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* Note: This page is geared towards 5e.
(expand) Here are some resources for other editions if you want to get started quick:
This writeup isn't intended to replace the info in the
Player's Handbook, but rather serve as a broad overview for those completely unfamiliar with the game. With that in mind...
Recommended starting materials
- Pencil, eraser, scratch paper for notes
- A full set of RPG dice, with a dice tray or dice tower (or an online dice roller)
Includes: 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and 1d20.
- The Player's Handbook
- For DMs: The Dungeon Master's Guide, a pre-written adventure such as Lost Mines of Phandelver
- Optionally, you can use your imagination to position your characters in the world around them ("theatre of the mind") or use tokens/minifigures to represent the world of your campaign. You could also use a virtual tabletop such as Roll20.
Ability Scores (the six main stats)
Strength: Pretty straightforward-- it's physical strength. Useful for Fighters and most anyone else who attacks with nonmagical means.
Affects: Athletics checks, most melee attack rolls and damage, how much you can lift and carry.
Dexterity: A broad measure of how limber they are, the speed of their reflexes, how flexible they are, their balance, etc. Important for thieves and, well, anyone you want to be dodging attacks a lot of the time (rather than just tanking them).
Affects: Acrobatics checks, Sleight of Hand checks, Stealth checks, most ranged and some melee attack rolls and damage, Armor Class, Initiative rolls.
Constitution: General measure of health and stamina, as well as a character's ability to resist illness. Not used for any specific skill checks, but since it directly affects your HP, it's important for everyone (especially frontliners). Despite what you may assume, spellcasters need Constitution too, in order to maintain Concentration on certain spells if they take damage.
Affects: HP, maintaining Concentration.
Intelligence: Book smarts. Ability to learn and recall facts about the world around you. Also affects the basic amount of "sentience" your character has at a certain baseline (i.e., the difference between an animal that behaves entirely on instinct and a thinking, feeling person.) Important for Wizards and Artificers since their magic scales off of INT, as well as any other "brainiac" character.
Affects: Arcana checks (magical knowledge), History checks, Investigation checks (active searching or examination), Nature checks, Religion checks.
Wisdom: The street smarts to Intelligence's book smarts. Or, more accurately, how in tune you are with the world around you. Perceptiveness and intuition fall under this umbrella too. The spells of Clerics, Druids, and Rangers scale off of this stat, so it's particularly important for them.
Affects: Animal Handling checks, Insight checks (discerning the true nature of a situation), Medicine checks, Perception checks (noticing sensory information in the world around you), Survival checks.
Charisma: Interpersonal skills, important for negotiators and charmers of all stripes. Especially important for Bards, Paladins, Sorcerers, and Warlocks since their spells scale off of this stat.
Affects: Deception checks, Intimidation checks, Performance checks, Persuasion checks.
One resource that helped me better understand Ability Scores when I was new to the game was this page:
D&D Stats in Simple Language.
The 13 Classes
Presented in alphabetical order. Click on a class name to learn more about it!
Artificer
This one might not be familiar to you even if you've read the Player's Handbook cover to cover. That's because it was introduced in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and hasn't always seen the same spotlight as the other classes. Think of it as a tinkerer class, cousins with the Wizard in that they're quite versatile and magic is a scholarly pursuit for them, but they're able to stand up on their own a bit better. They bind their magic to items, and carry all manner of gadgets, making them a unique class with very interesting flavoring.
However, they can also be somewhat difficult to play, and as such Artificer generally isn't recommended for new players. You have your fingers in quite a few different pies, and have to keep track of several different, complex mechanics in order to bring out their fullest potential. In other words, the Artificer is a very versatile class, but in exchange you kind of have to micromanage your character to prepare them for each day. That certainly doesn't make it impossible to play an Artificer if you're new, but it can certainly be overwhelming. If you want to play as an Artificer, make sure you've taken the time to understand what each of your abilities do, and how you can utilise them!
Barbarian
Get mad! Get mad! Barbarians are all about using their anger and channeling it into being a beast in combat, dispatching enemies and shrugging off enemy attacks like nothing. Notably, Barbarians get the highest hit dice out of any class in the game-- a full d12! Expect to have a big pool of HP, even at lower levels.
