D&D Rules

Below you’ll find all the basic rules to get started creating a caracter and playing D&D. Wizards of the West Coast, the creators of Dungeons and Dragons, has provided all these rules as a System Reference Document under an open gaming license. The full rules can be purchased as a Book Set

Creating Your D&D Character

Character Classes

Barbarian

Class Features As a barbarian, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d12 per...

Bard

Class Features As a bard, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard...

Rogue

Class Features As a rogue, you have the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per rogue...

Sorcerer

Class Features As a sorcerer, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d6 per...

Warlock

Class Features As a warlock, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per...

Wizard

Class Features As a wizard, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d6 per wizard...

Cleric

Class Features As a cleric, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per cleric...

Druid

Class Features As a druid, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per druid...

Fighter

Class Features As a fighter, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per...

Monk

Class Features As a monk, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per monk...

Paladin

Paladin Class Features As a paladin, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice:...

Ranger

Class Features As a ranger, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per...

Character Races

Dwarf

Dwarf Traits Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of dwarven...

Elf

Elf Traits Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of...

Half-Elf

Half-Elf Traits Your half-elf character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are unique...

Halfling

Halfling Traits Your halfling character has a number of traits in common with all other halflings. Ability...

Human

Human Traits It’s hard to make generalizations about humans, but your human character has these traits. ...

Overview

Racial Traits The description of each race includes racial traits that are common to members of that...

Dragonborn

Dragonborn Dragonborn Traits Your draconic heritage manifests in a variety of traits you share with...

Gnome

Gnome Traits Your gnome character has certain characteristics in common with all other gnomes. Ability...

Half-Orc

Half-Orc Traits Your half-orc character has certain traits deriving from your orc ancestry. Ability...

Tiefling

Tiefling Traits Tieflings share certain racial traits as a result of their infernal descent. Ability...

Other Character Rules

Alignment

A typical creature in the game world has an alignment, which broadly describes its moral and personal...

Backgrounds

Every story has a beginning. Your character’s background reveals where you came from, how you became a...

Languages

Your race indicates the languages your character can speak by default, and your background might give...

Pantheons

The Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, and Norse pantheons are fantasy interpretations of historical religions...

Abilities

Ability Checks

Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature’s physical and mental characteristics: ...

Ability Scores

Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature’s physical and mental characteristics: ...

Charisma

Charisma measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence...

Constitution

Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force. Constitution Checks Constitution checks are...

Dexterity

Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance. Dexterity Checks A Dexterity check can model any...

Intelligence

Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason. Intelligence Checks...

Saving Throws

Saving Throws A saving throw—also called a save—represents an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a p...

Strength

Strength measures bodily power, athletic training, and the extent to which you can exert raw physical...

Wisdom

Wisdom reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition....

Adventuring

Between Adventures

Between trips to dungeons and battles against ancient evils, adventurers need time to rest, recuperate,...

Movement

Movement Swimming across a rushing river, sneaking down a dungeon corridor, scaling a treacherous mountain...

Planes

The cosmos teems with a multitude of worlds as well as myriad alternate dimensions of reality, called...

Resting

Heroic though they might be, adventurers can’t spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, s...

The Environment

By its nature, adventuring involves delving into places that are dark, dangerous, and full of mysteries...

Time

In situations where keeping track of the passage of time is important, the GM determines the time a task...

Equipment

Adventuring Gear

This section describes items that have special rules or require further explanation. Acid. As an action,...

Armor

Fantasy gaming worlds are a vast tapestry made up of many different cultures, each with its own technology...

Coins & Money

Common coins come in several different denominations based on the relative worth of the metal from which...

Equipment Packs

The starting equipment you get from your class includes a collection of useful adventuring gear, put...

Burglar’s Pack

Burglar’s Pack (16 gp). Includes: a backpack a bag of 1000 ball bearings 10 feet of string a bell 5...

Dungeoneer’s Pack

Dungeoneer’s Pack (12 gp). Includes: a backpack a crowbar a hammer 10 pitons 10 torches a tinderbox 1...

Scholar’s Pack

Includes: a backpack a book of lore a bottle of ink an ink pen 10 sheets of parchment a little bag...

Mounts and Vehicles

A good mount can help you move more quickly through the wilderness, but its primary purpose is to carry...

Tools

A tool helps you to do something you couldn't otherwise do, such as craft or repair an item, forge a...

Trade Goods

Most wealth is not in coins. It is measured in livestock, grain, land, rights to collect taxes, or rights...

Weapons

Your class grants proficiency in certain weapons, reflecting both the class’s focus and the tools you a...

Simple Melee Weapons List

Simple Melee Weapons Name Cost Damage Weight Properties Club 1 sp 1d4 bludgeoning 2...

Combat

Actions in Combat

When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here, an action you...

Cover

Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult...

Damage and Healing

Injury and the risk of death are constant companions of those who explore fantasy gaming worlds. The...

Making an Attack

Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as p...

Mounted Combat

A knight charging into battle on a warhorse, a wizard casting spells from the back of a griffon, or a...

