#this ended up really long if you need a shortened TLDR version just lemme know

[jindogay]

hi I'm the anon from dave asking about DnD! I'm just looking for like, tips about the game in general? I'm sorry if that's so broad. things like: how do i play a certain alignment, what actions can i roll for/ how long can the actions be, what are traits and stats (and isn't there like a +/- system for them?). things like that. if there's a site for the rules that'd be good enough for me. sorry if this is long, I'm getting the handbook soon so maybe things will be cleared up for me

aww, it’s cool! i’m kind of a beginner myself, but i’ve played enough sessions that i can get you started! note: i play dnd 5e, which is theee most recent? edition? and the one that the mcelroy brothers use in The Adventure Zone, if you’re familiar with that. i’ve found it to be the most relaxed and character-focused. pathfinder is another big alternative, but it’s a little more complicated.second off, here’s some online versions of the handbook. i know some people prefer physical copies, but these can be nice too. i’ve never owned the physical thing in my life, and only one of my friends does. (PDF)  (non official site) there’s also apps, which i can recommend if you have android. not sure abt ios. 

so the DMs ive been under have all been pretty lax about alignments, some like to be huge sticklers about it and want to make sure your characters every action follows it and stuff, but real people don’t fit into a category perfectly so like, if your DM’s cool with it, don’t sweat it too much. that said, think of it as a guidance for your moral compass. here’s some basic explainers on each alignment:(right here) and (right here)actions you roll for is preeeetty much everything, unless it’s like, just talking. d20s are by far the die you use the most: you’ll use it to land an attack (attack rolls), or do any check based actions. (like perception, for when you’re trying to notice something, or charisma, for when you’re trying to convince someone). you’ll use other die almost exclusively during combat, specifically when deciding damage. i almost never play magic classes, but there’s bonuses involved and it’s pretty thoroughly explained in the handbook. each round in combat last 6 seconds, technically, but if you want to chat up a storm in one round, as long as your DM is okay with it, seriously go for it. banter is fun. every spell has a time placed on how long it lasts (if it doesnt, assume it lasts until the spellcaster ends it.)traits/stats are divided into categories, and the +/- are decided on the base stats you make when you create your character. there’s a process for rolling for them, which you can find on the above site (the process i use, don’t worry, you still get to decide which stats are better), or you can go for the default stats which are also there, or if your dm’s cool with it and mayybe if at least someone knows what they’re doing, you can just eyeball it. i’ve never done this or heard of people doing it before, because it’s easy to end up with an imbalanced/overpowered/underpowered character, especially in relation to your party, but dude, number one rule of DND is do anything as long as the DM says its okay.honestly, when i started, it was with a group that mostly had no idea what we were doing. we’d had two sessions of pathfinder with another DM that had been kind of over our heads, and when we actually sat down for a session, only the DM had any prior experience at all. dnd isn’t all that intimidating, especially if you have someone to help you, and i’ve met plenty of cool people online willing to talk and share info and play together! if you ever need anything else, or need something clarified, or even need help finding people/creating a character/ an yt hing, feel free to drop by!