Page 6 - Player's Handbook

INTRODUCTION

HEDUNGEONS& DRAGONSROLEPLAYING In the DUNGEONS& DRAGONSgame, each player
game is about storytelling in worlds of creates an adventurer (also called a character) and
swords and sorcery. !t shares elements teams up with other adventurers (played by friends).
with childhood games of make-believe. Like Working together, the group might explore a dark dun-
those games, 0&0 is driven by imagina- geon, a ruined city, a haunted castle. a lost temple deep
tion. !t's about picturing the towering castle in a jungle, or a lava-filled cavero beneath a mysterious
beneath the stormy night sky and imagining mountain. The adventurers can solve puzzles, talk with
howa 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 game's lead storyteller and referee.
Oungeon Master (OM):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
They look like abandoned guardhouses. Beyond these, to do. WilI they walk across the dangerously weathered
a wide chasm gapes, disappearing into the deep drawbridge? Tie themselves together with rope to mini-
mize the chance that someone will fali 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
rust.eaten iron straining with the weight. From atop the DM can improvise to react to anything the players
the high strong walls, stone gargoyles stare at you attempt, 0&0 is infinitely f1exible, and each adventure
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 ofCastle story called a campaign. Many people who play the
Ravenloft stand open, a rich warm light spilling into game keep their campaigns going for months or years.
the courtyard. meeting with their friends every week or so to pick
Phillip (playingGareth): Iwant to look at the up the story where they left off. The adventurers grow
in might as the campaign continues. Each monster
gargoyles. I have a feeling they're not just statues. defeated, each adventure completed, and each treasurc
Amy(playingRival:The drawbridge looks precarious? recovered not only adds to the continuing story, but also
Iwant to see how sturdy it is. Do I think we can cross earos the adventurers new capabilities. This increase
it, or is it going to collapse under our weight? in power is reflected by an adventurer's leveI.
There's no winning and losing in the DUNGEONS&
DRAGONSgame-at least, not the way those terms are
Unlike a game of make-believe, 0&0 gives structure usually understood. Together, the DM and lhe 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. Sometimes an adventurer might come to
whether their attacks hit or miss or whether their adven- a grisly end, toro apart by ferocious monsters or done in
turers can scale a cliff, roll away from the strike of a bya nefarious villain. Even so, the other adventurers can
magicallightning bolt, or pull off some other dangerous search for powerful magic to revive their fallen comrade,
task. Anything is possible, but the dice make some out- or the player might choose to create a new character to
comes more 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 ali win.
Oungeon Master (OM):OK, one at a time. Phillip,
you're looking at the gargoyles? WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
Phillip:Yeah. 15 there any hint they might be The many worlds of the DUNGEONS& DRAGONSgame
creatures and not decorations? are places of magic and monsters, of brave warriors and
OM: 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,
OM: Sure! and magic that make these worlds unique.
The worlds of the DUNGEONS& DRAGONSgame exist
Phillip (rolling a d20): Ugh. Seven. within a vast cosmos called the multiverse, connected
OM:They look likedecorations to you. And Amy, in strange and mysterious ways to one another and to
Rivais checking out the drawbridge? other planes of existence. such as the Elemental Plane
of Fire and the lnfinite Depths of the Abyss. Within

lNTRODUl TION