Movement and Position

In combat, characters and monsters are in constant motion, often using movement and position to gain...

The Order of Combat

A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries,...

Underwater Combat

When adventurers pursue sahuagin back to their undersea homes, fight off sharks in an ancient shipwreck,...

Spells

Bard Spells

Cantrips (0 Level) Dancing Lights Light Mage Hand Mending Message Minor Illusion Prestidigitation...

Cleric Spells

Cantrips (0 Level) Guidance Light Mending Resistance Sacred Flame Thaumaturgy 1st Level Bane...

Druid Spells

Cantrips (0 Level) Guidance Mending Produce Flame Resistance Shillelagh 1st Level Charm Person...

Paladin Spells

1st Level Bless Command Cure Wounds Detect Evil and Good Detect Magic Detect Poison and Disease...

Ranger Spells

1st Level Alarm Cure Wounds Detect Magic Detect Poison and Disease Fog Cloud Jump Longstrider...

Sorcerer Spells

Cantrips (0 Level) Acid Splash Chill Touch Dancing Lights Light Mage Hand Mending Message Minor...

Warlock Spells

Cantrips (0 Level) Chill Touch Mage Hand Minor Illusion Prestidigitation True Strike 1st Level...

Wizard Spells

Wizard Spells Cantrips (0 Level) Acid Splash Chill Touch Dancing Lights Light Mage Hand Mending...

Rules

Advantage and Disadvantage

Sometimes a special ability or spell tells you that you have advantage or disadvantage on an ability...

Conditions

Conditions alter a creature’s capabilities in a variety of ways and can arise as a result of a spell, a...

Expenses

When not descending into the depths of the earth, exploring ruins for lost treasures, or waging war against...

Feats

A feat represents a talent or an area of expertise that gives a character special capabilities. It embodies...

Gaining a Level

As your character goes on adventures and overcomes challenges, he or she gains experience, represented...

Inspiration

Inspiration Inspiration is a rule the game master can use to reward you for playing your character in...

Multiclassing

Multiclassing allows you to gain levels in multiple classes. Doing so lets you mix the abilities of those...

Proficiency Bonus

Characters have a proficiency bonus determined by level. Monsters also have this bonus, which is incorporated...

Dungeon Master Rules

Damaging Objects

When characters need to saw through ropes, shatter a window, or smash a vampire’s coffin, the only h...

Diseases

A plague ravages the kingdom, setting the adventurers on a quest to find a cure. An adventurer emerges...

Legendary Creatures

A legendary creature can do things that ordinary creatures can’t. It can take special actions outside i...

Madness

In a typical campaign, characters aren’t driven mad by the horrors they face and the carnage they inflict d...

Magic Items

Magic Items Magic items are gleaned from the hoards of conquered monsters or discovered in long-lost...

Adamantine Armor

Adamantine Armor Armor (medium or heavy, but not hide), uncommon This suit of armor is reinforced...

Monsters

A monster’s statistics, sometimes referred to as its stat block , provide the essential information t...

Traps

Traps can be found almost anywhere. One wrong step in an ancient tomb might trigger a series of scything...

Using Poisons

Given their insidious and deadly nature, poisons are illegal in most societies but are a favorite tool...

Non-Player Characters

Acolyte

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 10 Hit Points 9 (2d8) Speed 30 ft. STR...

Archmage

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor ) Hit Points 99 (18d8...

Assassin

Medium humanoid (any race), any non-good alignment Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Hit Points 78...

Bandit

Medium humanoid (any race), any non-lawful alignment Armor Class 12 (leather armor) Hit Points 11...

Bandit Captain

Medium humanoid (any race), any non-lawful alignment Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Hit Points...

Berserker

Hailing from uncivilized lands, berserkers come together in war parties and seek war and conflict wherever...

Commoner

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 10 Hit Points 4 (1d8) Speed 30 ft. STR...

Cult Fanatic

Medium humanoid (any race), any non-good alignment Armor Class 13 (leather armor) Hit Points 33...

Cultist

Medium humanoid (any race), any non-good alignment Armor Class 12 (leather armor) Hit Points 9 (2d8)...

Druid

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 11 (16 with barkskin ) Hit Points 27 (5d8...

Gladiator

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 16 (studded leather, shield) Hit Points 112...

Guard

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 16 (chain shirt, shield) Hit Points 11 (2d8...

Knight

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16) Speed...

Mage

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor ) Hit Points 40 (9d8)...

Noble

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 15 (breastplate) Hit Points 9 (2d8) Speed...

Priest

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 13 (chain shirt) Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5) Speed...

Scout

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 13 (leather armor) Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)...

Spy

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 12 Hit Points 27 (6d8) Speed 30 ft. STR...

Thug

Medium humanoid (any race), any non-good alignment Armor Class 11 (leather armor) Hit Points 32...

Tribal Warrior

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 12 (hide armor) Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2) Speed...

Veteran

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 17 (splint) Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18) Speed...

Monster Index

d&d rules

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System Reference Document 5.0 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

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