NerdLounge
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

First time DND, Need Help

2 posters

Go down

First time DND, Need Help Empty First time DND, Need Help

Post by Dannyboy Sat May 28, 2016 2:15 pm

Alright, I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, but it is part of my quest to make friends so, it can't hurt right?

Anyway, so I joined this Tabletop Roleplaying meetup on Meetup.com and they've got a Dungeons and Dragons adventure set for tommorrow called Out Of The Abyss. I asked on the meetup if absolute beginners are welcome and they said yes.

So, yeah, I'm an absolute beginner here. I mean, I kinda know the basics: everyone has a character with stats, there's a Dungeon Master that controls the story and NPCs, and you fight by rolling dice. But that's all I know. Should I come with a character prepared, am I going to need my own pair of dice or my own rulebook? Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Dannyboy

Posts : 124
Reputation : 11
Join date : 2015-06-04

Back to top Go down

First time DND, Need Help Empty Re: First time DND, Need Help

Post by BasedBuzzed Sat May 28, 2016 3:34 pm

Ask the DM, because that varies from group to group, or they might have house rules on which kind of character you cannot create. Read some of the fluff about the Underdark to get a general feel of the setting, don't read the campaign details except for the hook. Most campaigns for noobs start out at level 1 unless you're dropping in, so it isn't that complicated when it comes to abilities you need to keep track off.

Roleplaying as an archetype can help you to get into a character. You don't need to think up a detailed backstory, and if blanking on the spot when it comes up, just go for a clonepaste of a fictional character (you're a barbarian? Brian Blessed in Captain Gordon, to give an example).

Also, look into the group dynamics. Some DMs and their groups go for roleplaying more than shanking monsters, others tolerate zaniness or even encourage it. If it doesn't suit your tastes, don't be burned out on tabletop by it.
BasedBuzzed
BasedBuzzed

Posts : 811
Reputation : 267
Join date : 2014-10-01

Back to top Go down

First time DND, Need Help Empty Re: First time DND, Need Help

Post by Guest Sat May 28, 2016 3:37 pm

Dannyboy wrote:Alright, I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, but it is part of my quest to make friends so, it can't hurt right?

Anyway, so I joined this Tabletop Roleplaying meetup on Meetup.com and they've got a Dungeons and Dragons adventure set for tommorrow called Out Of The Abyss. I asked on the meetup if absolute beginners are welcome and they said yes.

So, yeah, I'm an absolute beginner here. I mean, I kinda know the basics: everyone has a character with stats, there's a Dungeon Master that controls the story and NPCs, and you fight by rolling dice. But that's all I know. Should I come with a character prepared, am I going to need my own pair of dice or my own rulebook? Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

>Books, chances are they'll have books already you can borrow to build your character on the spot. Doesn't hurt to have your own though.

>Dice, again, they'll probably have a bunch of dice you can borrow and it also doesn't hurt to have your own.

>Regarding characters, ask what people are playing as, having diversity in an adventuring party is always good. Having a gang of squishy characters and no healing characters is incredibly unwise.

Dunno how many other experienced tabletop players are here on the forum, but it wouldn't hurt to have your own dice. What version of D&D will they be playing? A quick Google search of "Out Of The Abyss" leads me to believe it's 5th Edition. Thankfully, you'll only need the Player's Handbook since Wizards of the Coast hasn't released many expansions other than modules (Out Of The Abyss being a module). Through the wonders of modern technology, you can find PDFs of most D&D versions and most books. -cough- Google and a certain bahia is your friend. If you have an iPad or whatever tablet, you can upload those books to the device and you're good to go.

If you plan on buying dice, check your local game or comic shop, I'm sure you can find a very basic set of dice. They're not terribly expensive, Chessex has basic sets you can buy on Amazon for less than $10 or so (not counting S&H). However, also with the advent of modern phone technology, if you have an iPhone you can buy the Dicenomicon app or any other dice app.

The game at it's most basic, is any action you take where there's a possibility of failure, you roll a d20 to get number, add (or subtract) another number to it in order to beat a set number -- D&D jargon calls that set number a 'Difficulty Class' or DC. So say for example you want to jump a gap, but there's a 100ft drop (no character will survive that shit), your DM will tell you "Yo dawg, you need to roll 1d20 plus your Strength modifier, DC is 15."

That means you roll one 20 sided die and add the Strength bonus you receive (you'll figure that out when you make your character) from it to beat the 15 the DM set initially. In order for you to succeed at that jump, you have to roll higher than 15. What happens if you pass or fail is at your DM's discretion. Razz

There anything else you need help with?

Guest
Guest


Back to top Go down

First time DND, Need Help Empty Re: First time DND, Need Help

Post by Dannyboy Tue May 31, 2016 1:19 am

Thankd for the advice guys, I had a lot of fun. Smile

Dannyboy

Posts : 124
Reputation : 11
Join date : 2015-06-04

Back to top Go down

First time DND, Need Help Empty Re: First time DND, Need Help

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top


 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum