Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies

Bill Slavicsek, Rich Baker, Jeff Grubb9780471783305, 0471783307

The fun and easy way to get started in this popular fantasy role-playing game Market research indicates that 4 million American males, ages 8 to 45, play Dungeons & Dragons, while 7.6 million who haven’t played say they want to learn how. The popularity of recent sci-fi and fantasy movies has also boosted interest. D&D is complex to learn, and this friendly guide helps the curious locate a game, understand the rules, choose or create a character, follow proper game etiquette, and even move up in the hierarchy to become a Dungeon Master. The four-page foldout cheat sheet will include markers and a model dungeon layout that serves as an actual game board, allowing readers to play using this book and nothing else.

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Table of contents :
Front Cover……Page 1
About the Authors……Page 5
Contents……Page 11
Foreword……Page 21
About This Book……Page 23
How to Use This Book……Page 24
D&D Terminology……Page 25
How This Book Is Organized……Page 26
Where Do I Go From Here?……Page 28
I: D&D Crash Course……Page 29
What Is D&D?……Page 31
The Origin of D&D……Page 32
Objectives of the D&D Game……Page 33
Looking at the Components of the Game……Page 34
One Game Rule to Rule Them All……Page 39
Expressions of D&D……Page 40
Joining a D&D Game……Page 41
Defining Your Character……Page 43
Playing Your Character……Page 49
Choosing Your Character……Page 50
3: Starting Out as a Fighter……Page 53
How to Play a Fighter……Page 54
Selecting a Fighter……Page 55
Regdar, Human Fighter……Page 56
Brenna, Human Fighter……Page 58
Tordek, Dwarf Fighter……Page 60
Quarion, Elf Fighter……Page 62
4: Starting Out as a Rogue……Page 65
How to Play a Rogue……Page 66
Selecting a Rogue……Page 67
Kerwyn, Human Rogue……Page 68
Shadow, Human Rogue……Page 70
Lidda, Halfling Rogue……Page 72
5: Starting Out as a Sorcerer……Page 75
How to Play a Sorcerer……Page 76
Selecting a Sorcerer……Page 77
Wellyn, Human Sorcerer……Page 78
Eronni, Human Sorcerer……Page 80
Valanthe, Elf Sorcerer……Page 82
6: Starting Out as a Cleric……Page 85
How to Play a Cleric……Page 86
Selecting a Cleric……Page 87
Jerek, Human Cleric……Page 88
Tiann, Human Cleric……Page 90
Eberk, Dwarf Cleric……Page 92
Understanding the D&D Game……Page 95
Rolling Dice……Page 96
Combat Basics……Page 97
What Else Can You Do During Combat?……Page 101
Special Combat Rules……Page 103
Exploring the Dungeon……Page 104
The Battle Grid and Markers……Page 107
Practice: A Sparring Match……Page 110
Player Characters versus Monsters……Page 112
Adding Story Elements……Page 115
A Typical Game Session……Page 117
Finding Someone to Play With……Page 118
Starting Off with a High-Level Character……Page 121
Regdar, 4th-Level Human Fighter……Page 122
Regdar, 8th-Level Human Fighter……Page 124
Part II: Building a D&D Character……Page 127
10: Defining Your Character……Page 129
Filling Out the Character Sheet……Page 131
Making Informed Choices……Page 140
11: Choosing a Class……Page 141
Class and Level Benefits……Page 142
Class Descriptions……Page 146
12: Figuring Out Your Character’s Ability Scores……Page 157
How the Ability Scores Work……Page 158
Generating Ability Scores……Page 161
Assigning Ability Scores by Class……Page 163
13: Picking a Race……Page 165
Humans……Page 166
Dwarves……Page 167
Elves……Page 168
Halflings……Page 170
More Races to Choose From……Page 171
What’s a Feat?……Page 173
The Basics of Acquiring Feats……Page 174
Making Your Choices Simpler with Feat Ladders……Page 178
All About Skills……Page 191
Quick Picks: Using Skill Packages……Page 198
16: Choosing Armor, Weapons, and Gear……Page 205
Choosing the Right Weapon……Page 207
Choosing Armor……Page 211
Everything Else Your Character Is Carrying……Page 213
Improving Weapons and Armor……Page 215
Casting Spells as a Sorcerer……Page 217
Casting Spells as a Cleric……Page 224
Gaining Experience Points……Page 233
Advancing a Level……Page 235
Prestige Classes……Page 238
Part III: Playing Your Best Game……Page 239
Choosing the Right Weapon for the Job……Page 241
Putting It All Together: Developing Your Combat Strategy……Page 244
Using Advanced Tactics……Page 247
Maximizing Your Character’s Attacks……Page 252
Adapting Your Tactics to Your Foes……Page 255
Selecting Spells for the Adventure……Page 259
Casting Effectively in Combat……Page 262
Powering Up with Magic Items……Page 263
Roleplaying With Style……Page 285
Working Together……Page 290
Minding Your Table Manners……Page 295
Min-Maxing Your Character……Page 301
Multiclassing: Maxing Out Your Choices……Page 305
Choosing a Prestige Class……Page 309
Part IV: The Art of Dungeon Mastering……Page 313
23: Running the Game……Page 315
DMing: The Best Job in the Game……Page 316
Choosing an Adventure to Run……Page 319
Task-Oriented DMing……Page 320
Getting the Most Out of Your Monsters……Page 328
Creating a D&D Adventure……Page 335
Sample Dungeon: Hall of the Spider God……Page 340
Figuring Out Your Players……Page 353
Narrating the Adventure……Page 356
Running a Fun Game……Page 358
Part V: The Part of Tens……Page 363
26: 10 Best Sorcerer Spells……Page 365
27: 10 Best Cleric Spells……Page 369
28: 10 Best Low-Level Monsters……Page 375
29: 10 Best Mid-Level Monsters……Page 381
30: 10 Best Dungeon Master Resources……Page 385
31: 10 Best Player Resources……Page 391
32: 10 Best D&D Novels……Page 395
Glossary……Page 399
A……Page 413
B……Page 414
C……Page 415
D……Page 417
E……Page 419
F……Page 420
G……Page 421
H-K……Page 422
L-M……Page 423
N-P……Page 425
Q-R……Page 426
S……Page 428
T……Page 430
U-X……Page 431
Y-Z……Page 432