D&D Rules School - Learning the Basics (5th edition)

hi everybody my name is nate and this is DMD user class is about to start welcome to D&D rural school right here on WASD 20 some of you may have seen my series how to play D&D it's a solid introduction to the game in which I actually go through a sample session of the game and talk about many of the rules as we progress through that session I'll put a link right up there and for newcomers to the Hobby I think it's a great introduction to what D&D is because you learn a bit of the rules through the actual format of a game here in D&D rural school however will be more focused on the rules with practical examples rather than an overarching narrative these videos will be more structured and systematic and have more in-depth explanation and I imagine there will eventually be far more episodes of this series than there were of how to play D&D as we get deeper into the rules before we get into the rules however I do want to take a moment to thank absolute tabletop for partnering with me to help bring you this series absolute tabletop makes some of my favorite RPG supplements all of which work incredibly well with D&D 5th edition they have a lot of great setting books adventure modules and Dungeon Master tools and I highly recommend people check out the oath of the frozen King adventure kit an adventure kit lives in that sweet spot between a fully fleshed out adventure module and dungeon master prep notes and it's a super-fun adventure that makes DMing very easy there's a link in the video description and if you use that link it'll let them know I sent you so definitely go have a look getting back to rural school I have to admit that having a new player start with the rules lecture isn't always best so I do have to quick disclaimer z' for this series here they are disclaimer number one the best way to learn the game is just to show up and play just go don't feel like you need to understand all the rules before you show up to a game as a Dungeon Master I love when new players show up with an open mind and I can teach them the rules as we play it's by far my preferred method disclaimer number two there is so much more to this game than the rules I think this is such an important point that I'm thinking about maybe even going back to do an episode zero about it and if I do I'll put a link right up there the rules really only matter as much as you and your group want them to there's absolutely nothing wrong with bending or breaking them if that's your group's preferred style and then there's all the other stuff roleplay be creative be passionate be a good friend this is also key to the experience of Dungeons and Dragons and for many of us the rules pale in comparison to these elements now the rules since this is episode 1 here's a quick explanation of what D&D is for the complete newcomer D&D is a tabletop role-playing game which means it's a collaborative storytelling experience in which one person plays the role of the dungeon master that person controls the goings-on of the game world and all the non player characters and they sort of act as the facilitator or the lead storyteller the players on the other hand only control one character each the DM explains a scene and sets things in motion and the players can choose what their characters will do so for you players or aspiring players out there try to think about what your character would do that's the first rule listen to the dungeon master ask questions about the scenario if you'd like and then act in character this is the heart of role-playing now to get into the specific rules for D&D 5th edition the 20-sided die is at the heart of the game we call this the d20 the experience of listening to the DM and telling her what you'd like your character to do can take us pretty far we can tell some really cool stories just with that but can you do anything it's one thing to have your character walk up to the barkeep and say I'll have a pint available but it's quite another to walk up to a dragon and decide you'd like to go for a ride so in most tabletop RPGs we use dice to determine the results success failure or something in between most of the time these things come down to the roll of the dice anything you want to do in game can either succeed or fail based on the role of a d20 the dungeon master might not require a roll for everything to some extent it's a matter of play style but when the Dungeon Master wants to infuse an element of chance you could succeed or you could fail a d20 is rolled so what are the basic rules on the d20 we'll talk about these actions in more detail later but for now you have an ability check firstly when your character wants to do something that has a chance of failure they make an ability check saving throws a saving throw is an attempt to resist or avoid something that is happening out there in the environment external to the character and lastly you have an attack and I think you probably know what that is now is it all up to the role of a d20 no it's not your character stats can increase or decrease your modifier or bonus on the d20 on this character sheet we can see the modifiers are the small numbers that usually have a plus or a minus next to them these are the numbers you add or subtract from the d20 role we have some by ability scores that act as a base number and those help us determine the numbers we'll put for saving throws skills attacks and more the big question now is what do I need to roll to succeed and the answer is you need to hit the specific target number for that situation this target is usually described as either difficulty class or armor class so firstly difficulty difficulty class is the number needed to succeed in most non-combat situations sometimes it's written out in the materials but other times the dungeon master has to make something up this can be a bit subjective even when we use this chart that's included in a lot of the official materials the dungeon master still has to decide if jumping out of the way of a large boulder that is rolling my way for example is going to be medium hard or perhaps somewhere in between let's just say that I is the dungeon master determined that my player needs to roll a 16 well I happen to have a d20 here so let's give it a try we're going for a 16 on my character sheet let's say that my character has a modifier for dexterity of plus 2 I got an 18 I add my dexterity saving throw bonus which is plus 2 and that brings me to 20 I deftly dodge out of the way of the boulder avoiding being crushed so that's how it works and that was an unusually happy ending there are a couple other ways difficulty class can be determined that don't involve such a subjective decision of the dungeon master one of those is spell save DC this is the number I need to roll to avoid the effects of a spell we get this number on the character sheet or stat block of the creature casting the spell another example is a contest and in this two players or a player and the DM roll against each other I might make a stealth check to avoid being noticed as I run into the forest and an enemy is pursuing me I would make a stealth check and I would add my relevant modifier the enemy would make a perception check add their relevant modifier and then if the enemy matches or exceeds what I ruled I would be noticed that's a contest or an opposed check lastly when we are in combat to decide if an attack hits we use armor class the person rolls to make an attack and they have to match or exceed the armor class in order to hit and that number is provided in the monster manual or on someone's character sheet so that's gonna wrap up our first lesson here on D&D rule school hopefully if you're new you now have a better feeling for how the game works just remember think and act in character tell the DM what you want to do and keep that d20 handy because it is at the heart of this game coming soon to D&D rule school advantage disadvantage critical success and failure combat magic and much more so make sure you're subscribed if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you just leave those down below if you enjoyed this one please give it a thumbs up thanks again - absolute tabletop check out their stuff via the link below and thank you for joining me here on D&D rule school everybody take care you'll see me again very soon [Music] [Music]

Channel: WASD20

Views: 800,849

Keywords: d&d, dungeons and dragons, role-playing game, tabletop rpg, tabletop, dungeons & dragons, 5th edition, 5e, dnd5e, d20, wasd20, rpg, ttrpg, how to play d&d, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, dungeon master, d&d rules school, dnd rules school, learn dnd rules, game master, nate, d&d basics, wasd, new players, handbooker helper, critical role, beginner's guide to dnd, learn d&d rules, player's handbook, matthew mercer, dice 101, matt mercer, dm basics

Id: RO2qv5Uin9c

Length: 9min 11sec (551 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 09 2018