DnD dictionary is a set of terms and acronyms that can help you better understand DnD terminology and slang used to play the game. To make your future adventures easier, more understandable, and conversations with your teammates flow, take a look at the commonly used terminology.
A
Ability check
It is a check a creature has to make to overcome a certain challenge. You make it by rolling a D20 and adding a relevant ability modifier.
Ability score
A number that defines the magnitude of a certain ability. Ability scores make your character and consist of strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.
Ability score improvement/ASI
Feature that every class gains at certain levels. You can choose to increase one ability score by 2, two ability scores by 1, or take a feat.
Action
A player on his turn during combat can usually take one action. An action can be: attack, cast a spell, dash, disengage, dodge, help, hide, ready, search and use an object.
Action Economy
D&D 5e has a system of turns that players use to perform actions and interact with their environment. Maximizing one’s action economy means performing actions that benefit the party and dealing damage to enemies. It means effectively using all three: action, bonus action, and reaction per turn.
Advantage
Rolling with advantage means rolling a D20 twice and taking the higher result.
Adventure
A well-rounded narrative set by a DM that players go through to gain experience. Often composed of several monster encounters. A single adventure also called a quest can be completed in one session.
Alignment
Categorization of a character’s ethical and moral perspective. Alignments: lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil, or chaotic evil.
Area of Effect/AoE
An area that is affected by a spell or an ability. Usually appears in cone, cube, cylinder, line, or sphere shapes.
Armor Class/AC
It is a number that indicates whether a creature can hit you or not. Wearing armor and using shields can increase your armor class.
Attack modifier/bonus
It is a number added to your roll when attacking with a weapon or unarmed strike. It equals your attack ability (usually strength or dexterity) modifier + proficiency bonus.
Attack of opportunity
As a reaction in combat, a creature can attack another creature leaving their melee range. This range is usually 5ft for PC.
Attack roll
Roll that determines whether you hit or miss your opponent. Requires rolling a D20 and adding your attack modifier. The sum is opposed to the creature’s armor class.
B
Background
A background is an element that you choose during your character creation. It gives you an idea of your character’s past experiences and gives you certain features and skills and tool proficiencies.
Backstory
A backstory is a summary of your character’s past. It’s a tale of your character’s childhood, family, achievements, and important events that make up your character’s desires and goals today.
Battle Mat
It’s a piece of paper, vinyl, marked in a grid (squares, hexagons) used for simulating combat. The mat can be drawn on with an erasable marker. In combination with miniatures, it is used to determine precise positioning during combat.
Bonus Action
Bonus action is an additional action a player can take on his turn. What you can do as a bonus action depends on your class and feats. More restricted in uses than a normal action.
Buff
Buff refers to enhancing or improving your character’s abilities in some way. You can cast a spell or use a potion to buff your character.
C
Campaign
A campaign is a larger or series of smaller narratives spread out over many sessions.
Challenge rating/CR
CR is a numerical system used to determine the difficulty of a group of four players in defeating an enemy.
Charisma/CHA
One of the ability scores. It represents the character’s personality and charm.
Combat round
In the game, a combat round lasts for 6 seconds. During that time each character takes one turn to act in initiative order.
Components
Spells require verbal (speak words), somatic (perform a gesture), or material (produce an object)components or a combination of the three.
Concentration
Some spells can last for a longer period and require concentration to maintain the spell. If you are attacked while maintaining a spell you will need to roll a concentration check.
Constitution/CON
One of the ability scores. It determines a character’s endurance and hardiness.
Critical hit/Crit
Also called a natural 20. You deal bonus damage if you roll a 20 on a die for your attack roll. A 19 on a die can have the same benefit in some cases.
D
D20
A 20-sided die.
Damage roll
If you successfully hit an opponent you will roll damage dice. Damage dice can be D12, D10, D8, D6, and a D4 depending on your class or spell cast.
Dash
Dash action lets you gain extra movement on the current turn.
Dexterity/DEX
One of the ability scores. Defines how quick and agile your character is.
Difficulty class/DC
It is a number needed to be met or exceeded to succeed at something. It relates either to saving throws or skills.
Dirty 20
When a number rolls on a 20-sided die and a modifier adds up to 20.
Disadvantage
Rolling a D20 twice and taking the lower number.
Disengage
If you choose a disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn.
Dodge
Dodge action lets you focus on avoiding attacks. If you take the dodge action, all attack rolls against you have a disadvantage until your next turn.
