Slaying Dragons

a forray into the fantastical world of dungeons and dragons.

Introduction.

The first time I played Dungeons and Dragons was in the small dimly lit interior of the Twenty Sided Store in Brooklyn, NewYork. It was loud, voices clammoring over each other in an attempt to be heard. People were talking about their characters and what they thought the current season was going to be about. I approached the front clerk, nervous and ready to turn tail. The store owner snuck up on me with a knowing smile.

She asked " Are you new to the hobby?" She knew the answer. I was not the first to have the wide deer in the headlights expression. She put a sheet of paper and a set of dice in my hand, ushered me to a table and left be at the mercy of my fellow players and Dungeon Master. The collective response was to think of a name. Everything else would fall into place. Thus Zahir You-Thievin'-Bastard was born, a one dimentional character who did nothing but drink, steal and wander around in confusion (That last part was mostly be being confused).

a smirking halfling smoking a pipe.

What is DnD?

At its core, Dungeons & Dragons is a group storytelling game.

It is also known as tabletop roleplaying in which you play a role within a larger overarching story. We have all done this at some point in our lives. When you are practising for that job interview and you stand in front of a mirror, pretending you are speaking in front of an interviewer in an attempt present an image that gives you the best chance at getting hired. Well in the case of dungeons and dragons, you take on a less mundane and more fantastical role. One player prepares a story of adventure - be it fantasy, dystopian, slapstick etc - then the rest of the players take charge of characters in that story and gather together to cooperatively tell the tale.

D&D lends itself to a certain trope. Often times you take on the role of a character in a more medieval setting where there are knights, kings, queens, wizards, dragons, goblins and a suite of colorful cast. Think Game of Thrones, Lord of The Rings and Narnia to name a few.

How do I make a Player Character (PC)?

You might be wondering 'HOW THE HELL DO I MAKE A PC!' Worry no more! Character creation is a fairly straightforward affair as long as you keep the proper mind set. Before diving into the statistical aspect of the game, it is important to get a rough idea of what you want to play. Perhaps you want to be a noble fighter who holds the front lines for his allies, a cheeky rogue with a heart of gold or a wizard wielding fantastical powers. You might prefer something inspired by a culture - berserker vikings known for charging into battle and druids with their deep connection to nature.

a woman in pagan clothes. Photograph by  Marcin Nagraba

There are so many avenues for inspiration. Trust me, this is the bulk of where the work goes. Look up your favorite characters from various media if you need inspiration. Heck, look up drawings! They are amazing for getting the imagination going. What so they look like? Are they strong? Smart? Awkward? Think of a hook for your character and branch out from there. You don't need to have all the answers now. Just enough to give you ground to stand on.

Once you have a character in mind, it is time to start building them using the framework to guide your choices. The first thing you will need is a character sheet. A quick search of '5e character sheet' will net you a plethora of options. You can find the basic sheet by going to Wizards of the Coast.

1. Choose a Race.

If you've decided on a PC with a rugged apperance who charges into battle, you might consider a half-orc. Orcs a known to be firce warriors, extremely tough and often portrayed to at home in battle. You could also flip the script by exploring a half-orc who steers clear of these stereotypes. Every race has some lore associated with them. for a full list of races you can visit the races section of the Wizards of the Coast website.

2. Choose a Class.

Think of a class as similar to a job. The four archetypical classes are the fighter, the rogue, the wizard and the cleric. From order of listing, these are great for first time players. The figher is tough and combat orientated. The rogue had a broad range of skills. The wizard uses years of study to bend magic to their will while the cleric gets access to magic from a diety. You can find a full list of classes here. Classes will also give you access to starting equiment geared toward the specific class.

3. Choose a Ability Scores.

Abilities are the six building blocks of any character. It is a simplified representation of their capabilities. They are:

  1. Strength : how strong a character is.
  2. Dexterity : how graceful and dextrous a character is.
  3. Constitution : how hardy a character is.
  4. Intelligence : how much intelligence or book learning a character has.
  5. Wisdom : a character's intuition and common sense.
  6. Charisma : a character's force of personality.

There are different ways of generating ability scores but for this we will be using the default ability array which is: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. The higher the number the better they are at the associated ability score. There will be plenty of times during gameplay where the Game Master will present a challenge. These are often resolved using ability scores. You can learn more on ability scores here.

4. Decide on a Background.

This is a chance to think more about where your character comes from and what their experiences are. They could have been a soldier who decided they were done playing the part of grunt. They can even be a travelling merchant! Backgrounds in D&D come with a few perks. They give you access to skills, languages and even tool proficiency to reflect their experiences. Once again, we can find an exhaustiv list over at Wizards!

5. Shiny rocks go clik-clak.

You've got enough to play! Now you just need a set of dice. Meet with your fellow players, introduce your PC and get ready for an adventure!

So...How do I Roleplay

Alright, you've got your character sheet, your dice and most importantly a concept. What now? How do you bring them to life?

The most important thing is having fun and feeling comfortable. Unless you happen to have a very outgoing personality or happen to be in theatre, chances are you might be too nervous to act out what your character does. That's okay! You are under no obligation to try to make voices or get dramatic. Simply describing what your character does in the third person is enough.

" My character does .... "

You should remain engaged. Ask questions and pay attention to what your fellow players are doing.As you get more comfortable and more experienced, you might find yourself trying to do more. Embrace it but don't force it. Find what you exjoy: exploration, combat, tactics or tomfoolery. It is also perfectly fine if you are more of a watcher. The number one rule: Have fun yourself and help your fellow players have fun!

Comic by Andy Stuart