Dungeons & Dragons
Revised 5th EditionBest For
Groups who want heroic fantasy campaigns with tactical combat and extensive character customization.
Core Mechanic
Roll a d20 and add applicable modifiers to meet or beat a target number. Checks and saving throws use a Difficulty Class; attacks use Armor Class. Advantage or disadvantage means rolling two d20s and keeping the higher or lower result.
The shared d20 roll makes basic checks straightforward to learn. Character builds and combat depend on interlocking class features and spell rules. Managing concentration and limited-use abilities adds ongoing decisions. DMs must learn encounter construction and prepare for expanding character capabilities.
- Free to tryFull core rulesLegally free as an SRD, PDF, or official web rules
- Get it nowAvailable nowFree to download or read online
- ✓IndexFind any rule by page number
- ✓GM guidanceA chapter on how to run the game
- ✓Examples of playRules shown in action at the table
- ✓Quick referenceCheat sheet or summary tables
- ✓Cross-referencesRules point to each other by page
5 of 5 book tools found in the core book
Highlights
- Weapon Mastery adds effects such as pushing or slowing enemies to qualifying weapon attacks.
- Class and feat choices let characters develop different roles over twenty levels.
- Optional Bastions give characters home bases with facilities that produce benefits between adventures.
Considerations
- Spells and class abilities have separate resource limits and timing rules.
- Higher-level magic can change travel and encounter assumptions that the DM must prepare for.
- Social encounters rely on ability checks and DM judgments about NPC attitudes.
Third-Party Publishing
Rules license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (SRD 5.2.1); proprietary core books
SRD 5.2.1 content with the required attribution; proprietary core books and protected D&D intellectual property are outside this open license.
DMsGuild separately permits approved fifth-edition supplements and settings under its own program terms.
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