journey to avenge your father’s lifework and finally discover the true meaning of
your family’s genetic illness.

As a general rule, the more in-world your character is, the easier it is to keep everyone in the same
headspace. If you name a character “Spongebob” it will hard for everyone to “buy-in” to the artifice
of the game world and will disallow any actual narrative gravity from seeding. These types of games
can work, but I find running them pretty futile and irksome; therefore, I recommend creating a
character that fits well within dramatic fantasy settings.

While the game itself is not super serious, the characters need to have some grounding in the in-
game world.
Races | The playable races are as follows:
 Dragonborn – “Dragonborn look very much like dragons standing erect in humanoid
form, though they lack wings or a tail.”
o Generally, larger than normal human size
o Can breathe fire, ice, etc.
o Scaly skin
o Normal lifespan
 Dwarf – “Bold and hardy, dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of
stone and metal.”
o Resilient
o Natural craftsmen
o Between 4’0 and 5’0 tall
o Lifespan of about 350 years
 Elf – “Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely
part of it.”
o Keen senses
o Fey ancestry
o Meditates; doesn’t sleep
o Normal size
o Lifespan of about 750 years
 Gnome – “A gnome’s energy and enthusiasm shines through every inch of his or her tiny
body.”
o Cunning, jovial
o Between 3’0 and 4’0 tall
o Lifespan of about 350-500 years
 Goliath – “Strong and reclusive, every day brings new challenge to a goliath.”
o Can become incredibly strong
o Gray hairless skin with dull grey-white eyes
o Half-giant blood; very tall (between 7’0 and 8’0, typically)
o Normal lifespan
 Half-Elf – “Half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human
parents.”
o Look like humans with slight hints of elven features (slender build, half-pointed
ears.)
o Normal size
o Lifespan of about 150-200 years
 Halfling – “The diminutive halflings (or “hobbits”) survive in a world full of larger
creatures by avoiding notice or, barring that, avoiding offense.”
o Naturally lucky
o Generally, about 3’0 tall
o Lifespan of about 200-250 years
 Half-Orc – “Half-orcs’ grayish pigmentation, sloping foreheads, jutting jaws, prominent
teeth, and towering builds make their orcish heritage plain for all to see.”
o Half-orcs are usually brawny and sport unkempt tusks.
 o Generally, non-natural skin colors such as grey-green or dark blue
o Normal size
o Normal lifespan
 Human – “Humans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the common
races. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of
the worlds.”
o Any natural skin color
o Normal size
o Normal lifespan
 Tiefling – “To be greeted with stares and whispers, to suffer violence and insult on the
street, to see mistrust and fear in every eye: this is the lot of the tiefling.”
o Demon-like features (including horns and tails)
o Often red, orange, yellow, green, or blue skin.
o Normal size
o Normal lifespan

Classes | The playable classes are as follows:

 Barbarian – Hit things hard. They fall down.
o Has the “Rage” ability
 Bard – Sing, flirt, and lie your way out of trouble.
o Has the “Inspiration” ability
 Cleric – Actually use thoughts and prayers as a weapon.
o Has great healing abilities
 Druid – Bend nature to your will.
o Has the “Wild Shape” ability
o Has access to a ton of fun and useful spells
 Fighter – Use your weapon mastery to dispatch your foes.
o Has the “Extra Attack” ability
 Monk – Who needs weapons when you have fists?
o Has many fun abilities
 Paladin – Kill bad guys in the name of God.
o Badass fighter and badass healer and badass spellcaster
 Ranger – Kill your foes from afar.
o Has the “Hunter’s Mark” ability
 Rogue – Use stealth and lock-picking.
o Has the “Sneak Attack” ability
 Sorcerer – Use your innate arcane abilities.
o Can modify spells by spending “sorcery points”
 Warlock – You owe allegiance to some powerful entity who grants you magical abilities.
o Has special abilities relating to their overseer
 Wizard – Your magical powers come from good, old-fashioned book-learning.
o Typically very smart and helpful (but also very vulnerable when unprotected)
Campaign
Here are some general campaign type options. If there is a particular setting that would interest
you (like a seafaring adventure as well-meaning pirates), pitch it to me and I’ll consider it.

General Rule: No rape or sexual violence at my table. If at any time you feel uncomfortable about
any of the themes or directions of the campaign, please tell me. This game is supposed to be an
enjoyable experience for everyone to forget about law school for a couple hours.

CAMPAIGN OPTION 1
Type: Dungeon Crawler / Megadungeon
Politics: Low
Roleplaying: Low (but not none)
Tactics: High
Players will travel deeper and deeper into the ruins of an ancient city, discovering hidden treasures
and dangers along the way.

Player Buy-In: If you like World of Warcraft or other such XP-driven games, there is practically no
buy-in. Exploring and getting loot is the name of the game. Characters and challenges level up
while the narrative takes a backseat to the action.

CAMPAIGN OPTION 2
Type: Classic Sandbox
Politics: Medium
Roleplaying: Medium
Tactics: Medium
Players will travel far and wide, completing quests, discovering interesting cultures, and generally
engaging with the world.

Player Buy-In: Pretty low as this is the general campaign type that most groups run. This style of
play is not so video-gamey, but it really showcases what sets D&D apart from videogames. Players
will have an opportunity to partake in the standard hero’s quest without being tossed into the
deep-end of heavy roleplaying.

CAMPAIGN OPTION 3
Type: Political Intrigue
Politics: High
Roleplaying: High
Tactics: Medium
Players will spend time both exploring abroad as well as in magnificent cities and manors meeting
a cavalcade of other characters.

Player Buy-In: Medium. This style of play helps develop diplomatic and political skills by
introducing players to a web of disparately-interested parties, backstabbing, and, ultimately, a fight
for power.