Adventurer’s Guide

Alignment

A typical creature in the game world has an alignment, which broadly describes its moral and personal attitudes. Alignment is a combination of two factors: one identifies morality (good, evil,... read on

Assigning Ability Scores

When crafting a character, the distribution of ability scores is a pivotal decision that shapes your character’s identity, capabilities, and role within the party. There are multiple strategies to approach... read on

Backgrounds

Every story has a beginning. Your character’s background reveals where you came from, how you became an adventurer, and your place in the world. Your fighter might have been a... read on

Classes

Your character’s class serves as both their job and their calling. It’s more than just a profession; it’s a set of abilities, philosophies, and even divine or arcane powers that... read on

Feats

A feat represents a talent or an area of expertise that gives a character special capabilities. It embodies training, experience, and abilities beyond what a class provides. At certain levels,... read on

Inspiration

Inspiration is a rule the game master can use to reward you for playing your character in a way that’s true to his or her personality traits, ideal, bond, and... read on

Languages

Your race indicates the languages your character can speak by default, and your background might give you access to one or more additional languages of your choice. Note these languages... read on

Multiclassing

Multiclassing allows you to gain levels in multiple classes. Doing so lets you mix the abilities of those classes to realize a character concept that might not be reflected in... read on

Races

Racial Traits The description of each race includes racial traits that are common to members of that race. The following entries appear among the traits of most races. Ability Score... read on

Adventuring Gear

Standard equipment list from the Basic Rules. For a more detailed, illustrated list please see the Gear & Artifacts page.

Armor

Fantasy gaming worlds are a vast tapestry made up of many different cultures, each with its own technology level. For this reason, adventurers have access to a variety of armor... read on

Encumbrance

The rules for lifting and carrying are intentionally simple. Encumbrance is a variant to the rules if you are looking for more detail to determine how a character is hindered... read on

Equipment Packs

The starting equipment you get from your class includes a collection of useful adventuring gear, put together in a pack. The contents of these packs are listed here. If you... read on

Expenses

When not descending into the depths of the earth, exploring ruins for lost treasures, or waging war against the encroaching darkness, adventurers face more mundane realities. Even in a fantastical... read on

Mounts and Vehicles

A good mount can help you move more quickly through the wilderness, but its primary purpose is to carry the gear that would otherwise slow you down. The Mounts and... read on

Selling Treasure

Opportunities abound to find treasure, equipment, weapons, armor, and more in the dungeons you explore. Normally, you can sell your treasures and trinkets when you return to a town or... read on

Standard Exchange Rates

Currency plays a crucial role in shaping the economy and influencing player interactions within the game world. Typically, the currency system is based on a tiered format with various forms... read on

Tools

A tool helps you to do something you couldn’t otherwise do, such as craft or repair an item, forge a document, or pick a lock. Your race, class, background, or... read on

Trade Goods

Most wealth is not in coins. It is measured in livestock, grain, land, rights to collect taxes, or rights to resources (such as a mine or a forest). Guilds, nobles,... read on

Weapon Properties

In the realm of fantasy and adventure, weapons are not just tools of combat but extensions of the characters wielding them. Each weapon in the game is unique, not only... read on

Weapons

Your class grants proficiency in certain weapons, reflecting both the class’s focus and the tools you are most likely to use. Whether you favor a longsword or a longbow, your... read on

Ability Checks

Ability Checks An ability check tests a character’s or monster’s innate talent and training in an effort to overcome a challenge. The GM calls for an ability check when a... read on

Ability Scores

Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature’s physical and mental characteristics: Is a character muscle-bound and insightful? Brilliant and charming? Nimble and hardy? Ability scores define these qualities—a... read on

Advantage and Disadvantage

Sometimes a special ability or spell tells you that you have advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, a saving throw, or an attack roll. When that happens, you roll... read on

Armor Class

Armor Class (AC) is a key statistic that represents how difficult it is for attackers to land a damaging blow on a character. Armor Class serves as the target number... read on

Between Adventures

Between trips to dungeons and battles against ancient evils, adventurers need time to rest, recuperate, and prepare for their next adventure. Many adventurers also use this time to perform other... read on

