d&d 101

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is collaborative storytelling with dice.
You’ll sit down with a small group of players and a GM (Game Master) who sets the scene and plays the world around you. Together, you decide what your party does next — explore, talk your way out of trouble, fight something you probably shouldn’t, or try something creative.

You’ll play as one character, and you’ll have a character sheet (paper or digital) that shows what they’re good at, what they can do, and what cool abilities they have. It can look like a lot at first, but you don’t need to understand everything up front — you’ll pick it up as you go.

Skill checks happen when something is uncertain.
Trying to search for hidden treasure, climb a wall, sneak past guards, or lie your way out of trouble? You’ll roll a 20-sided die (a d20) to see how it goes. Higher rolls usually mean better results, and the GM will help you with what to add from your sheet when it matters.

Skill Check Scenario:

Player: “I want to climb this tree to get a better vantage point!”
GM: “Ok, make an Athletics roll.”
Player: Rolls a D20, the dice shows a 16, your character sheet has +3 next to Athletics, (16 + 3 = 19) your total roll is a 19. You should announce this to the GM!
GM: “You climb the tree and get a great vantage point!”

Roleplay

You talk in your character’s voice (optional!) or just describe what you say.

  • “I ask them if they’re OK.”

  • “Streefus! Are you OK!?”

Keep in mind, depending on where you are there might be other people to talk to or interact with! The GM may mention this in the description of the scene, or you can ask them!

playing the game

Explore

You move through the world, check things out, and look for clues or hidden details. The GM will let you know if you find things!

  • “I search the room for anything useful.”

  • “I peek around the corner.”

While a lot of D&D is open-ended, there are limits to what you can do. For example, you can’t decide to go to an ice cream shop just because you want to. Chances are, there’s not one around!

Solve

You figure things out together — puzzles, traps, plans, and weird situations

Work as a team, someone might be really good at picking locks (slight of hands) and another person might be really good at lying (deception) so it’s important to be vocal about

Fight

You take turns in combat when things get dangerous.

More on that below!

Combat!

It’s time to fight! Will you use weapons, magic, or some other cool thing?

The first thing that will happen is that the DM will say “I need everyone to roll Initiative”, or something very similar! You’ll roll a D20 and add your Initiative score (near the top of the character sheet) to the number that you roll This determines which order you’ll go in in the fight. The enemies (controlled by the GM) will also roll. Yes, in battle everyone gets a turn one by one!

On your turn, you’ll have 3 things to do:

Action

This is the main thing you do on your turn. There are lots of options depending on your class, but the most common example is attacking an enemy.

First, decide who you’re going after. You might use a melee weapon, a ranged weapon, or a spell — so you may or may not need to be right next to them.

When you attack, you’ll usually roll a d20 to see if you hit or miss. This is called an attack roll. You’ll add the bonus listed next to the weapon or spell you’re using (the GM can help you find it).

If you hit (the GM will tell you), you then roll for damage. Your weapon or spell will tell you which die to roll (like a d4, d8, or d10), plus a small bonus. Roll it, add the bonus, and that’s how much damage you deal.

Movement

In front of you, you’ll likely have a mini figure on a game board with a square grid pattern on it. Each square is 5 feet.

Now locate your waking speed on your character sheet, it’s most likely around 30 feet. This is the distance you can move per turn.

Note: If you’re are next to an enemy and you run away or move out of their reach, it’s likely that they’ll get an “opportunity attack” against you! Aka, they can hit you. Just something to keep in mind.

Bonus Action

Bonus actions are usually quick things like:

  • Drinking a potion

  • Making an extra attack (for certain classes)

  • Using a special ability

  • Casting a spell that says it uses a bonus action

If you have a bonus action available, you can use it before or after your main action — totally up to you.

What to Expect at Cascade of Chaos

Cascade of Chaos is a drop-in D&D series designed to welcome brand-new players and seasoned vets at the same table.

  • You can come to one session or keep coming back

  • Characters and dice are provided (if you have your own, bring them! We are currently playing with Level 2 characters!)

  • The GM will walk you through anything you don’t know!

  • Your choices affect the ongoing story, but you never need prior knowledge to jump in

If you can read this page, you’re ready to play. Join the Hive!

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