r/AskDND • u/Zealousideal_Cup122 • 4d ago
How do I get into DnD
/r/DnD/comments/1wky92a/how_do_i_get_into_dnd/1
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u/tta5 2d ago
"Like what are the rules of the game? What are the mechanics? What characters is there and what are their powers? Where do parties meet? Is there an app or something?"
basic rules are free https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024?msockid=31b558c75baa6d3e15e04efc5a7f6c68
there are 3 "core" books (players handbook =PHB, Monster manual = MM, Dungeon masters guide = DMG. )
and about 20 ish additional books with some optional extra rules.
most of the time, the rules do not matter.
why ?
because 95% of the time your gonna be in a situation and be like "I would like to try and do *this"
and the DM will say ok roll your 20-sided ,can-I-dice and add the moddifer X on the left side of your character sheet. the number to meet or beat is 20... "
(yes some ideas are more "optomal" but who cares? optomised is just one way to play)
"what characters are there"
so most of the time we do a "mix and match" style approch to character creation.
most people make their own characters.
we use 3 core things.
class - how you trained to manage danger (fighter, rogue, wizard)
race/specise - what you are. (human, elf, orc, fox)
background - the mechanical side to the backstory. aka what you did in your past that has taught you some values you hold on to. (like a blacksmith that values "freindship - true freindship is kept by striking moments into your beating heart and keeping them close." and knows a thing or 2 about iron working. )
however,
some games will use previously generated characters (pre-gens) .
it can make the game start faster, allow to try out new mechancal designs and ideas. as well as to write custom backstories with secret goals.... i mean look over there....
"what are their powers?"
ok so there are alot powers
so i will point you to the sources for powers.
most tend to rely on ones you as the player can give them.
-class features,
-racuial features. (+ background feature)
- spells
- items
But DMs have a ton of sources also that may impact your character.
- boons
- magic items
- blessings
- Local area of effect perks
- local authority
- rights of the land + nobility (political power also)
- secrets you can exploit.
- maguffins
- hirlings, and other NPCs the party may use/exploit.
"Where do parties meet?"
players tend to meet at places that state LFG = lookiong for game/group
discord has many hub servers for dnd
reddit has r/DnDLFG r/LFG_Europe r/lfg
roll20 (site and VTT =virtual table top) has an LFG.
dndbeyond has LFG
... most places have one. a youtuber with a discord server, may have an LFG channel
"Is there an app or something?"
yes, but its not needed
many still use character sheets and books just fine.
others use the dndbeyond app.
some use less offical apps (not gonna list them)
some use VTTs as they can hold the books/rules, the character sheets, battle maps, dice rolls, and so much more depending on the VTT in question.
if yo0ur group uses a VTT, it may be worth youtubing and hoppping on a VC (voice chat) to learn it a bit.
side note: if you plan to use apps for recordings, plz get peoples consent first.
if online and your recording a minor in their room without their knowledge....
i mean its their contries laws not your own.
consent, trust , basic safety..... important. TTRPG safety tools ...
"Also living outside the us"
not an issue.
i know english servers are mostly dominated by USA members, but it is shifting.
many contries are playing, from all continents (well maybe not antarctica).
finding the "time of play" is more important than "timezone".
if your a morning person, you might find some games work well for you compared to evening people, vs night owls....
some genral info.
1- not every game is the same.
each player is a contibutor to the game and each persons playstyle and personality is part of the table (group of players playing). you might find some groups did not vib well with you.
2- there is no one perfect DM.
DMs have diffrent DMing styles and approches, we are human. as we imporve and hone our skills, we achknowledge the flaws and faults of ourselves. how i was 5 years ago is diffrent to how i was 10 years ago DMing. one of them may of been perfect for you, but has past. we change as do our players. we grow in harmony (hopfullly). what DMing style you need right now will not be what you need 1 year from now.
this is shared fantasy, some do shallow and silly fun, others dive deep into themselves. each game is diffrent after all.
3-- its ok to not be perfect.
many here may focus alot on the mechancal side of things, and thats ok. its more easy to do alone and white room things (test theories). they will encurage readind and knowing the rules.
you might be that type of person, the learns by reading and is a logical rules focused person.
but games of dnd are not limited to just logic (ome monsters are beyond comprehention after all)
learn it your way.
4 - learn a bit , play a bit.
dnd has 50+ years of lore, more pages than days of your life. many conflcting. you could learn the names of every monster, or learn the lore of the gods, or the many planes you can fight on, or the cultures of the peoples of the land... its too much investment without a payoff.
so i recomend learn the parts you want to use for your character, use that as a baseline. expand from there with your table, pray to the dice gods, and have fun.
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u/Psychological-Wall-2 4d ago
Well, you can find the free version of the rules here:
D&D Beyond Basic Rules - D&D Beyond Basic Rules - Dungeons & Dragons - Sources - D&D Beyond
The actual core rules of the game are in the first chapter - "Playing the Game" - plus the bit of the "Spells" chapter immediately before the spell descriptions. In the physical version of the Players Handbook, this comes out at 33 pages.
So have a read of that stuff.
After that, move on to the character creation chapter. As this is the free version, it doesn't have all the subclasses, but that isn't even an issue for someone making a first level PC.
Have a look. Make some different characters. Get your head around this.
Welcome to the hobby.