Combat

At its core, combat is about narrating a cinematic and tactical encounter where characters and their adversaries engage in a struggle for supremacy. Whether it’s a clash of swords against... read on

Hit Points & Hit Dice

Hit Points Hit Points (HP) represent the physical durability, stamina, and overall vitality of a creature, be it a character or a monster. They are a numerical value that indicates... read on

Movement

Swimming across a rushing river, sneaking down a dungeon corridor, scaling a treacherous mountain slope-all sorts of movement play a key role in fantasy gaming adventures. The GM can summarize... read on

Passive Checks

A passive check is a special kind of ability check that doesn’t involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such... read on

Proficiency Bonus

Characters have a proficiency bonus determined by level. Monsters also have this bonus, which is incorporated in their stat blocks. The bonus is used in the rules on ability checks,... read on

Resting

Heroic though they might be, adventurers can’t spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social interaction, and combat. They need rest-time to sleep and eat, tend... read on

Saving Throws

A saving throw-also called a save-represents an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat. You don’t normally decide to make a saving... read on

Skills

Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities, including skills that a character or a monster can be proficient in. A skill represents a specific aspect of an ability score,... read on

Speed

Speed represents how far a character or creature can move in a single round. Speed is measured in feet and is determined by a creature’s race and other factors like... read on

The Environment

By its nature, adventuring involves delving into places that are dark, dangerous, and full of mysteries to be explored. The rules in this section cover some of the most important... read on

Time

In situations where keeping track of the passage of time is important, the GM determines the time a task requires. The GM might use a different time scale depending on... read on

Using Each Ability

Every task that a character or monster might attempt in the game is covered by one of the six abilities. This section explains in more detail what those abilities mean... read on

Cantrips

Cantrips are a special kind of spell that don’t consume spell slots. This means you can cast them as often as you want, making them a spellcaster’s go-to for consistent,... read on

Casting a Spell

When a character casts any spell, the same basic rules are followed, regardless of the character’s class or the spell’s effects. Each spell description begins with a block of information,... read on

Spellcasting Ability

Your spellcasting ability refers to the ability score you use to cast spells for a particular class. This ability score influences how powerful your spells are and how difficult they... read on

What Is a Spell?

A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully... read on

Conditions

Conditions alter a creature’s capabilities in a variety of ways and can arise as a result of a spell, a class feature, a monster’s attack, or other effect. Most conditions,... read on

Damage Types

This section is dedicated to the various Damage Types that characters might encounter or wield against their foes. From the searing heat of fire to the chilling embrace of cold,... read on

Diseases

Diseases A plague ravages the kingdom, setting the adventurers on a quest to find a cure. An adventurer emerges from an ancient tomb, unopened for centuries, and soon finds herself... read on

Fantasy-Historical Pantheons

Fantasy-Historical Pantheons The Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, and Norse pantheons are fantasy interpretations of historical religions from our world’s ancient times. They include deities that are most appropriate for use in... read on

Madness

Madness In a typical campaign, characters aren’t driven mad by the horrors they face and the carnage they inflict day after day, but sometimes the stress of being an adventurer... read on

Nonplayer Characters

This appendix contains statistics for various humanoid nonplayer characters (NPCs) that adventurers might encounter during a campaign, including lowly commoners and mighty archmages. These stat blocks can be used to... read on

Objects

Objects When characters need to saw through ropes, shatter a window, or smash a vampire’s coffin, the only hard and fast rule is this: given enough time and the right... read on

Poisons

Poisons Given their insidious and deadly nature, poisons are illegal in most societies but are a favorite tool among assassins, drow, and other evil creatures. Poisons come in the following... read on

The Planes of Existence

The Planes of Existence The cosmos teems with a multitude of worlds as well as myriad alternate dimensions of reality, called the planes of existence. It encompasses every world where... read on

Traps

Traps Traps can be found almost anywhere. One wrong step in an ancient tomb might trigger a series of scything blades, which cleave through armor and bone. The seemingly innocuous... read on