Welcome to Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a roleplaying game played by millions of people around the world. You’ll go on epic quests with friends as a hero of your own design, or take on the role of the Dungeon Master, who plays the monsters that oppose the heroes.

D&D Beyond makes playing the game easier. The official toolset gives you free access to the basic rules of D&D and guides you through character creation. Manage your D&D campaign and use your digital character sheet to roll dice and play online or from your kitchen table!

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How to Play D&D: An Overview for Beginners

At its core, D&D is a fantasy storytelling game. Like a game of make-believe, much of D&D gameplay takes place in your imagination. You’ll picture the druid as they summon creatures to their aid; act as the barbarian who lets out a battle cry as they charge forward; and envision the mountainous red dragon as it lets out a gout of fire.

Players sitting around a table playing Dungeons & Dragons

You’ll play as either a ...

Player

As a player, you’ll create and play a character to fight monsters, explore dungeons filled with ancient treasures, or just partake in a good old-fashioned dance competition (it happens more often than you think)!

Dungeon Master

As Dungeon Master, you’ll run the world that your players’ characters adventure in. You’ll describe the haunted castle and fight as the monsters that lurk within, challenge your players in tests of skill, and act as non-player characters, from kings to barkeeps.

Read our Beginner Guides to D&D:

How to Make a D&D Character for Beginners How to Find a D&D Group Start Playing D&D With These Books Best Campaigns for Beginner Dungeon Masters

The Role of Dice in D&D

In D&D, anything is possible. But the roll of dice will help dictate what does and does not happen. Whether you’re swinging your sword at a goblin, scaling a cliff in a storm, or just trying to tame a wild animal, you’ll need to roll dice to determine how well you do.

Start Playing: Basic Rules of Dungeons & Dragons

Create Your D&D Character

As a D&D player, you’ll create a character to take on adventures. The D&D Beyond character builder is free to use for registered users. Once you’ve made a character, you’ll be able to access your character sheet and play the game from any browser and the D&D Beyond App.

Run Your Own Game

D&D Beyond makes it easy to manage your game. Here’s how:

Create a campaign to share game information with players
Review your players’ character sheets and see them roll dice in real-time
Build and run combat encounters using the Encounters tool

If you want to get even more out of D&D Beyond, subscribe today to begin sharing purchased books with players in your campaigns. That way, they can play D&D for free!

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