Downtime
A period of time between adventures. A time that players use to engage in personal projects or activities such as drinking and entertainment or shopping.
Dungeon Master/DM
A person running the game, guiding the storyline.
Dungeon Master’s Player Character/DMPC
A character a DM plays within the party. A DM is more involved in the PC than the typical NPC.
E
Encounter
A situation where players face an obstacle, a task they must solve in order to progress. A typical form of encounter is combat.
Experience points/XP
XP represents in numbers how much your character has learned. Gaining experience over time increases your character’s level.
Expertise
Expertise is a feature that allows you to double your proficiency bonus for any check requiring the skill or tool you have expertise in.
F
Feats/features
Aspects are usually determined by race and class that give you unique abilities. For example darkvision (seeing in the dark) or speaking a certain language.
Fullcaster
A class that gets spellcasting at first level and ultimately gets 9th level spells.
G
Gold pieces/GP
GP is the foundation of the default monetary system in the D&D. A certain value is expressed in platinum pieces (PP), gold (GP), silver (SP), and copper pieces (CP).
H
Halfcaster
A class that gets spellcasting at 2nd level and only reaches a maximum of 5th level spells. These classes usually don’t have cantrips.
Hit die
When taking a short rest you can use hit dice to heal your character. They replenish after long rest.
Hit points/HP
Amount of health a character has. Taking damage decreases HP.
Homebrew
A personally designed adventure, rule, or lore not published by WoTC or another game company.
I
Initiative
The order in which players and enemies take a turn in combat.
Intelligence/INT
One of the ability scores. Intelligence quotient defines your character’s language and script comprehension and learning.
L
Long rest
Lasts for eight hours. Replenishes hit dice and spell slots. Heal’s characters to their maximum hit points.
Lore
A body of knowledge or tradition. It is the history of the world.
M
Melee range
It is a range within which a creature can make a melee attack. Usually, the distance is 5ft or 1 square on a battle mat.
Metagaming
Metagaming means using knowledge as a player to make in-game decisions that your character normally wouldn’t do or know. For example, targeting the weakness of a monster because you have fought before, or read its stat block.
Modifier/Mod
It is a number determined by your ability score which alters a result of a dice roll. Ability modifiers affect almost every attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.
Movement speed
The distance a creature or character can move in a single turn.
N
Nerf
Opposite of buff. To reduce the overall effectiveness of a certain ability or system.
Non-player characters/NPC
All other characters in the game that you interact with that are controlled by the DM.
Noob
It is a slang term for a novice or somebody inexperienced in a particular activity. It is often used derogatorily for experienced players who perform poorly.
P
Party
A party is a group of players or characters that adventure together.
Player character/PC
A character controlled by a player as opposed to those controlled by a DM.
Proficiency bonus
Bonus added to skill checks, saving throws, or attacks you are proficient (good) in.
R
Range
The distance that an attack or spell can travel.
Reaction
A reaction is an instant response that allows you to take an action on another person’s turn or your own. You can have only one reaction per combat round.
Ready action
You can take ready action on your turn to prepare an action for a particular circumstance. This ready action is used as your reaction until the start of your next turn. You’ll have to decide on a trigger and a response to that trigger. For example, „If a monster gets closer to me I will shoot it with my bow.“
Role-playing game/RPG
A game where players take on a role of a character that they control.
S
Saving throw
It is a roll you make when you need to resist some negative effect. You roll a D20 and add a saving throw modifier.
Session zero/0
The first session of a new campaign. Used to discuss expectations, characters, and roll stats.
Short rest
Lasts for an hour. Players can roll hit dice to heal their characters. Some classes regain their spell slots on short rest.
Spell attack modifier/bonus
It is a number added to your roll when attacking with a spell. It equals your spellcasting ability modifier + proficiency bonus.
Spell save DC
It is a number you have to roll against to avoid spell effects or taking damage. Spell save DC is determined by your class and ability scores.
Spell slots
The number of spell slots defines how many times you can cast a certain spell. They are replenished after a long rest or short rest for certain classes.
Strength/STR
One of the ability scores. Defines your character’s physical ability.
T
Tank
A party member whose goal is to absorb damage and shield other party members from harm by getting enemies to focus their attacks on them.
Total party kill/TPK
A situation that caused the death of all characters in a party.
W
Wisdom/WIS
One of the ability scores. Intuition, understanding something instinctively.
Wizards of the Coast/WotC
The American game publishing company that owns and creates DnD.