The Barbarian can be a pretty simple class to play tactics-wise-- hit things, then hit things again, then hit things again. Your character gets a consistent damage boost and takes less weapon damage while they're raging, so it's worth skipping anger management and letting it all out on the battlefield. Barbarians are a pretty fun class to play, and are great for anyone who wants to play a character that can go ape mode and protect their allies no matter what.
Bard
Play that funky music, bard-boy ♬
While at first glance you might peg them as a simple support caster, Bards are very, very versatile (on top of still being great supports!) Access to Expertise lets you hone in on certain skills to make those checks much easier to pass, and Bardic Inspiration lets you sprinkle a little bit of that magic on your allies, too. Different subclasses let you play different roles; College of Whispers is great for roleplay-heavy campaigns with lots of mind games, College of Lore disregards the Bard's fighting ability in favor of making them the best support casters in the game, while College of Swords Bards are frontliners right up there with your Fighters and Barbarians!
For beginners, the College of Eloquence bard is relatively easy to play and has quite a few excellent support abilities that are sure to help your allies in a pinch. Play a bard today!
Cleric
Cleric is the best healing class in the game. If your party desperately needs a healer, it's hard to go wrong with playing one.
That said, the Cleric has a surprising breadth of things it can do and roles it can fill. On top of healing and support roles, different sub-classes let you spec into blasting things with magic, tanking enemy hits, gathering information, sneaking around, or just doubling down on healing things. Every Cleric is unique, like a beautiful snowflake, so why not build one of your own?
Druid
A Druid has the potential to be a great healer for your game, with its potential beaten only by the Cleric. If you'd like to play a healer but aren't particularly interested in the good book(s) of the Forgotten Realms, Druid is for you. Compared to the Cleric, however, their smaller hit dice and inability to wear heavy armor makes them a much frailer class. (A lot of their best spells require Concentration, though, so don't skimp out completely on CON.)
Don't let that fool you into thinking the Druid is a one trick pony-- quite the opposite! Different subclasses and a broad pool of spells give the Druid lots of different things to do, quite powerfully at that. The Druid is a solid class for newcomers and veterans alike, though some subclasses are easier to play than others (Circle of the Land is quite easy to play, while Circle of Spores can be somewhat difficult).
Fighter
The classic option. Sometimes you just wanna hit things really hard, a lot of times in a row. You get pretty great armor options too, so this is a great pick if you want to be on the front line beating guys up and defending your allies.
Fighters are very, very, very powerful in combat, though the complexity of the class (and, by extension, how difficult they are to play) depends on what subclass you pick. The Champion class is simple and fantastic for beginners, while the Eldritch Knight introduces spellcasting and might be difficult to keep track of. It's especially worth looking into different Feats if playing a Fighter, as even one can completely change the way your character fights!
Monk
Wanna hit things, but are looking for a bit of a different feel compared to the Fighter and the Barbarian? Or, alternatively, do you want to play as Goku more than anything in the world? The Monk, a martial artist that often eschews their weapons in exchange for using their fists, might be for you.
The Monk can be somewhat complicated for new players to play, as you have to keep an eye on a few different complex abilities that you have at your disposal. If looking to optimize your Monk, you'll want a high Dex, but also a decent Con, Wis, and potentially even Str. That said, they serve as a pretty effective frontliner, especially if you don't have a Fighter or Rogue in your party. Abilities like Flurry of Blows let you turn any ordinary battle into a fun, climactic spectacle of epic proportions.
Paladin
A fusion of Fighter and Cleric, Paladins are one of the most multi-faceted classes in the game. They're best as tanks, but can also pack a punch with a weapon, support allies with buffs, or heal with the power of their godly Oath. This makes them very self-sufficient, though as a consequence of being a jack-of-all-trades they can sometimes feel like a master of none at higher levels; subclasses allow you to bridge that gap a bit and specialize in something specific. Also, they're one of the few classes with a hard roleplaying limitation, that being your character needs to abide by the tenets of their holy oath at all times.
The Paladin can be intimidating for new players given the relative complexity of its features and playstyles, but proves very fun and very powerful for those who choose to play as one. They're usually a welcome addition to any table, so if you're not sure what class to play but feel confident in your ability to keep up with everything the Paladin does, why not try it out?
Ranger
Ranger is an odd duck of a class. It's a fusion of Fighter combat and Druidic spellcasting, with Rogueish skills peppered in for good measure. Haters will say the Ranger is the worst class in the game, and sometimes they're right (to the point that an official Revised Ranger class was published in Tasha's Couldron of Everything), but usually there's a bit more nuance to that conversation.
