Page 4 - DnD_5e_Players_Handbook_(BnW_OCR)

In t r o d u c t io n

The D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s r o le p la y in g In the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s game, each player
game is about storytelling in w orlds of creates an adventurer (also called a character) and
sw ords and sorcery. It shares elements teams up with other adventurers (played by friends).
with childhood games of make-believe. Like W orking together, the group might explore a dark dun­
those games, D & D is driven by imagina­ geon, a ruined city, a haunted castle, a lost temple deep
tion. It’s about picturing the towering castle in a jungle, or a lava-filled cavern beneath a mysterious
beneath the stormy night sky and imagining mountain. The adventurers can solve puzzles, talk with
how a fantasy adventurer might react to the challenges other characters, battle fantastic monsters, and discover
that scene presents. fabulous magic items and other treasure.
One player, however, takes on the role of the Dungeon
Master (DM), the gam e’s lead storyteller and referee.
Dungeon Master (DM): After passing through the
The DM creates adventures for the characters, who nav­
craggy peaks, the road takes a sudden turn to the east igate its hazards and decide which paths to explore. The
and Castle Ravenloft towers before you. Crumbling DM might describe the entrance to Castle Ravenloft,
towers of stone keep a silent watch over the approach. and the players decide what they want their adventurers
to do. Will they walk across the dangerously weathered
They look like abandoned guardhouses. Beyond these,
drawbridge? Tie themselves together with rope to mini­
a wide chasm gapes, disappearing into the deep
m ize the chance that som eone will fall if the drawbridge
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 determines the results of the adventur­
The chains of the drawbridge creak in the wind, their ers’ actions and narrates what they experience. Because
the DM can improvise to react to anything the players
rust-eaten iron straining with the weight. From atop
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 game has no real end; when one story or quest
wooden portcullis, green with growth, hangs in the wraps up, another one can begin, creating an ongoing
entry tunnel. Beyond this, the main doors of Castle story called a campaign. Many people who play the
Ravenloft stand open, a rich warm light spilling into game keep their cam paigns going for months or years,
meeting with their friends every week or so to pick
the courtyard.
up the story where they left off. The adventurers grow
Phillip (playing Gareth): I want to look at the
in might as the campaign continues. Each monster
gargoyles. I have a feeling they’re not just statues. defeated, each adventure completed, 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 new capabilities. This increase
in power is reflected by an adventurer’s level.
it, or is it going to collapse under our weight?
There’s no winning and losing in the D u n g e o n s &
D r a g o n s game—at least, not the way those terms are
Unlike a game of make-believe, D&D gives structure usually understood. Together, the D M and the players
to the stories, a way of determining the consequences create an exciting story of bold adventurers who confront
of the adventurers’ action. Players roll dice to resolve deadly perils. Som etim es an adventurer might com e to
whether their attacks hit or m iss or whether their adven­ a grisly end, torn apart by ferocious monsters or done in
turers can scale a cliff, roll away from the strike of a by a nefarious villain. Even so, the other adventurers can
m agical lightning bolt, or pull off som e other dangerous search for powerful magic to revive their fallen comrade,
task. Anything is possible, but the dice make som e out­ or the player might choose to create a new character to
com es m ore probable than others. carry on. The group might fail to complete an adventure
successfully, but if everyone had a good time and created
a memorable story, they all win.
Dungeon Master (DM): OK, one at a time. Phillip,
you’re looking at the gargoyles?
W o r ld s of A d v e n t u r e
Phillip: Yeah. Is there any hint they might be
The many worlds of the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s game
creatures and not decorations?
are places o f magic and monsters, of brave warriors and
DM: Make an Intelligence check. spectacular adventures. They begin with a foundation
Phillip: Does my Investigation skill apply? of medieval fantasy and then add the creatures, places,
DM: Sure! and magic that make these worlds unique.
The worlds of the D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s game exist
Phillip (rolling a d20): Ugh. Seven.
within a vast cosm os called the multiverse, connected
DM: They look like decorations to you. And Amy,
in strange and mysterious ways to one another and to
Riva is checking out the drawbridge? other planes of existence, such as the Elemental Plane
of Fire and the Infinite Depths of the Abyss. Within