Rangers thrive in the settings they specialize in and are-- without a shadow of a doubt-- very cool. The fact that they've maintained their status as a standard D&D class despite their troubles dating back years before 5th Edition is proof of that. But their limited skillset can run thin in a system where just about every other class is capable of producing superhumans given enough time and EXP. Still, over the years the Ranger has recieved numerous new subclasses that give the class fun and interesting new dimensions, alongside rule changes and optional perks to replace its more unappealing features, should you choose to take them. So don't let the haters get you down!
Rogue
Stealing things? Picking locks? Doing backflips? And, even, killing things? The Rogue's got it in the bag.
It's a classic RPG character trope for a reason. The Rogue is a fun and unique class that adds a lot to the possible things you-- and, by extension, your party-- can accomplish. Rogues in 5e also have a lot of fun in combat, whether that be using items in unique ways or with Sneak Attack, which is extremely easy to proc in most situations. If you like strategizing, using items, or building an optimized character, why not try playing a Rogue?
Sorcerer
The common joke with Sorcerers is that they're for players who think Wizards are nerds and Warlocks are suck-ups. You know how your character got powers? That's right. They were born with it. :^)
Nepo baby jokes aside, Sorcerer is a magic class with some pretty fun flavoring. Using the Metamagic feature, you can tweak the spells you can cast to your liking-- whether it's to make them more powerful, avoid your allies, or even to cast them faster. They know fewer spells than your average Wizard, but have more spell slots to make up for it. As a result, there are a lot of different roles Sorcerers can fill, but only so many roles a particular Sorcerer can fill, limited by their subclass and the spells they've picked up. It can be a difficult class to play for newcomers, though not impossible.
Finally, I'd like to mention that the Wild Magic subclass can add some spice to your games by making your character blow up-- literally, casting Fireball centered on themselves-- if their luck is particularly bad. Do with that information what you will.
Warlock
At first glance, Warlock might just seem like a goth version of the Wizard. In exchange for making a ~mysterious pact~ with a ~powerful being~, the Warlock gets access to power beyond mortal comprehension, and.... hey, what the heck? Why do I have so few spell slots?!
In reality, the Warlock is a fairly unique magical class, one that's surprisingly easy to play for newcomers at that. Warlocks love blasting things with ol' reliable Eldritch Blast-- it only gets better with time-- but the Warlock's unique Pact Boons and broad spell options let it be much more than a one-trick pony. Each Pact Boon helps shape your character into a different, unique fighter; you could even specialize in melee fighting should you take Pact of the Blade. Think of it like the inverse of the Sorcerer; you don't get very many spell slots, but you have a fairly wide pool of tools to solve any problem with.
There's also quite a bit of potential character drama depending on who your character's patron is, and their relationship to them-- maybe your character's a wage slave for a devil, maybe they're a fey creature your character has a close relationship with, maybe they're a great old being your character worships, or maybe your character doesn't even know who their patron is, and wants to find out!
Wizard
The Wizard is your iconic spellcaster. They can do a lot of different things, and do them very, very powerfully. Depending on their subclass and the spells they pick, they can also fulfill almost any role, whether that be defensive (Abjuration) magic, Divination magic, blast-you-in-the-face-with-a-fireball (Evocation) magic, or even healing.
This amazing versatility comes with a few key tradeoffs. First is that Wizards are squishy, and usually need a bit of support from sturdier allies so they don't get turned into shimmering red goo on turn 1. Second is both a good and a bad thing, and it's that Wizards have the opportunities to learn a huge breadth of different spells, and have the spell slots to use them fairly often. However, managing this spellbook can prove complicated, especially at higher levels.
I want to run a campaign!
Running a game of D&D can be daunting, but learning to adapt and work with your players is a unique joy like nothing else. The
Dungeon Master's Guide is worth reading through, but no amount of preparation can really help your DM skills shine more than... well, the act of DMing itself. General tips are to keep an open mind, have a good understanding of the rules for when your players ask questions (or at least, have them readily on hand) and try to "yes, and" instead of "no, but" whenever possible.
Official pre-made adventures such as
Lost Mines of Phandelver can be a good jumping off point; LMOP in particular is one of the more widely-used "first campaign" books, and there are quite a few resources on running it online;
this long document of notes is one of my personal favourites.
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